Chapter 81: The Red Dragon and the Dragon Orb (10)
“This is delicious. Hehe!”
Rurin quickly finished a bowl of food, devouring it in an instant. It was hard to believe she had been dozing off moments before. Her energy startled both Elena and the Red Dragon, their eyes wide in surprise.
After I passed the dish I had prepared to Elena, the food was also delivered to the Red Dragon.
“Stay still, patient! I, being so kind, will feed you.”
Rurin, holding a spoon, rushed over to Serena and carefully scooped up some soup, offering it to her.
“Say ‘ah,’ Red!”
“Huh? What?”
Normally, Serena would have rejected Rurin’s hand without hesitation, but the enticing smell of the food seemed to draw her in, and before she knew it, her mouth was open.
Of course, that was a mistake.
“Not for you!”
As Serena opened her mouth, Rurin brought the spoon back to her own lips and retreated. Serena, left with her mouth open, looked like a baby bird begging for food.
Embarrassed and enraged, Serena’s face turned red, and she shouted at Rurin.
“You little brat! I’m going to kill you!”
“Do as you like. Hehe, you old hag!”
And so, the Black and Red started bickering again. This was always the way with these two.
“I’ll take Rurin back now. Please take care of the food.”
“Of course. Don’t worry.”
Elena nodded quietly, and I dragged Rurin, who was still fighting with the Red Dragon, back to the restaurant.
However, after that incident, Rurin started acting strangely. She behaved oddly throughout the day and even after we closed the shop.
She spent the entire day in a daze, and after we finished for the night, she stuck to my room and showed no signs of leaving. Of course, it wasn’t unusual for Rurin to cling to my room, but today, she seemed different—her expression was peculiar as she lazed about.
Rolling here. Rolling there.
Even while dazing off, she kept sneaking glances at me. Usually, Rurin would openly stare, so this subtle, hesitant glancing didn’t suit her at all.
“You… that Red Dragon…”
“Hm?”
“Never mind…”
This odd conversation was the strangest part. She would start talking to me but then shut her mouth as soon as I responded. This back-and-forth continued, and I couldn’t figure out why.
“Hey, what’s wrong with you?”
“You!”
“Hm?”
Suddenly, she sat upright and began staring intently at me, her eyes moist. What’s going on with her?
“You! I don’t like any human except you!”
Well, that’s nothing new.
Our eyes met. Up until now, she had been avoiding my gaze, but this time was different. Finally, she was seriously opening up. After hesitating for a long time, she came out with what was really on her mind.
“You don’t like any other dragons besides me, right?”
Rurin’s eyes were filled with hesitation. Her question was absurd. Do I dislike other dragons? I don’t particularly dislike them, nor do I like them.
Well, I don’t care for the Black Dragons who bother Rurin.
But what’s her point?
Is this about Serena? Just because I cooked for her?
No, that doesn’t seem like it. Rurin had never shown any such feelings towards Elena or any of the other women. Even when Elena and I got along well, Rurin never batted an eye. Of course, if she saw non-dragons as mere stones, it might be different, but still.
Thinking that, I looked back at Rurin. Whatever her intentions were, I didn’t want to trample on her feelings, so I calmly answered.
“Yeah, I guess that’s right.”
With that, the hesitation in Rurin’s eyes vanished. Her gaze brightened. It was the usual Rurin again.
“Hehe! I knew it! I thought so!”
Seemingly pleased, she climbed into my bed and stretched out her arms. Then, with confidence, she demanded a hug.
“You! Can’t I sleep beside you tonight? I really want to be hugged all night. No matter how many times I bet on it, it doesn’t happen! Last time, I even gave in to the earrings!”
“Then don’t fall for it next time and make sure you keep it. Anyway, I need to work, so if I stay like this, I won’t be able to sleep. Go back to your room.”
“Ugh, you’re so stingy!”
Pouting, Rurin puffed up her cheeks as soon as I refused.
She got up, pretended to be upset, and quickly left the room. Her pace was unusually fast today. Something had been off about her the whole time. Still, even if she left now, she’d probably come back by dawn.
***
Time passed.
The Red Dragon quickly recovered her health within a few days.
I thought she would leave.
But instead…
“Hehehe, elf girl. Your hair is beautiful.”
The Red Dragon had settled in the clinic and was teasing Elena with inappropriate remarks. The golden-haired Elena and the red-haired dragon were two striking beauties entangled together, creating a peculiar sight.
“If you’re recovered, why not return to your lair? How long do you plan to stay here? I saved your life, but I didn’t expect you to demand more.”
I asked, pulling Elena away from the dragon who was obsessing over her hair, but the Red Dragon merely shrugged, her red hair fluttering.
Without even answering, she strolled over to the clinic’s bed, which had become her residence, and lay down again.
It was a familiar scene.
“I thought I might as well have some fun while I’m here. You wouldn’t deny me that, would you? That would be a violation of my freedom!”
“Elena doesn’t want you here, and I can’t stand by while my friend is made uncomfortable.”
“Exactly. Get out of here, Red. Shoo, shoo!”
Rurin chimed in from beside me, approaching Elena and, like the Red Dragon, grabbing her hair and stroking it, comparing it to her own.
Why the comparison?
Rurin’s hair was already quite nice. Of course, there were limits to her polymorph form.
