LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 85
Chapter 85. The Souls of Dragons
Well, it seems Ante and Sophia have passed out, and I’m finally able to catch my breath—I’m Zilbagias.
For now, I just tossed both of them onto my bed. Sophia is snoring loudly, and Ante is mumbling in his sleep while hugging Sophia like a body pillow.
Ante… is he actually quite the lonely one?
I remember the time I left him behind while he was napping (the day I reunited with Enma); the maids told me he panicked when he woke up and found me gone…
“Ku~n”
Back in her usual spot on the sofa, Liliana stretches out and starts rolling around. She seems to want to say, “Pet me, pet me!” so I give her some head pats.
She happily narrows her eyes and gives a satisfied snort.
“Geez, what a terrible situation.”
“Y-yes…”
When I toss the conversation over with a half-hearted smile, Leila nods cautiously. She’s probably worried that agreeing too much will get her in trouble later.
…Just this alone makes me tear up at the thought of her previous environment. She must have been put in a position where she had to nod her head when asked to agree with someone’s insults, only to have that relayed back to the person…
“They’re not the kind of folks who get sulky over something like that, you know.”
I point to the two demon girls snoring happily (one of whom is a demon god), giving a reassuring smile that calms Leila down as she responds with a sheepish grin.
“……”
Of course, the conversation doesn’t continue naturally. I’m just the only one talking. Hmm…
Leila slowly returns her gaze to her writing practice.
I thought it might be unsettling for her to have me staring at her, so while patting Liliana, I pick up a book I had been reading. I try to focus on the text, but the content isn’t sinking in much.
“…How have you been lately?”
I wait for Leila to finish a section of her writing before I ask.
“Uh… um…”
Oh no. My tone came off like that of a father who hasn’t spoken to his daughter in ages.
“…Have you gotten used to the new environment?”
“Ah, yes… Everyone is very… nice to me.”
She doesn’t respond with a forced smile but rather a shy grin.
…In reality, she’s not being treated especially well, but it’s hard to genuinely feel joy when I suspect her previous circumstances were simply too terrible.
“That’s good to hear… If you ever have requests or things you want to do, don’t hesitate to let me know.”
“I-I couldn’t possibly…! Really, it’s totally…!”
Leila shakes her head rapidly.
“Everyone has been treating me kindly… The food is delicious… The soft pillow and bed are great… And I’ve even received clothes… Really, just as things are now, it’s more than enough for me…”
She looked like she was about to say it was too much for her.
But that’s absolutely not the case. Leila is a class of her own, for better or worse.
With her rather fluffy title as a servant and attendant trainee, she ranks low among my subordinates, yet in the aspect of being a dragon when she drops her human form, she’s placed far above the likes of ordinary servants.
Even if I were to pamper Leila, nobody would complain. Being strong alone carries its weight in the Demon Lord Kingdom. When she’s in her dragon form, not even beastmen stand a chance against her. Even if she were to be non-resistant, her scales and magical defenses are impenetrable. I would need to bring in a Sword Saint to stand a fighting chance…
…Thinking about it calmly, the only one in my ranks who stands a chance against Leila in her current state is probably Virosa, right? Without being able to breathe fire or fly, she would still cause mayhem everywhere.
Virosa should still be waiting in the adjacent waiting room. If something unusual happens, she would break through the wall without hesitation to charge in.
In reality, there’s no harm coming from Leila, so it seems like Virosa is also a bit at ease…
“I see… If you’re satisfied, that’s what matters. But really, even if it’s something small, it’s totally fine. If you want dessert or to try some alcohol…”
I say jokingly, and even Leila shows a wry smile.
“Alcohol seems like a scary thing…”
She gives a look at the bottle left on the table as if it were a poison. It seems witnessing the intoxicated behavior of the two demons left quite a strong impression on her. After all, it’s not often someone would want to drink after seeing that…
I’ve heard that dragons tend to like alcohol, but I hesitate to bring it up to Leila, who hasn’t likely been able to participate in any feasts before.
Yeah, I should avoid touching on her previous environment as much as possible, and not remind her of it. Let’s stick to that policy.
“And… um, sweet things too. Garunya often shares snacks with me… cookies and dried fruits…”
Leila speaks up, a bit apologetically and shyly.
Garunya…! You sneaky devil…! I couldn’t help but hold back tears. She may not be here right now due to rotation, but once she returns, I’ll secretly praise her…
And I should also boost the amount of snacks from Garunya. That’s probably the best way to ensure Leila can eat comfortably. I want her to eat plenty of delicious food and grow up strong.
“…By the way, if you’ve continued eating in human form and suddenly shifted back to dragon form, would you get hungrier all of a sudden?”
I suddenly think of this and ask, since it seems like the amount of food consumed in human vs. dragon form wouldn’t balance out.
“Ah… no, not really. Nowadays, most dragons eat in human form.”
