Chapter 147: A Magical Pet That Came Knocking on Its Own 2

“Kent, are you sure you’re telling the truth? It’s already been two months. Is that Dragon Turtle really still in there?”

Kent had lost count of how many times Daphne had asked him the same question.

He couldn’t really blame her.

By the time Daphne woke up, the glowing cocoon surrounding the Dragon Turtle had already transformed into what looked like an enormous rocky hill. Not the slightest trace of magical light remained, nor could she sense even the faintest fluctuation of magical energy from within it.

Only Kent, through the master-servant contract, could still sense that the Dragon Turtle was alive and perfectly well.

There was something else that had changed as well.

Ever since Daphne woke up, she had stopped calling him “Brother Kent.”

Whenever Kent asked her why, she would only stammer and dodge the question, her delicate face turning bright red.

After being interrupted yet again, Kent finally answered in a weary voice.

“You little brat, why would I lie to you? Haven’t you noticed that there isn’t a single magical beast within dozens of miles of this place? Doesn’t that tell you something?”

“Hehe, Kent, there aren’t many magical beasts near underground volcanoes to begin with.”

Daphne was busy grilling fish as she spoke.

The fish were only about as thick as a thumb and barely ten centimeters long. Their bodies were completely transparent, and Kent had discovered them while bathing in the underground river.

Despite their strange appearance, they were extraordinarily delicious.

They had neither bones nor spines, and their flesh was incredibly smooth and tender. Kent and Big Nose both loved them, and even Daphne, who rarely ate much meat, could easily finish quite a few.

As she turned the fish over the fire, Daphne sprinkled them with powdered dried meat, mushroom powder, several kinds of ground herbs, and a little coarse salt, all while continuing to argue with Kent.

Daphne genuinely admired him.

At first, she hadn’t thought much of the seasonings Kent prepared. Some of them even tasted rather strange when eaten alone. But once they had been used in a proper meal, she quickly discovered how delicious they were.

The tingling heat and numbing spiciness were especially enjoyable.

There was also a certain fern fruit Kent liked to steep in boiling water. The resulting drink tasted slightly bitter, yet carried a fresh, natural fragrance that Daphne found strangely appealing.

All these little things only made her admire Kent more.

More importantly, Daphne had discovered that arguing with him like this made her surprisingly happy.

So she never seemed to tire of it.

If Kent ever found out the real reason she kept pestering him, one had to wonder whether he would simply stop talking to her altogether.

Rumble! Rumble!

Just as Kent picked up one of the grilled fish and prepared to take a bite, a violent series of crashes suddenly thundered through the cavern.

The entire cave began to shake.

Kent’s hand jolted, and the fish slipped straight from his fingers.

Big Nose, who had already been sitting nearby with saliva practically dripping from its mouth, instantly vanished in a blur.

The skewer of grilled fish vanished along with it.

There was nothing surprising about that.

Daphne always served Kent first.

“Move!”

Kent’s first thought was that an earthquake had struck.

To tell the truth, earthquakes were one of the things he feared most in the Underdark. If the surrounding tunnels collapsed, even considerable strength might not be enough to save them.

But a moment later, something stirred in Kent’s heart.

He had sensed the Dragon Turtle’s aura.

Without hesitation, he grabbed Daphne, whose face had also gone pale, and rushed out of the cavern.

“Huh? Why do you still look like this?”

Kent and Daphne raced all the way back to the place where the Dragon Turtle had begun its advancement.

The rocky hill that had stood there for the past two months was gone.

In its place lay an enormous pile of shattered stone.

And in the middle of the rubble stood the Dragon Turtle.

Its appearance had changed considerably.

Its body had shrunk dramatically. It was now only a little more than five meters long and roughly three meters tall. Two short horns had also emerged from the top of its head.

Kent stared at it in confusion.

The Dragon Turtle rolled its eyes at him and answered in a hoarse voice.

“You think fusing a bloodline is that easy? I’ve only completed the initial stage of the fusion. Once the bloodline is fully integrated, I’ll be able to advance properly.”

It paused, then added with unmistakable pride,

“Even so, my current strength is at least several times greater than before. If I could get just a little more dragon blood—”

“Stop right there.”

Kent immediately cut it off.

“You do remember that was dragon blood, don’t you? The way you’re talking, you’d think I gave you a bottle of water.”

He looked the Dragon Turtle over once more and nodded.

“Still, this size isn’t bad. At least you can actually get out of here now.”

