The Eclipsed Order

Chapter 47: Chapter 47: The Ancient Dragon’s First Visit to Modern Civilization

The two of us eventually made our way toward the capital.

It had been quite some time since I had last visited the city, and the moment we entered the main road, I could already tell that things had changed. The streets were considerably busier than I remembered, the buildings were larger, merchants had expanded their stalls into proper shops, and there were even several strange magical devices being used throughout the city that I certainly didn’t remember seeing before.

Draven walked beside me with his hands behind his back, quietly observing everything around him.

"This place has changed quite a lot."

"Oh?"

I glanced at him.

"You remember what it looked like before?"

"Of course I do. I may have spent the last several thousand years asleep, but I wasn’t born yesterday."

He looked toward one of the larger buildings.

"The last time I visited this city, that entire street was filled with wooden houses. The roads were narrow enough that two carriages could barely pass each other, and there were hardly any magical devices being used outside the royal district."

He paused, looking genuinely surprised.

"Now look at it. The buildings are taller, the roads are wider, and people seem to have found countless new ways to make their lives easier with magic."

"Sounds like you really have been asleep for a long time."

"Naturally. I already told you that."

"You really are old."

Draven’s expression immediately became suspicious.

"Why do I feel like you’re about to say something rude?"

I looked at him.

"In your human form, you look like an eight-year-old."

There was a brief silence.

Draven slowly turned his head toward me.

"...Eight?"

"Approximately."

"Master, I am an ancient dragon who has lived for more than four thousand years."

"I know."

"And you just compared me to an eight-year-old child."

"I said you look young."

"That somehow makes it worse."

I couldn’t help laughing.

He looked away with a quiet sigh, apparently deciding that arguing with me wasn’t worth the effort.

"Ahem. In any case, my appearance in this form has nothing to do with my actual age or strength."

"Sure."

"And I would appreciate it if you stopped bringing it up."

Draven gave me a suspicious look.

"You don’t sound sincere."

"Is that so."

"...I regret becoming your subordinate."

"You’ll get used to it."

He sighed again, but there was a faint smile on his face.

After walking for a while, another thought crossed my mind.

"By the way, do dragons actually need to eat?"

Draven looked at me as though I had suddenly asked him whether the sky was blue.

"Of course we eat. What kind of question is that?"

"I wasn’t sure. You’re an ancient dragon, after all."

"Being ancient doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten how to eat."

He shook his head.

"However, dragons don’t need food nearly as often as humans do. I can go for hundreds of years without eating and remain perfectly healthy, although that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy a good meal when I have the opportunity."

"So you can survive without eating for hundreds of years, but you still like and eat food."

"Exactly."

He gave me a proud look.

"Survival and enjoyment are two different matters."

"Heh. That’s actually pretty convenient."

"It is one of the many advantages of being an ancient dragon."

"You really like reminding people that you’re an ancient dragon."

"Because you keep treating me like an ordinary child."

"I wonder why."

Draven narrowed his eyes at me.

I simply continued walking.

After another few minutes, he looked around again.

"Where exactly are we going, anyway?"

"There’s a place called Starlight."

"Starlight?"

"Yeah. Rhal told me about it before."

I kept my hands behind my head as I walked.

"Apparently, they sell all kinds of rare food there, including wyvern meat, Earth Dragon meat, and several other monster dishes that aren’t normally available in ordinary restaurants."

Draven’s expression changed immediately.

"Earth Dragon?"

"That’s what I heard."

"They serve Earth Dragon there?"

"Yeah."

"Then what are we waiting for, Master?"

Draven’s pace noticeably quickened.

"I haven’t tasted modern cuisine in thousands of years. If they’re actually serving monster meat of that quality, then I refuse to waste another minute."

We continued deeper into the city until a massive building finally came into view.

Starlight.

Even from a distance, the place was impossible to miss. The enormous structure dominated the surrounding streets, with elegant architecture, large windows, several entrances, and crowds of people constantly moving in and out. Carriages belonging to nobles and wealthy merchants were lined up nearby, while adventurers and travelers from other cities could be seen among the crowds.

I stopped for a moment.

"So this is Starlight."

Rhal hadn’t exaggerated at all.

There were simply too many people.

"This place is seriously crowded. People from all over the kingdom seem to be coming here."

I looked at the building again.

"The owner must be ridiculously wealthy, or perhaps some foreign noble with enough money to throw around without worrying about it."

Draven didn’t answer immediately.

He was staring at the building with a strange expression.

"...Something about this place feels familiar."

I looked at him.

"Familiar?"

"Yes. I can’t explain it properly."

His eyes moved across the building.

"It’s not the appearance. I’ve never seen a structure like this before. It’s the feeling around it."

