Black Dragon Miss Doesn't Want to Be a Mount

The arrival of a cloaked figure did not surprise anyone in the tavern. They were drinking merrily; some were chatting, some were playing cards, and some had even already fallen asleep on the tables.

Ailolin approached the tavern owner and asked, "How much for a room?"

"Fifty copper coins a night."

"Then give me a room. Also, I'd like to buy some information from you."

"Oh? What information does this young lady want?"

The tavern owner appeared very calm. He saw several people like Ailolin every day—mysteriously dressed people asking for information.

Ailolin lowered her voice, making sure only the tavern owner could hear her. "A female knight, blonde, around seventeen years old."

Hearing Ailolin's description, the tavern owner smiled. "Lumbart Kingdom is a kingdom of knights. There are at least dozens of female knights matching that description."

"..."

That surprised Ailolin somewhat. She had not expected there to be so many girls who thought like Likaro.

Of course, it might simply have something to do with this country's knightly traditions.

"Then, her name is Likaro."

The tavern owner shook his head. "Never heard of anyone by that name."

"Alright..."

Ailolin had actually considered that Likaro was very unlikely to be using her real name.

"Your room is the second one on the right upstairs. Would you like something to eat first?"

"Thank you, maybe later."

After handing the money to the tavern owner, Ailolin went upstairs.

Though it only cost fifty copper coins for the night, Ailolin found the room quite comfortable inside. The money had been well spent.

The room was also extremely well soundproofed. From inside, Ailolin could not hear the noise from the first floor at all.

After opening the window, Ailolin breathed in the fresh air and felt that it was time to get something to eat.

As she was heading downstairs, someone in mage robes happened to be coming up and accidentally bumped into Ailolin.

"Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going," the person hurriedly apologized.

The voice belonged to a very mature-sounding woman. Ailolin did not recognize the insignia hanging from her chest, but her clothes made her seem like a mage.

"It's fine. You go ahead."

Ailolin voluntarily stepped aside and let her go upstairs first.

Afterward, Ailolin went downstairs, found a secluded corner, and sat down to eat.

Honestly, human taverns were rather noisy. Ailolin did not like such a loud environment.

She thought of her childhood in Edafalon Forest, and she could not help missing it dearly.

That peaceful, tranquil atmosphere was what she truly liked.

Ailolin saw that the woman who had bumped into her earlier had also come downstairs. She found another nearly empty corner to eat in, but the food on her table looked incredibly plain—only hard bread and water.

How strange. Was that person out of money?

For some reason, Ailolin felt a little sorry for her. That feeling made her want to do something kind.

In the end, Ailolin left behind a plate of cooked steak. Before leaving, she went over to where the woman was sitting and placed the steak on her table.

"Um, I can't finish this. You can have it."

After saying that, Ailolin turned and headed upstairs.

Likaro froze. What was this strange girl doing?

Did she pity her for being unable to afford food?

In truth, she had money. But in order to save up funds to rebuild the knight order, she had deliberately lowered the quality of her meals.

Come to think of it...

Likaro stared at Ailolin's retreating back and realized that her outfit looked somewhat familiar.

She thought of the cloaked person who had stolen her horse in the castle earlier.

Could it just be a coincidence?

After all, the cloak the girl wore was far too common. Identical ones could be bought practically anywhere.

As for their height, there were certainly others around the same height as the girl.

Likaro did not really believe that the girl who had given her the steak was the horse thief. She had found the girl's voice quite pleasant just now.

But this steak...

No matter who the girl truly was, and regardless of whether she meant well or had some other motive, Likaro would not eat this steak.

Because she did not dare take that gamble.

Looking at the steak on the plate, Likaro swallowed, then continued eating the dry, hard bread.

Right, that girl seemed to be staying next door to her.

It seemed she would not be able to sleep peacefully tonight, because her suspicions had not been dispelled.

Could she really be an enemy?

Still, Likaro knew appearances could be deceiving. She would not lower her guard just because the other party was a woman younger than herself.

No matter what, she would keep an eye on that girl tonight.

Calamity Descends: A Curious Misunderstanding

After returning to her room, Ailolin took off her cloak.

This was much more comfortable and freeing.

Standing before the mirror in the room, Ailolin looked at her reflection.

This body was very cute, though she was dissatisfied with its height and chest.

Her clothes were beautiful, and they were not ordinary clothes either—they would not suffer any wear and tear.

At first, Ailolin had not thought much of it, but later she realized that she was becoming increasingly fond of pretty clothes.

Once she had a stable place to live, she would definitely buy more beautiful outfits.

After looking in the mirror, she lay down on the bed and hugged her tail against her chest.

