Chapter 41
The next morning, I waited excitedly for Zabiria to wake up.
Zabiria seemed to be a restless sleeper. They always climbed into bed with me, but by the time they woke up, they’d somehow gotten out from under the covers and were breathing softly on top of my stomach.
They slept wearing their Blue Dove outfit, so I thought it might keep them somewhat warm. But was it really all right for them to spend every night outside the covers? I worried they might catch a cold, so last night I made them a warm outfit of their own.
I could hardly wait to show it to them.
As I watched Zabiria, willing them to wake up soon, they shifted on my stomach.
Then they rubbed their head against my stomach.
Hehe, I wonder what they’re dreaming about...
After watching them for a while, Zabiria’s eyes suddenly popped open.
Then they noticed me watching and spoke to me.
“Good morning, Fia. What’s wrong?”
“Hehe, Zabiria. Even though it’s spring, the mornings and evenings are still chilly at this time of year. Have you been having any trouble with the cold?”
“...As your obedient familiar, I suppose I should say that I’m cold... But I already have that wonderful Blue Dove transformation set you made for me, don’t I? Greed will be your downfall, so maybe I should be content with what I have?”
“Oh, Zabiria, how humble and modest of you! But you know, good fortune has always been drawn to just that kind of humble attitude!”
“...I see. That makes sense. I was mistaken, wasn’t I? ...The answer was already decided, wasn’t it? And no matter what I said, the outcome wouldn’t change?”
As if giving up, Zabiria let their head flop onto the covers and wagged their tail.
“Yay, yay! I was just thinking it was a little chilly. I wonder if there’s some way to warm myself up...”
They sounded a little like they were reading from a script, but they’d given me the answer I wanted, so I decided to be satisfied.
“Hehe, Zabiria! Actually... Ta-daaa! I made a warm outfit just for you!”
Proudly, I showed Zabiria what I’d made last night.
“...Um, is that a downgraded version of your Blue Dove gear?”
“No, it’s a warm outfit for you. I made it so you can put it on over your regular outfit when you’re cold.”
I spread out the warm outfit in front of Zabiria so they could see it clearly.
“Look, I sewed Blue Dove feathers onto the blue fabric. I used the leftovers from last time, though, so there aren’t many and it’s a little sparse. But I doubled up the fabric to make up for that.”
Then I explained the hole for the tail, which was the outfit’s unique feature this time.
“So, like I said, I originally made this so you could wear it over your regular outfit to keep warm when you’re cold. But I had a reason for using Blue Dove feathers. I put a hole for your tail in the outfit. If you put your hand in here, ta-da! You’ve got a Blue Dove puppet!”
I slipped my hand inside the outfit and wiggled it. The hood looked like a head, making it seem as though there were another Blue Dove.
“Hmm... Maybe it would’ve been better to focus on making it a warm outfit. When would you use that puppet?”
“Well, maybe when you’re feeling lonely, Zabiria? Also, I made a friend in Charlotte. She’s a child, so I thought she might like something like a stuffed animal.”
“Right, that makes sense. Someone her age might like stuffed animals. But, Fia, when you show it to Charlotte, I think you should start by explaining that it’s a puppet and a warm outfit modeled after a Blue Dove. If you show it to her out of the blue, she might not recognize it as a Blue Dove.”
I see, I see. Explanations are important.
I put the puppet on my left hand, then picked Zabiria up and held them in front of my chest.
“I’m meeting Charlotte when I give out the healing potions this morning, so maybe I’ll show it to her then. But first, I should go to the Fourth Monster Knight Order commander’s office...”
When I woke up, it occurred to me that I should report the current situation to Deputy Commander Gidion for now.
...The deputy commander must be curious about how the work he assigned me is going, right?
The time I’d arranged to meet Charlotte was still a little way off, so I headed to the Fourth Monster Knight Order commander’s office first.
I knocked on the commander’s office door, and a voice gave me permission to enter.
“Excuse me.”
When I opened the door, I saw Deputy Commander Gidion sitting rather sloppily in his chair. Deputy Commander’s Aide Patty stood beside him, holding some documents.
“Good morning, Fia. What brings you here?”
Patty noticed me and called out.
“Good morning, Deputy Commander’s Aide Patty. I’m here to report that I was able to give the familiars their healing potions yesterday without any problems.”
