Chapter 17: The Dragon God Has No Underwear

"Here's some hot tea, please enjoy."

Inside the room, Asia respectfully served the tea.

Asia was pure, but she wasn't naive.

This Ophis-chan must be an important figure, right? Otherwise, Lucien wouldn't be treating her so seriously.

So, she chose to remain silent, observing the situation. If Lucien didn't need her to speak, she wouldn't interfere.

After all, Lucien was the one who had taken her in.

Having been expelled from the church and stripped of her title as a Holy Maiden, Asia had seen the harshness of the world during her time wandering alone.

So when Lucien told her, "I need you. I think you're beautiful, and your abilities are useful. Will you become my subordinate?" she felt an unprecedented sense of security.

Pure charity was touching, but what made Asia feel even safer was this clear relationship of mutual benefit.

"Thank you."

Lucien took a sip of tea, calmly observing Ophis in front of him.

Ophis had long black hair, unfocused eyes, and a natural aura of serenity.

Unlike her appearance in the anime, where she wore shorts, Ophis was now dressed in a black gothic lolita dress, barefoot on the floor.

Because she was the Dragon God, even though her feet were bare, they remained pristine and flawless, looking quite delicate.

Her dainty toes, smooth as jade, curled slightly and swayed rhythmically, as if playing an invisible melody.

Without a doubt, this was a scene that could stir the deepest desires of certain individuals with specific tastes.

Lucien swallowed involuntarily, then opened Ophis' status panel.

[Name: Ophis (♀)]

[Level: lv??? (Level exceeds host's by 100+, unable to view.)]

[Attribute Ratings: (Unable to view.)]

[Overall Rating: A+ Dragon God.]

[Summary: The Ouroboros Dragon born in the Dimensional Gap, exiled by the Great Red, yearning to return to its homeland. Now seeks a contractor who can help accomplish this goal.]

After reviewing Ophis' data, Lucien got straight to the point.

"Ophis, since you called me Ddraig, I won't hide it."

"You're right. I do possess the Boosted Gear."

Lucien extended his left hand, and a brilliant crimson-green glow filled the room.

[Boost!]

A gauntlet adorned with exquisite emerald gemstones appeared.

"....."

Ophis remained silent.

Ever since Lucien summoned the Boosted Gear, she had been staring intently at it, not saying a word.

A full thirty seconds passed.

Only after she had completely analyzed the gauntlet did Ophis finally speak.

"Ddraig... is dead?"

Ophis had sensed that the dragon soul within the artifact had lost its consciousness.

With no will remaining, it was no different from being dead.

"Yes, he's dead. But his death has allowed this artifact to unlock greater potential."

Lucien confirmed without hesitation.

"Greater potential?"

Ophis tilted her head, intrigued.

If Ddraig could advance two more stages, he could have been useful to her.

"Yes, greater potential."

"The newly evolved Boosted Gear now has the ability to absorb other dragon souls and grow stronger."

"Absorbing dragon souls... interesting…"

Ophis didn't particularly care whether Ddraig was truly dead.

After all these years, she had witnessed many dragons of the Heavenly Dragon class perish.

Her only concern was whether Ddraig's artifact could still be improved.

"If the new Ddraig can provide proof of this ability, I will recognize you as my contractor and grant you a 'serpent.'"

Ophis lifted her small hand, adopting the posture of a superior bestowing a gift.

Lucien sighed helplessly.

"Ophis, first of all, my name is Lucien, not Ddraig, nor some 'New Ddraig.'"

"Secondly, if I can prove my ability, I don't want your 'serpent.' Instead, I just want you to promise me something—when I need it, eliminate those who pose a threat to me and protect my safety."

Lucien's initial plan had been to have Ophis accompany him personally.

But… considering that if Ophis went missing, Cao Cao would lose his mind, and the Underworld would launch an investigation, he abandoned that idea.

Ophis had the power to kill his enemies, but she lacked the means to perfectly protect others.

If it became public knowledge that Ophis was following him, it wouldn't necessarily put her in danger—but his risk level would skyrocket.

Until he reached Maou-level, or even surpassed the Maou-class, it was best to keep a low profile.

Open threats were easy to counter, but unseen dangers were lethal.

Just one shot of Samael's poison had been enough to incapacitate Vali, despite his mastery of the Juggernaut Drive.

Though Lucien wasn't afraid of Samael's poison, there were surely other means his enemies could use against him.

Taking all factors into account, Lucien abandoned the idea of keeping Ophis close.

Instead, he would stay low-key and focus on growth, summoning Ophis only when he encountered enemies he couldn't handle—that was the safest play.

"Fine."

"If you don't want the 'serpent,' then so be it."

"As long as we form a contract, I will provide aid whenever you need it."

Ophis agreed to his terms without hesitation.

After all, creating 'serpents' wasn't difficult for her, but it was rather boring.

The moment Ophis agreed, Agumon rushed over carrying a container that housed an artifact.

[Lucien, I retrieved the item from the Fallen Angels.]

Yesterday, Lucien had plenty of dragon-type artifacts at his disposal.

Unfortunately, after obtaining the Boosted Gear, he had absorbed every single one of them.

So, he had to send Agumon to Mittelt for a fresh supply.

"Ophis, this… is the proof you requested."

Lucien pulled out the Dragon Hand artifact.

A crimson radiance engulfed the entire room.

The Dragon Hand transformed into pure energy, flowing into the Boosted Gear.

[Taken!]

With the system's confirmation, a surge of warmth spread through Lucien's body.

A few seconds later, Ophis finally released her small hand from the gauntlet.

"Good..."

"I acknowledge you as my contractor."

Even if it was just a small increase, the Boosted Gear had undeniably grown stronger.

"Since we're forming a contract, Ophis, I have a gift for you as well." Lucien smirked.

"A gift? What gift?"

Ophis tilted her head, curious.

"Agumon, did you bring what I asked for?"

[Right here.]

Agumon was getting quite experienced at running errands.

"Eh?! T-This is…?"

Asia's face turned crimson as she stared at what Agumon was holding.

"It's underwear."

"Asia, you probably don't know this, but Ophis doesn't wear any."

Lucien stated a fundamental truth about the High School DxD world:

The Infinite Dragon God does not wear underwear

READ 30 CHAPTERS AHEAD AT p @ treon. com/KyokaSuigetsu

(replace @ with a)