Chapter 38: Run’s Growth and the Shocking Truth

They say children grow up fast, but appliances should be upgraded quickly too.
That said, is it biologically acceptable for a pet to double in size overnight?

“…Good morning, Run.”

In the morning library.
As usual, I unlocked the door and stopped short when I saw an “object” lying on the floor.

It was a gray, semi-transparent shed skin.
Shaped like a lizard.
And beside it—

“Kyuu!”

Leaping at me with a lively cry was the mysterious creature that should have been palm-sized just yesterday.
Now, however, it was about the size of a medium dog—no, more like a large cat.
The wings on its back were well developed, and its scales now had a metallic sheen.

“…You’ve grown, haven’t you.”

I accepted this calmly.
It was heavy.
The impact of it jumping on me made me stagger slightly.
At this point, the strategy of “hiding it in a drawer” was no longer viable.

“Kyuu, kyuu!”

Run rubbed against my legs, wagging its tail.
Cute.
With its increased size, its trash intake port—its mouth—was also larger.
At this rate, even the big dust piles behind the bookshelves would be gone in one go.

“…No, this isn’t the time to be impressed.”

This growth rate was abnormal.
If this continued, it could be cow-sized next week and elephant-sized next month.
If that happened, the library floor would collapse.

“Eliana, good morning—wait, what!?”

Perfect timing—no, the worst possible timing—Claude entered.
He saw the enlarged Run and recoiled with a yelp.

“W-What is that monster!?
Is that yesterday’s lizard!?”

“Yes.
It bulked up after molting.”

“It’s grown way too much!
…Wait, those wings, that scale pattern…”

Claude’s face suddenly went pale.
He ran to the shelves and pulled out a thick tome titled Encyclopedia of Ancient Phantasmal Beasts.
He flipped through the pages rapidly.

“…I knew it.”

The page he pointed to showed an illustration of a massive dragon—
one that looked like Run after growing far more ferocious.

“Species Name: Dust Dragon (Cyclone of Decay)”
“Classification: Disaster-Designated Phantasmal Beast”
“Traits: Exhales a breath that corrodes and decomposes all matter.
A fully grown specimen can ‘weather’ an entire castle into dust within seconds.”

“…Disaster-designated?”

That was an ominous term.

“It’s a legendary creature.
It’s supposed to live only in polluted magical wastelands.
…Why is it here?”

Claude looked at me, his face drained of color.

“Eliana.
Keeping this is dangerous.
If it reaches adulthood and uses its ‘breath’ inside the palace…
Lutetia would be reduced to a wasteland.”

“A wasteland…”

That would be a problem.
My library, my good food, my fluffy bed—all gone.

“Subjugation, or at least confinement, is necessary.”

Claude’s hand moved toward the sword at his waist.
Sensing the killing intent, Run hid behind me, trembling.

“Please wait.”

I stepped in front of Claude.

“Run is not dangerous.
Just look at those round eyes.”

“All dragons are cute as hatchlings!
Don’t be fooled!”

“But this one only does ‘cleaning,’ doesn’t it?
It doesn’t erase castles—it erases the ‘dirt’ on castles.”

I stroked Run’s head.

“The book says ‘corrosion and decomposition,’ but that’s a matter of interpretation.
In other words, it has extremely powerful decomposition enzymes.
Used properly, there’s no better incinerator than this.”

“An incinerator…”

“And besides, it’s attached to me.
It listens to what I say.
…Right?”

“Kyuu!”

Run sat down obediently.
So smart.

Claude hesitated.
His sense of crisis as a statesman was fighting against his weakness for his wife.

That was when—

“Ahhhh…!
It’s over…!
My life is over…!”

A despairing scream announced the arrival of that man.
The architect, Leonardo.
Today, he wasn’t wearing his usual fluorescent mantle, but a pure white shirt.
…Or rather, what had once been pure white.

“What’s wrong, Leonardo?
You’re noisy this early.”

Claude frowned.

“Lord Chancellor!
Look at this!”

Leonardo pointed at his chest.
There, a dark black stain had spread widely across the fabric.

