Chapter 6:
The Results of the Coming-of-Age Ceremony
THERE WERE TWENTY-OR-SO PEOPLE gathered in front of the estate—a search party, I had to assume, with my sister standing right in the middle of it just like I’d predicted.
I had Zavilia descend to a spot about fifty meters in front of them, then slipped off his back and rushed to my sister. But before I could reach her, my oldest brother stepped in front of me.
Ardio Ruud was the first son of the Ruud family and a prodigy who had joined the knight brigade at only twelve years old—my own brother was the youngest person ever to earn his knighthood. His ice-cold beauty, aqua-teal colored hair, and mastery of the blade had earned him the nickname “The Knight of Ice.”
“What’s your relation to that black dragon?” His voice was flat and emotionless.
Was he talking to me? Was I…supposed to answer?
Ever since I could remember, Ardio had been a genius determined to make it big as a knight. He only made time for things that could make him stronger, and so for the last five years, I’d been dead to him.
And now that same Ardio was questioning me.
Shoot—I’m too nervous! I’m going to bite my tongue again like last time!
I spoke slowly and deliberately, “Zavilia and I…are friends.”
All right! That answer was perfect!
No way could I admit I’d made a familiar pact with a legendary-class monster. If I did, I’d definitely slip up at some point and say, “Oh, it’s because I’m actually a saint! Tee-hee!” or something like that. And they definitely wouldn’t believe some passing dragon had decided to give me a ride out of the kindness of his heart. My answer was perfect! Aw yeah, go me!
While I was internally patting myself on the back, Zavilia turned his huge head away and sighed.
Ardio raised an eyebrow. “Only powerful monsters have names. And names serve as a direct link to their power, so they conceal them from all but those they pledge their service to.”
“H-huh? Really? Um…oh, ohhh, you know what? Um, I met Zavilia’s master and happened to hear them say his name. Yep!”
“If that was the case, you would have died thirty seconds ago. Monsters never allow those they don’t approve of to speak their name.”
Holy moly, really? That was an elite knight for you—knows everything about monsters and sharp as a tack. There was no way I could talk my way out of this, so…maybe I could just change the topic.
I thrust the magic stone I collected into my brother’s hands. “Check out the stone I got for my coming-of-age ceremony!”
He looked at the magic stone, five centimeters in diameter, and narrowed his eyes.
Oh no. I remembered that face from when we were all kids. He only made it when he was about to scold or lecture me.
From behind him, my brother Leon hysterically exclaimed, “What the heck is that huge magic stone?! It’s gotta be from at least an A-rank monster!”
Ardio looked at me with narrowed eyes and spoke with a deliberate, flat tone—he only acted like this when he was furious. “Most monsters are ranked on how difficult they are to slay, from lowly H-rank all the way to A-rank. But rarely, an S-rank is given, and an SS-rank is even rarer. That black dragon you brought along is an SS-rank. Even with a three-hundred-strong force of the strongest brigade captains and the most elite knights, I wouldn’t be confident of victory against it.”
“H-huh? I thought dragons were only as strong as a hundred normal knights.”
“Normal dragons, yes. But a black dragon is an ancient and superior race, incomparable to such creatures.”
“Ohh.”
“Furthermore, the size of a magic stone is proportional to the strength of the monster. Only A-rank monsters, requiring a squad of fifty knights to defeat, give this size magic stone…and you expect me to believe that you defeated one?”
“I-I’m sorry!” I exclaimed. Yeah, I had to come clean. No way an ordinary person like me could ever pull the wool over the eyes of a genius like him…
I bowed far enough to hide my face and admitted everything but the part about being a saint. “So, um, I found an injured black dragon in the forest that had reverted to an infant to heal. I thought it was a baby chick and used the healing potion I got from Oria to heal it and, as thanks, it made a familiar pact with me. But then I got tired, so I spent the night in the forest, and it turned out that Zavilia had killed the monsters that appeared overnight. That’s how I got the magic stone. I’m sorry for lying!”
Leon looked bewildered. “You made…a familiar pact with the legendary black dragon…?” he muttered.
“Did you just call me a baby chick? Me, the Black Dragon King?” Zavilia muttered as well, even more bewildered.
“Your story is full of holes,” said Ardio casually. “Healing potions are nowhere near as effective as an ancient dragon race’s natural recovery—and yet the black dragon felt indebted enough to form a familiar pact with you?” He’d argued me into a corner like it was nothing.
Shoot—why does this genius have to be so pushy? Or is that just what geniuses are like? Cold sweat dripped down my back…
Then, my sister literally stepped in to save me, pushing past my brothers and making her way to the front. She slowly turned to face everyone present as she spoke. “Regardless of how, Fia has clearly made the black dragon her familiar. Any monster defeated by her familiar counts as a monster defeated by her. Everyone, this coming-of-age ceremony is over!”
“Huh?” Ardio began. “Sister, that’s not the point of contention here—”
Oria cut him off and gave me a little push. “Look at you, Fia, you’re a mess. Your hair’s all disheveled, your face and clothes are covered in monster blood… Go wash up, okay? And everyone else, thank you for coming! Fia’s back safely, so you may disperse!”
It was actually my own blood, but I wasn’t about to correct her on that.
Realizing I forgot to thank Zavilia for flying me here, I turned back and met his eyes.
He bent down next to my ear and whispered, “If anything happens, call for me. I’ll be able to hear you from anywhere with the pact.”
The legendary, ancient Black Dragon King—the very same creature that took a bite out of my shoulder and flank, nearly sending me to the afterlife—was nose to nose with me. Though there was still part of me that was nervous about that, I didn’t feel nearly as scared of him as I did before.
“Thank you, Zavilia. I’ll see you later.”
I didn’t realize it then, but over the course of my past life and my current one, Zavilia was the first monster I ever befriended.