I Couldn't Become a Knight, But for Some Reason, I'm Beloved by Dragons - Chapter 14: Heading to the Academy

Chapter 14: Heading to the Academy

“Oh, the leader is joining us as well.”

“Yeah, in case there’s a problem.”

On the day we were heading towards the Royal Academy, I was surprised to see that the leader was accompanying us.

Well, I knew someone would be accompanying us, and since I was called by the academy, it would be troublesome if something happened.

However, I couldn’t imagine anything happening with this group.

“Lena, Kia, are you guys nervous too?”

“…”

“…!!”

The two dragons that could be considered my partners for the day seemed to be stiff with nervousness since we met.

These two should not feel nervous in general, but there was a reason for this situation.

“… Because of Luna, right?”

When I mentioned her name, the two dragons stiffened even more. The threat seemed to have had a considerable impact, as Lena and Kia, who were both subordinates and family to the dragon queen, were feeling pressured.

“…What’s wrong?”

For the leader, who didn’t know the truth, their behavior must have been puzzling.

I told him what had happened, and then approached the two dragons and started stroking their cheeks with my hand.

After a while, their tension seemed to ease, and Kia, who was mischievous yet affectionate, rubbed her cheek against mine.

“Good girl, good girl.”

The two dragons, darker than the night, are said to be scary among dragons due to the color of their bodies, but to me, they were cute.

But… Why do I feel like I’m being watched with a sharp gaze as I show affection to Kia like this?

“…?”

When I turned around, I could only see the leader, but when I looked back, Lena and Kia seemed to be curling up their huge bodies, as if using me as a wall. I thought that maybe Luna was watching from somewhere, as they trembled in fear, but such a thing was impossible.

“Xeno, the representative is waiting for you. It’s time to meet him.”

“I understand.”

Despite being worried about the strange behavior of Lena and Kia, it was time for me to attend to my duties today.

I had already arrived at the Royal Academy, but it seemed to take some time due to various announcements and notices to the students from the academy.

After waiting for a while, I was informed that the representative had come to greet me, so I left the two dragons with the leader and headed towards him.

(…The Representative, huh. I wonder what kind of student he is.)

The only thing I know is that he’s a high-ranking noble. I just hope he won’t be a troublesome student.

However… it turned out that such worries were unfounded.

“Nice to meet you! I’m Michael, the student representative for this term!”

“Oh, um… nice to meet you. I’m Xeno, a dragon handler… nice to meet you too.”

What is this overwhelming brightness…?

He was a handsome guy who reminded me of Rito, a friend of mine. However, he was the son of a high-ranking noble who held a considerable position in this Dragonis.

I hadn’t had many good encounters with nobles before, but he was looking at me with such pure friendliness.

“I didn’t have a chance to interact with dragons last time, so I’m really happy to have the opportunity now!”

“Is that so…?”

“Oh, you don’t have to use formal language with me. You’re older than me, right? Please call me Michael!”

So, I nodded and decided to address him without honorifics. Michael, who had been unusually high-strung since meeting me, quickly calmed down.

“I-I’m sorry… I got a little excited.”

“Do you really like dragons that much?”

“Yes! They’re so cool, don’t you think?”

“Yeah I agree.”

Ohh, this is an unexpected development.

“I come from a family of knights who want me to become one too. But…I actually want to become a dragon handler if possible. My father always gets angry and tells me things like ‘What nonsense, how can a nobleman’s son become a dragon handler?’”

“I see.”

I knew that there were some nobles who wished to become dragon handlers, but I never expected a high-ranking noble like Michael to say it out loud.

“I have a high aptitude as a knight, and I can use some powerful magic as well. But I don’t really like fighting… That’s why I think being a dragon handler, spending time with the dragons I love, would be better. In the end, I’ll probably still become a knight, but I’ve come to accept that as long as I have the opportunity to interact with dragons, that’s good enough for me.”

Michael smiled as if he had come to terms with it, but I felt a sense of familiarity with him, who had said that dragons were cool.

I told him to rely on me for the rest of the day, and he nodded with a refreshing smile.

“Well then, I guess we should go.”

It’s not a particularly difficult task. Just talk about how I usually spend time with the dragons and what kind of existence they are from the perspective of a dragon handler… I hope it’s that simple.

▽▼

“Hey, what kind of guy do you think is coming?”

“I don’t know. But my dad said that dragon handlers are just people who take care of dragons. That’s all they’re good for.”

“Sounds about right. Why do we have to listen to someone like that anyway?”

That was a conversation among the students who were about to hear Xeno’s story.

Since Michael wasn’t there at the moment, there was no one to reprimand them, but some students who had received a proper education were giving harsh looks to those who looked down on dragon handlers.

“Hey, stop that.”

“Yeah. My father said that dragon handlers are the ones who connect humans and dragons, and shouldn’t be made fun of.”

“That’s right. I’ve heard a lot about how important dragon handlers are.”

Despite their words, the disrespectful students’ thoughts didn’t change.

“Shut up. Well, I don’t plan on back off… Haha, but if you go against me I’ll have a dragon carry you away and crush you?”

“That sounds good! Let’s do it!”

Well, they’re at the age where they want to act tough.

However, they would be terrified by the bond between dragon handlers and dragons, as well as the terrifying nature of dragons.

“Oh, they’re here.”

Not only the tough students, but also the others couldn’t make a sound unnecessarily.

In the center of the plaza was not only Xeno, but also two black dragons by his side, as if it were natural. The dragons seemed happy to be with Xeno, wagging their tails, but they also instinctively felt the intimidation they emitted.

“…”

Someone gasped. And they thought to themselves —why can they easily touch such terrifying dragons? In a sense, Xeno himself was feeling a sense of fear.

“Oooooh!! Dragons with jet-black scales! So cool!!”

Only Michael’s tension was skyrocketing.