Sincerely, Vanessa [EN]: Chapter 44

As the trajectory of the sword tore through the pattern spread in the void, a bird-shaped spell that burst forth from within collided with the tail, causing an explosion. Gideon swiftly pulled Vanessa close, holding her by the waist.

He hadn’t been paying attention to his right side, his focus entirely on her.

In that moment, the dragon used the recoil to swing its tail towards Gideon’s right. Vanessa watched the attack head-on.

The flow of time seemed to slow to a crawl. Vanessa desperately tried to summon the magic within her.

She wanted to do something, however insufficient, to protect him.

But nothing happened.

No.

“Gideon!”

“!”

Gideon quickly embraced Vanessa and threw them both to the ground. The jagged tail narrowly missed them, sweeping past.

Even in the chaos, his strong arms remained wrapped tightly around Vanessa, ensuring she didn’t even receive a scratch.

The dragon snorted, seemingly disappointed that its attack had failed. Gideon cursed inwardly.

Fortunately, the dragon paused, appearing to gather itself. Gideon quickly moved Vanessa further away.

“It’s okay, move back.”

“The magic…”

Even the simplest barrier spell she could usually cast wouldn’t work. It wasn’t as powerful as Gideon’s, but it was enough to protect herself, yet it was failing her.

Vanessa’s lips turned pale.

“It can happen if you’re startled, damn it!”

Suddenly, the dragon unleashed a torrent of fire. Gideon mentally cursed Bam Vandalu’s [likely a reference to someone who knows about dragons] conscientiousness. Not just any dragon, but a fire-breathing one.

With a wave of his hand, Gideon conjured a wall of water to shield them, but it rapidly evaporated in the intense flames. Thick steam billowed around them, obscuring their vision.

The dragon continued its fiery assault, closing the distance. Gideon simultaneously prepared two kinds of offensive magic behind the water shield, while Vanessa squeezed her eyes shut, her own magic stubbornly refusing to manifest.

When the last of the water vanished, the dragon stood directly before them. Just as Gideon was about to detonate the exploding and tearing magic inside its wide-open mouth, the dragon abruptly stepped back and closed its jaws.

“…?”

He stared blankly. The dragon narrowed its yellow eyes and tilted its head.

Gideon pushed Vanessa completely behind him. Her pale face worried him, but he couldn’t afford to dwell on it right now.

Or could he?

The dragon continued to watch them, seemingly lost in thought.

Gideon frowned at the dragon’s behavior, as if it had forgotten their fight. But the arm holding the sword remained tense, veins bulging.

“Squeak.”

Abruptly, the dragon lowered its head and pressed its body to the floor. In that position, only the tip of its tail wagged. Gideon’s thick eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“Keeek. Keck.”

The dragon seemed to be trying to communicate, but neither of them could understand. Frustrated, the dragon slammed its tail against the stone wall.

Judging by that action, it seemed to be saying, ‘Are you guys deaf?’

The dragon rolled around in the cave, exposing its vulnerable belly, as if to demonstrate it had no intention of attacking. Its belly lacked the thick scales of its back, appearing soft and unprotected.

Then, the dragon crawled towards them, dragging its body along the floor.

Vanessa completely hid behind Gideon’s large frame as the dragon stretched out its head and blinked its eyes.

Sniff.

The huge creature blinked its yellow eyes and sniffed at Vanessa.

The dragon seemed annoyed by Gideon’s protective stance and tried to nudge him aside with its snout, but Gideon stood firm, confronting the dragon.

Keeik.

The dragon irritably bared its teeth, but Gideon only tightened his grip on his sword. The dragon’s nostrils flared.

“…Um.”

At Vanessa’s soft voice, the dragon’s snout twitched, and its mouth opened wide. It pitifully displayed a wound on its mouth to Gideon and whined.

“Ugh, ugh.”

Seeing the dragon feigning distress and licking the cracked skin, Gideon felt a headache coming on.

“What the heck…”

Gideon hesitated and glanced back at Vanessa. She was still pale but looked bewildered.

