Chapter 77: The Dragon’s Dance and a Cold War

Time gradually passed into the deep night. The Church began to hold a ceremony called the ‘Night of Light’.

Adherents, holding lit candles, would form a procession, making their way to the Grand Cathedral of Holy Light.

Inside the cathedral, the High Priest would conduct a solemn prayer, imploring the God of Light to continue blessing this world.

Afterward, the believers would collectively ignite the ‘Eternal Light’ in the center of the cathedral—a lamp that would never extinguish, symbolizing the everlasting presence of the God of Light.

****

Meanwhile, Theresia and Theodore were seated on a high terrace, concealed within a shadowy corner, observing everything unfolding below.

Given that the vast majority of the City of Light’s inhabitants were devout believers, even some non-adherents were drawn to witness the spectacle.

Consequently, this corner, which offered a superb vantage point, remained eerily empty, with not even a single light illuminating it.

It was perhaps for the best that it remained unlit.

After all, Theodore cast an odd glance at his side. There, a juvenile black dragon was indulging in a hearty meal, savoring every bite.

Indeed, Theresia had reverted to her true form. Though her size had shrunk to that of a newly hatched dragon, she was still only marginally smaller than Theodore.

Her dragon horns were subtly pronounced and still somewhat rounded, her facial features not yet fully developed. Her adorable little claws, though slightly sharp, were charmingly small, and her restless tail swayed back and forth, unable to stay still.

Theodore averted his gaze. ‘Too tempting,’ he thought, ‘I wish I could hold her tightly and—’

As for why she had taken this form, it was certainly not to provide Theodore with a feast for his eyes.

This was Theresia’s countermeasure, devised to retaliate against Theodore for his unauthorized kiss.

She was now in her dragon form; if Theodore dared to lean in with his mouth, she could simply open hers and bite his head clean off.

Moreover, in her dragon form, her body was covered in scales, leaving none of the weaknesses of her human form.

That is, unless Theodore had become perverse to such an extent.

Of course, this appearance was inconvenient for public display. So, Theresia had purchased a massive amount of food and was now gorging herself in this deserted corner.

As for whether Theodore was pleased with this arrangement? Hmph!

‘This dragon is angry,’ she thought. ‘His thoughts are utterly irrelevant. If he doesn’t like it, he can just leave!’

Being born a dragon was truly wonderful. In her previous life, whenever she encountered a food street, even after working and earning her own money, a few snacks would already fill her to the brim.

She could only lament that she was fated to miss out on other delicacies.

But now, she could declare without reservation that she wanted it all!

Eat, eat, eat!

“Here, try a different flavor.”

Theodore took one of Theresia’s small claws, already clutching food, from a nearby bag and brought it to her mouth, feeding her.

Theresia glanced at Theodore, let out a cold snort, then opened her mouth wide to accept the delicious morsel, yet remained silent.

A cold war. It had to be a cold war.

Even though she had processed the previous incident herself, she couldn’t let Theodore think he could push his luck.

So what if they were officially a couple?

Did couples never argue?

Having been a man in her previous life, she not only knew how to make a man happy but also how to make one miserable.

‘Break up with me, and I’ll show you a good face then!’

Theresia secretly peeked at Theodore, only to find that he showed no sign of irritation. In fact, he was still enthusiastically feeding her, looking utterly delighted.

‘Isn’t this a bit much, buddy?’ she wondered. ‘Even if you’re simping for me, you don’t have to be *this* way. Has this guy gone mad with desire for my body?’

‘Wait, something’s off if it’s this abnormal. If he were truly a simp, he wouldn’t have tried to take advantage of me, let alone plan to get away with it for free.’

“What are you trying to do?”

Theresia couldn’t help but speak. Theodore, who was thoroughly enjoying feeding her, was momentarily taken aback by her question.

“Aren’t I just feeding you?”

Theresia stared at Theodore menacingly. “It’s too late to try and curry favor with me now.”

Theodore looked slightly bewildered. ‘Curry favor? Isn’t *he* the one enjoying this?’

Fortunately, his confusion lasted only a moment. He quickly realized Theresia seemed to have misunderstood.

However, this misunderstanding was rather pleasant.

With a smile, Theodore replied, “Just because it’s late doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try to curry favor, right? Come on, ah~”

Theresia obediently opened her mouth to accept the food, while replying, “But it’s useless. I’m still very angry.”

Theodore, watching Theresia’s adorable, contradictory expression, narrowed his eyes and chuckled. “Mm-hmm.”

Theodore’s imperviousness to her anger made Theresia narrow her eyes. ‘Perhaps I need to hit this guy with the ‘unreasonable tantrum’ combo?’

‘Do you know your mistake? Tell me where you went wrong. Even if I was wrong first, don’t you bear any responsibility?’

