The dragon's harem

Chapter 1308: The Fool

The two of them soon reached the end of the forest and faced a small mountain, not as tall as the others, bald and without a snow hat. The brown peak looked as if it belonged in a desert, not here beside a large forest and a literal swamp.

Ganta could feel that something was wrong. She looked at the mountain with a worried face, trying to pin down the source of the worry she felt. Arad soon explained what she was feeling in a calm tone.

”The mountain isnʼt natural. I guess one of the dragons built it. It mustʼve taken them months, if not years, to build with the standard application of earth magic. I saw the dragons build ramps for my castle. It is never quick.” Arad was hiding inside Gantaʼs clothes, nestled in her chest, hiding between the two warm mounds. He wanted to hide in her hair, but she put him there instead. Said that heʼd remind her of spiders if he hid in her hair, which she didnʼt like.

”This either speaks for the dragonʼs patience, desperation, or power.” Arad glanced at Ganta, ”Earth dragons are known for being lazy. They arenʼt known for their patience. Most dragons also donʼt know the meaning of desperation, so this one was powerful.”

”Only means the dragon bitch weʼre chasing is all that more terrifying. Weʼve gotta get the fuck out of here. I donʼt want to find out how a dragon that could build a big-ass mountain died, and believe me, neither do you.” Ganta wasnʼt all that happy about their find, and she was right, as far as she knows.

”Relax, Iʼll deal with her.” Arad replied and then glanced at the mountain, ”First, the entrance should be somewhere around here. We must avoid it, find the back door, and sneak through. I bet she left some traps or at least would be watching the entrance if she is still nearby.”

”We go from the front or the back. Iʼm running away the moment something shows up. Youʼre a dragon, but Iʼm not. Iʼve seen your kindʼs power a few too many times to dare mess with them.” No one knows the dragonsʼ powers better than the race hunting them for food.

Ganta was taught from a young age that dragons are born deadly and only grow stronger with time. A young dragon is a deadly foe, and a young adult is something they shouldnʼt face without a good reason and a lot of preparation. An adult dragon is usually a disaster that they canʼt defeat.

But her thoughts werenʼt just influenced by that. Ganta had faced an adult dragon before and almost died. Her father, the chieftain at the time, died to the monsterʼs claws, holding it back while everyone else ganged up to defeat it. The black bastard melted her father in acid, alive.

Courage can take people just so far, and it ends when they see a man they once thought invincible drown and melt at the same time in a puddle of boiling acid that stinks to high heaven.

”You donʼt need to be afraid of a dragon while protected by one. That shadow drakaina is afraid of me. That is why I need you to deliver me to her without her noticing.” Arad leaned back, and Ganta started moving. ”Fine, but Iʼll run away as I said. Youʼre the one whoʼll fight her. I donʼt mind dying, but not being ripped apart by shadows. Iʼve seen my share of gruesome deaths.”

Ganta started walking beside the slop and looked around as the two of them searched for the entrance and the back door. ”I honestly never expected us to end up like this.” She sighed.

”You mean what?” Arad looked up at her, and she shrugged.

”I expected many things.” She looked at the slope, ”Like you killing me on the spot and flying to the clan to slaughter everyone. We barely managed to drive a black dragon away once. I doubt we couldʼve endured a raid from you.” She then glanced at him.

”I also expected other things, like you taking me back as a hostage and keeping the clan in check that way. That wouldʼve been a happy ending for me. The worst of it was that Iʼd have to live away from the clan and probably serve Aella.” She smiled, ”I donʼt claim to know Aella well, but Iʼm sure she wonʼt abuse me as her servant. In fact, she is too kind for her own good.”

”Thatʼs Aellaʼs charm, but donʼt let her looks deceive you. She is anything but naive.” Arad smiled, ”She is reliable and can take care of herself.”

Ganta sighed, ”Like she played me now? Sending me here to this death trap? I guess going for you really got on her nerves. How wouldnʼt it get her angry?”

She looked at the wall, ”I shouldʼve expected this. Why did I think telling her that I liked you was a good idea? Really shouldʼve seen this coming.”

”Aella didnʼt send you to your death.” Arad sighed, ”What kind of monster do you think she is?”

”What monster? A woman who saw another woman going for her man, that kind of monster. Unstoppable, hungry, and vengeful.” Ganta stared at him, and Arad shook his head.

”Youʼre wrong, very wrong, weʼll, somewhat wrong to be exact. I wonʼt say that any of my wives fancy the idea of me having more women. But I assure you, Aella didnʼt try to kill you. In fact, this mission is as safe as it gets since Iʼm here with you.”

Arad sounded confident, but Ganta wasnʼt buying it. She knows how things go in those scenarios. Something bad will happen, the plan will fall apart, and theyʼll end up separated. Sheʼll die a horrible and painful death in some dark hole and wonʼt even know what terror heʼll see and if heʼll manage to escape unscathed.

”Listen, if I die here, I want you to slap Aella for me. Slap her hard enough that sheʼll see the stars. Tell her that I wasnʼt really angry at her, just frustrated and disappointed that she didnʼt speak to me directly and decided to send me on this stupid mission.” She sighed, ”And I thought that being honest with her would lead to anything good. What a fool I was.”

”You arenʼt a fool, and nothing bad will happen,” Arad replied, and she glared at him. ”Donʼt be too sure of that.”