Chapter 113
Nom nom nom.
Unaware that she had been discovered by the knights, Asil ate the banana very deliciously.
She had quickly devoured the apple and banana, so her stomach should be getting full by now, but for some reason, the more she ate, the hungrier she became.
It was because her stomach had become numb from not having food for so long.
Growl, grrrrowl.
The stomach rumbling kept sounding.
Asil glared at the eaten banana peel with a very serious face.
Would it be okay to eat just one more?
I’m an envoy. There were many other fruits in the basket.
In the end, after much deliberation, just as she stealthily raised her head and reached her front paw toward the basket on the table for a third helping.
“This lizard, doesn’t it look a lot like the statue?”
Someone suddenly grabbed Asil’s front paw.
“Ppiyaaaaak!”
Startled by the unexpected contact, Asil screamed at the top of her lungs. So shocked that all the scales on her body stood on end.
The culprit was one of the knights around the campfire.
At the loud scream of the black dragon, the knights gathered.
“What is it, it’s a lizard?”
“It’s incredibly small. Could it be the lizard Sir Bjorn mentioned earlier?”
“I don’t think so. Someone seems to already be raising it? It’s even wearing a scarf around its neck.”
The knight placed Asil on the table.
Not stopping there, he even pushed an apple in front of her.
‘Why do they keep calling me a lizard.’
Asil felt sad at the wrong time. I’m a black dragon. It’s a completely different species from a lizard.
However, because she was hungry, she decided to accept the apple for now.
“Sss.”
Roughly bowing her head in thanks, she wrapped the apple in her scarf and slung it on her back.
She planned to eat it after escaping from here first.
But at that moment, a familiar voice reached her ears.
“…Lady Asil?”
At the voice calling her, Asil quickly turned her head.
And her eyes met Dylan’s, who was looking at her with trembling eyes.
She almost instinctively greeted him with “Knight human!” but stopped.
It was because she remembered her mother’s previous warning not to let it be known that the divine beast “Asil” was alive.
Since it was known in the empire that the divine beast “Asil” had died, causing confusion would do no good. Explaining why she was alive would also be difficult.
‘To fulfill my duty as an envoy, I have to speak human language in this form.’
A situation where she must reveal she is a beastman but not let it be known that she is the divine beast Asil.
After thinking, Asil used her wits.
“My name is Snowa.”
She decided to use her brother’s name.
She had heard that humans cannot distinguish beastmen of the same species at all.
So if she insisted she was a black dragon that looked similar to the divine beast, it should work.
Asil straightened her waist, placed both front paws majestically on her hips, and spoke in a neat and dignified tone.
“I am an envoy from the beastmen’s forest. I came because I have something to say to Duke Monlepe.”
“B-beastman?”
“How did a beastman get here!”
The faces of the knights who had been finding Asil cute turned pale.
That was understandable since this was the middle of the human camp.
Coming here unharmed through all those knights meant she was an incredibly skilled expert.
Moreover, with a cute appearance that induced carelessness.
If she had come as an assassin rather than an envoy, they would have been dead long ago.
Meanwhile, Dylan hid his agitation and kept his hand on his waist, ready to draw his sword at any moment.
Then he paused upon seeing the scarf hanging on Asil’s back.
If his eyes weren’t wrong, that scarf was the one Lady Asil always wore around her neck.
In his hesitating mind, Edenber looking fondly at the beastmen’s forest flashed by.
Also the way he hadn’t been very pleased when suggesting to erect a memorial stone for Asil (a stone to comfort the soul of the deceased).
Over the past few years, he had strangely not accepted Asil’s death, raising questions, could it be…
Dylan hesitated for a moment before delivering a very powerful blow.
“Strawberries are the least tasty fruit in the world.”
“What?! No! There’s nothing tastier than strawberries in the world! Strawberries are the tastiest in the world!”
Why is he suddenly doing that to innocent strawberries! Forgetting the dignity of an envoy, Asil glared at Dylan.
Dylan’s expression became blank for a split second.
