"Oh, Fi, Lady Fia!" (Quentin)
After parting ways with Charlotte and walking for a while, I came across Captain Quentin again. Captain Quentin's hair was damp, as he had apparently just taken a shower. It seemed he had changed into his captain's uniform, as his knight's uniform, which had looked damp and worn out a moment ago, now looked crisp.
By the way, I heard that Captain Quentin was on a long expedition, so I wondered if he came to check on Vice Captain Gideon and the others right after he returned. If so, he's a very caring captain.
"Where are you going to, Captain Quentin?" (Fia)
I asked, looking up, and Captain Quentin pointed to a building a short distance away.
"Um, well, I hadn't had a proper meal for a while, so I was hungry. So, I'm going to the dining hall..." (Quentin)
"Oh, what a coincidence! I'm having lunch now, you know. Would it be okay if we go together?" (Fia)
"Huh?! Y-You're with me? ... Y-You know, if you don't enter the tiger's cave, you don't get the tiger's cub, but... no, in the first place, is she a tiger's cub? A dragon? No, since she's controlling a black dragon, she's surpassed a dragon. Ah, or rather, I wasn't given the choice to refuse in the first place..." (Quentin)
Captain Quentin muttered under his breath, then gave a forced smile.
"Of course, Fia. It would be a great honor." (Quentin)
Perhaps because of the time difference, the dining hall was sparsely populated, but those who noticed Captain Quentin all looked at him in surprise and greeted him.
Wow, apparently he's a celebrity.
When I returned after choosing the food I wanted, Captain Quentin was already standing next to my seat.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting." (Fia)
As I said this, I took my seat, and Captain Quentin also sat down in his chair.
Wow, a gentleman! I found a gentleman who doesn't sit down in his chair before the ladies!
However, when I saw this gentleman's plate, I was puzzled.
"Huh? Why is there only water? You said earlier that you were hungry, right?" (Fia)
"Haha, to be honest, I'm pretty nervous right now, and I'm embarrassed to say that I can't even eat." (Quentin)
"Yes, I understand. Captain Quentin was away on a long expedition, right? When you're under stress for a long period of time, your body can remain tense for a while even after you return to your daily life, right?" (Fia)
"Hahahahaha... haaah." (Quentin)
For some reason, a dry laugh and a big sigh came in response.
Hmm? It seems like you have a different way of thinking than me. It'll probably take me some time to understand your words and actions.
As we began to eat, Captain Quentin kept glancing at my left wrist. He seemed to be worried about something, but whenever I looked at him, he quickly looked away, so I was not sure what.
"Captain Quentin? Are you concerned about my left wrist?" (Fia)
As I spoke, I extended my left hand towards the captain.
"Huh? Ah? Is it okay if you show it to me?" (Quentin)
"Yes? There's nothing particularly strange about it. Ah, there is some evidence of familiarity, but it's something you're used to seeing, right?" (Fia)
Captain Quentin went silent and started staring intently at my wrist. He turned my arm over and stretched the skin around the area, looking very serious.
Ah, I know. I feel the same way when it comes to healing magic. Hehe, Captain Quentin is a comrade in a way, right?
Feeling a sense of affinity and kinship, Captain Quentin let out a deep sigh from the bottom of his heart.
"Wow, this is the first time I've seen such a wonderful sign of familiarity! It's a perfect single line, without any breaks at all!!" (Quentin)
Captain Quentin rolled up the left sleeve of his captain's uniform up to his elbow and held it out in front of me.
"Look! This is proof that I have a familiar! It was when 80 knights surrounded an A-rank monster and made it my familiar." (Quentin)
Captain's left arm had a diagonal line that looked like a snake wrapped around his wrist and elbow. It started out about 3cm wide and was more than double that at the elbow. It was hidden by his captain's uniform, but the evidence seemed to continue above his elbow. The crucial evidence was that even when viewed from a distance it looked like scaly scales, completely different from mine which was connected into a single line.
"Ha, ha, I thought it was only natural that the certificate be this long, since I was subjugating an A-rank monster, but when I saw yours, it just seemed so ridiculous. What's with this thinness?" (Quentin)
Captain Quentin muttered carelessly.
