Chapter 111: Dark Dragon and White Dragon
１１１． Dark Dragon and White Dragon
Lyla's emotion toward Jilbagias was too complex to be expressed with a single word.
Gratitude, respect, sympathy, compassion, mercy―― Literally a jumbled mess of positive and negative emotions.
As a result, those emotions mixed into a viscous one,
Called yearning toward Jilbagias.
One could say that it was some sort of dependence. Or uplifting emotion due to sharing the secret that was only known between them. The impetus didn't really matter to Lyla.
She just knew that she was yearning for Jilbagias.
He was―― The shining beacon for Lyla.
He filled the gaping hole in Lyla’s chest after she lost all hope, namely the fact that her father would come to save her someday――
There was not a single moment in Lyla's current environment in which she didn't think about Jilbagias. She is always thinking about him in her waking hours. She always thinks about how to be of some use to him, how to save him, how to care for him, and how to lessen his burden.Rather.
The same goes for when she was asleep, or dreaming something.
Jilbagias often appeared in her dreams. The nightmare that haunted her in the past had long since gone after she spoke with her father for the last time. That nightmare was somehow replaced with her dreaming about her flying along with her father and mother took their human form for some reason- With Jilbagias riding on her back, basking under the sunlight―― Basically those kinds of cozy and peaceful dreams.
That's why Lyla was really grateful for the present, this current blissful moment.
Just sitting next to each other, spending their time together like this―― Filled her chest with a nice and comfy warmth.
She enjoyed his embarrassed reaction whenever she blatantly showed her affection. That was truly an enjoyable moment for Lyla. However, she had to say that she was also embarrassed by such a bold gesture of affection. Jilbagias' reaction to that made her understand just how important she was to him――
Loving her. And yearned by her――
That alone was delightful enough for Lyla.
「――It's been a wHile. You sEems to be in GoOd spirit.」
… Yes. Until she heard that grating voice that is.
Her mood plummeted to the bottom the moment she heard that voice. She had been wondering why she had to hear the voice of the person who used to bully her for years now of all times.
No. She knew even without having to turn around. The identity of the hateful existence behind her was――
「Hou, it's rare to see you here, Orphen.」
Jilbagias reacted immediately, wearing the mask of the prince, he replied to Orphen with his pompous voice.
「Do you have a business with me?」
「I do not, I just happen to see you by chance and come to greet you.」
The sound of his footsteps approached. He was barefooted, as often is the case with the dragons who took their human form. The figure looks funny to Lyla who puts on shoes like it was natural――
A tall man appeared from the shade as if he was clad in darkness.
「…」
Lyla looked up timidly at Orphen who was looking down at her.
Orphen had a slightly disbelief look on his face seeing Lyla and Jilbagias cuddling together like this.
On the other hand, Lyla was――
（… Only like that?）
It felt something akin to a letdown
In the past.
Orphen looks like a dark cloud that covers the sky or a giant mountain.
Yet, when she saw him now, she felt that he wasn't as hopelessly powerful as before.
At least not like a giant who could easily pinch her to death, just a taller man.
That was her impression of him.
But, the reason she had such an impression might be because there was Jilbagias who hugged her shoulders. Otherwise, Lyla's body might be stiffened due to fear.
（This is what it felt like.）
The magic and knowledge she inherited from her father. Her love for Jilbagias. And her confidence in her own wings.
There was no way that Orphen who never felt such unjust treatment like Lyla could understand the feeling that she felt in her chest.
The words that are imbued with a lot of magical power could become a curse―― Or a blessing.
A long time ago, the Dark Dragons called Lyla things such as useless, filthy traitors, and a lot of curses that hurt Lyla's self-confidence.
Jilbagias brushed off all of those curses immediately.
He told her that Lyla was a splendid dragon, she was an amazing dragon.
Those words gave Lyla more than just 『Self-Confidence』, it also established Lyla's identity as a white dragon――
「…」
But, Lyla dared to hang her head down, averting her gaze from Orphen.
Though she was already different from the Lyla who tried to flatter him with a frightened face, she knew that she should lay low for the time being since it would give her a chance to grow even stronger.
「… I see. I tip my hat for your magnanimity.」
Jilbagias responded haughtily to Orphen who came just to give his greeting.
Just like Jilbagias―― She also wanted to file a complaint to Orphen for disturbing their little date.
「Do you like our gift?」
Orphen asked such a question as his turbid gaze scanned over Lyla.
「Yeah. I'm really satisfied with her.」
Jilbagias put more strength in his embrace while replying lightly to Orphen. He even lifted Lyla's face as he said so.
