Chapter 4 : Black Dragon Olivia (2)

After Dante became Olivia’s s*ave, his insistence on working at the castle led her to rebuild the very structure she’d destroyed. As a result, Olivia naturally ascended to the position of the new Demon King, ruling over the Leprechaun Empire.

Witnessing her overwhelming power, the empire’s citizens gradually shifted their loyalty to Olivia, ensuring no further incidents occurred. Coupled with Dante’s efforts in promoting Olivia’s… less destructive qualities, the Leprechaun Empire was reborn.

Well, “reborn” might be an overstatement. The only real change was the Demon King. The citizens didn’t particularly care who ruled as long as they had peace. And, as it turned out, while there were minor injuries during Olivia’s castle rampage, the only fatality was the previous Demon King.

So, people lost their jobs because the castle was wrecked, but no one was seriously harmed, let alone killed. The castle staff and other demons eventually returned, now serving under Olivia. It was a shame about Beelzebub, the former Demon King, a benevolent ruler, but such was life. Even in a relatively peaceful demon realm, the prevailing philosophy remained “survival of the fittest.” Beelzebub was weaker than Olivia; therefore, he perished. That was all there was to it.

***

In the central hall of the Demon King’s castle, a massive dragon lounged comfortably. Despite her fearsome appearance, Olivia was, in her own way, a merciful dragon. She’d attacked the castle out of sheer boredom. World domination? Becoming an evil overlord? Those things held no interest for her. Dragons simply weren’t wired that way.

Yet, here she was, a dragon ruling an empire. Quite intriguing.

And there was another intriguing aspect…

Scrub, scrub.

“Mmm. Perfect. Just like that.”

Olivia smiled, watching Dante, the white-haired boy, perched on her wingtip, polishing her scales to a sparkling sheen. This fearless human, who’d once raged and pointed fingers at her for losing his job, was now an indispensable presence in her life.

Why would a dragon, the apex predator, tie herself down to this human’s empire? The answer was simple: Dante. Because he loved working here, because she could be by his side, Olivia remained as The Ruler of Demon.

As she watched him with a gentle gaze, Dante grunted, struggling to reach the top of her wing.

“Huff… Huff… So unnecessarily huge…”

“[You’re just small. Dummy.]”

Despite her teasing, Olivia gently nudged him upwards with a claw.

“…Thank you, Olivia.”

“[Mmm.]”

Dante bowed his head and resumed spraying cleaning solution on her scales.

Scrub, scrub, scrub.

Olivia cherished this time of day. Dante’s delicate touch as he cared for her scales was truly exquisite.

Pat, pat.

“There, all done. Good job.”

“[Ah, thank you, as always.]”

Dante dusted his hands and hopped down. Olivia’s massive form gleamed.

‘Heh… Still got it.’ He preened inwardly, pleased with his work.

But Olivia couldn’t hide her slight disappointment as she quietly uttered a single word:

“[—Polymorph]”

The dragon’s massive form shimmered, shrinking and reshaping until it became humanoid. The light faded, revealing a beautiful, raven-haired woman. At least a foot taller than the average man, with piercing ruby eyes and a sharp, almost predatory expression. A pair of gray horns, a testament to her dragon heritage, protruded from her head.

The chain on Olivia’s wrist jingled. Dante bowed his head respectfully.

“Greetings, Master.”

The stunning woman’s face scrunched up in disgust. Her melodious voice, laced with disdain, echoed through the hall.

“Ugh, I told you to stop with the formalities. It’s creepy.”

“But there are people watching. I can’t just…”

“Shut up, brat. If you don’t like it, you can be the Demon King.”

“Good grief.”

Standing next to the towering Olivia, Dante, already small, looked even tinier. He had to crane his neck to see her face. Once again reminded of his height, he stepped away.

“…? What’s wrong?”

“Please stay at least ten meters away from me.”

“The hell, why?”

“…When I stand next to you…”

“When you stand next to me, what?”

Dante wiped away a tear.

“…I can’t help but imagine how refreshing the air must be up there.”

“You little…”

Scolding him, Olivia grabbed the back of his neck and, with a swift motion…

“…!? Whoa!”

…tossed him onto her shoulder. A piggyback ride.

“So, is the air up here more refreshing?”

“…Don’t be ridiculous, Olivia.”

Chuckle, chuckle.

Did Dante realize the significance of a proud, self-important dragon allowing someone to sit on her shoulders?