Chapter 90: Like a Dragon (4)

Jiiing──

Fernaga's amber eyes, which were staring intently at me and still sparkled without losing their light even in human form, began to turn a pale pink in an instant.

“Ah…”

With the light of charm.

Fernaga, as if instinctively realizing something was wrong, took a step back, but I also took a big step forward.

“Y-You bastard…!”

At that, Fernaga, who was startled, took another step back, and then hunched her body.

“Wh-What on earth did you do to me…!”

In a shrunken posture that was hard to believe belonged to the arrogant dragon from just a moment ago.

“M-My, h-heart…!”

“Your heart?”

I approached Fernaga, and immediately snatched her wrist.

“Ah…!”

And then, I gently felt her pulse, which was beating just like a human's.

“It's beating really fast, isn't it?”

Fernaga, who was now facing my approaching face head-on, opened her mouth blankly again.

It was a perfectly ‘charmed’ look.

“M-M-M-My…”

Fernaga, who couldn't continue her words, belatedly pushed my arm away as if in resistance.

“My heart, feels like it’s going to explode…!”

Well, it was closer to me letting go.

“Wh-What kind of trick did you use! What kind of curse, did you put on me…!?”

At those words, a grin unconsciously spread across my lips.

A curse.

That's not wrong.

“Yeah, that's right. I put a curse on you. A very powerful curse.”

“A-As I thought! Y-You cowardly inferior species…!”

When I readily admitted it, Fernaga shouted as if she had known it all along.

“Lift the curse! If you don't lift it now, I'll… I'll…!”

But since she wasn't in her dragon form now, the lake didn't churn, nor did the forest shake.

Unless her much smaller body was trembling.

“You’ll?”

“B-Burn you!!”

Indeed, Fernaga's face was as red as if it would breathe fire at any moment.

“You think I can’t do it!”

But it was clearly different from the preparation for the 「Dragon Breath」 I had seen before.

“I am the great Red Dragon! Even in this…! this, inferior species' form, I can easily breathe fire!”

Even if it was red like lava welling up.

“Hurry up and lift the──”

“I don't want to.”

“──Wh-What did you say!?”

Looking at Fernaga, I said nonchalantly.

“Because that curse, is the real treasure I brought you.”

“This curse is, a treasure…!?”

“As you said, a short song will eventually be forgotten when it no longer rings in your ears. But──”

This time, instead of Fernaga's arm, I gently grabbed her chin and pulled it towards me.

“──Now my face, you’ll probably remember for the rest of your life.”

So that she couldn't turn her eyes away from my face.

“…!”

At my face that had come so close, Fernaga seemed unable to tear her eyes away.

As if she had forgotten what she was going to say, or as if she were really going to breathe fire, she kept opening and closing her mouth.

Thus, looking at the completely smitten Fernaga, I showed a triumphant smile.

“Now, as you can see, I kept my promise.”

“A p-promise…?”

Indeed, the expression on the human Fernaga's face was much easier to read than when she was a dragon.

“Wh-Wh-What promise, are you talking about…?!”

“The treasure that will remain in your heart for the rest of your life, I brought it before you like this, didn't I?”

I extended the other hand that wasn't holding Fernaga's chin, and gestured for her to look at my face.

“Admit it. You like it, don't you, my face.”

“Th-That’s… I, a mere inferior species’, face… I-I couldn't possibly, like it…”

Gulp, Fernaga, whose words were gradually trailing off, swallowed once.

“Could I…!”

“Ah, really?”

I raised the corners of my lips in a nonchalant grin, and then slowly approached Fernaga's ear.

And then, I whispered in a sweet voice.

“──Liar.”

“……!”

At that moment, Fernaga, startled, pushed me away in a hurry.

The strength of the arm that pushed me away was so weak that it was hard to believe it belonged to the majestic Red Dragon.

Frail one, thy name is Dragon.

“N-No…!”

It must be humiliating.

Although dragons were greedy, and could even be called evil by human standards.

“I am not, that kind of…!”

At least they were not liars.

Dragons do not tell lies.

Because they were superior beings who didn't need to.

Hiding oneself with lies was something only inferior beings did.

But, Fernaga couldn't bring herself to deny my words.

“U-Uuuh……!”

Well, I had hit a nerve.

She must feel exposed.

Fernaga was trembling with shame, as if a hidden secret had been revealed.

“Your heart is completely out of your control. From now on, your heart will race whenever you see me.”

“…!?”

This time, too, Fernaga couldn't deny it.

To deny this, she would have to ‘lie’ again that this, the drum-like sound that was even reaching my ears, was not her heartbeat.

“In other words── it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that your heart is now in my hands.”

I raised one hand with a mischievous smile.

At that, Fernaga, as if she had imagined her own heart being placed on my palm.

“M-My heart…!”

Appealed with goosebumps… no, dragonbumps (?) all over her body.

“G… Give it back…!”

“Sorry, but it’s mine now.”

“That’s…!”

“In other words, you are now my prisoner. A prisoner, with your heart held hostage.”

──Of course. and, I immediately brought it up, and this time, instead of approaching, I took a step back and played dumb.

“I could lift the curse, and release you.”

“──!”

At that, Fernaga, who had a brightened expression as if she had found a ray of hope, took a step towards me.

“If you make a contract, that is.”

As I said before, dragons, as much as they are full of pride, value honor, so they rarely break a promise once made.

Therefore, I first took out the pen and paper I had prepared from my pocket.

On that paper── the ‘contract’──

“First, shall we promise not to threaten Aubrey Village again?”