“I spilled drafting ink on my finest silk shirt!
This ink is magically fixated—once it stains something, it never comes out!
I can’t wear it anymore!
It’s not beautiful!”

He dropped to his knees and clawed at his hair.

“I’m a germaphobe…!
I can’t tolerate even a single blemish!
If I have to look at myself wearing something this dirty, I’d rather die!”

What a troublesome man.
Why are artists always so emotionally unstable?

“Why not just change clothes?”

When I stated the obvious, he glared at me with teary eyes.

“This is my outfit of destiny!
A one-of-a-kind piece made just for today’s presentation!
There’s no replacement!”

“…Sigh.”

I let out a breath and looked down at Run.
Run was staring intently at the stain on Leonardo’s chest.
Sniffing.
Drooling.

Apparently, that special ink smelled like a gourmet sauce to Run.

“…Lord Leonardo.
That stain might be removable.”

“W-What!?
Even the palace laundry staff gave up on it!”

“Leave it to our ‘specialist.’”

I picked Run up.
It was heavy, but manageable.

“Run.
…It’s mealtime.”

“Kyuu!”

I brought Run close to Leonardo’s chest.
Leonardo screamed, “H-Hey, what is that monster!?” but I ignored him.

Shh.

Run’s tongue shot out.
A perfectly accurate snipe.
It licked away only the black ink stain.

Lick, lick.

“W-Waaah!
It’s eating me!
I’m being eaten!”

“Please stay still.
It won’t bite the fabric.”

A few seconds later—

“…Kyuu!”

Run licked its lips in satisfaction.
And on Leonardo’s chest—

“…I-It’s gone?”

The fabric was pure white once more.
Not a single stain.
The fibers weren’t damaged at all.
It was as though the dirt had never existed.

“No way…
Even magic couldn’t remove it…”

Leonardo trembled as he touched his chest.
Then his eyes sparkled as he looked at Run.

“Bravo…!!”

He shouted.

“What magnificent functional beauty!
It feeds on filth and restores purity!
This is a natural purification system!
Are you an angel!?”

He tried to hug Run, but Run made a clear “no” face and hid behind me.
A germaphobe man professing love to a lizard—no, a dragon.
Chaos.

“…Claude.
Did you see that?”

I looked at my husband with a triumphant expression.

“That cleansing ability.
Will you call this a ‘disaster’ and eliminate it?
Or will you recognize it as a ‘beneficial beast’ and put it to use for the nation?”

Claude looked stunned, then laughed in resignation.

“…I give up.
You even managed to silence Leonardo.”

He looked down at Run.

“Fine.
I’ll approve it.
…But not as a ‘pet.’
As an ‘employee.’”

“An employee?”

“Yes.
With abilities like this, it needs a budget and official management.
‘Special Royal Palace Cleaner.’
…How about that?”

“That’s perfect!”

I clapped my hands.
A civil servant.
Run had become a civil servant.
Now I could keep it openly, and even its food—trash disposal—could be expensed.

“Leonardo, you have no objections, do you?”

“Of course not!
This creature is beautiful!
I want to dispatch it to my atelier!”

Leonardo had completely become a Run fanatic.

And so.

The legendary Dust Dragon was promoted from my “pet” to an official palace staff member.
Around its neck was a ribbon bearing the royal crest, lovingly sewn overnight by Sylvia.

Run puffed out its chest proudly and curled up at my feet.
Now my library life was secure.
Zero cleaning effort.
A perfectly maintained space.

…Or so it should have been.

But I had underestimated Leonardo.
A man like him would never settle down after a single failure and moment of inspiration.

“Eliana!
I’ve been inspired by Run’s beauty!”

A few days later.
What he brought with him was a ridiculous plan to tear open the library ceiling and “unify it with the blue sky.”

“What will you do when it rains!?”
“Rain is also a blessing of nature!”

…It seems I am fated to battle this man.

As I stroked Run, I trembled with a sense of the final showdown approaching.
To protect my “roofed lifestyle,” I cannot lose.