"Feeling better now?"
Theresa glanced at the forehead that had already faded from its reddened state.
A dragon's regenerative abilities were truly formidable—even without magical energy to sustain it, her recovery far surpassed that of ordinary races, let alone from a minor bump like this that hardly even counted as an injury.
"Ah... yeah, it wasn't serious to begin with! You're making way too big a deal out of it!"
Ilulu finally snapped back to reality and quickly took two steps back.
"Is that so? Alright then, as long as you're fine."
Sensing her resistance, Theresa didn't press further and instead moved on to the next topic.
"I'm going to call the others over. Will you come along too, Ilulu?"
"Me?"
Ilulu pointed at herself, puzzled by the question, then immediately shook her head without a second thought.
"No way. If those humans see me, they'll be lucky not to faint from fright."
There was something else she left unsaid—that she was, after all, indirectly responsible for the destruction of their home. Facing those humans… she just didn't know how to handle it.
At that thought, Ilulu's expression darkened. If she'd known this would happen, she shouldn't have followed Theresa here. Being sealed away in that place would've been better than this…
"Alright, I'll go alone then. You stay safe too."
Though Theresa didn't know exactly what Ilulu was thinking, she had no intention of forcing her. After offering a brief reminder, she left the spot.
The commotion between the two hadn't been subtle. Even if the townsfolk hadn't seen what happened, they could feel the tremors in the ground and hear the loud noises.
Before Lainer or Tifa could approach, the residents and the priest had already gathered around Theresa, their de facto pillar of support.
Acting as the town's spokesperson, the priest cautiously asked, "Miss Theresa, what was that earlier…?"
"Don't worry, it was just Ilulu and me—that red dragon—digging out a fairly large cave."
Theresa explained, "We can use it as temporary shelter. Tomorrow, I'll go check the town's condition. If it's safe, we can start rebuilding."
"I see…"
Tifa had already informed the townspeople about Ilulu. Rather than resenting the bishop for subduing a fearsome dragon, the people only grew more reverent toward Theresa.
"If everyone's refilled their water, let's head to the cave now. Tonight won't be easy, so on the way, try to gather branches to spread on the ground—it'll help keep us warm."
Theresa's gaze shifted to Tifa.
After running for so long, ordinary people had little energy to spare. Exhaustion and hunger meant asking more of them would only add to their burden, so this task fell to the Valkyries.
"Understood."
Tifa nodded naturally.
Though they were from different worlds, they shared the same drive to act for the sake of the weak and the ordinary.
Theresa hadn't chosen a location too far for the temporary shelter, but to avoid detection by any stray dragons, the spot was fairly well-hidden—a mountainside surrounded by woods.
The cave entrance stood only about two people tall and three wide, just enough for Ilulu's true form to crawl inside.
The cave grew cold at night. The Valkyries gathered branches and dry grass from all around, laying down a thin layer over each person's resting spot.
Combined with everyone's clothes and coats, it still made for a crude bed, but it would suffice for a night's rest in their exhausted state.
Moreover, the Valkyries lit campfires at intervals and blocked most of the cold air with a makeshift wooden door of arranged logs at the cave entrance, lending the cavern a measure of warmth.
The scouting party hadn't carried much in the way of supplies, but Lainer managed to find some extra coats to fashion a relatively soft bedding for Theresa.
Her condition would directly affect their chances of survival, so she came first.
Unable to refuse, Theresa finally accepted and lay down beside Ilulu.
Everyone now knew about Ilulu's presence—after all, she was the dragon subdued and reformed by Theresa. But knowing and accepting didn't mean their fear had lessened.
The power to level a city so easily was enough to make people see her as an outsider.
What's more, their current dire straits were due to a dragon. Even if they saw it as a trial from the Lord, it was impossible to hold no resentment toward Ilulu.
As a dragon, Ilulu's senses far exceeded a human's, and she was keenly attuned to the emotions of others. The humans' avoidance didn't surprise her, yet it still left her in low spirits.
That feeling of not belonging, of being utterly separate from everyone else, weighed heavily on her expression.
Though Theresa noticed, there wasn't much she could do at the moment. Their rejection of Ilulu didn't stem from prejudice, but from fear.
Dispelling prejudice from people's hearts was difficult; erasing fear was no easier. Even though everyone knew this temporary refuge was Ilulu's handiwork, they credited Theresa alone.
Of course, even Ilulu couldn't argue with that. She'd done the labor, but she understood perfectly well that without Theresa, there would've been no shelter—without her, these humans might already be dead.
Still, knowing it rationally didn't ease the sting of contributing without receiving any praise or acknowledgment from those she'd helped.
And when the others learned Ilulu would be staying with them, they naturally pushed her toward Theresa's care, reinforcing Ilulu's sense of not belonging among humans.
Even though Theresa was human too.
"It'll get better."
Theresa couldn't offer much more comfort.
Given what Ilulu had done, if she weren't still a child, Theresa would have given her the same treatment as the other dragon.
And that dragon would have been slain by Theresa already, if not for her being pressed for time.
Ilulu's transformation magic wasn't particularly refined. Her thick, scaly claws and the overly large flame sacs on her chest made it rather uncomfortable for Theresa, squeezed beside her.
But to maintain her persona, Theresa hugged and soothed her all the same.
It had been so long—Ilulu couldn't even remember when—since she'd been treated like a child, since she'd received any tenderness or care.
Having lost her parents early in life, Ilulu found Theresa's gestures deeply comforting.
Though the collar around her neck was unpleasant and the humans' rejection still hurt, in this moment, she felt an unfamiliar sense of contentment.
She could only hope that Theresa, just as she was now, would let her stay by her side forever.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.