Chapter 158 (1/2)
Once Ester-chan had calmed down, we left the waiting room. Right now, I think I know what it feels like to be an exotic animal in a zoo. Everyone we pass in the castle is staring at me. I feel like if I stay here much longer I’ll start a riot.
“It’s this way. We’ll make a right at the next corner.”
“All right.”
We maintained a brisk pace as we walked down the hallway.
I followed Ester-chan’s instructions and turned right into the next hall.
We then turned another corner, went down a flight of stairs, turned another corner, and so on and so forth.
“Christina-san?”
I decided to finally acknowledge Christina as we continued moving through the castle.
“W-What!? Aah~!? What is it!?”
She had got used to being annoyed, so when I called out to her she couldn’t hide the surprise in her voice and looked at me suspiciously. It was amusing to see the frustration and humiliation so plain on her face. I really like teasing this girl.
“I want you to make me a promise.”
“A-A promise?”
“I don’t want you to hurt anyone in the future, and if you need something for someone, ask them for help rather than demanding and threatening them. There is no one in the world of humans that can compare to you, so please have a little patience.”
If she won’t return to Mount Pepe, I need to change her personality.
“If you don’t make this promise to me, I’ll continue treating you as if you don’t exist.”
“W-What did you say!?”
Given her age, I’d expect her to act more mature than she does.
But this female dragon is desperate for approval.
I wondered whether or not such a simple plan would have an effect on her but it turns out it was super effective.
“In addition to this, if you refuse and try to use your power to harm people, I will be forced to stand against you. To be honest, I don’t want this to happen. But, with humans – and I’m sure dragons – there are certain things we can’t allow.”
“…g-good. That’s what I’ve been hoping for all along! Let’s do it! Aah~!?”
“If that’s what you want, but you better be prepared. I won’t hold back.”
“….”
“I will fight against you with everything I have and when it’s finished, I can promise you this, not even a single scale will remain of you.”
“Ha~, not a single scale you say? You’re underestimating me. Even if you fight me with all of your power –”
“We’re finished.”
“…y-you’re under…estimating me….”
Christina is cute when she’s scared.
When she’s confronted by someone of equal or higher power, she develops a strong desire to fight them. But she knows my abilities and when we fought, as far as she could tell, she couldn’t even harm me. This makes it easy for me to control her. If I didn’t have the ability to instantly heal or recover MP at a tremendous rate, she’d kill me in an instant.
Our relationship consists of constantly threatening each other.
She possesses limitless potential compared to a busamen like me whose only strong point is his INT. Her status is superior to me in every other way. I wonder what will happen if we keep this semi-hostile relationship up.
Which is why I want to reduce any chances of her turning violent. I needed to make her believe I hold the power.
Something like this may also help the noble mage in his pursuit of the loli dragon.
“…did you say something?”
“I-I didn’t say anything! This Tanaka!”
“I see.”
What’s with ‘this Tanaka?’ Well, it doesn’t matter.
“I’m glad that you seem to understand. This will be better for everyone.”
I’m sure things will be fine now.
Still, something is on my mind.
The way the loli dragon looks when she’s trying to act tough while being scared of me is the best.
No, that isn’t true. Pushing her down and forcibly inserting it would be better. I can’t even imagine how amazing that would feel.
Forced sex with a teary-eyed loli. Amazing.
I want to post the uncensored video online.
“~~~”
“A-ah~! W-Why are you looking at me like that!?”
“Oh, no reason.”
I shouldn’t be thinking this. The noble mage has already told me about his feelings for her.
I did something wrong.
Maybe, if he gets bored of her someday, I’ll ask to borrow her for some hard play.
“I don’t want to interrupt but we really shouldn’t be speaking much inside the castle. There are eyes and ears everywhere. The Prime Minister, in particular, possesses a lot of power within these walls. Even if it’s just a casual conversation, it would be best if we waited until we’ve left.”
“I see. Sorry. I’ll refrain from speaking until we’ve left the castle.”
“Y-You don’t have to apologize! In fact, I’m sorry for making you feel like you have to apologize.”
“No, it was good advice. I know you were just worried about me. Right now, you’re my senior and I want to be sure to learn everything I can from you. I’m a foreigner that knows almost nothing about the nobility of this country.”
“….”
Ester-chan’s face turned red.
She may not be a virgin. In fact, I’d say she’s the complete opposite.
But she knows about this world.
We passed by several people who I assume are nobles as we made our way through the castle. Even though only a few minutes have passed since we left the great hall, the new baron was the talk of everyone we passed, and they’d all cast a curious eye at the strange foreigner roaming the castle halls. If I were to make some minor mistake, I’m sure everyone within these walls would know about it in minutes and they’d all happily judge me based off that one moment.
But, so far, nobody has tried to talk to me. I think this may be thanks to Ester-chan. With her by my side, nobody will come near me. Even within the royal castle, the FitzClarence name carries significant power.
This doesn’t mean I can rest easy.
In addition to worrying about my own actions giving the nobility a bad impression of me, I also have to worry about the loli dragon’s seemingly random gut punch. She can be short-tempered and if I’m forced to counter her attack in the castle, it would look like a grown man is assaulting a child. I’d be sent to prison before even attempting to succeed as a baron. This is what I was most worried about.
It really seems like it’s taking longer to get out of this castle than usual. This is so stressful. Is that why it seems like it’s taking so long? After some time, we finally arrived at the entrance to the castle. I could see freedom waiting for me outside the gates when I spotted someone I recognized.
He was being led into the castle as we were leaving.
“Ah, Neumann-san?”
“Hmm, oh? Is that you Tanaka? What are you doing here…?”
My superior on the battlefield.
He’s a former high-ranking official in the capital and his wife and home are also here. The carriage that left Tricklis must’ve finally arrived.
“I’m sorry that we left you behind. I wanted to give you a proper thank you for all the help you provided while I was in Tricklis.”