As expected, about 20 people were gathered near the entrance. They were probably my search party. I could see my sister in the middle.
When a black dragon descended about 50 meters ahead, I hastily jumped off its back and ran towards my sister.
However, before I could reach her, my older brother stepped in between us.
Ardio Ruud.
The eldest son of the Ruud family, he was a genius who joined the Knights at the youngest age of 12.
With his sharp, handsome looks, ice blue hair, and sharp swordsmanship, he had earned the nickname "Ice Knight" at the young age of 23.
"What is your relationship with that black dragon?" (Ardio)
He asked in a flat voice that was completely devoid of emotion.
…Eh? You're asking me this.
I guessed it's okay for me to answer that.
Ever since I was little, my genius brother Ardio had been greedy to become a strong knight.
He spared no effort in becoming stronger and didn't seem to want to waste time on anything else.
So, from a certain point on, Ardio could no longer see me.
In fact, maybe he could see.
But he never made eye contact with me or spoke to me.
I no longer existed in Ardio's world.
It's been that way for the last five years.
I made eye contact with him and he asked me a question!
This was bad, I was sure I bit because of nervousness.
I spoke cautiously.
"...Zavilia and I are friends." (Fia)
Ok, that's a perfect answer!
If I were to honestly answer that I had made a familiar pact with a legendary magical beast, I'd definitely be asked how I'd done that.
Then I felt like I'd be forced to confess something like, "Actually, I was a saint."
But having said that, it would also be unnatural to say, "It's just a black dragon passing by."
That's a nice middle answer. Well done, me!
While I was congratulating himself, Zavilia turned his face away with a sigh.
Ardio-san raised one eyebrow and spoke again.
"...Monsters only have names if they are strong enough. A name is directly linked to its power, so monsters keep their names secret. A monster will only reveal its name to a contractor who is willing to be its enslaver." (Ardio)
"Huh? Is that so? ... Ah, well, I was with Zavilia's contractor just now, and he called out its name, so I happened to hear it and found out." (Fia)
"No one is allowed to call out that name unless they have been given permission directly by the monster. If anyone utters that name because they heard it nearby and saw it, they will be torn to pieces that very moment." (Ardio)
……it's bad.
As expected of a genius and highly respected active elite knight.
He had an incredible amount of knowledge about monsters and spoke very logically.
I was going to lose. This was definitely a losing battle.
...At times like this, all I could do was boldly change the subject!!
"It's the 'Coming of Age Ceremony'! I've retrieved the magic stone! Please check it!" (Fia)
Saying that, I forcefully placed the magic stone in my brother's hand.
When my brother saw the magic stone, about 5 centimeters in diameter, his eyes widened.
...Ah, what?
From my childhood memories, when Ardio made this expression it was when he was giving me a lecture.
Behind me, the second son, Leon, was shouting in a crazy voice.
"Huh? What's with that ridiculous size? Only an A-class monster could produce that!" (Leon)
Brother Ardio looked at me with half-closed eyes and began to speak with emphasis.
This was a habit he had when he was angry.
"Monsters are classified into ranks, A-rank through H-rank, based on how easy they are to defeat, with rank A being the most difficult. To be precise, above A there are S and SS ranks, and the black dragon you are leading is an SS rank. It determines whether it can be defeated by multiple Captains and 300 elite knights." (Leon)
"...Eh? Wasn't the dragon subjugated by 100 mid-ranking knights?" (Fia)
"That's true for basic dragons. However, black dragons are an ancient species and a higher class. They are different from normal dragons."
"...I-I see." (Fia)
"And speaking of magic stones, the size of the magic stone is proportional to the monster's strength. Magic stones of this size can only be obtained from A-rank monsters. A-rank monsters are at a level where a team of 50 knights can finally defeat them. Are you telling me you got this magic stone all by yourself?"
"………………I'm so, so sorry!!" (Fia)
It's impossible. This is impossible. I have no choice but to apologize honestly!
There was no way an ordinary person could stand against a genius.
I lowered my head as much as I could so as not to look at my brother, and told him everything except the part about being a saint.
"I found an injured black dragon in the forest. It had turned into a baby to heal its injuries, so I thought it was a bird chick. I used a healing potion my sister gave me, and it healed, and then it was grateful, and we made a familiar contract. I was tired, so I spent the night in the forest, and a monster appeared during the night, so Zavilia defeated it. I took the magic stone from that monster. I'm sorry for lying!" (Fia)
"You have a familiar contract, you know. With the legendary Black Dragon King..." (Leon)
Brother Leon muttered in a daze.
"CHICK? DID YOU SAY BIRD CHICK? ...ME, THE BLACK DRAGON KING?" (Zavilia)
Zavilia muttered, looking even more dazed.
"At first glance it sounds logical, but it's full of holes. There's only so much that can be healed with a mere potion. Compared to the healing powers of the ancient dragon species, it's only a tiny amount. And yet, did the black dragon feel so indebted to you that it would make a familiar pact with you?" (Ardio)
Brother Ardio continued to pursue me with a complete composure.
Oh no, things are getting chaotic.
Or rather, this genius was persistent. No, was it this persistence that allows him to arrive at the correct answer?
As usual, it was my sister who saved me when the unpleasant sweat began to trickle down my back.
She pushed her older brothers aside and came forward, then began speaking while looking around at everyone.
"In other words, Fia made a familiar contract with the black dragon. If that's the case, then the monsters that the familiar defeated can be considered as having been defeated by Fia. Yes, the 'Coming of Age' ceremony has been completed!"
"...Huh? Well, that's true, but that's not the point..."
When Ardio-san stopped him from speaking, my sister pushed me from behind.
"Fia, you're a mess. Your hair is a mess, and your face and clothes are covered in blood. It's disgusting to see a monster's blood splattered on you. Go wash it off. Okay, everyone, thank you for coming! Fia has returned safely, so let's disband!"
No, this isn't monster blood, it's my own blood.
I thought that, but I kept quiet because I knew it would cause a lot of trouble if I said it aloud.
There were times in the world when the truth was not necessary.
I remembered that I hadn't thanked Zavilia for sending it to me, so I turned around and our eyes met.
"IF YOU NEED ANYTHING, JUST CALL ME. WE HAVE A CONTRACT, SO I CAN HEAR YOU NO MATTER HOW FAR AWAY." (Zavilia)
A legendary ancient Black Dragon King. The one who ate my shoulder and flank, and drove me to the edge of the underworld.
But strangely, I no longer felt scared of Zavilia at all.
"Thank you, Zavilia. See you later." (Fia)
...I realized later that Zavilia was my first monster friend, including in my previous life.