[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-saya-and-the-dragon":3,"chapter-saya-and-the-dragon-saya-and-the-dragon-chapter-52":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Saya and the Dragon",{"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},1705039,2177,"Chapter 49: Escaping Inferno","saya-and-the-dragon-chapter-52",52,"\u003Cp>Back in the dungeon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still chained. Still filthy. Still damp in the wrong ways andnotthe fun ones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’d hauled me off the rack and tossed me back in like a broken doll. I ached everywhere, but I was alive. Sort of. My spine clicked every time I shifted, and my wrists were rubbed raw, but I still had my voice, my legs, and most importantly—my attitude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elira was slumped beside me, half-conscious and mumbling about bread. Sweet girl. Sweet dumb bread-baking almost-witch of a girl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Me? I was plotting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then came the rattle of keys and the telltale clomp of horny teenage doom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dungeon Guard #3.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gods preserve us. Barely old enough to shave, and I’d bet good silver he thought “foreplay” meant poking a girl with the flat end of a broom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But there he was. Big eyes. Bigger ears. Spear clutched like he was compensating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perfect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I let out a little whimper. Just a breathy, needy thing. Like a woman bruised, betrayed, and in desperate need ofattention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is that you?” I whispered, lifting my chin, baring a bit of neck. “My savior?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He blinked. “Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I gave him a slow once-over. Bit my lip. Let my thighs part just slightly as I shifted on the cold floor, the torn hem of my tunic riding dangerously high. No underwear. Naturally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re cute,” I said, breath hitching. “They send you to… check on me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He swallowed. Hard. “I—I—uh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You want a closer look, don’t you?” I purred. “Go on, pretty boy. You ever see a realwitchbefore?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took a step closer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I arched my back—just enough to make the chains jingle—and let my legs slide apart fully, one foot raised, toes pointed, skin glistening with sweat and grime and raw, living mischief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His jaw dropped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he blinked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then hefainted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just collapsed. Spear clattered. Body hit the stone with a sad littleflump. A moment later, he twitched. Then farted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I blinked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well,” I said, “I guess I still got it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elira stirred beside me, eyes fluttering open. “Did you kill him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No,” I said, craning my neck to peek at the carnage. “Iliberatedhim from the burden of virginity. Through sheer suggestion.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She groaned. “What now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pointed with my foot. “Keys. Belt. We have a window. And I amnotdying in this hellhole without making at least one guard wet himself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She stared at me. “You’re serious.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’malwaysserious when I’m half-naked and seconds from execution.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so began the least erotic tango in dungeon history.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elira and I, both straining our legs like tipsy dancers in a tavern revue, toes extended, thighs trembling, straining toward that glint of freedom hanging from the boy’s belt like a prize just out of reach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Little more,” I grunted. “Come on. Stretch those legs, Elira. Channel your innercourtesan acrobat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I bakepies!” she hissed. “Not perform contortionist escape routines!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Youwantto be pie in a few hours?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She grit her teeth and reached harder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My toes brushed metal. Slipped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Closer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then—clink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The keys dropped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Between us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elira and I looked at each other. Then at the spot where they now lay, just barely out of reach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then we both scooted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naked thighs, bruised knees, straining and cursing and giggling like lunatics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And I swear to all the gods watching—if we get out of this, I’m making that boy my patron saint of premature arousal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A low groan echoed through the cell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elira and I froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy twitched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still face-down in his own drool puddle, he let out a pained grunt and shifted. One hand flailed blindly, pawing at the floor. His fingers brushed the ring of keys.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I sucked in a breath. “No, no, no, no—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His hand curled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He started to lift his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elira whimpered. I clenched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then, with the precision of a pissed-off ballerina, I raised my foot andslammedmy heel down on the back of his skull.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thunk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His head bounced once, and he collapsed again with the satisfying limpness of a stunned duck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stay down, perv,” I muttered, flexing my ankle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elira blinked. “Did you just—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Self-defense.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wasn’t he already unconscious?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Emotionalself-defense.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But—bless his horny little soul—as his body flopped, his arm spasmed, and the tips of his fingersnudgedthe keys. Just enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just enough for them toskitteran inch closer. Right into Elira’s range.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t even hesitate. Her toes snapped out like she’d been training for this moment since birth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She caught the ring between two trembling toes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We both stared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she looked at me, grinning like she’d just pulled Excalibur from a particularly disgusting stone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I got them,” she whispered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You beautiful, miraculous baked-goods witch,” I gasped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She started shimmying the keys up toward her bound wrists. Awkward. Wobbly. Pure theatre of the absurd. But slowly—blessedly—the lock clicked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One hand free.