Vol 4. Chapter 131: Gradually Losing Her True Nature
"Just call me Melilov. Melilov-Baroze."
Melilov-Baroze.
That seemed to be the new name Vinarola had arranged for her.
As for her identity, apparently she was supposed to be... the child of an illegitimate child left behind by the Holy Dragon King...
Seriously,
What an utterly undignified identity.
Clearly, the great Holy Dragon King was not particularly satisfied with the new identity her subordinate had arranged for her.
After her brief introduction, Melilov couldn't help feeling somewhat displeased.
In the past, whenever she appeared as the Holy Dragon King, she would announce a long string of magnificent, awe-inspiring titles. There would even be dedicated members of the dragon race providing musical accompaniment for her entrance.
And now,
After finally obtaining a new body and being reborn, something she'd waited so long for... (Although things had turned out slightly differently from what she'd imagined.)
Her very first introduction after being reborn was actually this ordinary?!
She hadn't announced more than a couple of titles, and even her background music was completely gone...
The thought made Melilov's eyebrows twitch slightly. Unable to restrain herself, she added another sentence, purely to console herself.
"I am a descendant of the great Holy Dragon King, a magnificent dragon possessing the sacred dragon bloodline!"
After speaking,
Melilov couldn't help glancing sideways at the pink-haired girl before her, apparently hoping to observe her reaction upon hearing such an impressive title.
Unfortunately, the shocked expression she'd anticipated never appeared.
Yuan'er merely blinked calmly and continued staring at her with an innocent, indifferent gaze. There wasn't even the slightest indication that she intended to kneel in worship...
"..."
"Tch..."
Melilov snorted disdainfully.
"Sure enough, children will always be children. She probably doesn't even understand the significance of those titles I just mentioned."
"..."
Meanwhile, looking at Melilov's disappointed expression, Yuan'er's initial astonishment had already completely disappeared.
The way she looked at the golden-haired dragon loli became increasingly strange.
Enmm,
Not wearing clothes,
Saying strange things,
Plus,
Being a dragon...
That meant...
...
...
"A child who's not quite right in the head!!"
After thinking it over for a moment, Yuan'er arrived at this conclusion.
Immediately afterward, a trace of sympathy gradually appeared in her mismatched red and blue eyes, causing Melilov to shudder involuntarily.
"Hey! What's with that look?!"
"N-nothing..."
Yuan'er hurriedly shook her head.
However, even as she shook her head, a glimmer of interest gradually appeared in the adorable little girl's eyes.
To tell the truth,
Although the dragon loli before her was rather strange and somewhat arrogant, she was also the only little companion Yuan'er had encountered in the past few months who was roughly her own age and possessed some strength.
Faced with someone her own "age," Yuan'er wanted to make a friend.
Even if this "peer" didn't seem particularly bright, having a friend would surely make her time at Yexinlian Royal Academy much more interesting.
Besides, didn't Mother often tell her to try making more friends around her own "age"?
This dragon loli seemed like a pretty good choice, right?
She looked rather fun, too~
Hehe~
With that thought, Yuan'er hurriedly stood up from the ground.
Recalling the etiquette Sister Karina had previously taught her, the little girl gracefully lifted the hem of her skirt and performed a proper greeting toward Melilov.
"Melilov, right? It's very nice to meet you!"
As she spoke, little Yuan'er carefully took an exquisite, delicious-looking pink candy from the small backpack Yumo had prepared for her and held it out to Melilov.
"This is strawberry candy. Want some? It's really tasty."
The little girl had initiated her candy strategy.
Apparently, she intended to lure the dragon loli before her away with a single piece of candy.
Of course, no matter how one looked at it, this was an utterly unrealistic plan.
The Holy Dragon King had once been a Peak Eighth-Tier powerhouse. How could such a mighty existence possibly be lured away by a mere piece of candy?
Upon seeing Yuan'er's actions, Melilov couldn't help feeling her eyebrows twitch, while her heart filled with contempt.
And then,
The Holy Dragon King discovered, much to her astonishment, that her little hand had somehow already reached forward and accepted Yuan'er's candy.
Even more astonishingly, after accepting the candy, Melilov instinctively thanked Yuan'er and revealed a sweet, adorable smile.
"Th-thank you."
...
The instant that ridiculously cute expression of gratitude reached Melilov's own ears, the golden-haired dragon loli's entire body twitched, and she began shaking her head frantically.
Hm?!
Wait a minute?!
Why did I accept the candy?!
And why the hell did I thank her?!
No! No! What the hell is going on?!
