Chapter 06
Do or DieDo or Die
"About the conversation you just had with the young lady. Mr. Breeder, you used Dragon Tongue, right?"
Erdin urged me to answer, scanning me with a meaningful look. She had an expression that questioned how a mere human could use Dragon Tongue, the ancient language of dragons.
"……?"
What is she talking about? When did I use Dragon Tongue? I can't even speak in dialects, let alone Dragon Tongue.
‘Could it be because of Derke's peculiar way of speaking? No, it couldn’t be. I understood her just fine.’
I carefully recalled the conversation I had with Derke just moments ago.
Did Derke say something incomprehensible? Not at all. Her speech was rather memorable. Did I say something strange? No, it was standard Korean.
To be precise, the idea that I can communicate with different species in this fantasy world is absurd. Of course, this is a game world, so let's set aside those factors...
No matter how I thought about it, I couldn't understand what Erdin meant.
I just had a normal conversation with Derke.
"Is it difficult to answer? Dragon Tongue is a sacred language not easily learned by anyone. I understand if it's hard to talk about."
"No, that's not it. I─"
"It's alright. Thanks to you, Yugo's life was saved…."
Erdin turned her gaze from me and looked at Yugo, who was groaning on the floor.
….
Though Erdin's interrogation ended, a heavy silence remained. The tense atmosphere continued until...
Flap, flap…!
My shirt hem was being tugged tight by tiny, delicate fingers, shaking my entire body.
"What's wrong, Derke?"
Derke was urgently calling me.
"Breeder oppa…."
Her voice suddenly lost its strength.
"Are you hungry again?"
"No… I'm just so sleepy…."
Plop…!
With those words, Derke suddenly leaned against me, using my shoulder as a pillow, and fell asleep, snoring softly.
Her previous lively, even menacing, demeanor was completely gone.
"Mr. Breeder? Haven't you noticed yet?"
"Huh? Ah! Did I use Dragon Tongue again?"
"Yes."
Erdin questioned me again as Derke fell into a deep sleep. Her bright yellow eyes were full of suspicion.
"Well, I'm not sure what you're talking about…."
"I understand Mr. Breeder has his reasons. I'll let it go for now since it concerns the young lady."
"Huh? What about the barn work?"
Erdin seemed to make up her mind and shook her head slightly before continuing.
"Technically, the barn falls under the management department's jurisdiction, so I'll handle it. I'll restore the barn overnight."
For once, things were being handled properly. Normally, I'd be roped into the restoration work, but this time, the responsibility was clear.
The sun must be rising in the west today.
"…Mr. Breeder, please take the young lady to the dormitory and then get some rest."
"Can I really do that?"
"Of course. Isn't overseeing the dormitory and students your job?"
Erdin was clear. She wouldn't hold me responsible anymore, as long as I took the dangerous reptile away.
‘Clearly, she wants nothing to do with the dragon.’
Good. I've been wanting to clock out since earlier. I don't want to stay here any longer. I avoid unnecessary overtime.
"Then I'll head back now."
Holding the snoring Derke, I nodded slightly to Erdin. She didn't respond.
She was too busy checking on the beastman Yugo, still panting on the floor.
‘What a mess the day before the entrance ceremony….’
Grumbling about my fate, I entered the main dormitory.
The empty dormitory felt eerie. It had been vacant for 50 years, after all. I carefully moved forward, lighting the way with a lantern.
Despite its age, the dormitory was almost like new. It was because I had been consistently cleaning and organizing it since I started working here.
‘Derke is a new student, so I'll place her on the bottom floor.’
There was no dormitory allocation chart yet. So, I had to place her temporarily. I didn't want to handle things so roughly.
But the damn staff never helped me. A few days ago, I asked the administration office for the student list to assign dorm rooms, but they always said it wasn't ready. They kept telling me to come back later.
But damn it, I never thought they'd delay it until the day before the entrance ceremony…
The administration office was run by Treants, a race perfect for bureaucratic work. With their long lifespans, their work pace was beyond leisurely.
The head of the administration, Indrago, just waved his bony branches, saying to roughly place lower-grade students on the bottom floors.
As if he were kindling for a fire, he always burned with frustration the hearts of those asking for help.
Creak…!
The door opened with a hinge sound, revealing the inside of the dorm room. It was about 15 pyeong (approximately 50 square meters) with two beds, desks, and wardrobes.
