The next morning, I woke up feeling refreshed.
I tried to push myself up, but then I realized that a smaller Zavilia was sitting on my stomach, and I stopped, just raising my head.
...Zavilia's exquisite weight felt comfortable, and as I was staring at him, wondering if that's why I was able to sleep soundly, Zavilia woke up immediately and nuzzled his head into me.
Well, he's so cute, I couldn't help but smile.
"Ah, the king of dragons is a spoiled brat! That's fine, I'll keep this spoiled habit a secret between us." (Fia)
Zavilia let out a playful laugh when he started a conversation about the Black Dragon King and his maid.
"Hmm, it won't hurt. I'll spend the rest of today on Fia's shoulder as a small child." (Zavilia)
"Yeah! What about in front of the other dragons?" (Fia)
At Zavilia's one word, I forgot my role and looked at Zavilia in confusion.
"Isn't a king supposed to be a dignified figure? It would be a waste if he became small and perched on my shoulder." (Fia)
"Hehe, there's no dragon here who would look down on me just because of the appearance. Even if there were, that dragon just doesn't have the eyes to see." (Zavilia)
"Hmm, but I think everyone would be surprised what happened if Zavilia, who was bigger than anyone else, suddenly became smaller and landed on my shoulder." (Fia)
"Okay, let's try it." (Zavilia)
After such a simple conversation, it was decided that Zavilia would stay small for the rest of the day.
Now, when it came to Zavilia, you wouldn't know if you ran into trouble later.
I glanced at Zavilia sideways to show my disapproval, but Zavilia seemed unaware and jumped onto my shoulder as I finished changing.
I had no choice but to leave the cave and walk to an open area.
I met various dragons along the way, but as soon as they saw Zavilia resting on my shoulder, their entire bodies stiffened and stopped moving.
...Oh, just like Zavilia said, even the small Zavilia seems to be quite impressive.
Having acknowledged that Zavilia was right, I honestly express my defeat.
"King Dragon has arrived."
"Hmm, I'll forgive you. Because I like Fia." (Zavilia)
"Ah, what about the king? He must have been the type of king who was too pretentious to say such things to a mere maid." (Fia)
While having such a conversation, we arrived at the dinner venue last night. Captain Curtis, Green, and Blue had already woken up and were sitting on logs used as chairs.
"Good morning, Fi... Ah!?" (Blue)
Blue was about to say hello calmly, but when she saw Zavilia on her shoulder, his expression changed to one of shock.
"Ah, I heard that the black dragon is an ancient species that is the only one in the world, but...is this the child of Lord Black Dragon?" (Blue)
Blue's ideas were so interesting that I couldn't help but gush.
"Pfft, that's an interesting idea, Blue! Well, it turns out that this black figure, who you thought was a king, is not a king at all, but a baby. It's certainly a cute figure that lacks in power, but... hehehe. Oh no, Zavilia is being mistaken for a baby!" (Fia)
I couldn't hold back my laughter and Zavilia answered with a clear expression.
"That's fine. As long as my cute Fia enjoyed it, I'm satisfied." (Zavilia)
"Pukukuku, Zavilia is really good at playing the role of a king with that floating feeling." (Fia)
I said that and laughed along with Zavilia.
Unlike Green and Blue, who stared at us in shock, Captain Curtis got up from his seat, looking tired.
"Good morning, Lady Fi, Lord Black Dragon. I'm glad you both slept well." (Curtis)
There was something about Captain Curtis's phrase that caught my attention, and when I looked at his face, wondering if he was the leader, I saw dark circles under his eyes.
"Well, Curtis didn't sleep much? He was the sensitive type who had trouble sleeping when he moved to different places." (Fia)
Or maybe the cave Captain Curtis was guided through was uncomfortable?
If that was the case, then I was wondering if I should have replaced Zavilia since his bed was so comfortable, but Captain Curtis shook his head as if to deny it.
"No, there's no need to worry. I was reminded of a lot of things last night, and I just missed the timing to go to sleep." (Curtis)
"Huh?" (Fia)
Even if something happened to Captain Curtis, he hid it to avoid worrying, so even if he said he was fine, we didn't know if it was true or not...
Even though I thought so, he didn't look terribly sick, so I couldn't pursue it any further and sat down on an empty log.
While drinking the water that was casually served to me, I asked Zavilia a question that had been on my mind for a while.
"By the way, what kind of training does Zavilia give to the dragons?" (Fia)
Actually, I wanted to know what Zavilia wanted to do on this mountain, when it would end, and when he would come back to my side, but I felt like asking him directly would be forcing his feelings too much on him. I decided to ask him in turn, pretending to be nonchalant.
Zavilia let out a small laugh and made a happy sound.
"Hehe, Fia is interested in me. That's right, there are many different types of dragons. Also, each type is good at different things, so first of all I'm gathering dragons and teaching them how to take advantage of their characteristics in group activities." (Zavilia)
"I see. But considering they came from so many different places, they all get along really well." (Fia)
I continued speaking while remembering the scene yesterday where I was taught that each type of dragon lives in a different place, and was shown around the habitats of the dragons.
I thought it was a strange sight to see red dragons and blue dragons bathing together and making their roosting environment comfortable.
Zavilia nodded in agreement with my words.
"Originally, dragon species have a habit of forming flocks, so it doesn't seem like they're particularly repulsed by different species. They seem to have naturally learned to work together by hunting monsters for food together. But...in the first place, the reason I wanted to become the Dragon King is because there are many monsters that swarm around me, so I don't want to lose to them through the power of numbers. I think the best thing to do is to learn how to work together." (Zavilia)
It was true that there were many monsters that flock together, I agreed with Zavilia's words.
What was difficult was not only when monsters of the same species that usually work together attack in groups, but also when monsters of different species that live separately come together only in battle.
"I think monsters that attack in tandem are certainly troublesome. By the way, when you do battle training, do you envision a specific monster as the enemy?" (Fia)
"Well, for especially troublesome monsters like Fenrir that form large groups, I guess we have a way of fighting them in advance. For other higher-ranking species, we have a way of fighting planned out regardless of whether they form in groups or not. Well, the most troublesome being among monsters is... without a doubt, it's the demon." (Zavilia)
One word fell smoothly from Zavilia's mouth.
Even though those were Zavilia's words uttered without any real intention.
"...!" (Fia)
The moment I heard the word "Demon," my whole body froze with fear.
Author's Note
Thank you always for reading!
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