REFDL 139
[They’re here!]
The supply wagons had arrived.
Wagons from the trading guild, loaded with miscellaneous goods and food supplies for the duke’s estate, lined up in the backyard. The servants who had been waiting started to unload the perishable food items first.
Amidst them, a young boy (as young as Mirim used to be) and the giant dog in question, Charles, jumped down.
With his charming yellow, glossy fur and bright smile, Charles ran around between the servants and the cargo. He nuzzled people, wagged his tail, and basked in all the attention.
Despite the hustle and bustle, no one held it against Charles. No one chased him away for getting in the way.
Yuram, chest puffed out, ran forward. The small, red figure in motion stood out against the green garden.
People spotted Yuram. Since they had been expecting him, spotting him was all the easier.
And the retriever saw Yuram as well.
Woof!
His tail spun like a propeller. His yellow body shot forward like a bullet.
Kya!
Yuram slammed on the brakes. His carefully honed claws scraped against the marble.
Kya!
Panicked, he hopped onto the first thing he saw.
“……”
It was Donon.
Donon, who had suddenly become a dead tree, grinned.
Actually, he’d kind of expected it, so he wasn’t all that surprised. He just thought, “Ah, I knew it.”
Woof!
Kya! Kya!
Woof-woof!
Kya! Kya!
And his ears hurt a little…
Actually, it wasn’t just a little, his eardrums had taken a hit. It was because Yuram’s voice was so piercing.
“Um, Lord Yuram. Please calm down first…….”
Kyaaah!
“……”
It backfired.
The son of the merchant guild official, who had rushed over belatedly, bowed and took the dog away. Only then did Yuram let out a huff of frustration and resentment. He was still clinging to the top of Donon’s head.
The merchants left. Charles looked back at them wistfully, but eventually gave in to his owner’s urging and climbed into the wagon.
Back in Kaelus’s office, Yuram declared he would undergo special training, vowing to win next time.
Kaelus simply nodded. Afterward, Yuram playfully tapped the quill of the workaholic (who was scratching away at his paper) like a cat, and after being tickled on the stomach with the tip of that quill, he finally claimed his lover’s palm.
Kaelus gently pinched his cute and lovable lover’s back and stomach.
…For someone who started out looking like he had no choice, he seemed to be enjoying it.
It was a peaceful moment.
It was, quite literally, a mundane today made up of an uneventful yesterday.
Rumble!
“……?!”
Kya?!
Yuram, who had been nestled in his arms, jumped to his feet in an instant.
A loud sound, almost like an explosion. It was the sound of something collapsing. It was definitely not the kind of sound one would expect to hear in the capital.
Kaelus hurried toward the window with Yuram in his arms.
He could see a small cloud of dust rising somewhere along the path leading into the bustling district beyond the wall.
“That’s…”
Ah.
Shortly after that sense of foreboding, commotion broke out outside the main building, in the backyard.
One of the merchants from the guild responsible for transporting the wagons had returned, his appearance a mess of blood and dust.
He cried as he pleaded for help. He explained that a building under construction had collapsed on the way, burying the wagons beneath it.
The problem wasn’t the wagons.
The problem was the people inside them.
“My son… my son…!”
Fortunately, the drivers had been buried only shallowly and were quickly rescued, but unfortunately, several laborers in the center of the pile, the man’s son, and dog were still trapped beneath the rubble.
The servants and attendants looked flustered. This sort of incident was the responsibility of the capital security force. It seemed the man had simply rushed over here in the midst of the chaos, thinking of the duke…
What should they do? Should they at least try telling one of the Irelion knights they are close with?
Just then.
Grrrr!
Everyone’s hair stood on end.
The dragon growls they usually heard near the main building were one of three: a shriek, a screech, or a gurgling sound.
But what was this unfamiliar cry? Even at the training grounds or the Dragon Knights’ quarters where the Pensiltas stayed, they would never hear a sound this menacing.
