Chapter Fourteen: Unexpectedly, You Are a Heroine Like This

On a clear afternoon, Ruby was lying on the slope of a hill, basking in the benefits of the sun, letting the ultraviolet rays kill the harmful bacteria on his body. Not far from him, Moyona was doing aerobic exercise—lying flat on the ground, straining to lift her upper body in an effort to reduce excess fat through this so-called sit-up.

“Come on, just ten more and you’ll be done.”

Ruby could tell from Moyona’s labored breathing that she was already exhausted, but she was still a little short of her goal. With her pitiful stamina, there was nothing he could do but offer some half-hearted encouragement.

“Ugh, why do I have to do this…”

Moyona loathed this self-tormenting exercise. Earlier that day, she had vaguely asked Ruby if there was a way to indulge in sweets without gaining weight, and he had brought her here to suffer. The worst part was that he was making her torment herself.

“The sun feels amazing.”

“So you like sunbathing? I’ll give you some sun.”

Gritting her teeth, Moyona extended her index finger, a ripple of magical energy spreading out from its tip. A mass of dark clouds began to form—a prelude to the casting of the lightning spell, “Thunderstorm.” A grand ninth-level spell, yet Moyona used it merely to tease Ruby. If the spell itself could think, who knows what it would say about such treatment.

“Hm?”

Just as he was enjoying the sun’s warm embrace, Ruby suddenly found himself in darkness. Opening his eyes, he saw a dense cluster of black clouds floating above his head. He rolled to the left, but the cloud followed him, shadowing him no matter where he moved.

“Moyona, are you a child?”

Ruby wasn’t angry; he simply got up and walked over to ask Moyona, who was feigning deafness, pretending not to hear him.

“All right, that’s enough for today. I’ll treat you to pudding back home.”

After spending so much time with her, Ruby had come to understand Moyona’s nature. At the moment, she was probably sulking because he left her alone. He didn’t press her further, but simply turned and walked toward the cabin.

“Good, you know what’s best for you.”

Moyona curled her lips into a silent smile, dispelling the dark cloud and following in Ruby’s footsteps.

“Still sulking? It’s about time you let it go, isn’t it?”

After a few steps, Ruby noticed that the sunlight still wasn’t shining on him. If anything, the shadow had grown even larger. He turned to Moyona in confusion.

“No, that’s not me.”

Moyona had already dismissed her spell. As she spoke, she and Ruby both looked up at the sky. There, a black shadow was plummeting toward the earth at a speed nearly too fast to track with the naked eye, about to crash into the ground.

“Earth Magic: Grasp of the Land!”

Moyona tapped her toe lightly on the ground; the once-still earth suddenly trembled as if an ancient giant was awakening. A massive hand of soil, over fifty meters long, burst from the earth, seizing the shadow in its grip.

“So it’s you, Mels.”

Shielding herself with a magical barrier from the gale caused by the impact, Moyona frowned at the giant creature held in her grasp. It was clear she had no desire to see this dragon.

“Rooaaar!”

The black dragon Mels’ eyes sparkled with delight. If not for being trapped by Moyona’s earth magic, he might have leapt forward to nuzzle her. He had been flying nearby when he sensed a familiar magical energy—an energy he could never mistake, having known it so intimately. Upon landing, he was overjoyed to see his long-missed fiancée.

“Speak human language.”

How could Moyona understand the dragon’s roaring? At her command, Mels transformed into the form of a small boy and slipped out through the grasp of the earthen hand.

“My beloved, you’re truly alive! I’ve finally found you!”

Mels shouted with joy, longing to throw himself into his fiancée’s embrace. But Moyona was having none of it; with a snap of her fingers, she cast “Vine Bind,” wrapping the naked boy tightly in magical vines, preventing him from moving forward.

“Mels! Didn’t I tell you I wouldn’t let you off lightly if you appeared before me again?!”

Mels’ way of addressing her grated on Moyona’s nerves. She had warned this little dragon more than once not to call her that, but he never listened.

“Who is he?”

Only then did Ruby speak up. Moyona had expected him to be shocked at the sight of a dragon, but instead he merely asked a simple question.

“Just a brat.”

“A human male? You reptile, stay away from my fiancée!”

It was only now that Mels noticed Ruby, and for no reason at all, he felt a surge of hostility, baring his teeth in threat.

“I see. I didn’t expect you to have such tastes. I’ll leave you two alone.”

Ruby took a step back of his own accord. Facilitating romance was a traditional virtue on Earth; he wouldn’t interfere with the young couple. At that moment, the branch on his head also opened its eyes and cast a mocking glance at Moyona.

“Wait a minute! You actually believe that? Do I look like a pervert to you?!”

Moyona, exasperated, grabbed Ruby’s arm to stop him from retreating, pointing to her own face in protest.

“Love knows no age. At least, that’s what I believe.”

“Tsk tsk tsk, I never imagined you were that sort of Archmage. I misjudged you.”

Ruby and Draggon’s banter nearly drove Moyona mad. No matter what, she didn’t want Ruby to believe there was any strange engagement, and immediately began to explain.

“Listen, he decided on his own that I’m his fiancée. I never agreed to it—quite the opposite, I can’t stand him.”

“In that case, I’d like to hear your story.”

“It was before I became an Archmage. This brat ate my unicorn!”

As Moyona recounted the tale, Ruby grasped the gist of their feud. Back when Moyona was still a Saint Mage, she had been out riding her precious unicorn—her teacher’s gift—when a massive head suddenly appeared from the forest. Caught completely off guard, she watched helplessly as her beloved steed perished in a dragon’s jaws. In a rage, she struck Mels with “Hammer of Thunder,” severely injuring him. If not for the power behind the dragon clan, she would have finished him off completely.

Now, however, she almost wished she had been more ruthless. No one expected Mels to be a masochist; instead of hating Moyona for nearly killing him, he declared his intention to marry her, and had pestered her ever since.

“That’s right. Thinking back to that day—being beaten until every bone trembled with pain—it was pure ecstasy. We dragons adore strong women.”

Mels nodded in agreement.

“A masochist, indeed.”

“Little dragon,” Draggon said, seizing the chance to stir up trouble. He hopped from Ruby’s head onto Mels’ shoulder and began to whisper sinisterly, “I must tell you some unfortunate news: your fiancée has already been subjected to some rather indecent things by my partner.”

“Indecent…?” Mels’ eyes darted between the two of them. Alone together, what else could they have done? His imagination quickly conjured up some inappropriate scenes.

“That’s right. On the very first day they met, my partner forcefully penetrated her body, and when he pulled out, there was quite a bit of blood.”

Draggon had no qualms about fanning the flames, twisting a straightforward healing into something fit for a censorship mosaic.

“Draggon, you bastard! What are you saying?!”

Moyona wanted nothing more than to seize Draggon and use him for firewood. Anyone could read between the lines, let alone a simple-minded dragon.

“Oh? Did I say something wrong? For half a month afterward, didn’t you keep shouting ‘no’ while obediently letting my partner enter your body every day?”

“Damn you, human! I’ll kill you!”

As expected, Mels flew into a rage, reverting to his dragon form. With immense strength, he broke free of the vines and raised a claw larger than a house, bringing it down toward Ruby.