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In the reception room of Winterhome, a truly enchanting aroma filled the air, mingling with the savory and sweet scents wafting about.

It was light snack time, nestled between meals.

Originally intended to be a moment for light snacks and drinks, this time had morphed into a new trend, blending two distinct customs together.

Alraune’s Tear, a delicacy that began to catch on in Coldon since last year, and Servianus’s tea time, where they enjoyed tea and snacks that were all the rage in Kingsland.

However, the Mint’s Affair, a trend that had been sweeping Kingsland, failed to gain traction in Coldon, only attracting a few enthusiasts.

Alraune’s Tear had gotten a head start and dominated the beverage market in Coldon, leaving no room for competition.

As a result, the snacks prepared in the reception room were uniformly bland, with an assortment of sweet pastries and bread meant to offset their astringent, bitter flavors and acidity.

Cream puffs, butter cookies coated in sugar and Amadeus, bite-sized tarts, and various nut pies were among them.

Yet, the amount of snacks on the table remained as it was when the servants initially brought them, despite considerable time having passed.

Normally, this would send alarm bells ringing in the heads of the servants and attendants.

It indicated that serious news had reached them or that the master had discovered an issue for which they might be reprimanded.

However, the ones who should be trembling in fear were instead engrossed in watching the Chief Magic Consultant seated opposite the matron of the Felwinter Family with keen interest.

Likewise.

“So, Atanitas, what progress have you made?”

Cough! Cough!

Elizabeth, with an openly intrigued expression, turned to Catherine and asked.

In this gathering, the only person feeling uncomfortable was one who had been dragged here just a day after returning.

Clears throat “What are you referring to—”

“Oh dear! You know the atmosphere has changed.”

Elizabeth stared wide-eyed at Alicia, who was gobbling down desserts and grinning widely.

“Could it be that the reason for the sudden invitation is something so trivial—”

“Not trivial at all. As you know, the subtle changes in relationships among the vassals are crucial information that a matron must grasp.”

“Well—”

It’s not entirely incorrect.

Even if the vassals of the Felwinter Family get along well, human nature guarantees that power struggles will always exist.

Managing and mediating such family dynamics is one of the matron’s duties.

And the importance of that duty had grown even more, especially in the absence of Alfred, the Duke of Iceland and head of the family.

‘But is that duty really about a servant’s romantic entanglements?’

Is that right?

Elizabeth took a moment to wet her throat with Alraune’s Tear, deliberately ignoring Catherine’s glance.

“So, Atanitas, what has happened?”

“It seems you’re showing an interest in a rather different direction than your duties as a matron…”

“Oh my, I wouldn’t!”

Catherine, with a more overt glance, naturally diverted her gaze while nibbling a butter cookie coated in Amadeus dipped in Alraune’s Tear.

Was she too obvious in her excitement? My bad.

It was time for a step back for the sake of progress.

However, simply changing the subject seemed dull.

Elizabeth blatantly kept quiet as she munched on the treats dipped in Alraune’s Tear, subtly hinting that she was still concerned about the relationship between the two.

“Oh dear, the tea’s going cold. Should I pour some fresh?”

“…It’s fine, my lady. It’s still warm.”

“Would you like a little dessert as well? The kitchen has been busy crafting it.”

Catherine, with her eyes closed and letting out a small sigh, took a tiny bite of the egg tart offered by Elizabeth’s maid instead of Mary, who had been left at the tower.

For some reason, even though it shouldn’t be, the aftertaste felt a bit off.

“By the way, I’ve been worried about Alicia lately; she seems so down as a parent.”

“Since she can’t tell whether the friend she started dating is acting aloof. Are you saying—”

“She keeps asking when she can see the prince day and night. Is there perhaps a plan?”

“I plan to use a crystal ball.”

Upon hearing that, Elizabeth instinctively flinched.

“My lady?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. You did mention a crystal ball, right?”

“Yes. I’ve already begun drafting the designs.”

Elizabeth’s mind quickly flashed to Olivier’s crystal ball at the secret meeting place but quickly shook it off.

“A crystal ball. There was indeed a communication crystal ball.”

“Uh…Cough. Excuse me. Typically, such would not be used for distant areas—”

Cough!

“My lady?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. So, your aim is perhaps a crystal ball that reflects the images of two users separated by distance?”

“If time and budget allow, I would have intended to use mirrors—”

Elizabeth did her best not to flinch while also deciding to keep the headquarters of the romantic observation team a little more secret.

Just in case.

Just in case, indeed.

Seizing the moment as Catherine finished speaking, Elizabeth asked,

“So, the main crystal ball?”

“Huff! Cough! Huh! My lady!”

“Oh! Oh! I didn’t say anything?”

*

*

*

Originally, when returning from a long journey, there’s usually no time to rest a weary body.

After organizing the accumulated dust in the house, unpacking bags, and sorting through the initial issues set aside for the journey, tasks that had been put off would quietly resurface in the mind.

Karem was free from such bothersome matters in this lifetime.

“Karem, should I set the salamander egg warmer in the kitchen?”

“For now, place it in the secret room.”

Because Mary, who couldn’t bear to see others working, was around.

This house fairy can’t stand to watch others toil away.

However, Karem had no intention of resting.

There was far too important work waiting to relieve the fatigue of his travels.

How much did he fret while waiting for the moment to return from Bendleig to Coldon?

Dragon meat.

Specifically, the tail of a dragon.

Karem gazed at it, sitting in the empty laboratory in the mage tower, feeling both a sense of unreality and vague anticipation.

Gulp.

