Chapter 40: A Proposed Agreement

Nio waited for the dragon to wake. Even though she had to manage her time carefully, she checked several things on the unconscious dragon, spending hours touching the armor of his body.

She noticed some rather interesting things. The dragon’s entire body was armored. Even his eyes had a second membrane that was always closed, unlike the generic manga standard she’d read about, where eyes are a weakness.

In reality, attacking a dragon’s eye was as useless as attacking its body. The armor covered everything uniformly.

Which Nio found fascinating. Of course, full armor mattered little when faced with Nio’s power, but the fact that they were built this way intrigued her greatly.

Beyond that, what caught Nio’s attention the most was her subjective evaluation of appearance. A human can look at another human and say "You’re ugly" or "You’re handsome," and that shapes social relationships.

Among humans, Nio didn’t feel much. She clearly knew how to tell if a girl was pretty or not — after all, she had once been human — but in terms of visual interest, no one was specifically beautiful or ugly to her.

But not with this dragon. She looked at his face, his scales, his fangs, and immediately understood. This dragon was "beautiful." Not beautiful in the sense of "a magnificent winged beast," but beautiful in the sense of someone like her, a handsome man.

Which is almost ironic. Nio is a beautiful and elegant girl, and the dragon before her is a savage, giant beast. Saying the two share the same type of beauty is almost a bad joke, but it’s the biological reality.

Nio isn’t a human with scales. She is a dragon, and her entire biology doesn’t care if Nio thinks, has memories, or believes she’s like a human.

"You’re a real looker... you must be quite the catch among dragon girls," she says, tapping weakly against the dragon’s chest, listening to the workings of his lungs.

’Looks like he has some kind of gas sac. The gas is released through his lungs along with sparks that ignite the gas, generating flames... it’s not magic...’ Nio touches her own chest while sitting atop the dragon’s.

’Am I like this too?’ She feels the urge to drive her hand into the dragon’s flesh and dissect him just to understand more about herself. Her eyes shift into a dangerous vertical slit before she dismisses the instinct, setting it aside.

"Hey, wake up already. I have things to deal with..."

’Among all the humans I’ve seen so far, most wouldn’t stand a chance against a dragon. But Ryu would kill this dragon easily...’ Nio realizes something else. Ryu is strong, very strong.

Not absurdly strong like her, but still, by this world’s standards, Ryu is a true monster in power. If she had the game’s equipment, she’d be even more powerful.

"...Why didn’t you kill me?" The dragon wakes, seeing Nio on top of him. She folds her wings, looking at the dragon who remains still.

"Because I want you and those many dragons behind that earth magic gate to leave this place... however, I reconsidered after seeing your rationality and ability to negotiate, and I thought a deal would be more beneficial."

"I’m no longer just going to drive you away from here as the initial plan dictated, since that plan assumed you were irrational beasts."

"I’m strong. Very strong. Perhaps one of the strongest things that exist in this world, and I say that not as a dragon’s arrogance, but as a concrete fact. And I know you know it. Not many would knock you out with a single punch, and a restrained one at that."

"..." The dragon says nothing, but he knows he could have been killed without issue. So even if he doesn’t put much stock in her words, he agrees that she is strong.

"I have my dwelling nearby, and I plan to claim territory over time. For now, I’m establishing stable foundations against invaders."

"You and the dragons back there — I wanted you gone so there would be no gaps in my defense. But why don’t we make a deal involving you being part of my defense system?"

"...?" The dragon looks at Nio in confusion as she spreads her arms, actively gesturing toward the things around them.

"Understand this: I pay you with appealing riches and treasures. You live here and defend this place from anyone. Not passively — I want maximum aggression. Kill anyone who comes near this area without permission."

"You’ll simply stop living underground like rats and stay on the surface defending MY home. In return, I’ll reward you with suitable treasures, and of course, I’ll provide support for protecting your eggs."

"I know well that matters involving dragon eggs are complicated. They’re fragile, require immense protection, and are valuable assets to be stolen, which forces dragons to live in isolated, hidden places to protect them as well as their treasures. But if they were no longer a concern, you could leave here and roam the surroundings killing everything for me, right?"

"..." Nio’s proposal interests the dragon, who continues absorbing Nio’s scent with his sense of smell. Beneath the thick layer of Typhon’s scent, there’s a smell like a dragon coming from Nio.

"It sounds... interesting. And you believe there’s a structure that can adequately protect our offspring?" The dragon asks, shifting uncomfortably. He very much wants Nio to get off him before he has an embarrassing "reaction."

"Hahaha, of course there is. And not only does it exist, but there’s an area suitable for hatching dragon eggs in my palace... ah, but of course, it’s not merely about fighting and fleeing." Nio had created an area for dragon eggs purely for Gap Moe. Who would have thought it would be useful to her now?

"If you have to die, you’ll die for me. You’ll have to fight in this place to the death for my goals without ever fleeing. I’m giving a safe place for your future generations, so it seems fair to me that the lives of you who are already old serve my purpose."

"..."

"Of course, another scenario would be me simply annihilating all of you, ripping off your skins and scales, and turning you into artifacts. That also holds value, and just because we’re the same race doesn’t mean I’ll have mercy. Everything I’ve built is worth more than you, and if killing you helps me, I’d do it without a second thought." Nio’s sincere threat hits the dragon.

"...I need to speak with the others."

"...Fine. I’ll wait here. But think carefully. Between letting you leave, killing you, or having you as security towers — the first option is very unlikely for me to allow in this context where you’re intelligent."

"The second and third are good options, equally good, but leaving you alive has the merit that your children could be useful in the future when they grow and follow the same agreement."

"..." The dragon opens the immense gate and begins to enter while Nio leans back against the wall, completely oblivious to how erect she left the dragon by mounting his body with that scent.

The real reason — which Nio may never discover — that Typhon covered Nio’s scent is simple: she is excessively attractive, being considered an [Alpha] among dragons.

Which naturally makes her a fine mate for any dragon. Her faint scent due to Typhon’s smell is incapable of attracting other partners, and Typhon’s scent does the work of warding off any wise guys. But with Nio practically rubbing herself on that dragon, he ended up reacting.

After all, culturally, dragons are like serpents. Dozens to hundreds of males fight madly for a single female, and often several of them rub against one at the same time while competing for her in a very bloody battle.

Nio, who doesn’t know her own racial culture because the game never spoke this in-depth about dragons, is oblivious to the problems she would have if she emitted her natural scent without Typhon’s covering.

And it gets worse because Nio thinks she’s "different" from bestial dragons, when in reality there’s no difference at all beyond physical stature. Both are [Dragons], and appearance doesn’t change that fact. So the culture doesn’t change either, the interest doesn’t change, and the physical reactions don’t change.

To Nio’s body, the dragon that just left is her equal in every sense and would be a mate her body would accept, just as Typhon, who is also a type of reptile, is accepted with near-perfect compatibility.

"I think I’m an excellent negotiator," she says, convinced of this by the dragon’s discomfort, which was part fear and part involuntary reaction battling within him.

"I bet I can learn a lot about dragons with these dragons too. I hope they accept the deal and I don’t have to annihilate them. This sense of smell business caught my attention," she murmurs, wanting to know more about what her new race provides her.