“What, is this for real?!”
Crash-!
“Hiyah?!”
Sephir jumped up suddenly during the meal, causing a commotion. Her face was filled with shock.
“What is it?”
Athena glared at her coldly.
“I found it..!!”
“…?”
“I said I found it! I just got a call from my familiar.”
“So what?”
Sephir looked at us with an excited expression.
“What do you think it is?! Of course, it’s a hatchling!!
“What?”
“I heard they found a hatchling’s nest near a cave in the forest! If we go now, we might just see it!!”
Sephir was extremely excited. Athena seemed intrigued by her words and raised an eyebrow.
“A dragon…”
Athena muttered to herself as she looked at me.
“Hera, what do you want to do?”
“Huh?”
“Since we’ve already captured a demon, there’s no need to stay here any longer. To put it bluntly, we can go back to the mansion right now.”
Athena’s suggestion to return to the mansion made me feel oddly unsettled. Perhaps it was because I enjoyed my time with her here, or maybe I just didn’t want to go back to that suffocating mansion.
“Umm…”
Seeing my expression, Athena gently patted my head and continued to speak.
“But if you want, we can stay for another day to see the hatchling.”
“R-really?”
“Yes. I’ve been interested in dragons for a while now.”
She smiled and left a quick kiss on my forehead.
“Do as you wish, Hera.”
“I want to see..! I also want to see a dragon.”
In truth, I was more reluctant about going back to the mansion than I was curious about the hatchling. Still, I had to admit I was curious about it. Dragons had never shown up in any novels.
They only occasionally revealed their majestic forms in the sky. They were that much of a legendary presence. With their flapping wings, they could create a storm, and their breath could erase entire forests.
Of course, since it was still a hatchling, it wouldn’t be as gigantic as the fully grown ones. But I was still curious about what it might look like in reality.
Is there anyone among those who love fantasy novels that dislike dragons?
A being that spreads grand wings and exhales a powerful breath—what would it feel like to see such a creature in person?
“Hehe. Alright.”
Athena smiled at me, and we finished our meal and set off to find the hatchling.
*
“Did you call for me, Master?”
In Athena’s grand mansion, Alina had come upon being summoned once again.
“You’re here.”
As Alina bowed her head, Bordin took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it.
“All preparations are complete. Now we just have to wait for their return.”
Amid the thick smoke he exhaled, Alina’s trembling eyes were revealed.
“Really… the Miss…?”
“Yes.”
Bordin took a deep drag from his cigarette and pulled out a small item that resembled a badge, shining with a red ruby encased in gold.
It was the royal family’s seal.
“It took quite a bit of trouble to obtain this.”
Despite his stormy gaze, Bordin’s expression was calm.
“As a loyal servant, I should let my lord know even the pain of losing a precious person right before my eyes.”
*
“Hey!”
In the eastern forest, after following Sephir for a while, we finally found a cave.
“The mana concentration is high.”
As we entered the cave, Athena murmured. Even I, who couldn’t feel mana, sensed a certain pressure weighing down on me. And that pressure intensified the further we walked into the cave.
As we continued on, Athena suddenly stopped and raised her hand, signaling us to halt.
“I found it.”
Looking in the direction she was looking, I saw something clearly. A green creature sleeping peacefully in its nest.
“Is that… the hatchling?”
Sephir muttered next to me. It was clear that it wasn’t quite accurate to call it a dragon yet. It was about the length of my arm, with cute little wings sprouting from its back. Compared to the huge dragons that soared through the sky, it was adorably small.
But the sharp green scales wrapping around it and the two horns sprouting from its head were undoubtedly dragon features.
“Grrr…”
Having woken up, the hatchling turned its head towards us and let out a gentle growl. However, what could seem threatening at first glance came across to me in an entirely different light.
“So… cute…”
I’ve always had a weakness for cute things.
I was utterly smitten with adorable creatures like puppies, kittens, and hamsters.
