Catching a Cold

I'm so glad I didn't do anything just now.

"Do you... want to sleep too?"

Luo Li asked tentatively, but Astrid only opened its mouth cutely.

"Ya~"

Well, although she couldn't understand the dragon language, looking at its expression, it seemed like it wanted to sleep together?

"Then... come up?"

Luo Li lifted half of the quilt. Astrid seemed to understand her meaning and crept onto the head of the bed, its body half-wrapping around Luo Li.

Its large tail swung down, covering Luo Li's legs.

It looked as if Astrid was holding her in its arms.

Feeling the sensation of the dragon scales beside her, they were hard, but surprisingly carried a sense of warmth.

In her mind, she couldn't help but recall the investigation on the dragon race she had read in Ligeia's book.

【Higher dragon races are very different from ordinary creatures. They seem to be able to adjust their body temperature to cope with different environments. In summer, they lower their temperature, and the scales on their bodies insulate them from external heat.】

【In winter, dragons can even raise their body temperature to protect and increase the temperature of their kin at critical moments.】

Was it because Luo Li's body was a bit cold that Astrid specifically came up to warm her?

Oh, right, the dragon race also reacts very quickly to hormones.

Could it be that this little guy felt the aura on her body and suddenly wanted to climb up and sleep together?

Thinking of this, Luo Li couldn't help but look up at Astrid.

The current little dragon had already grown to over three meters in length. Compared to Luo Li's height of only one hundred sixty-five centimeters, it was more than twice as long.

Its overall form also had a trace of a great dragon's shadow.

It was just much smaller in size.

"Speaking of which, calling you Astrid is quite a mouthful. Why don't I shorten it in the future and call you Ali?"

"Ya~"

The little dragon shook its head, seemingly dissatisfied with this name.

"Is that so? Then how about Rid?"

Astrid thought for a moment and still shook its head.

"Ya~"

"Ast?"

"Ya~"

"...I'll just keep calling you Astrid then."

"Ya!"

It only nodded when its original name was mentioned, looking very satisfied.

Seeing this, she guessed a nickname was out of the question.

With Astrid there, Luo Li didn't even need a pillow and lay directly on its body.

For a dragon three meters long and weighing over a ton, Luo Li's weight of fifty-some kilograms was nothing at all.

Leaning against the warm dragon scales, the feeling... was like sleeping on a heated brick bed, so warm that it felt extremely comfortable against her back.

However, this bit of heat also seemed to ignite a different kind of emotion.

'Mmm... do girls also have times when they can't sleep like this?'

When a man's blood gets pumping, he really can't sleep; Luo Li knew this point deeply.

She didn't know that girls could be like this too.

Placing her hand on her belly, even she felt her heart race and her face flush looking at the patterns there.

'Even this is glowing. Could I... really be that starved? Surely not?'

A faint blue glow illuminated the otherwise dim room.

She subconsciously pulled up the quilt, covering her belly.

No, she couldn't look anymore.

Please stop glowing; it was far too conspicuous!

Even without a mirror, Luo Li knew her face must be bright red right now.

Holy Crest, oh Holy Crest, she thought it was just a function for activation, but she didn't expect it to have this kind of use.

Did the brightness manifest based on the level of excitement?

Then if... if she were doing that, wouldn't it...

Good grief!

That would be way too embarrassing!

Thankfully, she only had this one Holy Crest for now.

However, there would surely be other Holy Crests in the future.

Sigh... this damn eroge world!

Now that her interest was piqued, it was the first time Luo Li had experienced the feeling of a girl being interested.

For a while, she couldn't sleep and could only stare blankly at the ceiling, trying to empty her mind as much as possible.

At least that way, she could stop thinking about those lewd things.

But after lying there for a long time, she still couldn't sleep.

Thinking it over, she rolled over and sat up, looking out the window.

What would Brilliant City look like at night?

In this era, there were usually no people out at night because of the curfew.

However, a curfew was not a good habit.

In any era, the night was a time for high consumption.

After all, everyone was busy all day, and only the night provided free time.

After being tired for so long, wasn't it normal to relax at night?

It seemed necessary to cancel the curfew, but public security would also need to be put on the agenda.