“It seems to want you…”

Vanessa hesitated for a moment and cautiously reached out her hand. The dragon immediately pressed its snout against it. When the rough scales touched the back of her hand, Vanessa raised her hand and diligently scratched between them.

The dragon gladly accepted the touch and stretched its mouth wide. But Gideon and the dragon exchanged less-than-friendly glances.

Because Gideon remained wary, Vanessa carefully spoke up.

“Um… do you live here?”

The dragon shook its head vigorously. The movement was quite threatening, given the size of its head, but judging from the way it kept pushing its snout forward to be scratched, it didn’t seem to have any hostile intent.

“Do you know me?”

The dragon shook its head vigorously again. But Vanessa had no recollection of ever meeting a dragon, so she concluded that this dragon simply couldn’t understand her words.

“I’m seeing a dragon for the first time…”

“Dragons are usually seen for the first time…”

Vanessa’s face flushed as Gideon replied with a wry smile. “Th, that’s right.”

“I don’t think it understands me.”

Immediately, the dragon thumped the floor with its tail. Judging from the way it narrowed its pupils, it seemed to be saying, ‘Are you questioning my intellectual capabilities?’ Vanessa felt unfairly judged.

“I don’t know you.”

The dragon snorted as if frustrated, but Vanessa felt even more wronged because she was meeting a dragon for the first time in her life.

*Why are you acting like you know me? No, I’m thankful that you’re acting like you know me.*

While Vanessa and the dragon were engaging in this silent argument, Gideon looked up at the exit, which was very high above. The light filtering through was faint.

He could use levitation magic, but the cave ceiling was too high. It would take a long time to ascend using magic alone. The magic for walking in the sky was difficult to control in a vertical line.

Gideon glanced at the dragon’s folded wings. *There’s something very good.*

“Vanessa.”

Gideon smiled and leaned towards Vanessa. Her eyes widened.

“You seem pretty close…”

Vanessa made a slightly distressed face, but Gideon returned her smile and whispered.

“Let’s pretend we’re close and ask for a ride.”

“…Pardon?”

Vanessa stared blankly at the distant opening. It looked small because the ceiling was so high, but it was actually quite large.

*Anyway, the dragon must go out to hunt sometimes, so it’s not a bad idea.*

“But ride? That thing?”

“Isn’t it going to get angry again and swing its tail?”

“Let’s be friends.”

“It already acts like we know each other?”

“Let’s form an even closer relationship.”

Vanessa nodded, seemingly hypnotized by Gideon’s charming smile.

Turning her attention back to the dragon, Vanessa spoke with a slightly awkward smile.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

The dragon pondered for a moment and then nodded. It was time for a meal since it had just woken up.

“Woul, would you like to go outside the cave together…? How about friends basking in the sunlight and walking on the green grass?”

The dragon narrowed its eyes. Silence hung in the air for a moment.

But the dragon, having breathed fire for the first time in a long time, felt a little generous. So, it pointed at Vanessa with its tail and then wagged its tail over its back.

“Are you giving me a ride?”

As Vanessa’s eyes widened, the dragon snorted and only flicked the tip of its tail. It was a very arrogant gesture.

“You’re a really kind dragon. Somehow, your scales have a glossy sheen, and your horns are also magnificent. As a dragon guarding such an important place, you have everything you need! You’re cool. Excellent!”

Vanessa praised enthusiastically in the high and clear voice she used to train the children at the orphanage. The dragon proudly spread its wings halfway and basked in the soft sunlight.

Gideon watched the interaction with amusement.

“Cool, pretty, and kind. That’s why Bam Vandalu-nim left you here!”

The dragon nodded its huge head vigorously. Taking advantage of the moment, Vanessa raised her heels as much as possible, and Gideon slightly lowered his body.

*It seems like Bam Vandalu really put the dragon here.*

*She’s also subtly gathering information. Excellent.*

Gideon whispered and prepared to mount the dragon.

Receiving the soft sunlight from above, the dragon slowly spread its wings. Even though the huge wings were only half-spread, they filled the cave.

