In the damp, dilapidated city ruins covered in moss and burn marks, a group of four led by Irene made their way forward at a brisk pace.
As they traversed this once-bustling drow city, the group was incredibly fortunate not to encounter a single mutant creature.
At the same time, however, came a highly discouraging realization—they had not found any traces left behind by other subjugators along the way.
Irene did not feel too deeply about this; her experiences on this journey had already caused her to gradually abandon any unrealistic hopes.
To her, rather than dwelling on the elusive prospect of when they would reunite with the main body of the expeditionary force,
it was far better to focus on the situation at hand.
At this very moment, the vigilant little dragon girl was deliberately walking at the rear of their four-person group, keeping pace right beside Lucia—their newly joined teammate who was also lagging several steps behind.
This was not out of any sense of kinship.
Rather, she was on her guard.
Even though this mature adult female green dragon had produced a scale from the Mother of Shadows as proof of her identity, Irene still refused to let her guard down easily.
After all, according to the records in her Draconic Inheritance, the green dragon lineage was notoriously cunning...
After observing for a good while and confirming that Lucia was behaving herself for now, Irene withdrew her gaze slightly and shifted her attention forward.
Peering past Arthas and "Charlotte" ahead of her, Irene's golden eyes reflected a colorful cluster of at least a dozen plump, round slimes.
Originally, the number of slimes leading the way was nowhere near this high.
But just a moment ago, when Christine—the atypical white dragon disguised as an elf—retrieved the slimes that had been lost during the battle, the number of these round little creatures inexplicably exploded.
They had surged from fewer than ten to nearly thirty.
Even if slimes could multiply by splitting, they could never reproduce that quickly.
Without a doubt, the extra slimes were survivors that had already been hiding in these underground caverns and drow ruins. Just moments ago, they had merged like streams flowing into the sea.
This made Irene wonder for a moment whether these slimes were actually leading them to the Mutant Matriarch, or if they were just using them to clear out dangers so they could locate and rescue their surviving companions.
As for how these little guys could precisely pinpoint and find their companions in the labyrinthine Underdark, Irene actually knew a bit about it, thanks to her all-encompassing Draconic Inheritance.
The weak slime race possessed a magical means of communication. The consciousnesses of slimes within a certain area would often link together, forming a unique mental network.
This allowed them to share their awareness; once a single slime encountered danger, the others could immediately steer clear of it.
This was one of the reasons why these weak, low-level magical beasts had not gone extinct long ago and had instead managed to spread across the entire world.
Whatever... there's no point in overthinking. We can only rely on these slimes for now...
Irene pulled herself out of her thoughts and turned her head to look at Lucia, who was walking beside her.
“Are you sure the two who attacked you fled in this direction as well?”
Hearing this, the green-curly-haired lady did not rush to answer. Instead, she turned her head and held Irene's gaze deeply for a brief moment before replying with a smile:
“Yes~ I am absolutely certain...”
Irene nodded in silence, offering no further comment.
In her estimation, the two people Lucia mentioned were highly likely the ones who had been erasing the expeditionary force's markers along the way, preventing them from reuniting.
“Hmm...”
At that moment, after staring at Irene's profile in contemplation for a while, Lucia suddenly stopped.
Meeting Irene's puzzled gaze, she made a gesturing motion.
“My little Princess Irene~ Could I... steal a moment of your time? ...I have a little secret I'd like to share with you.”
Lucia's voice was so low and soft that neither Arthas nor Christine walking ahead could hear her.
Irene's brow furrowed slightly. She stared deeply at the green dragon lady beside her, who was a bit taller than she was, but chose not to refuse.
The two of them slipped away from the group, one after the other, and walked toward the ruined buildings on the side.
Just then, Arthas, who was walking ahead, seemed to notice something. His pace slowed slightly as he glanced back, a cold glint flashing beneath the visor of his helmet.
...
Led by Lucia, the two arrived at the side of a relatively intact house with a chimney.
Seeing that the other party wanted to venture deeper, Irene stopped in her tracks and said coldly,
“No need to go any further. Whatever you want to say, say it here.”
