Confession (2)

Dangerous. After this kind of development, it’s always a bad ending.

I avoided these situations easily in the game. I could just go back to the save point and choose a different line.

Reality is different. I only have one chance. What’s more, the other person is Aris, a dragon who has lived for thousands of years.

“So, um…”

“Why are you so nervous? How strange. You’re not usually like this.”

“Right now… the Demon King…”

“The Demon King or whatever, won’t that be over tomorrow? I’m talking about what happens after that, you know?”

“No, I mean…”

“I’m just asking for an eternal promise. It’s not that complicated, is it?”

Aris’s smile deepened. The moonlight made her expression even more eerie.

I need to get out of this situation… How do I refuse?

This is bad. I need to change the mood.

I’m scared to refuse, but I can’t accept it either… Okay, let’s turn it into a joke.

“Um… so, you know. If we get married and have kids later…”

“Huh?”

The word choice was effective. Aris’s expression brightened instantly at the word ‘marriage’.

“What if… what if our child is born from an egg?”

“……Huh?”

Aris froze for a moment. Her expression twisted subtly.

“An egg… you say…?”

“And, and you know! What if our child is a dragon but their dad is human? Won’t they get bullied?”

Aris’s expression became even more complicated. Her golden eyes darted back and forth.

“What if other dragons tease them, saying ‘Your dad’s a human’… and our child gets hurt because of that?”

“So you’re already worrying about the child we’ll have? You’ve been seriously thinking about our relationship. I’m very pleased.”

With a dangerous smile, she came closer. Cold sweat ran down my back.

Is this a failure?

I need to get out of here for now. I need to go back to the village. To deal with a dragon, I need at least the Saintess by my side.

As I tried to slip away, Aris grabbed my arm.

“Where are you going? You are my most precious treasure. A dragon’s treasure… should be by the dragon’s side, shouldn’t it?”

I tried to break free from Aris’s grasp, but even in her human form, I could feel the monstrous strength of a dragon.

When I flinched in pain, Aris let go of my hand. But her eyes were still sharp.

“So, um! There’s an important battle tomorrow!”

I blurted out. I tried to look as calm as possible, but my voice trembled.

“The Demon King! The worst enemy threatening the world! We have to defeat him tomorrow…”

“Hehe… how cute.”

Her laughter rang out softly. But the dangerous energy hidden within sent a chill down my spine.

Aris took another step closer. Her smile deepened even further.

“Conditioning is important too! What kind of mistakes might come out if you fight while tired…”

“Don’t worry. You know better than anyone how strong our party is, don’t you?”

“No, no! That’s not it…”

It was true. With our party’s strength, the Demon King was no problem. That’s true from my game knowledge, and from my five years of practical experience.

“Um, our party’s unity is important too! Everyone must be waiting…”

“The others are busy with their own preparations. There won’t be any interruptions.”

So this was calculated too. As expected of the wise one of the dragon race, so meticulous. She even figured out the other party members’ movements and chose this time.

“But… but still! I want to rest! Huh? I’m tired, I tell you.”

As a last resort, I said it pleadingly. It was too natural to be acting. Because I was actually scared.

“…Tired? Of a tryst with me?”

“Yeah. I’m too tired to even have a proper conversation.”

I used a slightly sarcastic tone. Aris’s eyes sharpened again in an instant.

“Heung…? Are you testing me right now?”

This was dangerous. But this was an opportunity. A chance to shake her sharpened reason once again.

“That’s not it… I don’t want to gloss over your confession. We should have these important talks when we’re in our right minds. It’s our precious moment, after all.”

Aris’s eyes changed in an instant. At the words ‘precious moment’, her sharp pupils turned back into round human pupils.

“Let’s not rush things. How about we defeat the Demon King, and then talk again?”

“For you to think of me like this….”

A smile spread across Aris’s lips. But this time, it was a genuinely happy smile, different from the threatening one from before.

“Alright. There’s no need to rush. Let’s call it a day for today.”

Hah, finally.

“But.”

She grabbed my shoulder again as I tried to escape.

A dangerous glint flickered in her golden eyes.

