Chapter 32: The Dragon Girl Has A Name

"I don’t even know who you are?"

That was the first thing Adonis managed to say. His voice came out dry, croaky, still sluggish with sleep. His brain was lagging about ten seconds behind.

The dragon girl tilted her head. She placed a slender finger on her chin as her purple eyes drifted upward like she was searching for an answer somewhere above them.

"Err... I don’t recall my mother giving me a name. Or maybe she did and I just don’t remember. Dragons don’t really have good memories, ooo—"

She paused. Her eyes lit up.

"Oh! I remember now, ahahaha. It’s Dark Immortal Extinction Nether Dragon."

Adonis stared at her.

"That’s dumb."

"Eh?"

"The name. It’s dumb."

Even for this author.

The dragon girl leaned closer. Her small breasts pressed softly against his chest. Her hands found his shoulders as her fingers curled around them like he was her pillow.

"Then will you give me another name?"

Adonis uncomfortably leaned back a little.

"You sure like getting cozy with strangers."

She blinked cluelessly with her big purple eyes.

"But you’re not a stranger."

"..."

"I’ve spent twenty-three days with you. I’ve seen you strip down to be naked like me. I’ve watched you eat food. I’ve even heard you murmur a woman’s name in your sleep. Ouuuuu! And you’re also an enchanter too, yes?"

Adonis froze.

"Wait, a woman... no, wait, what name?"

"Uhm, Minerva..."

His eye twitched.

"She’s a pretty lady, isn’t she? You got intimate with her. Are you like that with all women?"

Adonis opened and closed his mouth repeatedly.

He’s confused.

"Wait a minute. You said dragons don’t have good memories."

"Oh. I forgot."

"..."

All Adonis could offer her was a deadpan stare and a mouth that’s slightly open like he had things to say, but his brain refused to get past the loading screen.

’... This doesn’t make sense at all.’

He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. His mind was flashing through everything he knew about the original novel. The Immortal Dragon Egg was supposed to hatch into a monstrous, terrifying dragon. A beast of pure destruction that the Dunamis family would use to dominate the continent.

Not this.

Not a cute, strange, naked girl sitting on his crotch.

So what changed?

Did she get this form in a side story? Some bonus Chapter the author wrote to milk more sales? Or was there something he was missing entirely?

He sighed.

’This is why I don’t like side stories. It just feels like a lazy attempt to keep a bestseller running without actually keeping it running. Then they call it "expanding the story" or whatever.’

He was so deep in his otaku culture that he didn’t notice the dragon girl nervously waving at him from different angles. Her face was scrunched up with worry.

"Master? Master? Master!" (｡Ó﹏Ò｡)

Adonis blinked.

’Master?’

He raised a brow at her.

"Since when am I your master?"

She tilted her head.

"Aren’t you?"

"The people of Falsbane are known to worship divine dragons. Dragons are naturally superior to humans. So technically, it’d be the other way around."

"Oh. I forgot."

"No surprise there."

"So does that mean you should call me master?"

"NO."

The word came out before she could even finish.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be the master of this cute dragon girl. And it definitely wasn’t that he had a thing for being the subordinate of a cute dragon girl either. But anytime he thought about giving himself a big reputation or a big name, he looked at the narrative role on his info panel.

[Trash Extra]

And he humbled himself real quick.

Dragons weren’t native to Falsbane. But the Melcian Church worshipped them greatly. Becoming the master of some dumb dragon girl would put a target on his back so big you could see it from the Marsofian Union.

Unfortunately, it’s not worth it.

’Now... if she’s a cat girl, that’s a different story...’

He looked at her again.

Hmm. Dragon girl... dragon girl...

He’d been saying that for a while now. It was getting tiring. There was no way he could call her that Dark Immortal whatever name she said earlier.

"I’ll give you a name."

The dragon girl jerked forward as her slender tail poked out from behind her and started wagging. Her eyes were shining like stars, and the grin on her face didn’t look like some dark extinction dragon at all.

She probably even forgot she was the one who suggested he give her a new name.

Names, names, names...

He’d never had the privilege of naming a dragon girl.

