Let Ruby Teach You How to Be a Dragon

It had been a few days since Mors had settled in. Although Mayona didn't give him a good look, she tacitly allowed him to sleep in the small wooden cabin. At least it had a bed, and could offer some shelter from the wind and rain.

"Wrong answer."

Beside the beautiful lake, Ruby was teaching Mors correct values. It was a strange scene, a human teaching a dragon how to be a dragon. Mayona, holding a fishing rod, kept glancing over.

"Eh, I can't eat it?"

Confusion flickered in the young black dragon's eyes. Ruby had asked a simple multiple-choice question: when you're hungry and a traveler on horseback appears before you, what do you do?

A. Eat both the person and the horse. B. Eat the horse, leave the person. C. Eat the horse after getting permission from the owner. D. Give up and look for wild game.

"Didn't you learn anything after eating Mayona's unicorn, which is why she dislikes you so much?"

Ruby patiently guided the young black dragon. Mors unhesitatingly chose B, mainly because humans didn't taste good. Ruby knew the black dragon's personality and had deliberately given two selectable answers. Choosing C or D would have been acceptable, but the black dragon's values wouldn't change so easily.

"Boring!"

The black dragon felt agitated. Children naturally choose to escape when faced with things they dislike. He raised his hand and reached into the food box to grab some snacks Ruby had brought. Only delicious food could pique his interest.

"Those are my snacks."

"Now they're mine."

Mors held a piece of cake in his hand, but stopped just as he was about to take a bite. Countless sharp ice cones had appeared around him at some point. The closest one was already at his throat. The caster was, naturally, the ruthless Archmage sister.

"When you take something from others, you should also consider how it feels to be deprived, just like this."

Ruby took the cake from Mors's hand and took a small bite. He naturally received a very resentful gaze from the other party.

"You can use your great power to take from others, and those stronger than you can take from you. You can't tell the strength of others by their appearance. If it's a trap, you'll step right into it without hesitation."

Ruby was acting for Mors's own good. In reality, it was very easy for a human's clever mind to trick a dragon. There was a case of successful dragon slaying in the history of the Sacred Continent. The mastermind spread news of his immense wealth, claiming he had enough gold coins to pave a town. In reality, he had deliberately paved a road with gold coins in his territory.

Before long, a giant dragon was drawn by the news. Hundreds of mages who were lying in ambush swarmed out, catching it completely off guard. This was a premeditated dragon hunt, but it couldn't be said that humans were despicable. It could only be said that the dragon was too overconfident in its own strength. Since then, the Dragon race had learned to be a little more cautious, at least not snatching things so brazenly.

"But we dragons just snatch things."

Mors brought up his clan's ancestral teachings. All intelligent beings on the Sacred Continent were prepared from birth to be robbed by dragons. It was an unwritten rule.

"Even when snatching, you need to distinguish levels. For example, a commoner's mother suddenly falls ill, and he takes all his savings to find a healer to save her. Then you suddenly appear and snatch his money. His mother dies because she has no money for treatment. Can you say that his mother's death has nothing to do with you?"

"I..."

The black dragon was speechless. Even with his values, he couldn't say it had nothing to do with him.

"In fact, dragons have never robbed the weak since ancient times, unless their possessions are truly enticing to dragons. Otherwise, they would usually rob wealthy families. How to know if someone is wealthy requires investigation. Fully utilize your shapeshifting abilities to enter human society and find an opportunity for a decisive blow. Just wandering around like you is definitely not going to work."

"Hey, the lesson's gone off track! Why are you teaching this brat how to rob!"

Mayona had been nodding in agreement as she listened to Ruby's education, but suddenly felt something was wrong. A amused expression appeared on her face as she said, "Don't you think it's funny?"

"I'm not arrogant enough to try and change the habits of an entire race. Besides, no matter the world, there are always obscenely wealthy nobles. Losing a little won't matter. I believe they'll willingly contribute their wealth to powerful dragons."

Ruby's words were equivalent to betraying the interests of a large portion of the nobles. If he were caught, he'd likely face the death penalty. However, Mayona merely smiled at this.

"Let's stop talking about robbery. Next is taking lives. The thing Mayona hates most about you is that you don't value human lives and kill innocents based on your own preferences."

"Then will My Wife accept me if I never kill a human again?"