"Just one lap. And only one millimeter. And yet, there's no gap at all. It's complete subjugation." (Quentin)
As he spoke, he pressed his large body flat against the table. Then he started muttering things like "ahh" and "already". After enjoying his own world for a while, Captain Quentin sat up and grabbed my left hand with both of his hands.
"Just tell me what you can answer! If the proof is this complete, just tell me how much the familiar will resonate with you! Just tell me what you can talk about, please!!" (Quentin)
The captain's face was completely straight, and his seriousness was clear. Yeah, I got it. He had become the captain of the Monster Knight Order, after all. He must have more knowledge and interest in the mechanics of monsters and familiars than anyone else. But that's not enough, and he was overflowing with the desire to know more and more...
"Well, it was by chance that I was able to make this child my familiar, you know. By chance, he was seriously injured and was close to death, so I healed him. After that, he proposed to become my familiar, and even made a contract with me. That's right, according to his species, if one's life is saved, they will offer their life to the person who saved them." (Fia)
"Even if it is just an infant, I can't imagine a situation in which your familiar would be injured to the point of near death! And then you healed it?! This individual has the highest self-healing ability, and has managed to heal an incurable wound through external influence?... No, I can't understand anything of it with my common sense." (Quentin)
Captain Quentin propped himself up on one elbow and ran his hand wildly through his hair.
"So then? How's the synchronization going?!" (Quentin)
"Synchronization? No matter how far apart we are, he comes when I call him. He listens to everything I say, and even if I don't say it, he acts according to my wishes as if he can read my mind. He makes his own decisions and acts in a way that doesn't put me at a disadvantage. Also... we only just started being together recently, but sometimes he acts as if he knows about what happened while we were apart, huh..." (Fia)
Captain Quentin, who was listening to me, looked as if something had just occurred to him, and snapped his fingers.
"I see! So, it was the one who appeared, tearing through that space! However, the details of the synchronization are still unclear... Damn, Lady Fia is so powerful that he probably isn't very interested in even a familiar like this. Lady Fia, if you don't mind, would it be okay if I asked your familiar some questions directly? Of course, you'd only need to answer as much as you can!" (Quentin)
"Huh? Oh, I'll listen, okay?" (Fia)
When I called Zavilia, who was in his usual place in my uniform, he popped his head out from around my neck. With only his head sticking out of the uniform, he glanced at Captain Quentin, then slipped out of the uniform and sat on my lap.
"My familiar's syrinx was injured, so his cries are distorted and sounded like human speech. I heard that from Patty. Please try speaking in a broken voice!" (Fia)
Captain Quentin spoke frantically, his face frantic.
Hmm――? ...Has something been revealed?
I stopped petting Zavilia and looked intently at Captain Quentin. Captain Quentin looked back at me with a serious expression.
...Maybe Captain Quentin knows that Zavilia isn't what he appears to be, that he's a powerful monster? I don't think he knows that it's a black dragon...huh? But he has mentioned words related to black dragons like it appeared by tearing through space and an infant.
Hmm...? If I thought about it, Captain Quentin was the captain of the Monster Knight Order, so he had access to more detailed information about monsters than anyone else, right? If he combined all that information, I wondered if he'd realize that Zavilia was a black dragon? And if he did notice, would it be better to play dumb here, or show him my hand and ask for his advice?
I glanced at Captain Quentin, but he just stared back in silence, so I didn't know what the answer was.
As I was thinking about this, suddenly an idea came to me.
Yes. Maybe Captain Quentin's silence was the answer? Even though I had hinted at it so much, I hadn't specified that it's a Black Dragon, so I wondered if it's better not to make it clear. If we both acknowledged that it was a Black Dragon, neither of us would be able to move forward. By clearly stating my knowledge, I would be obligated to report it, and my actions would be restricted.
I see, Captain Quentin! In keeping with Captain Quentin's policy, I will not accept that I'm not being asked! No matter how close it is to black, grey is grey and not black. The important thing here is that it is not black, right!
I smiled at Captain Quentin.
"If this child wishes to answer, I'm sure he will say what he likes. If there's anything you'd like to ask, please feel free to ask." (Fia)
Upon hearing what I said, Zavilia looked at Captain Quentin with an annoyed look on his face.
