Chapter 28: CH 28

Chapter 28: Dragon Slayer Princess

『For a lowly human to dare to deceive me…… Unforgiveable! You’ll be sorry as you dissolve in my stomach and become my flesh and blood!』

The enraged red dragon bares its fangs, ready to eat Selene at any moment. Its teeth inside its mouth resemble a row of rocks. They could gnaw through Selene’s tender flesh easier than marshmellows.

“Hieeeー!”

Selene, still in the dragon’s grasp, let out a miserable cry. The dragon has already shown that its power is unfathomable during the confrontation earlier, to the point that you can’t say that its win is a fluke. Furthermore, not only is Selene not right in the head, she also lacks communication skills, so there is no way she can appease this raging beast.

『Please wait for a moment!』

Just before Selene’s about to enter its jaws, a loud voice echoes through the sky. The dragon stops its movement and concentrates on its visual, and there it sees a small animal―― the little mouse that called itself Butler, is already on top of the white girl’s head.

『Insolent mouse. A tiny creature such as yourself dare to defy me?』

『No, I would never. Or rather, us of humble birth would be honored to have the chance to become your flesh and blood.』

“Eh!?”

『Shhh! Let me handle this Princess.』

Selene raises her voice in protest, as she doesn’t want to be eaten, but Butler whipsers in a quiet voice to Selene. Butler adjusts the red ribbon around his neck, stands up on two legs, and salutes elegantly to the dragon.

『Good attitude you have there, little one. Then you shall obediently become my food. Especially this little girl, she looks quite delicious.』

『Yes, and this is why what I’m about to say is important, red dragon-sama. Before you eat us, there is one very important information I wish to tell you. Would you like to hear it?』

Butler puts both of his front paws together, asking the red dragon in flattering manner. The dragon, a little intrugued by Butler’s gentlemanly attitude and what he has to say, takes a deep breath before asking back.

『And what is this important information that you mentioned? I doubt it’s that important. It’s just info from puny creatures like you anyway.』

『Red dragon-sama, I’m afraid that you’re mistaken in that regard. Many among tiny creatures do possess wisdom. For the weak to survive, they need something to compensate for their lack of strength.』

『Fumu…… Still, will that info really be useful to me, a dragon?』

『But of course! Red dragon-sama, If we combine your mighty power with our wisdom, you will undoubtedly become the most powerful beings in the world, the mightiest and most intelligent beings known to man.』

『Most powerful in the world…… huh.』

The dragon murmurs this before falling silent. Dragons are widely acknowledged to be the most powerful beings on the planet, but this is due to their extraordinary physical and magical abilities. As a result, they have no need to use their heads for things like negotiation. Butler took the leap of faith despite having little to no knowledge of dragons.

If he doesn’t overcome this crisis right here and now, then his beloved master Selene will surely perish. Extremely nervous, Butler tries his best to suppress his trembling body, putting up a relaxed front before replying back to the dragon.

『Very well. I shall allow you to speak.』

『Hahaー! Thank you very much!』

It took the bait. Outside, Butler’s prostrating himself to the dragon on top of Selene’s head, but inside he’s doing a victory pose. Normally, being on top of his master’s head would be extremely impolite and unforgivable under any circumstances, but Butler has no choice but to make the difficult decision in order to protect his master. 

And so, for the sake of his master, Selene, who forgives his rudeness and obediently stays silent, fully trusting Butler, he must make this negotiation a success no matter what. With firm determination, Butler summons up his courage. In reality, Selene’s simply just too scared to the point she froze.

『Now, regarding the information I have, that would be this girl―― Princess Selene’s ability.』

『This little one’s ability? Is she not merely an elf-lookalike?』

『That is not true at all! She is no ordinary little human girl. She is the princess, the one and only in the entire history of the human race to possess the power to slay dragons!』

“…………eh?”

Selene tilts her head in confusion upon hearing her own setting, which she herself doesn’t even know exists. But seeing Butler speaking about it so passionately, she decides it’d be best for her to stay silent and leave everything in his hands. No matter how much of a clueless person Selene is, unable to read the atmosphere and all, at least she knows when to be serious when her life is on the line.

