The Young Lady of House Valentine
Dragon.
A staple of fantasy novels—a mythical creature that, wherever it appears, sits at the absolute peak of the food chain. Gifted with unmatched magical power and overwhelming physical might, dragons regard every other living thing as little more than vermin. They are the sort of beings who love nothing more than to pile their caves high with treasure and sprawl atop the glittering hoard.
But the dragons of this world, it seemed, were a little different from the ones he knew.
If anyone ever asked whether he missed his life as a human, his answer would have been a firm no.
His family had all died in an accident when he was small. He never made any real friends at the orphanage either. The same held true once he entered society; aside from purely professional dealings, he had no human relationships worth mentioning. A doll-like existence—living without purpose or meaning, simply because he was alive.
That had been his life before he was reborn as the pet dragon of House Valentine.
“Haaaawn…”
Sprawled in the sunlit courtyard of the manor, he felt a dull stiffness in his limbs and opened his massive jaws in a yawn. When he had first hatched he had been no larger than a palm—a mere hatchling. Now his body had grown to rival that of a full-grown bear. The tiny teeth and claws that once looked like grains of rice had sharpened into lethal points, and the soft scales of his youth had hardened until even a sword would struggle to leave so much as a scratch on him.
“Krrngh…”
With a low rumble he lifted his head and checked the position of the sun. No one knew he could read a clock, so there was never one near him. The only way he could tell time was by watching the sky. It was enough to give him a rough idea, though the lack of precision still grated on him.
Judging by the sun, it was a little past ten in the morning.
About time…
Thinking that, Schwarz turned his gaze toward the entrance of the manor.
At that very moment—
“Schwarz!”
With a sharp bang the doors flew open and a young girl came racing out into the courtyard. Silver hair that shimmered like moonlight, golden eyes that sparkled like the sun itself. Wearing a smile as bright as spring sunshine, she ran straight toward him.
Seeing her, Schwarz lifted one great wing and cast a cool shadow over her, shielding her from the fierce sunlight. The girl let out a delighted little giggle—“Hihi!”—and burrowed straight into his embrace.
Her name was Milia Valentine.
The sole daughter of House Valentine, the future heir who would one day inherit the countship… and his master.
“Grrrngh…”
Schwarz gave a soft, gentle rumble and lowered his head so the little lady could lean against him comfortably.
“Thanks, Schwarz!”
Milia laughed playfully and settled her small body against his snout. Five years had already passed since he became the pet dragon of House Valentine. In that time Milia had become something like a little sister to him.
“Schwarz, did you know?”
Just then Milia lifted her head and spoke to him.
“Grrngh?”
What is she about to say this time…
A vague sense of unease prickled down his spine as he narrowed his eyes.
“They say the mountain north of the territory is full of wild strawberries!”
“Grrngh…”
Wild strawberries were her absolute favorite. And with early summer just around the corner, the hills and fields would be overflowing with them.
“So I was thinking we could sneak out tonight and—”
“Krrngh.”
Before she could finish, Schwarz snorted a puff of air and turned his head away. He already knew exactly what she was going to suggest: slipping out under cover of night to pick strawberries.
“Whyyy?! We can just go real quick and come right back! Don’t turn your head away!!”
His guess had been spot-on. Milia puffed out her cheeks and yanked on one of his horns. But the strength of a ten-year-old girl was nothing to a dragon. After a long stretch of sulking and tugging, she finally ran out of steam, panting hard as she plopped down on the spot.
“Hmph! Fine! Schwarz is a big dummy!”
“Kwuungh…”
Watching her turn away with her cheeks still puffed out, Schwarz let out a helpless little whine. Going to pick strawberries wasn’t actually that hard. Even though he wasn’t fully grown yet, carrying a ten-year-old girl through the air was well within his ability.
The real problem lay elsewhere.
