The next morning, I waited with excitement for Zabiria to wake up.
Zabiria seems to be a restless sleeper. Even though she always sleeps in the futon with me, when she wakes up, sheās out of the futon, snoring softly on my stomach.
She sleeps in her Blue Dub gear, so I think it provides some warmth, but I wonder about her being out of the futon every night. I started to worry if she might catch a cold, so last night, I made her a special cold-weather outfit.
I couldnāt wait to show it to her.
As I looked at her with the hope that she would wake up soon, Zabiria stirred on my stomach.
Then, she rubbed her head against my stomach.
Hehe, I wonder what kind of dream sheās having...
After watching her for a while, Zabiria opened her eyes with a blink.
She noticed me looking at her and spoke to me.
"Good morning, Fia. Whatās wrong?"
"Hehe, Zabiria. Even though itās spring, itās still chilly in the mornings and evenings. Are you having any trouble with the cold?"
"ā¦Well, as a loyal familiar, I should say Iām coldā¦ But I already have the wonderful Blue Dub transformation set that you made for me, right? Greed is the ruin of many, so maybe I should be content with this?"
"Zabiria, how modest and reserved you are! But you know, good fortune often comes to those who are modest!"
"ā¦Is that so? I see. I must have been mistaken. ā¦So, the answer is already decided, isnāt it? And no matter what I say, the outcome wonāt change, right?"
Zabiria dropped her head onto the futon with a sigh and wagged her tail.
"Yay, yay, I was just thinking it was a bit chilly. Is there any way to warm up?"
It sounded a bit monotonous, but I was satisfied with the answer I wanted.
"Hehe, Zabiria! Actually, ā¦ta-da! I made a special cold-weather outfit for youā!!"
I proudly showed Zabiria my work from last night.
"ā¦Hmm, is this a degraded version of the Blue Dub gear?"
"No, itās a cold-weather outfit for Zabiria. I made it so you can wear it over your Blue Dub gear when youāre cold."
I spread out the cold-weather outfit in front of Zabiria to make it more visible.
"See, I sewed Blue Dub feathers onto the blue fabric. I only had a few feathers left from last time, so itās a bit sparse, but I made the fabric double-layered to compensate."
Then, I explained the special feature of the tail hole.
"Actually, I made this with the idea that you could wear it over your Blue Dub gear to keep warm. But thereās a reason I used Blue Dub feathers. I made a hole in the tail part. If you put your hand in here, itās like magic. A Blue Dub puppet is formed!"
I inserted my hand into the cold-weather outfit and moved it around. The hood part looked like a head, making it seem like there was another Blue Dub.
"ā¦Hmm, maybe it would have been better to focus on the cold-weather aspect? When would you use this puppet?"
"Well, when you feel lonely, maybe? And also, since Charlotte has become a friend. Sheās a child, so I thought she might like something like a stuffed animal."
"Ah, I see. At her age, she might like stuffed animals. But, Fia, when you show it to Charlotte, it might be better to explain first that itās a puppet and cold-weather outfit modeled after a Blue Dub. If you show it to her suddenly, she might not understand that itās a Blue Dub."
Hmm, explaining is important.
I put the puppet on my left hand and picked up Zabiria, holding her in front of my chest.
"Iāve arranged to meet Charlotte during the morning recovery potion administration. Iāll show it to her then. First, I need to go to the Fourth Monster Knight Regimentās officeā¦"
I thought it would be a good idea to report the current situation to Deputy Regiment Commander Gideon when I wake up.
ā¦Surely, the Deputy Regiment Commander would be curious about the progress of the tasks he assigned, right?
Since the time I promised to meet Charlotte was still a while away, I decided to go to the Fourth Monster Knight Regimentās office first.
I knocked on the door of the office, and a voice allowed me to enter.
"Excuse me."
When I opened the door, I saw Deputy Regiment Commander Gideon slouching in his chair. Next to him, Deputy Regiment Commander Assistant Patty stood with some documents.
"Good morning, Fia. What brings you here?"
Patty noticed me and greeted me.
"Good morning, Deputy Regiment Commander Assistant Patty. Iāve come to report that I successfully administered the recovery potion to my familiar yesterday."
