“Oh, the adorable young master. I heard this is the first time you’ve cooperated. What an honor.”

[Finished in 1 second!]

As the mage rubbed his hands together, Dante growled at him, clearly disgusted by the sight.

“You really are adorable even when you growl.”

[Pervert!]

Shivering under the mage’s persistent observation, Dante scrambled out of Yerpi’s embrace. He quickly stepped onto the magic circle, saying he’d be right back.

Mercaudi, standing beside him, signaled to Raymond and Yerpi that it was time to begin.

“Now then, let’s take a look at the young master’s condition.”

The mage casually mentioned how regrettable it had been that until now, they’d only been able to analyze Dante’s fur or clipped claw tissue—words that made Dante nearly jump in horror.

Soon, Mercaudi’s magic energy spread across the magic circle. A silvery light illuminated the underground chamber. His magic was now observing Dante, standing at the center of the formation.

Mercaudi, eyes closed, soon let out an indiscernible hum.

“Ah, hmm. Umm… Hm… Strange. How peculiar.”

Then, the light summoned by the mage faded away. As the examination ended, Dante immediately jumped off the magic circle and scurried back into Yerpi’s arms.

[Ugh. I hate the mage!]

Freed from Mercaudi, Dante indulged in full-blown childish antics. Yerpi held the child close, though worry was unavoidable.

As if sensing her feelings, Raymond urged Mercaudi.

“Well?”

“Hmm. There’s no tangle in the magic energy. However, the arrangement of the magic energy isn’t typical.”

Magic energy arrangement was a significant indicator of one’s era.

People living in the same era generally had similar, or at least slightly varied, magic energy patterns.

For example, the sequence that should flow steadily—first, second, third—was arranged entirely differently in Dante’s case.

Raymond furrowed his brow. Dante’s condition seemed even more mysterious than he had thought.

“Could it be because of dragon blood?”

“No. Even if we examined your grace’s magic arrangement right now, it wouldn’t differ from mine. My master investigated the former archduke’s magic pattern, and he personally examined yours when you were young.”

Raymond fell silent at the mage’s confident assertion.

While the color of magic and its associated strength could vary from person to person, the magic arrangement imprinted upon one’s life force should yield identical results as long as the generations were not far apart.

‘It’s like genetics.’

It could be considered something pre-imprinted from birth.

Among all those living in the same era, only Dante’s arrangement was different.

“Then is there no other way?”

“First, since we’ve confirmed the arrangement is different, I think we should investigate this aspect further.”

They had discovered a difference, but there was no immediate solution. Still, finally, there was a glimmer of hope pointing toward a new direction for research.

“I leave it to you.”

“Hmm, I’ll do my best. Though, if I could spend a night—no, a week—with young master Dante, I might figure it out faster…”

[No way!]

At the mage’s outrageous remark, Dante made a face of utter disgust. The man had a handsome face, but his behavior was utterly mischievous.

Chuckling, Mercaudi turned toward Raymond. After speaking privately with the archduke, the mage announced his departure.

“Then I shall take my leave. Though I may seem idle, I’m actually quite busy—a truly outstanding talent.”

[Hurry up and go already!]

Even nestled in Yerpi’s arms, Dante couldn’t bear it any longer. He spread his wings and fled, avoiding the mage.

“Oh, flight ability is quite impressive too.”

Mercaudi chuckled, watching Dante who clearly despised him. He was unpredictable, but for now, they had no choice but to trust him. Yerpi, standing at the entrance, stepped aside.

“Please go safely.”

“Until we meet again. Farewell.”

The sleeve of the mage’s robe fluttered. His protruding fingertips brushed lightly across the back of Yerpi’s hand.

For an instant, a silvery light seemed to flicker. As Mercaudi passed by the archduchess, he murmured softly.

“…Strange. Why are their arrangements the same? The magic arrangement was clearly…”

“What?”

“Oh, nothing at all. I tend not to speak of things I’m not certain about.”

The mage smiled faintly and bowed his head—an exaggerated gesture, almost like a theater director’s flourish. With that, he disappeared beyond the dark staircase.

