■ Dragon and Tiger □
After the conversation with Ozma, we joined Camilla, who was waiting outside.
When Camilla’s eyes met mine, she slightly bowed her head as a form of greeting.
I remembered how passionately she had been clapping earlier, but for the sake of Camilla’s privacy, I decided not to mention it.
I would have liked to stop by the lodging for a quick shower, but since quite some time had passed during our conversation, that wasn’t possible.
I brushed off the dust from my clothes and covered them with a robe, then removed the mask and tucked it inside my robe.
‘Come to think of it, it never fell off.’
Considering how it stuck firmly to my face during intense movements, it truly deserved to be called a steel mask.
Despite being an ordinary mask with no magic, it was high-performance.
After roughly preparing to leave, we quietly exited the arena.
Perhaps because the martial arts tournament had just ended, the inside of the arena was quiet.
Well, if you’re not a participant, there’s no reason to stay after the event is over.
Thanks to that, we were able to leave comfortably and headed to Gav’s mansion located in the west of the village.
Honestly, I thought the guest lodgings we had been staying in were quite nice.
Having stayed in various noble mansions and even in the royal castle’s guest rooms during my time in the kingdom, I thought I had become quite accustomed to luxury.
But it seems my thoughts were too narrow-minded.
The mansion we visited at Gav’s invitation was the epitome of luxury.
It was less of a mansion and more of a palace built entirely of marble.
Perhaps considering that Gav would be active in his original form, the entrance was grand and majestic.
“Welcome, my friends.”
Gav, who walked over saying this, laughed heartily and put his arms around Ozma and me.
I frowned at the weight on my shoulder and asked,
“Since when did I become friends with you, Gav?”
“Huh? Don’t guys become friends the moment they exchange punches?”
“I didn’t expect such words from a bisexual dragon.”
“Hahaha! You’re quite the sarcastic one!”
Gav said this while patting my back, then turned to Ozma, who looked visibly uncomfortable, and asked,
“So, are you still sulking about losing earlier, Ozma?”
Ozma replied brightly,
“Not really.”
“Eh~ It sure seems like it.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Really?”
“Stop being persistent!”
Eventually, when Ozma got angry, Gav, smiling broadly, ran away and said with a chin gesture,
“Anyway, since it’s your first time here, I’ll give you a quick tour of the mansion. Unfortunately, the meal isn’t ready yet.”
“Ah, if that’s the case, I can wait.”
It’s a rare opportunity to explore a dragon’s mansion, or rather, a dragon’s lair.
Ozma didn’t seem too keen, but when I said I wanted to look around, she didn’t say she would leave.
“Then, I’ll show you my prized collection first.”
Rubbing his hands together, Gav led us to the treasure vault in the basement of the mansion.
The awe I felt when I entered the treasure vault in the Demon King’s castle came back to me like déjà vu.
It was truly a mountain of endless treasures.
It’s well-known that dragons love treasure, and Gav, despite his seemingly indifferent attire, was no exception.
“Is there a reason you collect so much treasure?”
When I asked out of curiosity, Gav tilted his head and replied,
“Is there anything bad about having a lot of money?”
It was an extremely realistic answer, especially coming from a dragon.
Well, it’s not like he collects shiny things just because he likes them, like a crow.
Usually, when you look at someone’s storage, you can see the owner’s personality, and Gav’s treasure vault was quite messy.
It felt different from the orderly treasure vault in the Demon King’s castle.
It had a more primitive feel, like a typical messy friend’s room.
When I asked how he finds what he’s looking for in such a mess, Gav said he remembers everything, so it’s fine.
Indeed, only a dragon with good memory could do that.
If it were me, I wouldn’t remember where I left my socks yesterday and would only find them a month later while cleaning.
After touring Gav’s collection of magic books, board games, coins, and race war cards, we left the vault and headed to the reception room.
Honestly, I wanted to see more of the rare cards from hundreds of years ago, but it might have taken all night, so I had to leave with a heavy heart.