With that, Kent walked straight toward the Dragon Turtle.

Judging by the way he approached, it was obvious that he had already decided exactly what he intended to use his magical pet for.

A mount.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

The moment the Dragon Turtle saw Kent trying to climb onto its back, it quickly sidestepped and glared at him in irritation.

Kent nearly lost his balance.

“What do you mean, what am I doing?” he snapped. “Obviously, I’m going to use you as a mount.”

“No!”

The Dragon Turtle suddenly reared up on its hind legs and roared in outrage.

“Who ever said that becoming someone’s magical pet means becoming their mount?”

Kent looked up at the Dragon Turtle’s towering figure and felt a faint pressure bearing down on him. His expression immediately darkened.

“You agreed to serve me! Don’t tell me you’re planning to go back on your word?”

“I only agreed to become your magical pet. I never said anything about becoming your mount...”

“...”

And so, under Daphne’s utterly dumbfounded gaze, another round of bargaining began.

In the end, Kent had to sacrifice yet another vial of dragon blood before the Dragon Turtle finally agreed to let him ride on its back.

What irritated Kent even more was that when Big Nose and Daphne climbed aboard afterward, the Dragon Turtle didn’t utter a single word of protest.

Daphne, meanwhile, felt as though she had somehow wandered into a dream.

Kent had actually traded dragon blood merely to obtain the consent of his own magical pet.

True, this particular magical pet could speak, but still—

That was dragon blood!

The legendary blood of the dragon race!

The whole thing was simply unbelievable.

“Aaaaaah!”

Daphne suddenly let out a loud scream.

Kent was already in a foul mood.

The Dragon Turtle had nearly driven him mad. He had finally acquired a powerful magical pet that had practically delivered itself into his hands, only to discover that it refused to let him ride on its back.

If a mage couldn’t even ride his own magical pet, then what was the point of being a mage at all?

Of course, when all was said and done, it was mostly a matter of pride.

Still, Kent’s heart was practically bleeding at the thought of the dragon blood he had just spent.

Daphne’s sudden scream startled him badly.

He immediately turned toward her and asked with concern, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

“That thing you were bargaining with just now... was that really dragon blood? The blood of the legendary dragon race?”

Daphne had needed that scream simply to release some of the shock building inside her.

But when she heard the concern in Kent’s voice, warmth spread through her heart, and her own voice softened.

“Oh, that.”

Kent finally understood.

Apparently, his conversation with the Dragon Turtle had frightened her.

“Don’t worry. I’ve already prepared some for you as well. But you’ll need to reach a higher rank before you can use it. With the physical strength of a second-rank magic archer, using dragon blood now would simply be a waste—”

Kent never got to finish the sentence.

Daphne suddenly turned around.

Before he could react, she leaned closer and gently planted a kiss on his cheek.

The rest of Kent’s words died in his throat.

Daphne’s sudden gesture left Kent completely stunned.

For several moments, his mind went utterly blank.

With Dailis no longer by his side, Kent was still a young man with perfectly ordinary desires. Daphne’s unexpected kiss had sent a rush of heat through him, leaving his blood pounding in his veins.

Back on Earth, Kent had been something of a shut-in. Like many young men, he had often entertained idle fantasies about being surrounded by beautiful women and enjoying their affection.

But after coming to the Twin Star Continent, he had gradually discovered that fantasy and reality were two entirely different things.

“Hehe...”

Not knowing what else to do, Kent glanced awkwardly at Daphne.

She, however, had already lowered her head and buried her face behind his back, too embarrassed to look at him.

Kent could only let out a foolish chuckle.

He could feel Daphne leaning gently against him, while a faint, delicate fragrance unique to a young woman drifted past his nose.

For a brief moment, Kent felt that life was truly wonderful.

He was, after all, at an age when youthful passion ran strong. It was only natural that his thoughts would occasionally wander toward love and desire.

Yet the person beside him was not someone he could simply act upon those feelings with.

Ever since entering the underground world and becoming separated from Dailis, Kent had often thought of her during the quiet hours of the night.

He missed her deeply.

At times, he wished he could return to her immediately, hold her in his arms, and lose himself in the intimacy they had once shared.

But he still had no idea how to find his way back.

And so, Kent could only keep himself occupied each day, filling every hour with something to do. It helped ease the ache of longing in his heart and kept his restless desires from troubling him too much.

After all, if a man couldn’t even control his own desires and emotions, how could he ever hope to become truly strong?