Chapter Text
Darkness filled the area. Muddled shapes danced in senseless patterns. Splotches of red and white shifted throughout the space, giving the illusion of light without revealing anything to the eye. Despite not being able to see anything, there was the intense feeling of fear, desperation, pain flooding through his body without a single, clear source. The sensation was building, consuming his very being until-
Thump!
Jolted awake by the sudden bump, he glanced around as his breathing began to slow. He was inside a carriage with comfortable, ornate benches and fabric-lined walls. A quick look out the window revealed what happened as he took note of the passing trees and barely maintained dirt road. Recognizing it as his family’s carriage, he settled back down as the memories of his dream quickly faded.
Raising a hand behind him, he knocked lightly on the wall separating him from the driver. Quickly, a strip of wood was slid out, revealing a small opening out to the front that perfectly blended in when closed.
“Is something wrong, young Lord?” The driver asked.
“How much farther do we have to go?” His voice was commanding, as one would expect from someone of his position.
“Once we pass over this hill, it should be at the next clearing, my Lord.”
“Very well. As you were.”
The wooden panel was replaced and silence filled the cabin once more. It wasn’t something that bothered him. In fact, he chose to relish in it while he had the chance. After all, he likely won’t get the opportunity again until the harvest season begins.
He wasted his time idly staring out the window and attempting to identify the different flora from memory. After what he guessed was an hour or so, the carriage finally stopped moving. The driver opened the door, announcing their arrival.
Grateful for the chance to stretch his legs after so long, he quickly rose and stepped out. Standing in the field, his keen eyes began to study his surroundings. There were already quite a few people milling about.
“Excuse me, might you be the son of the Kudou family?” A woman asked him.
Raising an eyebrow, he glanced behind him where his footmen were unloading his luggage from the carriage adorned with his family crest, before turning back to the woman.
He bit back the desire to say something snarky. She was only doing her job, and he knew for a fact how easy it can be to offend the nobility.
“Yes, that’s right.” He answered.
“Then, I welcome you, Lord Kudou Shinichi,” she bowed, “to Natsu no Ame Training Camp. If you would please come with me, I will assist you in getting checked in. Your staff will be directed on what to do with your luggage.”
Giving a short nod, Shinichi followed her. More of the staff bowed to him as they walked past, but he ignored them. It wasn’t surprising, he was probably the highest rank in attendance this year, since gods forbid the princess ever show herself at a place like this.
He felt a bit bad for thinking that. It wasn’t exactly Princess Sonoko’s choice to spend most of her life locked behind heavily guarded doors. But with everything going on, it was just too risky to leave her exposed.
Though without any royalty present, as the only son of Duke Kudou, there wasn’t anyone with more authority than him.
Well, at least amongst the humans . He thought as he took note of the amount of beastfolk dotting the common area.
Beastfolk were one of the three dominant races on this continent. Their main characteristics were their humanoid forms crossed with a variety of animals. There were so many variations, it would take an encyclopedia to list them all. They were a mostly peaceful group more focused on engineering than combat, but that didn’t make them weak.
There was a reason they still sent their young to this camp, after all.
However, unlike humans, the beastfolk were not governed by a king or queen. Instead, they followed a council composed of only the most talented of their population. It was their youth who excelled in both academia and athletics that were given the honor of attending this camp, which was also different from the humans who sent the children of their nobles without prerequisites.
That meant the beastfolk were starting on equal footing with one another as there were no titles to hold over someone’s head. Shinichi actually preferred that method, as it gave more opportunity to those that might need it, but was fully aware how difficult it would be to change centuries of tradition within his own culture.
Now as long as the last species doesn’t show up, everything will be fine. He thought as he entered the administration building.
“Alright, Lord Kudou, you’re now fully checked in. We’re still waiting on a few kids to show up, so for now, you can get settled in. Here’s your cabin number and your sash. Please remember to wear the sash at all times, as it will inform the staff how to best assist if needed. Once everyone has checked in, we’ll start the opening address. Listen for the horn.”
