Chapter 89: Do you have a lot of friends?

The headless body lay motionless for several seconds.

No one spoke.

Noir stared at the scene with his red pupils fully dilated. The man’s head lay on the grass, several meters away from his body, while blood continued to spread slowly around them both.

Arlene seemed unable to process what had just happened. The little demon princess stood behind her, hugging her tightly, while Uki stood with his body tense and his gaze fixed on the stranger.

The golden sphere wasn’t moving either.

Noir looked at the head and finally frowned.

"That shouldn’t be talking."

The man’s head sighed.

"Believe me, I’d also prefer if this were less awkward."

The body began to move.

Noir immediately stepped back. His claws dug into the ground as his wings spread slightly.

The headless body slowly leaned forward; one of its hands touched the ground, and, rather clumsily, it stood up and took a few awkward steps.

Noir took several steps back, feeling fear welling up inside him. After all, every creature fears the unknown.

"No."

The body took a step.

"Yes."

"No."

The body took another step.

"I’m afraid so."

"That wasn’t a conversation!"

The head let out a sigh. The body continued walking toward her as if that were completely normal. It stopped next to the head, bent down slowly, and picked it up off the ground.

Noir watched it all without looking away.

The man lifted the head. For a few seconds, he held it in front of his neck, then placed it on top of it.

"Ah."

A strange sound echoed through the air.

Noir opened his eyes.

So did Arlene.

The little demon hid behind her.

The man’s neck began to move. The skin closed up, and the muscles came together.

The blood slowly disappeared as a new layer of flesh covered the wound. In just a few seconds, there was absolutely no sign left that his head had been severed from his body.

The man slowly moved his neck. He paused thoughtfully for a moment.

"I think you put it on a little crooked."

Noir blinked.

"What?"

The man turned his head.

"I don’t know. It feels like I’m looking a little more to the left now."

Noir stared at him.

"You put your own head on!"

"And you were the one who cut it off."

"That doesn’t answer my question!"

The man remained silent for a few seconds.

"I guess we’re even."

Noir narrowed his eyes.

Arlene slowly raised a hand to her forehead.

"I can’t believe this is the conversation we’re having."

The young dragon looked back at the man.

His head was firmly attached to his body; there were no wounds, and he didn’t even look tired.

Noir lowered his claws slightly, though he didn’t retract them completely.

"What are you?"

The man raised an eyebrow.

"That’s a pretty broad question."

"I cut off your head."

"I noticed."

"And you’re still alive!"

The man slowly touched his neck.

"Yes."

"Why?"

The stranger remained silent.

Noir waited.

Arlene did too.

Even Uki seemed to be waiting for an answer.

Finally, the man smiled.

"I’m immortal."

Noir was in shock; he’d expected it to be a vampire or a slime that had taken human form—anything, really—but immortal? That was something he hadn’t expected in the least.

"That doesn’t explain much either."

"No."

"Then explain it to me further."

"No."

Noir’s eyes widened; he hadn’t expected such childish behavior from an immortal, so she asked him:

"What do you mean by ’no’?"

"That I’m not going to explain any further."

The young dragon watched him for several seconds; the golden orb began to spin slowly atop his beautiful, majestic horns.

"I want to behead him one more time."

"Noir," Arlene said immediately.

"Just once."

"No."

"Twice."

"That’s worse."

"Then once."

Arlene closed her eyes and said in a threatening voice:

"Don’t attack him."

The man raised a hand.

"I really appreciate your effort."

Noir looked at him.

"I wasn’t protecting you."

"I appreciate that, too."

The young dragon let out a growl. Despite the situation, he couldn’t take his eyes off the stranger. Something didn’t feel right.

Too many things. A man had appeared in the middle of the Silent Stones, capable of moving at an absurd speed. He could fight Noir without expending a significant amount of mana.

And, apparently, he survived even after his head was cut off. But that wasn’t what worried him the most. He narrowed his eyes.

"How do you know I’m a dragon?"

The man stopped smiling. For the first time since he had appeared, his expression changed slightly.

Arlene fell silent as well.

Noir took a step forward.