Just as they were frozen in place, a fierce wind blew.
“Whoa!”
“Aaaargh!”
Hats and old towels were blown away as if they were nothing. The wind pressure was strong enough to make people stagger.
And a shadow swept across the mansion and the bustling district.
“……I knew it, but…”
The dazed murmurs of the servants were also carried away by the wind.
The scene Yuram arrived at in his true form was a shambles.
The disciplined capital security force was swiftly transporting Knums by air to contain the situation, but it was not enough.
“The debris are too big.”
“If we handle it carelessly, the people trapped underneath could get hurt…!”
“We need a Butu to lift it!”
“Damn it! There are no Butus in the capital right now!”
The Butu, said to be the largest species among all existing dragons (three times the size of a Kremlis; they enjoy eating sandstone as a snack) could only be found at quarries or castle construction sites.
“They’ll all die by the time we get one here…”
“Who’s in charge here?”
Just then, Kaelus’s voice cut through the crowd.
“……!!”
Yuram landed about a block away, worried he might disturb the pile of debris.
The crowd that had gathered upon hearing news of the accident gaped at the sight of the Kremlis, but once they grasped the situation, they hurriedly made way for him.
Though his physical strength was less than Butu’s, a giant – more than capable of lifting the debris – had arrived at the scene.
Kaelus immediately took command of the operation.
Things moved quickly.
“All right! Lift the debris and we’ll put support beams underneath!”
Grr!
“One, two…… three!”
Crack!
“Hold that up properly!”
“Shh! Quiet!”
“Are there any survivors? Is anyone conscious? If so, hit something nearby to make a sound…!”
Woof!
Woof-woof-woof!
Everyone present heard the muffled echo of a dog barking from within the enclosed space.
Grr!
Yuram eventually forced his way through by shoving his neck and body into the gap. The laborers whose names were on the missing persons list were pulled out one by one.
……There were some who had died, but more than half were still alive.
And then.
Rumble!
Creak!
The stone wall of the building that had crushed the wagon into an upside-down triangle was exposed.
“Father!”
“……!”
The child, who had been clutching the dog tightly, was lifted into the arms of the knights. Following that, Charles, who had been barking to signal his owner’s location, was also rescued, covered in dust.
Yuram looked bitterly at the horse that had been crushed to death under the rubble, then carefully set down the debris he had been holding aloft with his head.
Grrrr!
Once everyone had been pulled out, the situation was temporarily resolved. It wasn’t too late to clear away the remaining debris now. Since the building under construction had completely collapsed, it was actually fortunate that there was no secondary damage.
The duke’s eyes were cold as he looked at the spot where the building had once stood.
“…It seems like shoddy construction is becoming more common. Or am I mistaken?”
“……”
“Conduct a thorough investigation and submit a report. Don’t go through anyone else, send it directly to me.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
An official who had arrived late was dripping with cold sweat, his face etched with a look that said, “We’re screwed.” Kaelus decided he would need to investigate this separately and turned to look at his lover, who had pulled off a major feat today.
Meanwhile, Yuram was looking at the dog.
His expression screamed, “Do you understand my greatness now?”
It wasn’t exactly cheerful. At first, he thought it was because of the fatalities, but that wasn’t it.
Kaelus realized something.
Even though he had never won a single time. The reason Yuram had insisted on maintaining a small form was because he didn’t want the dog to become afraid of him.
‘Oh, no……’
How should he comfort his heartbroken lover? Kaelus agonized over it silently.
As it turned out, it was a completely pointless worry.
Woof!
Kya!
A cloud of dust lunged at Yuram. The dog circled around the Kremlis. He bumped into him and placed his front paws on Yuram’s hind legs.
[……]
Grr!
Yuram snorted, then shrank in an instant and glided over to Kaelus. The duke expertly scooped up his palm-sized lover and cradled him in his arms.
The dog returned home with his owners.
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