The basement smelled like dust, iron, and… arrogance.
Not mine—someone else's.
Argos led me to the entrance but stopped there. Only the true Dravara heir could enter beyond this point.
The moment I stepped in, I felt it.
That pressure people call mana.
A pulse of magic—sharp, electric, alive.
A small figure perched on a pile of broken crates, tail flicking like it owned the place.
A miniature dragon—barely the size of a cat—with glittering brown scales and eyes that screamed judgment.
So that's the legendary dragon of House Dravara?
It opened its red eyes and looked straight into my soul—then scoffed.
Wait.
Did it just scoff?
A tiny lizard with attitude issues?
"Who are you calling a lizard, brat?"
The voice echoed directly in my head, sharp and smug.
I froze. "Telepathy?!"
"Congratulations. You have two brain cells."
Oh, this little bastard had sass.
"You can talk?!"
The mini dragon tilted its head, unimpressed.
"You should thank your ancestors. You have the ability to converse with dragons."
"But… Lord Lancel—"
"Yeah, yeah. I know that brat doesn't possess the ability to converse."
I blinked. Wait—did my interfering with the plot change something? Or did this brat Yurio always have this ability?
"Don't strain that little brain, human."
The creature flew closer, the chains around its neck clinking.
"You've got the gift. It's the reason you feared me before. What happened now? Why come back?"
I sighed, crouching down. "Let's make peace, okay? I just wanna—"
A flash of blue light sliced past my cheek, leaving a scorch mark on the wall.
"Peace?" the dragon sneered.
"You locked me here for a year. I should roast you alive for every day of boredom I suffered."
"…Right. Guess past-me was a shit."
Another blast. This time it burned my sleeve.
"HEY! Do you mind listening to me, please?!"
"I mind existing near you, actually."
The dragon turned away, wings fluttering like it was done with my existence.
…Damn. It hated me.
I clenched my fists. "I'll get you out of here."
"You? Please. You don't even know how to form a pact."
My brain short-circuited. "…A what now?"
"Figures. The heir of Dravara doesn't even know how to bond a dragon. Pathetic. Go study about us first—then come to me, brat."
And that was how I left the basement:
Smoked, insulted, and humiliated by a pocket-sized dragon.
But one thing was certain—
if that snarky, winged gremlin thought I couldn't do it,
then I'd damn well learn how.
——
The moment I stepped out, Argos was still standing there—like a statue.
He blinked at me, suspicious. "Did you… already tame it?"
I just brushed past him. "Take me to the Old Library."
The Dravara's ancient library.
From the first Dravara to the seventy-fourth—every record, secret, and curse was buried there.
Argos didn't question me further, but his face said it all.
What's this young master planning now? Must be what Argos thinking.
Well, guess what, Argos?
I'm going to conquer that damn Pixie.
——
When we reached the library, the massive red door loomed before me, carved with the family crest—a three-headed dragon, Ghidorah.
"Young Master Yurio," came a gravelly voice.
I turned to see the old librarian, Alocer Hawk.
A relic himself, half his face hidden behind a curtain of white hair and a ridiculously oversized hat that nearly brushed the floor.
He gave a mocking bow. "How may I assist the young master who has finally graced me with his presence?"
Ah. So the old Yurio never visited this place.
No wonder the idiot didn't know the first thing about dragons.
"I want all documents related to dragons," I said. "From the first Dravara to the seventy-fourth."
Alocer's visible eye blinked slowly, then turned toward Argos as if asking, Has the young master lost his mind?
Argos sighed. Loudly.
Come on, man. Defend your master's honor at least once!
Finally, he muttered, "The young master wishes to study dragon taming methods."
Alocer's expression brightened. "Oh-ho-ho! Is it already time for you to bond with your dragon?"
Before I could reply, he transformed—literally poofed into a hawk and soared off into the library, feathers scattering behind him.
I stood there, gaping. "…Okay. That's actually pretty cool."
Dragons, telepathy, and shapeshifting librarians.
Yeah. I definitely needed to get used to this world.