"When you appeared, you saw me and asked if I was a dragon."

"Yes."

"But according to Arlene..."

The young dragon turned his head slightly.

"Dragons are extinct."

Arlene nodded slowly.

"That’s what all the stories say."

Noir looked back at the man. His red pupils began to glow.

"So I’m going to ask you again. How do you know I’m a dragon?"

Silence fell once more; the campfire crackled softly as the wind swept between the enormous monoliths.

For several seconds, the man stared at Noir. Finally, he let out a long sigh.

"Have you forgotten? I’m immortal. Of course I’ve met dragons."

Noir didn’t answer, as if he had forgotten something so crucial: the face of an immortal. He would know about dragons. How could you be so stupid as to ask that question?

Arlene’s expression changed.

"What?"

"That’s what I said," the man replied calmly.

"That’s impossible," Arlene retorted.

The man smiled slightly and added, "Many things that seem impossible are simply ancient. Dragons existed."

"Did they exist?" Noir repeated, raising an eyebrow curiously.

"Yes."

"That means they don’t exist anymore." Although the young black dragon knew that was true—after all, when he was reincarnated, he had met a dragon—he just wanted to know a little more about the situation with dragons.

The man looked him straight in the eye.

"Usually, yes."

Noir narrowed his eyes.

"What does that mean?"

The man smiled and shrugged.

"I’m surprised to see you."

The young dragon stood completely still.

"That doesn’t answer anything."

"I know."

"Then stop doing that."

"Doing what?"

"Answering questions without actually answering them."

The man thought for a few seconds.

"Ah. Yeah, I can see why that would be annoying."

Noir opened his mouth.

"Then stop doing it!"

Arlene let out a little laugh.

The young dragon slowly turned his head.

"What do you find so funny?"

"Nothing." Arlene kept a neutral expression, as if she had never laughed.

Noir watched her for several seconds, waiting for her expression to change, but Arlene was extremely good at keeping a straight face.

The man let out a contagious laugh.

Noir immediately turned his gaze toward him.

"Don’t laugh."

"I’m not laughing."

The little demon princess slowly began to laugh.

Noir opened his eyes, thoroughly offended; he hadn’t expected the demon princess to join them as well, and, of course, Uki let out a little bark-like sound.

"You, too."

The wolf wagged his tail, licking his paws as if nothing were happening.

The young dragon let out a long sigh.

"This trip is getting worse."

The mana squirrel, which had been watching the entire conversation from Noir’s shoulder, gave a little hop.

The young dragon looked down.

"What are you doing?"

The squirrel completely ignored his words. It darted through the air and landed on the man’s shoulder.

Everyone fell silent.

The man slowly looked at the little creature.

The mana squirrel looked back at him.

Its huge blue eyes sparkled.

The man tilted his head slightly.

"Hello."

The squirrel wagged its tail rapidly.

Noir opened his eyes.

"Does it know you, too?"

"No."

The squirrel settled comfortably on the man’s shoulder. The stranger looked at it for several seconds.

"Well... apparently it does now."

Noir frowned, feeling neglected, and said with a pout:

"That squirrel adopted me first."

The man looked at him.

"Are you jealous of me?"

"No!"

The squirrel crept a little closer to the man’s neck.

Noir pointed at it.

"But it was my friend."

The golden sphere descended slowly. It began to spin around the man.

The stranger looked up. The sphere circled his head once.

The man remained completely still.

"And what are you?"

The sphere continued to spin.

Noir stepped forward immediately.

"Don’t bother it."

The man blinked.

"I just asked him a question."

"Exactly."

"So what’s the problem?"

Noir thought for a few seconds.

"I don’t know."

"That’s not an explanation."

"It’s my friend!"

The man remained silent for a few seconds. Then he looked at Noir. Next, he looked at the golden orb, which continued to spin slowly around him as if it were sizing him up.

Finally, he looked back at the mana squirrel, which was still comfortably perched on his shoulder.

The stranger raised an eyebrow.

"Do you have a lot of friends?"

Noir narrowed his eyes.

"What’s that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." The man smiled slightly.