「Ah――」
Seeing Jilbagias' blood-red eyes from point-blank range―― Was enough to charm Lyla, without her realizing that he kissed her cheek.
「…!」
Lyla felt her face heat up at once. Her pristine white skin had also flushed red at once――
「As you can see, I'm enjoying her adorable reaction every day.」
「Ha, haha…」
Even Orphen was dumbfounded looking at Lyla's reaction. He looked like a cat who was thrown into a sea of stars.
Well, his reaction was only natural.
The Dark Dragon who presented Lyla to appease the wrath of the Demon Prince had expected that the daughter of that Faraugi would end up in an even more miserable fate in the hands of the said Demon Prince.
Despite his young, tender age, Jilbagias was famous for his fondness for beauty to the point that he kept a high elf whose ego was crushed by him, mutilated limbs as his pet after all, solely due to her beauty.
That's why they couldn't wait to see what kind of cruel torture Lyla would experience in his hands, something that not even they could imagine――
And yet, far from suffering due to what her father did to the prince, she started to get flight training instead.
This means that, since a dragon was literally rolling on his front door, he might as well have raised her as part of his force―― It was truly an anti-climatic result for the dragon, especially the dark dragon.
Not to mention that they were actually looking forward to Lyla being humiliated in her human form and yet――
（Why are you blushing instead!?）
Orphen was truly astonished.
――Annoyed aside… Why does she act love-struck toward the enemy of her father!?
Orphen who wanted to see Lyla suffering under the oppression of the Demon Prince… Felt betrayed!
But then, for the dragon race themselves, having a female dragon called Lyla gaining the affection of the Demon Prince who just got ambushed by her father wasn't really a bad thing since they could get the good side of him.
Thus, he stopped suspecting this situation.
――And Lyla had cleverly guessed Orphen's train of thought.
（… Unsalvageable person.）
That was Lyla's impression of Orphen. Even after suffering through various experiences and having her mother killed by him, Lyla didn't have a grudge against him.
Lyla was a kind girl at heart. She knew the pain of being hated and scolded. That's why she found Jilbagias situation pitiful, thus she wants to support him――
Thus, Lyla's preference might look bizarre for those whose hobby it was tormenting others.
From Lyla's unbiased perspective, the Dark Dragons who were trapped in that dark place was truly unsightly and pitiful existence.
「… You seem to be blessed by a good master, Lyla.」
Said Orphen with a hint of sarcasm while looking at Lyla.
「――Indeed.」
Lyla replied without hesitation.
And then… She chuckled lightly.
「… You have my gratitude for that.」
And now it was safe to say that now.
She suffered a lot. Her mother was killed, which became the trigger for the death of her father. So even if she didn't hate him, it didn't mean that she didn't hold a grudge against him.
――But, it was also a fact that she could only have met Jilbagias after suffering under the Dark Dragons.
That was the meaning of her 『Gratitude』.
「For allowing me to meet my fated partner.」
Said Lyla as she cuddled with Jilbagias.
――She didn't know what was going to happen to the Dark Dragons after this.
She already knows about Jilbagias' plan. And in his plan, he planned to fan the dark dragon's anger so that they rebelled against the demon race.
Just imagining how much bloodshed and suffering that was gonna happen at that time――
Yeah.
Didn't move Lyla's heart at all.
She simply didn't care at all.
Thus, Orphen and Co's suffering―― Was a trivial matter to Lyla.
Whether they'll end up having to endure untold hardship or die a dog's death, had nothing to do with Lyla.
「I see」 and was done with that.
But one thing is for sure.
Whatever Jilbagias was going to do after this would surely bring disaster to the Dark Dragons――
And all she had to do was stick with him till the end.
—He saved me. He kept fighting alone while enduring the suffering of being forced to dye his hands with the blood of humans despite being a human hero――
—Just how happy I am to be able to become his pillar of support.
Lyla imagined such a situation in half ecstasy.
For Lyla who had lost everything, Jilbagias was akin to her current light of hope――
She was willing to give him her body had he wished for it.
Rather―― She had already become his property.
In short,
Regarding the fact that the Dark Dragons handed over Lyla to Jilbagias with malicious intent in their mind――
「… Fufufufu」
Made her want to laugh at their utter foolishness.
In the end, it manifested as a light chuckle.
「…」
And the Dark Dragon King Orphen who saw her dark and muddy eyes which were akin to a bottomless abyss could only feel a chill running down his spine as if he felt an impending disaster that waited upon them,
Causing him to falter―― Before a much younger opponent.
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