Dangerous... Is She Dangerous?

"Come here! Let me have a sniff!"

"No!"

"Behave! Let me take a look!"

"No! Please, Big Bro Jie, don't!"

"Tch, who's this Big Bro Jie now... What are you even talking about?"

The annoyed hungry dragon bared her teeth, rolling her eyes over and over at this baffling fellow, so irritated that her teeth itched.

What's your problem!

Am I going to eat you?

You're making me sound like some kind of villain.

Hmph!

Valentina pouted in displeasure and abruptly turned her head away, once again presenting her tall, slender back to the world.

(｀へ´)

Valentina made it clear that she was furious, and not the kind of furious that a little coaxing could fix.

But now Herbert grew interested instead, teasing her with one provocative remark after another.

"Angry? Are you really angry?"

"No."

"Huh, are you crying?"

"No!"

"Then what's that shiny stuff at the corner of your mouth? Oh, it's grease! Never mind, then..."

"Hmph!"

After fooling around for a while, Herbert walked straight up to the cage with a cheerful smile, without waiting for Valentina to urge him again, and lightly tapped the bars.

Clang, clang.

"Here, I'm here."

When Valentina noticed and looked back, he openly spread his arms toward her and smiled. "Of course, if you want it, you'll have to come get it yourself."

If you want it...

Valentina turned back, her pouting lips twitching. She wanted to preserve her dignity and refuse his patronizing handout, but ultimately lost to her curiosity.

"...Hmph."

She pursed her lips and gave a little snort, intending to pretend the earlier embarrassment had never happened. She reached for Herbert's arm-only for him to catch her hand halfway.

Valentina: ?

What do you mean? Didn't you tell me to get it myself?

Why are you going back on your word now!

"...What are you doing?"

The hungry dragon narrowed her eyes, staring at the white-haired boy with a somewhat dangerous expression-only for him to glare right back.

"Seriously, why didn't you wipe your hands after eating? Hold still. I'll clean them for you."

Herbert grumbled, feeling rather helpless himself, and wiped her hand with the damp towel he had prepared.

With hands that greasy, wouldn't you attract mold if you touched me?

"Oh..."

Herbert held her hand and gently wiped it, his fingers inevitably brushing against Valentina's slender ones.

Her long fingers were warm and soft, yet he could clearly feel the terrifying power contained within them.

He knew these were fearsome claws capable of tearing metal apart, strong enough to crush his skull outright.

Yet to the eye, they were indeed a pair of delicate, seemingly boneless hands, beautiful enough for a hand model.

It felt unreal.

Just like her appearance.

Ignoring her dragon might, Valentina looked no different from an ordinary human.

In human form, she retained none of the magical beast traits Freime had, not even a single scale. She looked completely human.

But the disguise was not flawless.

Her way of thinking, her behavior, and her movements all carried a strong sense of something inhuman.

For instance, she preferred to sleep curled up on the ground. When eating, she would instinctively stretch out her neck to bite first, only remembering to use her hands after catching herself.

And even now, after they had become friends, Valentina still regarded Herbert as a weak little creature, no different from a bug-though that was not far from the truth anyway.

Oh, and there was her appetite.

What normal person could eat half a roast pig in one sitting and still not be full?

"Your other hand."

"Oh."

Although Valentina was surprisingly obedient and had shown no aggression toward him beyond her words, it was precisely these tiny details that made Herbert keenly aware that she was not merely a somewhat goofy prisoner, but an inhuman being possessed of immense power.

She was dangerous.

He needed to handle her carefully...

Just as Herbert was thinking this, he noticed Valentina silently leaning her face toward him too, puffing out her cheeks to signal what she wanted.

"Mm↑ mm↓, mm?"

"...You want me to wipe your face too?"

"Mm."

Looking at the grease glistening at the corners of Valentina's mouth, Herbert took a deep breath and kept reminding himself.

Herbert, you absolutely cannot let their appearances fool you.

They're powerful magical beasts, monsters that would devour a person without leaving a bone.

They're...

In the end, Herbert set his thoughts aside and silently wiped her hands and face clean, then gave a smug little snort.

Heh.

Dangerous, my ass. She's just a complete goofball!

As Valentina carefully sniffed Herbert's fingers, he asked curiously, "Speaking of which, are you hungry again? Didn't you just eat?"

Valentina awkwardly rubbed her flat little belly, which showed no sign of having half a pig stuffed inside, and protested:

"Of course I'm hungry. That tiny bit of food wasn't nearly enough. How could I possibly be full... But that's not the point!"

"You've always smelled delicious, enough to make someone want to take a bite, but today there's another, somewhat familiar scent..."

"Your scent? Because I cut your hair yesterday?" Herbert blinked, beginning to guess where the problem lay.

All I did was swallow her hair. Surely that wouldn't have left me smelling like her?

"No, it's... a more ancient scent?"

Valentina was not quite sure what was going on either. She carefully sniffed Herbert's fingers, even wanting to stick out her tongue and give them a lick to taste...

But before she could act, Herbert withdrew his arm and said with a cheerful smile:

"Well, if you beg me, you can call me Father too! I don't mind being a little generous."

Valentina: ?

"What did you say!?" Herbert had stepped back as he withdrew his hand, just in time to dodge the furious swipe of her dragon claws.

Heh, can't hit me~

He tilted his head with a smile, waved at the hungry dragon raging helplessly, and cheerfully headed toward the Deepwater Prison.

"Bye-bye. See you later."

"Hey! Don't run! Come back. I absolutely won't hit you-"

"Not listening~"

Herbert passed through the barrier, and the hungry dragon's roars behind him instantly vanished, restoring quiet to his ears.

His expression grew calm as well. That should throw her off for now, right?

Once Valentina mentioned the ancient bloodline, Herbert realized it was a lingering effect of strengthening his body, so he immediately changed the subject to keep her from dwelling on it.

"Well, even if I didn't throw her off, she'd probably never figure out the truth."

That made sense.

How could Valentina possibly imagine that he had obtained the dragon king inheritance through her hair?

That was far too illogical.

"Hmm? Herbert, come a little closer. Let me take a look..." Freime wore a rather strange expression as she beckoned him over.

*?*

Wait a second, you too?