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She dropped beside me, fingers fumbling with my manacles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I beamed. “Elira?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When we get out of here…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m buying you a whole bakery.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She smiled. “Deal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first shackle popped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And just like that—we were free.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Barefoot. Bruised. Half-naked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elira and I slapped through the dungeon halls like a pair of panicked frogs. Every wet footstep echoed off the stone with the subtlety of a drum solo. The torches on the wall flickered, throwing our shadows like drunk ghosts. Our breath steamed in the cold air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I hate this,” I hissed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You hate everything,” she panted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not true. I love gold, orgasms, and overpriced bath oils.This, however, is at the bottom of the list.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We crept past rows of empty cells, broken chains, and a rat that looked at me like it owed me money. A stairwell loomed ahead, winding upward toward the promise of a door. Freedom. Escape. Possibly cheese.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We made it halfway up before I heard it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bootsteps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Voices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Torchlight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then came the voice. That voice. Like wet gravel gargling sin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bring the whores to the pyre.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fuck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We turned the corner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And there he was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mr. Witchfinder General himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In full sanctimonious peacock regalia. Tall hat, black robe, torch held high like he thought it made him look holy instead of deranged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two guards flanked him. Beefy. Bearded. Holding spears and trying very hard not to look at our exposed thighs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We skidded to a halt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They stared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We stared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elira whimpered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I said, “Well. Shit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Witchfinder sneered. “Going somewhere, little temptresses?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bathroom?” I offered. “All that righteous torture really loosens the bowels.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Seize them!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The guards stepped forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elira grabbed my hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We turned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ran.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Down the hallway, through the arch, past the cells again. Somewhere above us a bell started ringing. Alarms. The town was waking up. The torches were coming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We burst through a side door into the courtyard and—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh gods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stakes were already set.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two of them. Freshly built. Center of the square. Bundles of kindling stacked like welcome baskets. The crowd was gathering. Nightgowns. Nightcaps. Torches and grim faces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were expecting a show.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I skidded to a stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elira slammed into my back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nope,” I whispered. “Nope nope nope nope.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The door behind us slammed open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Witchfinder’s voice rose like a plague.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“STOP THEM!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elira grabbed my arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What now?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I scanned the courtyard. Square. Barricaded. No horse. No cover. No dragon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that’s how we ended up here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where we started.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Me. Elira. Two freshly-built stakes. Ropes tight. Kindling stacked high like a peasant’s idea of a spa day. Crowd packed in, faces flickering in torchlight. Some curious. Some ravenous. All of them stupid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Witchfinder General stood tall before us, voice booming like a man who'd waited his whole life to yell“burn the witch”and finally got an audience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“BEHOLD!” he bellowed. “THEIR FIENDISH WILES HAVE FAILED! THEIR CHARMS EXPOSED! LET THIS FIRE PURGE THEIR CORRUPTION!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elira whimpered beside me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I rolled my eyes. “This outfit was new,” I muttered. “And now it’s going to smell like singed whore forever.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The executioner raised the torch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whomp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A gust of wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The torches flickered. The crowd gasped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then came the roar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Low. Rolling. Ancient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A shadow blotted out the moon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And with a thunderclap of wings and smug righteousness, heswooped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Great black body coiling through the sky like a vengeful stormcloud. Eyes blazing gold. Mouth already glowing from within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He landed hard in the middle of the square, sending peasants flying like bowling pins. The ground cracked beneath his talons. His tail snapped through a cart and knocked over a pig.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then he spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now,” he said, voice deep enough to rattle bones, “you’re all in trouble.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd screamed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Witchfinder shrieked, “DEMON! BEAST! THIS IS THE PROOF! THE PROOF OF THEIR UNHOLY ALLIANCE!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Dragon roared—voice cracked, wild,delirious—like something ancient and unchained had just slipped its collar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“UNCLE!” he bellowed to the sky. “You wanted carnage? You said I was going soft?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spun toward the crowd, smoke billowing from his nostrils.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“WELL HERE’S YOUR CARNAGE!” he shrieked. “THIS IS FOR YOU, UNCLE!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The townsfolk froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His lips curled back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the fire came.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A tidal wave of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Searing. Golden. Furious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It swept through the square like a divine tantrum. Screams turned to shrieks. Cloaks ignited. The Witchfinder tried to run, tripped over his own righteousness, and vanished in a plume of smoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The torches? Gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gallows? Gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Theaudience? Extra crispy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Dragon stood tall, fire still dripping from his jaws, tail twitching like he was barely restraining the urge to turn the whole town into a crater.