Book 3: Chapter 111 (2/2)

Alora tilted her head. “If that’s the case, then why haven’t you done it already?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know, became strong enough to defeat an evil dragon by absorbing these things.” Alora gestured at the giant with the claw she was holding Zyocuh in, causing a green hue to appear on his cheeks. “Oops. Anyways, why wait until now to do that? If you did it before, then my aunt wouldn’t have nearly killed you.”

Zyocuh swallowed down his urge to vomit. “It’s complicated.”

“I won’t drop you in unless you spill,” Alora said, beating her wings a little harder. The giant seemed to be getting further away with every pump.

“Alright, alright,” Zyocuh said and sighed again. “My blood magic relies heavily on the blood of relatives. It took an extremely long time to create three empires worth of people who’re closely related to me. If your aunt came just a day later, I wouldn’t have been trampled by her. I was going to take over my niece’s body, but then I saw that dragon boy and wanted his instead since he was stronger. And once that was done, I’d come back and absorb the three giants to become the strongest person in the world.”

Alora blinked. “And then what?”

Zyocuh furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”

“Let’s say you become the strongest person in the world,” Alora said. “Then what?”

“…Then I get revenge on the black dragon who subjected me to torture for several decades.”

“Okay.” Alora nodded. “Let’s say you do that too. Then what?”

“Then I….” Zyocuh’s brow furrowed. “You know, I never really thought about it. After I get my revenge, I’ll figure it out from there. I told you what would happen if you dropped me inside and explained why I didn’t do it earlier, so will you please drop me in now?”

“Um, I don’t want to.” Alora shook her head. “You see, dragons have this complex, you know? We don’t like it when there are things stronger than us out there. Knowing that there’s something out there that can kill you really ruins your sleep. And if we can’t sleep for decades at a time, then what’s the point of living?”

“…What if I swear to never harm you once I become the strongest person in the world?”

Alora grinned at Zyocuh. “How about this? Tell me how to absorb that giant, and I’ll become the strongest dragon in the world. Then I’ll punish my uncle appropriately for you. Sounds like a good deal, yeah?”

“That’s not possible,” Zyocuh said. “Weren’t you listening earlier? My blood magic can only tie people who are closely related together. Your body will reject the blood, and you’ll die instead.”

Alora shrugged. “Then I guess neither of us are getting stronger and my uncle wins.”

“I’m sure there’s some kind of compromise we can work out,” Zyocuh said and swallowed. “How about—”

“Dragons don’t compromise,” Alora said and shook her claw up and down. “You can help me and we both get what we want, or you can not help me and we both lose. The choice is really obvious if you’re not dumb.”

“It’s not a matter whether I want to or not, it’s a matter of whether I can,” Zyocuh said, a pained expression on his face. “Please stop shaking me.” His green face turned even greener, and a stream of liquid came out of his mouth. “Okay, I yield! I’ll help you become stronger!”