Starting With an SSS-Rank Goddess Summon!

Silas stood frozen by the kitchen door, staring down at the blushing dragon girl with her cute dragon horns twitching in nervous anticipation.

Looking at her flushed adorable face, Silas’s mind completely stalled and a single thought echoed through his soul.

’Why the hell are all of these girls in my territory so damn cute...?’

Silas stood near the entrance of the Keep’s kitchen, staring down at the dragon girl holding the cuff of his dark shirt sleeve.

’Did some sort of evil spirit get into her...?’

He remembered the last Evil spirit that tried to enter Thora, it was of course handled by Elu but who was to say that it didn’t go after her next though.

’Well meh, not to mention Dragons are extremely powerful everywhere, but still, what’s wrong with her?’

Talira’s face was completely flushed in a deep vivid shade of crimson.

Her dark dragon horns twitched nervously against her hair, and her slender, scaled tail was wrapped so tightly around her thigh it looked like a vice grip.

Looking at her timid blushing posture, Silas couldn’t help but feel a wave of deadpan confusion wash over his mind.

Wasn’t she a dragon?

In every myth, legend, and text he had ever read back in Valoria City, dragons were supposed to be arrogant, condescending and overwhelmingly prideful creatures that looked down on lower races from atop mountains of gold.

When he had first brought her here, even with the spar, he had half-expected an uncontrollable fiery monster that would require an iron fist to keep in line.

Yet looking at her face right now, Silas couldn’t find a single trace of dragon pride in her eyes.

’I guess getting completely outmaneuvered and slammed into the dirt during our duel yesterday broke that stubborn shell pretty fast,’ Silas mused inwardly with a smirk touching his lips.

That explained it...

Winning that duel hadn’t just secured her loyalty... it had completely recalibrated her perspective on power.

In the eyes of a dragon, strength was the only law that mattered, and Silas had demonstrated a level of dominance that left no room for arrogant defiance.

Silas folded his arms across his chest, leaning his shoulder casually against the wooden doorframe as he looked down at her.

"What kind of training are we talking about, Talira?" Silas asked smoothly, his tone calm and curious. "And why do you even need training from me in the first place? You’re a Dragon. You were born with legendary physical stats, dragon-scale defense, and a lot of mana."

Talira swallowed hard, her reptilian-slitted eyes shifting nervously before locking onto his chest.

She tightened her grip on his sleeve with her voice trembling slightly as she confessed her reasoning.

"T-The last time we fought..." Talira began, her cheeks burning even hotter, "...you weren’t even in your true physical form. You used your female body... that single-armed woman disguise to completely dismantle my combat style."

She paused, taking a ragged breath, her dragon tail flicking against her leg.

"And... and it’s obvious to me now that you aren’t nearly as strong or as fast in your female body as you are in your true male form," Talira continued, her voice gaining a desperate earnest edge. "You beat me while holding back your primary physical vessel... If I can’t even overcome your suppressed disguise, how am I supposed to stand proudly beside the other heroes in your territory?"

Silas remained silent, watching her intently as she poured her heart out.

Talira looked up into his eyes, her expression shifting from timid embarrassment to a sharp burning resolve.

"You reminded me that we are about to enter an official Lord War," Talira stated firmly, her small hands clenching into tight fists against her sides. "You told me that I would be deployed on the front lines alongside the Vanguard. I... I want to train with you to get stronger! I need to protect my pride as a dragon, and I want to prove to the entire Sovereign Realm that your territory... The Blessed Land is truly superior to every rival human out there!"

Silence settled over the Keep’s kitchen for a long moment.

Silas looked down at the fiery determination burning in her eyes. Despite her timid, cute reactions, the heart of a true warrior still beat within her chest.

She wasn’t asking for special treatment or luxurious accommodations... she wanted to earn her place on his battlefield through blood and sweat.

A warm genuine smile broke across Silas’s face.

He reached out his broad right hand, placing his palm directly onto her head, right between her sleek dragon horns, and gently patted her hair.

"Ah—!"

Talira completely lost her breath!

The sudden intimate physical touch caused her entire body to freeze up like a statue.

Her heart hammered against her ribs like a runaway engine with her breath hitching in her throat as a bright explosive blush spread all the way to the tips of her pointed ears.

For three seconds, she stood entirely paralyzed under his palm.

Then, her dragon pride reflexively flared up.

She stubbornly shifted her head backward, pulling out from under his hand while pouting up at him with narrow, teary eyes.

"S-Stop treating me like a pet dog!" Talira huffed out loud with her chest heaving as she tried to regain her composure. "I am a Dragon Warrior! I am not some cute creature you can just pat on the head whenever you feel like it!"

Silas chuckled smoothly, dropping his hand back to his side and winking at her.

"You’re a good girl, Talira," Silas told her, his voice warm yet commanding. "And your mindset is exactly what I need on my front lines."

Talira blinked, her pout melting away into a look of quiet awe as his words registered.

"I need a lot of physical condition refinement before the war starts next week anyway," Silas continued, turning his body toward the kitchen exit. "So consider your request granted. We’ll set up intensive sparring sessions starting tomorrow morning. I’ll call for you at the training grounds when it’s time... Call Aeli too though before we do too much."

Talira let go of his shirt sleeve completely, stepping back and bowing her head deep in a formal stance.

"T-Thank you, My Lord!" Talira voiced out, her tone filled with immense relief and deep gratitude. "I will not let you down!"

