Elf Druid

Jose saw the elf's mouth open and knew he was about to be hit with a sonic attack.

"Shut up!"

He thrust his head in front of the elf, revealing his bared, white fangs and issuing a fierce threat: "If you dare to make a sound, I'll eat you!"

The elf maiden's scream, which had reached her throat, was stifled back, making an unintelligible "huhu" sound as it lodged in her throat.

His sulfur-scented breath washed over her, and she trembled, quickly recoiling to distance herself from danger. However, she ran into a box and curled into a ball, hugging her knees with her back pressed against the corner of the box. Her slender little body quivered slightly.

The elf maiden lowered her head, secretly observing the fierce-looking Red Dragon with a furtive upward glance. Tears welled up in her eyes.

Tilly was terrified.

How could I be so unlucky to run into human slave traders?

But why did I fall into the hands of a Red Dragon? Haven't they sold me already?

What should I do?

Will this dragon eat me?

I heard Red Dragons love eating elves the most. He'll definitely eat me. Does he like eating them raw or cooked?

Does he prefer steamed or braised... I don't like spicy food.

While the elf was secretly observing Jose, Jose was also observing her.

This elf maiden looked about eleven years old in human terms. Her skin was fair, her chest had not yet developed, and her hair and pupils were the tender green of spring grass. She also exuded a pleasant grassy scent.

At this moment, she pursed her lips, looking pitifully like she wanted to cry but dared not, making the dragon feel she was weak and easily bullied.

Under Jose's gaze, a cluster of hair on the elf's head moved. Like a bent blade of grass slowly straightening, it eventually stood upright.

He chuckled. It turned out the elf maiden had a cowlick on her head. The cowlick had been bent during transport, but now that it had space to stretch, it had stubbornly regained its upright posture.

This small interlude eased Jose's mood somewhat.

Regardless, he had to first figure out the "guest's" identity and background. Elves were social animals too, with commoners and nobles. The repercussions of kidnapping a noble were far greater than that of kidnapping a commoner.

If this elf maiden was a high-ranking noble or had a significant background, he should just run.

"Little elf, introduce yourself. What's your name? How many people are in your family? What do your family members do? How did you get caught?"

Silence.

Jose flicked the wooden box with his finger and said menacingly, "My patience is limited! Stand up and answer my questions!"

The elf maiden was startled and sprang up from the box. She stood rigidly, her voice trembling as if she were about to cry.

"Mr. Dragon... Dragon, good... good morning."

"It's evening now," Jose said, slightly impatient, exhaling two puffs of air from his nostrils. But looking at the elf maiden's trembling little body, he decided to stabilize the captive's emotions first and said in a comforting tone, "Don't be afraid. Being afraid is useless."

The elf maiden trembled even more violently.

Forget it, I'll just ask directly.

"What's your name?"

"Ti... Tilly."

"Tilly, right? How did you get caught?"

I... I was following Teacher Anna to cultivate the Way of Nature in the forest and fell into a trap set by slave traders.

Jose continued to inquire, "Who are the members of your family? What do they do? What are their strengths?"

"There's Dad, Mom, and my brother. Dad is a guard in Whitedeer City... Mom is a priestess of the Lady of Flowers (Lady of Flowers: Elven Flower Goddess, minor divine power)... Brother serves in the Ranger Corps (Ranger: Elf border patrol)..."

He summarized the elf's family background: a father who was a mid-level warrior, a mother who was a low-level priestess, and a brother he hadn't seen in a long time who served in the Ranger Corps. Such a family would be considered middle-class in elven society. He didn't have to worry about them using unconventional resources, like great prophecies, to track the little elf's whereabouts.

As for that Advanced Stage Druid mentor, she had a large number of apprentices, so she likely wouldn't expend too much effort for just one apprentice.

Wait! I can't judge good-aligned beings by common sense!

Morality, conscience, responsibility...

These self-imposed pressures might actually make that Advanced Stage Druid abandon everything and venture out of the forest to search for her apprentice. Moreover, this girl had a Ranger brother. Although his position might not be high, he was still a member of the system, and the connections he could leverage were not to be underestimated.

Jose felt a pang in his teeth.

Beside him, Tilly, having heard no sound for a long time, lifted her eyelids and secretly glanced at the Red Dragon. The conversation had made her a little braver. She twisted her fingers together and spoke softly.

"Mr. Dragon, can you let me go? If I disappear, my parents and Teacher Anna will be worried."

Jose glanced sideways at the little elf.

If I let you go, I'll be worried too, and I'll go crazy.

If news of a young Red Dragon in the Bloodtooth Mines reached the elves, the consequences were foreseeable. The elven authorities wouldn't even need to act personally; they could just spread the word.

Greedy adventurers! Noble youths dreaming of becoming Dragon Slaying Warriors! Idiotic paladins brainwashed by righteousness!

One after another, they would come, one after another, stronger and stronger, determined to slay the evil dragon.

But I'm clearly a good dragon!

This damned racial discrimination!

Looking at Tilly's pathetic expression, Jose felt a bit troubled. If he could, he would have liked to just send the elf away and pretend she had never come. But since the incident had already happened, running away wouldn't solve anything.

How should he deal with her?

Kill her?

He couldn't bring himself to do it. The little elf hadn't offended him, posed no threat to him, and hadn't even wanted to come to the Bloodtooth Mines in the first place. She had been so cooperative during the questioning, Jose couldn't find any reason to destroy her.

Let her go?

That was even less feasible. Setting aside the risk of information leaking, what if the elves showed up at his doorstep tomorrow? If he couldn't produce her, and the Red Dragon had the peculiar habit of devouring virgin elves, he wouldn't be able to explain himself.

Weighing the risks back and forth, he decided to keep Tilly.

For one thing, the elf rescue team might not be able to find their way here. For another, if they did, he could use the Elven Maiden as a bargaining chip. Besides, having such a cute Elven Maiden around was much better than facing the hideous Kobolds every day.

Jose turned to the Boarman merchant, who was trying to act invisible, "Keep your subordinates in line and don't mention anything about the elf to anyone."

"Understood!"

"You can go now."

The Boarman merchant felt as if he had received a general amnesty and quickly left the dragon's lair. Only Jose and the Elven Maiden remained in the spacious lair, the elf still looking at Jose with anticipation, waiting for his answer.

"Little elf, letting you go is impossible. My servant rescued you from slave traders, and yet you've brought me unpredictable trouble and danger."

Tilly looked bewildered. "B-but Mr. Dragon! I didn't do anything?!"

"I don't care about that," the Red Dragon pointed to the elf maiden's smooth forehead. "Because of you, the Rangers might track down my home by following the slightest clues and then attack me."

"Please don't worry, Mr. Dragon, I will explain for you when that time comes."

"Isn't that perfect! So you can't leave. If you leave, who will explain for me?!" Seeing the elf maiden's confused look, Jose secretly revealed a sly smile.

A naive and adorable young girl, so easy to fool~.

Without giving the elf maiden a chance to think, he continued, "You brought me trouble, shouldn't you compensate me! I saved you, shouldn't you repay me! You know, you're worth a lot of money in the human world, so you have to work for me to pay off your debt. Hmmm… it will take at least a hundred years of work to clear it, don't you think?"

Tilly looked bewildered; her head was spinning.

The Red Dragon's logic seemed sound.

But why had she suddenly lost her freedom and incurred a huge debt?!

Thanks to Little Grandma for the 100 coins, Yayla for the 200 coins, "It's All In Vain" for the 100 coins, and "Dream and Dragon Life" for the 200 coins for their rewards.