Approaching from the side, the Elfera was noticeably calmer. There was some flaring of breath through its nostrils, but at least it wasn’t trying to kick anymore.
I gently laid my palm against its side and patted slowly. With my other hand, I reached toward its face so it could take in my scent.
Frrrrh, frrrrh.
The Elfera snorted softly, confirming me through smell. After letting it adjust for several dozen minutes, I slowly draped the blanket over its head.
“Easy, there. Good. I’m not here to hurt you. I’m here to help.”
Once its vision was blocked, it seemed to relax; the kicking stopped entirely.
I moved slowly, stroking the Elfera’s right hind leg. Soft hair slipped beneath my palm. Seeing no particular reaction, I shifted to the left side.
The moment my hand touched, the leg flinched. A clear pain response.
Thankfully, there was no heat against my palm. That meant no inflammation, no internal bleeding.
“Let’s try walking a little.”
“K-Ceryl, what are you—”
“Quiet, and stand back.”
I loosened the leather straps binding its ankle, one by one. I didn’t stop murmuring whoa, easy, good the whole time, keeping my movements slow.
After directing Kallen to block the stable entrance, I opened the gate. Holding the strap around its muzzle, I guided the Elfera forward. Its hooves clattered lightly as it followed.
“Good. No kicking. Okay?”
With no trained handler on hand, I wasn’t planning to push my luck. Leading a wild horse could easily cost you three ribs.
But there were no sedatives here. No anesthetics. And above all—no X-ray.
Even flipping through piles of printed sheets in school, I never missed my laptop. Even dragging myself up and down a five-story basement for Varen, I didn’t crave an elevator.
But right now? I missed modern equipment to the point it hurt. Diagnosing an injury through sight and palpation alone was no simple task.
At least it was a horse. During university, when everyone avoided large animals for their internships, I had volunteered at the racehorse farm simply because it was close to home.
There were so few veterinarians specializing in equines that even short-term interns were thrown straight into field work.
I suffered for two months. Who knew it would pay off in a world like this.
Without X-ray, the next most accurate diagnostic method was gait assessment. Watching the horse walk and identifying abnormalities.
The problem: someone other than me had to lead it.
“Kallen, what were you feeding the Elfera?”
“You told us to stop giving hay to the monsters, so... I gave it rye porridge.”
“...Great.”
So the ones who should be eating hay weren't given any. Amazing.
Since we didn’t have a trained handler, food was the best way to motivate it. I scanned the stable for hay—none. Then remembered my emergency stash.
Strawberries I'd brought for Rami. The moment I pulled the pouch out, Rami popped his head from my other pocket, flapping indignantly.
“Sorry, I’ll get you more later.”
I whispered so Kallen wouldn’t hear. Rami stiffened his tail and let out a dissatisfied little hhngh, but curled back into the pocket anyway. Truly the best lizard in the world.
I placed a strawberry in my palm and offered it. The Elfera sniffed slowly, then flicked it up with its tongue. Sticky saliva coated my skin.
“Kallen, come here. You’ll use this to lead it. Walk from here to there, slow, so it follows.”
“M-me?”
“Who else is here? Don’t yell. Stand beside it and walk slowly.”
I placed two strawberries in Kallen’s palm. The Elfera’s head followed immediately.
“K-kya!”
“Shh. You’ll scare it.”
“I’m scared!”
Honestly.
I positioned myself deeper into the stable. Once I signaled, Kallen began walking, and the Elfera followed, tongue flicking toward the strawberries.
“Aaah—aaah—mother save me—”
She yelped at every step, but she managed. Her grip on the strap was firm.
Her unexpected competence caught my eye for a moment, but I lowered my position, watching the leg instead. It was time to pull up the old racehorse database.
The left hind leg trembled faintly. When it placed weight, it only skimmed the ground. No heat—so not muscle or tendon. Joint range was intact.
So the issue was bone. But where? Toes, ankle, knee, thigh. I traced the muscle line carefully. The pelvis shifted slightly to one side with each step.
A bone affecting pelvic movement. By process of elimination, the diagnosis was clear.
“Femoral fracture. I need a splint. Bring wide lumber and some cloth for binding. And stop by the kitchen—grab carrots while you’re at it.”
“Hh—here—take th— kya!!”
Kallen had paused to listen—and the Elfera had enthusiastically licked her entire palm, then crunched both strawberries.
Kallen shrieked, clutching her saliva-coated hand.
“A m-monster... it licked me!!”
“Quiet. You’ll startle it. Also—did you wash your hands?”
Seeing her scrub her soaked hand on a filthy apron made me wince. I took the strap from her and gently stroked the Elfera’s forehead.
“Baby, don’t just lick anything you see, okay? That’s unsanitary.”
Frrrrh, frrrrh.
The Elfera snorted pleasantly, swishing its white tail like a silk broom.
***
Setting a splint on a large monster with no proper tools took a long time. The wood had to be recut repeatedly, the cloth wrapped and unwrapped several times. Only after the fifth attempt did it hold securely.
Treatment that began around noon finished near late night. Kallen, exhausted from constant tension, stumbled off to her quarters saying she might faint.
But my day wasn’t over.
I had already spent the previous night cleaning the underground chamber, so my whole body felt like lead. But I still woke Rami, stole the keys again, and packed what food I could.
I took half the carrots Kallen brought. Judging by its teeth, the dragon was carnivorous, «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» but lizards like carrots, so maybe dragons did too. A flimsy hypothesis, but hope was hope.
After changing, showering, gathering the food, and sneaking the keys, I arrived in front of the underground chamber just before dawn.
The air was clear now—no need for mint leaves. The Silentra plants had been working nonstop.
“Hey. Did you sleep alright? Not hungry?”
My body felt heavy, but my mood was good.
A life where I treated unicorns by day and visited dragons at night. Felt like I’d done well for myself.
“It was busy today. Do you know Elfera? The horned horse? Its hind leg was hurt—could’ve ended up crippled.”
.......
“Good thing I caught it early. A horse that can’t run on the plains... that’s too sad, right?”
I chatted lightly, hoping to break the silence.
But whether his mood had changed overnight, or he was sulking over the lack of salmon, the dragon stayed completely silent in the darkness.
Carrots probably wouldn’t entice him. Still, I rolled one inside.
“I ran out of fish yesterday, sorry. Do you... not eat plants at all?”
.......
“Just try it. It’s cool and sweet. It’s good.”
A large shape shifted. I pressed my face close to the bars, squinting, but couldn’t see.
Judging from the rustle, he had moved his tail. Maybe he grabbed the carrot with it. That adorable, plump tail...
...Lies.
“...Huh?”
The dragon spoke abruptly. The word hung strangely.
Did he mean the carrot being sweet was a lie?
“It’s not a lie. Just try it. I picked one that’s—”
Lies.
My chest tightened.
He was the only monster who could speak. But speaking meant nothing if we couldn’t communicate.
And yes—maybe I survived by improvisation, tricks, and even theft among humans.
But I had never lied to a monster.
“What lie did I tell.”
I didn’t bother to hide my irritation. Chains rattled.
It’s dawn.
The words made no sense. We were five floors underground. No windows.
I can read the time from the movement of air.
He spoke again, almost as if he’d read my confusion.
I blinked. He called me a liar, then said it was dawn, then said he could sense time through airflow. What answer was he even waiting for?
“That’s... impressive?”
.......
“Wow. Dragon. Amazing. Truly incredible.”
Maybe that was it. I clapped, clap clap clap.
A lukewarm huff of breath brushed past me. So after all the effort to respond properly, he sighed at me.
I was about to snap back when he spoke first.
You said you would come at night.
