Chapter 343: Our Relationship Is So Good (Bonus Chapters 118 & 119)

"Valentina!!! Listen to my explanation!!!"

"I won't listen!!! You still dare to lie to me!!!"

The young lady giant dragon's thunderous roar echoed through the Mirror Space, shattering quite a few of the mirror surfaces.

And those fragments, after shattering, the flying debris hadn't even hit the ground before being melted by the high temperature, turning into drops of silver rain that fell.

And when those high-temperature droplets landed on his body, Herbert instinctively dodged, but quickly realized he actually wasn't afraid of high temperatures.

"Hmm?"

Then, even though the situation was urgent now, a bizarre thought still flashed through Herbert's mind.

"This, can it count as wax play?"

High-temperature droplets landing on the body, but without any substantial harm… it really does feel quite similar.

And Herbert's hesitation, in Valentina's eyes, became the tell after being exposed.

"Ha! I knew it!"

Valentina raged, glaring at the "person in the mirror" who had taken Herbert's appearance and letting out an angry snort.

Being stared at angrily by her, Herbert's scalp went numb while he couldn't help but nod secretly.

Right, right, right, this is the one.

This is what I wanted.

This is the real Valentina.

What was that thing Liukaliya was disguised as before?

Not even a fraction of this thrilling feeling!

No, wait!

Now is not the time to sigh over this!

"Wait a moment!"

Herbert raised his hand, took a deep breath, and said in a deep voice:

"Valentina, listen to my explanation! You might not be that great, but it really is me! I'm back!"

He gazed affectionately at the crimson giant dragon and said seriously, "You can definitely recognize me, right? I believe in you, you can do it…"

*Slap! *

The young lady giant dragon's tail slammed down heavily, the tremendous noise cutting off Herbert's affectionate confession.

"I won't listen!"

She took a deep breath, and then her chest swelled up high.

*Hissss—*

*WHOOSH!!! *

Dragon's breath, exhale!

When in doubt, breathe fire first!

"You're the kid who can do whatever you set your mind to! You… damn, you really breathed fire!?"

Herbert had originally been thinking about a turning point, but the next moment he still turned and ran.

A'Zhen is serious!

Herbert really wasn't afraid of fire, but his clothes were.

With that still-unfamiliar mirror demon beside him, he didn't want to go streaking just yet.

Herbert hadn't run very far when the surging dragon breath arrived as expected… it didn't.

No actual scorching breath came; what swept in was only a blast of scorching wind.

"Huh!?"

Herbert was just hesitating when he felt a tremendous force slam into his waist, and his whole body flew up.

*Thud—*

Under the effect of that tremendous force, he flew over a hundred meters through the Mirror Space like a launched missile, slamming heavily into a mirror.

*Slap! *

What happened?

Just as he was hesitating, Herbert saw his reflection in the mirror—looking at him with a displeased expression, openly smacking its lips.

Huh?

Before Herbert could think further, the missile booster tightly gripping his waist from behind spoke: "You still dare to come back! Hmph!"

Herbert was stunned for a moment, then his expression softened, realizing exactly who it was pinning him down from behind.

"Valentina, I'm back."

He laboriously turned around and gently patted the hungry dragon young lady pressing down on him.

You let me get up, up, up… I can't get up.

Forget it, I'll just lie here like this.

Failing to struggle, Herbert also gave up resisting, letting Valentina press down on him.

"Hehe!"

Looking at Herbert's helpless expression, Valentina revealed a brilliant smile and said proudly, "Did you think I couldn't recognize you?"

She raised her head, lifted her nose slightly, and hummed smugly: "Hmph, am I amazing or what?"

That look, just like a… husky waiting for someone to praise it.

"Amazing, amazing, our family's Valentina is really too amazing!"

Herbert also laughed happily, raised his hand to rub the top of her head, and encouraged her: "You really are the kid who can do whatever you set your mind to."

"Mm-hm!"

Valentina, pleased, bent down and nuzzled her cheek against Herbert's chest — and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Phew!

Thank goodness, thank goodness she recognized him in the end!

"Sage! You're really useful!"

She thanked the Sage in her mind gratefully: "Good thing you were here, or I almost would've smacked him to death!"

Just that little bit more, and she really would've breathed dragon breath!

The more she thought about it, the more Valentina felt a chill of fear afterward, and nuzzled even harder.