While the natural softness of Elena’s blonde hair couldn’t be denied, mentioning that aloud would only cause a commotion.
“Is this what you call good hair? Hmph.”
“Y-Yes? Well, um…”
Poor Elena, caught between two dragons.
“And besides, I’m not fully healed yet. That elf said I need another week of rest!”
“Really? You seem fine to me.”
The Red Dragon clearly wasn’t sick, but kind Elena nodded firmly. Even while terrified, she showed compassion.
“That’s true. If you break your polymorph and return to your dragon form now, it could strain your body…”
“See! I told you so!”
The Red Dragon cut in, gesturing to show her innocence as though her illness were some kind of badge of honor.
“So, will you leave in a week?”
“Why are you asking so many questions, human? That’s up to me!”
Thwack!
“How dare you talk like that, you red hag! You really don’t know your place.”
Before I could say anything, Rurin had already retaliated with a flying kick, hitting the Red Dragon squarely on the bed.
Good job. I didn’t feel the slightest urge to stop her. In fact, I almost wanted to cheer.
“Argh! Ow! I’m a patient, you fool! If you’re not going to kill me, at least leave me alone! I’m still reeling from the betrayal!”
“Who are you calling a fool, you old hag? Hey, we don’t need to show any mercy to this dragon.”
Rurin, on top of the bed, started locking the Red Dragon into an armbar. Though it wasn’t a perfect technique, Rurin didn’t seem to know any actual joint locks.
It was more of a makeshift torture technique designed to cause pain. It just happened to resemble an armbar.
“What the hell are you doing?”
It must have been effective since Serena shrieked. Determined not to lose, she grabbed a handful of Rurin’s hair. Just as a real fight was about to break out, I grabbed the Red Dragon’s hand that was holding Rurin’s hair.
“No touching the hair. No one messes with Rurin’s hair.”
“What? Are you two in this together? What kind of nonsense is this? Hey, elf! Help me!”
“Y-Yes? Well, um…”
As they say, when whales fight, the shrimp gets crushed. Elena, caught in the crossfire, looked flustered.
Of course, it was up to me to solve this ridiculous situation.
I grabbed the back of Rurin’s neck and pulled her off the bed. She squirmed as I dragged her away.
“Why stop me? That red hag needs to be taught a lesson. If we let her off, she’ll only climb all over us!”
“Don’t make me laugh! A mere Black dare challenge me?”
The two dragons growled at each other. Still, since they weren’t drawing blood, I was starting to get used to these meaningless scuffles.
“Enough! Stop it! And you, Red, I’m El. I’d appreciate it if you stopped calling me ‘human’ all the time.”
“El? El, huh? What a strange name! Well, fine. I wouldn’t normally deign to tell a human my name, but I’ll make an exception. I’m Serena.”
“I already knew that.”
“What?! How? Why?”
Serena’s eyes widened in surprise.
Her name had been called countless times during the last dragon fight. How could I not know?
Serena’s eyes grew even rounder. Rurin, glaring at the Red, pulled me away.
“We don’t need to know the name of a Red. You, I’m hungry! Let’s go home.”
“Yeah, I suppose we should. I need to get back to work.”
Afterward.
Another week passed. Then ten days. Serena still showed no intention of leaving. On the contrary, she seemed to be settling into Grayke, becoming more and more comfortable at the clinic.
Perhaps because she had experienced so many amusements over the years, her ability to adapt was impressive.
In this regard, Serena was definitely a step above Rurin. She could easily pass for a human.
“Brain damage from the poison, you say?”
Serena returned from a consultation at the lord’s castle with Elena, casually dropping that bombshell.
“Hm. There was a method to deal with that, I think.”
“What? Really?”
“Really?”
Elena and I both responded at the same time, our hopes raised by Serena’s unexpected words.
“But I can’t remember.”
“If you can’t remember, it’s the same as having no solution. Ugh, dragons…”
“Hm. Well, I’ll be staying here for the time being, so I’ll let you know if I remember. Isn’t that good enough?”
“What a joke. Elena, isn’t this annoying? Tell me the truth. I’ll throw her out of the clinic for you. Getting rid of one dragon is a simple task.”
I pulled Elena aside to shield her from Serena’s intense gaze and asked seriously. But to my surprise, Elena shook her head.
“Well, actually, having her here has made it so that none of the men who come have any other intentions. It’s kind of a relief…”
“Huh? Really? Doesn’t that mean no patients at all?”
“No. It’s just that the ones with ill intentions can’t approach. Other patients are still visiting as usual.”
“Really?”
Is it the dragon’s fearsome presence?
I glanced at the Red Dragon. As usual, she was bickering with Rurin, but her expression was innocent.
I didn’t know if she was staying here out of some hidden agenda, or if she really just needed to recover from the shock of betrayal, but if Elena didn’t mind, I had no reason to interfere.
“If you ever get uncomfortable, let me know, and I’ll send her back to her lair. You’re not being coerced, are you?”
“No! In fact… in terms of knowledge, she’s been very helpful.”
Serena, the Red Dragon.
At 1,400 years old, she was a relatively young dragon. Maybe it was because of her experience with many amusements, but her knowledge was vast.
Apparently, she had been helping Elena a lot. If Elena was fine with it, I had no reason to kick her out.
Everyone has the right to freedom, after all.
