I Raised A Black Dragon

"I dealt with five people there, and all but one turned into a machine. The only real human being is now in the basement of this building."

"Is he the one you were interrogating earlier?”

"Yes. I won't show you the scene. It's not a very good sight to see. Instead…" Kyle picked up a tape, glancing at Noah, and added a warning. "It may sound a little violent."

“It's all right." Noah answered bravely and pressed the play button on the recorder with her thumb. As soon as she pressed the button, she regretted her decision. Snap. A sharp crack that sounded like bones breaking greeted Noah.

"…That's very violent."

"I told you so." When Kyle saw her face, which had become helplessly pale, he quickly pressed on the tape recorder. A ragged voice came after.

“The machine's… source, I don't know. I heard there's a factory somewhere… I just did what I was told…”

Kyle clicked the button again, and another statement followed.

“Magic Department… that's all I know. Everything's from the top… Because that's the original structure. He's the biggest client, and the pay is high, so rather than getting a small request from the top… Ah… I'm going to hit one of those big shots."

The recording stopped. Noah turned to face Kyle and asked, "By the top, does he mean the head of Yulem?”

"It seems that way. The Magic Department is also mentioned here. A wizard tycoon. A person who raises large sums of money to Yulem, receives something in return, and provides illegal magical weapons, including these mechanical devices. There is no physical evidence, but there's only one person that comes to mind."

The face of a brightly smiling Adrian passed Noah’s mind. Kyle turned off the tape recorder and continued to explain.

"The original structure of the organization itself is not significantly ranked. The current vice minister position is vacant, and the authority of each sub-department of the Ministry of Magic is ridiculously small compared to that of the Bureau of Investigation Security. It's a structure in which all decision-making authority is concentrated on the minister. There's only one minister Yulem can describe as a ‘big shot’."

If so, it was a reasonable doubt. Noah recalled that an attack from Yulem had never occurred while she and Muell rode the train together with Adrian. But what if he didn't have to deal with them in the first place?

If it was Adrian Rossinell who hired them from the beginning…

Noah’s head began to spin. “He initially approached me to kill me, but when he discovered there was a dragon next to me, he changed his plan and kept observing me…”

"Perhaps." Kyle seconded her speculation. "He may have known for a long time already that you're not really Eleonora. The terrorists on the train to Central Edman stated that the orders they received from the employee were not to murder, but ‘capture'."

“…No wonder."

Tracing back on her memories with Adrian, there were quite a few remarks that he had said that were somehow strange.

"I like you better now.”

"I'm curious about you.”

While Noah was thinking over and over, Kyle recited his future plans.

"Once I get the author's confession, I will focus on investigating Adrian Rossinell. In addition to his ties to Yulem, he was suspected of the Eleonora Asil murder and the theft of the dragon egg, as well as Central Edman and Battuanu terrorist attack. Of course the Minister… is as cunning as Eleonora Asil, and has a strong connection with the Imperial Family, so I can't officially ask for their cooperation. I’ll have to secretly investigate.”

"I will help," Noah chimed in.

"…Of course, it would progress faster if Miss Noah would help, but you don't have to."

"Why?"

Kyle answered, leading Noah out of the glass door. “If the Minister is involved in all those events, it means he's a much more dangerous person than I thought. I have no intention of putting you on the front line."

Simply put, Kyle’s words meant he would not allow Noah to participate in his investigation. As Noah tilted her head, ready to rebut, Kyle resolutely rejected her excuses before she could even make them known.

"You just have to eat well, sleep well, and then attend classes as usual. There is no doubt that Minister Rossinell is an outstanding wizard, and the class itself will be beneficial. Also, you should always take Mu to class-”

"Sir Kyle has way too much to worry about." Noah quickly interrupted lest his nagging will pierce and deafen her ears.

"Don't worry. Adrian seems to like me quite a bit. Not as Eleonora, but me inside.”

"…So you don't think it's a problem.”

"Why, I can use this body to my advantage. I've been cold to him countless times, but once I've been friendly, he couldn't get it together."

It was just like that this afternoon. The more she resisted, the crazier he became, and on the other hand, one affectionate smile tamed him in a blink. It was a hundred times better to pull than to drag. If she knew how to handle him, it was not a bad idea to have him in her grasp.

"It was suspicious because Adrian seemed to be too interested in Mu. If Adrian was involved in the egg theft… Maybe it's the power of the dragon that he's after in the first place."

“Yes, but… How are you going to dig into him?"

“I'll try to seduce him." Noah spat out thoughtlessly.

Across her, Kyle wore a shocked expression, and she quickly realized that she had made a mistake.

Uh… By seduce, I meant that I will try to be a little nice and gentle…

Kyle, taken aback, asked.

"What did you just say?”