Chapter 61

### Night, Inside the Dragon Den

While all the dragons were sound asleep, I faced Chris.

"Anyway, I've accepted a request, so I'll be away from home for a while. Can you protect Lea for me?"

*Is it me?*

"Yeah. I can trust you, Chris. You're our ace."

*Hahaha, of course it is.*

Chris laughed heartily, looking up at the ceiling.

Emma, who was sleeping next to us, flinched and raised her head at the sound of his laughter, but when she realized I was talking to Chris and that the noise was just his laughter—part of our daily routine—she went back to sleep.

*Alright, just relax and go with the flow.*

"Thank you."

*That's fine, but why did you specifically ask me? Didn't you threaten that merchant to stop targeting you?*

I chuckled wryly.

The threat I made to Pierre, as I explained to Jeanne.

Chris was referring to that.

*Was it a lie?*

"No, it wasn't a lie. I said it with that intention, and I believe it will serve as a deterrent."

*Hmm?*

Chris tilted his head.

If that's the case, why?

"People don't always act logically. Some are far smarter—or dumber—than I am. If they're like that, they won't act as expected."

*...Hahaha*

Chris stared at me for a while, then laughed heartily again, looking up at the ceiling.

*Shut up! Go to sleep already!*

For the second time, Colette raised her head to protest.

*Hahaha, I am the only one and the undying, so I don't need sleep.*

*Ugh!*

Colette, angry at Chris's response, curled up tightly and tucked her head into her body, trying to block out the sound.

But that's fine.

"What was that laugh about?"

*Yes, I was relieved.*

"Relieved? What do you mean?"

*The princess was moved by your friend's story, but I was worried that you were overestimating humans.*

"So, you were testing me?"

*Hahaha, sorry.*

I chuckled, and Chris laughed loudly again.

*Shut up!*

Grr!

At the same time as her shout, Colette, who was woken up by the laughter again, bit Chris angrily.

Of course, Chris didn't seem to mind and was bitten as usual.

*Yes, your friend is right. Most humans aren't that smart. Even if that merchant is restrained, there's no guarantee that someone else won't go berserk.*

"...I see."

*Don't worry, as long as I'm here, everything will be fine. Go with peace of mind.*

"Thank you."

*Hahaha*

When I thanked him, Chris laughed even more joyfully and was bitten by Colette again.

☆

The next morning, I set out with Colette.

To escort the mustard dragon egg.

*Hey, why me?*

While walking on the dragon-maintained road, Colette asked.

Her voice was a bit excited, and she seemed to be in a good mood.

"There are two reasons."

*Two?*

"One is that you said you can become five dragon souls."

*And the other?*

"In the worst case, I want you to swallow the egg whole."

*Okay.*

Colette nodded in agreement.

"Even though it will put you in danger."

*It's fine, I can handle it.*

"Alright, I'll count on you."

*Leave it to me.*

Colette happily accepted my request.

Of course, this is just a contingency plan. The best outcome would be to protect the egg without any incidents, and the second-best would be to handle it with my own power.

I wanted to avoid putting Colette in danger as much as possible.

☆

In the evening, I searched for a place to stay in a town along the way.

Since the road was maintained for dragons, the town was also built for dragons.

Most inns had a dragon den or something similar, and they were designed to accommodate dragon riders without any issues.

I entered one of these inns with Colette.

The lobby on the first floor was set up like a bar, and the bar was already bustling with human guests who had started drinking despite it being evening.

"Wait here for a moment."

*Okay.*

In the midst of the commotion, I left Colette near the entrance and headed to the counter.

I spoke to the man who seemed to be the owner.

"I want to stay for one night."

"How many people and how many dragons?"

The man glanced at Colette, who was waiting at the entrance.

"Just me and that Mushifushu species."

"The room on the second floor is fifty reals. The top floor is a hundred, and a room with a window is two hundred."

"Alright, what about the dragon?"

"The dragon's fee is included. Just let it sleep in any available spot in the dragon den."

"Alright."

I nodded.

The treatment wasn't very pleasant, but it was typical for dragons, so I decided not to argue and let it slide.

"I want a room with a window."

"Got it. Name and guild?"

"Cyril Arrows. The guild is Dragon First."

"Dragon First, huh?"

A voice from the side caught my attention. Turning, I saw a group of four men sitting on their knees, drinking, looking at me.

"What?"

"Isn't Dragon First the one that's been getting famous recently?"

"...Maybe."

I didn't want to get involved with drunkards, so I gave an ambiguous answer and turned back to the owner.

I was about to take out the money and pay the two hundred reals for the room—

"Right, the one with the rumor that they rose to power by using a woman."

"...What?"

My eyebrows twitched.

I felt like I had heard something I couldn't ignore.

"Oh? Are you angry, pretty boy?"

"I know, you're the princess's favorite, right?"

"..."

"Well, the princess is naive. It's understandable if she gets deceived by a man."

"She might even be happy being deceived."

"True."

"Ha ha ha ha ha."

The men burst into laughter and even toasted to it.

"Hey."

"Hmm? What, pretty boy?"

"Take that back."

"What, are you angry? About what you did—"

"She's not that shallow. Take it back."

"Are you the one who's head over heels for her?"

"Transformation."

I transformed into a dragon person, approached the men, and gave each of them a precise blow to the heart.

After that, I returned to my original position, transformed back into a human.

The energy consumption was high, but it took less than a second.

"Gah... Hah..."

The men writhed in agony.

They dropped their glasses, their faces contorted in pain.

Their eyes and mouths were wide open, drool dripping from the corners of their mouths, and they were frozen in place, unable to move.

"Did you do something to them?"

The owner, standing behind the counter, asked.

"Nothing, really."

"Alright. Here's the key to your room."

"...Is that okay?"

"Bar fights are common. It's the fault of the one who doesn't know their limits and gets instantly killed."

The owner shrugged and smiled.

"Besides—"

"Besides?"

"I prefer men who get angry for a woman."

"...Ha."

I laughed.

The mood had been soured by the idiots, but the owner's coolness helped me feel better.

"Thank you."

"Enjoy your stay."

I left the writhing idiots behind, turned around, and went back to Colette.