Not many people were as fortunate as he was, it seemed.

Just realizing that made Adonis wear a proud face. He snorted arrogantly.

He snapped his fingers.

"How about Alpis?"

Her eyes lit up.

"Mmm. Mmm."

She nodded enthusiastically. Her bat-like dragon wings sprouted from her little back and started flapping, matching the rhythm of her wagging tail.

Clearly, she liked it.

Adonis looked at her with an unusually serious face.

Alpis’s smile faltered as her tail stopped wagging and her wings stopped flapping. She shrunk down a little, looking up at him with big, worried eyes.

"Is something wrong?"

Adonis scooped her up in his arms.

"Huuuuuu, so light..."

He hugged her tightly, rubbing his cheek against her face like she was some furry husky.

"Oooo, horo, horoooo, you’re so cuteee~"

Alpis groaned bashfully.

"Th-, This affection is too much..."

"Heh, heh. Just for a while. I need to enjoy this. The feeling of being with a dragon girl. Anyone who’s been transported from another world would feel the same!"

"Huh?"

Adonis paused mid-cuddle.

He looked over Alpis’s small head and curved black horns.

Standing at the door were Geles and Prussia who were staring at him with a very specific look —— the kind you give someone who’s lost it. Or is just plain weird.

After all, Geles came here to apologize to Adonis, who she was scared would be depressed, only to find him helplessly cuddling a naked lady like a teddy bear.

Now Geles’s face was bright red.

"I-, I can come another time—!"

"WAIT! It’s not what you think!"

Adonis tried to get off his bed and run over to her, but his arms refused to unwrap from Alpis.

Prussia was already frowning deeply.

[Notice! Prussia has lost 10 and affection for Host! Reason: Your manly image has been shattered by you shamelessly cuddling a naked lady! Current Affection Level: 20]

Adonis frowned at the notification.

Some men would find this manly, or so he told himself.

Now he had to deal with Prussia’s wrath and lectures. She was probably already wondering where this random young lady spawned from. It was her duty as his bodyguard to know these things.

But Prussia didn’t explode this time.

She just... sniffed the air? Repeatedly, even.

Then she looked at Alpis.

"Slender prehensile tail. Reptilian wings. Colorful eyes. Horns. A scent like old flowers..."

She hurried over to the side of the bed.

She kneeled close to Alpis, her big blue eyes wide.

"Wooow... that’s the dragon egg, right?!"

There was a child-like smile on her face.

Alpis leaned away from her. To her, this tan-skinned warrior lady was strange.

But Adonis gave her a pat on the head.

"She’s cool."

Alpis folded her arms under her modest chest and cleared her throat with one dainty hand.

"Yes, yes. I’m a dragon. And my name is Alvin."

"Alpis."

"Alpis!"

Both Prussia and Geles’s eyes turned into big red hearts.

"SO CUUUUTEEE!"

They hugged Alpis from both sides. They started grabbing her cheeks, rubbing her horns, and even checking how her tail was attached to her butthole. Which made her grumble and blush uncomfortably.

"Guuuuu, th-, this affection is too much..."

But Adonis signaled her to shush.

So she obeyed and closed her mouth reluctantly.

"Guuuuu..."

At least if these women were occupied with Alpis, he wouldn’t have to deal with Prussia droning on and on about security measures for the hundredth time.

[Ding! Prussia has gained 25 affection for Host! You are able to speak to and control a dragon, a superior entity, so casually only someone truly manly could do it.]

Adonis shook his head internally.

’These women are attracted to anything...’

Still, he knew how much members of the Dunamis family loved dragons. The only thing they loved more than that was probably killing dragons.

Prussia was a very reserved and expressionless woman when she wasn’t provoked by him. So seeing her look so happy, with life in those bright blue eyes, made him smile.

Prussia and Geles were still torturing a lamenting Alpis with affection when Prussia noticed Adonis looking at her.

Her smile died a little.

Adonis’s smile faltered.

’She still doesn’t like me, huh...’

But then she smiled softly at him and continued happily ruffling Alpis’s night-sky hair.