Chapter 14: Dizziness is normal during magic transfer.

Restel’s eyes gleamed with even deeper interest, carrying an almost admiring hunger to conquer.

He stepped forward again, finally stopping right in front of Rose. Slightly bending down, his dark crimson eyes—like deep, still pools—tried to peer straight into the depths of her silver pupils, which remained utterly calm and unruffled.

That composure, far too cold and mature for a juvenile dragon, filled him with both admiration and a faint sense of frustration.

Or perhaps… the sting of being provoked by her?

Yet it also produced the one outcome he least wanted to see: Rose’s complete and icy rejection.

“To be honest…”

Restel’s voice lowered, carrying a rare note of complexity—no longer pure teasing or threat.

“…I don’t actually want you to agree to be with me just because of those so-called Heroes. Forced into it.”

He raised his hand as though to touch her cheek, but paused mid-air. His gaze held unmistakable seriousness:

“That wouldn’t be like. It wouldn’t be love. It would just be a transaction. Submission.”

His eyes burned intensely, carrying the characteristically overbearing, almost barbaric possessiveness of a dragon as he spoke to his future wife:

“What I want is for you to truly be willing—to become my companion, my wife, to stand side by side with me and together bear powerful offspring that belong to us both.”

Rose listened quietly. Her silver eyes remained as placid as ever.

Restel’s “confession” hadn’t surprised her in the slightest.

From the moment she had been transformed, this twisted possibility had always loomed overhead.

She gave no reply. She simply built her walls higher with silence. From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the large eggshell fragments scattered on the bed—the remnants of her own hatching.

Once upon a time, back when she was still Priest Perth, she had sat in the cold confessional booths of the monastery and listened to far too many similar speeches—accompanied by tears and hypocritical “deep affection.”

Cheating husbands making excuses, mistresses refusing to let go, all those emotional entanglements—she had long since grown numb to such things.

“I will never like you.”

Rose finally spoke. Her voice was calm as a frozen lake, without the slightest ripple.

“Let alone love you.”

She lifted her head and fearlessly met those dark crimson eyes burning with endless desire—eyes in which a beast named Greed coiled.

“And I will certainly never—because I’ve been turned into this dragon form—betray my origins as a human being and turn against humanity.”

Since she couldn’t die and couldn’t return to the human world, only one thought remained in Rose’s heart: leave this place.

Leave Restel’s side—even if it meant wandering alone through the vast and perilous demon territories—anything was better than being kept in this luxurious cage as a breeding tool.

Before her words even finished echoing, a suffocating wave of pressure suddenly descended.

Restel’s towering figure seemed to teleport forward—too fast for Rose to react. His large, well-defined hand—brimming with terrifying strength—clamped down domineeringly and irresistibly around her small chin.

“Mmph!”

Rose let out a pained cry. Her head was forced upward. The tender skin of her childish cheeks felt the rough texture of his palm and its scorching heat.

The immense force made her small, pink mouth open involuntarily. She gasped for air like a fish out of water.

She clenched her teeth hard, glaring stubbornly into those crimson eyes blazing with dark desire.

Was this bastard going to use the same trick again? Another round of “close contact” to punish her, to humiliate her?

Yes, this juvenile dragon body might be sensitive to Restel—but it would never become a prison for her will!

Restel looked down at the tiny prey now firmly held in his grasp: her furrowed brows, her defiant eyes, the slight tremble of her cherry lips forced open—all of it ignited the twisted conquering desire in his heart and deepened his growing fascination.

The more she resisted—like a thorny bramble—the more he wanted to personally pluck out every thorn and savor the taste of her surrender.

“Is that so?”

Restel’s low voice carried dangerous delight. His fingertip maliciously stroked her soft cheek once, savoring the way she shrank back in discomfort.

“This stubborn little look of yours is making me want more and more…”

He paused deliberately. A cruel smile flashed deep in his dark crimson eyes.

“…to give you a proper ‘lesson.’”

According to the records he possessed about Demon Cores, there were several methods to accelerate the complete fusion of a forcibly implanted core with its host.

