Chapter 27: The Aftermath of Three Days

Dawn broke on the fourth day.

Leaning against a stone pillar, Theresia was the first to awaken. She made no haste to dress, instead resting her swollen belly against the cold stone, a cylindrical Dragon’s Breath candy clutched between her lips, lost in contemplation about her life.

After three days of arduous struggle, the Dragon God’s curse had once again receded. Her mind felt clearer than it ever had before.

Theodore lay beside her, equally devoid of clothing.

He was still unconscious, his body a canvas of black and blue bruises, clearly bearing the marks of immense torment.

His bruised form silently testified to Theresia’s cruelty.

Yet, Theresia had her own grievances. She, too, had suffered greatly. Beyond her currently swollen belly, filled with fluid, her spirit felt utterly ravaged.

Physically… just because a Black Dragon’s recovery abilities were strong and she had returned to normal, it didn’t mean those events hadn’t happened.

Her body had been covered in teeth marks, handprints, and cylindrical indentations!

He was an absolute beast!

‘If I turn into a woman, I’ll let my brother have his fun first. I’ve been a good enough friend.’

Theresia turned her head to look at Theodore. Though she had seen him countless times over the past three days, with her consciousness fully restored, even a single glance now brought back those three unbearable memories.

She never imagined she could be so… adventurous! She had tried everything from succubus lore to positions from her past life. Especially on the third day, she had largely been the one guiding Theodore.

She wanted to die.

Another look would surely kill her!

Theresia shakily rose to her feet, first addressing the issue of her swollen belly. Though she felt some sensations, her ‘sage mode’ prevented her from being swayed.

After retrieving water from her spatial ring to clean herself and Theodore, Theresia wrapped herself tightly in her clothes.

Even after being doused with water, Theodore showed no signs of waking. Had Theresia not used an Elven scroll to ascertain his condition, she might have thought of building a hero’s tomb for him.

Theresia merely wrapped Theodore in a large blanket.

She dared not have any skin-to-skin contact now, lest it cause her to faint a second time.

Theresia prepared to leave with Theodore, as originally planned.

Despite her resolve, a panicked Theresia nearly got lost in her self-modified cave. It took her a full half-hour to find the spatial teleportation array she had buried under the rubble.

The battle had indeed been fierce.

Without hesitation, Theresia activated the magic array, and in a flash of white light, vanished from the cave.

****

They reappeared inside a residence in a small town just outside Dragon Island.

This was a property Theresia had acquired through several layers of identity, specifically prepared for this day.

Carefully placing Theodore on the soft bed, Theresia then retrieved a spatial ring from the room and placed it beside his pillow.

This spatial ring contained her… ‘travel expenses’—no, the remaining payment for his employment.

She took out a memory-erasing scroll, released its magic, and reset Theodore’s memories to three years ago.

Next, she approached the desk. Theresia began writing furiously on a blank sheet of paper: “Your technique was impressive; consider this your reward. These past three days you…”

“What am I even writing?!”

Theresia belatedly tore the paper to shreds, clutching her head. She suspected the curse’s effects hadn’t entirely worn off, dulling her senses.

“Inhale, exhale~.” After much deliberation, Theresia slowly wrote on the blank paper: “The three-year period is over, the mission is complete. Thank you for your assistance. As it involves top-secret dragon affairs, your memories have been erased. Do not dwell on it; we shall not meet again in this life. The money is in the spatial ring. We are even.”

She had wanted to write a hundred-word reflection on their time together and express her gratitude for Theodore’s help in getting her through her rut.

However, as she put pen to paper, Theresia’s mind froze.

She didn’t know how to express her thanks. Should she thank him for riding a dragon for three days, or for being ridden by a dragon for three days?

The former would make her explode on the spot; the latter would make Theodore explode.

Considering their next meeting would likely involve her burning paper offerings at his grave, she decided brevity was best.

She was now too mortified to even look at Theodore’s face.

Placing this ‘farewell letter’ and the spatial ring by the bed, Theresia retrieved a teleportation scroll. She was about to leave.

Before departing, her gaze lingered on Theodore, a complex mix of emotions in her eyes. Three years of companionship and her internal struggles played out like a film in her mind.

“Phew~”

Theresia exhaled lightly, then approached Theodore once more, gently kissing his cheek.

This kiss was a sudden impulse. Given it was Theodore, she felt little repulsion, for in those three days, they had kissed almost every part of each other.

It was a small memento for the man who had taken her first.

