Chapter 32: The Last Battle Part 4

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To my surprise, Dietrich-sama invited Captain Millie to his residence. He said he wanted to know about the current situations in the Royal Knight before reaching out to them for help. Captain Millie visited the Duke Fenrir’s residence in full knight attire.

“Captain Millie!”

“Magic Soldier Melodia!”

I was so happy I could finally meet Captain Millie for the first time in a long while that I ran up to her. She spread her hand and I jumped into her embrace. If it was me from before, there was no way I could do this to her but the two of us already spent the night in the same bed and played catch the ball together. I should be able to hug her at least. 

“I’m glad. You look good.”

“Captain Millie too!”

Behind me, I heard someone clearing his throat audibly. It was Dietrich-sama. 

“I see you’re surprisingly close to my Melodia.”

“My Melodia?”

I was surprised at Dietrich-sama’s remark. Since when did I become Dietrich-sama’s?

“Umm… I believe he meant ‘my subordinate’.”

“Ah, I see.”

The straightforward Captain Millie believed me easily. Dietrich-sama’s dissatisfied gaze was piercing into me but this was not the time for me to be concerned about that. 

“We shouldn’t be standing while talking. Let’s go over there.”

“Yes!”

I was about to take a seat next to Captain Millie when I saw Dietrich-sama directing his sullen and dejected expression at me. Once again, I saw the illusion of a pair of drooping ears and downcasted tail. Even though Dietrich-sama was not a dog anymore…..

That expression was my weakness. Seeing that there was nothing else I could do, I opted to sit next to him. 

“I am Dietrich de Fenrir from Fenrir Knight Squad, First Cavalry Unit.”

“I am Millie Toll from the Royal Knight, Seventeen Patrol Unit.”

“I apologize for calling you here all of a sudden.”

“No, I also want to ask you about how Magic Soldier Melodia is doing. We do exchange letters but seeing her face in person really puts my mind at ease.”

“Hm. As you can see, Melodia is brimming with health. There’s nothing for you to worry about.”

“I can already see she ate a lot and had enough sleep here.”

It felt a little embarrassing hearing the two of them talking about me. I wished they’d just quickly get to our main topic.

“Umm… Captain Millie, today Dietrich-sama wants to hear some stories about the Royal Knight.”

“Ah, yes.”

Captain Millie then started to talk about the Royal Knight.

“Our knight squad is separated into several units. The King’s Guard and the Imperial Guard, who protect both the king and the royal family. The Patrol Squad, who’s in charge of protecting the citizens of this kingdom and upholding the public order. The Expedition Unit, who’s in charge of solving the problem in a remote area. The Special Cavalry, who’s in charge of solving any human-related incidents.”

The squad with the most number was the Patrol Squad. Their work ranged from patrolling the royal capital, gatekeeping, working at the local garrison and guarding the border.

“We’re deeply grateful to the Fenrir Knight for solving the cases that our Patrol Squad was unable to solve. All the knights in the unit hold deep respect to the Fenrir Knight who consisted of a few selected individuals.”

“I didn’t know the other knight feels that way toward us.”

For a mere knight, the Fenrir Knight was like a far distant existence. 

“The Special Cavalry is actually modeled after the First Cavalry Unit of the Fenrir Knight. They too, seem to become more active with each passing day.”

“Hm.”

As I expected, the knight in the Special Cavalry also admired the Fenrir Knight. 

“The Fenrir Knight is the aspiration for the knights. They put their lives on the line, challenging themselves with mysterious cases and always being able to solve the case without fail. I believe the Fenrir Knight is the ideal figure that we, from the Royal Knight, always aim for.”

Each and every knight should be the cream of the crop. That was the Royal Knight’s ideology and the embodiment of that ideology was the Fenrir Knight. 

“I see. I feel embarrassed to say this after hearing that from you but we’re actually hoping to borrow the Royal Knight’s power in order to subjugate a certain entity.”

“I’m sure the knight would be delighted to hear that.”

“What do you mean by ‘delighted’?”

“Up until now, we’re the one who’s been borrowing the Fenrir Knight’s power so of course the knight would be delighted to hear we can finally return the favor.”

“I see. So that’s how you guys see it.”

Dietrich-sama’s expression softened. Apparently his view toward the Royal Knight has changed. After our conversation, we had dinner before we parted with Captain Millie. 

“You could’ve just stayed for the night though.”

“I’m thankful for the offer but unfortunately, I have a mission I need to do tomorrow.”

“I see.”

As we were saying our goodbye, Captain Millie gave me a box wrapped with a ribbon. 

“Magic Soldier Melodia, please take this.”

“Captain Millie, what is this?”

“It’s something that I’m sure you will like.”

“Th-Thank you very much.”

Captain Millie showed us a refreshing smile before she left. As she left us alone in the parlor, I was the sole victim of Dietrich-sama’s piercing gaze. 

“Melodia, you seem to be pretty close with that captain.”

“Well that’s because we’re in the same unit after all.”

“Even though I’ve known Melodia long before you met Millie Toll.”

“That is true.”

“And yet, you seem to be closer to her compared to me.”

“Well we’re both women so I tend to let my guard down more around her.”

“Gunununu….”

And then, Dietrich-sama’s line of sight fell on Captain Millie’s gift. 

“So what is that?”

“I wonder what too.”

“C-Could it be a piece of jewelry?”

“No, no. That’s impossible, you know?”

“But just look, the shape of that box. It’s square and the way it’s wrapped… It’s definitely jewelry!”

“I don’t think so.”

“Then let’s open it now.”

If I can make Dietrich-sama feel better then, I’ll do anything especially if it’s just opening this gift right here. 

With that thought in mind, I unraveled the ribbon. The ribbon, which was pleasant to touch, came loose easily. I wondered why Captain Millie gave me this? The box was pretty heavy so this was definitely not sweets. 

With a pounding heart, I opened the box. 

“Th-This is….!”

“What is it?”

Dietrich-sama stared at the content of the box with clear confusion on his face. I was sure the same expression was plastered on my face too. It was heavy and covered in leather. It was a ball.

“Melodia, is it just me or does this thing look like a ball?”

“Yes, it is a ball.”

“Why a ball?”

“………….”

That… It must be because I had played ball with Captain Millie before when I turned into a wolf. In order to prevent any misunderstanding, I had to explain it properly to him. 

“That… I think it’s because when I turn into a wolf, I like to play with a ball. Captain Millie maybe gave it to me because she knew about that.”

“I see. So Melodia likes to play with a ball.”

“No, it’s only when I become a wolf. I think it’s because of the hunting instinct in me.”

“I’m sorry for failing to realize that. From tonight on, let’s play ball together.”

“Umm, I’m totally fine without it though.”

With that being said, when the night came, Dietrich-sama brought me to the garden with a ball in his hand. And then… I enjoyed playing with the ball with every fiber of my being. 

“Come on, Melodia!~ This time, I’m going to throw the ball really far!”

“Wauuuuu~”

No, it’s not ‘wauuu~’. But… When someone throws a ball in front of me, I can’t help but to run after it. It’s because of the hunting instinct in me.