Chapter 38

This is the base called Persolon.

I named this place, which used to be an estate, and moved in officially.

Of course, there are houses for humans, and the dragon stables have also been completed, so I moved here while keeping the house in the town of Boalser.

While walking around Persolon, I took a stroll.

“Hey… Sir Cyril”

“Hmm? What’s up, Jeanne?”

Jeanne, who was walking beside me, spoke up.

Hardly anyone would recognize her as a princess in her disguise.

She was looking at the house and the dragon stables beside her with a timid expression.

“Sir Cyril’s house feels much simpler in construction compared to the dragon stables.”

“Aah.”

“Why is that?”

“Well, the Dragon Knights Guild exists because of dragons.”

I looked back at Jeanne and answered.

“The guild can’t function without dragons. Well, it’s also because the budget was a bit tight, so this side got the short end of the stick.”

I shrugged and said it playfully.

“Because the budget was tight, the dragon stables were prioritized… Is that what you mean?”

“That’s right.”

I nodded clearly.

“You really put dragons first… Impressive.”

“Huh?”

“It’s easy to say, but I hardly know anyone who can match their words with actions.”

“Is that so?”

I tilted my head slightly.

I couldn’t quite understand why it was difficult to act according to what one says.

“Sir Cyril! Sir Cyril!”

From the other side of the road, Emma ran over.

Emma, who is about the size of a small horse, ran at almost full speed and stopped right in front of me with a thud.

“Oh, Emma, you can do that too?”

“Huh? Do what?”

“You stopped so suddenly just now. Didn’t you run at full speed? It’s amazing that you can stop like that.”

“Ah… Thank you.”

Emma blushed a bit from my compliment.

“When fighting other dragons, being able to stop like that makes it easier to counterattack.”

“Ah, I see.”

I nodded in agreement.

Emma is a Smei type.

The Smei type, among the small dragon species, specializes in “attack” and has outstanding combat abilities.

Large dragons carrying many Smei types to the battlefield and then launching them into action is a strategy used by major guilds and national armies.

This was a moment that reminded me of the Smei type’s capabilities.

“Anyway, do you have something for me?”

“Oh, right! Sir Cyril, you have a visitor waiting at the entrance of Persolon.”

“Visitor? Got it. Jeanne, come with me.”

“Yes!”

I took Jeanne with me and headed in the direction Emma had run from.

After walking for a while, we arrived at the entrance of the base Persolon.

We reached the simple main gate, which was surrounded by a simple wooden fence.

I was thinking that this area would eventually be improved when we had more resources.

A young man was standing at the main gate.

“I’m Cyril Arrows. Who are you?”

“My name is Rino. I’ve come on behalf of Ms. Rose.”

“Ms. Rose?”

“Yes, she wants you to come to the hall immediately.”

“Got it, I’ll go right away.”

“Thank you.”

Rino said this, turned around, and ran off.

He was probably going back to the hall in Boalser to report to Rose.

However… to come immediately.

“Did something happen?”

I tilted my head in confusion.

☆

Inside the hall in Boalser, in the usual reception room.

I sat facing Rose, with Jeanne beside me.

“Sorry to call you here so suddenly… Who’s that?”

Rose asked about Jeanne, who was sitting next to me.

“She’s a new member of the guild. Her name is Jeanne.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Jeanne bowed politely.

“Hmm… Did you capture some noble lady?”

“Huh?”

“Your manners are very refined. A merchant’s daughter, or perhaps a fallen noble’s daughter?”

Somehow, Rose saw through it instantly.

Jeanne seemed to be careful with her words, but the elegance in her mannerisms couldn’t be hidden.

“That… I mean, I…”

Jeanne was a bit panicked at being seen through.

I raised my hand to stop her and smiled back at Rose.

“Well, that’s about it. Anyway, why did you call me?”

Since it wasn’t worth getting worked up over, I acknowledged it and moved on.

“Ah, right. To be honest, I’m going to ask you to clean up a mess… Is that okay?”

“Clean up a mess?”

“Yes. Lintvurm made a bit of a blunder.”

Rose frowned and looked troubled.

Lintvurm.

The guild I used to belong to, which expelled me due to a difference in policies.

A famous guild, and the largest in Boalser.

They have a strong lineup of both humans and dragons.

“What did they mess up?”

“There was an accident at a certain dragon farm. All the staff managed to escape, but the dragons are still there.”

“…Hmm.”

“Sir Cyril…”

I raised my hand to stop Jeanne and started rubbing my forehead.

I could feel my face stiffening.

“Obviously, it’s not right to let all the dragons die, so Lintvurm was asked to rescue them, but they failed.”

“So the task fell to me, then.”

“To be honest, it’s a cleanup job.”

“I see… Well—”

“Here it is!”

Just as I was about to answer, the door was slammed open.

Cyril, Rose, and Jeanne all turned to look at the door.

Two men entered the room.

“Louis… and Eric.”

Both were familiar faces.

Louis, whom I often run into around town, and Eric, whom I hadn’t seen since that time.

Both belong to Lintvurm, and Eric is the captain of the third squad, a high-ranking member.

Eric, after a quick glance at me, approached Rose.

“Hey! What do you mean by taking us down!”

“I said we’ll talk about it later.”

Rose said with a troubled expression.

“Right now, we’re—”

“This is a job we took on. It’s a complete loss of face to have it taken by someone else without proper communication.”

“…What do you want me to do?”

“First, we need a formal document—”

“Ms. Rose.”

I interrupted Eric and stood up.

Standing up, I looked down at Rose.

“I’ll go immediately. I’ll gather our dragons, so please send the location and any precautions.”

“Alright, got it.”

“Hey! You!”

This time, Louis shouted at me.

Louis, who was egged on by Eric, looked like just a thug.

“Take your time with the face-saving talk.”

“What!?”

“The dragons’ lives are at stake. I have to go first.”

I said this and turned to leave.

“Wait! We need to talk—”

Louis grabbed me.

His hand on my shoulder caught fire.

“Aaaah!? What is this!?”

Louis quickly let go.

A combination of Emma’s fireball and Chris’s fire nullification.

I used it to burn Louis’s hand along with my shoulder.

Louis pulled his hand back and frantically tried to extinguish the flames.

Eric looked at me in shock.

“You… When did you get such power…?”

“…”

I didn’t answer and left the room silently.

Jeanne followed me, walking side by side down the hallway.

“What’s with those guys?”

“Huh?”

“They suddenly barged in and only talked about face.”

“Well, that’s Lintvurm for you.”

I shrugged.

I knew they were like that from the beginning, so it wasn’t surprising.

“Compared to them… Sir Cyril is truly remarkable.”

“It’s just about putting dragons first. Anyway, let’s hurry back to Persolon and get ready.”

“Yes!”

I nodded and, with Jeanne, hurried back to Persolon.