Chapter 28

Bookmarks and points have increased, yay!

I'll aim for 1000 points and work hard!

"Huh? A vacation...?"

"Yes..."

The conversation was brought up just before summer began, about half a year after Node joined the Iron Dragon Knights. By then, he had become accustomed to his role as a trainee dragon knight and was showing remarkable improvement. The day after his instructor told him, "It's about time you moved on to the next course," the instructor, seated at a wooden desk in the barracks, began to speak to Node, who stood before him.

"Actually, there's a large-scale joint exercise being planned..."

"A joint exercise, you say?"

According to his instructor, the plan was still in the works, but a large-scale joint exercise involving the Eastern Knights, the Hamil Kingdom Knights, and the Iron Dragon Knights was being proposed. Local knight orders are formed by nobles who own territories in each region, with the major nobles of the region at the center. The troops are provided by each noble, but compared to the Hamil Kingdom Knights, the ratio of common soldiers is higher than that of knights. This is because, except for the most powerful lords, it is impossible to hire a large number of vassal knights, and instead, they provide troops through conscription from their territories. Naturally, in terms of combat power, the common soldiers, who have only received basic training, are far inferior to the knights, who are professionals in combat. The role of the local knight orders is to buy time until the Hamil Kingdom Knights, stationed in the capital, arrive when the country is invaded.

In peacetime, the local knight orders also guard the roads and hunt monsters in their regions, but the more troops they move, the more marching costs they incur, and in battle, casualties are inevitable. The main casualties are the common soldiers, who return to their roles as farmers and other workers in their territories after their military service. If the young and able-bodied men who are conscripted are lost, it will be a blow to the villages, towns, and the lords who govern them. Therefore, the local knight orders are hesitant to mobilize except for the protection of important roads, and when there are attacks by monsters or bandits, they usually hire adventurers to solve the problems. This is the usual scene in the Hamil Kingdom during peacetime.

However, as a result, the knight orders do not gain practical combat experience and their training level remains low. If they are easily defeated by an invading force, the defense strategy of using the local knight orders to buy time will fail. The fate of the battlefields without defenders is self-evident. Therefore, the Hamil Kingdom conducts annual training to improve the training level of the local knight orders and to train for coordination with the central knight orders, but this year's exercise is planned to be on a larger scale than usual.

Careful planning is needed for the exercise, and preparation takes time. Moreover, this exercise, including the movement, is expected to be a long-term event. The Iron Dragon Knights, to which Node belongs, will naturally participate in the exercise. The dragon knights, who make up the Iron Dragon Knights, can ride dragons and soar through the sky. They can perform reconnaissance, reinforcements, and enemy territory assaults. They are an all-purpose unit, and even in small numbers, they are a powerful force, so they are always sent as the first reinforcements when an invasion is received.

Therefore, the Iron Dragon Knights have been decided to participate in the annual exercises. The problem is,

"You can't ride a dragon yet, can you?"

Indeed, Node, a dragon knight, still had the title of 'trainee' and could not remove it. Although his skills were inferior to those of a regular dragon knight, he had shown considerable improvement after six months of rigorous training. Moreover, the purpose of the exercise is to train inexperienced soldiers and knights, so in that sense, Node should have participated actively. The reason he was not allowed to participate was one.

The instructor turned his gaze to Node's side. Node also turned to look in that direction. There, sitting on the floor, was a young dragon with deep green scales.

"Kyu?"

The young dragon, sitting on the floor with its front legs curled up under its head, lifted its head when it noticed the two gazes. The young dragon, Neut, had grown even more. Its body had grown larger, and its length, including its tail, exceeded Node's height. If measured to its legs, it could only reach Node's stomach even if it stretched its neck, but considering that it was only an egg, the size of Node's head, about half a year ago, its growth rate was alarming. However, Neut was still a child. No matter how much it had grown, it was still far from being able to carry a person. The reason dragon knights are called dragon knights is that they can ride dragons and fly freely through the sky. Although Neut had shown mental growth by being able to sit and wait on the floor as Node had trained it, its back was still too thin for Node to ride, and its wings were not strong enough to lift a person.

It would still take some time for Node to become a regular dragon knight.

"I see, I understand. How long will it be?"

"It's not decided yet, but I'm also participating... There's an opinion that you should take a long break."

The instructor paused, folded his hands on the desk, and continued.

"Two months."

"Two months!"

Node was surprised by the longer period than expected. It must be a large-scale training. In response to Node's echo, the instructor continued.

"My hometown is in the east... So, I'll be late getting back."

Think of it as a summer vacation, the instructor continued. While listening to these words, Node started to plan how to spend his time.

§

After that, the large-scale training was announced to the members of the Iron Dragon Knights as scheduled, and Node was also informed that he would be given a long break. The instructor warned him, "If your skills have declined after the break, it won't be cheap," and a senior young dragon knight asked him, "You're on a long break, aren't you? How will you spend it?" When he answered, "I'll take on requests," as he used to, he was met with a sigh. The days passed uneventfully, and Node finally entered his long break.

Node decided to spend his long break as he had told the senior young dragon knight, by working as an adventurer.

On the first day, Node accepted a request at the Adventurer's Guild. It was a request from a Crystal-class adventurer to eliminate a nest of killer bees that had proliferated in a forest. As it was a full-fledged extermination request after six months, Node gathered information on the killer bees and prepared antidotes and other countermeasures before accepting the request.

