This was the worst-case scenario. The most consistently over-the-top dragon lover in the nation, the one and only Elrand, was on his way here. Willem had dropped that bombshell of a revelation on me at dinnertime, but the gluttonous quartet had been too focused on their food to actually hear it, so the responsibility fell to me to break the news to them after we’d all finished eating.
Now that Elrand had entered the picture, I recalled something that he’d said to me back when I told him that we were going to the oceanside town of Berléand. I’d offered to catch a sea serpent for him, and he’d responded that he’d rather I bring him a leviathan, noting that he’d be over the moon to butcher one of them. In retrospect, it wasn’t surprising at all that he’d flown out the door the second he heard that I’d actually gotten my hands on one.
Fel and Sui more or less brushed the news off, which wasn’t surprising since Elrand had never done anything in particular to offend the two of them. Gon and Dora-chan, on the other hand, scowled like they’d never scowled before, and Dora-chan actually let out a shriek of horror. They really, really, really didn’t like that guy, which, to be clear, was totally reasonable on their part.
Unfortunately for them, I could also understand why we’d need him if we wanted to get that leviathan butchered. It was technically a type of dragon, after all, and while his dragon obsession did border on the brink of perversion, he was also almost obnoxiously good at his job. He would’ve been an incredible asset if it weren’t for the fact that he only ever applied his talents to work that he was personally invested in. He could butcher a whole normal-sized dragon on his own, and I could personally attest that he had all the expertise of a true professional...which actually made him more obnoxious, in a backward sort of way.
“You must resign yourselves to what is to come. Your suffering is the price that must be paid for the leviathan’s meat,” Fel said to Gon and Dora-chan. He seemed to have reached the same conclusion about Elrand’s undeniable skill as I had. Gon and Dora-chan weren’t happy to hear it, and spent a good while moaning and groaning, but in the end, the thought of eating leviathan meat won out against the thought of having to deal with Elrand’s antics again, if only by a narrow margin.
“It’s a cruel choice we’ve been forced to make, but I see no other path forward,” Gon admitted with a look of resignation.
《I really, really, really hate to say it, but it’s for the leviathan. No other choice,》 Dora-chan admitted as well, hanging his head as he said it. 《Oh, but don’t let him anywhere near me,》 he added.
That’s gonna be a tall order... “I’ll do my best, but the guy’s like a cockroach. There’s just no getting rid of him sometimes.”
Especially when dragons are involved. It’s honestly unbelievable how stubborn he gets when one of them enters the picture. I’ve never met an elf that was harder to handle, seriously. Just knowing that he’ll be here soon is making me worry all over again.
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Three days after we learned that Elrand was on his way to the capital, Gon and Dora-chan were in a state of melancholic resignation. They’d been spending more and more time moping around the house, heaving heavy sighs on a regular basis.
“I wish you two would stop that,” I said after a particularly loud synchronized set of sighs. “You’re making me depressed, at this point.”
“How very easy that must be for you to say, my liege,” Gon muttered.
《Right?》 Dora-chan agreed. 《It’s hard not to sigh when you know you’re gonna have to see that guy soon...》
Those two really do despise Elrand, don’t they...? I guess it’d be hard to not hate someone who was that obnoxious about loving your whole species. I’d been doing my best to cheer the two of them up—or at least, I thought I had, anyway—but to the two of them, this was apparently a big enough issue that no amount of cheering up would make up for it.
《Gon, Dora-chan, are you okay?》 Sui asked, reaching out with a pair of tentacles to pat the dragons’ forelegs.
Aww, you’re always so nice, Sui! For just a moment, it felt like the scene was turning into a heartwarming one.
“The human is right. I am used to Gon being a shameless braggart and Dora being ceaselessly loud. It feels unnatural when your behavior changes.”
Seriously, Fel?! You could’ve picked literally any other way to say that!
“Who are you calling a braggart?! You’re far more shameless than I could ever be!”
Honestly, I’ve gotta agree with that. Fel had been with me the longest of any of my familiars, and I was very used to his attitude by now, so I could say with confidence that he was the most shameless by far, both in our group and out of all the people I’d met in general.
“Hey. Why are you nodding?”
A very large paw came to rest on the top of my head. My gesture, it seemed, hadn’t escaped Fel’s notice.
“Wha— Hey!” I yelped. “My head isn’t a footrest, thank you very much!” And sheesh, of all the times for you to actually pay attention to me!
Fel did not move.
“Uhhh... Hey, are you listening?! Kinda feels like you’re pushing harder!” And you’re strong enough that I might end up a few inches shorter if you keep that up!
“Hmph!” Fel grunted as he turned his head away from me.
Dora-chan, who’d been glaring at Fel for some time now, let out another lengthy sigh. 《Well, excuse me for being loud! Friggin’ sheesh,》 he grumbled listlessly.
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