Chapter 56: Guardian of the Home, Loyal Defender!

“Hey hey hey!!!”

Valentina, awakened by a sudden shout in her sleep, jolted upright, flipping over like a giant cat and landing on all fours on the ground.

“Hm!?”

She arched her back high, her hair puffing out like bristles, baring her sharp white teeth as she let out a warning hiss.

Hssss—

Her already large eyes widened further, her crimson irises narrowing into vertical slits as she swiftly scanned her surroundings.

Who is it!?

Then—she locked eyes with the white-haired boy smiling beyond the bars.

“?”

“Good morning~”

“???” Valentina blinked hard, disoriented, shaking her head vigorously as if trying to clear the sleep.

Herbert, watching her posture, felt genuinely surprised.

Until now, in his mind, Valentina had always been… well, another kind of animal that got along well with humans.

But her earlier movements instantly reminded him of a certain orange cat that loved napping on top of his carriage.

The way that thing reacted—first startled, then dazed—after he poked it awake… yeah, exactly the same.

So, what’s your true form? A large dog or an orange cat?

Valentina stared at Herbert, dazed for a moment, then her gaze sharpened instantly.

“Hmph!”

She remembered now—how he’d teased and tricked her before.

“...What do you want now?”

She shot him a disgruntled glare, then turned her head away with pride, refusing to look at him.

I don’t want to talk to you.

But then again…

Though Valentina now displayed this wary posture, inwardly she’d already decided not to take him seriously.

She had indeed been angry—angry enough that only a lot of food could soothe her.

But not long ago, she’d accidentally encountered a strange slime that had wandered up to her cell.

After giving that unfortunate creature a few good hits, her irritation drained away, and her mood instantly improved.

Indeed, lying around sleeping isn’t living—only battle is true life.

Battle—awesome!

Even though the creature ultimately escaped, the long-missed fight had made her feel fully alive again.

Even seeing Herbert didn’t make her as angry anymore; she was still basking in the afterglow of battle.

Fighting… is wonderful…

“Valentina, I’m here to thank you.”

Hm?

Hearing Herbert’s words, Valentina’s ears twitched. The hungry dragon, who had been ignoring him, now felt genuine curiosity.

Thank me?

Thank me for what?

“If you hadn’t helped me escape danger, I’d probably be dead by now. You saved me!”

The hungry dragon’s ears trembled again; half her body had already turned toward him, yet her face stubbornly remained fixed on the wall.

Danger? I saved you?

What on earth are you talking about?

Hmmmm…

I’ll just ask—just find out what he’s up to. Nothing else.

This time, I won’t get tricked again!

After much hesitation, Valentina finally couldn’t resist her curiosity and slowly turned her head back.

She studied the boy oddly, scanning him up and down—finding no sign of injury: “Are you trying to trick me again with this?”

“Why would I lie to you?”

Herbert knew she’d bitten. He laughed heartily, his expression earnest: “What would I gain from lying to you? If there’s no benefit, why would I lie?”

“Benefit? I don’t know… probably none…”

Valentina eyed Herbert suspiciously, muttering uncertainly: “But I always get this feeling… that you’d be really… happy after tricking me?”

Herbert: ?

“This… this is a complete misunderstanding, Miss Valentina.”

Herbert sighed, shaking his head helplessly and spreading his hands: “How can you think of me like that? Do you really see me as such a person?”

Am I that kind of person!?

Am I?

…Hey, how convenient!

I am.

Tsk.

Herbert couldn’t help but cluck his tongue inwardly, barely managing to keep his expression steady.

That’s why I hate kids with sharp instincts.

Though the hungry dragon nearly saw through his rotten nature, Herbert would never admit it.

Admit it? Impossible. Not in this lifetime.

“Hmph, stop talking nonsense. I know what I know.”

Valentina knew this pointless topic led nowhere. She rolled her eyes, snapping: “So, what do you want now?”

“Huh? I already said it—you saved me, and I’m here to thank you!”

Herbert cleared his throat and began telling Valentina a tense, thrilling story.

The gist was roughly this—

The protagonist, Little Handsome, was a handsome but weak jailer. One day, the lecherous villain Sang Biao broke into the prison, intending to assault Little Handsome!

But Sang Biao was caught in the act by the prisoner Little Beauty, who, consumed by jealousy, punched him to death.

His evil plan failed. Little Handsome preserved his purity. The story ended happily.

Joyful and triumphant!

“And now, to thank you for your heroic intervention, I’ll grant you one wish! Within my power, I’ll fulfill it!”

Herbert waved his hand grandly: “Speak! What is your dream?”

Valentina stared at Herbert, blinking rapidly, momentarily stunned.

“Huh?”

She wasn’t confused about who Little Handsome, Little Beauty, or Sang Biao were—she understood perfectly.

She might be a bit dense, but she wasn’t stupid…

What truly caught Valentina’s attention—was that slime dangerous?

No way.

Seeing her hesitation, Herbert thought she wanted more. He gritted his teeth and added:

“Besides, I’m going to award you a banner!”

“It’ll say: ‘Guardian of the Home, Loyal Defender! Best Friend of Humanity, Best Prisoner of the Jail!’ What do you think? Doesn’t it suit your aura?”

?

“Hm? Who’s loyal to you?”

Valentina glared at Herbert. Only after he grinned and promised to remove the word “loyal” did she huff.

Hmph. That’s better.

But still… something felt off.

By the way—what’s a “banner”?

“Alright, just tell me what you want to eat—I’ll do my best to give it to you!”

Just as Herbert was discussing rewards with Valentina, his foot suddenly slipped—he plummeted straight into his own shadow.

Whoosh!

“Eat? Let me think… Huh?”

Valentina twitched her nose, looked up—but Herbert was gone.

?

She glanced around, bewildered:

“Where’d he go?”

Where’d that big guy go?

How’d he vanish so fast?

(End of Chapter)