Aman and Lucas, who had returned to the Count's mansion, first began to clean up the nearby area.

"Now, don't forget to maintain your mana."

"Yes, don't worry. I'm not that stupid!"

Lucas was already reminding Aman of the same thing for the second time. He planned to maintain his polymorph. To do so, it was necessary for Aman to consistently maintain his mana.

"...Right. I know you're not stupid."

Aman also boasted that he should just trust him.

'Right, he's not really a fool... no, he's a bit of a fool... no, but he's not a newborn hatchling... right, I have to trust him. Let's trust him.'

Because of that, Lucas decided to force himself to ignore the anxiety that was blooming in a corner of his heart. Really, with great effort...

"Then, I'll see you after I've cleaned up! Ah, but you can't run wild too much. You know that, right?"

"Hoho, this dragon is really something. Anyone would think I'm a person who can't control my anger and runs wild."

"Wow, you always talk like that when you're lying, don't you? You must have thought I wouldn't know, but this won't do. Let's go together. It won't make much of a time difference anyway."

He was caught. It seemed that he was not as much of a fool as Lucas had thought.

"Hoho, is this dragon for real? Are you saying you can't trust my words? Don't worry and go."

"No, I've already figured it out. If we're short on time, I'll clean it up by myself, so let's go together."

"W-well...!"

-Paaat!

Lucas was teleported away, led by Aman's hand, without being able to finish his words.

"Hey, I told you it's not like that! At that time, how did I catch him there!!!"

The first thing he saw was a scene of a man sitting on a table and boasting of his heroic deeds in a loud voice.

"Huh? Who are you? Why did you suddenly appear here?"

But surprised by the two figures that had suddenly appeared, he stopped what he was saying and frowned fiercely.

"Ah, us?"

"Right, how did you get in here!"

"Ah, why! Keep talking. So how did you catch him?"

But Aman was urging him with eyes full of curiosity, regardless of whether the man was frowning or not.

"You son of a bitch!?"

-Kudangtangtang!

The moment he kicked the table and jumped out.

-Kwa-jik! Kwa-jijik!

"Keo-eo-eok! Keu-aaaak!!!"

A lightning storm fell on his body without mercy.

-Pushiiiii... thud!

The lightning storm that had struck the large man's body had turned him into a roast in an instant.

"Mmm~ the smell of meat! Since you're the Noru Trading Company, you must have eaten a lot of deer, right? A person was roasted, but it smells like delicious deer~"

Aman, who had even closed his eyes, even waved his hand towards himself and savored the scent.

"W-what is that!"

At that, the other three men in the room were frozen in place at the sudden event and could only move their lips.

"Now, judging by his accent... he seems to be from Divanos. Right?"

Divanos, at the southern end. Divanos, an isolated island nation, was a country with little exchange with other countries due to the stormy waters.

The man who had just been roasted was using the dialect of Divanos.

"T-that's!"

"As far as I know, there are no people from Divanos in Citata. What would a person from that warm country be doing here? It's a very pretty and warm country, isn't it?"

As Aman slowly approached, the men were stumbling back.

"Now, everyone sit down. I was curious about the next story. You know what he caught, right?"

The men swallowed hard at Aman's playful wink, who had collapsed into a chair.

'H-he's a madman... that's a madman!'

Not only did he suddenly appear in the middle of the room, but he had also turned his colleague into a roast in an instant. And that playful and annoying tone!

Even though the men had lived a rough life, they had never felt such bewilderment.

"Hurry up~"

Lucas, who was quietly watching the scene from behind, was also shaking his head.

'Hah... humans shouldn't know that he's a dragon...'

***

"No, so you're going to leave them alive just like that?"

"Yes, they'll run out in less than an hour anyway. They'll probably think they're fools who naively believed what they said."

A little while ago, Aman had pretended to believe the stories of the three remaining men and had even left with the words 'thank you'.

And Lucas, who was standing behind him, had not added a single word while watching the whole situation.

He had wanted to see how Aman handled things on this occasion, and he had been worried that the situation might worsen if he added his own words.

'If I had said a single word and the humans had started to act up... it would have been hard to bear.'

Although Aman might think of humans as just an interesting amusement right now, Lucas was different. He was in a real human body. It would have been different if he were a dragon, but it would have been hard to bear now.

"Right, then what's your plan for next? What if they don't move as you intended?"

"Haha, Lord, you're really something. I'm not that stupid. I, huh? I have a plan all thought out!"

"...Right. I also trust you."

Aman glared at Lucas's awkward answer.

"That's another lie, isn't it?"

"Huh? No. I really trust you. I trust you firmly, that's what I'm saying."

"You're really bad at lying... Aman is hurt..."