Silas paused at the doorway, turning his head back over his shoulder to give her one last reassuring look.

"Don’t worry," Silas said with a confident smirk. "You’re going to do great."

With that, Silas stepped out of the kitchen, leaving the blushing dragon warrior standing by the prep island with a silly happy smile spreading across her face.

"What’s wrong with me?!"

Silas made his way across the foyer of the Keep, his leather boots making quiet taps against the polished stone floor.

He headed straight for the grand staircase, climbing the curving flight of stairs up to the second floor where his private Lord office was located.

Reaching the thick Ironwood doors of his office, Silas grabbed the brass handle and pushed the door open—

CREAK!

The scene inside the office caused Silas to freeze dead in his tracks. Sitting behind his massive oak desk was Eluned.

The SSS-Rank Nature Goddess was dressed in one of Silas’s oversized white cotton shirts... which draped comically over her figure, sliding off one of her delicate shoulders and leaving her smooth skin exposed down to her collarbone.

Her long shimmering emerald hair cascaded over the back of the leather executive chair, floating gently in the ambient mana of the room.

...However, it wasn’t her outfit that caught Silas completely off guard. It was what she was doing.

Eluned had both of her elbows propped up on his oak desk, her chin resting firmly on her clasped hands.

Her face was twisted into an absurdly rigid deadpan frown as she stared blankly at the empty stone wall across the room.

She narrowed her emerald eyes, cleared her throat, and attempted to imitate Silas’s deep voice out loud.

"Hmm... yes. We need more Stone," Eluned grunted, trying to make her voice sound raspy while maintaining a rigid flat expression. "I need more power and more money... But why are nobles always trying to show off their money? If I don’t get three thousand units of building material by tomorrow, I’m going to chop someone’s head off... yeah. That’s how I roll."

She adjusted her posture, puffing out her chest in the oversized shirt, and narrowed her eyes even further at the wall.

"Morwenna, shut up," Eluned continued her impression, deepening her frown to match Silas’s signature deadpan glare. "Thora, stop trying to turn the Keep into an anvil. I am the Lord of this territory, and if anyone complains, I’m using my authority to upgrade their training drills until they cry... yeah. Very logical."

"..."

Standing by the open doorway, Silas’s jaw literally dropped to the floor.

He stood there for five full seconds, staring at his SSS-Rank Goddess sitting in his executive chair, wearing his shirt, and performing a deadpan impression of his secret thoughts.

"PFT-HAHAHAHAHA!"

Silas couldn’t hold it in any longer.

A loud, boisterous burst of laughter exploded from his chest, echoing wildly off the office walls.

"Huh?!"

Eluned stiffened so violently that her emerald hair flared out like a startled cat.

She snapped her head toward the doorway with her wide green eyes locking onto Silas standing there doubled over with laughter.

She had been so intensely focused on perfecting her imitation of her beloved hubby that she had completely forgotten to maintain her passive sensing magic.

She hadn’t heard him open the door at all!

"S-SILAS?!" Eluned shrieked out, her divine composure shattering into a million pieces.

A bright, deep shade of crimson flushed across her cheeks, traveling all the way down to her exposed shoulder.

She frantically scrambled out of the heavy leather chair with her hands flying to smooth down the oversized white shirt as she stumbled over her desk!

"H-How long have you been standing there?!" Eluned stammered out, her voice rising a bit in embarrassment! "I-I wasn’t doing anything! I was just... inspecting your office!"

Silas wiped a tear of laughter from the corner of his eye, leaning against the doorframe as his shoulders shook with amusement.

"’Yeah... very logical,’" Silas quoted her with a massive smirk, stepping into the room. "Is that really how I sound to you, Elu?"

Eluned pouted heavily, covering her blushing face with both of her hands as she groaned in embarrassment.

’That’s what you muttered in your sleep dummy...’

"Ahhhh! Stop it! You weren’t supposed to hear that! I was just... I was trying to understand how your brain works when you sit at this big scary desk!"

Silas walked up to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her soft shirt-clad body flush against his chest.

He leaned down and planted a sweet firm kiss on her blushing cheek, causing her to let out a quiet, contented sigh as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"You’re ridiculous, Elu," Silas smiled warmly, resting his forehead against hers. "But it was pretty damn cute."

"Hmph," Eluned huffed playfully, her emerald eyes sparkling with affection. "You’re just lucky I love you."

Silas chuckled, smoothing a stray lock of emerald hair behind her ear before transitioning back to territory business.

"Alright, jokes aside," Silas said, his tone turning to the usual. "I just finished constructing the first Tier 2 Living Quarters down near the Library. But I need to harvest a massive supply of Ironwood timber so we can erect three more buildings before the war starts next week. It costs six hundred units of Ironwood Beams per building, so I need at least eighteen hundred units fast."

Eluned’s eyes lit up with immediate understanding.

"You want me to help you fell and process the Ironwood trees in the outer forest?"

"Exactly," Silas nodded. "Your Nature power can harvest the timber cleanly without ruining the wood fiber but before we head out... is there anything specific you want to build in the territory, Elu? I’m expanding our infrastructure anyway, so tell me what you need."

Eluned left his arms, stepping back and tapping her chin thoughtfully as a dreamy wistful expression touched her face.

"Well..." Eluned mused softly, looking out the office window toward the green landscape below, "...back in the ancient Land of Elves, before I was summoned into your realm, every major territory possessed an Open Sanctuary Garden."