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Selian, holding out her palm, was asking for ‘hand’ as if she were demanding it from a puppy.

For some reason, the way Selian looked down at me felt unusual. The sparkle in her eyes suggested she was expecting something eagerly.

But no matter how I ended up with a dog leash around my neck, it was merely a prank by my friends. I wasn’t actually a dog, after all. So there was no reason for me to follow Selian’s pseudo-order.

As I turned away from her outstretched hand, her eyes, once bright with anticipation, quickly dulled. The twinkles that had once promised excitement were now filled with disappointment.

This stirred an inner conflict within me.

I certainly hadn’t done anything wrong, yet I felt guilty as if I had. I found myself juggling the human dignity I clung to desperately with the guilt of disappointing her who had her hand rejected.

It was a situation where I couldn’t give up on either side.

The more I hesitated, the more pitiful her expression became. Eventually, while I was still agonizing over it, she seemed to give up, her hand wavering as she tried to pull it back. By then, her eyes were welling with tears.

Snap!

Seeing that, I hurriedly raised my hand and placed it slowly on the palm that was drifting away. Selian was momentarily startled, but soon after, she broke into a bright smile, more radiant than usual.

Yeah. Just because I pretended to be a dog for a moment doesn’t mean I stop being human, and if bending my pride for a bit leads to Selian’s sincere smile, then what a bargain that is.

Selian, just like a person praising a performing puppy, lifted her other hand and started to pat my head.

Logically, I should have felt upset; yet, just like when Yuli was patting my head earlier, the more Selian did it, the less I felt bothered and instead wished for more pats.

…Hot!

Before I realized it, I had closed my eyes, savoring Selian’s touch. Upon realizing my state, I shook my head like a wet puppy trying to dry itself, trying to shake off her hand.

“Ah….”

A sigh filled with disappointment escaped Selian’s lips. I similarly felt the pang of regret, though thankfully I didn’t vocalize it like she did.

“Let’s stop joking around now. Since we’re gathered at the castle, how about we review our future plans again?”

Being careful of the leash pulling on my neck, I stood up and glanced at my friends, opening my mouth. Of course, our plans wouldn’t differ much from the existing ones, but I just wanted to say anything to remove the collar around my neck first.

I brought my hand to my neck, trying to unfasten the leash, but without a mirror to rely on, only feeling with my hand, it was impossible not to fumble.

Seeing me struggle, Yuli, who was holding the leash, approached and started to fiddle with the area around my neck.

Enduring the ticklish feeling and waiting patiently, I felt something drop with a ‘thud.’ Suddenly, I had a bit of freedom.

However, the only thing that had fallen off was the lead; my collar remained intact around my neck. If you’re going to remove something, why not just take off the collar?

“Yuli? Could you also undo this collar for me?”

So I asked Yuli to finish the job, but for some reason, she just stared blankly at me without taking her hands away from my neck.

“Hey, Yuli?”

“Uh, yes? Did you call?”

“Um… I asked you to take off the collar….”

“Oh, the collar.”

Only after I explicitly mentioned it did Yuli seem to realize. Yet, she continued to just stare at me blankly, not making a move.

“Is it really necessary to take it off?”

“Excuse me…?”

Instead, Yuli insisted that I keep wearing the collar.

“It suits you so well! I think it matches perfectly with El! Don’t you all agree?”

Yuli looked around at our other friends for their opinions. The first to respond was Selian, who had just been patting my head a moment ago.

“Absolutely! The material and design are so luxurious and stylish! It especially seems to suit El!”

“But this is a dog collar….”

“Come on, without the leash, it just looks like a regular choker!”

“A choker…?”

I’ve heard of chokers. I understood them to be a type of necklace that fits snugly around the neck.

But did a choker really look like this dog collar?

Considering I was originally a guy, and grew up as an assassin, I never really enjoyed dressing up, so I haven’t paid much attention to fashion.

Thus, the only accessories I owned were rings I matched with my friends. Naturally, I had no idea what a choker looked like.

“Y-yeah! Chokers are really trending among girls these days!”

“Really…?”

Since starting my activities as a hero, I haven’t hung out in town much, so I had no idea what was trendy among girls my age. Hearing my friends say that chokers were in fashion was news to me.

“Really… do I… suit it?”

Of course, I, having been a man, didn’t particularly enjoy wearing women’s clothes, but that didn’t mean I wanted to be seen as someone who was out of touch with the trends.

The story of a boy from a backwater village becoming a hero sounds plausible only in fairy tales; if I’m going to play the role of a hero, wouldn’t it be better to become someone perfect that others would admire?

“Yes, yes! The line down your neck is also beautiful, and it suits you very well!”

Yuli’s enthusiastic praise made me wonder if it was true, and looking around, I saw everyone nodding in agreement.

“Hehehe….”

They say compliments can make someone dance. Even knowing compliments among friends can be superficial, I couldn’t help but smile.

“It would be such a shame to only wear it once today. Can’t I just keep wearing it like this?”

Yuli’s voice expressed genuine disappointment.

I thought, who would think of it as a dog collar if it were just a regular necklace without a leash? Above all, it was made of high-quality material that wouldn’t irritate my neck, so surely no one would think of it as a dog collar.