Was written the content that Fernaga had proposed.

“Sign.”

“…Keuk!”

Fernaga, who was carefully reading the contract, eventually started to move the pen with a humiliated expression.

Thus, she wrote her true name, in ‘Dragon Language’, in the signature line.

The moment the writing was completed, the signature of ‘Fernaga’ written on the contract flashed as if a flame had flared up!

It meant that the contract had been concluded.

“Now you won’t touch the people of Aubrey Village, right?”

“A dragon does not speak with two tongues! What do you take me for!”

For dragons who live and die by honor, a ‘contract’ is a sacred thing.

Even if she wasn't in her right mind (well, she'll find out later), as long as her true name was written on this contract, Aubrey Village would be safe.

“N-Now you must be satisfied! Then hurry up and lift my curse and return my heart──”

“No, not yet.”

“──What!?”

“That was the contract for the ‘deal’ you originally proposed to the villagers.”

I put the contract I had received back into my clothes, and this time, I took out a new contract.

“──Ours, has to be done separately, right?”

“Y-You devil…! You were, a devil…!”

“Yeah. I hear that often.”

Strictly speaking, it's not wrong.

“Wh-What on earth are you going to demand of me, you bastard…!?”

Instead of answering, I raised one corner of my lips.

“……!”

Seeing this, Fernaga flinched again.

Well, in fact, my demands weren't a big deal.

Just, a restriction that she should not try to take revenge on me or my companions in the future, or do any such harm.

In addition to that.

─ Once.

If we call you, fight for us just once.

I had only added a mercenary (?) contract of that sort.

As a result, I obtained the 「Fernaga's Horn」.

It's an item that can be used only once in the game, to summon Fernaga as an ally.

If you blow this horn, wherever it is, Fernaga will come flying to keep her contract.

Anyway.

Thus, the contract between Fernaga and our party was also neatly concluded like before.

“A well-behaved dragon, deserves a reward, right?”

Therefore, I gently placed a hand on Fernaga's head, and.

“Oof…!”

I roughly shook my hand, as if to mess up her hair.

“Wh-What are you doing?!”

So, I petted her.

“Don’t tell me you’re treating me… this great Red Dragon…! like your, pet…!?”

“Huh? Nah, nah. Of course not. It’s just that this is the way to lift the curse.”

Actually, it was a lie.

In the first place, the curse was a lie.

But since I needed some kind of gesture to release it, I just did whatever came to mind.

Besides, when else would I ever get to pet a dragon's head in my life?

Well, she's human now, but.

At the words that it was the way to lift the curse, Fernaga, while gritting her teeth in frustration, eventually remained quiet until the end.

“…? Y-You liar!”

Until, when I finally took my hand away, and there was no effect (?), she protested again.

“The curse, the curse still hasn't been lifted! …A-My heart is beating even faster than before!”

“Ah, it originally takes a little time to be lifted. Don't worry. It'll be lifted soon.”

Specifically, when she undoes the 「Polymorph」, the 「Charm」 will naturally be lifted.

She had been maintaining her current form because she was afraid that the ‘curse’ would become stronger if she rashly returned to her original form and threatened me… but in fact, it was the opposite.

Because the senses themselves change.

Since she now had the senses of a ‘human species’ completely, she had fallen for my face, and when she returned to being a dragon, she would probably forget why she had done that, right? Like, ‘Why on earth did I do that?’.

So—except for Rine—the policy of showing my face only to enemies I would deal with or to guys I would never meet again, I was able to break it this time.

Maybe she'll realize she's been tricked when I leave.

But, so what? You already signed, right?

The contract remains, right?

At the very least, to break the contract, you'll have to first spread the rumor that you were tricked by a mere mortal, but that's more embarrassing, right?

Of course, no matter how sacred a contract is, if you've made a contract to be worked for the rest of your life as a price for being tricked once, the story would be a bit different… but it's just once, right?

It's better to just close your eyes and fulfill the contract, right?

“──Well then, see you later.”

I waved my hand lightly in greeting, put on my mask, and returned to my companions.

“Good work.”

Rine was the first to greet me calmly.

“…….”

On the other hand, Miki and Lily were fidgeting with faces that were completely beet red, just like Fernaga a moment ago.

It seemed that the sight of me seducing a dragon was quite a strong stimulus (?) for the two of them.

“You…”

Toric seemed about to say something, but then he made a troubled expression as if he didn't know what to say, and in the end, he swallowed his words.

At that, as if to say what he had swallowed on his behalf, Ibi said in a voice full of disbelief.

“…You, if you live like that, you'll get stabbed someday.”

I shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly and answered.

“You guys will protect me, won't you?”

--

Level Up!

Lv. 7 → 8

--

At the same time, a notification popped up that my level had risen in one go as a reward for subjugating (?) the dragon.

We, who had safely defeated (?) the dragon, returned to Aubrey Village to report the result.

And, when we handed over the signed contract we had received directly from the Red Dragon ‘Fernaga’ and told them the whole story.

“Thank you! Thank you!”

“The dragon is gone! We’re saved!!”

“Dragon sl… layer!!”

That night, the villagers held a large banquet to welcome us.

Along with the promise to cherish this contract as a village treasure for a long time, and to spread the heroic tale of our party that had protected the village against the Red Dragon.

Thus, you and your companions have become the legends of Aubrey Village.

A dragon slayer legend.

Wouldn't that be quite cool.

Someday, you will be called not a Dragon Slayer── but a Dragon ‘Layer’, and will be praised throughout the continent, but that is still a story for the distant future.

“……Wait, what?”