Chapter 3: A Friend and Soju (2)
After making Rurin raise her arms in triumph, I dressed her.
“Raise your arms.”
“Understood!”
At my command, Rurin raised her arms without any hesitation and stood still. I put on her top and then her bottom before she finally moved. It was all so natural now that I had nothing more to say about it.
After dressing her, I combed her hair. If I didn’t tame her wild hair, it would look like a lion’s mane.
As I meticulously tended to her black hair, she stayed still and let me do as I wished.
Initially, she wouldn’t even let me come close, claiming that as a great dragon, she couldn’t allow it.
Even in her dragon form, she was considered a beauty among dragons, and as a human, she was equally stunning. Of course, by now, I was used to it.
We’d been together for quite some time.
“My dear!”
“What now?”
“Can’t you be a bit more gentle? My hair is delicate, you know.”
“Alright, alright.”
Following her request, I resumed combing with utmost delicacy. The more I did so, the more vibrant her black hair became. It was fascinating hair, likely because it was dragon’s hair.
After finishing, I began tying her hair neatly. Once I had done that, Rurin, still leaning against my back, spoke.
“So, what’s this task you mentioned? Should I breathe fire on this city? Destruction is a good thing, hehe.”
Rurin, ever the dragon with her penchant for destruction, laughed. I shook my head emphatically.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Come on down.”
“Fine.”
I led the absurdly minded dragon down to the first floor.
My feelings toward Rurin?
Of course, I felt a bond with her. It was because of that bond that I brought her from the central continent, near the Black Dragon’s sanctum.
Yet, what kind of bond it was, even I couldn’t say.
Anyway, as soon as our dragon descended to the kitchen, she opened the stone fridge and pulled out a can of beer.
She guzzled it down in one go.
“Ah! This is the best. Nothing beats beer first thing in the morning!”
I wiped the foam from her lips, then grabbed her hand and moved her in front of me before asking.
“Alright, let’s get to work. I need your help.”
“Fine, but only after one more beer!”
“Nope.”
“Beerrrr!”
Ignoring her protests, I dragged Rurin and left the shop, heading down the hill.
“Sometimes, you’re just too much. I demand improvement. You still haven’t told me what this job is about. It must be something big if you need my power!”
Rurin, with her shining eyes and hands on her hips, followed me past the fruit farm down the hill and towards the market. The market was as bustling as ever.
According to Mr. Knoll, Ms. Reine had met someone at the Derant restaurant last month. The Derant was located near the central square where the commercial and residential districts intersected.
Most restaurants in this city were concentrated in that area. You could almost call it Restaurant Street.
Rurin, observing the crowd inside the Derant, exclaimed.
“Wow, look at this place! It’s packed! So different from our restaurant, right?”
“Indeed.”
“Why so glum all of a sudden? Should I relocate this whole restaurant?”
“Stop saying ridiculous things and keep quiet.”
I looked around. Still no sign of Mr. Knoll’s wife, Ms. Reine.
“What are we doing here?”
I quieted the noisy dragon with a shush and ordered her a beer. She finally quieted down, content with her drink.
After watching the entrance for a while, Ms. Reine finally arrived, accompanied by a man. Just as Mr. Knoll described, the man was in his 40s, sturdy, and quite clean-cut—much more so than Mr. Knoll, who was a bit rough around the edges with his beard.
“Hey, Rurin.”
Gulp, gulp, gulp.
“Ahh!”
I pulled the ear of the dragon lost in her beer. She frowned and grumbled.
“What’s the big idea? You gave it to me!”
She looked up at me with teary eyes, as if her world had crumbled. Damn, she was cute.
Even a dragon can’t choose their human form when polymorphed. Their dragon skin, color, and appearance carry over. So, Rurin’s current appearance was the one she had since birth.
That’s why every expression, every tear was genuine. And hence, she was naturally cute.
“That’s not the issue. It’s time for work.”