Vanessa climbed onto the dragon’s neck first, and Gideon followed behind her.

The dragon’s attitude made it clear that it was giving Gideon a ride only because of Vanessa. It kept snorting at Gideon and repeatedly narrowed and widened its pupils.

Of course, Gideon didn’t care about the dragon’s mood. It was only a moment ago that the dragon had been about to roast them both with fire.

Vanessa looked up at the exit that felt so far away and muttered.

“If the dragon hadn’t given us a ride…”

“I would have had to use levitation magic. It would have been difficult. Thanks to Vanessa, I get to ride a dragon.”

*Is everything easy if you’re a special forces commander?*

Vanessa somehow became gloomy. At that moment, Gideon pulled Vanessa tightly against him from behind with one hand.

Before she realized what was happening, a woodsy scent enveloped her.

Vanessa gasped as the man’s solid body pressed against her back. His breath seemed to tickle her ear….

From Gideon’s other hand, a star-like silver thread flowed down, wrapping around the protrusions near the dragon’s neck to secure them both.

The dragon wagged its tail to maintain its balance. Finally, the huge wings were fully spread.

“Wait-.”

Before she could finish speaking, the dragon launched itself into the opening.

Vanessa barely suppressed a scream, squeezing her eyes shut. Her heart pounded so hard it was difficult to breathe.

She felt moisture and cool wind on her face, and the reassuring arm tightly wrapped around her waist.

Then, a low exclamation echoed in her ear.

“Vanessa, open your eyes.”

*Don’t worry, I’ll never let you go.* Gideon whispered.

Vanessa drew strength from his words and cautiously opened her eyes.

“Ah.”

The dragon was gently circling in the air, ascending higher and higher. The trails of light created by their passage followed the dragon’s tail.

The small lights resembled a galaxy illuminating the vast darkness, or swirling waves.

The milky white pillars in the limestone cave caught the light before fading back into darkness.

Vanessa thought it was the most beautiful sight she had ever witnessed.

“Too…”

“Beautiful.”

Vanessa smiled faintly at Gideon’s simple observation. The dragon flapped its huge wings.

Just before being bathed in sunlight, Vanessa confessed her honest feelings.

She was glad to be with him.

The man seemed to chuckle softly.

The dragon, having soared upwards, glided gently and landed near the lake. It lowered its body to the ground and stretched out its wings to allow them to dismount comfortably.

Vanessa carefully got off and approached the dragon’s head. As she gently stroked the bumpy scales and protrusions, the dragon purred with its eyes half-closed.

“Thank you. You’re a really kind and beautiful, the most perfect dragon in the world.”

The dragon’s yellow eyes seemed to smile at Vanessa. The long, scaled tail bent and tapped Gideon’s waist.

“The discrimination is too severe.”

Gideon chuckled and placed his hand near the dragon’s wound. The dragon possessed immense magical power, so it would heal on its own soon, but he wanted to speed up the recovery.

“Are you going back in?”

Beeeep.

“Thank you for guarding the inside.”

The dragon stretched its mouth wide, revealing its terrifying teeth, but they didn’t seem as frightening as before.

The dragon spread its wings again, but instead of returning to the cave, it jumped into the lake. It seemed excited and began splashing around, as if it was catching fish.

There was no one else near the wide lake, so the dragon swam happily.

Gideon checked the flow of magic through his fingertips. He had felt a sense of interference within the cave, but that feeling vanished as soon as he emerged.

Vanessa, who had been watching the dragon swimming, turned her gaze to Gideon. He was already looking at the dragon too.

Under the sunlight, she finally noticed the severe scratches on the back of his hand. It must have been from when he rolled on the floor to protect her earlier.

*There must be wounds in unseen places as well.*

Vanessa realized that he had kept his promise.

*’Trust me. Vanessa will return to the academy without a single injury.’*

*But you’re hurt.* She didn’t like that.

“There… on your hand.”

Gideon looked down at the back of his hand and replied nonchalantly.

“It’ll heal soon. It’s okay.”

Vanessa bit her lip tightly. She strode forward and took his hand.