The Black Dragon Miss Refuses to Be a Mount

Only then did Likaro realize that the Little Black Dragon had kissed her earlier because she had been forced into it by being in heat.

A faint sense of disappointment rose in her heart.

No, that wasn't right. What was she feeling disappointed about?!

The person before her was her best friend from childhood, and now she had come to find her!

She should be thrilled to welcome her!

But—

"When are you leaving?" Likaro cared deeply about this question.

"Uh..."

Ailolin thought about it. She had nothing urgent to do for the moment, so it would not hurt to stay with Likaro for a few more days.

Besides, she had not returned to find Likaro for eight years. She truly felt terribly guilty.

"I haven't decided yet, but I won't be leaving anytime soon."

"I see."

Although Likaro's reaction was calm, endless joy welled up within her heart.

This was... wonderful. Her lonely self finally had someone to keep her company, at least for a while.

Perhaps she could tell the Little Black Dragon about all the pain she had kept buried in her heart?

After so many years, she hoped the Little Black Dragon was still as gentle as before...

She was overwhelmed with emotion. Looking at the black-haired girl before her, she could not help throwing herself forward and hugging her.

"Mm!"

Ailolin let Likaro hold her, her tail raised high enough to reveal the joy in her heart.

More importantly, even while Likaro held her now, she was no longer in heat.

That made her breathe a sigh of relief.

She genuinely regarded Likaro as a good friend. Although that kiss earlier had been an accident, it had still crossed the boundaries of friendship.

She absolutely had to be more careful in the future. Otherwise, if something like today happened again, it would be awkward.

Likaro held Ailolin tightly and refused to let go. Ever since the knight order had been destroyed, she had never felt as safe as she did today.

The girl before her was not an illusion. She could feel the girl's warmth and smell her scent. Everything told her that this girl truly existed.

Ailolin could sense Likaro's sadness, so she reached out and wrapped her arms around Likaro's waist, embracing her in return.

It was perfectly normal for friends to hug when they met...

Besides, although she did not know what Likaro had been through, Ailolin truly felt heartbroken for her.

A long time passed before the two of them finally calmed down.

Likaro let go and put some distance between herself and Ailolin, then began to examine Ailolin's body.

She was curious about the differences between a dragon girl's features and those of a human. At the same time, she wanted to engrave Ailolin's human form into her mind.

Feeling Likaro's burning gaze, Ailolin felt as though she were not wearing any clothes, allowing Likaro to look over her body however she pleased.

At the same time, however, she was also observing Likaro's appearance.

For a human like Likaro, eight years had completely changed her looks. The cute and childish little blonde girl from before was gone. The blonde girl before her now was very beautiful and possessed a heroic air, but...

Even though Ailolin was not good at reading people's expressions, she could still see the heavy worries Likaro had buried in her heart.

What had her good friend gone through to become like this?

Fortunately, she had found her so quickly.

The tear tracks on the blonde girl's face had not yet dried. Ailolin could not help feeling pity for her and had the urge to protect her.

She did not want to see her good friend remain like this. If there was a problem, she could help solve it.

PS: Quick poll—would you prefer updates at noon or at 8 p.m. in the future?

Calamity Descends: Don't Touch the Tail

"Can I touch your body?"

After the earlier kissing incident had passed, things between Likaro and Ailolin were finally not quite so awkward. Likaro began to grow curious about Ailolin's body.

"You can. Touch wherever you like."

"Thank you..."

Hearing Likaro thank her, Ailolin felt that would not do. "Good friends don't need to be so polite."

"Mm."

Likaro did not want to be so polite either, but things truly felt a little unfamiliar between her and the Little Black Dragon, whom she had not seen for eight years.

She hoped they could return to how they had been back then as soon as possible... No, that was not right. They could not go back anymore.

She did not know whether Ailolin had changed, but Likaro knew very well that she herself had changed. She was no longer the Likaro she used to be.

Even the joy of seeing the Little Black Dragon could not make her forget the pain she had endured before.

She still had to avenge her companions, and she would never smile again...

"Why are you spacing out? Go on, touch me."

Ailolin moved a little closer to Likaro. Their bodies accidentally brushed together, and Likaro immediately trembled.

Their bodies were pressed too close together, making her feel a little shy.

Yet she still could not resist her curiosity and placed her hand on Ailolin's dragon horn.

Black dragon horns. They were so hard, so cool...

"Can I touch your tail?"

"You can."

Ailolin turned her back to Likaro and displayed her tail before her.

With a curious gaze, Likaro gently reached out and touched it.

"Eep!"

Ailolin suddenly made an adorable sound, then quickly pulled her tail back.

