Poor Noble Nord’s Adventure

25. The Daily Life Of The Apprentice Dragon Knight Nord 1

At dawn, as the sun’s first light paints the royal capital in morning hues, Nord awakens. After breakfast at the Ferris household where he resides, he heads to the barracks.

Nord walks along the cobblestone streets bathed in the morning sun. He’s dressed the same as when he was an adventurer—wearing scale armor, a jadeite sword at his waist, and, in place of his old cloak, a gray one.

This cloak was issued by the Iron Dragon Knights, made from the same material as the cloaks used by full members. Nord’s cloak, however, had some differences from the official issue. First, his back was plain; full members’ cloaks bore the Iron Dragon Knights’ insignia, but since he was still an apprentice, it was absent. Second, there was an extra large hood that completely covered his face, with a small, clever addition inside. Within the hood was a pouch-like pocket sewn on the inside of the cloak. What purpose did it serve…?

Rustle, rustle.

Just then, as he walked along the cobblestone path, Nord heard the sound of fabric rustling from within his cloak. As he continued walking, the source of the noise moved closer to his ear.

“Kyui!”

The source of the rustling sound was a small green dragon, Newt. This little dragon never wanted to be apart from Nord, staying with him even during meals and baths. Although Nord wished it would, he tolerated the little dragon’s behavior since the deputy captain, Goldwin, had ordered him to “live with it as a sample.” Naturally, this clinginess extended to their travels. Carrying the dragon everywhere became inconvenient, so a pocket was sewn inside his hood to hold Newt. When Nord moved, Newt would nestle in the small pouch. However, when awake, it would often crawl out, either out of boredom or curiosity. Nord tried to conceal the dragon’s presence by using quiet routes to the barracks, but now, intrigued by the sounds of the bustling main street in the early morning, Newt poked its head out of the hood. From the dragon’s perspective, the view from inside the hood must have been fascinating, as it peered out beside Nord’s face, tilting its head from side to side.

Then, Nord noticed someone approaching.

People generally knew about dragons, but their habits were mostly understood only by adventurers, knights, or scholars. Few knew of the young dragons’ temperament or their wariness toward others. Thus, if Newt poked its head out of Nord’s hood and chirped a greeting, a passerby might only widen their eyes. Nord preferred to keep Newt’s existence a secret. Although some relatives and members of the Iron Dragon Knights were already aware, he aimed to avoid attracting more attention.

Nord held the edge of his hood to hide Newt. The passerby noticed something moving under the hood, perhaps assuming it was a cat on his shoulder.

Once the person had passed, Nord released his hold on the hood. Newt emerged, apparently pleased rather than irritated, chirping “Kyui! Kyui!” in excitement, as if mistaking the moment for playtime.

With Newt’s happy chirps as his background music, Nord continued his path to the Iron Dragon Knights’ headquarters.

§

The largest Iron Dragon Knights base was near the royal capital. It had training grounds, barracks for members, and dragon stables where the knights trained rigorously. Designated a restricted area, guards stopped any unauthorized approach, and spies faced severe interrogation. Nord, too, had lived there after joining to observe and train. But once he’d met the basic requirements, he began commuting from home. This arrangement also allowed for “testing his family’s reaction to Newt” and, in truth, had been arranged by his father, Albert, who’d persuaded Deputy Captain Goldwin after Nord’s sister, Iris, had begged, “I want to see New-chan!” Most Iron Dragon Knights members lived in the capital and commuted, so Nord’s commuting arrangement wasn’t unique, just a privilege lifted.

Greeting the guard at the base entrance, Nord walked through the gates.

The Iron Dragon Knights’ headquarters was surrounded by tall walls, thick and sturdy, much like the walls that encircled the capital itself. This fortress, built into the northeastern hills near the capital, served as an advanced stronghold that the third king had constructed as part of a defense strategy.

The capital of Hamill Kingdom had the royal castle situated to the north. When the city needed expanding, the mountain side was left untouched, as it wasn’t ideal for residential purposes. So, while the city expanded to the other directions, the northeastern hills remained largely unchanged. Previous kings reinforced defenses, building thicker walls and towers, yet modifying the steep hills was costly and challenging. The Iron Dragon Knights’ fortress in the mountains resolved this vulnerability. Despite its smaller size, the dragon knights’ combat abilities ensured powerful defenses, while the elevated base served well as a lookout.

However, reaching this outpost on foot posed a challenge. Ordinarily, this wasn’t an issue, as dragon knights could fly, and resources could be transported by specialized devices. Only the unfortunate apprentices, like Nord, had to climb the mountain on foot daily.

“…Huff… Huff…”

Reaching the top, Nord was drenched in sweat. Breathing heavily, he was grateful his endurance had improved thanks to training, which was why he now arrived early.

“Kyuu, kyuiii ♪”

In contrast to the fatigued Nord, Newt was in high spirits. The young dragon, with dark green scales, seemed to enjoy the mountain’s lush surroundings. Nord preferred not to carry Newt up the mountain and instead let the dragon fly freely around him, resting on his shoulder occasionally. Now, at the top, Newt tried to perch on Nord’s head, earning a quick reprimand. After catching his breath and drinking some water, Nord headed toward the barracks. The outpost had a water source, so he didn’t have to bring heavy water up daily, a relief he truly appreciated.

§

In the barracks, roll call was held at a set time each day. If anyone was late, they faced punishment that made death seem preferable (since healing magic made actual death unlikely). Once, Nord had suffered terribly after being delayed by muddy mountain paths in the rain, so he now allowed plenty of time for his commute.

“──Nord!” “Yes!” “Kyui!”

Nord responded to roll call, and Newt chirped in sync with him. The little dragon seemed to mistake roll call for a game, always chirping in response to Nord’s voice. At first, other members were surprised, but by now, they’d grown used to it.

After roll call, announcements were made. These updates mainly concerned the regular knights, but Nord, still an apprentice, paid attention, knowing inattentiveness could have consequences.

“──That concludes the briefing. Dismissed!”

After the morning briefing, each knight began their assigned tasks. As an apprentice, Nord turned to his training officer for instructions. The officer’s directions were as expected: a grueling run, followed by sparring, then academic study.