Damn!

As soon as I stepped onto the carriage, a round figure followed close behind me.

I glanced back and saw it was the little white dragon, Astrid, so naturally, I didn't stop her.

"Ya~"

Seeming to have taken me as family, Astrid saw me looking at her and immediately flashed a smile, her big crimson eyes so adorable they could melt a person's heart.

"Come on in."

"Ya~"

Although Astrid was still small, it was certain that she was a female dragon.

The dragon race has a specific trait: male dragons have an reverse scale on their chest that is completely different from the other scales, growing in the opposite direction. The other scales overlap downward layer by layer like fish scales.

Female dragons do not have this reverse scale.

So, no matter how old the dragon is, it is easy to distinguish between male and female.

"Hilda, I'll leave the situation on the battlefield to you. Have Cain eliminate all these demons. You can keep those at the demon general rank alive, but for those below that rank, leave none alive."

"Yes, Your Highness."

I nodded, feeling a bit more at ease. I turned and was just about to open the carriage door when my gaze swept past Ligeia.

Her face was filled with longing as she stared intently at Astrid following behind me, causing my mouth to twitch.

As expected of a scholar, she had completely lost her sanity in the face of academic research.

I really wondered how strong her heart had to be when she first met the Dragon King to suppress that fiery research spirit of hers.

In the face of the Dragon King, she dared to try and strip his pants—and Astrid behind me was still just a hatchling!

If she actually got her hands on her, wouldn't she dissect her?

"Ligeia, you communicate with the lead skysoar dragon. Also, you are not allowed to conduct research at will!"

"Eh? Your Highness, this is one of my few interests~"

"I don't care. If you can't control your hands, I'll cut off your contact with the dragon race in the future!!"

"...Alright."

Ligeia lowered her head in disappointment. Seeing her like this, I felt a bit bad, so I added a sentence.

"Of course, if you can ensure that the research is limited and does not harm the dragon race's dignity or body, I will still allow it."

"Really!?"

She suddenly snapped her head up, her eyes filled with a burning intensity.

The desire in her eyes even gave me a scorching sensation.

"You can... but you must absolutely guarantee not to harm the dignity or bodies of the dragons! Ligeia, that is the bottom line."

I thought for a moment. Looking at Ligeia's expression that seemed to be on the verge of losing itself, I gave her a solemn warning:

"I was able to save you from the Dragon King this time because he gave me face, but if there is a second time, I am not sure if he will still give me face."

Since it was our first meeting, it was normal for the Dragon King to give me face, but if a mistake was made a second time, it would be a different story.

With the power of the Kingdom of the Moon, it would be impossible to withstand the Dragon King's wrath.

His power—or rather, the strength of the dragon race—was enough to compare to the combined strength of all human nations, and could even crush them.

And the Eight Nations of the Holy Church, while occupying many regions, were only a part of humanity.

In comparison, the dragon race was absolutely at a crushing level against the Eight Nations of the Holy Church.

On the other hand, while their combat power was overwhelming at this stage, they had their weaknesses.

Once a war broke out, every loss of a true dragon species would take hundreds or thousands of years for the dragon race to recover.

Humans, however, might only need a hundred or so years to recover most of their strength.

In terms of quality, humans were indeed inferior to the dragon race, but in terms of quantity, they were overwhelming.

Not to mention their recovery power.

If a war between the two races really occurred, it would absolutely be a near-apocalyptic blow to all living creatures on this continent.

Of course, such a situation was unlikely to happen.

Hearing me mention this, a look of guilt flashed across Ligeia's face.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, I..."

"Alright, I know. You just can't suppress your inner impulses. But Ligeia, even though you are older than me, you still need to continue learning self-control."

I looked at Ligeia seriously, advising her patiently word by word.

"Learning never ends. I hope you can change yourself."

"I will."

Seeing how serious I was, a look of solemnity also appeared on her face, and she nodded heavily.

"Thank you for your guidance, Your Highness."

I gave an approving smile and said no more, leading the little white dragon, Astrid, into the carriage.

Back in the carriage, the first thing I wanted to find was my big bed.

Now that my mind had relaxed, I really couldn't hold on anymore. I was so exhausted that my eyelids were practically fighting to stay open.

"Just find a place to stay. I'm going to sleep first."

I said to Astrid without looking back, not caring if she understood or not. I sat directly on the edge of the bed and collapsed.