“Since Yuli is asking that much, I guess I have no reason to refuse.”

Just to clarify, it’s not like I was swayed by the compliments.

*

The urgent issues were settled, and although we could head out to subdue the Demon King at any moment, it was decided for various reasons that we’d remain at the castle for several days.

Particularly, Cecilia aimed to calm the public’s distress caused by the turmoil, planning to use Olivier for that purpose.

Those friends unable to utilize the Teleport Gate sought the help of the dragon, Olivier, to reach the capital as quickly as possible. Thanks to that, we were able to fly to the capital in just a day, but we had inadvertently shown ourselves to the citizens residing there.

Thus, while the citizens of the empire knew nothing of the rebellion, almost everyone knew about the dragon appearing in the capital.

Normally, this could lead to new chaos, but Cecilia took this situation as an opportunity.

I don’t know how she managed to lure Olivier, but Cecilia took her in as the Empire’s guardian dragon.

Olivier, who I knew to be incredibly proud, roared loudly before all citizens of the capital, clearly satisfied with whatever assurances the Emperor had given her.

The public cheered at the fact that this magnificent dragon was on their side.

Well, as long as everyone was satisfied, it was a win-win situation.

Meanwhile, as Frecia went to receive magical advice from Isis, I too was momentarily attending to personal matters.

“Congratulations, Professor.”

I found myself at the room of Ferrent, my former professor during my academy days.

Though he had sustained an injury that would leave him limping for life due to the recent incident, it had turned into a blessing in disguise, allowing him to reach the level of Sword Master. So, in the end, the virtues outweighed the vices.

“What’s with all the congratulations? It’s silly to be congratulated by a student who has already reached the level of Sword Master.”

Ferrent seemed to want to project a serious demeanor in front of his student, speaking dismissively, yet his voice was laced with undeniable joy.

Well, not all Sword Masters are the same, but those who reach the pinnacle of the sword are truly Sword Masters. If one were not pleased as a swordsman, that would be a lie.

“So, it seems you didn’t come just to congratulate me… What brings you here?”

In a gesture reminiscent of our days at the academy, Ferrent, who had difficulty moving his leg, took a sip of the tea I had brewed for him and spoke up.

“Hahaha… It’s nothing much. I was wondering if you happen to know any good knights.”

I cut to the chase instead of beating around the bush.

While I previously acted solely with revenge against the demonic race in mind, with my friends’ help, I realized I was not alone.

I wanted to do more than just slay the Demon King; I wished to write the story that followed. I wanted to show my family, who were in the heavens, that I was not someone who only sought vengeance for my family but was also capable of standing tall and building my own territory and lineage. It felt more like a wish than a sense of responsibility.

However, just owning land and building structures doesn’t make a territory. You need people. Among them, finding talent to manage various duties within the territory is quite rare.

Such talented individuals cannot simply be won over with material things like money. Especially how many would work in a place they’ve no connection to?

That’s why I intended to utilize my connections. Ferrent happened to be quite close to one of the Imperial Knights and a remarkable educator who had produced talent in various fields.

I hoped that out of the many talented individuals he knew, he might know a few who might be suitable to recruit to our territory, hence my request for help.

“This is quite something. It seems the roles have reversed. Back in the academy days, it was I who sought to introduce you to the Imperial Knights.”

Reflecting on this brought a sense of nostalgia. At that time, I wasn’t even able to remember my previous life, and I’d been desperately trying to raise my own value.

“Seeing as it’s a request from my cherished student, and I owe you a favor, I’ll make sure to inquire diligently.”

Fortunately, Ferrent gladly accepted my request. If I were lucky, I might end up connecting with a knight or two from the Imperial Knights, based on his confident demeanor, he seemed to be willing to help more than I expected.

“Thank you!”

Standing up, I quickly bent at a ninety-degree angle to express my gratitude as best I could.

As I straightened my back, I saw Ferrent with a warm expression, extending one hand towards me.

“The more successful my students become, the more my reputation grows, so I should be the one thanking you. Elysia, you are a lifelong pride of my teaching career.”

I clutched Ferrent’s outstretched hand tightly and flashed him a smile. Truly, it was a delightful teacher-student relationship.

“By the way… I’ve been meaning to ask since a while ago…”

“Hmm?”

After finishing our tea and wanting to take my leave, Ferrent hesitated before speaking, which wasn’t typical of him.

“About your neck…”

Then, pointing to his own neck with his finger, he trailed off. Since nothing was around his neck, he was likely indicating my neck.

“Why is it a dog collar…”

“How do you like this necklace? It’s called a choker, which is in style these days. Does it suit you?”

It was the same necklace that all my friends unanimously praised for looking good on me. I raised my head proudly as if wanting to show off to Ferrent.

“Um… ahem, cough!”

However, Ferrent, seemingly caught off guard, coughed instead of answering.

“You young folks’ sense of style completely eludes me.”

He muttered that rather than giving a compliment. Well, I didn’t ask him because I expected a compliment anyway.

Anyway, how typical of a middle-aged man, unable to recognize trends, such a lack of sense!