The dragon woman, checking the egg in the fridge, nods her long neck.
[Hm.]
“Ugh?!”
A white light pours from the dragon, growing brighter. I wonder if it’s transforming into something stronger—should I kill it now?
I considered backstabbing it, but keeping trust seems wiser.
Even if I only dabbled in teaching, beating up a parent who came to my house is a bit much.
Dragons are bad in Western tales, but in folklore, befriending them brings rewards.
If I dreamt of this, I’d buy 5,000 won worth of lottery tickets weekly—maybe 10,000.
A dream of a dragon trashing my place? I’d sprint to buy a ticket.
The dragon shifts back into the white-eyed woman. No catching her now. Her pale lips exhale white breath as she speaks.
[Remarkable. You know our ecology. The wraiths must’ve spread info to ruin the demons.]
“Hm? What do you mean?”
I was casual with the dragon form, but her human size and form make me slip into polite speech.
[Our white clan raises children buried in cold snowfields. But you kept it in a wondrous snowfield. It might’ve been safer than in their clutches.]
“Uh?”
Wondrous snowfield? My fridge? It was spewing ice, so they must prefer cold.
Eggs usually don’t hatch if frozen, but she’s grateful. It wasn’t intentional, but I nod. Gotta take credit when I can.
“Yes, you gotta care for kids.”
The mini fridge lacks a freezer, so it’s just cool, not frozen.
“Why the sudden transformation?”
The dragon woman smiles faintly.
[I wanted to show my gratitude with a face. My true form’s smile scares people.]
Her human smile’s easier to read, sure. But with slit pupils and both sclera and irises whitish, her eye-smile’s unclear.
She’s beautiful, but like a walking illustration—jarring.
“Your smile’s a bit awkward.”
[Is it? May I inspect this further?]
“Of course.”
The human-formed dragon woman takes the egg, bends down, and examines the mini fridge I scavenged from a defunct motel.
What, house hunting? Crouching, her outfit clings tightly—no tail, though.
[Dungeon giant?]
“Yes—uh, what?”
Why’s she staring like I’m stuttering?
[Is there something you want?]
Why’s she asking this?
“Uh, a girlfr—er, no, a house?”
[Wealth’s tricky. Your world’s larger, so our currency won’t work. A house, you say?]
“Ahem!”
I recover from my blunder.
“If the Succubus Queen invades, I want a way to resist her charm. Do you know one?”
[Simple. Restrain the root of desire.]
Oh, come on. I don’t need advice I already know. Think I’m clueless?
“Would super-regeneration restore that root?”
[Well, I’ve never had or lost one, so I don’t know. But that skill might work?]
Since it’s uncertain, I’ll skip detachable parts. If it got cut and regenerated, I’d think, “Phew, it grew back.” But cutting it on purpose? Unthinkable.
I glance at CatMan. He’s got super-regeneration from eating the necromancer. Animal testing before clinical trials, right?
“I’m looking for a way to resist without restraint.”
[Well, I’d like this cold space.]
Figured. Her eyes lit up.
“So, give you this cold space, and you’ll share the secret?”
[I already told you the secret.]
Where’s she looking? Not happening.
“But people don’t want to resist by harming their body. There’s a reason I was born like this, right?”
[If so, I’ve heard loving someone enough prevents the Succubus Queen from stealing your heart. Whether you have a lover or wife, you’re mostly safe. Just purely…]
“Yes, purely.”
[Rumor says if a human man loves so much there’s no vigor left, he can face a succubus. Try that.]
I get the method, but I don’t want to cast it.
“You seem strong. Why not fight the Succubus Queen to save me?”
The dragon woman frowns, troubled.
[You don’t feel anything from my egg being taken?]
“Was it held hostage?”
[The imp stole it, but the Succubus Queen is a demon I’d need to fight to the death.]
Come to think of it, the imp’s skilled at theft and lies beyond diplomacy. Must’ve stolen it.
“Isn’t your gate-traveling ability stronger than the Queen’s? And as a dragon…”
[Once, our kind ruled the world, but not now.]
“Because you didn’t hunt humans?”
[Exactly. We balanced the world, but now, if a demon superpower rises, we must tread carefully.]
