The first day of summer vacation.

Even though the sun had only just risen, the front gate of the academy was overflowing with carriages. It went without saying that they were all there to take students back home for the break, and we were about to board one of them as well.

“Isn’t this a bit much?”

“Y-Yeah, it really is…”

It wasn’t often that so many carriages gathered in one place at the same time. With this many, it was impossible to tell at a glance which one was meant for us.

If there were this many carriages, then the number of students must be at least twice as large. Add in the servants accompanying them and the absurdly large amounts of luggage, and the whole area had already exceeded capacity. In fact, it was overflowing beyond the academy gates.

Our carriage and driver had already been arranged, so we couldn’t just hop onto any random one. Taking care not to get trampled by the crowd or the horses, I searched for our designated carriage alongside the Hero. The driver was probably looking for us as well, so even with this chaos, meeting up shouldn’t be impossible.

“Let’s be patient.”

“Yeah.”

We moved carefully, making sure not to get separated. Navigating through such a packed space was a bit daunting, but surprisingly, the moment we stepped forward, people and carriages moved aside as if avoiding filth.

“H-Hey! It’s the Dragon Slayer Faction Leader! Make way, everyone! If you get on his bad side, he’ll cut your head off!”

At the same time, cries of panic spread around us.

“……”

“A-Ahaha… Well, at least they’re making things easier for us, right?”

The Hero beside me gave a strained smile, trying to lighten the mood. But his kindness only made my heart ache.

—Did they really have to scream like they’d seen some kind of monster? And is that how they see me? Like some tyrant who indiscriminately slaughters people? Am I not even allowed to walk outside in peace?

“What did I even do to deserve this…”

Though my morale took a hit, the now-cleared path allowed us to move forward with ease. Convenient, yes—but the price I paid for it was steep. Life is cruel.

Not far ahead, I spotted a particularly luxurious carriage, far grander than the others. A well-dressed driver stood beside it, bowing in our direction.

—That’s definitely the one.

The moment I laid eyes on it, I knew. That was the carriage the academy had prepared for us. It looked fit to carry a foreign dignitary, and my stomach churned at the sight.

The old me would have been thrilled at such special treatment. But now, guilt overshadowed any joy. As long as I could get home without issue, any ordinary carriage would have sufficed. In fact, a normal one would have been better—I’d prefer not to stand out like this.

“Hey, Weiss… Did I do something wrong?”

As reality continued to stray further from anything resembling normal or peaceful, I couldn’t help but voice my frustration. The Hero looked perplexed.

“Huh? Well… Sometimes you might go a little overboard, but overall, I’d say you do a lot of good things.”

“…I see. So, it’s my fault, huh.”

Weiss’s blunt words dealt a critical hit to my already fragile mental state. But before I could wallow in self-pity, another problem presented itself.

As I reached the carriage with heavy steps, I noticed an unwelcome figure standing beside the driver—none other than that damn woman, Levia.

“G-Good morning!”

“……”

Though my animosity toward her had lessened somewhat since she became my servant after our last encounter, her sudden, unannounced appearance still put me on guard.

—I had been letting her roam free to extract information about the Empire, but…

“Why are you here?”

“W-Well! I have a request for you, Lord Claym…”

Something about this didn’t feel right. She hadn’t shown herself for a while, and now she was suddenly popping up again? My instincts screamed that this wasn’t going to be good.

“A request? Does it have to be now?”

“Y-Yes…!”

Of all times, she chose to ambush me right before I departed for home. Annoying as it was, I couldn’t ignore her. She was an important piece in uncovering the secrets of the Shadow Dragon, after all.

“…Fine. Speak.”

Lowering my voice so others wouldn’t overhear, I prompted her to continue. At this, her face lit up with excitement. She really saw me as some benevolent master, huh?

“W-Well! I kept in contact with my homeland, even though I thought it was hopeless… and somehow, I managed to secure a chance for redemption! If I can produce tangible results during this summer vacation, I might be able to infiltrate the upper echelons of the Empire…!!”

As expected, her sudden appearance had something to do with the Shadow Dragon—and by extension, the Empire. And judging by her words, it was a major opportunity. I hadn’t thought she’d be able to mend ties with the Empire so quickly. She was more capable than I had given her credit for.

“And?”

I waited for the real request.

She hesitated briefly before blurting out,

“S-So! When I considered what kind of ‘results’ would convince the Empire, I thought that demonstrating a close relationship with you, Lord Claym, would be highly persuasive! So, I was hoping to accompany you home for the break…!!”

“…So you’re saying you want to come with me?”

“W-Would that be alright!?”

“……”

The request was so unexpected that I was at a loss for words.

It made sense—if she, someone who had supposedly failed her mission, could follow me all the way home, it would be enough to deceive the Empire. And if she could infiltrate their inner circle, that would be a huge advantage for us.

—But I really don’t want to bring her along.

Weiss, as my friend and disciple, was one thing. But taking this woman, who I had so many unpleasant memories with, to my family home? I had a bad feeling it would ruin my peaceful return.

“Is it… not possible?”

“Ugh…”

It wasn’t sentimentality that made me hesitate. It was pure calculation—the potential benefits versus the price I had to pay.

In the end, my decision was the same as always. No matter how unpleasant something was, if it concerned dragons, I had no choice but to act.

“…Fine. If that’s the case, you can come.”

Even as I agreed, I felt an immediate pang of regret.

“Th-Thank you so much!!”

Her face bloomed into a bright smile, and before I knew it, she had already started loading her luggage onto the carriage.

—She was way too prepared for this.

If she had this much stuff packed, then no matter what I had said, she was going to come anyway… wasn’t she?

“Hah…”

“A-Are you okay, Clay?”

“Yeah… No, not really. But I’ll force myself to accept it with time.”

“O-Okay…?”

With the Hero’s worried support keeping me from completely breaking down, we finally boarded the carriage and set off from the academy—now with an unexpected companion in tow.