176
* * *
As Asil and Snowa had predicted, Ari was at the imperial delegation’s quarters alone.
“Byaa…….” (So many humans…….)
Though bursting with curiosity, Ari didn’t have the courage to approach the humans alone, so she hid behind some cover and only peeked her head out.
Then, she caught a scent of something very delicious and unconsciously began to move her feet.
“Byahaha…….”
The source of the delicious smell was none other than strawberries.
Whether they were prepared as a late-night snack or not, strawberries were piled high on a silver platter atop a mobile tray.
There were plenty of strawberries in the Beastmen’s Forest, but she had never smelled any this fragrant before.
Entranced by a variety of strawberry she had never seen in her life, Ari drooled.
‘There are so many, so it should be okay to eat just one, right?’
Coincidentally, there were no humans wandering around nearby.
Ari climbed up the tray and picked up the single most beautiful-looking strawberry.
The refreshing yet sweet scent made her mouth water instantly.
The moment she took a large bite, fireworks seemed to go off in her head.
Forgetting that she had to eat and leave before the humans noticed, Ari shouted out loud.
“Byaha!!!” (Delicious!!!)
Unconcerned about the juice dripping down, she stuffed strawberries into her mouth until her cheeks were bursting.
She felt full after eating about half, but it felt a waste to leave just like that, so she diligently ate her way through them.
Even so, she ended up leaving about a quarter of them behind.
“Byaaaa~” (I have to take one for Unnie~)
Ari rolled down to the floor while tightly hugging the second most beautiful strawberry.
She wanted to take one for Arin too, but with her current body, one berry was her limit.
Right then, she heard the sound of someone coming this way.
Judging by the low hum of conversation, there were two people in total: one woman and one man.
Startled, Ari hid under the mobile tray.
Unaware that a beastman was right in front of her, the woman who approached right up to her nose spoke to the man.
“Lord Fear must always have fruit for dessert, so you just need to bring this plate to Lord Fear—oh, it looks like someone was here?”
Oops.
Only then did Ari realize she had left the leftover strawberries behind.
“There are footprints here…….”
They ended up discovering the strawberry footprints leading under the tray.
She heard the sound of a human leaning down.
Ari squeezed her eyes shut in fear.
What should I do? I’m going to get scolded for being a thief dragon!
However, even after a long time passed, the other person didn’t say anything.
Could it be that they didn’t see Ari?
With a sliver of hope, Ari slowly opened her eyes.
And she jumped in surprise at the face of the human man visible right before her eyes.
“Byaa!”
Thump! She ended up hitting her head against the hard tray.
Surprised by the loud noise, the woman asked back.
“What is it?!”
“……It’s a young beastman.”
The man carefully pulled out Ari, who was groaning while clutching her head.
Ari peeked her eyes open and looked up at him.
Other than the atmosphere being strangely sharp, he was an ordinary human male.
“It seems they wandered in by mistake, so I will go and return them.”
The man took Ari and went outside the quarters.
He took out a handkerchief to wipe her mouth and her front and back paws stained with strawberry juice, and he even tied the single strawberry Ari was clutching into the handkerchief and fastened it to her back so it would be easy to carry.
Touched, Ari’s eyes sparkled.
‘He’s kind.’
Are humans originally all this kind?
Furthermore, she wasn’t sure if it was because she was touched, but seeing him up close, he seemed to be quite handsome.
‘It would be nice if Unnie’s boyfriend was a human like this.’
Then she might be able to give up the spot next to Unnie just a little bit…… No, even so, I can’t give up Unnie!
While she was fidgeting with the handkerchief the man had tied for her with such thoughts, he spoke.
“Are you Asil’s sibling?”
Unfortunately, however, Ari did not know the Continental Common Language.
Briana had given Asil early education in case she was summoned, but there had been no need for Ari to do so.
‘Is he asking if I’m lost?’
She wasn’t actually lost, but Ari nodded her head.
At this, the man spoke in a gentle tone.
“My name is Edenber, and I’m a human who owes a great debt to Asil from when we were young.”
Nod, nod.
“Could you tell Asil that Edenber would like to see her under the large tree next to that lake at 2 PM tomorrow?”
Nod, nod.
“Thank you, I’m counting on you.”
Nod, nod.
“Byihya.” (I got it. I’ll be careful not to get lost from now on.)
Ari, who had interpreted Edenber’s words in her own way, nodded her head vigorously.
Regrettably, Edenber also did not know the beastman language, so he mistakenly thought Ari had understood his words.
The moment he felt something was strange was when Ari just stared up at him blankly after they finished talking.
Why isn’t she going? Edenber thought.
Ari, for her part, was watching his reaction while thinking, ‘Is he done talking?’
Then, because no words came back no matter how long she waited, she figured it really was over and ran away quickly after saying goodbye.
“Byaaaaa!” (Stay well, kind human! Bye!)
“…….”
Edenber stared blankly at Ari’s receding back.
It would be fine if it was just a needless worry, but that baby dragon…….
It didn’t seem like she understood his words.
