Under the moonlight, Aurina’s dragon belly looked round and plump, her fat packed tightly beneath the scales, stretching her dragon hide outward.
The entire dragon looked like one of those cute, simplified cartoon dragons drawn for children — the kind artists design to make sure the “evil dragon” doesn’t scare kids or harm their innocent hearts.
Compared to the last time she took her dragon form to fight the Black Beast Mercenary Group, Aurina had grown a bit larger.
Richard estimated that originally, Aurina’s dragon form was as long as two bulls, but now she was about two bulls plus one dog in length.
More than the increase in length, she had grown thicker all around.
So much that Richard couldn’t help but feel a bit of pride — all that food hadn’t gone to waste.
“Fat?”
Aurina the dragon raised her front claw and stretched out her wings toward Richard. “This is called being sturdy.”
Richard voiced the doubt Sophia had been quietly holding. “Can you even fly like that?”
“You pitiful little insect, to think you’d doubt something like that.”
Aurina lowered her foreclaws to the ground and raised her dragon rump high, stretching her spine as far as it would go — only then could one barely make out a bit of her waist.
Sophia whispered to Richard, “She looks like a fat cat.”
“Let’s hope she can actually fly.”
Aurina said, “I heard that, you’re speaking ill of your queen.”
She extended her tongue and licked her scales.
Such smooth scales, gleaming brightly, shining with gloss.
Even the moonlight seemed unwilling to withhold its favor, wrapping her in a halo that made her scales all the more dazzling.
How could any dragon compare to one as beautiful… no, as handsome, as mighty as I am?
Aurina sighed through her dragon mouth, mimicking Richard’s tone perfectly.
“I can understand though. You were born a worm — weak and fragile. You must swing that little stick of yours every day, hitting wooden dolls to train.
Unlike me. I just need to eat well, sleep well, and with my unmatched wisdom, I grow stronger and greater.”
Richard said, “But you really do look fatter. I’m starting to think all the swordfish you ate just turned into fat. No wonder I’ve never seen you… uh… relieve yourself.”
“That’s because my digestion is powerful! Those beautiful things have already become part of me, gah!”
Aurina puffed her chest.
“As for this fat? It’s muscle cushioning! Don’t you bugs wear shells too?”
Richard said, “I just need to make sure you can actually fly.”
Aurina paused her licking, narrowed her golden eyes, and stretched out her claws. “Come.”
A few seconds later, something shot up from behind the hillside near Larifa Manor — and then something smaller was hurled down toward the ground, followed by a faint, distant scream.
At the gates of Larifa Manor, two guards wearing helmets were taking turns yawning.
One of them lifted his head. “Did you hear that?”
“No. I just thought I saw a fat pig flying in the sky.”
“Hah! You must not be a true Imperial then.”
City folk prided themselves on eating beef, lamb, and fish — never pork.
“My grandfather lived in the Imperial Capital long before you were born!”
Behind that same hillside, Richard steadied himself.
Moments ago, Aurina had grabbed him in her claws, spun around in the air, and even dribbled him like a basketball before tossing him downward — only to catch him at the last second with her tail to soften the landing, proudly showing off her aerial skills.
“Alright, I believe you,” Richard said, brushing himself off.
“You fly… quite gracefully for such a fat… bird. Much more agile than a pseudo-dragon.”
Aurina, who had been staring at Sophia with the pride of a male dragon showing off before a favored mate, immediately turned to Richard with her chin high.
“Of course! I am the true dragon among true dragons.”
Not long after, Richard and Sophia removed their disguises — no longer pretending to be fishmongers.
They put on their armor, tightened their belts, and equipped their weapons.
Aurina wasn’t large enough yet to grab one person in each claw, so she broke a nearby tree instead.
“Here,” she said, “you two hold onto this little stick.”
Richard, worried that Sophia might lose her grip, tied several loops of rope around her waist, fastening her firmly to the trunk.
Sophia clutched her war hammer tightly and quietly prayed, May the Lord bless me, so that I may shine in battle.
Once both of them held fast to the tree, Aurina waddled backward, her jiggly dragon body swaying with every step.
Sophia and Richard lifted the tree together. Sophia barely felt any weight — Richard had positioned one hand as a support point and used the other to bear most of the pressure.
A hundred meters away, Aurina the dragon crouched and began to charge.
Her fat rippled like ocean waves as she ran.
“Dear,” Sophia’s voice trembled, “I have a bad feeling about this. Can we really trust Aurina?”
“No,” Richard said flatly. “But it’s our best chance of winning.”
“I mean… trust as in… she won’t drop us, right?”
They didn’t have a single mage capable of casting Featherfall.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Aurina’s footsteps thundered closer.
Her lantern-like dragon eyes loomed near. Richard could smell the faint sweet scent of her dragon saliva.
BOOM!
Aurina pushed off the ground with all four limbs, her wings beating once, lifting her massive, round body into the air with surprising lightness.
Such a beautiful motion.
That thought flashed through Richard’s mind just before Aurina grabbed the tree with both claws and flapped again, creating gusts of wind that lashed his face.
Richard clung to the tree trunk, pressing his body flat against it as they soared upward.
The ground quickly fell away beneath his feet.
Aurina’s climb was almost vertical.
Soon, the manor’s outline vanished into the darkness below.
All of the land beneath them turned black — only a few distant lights flickered.
