Chapter 46
Ludwig’s Demon King Castle.
“Kyaaah!”
“Oh my goodness!”
Over the past few months, because of Ariella’s influence, the gloomy and heavy air in the castle had changed into something lively.
Even so, a faint chill still lingered in the halls.
But once again, the Demon King Castle was changing. Everywhere became noisy, and small commotions happened one after another.
“D-danger!”
“Waaah, what’s that?!”
As the castle workers screamed in shock—
Thud-thud-thud!
A golden creature ran between them.
It spread its not-yet-fully-grown wings and charged on four legs.
Most demons there had never seen such a creature in their lives.
A dragon.
And not just any dragon—aGold Dragon, a kind that had not appeared in ages.
“Roooaar!”
The dragon roared loudly as it dashed through the castle corridor.
Soldiers and servants cried out and leapt aside.
Whoosh!
The dragon that rushed past them was clearly bigger and healthier than before.
Where its scales had once cracked or fallen out, new ones had grown.
Its entire body gleamed with a shiny golden lustre.
All its wounds had healed completely.
“Hoho! That healing speed surpasses anything I’ve ever seen. As expected of a dragon.”
Even Richmond, who had studied countless creatures, couldn’t hide his admiration.
Tap-tap-tap!
Now free of shackles, the young creature was filled with vitality.
It was as if all its painful years had been erased.
Its inside had changed as much as its outside.
Where once it had been cautious, now curiosity overflowed.
Newfound freedom in its wings and legs burst out as endless energy.
For some, it was too much to handle.
“Uh—wha—?”
The castle’s cook, arms full of supplies, froze in shock.
Rounding a corner, he suddenly saw the dragon charging straight at him.
“Uwaaaah!”
He screamed.
The hatchling’s body had already grown large.
No longer the size of a big dog—it was now like a calf.
A direct collision would definitely injure him.
The Gold Dragon cried out—
“Labo, move aside!”
In just a few days, it had learnt the names of everyone in the castle.
The cook, Labo, froze instead of dodging.
Flap-flap-flap!
Right before hitting him—
Like a rooster taking flight, the hatchling beat its wings hard, lifting off the ground.
Thump!
It kicked off the corridor wall for a nimble boost.
Then, with a twist, it flipped over Labo’s head.
Whoosh!
The wingbeats made such strong wind that Labo’s hair whipped about.
A shadow of the dragon passed over his face.
Thud!
The dragon landed smoothly behind him.
The cook, spared from harm, finally exhaled in relief.
Wiping cold sweat from his forehead—
Step… step…
“…?”
The dragon, about to run again, suddenly stopped.
Labo stiffened under its gaze.
“Wh-what is it, sir?”
He spoke respectfully without meaning to.
Every demon knew how terrifying dragons were, even as hatchlings.
The dragon walked up to him curiously.
Sniff, sniff!
It poked its nose toward the meat he was carrying.
“Labo, what’s that?”
“D-deer meat. It’s tonight’s dinner…”
“Deer? Meat?”
The dragon’s eyes sparkled.
“Is it tasty?”
“Uh, well, that is…”
As Labo hesitated, the dragon’s nostrils flared, and its pupils widened.
“Tasty? It must be tasty! I’ve never tried it, but it can’t possibly not be tasty. Right, Labo?”
Its mouth opened, saliva dripping down.
Between the golden scales, black gaps revealed a red tongue and sharp teeth.
Even though it wasn’t threatening him, Labo’s instincts screamed with fear.
His body went rigid.
The dragon’s head drew closer, close enough for him to feel its breath.
“Hey!”
A loud shout echoed through the corridor.
Both Labo and the dragon turned their heads.
“Ah, Ariella?”
There stood a red-haired girl.
“Contractor!”
Labo felt the urge to run behind her for safety.
He almost forgot all the times she’d let the slime steal his pots.
But someone else got there first.
“Ariellaaaaa!”
Tap-tap-tap!
At full speed, the dragon bounded toward her.
Then it leapt, as if to hug her.
But Ariella twisted her shoulders and dodged smoothly.
The dragon landed awkwardly on the floor.
“Whine… why did you dodge!”
“I told you, didn’t I? You’re not the same as a few days ago. If you crash into me like that, you’ll break my spine!”
