Episode 58 [You only need me](8)
Since when did this cute little cat become my familiar?
And the owner, what kind of dragon is this the sound of grazing grass?
As his brain could not keep up with this unprecedented situation, Dante tried to speak in as calm a tone as possible while holding his dizzy head with one hand.
No matter how much you do, you can’t shout at the lifesaver.
“Uh, Nagiya. I’m so sorry…I really don’t understand…Could you explain the meaning of what you just said?”
Why are you my servant and I am your master?
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There was no such atmosphere at all. We.
Pressing the cheek of Dante, who was looking at him with a very absurd expression, with the soft sole of his foot, Nagi replied in a languid tone.
“[Because I…So decided.]”
“Ha?”
What is this?
Should I really call it my own pace?
At that confident reply without hesitation, Dante unknowingly let out a dumbfounded sound.
What kind of arrogance is this unilateral treatment?
Then, suddenly, there was a phrase from a book that passed through Dante’s head.
‘Rain Tiger was born ferocious and arrogant──’
Did this mean this!!?
Dante sobbed inwardly, with tears in his eyes.
Yeah, but I didn’t think it would be as bad as you!
Among the many thunderbolts, I believed that as much as you, as much as you, would be different!!
Because of being so swayed by Olivia, Dante reached the point where he hated people who didn’t respect other people’s opinions and acted on their own, as they pleased.
I could roughly guess that she didn’t mean anything bad, but as a result, he couldn’t help but feel a slight betrayal of Nagi.
‘Who is your master who!!!’
Even so, Dante couldn’t get angry with Nagi, yell at him, or argue with him in a fit of rage, the way he usually does with Olivia.
Because I knew very well who was A and Eul in this situation.
More than anything, you saved me.
“I see…”
A demonic boy with a good heart who was quite shocked that the person he trusted was ignoring him.
Yes. How can a demon tribe commoner like me say something back when our great Thunder Tiger decided to do so? Kneeling.
Unable to hide his displeasure, Dante quietly set Nagi down on the floor.
It was just pitiful.
He thought he’d finally found a friend he could talk to.
After all, cats are just cats.
Whether he knew that or not, Nagi was rubbing his cheek against Dante’s knee calmly, as if asking why he had put it down with an expression of ignorance.
However, if this weak demon boy misunderstood one thing,
Nagi’s intention was not to disrespect Dante or to hurt his feelings.
‘[Because I… Decided that.]’
He said that he had decided that, in other words, it was related to the criterion for choosing a master.
Most books related to thunder tigers say that thunder tigers never serve their masters as familiars, but the reality was a bit different.
Very occasionally, very very rarely, there were people who fell in love with the Thunder Tiger and entered into a contract with the Thunder Tiger as a familiar, but they did exist.
However, the reason why someone who accomplished that historic event is not recorded in books today is really simple.
He was killed by the thunder tiger before he could tell the world that he had signed a contract with the thunder tiger.
Maybe it was because he went against the noble tiger’s heart, or maybe it was just a whim.
The Thunder Tiger was such an elusive Divine Beast.
However, as much as their pride is high, their loyalty is also different, and once they decide to serve, they are also romantic beasts that protect their masters until the moment their lives run out.
However, if there was one problem with such a faithful thunder tiger, it was that even if the owner rejected the contract, he would follow him and act as his familiar.
To prove his own competence, usefulness.
To stay by the side of the master through a formal familiar contract.
Even so, if the owner doesn’t acknowledge it, the thunder tiger considers itself useless and weeps bitterly and commits suicide or something.
The fact that Nagi decided that way was a kind of oath to himself that he would consider Dante as his master and protect you, not that he should ignore Dante’s will and blindly make him his servant.
…This is why speaking skills are so important.
Dante got up from his seat with a melancholy expression on his face, and trudged back to where he came from.
It’s a bonus for Nagi to follow him with his shaggy legs.
How about the grilled lizard lying on the ground over there? Olivia-sama will take care of it.
Maybe it was only then that he noticed Dante’s footsteps dragging the ground helplessly. Nagi tilted his head and said,
“[Where…It hurts…?]”
“……No.”
Short answer.
In a tone that could sound a little cold, Dante answered briefly.
“[The steps…They seemed weak…]”
As they stride side by side, Nagi cried softly.
“[Or…I’m hungry…Really…?]”
“……Well…”
“Whoa,” Dante let out a small sigh and looked at me, who continued to circle around his ankle, looking worried.
She was Dante who was very kind by her nature in the first place, so even if she hurt her a little bit, she had the affection she had accumulated during that time, so she couldn’t bear to be bad with her.
Not to mention Nagi is worried about himself even now.
‘…..Yeah, I thought about it earlier, but I don’t think it was with bad intentions.’
With that thought, Dante brushed away her bad feelings.
I’m not very reluctant to get hung up on a single word.
Rather than that, what did he just say?
─Stand tall.
Dante paused for a moment and bent down, staring quietly into the emerald eyes that shone brightly even in the dark.
“Nagiya, did you just look at me and say you’re hungry?”
“[……Yes.]”
Soon after, Dante drew a small arc around her mouth.
A comfortable smile.
“I guess so.”
It has been said since ancient times that the best way to change your mood is to eat.
◇
That’s… That’s that…
As the golden tiger made his way through the rough mountain range with piles of stones all around as if it were his own bedroom, he caught a very small rustling sound and focused his gaze on one spot.
The sharp eyes shining fiercely.
Ears pulled back as if on alert.
A tail that swings swiftly like a whip.
Besides that, the faint smell of blood piercing your nose.
I held my breath at the familiar scent of blood silver.
‘──You get it, Nagi? I’m hunting just enough for you and me to share. So that I can eat everything without leaving anything behind.’
Dante held out a necklace made of Olivia’s scales to Nagi.
‘Hmm…But now that Olivia-sama will be back soon, if you pass the mountain range and smell the same as these scales or smell blood, run away or hide.’
–That black dragon doesn’t know what to do.
Nagi, slowly lowering his posture to avoid making a sound, hid himself among the tall bushes, and narrowed his eyes as he glared in the direction of the sound about 10 meters away.
Blurring the presence, making it impossible to feel the presence at all.
It was truly a perfect hideaway.
The red-eyed black dragon I saw before in the Lesta Empire. Did I mention its name was Olivia?
If he had recognized that he was a being that harmed Dante, he would have jumped on it long ago, but even though he acted ferociously, he had a lot of good sides for him, so he’s been quiet until now.
The reason I continued to follow Dante was to protect him and at the same time determine what kind of existence Olivia was.
It is also the duty of a familiar to eliminate any risk factors that threaten its owner.
Anyway, he told me to avoid unnecessary fights, so there was no way he would even notice himself hiding in this city.
If you just keep going far away like this–
“──What the f*ck is this?”
Quaang!!!