Chapter 27

If I took one side here, it was plain to see how miserable the road ahead would get.

I’m going to lose my mind.

Normally, a person chosen by a dragon has deep affection for it. From what I’d heard, the bond between a dragon and the person it chose wasn’t an ordinary relationship — it was something tied together by some other thread entirely. What that felt like, I had no idea, since I’d never been the one chosen.

Setting that aside, this was a companion dragon he’d raised for over ten years. And after all that time spent raising it with love and devotion, to watch it take better to a total stranger than to him?

Even if that stranger happened to be its trainer, people’s hearts weren’t always rational, and hurt feelings were only natural.

No — showing hurt feelings was actually the mild, mature reaction. There were people who did that, sure, but plenty of others, like the Duke, let every emotion show at once — hurt, anger, jealousy, all of it.

Picking the wrong side here is going to cause a world of trouble.

My employer and superior, the Duke, was a headache just to deal with on his own, and so was Kazen. If I let things sour with a dragon I had to keep training, rebuilding that relationship would take twice the effort. It might even become impossible to build any relationship at all.

Tasting the feeling of a shrimp caught between whales fighting, I swallowed a sigh. Small mercies — at least this wasn’t the first time.

I placed a hand on the bridge of Kazen’s nose as he held my sleeve clamped in his teeth, and looked at the Duke.

“I won’t indulge his clinginess.”

The Duke blinked, as if that had surprised him.

“If it isn’t necessary, I won’t indulge it. A trainer exists for the dragon’s training.”

Without affection for the dragon in your charge, training became difficult. Even without affection to start, seeing and handling a dragon enough would inevitably grow it.

But the dragon in my charge wasn’t my own companion dragon. That was a distinction I couldn’t afford to confuse.

“It’s my own oversight that I didn’t foresee Kazen behaving like this. I’ll correct this during training as well.”

I bowed to the Duke. Perhaps sensing something had shifted strangely in the air, Kazen’s grip on my sleeve loosened.

“…I see.”

He spoke only after a long silence.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t expect Kazen to act this way either. He’s never cried out wanting to see someone else before.”

“I see.”

“I never imagined he’d behave like this because he missed Trainer Litia, but…”

“Grrrrk…”

Kazen only let out a low whine, not moving from his spot. Watching his gold eyes roll uncertainly, it seemed he sensed something odd about the mood.

“His Grace told me to rest for about a week, but I’ll begin Kazen’s training again starting today.”

“…I’d rather not take away your vacation if I can help it, but since I couldn’t calm Kazen myself, there’s no helping it. I’m sorry, but I’d be grateful for the effort.”

“Not at all. It’s a trainer’s duty.”

“In exchange, I’ll see that you’re compensated for the trouble. I’ll make sure you’re well looked after, so don’t worry.”

“Thank you.”

Oh, an incentive offered without even having to ask. Now this made the job worth doing.

He was a little prickly and overflowing with jealous affection for his dragon, but he really was a good employer. Mm-hm. Take care of me like this, and I’d work hard for him.

I bowed my head, fighting to keep the corners of my mouth from rising on their own. The Duke stepped over to Kazen and gave his neck a couple of pats.

“The trainer you wanted has come, so behave and listen well.”

“Grrrrk.”

Leaving Kazen there, his pupils trembling faintly, the Duke strode quickly out of the pen.

…He’s sulking.

That right there was sulking. Well, considering it, his sense of betrayal was probably even bigger than mine.

“Now, then…”

I turned my head to look at Kazen. The low, uncertain rumble in his throat told me he was flustered.

“Kazen.”

“Kkweeeooong.”

Kazen let out a pitiful cry, lowering his head as far as it would go, eyeing me cautiously. Watching him, I let out a sigh.

“You acted like that because you missed me, huh?”

I softened my voice and scratched under his jaw. The small, tightly packed scales slid smoothly beneath my fingertips.

“Kkurrrrrrung.”

Only then did he seem to relax a little, his eyes growing damp as he leaned into my hand with a low rumbling sound. Seeing that reaction made me feel almost guilty.

And people call this thing a living volcano.

Living volcano, my foot. He just looked like a big, adorable red puppy. One that had caused trouble and was now watching my face very, very carefully.

“You were startled that I didn’t come by all of a sudden, weren’t you? I was just tired, so I was taking a short rest.”

“Kurrrrrrrk.”

“But crying over it like that — His Grace didn’t know what to do with you.”

Kazen kept rumbling and whining in his usual clingy way, then blew out a huff of air through his nose. It seemed to be arguing that it hadn’t been that big a deal, which made me let out an exasperated laugh.

Honestly, this felt exactly like a kid who’d just made his first friend, or found a teacher he liked, and gotten completely overexcited about it — his parents totally forgotten in the process.