The hatchling hadn’t realised just how quickly it had grown.
But instead of sulking, it nuzzled up against her.
“Ariella, you’re warm. I love it.”
“Anyone alive—human or demon—feels this warm.”
“No. You’re different.”
It had said the same thing since their first meeting.
Ariella still didn’t understand why. She didn’t even have unusually high body heat.
“Ugh, and why are you drooling again? And I told you not to bother poor Labo.”
She waved her hand, signalling Labo to leave. He ran away gratefully.
“But Labo always smells delicious.”
“… Don’t say that in front of him. He’ll quit immediately.”
They couldn’t afford to lose a cook.
“And I heard you were bullying the horses in the stable again?”
Besides bothering Labo, the hatchling had caused other trouble.
“W-wait! How did you know that?”
“Do you know how many eyes and ears are in this castle?”
“Wow! Ariella, do you have extra eyes and ears? Amazing!”
He was still like a little child.
Metaphors didn’t work on him.
“Gruib told me everything.”
The kobold butler had been complaining nonstop about the hatchling’s antics.
“I told you not to bully those poor animals!”
“But I like horses. When I rode with you, it was fun! They’re so fast, with their clip-clop sounds. And when they run, they shake so much—it’s exciting.”
The escape across the wasteland had been unforgettable for him.
Since then, he often ran to the stables, wanting to play.
But Ariella’s own horse ignored him, chewing hay without care.
So the hatchling turned to the other horses.
But terrified, they only trembled in corners.
Even fierce demonic steeds couldn’t stand before a dragon.
The stable keeper complained they’d all get nervous breakdowns at this rate.
His words reached Gruib, then Ariella.
“I want to ride a horse again. Run fast, like last time.”
“If you learn to fly properly, you’ll be much faster than a horse.”
“But I can’t fly yet.”
Ariella looked at him silently.
“Why do you have eyes?”
“To see?”
“And a mouth?”
“To eat?”
“Then wings?”
“…To fly?”
She pointed at the wings folded on his back.
“They’re not there for nothing. You’re just young. Give it time. It’s only a matter of when.”
“Really?”
He smiled brightly.
These days, he explored the castle endlessly.
Ariella had only set one rule: don’t go outside. Other than that, she allowed him freedom.
‘He lived chained up all his life… it would be cruel to lock him in a room now.’
Because of that freedom, the hatchling grew cheerful.
Though, he clung to her more than she expected.
‘Well, it’s only temporary. Sooner or later, someone will come to take him.’
Still, in this short time, she had grown fond of him.
Looking into his clear eyes, Ariella stroked his head gently.
He narrowed his eyes and purred happily.
“Want to go up the tower with me again and look outside?”
“Yes! Let’s go!”
Ariella led the way, the dragon bounding after her.
Even as they walked, he chattered nonstop.
“Hey, Ariella, I saw something amazing in the basement! Bones were walking around!”
“Oh, those are skeletons Richmond made.”
“Skeletons? What’s that?”
“Undead soldiers.”
“What’s undead?”
“It means moving even after death.”
“This morning, I ate meat with big bones. Will those bones walk later too?”
“…No, probably not.”
“Why?”
“Because Richmond won’t waste magic on your breakfast bones.”
“Why?”
“Because he hates wasting magic.”
“Why?”
“Because magic is limited.”
“Why?”
“If you think about how magic is formed—”
“Why?”
Their conversation went on like that for a long while.
These were peaceful days.
* * *
For a time, nothing big had happened in the southern Demon Realm.
Then, two shocking rumours began to spread.
One was about Ludwig’s Demon King Territory, long considered a poor wasteland.
The other was about the Fedwick Trading Company, once among the top three in the southern Demon Realm.
“They say the master of the Fedwick Company suddenly disappeared?”
The second rumour spread faster in merchant lands than in Ludwig’s territory.
The company tried to hide it, but when scheduled meetings and events kept being cancelled, the truth could no longer be covered.
But no one yet knew—
Why Bagis Fedwick had vanished.
What consequences it would bring.
Or that behind it all… was Ariella.
Meanwhile, the rumour about Ludwig’s land was harder to believe.
“They say… a Gold Dragon appeared?”
