Vol 4. Chapter 135: The Will to Survive
"What happened here?! Th-That... That's... Lord Sacred Dragon King... Y-You? What are you doing?!!"
Upon arriving at the outskirts of the Forbidden Palace and witnessing the scene inside, Vinarola immediately let out an incredulous cry.
...
As the principal of Yexinlian Royal Academy and one of the few people aware of Lord Sacred Dragon King's circumstances, Vinarola visited the forbidden grounds at a fixed time every day to check on the recovering Sacred Dragon King.
Not only did she need to examine how well the Sacred Dragon King's soul was integrating with her new body, but she also had to pay attention to her mental well-being.
After all,
For such a mighty and imposing Dragon King, a majestic existence who once stood tall between heaven and earth, to suddenly become a delicate, adorable little girl... Her pride must have suffered quite a blow...
And today,
As usual, after finishing the tedious administrative affairs of the academy, Vinarola hurried to the forbidden grounds, intending to take good care of that great existence she held in such high esteem.
However,
The moment she saw the scene inside the Forbidden Palace, Vinarola froze on the spot.
Although the Sacred Dragon King had now transformed into a little girl who was supposedly "too weak to even truss a chicken," she remained an imposing figure in Vinarola's heart. Even as a little girl, she should still be a little girl overflowing with majesty and an intimidating aura.
Yet now,
This Sacred Dragon King, whom Vinarola had always regarded as the very embodiment of royal dignity, was actually hugging the waist of an unknown black-haired girl!
And... And... And she was even calling that girl "Auntie" in an outrageously sweet, coquettish voice?!
"I-Is that really Lord Sacred Dragon King?!"
Staring fixedly at the blonde little girl acting all cute, Vinarola felt as though her entire faith had suffered a devastating blow.
She staggered backward several steps in a daze, her eyes filled with shock and disbelief...
However,
Vinarola was, after all, a Seventh-Tier powerhouse with exceptional mental fortitude. After being struck by what felt like five bolts of lightning, she quickly regained her composure.
Shaking her head vigorously, Vinarola focused all her attention on the black-haired figure.
Countless questions suddenly flooded her mind.
"Who... Who is she?! Why is she here?! Why... Why is Lord Sacred Dragon King hugging her?! Lord Sacred Dragon King hasn't interacted with outsiders for hundreds of years! How could she suddenly embrace a complete stranger so intimately?! Wait... Could it be?!"
Recalling the inexplicable failure of the external barrier and the Sacred Dragon King's recent psychological instability, a bold suspicion suddenly emerged in Vinarola's mind.
Her gaze toward the black-haired girl immediately filled with hostility.
In Vinarola's eyes, this mysterious girl had already become an evil intruder who had invaded the forbidden grounds, intending to take advantage of the Sacred Dragon King's "impaired mental state" for some sinister purpose.
Trying to abduct Lord Sacred Dragon King?!
Not a chance!
Overwhelmed with anxiety, Vinarola no longer had the patience to think things through.
With an angry roar in her heart, she raised the crimson staff in her hand!
As she rapidly chanted an incantation, the surrounding air began to surge violently, and tremendous amounts of magical power continuously gathered around her staff.
The next moment,
Empowered by magic, Vinarola leaped into the air and roared toward the figures ahead.
She apparently hoped that the vibrations of her magical power and the sheer force of her shouting would restore Lord Sacred Dragon King from her abnormal state as a "brainless little girl."
"Your subordinate has come to rescue you! Sacred Dragoooo—Huh??! ...?!!!!"
However,
Before she could even finish speaking, a pale-golden beam of magical energy tore through the air at lightning speed and smashed directly into Vinarola's forehead~
"BOOM!~"
Accompanied by a crisp, thunderous impact, an enormous bump slowly rose on the old principal's head.
The words she had been about to shout were forcibly swallowed back down.
The entire world began spinning around her.
After struggling briefly,
Vinarola's consciousness gradually sank into profound darkness.
Just before losing consciousness, she could only cast a bewildered gaze toward the blonde dragon girl in the distance.
She simply couldn't understand why Lord Sacred Dragon King had suddenly attacked her.
"Wh-Why...?"
After letting out a few unwilling groans, Vinarola completely lost consciousness from the impact of the magical beam.
Her body staggered in midair before plunging straight down into the dense bushes below...
...
...
Huh??
What... What just happened?!
How could Miss Yumo possibly have failed to notice what had happened behind her?
However,
Seeing the little dragon girl in her arms knock a Seventh-Tier powerhouse unconscious without even saying a word left Miss Yumo thoroughly confused.
The black-haired girl, who was already completely bewildered by the situation before her, now found herself even more dumbfounded.
Her incomparably beautiful face was practically on the verge of turning into a reaction meme.
That person just now...
That hooded mage?
Why...
Did she look a little like the academy principal in that portrait??
"Wh-What's going on here??"
The girl couldn't help voicing her confusion.
And almost simultaneously,
As though sensing Yumo's doubts, the little dragon girl suddenly trembled.
She then hugged Miss Yumo's waist even more tightly and affectionately, speaking in an innocent, adorably naive voice.
"Auntie, don't worry about that person... She's just a servant from my household! You don't need to pay her any attention!"
"But... What was she doing just now?"
