The Black Dragon Lady Refuses to Be a Mount

After hearing the innkeeper say that, Ailolin and Likaro stopped hesitating, paid for one night's stay, and entered the room.

Though they knew the innkeeper was right, a couples' room still made them feel strange.

Sitting by the bed, Ailolin and Likaro both instinctively kept a certain distance from each other.

At last, Ailolin could no longer hold it in.

She and Likaro were clearly just friends, yet ever since meeting Likaro, all sorts of things had often made her feel an awkward sort of intimacy.

What was there to feel ambiguous about?!

She decided to have a proper talk with Likaro.

Likaro was actually the same. She had always suspected there was something wrong with her thoughts, never expecting that Little Black Dragon felt the same way.

Even if friends cuddled, hugged, and rubbed against each other, they shouldn't have thoughts like this...

Hopefully, they could change the way they thought about it.

"Alright, let's discuss something serious first." Likaro decided to stop talking about this messy nonsense. "Tomorrow's Tournament is a good opportunity. The lord of this city is one of the masterminds."

At the mention of that lord, Likaro's expression became furious.

At first, she simply couldn't understand why that lord had targeted her knight order. Later, she learned that the one he had truly set his sights on was her.

Likaro did not wear armor all the time. When she wore ordinary clothes, the elegant air she gave off could nearly captivate any man.

That lord had taken a fancy to her body, which was why he had worked with those knight orders and joined the attack on the Crescent Moon Knights.

After hearing Likaro's account, anger rose in Ailolin's heart as well.

Why didn't that lord take a piss and look at himself? Even if he were young, handsome, and the most handsome man in the world, he still wasn't worthy of Likaro in Ailolin's eyes.

No one was worthy of her!

Ailolin did not even dare imagine what would have happened if Likaro had truly been captured by that lord. She could only be grateful that she had met Likaro in time.

Likaro's expression turned gloomy as she began to blame herself.

If it had not been for her, the lord would not have taken part in the attack on the Crescent Moon Knights. In that case, some of the Crescent Moon Knights might have survived the attacks of the other knight orders, rather than everyone except her being wiped out.

And if her companions had not desperately covered her escape back then, she likely would not have survived either.

That was why Likaro was deeply grateful to her companions, and she swore that she would avenge them.

"Don't be sad. Tomorrow, we'll assassinate that lord," Ailolin said, comforting the heartbroken Likaro.

"What should the plan be? The lord will be seated on a raised platform, but there will be guards all around him..."

"Let me think."

Ailolin began considering an assassination plan. Would long-range magic be reliable? Generally speaking, there should be defensive measures, right?

Why not just charge in and kill him directly? If guards got in the way, then kill the guards.

She herself was not worried, but she was somewhat concerned for Likaro's safety.

A Terrible Night

This world truly was a developed magical fantasy world. The couples' room had every sort of facility, even a large bath specifically for bathing.

Neither of them certainly wanted to use it together, so Ailolin decided to let Likaro bathe first before taking her own turn.

Not bathing was absolutely out of the question. Keeping one's body clean was something that had to be done every day.

After Likaro went to bathe, Ailolin began carefully examining the room's layout.

Everything else was quite good, but the thing that made her feel the most troubled was the large bed in the room.

A couples' room could not possibly have two beds, so tonight Ailolin could only sleep in the same bed as Likaro.

Just thinking about it made her terribly embarrassed.

But there was also something Ailolin did not understand. It was her first time interacting with another girl as a girl herself, so she did not know whether physical contact between girls was actually normal.

There should be nothing wrong with same-sex friends sleeping in the same bed as long as they did nothing, right? Ailolin knew that she was embarrassed because her thoughts were still influenced somewhat by a male perspective, but why was Likaro embarrassed?

When they had touched before, Likaro's embarrassed reaction had been even stronger than Ailolin's.

Could it be that Likaro was a very conservative girl?

Or did normal girls all get embarrassed over physical contact?

It truly was Ailolin's first time getting along with girls as one of the same sex, so she genuinely did not understand this.

At that moment, Likaro submerged herself in the bath, but even that could not calm her heart.

She had realized that something was strange about her. Why did merely thinking about Ailolin outside make her body heat up and her heart race?

Was it because of the couples' room's decorations? They had deliberately been arranged in such an intimate style.

Likaro was certain that she and Little Black Dragon were only good friends. Temporarily sleeping in the same bed for one night was nothing, since they would not do the things couples did.

Glub, glub...

She blew bubbles underwater, trying to calm herself down.

There had been women among her knight order companions before, but she had never felt embarrassed when touching them.

So why was it different with Little Black Dragon?

This was so troubling. Why had she become so strange...

After coming out wrapped in a bath towel, Likaro moved so quickly under Ailolin's astonished gaze that she seemed to "teleport" onto the bed, then burrowed beneath the covers.

