Chapter 5: Prefer the Nurturing Type

After delving deeper into the castle, Rein finally confirmed his earlier suspicions.

Aside from the increasingly violent surge of magic, as he and Sal moved forward, the surroundings gradually changed — from the initial ruin and decay to faint traces of habitation.

The interior of the castle was clearly being maintained by someone.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t be in such decent shape compared to the outside.

“That dragon was badly injured, and you’re a silver-ranked mage. Theoretically speaking, you should have more than enough strength to kill it.”

As Sal spoke, his eyes swept the area with vigilance — yet there was also a complex, indescribable emotion within them.

“What if I can’t beat that dragon?”

Just then, Rein suddenly asked from beside him.

“Then we’ll both die — and die miserably.”

Sal’s answer was short and blunt.

“If I’d known that, I wouldn’t have taken this job…”

Rein’s half-joking words were cut off by a deafening dragon’s roar.

A terrifying, scarlet vertical pupil lit up in the depths of the castle.

The next instant, scorching, violent air swept across the hall, as if the very heat would burn their clothes to ash.

“A red dragon, huh?” Rein clicked his tongue. “Looks like it’s really angry.”

Just as he said — the red dragon before them was in a pitiful state.

Nearly every inch of its body was wounded; large patches of scales were torn off, and the culprit was those deep, bone-deep claw marks.

Though its injuries were gruesome, dragons — especially the short-tempered red kind — only grew more violent the worse their wounds were.

“Kill it, then take your payment and go.”

Sal tightened his black cloak and issued the next command simply and directly.

“You’re not helping me?”

…Was it his imagination, or did Sal just see that scruffy old mage give him a wounded look for a second?

But there was no time to dwell on it.

Because in the next instant, as Rein turned his head, a torrent of blazing dragonfire engulfed him completely.

Sal’s heart clenched at the sight.

A mage, unguarded against such flames, could be vaporized in an instant.

But soon, the sudden drop in temperature told him — Rein wasn’t dead.

Far from it — he seemed to be preparing to strike back.

As if to confirm Sal’s guess, the temperature dropped even further.

It wasn’t enough to freeze the dragonfire completely, but it was enough to suppress it.

The red dragon realized something was wrong.

It tried to breathe another jet of flame — but its foreclaw was suddenly pierced through by a massive spike of ice from below.

With a roar of agony, its flames ceased.

Rein, looking a bit disheveled, raised his hand again to form another ice spell.

But before he could hurl that deadly ice spear —

The red dragon suddenly spoke, in a human woman’s voice.

“P–Please, stop!”

Rein actually did pause, his spell still crackling with magic.

The red dragon, seeing this, thought she’d found a chance for negotiation — perhaps even persuasion.

She hurried to speak, her voice now directed toward Sal, who was peeking out nervously from behind a stone pillar.

“That little brat hired you to slay me, didn’t she? I know she can’t pay you much. But if you spare me, I can grant you riches beyond imagination!”

Rein remained unmoved, his magic still gathering in his hand.

“W–Wait! Wait a moment!”

Realizing money wouldn’t sway him, the red dragon quickly changed her tone.

“If you’d only show mercy, I’d be willing to…”

Was it his imagination — or did that fierce, terrifying dragon suddenly look… shy?

Rein glanced toward Sal, intending to gauge his reaction — but when he looked back, there was no red dragon.

Only a tall, voluptuous dragon girl stood there, covered in wounds, looking pitiful yet alluring, her eyes full of flirtatious charm.

“I’d be willing to devote myself to you — to bear your children~”

“Oh?”

Rein folded his arms, giving the dragon girl an amused, leisurely glance.

“What’s your name?”

Thinking the negotiation had succeeded, she smiled sweetly.

“My name is Xi Yan. I may look pathetic now, but I have a secret that you’ll never be able to refuse!”

“Let’s hear it.”

“First, you have to promise not to hurt me—”

Rein said nothing.

An ice spike flew past her cheek, leaving a thin line of blood.

Even in human form, a dragon’s body was as tough as its true scales.

So the fact that Rein’s spell could pierce her flesh so easily proved his strength beyond doubt.

“Alright, alright! I’ll talk!”

Xi Yan gulped, realizing she had no other choice but to reveal her greatest secret.

But before she could speak, Sal’s voice rang out from behind the pillar.

“Don’t listen to her!”

His cloak rustled as he gripped it tightly, eyes filled with undisguised hatred.

“If you believe her, I swear — you’ll regret it!”

Now the situation was getting interesting.

Rein’s gaze shifted between the two dragons before finally landing on Xi Yan.

Just as she thought victory was hers, Rein’s hand began to glow once more with freezing energy.

“Sorry — but I value contracts more than I do secrets.”

“W–Wait! Please wait!”

Her voice trembled, filled with fear now.

She knew — if she couldn’t move him soon, this would be the end of her life.

Damn it — fine, I’ll spill everything!

Xi Yan bared her teeth and shouted in desperation.

“I—I’m a pureblood red dragon! You can’t kill me!”

A pureblood dragon — a species long declared extinct across the entire continent.

The rarity and value of such a being, both commercially and strategically, was beyond measure.

Anyone with even a shred of historical knowledge would know that.

In the next second, the ice spear froze in midair — less than two centimeters from Xi Yan’s face.

Had she hesitated a moment longer, that spear would’ve been buried in her skull.

“A pureblood red dragon, huh? That complicates things…”

Rein clicked his tongue and glanced at Sal.

That look — it was as if he was weighing who could give him the better deal.

(That’s what I get for hiring humans…)

Under his cloak, Sal’s hands began to change — golden claws and scales sprouting from his skin.

He had no intention of exposing his identity like Xi Yan did, but he wasn’t about to let this opportunity slip away either.

“Still… between a seductive schemer like her and the type that needs nurturing — I definitely prefer the latter.”

“Eh?”

Before Sal could react, the suspended ice spear exploded.

A thick mist of frost spread across the entire hall.

When it cleared — Xi Yan was gone.

Only a pool of frozen crimson blood remained on the ground, hinting at what had just happened.