“Thank you.” Shinichi answered as he took the offered items, stifling a grimace at the deep red cloth.
The sashes indicated what course each individual was taking. Red was the color of the fighter course. It was the expected course for him to take, practically required given the role his family plays, but the idea of possibly having to take someone’s life…
Shaking off the thought for now, he left the building. He debated on whether he wanted to try and find a few of the other nobles he knew would be here or simply locate his cabin until the horn sounded. The choice was made for him when without warning, someone slammed their arm across his shoulders, yanking him to the side in the process.
“Oi, Kudou, ya weren’t really tryin’ slink away witout sayin’ hello, were ya?” Really, there was only one person who would speak to him like this.
“Hattori. I see you’ve still yet to learn proper manners since we last met.” Shinichi grumbled.
His friend just grinned. “Nah, I ain’t got time ta stroke the egos of pretentious nobles.”
“ You’re also a noble! And we’re not at either of our manors, so this is just straight up inappropriate! Don’t you have the slightest concern for your reputation?!”
Hattori just laughed. Honestly, Shinichi only brought it up for his friend’s sake, rather than his own. Having the son of a marquess acting so forward as to not only speak to the son of a duke first, but to touch him with such familiarity was bound to make people talk.
Many of the nobles in the capitol already looked down on the House of Hattori simply because their territory was in the borderlands, he didn’t need to make things worse.
Squirming out of his grasp, Shinichi was finally able to truly look at his friend. He doesn’t appear to have changed much since the last time, which wasn’t surprising as it’s only been about a month. Though he did take note of the vibrant sash draped across his shoulder.
“So we’re in the same course, huh?” Shinichi stated.
“It’s only fittin’, right? But don’t worry, I’ll help ya out when ya get tripped up.”
“And who’s going to help you?”
“Ya little-!”
“Shinichi! Lord Hattori! Over here!” They both turned towards the caller, seeing another friend of theirs, Miss Mouri Ran running towards them. Under most circumstances, she would have nothing to do with either of them, considering she’s the daughter of a newly-risen baron. But, as luck would have it, she and Shinichi had met at a ball when they were too young to fully understand the difference in their positions and quickly became friends.
As she got closer, they exchanged greetings. The small talk was mindless, but obligatory. It was simple enough for him to take note of her appearance. Like with Hattori, there wasn’t much to note on. He found it slightly strange to see her wearing pants instead of the dresses commonly worn by noble ladies, but considering their surroundings, it was to be expected.
What he didn’t expect, though, was the color of her sash. Unlike his and Hattori’s, her sash was a vibrant green.
“You’re in the scholar course?” He asked, unable to keep the surprise out of his voice.
“Yeah, my mom said that I’m already skilled enough for self-defense and I can’t use magic, so the scholar course was the only one left. She also thought this would be better for our family overall. I’m not confident I can pass it, though…”
That did make sense, from what he’s heard, the Baroness was far more competent than her husband, to the point that most called her the head of the family instead.
“Anyway, did you come here alone, Lord Hattori? What about your betrothed?” Ran asked quickly.
“T-that’s just a political marriage! An’ there’s no way Kazuha’s father would’ve let her come this far an’ risk her gettin’ attacked!” Hattori stuttered.
“Right, ‘just a political marriage’. That’s why you refer to her by her first name and without titles.” Shinichi said.
“Shut it! It’s not like that!”
Neither Ran nor Shinichi bought it and they didn’t let up on the teasing either. It was common knowledge that Lord Hattori and Lady Toyama were close long before marriage talks began. And it was fun to catch up with friends he hasn’t seen in a while, as the distance between their lands made it difficult to meet regularly. Letters could only convey so much.
That moment of distraction was just enough for him to miss the large shadow until it was right over them. Anxiety pierced through him as he whipped around, just in time to witness a sea of glittering scales hovering high above the crowd right before they were concealed behind a swirling vortex of mana.
Seconds later, the mana cleared, revealing a young boy the same age as them gently landing in the clearing. Even without the previous display, it would’ve been obvious that this boy was neither human nor beastfolk.