Dragons are magical powerhouses, but demons who absorbed human levels outmatch them now.
[If we hadn’t come to this world, we’d be their next target. I don’t like it, but the Queen and her clan redirected their blades well.]
So, in their world, only dragons remain besides demons and monsters. They think invading here beats a dragon raid. And I’m taking all the fallout. Damn it.
“So me stopping them…”
[Not for me, but I’m grateful.]
“No way to teach me magic?”
[This world seems magic-less. Why need it?]
“To prevent its destruction. To keep peace.”
[Your dungeon looks well-prepared for charm.]
She notices my traps. Though useless against her dragon or human form. She ponders, then answers.
[Give me this cold dungeon, and I’ll teach you golem control.]
“Golem control?”
[A skill to manipulate inanimate combat puppets. To avoid succubus charm without removing desire’s root, you must avoid direct combat. Necromancy and golem control are ideal.]
Oh, right. I gained a trait from granting peace to thousands of zombies. Necromancy. CatMan has it too.
Its creepy description—using or eating corpses—makes me avoid it. But this skill’s similar.
“Fine, take it. Might not work there, though.”
It’s a scavenged mini fridge, so no loss. No electricity in their world, so it’s probably useless, but I don’t mention it.
Could golem control let me manipulate RiceCookerMan?
[Come here.]
“Close, huh?!”
The dragon woman places a hand on my forehead, a chill swirling around her. Like receiving the Swordmaster’s memorial, something imprints.
<golem control lv5> Manipulate inanimate objects with Magic for combat. Easier with objects resembling the caster’s form, like dolls or golems.
“Oh!”
[Might be useful against the Succubus Queen.]
“Thanks.”
[I’ll leave to avoid further trouble. Thank you for caring for my child. I’ll remember your kindness.]
The dragon woman reverts to her true form, and the magic circle she rode reappears. I shout,
“Wait!”
[Yes?]
“Clean up this mess first!”
[Oh, right.]
Trashing my place and leaving? No conscience. The dragon neatly cleans the frozen room and departs. One wave of her hand, and the frost’s gone. Cool.
“Golem control…” It’s like possession but for inanimate objects… “Turning Mecard, activate.”
***
A signal from the gate. A small tremor—probably a small entity. The imp.
After the egg fiasco, no more negotiations. The Swordmaster’s info was intense. I don’t want to provoke the Succubus Queen into showing up, so I’ll just execute the imp and call it a failed negotiation.
“Hey, welcome. Been waiting.”
[Greetings, I’ve returned—urk!?]
So shameless. Checking if I got crushed into human bingsu by the dragon?
“You dare show up again? Thought you’d survive screwing with me?”
[Urk, sorry!]
Crazy bastard. Doesn’t know the dragon invaded? Coming back to mess with me?
“Pathetic trick.”
If I’d eaten the egg, it’d have been chaos. But I held off, planning to save it for old age or my parents, avoiding a clash and even getting a Dragon Heart.
The dragon was wary of me, and I was cautious of it. Even level 10+ enemies here can hit above their size with magic.
And I’ve got no solid magic defense. Unless I smash them with full force, wrecking my place, I’m screwed.
Good thing the clone took the hit and didn’t break.
[I didn’t know!]
“Didn’t know? The dragon spilled everything. Acting diplomatic while stirring conflict with an innocent party? I can’t let you live.”
[I swear, the Queen regrets it—arghhh!]
Just squeezing and releasing is enough for torture.
“Tell her to come herself if she wants to talk… No, I’m executing you, so tell her to figure it out.”
[Killing a messenger isn’t human etiquette, is it?]
“This criminal talks etiquette after kidnapping, fraud, and threats? Scammers always play the victim when caught.”
The dragon cleaned the ice, but the wrinkled, marked wallpaper stands out. You’re getting the death penalty.
“Using diplomacy as a facade, sending a grieving parent to kill me—is that a negotiator’s etiquette? Saying you didn’t know makes it worse.”
[Urk, please, calm down. The Queen sends her regrets with a gift—argh!]
Another gift?
“You got it?”
[Yes?]
“Right now?”
[Yes, I can show you! Please, see—]
“Nah.”
No telling what trick’s up its sleeve, but…
“I’ll kill you and take it.”