I Couldn't Become a Knight, But for Some Reason, I'm Beloved by Dragons - Chapter 02: Meeting

Chapter 02: Meeting

“… I’m bored.”

“…”

As I muttered to myself, Luna stirred behind me. When I turned around, she was looking down at me with her red eyes, as if to say that just being by her side was work in itself.

“Haha, I know. But compared to my previous task, this one is too easy.”

As a dragon handler, my job is to take care of dragons. This includes managing their health and well-being, as well as attending to their daily needs. At least, that’s how it should be.

When I was taking care of two dragons before, they were so mischievous that I was always busy with them. Even cleaning up their waste was quite a task.

(… I said something insensitive earlier and upset Luna, but she really doesn’t defecate, does she?)

I have never seen Luna defecate.

Perhaps because she is the queen of dragons and a female with a certain level of communication ability, so maybe she is embarrassed. However, she is still different from other dragons.

In the first place, her way of taking care of herself and her daily routine are completely different.

“Alright, there, there. I’m right here with you.”

“…”

She, Luna, just wants me to be by her side no matter what. Other dragon handlers might see this as slacking off from work, but well, this is my current job.

“… Is something wrong?”

Luna stares at me intently.

I leaned my back against her curled-up body, and we both felt comfortable being in each other’s presence.

“…Should we take a nap like this? …And you want me to skip work again today?”

I voiced what I was thinking and Luna nodded.

It seems like she still hasn’t had enough sleep, and she opened her arms as if inviting me into her embrace.

“Okay, okay. I understand.”

As it seems she wants to take another nap.

Luna is an overwhelmingly powerful dragon compared, but she has a cute side to her that likes to be pampered.

For example, when I stroke her face while hugging her from behind like this…

“…”

I stayed still for a while longer, until I heard Luna’s breathing become steady.

Then, I gently moved my face away from hers and leaned my back against her again.

“… Fuwaa”

As I was doing this, I started to get sleepy as well.

Although I’m in the castle, nothing has changed, this is a paradise for dragons that could be considered a different world… The air is clear, the sunlight is pleasant, and it’s a world where creatures can live freely.

“Guess I’ll take a nap too… Sweet dreams, Luna.”

“…”

No dragon except for Luna is allowed to approach this temple area. That’s why it’s so quiet that you can’t even hear the other dragons’ cries, except for her presence.

Then, I spent time with Luna, and it was time to go home.

“Well then, tomorrow’s a day off, so see you the day after tomorrow.”

Luna becomes in a bad mood if I try to leave even a little during work, but even if I tell her we won’t see each other tomorrow, there doesn’t seem to be a significant drop in her mood. In fact, when I see her happily wagging her tail, I wonder if she dislikes me, but it doesn’t seem to be the case.

“Hmm?”

Luna approached me, so I thought it was a signal for that thing and offered her my cheek. After she licked my cheek with the tip of her tongue, she curled up again and bid me farewell, seeming satisfied.

“… Phew.”

After returning from the world of dragons, I praised myself on another day’s work.

“Good work, Xeno. Was the queen mad at you?”

“She was, a little, but she quickly became happy after that.”

“Is that so? Well, that’s good.”

Rito, a colleague, is a particularly close friend among my colleagues. We talk about how dragon handlers like us are looked down upon by knights and important people, but some of my colleagues also dislike me a little because I’m in charge of Luna, which is considered special.

“Oh, isn’t this Xeno, who’s been favored by the queen?”

“…”

And that’s how some people come and bother you.

Even among dragon handlers, my salary is higher because I am in charge of Luna, which may be why I am resented like this.

(It’s really only a small number of people, but still…)

It’s still a hassle.

“I’m telling you to stop doing that. I heard you almost let the dragon you were in charge of escape. First, you need to reflect on your own work, before criticizing others.”

“You…!”

After clicking his tongue at Rito’s words, the guy glared at me and left.

“Thanks.”

“It’s all good. Don’t worry about what others say, Xeno.”

“I know.”

As expected of a handsome guy, always reliable.

“It’s about time for your child to be born, right? I’ll prepare a gift or something.”

“Don’t worry about that. But well, yeah, I’m looking forward to it.”

With his good looks, Rito already has a wife and a child on the way. While I do have aspirations for marriage, I plan to focus on my work as a dragon handler for a while, so it’s probably not possible for now.

“I love talking with you, you know?”

When I thought about marriage, a certain girl came to mind, but I shook my head.

After parting ways with Rito and returning to the inn, I had dinner made by the old man and then lay down on the bed. I’ve been renting this inn for several years now, but no matter how much I thank the old man who told me to treat it like my own home, it will never be enough.

“Really, I’m so blessed.”

I have received many things from both dragons and humans. I truly cherish all of them.

▼▽

Now, my way of spending holidays is special.

If I don’t go to Luna’s place, I usually wander around the castle town or hang out with my colleagues like Rito… but today, I have a promise with someone.

“… She hasn’t arrived yet, huh.”

I arrived at a spring in the forest away from the royal capital. There is generally a danger of monsters when leaving the capital, but there are no wild monsters here, including in this forest… that’s because there is a Dragonis nearby, which means there is a dragon here.

“It’s still such a beautiful place…”

While I was gazing at the surface of the crystal clear spring feeling relaxed,

“Guess who~?”

I was suddenly blindfolded from behind, and a voice as clear as glass resonated in my ears. I didn’t try to shake off the hand that blindfolded me and just chuckled, wondering if there was any meaning to that question.

“Of course, it’s you. We’re the only ones who come here on this day.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

So I called out her name.

“Runa.”

“Correct♪”

As I turned around, there was a beautiful girl standing there.

She had long, beautiful silver hair and her red eyes were as beautiful as rubies… and she had a body with curves that could captivate any man in this world.

“It’s been a week. How have you been?”

“Everything’s going smoothly. I’m working as a dragon handler without any restrictions.”

“I see. Good to hear.”

She clearly didn’t seem like an ordinary person… It was precisely because of her stunning beauty that one could believe she was a member of the royal family, so I came here again today to meet her.