Chapter 28: A Thorny Alliance and a Looming Threat

It was my mistake to expect things to go smoothly.

I sighed, staring at the dragonian with her plump, glossy, swaying tail.

“Sigh.”

When have things ever gone easily?

The few times they did, they just led to bigger, heavier problems.

Every issue we’ve resolved so far has been near-impossible.

Of course, we haven’t fully resolved them yet.

Feeling my forehead heat up, I pressed my hand to it.

Yeah, I knew things were going too smoothly.

But—

“Scared or something?”

Why is this bitch picking a fight with me?

Isn’t this a plot hole?

Sure, I got a bit stronger after the Great Forest escape.

I took my first steps with “magic” while fleeing from the south to the west.

If I didn’t hold back, I could unleash serious firepower.

But compared to the party, my strength was barely a speck of dirt under a claw.

Why’s she picking on someone who doesn’t even know the “F” in fighting?

Isn’t she supposed to be obsessed with strong opponents?

My face hardened as I stood still, and the dragonian started mocking me.

“Pfft! Are all the rumors about witches just hot air? They said you’re untouchable, but this is disappointing!”

“No need to fight. Why not just take this guy instead?”

“Hmm… you sure? You two seemed pretty close.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Glaring coldly, the dragonian snickered and pointed at Carl.

“Last night, you know…”

“Oh my, such an aggressive tone? Guess it’s something you didn’t want exposed?”

Before her taunting finished, Carl erupted with a ferocious aura and charged at her.

The dragonian met him with a gleeful smile.

…What the hell happened last night?

If Carl’s trying so hard to hide it, it can’t be anything normal.

I wasn’t the only one thinking this—the party shot me suspicious looks.

“Seriously, nothing happened last night?”

“I told you, nothing!”

“Carl, that shameless pervert, is trying so hard to hide something. It’s gotta be shady. Come clean, benefactor. Did you two sneak off and do something…?”

“Are you crazy, old man?! Why would I do that with him? You seriously believe that lizard?”

“But the circumstances…”

“Stop right there, or I’ll snap your precious cannon in two.”

My growl shut Stroheim up tight.

…I get that Carl’s hiding something.

But if anyone did something shady, it’d be him, not me. I can say that with confidence.

Sure, this weak female body might quiver at a single touch, but there’s no way I was throwing myself at Carl while asleep, right?

Shaking my head, I pleaded my innocence to the party.

“I didn’t do anything. I just slept, okay? I’m not some exhibitionist. You think I’d mess around while you were all asleep?”

Just imagining being pinned by a guy makes me shudder.

Having a secret fling in the open wilderness?

“No way in hell.”

Chuckling hollowly while watching the brutal fight between the battle maniac and the horndog, the dragonian suddenly let out a hearty laugh, dealing a massive blow to my psyche.

“Yep, your swordsmanship’s as pathetic as you looked last night!”

“What?”

“You’re swinging so weakly, no confidence. Just like when the witch was clinging to you last night!”

…When did this crazy bitch see me to slander me like that?

I tilted my head in a daze, and the party’s suspicious glares hit me again.

What? Why?

I’m telling you, it’s not true, damn it.

We just talked and slept, that’s it.

I explained with an aggrieved look, but—

“When the witch was pretending to sleep and rubbing all over you, you couldn’t even touch her. Pfft… reciting that prayer all wrong was hilarious.”

The damn dragonian’s slander was relentless. Unable to take it anymore, I flared up my mana and stormed toward her.

“Hey, you fucking bitch.”

My mana-charged fist slammed into her solar plexus.

“Guh… ahh…”

Glaring murderously at the neutralized dragonian, the lizard crawled back with a terrified face.

“Eek…!”

Does she not remember she* started the slander?

Her victim act was infuriating.

There are things you say and things you don’t.

What? Me pretending to sleep and rubbing on Carl?

Sighing heavily, I approached the incapacitated dragonian.

“Hey.”

“Y-Yes?!”

“Who do you think you are, slandering me on our first meeting? Lies have limits. What did I do last night? Say it again.”

Grabbing her horn with one hand and holding a meat hammer in the other, I waited.

She forced a smile, laughing awkwardly.

“Nothing happened.”

“That’s right.”

“Yes, really, nothing happened. Please spare me.”

Tears welled in her eyes as she begged for her life.

Turning to the party to ask what to do with her, I saw them staring at me, utterly dumbfounded.

“…Doesn’t that look like she’s covering something up?”

“Yeah, dwarf. We should probably play along. Digging deeper won’t end well.”

“Threatening her with a fine cooking tool… truly terrifying.”

“I can hear you!”

One slander ends, and another begins. Isn’t this too much from my own allies?

Laughing hollowly, I looked down at the hiccupping dragonian.

I’m not gonna eat her, so why’s she freaking out?

Or maybe her anger issues got fixed?

Sighing, I let her go and asked.

“So, you coming with us or not? Help us, and I’ll introduce you to strong opponents you’ll love.”

“…Can I refuse?”

“Better not.”

We’re desperate enough to borrow a cat’s paw right now.

Smiling softly, I made the offer, and she nodded repeatedly, accepting.

See? You should’ve done this from the start.

Why pick a fight and slander people?

With this, we’d gathered the southern ally, the western ally, and one comparable to the northern ally.

Maybe the western arc won’t be so bad after all.

But—

“What do we do about the elves…”

The elves were the problem.

If they helped us, they’d be the most reliable allies.

But if they opposed us—

“It’ll be a living hell.”

We might face hardships several times worse than the original party’s to resolve this damn arc.

Worse, it’s been over ten days without a glimpse of the evil god’s followers, so we have no idea what those lunatics are planning.

If they summon a noble-class demon like in the original, we might manage. But if it’s something worse…

The worst of the worst? I don’t even want to imagine it.

So I asked the dragonian again.

“Anything unusual in Paradis lately? And those elves chasing us—any idea where they are?”

She tilted her head and answered slowly.

“Paradis? Oh, ‘Paradise’? It’s just quieter than usual for a rowdy city. Nothing else stands out.”

“As for the elves… wow, they’re chasing you like they want blood. If you avoid fights, two days. If you get into battles, three to four days. That’s when they’ll catch up.”

Bad news—they’d catch us right as we reached Paradis.

Faced with this ominous premonition, I toyed with the dragonian’s smooth, glossy tail.

…When will I ever find happiness?

When will I live grandly in a quiet place?

I tried to find peace by stroking her tail, but despite its fine texture, all I could think about was gloom.

Dropping the tail to the ground, I shook my head.

It’s fine. Once the western arc is over, I can catch my breath.

While resting, I’ll figure out how to ditch the protagonist’s party.

For some reason, I could only picture failing to cut ties, but I focused on the present.

And so, with our new ally, the party pressed on toward the great city, Paradis.