Chapter 13: Sigh, Can We Be Friends?

Crunch, crunch.

"You... don't think you can buy me off with just a few skewers of roasted meat."

The same words, the same mumbling.

But the tone in which they were spoken was different.

There was no longer the earlier stubbornness in Valentina's words—only a trace of dignity that invited a little pity.

This was her last bit of defiance, hers and hers alone.

How could a dignified great dragon be tempted by roasted meat and fall to such a state?

If word got out, she'd be a laughingstock.

No, absolutely not!

Thinking this, she bit the meat off the skewer through her tears, chewing it very daintily.

Having learned her lesson from last time, she had finally mastered chewing slowly this round, intending to savor this pleasure on her tongue at leisure.

Herbert saw all of this, but said nothing.

He neither teased nor mocked, nor took advantage of her plight to make any excessive demands.

Not enough yet.

Just as Valentina had said, a mere little barbecue was nowhere near enough to make a proud dragon like her bow her head.

The stakes were still far from sufficient.

But so what?

Herbert had never intended from the start to make her bow and submit through that alone.

Did he want a feigned, insincere submission?

No.

What he wanted was... habit.

Herbert wanted Valentina to grow accustomed to his presence, to adapt to the transaction of him providing her food, to feel that he was indispensable.

And ideally... to develop withdrawal symptoms!

Of course, they were still some distance from that point; the bond between the two still needed constant cultivation.

How to cultivate it?

That required continuous feeding, constant grinding for affection.

And to achieve that... he needed a reasonable pretext.

So, while Valentina chewed, Herbert once again made his request—stop swearing, and I'll bring you food.

"(Munch munch munch), gulp, why do you insist on making me stop swearing?" Valentina was puzzled, unable to understand why he had to fixate on this point.

"First, I am a holy knight; such language makes me somewhat uncomfortable."

"Second, although you are the prisoner and I am the warden, I hope we can become friends."

"And the foundation of becoming friends is that two people can treat each other peacefully and as equals, no?"

"Miss Valentina, you wouldn't be willing to become friends with me?"

Herbert gazed at Valentina earnestly, his bright eyes full of sincerity, causing her to shift her gaze away somewhat unnaturally.

"This is my only request—would that not do?"

Friends?

Valentina was somewhat puzzled, even a little bewildered, upon hearing the word.

As a dragon, she had never had a friend.

Driven from the dragon's nest by her mother while still a wyrmling, she had wandered her whole life, never built a nest, never kept the company of other dragons.

Occupy a territory, stay a while, grow weary of it, then leave and seek the next.

Valentina rarely interacted with others; even when there were matters that required communication, she handed them all off to the human sorceress she had "caught."

She had always firmly believed that the strong were lonely.

Dragons needed no companions.

None.

So, when that sorceress went out and was surrounded and killed by hunters, why had she felt anger? Why had she wanted to annihilate those fellows and their families?

Was it because her dignity had been challenged?

"... Ah."

During the long years of imprisonment, Valentina had thought about it a great deal, yet never arrived at an answer.

But at the very moment this young mortal made this unheard-of request of her, a sudden flash of insight struck her.

A friend... had she, back then, considered that fellow a friend?

She fell silent for a time.

After a spell of silence, Valentina pulled herself back from her memories and reflections, and cast a deep look at Herbert.

Had he done it on purpose?

After meeting his gaze for a moment, she turned her head aside and said in a rather faint voice, lacking conviction: "... If it's just being friends, I suppose it's not out of the question."

She herself didn't understand why she had agreed.

Perhaps she merely wanted to use him to prove some doubt buried in her heart.

Upon hearing her reply, Herbert laughed, then smoothly drew a blank sheet of paper from his bosom and said earnestly: "Then put it in writing."

"Mm... mm!?"

Valentina whipped her head around, eyes wide, glaring at the impertinent mortal, intending to teach him a proper lesson—

But before she could get angry, the words in her mouth caught, because she saw the faint smile playing at the youth's lips.

I've been played!

"Hehe, that was just a little joke."

Herbert tucked away the blank sheet of paper with nothing written on it, and playfully winked at her.

Then he stepped back, gently placed his right hand over his chest, and gave a slight nobleman's bow toward the prisoner inside the cell.

"Although I introduced myself the day before yesterday, please allow me to introduce myself to you once more."

"Herbert Albert, son of a duke, and also a Holy Knight who has taken a vow of purity, the new warden of this prison."

"From now on, please feel free to call me Herbert, and in return, I shall address you as Valentina."

He stepped forward, and to his surprise, dropped to one knee right in front of the prisoner inside the cell, extending his right hand toward the cage.

Valentina: "... Mm?"

If Valentina wished, she could twist his arm off in an instant, or even drag his entire body up to the bars and crush his skull.

But Herbert still reached out his hand to her without a hint of hesitation.

Miss Dragon, what will you do?

Will you ruthlessly trample my goodwill and keep playing the caged evil dragon?

Or… try another possibility?

He gazed into the eyes of the evil dragon and said softly:

"Let us get along well!"

"..."

After entering the second area, Herbert did not keep walking, but stood silently in place with his head lowered.

After a long while, he slowly raised his head and, with some effort, exhaled a breath of stale air from his lungs.

"Hoo… heh, hehe, haha!"

The gamble paid off.

That final handshake had not been part of the original plan; it was an idea that flashed through his mind in that very moment.

A very risky attempt.

But he felt it was worth a try!

"Honestly, when did I become such a gambler?" Herbert sighed with feeling, thinking that he had indeed changed a little.

In his past life, he would never have made such a reckless, impulsive act.

Was it the influence of this life's experiences?

This life's Herbert, though an unworldly nobleman's son, was not lacking the will to make decisions at critical moments.

Not just anyone can abandon everything and devote themselves to a monastery; making such a decision requires not only courage, but also a firm will.

Unfortunately, it still fell a little short.

"The heart isn't cruel enough…"

Herbert sighed with feeling, turned his head to look at the orb of water ahead, and met the beautiful eyes hidden within it.

He smiled, strode forward, and cheerfully waved as he called out:

"Miss Fu Leimei, it's been a long time!"

After a long while, I finally had a good night's sleep. When I woke up in the morning, I didn't rush to write, but re-read the earlier parts and found the spot that felt most off to me. I did a major revision of Chapter Nine, changing how I dealt with Miss Xie Shen, turning the passive into the active. I added a total of 500 characters, and finally it feels right.

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(End of this chapter)