Chapter 162
Getting to Rache, that is, getting the death energy clinging to him removed, had been a real ordeal from start to finish.
Phew. Those black mage bastards—I already killed them, but I really want to kill them again… Daphne clenched her still-small fist tight, eyes flashing.
“Rache seems to be alright.”
Teiti, having finished examining Rache’s body, said, returning to the group.
“Aside from dehydration, there’s nothing major to worry about. A day or two of rest and he should be fine.”
“Aaargh…”
The moment she heard his words, Daphne went completely limp and collapsed onto the sofa.
“I think I’m about to die.”
Tilting her head back to stare at the ceiling, Daphne tapped her forehead lightly with the back of her hand. Honestly, this one day had felt like an entire week. So exhausting.
“Why does something happen practically every other day?”
“Perhaps that is simply Lady Daphne’s fate?”
“Do you want to die too?”
“No.”
Daphne shot Teiti a sidelong glare, then let out a sigh and slumped back down again. Part of her just wanted to lie there doing nothing and fall asleep, but she couldn’t allow herself that either. Daphne glanced around the room, taking in Teiti, Shio, Artson, Kalid, and even Yan in turn.
“Not a single proper human among the lot of you gathered here.”
Daphne let out a hollow laugh. That one’s a dragon, this one’s a dragon, and that one’s a half-dragon. What a fine bunch, really.
Daphne scratched her head.
“First things first!”
At that moment, Shio stepped forward decisively.
“When Rache wakes up, have a proper conversation with him.”
Daphne looked up at him, eyes wide.
“Talk about what, exactly?”
“About Lady Daphne’s true identity,”
Shio said, resting a hand on the back of Daphne’s own.
“And about what lengths you were willing to go to in order to save Rache.”
“…”
In truth, Daphne had been prepared to give up her “Sellus” body entirely in order to save Rache.
Even though doing so would mean bearing this body’s curse in full, and could very well lead to her own death in the end. And yet, in order to protect Rache… she had been ready to make exactly that choice.
But, as Shio had suggested, Daphne had not the slightest intention of telling Rache any of this—not out of some consideration for his feelings, but simply because… well, there was simply no need to say it.
I gave up my own body for you, so what? So what if I did? What was there to even say to a human who had no idea how precious that body was to a dragon? And so Daphne shook her head.
“Is there really any need for that? It’s fine. As long as Rache is alive, that’s enough.”
“Huh?”
At that moment, Artson cut in.
“You’re really not right in the head, either.”
Artson grumbled.
“Giving up your own body just to save a human? Why? Did you really have to go that far? Is that human really that precious to you?”
She glanced around at the other dragons, letting out a groan, as if seeking their agreement.
“Isn’t your own self the most important thing, no matter what? Losing yourself just to save someone else… honestly, that just sounds stupid to me. I don’t get it.”
Daphne stared at Artson for a moment, then burst into a hearty laugh and rose to her feet. She beckoned toward Artson with a hand gesture.
“Blue kid.”
“It’s Artson, you…!”
“Right. Blue kid. Come here for a moment.”
Artson tilted her head, hesitating, then slowly made her way toward Daphne.
And then,
“Ow!”
She curled up, clutching her forehead where she’d just been struck. Ugh, seriously! How could such a tiny thing hit so hard! It stung enough to bring tears to her eyes.
“I never asked for your understanding.”
But Daphne, unbothered by any of it, continued regardless.
“And I have no reason to be called stupid by you, of all people, whatever the others might say.”
“Wh-what? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. Think about how it feels for me to be called stupid by the stupidest one here.”
“You, you…!”
Artson, her face flushing bright red, huffed and puffed for a moment, then snapped her head aside and glared at Kalid, who had been watching Yan with great interest. Only then did Kalid turn his head.
“Wh-what are you looking at? Why me?”
“You’re saying I’m dumber than that guy?!”
Artson shouted, pointing at Kalid, and Kalid’s mouth fell open, his expression one of pure indignation.
“I wasn’t even doing anything, why is she going off on me…”
“‘Going off’? ‘Going off,’ huh? What did you just say to me!”
“Ugh! Would you be quiet!”
“You’re the loud one!”
Watching the two of them screaming their heads off, Daphne thought to herself. What an absolute mess… no, dragon mess… She pressed a hand to her throbbing forehead.
“…”
Then her gaze settled on one particular spot. Yan, bound tightly to a chair, his eyes darting about anxiously. Yan, who had played the single greatest role in saving Rache.
Rising fully to her feet, Daphne walked slowly toward him.
The moment Yan sensed her approaching, his shoulders tensed instinctively—not only had it been revealed that he was half human, half dragon, he had also been the leader of the wraiths, so he assumed Daphne had finally come to deal with him.
Gulping down a dry swallow, he opened his mouth, trying to come up with some kind of excuse.
“I still have work left to do—!”
“You.”
Daphne cut off his words abruptly.
“Thank you.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Thanks to you, my brother is alive. I truly thank you.”
“…”
Yan couldn’t manage a single word in response. He simply opened and closed his mouth, struggling to grasp the true meaning behind Daphne’s words. But there was only one true meaning to grasp. Genuine gratitude.
And so Yan felt a sharp ache settle somewhere in his chest, for this was the first time he had ever received such a heartfelt expression of thanks… he found himself clenching his fist tight, without meaning to.
It was then.
“Right, that’s enough with the thanks.”
Daphne, her expression suddenly shifting, said, lifting her chin.
“Now, we need to talk about a different topic.”
“…Excuse me?”
Daphne yanked hard at Yan’s arm.
“Ugh!”
Yan winced in pain, but Daphne paid it no mind. She peeled away the bandages wound tightly around his arm.
The moment she did, instead of ordinary skin, more than half of it appeared rotted and decaying, and scattered across that decaying flesh, scales could be seen protruding here and there.
A foul stench also emanated from it, strong enough that the other dragons, who had been in the middle of their heated argument, came rushing over and clustered around Yan.
“Fascinating. I’ve never seen scales grow in like this before.”
“Scales couldn’t possibly form this way naturally in the first place.”
“Did someone just embed the scales directly in? Nothing else done?”
“You think that’s it? Talk some sense.”
Leaving them to their chattering behind her, Daphne called out to Teiti.
“Slave.”
“Yes!”
“Take a look.”
Teiti, standing some distance away, came scurrying over at once. Then he quickly examined Yan.
“This is…”
He furrowed his brow for a moment, then let out a sigh and continued.
“Rather than the scales having been implanted, it seems more reasonable to assume they grew in naturally. To begin with, these scales appear to be secondary—I suspect there’s some other conduit at play here…”
He glanced quietly toward Yan. A clear indication that he wanted Yan to name that other conduit himself.
“Well? Aren’t you going to answer?”
Yan chewed anxiously at his tightly pressed lips, fidgeted with his fist, glanced down at his still-aching arm, and then, seemingly with no other choice, let out a long sigh and answered.
“…The eyes.”
He slowly lifted his gaze. Both eyes glinted with a golden light bright enough to appear almost pure yellow, unmistakable.
“It’s the eyes.”
Daphne’s gaze sharpened.
“So then,
why exactly did you end up in a state like this…”
“It’s a matter tied to the Emperor.”
Yan drew in a deep breath.
“I suspect this will be a long story.”
And then, slowly, he began to unravel his tale.
