Chapter 17

"Here's a letter for you, Sir Cyril."

"Letter?"

At the front door, I took the letter from the postman and frowned.

It had been years since I last received a letter.

After all, letters are quite expensive.

Of course, they are.

You have to pay for the person delivering the item—basically, their daily wage and other expenses.

That's what it means to use a person for a task.

Therefore, most letters are delivered in bulk to reduce the cost per letter.

However, this letter seemed to be sent specifically to me.

The postman was sent just for this.

That alone was a big deal.

I tore open the envelope and took out the contents.

"Ms. Rose?"

The letter was from Ms. Rose.

Or rather, it was from the guild office.

It said she wanted me to come by today because she had something to discuss.

"Hmm..."

The letter didn't mention what the matter was.

It just said to come.

*Master, are you going to work?*

Louise came out of the dragon house.

She looked a bit sleepy—her usual state.

"Today, I have other business, so you can stay and rest, Louise."

*Is that okay?*

"Yes."

*Alright, have a good rest, Master.*

Louise said that and went back into the dragon house.

In cases like this, she usually takes a second nap until night.

Usually, I would go to the guild office with Louise and take on various requests from the bulletin board, but today was unpredictable, so I decided to leave Louise at home.

☆

Inside the guild office, in a small reception room, I sat across from Ms. Rose.

"I'm sorry for calling you here on such short notice."

"No problem. Is something the matter?"

"Yes, actually... your guild has reached level 3."

"Really?"

I was a bit surprised.

I hadn't expected it to be about that.

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

"Then... why did you call me here?"

After the surprise, a wave of caution followed.

The guild's level had increased.

That's not usually something that would warrant a summons from the guild office.

Yet, Ms. Rose had sent a letter specifically to call me in.

There must be something more to it.

"It's highly unusual for a solo guild to reach level 3 in such a short time."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, for a solo guild to reach level 3... it usually takes at least three months."

"...I see."

I repeated the words solemnly.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing special, really."

I understood.

I was called in to be questioned about the abnormal increase in my guild's level.

I understood, but I couldn't answer.

"I'm just doing things normally."

"Are you planning to significantly increase your guild's members?"

"No, not really. I did get one more dragon, though."

"So... you have three now?"

"Yes."

"One human, three dragons. It's strange for the level to rise so quickly."

"Well, what can I say..."

"Anything at all, do you have any idea why?"

"No, I don't."

"I see..."

Ms. Rose had a complicated look on her face.

"Is something wrong?"

"Not wrong, per se, but... a solo guild reaching this level at this pace is definitely the fastest on record."

"The fastest on record."

Until now, that kind of phrase had never applied to me.

Even saying it out loud, it didn't feel real.

"Even the smallest details, do you have any idea why?"

"If it's something small... maybe the guild name?"

"The guild name?"

"Dragon First. It means I prioritize dragons, I guess."

I spoke the truth.

That's the only thing that sets me apart from other guilds.

Of course, being able to understand dragons' language is a factor, but the essence is different.

The biggest difference between me and other guilds is that I prioritize dragons.

"Prioritizing dragons, huh?"

"Yes."

"It doesn't seem to be related, though."

"I wish more people would do the same, though."

"That's not easy."

Ms. Rose smiled wryly.

Yeah, I guess not.

"Anyway, since your guild is now level 3, you can use the guild storage."

"Guild storage?"

"A storage facility that only guild members can access."

"Interesting."

That sounds intriguing.

"Make good use of it."

"Understood, thank you."

☆

I went to the guild storage, located on the outskirts of town.

From the outside, it looks like a regular storage facility.

However, it's enchanted so that only registered dragon knights and dragons can enter.

If you're registered, you can enter freely without any special actions, but if you're not, you can't enter no matter what.

Technically, you could break in with a stronger magic, but that would result in immediate execution, so almost no one does it.

After checking out the guild storage, I headed back home.

However, on the way, I ran into Rui.

We bumped into each other on a street lined with restaurants, and he was glaring at me.

What's up? I thought.

"You reached level 3, huh?"

"You heard fast. Yes, I did."

"What kind of trick did you use?"

"Huh?"