He stood dazed for a while as if realizing something, then suddenly clenched his teeth.
Then he quickly turned his body and spoke in a trembling voice.
“I will… guide you. This way, please.”
The knights, surprised by the suddenly formal speech, looked at each other. Then, at Dylan’s following order, they composed their expressions and straightened their posture.
“Do not speak of today’s events to anyone.”
“Yes, understood!”
Meanwhile, Asil, with a surprised face like the knights, stared blankly at Dylan’s back.
What, did he get scared because I just yelled at him?
Well, he’s a human so timid that even a feather attached to a toy scares him, so that makes sense.
‘How did he come this far being so fearful.’
Is he properly doing his knight duties? Asil looked at Dylan with pitying eyes.
‘I must have been too harsh.’
I should have gone easy. I unknowingly got immersed in the envoy role.
His shoulders occasionally shaking even looked like he was crying.
‘What do I do.’
Seeing a human after so long, she couldn’t control her ferocity and ended up making Dylan cry.
‘I’m sorry.’
Asil firmly resolved never to act ferociously in front of Dylan again and followed behind him.
While doing so, she tried to comfort him by speaking.
“Human, want an apple? I have one.”
“It’s okay…”
“Don’t cry, I’m not that ferocious a black dragon.”
“Yes…”
Dylan sniffled.
Geez, what a crybaby human.
Asil tapped the hem of his pants as a gesture of comfort.
* * *
Dylan guided Asil to Edenber’s tent.
Even though it was the tent used by the commander, it only had necessary items, revealing Edenber’s frugal habits.
He seated Asil on a plush sofa and then brought a heap of fruits.
Among them, the largest amount was strawberries, which was quite satisfying.
Asil steadfastly munched on strawberries under Dylan’s gaze that wouldn’t leave her and asked.
“When is Duke Monlepe coming?”
It felt like quite some time had passed since arriving here, yet Edenber still hadn’t shown up.
‘I might get caught by mom, so I have to return before the sun sets.’
To do that, she needed to leave soon, but where on earth had her husband gone that he hadn’t come yet.
Dylan, gauging the time by looking out the window, answered.
“He went to inspect the end of the camp, so he’ll return only after sunset.”
“Then it’s too late. I have to go before that.”
If it was discovered that she was in the human camp, it could adversely affect the conflict.
At the words that she had to go quickly, a flustered Dylan stammered.
“Then instead of waiting here, shall we go out together? The end of the camp is near the forest, so it happens to be on your way.”
“Yes.”
Asil shoved the strawberry she was eating into her mouth in one bite and stood up abruptly.
Then she hid in Dylan’s arms and rode his horse to move.
They encountered several knights along the way, but they never imagined that Dylan would be hiding a beastman.
‘Fast.’
When running on short legs, it took forever, but riding a horse made it quick.
Asil arrived in no time at the end of the human camp and the starting point of the forest.
“If you wait here for a moment, the duke will come.”
It was just as he said.
Soon, Edenber appeared from afar. Leading a large number of knights and other nobles following him.
He approached Dylan without yet spotting the small Asil.
“What is it?”
“Ah, well…”
The hesitating Dylan glanced at Edenber.
“An envoy has come from the beastmen’s forest.”
While politely pointing to Asil standing beside him.
Edenber, recognizing Asil at a glance, momentarily lost his words.
On the other hand, the nobles beside him were startled by the word envoy, then even more shocked seeing Edenber’s expression.
“Duke, what’s wrong? Is there a problem?”
“No…”
Edenber stammered.
Since the people behind him now were imperial officials, he shouldn’t act like he knew Asil, but managing his expression wasn’t going well.
Meanwhile, the quick-witted Asil immediately read the atmosphere.
‘It seems my identity must not be revealed.’
To help Edenber, Asil thick-skinnedly pretended to be a complete stranger and shouted confidently.
“I am an envoy from the forest. I came because I have something to say to Duke Monlepe!”
Edenber’s pupils shook greatly.
After quite a long silence, he barely opened his mouth with a subdued voice.
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