Chapter 6: You Think I

In a sealed space invisible to outsiders, this conversation took place.

"Come here! Let me smell you!"

"No!"

"Obey me! Let me take a look!"

"No!"

"Tsk! Are you coming over or not?"

"No, Jiege, please!"

"……Jiege? What Jiege? What have you been muttering about over there since just now?"

Valentina gave Herbert a strange sidelong glance, wondering why this guy was clutching his chest as if he'd rather die than let go.

What are you doing?

I just wanted to smell you closely and confirm what this scent is—why are you so tense?

I'm not going to eat you!

"Hmph! Fine, don't let me smell you—big deal." Valentina sniffed, turning her back to the bars in annoyance.

Shush…

But shortly after she turned away in a sulk, she heard footsteps approaching—and the fragrance growing stronger.

"……What?"

Valentina crossed her arms, suppressing the urge to turn around.

No.

Don't turn back!

For some reason, if I turn back now, it'll feel like I've lost to him…

At this moment, Herbert had already stepped to the edge of the Dragon Young Lady's cell, standing barely an arm's length and a half away.

He squinted at Valentina, whose body language screamed restraint, and Many Thoughts flashed through his mind.

When he first heard the Dragon Young Lady's confused remark, Herbert's first thought was that she was sexually frustrated and planning to take advantage of him.

But he quickly realized it must be something that had changed on his own body.

What could have changed overnight?

All clues pointed to one direction—that… uh, demonic mark.

A blessing from Miss Xie Shen?

At that moment, Herbert also realized another thing—he had completely ignored the dragon aura emanating from Valentina.

Unlike yesterday, when he had struggled to endure it, he now felt absolutely nothing; he'd forgotten it entirely unless he remembered to think of it.

Had Valentina deliberately suppressed her dragon aura?

She probably wasn't that kind.

Miss Xie Shen, what kind of forced blessing have you bestowed upon me?

Or… is this even a blessing at all?

Could it be some kind of improper curse?

Recalling that unreliable Harmonist, Herbert's scalp prickled—he nearly remembered last night's nightmare.

Ugh… cough!

He forcibly shoved the image rising in his mind down, and focused his attention elsewhere to speak to Valentina:

"Cough, cough—Prisoner Young Lady, come now, let me test you: can you detect any changes in me?"

"Hmph. You've just become a bit smellier."

Valentina kept her back turned, neck stiff, fighting hard against the instinct to look back.

"Smelly? You mean from a culinary perspective?"

"Huh?"

Valentina froze, whirled around, and glared at him fiercely: "Do you think I'd find your body appealing?!"

Who would eat you?

"You look like a starving ghost who hasn't eaten in centuries… oh wait, you actually haven't eaten."

Valentina:?

"Hey! Are you deliberately provoking me?!"

"How could I? Oh dear, I'm so sorry—I just accidentally forgot you haven't eaten in… huuuundreds of years~"

You're still talking?!

Valentina was about to explode, but saw Herbert's smirking lips and realized he was deliberately goading her—she clenched her teeth and turned her head away again.

Hmph!

Go ahead.

I won't fall for your trap.

"Lady Demonflame?"

"Hmph."

"Young Lady Valentina?"

"Hmph!"

After that, no matter how much Herbert teased her, Valentina, determined to resist, gave no reply beyond cold sniffs.

What kind of snort monster are you?

Just turn around and look at me.

If you turn around, I won't believe those eyes of yours are empty!

Besides……

Although saying so might be a bit impolite, whenever Herbert looked at her stubborn back, he couldn't help but recall the Shiba Inu his Young Lady neighbor had raised in his previous life.

Every time it went out to play and came home, it would always show its determined back of the head to its owner like this.

One leaning its upper body back with a sharp tug, the other straining to shove its head into the ground—two creatures, leaning against each other through a leash, formed a static sculpture of two-force equilibrium.

The two tugged at each other like this for a while longer. In the end, the stubborn Miss Dog won through sheer willpower, and Herbert had no choice but to give up helplessly, turning to walk deeper into the prison.

"Fine, then just stay here and face the wall to reflect on yourself. I'll go check on the others."

Forget it. Since you're unwilling to cooperate, I'll find someone who will.

Part ways, part ways—the next one will be better behaved!

Just as Herbert was about to step out of the sealed range of Valentina's prison cell, a call whose emotion was hard to make out suddenly came from behind.

"Hey, kid."

"Hm? You've finally come around?"

Herbert turned his head and saw that Valentina in the cell had finally turned around, staring at him with a faint, eerie gaze.

Seeing him turn, she gave a cold snort, made a fierce expression, and threatened viciously: "If you're scared, then just fucking scram!"

Having said that, she gave Herbert no chance to react and shrank straight back into the shadows of the cell.

"……"

Herbert held his looking-back posture for quite a while, shook his head thoughtfully, and answered with a smile: "Heh, I will."

There was no reaction from the cage—impossible to tell whether Valentina had actually heard him or not.

So… was she actually concerned about me?

Not sure.

I'll observe some more later.

Maybe it's one of the world's three great illusions……

But regardless, in light of Valentina's warning, Herbert still raised his guard a little.

Could it be that among those fellows there exists one that harbors great malice toward me?

Thinking this, Herbert continued deeper into the prison.

The second sector.

Unlike the first sector where Valentina was, the air here was noticeably much better—though the humidity was probably above seventy percent, and the dampness was clearly palpable.

"Oh? You've come again. I thought you'd already run off."

Within the enormous sphere of water floating in midair, the prisoner with a human upper body and fish tail opened her eyes, looking at her visitor with some surprise.

"In terms of sheer courage, you are stronger than the warden before the last one."

"Oh? What happened to him?"

The mermaid curled her lips and said playfully: "He was a coward who came here to experience life. He got his courage scared out of him by the angel inside, ran out crying, and never showed up again the next day."

"Whew……"

Herbert raised a brow—he hadn't expected to hear a predecessor's secret.

The mermaid laughed at his expression, lifting most of her body out of the water, and Herbert saw: "Right…… do you think I'm good-looking?"

"Hm?"

Herbert sized her up from head to toe and nodded without the slightest hesitation.

"I think you look very good."

(End of this chapter)