As My Husband Said, I Brought in a Lover

[The position of the White Dragon is vacant. Because another dragon hasn’t been born yet, the enormous mana that wandered through nature found a similar bloodline and chose him as its master.]

“…I see. So that’s the reason.”

“I’ve heard that there are always two dragons. Since there are no other dragons besides Ren, it makes sense that Elliot has become such a powerful wizard.”

“Now that I think about it, I’ve never seen any historical records mentioning more than two dragons. You knew that, Miss Luize?”

“My mother told me the story. If Elliot didn’t know, it might be a legend passed down near Perils.”

“That could be it,” Edward replied and then opened his mouth as if he had remembered something. “Would you mind if I step away for a moment? I think I should inspect the camp once more.”

“Ah, alright.”

At that moment, Ren blinked his eyes and looked alternately at Luize and Edward, tilting its head. “

?”

“I’ll be back soon.” Edward patted Ren’s head and stood up.

Ren, watching his retreating figure, muttered softly.

“

?” [What’s with him? He said he lost his memories, but he’s actually preventing them from coming back on purpose.]

Ren snorted and tugged at Luize’s clothes. “

.” [Luize, human Edward is acting strange.]

Luize petted Ren’s chubby cheek and said, “What’s wrong, Ren? Do you want some marshmallows too?”

“

” [Luize, it’s not that. It’s about him. Human Edward!] Ren stomped its feet in frustration.

Luize, puzzled, remembered what Edward had done and roasted a marshmallow. She handed a less-burned marshmallow to Ren. “Here, try it.”

“

” [This is so frustrating. I wish I could polymorph soon so I could talk to Luize properly. Yummy.]

Ren took a bite of the marshmallow, and its eyes widened. Its pitch-black eyes sparkled like jewels.

“

!”

The roasted marshmallow was so amazing that it quickly forgot about Edward’s odd behavior.

* * *

A week had passed since they headed for the capital. Ren quickly adapted to the knights. Far from the dignified and intimidating image associated with dragons, the knights, who had been cautious at first, soon found Ren adorable.

“Shall I roast you some marshmallows?”

On the seventh day of playing the role of the knight commander, Ren, draped in a handkerchief like a cloak, arrogantly waved a twig.

“

!” [Prepare them at once, rugged humans!]

“

! As you command.”

Although the others couldn’t understand dragon language, they had become familiar enough to have simple conversations. Ren’s strong personality made it easy to understand its expressions of approval and disapproval.

Meanwhile, Edward was troubled by a persistent sense of déjà vu. It felt like the vague unease of knowing something forbidden. Similar to when he discovered that the previous emperor was involved in the death of Lensia, the hero known to the public.

“Is my memory returning?”

He wanted to regain his memories soon to properly convey his feelings to Luize. Even seven years ago, he must have had feelings for her. Considering he had made her a pendant with a magic stone he created and the fact they had slept together, it was certain. But why did thinking about regaining his memories make him feel so uncomfortable as if he was facing something he wanted to avoid?

“Your Excellency! Look at this!”

Hendrik’s loud voice interrupted his thoughts. Hendrik held up a glass jar with a glowing insect. “There are fireflies at this time of year!”

“Don’t fireflies usually emit a yellow or greenish light? This one is white.”

“

! Now that you mention it, it’s unusual. A rare species, perhaps?”

Luize approached them, holding a similar insect on her finger. “It’s a snow bug.”

“What? Do those exist?” Hendrik looked at Luize with curiosity.

“I used to see them often during winter in Perils. The encyclopedia says they live deep in mana-rich forests. They usually appear near old houses when it snows.” Luize gazed intently at the snow bug. “They are said to show visions of the past, but I’ve never seen it happen, so I’m not sure if it’s true. It might just be a legend.”

This forest was as old as Perils. As they camped in less-traveled places with Ren, it seemed they had ventured into the habitat of the snow bugs.

“So, it’s going to snow soon.”

Luize looked up at the sky in response to Edward’s words. The weather was so clear that it was hard to believe snow was coming.

“…It looks like it. It will probably snow quite a bit tonight. We’re far from any village, right? It might be dangerous to camp. How about we search the area? We might find a small cabin.”

“That sounds like a good idea. Hendrik.”

“Yes! Right away!”

The knights busied themselves with preparations. A couple of hours into the search of the forest, clouds had thickened overhead. A knight who had ventured deeper into the woods returned with an excited face.

“There’s a large mansion in the forest that could accommodate the entire knight order!”

“…A mansion?”

As everyone looked at the knight in surprise, snow began to fall from the sky. Edward looked up at the rapidly increasing snowflakes and spoke. “Let’s head there.”

“It’s suspicious to find a mansion in such a deep forest.”

Maxion’s comment drew Edward’s gaze.

“It’s safer than camping if we can find shelter. If the mansion is uninhabited, that’s even better. We wouldn’t have come this deep into the forest without Ren, so it’s unlikely to be an enemy trap.”

“…Understood.”

The knights hurriedly packed up the camp and followed the knight who had found the mansion. By the time they arrived, a thin layer of snow had already covered the ground.

The mansion in the forest was more impressive than expected. Though there was only the main building, the surroundings were well-maintained, and the exterior was as clean as if it had just been built. The mansion, with its dark grey roof and white marble walls, looked like a wealthy man’s villa, giving off an eerie atmosphere.

“Is it possible for such a mansion to exist in this forest?” Luize’s question reflected everyone’s thoughts.

Robin, pale-faced, shook his head. “I’m not going in! It’s definitely a haunted house. I’ve read about places like this in novels. The moment we enter, knights will start disappearing one by one, eaten by ghosts. Those bugs were foreshadowing!”

“…Then stay here alone. We’ll go inside and safely avoid the snow.” Aiven pushed down on Robin’s head and led the way with Edward to the mansion.

‘This is just like the beginning of a horror novel!’ Robin screamed internally as the other knights laughed and followed.

Edward scanned the large mansion. “The mana density in this forest makes it hard to tell if this is a magical phenomenon or a real building. But it’s definitely a magical building. I don’t sense any traces of black magic. What do you think?”

“I agree. It’s not black magic.”

“

!” [I think I know this place!] Ren popped its head out of Maxion’s arms and shouted.

Edward looked at Ren. It gestured to the mansion as it continued. “

.” [It’s a safe place. We can go in. There’s no owner right now.]

Maxion poked Ren’s cheek and asked. “What did it say?”

“It said it’s a safe place with no owner.”

Edward approached the mansion and knocked on the door. There was no response from inside. When he pushed it, the door slid open smoothly.

“It’s open. It seems safe despite the enchantments.”

“

!” [Of course it’s safe. Because this place is…

!]

Ren sneezed as its nose started to run. Maxion calmly pulled out a handkerchief and held it to the dragon’s nose, letting Ren blow it.

“

!”

“…Let’s go inside anyway.”

At Edward’s instruction, Robin, who had crept up to them, despaired as if he had received a death sentence.

“Oh no, are we really going in? This mansion is suspicious! I’m not going! I’ll stay outside in a tent even if it snows!”

“

, it’s a bit unsettling, but we have some trust. With a human talisman, we should be fine!”

“A human talisman? Who?”

“…High Priest Michael, who is loved by the gods,” Aiven whispered to Robin.

“What? I’m the talisman? Really? Why aren’t you answering! Is it really me?”

“

.”

“…

.”

Hendrik and Aiven’s silence confirmed it.

“Nooo!” Robin, on the verge of tears, was dragged inside.