56

Ssshh-ssshh-

The soft moonlight slipping through the window illuminated Hera's face, making her look even paler.

Hera, breathing steadily, sound asleep.

As always, her sleeping figure was excessively beautiful.

Lowering my gaze from her, I looked at it.

A blue lizard, lying still with its eyes closed, nestled in Hera's arms.

For some reason, it irritated me.

Though Hera had named it Mari, I had no intention of getting attached to it.

"I know you're not asleep."

But no response came to my voice, leaving only silence lingering in the room for a while.

Just as I wondered if I needed to wake it up directly.

"."

The lizard slowly opened its blue eyes in silence.

In its gaze, fixed on me, there was an endlessly calm aura.

"Come with me."

As expected, this lizard wasn't just a cute little creature.

.

.

In the early dawn, when everyone else was deeply asleep, I stepped out of the inn.

The cool breeze welcomed me.

"..."

Behind me, the blue lizard quietly followed.

It simply stared at me without uttering a word.

"I'd like to have a conversation, you know."

When I made eye contact, the lizard looked back at me, as if it were mildly annoyed.

And then, all at once—

With a whoosh, blue mana began to envelop the lizard.

A gust of wind swirled around us for a brief moment, and when the blue mana dissipated—

There stood a mysterious young girl, with sky-blue hair and eyes as deep as the ocean.

"..And the reason?"

The girl asked, looking at me with an endlessly bored expression.

Her gaze was completely different from when she was around Hera.

"So, you're female. Should I consider that fortunate…?"

I muttered, observing her transformed figure.

A dragon. The beings they are.

Masters of magic. Almost omniscient entities.

They can invoke magic capable of natural disasters effortlessly, and all knowledge of mana is said to be embedded in their minds from birth.

Even a hatchling would be able to use polymorph magic, at the very least.

"And the reason?"

Still gazing at me with a calm, indifferent expression, she seemed to be silently urging me to state my purpose quickly.

"You act all innocent in front of Hera, but here you are, brooding like a shadow?"

"…."

"I don't have any desire to chat with you for long, either. Let's get to the point."

"…"

"Tell me why you're sticking around Hera."

The girl tilted her head, looking at me with a puzzled expression.

"Why should I?"

"Well, depending on your answer—"

I continued, flashing her a wry smile.

"I'll decide whether or not to kill you."

"…You…"

The girl's gaze turned cold.

Then, the mana surrounding us began to vibrate intensely, pressing down on me with a suffocating weight.

"Puhut. Little one. Are you trying to fight me?"

But with a single gesture of my hand, the air was restored to normal.

Even though she was a dragon, she was still just a hatchling, far from being a match for me.

And more than anyone, that girl should know it best.

"Well, this is all just a warning if you ever seem like a threat to Hera."

I let out a small chuckle, watching her glare at me with narrowed eyes, clearly annoyed.

From the moment I first laid eyes on that hatchling, a question had lingered in my mind.

Why was she so devoted to Hera?

A dragon falling under something as trivial as a charm spell? Ridiculous.

It was like saying the Demon King could be defeated by a passing farmer.

There must be a reason she chose to follow Hera.

I think I can guess why, though.

"Aren't you going to tell me? I'm not exactly known for my patience."

"…."

I pressed her again as she continued her silence.

She stared at me for a long time before finally parting her tightly closed lips.

"Mother. Soul. Pure white."

Her words were short and choppy, as if she hadn't fully mastered language yet.

"What?"

"I can see souls. Yours is pitch black."

Pointing at herself, she continued.

"All human souls are impure. But Mother's soul is pure white. That's why I like her."

'Can she really see the color of souls?'

If what she said was true…

The hatchling's words weren't without reason.

I had never met anyone as pure as Hera. Her soul was probably glowing in white.

And if my own soul had a color, it would be dyed blacker than anyone's.

Most humans would probably be the same.

That's why everyone is instinctively drawn to Hera.

So this hatchling was also captivated by Hera's purity?

"Is that all?"

The girl hesitated, unable to answer my question right away, mumbling awkwardly.

After a long pause, she finally spoke up.

"…And…Mother…is beautiful…"

Her face flushed as she twisted her body, shyly admitting it.

The dragon's instinct to love beautiful things—it seemed to be true.

Their nests are said to be filled with all sorts of glittering jewels.

But more than that…

"…Why do you call Hera your mother?"

It bothered me how she kept referring to Hera as her mother.

Dragons don't have parents.

But the hatchling looked at me with wide eyes, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Mother is… Mother."

"Don't be ridiculous. Dragons don't have such things."

"Mother tamed me. So she's my mother."

I looked at her, completely baffled.

She was impossible to reason with.

'Does that lizard really think it's been tamed by Hera?

…It might be better to consider myself its mother instead.'

At least, a mother wouldn't harbor the kind of emotions that a lover might.

On second thought, it seemed wiser to see her as a mother figure rather than some strange obsession.

"Is…your business here…done?"

In the eyes of the girl gazing at me, there was only the desire to rush back to Hera as quickly as possible.

I sighed deeply and addressed the hatchling.

"From now on, go around in that form. Hide your wings."

The girl looked at me with a puzzled expression.

"Why?"

"If people find out you're a dragon, it'll cause a huge commotion everywhere. Hera would also be in considerable trouble."

At the mention of Hera being troubled, the girl widened her eyes in surprise and quickly nodded, her small head bobbing earnestly.

"Okay. Got it."

Seeing her so concerned for Hera, I felt reassured that my worries were likely unfounded.

In fact, she'd probably stick close to Hera and protect her.

When Hera was abducted by that wretched succubus, I realized it.

I couldn't protect Hera on my own.

But with a dragon… I could feel somewhat relieved.

As long as what she wanted was purely a parent-child relationship, I had no problem.

If she'd desired Hera's body, I would never have allowed it.

Only I am meant to hold Hera.

This way, I don't have much to worry about.

.

.

"….."

"Who…who…oh?.. Mari?! Mari?"

"Yes! Mommy! It's Mari!"

"Uh…whoa…you can polymorph…but, why am I your mommy…?"

"…Do you…not want to be my mommy?"

"Huh?! My…my heart…"

"I…I want a mommy…sniffle…"

"Ugh…alright…I'll be your mommy…"

"Mommy! Yay!"

"Uh…yeah…Mommy likes Mari, too."

"I love you, Mommy!"

…Is there nothing to worry about?

For some reason, an uneasy feeling crept in.

***

When I woke up in the morning, I was startled.

A girl I'd never seen before was nestled in my arms, sound asleep.

Still, it didn't take long for me to realize that the girl was Mari.

According to Athena, if Mari walked around in her true form, various problems could arise, so it was best for her to remain in a human shape.

'Problems are bound to happen…'

A human who's tamed a legendary dragon.

If that rumor spread, people would come swarming from all over.

In the worst-case scenario, the Demon King could take notice.

If that happened, it wouldn't just endanger me; Mari would be in jeopardy, too.

Considering that, staying in polymorphed form seemed like the right choice.

"I love you, Mommy!"

Mari rubbed her face against my leg, smiling brightly.

Sometimes, this display of affection felt overwhelming.

And 'Mommy'—a title I'd never been called before.

I'd never even been in a relationship, let alone had any experience raising a child.