“That’s wonderful. Actually, I was worried that this might be difficult work for someone who wasn’t used to it, so yesterday evening I sent a few knights to check on you. They reported that it seemed you’d already given healing potions to all the injured monsters, and I was impressed. As you’d expect from a knight recommended by the First Knight Order’s commander—you’ve done excellent work.”
Patty smiled and praised me.
As I started to open my mouth to reply, Deputy Commander Gidion gave an exaggerated snort.
“Hmph. Must be nice to get praised just for giving monsters healing potions. Meanwhile, something unexpected happened, and I’ve barely slept at all, while the esteemed First Knight Order knight gets to take it easy.”
Oh, he’s in his usual foul mood.
“Good morning, Deputy Commander Gidion. I’m sorry to contradict you, but I didn’t get much sleep last night either. I was making a warm outfit by hand so my adorable familiar wouldn’t catch a cold. Hehe, I’m sure someone as high-ranking as the deputy commander of the Monster Knight Order can understand this overflowing love for my familiar.”
“...I’ve known for ages that your familiar’s attached to you! Hmph, that part of you isn’t bad. But the fact that you’re going around proclaiming it yourself makes it obvious you’re trying to curry favor with me, and I don’t like it! Learn to stand on your own!”
“Ehhh? Isn’t that a bit biased? If one of the Monster Knight Order’s knights said the same thing, wouldn’t you praise them and say, ‘It’s good to dote on your familiar’?”
I couldn’t help arguing back, and Deputy Commander’s Aide Patty gave a little snort of laughter.
“Hehe, that’s true. I recently heard the deputy commander say something similar to one of the knights. Wasn’t it when that knight was doting on their familiar more than usual and bragging about it?”
Deputy Commander Gidion glared at Deputy Commander’s Aide Patty, but Patty coolly met his gaze.
After a brief silence fell, someone knocked on the commander’s office door.
“Come in!”
After the deputy commander gave permission, the door opened from the outside.
And standing beyond the open door was Cyril, commander of the First Knight Order.
His uniform, white with black accents that signified trustworthiness and integrity, was dazzling—an outfit only deputy commanders and those above them were permitted to wear. Beneath the sash marking his rank, his epaulets and aiguillettes sparkled.
The uniform clothed his well-proportioned physique, and Commander Cyril stood with perfect posture, giving the impression of a capable, high-ranking officer.
Hmm... From an outsider’s perspective, Commander Cyril really is someone of consequence.
When Deputy Commander Gidion saw Commander Cyril, he hurriedly rose from his chair.
Seeing this, Commander Cyril stopped him with one hand and smiled pleasantly.
“I’m sorry to intrude so early in the morning. I don’t have anything in particular to discuss; I just stopped by to check on how the knights are progressing, so please don’t mind me.”
Then Commander Cyril turned to me and smiled.
“Have you gotten used to the Fourth Monster Knight Order? And how is your work progressing? I came to check, since depending on how things are going, I may have you return to the First Knight Order sooner.”
“My progress?”
I thought it was so considerate of him to keep track of me even after I’d left his order, and paused to think.
“Well, I’ve been giving the injured familiars healing potions since yesterday, so I think they’ll all be better by tomorrow...”
Commander Cyril looked puzzled at my answer.
“What are you talking about? I sent you to the Fourth Monster Knight Order so you could quantify the monsters’ vitality. And yet you’ve been giving healing potions to monsters?”
“Huh? Oh, right. The whole reason was to quantify the monsters’ vitality. Um...”
Deputy Commander Gidion had turned down the idea of quantifying the monsters’ vitality when we first met, hadn’t he?
But if I said that, wouldn’t Deputy Commander Gidion get scolded by Commander Cyril?
Hmm... Maybe this is one of those times when I should change the subject?
“Um, you asked whether I’d gotten used to the Fourth Monster Knight Order, right? I was able to bring my familiar here, and Deputy Commander’s Aide Patty has been very kind...”
“Fia, I’ll hear what you have to say later.”
Commander Cyril cut me off mid-sentence and turned to Deputy Commander Gidion.
Then, still wearing a calm expression, he addressed him.
“Unfortunately, it seems one of my knights hasn’t even started the work I assigned her. Do you know why?”
“Uh................”
Deputy Commander Gidion seemed shaken by the unexpected question and unable to come up with an answer. His mouth opened, but no sound came out.
Commander Cyril stared at Deputy Commander Gidion for a while, then tilted his head as if growing impatient with the lack of response.