“G-Gosh. This magical aura. This must be… a dragon?”

“Well, much has happened.”

“Much, you say?”

In a light tone, Olivier stared at Karem, wide-eyed, gripping her heart.

“That troublesome and disrespectful student of mine should have told me about this sooner if it was something like this.”

“Because it was a matter requiring utmost confidentiality.”

Karem looked at Olivier’s reaction and then back at the dragon tail.

Certainly, it seemed best that only a handful of people should know about this.

Olivier’s response proved that notion.

An archmage with far more experiences than Catherine was reacting like this; what might the other wizards in the tower say?

Although two archmages sat above, one can’t predict the actions of the insane or those prone to impulsiveness. Karem could bet on unexpected actions occurring.

“So, what do you plan to do with this?”

As he watched a droplet of saliva trail down Olivier’s cheek, she quickly wiped it away with her robe and adjusted her hat.

“Well, first, we must butcher it.”

“Butcher?! What kind of foolishness are you saying about a dragon’s tail? Call it processing instead!”

“Either way.”

“If that’s the case, is it my turn now?”

Mary, who had been standing a step behind, stepped forward, rolling up her sleeves.

“Have you ever processed dragon materials before?”

“Never. But isn’t it similar to those dragonlings?”

“How dare you!”

Olivier’s powerful denunciation echoed inside the sealed laboratory, unable to escape.

“How can you possibly compare a dragon to mere dragonlings?!”

“We can’t leave this unprocessed, you know.”

“I may know it theoretically. Just move as I say. However, I will need supplies. First—”

Olivier extended her hand toward Karem.

“Karem. I need your chef’s knife.”

“Eh? Oh… sure.”

Under the unusual pressure, Karem handed over Felwinter’s lie. The magical knife was then passed to Mary, and under Olivier’s lead, they began to move.

‘What’s this? This is kind of intriguing.’

Following Olivier’s instructions, the dragon tail was processed in an instant. Of course, due to the tail’s size and length, it took a decent amount of time.

However, the outcome was clear.

Starting with entwined red and black scales, the striking red skin was meticulously peeled away, followed by the delicate scraping of its white inner layer.

Next, after Olivier magically extracted the blood and stored it in a vial, the meat, tendons, and spikes were separated, saving the joints and cartilage of the tailbone last.

“Cough, cough, cough — so much dragon material! I can’t believe my ungrateful student would show such a gift to their master…!”

“Don’t say that to Catherine, please.”

Olivier, with the demeanor of a seasoned archmage, casually ignored Karem’s remark.

‘The things that could be made from this!’

There’s a saying in Korea that there’s no wasted part of a cow.

Dragons are no different, it seems.

Scales, leather, meat, bones, blood, innards.

Depending on how you process it, dragon materials can serve as magical catalysts, alchemical reagents, components for magic tools and equipment, potions, charms, and sacrificial offerings.

Quite literally applicable across various disciplines.

Of course, items made from dragon materials did exist in the world.

Although the last records of such hunts are only found in history books.

But the items themselves were rarely encountered, exceedingly scarce on the market.

Though it’s not impossible. Aren’t there small dragons that can be subdued? Processing one of those could yield great materials.

Olivier had seen dragon materials a few times in her lifetime.

However, those instances were few and far between, and even when combined, they wouldn’t match the sheer volume lying before her now.

And Olivier—

Slap!

She slapped her own cheek.

“Why am I doing this…?”

“Why… are you hitting yourself?”

“I just needed to snap out of it. Ugh.”

Olivier created a block of ice magically and pressed it against her cheek.

“Ah, I momentarily thought about keeping everything for myself. As you age, your thoughts tend to wander, you know.”

“Such terrifying thoughts?”

“This is why mages shouldn’t isolate themselves while only conducting research. They tend to get immersed in their own musings and become morose.”

‘It’s surprising how objectively she can think of herself.’

Karem marveled at Olivier and took the knife offered by Mary.

“I must say, you wielded the knife well. I never imagined I could butcher a dragon’s tail.”

“That’s probably due to the magical knife.”

“Given the material, that’s certainly the case.”

Olivier gazed at the piled dragon materials with an awed expression while stroking her beard repeatedly.

“So they call it Felwinter’s lie? I never expected a knife like this made of adamantium could exist.”

“Adamantium?”

“Yes. The same substance used in your beloved Kitty’s staff.”

“Hmmm. So it indeed was a treasure from the vault. Karem examined the knife closely before finally putting it back.

“By the way, Karem, what do you plan to do with all these?”

“What do you think I’ll do?”

“Wait, something feels off here.”

The exchange between Mary and Karem caught Olivier’s attention, making her eyes widen as she rapidly blinked in disbelief, looking back and forth between the two.

“It feels as if the entire authority to this treasure lies with you—”

“Uh, I think there’s a misunderstanding.”

“What do you mean?”

“This is mine! Even Catherine acknowledged it, right?”

“What?”

Olivier momentarily thought her ears had malfunctioned but soon gaped at the seemingly realistic exchange between the house fairy and the cook.

Is it real?

“Anyways. The scales, leather, spikes, and blood will all go to Catherine, while half of the meat and bones will be gifts for her.”

“That feels like passing off useless gifts—”

“Hey now. There’s a charming saying about gifting something lovely to someone you care for.”

“In that case, what about the remaining meat and half of the bones?”

“Of course, it goes to me, naturally.”

Karem glanced between the perpetually impassive Mary and the increasingly anxious Olivier before declaring,

“We’re going to eat it.”

“Did you eat something bad?”

Olivier turned serious.

 

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