My arm, forced through the gap between the bars, was starting to ache.
There was a chance the dragon could bite my arm off, but if I could touch that magnificent tongue even once, it would be worth it.
Back in my old life, I had always wanted to keep a reptile. Sure, furry companions were cute, but the appeal of something cool and smooth was entirely different.
But living alone meant that even raising a single dog was already demanding, so my longing for reptiles had existed only through a monitor screen.
And now—there was a colossal reptile right in front of me. How was I supposed to stay sane?
If anyone had their lifelong superstar appear in front of them, they’d react exactly like I was.
“Why... why do you keep backing away? It’s okay, come here. I’m not a bad person.”
Which was exactly the kind of thing bad people say. But I didn’t have the energy to worry about that.
What kind of torture is this.
“It’s not torture. Why would I torture you, huh?”
If it’s not torture...
“Just once. I’ll just touch you once...! No? Really, no?”
Even at my desperate pleading, the dragon kept inching back. The sound of chains sliding echoed continuously, and eventually he vanished back into the darkness.
Damn it. If I can’t touch him, then at least I wanted to admire him. I had barely gotten a proper look at those thick thighs and plump tail!
...Leave.
His voice came from within the darkness, tense and startled.
Maybe it was because the golden scales were gone from sight. Or maybe because of his reaction. The excitement that had shoved my reason aside finally receded.
He was dozens of times larger than me, but even the tiniest creature would flinch if something suddenly lunged at them.
“Ahem, sorry. Did I scare you?”
.......
“I was just trying to get closer. If I startled you, I apologize.”
.......
“And don’t misunderstand. The reason I want to touch you is...”
Pure selfish desire.
“Purely academic curiosity. That’s all.”
The dragon didn’t respond.
I had spent an entire night cleaning the underground chamber and brought him a whole basket of salmon, and in return I only got a single minute of actual interaction. A terrible trade—but I decided to be satisfied for today.
Now that I thought about it, I had focused so much on the thighs and tail that I barely saw his face or wings. I hadn’t even seen his smooth belly scales. Tomorrow, I would keep a respectful distance and observe his upper body carefully.
Nothing was actually stuck in my throat, but embarrassment made me cough.
“I get why you don’t trust me, but I don’t intend to hurt you. Really.”
.......
“I’ll come again tomorrow night. Ah—right.”
I suddenly realized I had no excuse to come back tomorrow.
Red salmon was considered a luxury here. Catching even one wasn’t easy—appearing on the dining table only once or twice a month.
And I had stolen the entire storage. Who knew when it would be restocked.
“Do you want something besides salmon? It’ll take a while before I can bring more.”
.......
“If you don’t answer, I’ll just decide myself. And I’m not bringing monster corpses ever again.”
I wasn’t exactly outgoing, but the dragon was incredibly introverted.
Regrettably, I had to give him space. I gathered my basket and backpack and cleaned up. The chamber felt a little lighter now, and my heart finally did too.
“Anyway, rest well. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
...Tomorrow night?
He had ignored me the whole time, but those words finally got a response.
I stopped and stared into the darkness. A faint blue glow was watching me.
But there wasn’t the overwhelming pressure that had frozen me on the first day. That pressure had been intentional. Now, the guard was lower.
It felt more rewarding than the day I passed the veterinary licensing exam on my first try.
“Yeah. Tomorrow night.”
.......
“See you tomorrow.”
No reply came, but I left the underground chamber with light steps.
***
“A thief, I’m telling you! A month’s supply of salmon is gone!”
“Who would steal all the red salmon? What selfish bastard—”
The selfish bastard was spreading butter on bread.
“And half the Silantra is missing too. Why would anyone steal those?”
“Insane lunatic.”
The insane lunatic shoved the buttered bread into his mouth.
“And someone took half the strawberries! We were saving those for winter preserves!”
“Damn it, that was valuable winter food! Whoever did it should be strung up!”
Don’t listen to them, Rami. I tapped the squirming pocket gently.
As expected, clearing out the storage caused an uproar. They were determined to identify the culprit, and the facility was noisy from dawn.