And now, before me was the cutest creature I had ever seen.
With wide, sparkling eyes, unformed triangular teeth, and an innocent-looking face, the hatchling’s overwhelming cuteness made my heart race.
Athena gently patted my head, saying, “Just look. If you approach it, it could disappear in an instant. Dragons can use all sorts of magic from the moment they’re born.”
“Uh-huh…”
Ignoring Athena’s advice, the pink-haired succubus took a step forward.
“Hehe!! I can’t just stand still after finding a hatchling!”
Sephir lunged toward the hatchling with outstretched hands and wide open eyes.
“Watch closely, Athena. I’ll show you how amazing my allure is.”
With confidence, she shouted at the hatchling, “Come to me, little one… – Allure!!”
In an instant, her eyes sparkled, and pink mana began to pour out toward the hatchling.
The pink mana wrapped around the hatchling, and as if resonating with Sephir, the hatchling’s eyes began to shine pink as well.
“Hehehe… what’s this? It seems to be working!”
At first glance, it really did seem like the allure was working.
But contrary to Sephir’s expectations—
Flap-
As the hatchling flapped its wings dramatically, Sephir’s pink mana dispersed into thin air.
“…Huh?”
Sephir stared blankly at the bewildering sight.
Athena sneered at her, curling her lips.
“Hehe… I told you, didn’t I?”
“…..No way…”
Struggling in despair, Sephir sat down on the floor, and Athena mocked her before turning to me.
“Come to think of it, Hera, you could use that too.”
“Huh? Use what?”
Pointing at Sephir, who was sprawled on the ground mumbling to herself, Athena said, “You have her as your familiar now. You might be able to use allure as well.”
“Huh?”
Allure, one of the powers of the Succubus Queen, is a technique to charm someone and make them a slave.
Though it failed this time, it was only because the target was a dragon. She was powerful enough to charm even legendary monsters.
“But can I really use that power?”
“You could, but it won’t work.”
Sephir, who had approached me with a gloomy expression, spoke up.
“Since you’re only using a portion of my power, it will be much weaker. But with some practice, maybe you can charm humans?”
Is there really any need to charm people?
I mean, I have no idea how to flirt with anyone. After all, how could a former guy like me flirt with someone?
I probably won’t have to rely on my charm for the rest of my life.
“I don’t think I need it…”
“What?!”
Sephir flared up at my words, as if her pride had been hurt, and lunged at me with fiery eyes.
“Are you dismissing the power of allure?! It’s incredible! Not even an ordinary mind-controlling spell can compare to it!!”
“Hieek?!”
“Do you know how many succubi crave this power?! It’s a great bless—”
“Don’t raise your voice at Hera.”
Thud-
“Guack!!”
With a punch, Athena smacked Sephir’s head, and she fell flat on the ground.
After brushing her hands off, Athena shot a rebuking look at Sephir.
“And it’s a useless power, right? You can’t use it on anyone stronger than yourself.”
“U-uh, no… it has its uses…”
Rubbing the sore spot, Sephir seemed to be on the verge of tears.
“And… it has its uses…”
Seeing her pitiful expression made me feel sympathetic. I thought I should console her, so I gently patted her back.
“It’s alright, Sephir… I think you’re amazing.”
In truth, Sephir’s allure had caused the protagonist needless trouble. It was indeed impressive.
“Really…? Do you really think so?”
Sephir looked up at me with teary eyes, reminiscent of a drenched puppy.
“Y-yeah! I want to use it someday too!”
In truth, I had no real thoughts on it.
But perhaps Sephir was touched by my words, as her eyes sparkled, and she grabbed my hand.
“R-right?! You know a bit about this? How incredible this power is…!!”
“Uh-huh…”
“Hehe… of course you’re my master. You understand completely!”
I suddenly thought, could Sephir be bipolar?
It’s hard to imagine her emotions changing this quickly if that weren’t the case.
Just a moment ago, she’d been despairing, and now she looked at me with a bright smile.
