19- An Unexpected Guest - Part 3

The half-dragon managed to shake off the daze it was in, and it followed Liam out of the forest.

"You may be able to run now, but you won't be able to get away. It would be better for you to die now and feel no pain than to continue like this. Aren't you tired of running away from me?"

The half-dragon asked as his magic continued to try and trap Liam. His legs were getting tired from all this running, but his system finally completed the transaction it had been trained to do.

[Ding! The formula for beast-taming is complete. User can use it as long as the beast does not resist.]

Well, that was a problem, but Liam could feel how tired the half-dragon was even as it chased him. The lack of magic in this dungeon left the dragon half-starved, and it would not be able to hold on for much longer.

"Stop resisting. Ugh, you little—"

The beast cried, and Liam allowed the roots to finally capture him. There was no need for him to buy time anymore when his magic was ready to be unleashed.

Loud footsteps headed toward Liam, and he waited to watch the dragon walk toward him, almost stumbling in the process. But once it finally caught Liam, it looked delighted.

"Finally, I've caught you. Now, it's time to say goodbye—"

The dragon came close, and that was when Liam's magic lashed out, and the spell he had been suppressing until now formed chains to contain the dragon in front of him.

It caused the half-dragon to be dragged to the ground, and it tried to struggle to get free, but it was of no use.

"Let go of me… Ugh, fucking hell! What are you… Let go of me now! How dare you do something this humiliating to the revered Azgarethorax Malfiros, the Abyssal Wyrm of Eternal Desolation. Do you think you will be able to get away with it—"

"I don't think I will be able to get away with it, but I know I will. I can feel the state your mana is in currently, and it doesn't look good for you. If you don't eat magic soon, then you will perish and take this dungeon with you."

The more Liam spoke, the more certain he felt about what he was saying. The magic around him told him about the dragon's condition.

"How dare you say that to the great Azgarethorax Malfiros, the Abyssal Wyrm of Eternal Desolation. You will face your end for it—"

"Make a contract with me. If you do, then I will share my magic with you. I have more than enough currently to get by, and you want to live. It's a win-win situation."

Liam proposed before the half-dragon could finish speaking, but he was kind of regretting that offer now. He felt like he was trading his sanity to get this dragon.

As expected, the half-dragon looked insulted and mortified by what Liam had suggested.

"H-How dare you—! You dare tell Azgarethorax Malfiros, the Abyssal Wyrm of Eternal Desolation, what to do? Just let me break these binds, and I will—"

The dragon struggled, but the binds were too strong.

No, rather than the binds being too strong, the dragon was too weak to break them. Even the half-dragon knew that it had no choice but to grab the offering Liam was giving him if it wanted to live.

But just because the high-tempered dragon knew it, that did not mean it had to like that fact. And it showed on his face.

"The choice is yours to make. I need to head back soon, so if you agree, call out to me."

Liam told the half-dragon, and he turned around to walk away. Not even a minute passed when he heard the dragon call out to him hesitantly.

"Human, w-wait! About that deal you are making… I will agree to that deal since you sounded so desperate for it. But I have to warn you that I am not an easy person to please, so you will have to take that into account."

The half-dragon spoke with confidence, and Liam would have believed him had he not known how bad the dragon's condition was.

But he was a semi-decent man, so he allowed the dragon to keep his dignity… for now.

"Alright, I got it. So, shall we formalize the contract? Just stay still for some time and do not move."

Liam asked as he reached out to touch the dragon. His hand landed on the half-human head, but as soon as he touched those hairs, he could tell that this kid was not human. The texture under Liam's fingers felt more like scales than hair.

In retrospect, it took no time to establish the familiar bond between the pair. There was no need to speak or have any sort of communication either.

However, when Liam pulled his hand back, he felt drained.

In contrast, the dragon felt much more refreshed and ready to move. The kid also looked way more human than before and seemed to have a better complexion. He stretched to get the kinks out of his back before looking at Liam with an almost grateful look.

"Oh well, looks like I am feeling fine now. Truly, a being like me cannot be kept down for long. And since you signed a contract with me, I will give you an opportunity to serve me. You may call me Azgarethorax Malfiros as courtesy."

The half-dragon proposed with a pride-filled voice. Despite sounding as if he was saying these words lightly, Liam could tell that the half-dragon was grateful to him.

Still, for Liam to be able to say that name would be impossible.

"Can I just call you Asger instead? Your name is too hard and long for me to pronounce. Let's not make it any more difficult than it has to be."

Liam proposed, and he could instantly feel the half-dragon's offense. But thankfully, the dragon did not try anything funny, and things began to return to normal.

"Ah, by the way, since you helped me out, I will do you another favor. I will not harm the girl that was with you or her companion… as long as they don't attack me first."

Asger assured Liam, and that was another problem he had not even considered up until now—how to explain what happened to others and what excuse to make for Asger's presence and lack of violence toward him.