Ch.53Dragon Clan and Demon Clan (6)

Dragon and Demon Race (6)

The first thought that came to Esmeralda’s mind when she regained consciousness was, ‘What on earth was I thinking earlier?’

She had weakened. That much was clear.

He is the enemy. She must not forget that. A mistake could mean death not just for her, but for everyone.

Esmeralda glared at Lug, trying to steel her resolve once more.

“Lady Hero? Why are you looking at me like that…?”

Lug, who had been diligently treating her until now, felt wronged.

‘Even demons know gratitude.’

Lug’s favorability toward Esmeralda decreased.

‘I’ve been especially lenient with her.’

Fortunately, since Lug was indebted to her chest, Esmeralda remained his benefactor.

Perhaps Esmeralda would remain Lug’s benefactor unless she threw him into a dragon’s breath?

Lug was feeling deep satisfaction from the sensation of her chest, which he could recall more vividly than ever before.

Yes, though not to the point of sexually harassing her during treatment.

“Haah…”

Esmeralda sighed at Lug’s obvious mental state. She was almost used to it by now.

Of course, she still felt uncomfortable about him burying his face between her breasts and eagerly sniffing.

Esmeralda knew gratitude too. After all, entering this ruin was her decision, and Lug had even treated her wounds.

So she wouldn’t get angry.

[Note: Still, I think she’s a bit smaller compared to Eirene.]

Smack!

She was angry.

This was a matter of pride. Being compared to Eirene was intolerable, though Millia might have been a different story.

Esmeralda’s right hook accurately struck Lug’s jaw.

“Eh… huh?”

Lug collapsed without even understanding what had happened to him.

‘There’s barely any difference, you know?’

There was some difference with Millia. She was someone who acknowledged what needed to be acknowledged.

Esmeralda crouched down in front of Lug, who had not only sat down but planted his face on the floor.

“How long was I unconscious?”

“About 8 hours.”

[Note: Black]

Esmeralda shifted from her crouching position to kneeling, arranging her skirt into a more modest posture.

This time, she was in the wrong.

If being defenseless in front of none other than this bastard Lug wasn’t a mistake, then what was?

By now, Esmeralda had come to accept that this was just how Lug was.

“Eight hours, so I wasn’t out for as long as I thought.”

“Your robustness is becoming more troll-like by the day, Lady Hero. Haha.”

“Lug. You should think before you mock someone. Speaking without using your brain isn’t talking, it’s barking.”

“…I apologize.”

Lug bowed his head at Esmeralda’s stern warning.

Fortunately, since his head was already planted on the floor, he only needed to move slightly.

“Well, shall we resume our exploration? My physical condition isn’t great, but… moving is probably better than staying here.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to wait for rescue?”

“No, I think moving forward is better than staying here. First, we should check if the path ahead is blocked.”

Esmeralda pointed at the fragments of broken rock.

Judging by the form of the rock trap, it was designed to push the two of them forward. So the end of this path was likely blocked.

If that was the case, waiting for rescue might not be the best choice.

Having arrived here through a teleport trap, if there was no path in either direction, it would be nearly impossible for anyone to find them.

So they needed to check if the path was blocked, and if it was, they would have to break through the wall to rejoin the proper path.

“Phew, then… oh?”

“Oops.”

Esmeralda tried to stand up to continue on their way, but her body wasn’t completely healed yet and she began to stagger.

Fortunately, Lug, who had been lying on the floor, quickly got up and supported her, preventing her from falling. Esmeralda looked at him with drowsy eyes.

Due to rising from his prone position to support her, Lug’s face was pressed against her chest.

‘I really don’t know who’s at fault anymore.’

At this point, it was almost impressive. Honestly, it would be difficult to do this intentionally.

Of course, there was still a problem.

“Lug, don’t try to subtly rub your face. You might end up with a holy sword rubbing against your face?”

“Ahem! Hmm, hmm…”

He never missed such opportunities.

There wasn’t a hint of hesitation in Lug’s way of seizing opportunities.

Truly, he lived like there was no tomorrow, never hesitating to take a chance despite being warned repeatedly.

“Still, thank you.”

Esmeralda grabbed Lug’s hair as he kept trying to press against her chest, forcibly pulling his head up to the side of her face.

‘Now that his face is close, this is awkward in its own way,’

Esmeralda turned her head slightly with a sour expression.