The mountains are dangerous this time of year…
In a fantasy world where dragons themselves weren’t all that rare, dangerous monsters were everywhere. Even here in the Valentine Countship one could regularly encounter Green Skins like orcs and goblins, as well as beasts such as hound wolves, white bears, and king spiders. And night was when those monsters became truly active.
For Milia’s safety, Schwarz had no choice but to refuse.
“Tch…”
Of course, expecting patience from a girl who was only ten was asking a bit much.
“Milia, don’t tease Schwarz too much.”
A gentle voice drifted over as the manor doors opened again and a woman approached them. Schwarz turned toward the sound and saw a beautiful woman with the same silver hair as Milia and soft green eyes. The resemblance was so strong that he couldn’t help thinking this was exactly how Milia would look once she grew up without incident.
Her name was Melissa Valentine—Milia’s mother and the lady of House Valentine.
“Mom!”
“Grrrngh…”
Milia sprang to her feet and scampered over to throw herself into her mother’s arms. Schwarz rose as well, lowering his head with a low, respectful rumble.
“Thank you for the greeting, Schwarz. You may raise your head now.”
“Grrngh.”
At Melissa’s words he lifted his head.
“Looking at you, I really do feel as though I’m speaking to a person.”
“Kwuungh!?”
Melissa smiled faintly as she gazed at him. At the same time Schwarz felt his heart drop into his stomach and let out a startled noise. Strictly speaking, only his body was that of a dragon; inside he was still essentially human. The chances of anyone discovering that were vanishingly small, yet the world had a way of proving that nothing was absolute. Imagining what might happen if the truth ever came out, he gave a small shiver.
“Milia, by the way—what were you saying just now?”
“Hic…!?”
Leaving Schwarz to his quiet panic, Melissa looked down at the daughter still nestled in her arms. Milia flinched and peered up at her mother.
“I told you the mountains are dangerous at night, didn’t I?”
“I-I didn’t say anything!!”
Faced with her mother’s pointed questioning, Milia tried to play dumb. But parents know their children better than anyone. Melissa studied her for a moment, then smiled kindly and stroked her hair.
“Milia, you can’t always have everything you want. Sometimes you have to learn to wait.”
“Uuugh…”
Milia let out a low whine. At only ten years old, that was a hard lesson to accept.
But then—
“Instead, how about I ask Heine to bake some cookies for you today? Will that help you be patient?”
“Really!?”
Milia’s eyes lit up at once. Cookies baked by Heine, the head maid of the manor, were one of her favorite treats.
“Of course.”
“Waaah—!! Mom, you’re the best!!”
Milia cheered and threw her arms around Melissa, who smiled warmly and stroked her daughter’s hair once more.
“Kwuungh…”
Mothers really are amazing…
Watching the two of them, Schwarz rumbled softly to himself.
“Milia, the cookies will take a little while to bake. Why don’t you go for a walk with Schwarz in the meantime?”
Melissa gently set her daughter down and turned toward Schwarz as she spoke.
A walk!
Schwarz immediately rose to his feet, eyes shining with anticipation as he looked at Melissa. She returned a faint smile—an unspoken request that, having soothed Milia’s mood, she was now leaving the rest to him. Schwarz had no reason to refuse.
“Okay! Got it!”
Milia nodded and trotted over to him on quick little steps. Schwarz watched her approach, unable to hide his excitement.
“Schwarz, ready?”
“Kyauuuu—!!”
He answered with a cry full of eager anticipation. A moment later Milia laughed—“Hihi!”—and nimbly scrambled up onto his back. From her pocket she produced a leather strap and clipped it to the ring of the collar around his neck.
“All right—shall we fly?”
“Kyau!”
Schwarz nodded and rose, spreading both great wings wide. The black scales covering them glittered in the sunlight…
“We’re off!”
“Then, Schwarz—look after Milia for me.”
Melissa smiled at her daughter’s bright face and entrusted the girl to him with a quiet request.
“Kyau—!!”
With a powerful, reassuring roar that said leave it to me, Schwarz beat his massive wings.
And together the two of them soared up into the clear blue sky.