haytham_

In the church's prison, a man looked at his shackles.
'Little girl... is this the ending you wanted to see?' Thinking back to that resolute and pretty face in his memory and that golden hair like the blooming sunset, Lister sighed.
'If I had known that my end will be like this, I might as well have abandoned that little useless princess, opened a small tavern, and found a woman to spend my life with.'
"Man, how unlucky am I..."
Lister remembered that while he was playing with these little fluffy monster girls, he used to often tease a certain witch that she would accidentally end up on the stake, making her puzzled, but he didn't expect that he would be the one to go up first.
"If all this could start over... I should have chosen the monster girls after all."
"Oh? Really?"
A cold yet teasing voice sounded beside him. As he turned his head to look, powerful magic energy gathered and swirled, and finally, a tall female figure walked out of it. She wore a tight black dress that showed off her curvy, mature figure.
Lister knew her... or rather, should have known her. 
'The Sinful Dragon Demon Lord, Priscilla'
"Did you really mean it when you said you'd choose monster girls?"
"...I wonder if the mighty Demon Lord has decided to grace me with a heart-to-heart in this cozy little prison."
"As expected of the mastermind who single-handedly helped that incompetent woman to the throne. Even now you have the energy to crack jokes?"
"You flatter me. I think it's quite humanistic for a Demon Lord who has children for breakfast, lunch, and dinner to chat with a dying man in prison."
"Tsk, getting upset over a little teasing already?"
"Sigh, alright, I don't have much time either. Let me get to the point with you. What are you still waiting for here, waiting to die?"
"I don't know, maybe waiting for a female Demon Lord to come swoop in and save me?"
"You know Aurola has abandoned you. What are you still hoping for?"
"...So what does this have to do with the Demon Lord? We only have a very shallow cooperative relationship; I don't think it matters if I die or not."
"Of course it does."
Priscilla smiled and pressed the blunt end of her dragon horn against his forehead.
"Because I want you, but I'm different from Aurola. What she gave you, I can give. What she couldn't give you, I can also give. Didn't you want to choose monster girls? In the Demon Capital, there are all kinds of monster girls. You can pick whichever you like."
"Then, are there fluffy and warm ones?"
"...I think the ones with hard scales and slender, elegant physiques are not bad either."
"Ahem, I digress."
"Anyway, I understand you better than you think. As long as you come with me to the Demon Capital, I will satisfy your everything within my power. As long as you promise me one thing..."
"I know."
Lister picked up where Priscilla left off, smiling back at her.
"You want me, right?"
"What a smarty~. So, you agree?"
"Mm. I'll go with you."
'And come on, it's fluffy monster girls'
'I can't refuse.'

The Dragon's Shadow

Lister helped the two centaurs in front of him stand up.

The surrounding centaurs quietly watched this scene, as if witnessing a new king bestowing honors upon his two ministers.

"First of all, you've misunderstood one thing," Lister said calmly, looking into Huaishite's determined eyes.

"I came here under Priscilla's orders. So, the one you should be pledging loyalty to is not me, nor the Demon Lord... but Priscilla... Understand?"

"Yes." Huaishite placed her hand on her chest and answered without hesitation.

"Also... I haven't done anything particularly remarkable. There's no need for such a grand gesture."

Lister sighed, then glanced at the shining horseshoe on Farule's hoof.

"I'm just someone who plucked the fruit while standing on the shoulders of those who came before. Even without me, given some time, a centaur who invented horseshoes would have emerged among your kind. I merely made it happen a little earlier."

Chapter 53: Willingly Submitting