"I don't think so. I'm not saying you shouldn't kill people from now on, but rather to discern who should be killed and who shouldn't."

"It can be like that?"

The black dragon's values were shattered once again. This human had taught him how to rob and was now teaching him how to kill. He began to suspect this person was a spy sent by the Dragon race to the human race, assuming the Dragon race had the brains for it.

"Although I am human, some people deserve to die. For example, those who threaten your safety. You yourself said that dragons are treasures all over, right? Those who are greedy for treasure will naturally take risks. Killing such people is fine. Once they embark on that path, they are already prepared to be killed."

"Really? My Wife won't be angry if I kill those kinds of people?"

After some guidance, the black dragon had some idea of what he would do in the future, but the most important thing was whether his fiancée would be happy about it.

"..."

Mayona didn't answer, merely turning her face towards the tranquil lake in tacit agreement. She had never had a good impression of desperate criminals. The reason for the 'dragon hunt' was solely for their treasures. Killing such people was acceptable.

"But speaking of which, you're surprisingly upright for a human. Don't they usually stand with their own race and help their own people?"

"Because humans are inherently incomplete beings. Human racial conflicts surpass any other race, no matter the world."

Ruby gently stroked the black dragon's small head. The black dragon didn't understand these words, but Mayona did. Just as she was about to say something to Ruby, a dark shadow from under the water could no longer contain itself and leaped out of the lake.

'Splash!'

"Ruby... Pfft!"

The same angle, the same leaping mermaid. Mayona's Magic Barrier was deployed just as quickly, and Aqua once again crashed into it.

"It's you again! Why did you use a Magic Barrier to trick me!"

Aqua rubbed her flattened nose, furious. The script was supposed to be her leaping into Ruby's arms, but this woman had ruined it again.

"Sorry, I thought some dirty thing had come out."

Although Mayona apologized verbally, there wasn't a hint of apology on her face. She looked as if she had just seen something disgusting. Especially when she remembered using mermaid's bathwater in the past, her face showed even greater disgust.

"You... Huh? There's a new person here, and a man too."

Aqua was about to fight Mayona to the death, though the result would likely be her becoming grilled fish. However, upon seeing Mors, she stopped. She tapped her chin with a finger, deep in thought.

"Are you thinking about whether you can mate with him?"

"Mmm, the Dragon race. We mermaids have never mated with the Dragon race before. It's a shame I'm too young."

Aqua shook her head in disappointment. Mors was the second male she had seen besides Ruby. After some thought, she decided it was better not to make a move.

"You're actually thinking about it! He's just a kid, you fish scum!"

"What the heck is 'fish scum'! You can manage Ruby, but you have to manage other men too?"

"Save your breath. My heart belongs to my wife."

Mors vaguely understood that this mermaid had ill intentions towards him, but as a loyal young dragon, he was firm in his stance and seriously rejected Aqua.

"Ew... you scumbag."

This time, Aqua had the upper hand. She looked at Mayona's darkening cheeks, her eyes curved with laughter, and said in a smug tone.

"I have a good reason to explain this to you, using violence!"

"Before that, Ruby, shield! Come on, if you have the guts, blast both of us to smithereens."

Aqua used Water Splash. She jumped onto Ruby, wrapped her arms around his waist, and shouted defiantly.

"Despicable mermaid!"

Alright, Mayona had been hit where it hurt. She didn't want to hurt Ruby, so she had to abandon her dignity as an Archmage and grab Aqua's beautiful fish tail for a brawl.

"Why are you dragging me? Go be lovey-dovey with that dragon. Ruby is mine. Do you intend to have your cake and eat it too?"

"I already told you that's not it!"

"Oh, she took the bait."

Ruby ignored the bickering pair. He picked up the fishing rod Mayona had set aside and gave it a few gentle tugs. Soon, a large fish was pulled ashore.

"Insteing!"

"You're still naming fish!"

Afterward, under Ruby's command, Mayona carried the fish named Insteing home without any suspense. Her exhausted, panting state upon arrival left Mors completely stunned. How could Mayona possibly be suitable for carrying a fish? And why was she listening to Ruby? Was this person stronger than Mayona?

So, Ruby > Mayona > Mors? This power hierarchy left the Black Dragon unsettled for a long time, until Ruby finished the whole-fish feast and called him to eat. The delicious fish dishes only slightly mended the Black Dragon's psychological trauma.