Her tail twitched, and she was confident that if she unleashed these three moves, her favorability rating would plummet by at least half.

‘No, but if we can’t be lovers, we can still be brothers! Being lovers is so much more exciting!’

Just as Theresia was about to unleash her ultimate move, Theodore released her dragon claw and looked towards the distant plaza.

This made Theresia curiously peer over as well. It turned out the believers had begun to sing and dance along with the sacred hymns.

This world lacked entertainment facilities like mobile phones, so such large-scale events could only be witnessed live. Furthermore, this open-air dance party featured special effects created by the Holy Light Church.

Small, milky-white orbs of light gently drifted through the plaza, dancing in harmony with the surrounding crowd.

Theresia decided to temporarily postpone her plans for ‘spoiling the mood’ and first enjoy this live broadcast, which had no replays.

After all, there would surely be a more opportune moment for her three-pronged attack later; this one occasion wouldn’t make a difference.

Theodore leaned gently against Theresia. After being ignored by her, he said helplessly, “I carried your things for so long; let me rest a bit. You’re in dragon form now, what could I possibly do?”

“Don’t let your hands wander, or I’ll kill you,” Theresia snarled, glaring at Theodore.

Theodore pondered for a moment, then took Theresia’s small dragon claws in his hands. “Both hands are here. If anyone dares to move without permission, you can chop them off.”

Theresia looked at her dragon claws and sneered contemptuously. “Hmph. You truly are a heartless person. So willing to sacrifice your ‘Left Hand Lady’ and ‘Right Hand Lady’.”

She immediately turned her attention back to the live broadcast.

Theodore, leaning against her dragon wing and body, held her dragon claws, enjoying their cool touch. He felt quite content as he joined Theresia in watching the plaza dance.

Theresia, in her dragon form, was truly relaxed—even more carefree than usual.

After watching for a while, a question suddenly surfaced in Theodore’s mind.

“Theresia, do your dragon kin have dances?”

“Hm? Yes, of course we do. But it’s not like your human dances; it’s dances performed in the dragons’ true forms.”

Theresia spoke with relish. “Different types of dragon dances vary greatly. For example, White Dragon dances are accompanied by various magical energies swirling around them; Earth Dragon dances cause the earth to continuously change form to match their movements; Wind Dragons stir up clouds and mist to dance with them; Fire Dragons make fierce flames surge like living things…”

‘I want to see it,’ Theodore thought. Only three words echoed in his mind: ‘I want to see.’

“When will I be able to see them dance? During my time on Dragon Island, I was always busy with training and never realized Dragon Island had such wonderful things.”

Theresia casually replied, “Everyone dances when they feel like it. If you want to see them all at once, there’s an event at the end of every year on Dragon Island. However, I’m not sure if you can participate, as it’s in the core area of Dragon Island, Dragon God Island.”

“But I can speak to the Old Patriarch then. Just letting you watch the dance hall shouldn’t be a big deal, especially since everyone’s just gathering for fun at that time.”

“I see.” Theodore nodded, but then he suddenly noticed something: Theresia’s description seemed to omit the Black Dragon’s dance.

*Ding*

Theresia noticed Theodore’s gaze. Though she didn’t speak, she pouted, knowing she couldn’t bluff her way through. She had to find another way to dispel Theodore’s little curiosity.

“Black Dragon dances are the least impressive to watch. As you know, while Black Dragons possess a good deal of magic within them, they aren’t skilled in magic. Their magic is primarily used for destruction and physical enhancement. It’s the most boring of all dragon types.”

Theodore didn’t believe a single word Theresia said.

“But it’s the only one I can see right now, isn’t it?”

Theresia turned her head guiltily and said, “I didn’t learn it. My ambitions lie elsewhere; I bear the great responsibility of saving the entire dragon race. How could I have time to learn some dance?”

Theodore looked at Theresia’s restless tail and smiled. ‘Learn to control your tail before you speak,’ he thought.

Noticing Theodore’s gaze, Theresia angrily used her free dragon claw to firmly pinch her own dragon tail.

Indeed, she had learned it.

The Old Patriarch had insisted she learn, stating that this was the Black Dragons’ only unique skill, and it couldn’t be lost in her generation.

Moreover, the Black Dragon dance itself was a combat technique—or rather, it was originally a combat technique, with just a touch of aesthetic appeal added to its practicality.

But!

Theresia puffed out her chest and declared, “You want to see it, and I’ll just show it to you? Don’t forget, I’m still very, very angry!”

Then, Theodore released Theresia’s dragon claws, cupping his hands together. A flash of purple light shimmered, and a miniature Promen appeared in his palms, looking haughtily at Theresia.

“What if I trade you this for it?”

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