After parting ways with Charlotte and walking for a while, I encountered Colonel Quentin again.
It seemed he had just taken a shower, as his hair was still damp.
He had also changed into a new uniform, which looked crisp compared to the one that had appeared wet and worn out earlier.
Come to think of it, I had heard that Colonel Quentin had been on a long expedition. Perhaps he had returned and immediately come to check on Vice-Colonel Gideon and the others. If so, he must be a good colonel who cares for his subordinates.
"Where are you headed, Colonel Quentin?"
As I looked up and asked, Colonel Quentin pointed to a building a little distance away.
"Ah, well, I haven't had a proper meal in a while, so I'm quite hungry. I'm heading to the cafeteria..."
"Oh, what a coincidence! I'm about to have lunch too. Would you like to join me?"
"Eh?! Join... ...Well, as they say, 'You can't catch a tiger cub without entering the tiger's den,' but... no, is this person even a tiger cub? A dragon? No, she commands a black dragon, so she must be beyond a dragon. Ah, and besides, I wasn't given the option to refuse in the first place..."
After muttering to himself, Colonel Quentin forced a strained smile.
"Of course, Fia-sama. It's a great honor."
The cafeteria was sparse, perhaps due to the time, but those who noticed Colonel Quentin all looked surprised and greeted him.
Oh, it seems he's quite a celebrity.
After selecting the dishes I wanted and returning, I found Colonel Quentin already standing beside the table.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
As I said this and took my seat, Colonel Quentin also sat down.
Wow, what a gentleman. I've found a gentleman who doesn't sit down before a lady!
However, when I looked at his plate, I tilted my head in confusion.
"Huh? Why is there only water? Didn't you say you were hungry?"
"Hehe, actually, I'm quite nervous right now, and I'm afraid I can't eat."
"Ah, I understand. You were on a long expedition, weren't you? After being under tension for a long time, it's common for the body to remain tense even after returning to daily life."
"Hehehehe... ...Sigh."
For some reason, I got a dry laugh and a heavy sigh in response.
Hmm? It seems his thought process is a bit different from mine. It might take some time to understand his actions.
As we started eating, Colonel Quentin kept glancing at my left wrist.
He seemed to be bothered by something, but whenever I looked at him, he quickly averted his gaze, so I couldn't figure out what it was.
"Colonel Quentin? Is something bothering you about my left wrist?"
As I said this, I extended my left hand towards him.
"Eh? Ah? Is it okay to show it to me?"
"Yes? There's nothing particularly strange about it. Oh, there is the mark of my familiar, but it's something you're probably familiar with, right?"
Colonel Quentin fell silent and began to examine my wrist intently. He turned my arm over and stretched the skin where the mark was, looking very serious.
Ah, I understand. I get this way too when it comes to healing magic. Hehe, in a way, Colonel Quentin is a kindred spirit.
Feeling a sense of kinship, I watched as Colonel Quentin let out a deep sigh from the bottom of his heart.
"Amazing, I've never seen such a perfect mark of a familiar! It's a complete line with no breaks at all!!"
Colonel Quentin rolled up the left sleeve of his uniform to the elbow and thrust his arm in front of me.
"Look! This is my familiar's mark! It's from when I surrounded an A-rank monster with 80 knights and made it my familiar."
On the colonel's left arm, from wrist to elbow, there was a diagonal line that looked like a snake coiling around it. It started at about 3 centimeters wide and was more than twice that at the elbow. Though hidden by the uniform, the mark seemed to continue above the elbow.
The mark, which looked scaly even from a distance, was completely different from mine, which was a single, unbroken line.
"I thought the length of the mark was natural for subduing an A-rank monster, but seeing yours, I feel ridiculous. What is this thinness?"
Colonel Quentin muttered in a resigned tone.
"Just one loop. And only 1 millimeter wide. Yet, it's completely unbroken. Perfect subjugation."
As he said this, he pressed his large body against the table. Then, he started muttering, "Ah, well, whatever," and after a while, he suddenly sat up and grabbed my left hand with both of his.
"Please, tell me! In the case of such a perfect mark, how much does the familiar synchronize with you? Please, just tell me what you can!"
Colonel Quentin's face was completely serious, and his sincerity was evident.
Yes, I understand. To become the colonel of the Monster Knight Corps, he must have a lot of knowledge and interest in monsters and familiars. But, that's not enough for him; he wants to know more and more...
"Well, making this one my familiar was a coincidence. It happened to be severely injured and near death, so I healed it. Then, it proposed to become my familiar and even conducted the contract. Yes, it said that, according to its species, if someone saves its life, it will dedicate its life to that person."
"Really? I can't even imagine a situation where your familiar, even as a larva, would be so severely injured! And you healed it?! You healed an injury that was impossible to heal with its own regenerative abilities? ...No, I can't understand any of this with my common sense."
Colonel Quentin propped his elbow on the table and ran his hand through his hair in frustration.
"So? How is the synchronization?"
"How is the synchronization? No matter how far apart we are, if I call, it comes. It listens to everything I say and acts according to my wishes, as if it can read my mind. It also makes decisions to avoid putting me at a disadvantage. And... we've only been together recently, but sometimes it acts as if it knows things that happened when we were apart..."
As I spoke, Colonel Quentin's face lit up with realization, and he snapped his fingers.
"I see! So, the one who called it through that space was you!! However, the details of the synchronization are still unclear. ...Hmm, Fia-sama, you must be so powerful that even such a powerful familiar doesn't interest you much. Fia-sama, if it's not too much trouble, may I ask your familiar some questions directly? Of course, it only needs to answer what it can!"
