I was reincarnated as bait for the summoned hero
Since I couldn’t exactly bring a massive dragon back to our temporary lodgings in the middle of town, I had Rei take on a human form.
A tall and imposing figure with a well-toned physique. His long, golden hair shimmered like his scales, and his sharp amethyst-colored eyes added to his divine presence—so much so that jealousy didn’t even seem like an option.
Accepting that this was simply his nature made any comparison to myself feel pointless.
That said, given that I had recently been mistaken for the wrong gender, I couldn’t help but feel—no, I definitely felt—a strong sense of envy toward his well-built frame.
“Anheim, huh? It’s been ten years… Looks like it’s become quite lively.”
As we walked leisurely down a small hill on the outskirts of town, Rei narrowed his eyes in nostalgia.
“You’ve been here before? Was it during the dungeon overflow?”
“That’s right. If I recall, that incident led to the adventurer’s guild taking control of the dungeon’s entrance.”
“So that’s why they built their guild office right on top of the entrance. They really fortified it, huh?”
“Indeed. Ten years ago, I came to suppress the overflow, but there were too many people around. I couldn’t rampage in my dragon form.”
Because of that, it took longer to contain the situation, resulting in considerable damage.
“So you had to take on a human form and dive into the dungeon’s depths to stop the source of the overflow?”
“Precisely. Normally, I would’ve just flown straight down in my dragon form…”
“Were adventurers fighting inside to stop the overflow too?”
“Yes. They had quite a bit of resolve.”
Apparently, the dungeon’s magic had become too dense, causing the deeper monsters to gain intelligence and attempt to expand beyond the dungeon’s confines.
“That must’ve been rough. But thanks to that, Anheim has flourished as a dungeon city.”
“I merely did what I had to. …But I must admit, being thanked by a friend doesn’t feel bad.”
Rei chuckled in amusement, and Kotesu, seemingly influenced by his mood, let out a soft, affectionate cry.
At some point, he had jumped from my shoulder to Rei’s broad one. That little traitor.
“Oh, Kotesu, you’re doing well, I see. Are you getting along with the phantom beast’s egg daughter?”
“Nyaa—n.”
“I see, so she’s like a little sister to you. Then take good care of her.”
Kotesu rubbed his body against Rei’s face, purring deeply.
Was he trying to mark Rei with his scent?
Or was he marking himself with Rei’s scent?
It was hard to tell.
◆◇◆
Just as when we had leapt over the outer walls, we swiftly returned to town, suppressing our presence.
Our home was located far from the bustling district filled with bars and nightlife, making the surroundings quiet.
Before leaving earlier, I had activated a soundproofing magic tool on Shella’s room door, ensuring she remained undisturbed in her deep sleep.
Though the land was rented, I had bought the two-story cottage myself, so I led Rei inside with pride.
“I used a ton of points, but it’s a nice place, right? Comfortable to live in, too.”
“Oh? It’s quite impressive. The container house had a more intriguing structure, but for living in a town, this is much better.”
Rei observed the house with interest, nodding approvingly.
Meanwhile, Kotesu was enthusiastically meowing about something, probably bragging about the vegetable garden and orchard in the yard.
“The container house was compact and easy to live in. Speaking of compact, I also bought a tiny house. It’s great for camping.”
“Oh? You’ll have to show me sometime.”
I led him inside.
By the way, my house had a strict no-shoes policy. I had Rei remove his leather boots and, just in case, used 【Purification Magic: Clean】 to rid them of any dirt.
“Your luggage… oh, right, you don’t have any. Well, I’ll show you your room later.”
“Oh? I have a room?”
“Well, more like a spare guest room. I moved in the bed and furniture from the container house.”
“I look forward to it.”
After receiving a call via the communication magic tool, I had hurried to prepare the room.
Good thing I had the 【Item Box】 skill. Even a bed too heavy for me to lift alone could be moved with ease, making rearranging furniture effortless.
“I moved all the stuff you left behind into the room, so sort it out yourself.”
“Much appreciated.”
