CH 12

“By the way, would you not take me for a walk?”

The heavy and intimidating voice echoed around the room.

They turned towards the origin of that sound.

With red scales, leathery wings, a horned head atop a long neck and vertical pupils like a reptile…

A four-legged creature, just the right size to be held in the hands of a girl…

It was a dog.

Well, not really.

It was a dragon, a race that now only existed in the fairy tales.

Dragons were originally the size of a mountain, a flying calamity that could turn an entire town to ash with one pass of its fiery breath.

After a long period of hibernation, its power has declined so much that it’s now asking to be let out for a walk.

“Hahaha…”, the breathy laugh was the only reaction possible to this absurd atmosphere.

The master of the room, a vampire held his head as he rose from the bed, thinking about just how ridiculous it all was.

This ‘dog’… Was in truth a dragon he was rivals with in the past.

This is what that rival had been reduced to.

Once again, he is depressed over just how cruel the passage of time can be.

“Hey, Vampire, what is that face?”

He saw that the man looked at his wit’s end.

The dragon flew up onto the bed and faced him directly.

“Vampire, could you perhaps be under the assumption that my desire to go out for a walk is the same as a dog’s?”

“…Is it not?”

“Of course not. I may perfectly imitate a dog for the reasons of survival, but in my heart, I am still ‘The Ruler of the Skies’, a dragon.”

“Then, the reason for a walk is…”

“It’s my pastime.”

“…And how exactly is that different than a dog’s motive for a walk?”

“It is different.”

However, those differences weren’t explained.

The dragon continued to flap his wings as he floated in front of the vampire.

“With that said, I am not familiar with the rooms and passages of this castle. If I went to take a walk by myself, I may become lost and meet with disaster.”

“I agree that this castle is big… But it’s not so big that something as drastic like that could happen…”

“I am not good at remembering which way I’ve gone.”

So, a sense of direction inferior to a dog’s…

The man tried to shake that idea out of his head.

“…Okay, I understand. But, when it comes to this castle I mostly understand the layout. If you get lost, isn’t it fine if I just come and find you later?”

“I would be awfully lonely waiting for you.”

“…Are you really the same dragon that I fought to the death countless times?”

“Of course, my old foe. Do you not recall… The decisive battle atop the peak of Nachtvurmm… As I flew in the sky, you challenged me at the head of a formation of bats.”

“Oh, I remember it well… It was a fierce battle, but eventually, my bats were defeated by the power of your roar, and it came down to single combat.”

“Indeed. To fight me alone with such a tiny body and survive… I did not say it at the time, but I truly recognized your noble spirit that day…”

The two ancient beings looked forlorn as they brought up the past.

If they closed their eyes, it was almost as if they could return to that windswept peak.

“So, which one of you two will take me for a walk?”

That dream of a mountaintop battle fell to pieces.

As he returned to reality, those long lost days caused the man’s chest to tighten.

“…Familiar.”

The man called.

It was then that the girl dressed in a maid uniform with black hair covering one eye who stood in the corner of the room came closer, the man’s familiar.

“My familiar, take my old foe out for a walk.”

“…”

A wrinkle formed between the eyebrows, a slightly ajar mouth, both eyelids drawn into a glare and a sharp intake of breath through the nostrils.

To put it into words, she seems to hate the very thought of it.

“…What exactly is the problem?”

“…”

“Well, it’s true that I had my differences with this one in the past, but with the way the world is now we have to join hands with as many beings from the old times as we can.”

“…”

“You don’t think so…? My apologies, but please do say what’s on your mind.”

The familiar’s face that was typically unexpressive now seemed like the very picture of disgust.

To put it into words, she seems to hate the very thought of it.

“Do you hate it so much you can’t even put it into words?”

“…”

“But, if you don’t speak, I don’t know what you’re thinking.”

“…”

The familiar breathed a deep sigh.

And with words that dripped with hate-

“Your, responsibility, you, care.”

“…”

“Take care of it yourself, please please.”

She seemed to hate the idea of walking it so much that she added an extra ‘please’.

If she doesn’t want to do it that much, it can’t be helped.

“…Dragon, I will take you for a walk.”

“Indeed, you have finally settled upon it? I grew bored waiting.”

The dragon scratched its neck with its hind legs and yawned.

Its legs were stubby, but since it has such a long neck they still did the job.

It kept yawning for quite some time, and then-

After stretching slightly, the dragon said,

“…Ah, yes. Be warned. I have forgotten to tell you something deeply important.”

“What’s the matter?”

“Yesterday, I accepted tribute from the Saint who returned to the castle briefly after returning home. Let’s see… They were called ‘Collar’ and ‘Lead’ if I recall.”

“…”

“It seems to be some kind of formal wear. Could you not attach the collar, and hold that lead?”

The man froze.

He didn’t quite know how to respond, and the feelings that swirled within him had grown quite complicated.