[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-an-improper-monster-girl-s-transformation-diary":3,"chapter-an-improper-monster-girl-s-transformation-diary-an-improper-monster-girl-s-transformation-diary-chapter-15":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","An Improper Monster Girl's Transformation Diary",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2311944,4517,"Chapter 15: Huh, Can We Be Friends?","an-improper-monster-girl-s-transformation-diary-chapter-15",15,"\u003Cp>Crackle, crackle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You… don’t think you can buy me off with just a few skewers of grilled meat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The same words, the same vagueness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the tone in which they were spoken was different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Valentina’s words no longer carried their former hardness; only a faint, pitiable dignity remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was her last and final stubbornness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could a mighty dragon be lured by grilled meat, reduced to such a state?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It would be laughed at if it got out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, absolutely not!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she thought this, she bit off a piece of meat from the skewer with tears in her eyes, chewing with refined grace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having learned from her previous mistake, she finally mastered slow, deliberate chewing, determined to savor this culinary delight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Herbert watched all of this but said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He did not mock or taunt, nor did he exploit her vulnerability to make unreasonable demands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, as Valentina said, a simple barbecue meal could never make this proud dragon bow her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The leverage was still far from sufficient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But so what?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Herbert never intended to make her submit through this alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did he want her feigned, hollow submission?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wanted… habit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Herbert wanted Valentina to grow accustomed to his presence, to adapt to the trade of food he provided, to feel he was indispensable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even better—if she developed withdrawal symptoms!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, that point was still far off; their bond still needed constant nurturing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How to nurture it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It required constant feeding, relentless goodwill-building.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And to achieve this… he needed a reasonable justification.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, as Valentina chewed, Herbert made his request again—stop swearing, and I’ll bring you food.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“(Chew chew chew), gulp—why do you insist I stop swearing?” Valentina was confused, unable to understand why he fixated on this so much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“First, I am a paladin; such language makes me uncomfortable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Second, though you are the prisoner and I the jailer, I hope we can become friends.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And the foundation of friendship is mutual respect and equality, isn’t it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Miss Valentina, won’t you be friends with me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Herbert gazed earnestly at Valentina, his bright eyes filled with sincerity, making her uncomfortably look away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is this my only request? Is that too much?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Friend?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Valentina was puzzled, even bewildered, upon hearing the word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a dragon, she had never had a friend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had been driven from her nest as a hatchling, spent her life wandering, never built a lair, never allied with other dragons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She would seize a territory, stay awhile, grow bored, then leave and seek the next.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Valentina rarely spoke to others; when communication was unavoidable, she delegated it to the human sorceress she had captured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had always believed: the strong are always alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dragons need no companions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>None.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So why, when that sorceress was hunted and killed while away, had she felt rage? Why had she wanted to destroy those men and their families?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it because her dignity had been challenged?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Ah.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the long years of imprisonment, Valentina had pondered this endlessly, never finding an answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But at the moment this young mortal made her this unheard-of request, she suddenly had a fleeting insight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Friend… had she, back then, considered that person a friend?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She fell silent for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long pause, Valentina returned from her memories and thoughts, gazing deeply at Herbert.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was he deliberate?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After meeting his gaze for a moment, she turned her head aside and whispered, voice lacking conviction: “...If it’s just friendship, I suppose it’s not impossible.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t understand why she had agreed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps she simply wanted to use him to test a doubt buried in her heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Herbert smiled upon hearing her reply, then smoothly pulled a sheet of white paper from his pocket and said earnestly: “Then put it in writing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh… Huh?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Valentina whipped her head around, glaring at the insolent mortal, ready to teach him a lesson—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before she could speak, her words caught in her throat, for she saw the faint smile lingering at the corner of the boy’s lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tricked her!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hehe, just a joke.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Herbert tucked away the blank sheet of paper and winked at her playfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he stepped back, placed his right hand gently over his chest, and bowed slightly to the prisoner in a noble’s gesture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Though I introduced myself the day before yesterday, allow me to do so again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Herbert Albert, son of a duke, a paladin who swore a pure vow, and the new jailer of this prison.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“From now on, please call me Herbert—and I will call you Valentina.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stepped forward, then knelt directly before the prisoner inside the cell, extending his right hand toward the cage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Valentina: “...Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Valentina wished, she could snap his arm in an instant—or drag him to the bars and crush his skull.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Herbert extended his hand without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dragoness, what will you do?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Will you cruelly trample my goodwill and remain the caged beast?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or… will you try another possibility?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked into the dragon’s eyes and whispered:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let us learn to coexist.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After entering the second zone, Herbert did not continue walking; instead, he stood motionless, head bowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long moments passed before he slowly lifted his head and exhaled a heavy, labored breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh… heh, heh, ha!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I won.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The handshake gesture had not been part of his original plan; it was a sudden inspiration in that moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A risky move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he felt it was worth trying!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When did I become such a gambler?” Herbert mused, sensing he had changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his past life, he would never have made such reckless, impulsive moves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had his current life’s experiences shaped him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This lifetime’s Herbert, though an inexperienced nobleman, did not lack the will to make decisive choices at critical moments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not everyone could abandon everything to join a monastery; such a decision required not just courage, but unwavering resolve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, it wasn’t enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not ruthless enough…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Herbert sighed, turning to gaze at the water sphere ahead, meeting the beautiful eyes hidden within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He smiled, strode forward, and waved cheerfully:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Miss Freime, it’s been a long time!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After sleeping well for the first time in a while, I woke up this morning without rushing to write, reread the earlier chapters, and found the biggest point of discomfort in my mind—I completely revised Chapter Nine, changed the approach to the demon god, turning passive into active, adding 500 words total, and finally feel at ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1084,"2026-06-20T12:31:06.198Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","2838513a846b2d10e85edeb2a3fcb63c26adfcfceb8a312fc90853b2a428c3cb","an-improper-monster-girl-s-transformation-diary-chapter-16","an-improper-monster-girl-s-transformation-diary-chapter-14",453,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fan-improper-monster-girl-s-transformation-diary-cover.jpg"]