Chapter 58

Nopa’s Son met the Succubus about a month ago.

“Walking down the street at night, a woman suddenly approached me. She was wearing a robe, so I couldn’t tell if she was a demon. She said she’d make me feel good and told me to follow her… I couldn’t refuse. I knew it was suspicious, but my body wanted her.”

And so, Nopa’s Son followed the Succubus, and after that, he ended up getting married to her after being drained of his energy every day.

Roo crossed her arms and said, “It’s not really your fault. Once you’re ensnared by a Succubus, refusing is impossible. If it weren’t for our sister, you’d probably be dead. If you keep getting your energy drained by a Succubus, you won’t last long. Surviving a month is already impressive.”

At Roo’s words, Nopa’s Son bowed his head to Ariel once again.

“Thank you so much. You’re my lifesaver.”

Now, Nopa’s Son was dressed neatly, allowing Ariel to look at him confidently.

Ariel took out a dessert from her Inventory and handed it to Nopa’s Son.

“Eat.”

Currently, Nopa’s Son was emaciated.

The Succubus hadn’t been feeding him properly, only draining his energy.

“Th-this is…”

Nopa’s Son’s eyes welled up with tears as he looked at the dessert Ariel handed him.

“My mother made this… dessert… right…?”

“Right.”

What Ariel handed him was a dessert she had bought earlier from Nopa’s bakery.

Nopa’s Son began devouring the dessert in a hurry.

He coughed a few times, choking, but he still managed to finish the dessert.

“Sniff… I’ve been a terrible son to my mother… I kicked her out of the house when I married the Succubus… I need to bring her back right away…!”

Nopa’s Son jumped up and ran out of the house.

Watching him, Ariel smiled faintly.

It was a bit of a waste to give him the dessert, but she felt she had sufficiently repaid Nopa.

“Sister, let’s head back to the lodging now.”

Roo climbed onto Ariel’s shoulder and spoke.

“I’m so hungry I could die.”

*

“…?”

When Ariel returned to the lodging, a Dwarf was sitting in the room.

The Dwarf had golden hair and a beard, sitting with his arms crossed, looking quite stern as he stared at Ariel.

“So, you’re the Elf named Ariel.”

The Dwarf stood up and strode toward Ariel.

The Dwarf’s face was that of an adult, but he was short enough to be at eye level with Ariel.

“Hmph, you don’t look like much of a big deal, just a young Elf!”

At the Dwarf’s words, Roo flared up beside him.

“Hey, who are you? Why are you barging into someone else’s lodging?”

The Dwarf then looked at Roo. His sharp gaze was a bit intimidating.

“Fairy, scram. I have business with this Elf. If you open your mouth one more time, I’ll split that tiny body of yours in half.”

“…?”

Roo was taken aback.

Internally, she thought, “Who does this Dwarf think he is?” but for some reason, the aura emanating from this Dwarf didn’t feel ordinary.

He didn’t seem like a regular Dwarf.

As Roo kept her mouth shut, the Dwarf turned back to Ariel.

“My name is Lionel. I’m Rakia’s brother.”

“…!”

Roo’s eyes widened.

If he’s Rakia’s brother, then this Dwarf is actually a Dragon.

In that case, his threat to split someone in half wasn’t an empty boast.

A Dragon could kill a Fairy with just a gesture.

Roo quietly hid inside Ariel’s hat.

“Ariel. I heard Rakia considers you her teacher. Is that true?”

At Lionel’s question, Ariel nodded.

She hadn’t really taught Rakia anything, but Rakia had been following her around, insisting on becoming her subordinate.

“Hmph, I’m speechless! How dare an Elf think she can teach a Dragon? Such arrogance knows no bounds!”

Lionel was furious.

An Elf teaching a Dragon? That was unthinkable.

“There’s no being in this world who can teach a Dragon! This is an insult to all Dragons!”

Above all, Lionel didn’t like Ariel’s reaction.

Any other Elf would have bowed their head or knelt in fear at the mention of a Dragon, but Ariel stood tall, staring straight at Lionel.

