The second son of the Rud knight family, I inherited my father's brown hair and sword skills.
In a knight family, one is only considered human after becoming a knight.
So, in our family, the humans are my father, who is a knight, and my older brother and sister. My younger sister, Fia, is less than human.
Moreover, her sword skills are terrible. She will probably never become a knight.
In other words, she will never become human.
So, it doesn't matter if she dies somewhere. Rather, if she dies, it would reduce the unnecessary rations, and that would be great.
Yet, my sister is making a big fuss because Fia, who went to the "Coming of Age Ceremony" early in the morning, hasn't returned by the scheduled time.
The "Coming of Age Ceremony" is a prerequisite for becoming a knight, and if she can't even clear that, she will definitely never become a knight. So, we should just leave her alone. Whether she's dead or barely alive, the forest's beasts or monsters will take care of her.
But, my sister decided to form a search party and head into the forest.
Before I knew it, I was included as a member.
Since my sister is my senior in the knight order, I can't easily say no.
Damn, we should have ignored the tradition of gathering the whole family for the "Coming of Age Ceremony" this time.
I put on my armor, sheathed my sword, and joined the search party gathered at the front door.
I was surprised to see a familiar face among the members who had already gathered.
To my astonishment, even my revered older brother was there!
I was impressed by my sister's ability to involve even my brother, and I was about to speak to him happily.
At that moment, the scene became chaotic.
"What is that!"
"It's a monster! A large monster is coming this way at an incredible speed!"
Turning around, I saw a large monster flying towards us, even from a distance.
A chill ran down my spine.
Oh no, this is bad.
It looks like a black dragon.
... Could it really be the legendary monster, the Black Dragon King?
If so, we're all dead.
Even 300 elite knights led by a commander might struggle to defeat it. The 20 or so knights and squire knights here stand no chance.
I drew my sword and shouted to my brother.
"We will defend here! Brother, please report the appearance of the monster to the knight order!"
However, my brother stood still, not moving an inch, staring at the black dragon.
What? Is my brother, of all people, paralyzed by fear?
To my surprise, my brother said something unbelievable.
"Is the human on the back of that black dragon, Fia?"
"…What??"
Is my brother, of all people, seeing hallucinations out of fear?
While wondering, I looked at the black dragon and was shocked to see Fia on its back.
Although my eyes are naturally narrow, I'm sure it wasn't very noticeable to others.
... Indeed, I can see Fia on the back of the black dragon.
... It seems I'm also seeing hallucinations out of fear now.