"Thatās wonderful. Actually, I was worried that it might be a difficult task for someone inexperienced, so I sent a few knights to check on you yesterday evening. They reported that you had already administered the recovery potion to all the injured monsters, and I was quite impressed. As expected of a knight recommended by the First Regiment Commander, you did a great job."
Patty smiled and praised me.
Just as I was about to respond, Deputy Regiment Commander Gideon snorted loudly.
"Hmph, to be praised for just giving recovery potions to monsters, what a privileged position. I havenāt slept much due to unexpected events, yet the First Regiment knights live such elegant lives."
Oh, heās in his usual bad mood.
"Good morning, Deputy Regiment Commander Gideon. I apologize, but I was also sleep-deprived last night. I was making a cold-weather outfit for my cute familiar to prevent her from catching a cold. Hehe, I think a Deputy Regiment Commander of the Monster Knight Regiment would understand this overflowing love for a familiar."
"ā¦Iāve known for a long time that your familiar is attached to you! Hmph, thatās not a bad thing. But, the way you boast about it is so obvious, trying to curry favor with me, and I donāt like it! You need to learn to stand on your own!"
"Um, isnāt that a bit biased? If another Monster Knight Regiment knight said the same thing, wouldnāt you say, āItās good to care for your familiarā and praise them?"
I couldnāt help but retort, and Deputy Regiment Commander Assistant Patty chuckled.
"Hehe, indeed, I recently heard Deputy Regiment Commander say something similar to a regiment member. It was when a member was particularly fond of their familiar and boasted about it."
Deputy Regiment Commander Gideon glared at Patty, but she calmly looked back at him.
After a brief silence, there was a knock on the office door.
"Come in!"
When Deputy Regiment Commander gave permission, the door opened from the outside.
On the other side of the open door stood Regiment Commander Cyril.
The white knight uniform with black accents, symbolizing the trust and integrity granted only to the Regiment Commander, was dazzling. The shoulder straps and decorations under the sash on the uniform gleamed.
Wearing the uniform that perfectly fit his well-proportioned body, Regiment Commander Cyril stood with good posture, giving the impression of a capable and high-ranking commander.
Hmm, from an outsiderās perspective, Regiment Commander Cyril is quite a remarkable person.
When Deputy Regiment Commander Gideon recognized Regiment Commander Cyril, he hurriedly stood up from his chair.
Seeing this, Regiment Commander Cyril raised a hand to stop him and smiled warmly.
"I apologize for disturbing you so early in the morning. I just came to check on the progress of the regiment members, so please donāt worry."
Then, Regiment Commander Cyril turned to me and smiled.
"Have you gotten used to the Fourth Monster Knight Regiment? And how is your progress with your tasks? Depending on your progress, I came to see if you could return to the First Regiment earlier."
"Progress, you say?"
I thought it was nice that he was managing my progress even though I was away from the regiment, and I pondered for a moment.
"Well, Iāve been giving recovery potions to the injured familiars since yesterday, so I think theyāll all be better by tomorrowā¦"
When I answered, Regiment Commander Cyril looked puzzled.
"What are you talking about? I assigned you to the Fourth Monster Knight Regiment to quantify the life force of monsters. Instead, youāve been giving recovery potions to monsters?"
"Ah, right. It was about quantifying the life force of monsters. Umā¦"
I was supposed to quantify the life force of monsters, but Deputy Regiment Commander Gideon rejected it during our initial meeting.
But if I say that, Deputy Regiment Commander Gideon might get in trouble with Regiment Commander Cyril, right?
Hmm? In situations like this, maybe I should change the subject?
"Um, about getting used to the Fourth Monster Knight Regiment? I can go to my familiar, and Deputy Regiment Commander Assistant Patty is very kindā¦"
"Fia, Iāll hear your story later."
Regiment Commander Cyril interrupted me and turned to Deputy Regiment Commander Gideon.
He spoke to Deputy Regiment Commander Gideon with a calm expression.
"Unfortunately, it seems that my regiment member hasnāt even started the task I assigned. Do you know why?"
"Umā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦"
Deputy Regiment Commander Gideon was taken aback by the unexpected question and couldnāt prepare an answer. His mouth opened, but no words came out.