As she spoke, Irene casually glanced past the edge of the wall toward the direction they had come from. From this spot, she could still faintly see her teammates, Arthas and Christine.
If anything unexpected happened, she only needed to make a sound, and the two of them would notice immediately and rush over.
Lucia stopped and turned around.
Noticing Irene's subtle movements, she couldn't help but chuckle sheepishly.
“My little Princess, you really are a cautious black dragon~”
“We were 'neighbors' once, after all. Is there really a need to be so wary of me?”
“...Neighbors?”
Irene let out a cold laugh.
“I once heard a very wise saying: 'When fellow countrymen meet, they stab each other in the back.' If that's how it is for people born on the same soil, let alone neighbors...”
“Besides, I am just a weak, defenseless girl. When traveling abroad, it is only natural to be extra careful.”
The expression on Lucia's face stiffened.
Soon, she regained her usual composure. As if she had heard a highly amusing joke, she gave a dry chuckle, and her expression grew more serious.
“Fine, fine... I won't beat around the bush with you anymore...”
“Princess Irene, what I want to tell you is... watch out for your elf companion, Charlotte. She... is a bit unusual.”
Irene's eyes narrowed slightly.
“Oh? Do tell... In what way is she unusual? Hmm... Is her figure better than yours, or is her IQ lower than yours?”
Lucia's expression stiffened once more.
A moment later, she covered her mouth and giggled.
“You really are humorous... though that isn't funny at all.”
“Just now, I asked your eldest son about it... and this elf lady is not your vassal...”
“Get to the point. I don't like beating around the bush,” Irene interrupted suddenly.
“Alright, alright~”
Lucia puffed out her cheeks as if she were pouting, her tone growing a bit lower:
“When I clashed with her earlier, I briefly felt the scent of an unfamiliar kin on her.”
“I'm certain it wasn't my imagination...”
“My little Princess, do you understand what this means? ...It means this elf lady is either an elf with dragon blood flowing in her veins, or...”
“...She might be a dragon disguised as an elf?” Irene finished her sentence.
After a brief silence, she continued,
“I understand what you're getting at. If that's all, there's no need to worry. I have my own plans.”
With that, Irene turned to leave.
But before she could take more than two steps, Lucia suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist. Her lips were pressed tight, as if she still had more to say.
Irene turned her head with considerable displeasure, a cold, dark glint flashing in her eyes.
In the next instant, she suddenly spun around. Slapping away the hand holding her, she slammed her palm heavily against the wall right beside Lucia's head, pinning her against the moss-covered stone.
“I said, I already know, and I have my own plans.”
“Do you... need me to repeat myself?”
The sudden turn of events left Lucia, a mature adult green dragon, utterly stunned.
Clearly, whether in terms of her current polymorphed appearance or her actual age, she was the more mature one.
Yet at this moment, the black-haired girl pinning her was undeniably more imposing. Her overwhelming presence completely paralyzed Lucia's mind and body, leaving her unable to budge an inch.
Only after a good while did Lucia finally manage to snap out of it. With her golden eyes reflecting the face of the girl before her, she gave a timid, barely perceptible nod.
Seeing this, Irene pulled her arm back from the wall. She cast a quick cleaning spell on her palm, then walked away without looking back.
Only Lucia was left standing there, her face gradually flushing a deep crimson.
The mature adult green dragon stood dazed in place for a long time. She turned her head slightly, her peripheral vision catching the distinct handprint left on the wall. Her breathing grew heavy, and she murmured in a sultry, enchanting whisper,
“This Princess Irene... is just as domineering as her mother...”
“Should I say... she truly is her mother's child?”
“It's really... mm~ quite hard for a dragon not to fall for her~”
“I really... really want to be ruthlessly dominated by her...”
“Ga-wu-ga!”
Just then, a series of bizarre cries abruptly echoed in her ears, snapping Lucia out of her wild fantasies.
“What... was that sound?”
Peering out from behind the wall, she looked toward the center of the city ruins with a look of confusion.
Rate on N.U.
