Chapter 17: Can We Stop Talking About This?

In a small town, under a workshop’s shed, a group of men gathered around a round table.

The gold coin on the table sparked greed in their eyes, each man itching to claim it for himself.

But the bandit leader suddenly tapped the table lightly and addressed the others.

“This money can’t be split.”

“What?”

The men looked shocked, ready to voice their discontent, but the leader continued.

“Let me explain.”

He gathered his thoughts and went on.

“When would a girl dare venture into the deep forest alone?”

“Uh…”

The group fell silent.

“A date?”

“But she was alone.”

“Gathering herbs?”

“Did you see her carrying a basket?”

“…”

“Could it be… some dark magic ritual?”

The men gasped.

Indeed, a girl wandering into the wilderness, if not for those reasons, likely had a far more dangerous purpose.

And she was generous, tossing out a gold coin like it was nothing, clearly someone wealthy.

“Even if it’s not a ritual, it’s probably something far more valuable than the coin she gave us.”

The leader’s words prompted nods from the group.

“So, this girl’s no ordinary person. If we’ve offended her and she comes back for trouble, what do we do?”

The men glanced at the coin, suddenly feeling it was too hot to handle.

“Then… we keep it?”

“Yes!”

The leader nodded.

“If she comes back, we return the coin, say we regretted it and didn’t spend it. Someone of her status probably won’t hold a grudge.”

In truth, he wished he’d returned it on the spot, but the coin had clouded his judgment.

This was just damage control.

“Boss, can’t we… take the coin and work somewhere else?”

“Probably not.”

The leader sighed.

“We’re rooted here. A gold coin’s valuable, but starting over elsewhere, dealing with new people—that’s a big expense.”

He looked at the group.

“Forget today happened. We keep the coin here, guarded daily. If it’s lost, the guard replaces it. Understood?”

The men exchanged glances but raised no objections.

They had no choice but to share the risk.

*

Lucia returned to her lair.

Seeing clothes drying at the cave’s entrance, she knew Fratina was likely still home.

If Fratina were hunting, she’d have taken the clothes in first.

Perhaps because of the hearty meal, Lucia flew a similar distance as yesterday but only felt slightly winded upon returning.

Inside the cave, Fratina sat idly in the living hall. Seeing Lucia, she quickly stood to greet her respectfully.

“Lord Lucia, you’re back?”

Still in dragon form, Lucia glanced at Fratina.

“Fratina, bring in the clothes outside.”

Fratina, sensing Lucia needed privacy to shift to human form, nodded knowingly and headed out.

Lucia took the chance to transform, then hurried to her room to don her cloak.

Last time, she hadn’t wanted to go out cloaked, but the magical cloak stretched and fell off during transformation, landing on the ground.

Unsure why, she always stored it carefully before shifting.

By the time Lucia, cloaked, emerged, Fratina had retrieved the clothes.

They were all Fratina’s—Lucia cleaned her own, wary of Fratina discovering her true gender.

“Lord Lucia, did you go out for something yesterday?”

“Yes, a small matter. Why, did someone come here?”

Lucia brushed off the question, redirecting it to Fratina.

She knew exactly what happened yesterday, having experienced it herself.

But Fratina didn’t know the girl was the dragon before her.

After some thought, Fratina spoke carefully.

“Yes… something happened. A girl wandered into the valley and got lost. It was getting late, so I escorted her back, expecting your punishment. But you were out…”

“I see.”

Lucia nodded inwardly, satisfied.

Fratina’s account matched yesterday’s events, showing she wasn’t hiding anything.

But…

If Fratina stopped there, Lucia wasn’t fully pleased.

She hadn’t mentioned the aftermath.

“Didn’t the girl’s family thank you for bringing her back?”

“…”

Fratina’s face fell as she recalled the soldiers’ attitudes at the outpost.

Before entering the valley, those soldiers had greeted her with smiles and respect.

But yesterday, despite her good deed, their demeanor had shifted completely.

“What… you didn’t get her back?”

“I… I took her to the border outpost and let the soldiers handle the rest.”

“Oh.”

Lucia feigned thoughtfulness.

“From your reaction, it seems the soldiers weren’t kind to you.”

“…”

“They think you betrayed humanity, so their attitude changed, and it… hurt you?”

“Lord Lucia…”

Fratina stared at her, biting her lip, her expression pained.

“Can we… not talk about this?”