BSS 96

Chapter 96

The one I pointed to seemed to be the leader of the wolf pack.

Its fur was unusually fluffy, as if it took great care of it, and it had a magnificent mane.

“Undine, take care of him for me.”

The wolves all leapt at me at once, but I was still standing on the ogre’s back, completely at ease.

There’s always that split-second moment, isn’t there?

When swordsmen stare each other down, neither daring to attack, waiting for the other to make the first move.

Because the one who moves first gives the other an opening to strike.

The moment you charge, it’s like the target comes walking to you on its own.

Perfect for delivering a finishing blow.

“Kyaa!”

“Eeek!”

Seven bolts of lightning struck the empty air.

The air heated up instantly from the strong electrical discharge, and where the lightning hit, the wolf corpses lay scattered without exception.

Lightning was an extremely effective weapon for instant kills.

Ador must have misjudged the power again, because the smell of burnt flesh filled the air.

Even my hair…

“Ador, you again!”

[It wasn’t intentional!]

I could forgive the disappearance of my dinner, but setting my hair on fire again was unforgivable.

Now there was an awkward layer in the side of my hair.

“Do you know how many times you’ve burned my hair?!”

Such a troublesome creature!

Even though I scolded him like this, Ador was a spirit with terrifying destructive power, and sometimes the consequences of that power affected me too.

If he attacked something nearby, I’d be caught in the crossfire along with the target.

The sparks and shocks weren’t just for show—they also served as fire prevention.

I ruffled the singed ends of my hair and gestured to Undine, who was devouring the wolves.

“Make sure everything here is taken care of.”

[Yes, Master.]

We couldn’t let the mountain catch fire, so all embers had to be extinguished.

After watching Undine carefully spray water over the scorched areas, I turned to look toward the setting sun.

The sky was painted in golden hues.

The forest was peaceful as ever.

Unbelievably beautiful and vast, filled with such vibrant life that it made breathing a pleasure.

Apart from the fact that I was the only human here, it was actually a fairly livable place.

It had been fifteen days since the kidnapping.

Unintentionally, I was getting used to life in the forest.

Today’s hunt had been successful in many ways.

I had captured the ogre Magi had ordered and also secured dinner for myself and a gift for Rai.

“Magi!”

As soon as I returned to the lair, I looked for Magicos.

If I didn’t feed him on time, he’d get cranky, so feeding him properly was one way to keep the peace.

It wasn’t like I was trying to fatten him up to avoid being eaten. Never.

Clang!

Bang!

Magi’s location hadn’t changed much, so I headed toward the sound of hammering.

This ridiculously large cave had several smaller side caves, mostly used as storage.

Treasure rooms, libraries, frozen storage—things like that.

And one area that seemed unusual compared to other dragon lairs:

A forge.

Inside the forge, a dwarf was hammering away—Magi, of course.

My pet name for him: Magi.

“Magi, eat.”

At times like this, I felt like a caretaker.

But Magi didn’t notice me and was deeply absorbed in hammering and quenching.

Magi truly loved making weapons.

After watching him for about fifteen days, I was starting to confuse whether he was a dragon or a dwarf.

“Magi?”

Too focused to hear me.

I considered going inside, but the forge was unbearably hot, like a sauna.

Magi, of course, didn’t sweat a drop.

Several furnaces were in the forge, and weapons of all shapes and sizes he had made were hanging on the walls.

And in one corner, the rarest of treasures—mithril—was stacked to the ceiling.

Loot from the Empire.

At the time, it had startled me, but thinking it came from the Empire’s unlucky treasure vault now gave me some satisfaction.

[Master! You’ve come to rescue me!]

Rai, spotting me, wagged his serpent tail enthusiastically, so I gave a brief wave.

Rai was tied neatly to Magi’s waist among pliers and hooks as if he were one of the tools.

Apparently, the special alloy Rai made wouldn’t melt in a furnace, so having Rai around made it easy to handle—like cutting a diamond with a diamond.

[Ma-Master? Master! Take me with you too! Master!]

First things first, time for a meal.

[Master!]

Fortunately, Magi was so absorbed in making swords that he barely paid attention to me.

Rai, if given a tool, was happy like a child—so simple-minded.

This meant my main job was supplying mana to Rai, and otherwise preparing Magi’s meals under the guise of “going out.”

Though hunting was more accurate than cooking.

In short, I had almost nothing to do.

Mana would drain if I just stayed still, and I wasn’t some perverted noble who got pleasure from hunting.

I had never been this bored in my life.

“Hmm, maybe I’ll do this today.”

I even dug through Magi’s treasure trove for a readable book.

It was a book on magical theory, written in an ancient language.

Not that I was interested in magic—I was just unbearably bored.

All of Magi’s books were magic-related, so there weren’t many options.

I flipped through the pages, muttering.

“If you’re going to kidnap and imprison someone, you should at least provide some entertainment. There’s nothing to do. Nothing at all.”

Then I realized something unpleasant.

Usually, you wouldn’t need such things, because the victim wouldn’t be allowed to live.

Right, I was just a weak human in front of dragons.

Swallowing my complaints, I rummaged through the storage a bit more.

There was a separate warehouse for jewels; this one was a chaotic mix of miscellaneous goods.

The clothes I was wearing had come from here, enchanted with high-level magic that kept them clean and at a comfortable temperature no matter what.

“What’s this?”

The warehouse contained clothing from unknown races, books, artworks—items whose origins and purposes were often a mystery.

Some familiar human objects were there too: statues, full sets of armor, animal furs. And I had a pretty good idea how they were acquired.

Undoubtedly, through raiding.

Dragons seemed to have a strange but refined sense of collection.

“Oh, these boots look nice.”

I tried on a pair of light brown boots found under the furs.

I liked the pattern, though they were initially the wrong size.

But after a few steps toward the mirror, they shrank perfectly to fit my feet.

Typical of a dragon’s lair.

Everything I picked up was treasure.

It was a shame there were no spirit-related items.

It had been fifteen days since I was stuck deep in the dragon’s lair.

I had picked up a few skills I previously couldn’t do, one of which was preparing raw meat.

Not exactly an essential skill for a lady, but I could now skin and gut rabbits or squirrels and roast them over a fire.

It was sad that instead of “Oh, how cute!” at a squirrel in the forest, I would think, “You’re dinner tonight!” with gleaming eyes.

Hunger makes people cruel, and I was its perfect example.

Magi had told me I could use anything in the treasure room freely, so after picking out a readable book and new boots, I headed cheerfully to the campfire.

By now, the rabbit I had prepared earlier should be cooked.

“Now it smells pretty good.”

I had almost burned it at first, but now it gave off a delicious aroma.

Squatting in front of the fire, I transferred the juicy roasted rabbit to a large metal plate.

Ah, the plate was originally a shield.

I hadn’t found a proper dish in the storage, so this had become my personal plate a few days ago.

It was a finely crafted, luxurious shield, but in Magi’s storage, there were so many like it that I had become indifferent to its value.

“Hot, hot!”

I tore a piece of the steaming rabbit and tried it.

Perfect.

Freshly roasted meat could never taste bad.

Satisfied, I picked up my magical theory book to have a meal companion.