“So one showed up after all.” Hattori muttered.
The final dominant species, who despite the large expanse of land they possessed, were small in number and lacked any true government. But for what they lacked in population and organization, they made up for with nearly godlike power.
“I never thought I’d actually see one…” Ran whispered.
Everyone who had been loitering around the common area were staring at the newcomer with a mix of awe and trepidation. The tension in the air was suffocating. After a couple moments, someone finally broke it; a young girl from the beastfolk ran up and hugged the boy. It seemed like they knew each other.
Now that the moment had passed, people slowly started to return to what they were doing previously, with varying levels of unease.
“What should we do ‘bout this Kudou?” Hattori asked.
“Nothing. This is still neutral ground. The best we can do is ignore him.” Shinichi answered.
Hattori grumbled but didn’t argue. Ran was still transfixed, watching where the boy and girl still stood. He studied her as well, noting that her features were that of a deer, or maybe a kind of antelope. But more than that, she appeared to be perfectly content to chat with the boy.
It must be nice, to not have to worry about becoming his prey. Shinichi thought uncharitably.
But how could he not when the boy was clearly a dragon?
‘Check in’, if you could call it that, finished quickly. The lady in charge basically just explained everything and handed him his sash, never even asked for his name.
I guess that’s not surprising. He thought. I’m pretty sure I’m the only dragon who turned sixteen this year.
As he left the administration building, he was surprised to see two people waiting outside for him. He found himself smiling before he even realized it.
“You guys didn’t need to. I would’ve found you afterwards.” He said.
“Of course we did! I want to spend as much time as possible with my friends!” The girl, Aoko proclaimed, her natural cheer radiating off her.
“Besides, having you search for us would be terribly inefficient when we already knew of your location, wouldn’t you agree, Kaito?” He turned to face his other friend, whose appearance was immaculate, as was typical. The pointed ears and intense eyes of the lynx were carefully accented.
“Saguru, did anyone inform you that we were going to be in the forest and not the council building?” Kaito said instead of answering.
“Regardless of the location, appearances are important. It generally helps to not disturb others by causing a scene.”
Ah, he was commenting on Kaito’s arrival.
“You and I both know that would’ve happened no matter how I showed up.”
Saguru tilted his head in acknowledgment.
“Now, now, it doesn’t matter anymore!” Aoko quickly interjected. “We still have some time before the opening address, let’s explore! Oh, Kaito, shouldn’t you put on your sash first?”
He looked down at the violet cloth in his hand. There must’ve been some hesitance in his gaze that he was unable to hide, as Saguru quickly caught on.
“Ah, you can’t get it around your wings on your own. I’ll help you.” He took the fabric, standing behind him as he took his time pinning the sash in place. Kaito tried to keep his wings out of the way, but it was a bit awkward. Once Saguru finished, Aoko suggested they find their cabins first.
All of the cabins were grouped together in a separate clearing a short hike away. There were somewhere between thirty and forty buildings lined up in neat rows with so little space inbetween them, a person could not even stand sideways. Each one appeared to be identical to others except for the pewter number on the doors.
“Does everyone get their own building? I thought we were going to share…” Aoko said.
“I doubt the humans would take well to that for multiple reasons.” Saguru responded. “As overdone as it may feel for everyone to have their own space, each of these cabins are approximately a third of the space most nobles are accustomed to having for a bedroom. That alone would be quite the adjustment, but having to share it would be even worse.”
“Tsk, humans just have to be a pain…” Kaito muttered.
Saguru must’ve heard him as he quickly continued. “There are legitimate reasons as well. Even if it’s in a forced setting, having two nobles spending the night together is ammunition for others to spread cruel rumors and destroy reputations. Given that much of their culture and functions rely quite heavily on one’s reputation, that could destroy people’s lives.”
He hummed dismissively as they continued to walk around. They quickly realized that the cabin numbers were distributed based on which course you took, meaning that the three of them were separated. Aoko, being in the healing course, was placed in the smallest corner. She was not happy about it. Saguru was in the scholar course, so he was placed right up front, closest to the study hall. And Kaito, being in the magic course, was opposing the fighters towards the center.