But as soon as I fell onto the bed, I felt something round crawling up beside me.

I subconsciously turned my head and saw a massive white shadow pressing down toward me!

I didn't even have time to yell in shock as I rolled over to dodge. Leaning against the headboard, I finally saw that the little white dragon, Astrid, had actually followed me onto the bed.

And she seemed to be enjoying herself, mimicking my posture as she lay on the bed, exposing her round belly with a happy smile on her face.

Seeing me look over, she smiled at me while widening her pair of scarlet eyes.

Is she... acting cute for me?

I hesitated for a moment.

After thinking about it, I decided to let it be. Even if I kicked the little thing off the bed, she could just sneak back up while I was sleeping.

Moreover, doing so might affect our relationship.

Astrid was currently in her infancy and hadn't even entered her growth period. Based on the time, it would take at least a thousand years for her to fully grow.

Lying on the bed, luckily my bed was very large, so accommodating an infant dragon wasn't a big problem.

"Ya~"

"Go to sleep, be a good girl."

I patted her large head. When my head rested on the soft pillow, the irresistible weariness surged in like a tide, drowning all consciousness.

The last thing I could hear was the distant sounds of shouting and screams.

In the past, I could never have imagined that I would one day fall into a deep sleep on such a brutal battlefield.

I closed my eyes and woke up with no dreams.

When I opened my eyes again, it was already dark outside the window, with stars dotting the sky.

Looking through the window, from my angle I could just see a half-moon floating above the clouds, its face partially hidden as if peeking at the earth under the night sky.

"Is it... night already?"

I rubbed my still-weary brow. As a light breeze blew in, I felt much more refreshed.

I didn't know who had opened the curtains, but at least I could tell there was no danger outside.

Not far away, I could hear the crackling of wood burning in a campfire, along with the faint sound of voices drifting in.

Some were laughing, while others were crying quietly. It seemed the battlefield had been completely cleared.

Looking beside me, Astrid was still snoring away. The funniest thing was that a giant snot bubble, like something out of an anime, was actually coming out of her nostril.

The bubble expanded and contracted with her breathing, looking incredibly ridiculous.

I stepped over her quietly. The moment I touched her, I was a bit afraid she would be startled awake, but this little thing was sleeping quite soundly. Even with a touch, she showed no signs of waking up.

No wonder the dragon race had such a strong protective instinct for their young.

An infant dragon with no defensive capabilities like this simply couldn't survive on its own.

Combined with the fact that every part of a dragon was a treasure, such an infant dragon would naturally be coveted by many.

Hmm... it seems I'll have to prepare a special room for her later and have dedicated people looking after her. Otherwise, if anything goes wrong, I wouldn't be able to answer to the Dragon King.

This was an entrustment, not a trade.

Having the little white dragon with me actually had no benefit for me at all.

First of all, she was too small and had no combat capability. Even if her initial level was thirty, it was completely useless. Without reaching her growth period, she wouldn't even know many skills.

She could overwhelm ordinary people, but against a level thirty warrior without a title, she would only get bullied.

Secondly, having this little thing meant I had to spend extra energy taking care of her to ensure nothing went wrong.

Otherwise, if something happened, the Dragon King would definitely blame me first.

Finally, the little one's growth would inevitably be accompanied by massive consumption. The dragon race's title of bottomless pit had never changed since ancient times.

To feed this little thing, the daily consumption would not be a small figure.

Yet, I still accepted without any complaints.

Because she was a true dragon species.

One that could make the Dragon King personally move must be a rare breed among dragons.

Placing such a dragon with me caused some difficulties on one hand, but on the other hand, if anything happened to me, the little white dragon wouldn't be able to escape either, and that would lead to the instant eruption of the Dragon King's wrath.

This was equivalent to getting myself an insurance policy, and a top-tier one on the continent at that.

Although the price was high, the investment and return occasionally appeared in direct proportion.

Just like now.

Besides representing friendship, it also added an insurance policy for myself. Even if it required paying a significant price, it was still a worthwhile deal.

I shook my head helplessly. Looking at the sleeping little thing—who wasn't exactly little—an involuntary smile curved my lips.

This little one was quite cute.

I took one last look and didn't disturb her sleep, after all, there was still serious business to attend to outside.

