Chapter 42: I Summoned a Dragon, Oppa. I’m Coming to Get You

“…Hwaaaaahhh.”

“Oh, good morning, Sir Knight!”

“Ah, yes. Good morning. You’re working hard as always.”

“Sir Knight, how should I prepare your breakfast today?”

“Just make it simple, like the usual soup and some bread.”

“But… you can’t keep eating so little…”

“I’m quite busy until today, so I’ll count on you to prepare something splendid next time.”

It had been nearly three weeks since Fenrir became Freya’s knight.

Initially, he is wolf beastkin appearance and the prestigious title of knight made the staff wary of him.

Moreover, during the time when Jason had been the sole knight and the captain of the guard in the manor, his rampant tyranny left a bad impression, so they assumed Fenrir would be no different.

But how wrong they were.

His dazzling display as a knight ended the first day, when he confidently marched into Freya’s office in gleaming armor.

From the following day, Fenrir would shuffle into the office early in the morning, shoulders drooping and his eyes filled with gloom, only to return late at night to his quarters.

The staff no longer felt pressured by his presence; instead, they began to feel pity.

When he took tea breaks and grabbed some fragrant cookies during work, his serious expression never wavered.

But those who spotted his fluffy wolf tail wagging gleefully behind him couldn’t help but smile and greet him warmly.

Fenrir also realized his situation as a “newly arrived rock displacing an established one.” 

He had expected resistance or rejection, but the staff’s acceptance made him feel rather at ease.

‘…But wait, wasn’t I hired as a knight to serve my lord?’

Yet, up until now, Fenrir had done almost nothing knightly.

Paperwork, paperwork, and more paperwork.

Since his first day, He’d been drowning in so many documents that he began to doubt whether he was a knight or an office worker.

his shiny armor, used only on that first day, now hung idly on a stand, gathering dust. 

Despite asking the maids to keep it polished, he still hadn’t had the chance to wear it again.

Even his wardrobe had devolved into simple, comfortable work attire—cotton T-shirts and basic leather gear, far removed from his initial silk garments.

Thankfully, his exceptional stamina and rigorous training helped him endure the grueling daily workload.

Meanwhile, Common, who had similarly dark circles under his eyes that almost reached his cheeks, barely managed to stay on his feet. 

If Fenrir had seen his previous self, he would’ve been utterly shocked.

‘At least I wrapped up the major tasks last night… Today might finally be a bit more relaxed, right?’

For once, Fenrir felt hopeful.

his usually drooping tail swayed lightly, almost helping the maids with their floor sweeping.

Last night, he had conquered the mountain of paperwork that felt more fearsome than a dragon.

From budgeting for territorial repairs, tax revisions, new military supplies (red pens, of all things), to projections for the next fiscal quarter, he had triumphed over a ridiculous amount of documents.

‘Now that I’ve almost cleared my tasks, I can finally propose to focus on my actual knightly duties and serve Lady Freya properly!’

With Common capable of handling the remaining tasks, Fenrir saw an opportunity to don his cherished armor, patrol the territory, and show the people the image of a noble and honorable knight.

Knock, knock.

“Sir Fenrir, reporting for duty.”

Determined that this would be his last day reporting to the office instead of the training grounds, Fenrir’s knock echoed brightly.

“Um… My Lady? I’d like to propose something…?”

However, as he stepped into Freya’s office, brimming with ambition, Fenrir’s words faltered.

“Ah, you’re here, Sir Fenrir.”

“…Wait, why is the office so crowded this morning? And didn’t I just finish a stack of documents twice my height last night?”

The pile of paperwork he had vanquished had somehow been replenished. 

Meanwhile, Common stood by Freya with his pupils shaking violently.

A chill ran down Fenrir’s spine, and every instinct screamed for his to turn and flee from this nightmarish room.

But instead, he cautiously approached Freya.

“Sir Fenrir, do you recall those two elves who visited our manor?”

“Yes? Ah, yes, I remember them.”

Although it was initially a secret known only to Gordon, Freya had decided to inform her closest aides, Common and Fenrir, to avoid complications in the upcoming matters.

Common, who had once been weighed down by greed, had long since rid himself of those tendencies. 

Fenrir, too, was no longer the crime boss who had once ruled the back alleys but a loyal knight to Freya.

Still, Freya had prepared several safety measures just in case, though only Gordon and Freya knew the full extent.

“After that, here’s what happened—”

Freya began to recount the situation to Fenrir, just as he had with Common.

he explained that he would soon leave the manor, taking her family and the two elves on Tene, transformed into her dragon form, to the Great Forest, the homeland of the elves.

As Freya spoke, Fenrir’s expression grew increasingly dramatic.

“And so, while I’m away, I’ve organized tasks that need to be handled.”

“Uh… Excuse me? All of this…?”

