Who said that if you live too long, you become like a child?
I can’t remember, but that person must have had some serious insight.
[I have nothing to say until you hand over that fruit.]
The lizard, seemingly frustrated and resentful, tightly shut its mouth. But the one at a disadvantage here isn’t us—it’s them. There’s plenty of room for negotiation.
What makes the negotiation even more one-sided is the fact that Roka is ready to cut things down at any moment, gripping her sword. Lady Kisea whispered.
“See? You see that? She’s completely insane. Once her eyes roll, even I, her sister, can’t stop her. So, before you get chopped into pieces, tell us where the treasure mountain and the dragon’s artifacts are.”
Roka’s eyebrow twitched, but she held it in. Still, knowing this was all part of the plan and not her true feelings, she stayed silent.
Lady Kisea seemed genuinely eager to get her hands on the dragon’s treasure. It wasn’t just talk—her eyes sparkled like gold coins. It seemed the treasures bestowed by the Empress weren’t enough for her, as she was the most enthusiastic in interrogating Azahadaka.
[I never thought I’d suffer such humiliation at the hands of inferior beings in my life. Just kill me, you mutant monkeys! Do you think a dragon fears death?]“Yeah, totally.”[Correct answer.]
Above all, it’s already clear that this dragon is dead serious about self-preservation. Both Roka and Lady Kisea, who usually seem a bit clueless at times, can be terrifyingly sharp when it counts.
It’s like how a wolf, which usually looks like a dog, changes its attitude the moment it spots prey. The way she alternated between threats and coaxing Azahadaka was almost unrecognizable from the Queen Kisea I knew.
“So, let’s make this easy. Just tell me where the treasure is, and I’ll sell you off as a pet to some fancy household.”[You’ll take the treasure for yourself and sell me off as a pet? Are you even human?]“You’re a lizard, so clothes don’t matter, food won’t be a problem, and you’ll get to live in a warm place with warm meals. What’s the issue? You should be grateful for that kind of life.”
Swoosh.
Even though she could’ve drawn her sword silently, the loud sound she made while unsheathing it showed she knew how to intimidate.
“I’m really good at chopping things into pieces, you know. When I was young, they called me ‘Kisea the Log Cutter’ in my village. I was the best at splitting logs into firewood in my family.”
Well, maybe she’s not that good…
Anyway, she’s an unpredictable person.
“Do you want to be chopped into pieces and die? Or will you tell me where the treasure is?”[This is outright robbery! Let’s make it a give-and-take. My condition is simple: that fruit!]“Hey, do I really look like an idiot to you?”
It wasn’t exactly a pleasant sight to see a grown woman growling at a lizard the size of her palm, especially one that had already lost its tail.
But knowing the circumstances, it’s hard to blame Lady Kisea entirely.
The opponent is a dragon. A being that only appears in legends.
The Primal Demon King, Grimudo, is a legendary being, but he exists. He’s alive in our era. But dragons disappeared into the skies long ago.
If that dragon were to regain its full body and appear in this world, would it still act so pitifully? Could a human Master even stop such a being?
We know nothing about dragons. But there must have been a reason they were called transcendent beings.
“If you get your body back, forget the treasure mountain—you’ll crush me with your claws. I don’t want to die like that.”[Damn it! I can swear in dragon tongue!]“How can I trust a verbal contract? Fine, if you keep this up, I’ll just stuff you into a wine barrel and turn you into dragon liquor. Snake wine is good for the body, so surely dragon liquor would be worth something. Maybe I could sell it for a high price.”
Azahadaka trembled. Now, it looked at me with pleading eyes.
[Please, stop these beasts. A great mind like mine shouldn’t rot in a wine barrel! That would be a tremendous loss! Please, understand the situation.]“I can’t give you the Firefly Meringue. I don’t know how you view us humans. I haven’t even formed an opinion about you yet.”
I could give the fruit after making a promise with the condition that it would never harm people. As Duke Shimira proved with her body, a promise witnessed by the Lord holds power.
But if humans and this dragon were to coexist uneasily like that, it wouldn’t be good for either side. I don’t know if the Lord would even care about this dragon after I ascend.
It wouldn’t be too late to hand over the fruit after building some trust with this dragon. That’s what I decided.
[I know what you’re worried about. It’s a pointless worry. If I can regain my body… I have no reason to stay here. I’ll leave for the sea of stars beyond the sky.]“Leave for the sea of stars? What kind of nonsense is that?”[For ignorant beasts, this star you stand on might be the entire world. But a cultured being knows this is just a small part of it.]
Anyway, saying that doesn’t change anything.
I can’t give the Firefly Meringue to this person. At least not now.
Someday, if trust builds, it might change…
But today is not the day. If the dragon regains its body, it’ll probably try to chew up Lady Kisea first.
The way it casually looks down on humans as inferior beings is another reason. I need to observe a bit more before making a decision.
[Is there no room for negotiation at all? Surely not?]“Give us some time and help us out. Then, before you leave, I’ll leave you one Firefly Meringue.”[…I don’t like accepting such an open-ended condition, but I have no choice. In return, I’ll need something upfront.]
The lizard raised its front leg and pointed somewhere. Turning my gaze, I saw a golden Dragon’s Sword lying on the ground. The sword, made from a dragon’s fang, had a long crack in it.
Just that was enough to guess the level of collision the Princess had endured.
[That sword holds a bit of the Dragon’s Heart. It’s not a bad vessel for my body. It’s not great, but in this situation, it’s better than nothing.]“What about the treasure mountain and the dragon’s artifacts? You’ll give those too, right?”[Did you really believe that? It’s been about 6,700 years since I’ve been wandering the world with just my heart left. Even if they existed, my kin would’ve reclaimed them or they’d be scattered across the world.]
Lady Kisea’s pupils dilated. Her eyes seemed to freeze for a moment.
Her voice grew heavy and sharp.
“…You’ve been playing with me, haven’t you?”[Only a fool would fall for it in the first place.]“I was planning to stuff you in a wine barrel and sell you for a high price, but I’ve changed my mind. Yep.”
Queen Kisea cheerfully replied. But she couldn’t hide the growling sound.
“I’ll just prepare some boiling oil and deep-fry you. Everything tastes better fried. That guy, if I coat him in batter and fry him, he’ll probably taste great.”
Roka had no interest in what was happening over there.
She just came over to me and quietly stared. Without saying anything, her expression was asking for a snack.
“This?”
When I handed her the Firefly Meringue, Roka quickly grabbed it and took a bite. Her face lit up with happiness at the overwhelming sweetness.
Yeah, even if it has no effect after the second one, the taste doesn’t disappear. It’s more than enough to enjoy as a treat.
The intense sweetness, almost too much for most, seemed to suit Roka just fine. The lizard glanced at her and made a disgusted face.
[You’re making such a fuss over something so easy to make. What a degenerate world. Someone just has to act cute to get a piece, while I’m asked to give up everything I have.]“What about me?”
But… Lady Kisea?
“Don’t I get one?”
Pretending not to notice, she glanced at Roka eating the fruit and asked as if she wasn’t curious. I don’t care about the fruit, but her eyes and voice betrayed a hint of anxiety.
“Well, if there’s none, forget it! I don’t eat that kind of stuff anyway!”
Surely, a grown adult isn’t sulking because she didn’t get a snack…
No way. I believe in Queen Kisea of the Gray Wolf clan.
“Hmph!”
Maybe that trust was a bit too much.
