Dragon

I wished they could taste it too.

But it was too late.
His mother had died of old age, his father of an incurable disease, and, to top it all off, his wife had perished in the quarry.

But a new character had entered his life; annoying, restless, unbearable, in short, a demon: Prince Josuke.

Yet every morning he hoped to find the prince still asleep. Every morning, punctually, Josuke was already waiting for him in the corridor with a thousand questions.
Issei always sighed.

Yet, when one day the corridor was unusually quiet, it was precisely that silence that made him uneasy.

The maids' laughter had faded; when he entered the kitchen, he was warmly greeted by the head chef.

<The prince really enjoyed last night's stew. And he wants to eat it again today.>

The chef smiled, proud of his cooking. He didn't say anything, however, but continued with his work with a smile plastered on his face.

Issei took the prince's dirty laundry to the laundry room. Waiting for him was the servant Asia. The kindest of them all.

Even when Issei was a prisoner, Asia didn't feel disgusted. With her wolfish nature, she preferred to judge people by how they treated her, rather than be influenced by others.

Her blonde hair, blue eyes, and kind nature made her an irresistible girl in her twenties. She wasn't the best servant in the kingdom, yet she always left a smile on everyone she met.

The most absurd thing about that girl were the wolf ears that stuck out on top of her head. She didn't have a tail, perhaps lost in the war or something. This made her very endearing.

The beastmen's continent was often attacked by other kingdoms. Everyone wanted a piece of that place.
How a wolf woman had gotten here remained a mystery, but one thing was certain: in the kingdom of Wohlstand, she was treated like a normal person, not a monster.

<Is there anyone else bothering you?>

Issei asked the maid, who was often courted by many men. Her beauty stole everyone's hearts, except that of the knight Issei.
His heart was shattered.

<Don't worry, everything's fine.>

The maid's fake smile didn't budge Issei. He understood that there was still someone bothering her, but he decided to let it go.
He sighed, set down the basket of clothes, and continued his journey through the castle.

After obtaining permission from the king, Issei returned home to collect his personal belongings for his new home.

The house, finally, no longer of any use, was sold to a young dwarf couple. For them, the house was very large compared to the average dwarf, so Issei managed to make more money than expected.

Furthermore, the hut, though old, had been very well maintained.

Back at the castle, Issei put everything in his room, looking at it wistfully.

<What do you need all this junk for?>

Issei turned around, frowning; the prince had appeared out of nowhere, just to annoy the knight who was relaxing.

<This isn't junk! It's all that's left of my old life.>

The prince didn't understand this attitude. For him, all he had to do was ask to get everything and he didn't get attached to any object. If something broke, he simply asked his father to buy a new one.
He didn't understand sentimental value.

Then Issei went out into the garden; some men were carrying wooden beams.

<Can I help?>

The knight helped the servants carry wood for a new warehouse.

The castle stored the village's supplies. With constant wars and conquests, the kingdom needed temporary wooden warehouses. The castle extended underground, where all the supplies were kept.

<Thank you, Issei, you're always very helpful here at the castle.>

The servant, the foreman, thanked the knight who was trying his best at the castle.

Everything was going smoothly at the castle, until a shadow darkened the sky.
A strong wind blew through the castle, and Issei kept a watchful eye. Thousands of red scales glowed in the light above. Huge, sharp claws loomed in the sky, two golden eyes swooped down on the people on the ground, and a mighty roar shook the earth.

A dragon was flying above the castle as if searching for food.
Issei, helpless, tried to remain calm and ushered all the servants back into the castle.

Then the royal knights emerged, ready to resolve the situation. They took large wooden sticks with griffon meat attached to them.

<We have to lure the dragon over there, move!>

The knights coordinated with each other, as if they were one. They mounted their horses and raced toward a vast, empty area. As expected, the dragon descended onto the prairie.

Seeing it closer, Issei felt a strange sensation; the creature appeared much larger than he had imagined.

A child ran out of the castle. It was the prince. But he wasn't happy to see a dragon; in fact, he was crying.

<Don't hurt him!>

The royal knights ignored the prince's pleas and charged. The knights' spears pierced the creature's body as it desperately tried to taste the flesh hanging from its sticks.

Issei saw the prince in tears, but he couldn't do anything about it. He would never have had the courage to stop his idols from working. Yet something moved him.
He ran toward the royal knights, gesticulating desperately.

<Stop!>

The royal knights turned, and the knights' withering gazes transfixed Issei on the spot.

<Give him what he wants! Then we'll drive him away from the castle!>

The knights glared at Issei and returned to impaling the dragon with their spears, which seemed to feel nothing. The creature paused and took a deep breath, then a mighty burst of flame burst from its mouth.

The knights dropped the meat and moved quickly to avoid the dragon's fiery breath.
The scaled creature gorged on the griffon's flesh, its enormous jaws snapping the wooden sticks and tearing the flesh apart with ease.

After its fill, the dragon looked around and then continued its flight. Its meal was tasty and easy to hunt.

Issei watched the creature fly through the sky. It was beautiful and had caused no harm.
The prince was overjoyed to see the creature defend itself and escape unharmed. Josuke then stopped crying and rushed to Issei to thank him.

The knight was embarrassed, but he was happy to see the prince's smile, which in turn brought the king's smile.

<Even though you interfered with the dragon hunt, you made my son happy. For that, I won't punish you. Besides, the important thing is that no harm was done.>

The king said this, even as his garden was still burning.
The prince had his happy ending, and Issei was pardoned, even though his insolence had led him to stop the royal knights' work.

Then King Kazuma's eyes lit up.

<Speaking of hunting, why don't you two go hunting someday? Maybe you can teach him something useful.>

Issei, who had been bowing the whole time in a cold sweat, raised his head and nodded.

<It will be an honor, my king.>