Velyan's Doubts

When Velyan woke up, she felt a wave of weakness wash over her body. Sunlight was filtering into the room through the curtains.

The pain in her body seemed to have eased significantly, or at least she no longer had to constantly endure the tearing pain from her wounds like yesterday.

She slowly sat up, put her clothes back on, drew back the curtains, and looked outside.

In the orchard outside the window, a group of demi-humans was harvesting vegetables and fruits in the garden.

This was her first time carefully observing the surroundings.

So... other people actually lived nearby. Since when had the Forest of Death become so safe? These demi-humans clearly looked very weak—so weak that she could easily deal with them even without her mana.

Yet at this moment, they seemed to be living very comfortably. With smiles on their faces, they chatted as they worked.

Were these demi-humans subordinates of that human?

That seemed to be the only possibility. She wasn't entirely sure if the human named Chen Mian was actually strong, but the vampire named Louise was likely even stronger than her. There was no mistaking the mana fluctuations when Louise had treated her.

Then again, with the protection of someone so powerful, living in the Forest of Death wouldn't be too difficult. Still, the vegetables grown from the barren soil of the Forest of Death seemed to be thriving far too well, and the soil itself seemed to contain incredibly dense mana.

That human seemed to be fishing by the lake not far away... Her gaze focused on Chen Mian, who was sitting by the lakeside. After she watched him for a few seconds, Chen Mian turned his head and waved at her.

“...I was spotted?” Surprised, Velyan quickly drew the curtains shut. “That human... doesn't seem simple either.”

Growl~ Velyan's stomach betrayingly let out a rumble. “So hungry... I need to eat first.”

Yesterday, she had only eaten one delicious dinner and hadn't even had the chance to properly savor it before nearly fainting from the pain of the treatment.

Velyan slowly pushed open her door and poked her head out. The moment she did, a rich, savory aroma drifted into her nose.

It smelled amazing!

She touched her flat belly and swallowed hard, her expression turning slightly complicated.

For the first time in her long life, she was actually looking forward to a meal. In the past, eating in the wild had always been a mere chore to stave off physical hunger; she had never considered eating to be a form of enjoyment.

Hesitating for a moment, Velyan stepped out of her room and followed the scent downstairs.

The living room was empty, but she could hear voices coming from the kitchen.

Judging by the voices, it should be the elf, Flora, and the vampire, Louise.

Velyan walked to the kitchen doorway and saw the two of them standing in front of the stove.

“Louise, adding a bit of fruit flavoring makes the taste really unique!” Flora said in pleasant surprise.

“Right? I felt like these two flavors would go really well together,” Louise said with a smile, rapidly stirring something in a container with a utensil. “Is this what I do next?”

“Yes! Just stir it evenly in one direction,” Flora replied with a nod.

“Like this?”

“Mhm, mhm! It's almost ready!”

Velyan stood at the doorway watching them. Her lips twitched, but she felt too embarrassed to speak. In the end, her stomach betrayingly let out another growl.

The sound wasn't loud, but the two of them heard it clearly.

Louise turned her head, her gaze meeting Velyan's golden eyes, which were darting around in sheer embarrassment. The corner of Louise's mouth curved upward. “Hungry?”

“I... I'm not hungry!” Velyan quickly waved her hands in denial, but her stomach rumbled again at the worst possible moment. She instantly froze, her face flushing even redder, before finally admitting in a quiet voice, “Yes... I'm hungry...”

Flora opened the refrigerator, took out a sealed slice of cake, and placed it in front of her. Then, she retrieved a freshly made breakfast from the warming box. “Velyan, go ahead and eat.”

Velyan looked down at the delicate-looking cake. After a few seconds of hesitation, she looked up at Flora and said, “Thank you!”

“You're welcome!”

Velyan picked up her fork, carefully scooped up a small bite, and put it in her mouth. The moment the cake touched her tongue, her eyes narrowed in bliss. She quickly scooped up another bite, her movements growing significantly faster.

Leaning against the doorframe, Louise looked at Velyan and asked, “How is it? Delicious, right?”

Velyan looked up, her eyes sparkling, and nodded without hesitation. “Yes! It's delicious!”

“We're still making more, there will be new flavors in a bit,” Flora said with a smile. With that, she pulled Louise back into the kitchen.

Just then, footsteps echoed from upstairs again.

Loviki walked down carrying a few folded pieces of clothing and put them into the washing machine. Then, she turned around to look at the blonde dragon girl at the dining table. “You're awake?”

“Yes, I just woke up.” Velyan paused her eating and nodded. “Human, what is that white box you're putting your clothes into?”

“Call me Loviki. This is a washing machine. It's used for washing clothes, which is much more convenient than doing it by hand,” Loviki answered as she opened the washing machine.

“Flora, remember to call me when it's ready!”

“Sure~ What are you going to do, Loviki?” Flora's voice drifted out of the kitchen.

“Fishing! I'm going to defeat Chen Mian in fishing!” Loviki balled her hand into a fist, speaking with absolute confidence.

“Okay~ Good luck!”

“Wait for my good news!” With that, Loviki hummed a tune as she walked out of the apartment, heading toward the fishery.

Velyan watched her back, a faint smile appearing on her face. This apartment was so strange... Normally, a human's first reaction upon meeting her should be fear. Yet, everyone here, including those weak demi-humans, didn't seem to fear her at all.

Here, she seemed to be just an ordinary girl rather than the Chaos Dragon feared by major kingdoms.

It was a very bizarre situation... She couldn't understand it at all.

But she didn't dislike it. Here, it felt as if she, Velyan, could actually have friends. And the food was truly delicious.

After finishing her breakfast, Velyan carried her plate to the kitchen doorway. “Where... do I put the plate?”

Flora turned her head and pointed at the sink nearby. “You can just put it there.”

Velyan walked over, placed the plate in the sink, and after a moment's hesitation, turned on the tap to wash it. Her movements were rather clumsy.

Because she had turned the water on too high, water splashed everywhere.

Louise turned her head, looked at the splashing water, and sighed helplessly. “Velyan, are you washing the plate or taking a bath?”

Velyan stopped what she was doing and looked at her nightgown, which was mostly soaked. Her face slowly turned red. “I...”

“Let me do it.” Flora walked over and took the plate from her hands. “Velyan, go change your clothes first.”

Velyan looked at Flora, then at her nearly soaked nightgown, and finally let go. “...Sorry for the trouble.”

She turned and walked out of the kitchen, her tail drooping much lower than usual.

Just as she reached the foot of the stairs, Miya popped out from around the corner holding her rabbit. She tilted her head up and looked at her in surprise. “Big sister! You're so pretty!”

Velyan paused in her tracks. Looking down at the little demi-human girl holding the rabbit, a hint of confusion flashed in her golden eyes. “Pretty?”

“Mhm! Your shiny golden hair and wings! You look even prettier than the glowing peach Sister Loviki brought back last time!” Miya nodded vigorously, then shifted her gaze to her tail. “And your golden tail is super pretty too! Your face is pretty too! You're just as pretty as Sister Loviki!”

Velyan's tail suddenly shot upright, but she quickly forced it back down. With a somewhat awkward expression, she said, “Th... Thank you.”

“Big sister, your clothes are wet. Do you want me to take you to take a bath and change?”

“...I-If you don't mind.”

“It's no trouble at all!”

“Little sister, why do you all live here?” Velyan finally couldn't help but ask out of curiosity. “The Forest of Death is very dangerous, isn't it?”

“Mhm! It's very dangerous! My big sister and I were almost eaten by wolves...” Miya nodded, then lifted her face proudly. “But Big Brother is super amazing! He protects us!”