The light that started from the dragon’s body spread to Nigel Ars.

The sparkle surrounding the two was radiant and beautiful, as if blessing their connection.

In the light, Rus’s voice came clearly.

-Rus, my name is Rus!

As the fading light revealed a vivid green of happiness, Nigel Ars raised the corners of her mouth.

“Just now……”

“Noah, did you hear it too?”

“Could it be…… the dragon’s voice?”

The wide-eyed gazes of the three people fixed on the slime.

-Dragon? My name is Rus!

The dragon proudly roamed on the table.

“If it’s Rus…… friendship?”

-Rich human, how do you know the meaning of the great Rus’s name?

Rus, who had been elegantly waddling, suddenly stopped with its head turned.

“Well…… it’s in our final exam syllabus?”

Allen opened the textbook towards Rus and pointed with his finger.

-Ru…… s. It’s true! My name is really in the book! Just like Nigel Ars!

Rus’s eyes sparkled as it looked back and forth between the pile of documents and the textbook. Allen grinned while looking at Rus’s backside.

“More importantly, why did Rus think I wouldn’t know the meaning of the name?”

-Well, Nigel Ars says every night that Allen won’t be able to go to Tillin because he can’t score above average……

“Rus.”

-……

Rus flinched at Nigel Ars’s soft call, then immediately closed its mouth upon meeting her intimidating gaze.

And nonchalantly bounced over to settle on Nigel Ars’s palm.

-Rus is going to sleep now.

The dragon declared bedtime and closed its eyes. Then Nigel Ars and Allen’s eyes met.

‘Damn it.’

The situation had reversed in an instant.

“……Nigel Ars? I must have heard wrong, right? There’s no way you’d bet on Tillin thinking I couldn’t reach the average score. Right?”

Faced with the sharp smile, Nigel Ars quickly nodded and grabbed Allen’s hand.

“Of course. Allen, you’re my best friend who meticulously planned the engagement ceremony. If there’s anything you don’t know, just ask me.”

Nigel Ars raised the corners of her mouth, trembling slightly. As soon as Nigel Ars finished speaking, the sharpness disappeared from Allen’s face.

Only then did Nigel Ars relax and slightly turn her head.

“Ah, Noah, your bet condition is still not losing points on Professor Roneh’s exam. You know that, right?”

“Yes, I’m training morning and evening.”

When Nigel Ars spoke firmly with her lips turned down, Noah smiled sweetly as if eating candy.

“You two…… I don’t know if I should say you’re well-matched.”

“We are well-matched, that’s why we got engaged.”

Noah grasped Nigel Ars’s hand towards himself. The look in his eyes as he gazed at the ring on their intertwined fingers was more refreshing than the orange-ade on the table.

“……The priest hasn’t arrived yet. Let go.”

“That’s right, Sir Noah. Let go quickly.”

At Nigel Ars and Yenica’s firm reproach, Noah slowly released Nigel Ars’s hand.

Noah deliberately took his time, feeling regret each time Nigel Ars’s small fingers slipped away from between his own.

The unstable magic flowing from their touching skin, Nigel Ars avoiding eye contact, and her hand allowing Noah’s lingering touch by not pulling away first. All of these things tickled Noah’s heart like a cool breeze.

-Big human, stop smiling strangely at Nigel Ars.

Just then, Rus opened its eyes slightly and jumped onto the back of Nigel Ars’s hand.

Since Nigel Ars was just fiddling with Rus, and Yenica was being scolded by Allen, it seemed only Noah could hear the voice just now.

Noah, feeling mischievous, smiled even more deeply at Nigel Ars.

Rus spoke to Noah nonchalantly while receiving Nigel Ars’s gentle touch.

-Th-this is a warning. Nigel Ars’s heart beats fast when she sees your smiling face. Humans are fragile, so if their hearts beat too fast and hard, they’ll die quickly. So hurry up and hide your face.

Noah’s face suddenly turned red and he quickly turned his head away.

Nigel Ars had mentioned in passing that Rus knew her emotions better than she did herself, and that seemed to be true without a doubt.

No matter how much he tried to lower the corners of his mouth, they kept trying to rise, so Noah quickly raised his hand to cover them.

-That’s right, always cover your face like that and stay out of Nigel Ars’s sight. That way Nigel Ars will live longer.

From Rus’s satisfied tone, Noah could guess that Nigel Ars’s heartbeat had stabilized.

-And…… never rub your big human lips against Nigel Ars’s lips again. Never.

At this unexpected finishing blow, Noah burst out laughing like an air bubble popped by a needle.