Perhaps because she hadn’t had the opportunity to look at him closely before, it felt strange.

“I’ll support you, but you’ll have to handle any traps, Lady Hero. Let’s proceed slowly.”

“Ah, yes.”

Esmeralda didn’t know how to respond to such cowardly words spoken with such a serious face.

There was nothing particularly strange about it, but she was struck by the observation that Lug’s face, seen up close, wasn’t as bad as she’d thought.

She had considered him a pervert, but…

‘He’s not ugly.’

He wasn’t handsome enough to be called a pretty boy, but he had a decent look about him.

Esmeralda realized she had never properly looked at Lug before.

She had always just looked at his obvious thoughts that floated around him, without examining the demon named Lug in detail.

‘Why does someone with a normal appearance have to be such a…’

Upon closer inspection, she thought it was a shame he was a pervert.

Of course, Lug’s perversion was a recent development and there seemed to be some reason for it, but it was still unfortunate.

Esmeralda realized that Lug was quite troubled.

“At least there are murals carved on the walls, as befits a ruin.”

“Ah, you’re right.”

Esmeralda, who had been glancing at Lug, answered with a start, as if caught doing something wrong.

Even Lug was seriously examining the ruins, while she had been distracted.

That fact was internally shocking to her.

“Hmm, so this is…”

“It’s the dragon race. If you look closely, the wings and hands are different from humans. They also have horns.”

“Couldn’t it be the demon race?”

Esmeralda subtly tested Lug. How would he react?

“That’s unlikely. No one would worship demons like this. Looking at it, they seem to have gained people’s favor by imparting knowledge. Demons have low intelligence, after all.”

“Ah…”

Esmeralda was able to remain calm at Lug’s straightforward answer, which was both satisfying and disappointing.

That was right. What was carved on the wall wasn’t just the appearance of the dragon race.

There were also images of people worshipping them like gods.

Originally, the dragon race was known for their role as guardians of balance.

Only recently had they become hostile to both humans and demons alike, but fundamentally they were a wise race, as powerful as they were intelligent.

Esmeralda finally began to walk while examining the murals in detail.

The content of the murals wasn’t difficult to interpret. It was about people worshipping the dragon race.

More specifically, it showed various races—humans, dwarves, elves, and others—bowing their heads to a single dragon.

That single dragon wasn’t showing off but was caring for them like a sage.

As they walked along, the timeline of the murals progressed, and the group created by that single dragon prospered.

“…”

Esmeralda, who had been carefully examining the murals while moving forward, suddenly stopped.

Had she discovered a trap?

Lug looked at her expression with that thought in mind, but her face showed mere uneasiness rather than the alarm of someone who had discovered a trap.

“Lug.”

“Yes?”

“Haven’t you seen this symbol before?”

Esmeralda’s eyes were fixed on the middle of the mural, on a scene where the dragon race was creating a group and displaying its symbol.

In the picture was a large pupil, with numbers surrounding it that formed the shape of an eye.

He didn’t know what those numbers meant. He didn’t know what animal’s eye it was modeled after.

But he did know what that eye symbolized.

The archaeologist of the Hero’s party.

The symbol of the group Tina belonged to.

“The Eye of Truth?”

“Right? I’m not seeing things, am I? Hmm…”

Could it be a coincidence that the emblem of the imperial academic society was engraved here?

Esmeralda stared at the mural for a while, then slowly turned her head forward.

Lug was already looking ahead rather than at the mural, so her reaction was delayed.

Click. Click.

The sound of multiple people approaching them.

Though their attire varied slightly, they all had the same symbol embroidered on their chests.

“Oh no, did they see us?”

“This is why we warned about keeping outsiders away.”

“Sigh, more bodies to clean up today?”

A vertical pupil with numerical eye lines surrounding it.

Scholars belonging to “The Eye of Truth.”

“Um, wait a moment. This development is too familiar, so let’s talk first…”

“Sorry, but now that you’ve seen this, we can’t let you live. If you want to blame someone, blame your own foolishness!”

Esmeralda tried to speak calmly in this all-too-familiar situation, but what she got in return was exactly the development she had expected.

“Sigh, of course. There’s no way there’d be someone with a conscience in our party.”

Esmeralda finally acknowledged it.

That Tina was also hiding something from her. Honestly, she wasn’t surprised or feeling betrayed.

‘It’s not like this is the first time.’

She was used to it by now.