Chapter 86

"Price of a flying dragon?"

"Yes. I want to know how much it would cost to use a flying dragon for a trip back to my hometown. Lord Julian, you might know, right?"

"Oh, you mean the fare. I thought you wanted to buy a flying dragon."

"Frankly, I can't take care of one. The trouble of walking and the cost of feed are not trivial, you know."

In the dormitory cafeteria, Cain was drinking tea with Julian. The cafeteria tables were so long and wide that sitting across from each other made conversation difficult.

"The royal knights and the border knights in various regions each have their own flying dragons, but there are only three flying dragons available for general transportation. They are incredibly expensive, but even so, they are fully booked. So even if you have the money, you might not be able to ride one at a convenient time."

"Without a rough idea, I can't even start saving. It's better to have a goal."

"I see. I'll ask about it next time. I've never used one myself."

"Even the royal family can't ride them easily, can they?"

Cain made a grim face, realizing how expensive and precious a means of transportation the flying dragons were. He thought about booking a ride and pushing himself to save the money by the reservation date... but if he had to pay a penalty for canceling at the last minute, it would make it harder to book again... As Cain was pondering this, Julian's next words made his face even grimmer.

"Don't underestimate the royal family. If you want to ride a flying dragon, you can just call on the dragon riders of the royal knights. At my level, I can ride a flying dragon whenever I want. There's no need to borrow a civilian flying dragon."

"…I see. As expected, Lord Julian. The Crown Prince is on a different level."

"Hahaha. You're not putting any emotion into it, Cain. I don't like being praised too much, but I also don't like being praised half-heartedly. Remember that."

"You're sensitive."

Perhaps it would have been better to go directly to the flying dragon station or a shop that rents them to ask. Cain didn't even know where the flying dragon station was. On his first day off after school started, it would be good to explore the capital. He also needed to buy stationery to send a letter to Dianna. He had to find a store with trinkets that Dianna would like and research how to send a letter.

"There's a mountain of things to do."

"Hmm? That's a Break phrase, what did you say?"

"I said, 'Lord Julian is impressive.'"

"Hahaha, I can tell that's a lie. You're quite amusing."

Cain had muttered to himself, but Julian picked up on it and asked. Perhaps Julian was less self-centered than Cain thought and more considerate of others.

While they were talking about the next morning's schedule, a girl entered the cafeteria. The dormitory was separated by gender, but the cafeteria was shared, so it wasn't unusual. It was before the start of the school year, and it was not yet dinner time, so the cafeteria was sparsely populated with many empty seats. Nevertheless, the girl walked straight toward Cain and Julian.

"Oh, it's Sylphridea. It's been a while."

"It's a great relief to see that His Highness Prince Julian is well. It's been a month since I last saw you, even though it's only a ten-minute carriage ride. I'm so happy to see you."

"Um. Is that sarcasm? Sylphridea, is that sarcasm?"

"I'm glad you understand."

The girl called Sylphridea tilted her head cutely, glanced at Cain, and then smiled at Julian.

"His Highness Prince Julian. You have a new classmate? Can you introduce me?"

At her words, Cain stood up. Since Sylphridea had asked Julian to introduce him, it would be rude for Cain to introduce himself. Cain waited for Julian to introduce him.

"Cain, my roommate. He's a foreign exchange student from the neighboring country of Limut Break and the eldest son of a duke there."

"I am Cain Elgrandark. I'm still not used to the language and culture of Sairyum. Please point out any rudeness. It's an honor to meet you, Lady."

"This is Sylphridea Mitychurian. She is the eldest daughter of the Mitychurian Duke and my primary fiancée. Be kind to her."

"I am Sylphridea Mitychurian. It's an honor to meet you, Lord Elgrandark. Since you are a friend of His Highness Prince Julian, please call me Sylphridea."

"Thank you, Lady Sylphridea. Then please call me Cain."

"Hehehe. Be kind to each other, Lord Cain."

Sylphridea smiled and extended her right hand. Cain also extended his right hand and firmly shook Sylphridea's hand. He had just learned from Julian that the greeting in this country was a handshake, but Sylphridea's eyes widened in surprise and she turned her gaze to Julian.

"…Lord Cain. When a man and a woman make a formal greeting, the man takes the hand offered by the woman and lightly bows, touching his forehead to the back of her hand. Then, the man extends his hand, and the woman places her hand on top of his, touching her forehead to the back of his hand. This shows that there is no hostility and that there is no suspicion, as the forehead is offered."

"I see. I was just taught that shaking hands confirms that neither party is armed. I apologize for the rudeness."

Saying this, Cain released his grip and lifted Sylphridea's hand, bowed, and touched his forehead to the back of her hand. Then, Sylphridea placed her hand on top of Cain's and touched her forehead to the back of his hand.

"Shaking hands is not an incorrect greeting, but it is more of a sign of friendship between boys. It's better not to do it with women."

"Thank you for the advice, Lady Sylphridea."

After the greeting, Sylphridea turned to face Julian, placing her hands on her hips and looking down at him with her chin up.

"His Highness Prince Julian. Is it appropriate to teach a foreign exchange student such casual things? You decided to room with him, considering future diplomacy. Take good care of him. And visit me more often."

"Sylphridea, I'm sorry. Are you angry? Because I haven't seen you in a month? Cheer up. I'll take good care of Cain and visit you more often. Since we'll be living in the dormitory from now on, we'll see each other frequently. Even if we don't plan to, we'll run into each other at school. So don't call me 'His Highness Prince Julian.' Call me Julian."

"What do you mean by 'run into each other'? It sounds like you don't want to see me, His Highness Prince Julian?"

"Don't take my words out of context! I didn't say I don't want to see you! How can I make it up to you?"

Finally, Julian's arrogant tone was gone. This was probably his true self. His face was red, but he was still trying to apologize instead of saying, "I don't care anymore," which showed that Julian genuinely liked Sylphridea, regardless of whether it was romantic love or not. When Sylphridea said, "If you say 'I love you' a hundred times, I'll forgive you," Cain decided to leave.

"Lord Julian, I'll return to my room first. I look forward to seeing you at school tomorrow, Lady Sylphridea."

With that, Cain left the cafeteria. He could hear the cry of "I love you!" from the cafeteria, but Cain pretended not to hear it out of consideration for his friend.

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