Extra's Path To No Harem-Chapter 212: Dragon Warning

Several more days passed.

By then, my condition had improved enough that staying put no longer made sense. I packed up and moved to a fairly large hospital in the capital—one with proper facilities and fewer prying eyes.

I couldn’t keep imposing on Anna’s room forever.

More importantly, rumors had already begun to circulate. Whispers about what kind of relationship Anna and I supposedly had.

Anna herself didn’t seem particularly bothered by it. If anything, she treated it like an amusing misunderstanding.

But I wasn’t as carefree.

Unnecessary gossip had a way of spiraling out of control, especially when people were already looking for someone to blame. I had no intention of adding fuel to the fire.

So before those vague suspicions turned into something uglier, I moved out.

That—and Signut’s increasingly strange gaze had become far too heavy to endure.

Every time our eyes met, it felt like he was trying to dissect me down to my bones.

No thank you.

"So," I said, lying back on the hospital bed, "why are you here?"

"Hm?"

Lumine, who had appeared out of nowhere as usual, was sitting by the window, leisurely munching on a piece of fruit she’d definitely stolen from somewhere in the hospital. Juice dripped down her fingers as she tilted her head.

"I told you already, didn’t I? I came to warn you."

"About what exactly?" I pressed. "You keep saying ’danger,’ but that’s incredibly vague."

She popped another slice into her mouth, chewing thoughtfully.

"I can’t tell you the details," she said after swallowing. "There are rules. Dragons aren’t supposed to interfere directly in human affairs. If I say too much, I’ll get into serious trouble."

"...Then why come at all?"

Lumine shrugged, utterly unbothered. "Because doing nothing would bother me more."

That answer somehow irritated me even more.

She leaned back against the wall, her golden eyes briefly losing their playful glint. For just a moment, something ancient flickered beneath the surface.

"All I can say is this," she continued quietly. "Something big is coming. Not today. Not tomorrow. But soon."

My fingers tightened slightly against the bedsheet.

"Big enough to matter?"

She met my gaze. This time, she didn’t smile.

"Big enough that if you’re unprepared," she said, "you won’t get a second chance."

Silence settled between us.

After a moment, I exhaled slowly. "So you won’t tell me what it is. You won’t tell me when. And you won’t tell me who’s involved."

"Correct."

"...You’re awful at giving warnings."

"Hehe," she laughed. "And you’re awful at hiding that you’re worried."

I clicked my tongue and looked away.

So what exactly is it supposed to mean?

If she’s going to tell me something, she should just say it outright. Instead, she keeps circling the same point—danger is coming, stay alert, don’t lower your guard. Over and over again.

Yet when it comes to the important part—what that danger actually is—she falls completely silent.

And this mysterious "we" she keeps referring to... I still have no idea who that includes. Dragons? Gods? Something else entirely?

Still, one thing is clear.

The fact that even Lumine—a dragon—can’t speak freely means there are restrictions far beyond common sense. Heavy ones.

Honestly, I don’t really want to know the details.

Call it intuition, but I have a strong feeling that the moment I understand everything, I’ll be dragged into something I can’t escape from. The kind of trouble that doesn’t let you walk away once you’re involved.

But knowing that danger is approaching while being given nothing to prepare with is its own kind of torture.

"...Can’t you at least give me some kind of hint?" I said, exhaling slowly. "This is just making me more anxious."

Lumine hesitated. For once, she didn’t respond immediately.

"Hm..."

She tapped her chin, eyes drifting upward as if weighing something invisible. After a short pause, she nodded to herself.

"I suppose a small hint would be acceptable."

Her expression shifted—lighter playfulness gone, replaced by a seriousness that made my back straighten unconsciously.

"Beware the devil’s eye."

"...What?"

I stared at her. "What kind of hint is that supposed to be?"

"That’s all I can say," Lumine replied flatly. "If I explain any further, I might get taken away."

"Taken away by what?"

She didn’t answer. Just gave me a look that clearly said don’t ask.

I rubbed my temple, feeling a headache coming on.

Devil’s eye?

Is that a person? A magic artifact? A monster? A metaphor? Or just another cryptic phrase meant to sound ominous without being useful?

I shot her an incredulous look. "You do realize that a hint is supposed to help solve the problem, right?"

Lumine shrugged lightly. "From my perspective, that is the crucial part."

That simple phrase was supposed to be a hint?

If anything, it only shoved me deeper into confusion.

"Well... I’ll be going now," Lumine said casually, already turning away.

"Already?"

She ate my precious fruit, dropped a cryptic line, and now she was just leaving like that? I’d been hoping she’d at least give me something concrete—some explanation I could actually work with.

But while I was left sitting there, mildly disgruntled, Lumine rose from her seat without a hint of hesitation.