“Oh? Really?”
Rurin finally put down her beer mug and got up, only to sit back down and finish her beer. Then she sprang up and came over to me.
“What do I need to do? Should I destroy everything?”
“You destructive dragon! Of course not. Do you see that couple that just came in? The man and the woman?”
“Yes, I see them.”
“I need you to eavesdrop on them.”
“And?”
“That’s it.”
“My dear! You want to task this mighty Rurin with such a trivial thing?”
“Please. I’ll make you your favorite hamburger steak for dinner.”
“Really? Oh! Where are they?”
With her pride sold for a hamburger steak, Rurin focused her keen eyes on the couple, Reine and her companion.
“Listening in is nothing.”
With her dragon hearing, she could adjust her range to listen as needed. It wasn’t even magic—just a natural dragon ability.
This ability, usually used by dragons to sense their surroundings, could cover an entire mountain.
Thus, in a restaurant, she could easily adjust her hearing to eavesdrop. Dragons have a different hearing structure than humans.
With Rurin’s help, I cautiously observed the two.
Ms. Reine rummaged in her purse and handed a bundle of money to the man.
Handing over money?
This was unexpected. The noisy restaurant made it impossible to hear their conversation.
So, I looked at the dragon.
Rurin started relaying their conversation verbatim.
“Today, I’ve finally paid it all off. Ten years of debt. I’m truly grateful. If it weren’t for you, my husband and I would never have recovered.”
“You’re too kind. I owed him my life. It was the least I could do.”
“Even so, you couldn’t even let us thank you. My husband still curses you, thinking you betrayed him.”
“I had no choice. You know he wouldn’t accept my money.”
Thanks to Rurin’s precise relaying, I understood the situation. It didn’t seem like an affair at all.
But soon, the conversation ceased as they started eating.
Since it was a requested task, and no crime or infidelity seemed apparent, I decided to clarify the situation. I stood up.
“Where are you going?”
Naturally, Rurin got up to follow me.
“Hello, Ms. Reine.”
“Oh, Mr. El?”
“Yes.”
Here, I went by El, a shortened form of Ellesion.
“Sorry for the interruption, but could I have a moment? I have something to discuss.”
“Yes, yes?”
Ms. Reine looked at the man, Mr. Ment. He seemed puzzled but nodded, so I took a seat.
“It’s a bit impolite, but Mr. Knoll believes you two are having an affair.”
“What?”
“What?”
Their eyes widened in shock. Rurin stood by me, looking down at them with disdain. She disliked speaking to humans, seeing them as mere insects.
Rurin was a dragon, after all. To her, ordinary humans were insignificant.
“What on earth?”
“Mr. Knoll saw you two meeting last month and misunderstood. What’s going on? I heard it involves debt.”
Ms. Reine looked troubled and shook her head.
“It’s a family matter…”
“Sorry, but as Mr. Knoll’s representative, I must intervene. Misunderstandings like this can lead to serious consequences. You know how misunderstandings in relationships can escalate into violence.”
There’s an old saying about holding back three times to avoid murder. Many fail to hold back and end up committing irreversible acts.
The saying likely originated from a situation where a man refrained from attacking upon seeing his wife with someone else, only to find it was his sister-in-law. Holding back saved the day.
“And Ms. Reine, I should mention something.”
As Ms. Reine hesitated, I continued after a pause.
“Mr. Knoll was on the verge of tears, saying he couldn’t leave you despite thinking you were unfaithful.”
“Oh my, he was?”
Ms. Reine’s eyes widened in surprise. Mr. Knoll seemed like someone who struggled to express love.
Mr. Ment chimed in.
“Of course. Even at work, all he talked about was you, Ms. Reine.”
“Really…”
Ms. Reine blushed and lowered her head, then looked up with resolve.
“There’s a reason for this.”
“What is it?”
Of course, if it wasn’t an affair, there had to be a reason. No one just gives money without a cause.
