Sautéed duck, beef filet braised in red wine, tender spare ribs, hearty vegetable and mushroom soup, warm walnut bread still steaming from the oven… One by one, the luxurious dishes were brought to the table, each more extravagant than the last. The savory aromas of meat, butter, and spice blended into a decadent haze that instantly captured Zack's attention.
His mouth watered involuntarily. The richness of the duck's glaze, the earthy scent of truffles, the sweetness of slow-cooked onions—it was sensory overload.
"Uwaaah~!"
Suddenly, Ico reacted with a start.
Drawn by the tantalizing aroma, she snapped out of her drunken stupor as if waking from a trance. Even though she usually cared only about crepes, her true nature couldn't be denied—after all, she was still a dragon. Her emerald eyes sparkled with hunger as they locked onto the meat dishes, wild and hungry like a predator spotting prey.
"Don't worry about quantity—dig in and enjoy yourself," said Roderika with a teasing smile.
But Ico didn't wait for permission. Before Roderika could even finish her sentence, Ico was already tearing into the roasted duck like a starving wolf. The crisp skin crackled under her teeth, releasing rivers of savory juice that dripped down her chin.
"Mmmm... This meat… it's incredible…" she moaned, eyes fluttering with pleasure.
She turned her gaze toward the beef filet next, now fully intoxicated not by wine, but by flavor. Using her delicate fork, she stabbed a thick slice and brought it to her lips. She closed her mouth around it slowly, letting out a deep, throaty sound of delight.
"Fuun~..."
Her back arched slightly as the taste overwhelmed her. Her flushed cheeks, half-lidded eyes, and the soft trail of gravy running down her chin made Zack's throat dry. It was impossible not to watch her.
He smiled to himself. Just seeing her that happy was enough to lift his mood.
Meanwhile, Silva sat across the table, gracefully maneuvering her knife and fork with practiced nobility. She didn't say a word. But every time Zack looked her way, she shot him a glare sharper than any dagger.
That icy hostility reminded him of something Roderika had mentioned earlier. "In my opinion, the princess is a perfectionist. She always needs to be the best. When she met a classmate who could ride any dragon, she instantly saw you as a rival."
In other words, the reason she'd recklessly tried to tame the young dragon on her own was because of him.
Zack took a breath, gathering his courage.
"Hey, Princess Silva… Was that really my fault?" he asked carefully.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied coldly, her blue eyes narrowing into slits.
"I'm talking about yesterday… That wasn't like you. Not the Silva I've come to know."
Her cheeks suddenly burned crimson.
"D-Don't flatter yourself! As if I'd do anything because of—!"
BOOM!
A deafening crash shook the entire shop.
"Kyaaa!"
The unexpected thunderclap sent Silva into a panic. She dropped her utensils and threw her arms over her ears, trembling violently. Her sudden vulnerability was startling—this was the same proud and rigid noblewoman who usually stood tall like a blade.
Zack blinked. "That's… strange weather."
A creeping unease settled over him. He stood up and walked over to the window. What had been a bright, sunlit sky only moments ago was now shrouded in thick black clouds. Darkness swallowed the streets outside, making it feel more like midnight than midday.
"This isn't right…" he muttered.
Still chewing on a piece of meat, Ico suddenly froze. Her gaze shifted to the window, where the storm clouds churned like a living thing.
"Ico?" Zack called out to her.
She didn't respond. Without warning, she bolted from the shop and vanished into the storm.
.˳·˖✶𓆩𓁺𓆪✶˖·˳.༄
"…Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Appear, child of forbidden craft. Thou shalt be born again…"
At that exact moment, as Dazno finished chanting his incantation from atop the abandoned clock tower, the already darkened sky grew even more foreboding.
Shae's eyes widened in disbelief.
A dragon materialized out of thin air—right in the center of St. Durkheir Square.
"T-That's… A Necromancia...!"
The name spilled from her lips before she could stop herself. It was a word that should never be spoken aloud.
The blade Dazno held—a massive, ornate sword large enough to be mistaken for a coffin—began to glow. Blood-red characters etched themselves into the metal, pulsing like veins. The symbols were written in an ancient language even Shae couldn't decipher.
It was as if the sword itself bled.
Thunder cracked across the sky as the storm grew more violent. The Necromancia—a dragon born not of life, but from death and ashes—roared its rebirth.
Shae had heard Dazno speak of such creatures before, but seeing one with her own eyes… It chilled her to the bone.
Summon the Necromancia. Analyze its combat capabilities. That was their mission. That was the entire reason for infiltrating Roshar.
This city, once bright and peaceful, was now the testing ground for a nightmare. The mood of calm and comfort shattered like glass under a hammer.
Shae bit her lip hard, the taste of blood grounding her thoughts. The vision of her homeland—ravaged by war and soaked in crimson—flashed through her mind.
But this was war.
This was what she'd signed up for.
She clenched her fists and looked toward Dazno, her expression steeled.
No turning back now.