The Kingdom of the Moon didn't have such a thing as police before; all they had was the City Defense Force.

Basically, those patrolling at night were the City Defense Force, and solving cases or catching thieves also relied on them.

Martial law could only be used during special times; it was not a long-term solution.

Luo Li didn't know about others, but in terms of public security, perhaps Grannia would be a good choice.

He had wandered the world before and seen many things, so he naturally had corresponding solutions.

With his great strength, he should be able to suppress the crowd of troublemakers in this prosperous Brilliant City.

Hopefully, he could resolve the crisis in the northeast region as soon as possible, otherwise, the reconstruction there could never be scheduled.

"Astrid, can you fly now?"

"Ya~"

She couldn't understand dragon language, but Luo Li could still understand the general meaning through intuition.

"It seems you can fly."

Luo Li hesitated for a moment, then turned and took a nun's habit out of the nearby wardrobe.

This was a set of clothes she had hidden away, specifically to be used at critical moments.

After all, wearing the Saintess's robe every day could sometimes cause aesthetic fatigue.

Furthermore, the Saintess's robe required someone to help her put it on and was managed by specific nuns on a daily basis.

It was almost impossible to put on the Saintess's robe without alerting others.

"Come on, let's go for a stroll!"

She didn't know which nerve had suddenly snapped, but tonight she suddenly had the urge to go out for a walk.

"Ya?"

Astrid didn't seem to understand the meaning of these words, staring at Luo Li with wide, puzzled eyes.

Luo Li ignored its confusion, picked up the clothes, and began to put them on.

However, perhaps because she had been transmigrated for a long time and hadn't dressed herself in a while, she appeared somewhat clumsy.

It took a lot of effort to put on the black nun's habit.

She put on the headscarf, covering her long silver hair.

She stood before the mirror and took a look, nodding.

It was decent enough; at least at first glance, people shouldn't recognize her as the Saintess.

Combined with the cover of the moonlight, her red eyes also became less conspicuous.

She walked quietly to the door and listened to the sounds outside.

The young nuns seemed to have already fallen asleep.

She took out her pocket watch and checked it; it was already past eleven at night.

Although there were people on duty outside, they were probably sleepy by this time?

Thinking of this, Luo Li stepped lightly to the balcony, pushed open the window, and beckoned to Astrid.

Although Astrid was confused, it still trotted over at Luo Li's summons.

She reached out to hug Astrid's neck and leaped onto the dragon's back with a flip.

This three-meter-long body was just right to ride.

"Take off!"

With a hint of excitement and curiosity, Luo Li called out in a low voice. Astrid understood these words, and its huge white wings suddenly spread wide.

With a 'whoosh,' all the silk fabrics in the room flew up.

Luo Li turned her head back in a fright, fearing someone would find out.

Fortunately, the room was well soundproofed; even with such a loud noise, no one noticed.

The giant wings flapped twice.

Luo Li looked at Astrid's wings and could clearly feel a surge of elemental power slowly flowing beneath them.

That was the wind power of the mana elements.

As expected, it was impossible for such a massive body like a dragon's to take off based on physical strength alone; it definitely required a certain degree of elemental power for assistance.

Moreover, a dragon's body seemed to be much lighter than that of an average creature.

Perhaps it was because the skeletal structure was quite special?

While Luo Li was thinking about these random things, the scenery before her eyes suddenly changed.

The six-meter-long wings flapped, and the elemental power lifted its body.

Inside Brilliant City, it was still clad in silver with heavy snow on the ground.

Under the moonlight, everything could be seen clearly without any light source.

As Astrid took off, the distant scenery became increasingly clear.

The city streets, houses, and city walls all came into view.

'This... is my city.'

Luo Li thought to herself as she looked into the distance.

Sitting on Astrid's back, she soared under the night sky of Brilliant City for half the night.

...

The next morning.

"Achoo!"

"Your Highness, are you feeling any better?"

"I'm fine... Achoo! Ah... Achoo!"

Sitting on the bed, many young nuns had already gathered before Luo Li, and the one at the head was, of course, her personal nun manager.

Nara.

