Chapter 10 …
Lysianthus saved Sweet Pea.
Lysianthus avenged Sweet Pea.
Lysianthus even took Sweet Pea away from the village.
In other words, he had already done quite a lot for a meaningless little companion forced upon him by the gods. Yet this tiny bean-sized partner kept sneaking glances at him as if he were utterly incompetent. In the end, Lysianthus had to pretend not to notice when Sweet Pea snuck down into the village and stole a basket lying in the marketplace.
For the first time, he felt shame and humiliation at the vulgar capitalism of humans.
Walking away from the village gate with Sweet Pea, Lysianthus didn’t bother hiding his foul mood and scowled openly. Limping along to match his stride, Sweet Pea glanced at him nervously before carefully speaking up.
“Are you all right, Lysan?”
“…And what are you trying to say now?”
“You’re a dragon, and dragons aren’t like humans, so of course you wouldn’t have money. I understand.”
“Kid, I don’t need your understanding.”
“You can just call me Sweet.”
“We aren’t close enough to use such endearing nicknames, are we?”
Sweet Pea dropped his gaze to the back of his hand as Lysianthus spoke in a tone that was both mocking and strangely gentle.
Still, wasn’t being companions a special kind of relationship? Of course, since Lysianthus hadn’t wanted a partner in the first place, he probably found it unpleasant…
But even so, Lysianthus had gone along with everything Sweet Pea asked for. He had accompanied him to the village. He had waited while Sweet Pea ran off with a stolen basket.
Somehow, all of this seemed terribly humiliating to him…
“What’s so funny that you’re grinning like that?”
Sweet Pea was in high spirits.
“I’ve never stolen anything before, but Madam Mago used to hit me whenever something went missing, saying I stole it.”
“…”
“But now I actually stole something, and no one’s hitting me. It feels amazing.”
As Sweet Pea laughed brightly, Lysianthus gave no reply or reaction.
Still, he couldn’t help thinking that the sound of his laughter was rather pleasant—like a sparrow’s chirping. While enjoying it for a moment, he suddenly noticed that Sweet Pea had been overexerting himself to keep up. Even without the boy’s injured leg, their difference in stride length was too great.
Though he found it bothersome, Lysianthus silently slowed his pace. Sweet Pea couldn’t have missed it. Startled by how noticeably slower he’d become, he said nothing, but kept it to himself.
Good. That means he doesn’t completely dislike me or find me a nuisance.
Sweet Pea knew well enough that if someone truly hated and resented him, they would never make such a concession.
“Lysan, I think this is far enough.”
Once they had reached a place far from the village, Lysianthus offered his foot. Sweet Pea climbed onto it, and in an instant Lysianthus shifted into his dragon form and soared into the sky.
Sweet Pea clung desperately to his ankle for fear of falling, but once the dragon’s body steadied at a certain altitude, he finally relaxed enough to sit on the broad foot.
『Where shall we go now?』
Sweet Pea opened his eyes in surprise, still hugging the dragon’s ankle.
“Wait—did you just ask me?”
『Then who else is here besides you, kid?』
It was strange to have someone asking his opinion.
Then again, Lysianthus had always granted his requests. He broke Chris’s arm. He burned down the village.
Not out of affection, surely. But still, he wasn’t like anyone else Sweet Pea had ever known.
Get a grip, Sweet Pea!
He wasn’t human. He was a being who could kill humans without hesitation.
To feel reassured just by glimpsing a softer side of such a creature—how pathetic!
Shaking himself, Sweet Pea blurted out the first idea that popped into his mind.
“I want to go to the capital—or at least a big city. I’ve never been to one.”
Lysianthus said nothing. But Sweet Pea, who was beginning to get used to him, sensed that the silence meant agreement.
Unlike the short trip from his old village to the coastal town, this journey was long.
Riding on a dragon’s foot might sound easy, but reality was different. The scales beneath him were hard and unyielding, making his backside sore. If he slipped even slightly, he’d plummet. He had to sit upright, clinging tightly to the huge ankle the whole time, his body aching from tension.
Of course, the one actually flying was Lysianthus, so he had it far worse…
Still, whenever Sweet Pea spotted a beautiful flower, Lysianthus descended so he could pick it. Thanks to those breaks—and his swift flight—the trip didn’t feel unbearable.