Melilov hurriedly clutched her little head, terrified that those strange thoughts might once again seize control of her mind.
Recently, Melilov had noticed that ever since obtaining her new body, she would occasionally perform actions that seemed completely beyond her conscious control.
For example, just now, although she hadn't intended to accept the candy, her body had reached out and taken it entirely on its own...
Was this what Vinarola had warned her about? The negative effects of fusing her soul with a new body?
Was she being influenced by the instincts of her new body?!
Damn it,
Wasn't that absolutely terrifying?!
One careless mistake, and she could lose her very sense of self?!
Would she really end up becoming an ordinary little dragon girl?!
Recalling her behavior just now, Melilov couldn't help feeling deeply uneasy.
What if one day, when she wasn't paying attention, someone used candy to trick her into becoming their wife?!
Wouldn't her entire glorious reputation as the Holy Dragon King be ruined in an instant?!
No! Absolutely not!
She had to preserve her true identity!
With that thought, Melilov glared viciously at the candy in her hand, the very thing that had nearly made her lose her senses.
"You damned thing! Stop tempting me!"
After letting out an angry roar,
A pale-golden light suddenly flashed through Melilov's dragon eyes.
Immediately afterward, the dragon loli raised her right hand, which was tightly gripping the candy, with tremendous determination.
She intended to throw the candy straight out of the hall.
And then,
In the very next instant,
Under Yuan'er's thoroughly bewildered gaze, Melilov, entirely as expected... stuffed the candy into her mouth...
"So sweet~ So delicious~"
...
?!
Delicious?!
Wait, no!
What am I... No, what is this exalted one doing, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!
Upon realizing that her little-girl instincts had once again seized control of her thoughts, an expression of overwhelming terror erupted in Melilov's eyes.
Her dragon pupils turned into spiraling circles, and the golden-haired dragon loli's consciousness descended into complete chaos.
Shocked and furious at her own unreliable behavior, Melilov began letting out one miserable wail after another.
At the same time, she clutched her head and started rolling frantically across the floor...
In an instant,
The dragon loli's anguished cries echoed throughout the entire Forbidden Palace hall.
"Noooo! How could this exalted one be tempted by candy?! I am the great Holy Dragon King!!! I cannot be tempted by candy! Absolutely not! Never, ever!!!"
Feeling as though her pride had suffered an enormous blow, Melilov's eyes had practically turned into fried eggs.
"Uwaaaaaah! Nooooo!..."
...
"Enmm..."
Watching everything unfold before her, Yuan'er blinked her adorable mismatched red and blue eyes.
She raised a finger to her pink lips and fell into a brief, strangely contemplative silence.
Recalling how delighted the golden-haired dragon loli had looked when accepting the candy, followed by her sudden disgust, then her blissful expression as she ate it, and finally her current state of rolling around in anguish...
Melilov's series of expressions, changing even faster than someone flipping through the pages of a book, only made little Yuan'er more certain of her earlier suspicion.
The dragon loli before her...
"She really is a silly child..."
Mm!
It seemed Sister Karina and Grandpa Saiboke had been right after all.
Dragons really did have something wrong with their heads...
...
But still~
She seems so fun~
Looking at the dragon loli rolling back and forth across the floor, struggling as though she were suffering the greatest torment imaginable, a mischievous, little-devil-like grin gradually spread across Yuan'er's face.
And so, Yuan'er moved her short little legs, cheerfully trotted over, and squatted down in front of Melilov.
Then, quite deliberately, she took an exquisite lollipop that Saiboke had prepared for her {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} out of her little shoulder bag.
"Here~ Want some?!"
"YES!!!"
The instant she saw the lollipop, the dragon loli's eyes lit up, and she answered without the slightest hesitation.
And then,
The dragon loli obediently sat before Yuan'er with her legs folded outward in a duck-like sitting posture.
Opening her little mouth, she blissfully enjoyed the lollipop Yuan'er was feeding her.
"Om nom, so sweet~... Hm??!"
"Hehehe~"
As though she'd discovered some fascinating new toy, the amusement in Yuan'er's eyes grew even stronger.
...
...
And just like that,
Several minutes passed.
After thoroughly enjoying the sweet sensation stimulating her taste buds, the dragon loli Melilov suddenly furrowed her brows.
Her delicate body abruptly trembled as though she'd been electrocuted.
No!
Wait!!
Realizing something was terribly wrong, Melilov's dragon pupils suddenly contracted.
She snatched the lollipop from Yuan'er's hand, sprang to her feet, and violently smashed it against the floor.
"What... WHAT IS THIS EXALTED ONE DOING AGAIN, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"