Chapter 35

Linda Lucena was my childhood friend.

This was before I started my training at the bakery.

As her house was close to ours, we would often play together.

It wasn’t as if I didn’t have other friends my age, but strangely, we got along very well.

Linda’s father was a lumber dealer in Sol, and also had several famous carpenters working for him.

As they were quite successful, Linda was always wearing brand new clothes and her father bought her toys that were recently popular in the Royal Capital.

Linda was happy to lend them to me, and I always thought she saw me as a great friend.

But as things improved for her father’s business, the town of Sol became too small for them, and he moved his base of operations to the Imperial Capital.

Her father started to spend half of every year there, but while Linda was still very young, she was strong.

Though, I think she really wanted to go with him.

The year after that, Linda’s older sister was called by their father and she traveled to the Royal Capital.

She would attend school there and receive the highest education.

I remember that she was incredibly beautiful.

She had also played with me sometimes when I was young.

And so I was quite sad when I heard that she would be leaving Sol.

Unlike Linda, she was quiet and humble.

Perhaps she was my first childhood crush.

However, I could barely remember her face now.

There were many reasons that her father moved and that her older sister soon followed.

But Linda was not unaffected by all of these changes.

Once her father and older sister were gone, Linda and I became inseparable for a time.

She was probably very lonely. So much that she could no longer pretend to be strong.

And so for that time, we were like really close siblings…her being the older sister, of course.

“I’m to go and live in the Royal Capital.”

Linda said one day, tears in her eyes.

This could be the last time we meet in this life. She said as large droplets stained her cheeks.

“I promise that I won’t forget you!”

She said to me with a look of agony as she got into the carriage that would take her away.

“We’ll meet again!”

But her last words were hopeful. That was like her.

And so Linda left the town that held all of her childhood memories.

“It’s been a while, Leon.”

“Yeah. You look well.”

We hadn’t exchanged any letters at all.

In spite of that passionate farewell, the bonds of children were not that strong.

“Your uniform… Are you…?”

“It’s what you think. I got surrounded in the drawing-room, so I escaped.”

Linda must have understood everything based on those few words. She couldn’t help but laugh.

“I see. So Leon will be a Dragon Master. Daddy is going to be filled with so much regret when he finds out.”

“Mister Joshua? Why?”

“He wanted to move to the Royal Capital because of his business. But he was also hoping to become a Patron by using my sister.”

I didn’t know that.

Mister Joshua clearly had some great ambitions.

But then again, he had his lumber business and carpenters and a steady stream of customers that were nobles.

“How is your sister these days?”

“Oh, she got married. She worked and prepared so much in order to get into the Royal Academy. And she tried hard for 3 years, just as daddy told her to. However, the competition is severe.”

I had a feeling that I knew what she was talking about.

It had something to do with how I had been surrounded earlier.

I had been surrounded by dozens of them and they all wanted to be Patrons. Her sister’s chances of succeeding would not have been high.

“I see. So, I guess he told you that it’s your turn now?”

“Oh, I think he’s given up in my case. As you can see, I’m not even participating in the preparations.”

“Preparations… There were more than 700 people back there. Were they all hunting Dragon Masters?”

“Well, to be very honest, I don’t think that even half of them have the money to be Patrons.”

But even half was a lot.

“That’s still impressive.”

“Really? Well, it’s not just a family matter. If I didn’t exist, daddy would have just selected a daughter from a member of his company and had her enter the school. I am quite sure of it.”

“I see…”

An especially large company might be able to send someone every year.

Even those who put a lot of importance on blood ties could still look for people in their extended family.

Interesting. So that’s what was happening back there.

“But you fit the requirements and are here. But you don’t care to participate?”

“Well, in my case, I just entered the school because of the prestige. I intend on inheriting daddy’s business one day.”

You could go anywhere without shame if you were a graduate of the Royal Academy.

After all, it was the place where candidates for Patrons went.

It proved how high the demands were for the students.

“Indeed. So I guess things are still going very well with the company.”

“You can say that. Daddy has a good eye for crafters. He discovered a few young and brilliant ones here as well. Now the workshop is at full-capacity operation, I think.”

I had always seen her father as a clever manager, and he seemed he have only improved since coming here.

“Still, Leon… Hey. It’s so strange, isn’t it? Since when?”

“I think it was the 7th month of last year. It happened suddenly when I was walking in the streets. I passed out from severe pain. And when I woke up, I was back at my house.”

“Really? Then that means it…”

Linda pointed at my Dragon Mark.

“Yeah. People saw it and the rumors spread. There was a line in front of the bakery the next day.”

“Ahh. Daddy is really going to regret everything.”

“Why?”

“He was successful because of the people of Sol, but he then moved to the Royal Capital. Some people saw it as him being ungrateful, and he doesn’t have any ties. So he was unable to get any information.”

She explained that when they moved, traders, hired craftsmen, and stores that sold their furniture were all greatly inconvenienced, to put it mildly.

He had made new connections in the city, and so cut off the old ones. But as it had happened so suddenly, many people held a grudge against him.

“Well, that’s no surprise. If he still had connections in Sol, we could have sent letters whenever someone came for work-related business.”

It had been a very big company. It would not have been difficult.

And so it had not been hard to guess that things were not well in terms of his relationship with the town.

“…So, Leon. Have you already decided?”

“Decided what?”

“Don’t play dumb. Your Patron. PATRON.”

An odd glow appeared in Linda’s eyes.

So, there was a hunter right here as well.