Perhaps because she had not fully matured yet, Ailolin's tail was rather short after she transformed.

But that was useful, since she could tuck it into her cloak. If it were too long, it would probably stick the cloak out.

Still, even if it was short, it was not that short. At the very least, Ailolin could hold it in front of herself.

Before learning about the Shapeshifting Art, Ailolin had always thought dragon girls' tails grew from that XX place. Only now did she know that tails actually grew from the tailbone.

Ailolin liked sleeping while hugging her tail, because it felt comfortable, like having an extra body pillow.

She was not sleepy at all right now, so she lay on the bed, idly thinking about things and waiting until the Adventurers' Guild opened tomorrow morning before trying her luck there.

At that moment, in the room next door, Likaro was continuously activating the magic power within her body.

She had prepared for the worst, so she was making the magic power in her body more active. If a fight broke out, she would be able to cast spells more efficiently.

She wanted to confirm the identity of the girl next door, but she did not know how.

If she went up and asked directly, not only would she fail to get an answer, she would alert the enemy.

So Likaro cast a listening spell on the wall, allowing her to clearly hear sounds from the room next door.

Yet after focusing her attention, she heard nothing for a long time. Had the girl already fallen asleep?

Although Likaro was sleepy too, she could not relax. If the girl really was an enemy, would she not be in great danger if she fell asleep?

Time slowly passed. Likaro was human, and going without sleep was extremely uncomfortable.

But she endured her drowsiness and continued listening to the room next door, only to discover nothing in the end.

Just as she was about to give up, sounds finally came from next door—and they were quite strange.

For some reason, Ailolin's body suddenly began to grow hot.

Her face was flushed, her breathing rapid, and she kept rolling around on the bed.

It was the first time her body had experienced such a condition, but she knew what was happening.

She might have... gone into heat.

When Vidian had shared knowledge of Dragonkind with her back then, she had mentioned this. Dragonkind went through heat several times before reaching adulthood. Ailolin had not expected it to happen today of all days.

In fact, as long as she endured it for a while, the heat would pass. But enduring it was painful.

So she kept rolling around on the bed, unable to stop soft moans from escaping her lips.

It meant nothing much to Ailolin, but to Likaro in the next room, it sounded extremely strange.

Her cheeks flushed as she wondered whether that girl could be...

She immediately cut off the listening spell on the wall, lay back down on the bed, and let her imagination run wild.

What is she doing... Why is she doing that?

Likaro was left flustered by the sounds from earlier. Though she could already live independently, she was still quite inexperienced when it came to certain kinds of knowledge.

The entire night passed amid Likaro's chaotic thoughts. When morning arrived, the reflection in the mirror had enormous dark circles beneath its eyes.

To avoid a possible attack, she had not slept all night.

Ailolin, on the other hand, had rested very well. She had done nothing the previous night. After enduring for around half an hour, her heat had ended, and then she had enjoyed a comfortable sleep.

Full of energy, she stepped out of her room to head for the Adventurers' Guild. By coincidence, the neighboring door also opened, and the woman who had eaten hard bread the previous night emerged, still dressed in mage robes.

But when Ailolin saw her, she found her behavior somewhat strange, as if she were deliberately avoiding her.

Yet coincidentally, they were both heading to the Adventurers' Guild, so they ended up going the same way.

Ailolin thought about it and felt that this was fate of a sort, so she took the initiative to speak. "What are you going to the Adventurers' Guild for?"

Likaro had not expected the girl to speak to her. After hesitating for a moment, she answered coldly, "To accept commissions."

"Oh, can I know your name?"

"Not convenient."

"...Alright."

She was really difficult to get along with.

In truth, when Ailolin saw the woman wearing mage robes, she understood that she was someone who wanted to hide her identity.

And was Ailolin not the same?

Two people, each hiding their appearance, talking to each other—it was truly a curious thing.

"What are you going to the Adventurers' Guild for?"

Likaro suddenly took the initiative to ask. After thinking about it, she had decided to talk with the girl. Perhaps she could draw out who she really was.

"I'm looking for someone."

"Oh, the Adventurers' Guild does offer a missing-person service. Can you tell me who you're looking for? Maybe I know them."

"A female knight, blonde, around seventeen years old."

"..."

Hearing Ailolin's description, Likaro's heart began pounding violently.

She was looking for her! She really was the person Likaro had seen in the castle before!

Likaro tried her best not to show her nervousness. She hurriedly said that she did not know, then changed the subject.

Though she could not see the girl's appearance clearly, Likaro was certain that she was younger than herself.

Likaro desperately wanted to find an opportunity to kill the girl before her, but she held herself back.

Since the enemy had sent this girl to hunt her down, that meant she was certainly no ordinary opponent.