Damn dragon! It was really a mystery how that dragon could see through his lies so thoroughly.

"Hoho, you're really something. How can you be hurt by something like this? Do you feel like my words are a lie?"

"...It's fine. I'm not talking to the Lord."

This was a big problem. Now that he was even threatening not to talk, this was not like raising a child, it was driving him crazy.

"Ahem, if you don't talk to me... Lu-Lucas will also... be... hurt..."

It was a last resort. Since he was saying no to this and no to that, he had tried to imitate a mother soothing a child, which he had seen somewhere, but it seemed to have had the opposite effect.

"...What's that? Are you imitating me?"

"..."

"Don't do it again. I really won't talk to you then."

As Aman's eyes narrowed, Lucas smiled awkwardly and nodded his head.

'I'll definitely... hit that bastard on the back of the head one day!'

Aman, who had relaxed his narrowed eyes, let out a small sigh.

"Hmph, that's that. Lying is what those people did just now. When I asked what they caught, they brazenly said they caught a deer! Hah! I was so dumbfounded. Who do they think is a fool?"

"And yet you let those humans live. What strong patience."

"You're being sarcastic. I know. I've left a mark on them. I'll know when they move, so you don't have to worry about their next destination."

"Ho-oh..."

"See! You're impressed by this simple thing! You thought I was a fool~ isn't that it!?"

"Absolutely not!"

"Hah, really. And those people are moving across the continent. The one I roasted first was from Divanos. Why is a Divanos human here causing trouble!"

"An elf, probably. They're probably the ones who catch elves and bring them over to the central continent. Since many Arpe Island elves go over to Divanos to live... they're probably the ones who catch them and bring them over."

Arpe Island, next to Divanos, was a small island that had become a home for elves, using the surrounding rough waters as a shield.

But the Arpe Island elves, who had difficulty solving all their life's problems there, had continued their lives through trade with Divanos since ancient times.

That was why even the elves, who were very hostile to humans, would often let down their guard and approach if it was a person from Divanos.

"To think there are still such people..."

"That's what I'm saying. I've only seen them in the old days... there are still people who catch other races and use them as slaves. When you see things like this, humans are really disgusting. Don't you think so?"

"..."

He couldn't answer. He also felt disgusted. Even if he thought about that incident 3,000 years ago, there was enough reason to annihilate the humans, but he had endured.

"And you're still saying we should leave the humans alone?"

"We have to. We have to. We are just small beings who move according to the will of that great main god. There must be a reason why the main god created humans."

"Hah, Lord. Think about it. Aren't all the scary gods who live in the celestial world born to punish humans? Why do they do such annoying things? The god of punishment!"

The god of punishment. He was literally a god who governed punishment. Lucas had also heard about him when he was a dragon.

It was said that the only race the god of punishment governed was humans.

A cruel race that did not hesitate to slaughter if it was profitable, and to kill their own parents or children. Humans.

The god of punishment was created by the main god, who could no longer watch their repeated evil deeds.

"And don't other races who have done bad things reincarnate as humans as punishment? What is this?"

"...Really?"

This was the first time he had heard this. To think that a race that had done bad things would reincarnate as a human?

Then wasn't it the same as saying that Lucas had chosen what others received as punishment!

"So the angels' expressions..."

"Pardon?"

"No, no. But what are you going to do with the people who are captured in the basement?"

"Hah! Hah! Hah! This smart Aman has thought of everything. Lord, just watch how I punish them this time!"

Aman seemed to have the intention of definitely changing Lucas's gaze, which seemed to see him as a fool, on this occasion.

"...I will."

"Now, then, let's go to the next place!"

-Paaat!

The place he had teleported to with Aman was a dark basement with only a few candles lit. There was a small door where Aman was leading, and when he looked inside through the hazy window, about ten figures were busily doing something.

-Shiiik... shiiik...

The sound of steady breathing and the acrid smell that wafted through the door.

-Dalgeurak... dalgeurak...

The sound of glass clashing that was heard with it.

-Tak! Tak!

Even the sound of something being shaken off.

"It's an illusion potion manufacturing factory."

"...What?"

He had already heard that they were manufacturing illusion potions.

But Lucas, who had recognized the identity of the people who were making the potion, with thick cloths covering their noses and breathing heavily, could not hide his astonishment.

"...A child?"

"That's right."

Surprisingly, the ten or so people were all children.

"And you're still... saying we should leave them all alive?"

"...No, I didn't say all of them. It's only right that all these bastards die."

Anger seeped out from his cold, sunken voice.

"Kill them all. Don't leave a single one of those involved in this matter alive. Don't even give them time to beg for their lives... tear them all to shreds and kill them."

"Yes, Lord."

(End of Chapter)