"Little Black Dragon, what's wrong?"

"N-Nothing."

Ailolin's cheeks were bright red. Her heart was full of confusion. Why had her tail become so sensitive after Likaro touched it?

Back in the Edafalon Forest, Guoguo had touched her tail too, yet she had not reacted at all then.

Could it be because she had just gone through heat?

In any case, Ailolin could not let Likaro touch her tail again.

Seeing Ailolin's reaction, Likaro suddenly thought of something, and her cheeks turned red again.

She did not dare continue touching her, and so her examination of Ailolin's body came to an end.

Now, both Ailolin and Likaro had too much they wanted to tell each other, but neither knew how to begin.

In the end, Ailolin broke the silence first. "Is someone hunting you?"

"Yes."

"Who?"

"They're..."

Painful memories surged into Likaro's mind. But now, she believed that if she told the Little Black Dragon everything in her heart, she might feel much better.

The pain of losing her companions, the grievances she had suffered all this time, and how much she missed her father and mother—Likaro spoke of all of it.

Ailolin listened quietly as she poured out her heart, and she came to understand how much the girl before her had been carrying alone.

After voicing her troubles, Likaro felt much lighter. Her eyes stung, but she held back her tears.

Crying in front of a good friend was terribly embarrassing, even though she had already cried once before.

In this foreign land, Ailolin was the only person who could still make her feel warmth.

Likaro, who had set out on the path of revenge, was alone. She had no companions by her side, and the long-standing pressure had nearly driven her to a mental breakdown.

Yet she had forced herself to persevere. Her companions' deaths had changed her greatly.

Likaro believed it was all her fault. As the captain, she possessed leadership ability and knew how to build and develop a knight order, but she was completely immature when it came to schemes and intrigue.

Many of her companions were more suited to be captain than she was. Therefore, she believed it was her lack of experience that had dragged them down.

Likaro was straightforward by nature and liked to address many things head-on. That was not good...

Now that the Little Black Dragon was before her, those heavy topics could be put aside for the time being.

Likaro thought for a moment. There was one serious question she needed to ask Ailolin.

"By the way, Little Black Dragon, why did you steal my horse earlier...?"

She still cared greatly about this question.

Although Likaro no longer intended to be blindly kind, that did not mean she wanted to become a bad person. The Little Black Dragon was her good friend. There was no way she could not care.

Stealing was wrong. If someone else had stolen her horse, Likaro would at most have been furious. But if the Little Black Dragon had stolen it, she would only be deeply worried.

Because she did not want to see the Little Black Dragon fall into corruption. She had to make sure the Little Black Dragon stayed on the right path.

"I'm sorry. I never thought about that at the time."

Ailolin understood what Likaro was worried about. In truth, she would never become what Likaro feared she might.

If she had to assign herself an alignment, Ailolin believed she was lawful good.

For example, before she had recognized Likaro, she had still kindly shared her food with her.

Ailolin had also been a kind person in her previous life. Perhaps because she had been influenced by Likaro's personality as a child, she was still very warmhearted now.

She had originally planned to become an egoist, but later discovered she simply could not do it...

She still often helped people who encountered difficulties.

However, in Likaro's eyes, Ailolin being kind was not entirely a good thing either.

She only hoped Ailolin would not do bad things, but she also did not want her to give too much of herself.

She had her own painful example right before her. It was best not to meddle too much in strangers' affairs.

Likaro knew she was being somewhat stubborn, but she would rather be this way.

However, Ailolin completely disagreed. She felt that she had to correct Likaro's way of thinking.

It was true that the people Likaro had helped had betrayed her, but that had nothing to do with her kindness. There was no need for her to take the blame upon herself.

Pursuing profit was most people's nature, especially for those who were already poor. Their forgetting kindness for money could only be called greed; it did not mean all poor people were like that.

Ailolin understood very well what it felt like for a dream to shatter. She would slowly lessen this matter's impact on Likaro over time.

Ailolin had originally intended to continue searching for her parents, but now she felt she could put that aside for the moment. After all, she had never met them and did not even know whether they existed. Her feelings for them could not compare to those she had for the good friend before her.

"Promise me that you won't do bad things again, all right?" Likaro said seriously.

"Mm, I promise."

Ailolin naturally agreed without hesitation, but she also made a request. "Then you have to promise me something too."

"What is it?"

"Don't look so troubled all day. Smile more, okay?"

"..."

Likaro fell silent. She could indeed force a smile now, but there was still a huge stone weighing on her heart. If she did not avenge her companions, she would never be able to feel at ease.

Calamity Descends: Assassination Plan