Thankfully the suspicion didn’t fall on me. Since we were already in a place where food was scarce, the people who always complained about their rations were the prime suspects.
I dipped my remaining bread into stew and observed the atmosphere. If I raided the storage again, it would get dangerous.
Which meant I’d have to get food for the dragon myself. Should I learn to fish? Could these arms catch a one-meter salmon?
“Ceryl, there’s a monster you need to see today.”
Kallen, sitting across from me, spoke gravely. In just a few days, the baby fat on her cheeks had vanished; her face looked sharper. She had clearly been working hard.
But she had done the tasks well without complaint. The sudden raise that came with her promotion helped.
Financial treatment truly worked wonders on workers.
“What is it?”
“The ‘Elfera’ that came in a few days ago. It’s too aggressive—no one can get close.”
It hadn’t been in the report Kallen gave me. Just hearing the ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) name “Elfera” didn’t conjure an image.
“Let’s go.”
“Right now? I haven’t finished eating yet!”
I stood, and she scrambled after me, stuffing bread into her mouth.
In these last few days, I’d been too focused on the dragon. I couldn’t neglect the other monsters. I had a job to do. The work ethic carved into my bones was still alive in this new world.
***
We arrived at the stables. Each enclosure held one creature, and the problematic monster was in the last stall.
The Elfera’s four legs, neck, and muzzle were tightly bound with leather straps. Of course it had thrashed—it was being forcibly restrained.
I had expected something violent—but before evaluation came admiration.
“This world is amazing.”
I never thought I’d see a unicorn with my own eyes.
The Elfera had glossy silver-white fur, a snowy mane, and black eyes. If it didn’t have a crystal horn growing from the center of its forehead, I would have mistaken it for a particularly beautiful white horse.
Well, unicorns are horses anyway.
I tore my gaze away from the beautiful horn and stepped back. The Elfera kept neighing and kicking its hind legs.
The repeated motion wasn’t the restless energy of aggression—it was patterned, habitual movement.
I observed from the front, then shifted to examine its flank and hind legs. At first glance, its musculature looked balanced—but there was a subtle discrepancy between the legs.
A visual diagnosis was imprecise. But I had no choice. To confirm the difference, I had to move quickly.
I lowered my center of gravity and scuttled left and right like a restless crab.
Kallen stared at me again with horrified eyes.
“Ceryl, what are you doing?”
Right. Even if I came from a fallen noble line, this probably wasn’t very dignified. But what could I do? I wasn’t raised as an aristocrat.
“I think the posterior left leg has an issue. The muscle loss isn’t severe, so the injury is recent.”
“Injury?”
“Yeah. It’s already in pain, and they tied it up like that. Of course it’s going crazy.”
Kallen glanced between me and the Elfera skeptically. To an untrained eye, it just looked like a strong monster.
“There aren’t any sedatives or painkillers here, right?”
“They’re in the infirmary. Are you hurt?”
Her concern was so pure it was almost stupid. I stared at her.
“Do I look hurt to you?”
“A little?”
“Where, exactly.”
“Ah... it’s hard to say...”
She tapped her temple with her finger.
Come to think of it, Varen also asked if I had something wrong with my head last night. I had tried so hard not to look incompetent, but maybe I looked more than a little unhinged.
“Not for me. I meant medicine for the monster.”
“Oh. Why would we use medicine on a monster? If it’s hurt, we kill it.”
My assistant was no help at all. I continued the examination alone.
The Elfera’s limbs trembled as it shifted its weight. It was pitiful to see it bound like that—but without sedatives, the restraints were necessary for safety.
“Stay still, monster! I’ll kill you if you don’t!”
Kallen shouted right in front of it. I grimaced and pushed her away.
“Quiet. And you never approach a horse from the front.”
She tilted her head. Instead of explaining verbally, I grabbed an old blanket and stepped into the empty stall beside it.
The only barrier between the stalls was a waist-high wooden fence. The stable conditions were absurdly unsafe.
I climbed over the fence and approached the Elfera from its side. Horses had wide lateral vision—approaching from the flank was far safer.
“Easy now. Good. Can I check where you’re hurting?”
Kallen answered in place of the Elfera, shaking her head.
“There he goes again.”
