A week passed quickly, enough time for rumors of the king’s excitement to spread. Everyone seemed to bear a heavy burden, their expressions tense.
When the group for the Chantal International Academic Conference gathered, the number was staggering.
Five students from Amort’s knight department, two professors, three dragon knight students, four breeders, three servants, two doctors, and one veterinarian.
Twenty participants from Nephthalene School for the literary section.
Three knights and servants from Litton Wyler and Heim Wyler for precious student protection. There was even a mercenary group for additional security.
We had five carriages and two medium-sized dragons, each about 20 meters long, plus their food.
If we, not the frontrunners, had this much, the major nations must have more. It gave me a sense of how large Chantal in Bellpepper must be.
I didn’t know any of the departing Amort students except Damien Shore and his friend (whose name I still didn’t know). Injuries were rare among the top students, so I seldom treated them.
I recognized the professors from our gatherings, and I’d gotten to know the breeders recently thanks to Gold Schumann Maranelli.
The breeders were busy moving the Tess Nigellas, dragons I hadn’t properly met yet. They would fly part of the way and walk part of the way to match our pace.
After loading my luggage, I wandered around and found Raiden. He was using magic tools to change his hair and eye color, likely to hide his identity as the vice-captain of Litton Wyler.
With additional illusion magic on his face, he looked like a different person. His choice was mature.
The Chantal event would attract top knight students worldwide, and recognizing Raiden, the youngest hero, would cause chaos.
“Raiden.”
“Ah, Elly.”
***
I was accompanied by Sir Roche, someone I knew. During the travel time, Sir Roche had decided to coach the students in swordsmanship. I didn’t know the knight from Heim Wyler, and Raiden introduced himself as one of Nebe’s caretakers.
Sir Asha was with us to ensure that Rotten Cromwell’s eggs were safely transported, but his remark about preferring to deal with Nebe’s tantrums over wasting time on this journey suggested he was skeptical about our chances of winning.
“I’m worried if just two doctors can manage with this many people.”
At least I was relieved that I could stay in the carriage most of the time. Raiden, still uneasy, started nagging me to let him know immediately if I felt any discomfort. Sir Roche looked at Raiden, who was talking sensibly, and then at me, who was quietly listening, with disbelief.
Close by, we heard the sharp cry of a dragon. The group from Nephthalene glanced nervously towards the dragons. Sir Asha went in that direction to offer help, and Dr. Ren, who was talking with the Amort professors, approached us. Raiden seemed to recognize Dr. Ren, and surprisingly, Dr. Ren recognized him too.
“Nice to see you again, Raiden… Hale.”
“Ah, it’s you. Good to see you, Sir Hale. I’m Dr. Ren. I suspected it back then, but you are the knight of Litton Wyler.”
“I’ll be accompanying you on this journey. Please take care of me.”
“I should be saying that to you.”
Dr. Ren hurried off when someone called him to move some luggage, and I relaxed my tense body without realizing it.
I tightened my thick coat, which I had specifically chosen, though it wasn’t noticeable, just in case anyone became suspicious.
Though the week had passed quickly, for me, it was a tiring week without proper sleep because of the question that kept lingering in my mind: Whose child am I pregnant with? And what would I do after giving birth?
Naturally optimistic and someone who gives up when things are beyond my control, I managed to endure this far.
Otherwise, I can’t imagine how I would have coped. That doesn’t mean I didn’t meticulously review the past four months’ events I had recorded in my diary.
The only reason I could bear it was because I concluded that Raiden was most likely the father, which somewhat reassured me.
Additionally, Raiden never gave me a clear answer when I asked him if we had slept together, always responding vaguely.
Damien Shore, who strangely hovered around me, was also suspicious, but his alibi was perfect, as he had gone to train in the outer region during the expected ‘conceive’ period according to the student schedule. Although doubtful, I decided to find his closeness suspicious.
While I wasn’t looking forward to this journey to Chantal, I thought it might be a chance to get some answers from Raiden.
Under normal circumstances, we wouldn’t have much time together due to our work, but on this trip, we would be together most of the time.
Also, since Raiden was using the alias Hale, there wouldn’t be any rumors about us being together.
Though I was a bit worried about the gazes from Sir Roche and Sir Asha, I decided to trust the rumor circulating among the knights.
“Dr. Hale, could you come here for a moment?”
Hachner called me with a troubled smile.
Behind the last carriage, two dragons were snorting ominously. The dark green dragons, a little less than 20 meters long, had black scales protruding like the flat cacti of the desert from head to tail. They seemed difficult to saddle and ride. Well, some breeds can’t be ridden due to their appearance and size.
The Nephthalene group, watching from a distance, whispered among themselves, curious about me, a doctor wearing a white feather brooch.
Chamber jewelry and Gold Schumann’s fickleness seemed to be a hot topic at Heim Wyler.
Sir Asha gave me and Tess Nigella a peculiar look. Raiden, too, seemed displeased with sending me, who lacked a caretaker’s license and proper safety equipment, near the angry dragons.
Despite Raiden’s concern, the two Tess Nigella dragons rubbed their noses against my outstretched hand, making a sound that seemed pleasant to me.
I guessed what was happening and asked,
“Are they being picky about their food?”
“Usually, they eat sheep without even shearing them.”
“They seem hungry now. I thought they’d been fed enough before departure.”
“Oh, these rascals!”
Professor Hachner and Professor Reed tried to open the dragons’ mouths, and their cheeks seemed unusually full.
“These rascals stored meat in their cheek pouches for the journey!”
“No wonder they were up late at night whispering to each other.”
“I thought they were eating faster than usual today. Don’t starve yourselves, you rascals!”
The dragons grumbled but eventually took out the stored meat from their cheek pouches after being given two live rabbits by the caretakers.
Finally, we were almost ready to depart.
The Amort and Nephthalene groups exchanged brief greetings but didn’t seem interested in getting to know each other.
Only Dr. Ren and I, the only doctors, greeted the professors leading the Nephthalene group.
Professor Morgan, the head of the Nephthalene group, expressed regret at my poor condition, joking insincerely about hoping the doctor wouldn’t collapse and hinder the trip.
He was rude and blunt, which made me quite upset.
Despite my worries and lack of sleep, I had been diligently exercising and eating healthy to stay in good condition for the journey.
Dr. Ren was about to get angry on my behalf, but I stopped him.
I boarded the carriage, reassured by Dr. Ren’s comfort.
My assigned carriage was quite cozy, with cushioned seats that could be used as a makeshift hospital bed in case of an emergency. Although filled with my luggage, it seemed manageable.
I had also purchased and been taking an expensive miscarriage prevention drug, costing half of my monthly salary. Long live advanced civilization. Now, I just needed to minimize physical strain and stress.
As I was contentedly inspecting the carriage, Raiden came over. He peered at me through the window, which I had opened for ventilation.
