Dragonkin.
Just as those known as beastfolk are further categorized into lion, dog, cat beastfolk, the dragonkin are broadly divided into two branches as well.
Dragonewts are small dragons that walk on two legs with human traits added, while Draconians are humans with dragon characteristics, such as horns, tails, and scales.
The woman before belonged to the latter.
She was a Draconian, a dragonkin in human form.
“Follow .”
Without even introducing herself, the Draconian instructed us to follow her.
Is she from the sa departnt as Viola?
As the saying goes, mages are thoroughgoing egoists; perhaps true alchemists are just incredibly self-centered too.
'Whether that dragonkin is an alchemist or not, I don’t know.'
For now, as guests, we followed her lead.
As I walked behind the dragonkin, I observed my surroundings.
Doors lined the long hallway at irregular intervals.
Those must all be laboratories or dormitory rooms.
Among them were rooms with glass windows facing outside, filled with instrunts that I couldn’t identify just from looking in.
The dragonkin's office was at the end of the hallway, just beyond the door I saw directly in front of when I first exited the elevator.
From this, I realized the dragonkin’s position.
Using the innermost room as an office ant she was the head of that departnt.
The eight tribes that share the Golden City.
The leader of one of those tribes was the dragonkin before .
“Sit.”
As expected of an alchemist.
The dragonkin’s office was filled with strange instrunts that bubbled, froze, and swayed, engaging in processes whose purposes were hard to discern.
Even when assessed with magic, it didn’t seem particularly impressive.
“What is that?”
I blurted out my thoughts.
Having t only selfish individuals, I wondered if this dragonkin had sothing similar.
As I tried to find a way to introduce myself, surprisingly, the dragonkin answered matter-of-factly.
“A humidifier.”
“...That?”
It’s boiling and freezing, though.
“The ice is for storage. I can’t be bothered to replace it separately.”
…That makes sense.
“Um… Miss, could we get an introduction first...?”
Eventually, Lief, unable to take it anymore, stepped in.
For Lief to take the initiative, perhaps that was a part of the larger picture to help her overco her shyness.
“Didn’t she tell you?”
“Introductions should be made by the individual.”
“Uh, yeah.”
The dragonkin replied with a sense of obligation to Lief’s words, pulling sothing from her pocket and putting it in her mouth.
Then she snapped her fingers, and with a crack, a fla ignited on whatever she had in her mouth.
“Hoo...”
Smoke filled the room.
I montarily furrowed my brows and turned my head, but surprisingly, the sll wasn’t bad.
It was undoubtedly a cigarette.
Rather than a sense of discomfort, it felt like a refreshing sensation clearing my head.
In this cleansed mind, the dragonkin’s voice resonated.
“I’m Costin Balaur.”
“I’m Roman.”
“I know.”
Cutting off, Costin took another drag from the cigarette and abruptly said, “The Quintessentia will love this.”
“Quintessentia?”
What kind of alchemist is that?
At my question, Lief whispered beside .
“They're one of the tribes of the Golden City.”
“The official tribe na is Adepti Quintae Essentiae. They aim to create entirely new substances that never existed in the world, and they have quite an interest in demons, who are extra-dinsional beings.”
Costin continued, exuding the air of a know-it-all.
“Conversely, we don’t like demons.”
Was that why he had started with such a preamble?
Costin looked at with a face mixed with displeasure.
“Lief, co closer.”
“Ah, yes.”
Though Lief pulled away from him, it wasn’t enough for Costin, who grabbed Lief and pulled her to sit beside him.
“Good.”
“Sir?”
“Anyway, I’ve heard about you two. An alchemist and a lion beastfolk.”
As his gaze shifted from to Ray, Costin let out a thoughtful hum.
His eyes, which had a sowhat judgntal vibe, scanned Ray from head to toe.
It was a strangely sticky feeling gaze that made Ray flinch and shudder.
“This one... is better than expected.”
“W-What do you an?”
“Impressive. Still needs more refinent, but the potential is on par with Lief. While the upper part is lacking, the lower part is almost perfect right now.”
Costin’s explicit gaze turned what should have been a re evaluation of training into an assessnt of physical appearance.
However, there was no lust in Costin’s eyes.
