59 – Catching the Tail (7)
“Aren’t those… Black dragons…?”
Liana stuck her head out from under me and whispered lowly.
“I think that’s right. That kind of appearance isn’t common.”
“Do dragons have any sense or ability to recognize each other?”
“Nothing like that. But you knew it the moment you saw it.”
“They too will be suspicious when they see you, lord. Then, avoid them quickly.”
Liana and I took a different route through the back of the alley.
No matter how much I think about it, I have never been hit by a detection spell since I came here, and the only time I unlocked the polymorph was recently, and that was only with my outside hand.
I think I stumbled upon it while searching somewhere without knowing I was here.
If they were here, it would be a real pain…
First of all, my appearance stands out too much, and even if I try to use my strength, there are many restrictions.
If someone who looks similar to them uses power beyond what humans can produce, they will recognize it right away.
Besides… There’s no way that those two guys are everything.
“What should we do, my lord? Shall we return to Barony Gilan?”
“Well…”
To get to the portal, you have to walk for hours through exposed wilderness…
I guess I’ll just have to hide in the city center and wait until I leave…
“I think I should hide somewhere like an inn.”
“That would be good. I don’t know what happens when I return to the portal.”
We looked around with our heads bare and walked quickly to a nearby inn.
* * * * *
I stayed in the guest room and only Liana went out alone to spy on other black dragons on the street.
Liana said as she came in with dinner.
“Except for the two people I saw during the day, I don’t think I can see anything else.”
“The question is when to leave. Honestly, the number doesn’t really matter whether it’s two or four.”
Liana frowned as she put the plates down on the table.
“Why doesn’t it matter? If you get caught, you have twice as many opponents to fight.”
“I am of Lord’s blood. I am stronger than other ordinary black dragons. I can take on about four or five dragons.”
“Heh? Really? Then wouldn’t it be better to just take down those two people?”
“Then, if you release the polymorph and summon other dragons that are chasing you, it will be a pain in the ass.”
“That’s true too…”
“It’s best if they leave on their own.”
We started eating.
The chunks of meat were seasoned and grilled appropriately and eaten with slightly burnt vegetables, so it was quite edible.
“But, lord. The dragons probably didn’t know that you were here, right?”
“I thought about it, but I don’t think I did anything worth it.”
“Is there no way to find out… It would be good to at least know how many people are around…”
However, it is impossible to obtain information without being discovered.
Even if Liana approached her, she wouldn’t be able to figure it out.
They wouldn’t say anything that would reveal their true identity to a stranger.
Let’s wait.
For dragons, a few days of waiting is just a moment.
“Hmm… Then I have a good idea.”
After finishing her meal, Liana said as she cleaned up her plate.
“Anyway, all we have to do is keep those dragons as far away as possible, right?”
“That’s right. But what can you do?”
“There is. I’ll give it a try, so my lord, please stay safe here.”
She was curious about what the plan was, but Liana left the room without telling her.
* * * * *
Time passed and Liana returned late at night with her bright smile.
“I think the dragons will leave the territory soon?”
“What? How?”
“What is it? It’s fraud and deception.”
As Lyanna wanders through her city center, she looks for dragons, she says.
She said she found the dragons and spoke to them with a friendly greeting.
I run a restaurant here in the city, and I wonder if they are from the southern part of the continent.
“There was a very well-mannered person who stopped by the restaurant. He looked similar to him, so I was happy to see him and pretended to know him, or something like that.”
“So what?”
“He showed interest and asked where the customer was, and I told him that he had already left a few days ago, saying he was going east. He said thank you, gave me this, and then ran away.”
In her outstretched hand, Liana held a gold coin.
It was not a commonly used gold coin, but a very old one that had been used thousands of years ago.
“Although it is not commonly used now, gold is valued by weight. I lied and made money.”
“It’s amazing, really. How can someone scam someone while clearly knowing it’s a dragon…”
I trailed off.
Liana already has a history of deceiving dragons.
Seeing it transform into the main body looks very natural.
