"By the way... Chriss, wanna see my draconic side...?"

Rayelle sidled up to Chriss and whispered.

Chloe’s presence had faded far away. Rayelle wasn’t too worried she’d find out.

Also, hiding her Dragon Kind traits all the time left Rayelle’s chest a little tight, a bit uncomfortable.

Like holding a secret—she wished someone could share the burden.

Keeping it bottled up hurt.

Provided the someone wasn’t that pervy, scheming sword spirit straight out of a doujin.

"Huh—can I?!"

A flicker of anticipation lit Chriss’s eyes.

"Mm. If it’s you, Chriss, then yeah."

Rayelle murmured and scooted onto Chriss’s big bed.

"Yay."

Seeing the stars in Chriss’s eyes, Rayelle gave a small smile. Amber light flickered in her gaze.

As her magic receded, a chubby dragon tail quietly appeared behind Rayelle.

Along with it came pure-white dragon horns and little wings that fluttered.

"Wow..."

Chriss’s eyes went wide, her face bright with delight.

Clearly, she hadn’t seen a dragon in a long time.

The next second, Chriss hugged Rayelle’s chubby tail to her chest and kneaded it gently.

"Rayelle’s tail is so soft. It feels really nice."

Chriss murmured as she nuzzled it lightly.

Because Rayelle was a young dragon, the scales on her tail weren’t that hard.

Rubbing it had a curious feel somewhere between soft and firm, warmed by her body heat and a faint scent of her own.

"Mmph... that’s enough..."

But her tail was her most sensitive spot. Being stroked and nuzzled like that still made Rayelle feel overwhelmed.

Her limbs kept going weak. She almost collapsed face-first onto the bed.

Chriss noticed the melting look on her face and quickly let go of the tail.

"Was that uncomfortable... sorry."

"It’s fine."

Seeing Chriss’s sincere face, Rayelle couldn’t scold her. She waved it off.

"Oh, right, Rayelle."

"Hm?"

"I heard Dragon Kind live a really long time... are you, like, already thousands of years old?!"

"Uh..."

The question stumped Rayelle.

She didn’t know how old Rigmore was, but by her own count, she’d only been around a few days.

"I... don’t really know."

"Mm, okay."

Chriss didn’t press it. She quietly picked up a pastry from the bed and handed it to Rayelle.

Rayelle took it gladly and ate with contentment.

At the same time, her chubby dragon tail wagged happily, showing its owner’s good mood.

Out the corner of her eye, Chriss noticed the extra-joyful tail and the tiny wings quietly flapping. She couldn’t help a small smile.

"Rayelle, your tail is cute. Kinda like... a little puppy?"

"Pff! Is it...?"

At that comparison, Rayelle almost sprayed crumbs.

Damn.

What a weird comparison.

Do dragons look anything like dogs?

"Mm. The puppy I used to keep wagged its tail just like that when it was happy."

"Eh..."

Rayelle glanced at her cheerful tail and fell into brief thought.

It did... kind of look similar.

But it was just instinct. She couldn’t control it.

Chriss seemed fascinated by the tail. She lay on her stomach, chin in both hands, watching it wag with curiosity.

Rayelle didn’t mind.

If anything, showing her draconic self around Chriss felt the most natural and comfortable.

Sharing her secret with someone made Rayelle happy.

After finishing most of the pastry, Rayelle sat up, looked at the sunny window, and asked, curious.

"Chriss, do you always stay in this room? Don’t you go out for a walk?"

The question put a conflicted look on Chriss’s face.

"My sister says... with my illness, I should stay in the room. If I wander, things might happen."

"But maybe going out for a little air sometimes would be nice..."

"Then... let’s ask her."

Chriss said seriously.

It was clear she was a very obedient kid.

"Alright."

Rayelle nodded. She had no plans to coax Chriss into sneaking out.

She didn’t know the details of Chriss’s condition anyway.

Once Rayelle hid her draconic traits again, Chriss rang the little silver bell on the nightstand.

Soon, footsteps came, and Chloe appeared at the door.

"Want to step out for some air?"

Hearing Rayelle’s suggestion, Chloe pondered a moment, then nodded.

"Alright. An occasional stroll is fine. Chriss’s condition is stable right now."

"Yay..."

A faint smile bloomed on Chriss’s face. She clearly wanted to go out.

"But."

Chloe’s expression turned serious as she looked at Chriss.

"Chriss, thirty minutes max. Then come back right away. Your condition isn’t stable yet."

"Mm."

After Chriss nodded obediently, Chloe turned to Rayelle.

"Rayelle, please look after her. Don’t go too far. Just circle nearby. Bonn City isn’t very safe now. You should’ve heard that with Aerin and at the Adventurers Guild."

"Got it. I won’t take her far."

Rayelle accepted Chloe’s request gladly.

She also knew what Chloe meant by "unstable."

Bonn City, being on the border, had demon agents and Chaos Cultists moving in the shadows.

Beyond that, plenty of outlaws slipped in from war-torn lands. On the surface, the Adventurers Guild and the city garrison kept things calm. But where sunlight didn’t reach, undercurrents were stirring.

"Alright. Go, and be back soon."

Seeing Rayelle’s earnest look, Chloe’s face softened.

"Mm."

Rayelle nodded, took Chriss’s small hand, and whisked her out of Chloe’s sight.

"That child... I still can’t help worrying a little..."

After a pause, Chloe muttered and walked to the window. She took a small silver knife from her robe and drew it across her finger.

Dark-red beads of blood fell onto her shadow. It came alive, wrapped the drops, and turned into a pitch-black bird. It alighted on Chloe’s finger and pecked lightly.

"Go. Watch over them."

"Chirp."

The little black bird dipped its head, lifted off her finger, and vanished into the air.