Translator: AnubisTL
Needleleaf Valley, Earthstorm Bear Ridge.
The golden morning light illuminated the mountain rocks and vegetation, bathing them in a brilliant glow.
Garos pinched the nape of Fairy Dragon Vera's neck with his claws, lifting her up like a kitten. He brought her close for a careful examination and asked, "You said you're from the fae wilderness?"
The fairy dragon nodded, her tail drooping.
Garos clicked his tongue, surprised that this little creature actually had some background.
The fae wilderness.
Also known as the fairy wilderness, this plane was home to various fey creatures and was no obscure, minor realm.
On the contrary, it was quite famous, with numerous miniature deities residing within.
At that moment, information about the structure of worlds and planes flooded Garos's mind.
In simple terms:
A plane was a collection of worlds.
Countless distinct worlds, like bubbles pressed tightly together, formed planes based on shared characteristics.
The world Garos currently inhabited belonged to the Material Plane.
The Material Plane served as the foundation for all other planes, boasting the most balanced elemental composition and being the most suitable for diverse races and creatures to thrive. Other planes often possessed unique features, making them more suitable for specific types of creatures.
For example, the infamous abyssal plane was the domain of demons.
The fae wilderness was the domain of the fey.
"According to her, she was drawn to the Material Plane by curiosity and accidentally got trapped here. It was her curiosity that led to her capture."
"A fairy dragon's curiosity is akin to an evil dragon's arrogance and conceit."
"Her innate curiosity drove her step by step to her current predicament, a prisoner at my feet."
Garos stared at the fairy dragon, thinking to himself while sternly reminding himself never to let desire or emotion control him. Otherwise, the fairy dragon before him would serve as a cautionary tale.
Samantha approached, carrying the sulfurous scent of a red dragon, her eyes fixed on Fairy Dragon Vera with curiosity.
"Is that... a fairy dragon?!"
"Garos, where did you catch this fairy dragon?"
The red young dragon licked her jaw, her eyes gleaming with hunger.
"She looks delicious! I've heard fey creatures taste wonderful. Can I have a bite?"
The dragon clan typically doesn't practice cannibalism.
But fairy dragons were considered too weak.
The red dragons, who revered strength, didn't recognize fairy dragons as true dragonkind in their inheritance, viewing them instead as mere fey creatures like pixies or sprites.
"Vera has no meat! She won't taste good! Please don't eat me!"
The fairy dragon, terrified by Samantha, covered her eyes with her claws, unable to look at the red dragon.
"No."
Garos firmly rejected Samantha's request.
"It's my spoils of war, and it's useful to me. Don't get any ideas."
With that, Garos opened his mouth and spat out the Silverfrost Ring, handing it to Samantha.
"The energy's depleted. Recharge it for me."
Garos couldn't recharge this ice-type alchemy item himself.
Samantha didn't possess ice-type skills either, but as an alchemist, she knew how to convert magical energy into item energy, allowing her to recharge alchemy items.
After taking the Silverfrost Ring, Samantha cast a few more curious and covetous glances at the fairy dragon, looking back repeatedly as she returned to her newly rebuilt alchemy workshop in the clearing on Earthstorm Bear Ridge.
"Phew, I almost got eaten!"
The fairy dragon exhaled deeply, looking gratefully at Garos. "Th-thank you for not letting it eat me," she whispered.
Garos's eyes flickered. He realized the fairy dragon's logic was... peculiar.
She didn't seem to grasp that the entire situation had arisen because Garos had captured her in the first place. Instead, she focused solely on the moment of rescue, thanking him for saving her from the evil red dragon's jaws.
She'd be easy to manipulate, Garos mused, and a plan began to form in his mind.
Clutching the fairy dragon in his right claw, he closed his eyes slightly and muttered strange, ancient words the fairy dragon couldn't understand. Simultaneously, he extended his left claw, a sharp, hooked toe tracing symbols in the air.
It was as if Garos were performing some mysterious magical ritual.
Finally, Garos abruptly extended his sharp claw and tapped the fairy dragon on the forehead.
"Done. The contract is sealed," Garos announced, immediately releasing the fairy dragon.
Whatever Garos had done, the freed fairy dragon didn't immediately flee. Its heart pounded with nervous curiosity as it blinked and asked, "Contract? W-what contract?"
"A servitude contract, of course," Garos replied.
The fairy dragon's eyes narrowed with suspicion. It hadn't sensed any discernible magical fluctuations. Moreover, it doubted Garos possessed the skill to cast such a high-level spell.
Yet...
Garos's earnest demeanor didn't seem like the act of a dragon trying to deceive.
Garos grinned. "Do you feel a sudden heat spreading through your body? Is your heart racing?"
The fairy dragon's eyes widened in alarm. It frantically spun in place, its heart pounding even faster.
"H-how did you know?!"
Garos's expression turned serious. "Because that's the reaction to the contract being sealed. Your life and death now hang by a thread, entirely at my whim."
The heat was merely Garos subtly raising the air temperature, while the racing heart was purely due to the fairy dragon's fear and anxiety.
Servitude contracts and spells were typically high-level magic. Garos, in truth, didn't possess such abilities. Among the magical skills he had inherited through his bloodline via the warlock's path, none were of this nature.
I'm doomed! Enslaved by an evil dragon!
The fairy dragon hung its head in despair, resigned to its fate.
"W-what do you want me for?"
Remembering Garos's ferocious tree-chopping earlier, the fairy dragon trembled with fear.
"Don't be nervous," Garos said with a cheerful smile. "I have no intention of harming you. On the contrary, my enslavement will also be your protection. If you obey me, I'll allow you to roam freely in Needleleaf Valley. The Earthstorm Bears will become your companions, never harming you and even playing with you."
After coercion came enticement.
Garos skillfully exploited the fairy dragon's innate nature to lure it. As a dragon himself, he knew exactly where its weaknesses lay.
Sure enough, the fairy dragon's dull eyes lit up instantly at Garos's words.
Play!
To the fairy dragon, this word was like a stimulant.
Ever since arriving on the prime material plane, Fairy Dragon Vera had never enjoyed a proper playtime. The creatures here were all ferocious and terrifying, unwilling to play with her. Whenever they spotted her, their first instinct was to bare their bloody fangs and try to devour her.
She could only hide and sneak around, amusing herself by playing pranks on the Earthstorm Bears using her invisibility spells.
The bears remained completely oblivious to the fairy dragon's existence, utterly indifferent to her antics.
This unreciprocated play left Vera despondent, her scales growing increasingly dull with each passing day.
"Yay! Yay!"
She nodded excitedly, circling Garos. "Will you play with me too? Vera loves to play!"
(End of the Chapter)
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