She hides her past and intentionally pretends to not be able to do Mancala.
So, deceiving one or two other dragons would not be a problem.
Liana smiled and snuggled into my arms, whether she knew what I was thinking or not.
“Don’t worry now, my lord. Tomorrow there will be nothing here that could endanger you.”
“Okay…”
“What would you have done without me, really?”
“It must have been difficult.”
Liana smiled cutely and she pressed her cheek against my chest.
“My lord, you must know that.”
“What?”
“You can’t do anything without me. Without me, you would still not be a lord and would be a runaway dragon being chased by your blood relatives.”
“Yes, you are right.”
“And the same goes for me. If Ergan-sama wasn’t here, I would be a slave by now and what would happen to me. Maybe I would have already died and become food for wild animals without a grave.”
Liana hugged my waist tightly.
“We need each other. We must never fall apart. If we fall apart, one of us, no… Both of us, will be destroyed.”
“Okay…”
Liana smiled lowly and looked up at me.
“Would you like to do Mancala?”
* * * * *
Mancala ended in my victory.
Liana, having lost her stake, said it was no fun and said she should go to sleep and blew out her candle.
There were two small beds that could barely fit one person, so Liana lay down on the bed across from her.
Originally, she tried to sleep with me, but the bed was so narrow that she fell violently.
Although she is short, she is fleshy and weighs quite a bit. Liana fell with a thud. She whined that it hurt and eventually she rolled over to the other bed.
She looked at Liana’s back for a while, bathed in the moonlight coming through the window, and then opened her mouth.
“Are you sleeping?”
“No? Why?”
“Just.”
“Do you want to touch my breasts?”
“No. That’s not why I called you.”
Liana rustled and turned her body towards me.
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“If you want to touch it, just let me know. I’m ready at any time. Other things too.”
“Yes, but not today.”
I had a bad feeling.
Liana is definitely smart, and it’s thanks to her that she was able to come this far.
That is an absolutely unchanging fact and it is thanks to Liana.
But apart from that, Liana is cheating on me.
It didn’t seem like she had any malicious intent, but the problem was that her unfamiliar side continued to show little by little.
The same thing happened before.
Someone who sees it may think it is a nice sight, with a young man and woman hugging each other and confessing their true feelings.
But I felt a different emotion.
Liana was tying me up.
Given the reason why they need each other, they strongly expressed the meaning of never leaving one another.
If you leave, it will be a loss to both sides.
To be precise, it means that I will be destroyed.
Liana, the moment you free yourself from the slavers, you are free and can do anything.
On the other hand, I cannot.
In a situation where she does not yet know everything about the human world, there is a high possibility that she will continue to fail without Liana.
Then, in the end, she may end up with no place to return to other than the habitat she fled to, risking her life.
Yes… I admit it.
Liana. I can’t do it without you.
But it is my will that holds you, not your will to put a leash around my neck with a smiling face.
So I was reluctant to form a deeper relationship with Liana.
Liana may want to mate with me, but if she goes that far, I may become completely tied to her.
It’s unlikely, but if the baby is conceived…
Of course… Just throw it away and leave.
But I know very well.
I could never do something like that myself.
I don’t know what the fundamental reason is that keeps tempting me like that.
Is it because he just likes me, or is he trying to tie me down and take advantage of me, or is it because he wants to settle down stably?
If you don’t have good intentions, what on earth are you trying to achieve by using me?
“Liana.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“You’re not a saint, are you?”
“Why? Why are you doing this all of a sudden? I saw you using divine power.”
“Even if you use divine power, you may not become a saint.”
Liana said nothing.
“Tell me honestly, Liana. You are definitely not a saint. There are too many strange things about you to be considered a saint. Divine power alone cannot explain it all.”
“Hmm. Is that so… I guess you don’t trust me.”
“You know everything about me. Even that I’m a dragon, that I ran away from my habitat, and that I’m in trouble. But I don’t know anything about you.”
“I told you. I am from Shinsung University…”
“Why did you lose Mancala on purpose?”