She took a deep breath of Herbert's scent, trying to use it to suppress the unease in her heart.

Inhale — ha!

That's right, it's this sweet, sweet scent.

So reassuring.

Herbert hadn't expected Valentina to be feeling afraid afterward; he only thought she'd missed him after too long apart, and gently patted her head.

"I'm back, I'm right here."

He raised a hand to soothe the "large dog" pressing against him and greedily breathing in his scent, while glancing up at the mirror surface overhead.

There, Liukaliya was looking at them with a face full of disdain.

That expression — the kind of innocent passerby on the street who witnesses a couple's intimate behavior and suffers a spiritual critical hit.

Without her needing to speak, Herbert could read exactly what she wanted to say — Damn it, ran into a disgusting couple!

Yikes—

And seeing that expression of hers, Herbert laughed with utter delight.

"Haha!"

Herbert winked at the mirror yokai in the mirror, gestured at the two of them, raised an eyebrow and pouted: "See? Told you."

His mouth opened and closed soundlessly, mocking the puzzled reflection in the mirror, making faces as he said: "I told you, we have a great relationship."

"I can recognize her, so of course she can recognize me too."

"Also, that trick of yours is really outdated, so stop it already, I'm embarrassed for you…"

Herbert held the great advantage and had absolutely no thought of letting bygones be bygones.

Enough is enough?

What a joke!

When the wind is at your back, don't team-fight — wait until the wind is against you and feed the enemy a wipe?

Push push push!

He had no intention of letting her off, furiously outputting at the speechless mirror yokai.

Moreover, facts speak louder than words — both of them had passed the test.

"…Tch!"

Liukaliya could only swallow this silent loss, wordlessly watching this guy's ugly, unforgiving face.

Despicable guy!

After finally outputting enough, Herbert stopped and ceased his barrage.

In the end, still unsatisfied, he added one more line to the mirror yokai with lingering relish: "She really does love me, you know."

And just as he finished saying that, Valentina suddenly reacted.

"Hmm?"

Valentina had been happily sniffing Herbert just now — from his belly to his chest, and had just reached his neck…

Sniff sniff.

She twitched her nose, and her body froze.

"Why does… someone else's scent linger here?" she suddenly opened her eyes alertly and sniffed carefully.

"Hmm?"

There… oh no!

Herbert realized that the scent left from when Elisha drank blood still lingered there, and quickly spoke up to distract Valentina's attention.

"Ah!"

"Right, I brought you a specialty from the Underdark — a kind of mushroom that tastes especially delicious!"

Herbert spoke rapidly, then pulled out the mushrooms he'd gotten from the mushroom merchant, and without further ado stuffed them into the hungry dragon's mouth.

Stuff!

In his panic, Herbert didn't watch his strength, and stuffed more than half the mushroom into the hungry dragon's mouth in one go.

"Mm!?"

Suddenly ambushed, Valentina first widened her eyes, gave a reproachful look at the clumsy Herbert, but didn't get angry — she just happily started chewing in big bites.

(munch munch munch munch munch munch)

That casual manner — she didn't feel the slightest discomfort of being choked.

Herbert realized: a dragon's physiology is actually different from a human's.

Even when transformed into human form, she's still essentially a dragon.

Because dragons constantly breathe dragon breath, their throats aren't as sensitive as humans' — they won't be stimulated into dry-heaving by light contact.

And after realizing this difference, Herbert had an epiphany.

At that moment, Herbert knew — he had to marry this hungry dragon…

Gulp!

Valentina chewed a couple of big mouthfuls, swallowed the entire mushroom whole, and continued complaining: "Mmh, don't think you can fool me with this—who is this… mmh!!?"

Stuff.

Having learned from before, Herbert was no longer worried at all. He pulled out another big mushroom and kept stuffing her mouth.

Herbert stuffed her as he muttered: "Eat, eat, eat more, talk less. Can't even shut you up with mushrooms."

"Mmm-mmm-mmm."

(chew chew chew chew chew chew)

The forcibly-fed hungry dragon Young Lady chewed with her mouth while her hands weren't idle either—she had already habitually placed them in their dedicated position.

Just like a conditioned reflex.

Eating seemed to be a starting signal; once full, the next step would follow.

?

