Child of Null
When we approached on Snowy, the Monster Subjugation Unit and adventurers all took defensive stances. El and the rest of the private guards stopped them.
“El.”
“Young lady Joan... Mike was bitten by a Wargwolf...”
“Mike!? Step aside for a moment. Mike... I’ll save you now. First Aid... That should take care of the wound. Aqua... Brother Noel, please have him drink this.”
“Isn’t that going to overlap skills or something? Is that okay?”
“It’s better than dying. Aqua water neutralizes poison. Please, Brother Noel...”
“Got it... Come on, Mike, drink.”
Brother Noel, along with Arthur, managed to get Mike to drink it.
After a while, the bluish tint faded from his face, color returned to his cheeks, and his breathing normalized.
“Thank goodness...”
“Thank you, Young lady Joan.”
The private guards, along with Arthur and Ben, bowed their heads to me.
“No, it’s fine. Is anyone else hurt?”
As I looked around, one of the adventurers approached.
“Um... do you heal anyone?”
“Yes, as long as it’s within my ability. Though, I can only provide emergency treatment.”
“Then... hey, come over here.”
“No! I’m fine! What can a kid I don’t even know do!! And she controls a magic beast too!!”
“Hey!! This person is—”
“Jacob, allow me... I apologize for not introducing myself sooner. I am Joan, eldest daughter of the Lampail family. And the magic beast over there is the Pegasus I’m contracted with. I hope you’ll remember me from now on.”
““““““““Eh!!””””””””
Not just the adventurer who refused treatment, but the other adventurers and the Monster Subjugation Unit were stunned.
“I’m sorry. This is our first time in the Lampail domain, and we had no idea you were the daughter of the lord...”
The adventurer who first spoke to me apologized.
“No, it’s understandable. After all, I just look like some random kid. Let’s start with first aid.”
“Ah... um, sorry.”
“No, thank you instead. And thank you for your hard work on the subjugation. First Aid… This will only stop the bleeding and relieve the pain, so please see someone if it starts hurting again.”
“.. .That guy on the stretcher over there... that’s my fault. I failed to finish off the Wargwolf, and he jumped in to save me...”
“I see... But I’m glad you’re safe.”
“Huh? But you don’t even know him, right?”
“Well, he’s one of our household servants. I said I’m glad because... if something like this caused him to quit being an adventurer or cost him his life, even if it was the monster’s fault, he and others wouldn’t have a good impression of the Lampail domain. Not just him—his family and friends, too. I want people who come to our domain to think, ‘I want to come back.’
And to me, our household servants are like family. If a family member gets hurt protecting someone, I respect that. It’s because we have such brave family that we can live in peace. Oh, and don’t worry—our family is strong in both body and mind. We won’t lose to something like a Wargwolf. So you don’t need to feel guilty.”
Saying that, I squeezed the adventurer’s hand and smiled.
“Ugh... thank you. Really... I didn’t know what to do... I’m sorry...”
Still holding my hand, the adventurer collapsed to his knees and began to cry.
“It’s okay. It’s not your fault... Right, Mike?”
“...!!”
The adventurer looked up and turned around. Mike, who had been lying down until just moments ago, was now standing with Ben’s help.
“After hearing Joan say all that, there’s no way I could just lie there. Uh... your name was Bosco, right? Just like Joan said, it’s not your fault. It’s kind of an unspoken rule among adventurers, isn’t it? Don’t worry about me. ...But you *should* worry about the fact that you’re still holding Joan’s hand!! Young master Noel is quietly furious.”
““Eh!?””
Bosco and I turned to look at Brother Noel, who was smiling at us with his hands on his hips. But his eyes weren’t smiling...
“Quiet, Mike! But... it’s about time you let go of Jo’s hand, okay?”
“Y-yes!! I’m sorry!!”
Bosco quickly let go of my hand.
“Anyone else? Is everyone okay? … If so, I’m heading back. I need to inform Father and the others.”
“Yes. Oh... we’re preparing food, so please come to our place…. Come on, Snowy, let’s go.”
We took off on Snowy, with Brother Noel.
“I had heard from His Majesty, but... a Pegasus, huh? Incredible. I thought she was just a cheerful little girl at the New Year’s party...”
Captain Luke of the Monster Subjugation Unit muttered.
“Captain... please don’t say anything careless. Only the higher-ups know about that girl. If word gets out, it won’t just be Lord Stanley— you’ll be making enemies of the entire Lampail family.”
“Yeah... that would be bad.”
Luke and Jacob whispered to each other, as several members of the squad approached.
“Captain, that girl is a Null, right?”
“A Null and she’s contracted with a Pegasus?”
“If a Null can contract with a Pegasus, doesn’t that mean I could contract with a dragon?”
“True, true.”
“““Ahahaha.”””
“Hey!! You guys, don’t mock her by calling her a Null and looking down on the Null attribute!!”
“But, Vice-Commander. A noble born with the Null attribute? That’s hilarious.”
“I’m a commoner and *I* have an attribute.”
“Ugh... You guys are gonna regret this...”
“Captain~ we’re just stating facts, right?”
“Exactly~ I mean, poor Lord Lampail. Imagine having a Null kid.”
“Bet she’ll never find a husband.”
“You guys... Do you know about the elite veteran squad that was around when I first joined?”
“Oh, you mean that legendary group? The ones where just the Vice-Commander and three squad leaders took down a dragon? Yeah, I’ve heard of them. There’s even a children’s book called *Dragon Hunter* based on them.”
“Ah, but I heard there were also two mages helping them?”
“Yeah, true. There were mages.”
“What about it, Captain?”
“Every single member of that Dragon Hunter group... is connected to that young lady. The Vice-Commander is Lord Stanley, the domain lord. The three squad leaders are the butler, head maid, and head chef. Also, the entire private guard that’s been staring at us this whole time—they’re all our seniors.”
“And the mages with them? That was her mother and her aunt… You guys are done for.”
“““““Eh...”””””
“You done talking, Luke, Jacob?”
““Yes, Master El!!””
“Then let’s head back. Lady Joan is waiting… And I’ll borrow those guys for a bit. We need to have a serious talk.”
“”Of course!!””
“””””Hiii….”””””
“... Luke, Jacob, I have a feeling that Nancy will want to talk with you two.”
“”Hiii…!!””
What do you think about this chapter?
