MADWD 59

Chapter 59

Ariella rode out of the Demon King’s Domain with Ludwig.

Unlike their previous secretive trips, this time it was an official diplomatic mission.

Come to think of it, this is my first public trip outside.

Ariella was attending this meeting not only as Ludwig’s contract partner but also as the official auditor of his territory.

This time, their procession wasn’t small or simple.
A full escort of soldiers followed them in formation, for “protection.”

Honestly, Ludwig alone is stronger than all of them combined.

But a Demon King and his contract partner couldn’t exactly travel alone for an important diplomatic negotiation.

As the convoy left Ludwig’s Domain, the sunny morning instantly turned to night.
Though it was morning, darkness swallowed everything beyond their border.

Ariella had expected this and quietly cast a Light spell.

Fwoosh!

Even without borrowing Ludwig’s power, her glowing orb brightly illuminated their path and moved in sync with their pace.

Ludwig glanced at her with mild amusement.

“By the way… is it a thief?”

“…What?”

“The hatchling.”

“Oh.”

“Why does it keep stealing so many little things?”

They weren’t traveling in a carriage; each rode their own horse.
And with all the time they’d spent together lately, casual conversation came naturally.

Today’s topic was, of course, the golden hatchling.

“I’ve been digging through ancient books about dragon behavior and growth stages,” Ariella said.

“You’ve been studying, huh.”

“Of course. I’m responsible for it, after all. I worry, you know.”

“I thought you were just spoiling it.”

“Excuse me? The kid doesn’t even listen to me! What am I supposed to do?”

Ariella glared sharply at him, her patience clearly worn thin from dragon parenting stress. Ludwig quietly looked away.

“Anyway, it seems that hoarding treasure is instinctive for dragons.”

In a normal environment, a hatchling would be raised in its parents’ lair,
where it would often sneak away with gems or artifacts from their hoard.

“And the parents just… let them?” Ludwig asked.

“Of course not. They discipline them. Firmly.”

Just because it’s instinct doesn’t mean a creature with intelligence can act without restraint.

Since Ariella had unexpectedly become the hatchling’s “parent,” she scolded it whenever it misbehaved.

“It’s still too young to understand what’s okay to take and what isn’t—or what it means for something to belong to someone else. That’s why I have to teach it.”

She had no intention of stopping the dragon’s instinct to collect treasures altogether.
Her role was to draw boundaries and guide it.

“Hm. Still, I worry,” Ludwig muttered. “Not exactly the best environment for raising a dragon.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well… aside from the head butler, none of us are much help. We’ve got demons who’ve never raised a kid, a bookworm fairy, a crazy lich obsessed with experiments, and a violent human—”

“Go on. Say that again.”

“…Never mind.”

“If you’re so relaxed, why don’t you contribute something? You sound like you’re some child-rearing expert—let’s see you come up with a brilliant solution.”

Ludwig silently regretted opening his mouth.

As they bickered, the convoy finally reached the border of the Fairy Forest.

“They’re already here,” Ariella noted, finally stopping her verbal assault.

“Thank goodness,” Ludwig said sincerely.

Even before the scheduled time, both delegations had arrived.

“They really don’t want to get close to each other, huh? Look how far apart they’re standing.”

The air was cold and tense.

Given how viciously they’d been fighting, it would have been strange if they were on friendly terms already.

Ariella’s eyes first caught sight of the fairies.

“That’s the elder in the center,” whispered Philly, who had been quietly following instead of joining their conversation.

On the other side…

“So those are the Ents,” Ariella murmured.

If she hadn’t known in advance, she would’ve mistaken them for normal trees.
But upon closer inspection, their roots weren’t fixed in the ground—they twisted and stretched across the forest floor, pulled out for movement.
Their upper branches resembled arms and shoulders, and their trunks bore ridges and hollows that formed faces.

“As expected, their bodies are completely made of wood. That one looks like a rubber tree, and the one next to it… a spruce?”

Not all Ents looked the same.
Each had distinct features, sparking Ariella’s curiosity and scholarly interest.

But this wasn’t the time for academic study.

“Ludwig,” she said formally.

“Ariella Kapelle Oinos,” she introduced herself, stepping forward.

The meeting began.

After introducing himself, Ludwig left the detailed negotiations entirely to Ariella.

“Thank you both for attending this meeting,” she said, glancing respectfully at the fairy elder and the Ent leader in turn, speaking in the polished diplomatic language she’d mastered as a princess.