But the fastest, most direct, and most effective way was through powerful external mana transmission—forcefully stimulating and activating the core’s inner power, compelling it to rapidly merge with the host’s life essence.

The process was usually accompanied by excruciating pain, but the results were immediate.

The “intimate contact” he was about to force upon her now served a dual purpose: one, to punish her insolent words; two—and more importantly—to catalyze the final fusion of the Demon Core.

“Don’t be nervous. Deep breaths.”

Restel’s low voice carried a faint, almost soothing note as he tried to draw closer again.

“Dizziness during mana transfer is perfectly normal…”

Just as that familiar, oppressively powerful demonic aura closed in once more—his warm, large hand about to touch Rose’s arm—

Zzzzt—!!

A piercing crackle of electricity suddenly exploded.

Rose’s slender arms—which had been hanging limply at her sides, seemingly helpless—shot upward in an instant. Her small palms slammed firmly against Restel’s chest.

In that split second, electricity surged wildly from her palms. Countless thin electric serpents instantly coiled around Restel’s body, producing a hair-raising series of pops and cracks. A faint smell of scorching filled the air.

“Mmph!”

Restel let out a muffled grunt. His body jerked violently. On pure reflex, he released Rose in a flash.

For the first time, those dark crimson eyes—always so lazy or mocking with absolute control—clearly showed genuine shock.

He looked down at the faint electric arcs still flickering across his chest, then lifted his gaze to Rose—who had also been jolted by the recoil, her arms numb yet stubbornly holding her defensive stance.

For the first time, his handsome face wore an almost comical expression of disbelief.

As though he were thinking: I just got shocked? By a freshly hatched juvenile dragon?!

Hiss—

Rose sucked in a sharp breath inwardly. Her slender arms felt as though thousands of ants were gnawing at them—fingertips twitching uncontrollably from the intense paralysis.

But when she saw Restel’s stunned, momentarily helpless expression—the first time he had ever been caught off guard—a powerful, almost vengeful wave of satisfaction surged through her, washing away the discomfort.

She tried hard not to let the corners of her mouth rise too obviously, but that slight, smug, and cunning curve refused to be suppressed. Victory sparkled in her silver eyes.

Let’s see you try touching me again! One more time and I’ll fry you! she screamed silently in her heart.

Restel shook out his still-tingling, prickling hand. The initial shock quickly faded, replaced by an even thicker layer of interest and amusement.

He laughed low, the sound carrying genuine delight and appreciation:

“Heh… interesting. Darling, are you planning to play ‘kill one thousand enemies, lose eight hundred of your own’ with me?”

Restel flexed his wrist, studying Rose’s small, still-trembling hands that stubbornly maintained their defensive posture.

“It seems I underestimated you. This body of yours actually carries such active lightning affinity?”

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, his gaze roaming over her.

“Interesting. Looks like if I want to touch you in the future, I’ll need to commission a top-grade anti-magic insulated suit of armor first?”

His tone actually carried a hint of helpless yet doting teasing.

Just as the atmosphere between them grew subtle and complicated because of the sudden electric shock—while Restel’s body was still not fully free of the numbness—

Knock knock knock!

Urgent, forceful knocking rang out again, shattering the dramatic standoff inside the chamber.

“Lord Restel! The 202,625th challenger has arrived outside Demon King City!”

The demon guard’s voice outside carried solemnity and a trace of practiced numbness.

“Understood. I’ll be there shortly.”

Restel’s voice instantly regained its usual dignified calm—as though the one whose arm had just been shocked wasn’t him. He swiftly adjusted his demeanor; the aura of absolute authority reconverged.

Restel straightened his slightly scorched collar. Yet his gaze returned once more to Rose—who had also been drawn by the knocking. He raised an eyebrow. An odd light flickered in his dark crimson eyes as he extended a hand toward her in an unexpected invitation:

“How about it? Care to come watch?”

The corner of his mouth curved into a confident, arrogant arc.

“One of the Demon King’s most glorious—and most entertaining—moments: crushing overconfident challengers.”