I Couldn't Become a Knight, But for Some Reason, I'm Beloved by Dragons - Chapter 33: I Can Hear Everything

Chapter 33: I Can Hear Everything

“Keep up the good work, Dragon Handler Xeno.”

“Thank you very much.”

Today is payday, so the leader gathered all the dragon handlers in the conference room to hand out their pay as compensation for their work. 

This moment is when a person’s heart leaps the most while working. 

As everyone receives their bags filled with gold coins and express their joy, I also received a bag from the leader and feel excited.

(…But, they still boast about how much they got paid.)

Among the dragon handlers, there are those who get carried away and pick unnecessary fights with people like me and Rito, but they nod at each other happily while showing off their bags to each other.

Generally, aside from special allowances, dragon handlers’ salaries are mostly the same… That’s why I absolutely never talk about salaries with people like them.

“Okay then, let’s dismiss, and take care of the dragons today as well.”

With the leader’s words, we all started to move in our own directions. 

I tried to head towards Runa immediately, but I was bothered by someone whispering something annoying next to me.

“I bet the Queen’s attendant must be getting paid a lot, huh? It’s unfair that just by taking care of the same dragons, the amount of pay is different, right?”

“…”

The dragon handlers are said to be a bridge between humans and dragons, according to the Lichter-sama. 

Many us take pride in our work as a dragon handler, but there are still some who view their fellow colleagues as enemies, like the person who just spoke.

(Wait, isn’t this guy the one who…)

Looking at his face, I remembered. 

I only associate with good friends who are also dragon handlers, so naturally, I don’t know much about those who try to pick a fight like me. 

However, I remember that the leader was planning to fire him soon because he has a bad relationship with the dragons.

“He should have started with good intentions… It’s only natural that knights have better salaries than dragon handlers, but dragon handlers also make a decent amount. Perhaps when they have more disposable income, they become more arrogant.”

Fortunately, he also knows the terrifying nature of dragons. That’s why he doesn’t dare to challenge them or complain, but the backlash ends up being directed towards us humans.

“Heh, how much did you get paid? Actually, why don’t you switch places with me and let me take care of the Queen?”

“I refuse.”

Well…there are good things and bad things to say. 

In the first place, I became Runa’s partner because of Lichter-sama’s orders, and even without that, I have no intention of leaving Runa’s side. Even if this guy is a terrible person, or even if he’s someone who excels as a human being, I have no intention of giving up this position.

“Is that all? Then I’m going.”

“…Tsk.”

I don’t know if he was waiting for me to argue back, or if he just wanted to have a verbal fight, or maybe he thought I would really give up my position… I don’t know which one it was, but my reaction was apparently not amusing to him.

“... sigh.”

After parting with him, I breathed a sigh of relief. 

To be honest… I’ve had to be more careful lately, even though I know it’s unavoidable. 

It’s about Runa, and recently I’ve had a sense that something is connecting me and Runa. The cause is undoubtedly Runa’s bodily fluids flowing through my body, and she herself said that there was no doubt about it.

“I’ve always been able to sense things about Xeno, but now I can sense you more than ever. Even if it’s faint, I can tell if something happens to you. When your heart is hurt, it becomes a raging flame of anger that makes me furious.”

In other words, if the exchange earlier resulted in me getting hurt… there is a possibility that Runa’s flames, like they did back then, could have engulfed him without any warning.

As I mentioned before, I don’t really care what happens to anyone other than my close associates, so I don’t really have any thoughts about that guy… but well, if he had tried to lay a hand on me or something, Runa’s anger would have exploded without question.

“… But does she surprisingly know what we talked about?”

Thinking about such things, I returned to the world of dragons and headed for Runa. 

And then, she had red eyes that were already red… as if the flames of crimson were burning.

~That guy said something that really irritated me. Where is he and what is he doing? Oh, I see, should I ask the dragon he’s taking care of?~

“That’s enough, Runa.”

I called out to her to calm down. 

As expected, it seemed that Runa even heard our conversation, and her eyes clearly showed the will to kill him. 

While dragons aren’t necessarily hot-tempered, as I mentioned before, when it comes to their truly beloved ones, dragons will quickly show their anger.

“Calm down, Runa, that doesn’t matter.”

“…Muu.”

Runa’s anger was terrible, but I’m used to calming her down. 

While holding her in her human form, if I gently stroke her head, she quickly forgets about that guy and her mood improves. 

However, it’s becoming a bit of a problem recently, as with just one of my emotional movements, it seems like someone could die in an instant.

“Dragon love is great and heavy.” 

“You accepted it, didn’t you? Don’t say that now… But, even so, I love you for accepting me.”

Laughing at me for bringing it up now, I continued to hold her for several hours. 

And later, I was summoned by Lichter-sama and Marianna-sama.”