The result was a piece of cake. The target was a bee monster the size of a human head that had made the forest its territory. The killer bees, which attacked one after another with a buzzing sound, tried to stab Node with their black stingers, which protruded from the poisonous tips of their bright red and yellow carapaces. The attack, which would easily penetrate the armor of a low-level adventurer, never even got close to Node. The flying killer bees were sliced by Node's sword, which flashed like lightning the moment they entered his range. The carapace of the killer bees, which was said to be hard like a beetle's, was easily cut by Node's sword. Each time the emerald flash sparkled, the number of killer bees decreased, and the bodies of the insects were scattered in Node's wake. When Node found the nest, he fought the giant guard bees and the queen bee, and defeated them as easily as the others. As a byproduct, he obtained the bees' wings, golden honey, and beeswax. The wings were in high demand as arrow fletching, and the golden honey was a popular delicacy.

After returning, Node sold the materials and received his reward at the guild, then went home. The round trip took four days, but the battle itself only took a few hours, so most of the time was spent traveling. When Node returned home with some of the golden honey as a souvenir, he heard a cry from inside before he even opened the door. It was probably Neut, he thought, and when he opened the door, a strong impact hit his chest.

"Kyaauu!? Kyaauu!?"

The source was right on target. It was Neut. However, there was one thing Node had not expected. It was Neut's state. He was rubbing his body against Node's chest as if in a panic, but his expression was filled with anxiety, not affection.

Node asked his sister, Iris, who had been chasing after Neut, about the situation. While gently stroking Neut's deep green scales on his back, Iris explained. According to her, the cause was Node's departure. Since Node had gone on an adventure, there had been no problem on the first day, but on the second day, he searched the house for Node, on the third day, he cried anxiously, and on the fourth day, he didn't even eat. He was a bit better when Iris was with him, but he was still anxious, and then, just a moment ago, he suddenly cried and flew to the front door, and Node returned right after that.

"Brother, you must have been lonely without him."

By the time Iris finished her story, Neut had calmed down considerably, but he didn't want to be separated from Node when he tried to pull him away. So, Node entrusted the bottle of golden honey to Iris and carried Neut, who was clinging to his body with all four limbs, to his room.

That night, Node, Neut, and Iris, two people and one creature, shared a bed. The next morning, when Node, who had been haunted by nightmares again, woke up, one creature and one person were on top of him.

§

"Ahaha, that must have been tough, huh?"

"Teacher, it's not a laughing matter..."

The next day, Node was at the capital's research facility. He had come to consult about the incident where Neut had panicked after being separated from him for a few days, along with submitting his daily report on the observation diary of the young dragon.

In a room surrounded by shelves of documents in a brick building, Node was having a conversation with someone. The person was wearing a white coat. He was a man with a gentle appearance, with golden hair parted in the middle. He wore silver-rimmed glasses, which suggested he was nearsighted. He was probably around thirty years old, but his scholarly appearance, which was not sun-tanned, made it difficult for Node, who had little experience with such people, to guess his age. This person was the dragon researcher to whom Node had been reporting the observation diary of the young dragon. As a dragon researcher for the kingdom, he was working with the Iron Dragon Knights to study dragon breeding. Node had been told his name, but he usually called him "Teacher."

"Teacher, can't you do something about it?"

"Can't be helped... It's just that..."

"Can't be helped" referred to Neut. Although Neut had returned to his usual behavior after spending the night attached to Node, Node felt that he was still paying more attention to his whereabouts.

"But, it's a problem if this happens every time I go on a long trip for a request."

Node was worried about the incident from the previous day. He had not expected Neut to be so upset after just four days of separation. He had thought there was nothing to worry about because Neut had recently become close to his sister, Iris, as well as to him. But he was completely wrong.

"Well, he's still young, isn't he?"

"Yes, but..."

Indeed, Neut had grown. His body had become larger, and his training was going well, and he had started to listen to Node. He got along well with Iris, and there had been no problems even when Node left the house for half a day on weekends. That was why Node had decided to resume his activities as an adventurer on a limited basis, but now he couldn't even go far.

"Even though his body has grown, the dragon has only been born for a little over half a year. It will take two years before it can carry a person on its back. If you think about it, the dragon is still like a baby."

"..."

Indeed, if the age at which a dragon can carry a person is eighteen, then the current Neut is only four or five years old. In human terms, he is even younger than Iris, who is six years old. Node imagined his younger siblings and thought it was understandable that Neut couldn't be independent yet.

"Besides, in about a year, the dragon will grow so much that it won't be able to live in the house anymore. Then, it will naturally become more independent."

"But..."

Indeed, in about half a year, Neut's body would grow even more. If it doubled in size, it would be about the same size as Node's torso. Considering the size of its tail and wings, the Felis family's residence would be too small for Neut at that time. Therefore, Neut would have to change his living place. In that case, the new home would be the dragon stables of the Iron Dragon Knights. "He won't feel as lonely when he's surrounded by other dragons," the teacher said. However, Node continued.

"But that's half a year from now. I'm in trouble now. I can't take him on an adventure, can I?"

"Take him with you."

"Eh?"

"What's the problem?"

"......Food?"

"Just give him the prey you hunt."

The teacher looked at Node with a puzzled expression. On the other hand, Node was confused.

"Yeah, that's a good idea. I remember dragons teach their young to hunt... Node, go for it!"

While Node was still confused, the teacher, treating him as if he were invisible, continued the conversation on his own. Before Node could interject, the teacher had concluded that he should take Neut on his adventures. The teacher said, "Wait a moment," and left the room with a surprising agility for a scholar who lacked exercise. He returned in less than an hour with a document in his hand, which read, "Take a young dragon on a hunt and report on it." The document was stamped with the teacher's seal, making it an official order. Thus, the long vacation chapter begins! In reality, summer is almost over, but it's still August, so it's safe! I'll finish the long vacation story by the end of August (planned).

By the way, the author is on summer break forever. That's scary.