Just as the two were about to leave, a faint cry reached them.
"Awoo~ woo~~"
This Fire Fox was actually still alive!
Draco looked at the blood-covered Fire Fox with a hint of surprise. After a moment of thought...
A green glow of healing magic lit up on the Fire Fox's body.
Its health recovered from 1 point to 51 points, but it remained in a state of heavy injury.
"Lord Razen, I wonder if I might be allowed to domesticate this monster?"
In Razen's eyes, the strength of this Fire Fox was no different from an ordinary cat or dog.
Since he was in a good mood at the moment, he agreed.
However, Razen took notice of Draco's healing magic.
"You know how to use healing magic?"
Hearing Razen's words, Draco was slightly taken aback.
"I know a little, just a little."
The stronger Draco was, the happier Razen became.
"Not bad, not bad. Although the amount of Magical Essence in your body is exceptionally low, you are still able to use magic."
"It seems your magic power value is quite excellent; I misjudged you before."
"Hehe, Lord Razen overestimates me. My magic power value isn't high; I can only use some minor spells."
Razen waved his hand cheerfully. "We'll discuss that later. Follow me for now."
Picking up the dying Fire Fox, Draco followed after him.
(Magical Essence is a type of energy that exists in the world; all things contain it to a greater or lesser degree.)
(Magic power refers to the power to control Magical Essence. The higher the magic power, the more advanced the magic one can use. Magic power can be increased through practice.)
...Inside a luxuriously decorated room with a classical style.
Dozens of men and women in strange attire were gathered in this room.
At that moment, the door was pushed open.
Everyone looked toward the door in unison.
Razen strode in with Draco. His sharp, hawk-like gaze made people afraid to look him directly in the eye.
The Fire Fox in Draco's arms was now as good as new, having been restored by Draco's healing spells along the way.
Furthermore, while Razen wasn't paying attention, Draco used the 「Summoner」 skill effect, 「Contract Drafting」.
He signed a master-servant contract with the Fire Fox in his arms.
Fortunately, Draco had reached Lv3, and his MP was just enough to use this contract skill.
The effect of 「Contract Drafting」 is not limited to summoned creatures; if a target meets the conditions, a contract can also be signed.
Entering the room, Draco sized up the people inside.
Most of them had East Asian faces, but there were also some Western faces.
The most prominent was a young Black man.
Wearing a gaudy shirt and floral shorts, he had likely been summoned while vacationing at the beach.
A blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty with a hot figure was also quite distinctive.
Scanning the room, Draco spotted two somewhat familiar figures.
Taguchi Shogo, with his spiky hair and face full of arrogance, and Mizutani Kirara, who looked completely disgusted.
Tachibana Kyoya was nowhere to be found.
In other words, Draco had arrived two years before the Demon Lord's transmigration.
While Draco was deep in thought, Razen broke the silence in the room.
"Everyone, most of you were summoned yesterday. After a day's time, I assume you all understand your current situation."
"As long as you behave yourselves, I, as the Kingdom's Chief Magister, guarantee that you will be well-treated."
Everyone present understood their situation perfectly. They merely frowned and remained silent.
"I have gathered you all here today for two reasons."
"First, to let everyone get to know each other, and second, to discuss your future arrangements."
Razen began his long-winded speech, and Draco quietly walked to a corner of the room.
He silently observed everyone's expressions, looking for someone he could exploit.
After an hour of brainwashing, even Razen's throat felt dry.
"Well, that is everything I wanted to say today. Now, feel free to introduce yourselves to one another. I won't disturb you any further."
With that, the door closed with a 'bang,' leaving the people in the room looking at each other.
"That old man is way too talkative, isn't he? He just kept talking and talking without actually saying anything useful."
Mizutani Kirara broke the awkward silence, complaining about Razen.
"I fink what dat old man said made a lot of sense."
The Black guy spoke with a somewhat awkward accent.
Draco's eyelid twitched; this Black guy's accent was quite heavy.
Clearly everyone came with a built-in translation function after transmigrating; perhaps it was just part of his character setting?
"My name is Anderson. How should I call everyone else?"
Hearing Anderson's words, the others began introducing themselves as well, Mizutani Kirara included.
The atmosphere was actually quite harmonious.
After all, in a strict sense, they were all fellow countrymen.
When it was Draco's turn, he gave a slight smile. "My name is Draco. I'm very weak, so please look after me from now on."
Hearing Draco's humble words, the girls didn't say much, though they did give him a few extra glances.
After all, he was handsome—it was only logical.
However, a few of the men looked displeased, thinking he was weak, or perhaps it was just a sense of superiority at work.
At that moment, the Fire Fox in Draco's arms seemed to wake up.
"Awoo~~"
"Hungry?"
"Awoo!"
"I'll take you to get something good to eat in a bit."
The Fire Fox was very smart and understood. It scurried up to Draco's shoulder and licked his face.
"Wow, so cute!"
"Draco, can I pet it?"
Seeing the Fire Fox's adorable appearance, the girls all looked delighted and gathered around to play with it.
This made the boys who already disliked Draco hate him even more.
"Tch! A newcomer being so popular is really irritating."
A boy with a pompadour hairstyle said with a cold snort.
His companion nodded. "Hmph, wait until the combat training in a couple of days. We'll show him what's what!"
"That's a good idea."
Hearing the discussion, other boys chimed in as well.
Seeing their reactions, Draco chuckled inwardly.
These kinds of simple-minded people were perfect targets to be exploited.
Draco quietly memorized the faces of these individuals.
What surprised Draco was that Taguchi Shogo, despite looking like an impulsive person, remained calmly silent for once.
Draco spent the morning pleasantly surrounded by the girls.
He wasn't sure about his relationship with the boys, but his relationship with the girls was quite good.
Afterward, the group arrived at a magnificent dining hall.
Razen was right about one thing: as long as they behaved, they would be served good food and drink.
The lunch was just average, but it was considered quite good for another world.
After all, technology was underdeveloped; they didn't even have seasonings like white sugar, MSG, or soy sauce.
By the afternoon, it was time for training... (Everyone, you look a bit familiar. Have we met in a previous world?)