According to Leila, it’s fairly rare for dragons to devour meat in their dragon form. It says that shifting forms means less food quantity and cooked foods are safer and tastier.
“In the past… we didn’t really know how to cook, and if we ate meat in human form without cooking it, we’d end up with stomach aches or couldn’t taste it well, so it was a mindset of ‘the meat eaten in dragon form is supreme’ and ‘only those who shape-shift for food are the starving poor.’”
It changed after entering the sway of the Demon Lord Kingdom and the stable supply of cooking began.
If it can be eaten deliciously and safely, then eating less is much more efficient… A dragon could easily devour a whole cow, but in human form, a single cow could fill dozens of people.
“…But thinking about it, this transformation spell is absurdly overpowered…”
“Yeah… maybe so…”
Ante had said that, but originally, demons that should consume significant magic just by existing can maintain their bodies by merely eating when shape-shifted. It’s almost a miraculous spell that saves energy like no other.
Of course, the biggest downside is that abilities are significantly weakened to that of a human. For me, who used to be human, it’s a complicated feeling knowing it’s treated as a price…
“……”
Out of boredom, I tried using the transformation magic myself.
Suddenly, the world fades. I could hardly sense any magic.
“Wow?”
Liliana sniffs me and licks my cheek. I nuzzle against her; without horns, I can comfortably do this.
“…Ah.”
Then I flop over on the sofa, lying sideways with my head resting on the armrest.
“Thanks to this magic, I can now lie on my side. I’m really grateful.”
“…Demon folks really struggle with that, don’t they, with the horns?”
Leila places a hand on her head. She has retained some horns on her temples to showcase that she is a transformed dragon, but since they extend back sharply like a dragon’s, they don’t seem to get in the way much.
By the way, after practicing a few times, I can also transform while keeping my horns. However, I can’t alter their size or shape. My magic weakens, I can’t lie on my side, and it doesn’t serve for disguises—so it’s pretty much pointless, and I don’t do it.
“I really wish I could sleep in human form all the time, but when it comes to danger, both Sophia and Mother keep telling me to knock it off.”
As I pout, Leila chuckles.
—That innocent smile makes my heart ache.
I’m her father’s enemy.
I can’t help but think that way.
If I were in Leila’s position—I couldn’t laugh like that at all. She just came to me not too long ago. Normally, it wouldn’t be unusual for her to have her heart tightly closed off.
Of course, there are differences in personality and environment. But Leila’s demeanor is the result of being meticulously crushed of her rebellious spirit and fighting desire by the Dark Dragons.
The feelings of resentment and anger for having a family member killed, she’s done her best to pretend that away and avoid looking at it—enduring the situation by flattering the strong.
How deep the wounds must be beneath that smile of hers, bleeding…
It saddened me immensely. I understand it’s rude to pity her, but…
—For a while now, I’ve been troubled about Faravgi.
Whether to summon his soul or not.
No matter how you look at it, that’d come off as arrogance, but if possible, I’d like to have Leila and Faravgi meet. I want to apologize to Faravgi for the unfortunate misunderstandings and assure him that I’ll raise Leila to be a fine dragon, so he can rest peacefully.
However, the Faravgi who died holding resentment towards me would undoubtedly attack me if I summoned him.
To calm that anger, I’d likely have to reveal the truth.
—And with that, a problem emerges. Unlike the nameless soldiers, Faravgi is far too famous.
An outstanding necromancer like Enma might be able to summon Faravgi just by mentioning his name.
Then, if I were to reveal the truth and send Faravgi back to the spirit world, should Enma become curious and summon him back…
There’s a possibility information about me could leak from his soul.
That absolutely must be avoided…
So what do I do? Do I use Faravgi’s soul to serve at my side? Or do I eliminate him with holy attributes…?
Either way… it’s far too…
Cruel.
And if I take such a course, I must be able to trust Leila entirely. She would end up learning the truth through her father.
Will she be able to forgive me? If she were to accuse me, asking why I didn’t help her father, I’d have no words to respond…
The more I contemplate, the less clear the answer becomes.
—At this point, my demon god who usually shares my soul would likely say something like, “You’re thinking too late.”
Being alone feels somewhat void. I may be just as much a lonely one here…
As those thoughts crossed my mind, I glanced back at the bed.
“Gu… gi… ge…”
Ante had turned pale and was frothing at the mouth.
“Guuu~…!”
Looking over, I realized Sophia was snoring loudly, having locked her arms around Ante’s neck in a strange hold.
“…You’re gonna die!”
You can’t do that in such a fragile human state! Is Sophia’s sleeping position really this bad!?
I hurriedly stood up and dashed to rescue Ante.
†††
…Faravgi’s soul, presumably filled with a strong grudge against me, should remain in the spirit world for a while longer.
Yet, it’s also true that its rationality is deteriorating by the moment.
If I truly wish to reunite father and daughter…
…I must come to a conclusion soon.