"You’ll figure it out eventually," she said lightly. "Besides, it looks like you’ve got other visitors today."

I frowned. She really was impossible when she wanted to be.

Judging by the way she deliberately avoided saying anything more, pressing her further would just be a waste of breath.

"...I’ll ask you later," I muttered under my breath.

Using the Sage’s Bookmark, if I had to.

"Goodbye," I said as she headed for the door.

She waved once, over her shoulder, and disappeared down the corridor as if she’d never been there at all.

Just as I was about to let out a sigh—

Knock, knock.

"Louis. May I come in?"

Elena’s voice came from outside, gentle and familiar, accompanied by the soft sound of knocking.

"Oh—come in."

"Excuse us."

The door opened, and Elena stepped inside, followed closely by Lina.

"Hi. Long time no see."

For a moment, I simply looked at them.

After everything that had happened—the chaos, the rumors, the tension—it felt strangely reassuring to see their faces again. Familiar. Normal.

Elena smiled faintly, though a trace of hesitation lingered in her eyes.

Lina, on the other hand, swept her gaze across the room, sharp and vigilant, as if checking for hidden threats. Only after a few seconds did her shoulders finally relax.

"Who were you talking to just now?" Elena asked.

"Who else but—" I paused mid-sentence. "...Huh? Where did she go?"

I turned around, following Elena’s gaze.

Lumine was gone.

I was certain she’d been standing right there just a moment ago. I hadn’t heard footsteps, hadn’t felt any fluctuation of mana either.

When did she disappear?

...Well, she is a dragon.

Teleportation magic was probably second nature to her.

I shrugged it off and gave Elena a vague response when she looked at me curiously.

"It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it."

Then something else occurred to me.

"By the way, where’s Lisa? Wasn’t she supposed to come too?"

I distinctly remembered Viola mentioning yesterday that Lisa would be visiting as well.

Yet today, only Elena and Lina were here.

Elena’s expression softened slightly.

"She really wanted to come," she said. "But she said she wasn’t feeling well this morning. A headache she’s had since last night got worse, so she stayed behind."

"I see..."

That was unfortunate, but not much could be done about it.

I’d be discharged soon anyway. If nothing else, we’d meet again at the Academy before long.

"Oh, right," Elena suddenly added, as if she’d just remembered. "Lisa asked me to give you this."

She reached into her bag and handed something to me.

"What is it?" I asked as I took it. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"I’m not sure," Elena replied honestly. "She said it’s a gift. For hoping you recover quickly."

In my hand was an oddly shaped bracelet.

At first glance, it looked like two bracelets intertwined into one—thin silver bands looping around each other in an elegant, almost organic design. The craftsmanship was delicate, far more refined than anything sold at an ordinary shop.

As I turned it slightly, the metal caught the light, revealing faint engravings along the inner curve.

While I was still examining it, Lina suddenly gasped.

"Oh my...!"

Her reaction was sharp enough that I immediately looked up.

"What is it? Why are you looking at me like that?"

I frowned and followed Lina’s gaze, then looked back at her wide eyes and frozen expression. She was staring at the bracelet in my hand as if she’d just seen a ghost.

That reaction alone told me enough.

Her shock was far too genuine.

"Do you know what this is?" I asked.

"Huh? Me?" Lina blinked, then tilted her head with forced casualness. "Hmm... well, I’m not really sure?"

Yeah. No.

The way the corners of her mouth twitched ever so slightly betrayed her immediately. That, and the fact that she wouldn’t meet my eyes. Lina was a terrible liar when caught off guard.

She definitely knew.

I lowered my gaze to the bracelet again, rolling it slowly across my palm. It fit my hand a little too perfectly, as if it had been made with me in mind.

Just what exactly is this thing...?

Before I could press her further, a familiar voice interrupted us.

"Louis, how are you feeling? I heard you were badly injured."

Elena stood beside my bed, her brows knit together, worry written plainly across her face. Her hands were clasped together so tightly that her knuckles had gone pale.

"I’m fine now," I said lightly. "At first they said my bones were shattered into pieces, but there’s nothing wrong anymore."

I said it casually—almost proudly.

Like, Yeah, I nearly died, but look at me now. Amazing, right?

"What?!?"

Elena’s eyes widened in horror.

Before I could react, she rushed forward and grabbed my hand.

Hard.

"Hey—um... Elena?" I winced. "Could you loosen your grip a bit? It kind of hurts..."

"Oh!" She immediately let go, flustered. "I-I’m sorry!"

She pulled her hands back as if she’d been burned, then stared at them, trembling slightly. "Shattered... bones... how can you say that so calmly? Do you have any idea how worried everyone was?"

Her voice wavered near the end.

For a moment, I didn’t know what to say.