“Is she neglecting her duties of her own accord, or is someone in the Fourth Monster Knight Order interfering with her actual work?”
Commander Cyril paused and looked at Deputy Commander Gidion, but when the silence continued, he went on.
“...Either way, Gidion, you’re currently in charge of this Monster Knight Order. If there’s disorder in the work being done here, it’s your responsibility to set things right, isn’t it? Now, tell me, the one in charge: which is it? What’s the reason my knight hasn’t followed my orders?”
“Ah................”
Commander Cyril paused, folded his arms lightly, and looked at Deputy Commander Gidion as if waiting for an answer.
When Deputy Commander Gidion still failed to say anything meaningful, Commander Cyril looked at him in dismay, then continued as though he’d just remembered something.
“Oh, that reminds me. I heard you shouting outside the door earlier. Who were you speaking to?”
“Uh................”
“Were you shouting at your aide here? Or, surely not, were you making those sorts of threats against one of my knights? If so, just what kind of terrible mistake could my knight have made?”
“H................”
Deputy Commander Gidion opened his mouth several times as if to say something, but only breath escaped him in stuttering gasps. No meaningful words came out.
Commander Cyril patiently waited for Deputy Commander Gidion to speak, but when it became clear that no answer was coming, he gave a small, resigned smile.
Then, still smiling, he lifted one foot just a little and brought his heel down hard on the low table beside him!
Crash! The low table split in two with an awful sound.
“...Wha—?! Huh?!”
Deputy Commander Gidion gaped in shock and stared at the low table.
Well, of course he did.
Commander Cyril had barely raised his foot. How could he have destroyed a table by bringing his foot down from such a low height?
Still smiling, Commander Cyril approached Deputy Commander Gidion, grabbed him by the front of his shirt with one hand, and pulled him close enough for their faces to touch. Then he spoke, his smile still cold.
“I’m the commander of the First Knight Order, and I personally selected and sent this knight here. Are you treating her with contempt? Do you want to be punished for dereliction of duty? Or would you rather I crush you right here?”
His smile was frightening precisely because his features were so handsome. Or rather, the most frightening thing was that he had both the authority and the physical strength to carry out the threats he was making.
Deputy Commander Gidion’s face went deathly pale as he squeezed out a reply.
“I-I, I...”
Even from a little distance away, I could see Deputy Commander Gidion’s teeth chattering uncontrollably.
...Yeah, this is fear.
No wonder Commander Cyril had made it all the way to the head of the foremost knight order. He had an overwhelming presence.
And the fact that he had the strength to back it up made it all the more terrifying.
His immense authority, which let him handle most things as being within his jurisdiction, was another reason to fear him.
I’d been watching from a distance as if it had nothing to do with me, but Deputy Commander Gidion looked so pitiful, trembling without being able to utter a word, that I began to feel sorry for him.
Hmm... Deputy Commander Gidion had made plenty of snide remarks at me, so I didn’t like him. But I didn’t dislike him either...
When it came to insults, he was nowhere near as bad as Leon-nii-san, and when it came to malice, he was nowhere near my brothers in my previous life. Either way, he wasn’t much of a villain.
Besides, there was no question that Commander Cyril and Deputy Commander Gidion were on completely different levels.
This was like watching an adult bully a child.
I let out a sigh.
It couldn’t be helped. I’d step in to help Deputy Commander Gidion, even if I didn’t really want to. Just as I thought that, the door opened with a click.
I turned around reflexively and saw a knight I’d never seen before.
I tilted my head, wondering who he was. The moment Deputy Commander Gidion saw the knight, his whole body relaxed with relief.
“...C-Commander Quentin!”
Maybe because his throat was being squeezed, only a hoarse whisper came from Deputy Commander Gidion’s mouth.
As if reacting to Deputy Commander Gidion’s voice, the knight called Commander Quentin glanced at Gidion.
Then he looked over at us.
―――The commander of the Fourth Monster Knight Order was a large knight with dark skin and raven-black hair.
The moment I saw him, I thought of a sleek, large black predator.
Yeah, this one’s a beautiful beast too...
As I watched admiringly, the large knight pushed back his curly hair and twisted his expression.
“Give me a break. ...I was gone for a little while, so why are there two disaster-class monsters in my office?”
As he spoke, Commander Quentin watched us from a cautious distance.