He wouldn’t remember it anyway.

“Well then, goodbye for this life. Bye.”

With those final words, Theresia crushed the teleportation scroll and vanished from the residence.

****

Not long after Theresia’s departure, a group of dragons, transformed into human forms, swarmed in and took the still-unconscious Theodore away.

One of the dragons reprimanded his overly eager subordinates, “Be careful, all of you! This is the hope for the continuation of our Black Dragon lineage!”

He then contacted the Old Patriarch: “Patriarch, the target has been recovered. Theresia did not notice.”

The Old Patriarch’s voice replied, “Well done. Bring him back.”

“Yes!”

****

Two days later, the bright, glaring lights roused the slumbering Theodore.

Opening his eyes, a massive dragon’s face filled his vision. Its fanged maw opened, and it declared, “You’re awake! The surgery was a success. You have a new life ahead of you.”

Theodore was speechless.

Confusion, bewilderment, and existential doubt swirled across Theodore’s face. His memories had been reset by Theresia to three years prior, when he, harboring a faint hope of becoming a Black Dragon Knight, had resolutely accepted that suspicious commission from a Black Dragon.

How had he suddenly ended up here?

The immense dislocation of time and space made Theodore suspect he had been ambushed.

“Tch, that reaction is so boring.” The old dragon above him pouted, retracting its head. It muttered to itself, “I turned you into a female. Aren’t you going to get up and check?”

A jolt ran through Theodore. He instantly sat up, looking down at his ‘brother’.

He let out a long breath of relief. It was still there, and even larger than before.

“Hahahaha!” The old dragon beside him burst into boisterous laughter. Theodore had no time to pay him any mind.

Although he hadn’t been transformed into a female, his body had clearly undergone a significant modification.

His original height of 1.8 meters now exceeded 2.4 meters. His muscles were evenly distributed and aesthetically pleasing, and his body pulsed with an unfamiliar, surging power that made Theodore incredibly uncomfortable.

“Terrell, what’s so funny? Share the joy, won’t you?”

A deep, somewhat familiar voice reached his ears. Theodore turned to see a muscular old man standing at the entrance of the enormous room. He regarded the massive brown old dragon with an unceremonious, stern gaze, his hands rubbing together as if ready to deliver a full-body muscle massage should the dragon’s explanation prove unsatisfactory.

“I’ve had my laugh.” The brown old dragon gulped hard, quickly moving its large legs to exit. “This kid’s modification is complete, Patriarch. I’ll be going if there’s nothing else.”

Ignoring the fleeing old dragon, the Patriarch walked towards Theodore with his hands clasped behind his back. His expression was benevolent. He motioned for Theodore not to speak, instead asking, “You’ve lost your memory. Tell me, what’s the most recent thing you can recall?”

Frowning in thought, Theodore replied, “I accepted a commission from a Black Dragon named Theresia. I pressed my handprint on the contract, then I lost consciousness, and when I woke up, I was here.”

“Tsk, that’s quite a gap. Thankfully, I was prepared.” Before Theodore could react, the Old Patriarch pressed a memory crystal into Theodore’s body.

A torrent of memories flooded into Theodore.

The time in Theodore’s memories fast-forwarded rapidly until he recalled Theresia failing to pass her trial alone, and his preparations to enter the depths of the cave to assist her.

The Old Patriarch had no backup of the three days of the rut, as he had not been in contact with Theodore.

Breathing heavily, Theodore looked at the Patriarch. “How is Theresia?”

The Patriarch reassured him, “Thanks to you, all is well.”

“So, Theresia and I really…” Theodore racked his brain, trying to unearth those lost, precious memories from the depths of his mind.

However, Theresia’s memory wipe had been remarkably thorough.

The Patriarch affirmed Theodore’s suspicions, patting his shoulder. “You engaged in a series of very intense, very rough, and very pure reproductive acts. Congratulations, young man, you’ve graduated from bachelorhood and become the mate of our Dragon race’s only Black Dragon!”

“Honestly, I never thought you would truly endure the Black Dragon’s rut completely. Conqueror of the Black Dragon, I believe you should be bestowed with this magnificent title.”

The title made Theodore feel a little lightheaded. “While you say that, I have absolutely no recollection of it.”

The Old Patriarch’s tone instantly shifted, and he calmly stated, “Of course you have no recollection. After being ‘ridden’ by a dragon, your memories were erased and you were dumped in a coastal town. What ‘recollection’ were you expecting?”

The foolish grin on Theodore’s face froze.