28 Dangerous… Is it dangerous?
“Come here! Let me smell you!”
“No!”
“Be good! Let me see!”
“No! Brother Jeff, don’t!”
“Tsk, what’s this ‘Brother Jeff’ nonsense again… What on earth are you talking about?”
Annoyed, Miss Voracious Dragon bared her teeth and rolled her eyes at this baffling fellow, her teeth itching with frustration.
What’s the big deal?
Am I going to eat you?
You’re making it sound like I’m some villain.
Hmph!
Feeling irritated, Valentina pouted and abruptly turned her head away, presenting her slender back to everyone once more.
(｀へ´)
Valentina made it clear she was angry and not easily placated.
But Herbert, instead of backing down, was suddenly amused and teased her, deliberately provoking her mood.
“Angry? Are you really angry?”
“No.”
“Hey, are you crying?”
“No!”
“Then what’s that shine at the corner of your mouth? Oh, it’s oil! Never mind then…”
“Hmph!”
After some playful teasing, Herbert, without needing further coaxing, squinted happily and walked over to the cage. He gently tapped the bars.
Clang clang.
“Here I am.”
Noticing Valentina turning back, he boldly spread his arms wide and smiled, “Of course, if you want it, you’ll have to take it yourself.”
If you want it...
Valentina turned back, her pout twitching as she tried to muster the pride not to accept charity, but curiosity won in the end.
“…Hmph.”
She gave a light humph, intending to brush off the earlier awkwardness and reached out to grab Herbert’s arm—only to be caught mid-reach.
Valentina: ?
What do you mean? Didn’t you say I should do it myself?
Why the sudden change of heart?
“...What are you doing?”
Miss Voracious Dragon narrowed her eyes, her expression dangerously fixed on the silver-haired youth—only to be met with his equally sharp glare in return.
---
“Why didn’t you wipe your hands after eating? Don’t move, I’ll wipe them for you.”
Herbert grumbled with a hint of exasperation and took a damp cloth to clean her hands.
You and your oily paws—don’t you realize you’d attract mold if you touch yourself like that?
“Oh…”
Herbert gently wiped her palm, his fingers inevitably brushing against Valentina’s slender, jade-like fingers.
Her long fingers were warm and soft, yet unmistakably powerful beneath the delicate appearance.
He understood these claws could rip through iron and steel, capable of crushing his skull with ease.
Yet visually, they were undeniably fragile and boneless, worthy of being a hand model’s.
Unreal.
Just like her appearance.
Disregarding her draconic majesty, Valentina looked no different from a mortal human.
In human form, she retained none of the monstrous traits of her kind—no scales, no horns—simply a perfect human guise.
But not without flaws.
Her thought patterns and movements betrayed an intense otherworldliness.
For instance, she preferred curling up on the ground to sleep, and when eating, she instinctively leaned forward to bite before remembering to use her hands.
Even now, as friends, Valentina still regarded Herbert as a weak insect—though the difference wasn’t much.
Oh, and her appetite.
Who else eats half a roasted pig in one sitting and still isn’t full?
“Use the other hand.”
“Oh.”
Though surprisingly obedient and showing no aggression beyond words, these subtle details made Herbert keenly aware that Valentina was far more than a simple prisoner—she was a formidable and dangerous being.
She was perilous.
Careful handling was essential...
Just as Herbert thought this, he noticed Valentina quietly leaned in, puffing her cheeks and signaling him.
“Mm↑ mm↓, hmm?”
“…Wipe my face too?”
“Mm.”
Seeing the oily shine on her lips, Herbert took a deep breath, silently reminding himself:
Herbert, don’t be fooled by their appearance.
They are powerful monsters—monsters that devour without remorse.
Indeed...
Eventually, Herbert set aside his worries and quietly wiped her hands and face clean, humming with satisfaction.
---
Hah.
She’s no monster—just a big silly!
As Valentina sniffed the scent on Herbert’s fingers, he asked with some curiosity, “By the way, are you hungry again? Didn’t you just finish eating?”
Embarrassed, Valentina rubbed her flat belly that gave no hint of having swallowed half a pig and protested,
“Of course I’m hungry! That little bit was nowhere near enough to fill me... But that’s not the point!”
“You always smell nice, like someone you want to bite, but today there’s this familiar new scent...”
“My scent? Because I cut your hair yesterday?” Herbert blinked, starting to guess the root of the problem.
He had simply swallowed some of her hair—there’s no way that would make him smell like her, right?
“No, it’s... an older scent?”
Valentina wasn’t quite sure either, sniffing Herbert’s fingers carefully, even tempted to lick them...
But before she could, Herbert pulled his arm back with a smile and said,
“Well, if you ask nicely, you can call me ‘Father Lord’ too! It’s no problem if I take a little loss.”
Valentina: ?
“What did you say!?” Herbert stepped back as he withdrew, narrowly avoiding an enraged dragon claw swipe.
Hey, no hitting!
He tilted his head with a smile, waved to the furiously powerless Miss Voracious Dragon, and happily walked toward the deep water prison.
“Bye-bye, see you later.”
“Hey! Don’t run! Come back, I swear I won’t hit you—”
“Not listening~”
Herbert crossed the barrier; behind him, the dragon’s roar faded away, silence returning to his ears.
His expression grew calm as he muttered to himself,
“That should buy me some time, for now.”
After Valentina mentioned her ancient bloodline, Herbert realized it was the residual effect of his own enhanced body, so he skillfully changed the subject to keep her from overthinking.
“Well, even if I didn’t dodge, she’d probably never guess the truth.”
True enough.
Valentina would never suspect that by swallowing her hair, he had inherited the Dragon King’s legacy.
That would be too illogical.
...
“Hm? Herbert, come closer, let me take a look...” Frema’s expression grew strange as she beckoned to him.
?
Wait, even you?