Herbert sensed this and said helplessly: "Hey hey hey, wait a moment…"

Young Lady, those little hands of yours aren't exactly clean!

It seemed the delicious mushrooms from the dark realm could only satisfy the hungry dragon's appetite.

As for her other desires, they'd have to be filled by other mushrooms entering her belly.

But the problem is—mind the occasion.

The mushroom's owner expressed helplessness: I know you're in a rush, but please don't rush.

"You, wait a moment, forget it…"

Click.

At a thought from Herbert, a teleportation gate appeared out of thin air beneath the two of them.

The gate opened gently, and the two fell into it.

While falling, Herbert smiled lightly at Lucalia in the mirror and said his farewell:

"Lucalia, let's leave it at that for now. I have things to attend to on my end—see you later."

After this test, Herbert could roughly confirm that the other party truly held no ill will toward him—though that didn't necessarily mean any goodwill either.

Still, having such an attitude on their first meeting was already not bad.

She felt like a child looking for someone to play with—hm, a brat, actually.

Returning to the Endless Maze, Herbert said to the mirror demon behind the gate: "Don't worry, we'll meet again soon… uh."

Herbert grabbed hold of Valentina, whose behavior had escalated after returning to her old nest and whose little claws had already started groping around everywhere.

He smiled apologetically at the person in the mirror: "Mm, looks like you'll have to wait a little longer."

"Wait until later… Valentina, don't rush me! I didn't say I wouldn't cooperate, give me a moment—hiss!"

Click.

The teleportation gate closed; the sound and image behind it vanished.

In the middle of the mirror, Lucalia stood expressionless, staring with dead-fish eyes at the spot where the gate had disappeared.

After quite a while, she weakly covered her forehead and couldn't help muttering: "…what even was all that?"

A brainless dragon who doesn't listen to others and only knows how to charge in violently.

A clever and quick-witted human holy knight radiating an air of arrogance.

How on earth did you two end up together?

Why didn't you fight?

Could it be that your brains complement each other?

And the Heaviest…

"Aren't you two a prisoner and a warden? How did you end up together?"

"When you said you were close, you meant in this way!?"

That final scene left Lucalia utterly baffled; she racked her brain and still couldn't figure out which step she had missed.

"No—why can you two stack together!!?"

"Am I the only one who thinks something's off?"

Lucalia was bewildered, unsure if she herself was the problem.

She thought for a while and decided she should find someone else to vent to.

……

Aurora Sanctuary.

The countless mirror shards scattered across the ground trembled slightly, slowly piecing themselves back together under Lushier's indifferent gaze.

When the mirror was restored, the reflection within it also came alive.

"Um, hehe, I came to chat with you."

The fallen angel was silent.

Lushier couldn't quite figure out what this one was thinking.

Making threats before fighting was one thing, but after losing, saying she'd never come back—and yet only a few days had passed?

"Hehe, I was just afraid you'd be bored!"

The "angel" in the mirror showed a fawning smile and said playfully: "Aiya, don't be so petty! Smile, smile for me!"

"Last time I was just teasing you, wasn't I? Is it worth getting this angry?"

Although the fallen angel clearly had no intention of paying her any mind, Lucalia still brazenly opened her mouth: "Listen to me! I just saw a really amazing scene…"

"I saw that warden guy—his personality is awful, but he's quite an interesting fellow!"

"And besides, he's clearly a Holy Knight, yet he has an incredibly close relationship with magical creatures! Doesn't that guy worry about falling himself?"

Hmm?

The fallen angel, who had not planned to pay the Mirror Demon any attention, raised an eyebrow at the keyword.

Falling?

Lucille's subtle reaction did not escape the Mirror Demon's eyes, causing her words to trail off.

Lucaria tilted her head curiously. "Hmm? You're interested in that?"

"Well then, let me tell you…"

……

……

Not long ago, the underground sanctuary.

The old man, sitting as still as a stone statue, trembled slightly and slowly opened his eyes.

The Archbishop was dazed for a moment, countless lights and shadows flashing through his eyes, then he slowly nodded after a pause.

"Another layer of the seal has been undone."

"Has that child already reached the sixth layer?"

He rolled his neck, chuckled kindly, and murmured to himself, "How fast. Truly surprising."

As he spoke, his gaze drifted slowly and settled on the stone statue ahead.

"……Heh."

(End of chapter)