Chapter 241

Grr—

In the silent space, a low rumble echoed softly.

Gurglegurglegurgle.

"I'm so hungry—"

Valentina lay sprawled on the bed, lifeless, pouting as she rubbed her stomach, her eyes vacant as they stared at the ceiling edge.

Hungry.

Why am I so hungry?

"It feels like the price you pay after using your brain too much…"

As Valentina unconsciously thought this, another thought naturally flashed through her mind.

'Correct.'

Then she felt her stomach sink further, more energy drained from her body into her head.

More hungry.

"... Huh!?"

Valentina blinked, then widened her eyes in disbelief.

No!

This!!?

"Aaaaaaah!"

I was already starving!!?

Why is it making me even hungrier?

'Because you thought.'

Her stomach sank a little more.

Grr.

"Ahh!!?"

Valentina could no longer lie still—she sat up abruptly on the bed, gazing sorrowfully at her gradually hollowing belly.

Her eyes brimmed with fury; she clenched her teeth tightly.

Damn it!

Is this the price of gaining wisdom!!?

'Yes…'

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!!!"

Valentina clapped her hands over her ears, trying to escape this cold, emotionless voice.

But she failed.

This voice—identical to her own—sounded directly inside her mind.

No! Way! To! Block! It!

Gurglegurglegurgle…

Feeling the mournful cries from her stomach, Valentina became a true, unadulterated hunger dragon once again after many days.

Feeling the emptiness in her belly, Valentina felt vulnerability again for the first time in a long while.

"Waaah…"

With a shattered expression, she hugged her knees, wrapped in the small blanket stained with Herbert's scent, curled up sadly in the corner of the bed.

"Herbert, where are you? Come back quickly!"

She had never, not for a single moment, longed to see Herbert again… and the food he brought.

Hmm.

He can come back later, but can't the food be sent first!?

I'm really hungry!

Hungryhungryhungryhungryhungry…

After a while of rambling complaints, Valentina had only meant to vent—but now she genuinely felt sad.

"..."

She curled up in the blanket, gripping the edge tightly, recalling once more how it felt before she met Herbert.

Loneliness, solitude, hunger.

She had long believed she had grown used to all of it.

When first locked in prison, Valentina had been furious, attempting escape multiple times.

Though all attempts ended in failure, they made her realize one thing.

The old man had no intention of harming her—he simply threw her in and ignored her.

In fact, Valentina had a feeling the old man actually encouraged her to escape.

Once she understood this, she stopped trying to force her way out and chose instead to lie low in silence.

So what if I'm locked up?

Big deal!

Once I grow stronger, I'll escape on my own!

A dragon's power increases slowly over time, nearly proportional to its duration.

Endure for a while, escape from here, then find the descendants of those who killed Wendy and seek revenge.

Holding this belief, Valentina had silently endured—though most of the time she was just sleeping.

But don't dwell on the details—point is, that was endurance!

Her strength rose steadily, reaching Legendary Peak, just one step away from Epic.

Valentina had believed that after centuries of endurance, she had grown accustomed to everything.

She needed no companions—such a burden—nor did she feel lonely, nor did she crave food.

She was a powerhouse!

But after Valentina met Herbert, she realized she had been wrong.

After encountering the man who changed her world, she suddenly understood she wasn't as strong as she thought.

She was… rather fragile.

She truly needed someone to keep her company, easily felt lonely, and loved eating.

She could have endured all this darkness—if only she had never met the man who brought her light.

"Herbert…"

To be fair, at first, she hadn't paid Herbert much mind.

Just another annoying little brat who'd soon cry and run away.

But later, things turned out very differently from her expectations.

Friend.

Then… partner.

In what felt like a blink, in the time it took to nap, her life and thoughts underwent a complete transformation.

Everything had changed.

Even this once-dark prison now seemed less repulsive, even like her own nest.

She began to grow more like him, even began to crave more.

His kind of… greed.

