While I was hesitating about how to respond, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in!" Gideon, the deputy leader, called out, and a tall woman knight with greenish hair entered the room.
Wow, she's such a beautiful lady. I like her!
"Sorry to interrupt, Deputy Leader. R is calling for you."
"What?! I'll be right there!"
Deputy Leader Gideon hurriedly headed for the door, then turned back as if he had remembered something. "There's nothing I need you to do. Just make yourself at home," he said and quickly left the room.
Left in the room were the green-haired knight and I.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Fia Rood of the First Knight Regiment."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Patti Conahan of the Fourth Monster Knight Regiment. I assist the deputy leader."
"Deputy leader assistant! So, you're the one who oversees the regiment's work. Well, it seems there's no urgent work at the moment, but if you need anything, I can do it?"
"Hehe, I was expecting a seasoned warrior when I heard that a knight was sent by Sir Cyril, the leader of the First Knight Regiment. I didn't expect such a young knight. ... I apologize for Deputy Leader Gideon's attitude. He often feels that the Monster Knight Regiment is being neglected, so he particularly dislikes the First Knight Regiment."
Hmm, that sounds like misplaced anger.
"He can be a bit childish, but he's serious at heart and not that foolish. I think he'll come to his senses and ask you for help eventually. Can you wait a while?"
Oh—so he's respected by his subordinates. Then, he must not be a bad knight.
"Understood, I'll wait. By the way, who is R? From the way Deputy Leader Gideon rushed off, I thought maybe it was his lover?"
"Haha, Deputy Leader's lover? No, no! R is a monster that is subordinate to the deputy leader."
"Oh, a monster!"
Patti suggested, "Why don't we sit down?" and pointed to a sofa in the corner of the room. I sat down as she suggested, and she brought me a warm drink. Then, she rummaged through a cabinet next to the sofa, saying, "I think it's around here..." and found a silver can. She took out a few cookies and arranged them on a plate.
"Despite his appearance, the deputy leader likes sweets."
Really? I thought he only liked meat.
"Since this is your first time with the Monster Knight Regiment, let me explain a bit. Simply put, the Monster Knight Regiment is a group that gains power by subjugating and controlling monsters. Subjugating a monster is the hardest part, but continuous care is also necessary afterward. Depending on the individual, monsters can be clingy or have unique demands, and the level of care you provide determines their loyalty to their master."
...Really? Hmm, I made a contract with the black dragon Zabiria, but I haven't seen her since. Is that bad?
"Will she attack me if I've neglected her?" I asked, worried.
"No, she won't attack her master, but she might sulk and ram into you or swing her tail if she has one. If it's a powerful monster, you could get hurt."
Black dragon ramming! Black dragon tail attack!
I'll die. This is definitely a death scenario.
"Is something wrong?" Patti asked, concerned by my sudden silence.
"No, I just made a contract with a monster and have been neglecting her, so I'm worried she might be angry..."
"What?! You have a familiar?! Show me your arm!"
Before I could answer, she rolled up my sleeve.
Patti looked at the 1mm-wide mark on my left wrist and made a disappointed face.
"That's right. It's amazing that a knight outside the Monster Knight Regiment can make a contract."
She seemed to understand.
"Since the deputy leader is in that state, there won't be any urgent work for a while. If your familiar is in a nearby forest or woods, why don't you go and fetch her?"
"Really? I'll go! I'll be back!!"
I jumped up from the sofa and bowed to Patti.
"Then, I'll be back!"
"Wait, are you going so suddenly? Besides, forests and woods are dangerous because of monsters. It would be better to join a hunt with the Sixth Knight Regiment, which oversees the area around the capital."
"It's fine! I won't go deeper than the entrance of the forest."
"...Ah, with a mark that thin, it's probably a monster near the entrance."
Since Patti seemed to agree, I hurriedly left the room.
I suddenly became very worried about Zabiria.
Zabiria was badly injured the first time we met.
She had defeated an A-rank monster, so she's not weak, but there might be stronger bullies. What if she's injured again?
I rode my horse to the nearest forest.
Since Zabiria is my familiar, she said she could hear me no matter where I called from. However, a dragon suddenly appearing would cause a commotion, so I chose the forest, avoiding the castle and town.
"Zabiria—! Zabiria———!!"
I dismounted and shouted loudly.
My voice echoed through the quiet forest.
---Suddenly, the sky split open.
A straight line appeared in the clear blue sky, and the line split to form an oval space. Inside, a completely different landscape of black clouds, heavy rain, and lightning appeared. Then, a black dragon with wings spread majestically descended from the space.
It was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen.
Despite its size, which was about 10 meters long, each scale shone like a masterpiece crafted by a master artisan. I realized for the first time that black is not just one color but has various hues.
Dragons are said to be the first creatures, and their form is considered the most perfect. Indeed, the sight of the dragon with its magnificent body and large wings descending was breathtaking!
...But.
Wait, wasn't Zabiria much smaller? Her scales weren't this shiny, and her build wasn't this solid.
...Um, which black dragon is this?
Thank you for reading.
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