Though Rei kept his favorite books and games safely stored with his own spatial magic, he had left behind stacks of novels and manga in his room in the container house.
As a result, his room had ended up being the most cluttered one in the entire house.
“Huh, this house is quite spacious. The kitchen and living room are big too.”
“Right? It’s still a bit plain since I’m saving up points, but I plan to get more furniture eventually.”
“Are you short on points?”
Rei raised an eyebrow questioningly.
“Well, yeah. This house was expensive. Plus, I spent a lot of points buying large-scale furniture for the heroes’ base—enough for three people. That drained my stash pretty fast…”
Maybe I had been a bit too generous with the spending.
But as a Japanese person, I had high standards for cleanliness and comfort, so I had worked hard to make it happen!
“I see… In that case, I shall help with dungeon exploration starting tomorrow.”
“Ehh? But if you defeat monsters, I won’t get any points…”
“Ah. That’s true.”
Kotesu, being my contracted beast, converted any monsters he defeated into points for me.
But…
(No way I could make the strongest golden dragon my contracted beast.)
“Then shall we form a contract? If I become your familiar, wouldn’t my victories count toward your points?”
“No, no, no! Sorry, but that’s a hard pass. Having the strongest dragon as my familiar? No thanks!”
Rei suggested it with a dazzling, carefree smile, but I immediately shot it down.
That would only bring trouble.
I glared at the gorgeous man, who was now pouting in disappointment.
“You’re a divine beast with a neutral stance, aren’t you? If you became my contracted familiar, I’d work you like a packhorse for the hero’s sake. You wouldn’t like that, would you?”
“…I simply thought it would be a good excuse to say, ‘I was only following my master’s orders’…”
“Huh!?”
“No, never mind. Forget I said anything.”
“Please do. Honestly, I’d feel a lot more secure if you were on my side, but I’d rather stand as equals with my friends.”
Calling myself equal to a golden dragon might have been pushing it.
But he wasn’t like the small, dying kitten I had once picked up.
“Heh… So, you would call me a friend? That is more gratifying than I expected.”
Even though I had rejected his offer in an instant, Rei seemed pleased.
Sighing to reset my mood, I invited my midnight guest into the kitchen.
“If you’ve been flying all night, you must be hungry. The real reunion feast can wait until tomorrow, but you should have a light meal now.”
“I appreciate that. I don’t need food to survive, but after tasting your cooking, it feels dull to go without.”
While traveling across various lands fulfilling his duties, the golden dragon had occasionally cooked the meat of beasts he had defeated.
Since I had given him salt, spices, soy sauce, and other seasonings, he had managed to make something edible.
“Even just getting the right doneness is tricky… I often ended up turning the meat into charcoal.”
“Your fire was too strong. You cut corners with magic, didn’t you?”
“I admit it.”
I made a mental note to at least teach him the basics of pan-frying and boiling.
Since this would be his first proper meal in a while, I laid out a spread of homemade dishes on the dining table.
“The main dish is an orc steak. Try it with the shallot sauce on the side. I debated serving bread, but since it’s been a while, I cooked some rice instead. The soup is pot-au-feu, with orc bacon and cockatrice thigh instead of sausage.”
“Oh…! Everything looks delicious.”
“This is a vegetable salad Kotesu made. And these mashed potato rolls wrapped in prosciutto are great, too.”
“Hmm. Such vibrant vegetables… As expected of a Kettoshi, a cat fairy.”
Kotesu narrowed his eyes happily at the praise, his whisker pads puffing up adorably. I had to give him a good fluff.
“And this—it’s been chilled to perfection, so let’s have a toast.”
From the magic refrigerator, I pulled out a can of beer from a famous Japanese brand.
Seeing the way Rei’s face lit up, I was once again reminded of how much dragons loved their alcohol.
We popped the tabs and clinked our cans together.
“To our reunion.”
“To good food.”
Drinking and snacking on side dishes, we chatted about our respective journeys, spending an unremarkable but pleasant evening.
By the time Shella woke up the next morning, the drinking session between two men and one cat had stretched on for quite a while.
