A Dragon’s Request
Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be asked for request by a dragon.
But there was no hostility in its demeanor.
More than that, it was polite, understood human speech, and could hold a conversation—making communication much easier.
Seeing that a discussion was possible, I decided to hear out the dragon’s request.
“If it’s within my power, I’ll do what I can to help.”
“I appreciate it. I’m not asking you to do anything for me… Rather, it’s the opposite.
I wish to seek permission to live at this lake for a while.”
“You want permission to live here?”
That was… unexpected.
The problem was, this wasn’t something I could decide on my own.
Lord Doyle’s approval would be necessary.
“I can’t make that decision by myself. Would you be willing to wait for a while?”
“Of course.”
“Until we have an answer, you’re free to stay here.”
“That is most kind of you. I appreciate it.”
The dragon didn’t seem like the type to go on a rampage.
For now, I just needed to make sure it stayed put while we figured things out.
“Well then… we should head back to the village.”
By now, Curtis Village was probably in an uproar.
We needed to return and report the situation.
What would Lord Doyle think of all this?
Back at the village, I gathered everyone and explained what had happened.
“A dragon… asked for that…?”
As expected, everyone was baffled.
Of course they were.
Who would readily accept, “A dragon has a request,” without question?
But then, Lord Doyle made a surprising suggestion.
“That dragon… Do you think I could meet it?”
“L-Lord Doyle!?”
“T-that would be far too dangerous!”
The first to react were Marietta, the maid, and Brough, the butler.
And rightly so.
Even if the dragon seemed peaceful, we had no way of knowing its true intentions.
There was always the possibility that it was merely biding its time before attacking.
But Lord Doyle’s expression had already steadied—his initial shock was gone.
“If someone wishes to live in Abbott, then as the lord, I must respond properly.”
“Y-your resolve is admirable, but this is a dragon we’re talking about! This is not the same as dealing with a human!”
Brough had a point.
This dragon seemed intelligent, but there was no guarantee our human customs applied to it.
The discussion went around in circles without any real progress, and we struggled to reach a conclusion.
Seeing no end in sight, I suggested, half out of desperation—
“In that case, why don’t we all just go to the lake together?”
To my surprise, Doyle immediately agreed.
“That’s a great idea. If Justin and Elina come along, we’ll have nothing to fear.”
“Well… If Sir Justin will accompany you…”
For the first time, Doyle and Brough were in agreement.
Though, to be fair, Elina and I had intended to go from the beginning anyway.
But our group didn’t stop there.
Not only would Marietta and the rest of the household staff be joining us, but even the villagers insisted on coming along.
“We can’t let our lord go to a dragon’s lake alone!”
“That’s right!”
“We’ll follow you anywhere!”
The young lord truly commanded absolute trust among his people.
I wondered how many lords in the country could inspire such loyalty…
Honestly, I was impressed.
In the end, everyone in the village would be heading to the lake.
But since that was far too many people, we decided that for now, only those who had initially encountered the dragon—Elina, Lindel, and me—would meet with it first.
What do you think about this chapter?
