Chapter 8: The Price of Secrecy

The two women gazed at each other for a moment.

Yarlola’s gaze slowly drifted downwards, settling on her own chest. Indeed… they had risen.

‘But this was all the other’s scheme! It was all her fault! She must have tampered with her body when she was touching her earlier!’

Yarlola clutched her chest, crossing her legs protectively. Eileen was definitely trying to humiliate her.

“You dragons! Do you all enjoy humiliating others so much?!”

Eileen tossed a set of clean clothes towards her.

“Humiliation? Was I not the one who saved you? Is this how you humans speak to your benefactors?” Eileen watched her with a hint of admiration, surprised she had chosen such a method to end her own life.

“Loyal humans, to keep a secret, can be so ruthless to themselves.”

“Despicable dragons! To satisfy your selfish desires, you resort to such vile methods!”

Both spoke simultaneously. Hearing each other’s words, they both paused, momentarily stunned.

“What did you say?” they echoed.

“Don’t copy me!” they both exclaimed.

Eileen and Yarlola opened their mouths at the same time, yet by some unspoken understanding, no sound escaped them.

Eileen raised an eyebrow slightly. ‘Why is this person just like that one in the water earlier, only capable of mimicking me?’

“You shut up. Let me speak first.” Eileen waved a hand, and an invisible force sealed Yarlola’s mouth shut.

“Are you saying that the flames within you were implanted by our dragon race?” Eileen released Yarlola’s mouth.

“Besides you, who else could be so proficient with fire?” Yarlola glared intensely at Eileen. “If you want to kill me, then kill me. Using such contemptible methods only makes you seem laughable.”

Eileen observed Yarlola, sensing she wasn’t lying. But still.

“Our dragon race doesn’t stoop to such contemptible methods, and I’ve already asked the guards. No one has touched you since you entered the dungeon,” Eileen continued. “If it truly were our doing, why would I have bothered to save you?”

“Who knows what twisted hobbies you dragons might have.”

If neither of them was lying, then only one possibility remained.

“What if this thing was already inside you before you entered the dungeon, or rather, before you even came to our territory?” Eileen suggested.

“What? Do you think we humans are as despicable and shameless as you dragons? That we’d stop at nothing for victory?” Clearly, Yarlola refused to believe a word Eileen said.

In fact, as dragon slayers, they shared a blood feud with dragons. How could they possibly trust their words based on a one-sided account?

‘…Does this person truly believe I won’t do anything to her? Every other word is an insult to the dragon race.’

Eileen understood. She no longer expected humans to believe her words, nor did she wish to waste any more breath on this particular human.

She had saved her purely to gain more information, and out of respect for her attempt to preserve her final dignity through suicide.

However, now that she knew it was merely a misunderstanding, Eileen felt no need to grant her any further deference.

Yarlola looked around at her surroundings. “You brought me to this kind of place. What do you intend to do to me?”

Due to the vast differences between dragons and humans, humans only required a small scalpel to cut through skin.

Dragons, however, were different. Even beneath their human-like skin, a layer of scales lay hidden, which ordinary scalpels simply couldn’t penetrate.

Therefore, dragon infirmaries were typically furnished with large knives and axes, appearing more like a slaughterhouse to human eyes.

“I told you, this is the infirmary,” Eileen said, a hint of impatience in her voice.

Her patience was reserved solely for Faltis.

“Your infirmary has axes and cleavers? This looks like a slaughterhouse no matter how you look at it, doesn’t it?” Yarlola became even more convinced that the silver dragon before her was a complete liar.

Not a single word she spoke could be trusted.

Eileen felt there was simply no common ground for communication between them.

She promptly produced a pair of handcuffs and shackled Yarlola’s wrists.

“Finally showing your true colors, are we?!”

Eileen had never encountered such a talkative captive before. Just as she was about to escort Yarlola away, the infirmary door swung open.

A wounded dragon rushed in.

Judging by her attire, she resembled the guards who had been watching the dungeon.

“Lady Eileen?” She seemed confused as to why Eileen was present. Intense pain still radiated from the claw marks on her chest, and blood continued to drip onto the floor.

After ensuring Yarlola was secured, Eileen approached the dragonkin.

Such wounds could not have been inflicted by a human.

Most likely, she had lost in the competition for a squad leader position.

“Did you lose?”

“Yes, my skills were inferior.” The dragonkin offered no further explanation.

Eileen hooked a great axe with her tail. “This might hurt a little. Try to bear with it.”

“Understood.” The guard closed her eyes.

Among dragons, there was no such thing as anesthesia. A dragon’s natural resistance was incredibly powerful; any substance capable of truly anesthetizing a dragon would be a lethal weapon to other creatures.

Clang!

The great axe struck the guard’s shoulder with a resounding crash.

Dragon-level scales were not something an ordinary person could cleave.

But Eileen possessed extensive experience. She pressed her hand onto the back of the axe, then infused it with magic.

Hiss!

Clotted blood, accumulated within the wound, spurted out.

Eileen, quick as a flash, swiftly disinfected the wound and applied medicine.

The great axe, having been infused with magic, was now rendered useless, unable to withstand the immense power.

“My apologies, Lady Eileen!” The guard noticed her blood had stained Eileen’s maid uniform.

“It’s nothing, just a piece of clothing.” Eileen paid it no mind. “However, there is a question I wish to ask you.”

“What is it?”

“As a dungeon guard, you should know something about interrogation, shouldn’t you? I wanted to ask, what exactly does interrogation entail?” Eileen inquired.

As Faltis’s personal maid, this was her first time dealing with such matters, and her first time even encountering the term. Her understanding of the concept of interrogation was somewhat vague.

“Interrogation?” The guard pondered for a moment before offering her conclusion. “Interrogation is about using every possible method to make the other party speak. The process isn’t important. Whatever method it is, as long as you get the information, it’s a good method.”

“Using every possible method?” Eileen mused, deep in thought.

‘Since the outcome is what matters, then the process is mine to choose.’ Eileen also had her own areas of expertise. “I understand. You should go rest now.”