To stay with Herbert forever, always and ever.

So, how should this feeling be defined?

Valentina traced the ring on her finger, a faint smile tugging at her lips.

To possess everything about the other, to forever remain by their side…

Is this what is called "love"?

The Wisdom Dragon's legacy, the voice called "Sage" within the inheritance, gave no answer.

'…'

Was it due to insufficient energy, unable to respond?

Or was this question simply unnecessary to answer?

"Heh."

Valentina had already known the answer to this question long ago.

"I've become just as greedy as you, Herbert."

After thinking of Herbert, Valentina's foul mood slowly lifted.

Recalling their moments together, her smile grew wider, and when she remembered the joyful parts, she burst out laughing.

After accepting the Wisdom Dragon's inheritance, her gained abilities were not limited to just "Sage."

Her memory improved dramatically; recalling the past felt as if she had truly returned to those moments.

The more she recalled the past's beauty, the more absurd her current sadness seemed.

What was there to be unhappy about?

Will he abandon me?

Heh.

Impossible!

If he won't, why am I worrying here?

"Hehe!"

Valentina sat alone, grinning foolishly for a while, finally shaking off her bad mood entirely.

The Hungry Young Lady's sadness came fast and left just as quickly.

Valentina rolled over, stood up from the bed, and leapt lightly to the floor, raising her hands high, clutching the blanket.

Clang—

Fully restored!

Valentina placed her hands on her hips and nodded firmly.

"Hmph~"

Sadness, sorrow—I don't know you!

Look!

I'm a vibrant, energetic dragon again!

She couldn't bear to put down the blanket stained with Herbert's scent, so she draped it behind her like a cloak, tying it in a knot before her neck.

The blanket carried Herbert's scent—it felt as if he were holding her in his arms.

At this moment, though her stomach growled, Valentina felt full of spirit!

"Hunger? I'm already used to it!"

As if to answer Valentina's bold declaration, her little belly let out an untimely, thunderous growl.

Grrr—

"... Mm, alright, still not quite used to it." Valentina meekly pursed her lips and rubbed her completely empty stomach.

I can choose not to feel sorrow; my will is my own to command.

But... this hunger won't do!

When the hunger hits, it really hits!

Hungry, hungry!

"What do I do!?"

Valentina was truly troubled right now.

In the past, when she got this hungry, she would just choose to go straight to sleep.

Once asleep, she wouldn't feel hungry anymore.

If she woke up hungry again, that was a problem for the future-her, nothing to do with her right now.

She had always lived by the philosophy of "It is what it is—sleep first!"

Got problems? Sleep on it, think about it after waking.

No problems? Then even more reason to just sleep.

The main point is sleeping anywhere, anytime, any duration.

After all, a dragon's ecological niche in the wilderness was terrifyingly high, basically no natural enemies, and under normal circumstances nothing could threaten her.

But the problem now was that she couldn't fall asleep!

Never in her life had she felt her consciousness so wide awake.

After rubbing her belly and agonizing for quite a while, Valentina finally faced reality—going on like this wouldn't work.

No matter what, she had to find something to do to distract herself.

Well then, the question arose again.

What should she do?

Valentina scanned the cell, and suddenly blinked.

"Eh?"

In her utter boredom, she suddenly felt this cell had become fresh and interesting too.

She walked to the wall and knocked on it, nodding.

This wall is truly a wall!

This door is truly a door!

This brick is truly a brick!

Never mind what she'd discovered, anyway everything looked fresh to her.

If Herbert were asked to evaluate Valentina's current behavior—it would probably be something like "going to the bathroom without a phone and repeatedly studying the ingredients list on the shower gel."

Three words—bored out of her mind.

This did indeed distract part of Valentina's attention, letting her temporarily forget her hunger.

But this kind of behavior could only be a temporary fix after all, and Valentina soon became dimly aware of her stomach again.

Growl...

Valentina agonized for a moment, and finally steeled her resolve.