"What do you want to ask me?" (Zavilia)
"Yes, yes. First of all, I am extremely honored to hear your voice, Familiar. Your voice is, how can I describe it, like the sound of an angel playing a trumpet in the sky, or the sound of a mermaid jumping in a spring in the middle of the desert..." (Quentin)
"Yeah, I have no idea what you're trying to say. I have no intention of making pointless conversation with anyone other than Fia, so could you get straight to the point?" (Zavilia)
When Zavilia interrupted Captain Quentin with a look of annoyance, Captain Quentin, who had been leaning forward, hurriedly straightened up.
"Yes, excuse me! May I ask about the relationship between Familiar and Lady Fia?" (Quentin)
"My relationship with Fia is super-hot, you know. It's what you call complete subjugation. For example, our life force and magic are completely connected. It's one-way from me to Fia, but when Fia's life force and magic decrease, it will flow from me. So, Fia won't die unless I die, and Fia won't run out of magic unless I run out of magic. I can be with Fia until the moment I die." (Zavilia)
"Pffft――――t!" (Fia)
Hearing this surprising story, I couldn't help but let the water come out of my mouth.
Unfortunately, the water flew off and hit Captain Quentin squarely in the face, but he didn't seem to mind and just waited for Zavilia's next words.
"N-no, Captain Quentin, please take some care of your soaking wet head. T-towel, towel—!" (Fia)
"Lady Fia, I'm sorry to be ignoring your kindness, but please leave me alone. More importantly, Familiar, what a wonderful story! Is such a thing possible? But if it's a one-way street, does that mean that neither life force nor magic can flow from Lady Fia to Familiar?" (Quentin)
"Unless it's intentional... Conversely, Fia's actions, thoughts, and feelings flow to me, no matter how far apart we are. I need to understand the position my master is in and the feelings she has towards those around her in order to decide how I should act." (Zavilia)
"Pffft――t!!" (Fia)
Once again, an unexpected conversation came up, and while I was drinking water to calm down, I ended up bursting out laughing again. And, as expected, the water poured down on the head of Captain Quentin, who was leaning forward in front of me.
"T-Twice! I'm so sorry! This time, I'll give you a towel—!" (Fia)
"Lady Fia, this is an important point so please leave it alone. But Familiar, this is a hard story to believe. So even if you are far away, you are able to know everything about how your contractor is acting, what they are thinking at the time, and the feelings they have towards the person they are facing?" (Quentin)
"No, on the contrary, I would like to ask you, without doing that, how can you be considerate of your master's feelings? Something like, 'This guy Gideon who just spoke so rudely, should I kill him? Or should I kill him a little?'" (Zavilia)
Upon hearing that, Captain Quentin suddenly stiffened and burst out laughing in an unnatural, high-pitched voice.
"G-G-G-Gideon? By coincidence, we also have a vice-captain with the same name." (Quentin)
"You're not an idiot, you know that. I'm talking about that damn Vice Captain, you know" (Zavilia)
"I-I see! You're talking about our damn Gideon. I'm so sorry! I sincerely apologize to Lady Fia for his rude words!!" (Quentin)
As Captain Quentin said this, he bowed deeply.
No, no. There is absolutely nothing wrong with Captain Quentin! So please lift your head! Having a renowned knight, Captain, bow to you in public will attract far too much attention. Look, everyone has stopped eating and is looking at you in shock!
As I panicked, trying to find a way to get him to lift his head, someone tapped me on his shoulder like a savior.
"So, this is where you were, Quentin. Let's go."
At the sudden intruder, Captain Quentin blinked several times as if waking from a dream, then looked up at the knight who had tapped him on the shoulder.
"Ah, huh? Ah, that's right, it was a meeting of the knight captains." (Quentin)
Then Captain Quentin hurriedly stood up, but then looked back at me and Zavilia, as if reluctantly leaving.
"Fi, Lady Fia, I apologize for the rude request, but if you have time, would you be so kind as to accompany me?" (Quentin)
"Huh? If you don't mind me." (Fia)
As I stood up to answer, the knight put his hand on Captain Quentin's shoulder and, as if noticing me for the first time, stared at me in surprise.
"Isn't it Fia? What are you doing?" (Desmond)
"...Hello, Captain of the Second Knight Order, Desmond. It's been a while." (Fia)
I smiled and greeted Captain Desmond, who had come to call Captain Quentin.