On the way to the reception room, there were artworks lining the corridors, with the most noticeable being the portraits of past family heads.
Except for the color of their scales, they all looked like earth dragons, or Tyrannosaurus, and honestly, I couldn’t tell the difference in appearance.
They say blood is thicker than water, but they all looked the same.
Is this similar to how all Asians look the same to foreigners?
While walking and looking at the unique Tyrannosaurus portraits, I suddenly noticed a portrait with a more elaborate plaque.
[2nd Demon King – Tiberius Caesar Divi Augusti Samael]
Hmm. So this black Tyrannosaurus is the Demon King who built the Demon King’s castle.
I was curious about his human form, but I figured it wouldn’t be much different from Gav walking ahead.
Anyway, the walk to the reception room wasn’t boring, with various artworks and paintings lining the corridors.
“Welcome.”
A man who seemed to be the head butler greeted us at the front.
The maids beside him tried to take our coats, but since I was wearing dirty clothes underneath, I politely declined and followed Gav to sit on the sofa.
Perhaps they prepared the finest tea, as the reception room was filled with a fragrant aroma.
Camilla, who has a sweet tooth, and Ozma, who loves sweets, were both captivated by the dessert tower on the table.
“Ahem!”
I cleared my throat to signal them to snap out of it, and Ozma finally straightened her posture.
Camilla also stiffened her tail sticking out from under her skirt, expressing her nervousness with her whole body.
Gav, still shirtless, leisurely sipped his black tea and asked,
“Partarth, do you know why I invited you to my mansion?”
I tilted my head at the sudden question.
“Wasn’t it just to have a meal together?”
Gav shook his head with a meaningful smile.
“No, that’s wrong.”
“Then what’s the reason?”
Instead of answering immediately, Gav took a sip of tea, then spoke in a serious voice.
“Partarth, will you be my companion?”
“…What? Did I hear that wrong?”
Gav, with a confident attitude, repeated,
“Partarth, be my companion.”
What the hell.
I didn’t mishear, did I?
As I made a shocked and horrified expression at Gav’s sudden proposal, Ozma suddenly stood up.
“W-what are you talking about! Why are you suddenly proposing to Partarth!”
Gav closed his eyes gently and replied,
“Today, during the match, I realized. This man has the most suitable genes to leave descendants with me.”
“You crazy bastard!”
Ozma’s scream filled the reception room.
That’s exactly how I felt.
Anyway, feeling dizzy at Gav’s blatant declaration, I hurriedly tried to persuade him.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t have any homosexual tendencies. So, maybe you should look for someone else?”
Gav tilted his head calmly and said,
“Is this form the problem? If so, you should have said so earlier. I can adjust to your preferences.”
As he said this, his large body was suddenly enveloped in a dazzling light.
Gav’s originally muscular and rugged body gradually transformed into a more delicate form.
His solid pectorals turned into perky breasts, his thick waist became slender like a gourd, and many other parts became more feminine.
In an instant, Gav transformed from a refreshingly handsome man to a muscular beauty with a sisterly style.
“So, how about this form?”
By the way, since he was shirtless before transforming, his droplet-shaped breasts were fully exposed.
His long, lion-like mane somewhat covered his skin, but it still felt precarious.
I was conflicted.
Honestly, this form was ‘possible.’
But overlapping with the macho Gav I saw earlier made me feel like my human dignity was being compromised.
While I was torn between my intellectual self and my beastly self, Ozma suddenly intervened, thinking she couldn’t just watch this situation.
“No! I can’t allow this relationship until dirt gets in my eyes!”
Gav, who had transformed into a beauty and whose voice had also become alluring, smiled slyly and asked,
“Ozma, who are you to tell him what to do?”
Provoked by Gav, Ozma snapped and shouted,
“Partarth and I are already engaged!”
What??
Me????
I was startled by Ozma’s sudden declaration and turned my head sharply from where I was sitting.