They looked inside the cabins too. Each one was just as identical as the outside. Inside was just enough space for a bed, desk, chair, and chest for storage. There was enough floorspace for the three of them to stand around, but only just barely. The only light came from the narrow windows high up towards the ceiling. It seemed like they were trying to preserve privacy.
By the time they had finished looking around, the horn sounded.
Everyone gathered around a small stage that was set up in the pavilion. Some staff members were going around to herd the remaining stragglers while the rest waited. Kaito stood towards the back with his friends while this was happening, but being farther away didn’t stop him from feeling all the eyes on him. Fear, hatred, anxiety. It was the same as when he arrived. He even expected it.
It was the only way humans ever looked at him.
He was used to it, told himself he didn’t care. As long as it was only limited to the humans, he’d be fine. Aoko and Saguru were still here. That’s all he needed. If he absolutely wanted to talk to someone else, there were plenty of other beastfolk to choose from.
…It was normally easier to ignore. For some reason, their gaze felt so much more intense this time.
Relief washed over him when the camp director finally took the stage.
“Welcome to Natsu no Ame Training Camp. I am Hakya, director and fighting instructor. As you all know, this is a place for those who will carry the weight of the continent on their shoulders to improve themselves.” Hakya began, his voice easily carrying itself over the crowd. “Your goal here will be to rebuild yourselves to our standards forged from the experience of past generations. Tomorrow, each of you will undergo an assessment test to see where your current levels rest.
“Once this is done, the instructors for each course will use this information to aid in training. However, the majority of the work will depend on your own self-discipline, determination, and effort. We are not your servants or staff. We will not chase you down to train or to remind you of lessons. That is your responsibility alone.
“If, by the end of the summer, you have successfully reached the goals set for you, you will be awarded this Medal of Honor.” Hakya gestured to a woman next to him, who was holding a velvet cushion that held a decorative silver pin with a colored crystal. From the distance they were at, it was hard to see clearly, but everyone knew what it was regardless.
After all, it was the reason they were all here.
Anyone who managed to earn one of those pins immediately gained the trust and respect from anyone around them. It proved that you were competent and reliable in your field. In some cases, it was practically a requirement. On the other hand, failing to earn one could result in the exact opposite. Kaito remembered hearing some stories of people being disowned because of it.
“Throughout the next few months, there will be challenges and tests to overcome. Some have been planned by us and others will occur naturally. Do not let this drag you down. With that in mind, I encourage each and every one of you to work hard. Dismissed!”
The next morning saw the assessment tests in full swing. Kaito, naturally, did quite well on his. Even relatively untrained, the draconic power he possessed was far greater than what anyone else had. But it’s not like he came here to get stronger. Instead, he was interested in learning more techniques and new spells.
And now that he was done, there wasn’t much else to do today. The actual lessons wouldn’t start until tomorrow and the training area was still in use for the tests. There was a large deck that overlooked the fields, so Kaito found himself watching the rest of the campers from there.
“That’s five.” He muttered to himself as yet another camper was downed by Director Hakya. It looks like the fighter course was pretty rough. Each of the campers had to spar against the Director for ten minutes straight. While on paper, that doesn’t sound like much but if they’re not used to it, they’ll wear down quickly. Plus, the director was a highly decorated knight who’s proven his worth in battle time and time again.
Rather than actually expecting them to win, it looked like he was just trying to see how long they’ll last. So far, Kaito only saw one person manage to hold on for the whole ten minutes.
The magic assessment wasn’t going much better. In that course, each student had to cast three spells: one offensive, one defensive, and one specialty. The offensive spell was aimed at a straw dummy covered in leather armor, which the teacher, an androgynous beastman named Ryu, judged based on how damage the dummy ended up with.
For safety reasons, the defensive spell was also cast on the dummy. This was because afterwards, Ryu cast his own magic to pierce the shield. Considering he was one of the top spellcasters on the continent and in running to become the next leader for the magic association, it almost always shattered. He was just looking to see how much effort it took.