“Why are you suddenly turning red and laughing? Have you lost your mind?”

“Yes…… I suppose so.”

When an irrelevant answer came back, Nigel Ars frowned.

It wasn’t wrong. Noah’s mind had been lost to her since the moment he first met Nigel Ars.

Meanwhile, thinking of Nigel Ars who must have been observing his expression, and the fact that their relationship was no longer just parallel lines, a smile naturally formed on his face.

-Hurry up and hide that weird face!

At that moment, Rus slapped onto Noah’s eyes. Due to Rus’s body turning red with anger, Noah’s vision became bright red.

“Oh, Rus. Do you like Noah?”

-It’s the opposite, rich human! Rich human is exactly as Nigel Ars said.

“……What did Nigel Ars say?”

Nigel Ars, now used to catching bombs by accident, opened her mouth without hesitation.

“That you’re a wise friend who behaves well.”

-Exactly the opposite of that, rich human!

“Lord Rus certainly has a good eye.”

-Pink human, I liked you from the moment I first saw you too.

“I, I like you too, Rus….. No, I can’t! How could anyone claim to dislike this cute creature?”

Seeing them engage in childish banter at the young dragon’s words, Noah couldn’t help but laugh.

-……Big human, don’t laugh. Nigel Ars will die quickly.

Puhaha, Noah burst out laughing, unable to hold it in any longer.

It seemed Noah had gained a new rival and reliable helper.

“Nigel Ars, it’s good that you previewed the magic barrier spell we’ll learn in the second semester… but this is magic practice time now, so could you please remove it?”

“……Ah, I’m sorry.”

At Heres’s careful tone, Nigel Ars quickly flicked her finger at the squishy slime in her dress pocket.

“Yes, thank you for cooperating.”

Heres smiled gently.

“……Nigel Ars, why don’t you remove the barrier during sword training? Even I, who’s ignorant about magic, can feel the powerful force surrounding you.”

“I’m sorry.”

This time, at Roneh’s words, Nigel Ars pressed firmly on the pocket at her waist. The pocket sank in limply and then rose back to its original position.

“That’s better now. With such a thick barrier, it doesn’t feel like I’m hitting you, does it?”

The students in training uniforms burst into laughter at Roneh’s casual joke.

Only one person, Nigel Ars, couldn’t laugh and remained stone-faced throughout the class.

“Rus. What did I tell you?”

In the dormitory room, taking advantage of Yenica’s momentary absence, Nigel Ars looked straight down at Rus and spoke.

-To protect my contractor, you, from the priests!

“That’s right. What did I say the priests look like?”

-They wear ridiculous white clothes that drag on the ground. And they use dull and lukewarm magic that feels similar to yours, but different.

“Right. You’re so smart, just like your contractor, whoever that might be.”

As soon as Nigel Ars threw a carrot, Rus chewed it up thoroughly. In other words, it meant Rus was excitedly bouncing around the bed with a greenish body.

Having thrown the carrot, it was now time to crack the whip.

“But, how have you been behaving lately? You keep putting a barrier around me even though the priest hasn’t arrived yet. And you troubled Noah, making things difficult for me.”

-But……!

“Rus, no excuses needed. If we’re going to stay together, we need to maintain basic etiquette.”

After alternating between blue for sadness and red for anger, when its entire body finally turned purple, Rus carefully raised its eyes to meet Nigel Ars’s gaze.

-Nigel Ars, I’m sorry for causing trouble.

Nigel Ars silently held out her palm.

There was no need to speak. Rus could read Nigel Ars’s emotions better than Nigel Ars herself.

Rus lay down comfortably to the leisurely beating sound of Nigel Ars’s heart.

As Nigel Ars said, Rus had tried to protect its contractor from the priests, so why was she so angry? While thinking about this, following one thought after another, Rus blinked at the oncoming drowsiness.

The clear and warm magic of Nigel Ars felt through the skin was incomparable to that of the priests. If Nigel Ars’s magic was like the sweet and rich milk drunk a few days ago, the priests’ magic felt like a sip of milk mixed with a lot of dark water.

This magic gave a comfort that couldn’t be felt from anyone else. With Nigel Ars’s kind magic and its own powerful magic, the priests wouldn’t stand a chance.

“……Honestly, it was satisfying when you bothered Noah.”

Rus, half-asleep, smiled broadly. Not only was Nigel Ars’s magic perfect, but she also understood its feelings well.

Rus surrendered to the oncoming sleep, promising to protect Nigel Ars from the priests and Noah again tomorrow.

And the next day, an endless stream of white figures descended upon Sienia.