“This meeting is meant to resolve the recent conflict wisely, so all sides can achieve their goals peacefully. Furthermore, I hope this marks the start of a strong strategic partnership between Ludwig’s Demon King’s Domain, the Ents, and the fairies.”

Ludwig blinked in surprise.

She sounded completely different from their earlier banter—serious and authoritative.

He realized he had never heard her speak in such an official tone before.

Ariella continued smoothly, steering the discussion with confidence.

“When we began trading herbs, we never expected it to inconvenience the Ents. That was clearly a mistake on our part.”

She was honest about why Ludwig’s domain had volunteered to mediate.
She knew sugarcoating or empty words could easily backfire.

“Though we weren’t directly responsible for the harm caused, we provided the root cause, and for that, I sincerely apologize.”

Her words calmed the tension slightly, and the Ents finally voiced their grievances.

“Those fairies tore off my shoulder branch! How violent can they be?”

“I nearly had my neck broken!”

“My trunk is full of cracks! Every time I move, my small roots get severed! This is outrageous!”

Each Ent spoke bitterly about the pain and damage they’d suffered.

The fairies, however, only mocked them.

“Oh, please. Those branches grow back fast, don’t they? Quit whining.”

“You stupid walking logs. Want us to turn you into firewood instead?”

The plan for a peaceful negotiation wasn’t going well.

The fairies had caused real harm while harvesting herbs, and the Ents were still furious.

Understanding this, Ariella started with sincere apologies, hoping to soothe them first and then find a fair solution.

She planned to offer compensation within reason—and ideally, reconcile the fairies and Ents.

But then…

“Apologize? For what? We were just picking some weeds from the forest!”

The fairies refused to admit any wrongdoing.

Ariella’s headache worsened.

Oh, great. Here comes the migraine.

The argument escalated quickly.

At the forest’s edge, shouts filled the air, accompanied by aggressive gestures.

“Please, everyone! Calm down!”

Ariella gritted her teeth.

Why is everyone acting like this?!

The fairies were seconds away from launching magic, while the Ents swelled their branches and roots, preparing for a fight.

This is about to turn into round two of the war!

Ariella drew in a breath, ready to shout to stop them at all costs.

And then—

“Hey, Ariella?”

A familiar voice called from above, stopping everyone in their tracks.

Whhoooosh!

Ariella’s eyes widened.

A shadow passed over her face.

“You!”

With its golden wings spread wide, a dragon glided gracefully in the sky.

It was the golden hatchling.

What is that brat doing here?!

It was already well past noon.
This wasn’t its usual morning flight—clearly, it was out treasure-hunting again and just happened to spot her.

“Ariellaaaaa!”

The hatchling dove toward her with pure excitement.

Both the Ents and fairies froze, stunned by the sudden appearance of a dragon.

Their reactions couldn’t have been more different.

“D-D-Dragon!”

“It’s a dragon!”

The fairies, especially their elder, screamed at ear-splitting volume.

“It’s going to eat us!”

“Run!”

With a loud flutter of wings, the fairies shot into the air, fleeing deep into the forest.

“Wait! Where are you all going?!” Ariella cried.

The meeting wasn’t even close to finished.
There was no resolution, no agreement.

But the fairies didn’t listen, vanishing into the forest in seconds.

Philly sighed from behind.

“Fairies are terrified of dragons… just like demons are.”

She herself hadn’t been able to approach the hatchling at first, though she’d since realized it was more childish than fearsome.

“Still,” Ariella said, dumbfounded, “isn’t that a bit… dramatic?”

“There’s an old story,” Philly explained. “A fairy once tried to steal from a black dragon… and their entire race almost got wiped out. The thief wasn’t killed but was tormented for centuries.”

“Wow. Guess fairies have always been like that—stealing shiny things.”

The hatchling landed gracefully and began happily hopping around Ariella like a puppy.

“Ugh. Thanks to you, this meeting’s ruined,” she groaned.

They’d have to reschedule, summon the fairies back, and start all over again.

“Ruined? What’s ruined?” the dragon asked innocently.

Ariella could only shake her head.

“Never mind. You didn’t know better. This is just my luck.”

“Wait, Ariella,” Ludwig said suddenly.

“Hm?”

“Something’s wrong.”

Rustle, murmur, rustle…

The Ents hadn’t run away like the fairies.
But they were clearly stirred, whispering urgently to each other.