Chapter 33 : Harvest Festival (3)

Life is like a game of fate.

In life, fortune and misfortune cross paths as casually as meals.

Even in the exact same situation, the outcome can change entirely—depending on your perspective.

People say:

Even if the sky collapses, never give up. There’s always a way out.

Yeah… Honestly, I agree. That’s some solid advice.

Really great advice, in fact…

Gulp.
Dante swallowed hard and silently held his breath, staring at Olivia.

A chilling atmosphere.
Tension sharp enough to slice air.

While Olivia twisted up the corners of her mouth into a relaxed smirk,
Dante’s face was visibly stiff with nerves.

Never give up, huh?

Sure, sounds nice.
But what do you do when the living, breathing final-stage biological weapon who can tear the sky apart with a single gesture is standing right in front of you?

And find a way out, they say?

How the f*ck am I supposed to do that?

***

Dante clenched his jaw tightly.

Behold… the crimson eyes of that cunning black dragon.

What an irritating—no, what a smug expression she wore!

Coincidence, my a**. What kind of coincidence is this?
There’s no way this isn’t calculated.

She totally twisted the meaning of my words and just waltzed over here, acting all nonchalant.

And in such a cheap, dirty way too.

The worst part?
Technically… she’s not wrong.

No matter how hard he argued she’d done it on purpose, she could just double down on one word: “Coincidence.”

He tried to stay calm and analyze the situation.

The only sliver of hope was that Lady Yeonhwa had gone into the city.

If, by some godforsaken timing, Olivia had seen the two of them together…

‘You f*cking b*tch! You dare wag your tail at my man?!
Get your damn mouth ready, you c*nt!
I’ll paint this land with your f*cking blood!’

(Skull-shattering dragon smackdown.)

Oh dear god…

Dante shivered violently.

Even just imagining it brought horrifying scenes of blood-soaked chaos to his mind.

No…!
He couldn’t let it happen!

He couldn’t allow innocent citizens of the Resta Empire—or Lady Yeonhwa—to get hurt!!

Absolutely not!
He had to stop a tragic disaster that would leave countless innocent people jobless,
simply because they became collateral damage in a black dragon’s jealous rampage!

“──O-Olivia!”

His urgent cry echoed through the park.

F*ck it. It’s do or die now.

Grab!

Dante jumped up and grabbed Olivia’s wrist.

She blinked in shock, eyes wide, probably wondering if he’d finally lost his damn mind.

But Dante, unbothered by her reaction, shamelessly powered through with his words.

Yeah. Let’s just call this another “coincidence.”

Time to slap a thick iron plate over his face and go full steam ahead.

“──Since things turned out this way… Would you like to go on a date with me?”

“…………W-What?”

And just like that,
Dante began digging his own grave.

***

Resta Empire, Downtown.

“Holy shit, I can’t believe that one day I’d actually be asked out on a date by you. What is this, a dream?”
“….A line like that is usually something you think to yourself, not say out loud, right?”
“I’m saying it so you can hear it, you bastard.”

A sharp tone, yet contrasted by a sweet voice.
Even so, she couldn’t hide the wild grin that shot up toward the sky.

Olivia tightly clasped Dante’s hand, as if to say she would never let go.
She pressed her fingers with all her might.
Ugh… Well, somehow, she managed to divert my attention elsewhere…

He sighed inwardly in relief.
Lady Yeonhwa had taught him once before.
That familiars and masters could freely communicate over great distances using telepathy.
So, I had subtly guided Olivia to focus on the act of the ‘date’ itself, while secretly contacting Lady Yeonhwa beforehand.
“Immediate evacuation is advised due to a living natural disaster now in action,” was the message I sent.

…But choosing a date as the method was a bit much.
The only word that came to mind was that.
I must be crazy.
I’m really crazy.
I’ve completely lost my mind and dug my own grave.
I should have just died 30 minutes ago.

Gritting his teeth, Dante silently followed Olivia’s lead.
Just like when walking through the city with Yeonhwa, all the attention from the people in the streets focused on Olivia, but their reactions were vastly different.

Unlike Yeonhwa, who would simply dismiss the stares with indifference, Olivia, with just one line, made hundreds of people lower their heads.
“Why are you staring?”
With those words, she effortlessly made everyone look down.

As much as I told her, How could you spread that kind of murderous intent so directly?
She shot back with, “I don’t mind, but I don’t want anyone else staring at me.”
“Crazy woman.”

And now they snacked on food while strolling through the bustling crowd.

“Dante, come on, try it.”
“I can eat it myself—munch!”
“Then why’d you ask if you’re going to do this?”
Olivia ignored Dante’s protest and shoved a butter-coated fried potato into his mouth.

“How is it, tasty?”
“(Munching)… It’s good.”
“Eat more.”

She handed him a bag full of fries.
“When you’re done with this, we’re going for that.”

Following her outstretched finger, Dante saw a huge pile of meat stacked on a hot plate.
This damn lizard… Is she trying to turn me into a pig?
I already ate a ridiculous amount this morning.
I’ve already surpassed my daily recommended calorie intake.
…Although, it’s all been digested by now.

Dante frowned and spoke up.
“Olivia, why have you been so desperate to feed me since earlier?”
“Did you really need to ask that?”

She lifted Dante’s arm, showing off his lean physique.
“Look at these arms, Dante.”

Olivia said calmly,
“You’re just skin and bones now. It’s a miracle you’re even standing. You idiot.”
“It’s not that bad!”

Dante knew he was relatively thinner compared to the average male demon at his age, but to be called just skin and bones?
He wasn’t some leaf blowing away in the wind!

“Well, half of that was a joke.”
Olivia chuckled at Dante’s expression, roughly messing with his hair.

“You like food, don’t you? But you never show much emotion, so I don’t know what you like or what I should get you.”
She laughed cynically.
“So stop worrying about money and just tell me what you want. Got it?”
“…Can we take back what you just said?”
“There’s no such thing as taking it back in my dictionary. Got it, Dante?”

Olivia gently caressed the back of Dante’s neck as she spoke.
“By the way, tonight’s menu is me.”
“Stop with the bullshit, Olivia.”
“Then you can forget it.”

As they continued bickering like usual, they roamed around the capital, conquering every game booth with Olivia’s overwhelming dragon-like physique.

Thanks to her, Dante ended up with an armful of souvenirs—keychains, dolls, wooden figurines, and necklaces.
Among them was a simple silver ring with a clean design, which Olivia stubbornly slid onto Dante’s fourth finger, despite his fierce resistance.

Of course, Olivia also wore a matching silver ring on her own fourth finger.
With a sly smile, she said,
“Try taking it off. Whatever you imagine, you’ll see even worse.”
“So, what do I do when I’m washing up?”
“Just don’t wash.”
“And when I sleep?”
“Just don’t sleep.”
“Stop talking nonsense.”

What is it with dragons and their overwhelming possessiveness?

***