『Slay dragons, you say? This little one looks so fragile, there is no way she has the power to slay dragons. Stop spouting nonsense.』

『In a sense, what you said is true. Princess Selene is really just a lovely and harmless little girl. But her ability actually lies within her flesh and blood. That is the exact reason why her outward appearance is so different from other humans.』

『……What are you trying to imply?』

The dragon asks back, and Butler, acting like he’s showing off his master, clears his throat with an ahem before continuing.

『As you can see, Princess Selene does not resemble other humans. She is descended from those whose appearances have been altered by the forbidden arts engraved within them, an art for slaying dragons. Her entire family has died, and Princess Selene is the last of her bloodline.』

『Are you saying that she’s a poison that could kill dragons? Even I, a dragon, have never heard of such a story.』

『Of course, you’d never heard of it. As you can see, Princess Selene has a very delicious looking body. But that is a trap invented by humans. By making themselves look delicious, they’re intentionally luring dragons to eat them. And that is why all of Princess Selene’s blood relatives perished, and all the dragons that ate them did so as well. That’s why such information is not known to the dragons, as there is none to spread it. In other words, the lack of evidence itself is the evidence, something like that.』

『Mu……』

And of course, all of what Butler just said is a complete lie, a totally imaginary story and setting thought up by him on the spot. Selene’s a harmless little maiden―― not really, though, but anyway, except for her mentality and magical power, she is physically very much just a normal young girl. Still, Butler’s passionate speech won’t stop at just that.

『So red dragon-sama, will you really eat Princess Selene―― the dragon slayer girl? You certainly could try, but please keep in mind that I, Butler, have already warned you.』

『Uugh, ununu……..!』

The dragon stares intensely at Selene. There’s a high probability that this mouse here is lying to it, but what if he speaks the truth? Not missing the dragon’s hesitation, Butler uses this chance to press on.

『And here is my suggestion to you red dragon-sama. How about using her as a weapon?』

『Weapon? What do you mean by that?』

The dragon is already replying back reflexively. Doing his best to hide his joy at how the flow of conversation is going in the direction he wants, Butler speaks up energetically as if he has come up with a great idea.

『Red dragon-sama is definitely the strongest in this world. But I’m sure that there are conflicts between dragons as well, correct?』

『True enough, there certainly exists beings at the same rank as I. We live in groups after all.』

『Just as I expected. And so, how about you use her as your trump card in case you have a quarrel within your group? A poison for assasination, so to speak.』

『I see……』

The not-so-smart dragon is trying its best to use its brain, but it has already fully believed Butler’s ridiculous lies. Humans might look like giants from an ant’s point of view, but humans greatly differ from each other. One might be a hardened veteran and another might be just a little toddler. Dragons are also the same as humans; they’re different individually.

And it just so happens that this dragon is, among its kind, a pretty low-ranking one. Up until now, the reason it’s flying through the sky around the continent is because it’s exercising its body by doing running training―― or perhaps calling it flying training would be more accurate. And that’s how it happened to meet Selene. Both Selene and Butler have no way of knowing this though.

And according to the mouse, this young human here possesses a lethal poison for dragons. Then this little girl here can be used for the dragon’s own advantage in case of a quarrel, right?

The dragon’s imagination is running even wilder. If it is going to challenge its own kind to raise its rank, a frontal and direct attack would definitely result in its loss. But what if he presented this girl to those high-ranking guys, claiming that he hunted her on his own? Surely they’ll not hesitate to take a bite out of her. And then those who used to look down on him would die in agony.

『Nufufu……』

Imagining the end of its perfect story, the dragon snaps out of its wicked dream. And if this mouse is a liar, then it’d just present them to the high-ranking guys normally, but if it’s true, then those guys would be dead. At least it’s worth trying it out.

『Very well. I shall bring you two along to Dragon’s Peak. You two can live until we reach there.』

『I’m sorry to tell you this but…… there is one big problem with my suggestion.』

『What is the problem?』

The red dragon, completely fallen into Butler’s lies, asks Butler like a child wanting to know what happens next in a fairy tale for children. Butler responds to the dragon with an exaggerated dejected expression, as if he doesn’t want to say it at all.

