TL/Editor: raei
Status: 5/week mon-fri
Illustrations: none
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Sir Hansen of Riverville yawned lazily as he rode his horse, longing for the end of his shift. Though a medieval knight, he valued work-life balance above all else. Work was fine, but wouldn't it be better to take it easy?
Unfortunately, the lord's orders left no room for rest. Even a three-year-old knew the world had grown more dangerous lately. With dragons burning down territories, rural lords' anxiety was skyrocketing day by day.
Rumors said Duke Araz herself had set out with troops to slay the dragon. While Hansen hoped it would go well, they had to prepare for the worst. That's why he was patrolling the territory late at night, keeping an eye on the soldiers.
"Hey, Sir Hansen!"
A soldier came running breathlessly. Hansen tensed reflexively and shouted, "Enemy attack?"
"W-We're not sure, sir!"
"?"
It was a baffling report, but Hansen understood once he heard the details.
"A woman in jet-black armor and a wizard with a crow are heading this way!"
"...A crow?"
The mention of a "wizard with a crow" immediately brought a young man's face to Hansen's mind. There had been a wizard who picked up a crow in Riverville...
"The wizard Ian?"
Hansen rode off without hesitation to find the visitors. As expected, a familiar face greeted him.
"My goodness. Ian!"
"Oh? Sir Hansen?"
Ian waved casually. He had truly returned to Riverville!
"What brings you here..."
"Just passing through."
Hansen immediately escorted Ian to the castle.
------
Baron Kaltz, the lord of Riverville, was startled to see Ian's timely arrival.
"You are..."
"Ian!"
Bernard, the baron's son, burst out tactlessly.
The baron shooed Bernard away and calmly conversed with Ian.
"We were just talking about you."
"About me?"
"Yes. It's about the drake."
Ian, who had genuinely just been passing through, grew curious at the baron's words.
"The drake's activity has suddenly intensified."
"Ah."
There was a drake living along the road to Riverville. It was a well-known story that most travelers would have heard at least once.
"I've even heard that their numbers have increased..."
This was a serious matter for Baron Kaltz. Medieval land trade was already horrific, with merchants relying on luck to avoid bandits and monsters. But brave (or insane) merchants still roamed around seeking arbitrage opportunities. Essential goods like metalwork and salt were mainly distributed through outside merchants.
Riverville had greatly benefited from these outside merchants. But since the drake started causing trouble, the number of merchant visits had plummeted. Baron Kaltz was desperate to solve the drake problem somehow, even if he didn't fully understand the situation.
"Hmm. Looks like he found a girlfriend," Ian mused.
"...Girlfriend?"
Baron Kaltz's jaw dropped at Ian's unexpected explanation. Why was he suddenly talking about girlfriends?
"Ah. You see, the drake living in that mountain was originally male," Ian explained kindly.
"But it seems he's met a female drake."
Baron Kaltz finally understood. They were talking about lizard girlfriends!
"If the female has laid eggs... it makes sense that they'd be wary of human presence."
Baron Kaltz and his retainers were amazed by Ian's explanation. As expected of a mysterious wizard! He had figured out the whole situation just from hearing "the drake is causing trouble"!
"Did you perhaps meet the drake already?"
"No, I just arrived here. Though I am planning to meet the drake soon."
"!"
Baron Kaltz was stunned. Ian knew so much without even meeting the drake? Wait, did he just say he was going to meet it?!
"You really can control drakes, can't you!"
When Baron Kaltz exclaimed this, Ian smiled bitterly. Such false rumors had spread when he traveled with the Rabbit Foot Company before. Ian didn't control the drake; they were just friends.
"We just shared a bit of friendship."
"Ohhh..."
Ian said it like it was nothing, but the lord's retainers heard it very differently. To befriend a monstrous beast that was practically a living weapon... Wizards truly were mysterious!
"So, I was hoping you could provide me with a fresh horse and some supplies."
It was a polite request, but essentially meant "hand it over." As a veteran wizard, Ian boldly demanded "Give me this!" from the nobleman without changing his expression one bit. What could they do? He was a wizard after all.
Baron Kaltz was greatly impressed by Ian's confident attitude. It wasn't admiration for his brazenness, but rather the realization: "He must have a way to solve the drake problem!"
Ian had just said he was going to meet the drake, so he must be going to resolve the issue!
"Of course! Steward! Provide Ian with supplies and a horse immediately!"
"Yes, my lord."
As Baron Kaltz willingly provided the resources, Ian smiled contentedly. "I'll have to bring a gift in return later."
"Ian, if you hear any rumors about the dragon..."
"Ah, don't worry about the dragon. Only start worrying if you hear that the Barony of Talian has fallen."
"..."
Longtail's girlfriend spoke in a disapproving tone.
Ian was dumbfounded.
Were humans stray cats or something?
[Haha! Sharpteeth. It's not like that. I brought my human friend I told you about!]
[Human friend?]
While Longtail explained to his girlfriend, Ian quickly asked Lucy,
"How did you get here?"
Lucy replied primly, "I walked!"
"..."
For the first time in a while, Ian felt like giving Lucy a knock on the head...
"More importantly, Ian! How could you abandon me and go off on your own!"
"What do you mean abandon?! You were with Duke Araz!"
It had been a battlefield with dragons and orcs rampaging. If Ian had recklessly tried to meet up with Lucy, it would have endangered his own life. It was best for Lucy to move with the duke's knights and Ian with the Knights of Santiago.
"If you were with the duke, why did you leave on your own!"
"Well..."
Lucy started to say something, then suddenly clamped her mouth shut.
Ian crossed his arms and waited patiently, telling her to speak if she had something to say.
But suddenly...
Lucy burst into tears!
"I was scared..."
"What?"
Ian stared at Lucy in disbelief.
How could she be scared when she was with the duke?!
"What were you scared of?"
"I don't know! I was just scared!"
"..."
The gangs of thieves and monsters on the streets would be much scarier. Yet she walked all the way here alone...
Is it normal that I can't understand a woman's heart?
Lucy didn't stop crying. Her emotions boiled over even more as she shouted,
"The dragon was scary! People dying was scary!"
"..."
"I-Ian... When I couldn't see you! When I was left all alone...!"
Lucy frantically wiped away her flowing tears as she cried out,
"It reminded me of when my parents died... That's why I was scared..."
Only then did Ian recall when he first met Lucy. It was in this very spot.
Not the woman using the alias 'Cassie', but 'Lucy Talian'.
Lucy, who had lost her parents to rebellion and fled alone in traveling clothes, had her first conversation with Ian right here in the drake's nest.
So Ian understood Lucy's feelings a little. She might have been frightened.
"...So you came all the way here alone?"
"Yeah... The Knights of Santiago went to Talian... but they said you went somewhere else alone..."
Whether it was excellent deduction skills or a woman's intuition, Lucy had accurately guessed where Ian was heading.
Ian couldn't help but chuckle, feeling defeated.
He wiped Lucy's tears with his hand.
"Lucy. You're the luckiest and the most foolish person I know."
Lucy blushed and muttered, "I'm not a fool."
"Would a non-fool walk all the way here alone?"
Ian and Lucy's eyes met.
And almost simultaneously, they burst out laughing.
[Ahem.]
Longtail poked his head in.
He had been watching for a while but couldn't find the right timing to interrupt.
[Friend. That woman is...]
"[Ah. Longtail. You've seen her before, right?]"
[Should I call her sister-in-law?]
"..."
Ian was dumbfounded.
How does this beast know the word 'sister-in-law'?!
---
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