I pulled the curtains shut, blocking out all the sound, and then opened the carriage door to step out.

As soon as I stepped out, the cool night breeze hit my face, making me feel refreshed.

"Hilda, are you there?"

"I am here, Your Highness."

As soon as the words left my mouth, a heroic-looking female knight walked over from the side of the carriage.

However, at this moment, Hilda had let down her ponytail. Instead of her usual crisp appearance, her long hair draped over her back, giving her a more feminine and soft look.

"Your Highness, you've woken up. Did you sleep comfortably?"

"Yes, not bad."

I nodded. As I turned to step down from the carriage, Hilda instinctively raised her hand for me to lean on.

I didn't stand on ceremony and took her hand as I stepped down.

I looked up toward the distance.

The former battlefield had completely quieted down.

The smell of charred flesh still lingered slightly in the air, but it was very faint.

It was currently the peak of summer in July, and the southeast wind carried a warm sensation toward the northwest, taking away the thick scent of blood and burning.

"How is the situation? Any trouble?"

"In response to Your Highness, the battlefield has been cleared. With the help of those skysoar dragons, our victory was a certainty. It's just..."

"Just what?"

My brow furrowed, and I suddenly turned back to look at Hilda. Her expression was somewhat helpless.

"It's just... we still lost over two hundred knights."

I let out a long sigh. Even though I knew casualties were unavoidable on the battlefield, the enemy commander had been captured and we had the help of the skysoar dragons.

Under circumstances where the enemy had lost all morale and strength, they still managed to take over two hundred knights with them.

It was clear how formidable the combat strength of the demon race was.

"What about the others? It shouldn't just be deaths, right? What about the wounded?"

"In response to Your Highness..."

Hilda hesitated slightly, her voice tinged with helplessness.

"Almost the entire army is injured. The severely wounded number about three hundred."

I closed my eyes slightly and pondered for a moment.

These people were injured while fighting the demon race and protecting me. I must not mistreat them.

On one hand, it was out of my own guilt and gratitude.

On the other hand, I had to set an example for others to see!

"Have their bodies been gathered?"

"Except for a few that couldn't be found, they have mostly been recovered."

"Good."

In this era, glory for all righteous nobles was a supreme light.

I couldn't give them much else, but glory was something I could give away at will.

To them, it was precious, but to me, it was an endless resource.

"Where is Ligeia?"

"Over there, she is... er, conducting research."

"Hmm? Why are you hesitating? Did she do something out of line again?"

Hearing the hesitation in Hilda's response, I immediately became alert.

That Ligeia even dared to strip the Dragon King's pants; she wouldn't have actually dissected a dragon, would she?

Even if it was just a sub-dragon, it was still bought at a clearly marked price!

This wasteful woman—she wouldn't have taken the dragons apart, would she?

Dammit, if she really dares to dismantle my dragons, I'll make her serve as a mount for two thousand knights!!

"Out of line... I wouldn't say that, but..."

Seeing Hilda's hesitant manner, I really couldn't bear the panic in my heart. I didn't plan to ask any further and walked directly toward the skysoar dragons.

While still dozens of meters away from those two thousand skysoar dragons, I could hear Ligeia's creepy voice from afar.

"Wow~ a skysoar dragon! Hehehe~ skysoar dragon~ hehehe..."

Isn't this the laughter of a total pervert!?

What on earth is she doing?

I hurried forward, but as I walked, I suddenly didn't want to go over anymore.

Right on top of a skysoar dragon, Ligeia was hugging the dragon's neck with both arms, the laughter coming from her mouth.

But it was clear that her eyes were tightly shut; she was obviously asleep.

Even so, her sleep-talking could be heard from this far away.

Even the skysoar dragon she was hugging had a look of annoyance on its face, yet seemed helpless to do anything about it.

The Dragon King was indeed not someone Ligeia could handle, but these skysoar dragons were definitely entities that Ligeia could crush.

My mouth twitched involuntarily. Facing this researcher with an abnormal obsession with the dragon race, I'll just pretend I didn't see anything for now.

I turned back to look at Hilda, whose face was also filled with helplessness.

"Your Highness, I tried to persuade her, but Miss Ligeia refused to let go of that skysoar dragon no matter what."

"Alright, I get it. Don't say any more."

If she said any more, I'd really start to doubt my own judgment of people.

I felt a bit of regret.

Damn!