Chapter 2

The next day, I came to the town hall again.

I looked through the requests posted on the bulletin board in the lobby.

It's important to earn income for living by working, but I also need to start taking on jobs that will lead to something more.

I checked each of the posted requests, hoping to find one that could lead to something more.

Next to me, a pair of people were looking at the posted requests in the same way.

"Hey, look at this. The reward is pretty good, isn't it?"

"Let me see—look, idiot, it says you have to provide your own dragon."

"Oh, really..."

The pair lost interest in the request and moved on.

I became curious about what kind of request it was and looked at the one they had been examining.

The request was for delivering a letter.

About 90% of the requests that come into the town hall are for "transport," and the remaining 10% are for "hunting."

Strictly speaking, there are a few "other" types, but they are very rare—maybe one in a hundred.

This request was for delivering a letter, which falls under "transport."

As the pair had said, the reward was good.

However, it was clearly stated that the cost of the dragon was not included, which was the main issue.

For someone like me—and probably the pair as well—freelance dragon knights often don't have their own dragons.

In such cases, we rent dragons for work, but the rental cost must also be considered.

When you factor that in, it's not a particularly profitable job, as the pair had concluded.

"…I'll give it a try."

I was curious about the name of the person who made the request.

☆

I arrived at a mansion in the same upscale residential area as yesterday.

It was even larger than Patrick's mansion.

The estate was so vast that walking around it once would make a freshly brewed cup of tea completely cold.

In the reception room of the mansion, I faced a young lady.

She was dressed in an elegant dress and sat on the sofa with a haughty attitude.

Her golden hair was styled in a vertical roll, a look that nine out of ten "young ladies" I had seen before had, whether it was a trend or a tradition, it was very common.

Despite being a head shorter than me, she looked down at me with a condescending gaze.

She was the type of young lady who had been pampered with status and power from a young age.

This was the client, Mademoiselle Catherine Morinier.

"This time, it's a young person. Is that okay?"

"I think it's fine."

"Can you use a dragon?"

"Yes."

"How well?"

"Pretty well."

I responded to Catherine's straightforward questions with appropriate answers.

"Hmm, well, that's fine. I'm not only asking you, you know."

"I see."

I nodded slightly.

Delivering a letter—especially an important one—usually involves sending multiple copies through different routes.

Delivering something to a distant city is a difficult task, and there's no guarantee that the letter will arrive, so it's standard practice to send multiple copies.

The reward was good, and the method of sending multiple copies was sound.

As I had guessed from the client's name, this was a request from a major client.

Completing such requests and building connections is my immediate goal.

"May I ask what kind of letter it is?"

"What, are you trying to pry?"

"Knowing the content will help with the delivery. It might also speed things up, and if it's confidential, I need to consider immediate disposal in case of an emergency."

"Hmm, I see."

Catherine seemed impressed and nodded in understanding.

"Alright. It's a love letter."

"A love letter?"

"A reply to a love letter for Baron Bouquet."

"So you're corresponding with the Baron?"

"Yes."

"The destination is Ribau. How long will it take to deliver?"

"Ribau."

I pulled up the map in my mind.

The destination, Ribau, and this city, Boarsel.

I calculated the straight-line distance in my head.

"Depending on the dragon, it should take one day."

"Wow, that's fast. Everyone else said it would take three days."

"..."

"Alright, that's fine. If you can deliver it, I'll leave it to you."

Catherine rang a bell, and a servant entered, handing her a letter on a tray.

She took it and handed it to me.

"Bring back proof of delivery, and I'll give you the reward in exchange. Got it?"

"Understood."

I nodded and left the mansion.

☆

I headed to the eastern part of Boarsel.

Away from the bustling area, there were a few dragon rental shops.

I intended to rent a dragon from one of these shops.

This request was better than I had expected.

When I saw the client's name, I had guessed it was the daughter of the Morinier family.

I thought that if things went well, it could lead to something more.

Of course, it might not lead to anything.

But this is about building connections.

I believe that success is achieved by repeatedly taking actions that have the potential to succeed, and eventually, one of those actions will pay off.

In other words, if you don't take action, you won't succeed.

I don't know how much potential this request has, but if I don't take it, it's zero, so I accepted it.

But it was better than expected.

Not only the Morinier family, but there was also the potential to connect with the Baron's family.

Even if the chances are low, a possibility is still a possibility.