"Eh? Ah, sure, I'll ask."
I called out to Zabiria, who was in my uniform, and she poked her head out from my collar. She glanced at Colonel Quentin and then slipped out of my uniform to sit on my lap.
"The familiar's vocal cords are damaged, so its voice sounds broken, like human speech. Patty told me. Please, talk in your broken voice!"
Colonel Quentin pleaded with a desperate look on his face.
Hmm... ...Is something off here?
I stopped petting Zabiria and stared intently at Colonel Quentin.
Colonel Quentin looked back at me with a serious expression.
...Could it be that Colonel Quentin knows Zabiria isn't just a larva but a powerful monster?
He might not know it's a black dragon, but... wait, the words "tore through space" and "larva" and "black dragon" have come up.
Hmm... ...Think about it, Colonel Quentin is the colonel of the Monster Knight Corps, so he has access to more detailed information about monsters than anyone else. If he combines that information, could he have realized Zabiria is a black dragon?
And if he has, which is better: pretending to be clueless or revealing everything and getting more information?
I glanced at Colonel Quentin, but he just stared back silently, so I couldn't tell.
As I pondered, I suddenly had an epiphany.
That's it. Maybe Colonel Quentin's silence is the answer?
If he's hinting so much but not specifically mentioning the black dragon, maybe it's better not to be explicit. If we both acknowledge it's a black dragon, neither of us can move freely.
If we clearly state we know, we have a duty to report, and our actions will be restricted.
I see, Colonel Quentin!
I'll follow your lead and not acknowledge anything you don't ask about!
Even if it's very close to black, gray is still gray, not black. The important thing here is that it's not black!
I smiled at Colonel Quentin.
"If this one wants to answer, I think it will speak freely. If you have any questions, please ask."
Hearing my words, Zabiria looked at Colonel Quentin with a bored expression.
"What do you want to know?"
"Ah, yes. First, I am deeply honored to hear the voice of your familiar. Your voice is... how can I describe it? Like the sound of an angel's trumpet in the middle of the sky, or the sound of a mermaid jumping out of a spring in the middle of the desert..."
"Um, I have no idea what you're trying to say. I don't want to chat with anyone but Fia, so can we get to the point?"
Zabiria interrupted Colonel Quentin's words, and he leaned forward in excitement.
"Ah, yes, my apologies! So, may I ask about your relationship with Fia-sama?"
"Regarding Fia, it's very close. As you said, it's a complete subjugation. For example, our life force and magic power are completely connected. It's a one-way connection from me to Fia, but if Fia's life force or magic power starts to diminish, it flows from me. So, as long as I don't die, Fia won't die, and as long as I don't run out of magic power, Fia won't run out of magic power. I can stay with Fia until the moment I die."
"Blow---!"
Surprised by the unexpected revelation, I couldn't help but spit out the water I was drinking.
Unfortunately, the water hit Colonel Quentin's face directly, but he ignored it and waited for Zabiria to continue.
"Colonel Quentin, please, at least try to dry your soaked head. Towel, towel---!"
"Fia-sama, I apologize for not accepting your concern, but please ignore me. More importantly, what a wonderful story! Is such a thing possible? However, if it's a one-way connection, does that mean Fia-sama's life force and magic power don't flow to the familiar?"
"Only if I don't intend it. ...Conversely, from Fia, her actions, thoughts, and emotions flow to me, no matter how far apart we are. It's necessary for me to understand Fia's situation and the emotions she directs towards others to make decisions."
"Choke---!!"
Again, an unexpected revelation made me spit out the water I was drinking to calm down.
And, as expected, the water landed on Colonel Quentin's head, who was leaning forward.
"Fia-sama, this is important, so please ignore me. However, what you're saying is hard to believe. You can know everything about your master's actions, thoughts, and emotions, even when you're far apart?"
"Actually, I want to ask you, how can you guess your master's feelings without this? Do you ask your master, 'Should I kill this Gideon who just talked back, or just beat him up a little?'"
At this, Colonel Quentin suddenly stiffened and burst out laughing in an unnaturally high voice.
"Gideon? By coincidence, we have a vice-colonel with the same name."
"You're not stupid, you know what I'm talking about. I'm talking about that damn vice-colonel."
"Ah, yes! I'm talking about our damn Gideon. I sincerely apologize for his insolence to Fia-sama!!"
Saying this, Colonel Quentin bowed deeply.
No, no. Colonel Quentin, you've done nothing wrong!
Please, raise your head! It's too much attention to have a famous colonel bowing in public. Look, everyone has stopped eating and is staring in shock!
Desperately trying to get him to raise his head, I was saved by someone tapping Colonel Quentin on the shoulder.
"There you are, Quentin. Let's go."
Startled by the sudden intruder, Colonel Quentin blinked a few times and looked up at the knight who had tapped his shoulder.
"Ah, ah? Ah, yes, the council meeting for the knights."
With that, Colonel Quentin hurriedly stood up but turned back to me and Zabiria as if being pulled back.
"Fia-sama, I'm sorry for the impertinent request, but if you have the time, would you join me?"
"Eh? If it's me, sure."
As I stood up, the knight who had come to call Colonel Quentin seemed to notice me for the first time and looked at me in surprise.
"Fia? What are you doing here?"
"Hello, Second Colonel Desmond. It's been a while."
I smiled and greeted Colonel Desmond, who had come to call Colonel Quentin.