Richard recognized the glow of the lighthouse on a small island beyond the harbor.
He remembered — that lighthouse was so far from the Imperial Capital that even from the city walls, you could only see the light.
Yet now, bathed in moonlight, he could faintly make out its silhouette.
Aurina climbed higher and higher, until even the clouds drew near.
“Richard!”
Sophia’s voice called out.
He looked down and saw her dangling like a wind charm beneath the tree trunk, too afraid to make noise earlier in case enemies noticed them.
“Sophia!”
Richard crawled along the trunk and pulled her up by the rope, pressing both of them flat against it.
The wind howled around them; they had to shout just to be heard.
“It’s too high! Too high!” Sophia cried.
“Lord help me, I’ve never been this high before!”
She turned to Richard, eyes wide with fear. If Aurina wanted revenge, she could just let go and send them plummeting.
“Trust me!” Richard gripped her hand tightly.
Her racing heart began to steady as she looked into his eyes — just as Aurina yelled,
“King of Kings Dive Bomb!”
Before either could react, she flipped over and plunged straight toward the ground.
The shift in gravity threw them upward — or rather, their bodies were pulled toward the sky.
Sophia screamed, “RICHARD!” as her hands slipped from the trunk.
Richard barely managed to grab her ankle with one hand, his other arm gripping the trunk for dear life.
Sophia shrieked, “Ahhhhhh!”
Blood rushed to her head; the world turned crimson.
Aurina shouted gleefully, “Little bugs! Face the ground! Gah gah! This is the secret technique of the true dragon! I don’t even tell other dragons this!”
Richard hauled Sophia back up.
Her eyes were bloodshot.
He hugged her tightly — his arm pressing against her chest.
His gaze flicked down for half a second before he quickly turned her head toward the ground.
Sophia’s dizziness eased slightly.
Larifa Manor’s central courtyard rushed up to meet them — they were about to slam straight into it.
Aurina jerked her head up at the last moment, her wings beating violently.
Richard instinctively tilted his head skyward as the world spun around him — then the tree trunk vanished beneath them.
He saw the ground rushing up fast.
He braced, cradling the half-conscious Sophia in his arms as they hit the ground running, sliding several steps before stopping.
“Gah gah gah gah gah!”
“Woof woof woof!”
Dogs, ducks, and geese across the manor erupted in chaos, their cries overlapping from every direction.
Richard set Sophia down, though rather awkwardly — his chainmail skirt, bulging from below, brushed against her backside.
“Huh?” Sophia blinked dizzily at his chainmail skirt.
“Even your armor is… standing up? Richard, your condition—”
“Not the time,” Richard muttered, turning around just as Aurina, now in human form, strode toward him.
“No wonder you’re the strongest little bug! You actually didn’t vomit!”
“Did you do that on purpose?”
“Gah? A vertical dive is the fastest method.”
“The entire manor is awake now,” Richard said. “I thought you’d land quietly.”
“So what?” Aurina said smugly.
“No one knows we landed right in the middle anyway.”
“We’re supposed to infiltrate, not alert everyone.”
Aurina waved dismissively. Behind her, several fiery meteors arced down onto the manor.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions shattered rooftops, showering sparks across the courtyard.
A tall watchtower took a direct hit — flames shot up, lighting one side of Aurina’s face.
She smiled, her porcelain-sharp teeth glinting in the firelight.
Aurina said, “Then we’ll just kill everyone who saw us. Problem solved.”
For a brief moment, Richard saw it — that terrifying majesty that made all creatures bow before dragons.
“Gah gah gah!”
Aurina stood proudly, hands on her hips, chin raised.
“Behold the wisdom of your glorious queen! Mount up, little beasts — it’s time for battle!”
…No, that had to be an illusion.
Richard grabbed her by the scruff of the neck.
“I said kneel!”
Aurina flailed all four limbs angrily.
She was light enough that Richard effortlessly lifted her and tossed her over his shoulder.
The manor was in chaos — people shouting fire, attack, even meteor strike.
No one noticed the three of them in the confusion.
Richard carried Aurina, weapon in hand. Sophia ran beside him, shield raised. “What now?” she asked.
“Find the officer,” Richard said, sprinting toward a nearby building.
“He’s probably here.”
Experience told him — officers never slept in the same barracks as soldiers.
Unless they were in the Hand of Tyr Knight Order.
“What’s going on?”
Just as they reached the door, a window opened.
A sleepy servant poked his head out, wearing a nightgown.
Seeing Richard’s armor, he immediately mistook him for one of the guards.
Richard ignored him and instead looked up at Aurina.
“How valuable is this place?”
Aurina smacked his helmet.
“Why are you hesitating? I’ll even give you one-twentieth of the loot!”
“You there!” the servant’s tone turned shrill. “Which unit are you from? No sense of rank at all!”
So arrogant — clearly the residence of a high-ranking official.
“Here to kick the door in,” Richard said simply, then kicked the door open.
They stormed inside.
From the second floor came the shrieks of women.
A bald man burst out the window, shirtless, looking like a cheating husband caught in the act.
Before he could jump, Richard’s steel hand shot out from behind and yanked him back.
The bald man managed only a single scream — “Help!” — before his voice was swallowed by the cacophony of dogs, ducks, and chaos outside.
Not a ripple in the storm.