Even though it was a double room, it was quite large compared to a university dormitory. Although, it might seem small to dragons.
The dormitory had four floors, and interestingly, the higher the floor, the fewer and larger the rooms. The higher-grade students had more space.
The first and second floors had double rooms like Derke’s. The third floor had single rooms. The fourth floor was almost like a private suite, with a terrace.
It seemed divided by seniority in a way.
Anyway, I decided to leave dormitory details for later…
"Sleep well, Derke."
I gently laid the sleeping Derke on the bed and covered her with a blanket. I also wanted to sleep soon for tomorrow.
"Abu, auu… abuu…."
Derke mumbled baby-like sleep talk, reaching out into the air as if looking for something.
‘Isn’t it sad her parents didn’t come for her entrance ceremony?’
Though I wanted to ignore it due to my fatigue, I couldn't help but feel pity for the small hands struggling in her sleep.
The sight of the sleeping silver-haired girl’s innocent face weighed on my mind.
Hug…!
When I reached out my hand, Derke grabbed it tightly. I planned to stay by her side until she fell asleep peacefully.
Grip!
"Derke…?"
Despite her small size, her grip was incredibly strong. I couldn't pull my hand away, fearing my fingers might break.
"Don’t go… don’t leave me alone…."
She must have felt very lonely. Being alone at such a young age was tough. She probably didn’t want to sleep alone, thus holding onto my hand so tightly.
But as the dorm supervisor, sleeping with a student was out of the question, regardless of appearances. Though she was undoubtedly older than me, she looked like a child, and I felt guilty lying beside her.
Rustle…!
Instead, I took off my vest and covered her with it. Then...
"Sniff, sniff-! It smells like Dad…?"
Sniffing, Derke finally let go of my hand, hugging the vest tightly and falling into a deep sleep.
Like a child clinging to a security blanket.
---
The noisy night passed, and soon morning came. The day of the entrance ceremony had arrived.
But my morning routine didn’t change much.
During the school term, I would wake the students and conduct morning roll calls, but today was the entrance ceremony.
Apart from Derke, there were no other students to wake up.
I had just returned from taking Derke to the academy’s main building. She waved sleepily, bidding me farewell.
Back in the break room, I started roasting coffee beans as usual.
Clatter, clatter…!
I roasted the beans in a wide pan over low heat. The roasted beans filled the room with a fragrant aroma.
A roasting machine would have been convenient, but I had to be realistic. In this world, such devices didn’t exist.
So, I had to roast the beans manually with care.
‘Roasting this much makes my arm sore.’
Today was the entrance ceremony, so I was roasting five times the usual amount just in case.
After cooling the beans, I would grind them in the grinder.
Rustle…!
I spread the roasted beans evenly on a tray to cool them.
Now I had a short break while the beans cooled.
Though I could clean the break room, I had done a thorough cleaning yesterday.
Jingle!
But then, someone entered the break room, even though it wasn't open yet. Who would disregard the "CLOSE" sign?
"Hey, Breeder! Are you ready to welcome the young ladies?!"
Ah, that gruff voice could only belong to one person. The short, stout, always overworked and grumbling Jon Jonson.
"What brings you here so early? The break room isn't open yet."
"Tsk-! Do you think I’m just here to drink coffee? I came to give you some advice."
"Advice?"
It sounded more like a lecture than advice.
"Yes, you’re still preparing the coffee, right?"
"I have other teas ready too. Why?"
"I guess no one tipped you off."
"About what?"
"After the entrance ceremony, the senior girls will all flock to the break room."
"How many senior girls are there?"
"If the number’s the same as last term... about twenty."
"Oh, that's no problem. I have plenty of coffee."
I thought it was something serious, but that wasn’t an issue. Today was a trial run to gauge demand.
I had already prepared for it.
"Ugh! I’m not talking about the
coffee!"
Jon Jonson struggled onto a high chair, shaking his head in exasperation.
"…The young ladies have very particular tastes. They won’t be satisfied with just coffee and tea."
"Are you saying…?"
"Yes, you need something to go with the coffee."
"What if I don’t have anything?"
"Do I have to spell it out? They won’t like you. And if that happens, your job here will be over."
"Oh, isn’t that good news?"
"No, you fool! I mean you’ll be gone for good from this world!"