Ariel Dalton Wants to Graduate

“Did any of them see me at the back of the girls’ dormitory on the second day of the Love Month Banquet?”

This was because the young dragons would rather die than stay in their pens. Their routine was to explore the nooks and crannies of Fitzsimmons throughout the day, only returning to their pens when they were hungry or sleepy, which means the dragons could have been present at the moment I saw Anais.

As seen just by looking at Clay, the dragon’s intelligence was beyond that of a human. I could think of three legends off the top of my head where ancient dragons, hundreds or thousands of years old, served as sages. If the dragon had seen the face of the bastard who had conspired against Anais, everything would have been solved.

“You could ask, but… As you know, I don’t ‘talk’ to dragons like we do now. I can only vaguely convey intentions. You might not get the answer you want.”

Jaden’s tone was cautious. I said that it wouldn’t be a problem. I added that each clue was precious. Jaden nodded silently, and then he spoke as if something suddenly occurred to him.

“By any chance, was this your main goal?”

I scraped passionately between stone and stone.

 

***

 

Does Marquis Bolton have no friends? Does he have no friends he could meet up on weekends and go to the Magic Broom Airfield with?

“I don’t know if you understand, but when you’re in my position, you don’t date just anyone.”

“Oh my, did you hear the voice of my heart?”

“Do you blurt out your feelings so easily?”

Bolton sarcastically snatched the broom out of the employee’s hand. It was a broom with a manticore mane woven into a handle made of an oak tree. They said it was the product with the best cushioning in the store, so I got the same one. What does it matter if it’s a little expensive? The money isn’t coming out of my pocket anyway.

Even after being brought back from the brink of death, Ariel Dalton was still Marquise Bolton’s dating guinea pig.

After realizing Rosemary Blossom’s identity, I no longer had the confidence to support Bolton’s sad unrequited love. Since the goal was to achieve the true ending anyway, Bolton could only have 1/6 of Blossom.

Maybe 1/6 was too much. From my perspective, Blossom wasn’t really interested in Bolton.

Kyle said that if I had to hang out with someone in the student council without provoking Blossom, I had three options. Edgar, Jaden, and Bolton. He said there won’t be a problem for Edgar because his brother is already Blossom’s ‘caught fish’, and for Jaden, it’s not the right time yet.

The reason Bolton is included is that he was neither Blossom’s ‘favorite’ nor ‘second favorite’. I didn’t know what ‘favorite’ or ‘second favorite’ meant, but I knew it didn’t mean anything good for Bolton.

Nevertheless, I got on the magic broom. It was for a date with Bolton on the weekend, an unexpected event. There was no particular reason for it – internally, that is – but externally, changing one’s attitude as if flipping the back of one’s hand might feel strange. Additionally, I eat even bread that has already fallen on the floor. If I weren’t an extremely materialistic person, a storm would have erupted on Bolton’s affection front.

Even in my parents’ time, flying brooms were a thing of the past, as they were rarely used after the advent of flight or teleportation magic. The fact that broom airfields were sprouting up on Finnigan Street could be considered a natural social phenomenon. Because trends always tend to come in full circle.

There had been a craze at this time of year before, but I hadn’t paid much attention at the time because I figured my fear of heights wouldn’t allow me to squeeze as much fun out of it as I would have spent the gold coins on. However, it was a different case if the wallet you were going to open belonged to someone else.

“Dalton, is that the best you can do?”

“Shut up. I’m enjoying my thrill.”

Bolton, who disappeared as soon as he entered the airfield, came back to tease me. Because my broom was only about 8 feet above the ground.

It was ridiculous, even to myself, but I was having fun with it in my way, so I had a lot to say in response. It was a rare and precious experience for me, who had difficulty even floating, let alone flying, due to my meager mana reserves.

“My youngest sibling, who was born last year, would be better at riding than you.”

“Do you really think your youngest sibling, who was born last year, can perform such spectacular aerobatics?”

My flight was only at a low altitude, but that didn’t mean my skills were poor. When I spun in a big circle to prove it, Bolton laughed through his nose. Then, not only did he easily steal my conversion technique, but he also flew backward, ascended rapidly, and descended rapidly, causing quite a commotion.

I was feeling quite frustrated. To relieve the rising resentment, I had to at least pull Bolton’s sideburns. I struggled to hold on to the gray hair that was fluttering around me. The moment I let my guard down, my body’s balance suddenly collapsed.