By sunset, they reached the capital and headed into the crowded streets. Unlike his little village, the splendid buildings dazzled Sweet Pea’s eyes, but he couldn’t simply lose himself in sightseeing.
“Kid, what exactly are you planning to do here?”
Having already reverted to human form far from the capital, Lysianthus limped along behind him and asked.
“What else? Sell flowers.”
“You’re actually serious?”
“Of course.”
So the brat really was determined.
“We need money for an inn tonight, don’t we?”
“…”
“Oh—I didn’t mean to make you feel bad, Lysan.”
“I don’t take cues from you.”
At his curt reply, Sweet Pea gave an awkward smile.
Right, there’s no way a dragon would feel self-conscious because of me.
He must’ve been imagining it when he thought Lysianthus glared at him at the mention of money.
Still, every time Sweet Pea plucked flowers from someone’s garden, Lysianthus looked utterly disgraced. Once worshiped as a god, he seemed deeply ashamed to be complicit in petty theft.
Meanwhile, Sweet Pea felt exhilarated. Even when he hadn’t done wrong, he’d been beaten for Chris’s misdeeds. Now, after real wrongdoing, no one scolded or hit him. Only now did he realize how suffocating his old life had been. Now, at last, he was free.
But freedom required a price.
“F-flowers for sale! Flowers!”
Sweet Pea awkwardly tried to peddle his basket of blooms, tugging at strangers’ sleeves. Lysianthus stayed well away, pretending they weren’t together. His reddened ears betrayed his embarrassment.
Still, if they wanted a warm inn tonight, they’d need to sell at least twenty flowers…
Because Madam Mago had once run both a tavern and an inn, Sweet Pea at least knew this much.
A few people pitied his limp and bought some, but most avoided him altogether.
At least no one openly mocked or despised me…
Having sold only five flowers, he approached two women chatting as they passed.
“Excuse me—”
They turned, smiling at each other.
“Would you like to buy—”
But Sweet Pea couldn’t finish. One of them covered her nose and scowled in disgust.
“…”
Seeing his frozen expression, the two women exchanged glances and giggled. Their eyes were like those staring at some filthy animal. His proud voice vanished as if someone had clamped a hand over his mouth.
The cold water of reality doused his illusion that freedom meant he could do anything.
“Sorry, but could you step away from us?”
“I-I’m sorry…”
He stumbled back hastily—only to trip and fall.
“Ah—!”
Instinctively, he reached forward.
But of course, those women would never catch him. Just as he braced for pain, a strong hand gripped his shoulder.
Blinking, he saw Lysianthus’s upside-down face.
“Stand straight.”
“Y-yes!”
Propped up by Lysianthus’s hand, Sweet Pea quickly regained his balance.
I thought he’d just keep ignoring me…
He hadn’t expected him to step in. And somehow, it didn’t feel bad to be helped. But his attention quickly shifted back to the women, who now stared wide-eyed—not at him, but at Lysianthus.
They were practically dazed.
“This is exactly why humans…”
Sweet Pea elbowed him sharply in the ribs. At his puzzled look, Sweet Pea shot him a warning glance and spoke in an odd tone.
“Aren’t they beautiful ladies, Lysan?”
“By my standards…”
Seeing Sweet Pea’s frantic gestures urging him to agree, Lysianthus sighed and relented.
“Yes, they’re very beautiful.”
And then, astonishingly, the women’s attitudes changed at once.
They openly showed their interest in him and bought every flower in Sweet Pea’s basket. Even as they walked away, they kept turning back to gaze at him.
Having witnessed this miracle, Sweet Pea was certain.
This is it. This is the way.
Use beauty to sell flowers!
“Lysan.”
“No.”
“You don’t even know what I was going to say!”
“I want nothing to do with…”
“Humans’ vulgar obsession with money, right?”
The problem was, Lysianthus was far more stubborn than expected. Winning him over would take time.
“Anyway, let’s find an inn before it gets too late.”
As soon as Sweet Pea finished speaking, Lysianthus started forward—but then stopped, and adjusted his stride to match Sweet Pea’s once more.
Even as he scowled, he continued to accommodate him, and Sweet Pea thought to himself that today hadn’t been such a bad day after all.
