Chapter Seventeen: Allow Me, Lu, to Teach You How to Become a Dragon

Several days had passed since Mels had settled in. Although Mayona still didn’t treat him kindly, she tacitly allowed him to sleep in the small cabin, which, after all, had a bed and offered some shelter from the elements.

"Wrong answer," came the gentle rebuke.

By the beautiful lakeshore, Ruby was instructing Mels on proper values—a human teaching a dragon how to behave like a dragon. No matter how one looked at it, the scene was peculiar. Mayona, holding her fishing rod, kept glancing over at them.

"Eh? I can’t eat it?" The black dragon boy's eyes were filled with confusion. Ruby had posed a simple multiple-choice question: If a traveler on horseback appeared before you when you were hungry, what would you do?

A, eat both the person and the horse. B, eat only the horse, leaving the person. C, eat the horse after getting the owner’s permission. D, give up and go look for wild game.

"Isn’t it because you ate Mayona’s unicorn that she’s been holding a grudge against you? Didn’t you learn anything from that?" Ruby patiently guided the young dragon. Mels had chosen B without hesitation—only because human flesh wasn’t tasty. Ruby, knowing the black dragon’s character, had deliberately offered two acceptable answers; either C or D would have sufficed. But it was clear the dragon’s worldview was not so easily altered.

"Boring!" Frustrated, the black dragon did what any child does when faced with something unpleasant—he tried to escape. He reached into the snack box Ruby had brought, hoping that something tasty would at least pique his interest.

"Those are my snacks."

"They’re mine now," Mels declared, snatching a piece of cake. But just as he was about to take a bite, he froze. At some point, countless sharp ice lances had materialized around him, the nearest already pressed against his throat. The caster, of course, was the ruthless young Archmage.

"When you take from others, you should also consider what it feels like to be robbed—just like this," Ruby said, snatching the cake from his hand and taking a delicate bite, while Mels shot her a look full of resentment.

"You may have the power to take from others by force, but those stronger than you can just as easily rob you. You can't always judge someone’s strength by appearance. If it’s a trap, you’ll walk right into it without hesitation."

Ruby’s advice was well-intentioned. In truth, it wasn’t hard for clever humans to outwit dragons; there was even a historic case of successful dragon-slaying on the Holy Continent. The conspirator had spread word of his vast wealth—enough gold to pave an entire town. Before long, a dragon arrived, only to be ambushed by hundreds of prepared mages. It was a premeditated act, but one couldn’t simply call it human treachery; rather, it was the dragon’s own arrogance that led to its downfall. Afterward, dragons grew somewhat wiser, and at least stopped plundering so brazenly.

"But we dragons are supposed to plunder," Mels protested, invoking the ancestral creed. All intelligent races on the Holy Continent were raised knowing that one day they might be robbed by a dragon; it was an unspoken rule.

"Even plundering has its boundaries. For example, suppose an ordinary man’s mother falls ill, and he spends all his savings to seek a healer. If you appear and take his money, causing his mother to die for lack of treatment, can you really say her death has nothing to do with you?"

"I..." The black dragon was speechless. Even his skewed values couldn’t justify claiming innocence.

"In fact, dragons have never preyed on the weak without cause—unless their possessions were truly irresistible. Usually, they target wealthy families. Figuring out who is rich is up to your own investigation. Use your shapeshifting abilities to blend into human society, find the opportunity, and strike when the time is right. Rushing in blindly, as you do, won’t work."

"Hey, isn’t your lesson going off track? Why are you teaching this brat how to rob people?" Mayona had been nodding approvingly at Ruby’s teaching until she noticed something was wrong. She broke into a wry smile.

"I’m not so arrogant as to think I can change the habits of an entire race. Anyway, in every world, there are nobles swimming in wealth. If they lose some to a dragon, so be it. I’m sure they’d be more than willing to donate their fortunes to a mighty dragon," Ruby said, openly betraying the interests of the nobility. If anyone heard this, she’d probably be executed, but Mayona merely chuckled.

"Enough about robbery; let’s talk about killing. What Mayona dislikes most about you is your disregard for human life, your willingness to slaughter the innocent on a whim."

"So if I never kill a human again, will my fiancée accept me?"