There was something strangely familiar about Starlight, something that made the place feel connected to the Eclipse Order even though I couldn’t immediately figure out why.

"Let’s go inside."

"Agreed."

We approached the entrance, and the moment we stepped through the doors, I stopped again.

"Whoa."

The inside was even more impressive than the exterior.

The enormous hall extended farther than I had expected, with several sections connected to one another. Luxury clothing, jewelry, magical tools, weapons, artifacts, monster materials, and countless other products were displayed throughout the building, while the smell of food drifted through the air from somewhere deeper inside.

"To think I’d actually see something like this in this world."

I looked around with genuine interest.

"Whoever built this place really went all out."

Draven quietly nodded.

"I understand now why people are talking about it."

Before we could explore any further, two young women wearing elegant maid uniforms approached us.

"Good morning, and welcome to Starlight."

One of them smiled politely.

"Are you here to dine at the restaurant, or would you like to visit another section of the establishment?"

"We’re here to eat."

I glanced toward Draven.

"He’s been particularly interested in the dragon dishes."

Draven slowly turned toward me.

"You really enjoy embarrassing me, don’t you?"

Draven opened his mouth to argue, then stopped.

The maid covered a small smile before returning to her professional expression.

"Then please follow us."

The two maids turned and began leading us through the building.

I followed without much thought, although I was slightly surprised that they didn’t ask for a reservation or anything else.

"Are we not supposed to choose a table first?"

"You don’t need to worry about that."

The maid glanced back with a polite smile.

"Everything has already been arranged."

"Already?"

I exchanged a quick look with Draven.

Neither of us had made a reservation, so I couldn’t understand what she meant by that.

Before I could ask, however, we arrived at a strange room containing a large magical platform surrounded by glowing symbols.

I stopped in front of it.

"...Is this an elevator?"

The maid smiled.

"It’s a magical lift."

I stepped closer, examining the symbols along the walls.

"So they really made something similar to an elevator."

I couldn’t help becoming interested.

The principle is different from the ones I knew in my previous world, though. Instead of using electricity and machinery, they’re using magic to move the platform between floors.

We stepped onto the magical platform, and the doors closed.

A moment later, the symbols beneath our feet began glowing, and the platform started moving smoothly upward.

Draven looked around.

"I’ll admit, this is rather impressive."

"Yeah."

I watched the glowing symbols.

"Whoever designed this understands magical engineering pretty well."

The lift eventually stopped, and the doors opened.

The smell of food immediately reached us.

Roasted meat, freshly baked bread, spices, sauces, grilled vegetables, and several other aromas filled the hallway, making the entire restaurant feel warm and lively before we had even entered it.

Draven’s expression changed.

"...That smells incredible."

I looked at him.

"Still think sleeping for thousands of years was worth it?"

"Don’t change the subject."

I laughed.

We stepped into the restaurant.

The dining hall was considerably larger than I had expected, filled with nobles dressed in expensive clothing, wealthy merchants discussing business over elaborate meals, adventurers relaxing after returning from expeditions, and people from various races who had apparently traveled from different parts of the kingdom just to eat here.

Elves sat beside humans.

Beastfolk shared tables with merchants.

Even a few heavily armed adventurers were eating alongside nobles as though there was nothing unusual about it.

The atmosphere was lively, but everything was organized enough that it never became chaotic.

Draven looked around slowly.

"I haven’t seen this kind of restaurant in a very long time."

"You’re going to keep reminding me how old you are, aren’t you?"

"I believe I’ve earned that privilege."

He pointed toward one of the tables.

"What is that?"

"Probably some kind of monster meat."

"And that?"

"Probably another kind."

"And that?"

I finally looked at him.

"You’ve been asleep for four thousand years. Why are you asking me?"

"Because you’re the one who brought me here."

"That doesn’t mean I know every dish they serve."

Before the conversation could continue, the two maids turned away from the main dining area and led us toward a quieter hallway.

I followed them until they stopped in front of a large door.

The maid opened it.

A private dining room was waiting on the other side.

I looked inside, then turned toward them.

"Wait."

The two maids stopped.

"I didn’t say anything about taking a private room."

The maid bowed slightly.

"Please wait here for a moment."

"Wait, what?"

Before I could ask what she meant, both maids turned around and quietly left.

The door closed behind them.

I stared at it for several seconds.

"...What was that?"

Draven walked into the room and looked around.

"The room is comfortable."

"That’s not what I asked."

He walked over to the table and sat down.

"Still, I see no reason to complain."

I sighed and took the seat opposite him.

"Fine. Since we’re already here, let’s see what they’re serving."

Draven nodded with satisfaction.

"Now that is something I can agree with."

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