I Raised a Black Dragon - Chapter 81

“So… it wasn’t her in Tezeba?”

“It’s highly likely.”

The room fell silent for a while. At a distance, Noah could hear a faint horn, followed by a dull tremor that lasted for a second. The ferry seemed to have departed the port.

Kyle put his pen down and swept his fingers through; he seemed nervous. Meanwhile, Noah stood still, glancing at the timeline which he had arranged.

Everything began with the assumption that Lenia Valtalere was indeed the culprit who stole the dragon egg. As a matter of fact, referencing to the original book was no use at this point. However, Lenia being the original master couldn’t be ignored. Furthermore, there was no evidence pertaining to her as the suspect.

Even at the time when Noah had discovered the egg, it had been confirmed that she remained in the capital, proving her alibi perfect. There was no single evidence to even call her as a witness.

Nevertheless, Noah was convinced of her suspicion. She had presumed Lenia had intentionally left the egg on her path. If she were indeed innocent, there was no reason to be so vigilant of her surroundings nor would she have to use a fake double in Tezeba.

Noah approached the window. The port was getting farther and farther. “What should I do? The ship has already departed.”

“It’s good.” Kyle mumbled.

“What?”

“Didn’t Miss Noah say so? There’s no way to escape in the middle of the sea.”

“That’s… That’s right.”

Somehow, Noah began to become a little frightened. Lenia Valtalere was a much more capable woman than she had assumed. Even if she herself expected to become a hidden suspect, Noah never really thought of having a fake double in her place.

“First of all, I’ll have to go to the captain’s office and send a radio message to the Battuanu security forces, so that we can seek a special warrant for Lenia Valtalere from the Bureau of Investigation of Tezeba and arrest her as soon as the ship arrives at the port.” Kyle elaborated, heaving a deep sigh.

“Nothing’s going to happen before that, right?”

Why are you so nervous? Noah thought to herself. She lifted Muell, who had been sitting idly on the bed, and wrapped him in a tight embrace. The little child tilted his head, as if he felt her racing heartbeat. 

“Noah? What’s wrong?”

“…..”

“What is bothering Noah?”

“Ugh… my medicine. I should have it with me…” She placed Muell back on the bed and hurried to her suitcase. She put the bottle of medicine in her pocket and rummaged through the suitcase for objects deemed necessary in case of an emergency.

While Noah was tense, Kyle remained silent, lost in his thoughts. There must be a ton more complicated theories in his head than Noah thought, and a dozen of evidence that will support his claim. 

All of a sudden, he blurted out as Noah took her shapeshifting key from her pile of clothes. 

“Miss Noah.”

“What?”

“If Miss Noah is caught in the worst situation, unleash the power of Mu without hesitation. Do not think about the consequences. It doesn’t matter who’s around you or who you hurt.”

For a moment, Noah doubted her ears. It doesn’t matter who I hurt?

“I’m responsible for everything that follows. You only have one thing to think about. Your own safety.” 

“My… safety?”

“Yes, I’ve warned you many times, but the most fundamental reason not to use dragon mana is because you are in danger. I told you that if you do something wrong, you could die of shock.”

“Come on, don’t keep saying scary things!”

The investigator’s words gave Noah goosebumps all over her arms. I might be shocked by something hard to believe? Is he really, really trying to scare me or is cheering me on?

Kyle rose from his seat and approached her. Then, he crouched in front of her and grabbed her by the shoulder, lifting her up.

“It might be scary. On the contrary, if you’re only monitoring your fitness, you have nothing to be afraid of.”

“What?” Noah asked in confusion. However, it soon dawned to her what Kyle had meant, her face slowly contorting into a frown. 

Kyle laughed. “You have imprinted a dragon, Miss Noah. Do you think dragons will let their masters be at risk? It would die if it lost its master.”

“I’ll protect Noah,” Muell mumbled with a smile, even though he certainly didn’t understand the situation at all.

“It’s no good to fear ahead. All you have to do is get your head straight on and make the best judgment for the situation. Don’t worry about the future.”

“…If they find out I’m with the dragon, you’ll be in trouble.”