“Yes, just the most urgent ones from my usual workload.”

“This…?”

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

Fenrir blinked at the massive stack of documents labeled “urgent” and “a small portion of Freya’s tasks.”

Freya tilted her head innocently, as if to ask what the issue was.

‘Is she even human?’

Fenrir began to question whether Freya was truly human.

Freya was essentially running an entire territory, almost akin to a small nation, with no structured administrative staff. 

Since taking over the estate, she had single-handedly managed these insane amounts of paperwork daily.

“Gordon will guide you through the specifics. Please take care while I’m away.”

“Ah… My Lady… Uh—!”

“Save me!”

“Understood. I will do my best. Have a safe journey, My Lady.”

“As expected, Gordon is so reliable~ See you all soon!”

Fenrir and Common reached out desperately as Freya left the room, but Gordon blocked their attempts effortlessly.

Bang!

“Alright, shall we begin?”

“…Oh, for f—sake.”

With that, the door shut firmly, and Fenrir, for the first time in ages, let out a string of colorful curses from his crime boss days.

“The carriage arrives in a few days, right?”

“Five days from now.”

“Well, I suppose that’ll have to be enough.”

The Evergarden group left the manor and boarded a carriage, heading towards the secluded forest path where Tene had once camped out in her past.

The coachman, already compensated with a hefty tip, had been instructed to return five days later at the same time.

To avoid suspicion, they opted not to use the Evergarden carriage, instead relying on a discreet and trustworthy coachman recommended by Gordon, who was also paid extra to ensure his silence.

“Over there, isn’t it?”

“Oh, I think we’re finally here.”

Pushing through the winding mountain paths, the group eventually emerged from the dense forest.

What greeted them was an expansive clearing.

It wasn’t a naturally occurring clearing from long ago but a massive area that seemed recently flattened by some colossal force.

“Wow… so nostalgic. Ah! I remember sleeping over there with my head on a rock!”

Tene, who had created this clearing herself, smiled brightly as old memories came flooding back. 

She pointed towards a giant boulder that was laughably larger than anything nearby.

“Alright, let’s get started, Tene.”

“Oh, right.”

At Felix’s prompting, which snapped her out of her reverie, Tene walked briskly to the center of the clearing.

The six companions watching her had varied reactions.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen Tene in her dragon form.”

“Yeah, she’s been staying in human form ever since meeting us.”

Rosaria and Felix, who had previously witnessed Tene’s dragon form, remained calm.

“A dragon, huh… I’ve only ever seen them in big movies. This should be interesting.”

“True. The children saw her, but we didn’t get the chance.”

Darian and Freya, who knew of Tene’s past but had never seen her dragon form, looked slightly excited.

“A-a-a-ahhh…”

“C-c-calm down, Sharle! S-she said she wouldn’t hurt us, didn’t she?”

The two elves, however, trembled violently, clutching each other tightly as though they might faint at any moment.

While the group displayed their unique reactions, Tene reached the center of the clearing.

“Fuu… inhale… exhale…!”

Ziiing

Closing her eyes and clasping her hands together, Tene’s forehead sprouted large, thick dragon horns, and her back revealed a long, sturdy tail.

Then.

“Kraaa… aaaahhhhh…!!!”

Boom! Boom-boom!

The ground beneath her feet began to crack and sink, and a deafening roar echoed as dark mist billowed around her.

“Oh no, we’re dead.”

“O Great World Tree, guide me with your eternal light, O Great World Tree, guide me with your eternal light…”

“This is no joke…!”

The scent of death grazed their noses, making their legs tremble with sheer terror.

The overwhelming aura suffocating them made even Freya momentarily forget how to breathe.

Thump. Thump.

The bright sunlight that had bathed the clearing moments ago was swallowed by darkness, and the heartbeats emanating from the dragon’s heart reverberated through the air with an immense, otherworldly power.

“Behold.”

A cold, sharp voice pierced their very cores, both chilling and remarkably clear.

It was hard to believe this commanding voice belonged to the timid, endearing girl they had known until now.

“The one who brings eternal darkness. The one who wields black flames to scorch the earth.”

A massive, terrifying figure with sharp, towering fangs that could shred flesh and bone continued to speak.

“I, the eternal darkness, Tenebrix Nox, have returned to this world! Mortals, bow before the great Black Dragon!”

The harbinger of the world’s end.

The eternal darkness.

The raging dragon of the Thousand-Year War.

Death incarnate.

Known by countless titles, the Black Dragon, Tenebrix Nox, finally revealed herself, bellowing powerfully.

“—So? Was that cool?! I practiced this line before going to sleep, and it sounds way different now, right? Isn’t it awesome?!”

“Hey!! The elves fainted again!!”

“Oh no.”

And with that, she was thoroughly scolded.