Better a short pain than a long one!

Hungry is hungry either way, so "a little hungry" and "very hungry" made no difference.

She decided to invoke forbidden power!

The Hungry Dragon Young Lady, face set with grim determination, loudly posed an earth-shattering question to the "Sage."

"How can I stop being hungry?"

And then, received a calm reply.

'Eat.'

Valentina:?

Moreover, seemingly worried Valentina wouldn't understand, the "Sage"—her—added another line.

"Once you're full, you won't be hungry."

Valentina:???

The Hungry Dragon Young Lady truly had her defenses broken this time—broken by her other self inside her head.

Like I don't know that!?

Do you think I'm some kind of idiot!?

"Ah!?"

But sadly, her anger had no one to hear it.

Thump!

Valentina stomped hard, clenching her fists in resentful fury,

She wasn't stupid enough to punch herself in the head.

She could only rage uselessly at the air, wildly swinging for quite a while before finally venting all that anger.

I-I-I-I... hmph!!!

Fortunately, the "Sage" hadn't expended energy answering this question Valentina already knew, or she really would have completely broken down today.

She sniffed, stubbornly took a deep breath, and tried hard to calm her mood.

"Phew! Stay calm, stay calm..."

'See, just now you weren't hungry.'

Valentina's expression went blank.

A moment ago, she had indeed completely forgotten her hunger, with nothing left in her mind but raging fury.

Well, judging by the result, this was indeed one way to forget hunger.

But the problem was… the moment the "Sage" was mentioned, Valentina uncontrollably recalled it all again.

Grrr…

After all this fuss, Valentina felt utterly drained and thought she had become even hungrier.

Exhausted and starving — a double blow.

"Haah…"

After quite a while longer, Valentina finally managed to calm herself with great difficulty. Summoning her spirits, she asked again, unwilling to give up:

"How am I supposed to find food here?"

Didn't Herbert leave behind anything else?

Anything at all — let me eat just a little!

'……'

Valentina felt her energy drain away, yet the "Sage" had given her no answer at all.

"Sigh! Just as I thought, there isn't any… huh?"

Her own nose wouldn't lie to her — there was simply no smell of food here.

Just as she was feeling helpless, Valentina's eyes suddenly trembled. She lowered her head sharply and discovered that her legs had begun moving on their own.

"Huh? Huh-huh-huh…"

Carried along by her own self-willed long legs, her upper body leaning backward, she walked step by step toward a certain direction — arriving before a door.

It was an utterly ordinary-looking door; Valentina could even see the empty room beyond it.

Was there food hidden here?

She tilted her head, still puzzled, as her left hand rose on its own. The silver ring on her finger glimmered faintly.

"Mm?"

Then, without giving Valentina any chance to hesitate, it pushed the great door open with one palm and strode inside.

……

Creak!

"Mm?"

"Sigh! Lord Herbert, I already told you last time — please don't just barge in like that. It's really dangerous, you… mm?"

Swanny turned her head, sighing as she looked back at the uninvited intruder who had broken in again — and froze completely.

"Who are you!?"

She stared at the red-haired woman walking out from the doorway, feeling that something was entirely wrong.

Hm?

You are?

The new warden?

No, no, no… such an overwhelming dragon's majesty — there's no way she could be a warden of the monastery.

Then, an escaped inmate?

But if you're escaping, why go deeper instead of out?

Just as Swanny grew alert and prepared to strike first no matter what, the woman opposite spoke.

"Do you have food!?"

?

"Huh?"

Valentina looked at the dark elf with eager anticipation, not caring who the other was, and asked excitedly: "Do you have food? I'll only eat a little!"

Really, just a tiny bit!

"……"

Swanny's usually icy expression became wonderfully colorful at this moment, completely unable to follow the other's train of thought.

She gazed at those eyes brimming with anticipation and hunger, was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"…Yes."

"Wait a moment, I'll get it for you."

(End of chapter)