Chapter 23: It must be your credit!

“Huh?”

Fratina froze at Dorothy’s words.

“Come on, Sister Fratina, are you worried our conversation will be overheard in here?”

Dorothy leaned closer, making Fratina uneasy, prompting her to step back.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Hm…”

Seeing Fratina’s reaction, Dorothy seemed to realize something and began chanting a spell.

Soon, a transparent barrier enveloped them.

“Sister Fratina, now even if that dragon eavesdrops, she won’t hear us.”

Dorothy assumed Fratina was wary of Lucia listening and cast a simple soundproof barrier.

“Sister Fratina, I know you’ve been enduring humiliation here…”

She glanced around.

Well, Fratina didn’t seem to be suffering much—her life here looked better than Dorothy’s.

“Anyway, the dragon’s willingness to negotiate must be because you’ve been influencing her, right?”

Fratina finally grasped Dorothy’s assumption. Recalling Dorothy’s admiring look earlier, she was speechless.

“It’s not like that, Dorothy.”

She showed Dorothy her right hand.

“Look, since the contract, this appeared on my hand.”

Seeing the dark red iris tattoo, Dorothy reached out.

The moment her fingers touched it, she recoiled as if shocked.

“This thing… it’s creepy!”

Staring at the tattoo, Dorothy cautiously channeled magic into it.

This time, the reaction was stronger.

The tattoo glowed, and Fratina suddenly felt dizzy, nearly collapsing.

Seeing Fratina’s distress, Dorothy stopped the magic, and Fratina recovered slightly.

“Sister Fratina, are you okay?!”

Dorothy’s voice carried concern, but Fratina shook her head.

“I’m fine, but… let’s not mess with this thing. I haven’t found a way to break the contract, and it doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon…”

“Alright.”

Dorothy nodded, abandoning her study of the tattoo.

“So, Sister Fratina, if you were forced by her, why is the dragon so good to you? This room is amazing… and you don’t seem mistreated.”

“Well… Dorothy, this might sound odd, but… aside from forcing me into the contract, I don’t find anything about Lord Lucia dislikeable.”

“Living with her these days, I actually think she’s pretty decent.”

Afraid of misunderstanding, Fratina clarified, “Of course, I wondered if she’s trying to win me over to serve her better, but… with her strength, she doesn’t need to.”

Dorothy frowned.

“But Londe’s leaders say Lucia’s done terrible things, a true evil dragon.”

“Based on your talks with her, what’s her personality like?”

“Well… she’s actually… surprisingly nice?”

“Right. And Londe’s hostility toward Lord Lucia likely has other reasons.”

Fratina told Dorothy about the vast mineral vein in the valley.

She wasn’t worried Dorothy would exploit this knowledge to seize the vein for the Papal State.

From what she knew, Dorothy, though not rigid, was a devout follower.

With demons looming in the south, she wouldn’t risk angering a dragon to mine here.

Fratina shared this hoping Dorothy would aid her in the upcoming talks.

*

In the hall, Lucia waited quietly for Fratina and Dorothy to finish.

Suddenly, she felt a pang of unease, her gaze drifting toward Fratina’s room.

Her mood soured, mirroring the earlier panic.

‘…My period?’

She glanced at her abdomen.

But there was no discomfort, and did dragons even have such things?

To her surprise, she briefly sensed something unfamiliar in the air—magic?

‘Is my power returning?’

She tried chanting a spell from memory.

Water droplets began forming into a sphere before her.

But just as it took shape, her strength faltered, and the sphere collapsed, leaving a puddle on the floor.

A wave of dizziness and weightlessness hit her.

Lucia sat down, recovering slowly.

At that moment, Fratina’s door opened, and the two emerged.

“You… done talking?”

Lucia caught her breath, looking at them.

“Yes.”

Dorothy nodded.

“It seems you’ve taken good care of Sister Fratina. If you want to negotiate, I’m willing to hear your terms.”

“Has Fratina told you about the mineral vein here?”

Fratina and Dorothy exchanged glances.

Under the crystal chandelier’s light, they shared a look, and Fratina spoke up.

“Lord Lucia, I told Dorothy about the vein and the real reason for your conflict with Londe.”

“Good.”

Lucia nodded, showing no displeasure.

She had let Fratina and Dorothy talk privately to let Fratina share these details.

Some things carried more weight coming from Fratina than from her.

“Since you know the situation, negotiations should go smoothly.”