Even a faint smile lingered at the corner of Ariel’s lips.

To be so composed, even smiling—when had the honor of Dragons fallen so low?

‘This is all because Rakia acted like a fool.’

Lionel thought so, but in reality, Ariel’s smile had a different meaning.

She wasn’t mocking or ignoring him.

Ariel was simply happy to see a Dwarf.

Even if his true form was a Dragon, his appearance was unmistakably that of a Dwarf.

The golden beard, stubby limbs, and thick hands and feet all seemed incredibly cute to her.

She even felt like touching them.

“This won’t do. I’ll show you the majesty of a Dragon myself.”

Lionel puffed out his broad chest as he spoke.

[Kneel before me and bow your head!]

With a booming voice, a threatening aura filled the room.

He had cast Dragon Fear.

Roo, who was inside Ariel’s hat, fainted on the spot, and the Ghost outside the yard cowered and flattened itself on the ground.

Meanwhile, Ariel just stood there, staring at Lionel.

“Th-the Dragon Fear didn’t work…?”

Lionel looked bewildered.

According to his mother, no race could remain unaffected by Dragon Fear.

But this tiny Elf…

No, actually, they were the same height, but for such a young Elf to be unaffected by Dragon Fear, something was clearly very wrong.

“R-Rakia wasn’t completely lying, it seems!”

Lionel took a step back.

He wanted to unleash high-level magic on Ariel, but he was worried that if a real fight broke out, things might not go well.

Dragon Fear didn’t work, and this was someone his sister considered her teacher.

Even if she was an Elf, he couldn’t help but feel a bit afraid.

If he picked a fight and lost, there would be no greater humiliation.

If word got out that he lost to an Elf, the other Dragons would mock and ignore him without mercy.

So, for now, stepping back was the wise, Dragon-like thing to do.

“Th-that was just a joke! I have no intention of fighting you! I’m very busy, and I only came today to take Rakia back…”

“Take Rakia?”

As Ariel tilted her head and asked, Lionel subtly took another step back.

“Yes! Mother is urgently looking for Rakia, so I need to take her back! Of course, I have no intention of fighting you!”

Ariel turned her head and looked toward the yard.

Rakia was calming the Ghost in the yard.

It seemed the Ghost had been quite startled by Lionel’s Dragon Fear.

Ariel walked toward the yard.

“Wh-what are you doing…?”

Lionel stumbled backward, stepping on the torso of a rabbit doll lying on the floor.

He barely managed to regain his balance and avoid the embarrassment of falling, but his face turned red with shame.

Regardless, Ariel walked past Lionel and went out to the yard.

“Ah, Lady Ariel…”

Rakia looked up at Ariel.

Compared to her usual cheerful self, Rakia’s reaction was quite subdued.

“Did you meet my brother…?”

Rakia had been thoroughly scolded by Lionel earlier and was feeling down.

She had boldly declared to her mother that she would create her own Lair and become independent, but now she was just following Ariel around, which made her feel ashamed in front of Lionel.

“I think… I need to go see Mother…”

Rakia said, sniffling.

Lionel had come to find Rakia because their mother wanted to see her.

It was only natural to go when Mother called, but Rakia didn’t want to leave Ariel.

“We still have to go to the dungeon together… Sob…”

Ariel reached out and patted Rakia’s head.

“It’s okay, go ahead.”

“Lady Ariel…”

“I’ll keep the treasures safe for you.”

“R-really…? I like shiny things…”

Ariel chuckled and nodded.

“Got it.”

“Sniff, Lady Ariel…!”

Rakia hugged Ariel tightly.

“Then, I’ll come back as soon as possible… You have to stay healthy until then…!”

“Be careful, Rakia.”

And so, Rakia left Ariel’s side for a while to go see her mother.

“Hmph, next time I won’t go easy on you!”

Lionel shouted at Ariel as he left.

“Next time, I’ll teach you a proper lesson, so be prepared, Elf!”