Regiment Commander Cyril looked at Deputy Regiment Commander Gideon for a while, but when he realized there was no response, he tilted his head in frustration.
"Is she neglecting her duties on her own, or is someone in the Fourth Monster Knight Regiment hindering her from performing her original tasks?"
Regiment Commander Cyril paused and looked at Deputy Regiment Commander Gideon, but when the silence continued, he continued.
"ā¦Either way, Gideon, you are currently in charge of this regiment. If there are any disruptions in the regimentās operations, itās your responsibility to correct them. So, tell me, the person in charge. Is the reason my regiment member is not following my orders due to her own negligence or interference from someone in the regiment?"
"Umā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦."
Regiment Commander Cyril paused, crossed his arms lightly, and looked at Deputy Regiment Commander Gideon as if waiting for an answer.
When Deputy Regiment Commander Gideon still couldnāt say anything meaningful, Regiment Commander Cyril looked at him with a troubled expression and continued.
"Ah, by the way, I heard your voice shouting from outside the door just now. Who were you talking to?"
"Umā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦"
"Was it your assistant here? Or, did you perhaps threaten my regiment member in such a manner? If so, what kind of mistake did my regiment member make to deserve such treatment?"
"Umā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦."
Deputy Regiment Commander Gideon tried to speak several times but only managed to let out breaths without forming any meaningful words.
Regiment Commander Cyril patiently waited for Deputy Regiment Commander Gideon to speak, but when he realized no response was coming, he smiled slightly.
Then, still smiling, he lifted one foot slightly and slammed the heel down on the low table next to him!
There was a loud thud, and the table split in two.
"ā¦ā¦What?! Ah!!"
Deputy Regiment Commander Gideon opened his mouth in shock and stared at the table.
It was understandable.
Regiment Commander Cyril hardly lifted his foot. How could he destroy a table from such a low position?
Regiment Commander Cyril approached Deputy Regiment Commander Gideon with a smile, grabbed him by the collar, and brought his face close.
Then, with a cold smile, he spoke.
"Are you neglecting the knight I personally assigned? Do you want to be punished for dereliction of duty? Or do you want me to crush you right here?"
His handsome face made his smile even more terrifying. But what was truly frightening was that he had both the authority and the physical strength to carry out his threats.
Deputy Regiment Commander Gideon turned pale and strained to speak.
"I, I, Iā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦"
Even from a distance, I could see his teeth chattering.
ā¦Yeah, this is pure fearā¦
As expected of the Regiment Commander of the First Regiment, Regiment Commander Cyril had a different presence.
His power and authority, which could handle most situations within his jurisdiction, were also terrifying.
I watched from a distance, but when I saw Deputy Regiment Commander Gideon unable to speak and just trembling, I felt a sense of sympathy.
ā¦Hmm. Iāve been on the receiving end of a lot of sarcasm from Deputy Regiment Commander Gideon, so I donāt like him. But I donāt hate him eitherā¦
His insults are at a level far below Leonās, and his malice is far below my previous lifeās brothers. In the end, heās not a particularly bad person.
Moreover, compared to Regiment Commander Cyril, Deputy Regiment Commander Gideon is on a completely different level.
This is like an adult bullying a child.
I sighed.
There was no choice. Reluctantly, I decided to help Deputy Regiment Commander Gideon, but the door opened with a click.
I turned around to see a knight I had never seen before.
I tilted my head, wondering who it was, and Deputy Regiment Commander Gideon, upon seeing the knight, relaxed with relief.
"ā¦Quentin, Regiment Commander!"
Perhaps because his throat was being squeezed, only a hoarse voice came out of Deputy Regiment Commander Gideonās mouth.
As if responding to Deputy Regiment Commander Gideonās voice, the knight called Quentin looked at him briefly.
Then, he turned to look at me.
āThe Fourth Monster Knight Regiment Commander was a tall knight with dark skin and glossy black hair.
At first glance, he reminded me of a sleek, large black carnivore.
Yeah, this is a beautiful beastā¦
As I admired him, the large beast ran a hand through his curly hair and grimaced.
"Spare me. ā¦Why are there two disaster-level creatures in my room just because I was away for a bit?"
As he said this, Regiment Commander Quentin looked at us cautiously from a distance.