Instead, he seed like a critic admiring a piece of art.
Even so, the feelings of the person receiving that gaze were another matter.
“Ugh...! What are you saying?!”
Ray shot up and yelled.
However, Costin didn’t flinch and continued his evaluation.
“I like it, but... it’s weak.”
“Huh?”
“Even at a high level, it’s at the senior stage. Considering potential, you could reach expert level quickly, but you’re not there yet. The sa goes for that alchemist beside you. You might feel like you’ve contracted with a high-ranking demon, but your skills barely rank as regular. Before you can use alchemy to eliminate your enemies, you’ll collapse first.”
Costin’s criticism was sharp.
Or rather, it was more like he was praising us highly.
After all, Ray and I were re novices just starting out.
Yet to compare Ray to the senior level and to the regular level shows a cold, unbiased analysis.
There was one blind spot, though.
Costin’s assessnt ultimately could not escape the experience of the single entity known as Costin Balaur.
Using alchemy and then self-destruction?
At least that didn’t apply to .
“If that’s your judgnt, then I’m even more disappointed.”
If I hadn’t t Viola before encountering Costin, I might have been overwheld by the pressure he emitted.
But I had just seen Viola, a living natural disaster, in person.
Even though Viola had backed down after Arthur’s persuasion, citing the drawbacks of being an alchemist, she initially recognized as a worthy opponent.
A pioneer against a novice.
At least that ant she had realized more from than this Costin before .
Whether it was empirical or intuitive, it didn’t matter.
The clear fact is this:
Costin is inferior to Viola.
“I was hoping for sothing from the tribe leader of the Golden City, but I don’t know if I’ll get what I want.”
At my provocation, Costin’s expression beca even drier.
It wasn’t that he was angered; it was simply a change born from a lack of thoughts.
As if he had heard such remarks so often that they had beco commonplace.
“That’s a weak provocation.”
“It might be so. But I’m sincere.”
Costin and I locked eyes in silence.
“Sincere?”
Costin scoffed at that.
“You don’t understand the weight that Lief’s identity carries.”
“No, I do.”
I understand it better than anyone else.
If my secret—that despite being an alchemist, I can use space magic freely without paying a cost—were to be publicly announced, I would beco a target.
Alchemy without a cost approaches omnipotence.
You don’t even have to use your own mana or calculate complex magical formulas.
Honestly, I was lucky.
The only reason I could still move around like this is sheer luck.
There might be so effort involved.
I thought it was beneficial to trust those who would protect my secrets, and they kept their loyalty as I expected.
To protect my secret, they did their utmost to help .
Even so, I believe it was luck.
If discovered, I would likely face the sa tornt as elves who seek the high elves and covet my power.
In that sense, we were of the sa kind.
Whether desired or not,
Our team consists of those who are all being pursued.
“It’s for your benefit.”
To separate Lief and protect her.
As a leader of one of the tribes in the Golden City, it wouldn’t be too much trouble to protect one person.
After all, he is one of the eight leaders who manage the colossal organization that is the Golden City.
Even if the elves were to make a commotion, as long as he securely locked the massive walls of the Golden City, their options would be limited.
Terrorizing the Golden City would an turning the entire city into an enemy.
“If you refuse sothing, I’ll have to check if you’re even qualified to refuse.”
After crushing the cigarette, Costin returned with sothing from beside the humidifier.
“It’s a mana concentrator.”
Just hearing the na made it clear what the device was for.
“After saying that much, you won’t back down in fear, will you?”
There appeared to be two places to input mana in the mana concentrator.
Was he suggesting so kind of mana tug-of-war?
I smiled.
At this point, he must be lacking confidence.
I placed my hand on the mana concentrator without hesitation.
“By the way, what’s your relationship with Lief, Costin?”
“Don’t you know?”
Lief hadn’t said anything separately.
She only ntioned him as the teacher who trained her.
“We’re sisters. Lief’s mother and I are.”
Sisters?
Lief’s mother is human.
That’s an undeniable fact.
But how could she be sisters with a Draconian like Costin?
In that mont, rather than distrust, it was like a realization striking .
Cordelia had written it in the book she left behind.
For my sister—
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