『As you can see, Princess Selene is still a child. Just like how you must wait for the seed to grow and bear fruit, if you’re not patient, her dragon-saying ability might be too weak to show any effects. Currently, the most her ability can do is upset one’s stomach.』

『Then, what should I do?』

『It is very simple. You just have to watch over Princess Selene until she grows up. And ideally, you should wait until she has wrinkles on her face, just like how fruits will only get sweeter the longer you wait.』

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『And how much time will that take? I’m not very knowledgeable regarding humans’ lifespans.』

『Let’s see, fifty, sixty…… no, if you want the ability to be at its peak, it will take a hundred years.』

『A hundred years huh…… that is quite a while.』

The dragon replies in a slightly regretful tone. And just like how not many humans know exactly how long an ant’s lifespan is, from the moment it breaks out of its egg, turns into an adult, and completes its lifespan, dragons also know very little about humans’ lives. That’s why this red dragon is easily convinced. And yes, by the time a hundred years passed, both Selene and Butler would already be under the graves, obviously.

『Excuse my rudeness, but may I ask how old you are, red dragon-Sama?』

『I only counted up until four thousand. I didn’t bother to count the rest.』

『Then waiting a hundred years is but a short period of time for you, yes?』

『Still, I feel like a hundred years is a little too long……』

『I can assure you that the time you wait will be worth it. A great person will not jump at immediate gains; they will look at the big picture and wait calmly for the moment that the profit will be the highest. And I believe that the strongest and brightest in the world, such as you, red dragon-sama, would do the same.』

Said Butler, confidently. Inside the red dragon’s mind is 「What he said makes sense. It might be cooler to take it slow.」In other words, it’s taking the bait. Especially the ‘A great person will not jump at immediate gains’ part seems to have struck him the hardest.

Of course, Butler knew that the red dragon was prideful; that’s why he speaks in a slightly taunty tone. As for the dragon, it usually didn’t receive much praise from its kin, so Butler’s reverent attitude is very pleasing to its eyes and ears.

『……Very well. I shall give the right to become my stepping stone to this little girl named Selene, after a hundred years have passed. Be grateful.』

『Thank you very much for your kindness. After a hundred years have passed, you’ll definitely see a surprising result, o the mighty red dragon-sama.』

『Fufufu, you have a praiseworthy attitude. I like it.』

『Thank you for your kind words.』

Though Butler said that the dragon will see a surprising result, that doesn’t mean it’ll get to see the result it wanted. The dragon, now in a very good mood, breathes vapor out of its nose in satisfaction.

『Now that all has been decided, we should return Princess Selene to human settlements as soon as possible, red dragon-sama.』

『Can’t I just keep her with me?』

『Of course not! Princess Selene is your precious trump card against other dragons. So you should let her live her life while hiding her from the dragons, in the least suspicious place possible. If we want to hide a tree, then we should hide it in the forest, and likewise, if we want to hide a human, then human settlements would be best.』

『I see…… You’re a pretty clever one.』

The red dragon, having completely trusted Butler, nods in satisfaction.

『But I still can’t do that for you. Even if I’m the strongest ever in the history of dragons, I’ve already flown to the southern end of the continent today. And a being as great as I am should not appear before humans’ eyes too often as well.』

Simply put, the dragon’s like ‘Oh man, I’ve exercised a lot today and I’m already exhausted, and also returning her to them and telling them,『Oopsies whoopsies, I mistook her for an elfies☆』would be super lame and embarrassing, so hell no.‘ And of course Butler noticed that, but no so senseless to provoke it.

『You’re absolutely right, red dragon-sama. For me, I’d like to contribute my effort for your glory as soon as possible, but if such is the case, then it cannot be helped.』

Butler carefully chooses his words and replies back to the dragon, basically telling it that they want to go back home, while also not destroying the facade of wanting to serve the red dragon-sama. I actually want to return to the safe zone immediately, but this is probably time to wrap it up, Butler thought. Meanwhile, the red dragon finds an area within the white forest that is relatively clear, so it lands there. It then gently lowers Selene and Butler to the ground, treating them as if they are fragile objects.

『Wait here until tomorrow morning. I shall return to my nest and recover my stamina meanwhile. I’ll come here again at sunrise. Then I’ll send you two back to where you live.』

『Thank you very much.』

“Thank you.”

