Chapter 2: Why did you steal my clothes?

‘Backstab a gravely wounded sword saintess? She’d need to actually look gravely wounded first!’

Charis felt a wave of exasperation.
Perhaps His Majesty the Demon King, freshly revived, hadn’t grasped the situation.
Asking again wouldn’t hurt.

“Your Majesty, the Demon King, I think you’ve misunderstood something.
I’m just a young dragon, my claws and fangs aren’t sharp yet.
At least tell me how to escape?”

Charis lowered her head, lifting her hands to show the icy chain binding her neck.
More importantly, the bloodied yet monstrously relentless sword saintess marched ahead of her.

“You… you’re a young dragon?”
The Demon King Talos hesitated before speaking.

“Huh? You’re only realizing this now?!”
Charis was utterly speechless.

“I thought my soul had possessed a mighty dragon warrior.
The sword saintess’s sneak attack forced my soul out of my body, and with my vengeance unfulfilled, seeing her back turned got me a bit excited.”

Talos was straightforward, promptly admitting her misjudgment.
Charis seized the chance to ask for a way out.

“Your Majesty, you survived a sneak attack from the sword saintess.
Surely you have a way to help me escape, right?”

“Well… you’re still a young dragon, and I’m just a soul right now.
My power is limited.”

Talos’s reasoning was sound, but Charis inwardly scoffed.

‘So, a useless Demon King is just squatting in my body? What good is she to me?’

Perhaps because they shared the same body, Talos sensed Charis’s thoughts.
She quickly reaffirmed her usefulness.

“Charis, I’m still the Demon King.
Though I can’t help you escape right now, surviving these insidious, ruthless heroes is a simple matter.”

“You say they’re insidious and ruthless?”

Charis’s heart sank.
If she was dragged back in chains like this, wouldn’t all her “misdeeds” be exposed?
The sword saintess Ophelia already treated her so harshly.
The others, who’d defeated the Demon King to the point of self-destruction, were likely just as bad—if not worse!

“Your Majesty, do you think I’ll live to see tomorrow?”

“No need to be so pessimistic.
You’re a humanoid young dragon, and with such a striking appearance, you’re exceptionally rare.
They surely know your value.
Humans love keeping strange pets, especially those that resemble humans.
High-quality beast-eared folk, for instance, are often bought by nobles with peculiar tastes.”

“Huh? Are you saying I should grovel and please them like some pet?
I’d rather die than do something so humiliating!”

“Just endure for now.
With your talent and my guidance, you’ll soon escape their clutches!
You can even help me exact my revenge!”

Talos’s encouragement echoed in Charis’s mind, as if she were pounding her chest in assurance.

“Why should I believe you…”

“Hey! What are you muttering to yourself about?”

Ophelia suddenly halted and turned.
Caught off guard, Charis bumped right into her chest.
Since Ophelia was a head taller, the collision was awkwardly intimate.

“Ah!”
Ophelia clutched her chest, shoving Charis’s face away.

“Ugh, so hard.”
Charis rubbed her forehead, blurting out an ill-timed remark.

“What… say that again!”
Ophelia’s face flushed with embarrassment and anger, her hand shooting out to pinch Charis’s mouth.

“That hurts! Let go!”
Charis twisted her head to break free, but Ophelia’s grip tightened in fury.

This vile dragon was utterly shameless!
Not only did she keep taking advantage, but she lacked any tact or self-awareness as a dragon!

“It seems I need to teach you some respect, vile dragon.”

Ophelia shifted her grip to Charis’s chin.
This unruly dragon was hers to tame.

“You think I’ll submit just like that?”

“Oh? You clearly don’t know a sword saintess’s methods.”

“Know what!”

Charis glared into Ophelia’s eyes.
Those crimson pupils glinted with mischief, making her instincts scream retreat.

“Charis, staying alive is what matters.
With me here, you’ll have your chance to turn the tables.”
Talos whispered her advice.

With no other choice, Charis knew survival came first.
She lowered her head in submission.