“After we defeat the Demon King… I won’t listen to any more excuses. We’ll have plenty, plenty of time. Then, I’ll resolve each and every one of your worries. With the wisdom of the dragon race.”

“Ah, then I’ll really be going now!”

“Rest well.”

I hurried away from that spot. Aris’s sweet laughter echoed behind me.

If I keep going like this… I might end up trapped in a dragon’s nest, let alone returning to modern times.

*

On the way down the hill, away from Aris.

A shadow stood under the moonlight. Emerald hair that reached her waist fluttered in the night breeze. It was Sylvia, the gardener of the World Tree and the Queen of the Elves.

“…What were you doing here?”

A cold voice. It was different from her usual cool tone. I could see the long ears, unique to elves, trembling faintly.

I run into an elf as soon as I get away from the dragon. I’m out of luck today.

“Queen-nim, what brings you here…”

“I asked first.”

I flinched at her sharp tone. The way she glared at me with her cold green eyes was like an ice sculpture. Beautiful and dangerous.

The leaves around rustled. It was a strange movement for a night breeze.

“The forest told me.”

The leaves around rustled and shook. It was like the whispers of spirits.

“You were with Aris until just now, weren’t you?”

“Ah, that’s…”

“I saw it. All of it.”

Sylvia’s cold voice cut through the night air. A faint green light swirled around her. It was as if the power of the spirits was reacting to her emotions.

“Riding on the dragon’s back. Sharing stories under the moonlight too.”

Her green eyes became moist. But she turned her head away in an instant, hiding her emotions.

“Wait. So you were watching me?”

“No. I didn’t do anything like stalking.”

It was a suspiciously sounding excuse for some reason.

She said it firmly, but the tips of her ears turned red.

“It’s just… the spirits are conveying your footsteps…”

No, that’s surveillance. Besides, her ears are getting redder and redder.

“The spirits like you.”

Sylvia suddenly spoke. I could feel the tension in her voice.

“It must mean you have a pure soul.”

How am I supposed to deal with this again…

I sighed. I barely escaped from Aris, and now Sylvia too.

“Are the spirits… always watching my actions?”

I asked carefully. I felt like I needed to know this.

“…….”

Sylvia was silent. Her green eyes sparkled in the moonlight.

“If it weren’t for you… I would never have allowed it. I can’t help it. The spirits of the forest want to protect you even without my orders.”

Her voice trembled. The leaves around rustled. That’s a lie.

“Hey. Shall we take a walk for a bit?”

Sylvia’s voice changed. It was a shy tone, different from her usual cool tone. This kind of development is usually… No, I don’t want to think about it.

“…Sure.”

It felt like it would be a stranger situation if I refused. We walked together along the moonlit path. Another walk. Why do women like walks so much?

“I still remember. The day we first met.”

Sylvia’s voice rang out softly.

“You were like a sudden breeze that came to the boring and isolated forest. Demanding that I hand over the Elf Queen….”

Her voice was filled with laughter. At the time, after recruiting Aris and Seraphina, I went to the Elf Forest for the best party combination.

“I was very surprised at the time. A dragon and a Saintess together… under the command of a human hero.”

There was warmth in her indifferent tone.

“Back then, I was just a young queen. My throne was also threatened by the elders’ rebellion…”

A young queen… She must have been over a hundred years old back then. The elven sense of time is truly amazing.

“But you changed everything.”

When I first set foot in the Elf Forest, it was filled with a boring and isolated atmosphere.

“You also helped suppress the rebellion of the elders who insisted on tradition… If it weren’t for the hero’s party at that time, I wouldn’t be here now.”

The leaves rustled as if responding to her words.

“And even in the negotiations with the Empire…”

Sylvia’s voice trembled.

“You were a hero under the protection of the Empire, but you fought for the elves. That was… a really big risk to take.”

In fact, at that point, I didn’t need the Empire’s protection. The unity and strengthening of the hero’s party was the most important thing.

“Abolition of slavery, guaranteeing the rights of elves… Thanks to you, our elves gained freedom.”

Sylvia’s eyes became moist under the moonlight.

“That’s when I knew. That you… are a true hero.”