In the end, Morrison and the red-haired girl left. They must have had an urgent mission—urgent enough to travel through the night.

Nighttime in the forest was far more dangerous than daytime. Though nocturnal Monstrous Beasts were fewer than their daytime counterparts, they had night vision. Humans didn’t. Fighting blind always put humans at a disadvantage. Even if magic could replace sight for some, most would still struggle terribly in the dark.

I didn’t know Morrison was here because of the Civira pirates—or Aefina. Nor did I know Ilan had shielded Aefina’s secret.

“Um… Ilan?” I sought him out before bed. I went alone; Aefina was sprawled on her cot, clearly not moving. I’d be back soon anyway.

“Hm? What is it?” Ilan blinked up at me.

I glanced around, ensuring no one was listening. “What did you mean earlier?”

Instead of answering, Ilan thumped his chest. “Do you know who I am?”

Morrison had slipped up earlier, so I wasn’t entirely sure. “The prince of Oranda…”

He cut me off. “Exactly. Everyone has secrets. I won’t pry into yours. Miss Aefina is powerful—causing trouble benefits no one. As long as you don’t oppose Oranda, I won’t stand in your way. Keep this understanding, and we remain friends. What do you say… *Dragonrider*?”

Ilan spoke the last word in an ancient tongue, utterly unlike the modern common language. Few alive today would recognize it. Yet I understood. Did that mean I still had that “all-language mastery” buff?

“I’m no *Dragonrider*. Just a companion…” I was curious how he’d figured it out, but Ilan was right—this arrangement worked for both of us. I dropped it.

“Some *Dragonriders* in history had their partners as mates too. Now go to sleep.” Ilan waved me off.

“Aefina?” Back at the tent, I was surprised to find her sitting up instead of sprawled on the bed.

“Luo Sa. You spoke with Ilan?” She looked up at me.

“Yeah… He knows your secret.” I scratched my head. She looked suspiciously like she was jealous. *Must be my imagination.*

A frown creased her brow. Displeasure flickered in her eyes. Before she could speak, I realized my mistake: I’d gone to Ilan without telling her, then blurted out that her secret was exposed. If roles were reversed, I’d think she’d betrayed me.

I quickly explained everything Ilan and I had discussed, stressing I hadn’t revealed her identity.

“I see…” The displeasure in her eyes faded. Her calmness confused me. Wouldn’t revealing she was a Great Dragon cause chaos?

When I asked, she waved a dismissive hand. “No one would believe it.”

She had a point. It was like someone on Earth pointing at the sky claiming to see aliens—true or not, no one would believe them. As for bards? If you believed their tales, did you also believe a pop-up window would suddenly appear on your desktop while gaming? *What’s with the pop-up window? Do you seek the meaning of life? Do you wish to truly… live?*

The next two days passed without encountering any Monstrous Beasts. Viter’s group called it luck. Ilan and I knew better—Aefina’s presence scared them off. The real reason, however, was Morrison.

Though his mission forced him to leave Ilan behind, he couldn’t ignore the Oranda princess entirely. So he’d quietly cleared Monstrous Beasts from our path ahead. Ilan didn’t know—he’d made the decision on a whim.

Thanks to this, the treacherous deep-forest route became mostly uneventful. *Should’ve been completely safe with Aefina around*, I thought—until our luck ran out. We stumbled upon a nest of Bone Wasps.

Like Earth’s bees, Bone Wasps swarmed. But these weren’t palm-sized insects. Each was as long as a grown man’s forearm. Their stingers were just as monstrous—a single strike could kill.

Their buzzing roar alone was a sonic assault. Thankfully, the noise warned us early. We ran for our lives. For some reason, they fixated on us, chasing us relentlessly until noon.

Other beasts wisely avoided us—Bone Wasps were trouble even for Monstrous Beasts. Without that luck, we’d have needed Aefina’s dragon form to survive without casualties.

Traveling through forests drained stamina. My mysteriously enhanced physique barely kept me going. But today’s frantic sprint? Even that advantage meant nothing.

Ilan and Gray collapsed first. Gray would’ve failed the mission if Leo hadn’t dragged him. Aefina’s support kept me upright—but only just. Granst and Viter sat gasping on the ground. Only Aefina, Norma, and Leo remained standing.

Aefina and Norma were beyond human limits. Leo, however, shocked me. Despite his bulky frame, he’d carried Gray this far and still stood firm. *Fine. I admit you’re a top-tier scout.*

Too exhausted to cook, we chewed on dried meat from our packs. Aefina ignored it completely—she hadn’t even tasted it. The Mithril Edge Adventurers usually cooked fresh meals; they were strong enough to afford the time. But they kept emergency rations like this for days like today.

“Say, Aefina,” I asked, watching her nibble a Brown Fruit. She’d taken a liking to them—they were easy to pick and matched her taste. “Do you know any blessings? Or buffs?”

“No… Why ask, Luo Sa?” She looked puzzled. It was a random question.

“Well… If you could cast a Strength or Stamina blessing, I might actually be useful. You’re always protecting me. I want to handle small things on my own. And today… running for my life while you watched? I didn’t want to look so pathetic in front of you.” Chased like a stray dog—humiliating.

Aefina set down the half-eaten fruit. She turned to me, silent.

“…What’s wrong?” Her reaction unnerved me.

“Luo Sa,” she said softly, disappointment coloring her voice like a child waiting in vain for birthday parents. “Didn’t you promise to protect *me*?”

“I… I…” Her words pierced my chest. I opened my mouth but found no reply.

“You once said I couldn’t use magic. So I proved I could protect you anyway. Even if only within five meters—I never left your side.” *She stayed close… to shield me?*

“Why not seek your own strength, Luo Sa? Through your own effort. If you truly didn’t crave power, I’d protect you gladly. But you *do* want it—yet you refuse to earn it. Is leaning on others so natural to you?”

“My strength came from struggle. I had no one to rely on. From birth, I fought to survive. Nearly died many times. Then I met Mother. She didn’t hate me for being a monster. I was weak then, but I trained—hoping one day to protect her. When human adventurers attacked her… I pleaded for help. For someone to drive them away. No one came. No one heard me. I could only watch her die… and flee like a coward.”

*So that’s why she said cats reminded her of Mother.* Another orphaned dragon. *“Same old trope,”* I couldn’t joke. Her words, her actions—they shattered my heart.

“Now, I can be your strength. I can protect you. But why won’t you strive to grow stronger? Why is it so easy for you to depend on me?” She lifted her gaze. Her beautiful emerald eyes held hope—and disappointment.

Since waking up in this world powerless, I’d abandoned dreams of strength. Unlike isekai protagonists with cheat skills or noble blood, I had nothing. No connections. No legendary artifacts. No devouring powers. No guiding system. *Just… me.*

I’d hoped to be a magic prodigy. Reality? My mana sensitivity was near zero. Too weak to swing a sword, I couldn’t even be an adventurer.

“I…” I wanted to explain. But the words choked me. She wouldn’t understand. We came from different worlds. That kind of power? I could never reach it. And Aefina… she’d never grasp why.

Although Aefina sat right beside me, I could even smell her pleasant scent. But suddenly, I realized the distance between us was immense—so vast that in her eyes, I was a complete stranger.

Seeing I ultimately said nothing, the hope in Aefina’s eyes flickered out like a candle burning to its end.

“Luo Sa is… Sloth.”

“I am… Sloth.”