Kids like this were always the ones who cried and carried on the loudest the moment their parents actually disappeared.

“Want to go for a walk?”

“Kurrrrrrrong!”

As if he’d been waiting for exactly that, Kazen let out a cry and swept his tail hard enough to whistle through the air. I readied his lead. Before I could correct this separation-anxiety behavior, it seemed he needed to calm down with a walk first.

Like a fish thrown back into water, Kazen bounded across the plain in high spirits, then dropped to the ground and rolled around with abandon. The thick scent of crushed grass rose sharply every time the huge dragon moved.

“Ah, I’ll need to give him a bath later.”

I wished there was a lake nearby. That would make it so much easier to wash him, just letting him soak in the water.

Deciding I’d fly on Kazen’s back later to look for a river or lake, I watched the enormous dragon flip onto his back and wave his tail around like an excited puppy.

…Who in the world would believe an Agrix dragon acted like this. Give me back that dignified, lofty dragon I’d seen at the Ashar Training Center.

“Grrrrrrrrrrk!”

Rolling happily this way and that, crying out in delight, Kazen suddenly flipped himself upright. Then, with movements that could barely contain his excitement, he crept closer and flattened himself to the ground.

“Grrrrrrrrrng.”

I pressed my lips together at the sight of him flicking only the tip of his tail while firing off a look that was pure pleading. As if he’d forgotten he’d been moping only moments ago, he was suddenly full of energy, and I deliberately hardened my expression and stepped back.

“Grrk?”

“No.”

The moment I said no, Kazen’s body went still. But I couldn’t afford to indulge this clinginess any further.

A trainer couldn’t be treated as nothing more than an object of endless affection. I had to be careful not to become someone he could pour out his whims on without restraint, even while making sure he never grew afraid of me.

I was the one who trained dragons. Not the one who doted on them.

“Kazen, back up.”

I pulled out my training whistle, put it to my lips, and waved him back. Kazen flinched, then shuffled backward hesitantly.

“No more. If you want to be fussed over, go ask His Grace.”

At that, his gold eyes, shot through with red, flickered.

“Kkrrrrrrrung…”

“Ah-ah.”

I deliberately stayed stern with him despite his mournful whining, and he stopped crying and pressed his jaw flat to the ground.

“Go play. You can’t play with me.”

At that, Kazen folded and unfolded his wings. He stayed flattened to the ground, restless for a while, before letting out a pitiful cry again.

“Kkurrrrrrong! Kkrrrrrrrung…”

I didn’t react to the sound, just watched him quietly, and eventually Kazen rose to his feet, wings drooping limply.

Then, looking thoroughly dejected to anyone watching, he began trudging slowly toward the center of the field. Dragging his feet, moving as if he hoped I’d call him back any second, his tail hung low and scraped along the ground behind him.

“…..”

Honestly, what trainer would enjoy being firm with a dragon that liked them this much and followed them around so faithfully? Especially when Kazen’s little displays of affection were unbearably cute.

But Kazen needed this attitude from me. He had to learn that showing affection toward someone didn’t guarantee that person would treasure and love him back — not when he was a dragon who rejected anyone he hadn’t personally approved.

It was a necessary step if any other trainer was ever going to be able to handle him.

“…It’s necessary, if only to make things a little less exhausting for everyone.”

A chill ran down my spine at the thought of the Duke’s face, scrunched up with every grievance in the world. Being resented by my employer — what kind of thorny path was that going to be?

I turned my head away, deliberately ignoring Kazen, who kept glancing over at me periodically, head and wings drooping dejectedly.

Kazen needed this experience too.

He had to realize that wanting something didn’t mean he’d get affection unconditionally — that he had to actually do something to earn what he wanted.

The one who should give him unconditional affection was Duke Albarant. Not me, his trainer.

It doesn’t exactly feel good, though.

I’d have to give him a few treats later, when I bathed him.

Thinking that, I kept watching Kazen. Whether it was because he hadn’t gotten what he wanted, he lay curled up on the ground in a tight ball.

…He seemed more deflated than I’d expected. I’d probably need to call him back soon, depending on how things looked.

Setting the relationship straight matters, but if this ends up making Kazen reject me, that’s dangerous.

I really didn’t want to die physically just because I indulged his tantrums. I mean that sincerely.

It felt like tap-dancing right on the edge of a cliff. Of course, that thrill was exactly why people trained mid-to-large dragons in the first place.

After watching Kazen’s dejected form for a while longer, I blew the training whistle. Immediately, Kazen’s head shot up.

“Kazen! Come here!”

“Kkweeeooong!”

Watching him come thundering over as if he’d been waiting for exactly this, I couldn’t help but laugh softly.

What was I supposed to do with a dragon whose size didn’t match his personality at all. He was unbearably cute.