Chapter 37

Did this omega have no sense of shame? How could they try to seduce someone by bringing their face so close in broad daylight?

Asad could only open and close his mouth without forming words.

As if sensing his bewilderment, the human pulled their head back and again pretended to be mature in that contemptible way.

"It's alright. You're just anxious, right?"

At that gentle voice as if soothing a child, Asad barely swallowed the words that had risen to the tip of his tongue.

What anxiety? The only thing that's loose is your sense of chastity.

Though it would absolutely never happen, if this human became his bride, he could clearly see how much trouble they would cause him. How could he sleep at night from anxiety?

Anyway, thanks to the human's outrageous behavior, Asad regained his reason.

'I almost killed them too easily.'

Asad knew his personality was different from other dragons.

Previous dragons all had personalities cold as blades. However, Asad easily became angry or depressed, and acted impulsively.

Still, this time he had found his reason before doing something irreversible. Even magic couldn't bring back the dead.

Magic was the gods' gift to dragons. A power that could change the world's laws through will.

Magic could turn sand to gold and create rain clouds in dry skies. However, since this powerful force could throw the world into chaos, the gods had put safety measures in place.

Those were the restrictions.

"..."

Though the human kept talking to him, Asad chose silence. He thought speaking would only raise suspicion.

The human, knowing nothing, was trying to persuade their guard.

'But...'

This human... why had they been trying to send him away from this forest?

Shouldn't a guard naturally help hunt magical beasts and protect the bride candidate? Yet this bride candidate was acting as if they were trying to protect their guard instead.

'Are they doing this because they think I'm their lover?'

Bringing a lover was absurd enough, but not even having them perform guard duties? Truly, everything they did was astounding.

Originally, Asad was the type who wouldn't even look if someone stripped naked and danced strangely before him. Yet something about this human's actions was so astounding that they kept drawing his attention.

Was this also because of his hatred for humans? Had his hatred grown so large that even their smallest actions irritated him like thorns stuck in his fingers?

Asad looked at the human.

'...Why did they put on such thick makeup?'

He hadn't noticed from far away, but up close the powder smell was enough to hurt his nose. Looking closely, the skin looked thick and stifling, as if wearing almost a mask rather than makeup.

Asad clicked his tongue inwardly.

The ones they brought as servants were quite unsatisfactory too.

The one brought as a guard, far from guarding, had fainted from eating something random. The other servant seemed to have no makeup skills, making a mess of the face.

'Why did they do such unnecessary things?'

Actually, wouldn't that face be fine without anything applied?

Asad stared intently at the face while letting the human's earnest words wash over him... no, he was observing.

The sunset light played over the white face. The omegas Asad knew, except for the horned tribe, were all willowy like willow branches, looking as if they might fly away in the wind. However, this human didn't quite fit such a description. Though neither large in build nor broad-boned, they had a sense of strength about them.

Was it because of those eyes?

The black eyes reflecting Asad were transparent like glass. Yet at the same time, they looked so firm as if they would never break.

So Asad...

'Ah.'

For a moment his mind went white. As if someone had spilled white paint over a painted paper. Thanks to this, Asad came to his senses as if doused with cold water.

'What was that just now?'

He felt like he had been about to think something... but couldn't remember.

He felt strange. It was different from the anger that always resided in his heart. Rather, it was closer to the emptiness felt after having a 'nightmare.'

Why was he feeling this way when he hadn't even had a nightmare?

However, since that wasn't important right now, Asad set aside his doubts. Because the human had finally started moving toward the magical beast.

Hadn't he come here expecting what was about to happen? He couldn't miss the show.

'Hmm?'

Just then, something touched the toe of his shoe.

Looking down, he saw a glowing orb lying on the ground.

It was a familiar object to Asad. A magical tool for returning that would transport the user to a safe place when used. Wasn't it something he had made himself at Jet's request?

Asad's gaze moved to the human's pocket. Sure enough, the bottom of their upper pocket was torn. It must have caught on a branch somewhere.

'Hmm.'

Asad calmly walked past the orb. This too must be their luck.

Shortly after, he used invisibility magic and settled in a tall tree where he could best observe the situation.

Though he expected to see the human screaming and making an unsightly spectacle soon... the human fought surprisingly well.

No, not only did they fight well, but they seemed completely unafraid. Unlike the tailed tribe bride candidate who couldn't even flee as their legs had given out.

Unless one was from the guardian corps, reactions like the tailed tribe bride candidate's were normal.

Even well-trained spirits fell into panic from fear when actually facing magical beasts. It was because of the evil energy magical beasts emitted. However, this human was acting as if they couldn't feel the evil energy at all.

It might be understandable when shooting arrows from afar, but shouldn't they be scared when the magical beast they thought dead came back to life and attacked them? Yet even while being dragged along with their ankle caught by tentacles, the human maintained their composed expression to the end.

Thinking surely they wouldn't keep this up, Asad continued watching. He had been so focused that he even flinched unconsciously when the magical beast's tentacles struck the human.

'Why interfere there?'

He hadn't acted first because he hadn't expected the human to help the tailed tribe bride candidate.

A faint crease appeared in his beautiful brow.

'Surely they're not dead?'

It wasn't that he was worried about the human. It would just be troublesome if they died now. He hadn't dragged this out just to kill them so easily.

He had planned to use that magical beast to torment the human just short of death. To keep them alive while continuously feeling terrible pain.

'They can't die now.'

Fortunately, the human was alive. They seemed to have blocked the attack well with their shield.

However, perhaps guessing they couldn't face the magical beast after that attack, the human searched the pocket where the orb should have been. Asad, already knowing nothing was there, quietly watched.

He thought he would finally see the sight he had so longed for.

For a moment, he saw the human's face stiffen. They had realized the orb was missing. Though they checked other pockets as if in disbelief, the orb never appeared.

Of course it wouldn't. That orb had fallen to the ground earlier.

'Will they try to run?'

However, it would be impossible with the state of their ankle. Even if their ankle had been fine, they wouldn't be able to escape the magical beast's tentacles at human speed.

'Will they cry...'

Asad imagined the human wailing. Though they had endured well until now, surely this was their limit? It was a situation where anyone would find it strange not to despair.

However, the human didn't cry.

They didn't scream or try to run away.

The human rose unsteadily and faced the magical beast directly. Their eyes were calm.

Someone who had given up or fallen into despair couldn't have such eyes. It was so unbelievable that he doubted what he was seeing was real.

'...What is wrong with that one's head?'

At this point it wasn't fearlessness but brain damage. Did they not care if they died? But if that were the case, they wouldn't try to fight. They would have given up everything and found peace long ago. He couldn't understand at all.

Finally, the magical beast's attack began. Though the human seemed skilled in combat, how long could they last against a magical beast with poor weapons and an injured body?

Soon the human fell to their knees. The magical beast's attacks rained down mercilessly upon them. Though each strike had enough force to kill with one hit, they avoided fatal blows thanks to Asad moderating the impacts somewhat to let some of the damage slide off.

Even so, the human quickly became battered all over.

The sight of them writhing, unable to resist anymore, was certainly what Asad had been expecting. So seeing this should have made him feel good.

Wasn't the human he so hated and despised suffering? He should have been laughing uncontrollably.

Yet why...

Asad couldn't understand why he felt so intensely unpleasant.