‘He said Dante’s and my magic arrangements are the same?’

Her heart dropped as if her innermost self had just been exposed.

If there was one difference between herself and the people of this world, it was likely the timeline of memories contained within her soul.

‘Does that mean Dante is also a transmigrator like me?’

But when she interacted with the child, she hadn’t sensed the same kind of memory confusion she herself had experienced.

Yerpi could infer the reason by comparing it to her own experience.

‘Perhaps, like me, he hasn’t remembered his past life yet.’

The clash between past-life and present-life memories brought pain. She knew well how difficult it was to distinguish between the two timelines.

Yerpi turned her gaze toward Dante. He was sitting on Raymond’s shoulder, gnawing playfully on his hair with tiny bites.

A young dragon who should have been born as a human child.

It seemed Dante was hiding a secret he himself didn’t even know.

[Ah, finally he’s gone. Yerpi!]

Relieved that the mage had left, Dante flew straight into Yerpi’s arms. In the distance, Raymond approached, sighing deeply.

His hair, just now chewed on by his nephew, was a complete mess.

“You don’t look well. What happened?”

“Nothing at all.”

She reflexively denied anything was wrong, though Raymond clearly looked concerned.

To reveal her suspicion that Dante was a transmigrator, she would first have to reveal her own truth.

“The mage seems quite skilled.”

“He’s been contracted with Growen since the previous archduke’s time. They say he’s a promising candidate to become the next Archmage. In terms of magic analysis, he surpasses even the current Archmage.”

It made sense they hadn’t brought Mercaudi here without reason.

Not just anyone, even a mage from the Mage Tower, could form a contract with the ruler of this land. Yerpi nodded in understanding.

‘In that brief moment, he analyzed my magic energy.’

Even though Ubliret was a suitable place for detecting magic, to sense the flow of another’s energy from just a fingertip’s brush—such ability could only be called innate.

It was a dizzying experience, as if her insides had been laid bare. Still, she hadn’t been completely exposed.

‘At least he doesn’t know I’m a transmigrator.’

Mercaudi only knew that Dante and Yerpi shared the same magic arrangement—he didn’t know anything about transmigrators.

Since the existence of transmigrators hadn’t been revealed in this world, even if he suspected, he’d find it hard to obtain proof.

‘I should look into this from other angles too.’

Even without evidence, somewhere, there might still be records about transmigrators.

As Yerpi made this silent resolution, a sealed chamber came into view. Beneath the name Ubliret, the underground space contained only an unidentifiable magic circle—an empty void with nothing else.

‘Dante said this place felt comfortable…’

Could it be because he was human?

To her, the space felt suffocating, with a chilling cold lingering in the air.

She wanted to leave quickly, but suddenly, curiosity struck her.

“When did this place come into existence?”

“Since the creation of Growen.”

This very castle was protected by ancient magic—a powerful enchantment created by a dragon, so strong that it had remained unbroken across countless ages.

Raymond slowly turned around, surveying Ubliret as he spoke.

“It’s been so long ago that no one knows exactly what this place was originally used for.”

Some said it was a prison, others claimed it was a formation designed to hide treasures.

But no one truly knew its exact purpose.

“Let’s head out now.”

[No, I want to stay here longer.]

At Dante’s whining, Raymond replied firmly.

“Staying too long won’t do you any good. You might end up devoured by Ubliret.”

[What do you mean?]

Dante stared at Raymond with wide eyes.

The memory of being forcibly ejected after a fixed period each time he entered this space was vivid. Until now, he had thought it merely a cheap trick, but now there was a reason.

“Ubliret has the effect of calming dragon blood. But the longer you stay, the more it erodes and destroys our minds—leaving us in a state of pure bliss.”

Even without physical activity, the mind becomes intoxicated with happiness.

It was no different from a living death.

[Eek, I don’t want that!]

After pondering Raymond’s words, Dante shivered, pulled his head into Yerpi’s arms, and hid.

[I want to leave right now!]

“Alright. Let’s go.”

Since she also wanted to escape this place, there was no need to ask twice. Ascending the dark staircase, they finally reached the surface. At last, it felt like they could breathe again.