And watching all this from the doorway was Lola, who was supposed to report the morning briefing today.

"Your Highness, what happened? Did you catch a cold last night?"

Nara looked at her Highness with concern. Since she became the personal nun, this was the first time her Highness had caught a cold.

But it shouldn't be.

The Saintess's robe possessed self-regulating temperature; how could she have caught a cold?

Was it because the window wasn't closed properly last night?

But none of that was important; what mattered now was her Highness's health.

"Your Highness, you should rest well today."

Nara turned to look at Lola.

"Lola, please don't disturb Her Highness today."

Nara, who usually had no presence, suddenly became very aggressive today, even directly interfering with state affairs.

This even gave Lola a start.

It was hard to imagine that the usually obedient and well-behaved Nara could be so dominant today.

Lola looked down at her Highness, who was sitting at the head of the bed preparing to drink medicine, and sighed helplessly.

"Your Highness, if you do this again, I will dock all of your allowance."

As she spoke, she walked to the balcony and looked at the traces on it.

Then she turned back to look at Luo Li.

"Your Highness, you sneaked out last night, didn't you?"

Luo Li, who was still a bit dazed, suddenly became alert the moment she heard those words.

"I didn't! I haven't! Don't talk nonsense!"

Seeing her Highness's desperate denial, Lola was certain.

Her gaze turned to Astrid, who was still sleeping nearby.

Usually, Astrid would be very energetic at this time, since it was breakfast time.

But today, Astrid appeared very lazy and even seemed a bit exhausted.

No wonder she received a report from the city defense early this morning.

It was said that something seemed to be flying in the sky last night.

It really was Her Highness.

Thinking of this, Lola turned her head and looked around.

Luo Li watched her with trepidation, trying to think of an excuse to drive Lola away.

"Lola, I'm not feeling well today, so you should head back first. Unless there's something major, we'll talk later~"

However, Lola didn't seem to care about those words and instead turned her gaze toward the wardrobe.

The moment she turned her head, the girl on the bed's eyes suddenly constricted.

Seeing this, Lola directly stepped forward, opened the wardrobe, and took a look inside.

She reached out and pulled out a box, placing it right under Luo Li's nose.

"May I ask Your Highness, what is inside this box?"

"It's... it's nothing."

The girl's gaze wandered uncontrollably.

With a 'click,' the box was opened, and the girl's whole body trembled.

Lola's face, meanwhile, turned grim.

"This month's allowance... is gone!"

'Click.'

The box was closed again. Lola carried the box and left the room with a dark expression.

She left behind the silver-haired girl lying on the bed like a salted fish, filled with regret and despair over her own impulsiveness.

"Sigh."

Looking at the box in her hand, although she knew she couldn't stop such things, Lola never expected Her Highness to be this bold.

She actually dared to run out without wearing the Saintess's robe.

And without notifying anyone.

What would have happened if something went wrong!!

She still had to think of a way to get Her Highness to settle down, or perhaps... let her go out for a stroll occasionally?

Just as Lola was thinking of this, a person's voice suddenly came from beside her.

"Bishop Lola, how is Luo Li?"

She looked up at the sound, and the one who came into view was the Saintess of the Sun in her red and white shrine maiden outfit.

"Your Highness Momoka, good morning."

"Morning. Luo Li, she..."

Momoka responded and asked with a hint of concern.

Lola shook her head helplessly.

"I'm sorry you had to see this. Last night... my Highness sneaked out and caught a cold. I'm afraid she isn't fit for work today, so let her rest for a day."

Momoka was stunned for a moment and glanced at the door to Luo Li's bedroom.

After a long while, she actually burst out laughing.

"Pfft! I didn't expect Luo Li to have such a childish side, heh~"

"I'm sorry for the embarrassment."

Lola felt her face turning red; her Highness had even made a fool of herself in front of another Saintess.

"No, no, it's not a joke. It's just that I didn't expect someone like her could lead an army to conquer the demon island. To be honest, I still find it hard to believe."

Looking at the smile on Momoka's face, Lola also gave a helpless laugh.

"As you say, I feel the same."

The two of them looked at each other and smiled.

This morning seemed to be a bit different from usual.