And the last spell was basically a free spell. Whatever spell or type of magic each individual felt they were good at could be used. In Kaito’s case, he used magic to perfectly preserve a bellflower he’d picked in the woods that morning. It wasn’t a particularly useful spell in most cases, but it was one he created himself. Ryu seemed impressed as well. He’d even tested the durability and was unable to damage the petals.
Which was only to be expected. There were few other spells he’d practiced as much as this one. He already knew it wouldn’t fail.
Said bellflower found itself being twirled mindlessly as he watched the healer course. The teacher for that course was the same woman who’d displayed the medal at the opening address. Her name was apparently Yuki and she was something else entirely.
She was a field healer who had saved the lives of soldiers on the battlefield countless times. When there was an outbreak of an unidentified disease a few years back, she was one of the ones responsible for finding treatment options and curing the worst cases with magic.
This test actually appeared to be in two parts, first was a written exam that Yuki handed out to everyone. He couldn’t see what was on the paper from the balcony, but he could guess it had something to do with medicinal herbs. Most likely either the identification of or listing the usage of. Maybe both.
But it was the next part that got unhinged. Because checking someone’s skill with healing magic could only really be done if there was something to heal , Yuki decided to injure herself with a knife and make them heal her. If a student failed to fully heal her wounds, she’d do it herself before repeating the process.
It had an additional effect on seeing how well her campers reacted to stressful or emergency situations. A couple of them never even got to the point of healing, because they simply passed out once they saw blood. Kaito wondered how hard it would be to get the dirt and grass stains off the pale blue sashes they wore.
The only course he had no real idea of the progress on was the scholar course. All of those campers were ushered into the study hall by the beastwoman teacher named Jun. She had been the headmaster of the most prestigious colleges on the continent. In addition to her intelligence, she was also known for her strictness.
And while he didn’t know for a fact what was happening, he could guess that it was likely some kind of written exam. Possibly several on different subjects. All he knew for certain was that not a single student had left the building yet.
His main takeaway from all this was that Aoko and Saguru were going to be busy for a while yet. He was bored.
If he were anywhere else, he would use his other spells to make his own fun. But with tensions between the races at an all-time high, his parents made him swear to behave himself here. Not like he needed the warning. Pranks like that were only fun if no one got hurt by them. Acting out here could have severe consequences for many.
He would never forgive himself for that.
So he was going to be a good little dragon and play nicely.
Now if only someone could explain that to the person glaring at him, that would be great.
Kaito shifted his position slightly, lowering his wings just enough so he could look behind him. It was another camper, a young man with darker skin and clothing of good quality. A noble.
Of course, it’s a human. Kaito thought. It couldn’t have been anyone else.
The suspicion in that boy’s gaze was practically palatable. And Kaito wasn’t doing anything other than standing there. He carefully scanned the rest of the deck. It appeared to be empty except for the two of them.
So there’s no buffer. Great. Aoko and Saguru couldn’t finish up fast enough.
Now that he was paying attention, Kaito realized this was the same boy that actually lasted the full ten minutes against Director Hakya. Not that it mattered, even if the boy decided to pick a fight, the dull practice swords the camp uses weren’t nearly strong enough to pierce his scales.
Though getting in a fight outside of training probably wasn’t in the category of ‘behaving oneself’, so maybe he should just leave. He could take a walk through the woods again. Perhaps this time, he could find a pretty feather.
Kaito continued to debate the pros and cons of this, and while he did, he pretended to be obvious to other boy’s stares.
“Do you have a problem with my friend?” A familiar voice demanded.
With some resignation, Kaito finally turned around. Aoko was standing directly in between himself and the boy. Her hands were resting on her hips, warning etched into every line of her body.
Looks like I won’t be able to leave quietly . Kaito wished he had just gone back to his cabin.
“‘Friend’, yeah, right.” The boy muttered. Before Aoko could react he quickly continued. “I’m jus’ makin’ sure that everyone’s playin’ nice around here. Ya know, since it’s a ‘neutral zone’ an’ all that.”
