Chapter 91: The Great Stealth of the Dragon (Part 1)

During dinner, before Richard even reminded her, Sophia had already used “Poison Detection” in advance.

She scanned every ingredient before cooking, and again after the dishes were placed on the table.

The “seasoning” Aurina set down glowed an alarming green, casting a greasy light over her gleeful face.

Richard reached out to snatch the “seasoning” they had taken from the shapeshifter, saying, “You can’t eat poison.”

But Aurina, looking lazy yet moving with astonishing speed, flicked her hand and swallowed it whole. 

“Gah-gah-gah! Don’t think you can steal this king’s spoils of war!”

“Eating too much poison is bad for your body. You’re still a child—you’re growing.”

“This king is the greatest Red Dragon in the world. A mere false dragon’s body—”

“No matter how great, you’re still a little girl, and you need to grow up.”

Aurina froze.

The beast makes a good point. 

I’m a little girl—wait, no! I’m the greatest, most glorious champion among dragons!

Is this an illusion? 

Ah, it must be the backlash of a spell!

She tried to intimidate him with a roar. “Gaaah!”

Then she unleashed her dragon’s might, baring her white shark-like teeth at Richard, her hands clawed beside her face, pretending she’d scratch him to death with her slender fingers and translucent nails.

But rather than a true threat, it looked more like a child throwing a tantrum.

At least, that’s how Sophia saw it. 

Quietly chewing on her bread, she watched Richard and Aurina “fooling around.”

It’s been so long since I’ve played with Richard like that, hasn’t it?

When was it last? Probably that time she took him to her family estate—before her father subtly (and not so subtly) reminded him how vast the gap was between them.

Sophia remembered her father’s words: “Chasing my daughter? Can you bear that responsibility, young man?”

Back then, Richard swore he’d become a man worthy of her, dedicating himself to the chivalric path.

Ever since then, genuine laughter and play between them had grown rare.

Now, seeing Richard and Aurina bickering, Sophia almost heard echoes of those old days, the laughter they once shared. 

For a brief moment, she thought she was still lost in that memory.

When she finally blinked back to the present, the little Aurina at the table reminded her painfully that she was not that girl anymore.

A sudden wave of sadness hit her.

I didn’t even help today…

She hadn’t successfully detected the poison, allowing the enemy a chance to strike. 

Luckily, Aurina—being the daughter of the Terror Dragon—could treat poison like a condiment.

Not only had Sophia been useless, she’d made things harder.

Meanwhile, Richard and Aurina were still at it.

Aurina had climbed onto the table, gesturing to her belly. 

“No, no, no! If you’ve got the guts, open up this king’s belly—gah-gah! Even if you do, you won’t get it! Useless little bug~”

“Gyaaah! Keep pulling on the horned dragon, and you’ll never grow up! Go on, try not grabbing it!”

“Why not?” 

Richard retorted. “If it works, why wouldn’t I?”

“Ahem.”

Sophia, with refined grace, covered her mouth with a fist and coughed lightly. 

“My dear fiancé.”

Richard instantly turned his head toward her.

“When do you plan to rescue the hostages?”

Richard snatched his spoon back from between Aurina’s toes, nudged her small leg aside, and said, “Sit properly like a person and eat.”

Then, scooping up a spoonful of boiled beans, he replied between bites:

“My plan is this: according to the wisdom of the ancients, acting swiftly gives us the upper hand. I intend to form a small strike team—quick in and quick out. Originally, I wanted to hire a capable mage from the local church to make up for our lack of ranged attacks. But time is short. According to the intel, Thousand Crow Eyes are already trying to plant more spies.”

Sophia asked, “Our team—you mean, just the two of us?”

“Of course.”

Hearing that, Sophia took her first bite of salad and sipped her milk. “Is that safe?”

“There are spies from Thousand Crow Eyes everywhere. The longer we wait, the greater the risk. I don’t trust the Harpist Guild’s informants—they’re unorganized, undisciplined, and terrible at keeping secrets. If the enemy learns—or even suspects—what we’re doing, the captives will die.”

“Then very well,” Sophia said, her tone softening. “I’ll prepare a few offensive spells. 

Even the most merciful Lord can strike down His foes with righteous wrath.”

Aurina, for once behaving ladylike, picked at her food with chopsticks. “What about this king?”

“You’ll stay here,” Richard said. “After your last infiltration into the goblin nest, you’ve proven you’re terrible at stealth—and you’re still a child.”

Aurina tilted her head, glaring sideways. “You just want all the loot to yourselves!”

“We’re rescuing people, not after treasure.”

“No way. This king is going too. I’m not stupid.”

“You’re still a kid. You’re not suited for infiltration.”

“No, I declare this king is no longer a little girl!”

Sophia’s face twitched slightly. Considering Aurina’s antics these past few days, she quickly added, “And you won’t be his fiancée either. Children can’t marry. Pedophiles are cursed by God.”

Aurina’s tail flicked up in excitement. That feeling… made the dragon oddly happy.

She studied Sophia curiously. Her instincts whispered that the woman before her was a weakling.

Such a strange sensation.

Aurina straightened her head, trying to savor it. After a moment, she realized why it felt familiar—

It was the same emotion she’d felt watching defeated female dragons shriek and curse when she took their mates.

But why was she feeling it from Sophia now?

Aurina shook her head. Something must be wrong.

Still, instinct told her that the fiancée spell must be incredibly valuable. Why else would Sophia react so nervously?

“Ahem.” Richard said, “Aurina, you must learn about human cultural taboos.”

“I got it!” 

Aurina jumped down from the chair, darted behind Sophia, and patted her chest.

“Quick, command Richard to take me along to get the treasure!”

Richard felt blood rush to his head. He lowered his eyes, chanting prayers to suppress wicked thoughts. 

“Aurina, I said—it’s to save people.”

Sophia smiled gently at the mischievous dragon. 

“Aurina, please stay here, all right? This isn’t a game.”

Aurina almost threatened, If you don’t command him, I’ll steal your fiancée spell!

But glancing at Richard and judging their strength, she realized Sophia could easily use that spell to summon him to beat her up.

So, she stayed silent, returned to her seat, and ate in peace.

Richard sighed in relief.

After dinner, he gathered a few strong allies to watch over Aurina. Then, disguised and cloaked, he and Sophia slipped out of the city under moonlight.

They walked an hour by map, until they crouched beneath a dead tree, watching Larrid Manor from afar.

The surrounding land was barren, dotted with rotting stumps.

Lying on the slope, Richard lowered his spyglass. “Matches the report. We’ll rest nearby tonight. Tomorrow morning, we’ll sell fish to get in—pretend to be fishmongers.”

Sophia brushed dust from her robe and pointed to the fish barrel beside them. 

“Then let’s store it in the dimensional pouch for now. Keep it fresh.”

“Alright.” Richard set down the spyglass.

Sophia opened the dimensional pouch, and Richard lifted the barrel. It felt oddly light, but he didn’t dwell on it and shoved it in.

The pouch suddenly spat it back out like it was vomiting.

Richard barely caught it—but the barrel’s lid flew open, and something slammed into his face.

He saw a flash of red hair before pain exploded in his nose.

He staggered back a few steps, regaining balance.

Sophia blinked—and saw Aurina clinging to Richard’s face like a parasite, her little legs wrapped around his arms, her chest pressed against his nose.

“Are we there yet?” Aurina yawned, sliding off him. She let out a burp, saying, “Ugh, I think I ate too much today.”

“Aurina!” Sophia gasped. 

“How did you get here?!”