Chapter 21 : Sorry I didn’t know (1)

Anyway, somehow, Dante ended up getting his hands on a ridiculously awesome dragon scale necklace.

Though it felt like he’d lost something precious, at least now he didn’t have to worry about his scent anymore!
Farewell, obsession. Adios!

Ah, truly a beautiful morning.

The birds were chirping, the flowers were blooming—

On a day like this───

His golden eyes narrowed sharply, and Dante raised both arms high before bringing them down with force.

Whap!!

“──It’s laundry day.”

With a refreshed expression, he shook out the towels, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

He hung the freshly washed clothes one by one along the laundry line strung between two birch trees.

The way he skillfully smoothed out the fabric without a wrinkle suggested this wasn’t his first time.

“Phew, that’s the last of it.”

Wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, Dante murmured to himself.

“[Hard at work from early in the morning, I see. Dante.]”

Turning his head toward the gentle voice behind him, he gave a casual shrug.

“Well, this is my job, after all.”

A snow-white fox stepped lightly across the green grass.

Before he knew it, Yeonhwa had jumped up onto his shoulder, folding one knee to match his gaze. She reached out a paw and lightly tapped Dante’s cheek.

“[Indeed. So, what chores remain? I hope there’s something I can help with.]”

“Haha, I appreciate the thought.”

How could a mere s*ave ask a divine deity to help with mundane chores? That was absurd.

“Besides, all that’s left is tending the flower bed. It’s not difficult, so no need to worry.”

“[Nonsense. As your familiar, I cannot stand idly by while my master works. That would go against my duty as a shikigami.]”

Yeonhwa spoke in a warm, tender voice.

“[And if your refusal stems from the fact that I’m a god, there’s no need for concern. Right now, I am not a guardian deity of the empire—but your familiar.]”

With a slightly pouty expression, she let out a soft whimper and nuzzled her face against Dante’s neck.

Perhaps because she’d struck a nerve, Dante couldn’t help but soften.

“Then… I’ll be counting on you.”

Red, blue, green, yellow, white—every color imaginable.

Behind the Demon Lord’s castle, a beautiful flower garden bloomed in full.

Dante had loved flowers so much that, soon after he began living in the castle, he got Olivia’s permission to cultivate this garden. It had since become his treasured sanctuary, grown and nurtured with great care.

He rolled up his sleeves.

“Alright, let’s begin.”

“[Indeed.]”

They pulled weeds, trimmed branches, and fastened unruly vines to trellises.

For spots that were too high for Dante to reach, Yeonhwa used her fox agility to leap up and secure ropes or adjust the plants.

Their teamwork was seamless.

Afterward, they turned on the whirling sprinkler and watched as water sprayed in all directions, finally settling down under the cool shade of a tree.

“Phew…”

Dante let out a deep breath.

Standing under the hot sun had clearly heated him up, and he flapped his collar lazily while closing his eyes.

Yeonhwa, watching him intently, rested her chin on her front paws and narrowed her purple eyes.

“[Now that I look closely, I don’t recognize that necklace.]”

“This? Oh.”

Dante lifted the black scale dangling from the cord and gave a wry smile.

“Olivia made it for me using one of her scales. Well, technically, I asked her for it first…”

He went on to explain.

“For some reason, Olivia really hates it when she senses someone else’s scent on me. So, I’ve had to be extra cautious when meeting or touching other people.”

“But lately, she’s been more sensitive than ever. So I thought, as a temporary solution…”

He shook the scale gently.

“It’s like a deodorant substitute, I guess. Dragon scales contain a unique magic of their own, and this helps mask any scent that might linger on me.”

“[……It seems that black dragon likes you more than she lets on.]”

“She likes me? Me…? Pfft—puhaha!”

Dante burst into laughter, wiping a tear from his eye.

“You really don’t know Lady Olivia, Yeonhwa. That black dragon, dark inside and out, doesn’t like me—she enjoys teasing me. Besides, I’m her ‘s*ave’—her property. Of course she’d hate having someone else’s scent on what she owns.”

Dragons, as everyone knows, are notoriously possessive of what they consider theirs.

“[Hmm… But from what I can see, the feelings she holds aren’t just simple possessiveness.]”

───Well, not that it matters.

It’s better not to know.

“What?”

“[Ah, nothing. Forget it.]”

Yeonhwa shook her head with a small mumble, just quiet enough that Dante couldn’t hear.

“[In that case, Dante, I should refrain from taking human form within the castle from now on. I wouldn’t want to cause you any trouble.]”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

He bowed his head slightly and let out a breath of relief.

If Olivia ever saw him alone with Yeonhwa in human form… oh gods, he didn’t even want to imagine it.

She’d probably scream something like, How dare that b*tch lay a hand on what’s mine?! and come charging in a storm of draconic fury.

Granted, Yeonhwa had once been a guardian deity of an empire—she wouldn’t go down easily. But who would deal with the aftermath?

As the old saying goes, prevention is better than cure.

It never hurts to be cautious.

Lost in that thought, Dante stared blankly at the sky—when suddenly, he felt a warm touch against his cheek.

“Huh?”

Startled, he blinked rapidly and looked over to find Yeonhwa, now half-transformed into human form, her blue kimono slipping down past her shoulders as she cupped his cheek.

“Didn’t you just say you’d refrain from turning human?!”

Dante looked around nervously, anxious that Olivia might be nearby.

Yeonhwa chuckled softly and tugged at his cheek.

“I said I wouldn’t do it inside the castle, didn’t I?”

“Haah!?”

“No need to worry. I already made sure no one else is around.”

“…Don’ shcaw me lie thash… (Don’t scare me like that…)”

“I know what you’re worried about. You’re hoping I won’t run into that black dragon, aren’t you?”

She’d already pieced together Olivia’s personality from everything Dante had said.

“But Dante, think about it. Don’t they say this?”

She leaned in, locking eyes with his golden gaze, and moved her crimson lips.

“──If you don’t get caught, it’s not a crime.”

…This f*cking fox. What the hell did she just say?