The Next Morning.

    At the first crack of dawn, we tried to leave Donco Village, but encountered Lala at the entrance, holding Poco by her side.

    "With how your brain works, I knew you would try to leave in silence."

    With puffed-out cheeks, Lala complained.

    Oh, and needless to say, Count Nelson''s proposal to hold a feast didn''t fly.

    I mean, both Lala and Tamotsu were injured, the hour had grown late, and we needed to inform the Donco villagers who might still be searching around. Or well, that''s the pretext I used. The actual reason was the unsettling gleam in Count Nelson’s eyes and the eerie, expressionless way my mother watched him.

    It was like I was sitting on a pin cushion, so saying ''We can always celebrate their safety the next day, but right now, the injured comes first,'' I immediately dragged us out of Komori Village.

    It goes without saying I just put that as adlib, and had no intention to act chummy with the old man, and made our plan to depart before he got hold of us again.

    "Well, sorry, Lala. We’ve got a packed schedule ahead and no time to linger."

    I scratched my head in awkwardness, and that had Lala chuckled wryly.

    "I know, after all, you did shout ‘I am going to enjoy the heck out of my spring vacations!’ And it''s about what we discussed yesterday, I think I will work on it."

    ◆◆◆

    The Night Before.

    On the way back from the depths of the canyon—and before reuniting with my mother—I had made a certain proposal to Lara.

    "Wow... You really put up a great show, Lala. I am thoroughly in awe."

    Basking in excitement of the spectacle I had seen—all the Ligens had come to obediently crouching on the ground like a good dog at the end of Lala''s whiplash session—I lined up my praises to her.

    "Not to brag, but I am quite confident in whipping skills, Ohoho."

    "The heck is with that ''ohoho?'' I already saw that wild side of your, so leave that. ...Anyway, I am not talking about your techniques. I am more astounded to see you have the qualities to be the ''Tamer.''"

    When I cleared out my point, Lala''s eye blinked in daze at first, before a red glow covered her entire face.

    "D-d-don''t spread a word of it in the class!"

    Out of mischief, I giggled and shifted away my eyes. It had Lala press on me ''You mustn''t, alright?! You mustn''t ever!!'' Seeing her desperation, I eventually gave a nod.

    "Ahem. Anyway, so what''s that Tamer you''re talking about?"

    "Huh, you don''t even know such a simple thing?"

    I sighed and shook my head before explaining the concept of taming and commanding magical beasts.

    "In short, Lara, you’ve got the talent to become a Beast Tamer!"

    I made this grand declaration, only to watch her expression freeze in place, her lips twitching in disbelief.

    "That’s... utterly ridiculous. It’s one thing to deal with a horse that became a magical beast later in life, but true-born magical creatures are aggressive by nature. They’d never bond with a human! Let alone using them in combat—it’s simply preposterous!"

    "Just believe in yourself, Lala. I know you can!"

    I said with unwavering confidence—*so that I can have my fill of the real experience with a Tamer.*

    This was an uncharted territory in this world, so the result was in a limbo, but as they said about the lottery. You wouldn''t know until you buy one!

    Then again, I wasn''t pushing her on my fantastical ideas. There had been two types of people in my previous life; one beloved by animals, and one disliked by them. And Lala obviously fell in the former cliche. —Me? I was in the later part. If anything, I especially felt like mine ''avoided by animals'' attribute had upgraded to ''avoided by animals++'' after I I started training in wind magic.

    "A-Also, there''s something I must tell you. Actually, this is the main reason why I waited here for you."

    With a stiff movement, she quietly glanced at my parents, who averted their gaze, as if saying ''we can''t hear you.''

    But their pointedly focused ears—practically radiating with concentrated magical energy—gave them away. And, for some absolutely incomprehensible reason, tears accumulated in Schord''s eyes as he perched atop the driver seat.

    Huh? Woah, woah, hold on!

    I mean, after spotting Lala in her natural habitat, I do agree she''s a sweet girl, but I definitely didn''t think this far!

    And beyond that, I already suspect I am plagued with the curse of always landing on the wrong side of my crushes, or anyone I am interested in, almost as if some bored god out there is fiddling with my red threads of fate!

    I had basically given up on the hope already. Oh, I think I know what this is. This was probably just some kind of advice session. Yeah, that must be it!

    Do you hear me, god? My heart isn''t beating in any expectation AT ALL!!

    "A-actually, um... I feel like I might’ve let my accent slip a bit in this village, and I also might have acted quite un-ladylike, Allen..."

    Her voice faltered as she tried to explain, her hands clasped tightly together.

    "I-It''s fine..."

    I croaked in response, my voice embarrassingly hoarse.

    "S-so... I just want to tell you, please.......please.......... do not mention anything to Doll!!!"

    ...

    .......

    ...............

    ..........................

    Uh, the Doll what???

    As I stood there, dumbfounded, Poco gave me a sharp, judgmental glare. Then, out of nowhere, the horse suddenly lifted one of his back legs, clearly intending to kick me.

    But I managed to gracefully sway to the side, dodging the strike with expert timing.

    ◆◆◆

    This short interlude was the axis of time Lala von Liancool had decided to embark on a path untrodden.

    Throughout the history, there had been precedents where the behaviour of monsters were utilised to benefit human endeavors, such as long-distance communication or advancements in agriculture and fishing.

    But the notion of taming monsters—beings long regarded as humanity’s enemy due to the numerous disasters they had caused—and not only commanding them at will but applying that control in battle? That was an idea so absurd, so unthinkable, that no one had dared attempt it.

    Tamer became the new vein of talent gifted only to the chosen few by heaven.

    She would become yet another member of pivotal figures of the Unicorn Generation that would revolutionise the word, engraving her names in the annals of history.

    —Who is the strongest of the Unicorn Generation?

    This question would be debated for decades, even centuries, to come. And while many contenders would vie for that title, Lala von Liancool had no shortage of supporters who argued passionately in her favor.

    She would later gain the title of Dragon Rider.

    Whenever the topic of the strongest legend of Lala von Liancool would pop up, a particular famous anecdote would never be not cited by her supporters.

    A situation where even ?Time Traveller? Allen Rover, or ?Invincible? Leo Zaitsinger, leader of the unicorn generation and touted as the unconquerable summit, would have to remark—

    ?Lala... that’s just cheating.?