The double bed was huge, but Likaro lay right at the edge, so close to falling off that she nearly could have.

Ailolin said nothing and went straight into the bathroom.

Half an hour later, after finishing her bath, she too lay at the edge on the other side of the bed.

Neither she nor Likaro wore any clothes. It seemed that they both liked sleeping naked.

The bed was clearly enormous, yet the two girls lay at opposite edges.

It had to be said that this was truly awkward.

"Should I turn off the lights and sleep?"

The magic crystal lamp's switch was on Ailolin's side, so she asked Likaro for her opinion.

"Mm, let's sleep..."

If they wanted to avoid the awkwardness of sharing a bed, it would be best if morning came quickly.

Likaro made sure that she was far away from Ailolin, so there would be no physical contact.

Phew, this was fine. Otherwise, it would get awkward again...

Likaro had not slept last night, and although she had rested for a while at noon today, it had not helped at all.

So she was still exhausted. Lying on the comfortable, soft bed with the lights turned off, she soon fell asleep.

This time, Likaro slept very deeply. Even when Ailolin tried calling to her softly, she did not wake up.

After confirming that she was truly asleep, Ailolin got out of bed and stood by the window, looking at the night outside.

Suddenly, Ailolin heard a faint sob.

"Don't... don't leave me... everyone..."

The voice came from Likaro. Ailolin realized that she might be having a nightmare.

"Little Black Dragon..."

Likaro kept repeating Ailolin's nickname in her sleep.

Ailolin walked over to Likaro's side and found that her pillow had already been soaked with tears.

It made Ailolin's heart ache. Ever since Likaro had cried when they first met, she had not shed another tear.

Likaro must have dreamed of something terrible. Otherwise, she would not be reacting like this in her sleep.

Likaro mumbled in her sleep while Ailolin quietly listened beside her. This was probably when the girl was at her most vulnerable.

Not long afterward, Likaro quieted down. The nightmare seemed to be over.

Ailolin let out a breath of relief and returned to bed. Dawn was still far away, so she might as well get some sleep too.

For dragons, even when they had gotten enough sleep, they could still fall asleep whenever they wanted to.

Gradually, Ailolin's thoughts emptied. Just as she was about to fall asleep, she suddenly felt something touch her arm.

Oh no!

Though Ailolin and Likaro had kept their distance to avoid awkwardness, she had overlooked Likaro's sleeping habits. Once Likaro fell asleep, she might not be able to control her body.

Likaro instinctively sought something warm. She rolled over and pulled Ailolin into her arms.

Because of their height and build, Ailolin being held by Likaro looked perfectly natural.

Ailolin fell into deep embarrassment. Did people really make such big movements while sleeping?

But Likaro's breathing was steady, and Ailolin did not dare wake her. It would not be good if she disturbed Likaro's sleep.

Yet this position made Ailolin's heart race. Unlike at noon, she and Likaro were not wearing anything at all now!

Suddenly, Likaro held Ailolin even tighter, as if she did not want to let her leave. Ailolin felt two soft mounds press directly against her face.

I can't breathe...!

To Ailolin, this position felt completely intimate. Unable to endure it any longer, she decided to wake Likaro.

But with her entire face buried against Likaro's chest, Ailolin could only gently bite Likaro's breast.

"Mm...?"

Likaro woke up in a daze and did not even want to open her eyes.

She felt as though she was holding something soft in her arms.

"!!!"

Likaro instantly snapped awake, quickly released Ailolin, and retreated to the edge of the bed.

"I'm sorry! I didn't do it on purpose!"

That strange feeling from before returned to Likaro. Her heart pounded wildly, and she wanted to bury herself beneath the covers and never come out.

"Uh... it's fine."

Ailolin did not know what to say either. It could only be said that Likaro's bad sleeping habits had caused this outcome.

But after so many similar incidents, even if Ailolin was slow, she should have understood what was in her heart.

The reason she blushed and felt embarrassed around Likaro... could it be because she had fallen in love with her?

Because this was what love seemed to feel like.

Likaro's Good Idea

Like Ailolin, Likaro was also lost in wild thoughts.

She forced herself to calm down, then seriously considered her feelings for Little Black Dragon.

Were these feelings truly friendship?

Likaro could not believe that she had developed other feelings for Little Black Dragon, but the facts were right in front of her.

She had only reunited with Little Black Dragon not long ago. Had feelings beyond friendship really developed so quickly?

"I think we should have a proper talk," Ailolin suddenly said. She knew Likaro was not asleep.

"Mm."

Ailolin's thoughts suited her perfectly.

"Have the two of us developed feelings that aren't quite normal?"

"Eh...?"

Likaro had not expected Ailolin to say something so embarrassing so directly, so she immediately had no idea how to answer.

In truth, she did not understand it at all. She had never been in love, nor did she know what it felt like to fall for someone.