Chapter 5: The Struggling Young Dragon.

Restel’s lips curved upward into an even wider, uncontrollable arc.

He looked as though he had just heard the most delightfully absurd joke in existence.

With an elegant shrug, he spread both gloved hands in a gesture that was somehow innocent yet laced with lethal malice.

“Give it back to you? Little one, I think you’ve misunderstood something.”

He stepped closer. His towering figure nearly engulfed the curled-up Perth completely in shadow.

“From beginning to end, I haven’t taken anything away from you.”

He leaned down slightly. Those dark crimson vertical pupils locked onto Perth’s silver eyes, which still blazed with unyielding fire.

His voice came low and clear as he added:

“I merely… tossed in a tiny little Demon Core.”

He paused deliberately, savoring the way Perth’s small face drained of color in an instant.

Then, as though gently correcting a minor grammatical error, he continued in slow, cruel delight:

“Or rather… ‘stuffed’ it in? Mm. That verb is probably more accurate.”

Ignoring the hatred surging in Perth’s gaze, Restel continued at his leisure:

“As for what that Demon Core might turn you into—some giant ferocious beast, or…”

His eyes meaningfully swept across the juvenile dragon statues lining the walls before returning to Perth, filled with playful appraisal.

“…a cute little milk kitten? Or whether you end up male or female… those details, unfortunately, are beyond my control.”

He straightened again, looking down from above at the tiny newborn creature before him—who was still futilely defending herself with a jagged shard of eggshell.

A strange, twisted satisfaction churned in those dark crimson eyes.

Restel truly wanted to spread his arms wide and embrace her—like cradling a one-of-a-kind masterpiece he had personally crafted.

His voice rang with indisputable possessiveness and an almost tender declaration:

“But look at you. You’re alive. Breathing. Still baring your teeth at me. Little one… to me, right now, that is the greatest ‘good fortune’ of all.”

The icy bedroom floor sent wave after wave of chill through her body.

Perth huddled her small frame tighter, silver eyes locked in a death glare on the towering Restel above her.

Her mind was utter chaos—anger and helplessness twisting together.

In all her past understanding, human mages relied on mana-containing magic crystals to channel and cast spells.

As for Demon Cores? They were taboo objects spoken of only in legends on the fringes of the Empire.

The demon race regarded Demon Cores as the very core of life itself; they would never allow one to fall into human hands.

She had never even laid eyes on a genuine Demon Core before.

So even if… even if this damned Demon Core and the eggshell had forcibly altered her form—

Why couldn’t it have turned her into something powerful and terrifying—a hulking, ferocious beast?

Why this frail, delicate, childish girl’s body—so weak she probably couldn’t even properly grip the lightest longsword?!

This was nothing short of a complete desecration and trampling of everything the name “Perth” once stood for—of the proud male identity and resilient spirit she had carried with honor!

Her despairing gaze swept over her own slender, childish arms and tiny hands.

Perth’s heart sank to the very bottom.

With a body this small and fragile—one that couldn’t even hold a weapon properly—let alone kill the unfathomably powerful Demon King before her, even basic self-preservation had become a luxury.

Restel had personally moved the giant egg containing her body into this oppressive bedroom filled with juvenile dragon statues.

He had stayed by her side without leaving, personally watching over the hatching.

That alone showed how extremely important he considered this Demon Core—or rather, its final result.

And the very Demon Core responsible for plunging her into this state now lay buried deep within the core of this frail little body.

She lifted furious eyes to meet Restel’s undisguised joy and anticipation.

A suicidal resolve surged through her in an instant.

She gripped the damaged, razor-sharp eggshell fragment even tighter—and without hesitation, pressed its wicked edge hard against the soft skin of her own fragile throat!

However—

Just as the shell was about to pierce flesh, a faint, nearly transparent energy barrier materialized without warning around her neck.

It effortlessly blocked the lethal strike!

“If you want to commit suicide—or even self-harm—you’ll have to get permission from the thing inside your body first.”

Restel seemed to have anticipated this exact move. He spoke with perfect calm.

The Demon Core—this parasitic core embedded within its host—would instinctively protect that host.

Whether one tried to slit their throat with a blade or leap from a height to end their life, it would activate this protective instinct, coldly severing any will to die… until the core itself vanished completely or was fully assimilated.

Utter humiliation made Perth’s entire body tremble.

She jerked her head up. Her silver eyes erupted with terrifying light as she almost screamed:

“You turned me into this inhuman, pathetic, weak thing—what the hell do you even want?!”

The smile on Restel’s face deepened, carrying the pleasure of watching prey struggle.

“I already told you. I want you to join us.”

His dark crimson pupils shimmered with an unusual gleam as he carefully studied the furious silver-haired juvenile dragon before him.

Her petite frame and the draconic aura that clearly shared the same origin as his own far exceeded his initial expectations.

It had changed his mind.

He parted his lips slightly. His voice came low and distinct as he finally revealed his true purpose—red pupils blazing with naked possession:

“I want you… to bear offspring.”

Perth’s eyes widened in shock. Her mind went completely blank.

“What did you just say…!?”

Before she could even process his words, Restel’s hands clamped firmly onto her shoulders.

The next instant…

…[harmonized kissing + mana compensation]

The air was thick with the faint fishy scent left from hatching and the overwhelming, oppressive chill of Restel’s draconic aura.

In the brief moment Perth’s mind blanked from the influx of mana nourishment, a powerful tail covered in jet-black scales and another, comparatively slender tail shimmering with silver moonlight instinctively entwined together—as though possessing wills of their own.

The sensation carried a bizarre warmth, like a stream of mana being transferred.

It poured steadily into Perth’s weakened body in the manner of nurturing a newborn—forcefully filling her with power.

A vast, pure surge of mana flowed continuously through this strange connection, bringing an unprecedented sense of fullness and warmth that nearly made her sink into it and let out a contented sigh.

This unfamiliar, almost addictive comfort terrified her to her core.

“No!”

Perth jolted awake with a violent shudder.

This damned craving! This damned instinctive response!

It had to be this forcibly twisted juvenile dragon body—branded by the Demon Core—that was to blame!

The soul of Perth—that proud man who would never allow his sanctity to be defiled—was screaming in rage!

She would never let herself be enslaved by this body’s instincts!

Overwhelming humiliation and defiant will instantly crushed any temptation toward power.

Perth steadied her mind—almost scattered by the seductive mana—and her silver eyes blazed with ferocious light.

Without hesitation, she sank her teeth hard into the spot where Restel had been wantonly plundering her breath.

The sharp sting made Restel’s brows furrow slightly. He instinctively loosened his grip.

He drew back his hand. First came a flash of surprise.

Then, on that handsome yet wickedly demonic face, a smile slowly bloomed—one of pure, unrestrained delight.

Restel extended the tip of his crimson tongue and leisurely tasted the sweet, metallic tang of his own blood.

“Heh… interesting…”