"I doubt it. I’m not saying you must never kill, but rather that you should learn to distinguish who deserves death and who doesn’t."

"You can do that?" The black dragon’s worldview was shattered yet again. This human, after teaching him how to rob, was now teaching him about killing. He began to suspect Ruby was a dragon spy among humans—if dragons even had the brains for that.

"Though I am human, some people simply deserve to die—for example, those who threaten your safety. You said yourself that every part of a dragon is valuable, so greedy people will inevitably try to hunt you. There’s nothing wrong with killing such people; once they set foot on that path, they’re prepared for death."

"Is that so? My fiancée won’t be upset if I kill those people?" After this guidance, the black dragon had a clearer idea of what he could do in the future, though what mattered most was whether his fiancée would be pleased.

Mayona didn’t answer. She simply turned to face the tranquil lake, her silence implying agreement. She had little sympathy for desperados who hunted dragons for their treasures; such people, if killed, had only themselves to blame.

"Still, you’re surprisingly upright for a human. Shouldn’t you be siding with your own kind?"

"Humans are inherently incomplete beings; their internal conflicts surpass those of any other race, no matter the world," Ruby replied, gently patting the young dragon’s head. Mels couldn’t understand her words, but Mayona did. Just as she was about to say something, a dark shape leaped from the water.

With a splash, "Ruby... pfft!"

Once again, the same mermaid leapt forth at the same angle, only to slam into Mayona’s swiftly conjured magical shield. Aqua crashed into it, flattening her nose.

"It’s you again! Why do you always ambush me with your shield?" Aqua whined, rubbing her bruised nose. She’d meant to leap into Ruby’s arms, but Mayona had ruined her plans yet again.

"Sorry, I thought something filthy was coming out," Mayona replied, though her face showed not a trace of apology—only disdain, especially after recalling the days she’d used mermaid bathwater, which made her disgust even more apparent.

"You—you... Wait, there’s someone new here—a man," Aqua’s anger shifted as she noticed Mels. Posing in thought, she considered her options.

"Don’t tell me you’re thinking of mating with him?"

"Well, he’s a dragon. We mermaids have never mated with dragons before. Too bad he’s still a child," Aqua said with disappointment, shaking her head. Aside from Ruby, Mels was the second male she’d seen, but after some thought, she decided to leave him alone.

"You were really considering it? He’s just a kid, you disgraceful fish!"

"What’s that supposed to mean? You may control Ruby, but must you meddle with every man?"

"Don’t bother, my heart belongs to my fiancée," Mels declared with conviction. He’d realized the mermaid had designs on him, but as a steadfast young dragon, he remained true and earnestly rejected her.

"Ugh... You scoundrel," Aqua retorted, seizing the upper hand. She glanced at Mayona’s darkening face, her laughter twinkling at the corners of her eyes, her tone insufferable.

"I think you need a lesson—by force!"

"Not so fast—Ruby, shield!" Aqua called, using a water leap to jump onto Ruby, hugging his waist with a defiant shout. "Go on, if you dare, blast us both to bits!"

"Despicable mermaid!" Now Mayona was caught off guard. Not wanting to hurt Ruby, she had no choice but to abandon her archmage dignity and grab Aqua’s beautiful tail for a good old-fashioned brawl.

"Why are you dragging me? Go live happily ever after with that dragon! Ruby’s mine now—unless you want to two-time both of us?"

"I told you it’s not like that!"

"Oh, she took the bait," Ruby murmured, ignoring the bickering pair. He picked up the fishing rod Mayona had set aside and, with a gentle tug, soon hauled a large fish onto the shore.

"Inbustin!" he proclaimed.

"Are you still naming fish?" Mayona exclaimed.

And so, as always, Mayona ended up carrying the large fish named Inbustin home at Ruby’s command, panting from exhaustion—leaving Mels utterly stunned. Clearly, Mayona wasn’t suited for hauling fish, so why did she obey Ruby? Could it be that he was stronger than Mayona? Did that mean the hierarchy was Ruby > Mayona > Mels? The black dragon’s mind was in turmoil until Ruby called him to dinner. Only the delicious fish feast could begin to mend his bruised little heart.

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PS: Recruiting underlings is not an option.