Fourth Monster Knight Order (6)

Let's see... Is this the familiar stable?

I stopped in front of a separate building next to the Fourth Monster Knight Order's quarters.

I looked around and spotted what seemed to be the caretaker's office, so I knocked on the door.

"Hello! I'm Fia Rudo. Starting today, I'll be in charge of tending to the injured monsters!"

The door opened right away, and a burly man in his late forties came out.

"Ah, so you're the one. Deputy Captain's Aide Patty told me about you. Well, I'll show you around the familiar stable right away."

With that, we went inside the familiar stable together.

Inside was a spacious rectangular room with a high ceiling.

Cages stood in three rows, each holding a single monster.

"This is the largest room, and it houses monsters ranked D and below. The room next door is for C-rank monsters, and the one beyond that is for B-rank monsters. The rooms past those are empty."

The caretaker continued, looking amused.

"All the monsters look scary, don't they? But you'd be surprised—they can be lonely or clingy, and it's quite something. When a monster calls for its master, the master comes running right away. See? There are a few knights by the cages now, aren't there?"

"Oh, how cute."

Sure enough, several knights were in the room, talking to the monsters inside the cages or petting them.

But among those stern-looking knights, I noticed a girl in a white robe.

"Who is that girl?"

The caretaker narrowed his eyes and said, "Ah..."

"She's a Saint. Only members of the Fourth Monster Knight Order and Saints are allowed inside the familiar stable. The knights of the Fourth Monster Knight Order come to care for the monsters they command, and Saints come to heal them. But she's the only Saint who actually visits here."

The petite Saint was staring intently at a monster in one of the cages.

She looked about seven or eight, with an adorable face and orange hair that fell to her shoulders.

I was curious about her, but the caretaker was still explaining things, so I focused on what he was saying.

"Your job is to give healing potions to the injured monsters. One bottle lasts about three days, so when you run out, go to the Saint again to get more."

Oh, so I don't have to go get more every day.

But will a bottle this small really last three days? Maybe there aren't many injured monsters?

"That's a healing potion for humans, so you have to dilute it tenfold before using it on monsters. Monsters heal quickly on their own, after all. You can tell which ones are injured by the red cards in the nameplates on their cages."

Now that he mentioned it, each cage had a plate about twenty centimeters square attached to it. The bottom section listed the monster's name, its master's name, and a little other information.

The upper section was designed to hold several cards.

"Put the healing potion in one of the dishes here, then slide it through the feeding slot of a cage with a red card. That should be all there is to it. But the hard part starts after that."

The caretaker sighed and gestured around at the monsters' cages.

"Each monster has been told by its master to drink the healing potion. But the potions taste awful, and the healing process hurts, so they aren't exactly eager to drink them. Almost all the monsters get hostile. So you have to stand right in front of the cage and keep saying, 'Drink it. That's an order from your master,' until the monster finally drinks the potion."

"...I see."

After saying that, the caretaker scratched his head vigorously, then continued with some hesitation.

"...Sometimes the monsters refuse to listen. They seem to judge the person in charge of the healing potions by their appearance, so usually the most intimidating-looking knights in the Fourth Monster Knight Order take turns doing it, but..."

I see. That's why Deputy Captain's Aide Patty tried to object when I was assigned to handle the healing potions.

It must take a lot of courage to speak up against your superior, the deputy captain, and yet she tried to stick up for me. She's a really good person. All right, I'll take especially good care of Patty's familiar.

I thanked the caretaker for explaining everything and parted ways with him. Then I got right to giving the monsters their healing potions.

Looking around again, I saw all kinds of monsters inside the cages.

"Let's see... This room only has monsters ranked D and below, right?"

I looked around for cages with red cards in them.

"Oh, that's a Violet Boar."

I peered into the cage with a red card and saw a boar-like monster inside. It must have been injured recently; blood was seeping through the bandages wrapped around its belly.

"I hope you get better soon."

I spoke to it as I slid in a dish of healing potion.

In an instant, the monster kicked its forelegs into the air, rose onto its hind legs, and began threatening me.

"Grrrrrr!!"

Then it rushed close enough to slam into the cage, baring its tusks and growling nonstop.

"Go on and drink it. It doesn't taste good, but it'll heal your injury. Your master will be happy to see you back on your feet, too."

I looked it in the eyes as I spoke.

But the monster only opened its mouth wide and clacked its teeth at me.

...This is a problem. What should I do?

It has a wound on its belly, and getting worked up isn't good for it either.

As my impatience got the better of me, I pushed the dish farther in toward the monster. Then one of its tusks, thrust through the bars, scraped the back of my hand.

Oh, no. I got a wound that'll heal in one second...

As I gazed at the aggressive monster, unsure what to do, Zabiria popped their head out.

"Fia, can I help?"

"Huh? Oh, sure?"

I answered without thinking, then wondered how they could possibly help.

Zabiria bared their teeth and made a sound by breathing out.

"Hssssssss..."

The instant the monster heard that sound, it stopped threatening me. Then it walked right up to the dish and quietly began drinking the healing potion.

"Huh? Why?! Zabiria, can you control monsters?"

I was so surprised that I blurted out the question.

"No, I can't do that. It's a warning sound. The sound I make is unusual, so I think it works on most monsters."

"Wow, that's amazing! You're like the king of monsters, Zabiria!"

I meant it as a compliment, but Zabiria's body tensed up with a start.

"...Yeah. I'm sorry. I'm not a king yet."

"Oh, no, I only meant that you seem like a king, and that it suits you! It's okay if you're not one!"

"...Fia, do you want me to become king?"

Zabiria asked, keeping their eyes lowered.

"Hmm..."

I looked at Zabiria again. Beneath the fluffy blue feathers, their blue eyes gazed straight back at me.

"Zabiria is cute, strong, kind, and wonderful... Yeah, the way you are now is more than enough for me! ...And becoming king isn't something you can just decide to do... If you're meant to become king, the opportunity will surely come, and you can decide what to do then."

"...Yeah. Thank you, Fia."

Zabiria rubbed their face against me, seeking affection.

Oh, they're just so adorable.

"All right, let's get the rest of the familiars to drink their healing potions, too."

Just as I was saying that to Zabiria...

"...Um, Sir Knight."

I heard a small, adorable voice.

I turned around to see the young Saint standing there with both hands clasped together.