‘Oh? So the dragon’s finally yielding.’

Ophelia squinted, her brows softening with satisfaction.

“Good… vile dragon.
When you meet the others, keep this attitude.
If you say the wrong thing and cause trouble, I’ll strip every scale off your body—just like you stripped my clothes.”

Ophelia pinched Charis’s cheek again.
Truth be told, those rosy, smooth cheeks felt delightfully soft.
Teasing them until they flushed was amusing, and petting a dragon for the first time was quite the novelty.

‘Damn sword saintess! One day, I’ll make you pay for this humiliation!’

Charis seethed inwardly, her tail sweeping the ground, kicking up dust.

“Keep moving, and stop muttering nonsense.”

Satisfied with her teasing, Ophelia released Charis.
She tugged the chain, leading the temporarily subdued dragon back to the site of the battle with the Demon King.

Leaving the forest, they reached a clearing littered with countless craters from magical explosions.
The intensity of the earlier battle was evident.

In the largest crater, the blonde saintess, clad only in tattered rags, lay unconscious.
Nearby, the black-haired assassin was in a similar state, her clothes disheveled and undergarments scattered about.

Seeing her companions’ sorry state again, Ophelia shot Charis a glare.

“Look at the mess you made.”

“I don’t leave my name on good deeds.
I told you, I was just collecting your corpses!”

Charis yelped, clutching her face as Ophelia pinched her again.

“Keep your mouth shut if you can’t talk properly!”

“…Hmph!”

Charis’s defiance was written all over her face.

‘This dragon is impossible to tame. I’ll have to train her properly when we get back. I refuse to believe I can’t handle her.’

Ophelia’s competitive spirit flared, but her priority was reviving her companions.
Taming the dragon could wait.

She pulled three vials of potent healing potion from her waist pouch, administering one to each companion and drinking one herself.

A green glow shimmered over the saintess and assassin, and Ophelia’s wounds healed rapidly.
Within a minute, they were fully recovered.
Charis watched, envious—if only she’d searched the sword saintess’s body first.

“Cough, cough… Ophelia, what happened to me?”

The saintess woke first, but soon felt a chill, as if the air caressed her bare skin.

“My clothes… wait, where are my clothes!”

Realizing her state, the saintess hurriedly covered her chest.
Her emerald-green eyes locked onto Charis.

The oversized saintess’s robe hung loosely on Charis, cumbersome and ill-fitting.

“Take off that robe and return it to Luline, vile dragon,” Ophelia ordered, staring at Charis.

“I don’t have other clothes. I can’t give it back,” Charis retorted bluntly.

“Huh? You mean you’re naked underneath?”
Ophelia froze, stunned.

“See for yourself!”
Charis tugged at the robe, revealing a glimpse of her well-developed curves beneath the collar.

For some reason, seeing a young dragon so impressively endowed made Ophelia’s eye twitch, leaving her momentarily speechless.

“You… that size… how is that possible…”

“Ophelia, find me something to cover up! I’m still exposed!”

Luline, the saintess, urgently tried to shield her bare body.
Ophelia, herself in thin, tattered clothing, grabbed Charis and shoved her toward her companion.

“Use her to cover yourself for now.”

“Wah!”
Charis stumbled, falling into Luline’s arms.
A soft, fragrant warmth enveloped her, nearly making her dizzy.

“Aah! Ophelia, what are you doing, throwing her onto my chest!”

Luline’s face flushed crimson, trying to push Charis away but lacking other clothes.
She adjusted Charis to stand in front of her as a makeshift shield.

“She’s weak, you can handle her.
I’ll grab the spare gear and clothes.”

Ophelia dashed out of the crater, her face pale, as if struck by the scandalous scene.

Lifting her head from the softness, Charis felt the weight of Luline’s impressive figure behind her.

“You’ve got some nerve, stealing my clothes to wear!”

An indignant voice came from behind.
Charis looked up, her blue eyes meeting Luline’s emerald gaze.