I decided to do my best with this job.

I entered a dragon rental shop called "Overseed."

There was a counter, and a middle-aged man with glasses was there.

He had been reading something, but when he noticed me, he looked up.

"Welcome."

"Sir, what kind of dragon are you looking for?"

I glanced at the back of the shop.

Dragon rental shops, by their nature, have a "yard" in the back where the dragons are kept, while the front is just for show.

I looked at the yard.

"Do you have any Wyvern species? I need a fast one, no cargo, just me."

I summarized my requirements to the shopkeeper.

Technically, there was a letter, but it didn't need to be considered as physical cargo, so I said "no."

"We have three Wyverns. Please follow me."

I was led to the yard, where various dragons were present.

Some raised their heads and looked at me, some glanced at me while lying down, and some completely ignored me.

Dragons have different personalities, so they react differently in such situations.

"Over there."

"I'll look myself."

"Alright."

The shopkeeper stopped and didn't follow me.

This is common, so he was used to it.

Ordinary dragon knights can't "communicate" with dragons, but they each have their own way of choosing a dragon that is easy to handle.

These methods are each dragon knight's secret and bread and butter.

Many don't want their methods to be seen, and some even claim they are "trade secrets."

The shopkeepers are used to this and don't mind.

I approached the three Wyverns.

"Here, here, here."

"It's a human."

"Looks dumber than the last one."

The three Wyverns, which were chained, had relatively good personalities.

"Calling me dumb is harsh."

"Well, you look dumb."

"Huh? Can you understand us, human?"

"Yeah."

"Wow, that's rare."

"Did a dragon raise you?"

"Not exactly."

I smiled slightly.

I had heard the occasional story about a child raised by dragons, but I wasn't one of them.

"Anyway, I need your help with a job. I want to deliver a letter, and I need it done as quickly as possible. Which one of you is the fastest?"

"I'm the fastest."

"Wait, a letter? What kind of letter? A love letter? Is it a love letter?"

"Yeah."

I was taken aback.

The energy level of one of the Wyverns changed dramatically, surprising me.

"Who's sending it to whom? Male to female or female to male?"

"Female to male..."

"Then I'll go. But in return, I'll carry the letter in my mouth."

"What, no, that's not—"

And in my mouth, or something.

I was confused, but then—

"Here, here. Again, this pervert."

"What do humans find attractive about females?"

"But, he's fast when it comes to this."

"Hmm?"

I was confused, but the Wyverns' conversation caught my attention.

"You're faster in situations like this?"

"Of course."

"…I see. Alright, then."

I thought for a moment and decided to ask the "pervert" for help.

Dragons, like humans, have different personalities, and some can perform better in certain situations that match their personality.

This "pervert" seemed to be one of those types.

And this was a method that no one else could understand or do.

I turned and went back to the shopkeeper.

"I'll take the one on the right."

"Are you sure? The one in the middle is faster."

"No, I want the one on the right."

"Alright."

The shopkeeper tilted his head.

He had said the one in the middle was faster, but I didn't consider it at all, which seemed to puzzle him.

But there was no point in explaining, so I remained silent.

I left the shop with the chosen Wyvern and mounted it.

"Give me the letter, give me the letter."

"Alright, alright."

I handed over the letter to Catherine as promised, feeling rushed.

"Yay, the smell of a beautiful girl! A handwritten letter!"

His energy level skyrocketed.

I wondered if he would be okay—then, in the next moment, I was in the air.

☆

The "pervert" was amazing.

Wyverns are a small species with short but effective flight capabilities.

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, and flying is essential to travel in a straight line.

I had initially estimated that it would take one day, including the straight-line distance, and told Catherine as much.

However, the "pervert" was faster.

When I gave him the letter as agreed, he headed to Ribau at a speed far exceeding my expectations.

He arrived in half a day.

He delivered the letter, received proof of delivery, and returned in another half a day.

I handed over the contents and kept the envelope, giving it to the "pervert."

He returned in another half a day.

I returned in half the time I had initially estimated, and Catherine was very pleased.

"You're amazing. I'll ask you again."

"Sure."

"By the way, what's your name?"

"My name is Cyril Larose."

"Cyril, I'll remember that."

Hearing those words, I secretly made a fist in my heart.

The result was better than expected.

I had connected with Catherine and, likely, her family, making this job a resounding success.