"Of course. One human, three dragons. It's impossible to level up that quickly."

"Hmm."

Rui was saying the same thing as Ms. Rose.

It's impossible for a solo guild to level up so quickly without a significant increase in members.

The difference was that while Ms. Rose seemed to accept it as an irregularity, Rui was suspicious from the start.

Being suspicious is fine, but...

"I didn't use any tricks."

It's not a good feeling to be doubted, so I decided to defend myself at least a little.

"Don't lie."

"I'm not lying. Besides..."

I narrowed my eyes at Rui.

"If I had used any tricks, the kingdom would have found out immediately. Is the kingdom that easy to fool?"

"..."

Rui's face twisted.

It was clearly a look of frustration.

"Then why did you level up so quickly?"

"I don't know. I'm just doing things normally."

"Normally?"

"Dragon First."

"Are you kidding me?!"

Rui shouted angrily, as if about to pounce.

The argument in the middle of the street made the passersby flinch and keep their distance from us.

"I'm not kidding."

"..."

Rui glared at me for a while, then seemed to realize that his actions were drawing attention.

He snorted and walked away, looking displeased.

Honestly, if he doesn't like it, he shouldn't get involved.

☆

After parting ways with Rui, I returned home.

I wanted to take the dragons to the newly acquired guild storage and try out various things, especially with Colette.

Colette is a Mushifushu type, whose stomach can become a small storage.

I thought it would be interesting to combine her with the guild storage.

Excited about the possibilities, I returned home, only to find a carriage parked in front of the house.

The carriage was luxurious and looked familiar.

"Sir Cyril!"

A girl called out my name from inside the carriage.

She practically jumped out and ran over to me, calling my name.

"Princess!?"

The princess who had appeared was the one I had helped a while ago.

That's why the carriage looked familiar—it was the same one that had saved the princess's life.

"I'm glad. I wanted to see you, Sir Cyril."

"Ah..."

"I've heard about your achievements. You're amazing, Sir Cyril."

"Achievements?"

"Yes!"

The princess nodded with a bright smile.

"You've completed various tasks and reached guild level 3 faster than anyone else. You're the most talked-about dragon knight right now."

"R-Really?"

It was embarrassing.

Being praised so excessively by the princess made me feel awkward.

"Um..."

I realized we were drawing attention.

I'm not the type to draw attention, but the princess was dressed in a way that naturally drew attention.

This wouldn't do in public.

"Princess, let's go inside."

"Yes!"

The princess, seemingly oblivious to the attention, followed me into the house.

Since my house doesn't have a proper reception room, I had to take her to the living room.

"Please, have a seat, Princess."

"Thank you."

I sat across from her.

"So... Princess, what brings you here today?"

"I came to ask a favor, Sir Cyril."

"A favor?"

The princess asking me for a favor?

I was taken aback.

"Yes, I want to ask the best dragon knight, Sir Cyril, for a favor."

"That's too much praise."

The best dragon knight... yeah, that's really too much.

"That's not true!"

"Thank you."

It seems the princess really thinks that.

I decided to move on and ask about the favor.

"So, what's the favor?"

"Ah, my apologies. Actually, I have a dragon I want you to take care of."

"A dragon?"

I see...

"A dragon, right?"

"Yes!"

"I see."

I understood a bit.

"A special dragon. I really want you to take care of it, Sir Cyril."

"I see."

I felt a bit relieved.

In a way, it was a straightforward request.

If she wanted me to take care of a dragon, I was confident I could do it.

Dragons are more straightforward in character compared to humans.

Since I can understand their language, I'm confident I can handle it.

"Is it okay for me to do it?"

"I want to ask you, Sir Cyril!"

The princess insisted.

It felt good to be trusted so much.

"Alright, I'll take it."

"Thank you so much!!"

The princess was so happy she almost jumped up.

"So, what kind of dragon is it?"

"A Phoenix type."

"...What?"

I couldn't believe my ears.

"A baby Phoenix type."

"..."

I still couldn't believe it.

"Is it... the one known as the 'Child of God'?"

"Yes."

"..."

I was speechless.

This was far from a common request.

"I think only you can do this, Sir Cyril!"

The princess's expectations and the scale of the request were enormous.