“So you just assume that he’s going to cause problems and you need to watch him?! That’s completely messed up!”
“What, I’m just supposed ta sit back an’ ignore a potential threat? I’m not-” He never got the chance to finish speaking as Aoko suddenly headbutted him straight in the jaw. Which probably would’ve been painful enough without the antlers, but he had a feeling that was the point.
As the boy stumbled back, Kaito quickly hurried to Aoko’s side. If this was going to escalate, then he was going to help her. At the same time, he heard footsteps rushing across the wooden boards. He didn’t look to see who it was.
“The hell was that fer?!” The boy shouted.
“For being a jerk!” Aoko screamed right back.
“ Ha ?!”
“Hattori!” A new voice cut in.
Everyone turned to look at the newcomer, another young boy from the fighter course. He was breathing heavily as if he had run here. That didn’t stop him from stalking forward and yanking the other boy, apparently named Hattori.
“What do you think you’re doing?!” He hissed. “I told you this was a neutral zone! Stop trying to pick a fight!”
Before this ‘Hattori’ could protest, the new boy turned to Aoko.
“I’m sorry about my friend. He lives in an area that gets attacked by monsters often and he’s struggling to get out of that ‘fight anything that doesn’t belong’ mindset.” He explained.
Aoko wasn’t having it. “ I’m not the one you need to apologize to. And putting my friend on the same level as monsters is not a reason I’m going to accept!”
The boy glanced at him, sharp blue eyes stained with distrust. Obviously, he agreed with Hattori. Kaito kept his manor aloof. There was no point in showing weakness here.
“...We have our own circumstances. I’m sure you can understand, miss.” He said.
“And what? Your ‘circumstances’ are the only ones that matter?” She snapped.
“Oi, ya can stop wit the whole kissin’ up crap. It’s not gonna save ya in the end, those bastards don’t care about ya.” Hattori interjected.
“Hattori!”
Aoko was visibly upset, her hands shaking with anger, but was struggling to keep arguing. Kaito wanted to help, but if he got involved, it was definitely going to escalate beyond control. Luckily, he didn’t need to.
“That’s no way to speak to a lady. And here I thought nobles were required to take etiquette lessons.” Saguru gently nudged Aoko to the side, silently telling her to let him handle it.
I guess they finally let the scholar students go. Kaito noted.
“You two are the heirs to the Hattori house and the Kudou house, respectively, correct? I must admit, I’m slightly disappointed in both of you.” Saguru said. “Given your future positions, I had expected that you would have been more resistant to ‘pack mentality’, so to speak. Or at least possess the ability to gather data on your own.”
“ What did ya say?”
Unphased, Saguru simply raised his hand, shutting Hattori up. “All of what you just said is nothing more than conjure based on assumptions and bias formed by human society as a whole. As evidence, look at us beastfolk. We have been able to live peacefully with both humans and dragons for generations.
“Why is that? There is no special trick to it, simply the effort in learning about the differences in culture and expression. For example, look at the bellflower Aoko is now holding.”
Everyone, including Kaito and Aoko, looked at the flower. Kaito didn’t remember giving it to her (though that was his intent) and she seemed just as surprised to be holding it.
“That flower is preserved by magic cast by Kaito. It will not wilt nor become damaged. Though, admittedly, that part is rather irrelevant. However, it serves as proof that your previous statement of him ‘not caring about her’ is false. You might try to claim that it’s simply deception or perhaps a bribe, but I can say with certainty that it’s not. Do you know why?”
Neither Hattori nor Kudou answered. Saguru smirked.
“I suppose that’s to be expected. Then how about this: until you can answer me, this discussion is over. Just remember that anything can become true when there’s only a mirror to convince.”
Saguru turned back towards his friends. “Shall we head to the mess hall, instead? It’s about time for supper and this place is rather unpleasant at the moment.”
Kaito and Aoko agreed, letting Saguru guide them away. But even without turning around, Kaito could still feel their glares on his back.
He suppressed it.
They didn’t need to know.