“Then I’ll personally teach you. You can definitely do it! After all, you’re my master!”
“Huh? Uh, yeah! I’m looking forward to it…?”
With her confidence regained, Sephir stood up and refocused on the hatchling.
The hatchling continued to simmer in its caution, watching Sephir intensely, and suddenly let out a low growl.
“Okay! The key here is communication! You need to catch the attention of your target with your allure.”
“You mean… allure?”
“Yes. I can charm someone just with my gaze, being a genius and all, but that’s probably not your case.”
“I can’t do stuff like that…”
“….”
I could feel Athena’s icy stare boring into me from the side.
‘Why is she looking at me like that…?’
“Don’t worry! It’s hard at first, but you’ll get used to it! You just need to find your way of charming them!”
Sephir shoved me forward as she spoke.
As I stumbled, I found myself inching closer to the hatchling.
“Kyuu…?”
With wide, sparkling eyes, the hatchling looked at me.
As I beheld its painfully cute appearance, my heart began to flutter.
“If you’ve charmed them, you just need to shout ‘Allure!’”
“Allure…”
“Yeah, exactly! And that’s it. It’s all about how well you’ve charmed them!”
“Don’t overdo it, Hera. It won’t be of much use even if you learn it.”
Athena, who had moved closer behind me, gripped my shoulder as she spoke.
“Uh… no, I’ll give it a try.”
Since it had come to this, I thought practicing a bit wouldn’t be bad.
After all, having the skill might come in handy someday, right?
While I had no intention of charming others, you never know what life has in store.
With Athena poised behind me, I gazed at the hatchling.
The hatchling was fixated on me, and I found its stare oddly overwhelming.
‘Charm… charm…’
What do you do to charm someone?
I had zero experience with relationships. Of course, I had no idea how to flirt.
With no references, I started sifting through all the video materials I had watched to find a way to charm someone.
After mulling it over for a while, I finally came up with an idea that I thought might work.
‘This should be fine.’
I steeled my resolve and shut my eyes tight.
For the first time in my life, I decided to attempt charming someone.
Taking a deep breath, I placed my palm on my lips, winked with one eye, and looked at the hatchling, blowing a chu- sound.
Then I immediately shouted,
“Allure!”
The maximum level of charm I could muster: blowing a hand kiss to the attractive one in sight.
Having executed my first charm, the result was disastrous.
“…..”
“….”
“….”
A deeper stillness descended upon the quiet cave.
“…Hera, was that your charm..?”
Both Sephir and Athena looked at me with expressions of pity.
Pfft!
Athena couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter.
“Ugh…”
With their reactions, my mind exploded, and my face turned hot.
My cheeks turned as red as a tomato.
The unbearable embarrassment and shame overwhelmed me.
“Do… don’t laugh!!”
As I yelled at them,
“Hehe, no Hera, it was cute.”
Athena still couldn’t stop laughing, while Sephir looked at me with pity.
“Y-yeah… I’ll get better with time!”
With unnecessary sympathy, Sephir gazed at me.
And then—
“Kyuu! Kyuu!!”
The hatchling, now seemingly excited, hopped onto my shoulder.
“…..Huh?”
“Kyuu… Kyuu!”
The hatchling rubbed its head against my cheek while letting out a sweet sound.
“…..Huh?”
The simultaneous exclamations from Sephir and Athena were filled with bewilderment.
Their expressions were painted with confusion that I’d never seen before.
The hatchling continued to nuzzle against me.
When I petted its head, it closed its eyes as if enjoying the touch.
“Is… is this a success…?”
“……”
In disbelief, they stared at me with wide eyes.
After an extended period of silence,
Athena finally spoke in a small voice, her expression still frosty.
“Indeed, Hera must be a celestial being descended from the heavens…”
Beside Athena, Sephir was gazing at me, her eyes trembling.
“…No way this can be…”
I felt a strange sense of guilt wash over me regarding Sephir.
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