“Heuk, Dalton!”

“Ah!”

The use of magic brooms outside of airfields was not recommended due to problems such as encroaching on a magic ship’s route or flying dangerously without keeping order. This is why it was essential for all airfields to employ safety guards and healers.

But that didn’t mean the immediate pain would lessen. The 8-foot drop was still a fall. Professor Chapman also said that the spell for wringing laundry and the spell for fixing a misaligned bone are fundamentally the same. I imagined my vertebrae that would soon turn into laundry.

But it stayed as an imagination…

This is because instead of hard pebbles, firm forearms supported my saddle and stirrups.

A warm feeling touched my shoulder. I slowly opened my tightly closed eyes. The dazzling smile of the student council president, who had established himself as the king of the banquet with an overwhelming vote rate of more than 50%, was what greeted me.

“You have to be careful.”

“Uh, uh… .”

“Good to see you, too, Ariel. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

What I learned from Florence Belle’s world was that the worse he felt, the more he tended to smile. I sensed that Keran was quite upset. Did he fight with Blossom? I wondered idly in his arms, and then I realized where the eyes of the people flying over the artificial sky of the remote airfield were directed. My cheeks burned.

“It’s been a while, um, how have you been? I’ve been doing well… Would you please drop me off now?”

My voice trailed off into a whisper. The corners of Keran’s mouth rose in inverse proportion to that.

“No, you’ll run away if I let you down.”

I didn’t have the heart to be so brazen, given my recent history of running away whenever I saw golden hair. I decided not to answer hastily. Then I rolled my eyes around and searched for a way out. There are two entrances, so if I do it right—

“I know you’re looking for a way to escape.”

Do you have eyes on your chin? How do you know when I’m just looking ahead?

“I know you’re thinking, “Do you have eyes on your chin?” I hope you know that I am being patient right now.”

“Wow, you…”

I couldn’t afford to resist the seemingly affectionate threat of a man capable of ruining someone’s life with just one snap of his finger. Instead of struggling, I stuck my head as close to Keran as possible. I hoped it would hide my face, at least a little. My arms hung limply. I figured if I did this right, I could look like a very badly injured person.

My body swayed lightly to the beat of Keran’s walking pace. I had counted to two hundred the sound of his heart beating faster than mine when I felt something rough against my fingertips. It felt like wood. Judging by the elongated shapes lined up, it looked like we were passing by the broom display stand.

If so, the opportunity is now. I grabbed the nearest broom that passed by my fingertips and pulled away from Keran. After quickly getting on, I ran towards the entrance I had checked in advance. It was a perfect escape.

Freedom!

 

***

 

“Ariel.”

“Yeah… .”

“Did you not see the notice that the speed of flying brooms is restricted outside the airfield?”

“Hmm… .”

Exactly ten minutes after my epic escape, I was flying alongside Keran, about two feet above him. This is because no matter how much mana was poured into the broom, it did not accelerate.

Also, due to a long-term illness, I was unable to fly at altitudes higher than 8 feet. That meant deceiving his line of sight was impossible unless Keran was roughly less than 3 feet tall.

When I answered sullenly, Keran almost died from laughter. Despite running for quite a long time, his breathing remained steady. There was no sign of sweat on his forehead, which was nicely exposed between his bangs that had been blown over by the wind.

Feeling a little in awe, I decided to slow down my broom to match his walking speed. Not getting off the broomstick was a matter of pride.

“Why did you run away?”

“Why did you chase me?”

Simply saying, ‘Rosemary Blossom, with her omniscient powers, is watching you and me with her eyes lit up’ would have been impossible due to the system barrier placed between us, much higher than 8 feet. As if he didn’t expect I was going to ask him back, Keran looked as if he had been caught off guard.

“Well… I don’t know?”

“What kind of answer is that, and how did you know I was here in the first place?”

“My aide is loyal.”

“That son of a bitch.”

“I think your inner thoughts just came out.”

“No, it was my outward feelings.”

I gritted my teeth, thinking about the actions of Marquise Bolton, who disappeared as soon as Keran appeared, like an artificial star in the sky. Next time I go somewhere with him, I’ll be the left head of the three-headed dog.

“You haven’t appeared in my dreams.”

While I was thinking about where the pig’s blood and raven feathers for the curse were in my drawer, Keran suddenly spoke up. His eyebrows were furrowed.

 

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