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I blinked at him from the stake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You took your time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sniffed. “I wasnapping.And also getting a lecture from my uncle about how I should stop enabling your reckless mortal behavior. Apparently I’m ‘setting a bad example for the hatchlings.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He raised one claw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s untie you before you do somethingelsestupid.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elira was staring at the smoking ruin of the town square.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mouth open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eyes wide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Face pale and lit up in flickers of orange from the freshly grilled crowd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You… you incinerated them,” she whispered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Dragon gave a lazy shrug beside me. “Correct.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All of them,” she said, louder this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another shrug. “They started it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she raised a shaking hand and pointed at the charred, still-smoking crater where about half the town had been gathered just minutes ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even… even…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice caught.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even little Timmy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I blinked. “Wait. Who the fuck is Timmy?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She giggled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just a tiny little sound at first. Soft. Nervous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then again—sharper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she laughed. A full, belly-deep laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then itkept going—higher, meaner, twisted like hot iron, something that didn’t belong in a sane woman’s chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Elira?” I said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only laughter. Rising. Warping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She straightened slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes—those big, soft, sky-colored eyes—weren’t blue anymore. They were glowing red like two coals, bright and hungry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her neck cracked as she turned her head toward me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And she grinned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gods, it stretched far too wide. No human face should grin like that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then came the sound—SHRRK—as two massive, black wings burst from her back, skin tearing open like parchment soaked in oil. Wet. Awful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leathery, veined, and gleaming in the firelight like they'd been waiting centuries for this exact moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ohhhh,” she said, and it wasn’t just her voice anymore—it was layered, like there were two voices speaking from inside her throat. “Everyone thoughtIwas the wicked one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She swept one of her new wings toward the smoking mess behind us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Look at you,” she said, giggling again. “Look at thiscarnage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her smile turned razor-sharp. “Delicious.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t even move. My mouth just hung open. My brain had been forcibly ejected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She spread her wings wide—burnt embers trailing off her skin like glittery bits of nightmare—and looked at me like I was a particularly quaint footnote in her origin story.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you,” she purred. “For unlocking me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then—she jumped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wind blasted into my face as she took off. The air exploded around us. Her wingbeats thundered as she spiraled up into the sky, laughing like an absolute lunatic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“FREEEEEE!” she shrieked, wheeling above the rooftops. “FREE AT LAAAAST!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stood there, still tied to a half-scorched stake, slack-jawed and half-convinced I was hallucinating from smoke inhalation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She disappeared into the dark. Gone. Just like that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I turned my head, very slowly, toward the Dragon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What,” I said, “theactual fuckjust happened?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He groaned and rubbed his massive forehead with a claw like he was trying to massage his last brain cell back to life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Itoldyou,” he muttered, “we don’t pick up strays.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he sighed. Deep. Old. The sigh of someone who’s watched humanity mess up one too many times and still hoped for better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stood there for a solid minute, mouth open, hair singed, dress scorched halfway up my thigh, and half my ass still tied to a half-burned stake. Smoke curled lazily around me. Somewhere behind us, something collapsed with a softthunk—probably what was left of the tavern. Or a baby stroller.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I finally managed to close my mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What,” I said, “inholy fuck-stained helljust happened?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Dragon exhaled a long, slow breath, his eyes following the last drifting ember.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She was a demon,” he said flatly. “Or possessed. Or repressed. Maybe all three.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You think?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gave me a look. The tired, weary look of a creature who’d once witnessed the fall of empires and now watched me unravel basic reality with a rusty spoon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he turned his massive head toward the smoldering ruin of the village square and asked, completely deadpan:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wanna pilfer through the ashes?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I blinked. “Excuse me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There might be silver. Maybe some melted jewelry. You never know what people keep in their pockets at public executions.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re suggesting looting thecrispy remainsof a town you just flambéed?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shrugged his enormous shoulders. “I’m a dragon. It’s what I do.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked at the ashes. Then at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You havenofeelings about what just happened?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, I have feelings,” he said. “Mostly indigestion and mild regret. But I’m channeling them into constructive action. Like treasure-hunting. You should try it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I let out a sound halfway between a laugh and a shriek and sagged against the half-melted post.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gods,” I muttered. “I think I miss the rack.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He snorted. “Don’t tempt me.”\u003C\u002Fp>",2377,"2026-06-06T14:39:25.620Z",1,"novelbin.me","7d3f867e8a696d0c93c9edf3eb6febd2008ab06c4854e3145b3fc7af9451a835","saya-and-the-dragon-chapter-53","saya-and-the-dragon-chapter-51",228,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsaya-and-the-dragon-cover.jpg"]