Why do I have to friggin’ thank it for bringing me here without permission? Selene’s not happy about this at all, but since the other party is the red dragon, it’s not like she can complain to it anyway, so all she can do is thank it unwillingly. Seeing this, the dragon flaps its large wings and flies off toward the mountain range to the north.

『Good grief, we made it somehow…… Princess, please forgive me for my rude behavior toward you.』

“Butler.”

『Y-, yes!』

Selene gently scoops Butler from the top of her head into her two hands. Butler nervously waits for his master’s scolding on top of Selene’s soft palms. The proud mouse butler―― Butler, serves only one person, and that person is Princess Selene. For him, receiving a reprimand from his Princess is a thousand times more terrifying than facing the dragon.

“Gud jub!” (Good job)

『Ha?』

Butler has no idea what gud jub is. Selene takes Butler in one hand and gives him a thumbs up with a soft smile. She then gently pats Butler’s head, feeling his soft furs. For Butler, this is the best compliment ever.

『Are you not going to scold me? I degraded you, Princess, and even used you as a bargaining chip, you know?』

“Don’t mind. Butler, did good.”

Selene’s full of joy. Selene basically has no pride as a princess to begin with, and she thought she was going to be eaten, but in the end, Butler brilliantly avoided that for her. On top of that, she also succeeded in making a connection with a dragon that she had been wondering if she could use somehow. If she manuevers perfectly, she could use this dragon as her trump card against the Prince in the final battle.

『Thank you for your kind words. I’m honored to be of use to you.』

“Next time, grasshopper, give you.”

『What!? Are you really going to!? Thank you very much Princess!』

Butler dances wildly on top of Selene’s palm. For Butler, each and every food item given directly to him by Selene is a precious item. And among them, a live grasshopper Selene caught is the best delicacy of them all. And for Selene, she’s just catching insects to kill time. Butler just happens to have a very low cost of maintenance for the range of things he can do.

『Princess, you are not injured, right? And how do you feel? This forest is filled with magic to the brim. Are you feeling sick anywhere?』

“Fine, and you, Butler?”

『I seem to be fine as well. Thanks to the magic you granted to me, Princess.』

Ordinary people would have already developed a condition called magic poisoning, but since both Selene and Butler have magic in them, they seem to be doing just fine even in the middle of the White Forest.

『Princess, we’ll have to wait here until tomorrow morning. We are not safe yet, so please be careful at all times since this place is still uncharted land.』

“‘Kay.”

Ignoring Butler’s warning, Selene’s immersing herself in the wonderful scenery that is the White Forest. While the forest is dyed in pure white, like a forest buried in snow, if you look closely, you can see that each leaf on the tree is filled with life. Selene was completely fascinated by this dream-like scenery that you couldn’t find anywhere on Earth, and she just stood there in silence. Selene’s the type of person who, once the crisis is gone, will immediately put that in the corner of her mind and forget about it.

Unaware of that, Butler takes it as her being overwhelmed by the unknown scenery before her and stiffens. He jumps onto Selene’s shoulder and mutters in a calm voice to relieve his Princess of anxiety.

『Princess, please rest assured. I will protect you from any enemies, even if that costs my life.』

“Please.”

Selene responds to him nonchalantly and sits on a fallen tree that makes for a perfect chair. The red dragon will come to pick them up tomorrow morning, and since on the way here they didn’t get to enjoy the scenery from the sky at all, she thinks that on their way back she’ll enjoy the scenery to her heart’s content. Pretty optimistic.

And so, the two must wait here until tomorrow morning. Selene has a talent for wasting time doing nothing, though.

Butler also sits next to Selene. He looks around the forest, admiring the mysterious scenery in front of him while remaining vigilant of his surroundings. For a while, the two sit silently on the tree, but suddenly Butler’s ears and tail perk up.

『Princess, I sense someone approaching us. Please be careful!』

“Someone?”

Selene’s still absentminded, as always, but then she hears a rustling sound coming from the deep forest. She turns to the direction where the sound is coming from and braces herself.

“This is weird. I swear I just saw a dragon landing around here.”

“No way a dragon would come to a place like this…… Hold on, there’s someone here?”

“Ah, you’re right. A lost kid from some village?”

In front of Selene and Butler are two young men. Their long, silver hair is tied in the back, their eyes are red, and their ears long. They are elves.

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