* * *
Ari appeared just before Asil and Snowa were about to visit the delegation’s quarters.
“Byaa!” (Unnie!)
“Where have you been!”
I was worried thinking something terrible had happened!
Asil widened her eyes and first checked if Ari was injured anywhere.
Just then, a beautiful-looking strawberry came rolling out from the small bundle Ari was carrying.
Ari placed her front paws on her waist and said proudly.
“Byaa byabya.” (This is for Unnie.)
Asil reflexively sniffed her nose at the fragrant strawberry smell.
This strawberry?
A very delicious Snow Strawberry that only grows in tiny quantities in the Osti region of the northern Empire…… that’s not what’s important right now!
Asil, who could identify all strawberry varieties by scent alone, shook her head quickly.
Meanwhile, even though she hadn’t been asked, Ari spoke fluently.
“Bya! Byabya. Byaaaa, byaa.” (A kind human gave it to me! He wiped my mouth, wiped my front and back paws, and even saw me off telling me not to get lost in the future.)
“Even so, you must not let your guard down.”
Snowa, who had the deepest distrust of humans among the four siblings, tapped the floor with his front paw.
“Humans are a species that never knows when they might change. Let’s throw that strawberry away just in case.”
“Byaa!” (No!)
Ari grew wary of Snowa and quickly hid behind Asil. Then she spoke in a whisper, as if sharing a secret.
“Bya byaaaa.” (I wish Unnie’s boyfriend was a kind human like that human.)
“Boyfriend?”
At the word he had never heard before, sparks flew from Snowa’s eyes.
“You’re not talking about that human, are you?!”
“That’s right. Because we promised to get engaged.”
“It’s a promise made when you were young, so it could change. Above all, never until dirt enters my eyes!”
Aha, then it’ll be fine if dirt enters your eyes.
Asil grabbed Ari’s front paw tightly.
“Let’s go get some dirt from the garden.”
“Byaa!” (Yeah!)
Ari, who would jump up even from sleep if it were Unnie’s words, followed Asil closely.
Snowa hurriedly changed his words.
“It’s not okay even if dirt enters my eyes!”
“Ari, Brother is going back on his word.”
“Byaa.” (Teacher said a beastman who goes back on their word is a bad beastman.)
“That’s right. Brother Snowa is a bad beastman.”
“Byaaaa.” (You shouldn’t play with bad beastmen.)
So I’m not going to play with Brother Snowa from now on.
Sticking out her tongue, Ari turned her back on Snowa. Then she shook Asil’s front paw.
“Byaa, bya.” (Unnie, Ari is sleepy.)
“Right, shall we go to sleep now?”
“Wait a minute. Answer me before you go! An engagement with that human is absolutely not allowed! Do you hear me?!”
“Byaaaa.” (Sing Ari a lullaby until I fall asleep.)
“Okay, okay.”
“Are you listening to me?!”
Anxious, Snowa followed closely and kept talking, but Asil only conversed with Ari.
Having heard the same words for over ten years until her ears were calloused, she had now mastered the art of letting it go in one ear and out the other.
“Asil!”
A pathetic cry echoed, but no one listened.
The two black dragon sisters headed affectionately toward the bedroom.
* * *
The next day, noon.
The two baby dragons’ room was noisy.
It was because they were busy chatting about what happened yesterday.
“Byaa, byaaaa!” (When Arin was sleeping, Ari bravely defeated a monster with a human!)
Ari shouted proudly with both front paws on her waist.
“Byaaa!” (So the human gave me a strawberry to say thank you!)
Originally, she had only received and eaten a single strawberry, but as she added exaggerations to brag to her younger sibling, it became a heroic tale.
“Byiiiik!”
An angry Arin shook a withered grass stalk, telling her not to lie.
Arin was in a completely sulky state because Ari had gone to see the humans alone.
“Byaaaaa! Bya byaa!” (It’s true! If you can’t believe me, you can just ask that human from yesterday!)
“Byiiik!”
“Byaaaa? Byaaaa…… byaa.” (Who is that human? Um…… he’s a male human and he’s handsome.)
“Byik!”
Arin hit the floor with the grass stalk, asking how she was supposed to know who it was with just that.
It was accompanied by an interrogation asking if she hadn’t made it all up.
“Byaa, byaaaa!” (No, I didn’t!)
Getting annoyed, Ari flailed her front paws. Arin also did not back down and fiercely shook the grass stalk.
Eventually, a thoroughly annoyed Ari screamed out.
“Byaaaaaaa!” (I can just show you who that human is!)
Then, she ran like lightning with Arin to the room of Asil, who was still sleeping, and shouted.
“Bya! Byabya!” (Unnie! Go with Ari and Arin to see the human!)
“Hmm……?”
Asil, who had been sleeping late because she was tired from looking for Ari yesterday, woke up groggily.
Ari and Arin quickly snatched off Asil’s sleep mask and forcibly pushed her out of bed.
Thus, Asil ended up going on a picnic with her siblings to a place where they could see the delegation.
The location was a giant lakeshore near the delegation’s quarters.
☆▪︎▪︎▪︎☆