"Her?! ...Well, she was having an episode of intermittent psychosis! That's why she suddenly jumped out and started screaming and making a fuss! In situations like that, you just need to give her a good smack on the head! So... D-Don't worry about it!!"
Cold sweat trickled down the little dragon girl's face as she desperately improvised an explanation.
"Intermittent... psychosis??"
Hearing this answer, Miss Yumo couldn't help furrowing her brows.
Somehow,
That person's magical power had been circulating in a very orderly manner. She had clearly seemed to be casting a spell.
That didn't exactly look like something a person suffering from a psychiatric episode would do, did it?
Suspicion appeared on the girl's face.
However,
Just as Miss Yumo was about to turn around and examine Vinarola's condition, a magnificent bouquet of golden flowers suddenly appeared before her eyes.
It immediately captured almost all the black-haired girl's attention, causing her to tilt her head in bewilderment.
"Fl-Flowers?"
At this moment,
The pale-golden magical power that had originally gathered in the little dragon girl's hands, which Yumo had assumed was intended for a powerful attack, had suddenly reshaped itself into a beautiful bouquet of golden flowers.
The little dragon girl released Yumo's waist and held the bouquet in her hands like a shy child.
Just as Yumo was about to turn around, she presented it to Miss Yumo.
"Hehe, Auntie! This is a meeting gift for you! Do you like it?!"
Melilov-Baroze opened her little mouth in a cheerful grin, revealing two tiny, adorable canine teeth.
That sweet smile, combined with the beautiful magical bouquet right before her eyes, left Miss Yumo utterly dumbstruck.
The powerful golden light that had suddenly come charging toward her had inexplicably turned into an adorable little dragon girl?
Not only had she refrained from attacking as expected,
She had even hugged Yumo around the waist and affectionately called her "Auntie"?
And the dense magical power gathered in her hands had somehow transformed into a magical bouquet??
"What on earth is going on?"
Miss Yumo tilted her head, falling into deep thought...
...
...
"Phew~~"
Meanwhile,
Although Melilov-Baroze continued maintaining her bright, innocent smile, she secretly let out an enormous sigh of relief.
The soul-reaping Grim Reaper in her imagination seemed to have finally withdrawn its deadly scythe.
At the same time, Melilov-Baroze couldn't help admiring her own quick thinking.
The moment she realized that the girl before her was the very Demon God who had killed her all those years ago, not even the slightest desire for revenge had appeared in Melilov-Baroze's mind.
There had been nothing but endless terror.
However, as a once peerless powerhouse, Melilov-Baroze quickly managed to steady herself and began frantically searching for a way out of her predicament.
Although she had been reborn, confronting this black-haired girl with her current condition and strength would undoubtedly put her at a slight disadvantage...
She might even be reduced to ashes on the spot...
She had only just obtained a new body and was about to start planning her perfect future dragon life!
There was no way she wanted to die such an inexplicable death!
However,
Because she had accelerated too aggressively, she could no longer stop her charge.
In that desperate moment, a brilliant idea suddenly flashed through Melilov-Baroze's mind...
Although it was rather humiliating, she decided to take advantage of her current appearance!
She would make full use of her cute, adorable looks!
"A true hero knows when to bend and when to stand tall! What's so terrible about acting cute?! As long as I don't die, this exalted one would even sell her body if necessary!!"
And so,
Having completely abandoned certain aspects of her dignity, Melilov-Baroze threw herself into the "enemy's" embrace without the slightest hesitation.
Using a sickeningly sweet little-girl voice that made even herself feel nauseated, she affectionately called the girl "Auntie"~
As for the pale-golden magical power still gathered in her hands, which she hadn't had time to disperse, Melilov-Baroze used her extraordinary magical control to transform it instantly into an exquisite bouquet of magical flowers.
Then she presented it to the black-haired girl.
And as it turned out,
Melilov-Baroze's strategy had actually worked.
Although confusion still lingered in the black-haired girl's eyes, the intention to attack had completely disappeared.
The Shadow of Silence Power that had gradually begun overflowing from her body had been withdrawn.
Even the few blood-red butterflies that had previously been fluttering around her had peacefully settled on her shoulders.
Seeing that the life-or-death crisis appeared to have been successfully resolved, the suffocating pressure weighing on Melilov-Baroze's heart finally began to dissipate.
...
However,
Before Melilov-Baroze could relax for long,
The black-haired girl's next words immediately caused the little dragon girl to tense up once again.
"You said... you're Yuan'er's friend? ...Then... why did you pin my daughter... to the ground?"
Feeling the black-haired girl's suspicious and faintly cold gaze, the little dragon girl's delicate body couldn't help trembling slightly.
A drop of cold sweat slowly trickled down her forehead.
Only at that moment did Melilov-Baroze suddenly remember the "intruder" she had subdued earlier...
Glancing out of the corner of her eye at the pink-haired little girl behind her, who was still bound to the ground and unable to move, seemingly on the verge of tears (while desperately holding back her laughter), Melilov-Baroze suddenly felt as though all hope had been lost...
...
I-It's over...
How...
How am I supposed to explain this...?
...
Or maybe?
Should I say we were playing a game?
Apparently, these kinds of bondage games are pretty popular in the outside world nowadays...