Panic and confusion ensue to Hibiscus as she became aware of the mess that she did and realizing the power she oozes. She nervously looks at the people in the vicinity as they stare at her not to mention, the insignia behind her and the giant bird brain garners further attention.

Casablanca just sweetly embraces Hibiscus even though her tension is rising. Blooming smile and melodic could be seen and heard from Casablanca as she ignores everything around her. She easily switches gears as soon as she touched Hibiscus.

I quietly retrieve my divinity from Hibiscus to lessen her unrest.

FWISH

As the divine power returns to me, the insignia behind Hibiscus slowly fades and the gleam around her slowly dissipates. The bird brain gradually loses its mass and becomes smaller and smaller until it became a chick size.

C-Cute!

How can be that thing becomes this cute!?

The chick immediately leaps towards Hibiscus’ breast and cuddles up to her. When Casablanca saw this, she places her hand to its head and starts stroking it. The chick lets out a pleased chirp as Casablanca’s hand caresses it.

I…  I want to touch it too…!

I approach the chick that ruffles itself at Hibiscus’ body and attempted to caress it myself but…

“Pii!”

“Ow!”

“Pii! Pii!”

“Guh…what did I do…?”

It pecked my finger.

I guess I can’t carelessly approach this bird brain!

Hibiscus could only knit her brows from the chick’s behavior towards me. I stare hard at her eyes and noticed that it’s drooping.

“Hibiscus…”

“A-Asagao…I’m sorry… I…did such mess… and also…”

“We can talk about that later so for now, you should rest. I do want to know what happened to you and I’d like to share my thoughts about what happened but, I’d be happier if you rest immediately.”

“You’re so kind…I’m really ashamed of myself…”

“I don’t know what you are talking about but I am all ears for your troubles when you wake up later.”

“Yes…”

As I said that, I turn my heels and approach the onlookers. I specifically walk towards Pr’thcor who is currently still in shock.

“Old man…”

“…”

“Old man!!”

“Ah! What!? Where?! Oh…Asagao?”

“Old man… I believe there are things I needed to explain and things I need to apologize for.”

“You indeed owe me some few words.”

“Yeah… those two… I’d like for them to rest. Is that fine with you?”

“…Fine…Although I have tons of questions too regarding that elven lass with tanned skin.”

.

.

.

We sent the twins to bed and Ichirou and I headed towards the heart of the city where almost every inhabitant gathered. Pr’thcor stands in front of me while the dragons huddle behind him. I sat at the presented chair to me and engage in a serious talk with him.

Behind me is Ichirou who exerts full vigilance. The reason for being like this is that I planned beforehand to make a negotiations with them.

Witnessing their might and power that a normal dragon kin don’t have in the above ground, they are far stronger but they aren’t updated to what’s happening outside of this place.

Meaning, I cannot use any privileges that I have against them.

Right now, Pr’thcor observes me carefully. There are several men and women behind him that also exudes so much hostility.

“Asagao, let me introduce this four behind me. First is Da’lek who comes from the bloodline of Lord Krothgir and as you can see, he is three-horned dragon. The woman with black hair is Murii who comes from Lord Mrothgir’s bloodline and she is one-horned dragon which specializes in magic. The third one is H’roak who is a mix bloodline of two minor dragons and he is a two-horned dragon who specializes in both magic and martial arts. The last one is La’kakh who is a four-horned dragon that came from my own.”

Pr’thcor introduces to me these four people who seem to be his trusted aides. Respectively, Da’lek is a well built man with grayish hair and sharp black eyes. Murii is a woman with black hair and gray eyes with gentle expression. H’roak is scrawny compared to the other dragon kins but he is taller than Ichirou and looks really intelligent. Lastly, La’kakh is a woman with voluptuous figure with huge rack. Her hair is ashen and her eyes are fierce and focused.

“Hello, I’m Asagao…”

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They didn’t return any answer and just either nods or look away from me.

Pr’thcor didn’t said anything and just focus his gaze towards me as if evaluating me on how evaluate people.

“So, Asagao… let’s start from the very start. It’s not that I don’t trust you but, I feel like there are deeper reason fate brought you here. Tell me how you people ended up here.”

“Old man, I never mentioned it before but… did you know that… the Dragon Capital Mujinn… is probably gone, destroyed to the ground.”

“So? That’s not a kind of information I am concerned to hear. I’d like to know more about you.”

“Would you believe me if I say that we were teleported underground.”

“Hmmm…Continue… for now, let me assume what you say is the truth.”

I told him everything that happened from our encounter with Nil up to meeting with him. After that, he inquired about what I am and Ichirou. He also asked about the twins and what they are and I told him the truth.

I left out the thing about my divinity and everything related to Mother and Astlan.

“Princesses, huh… also, Ichirou and you are summoned from another world. Somehow, it sounds extremely absurd.”

“I can’t blame you. Even I can’t believe that it all happened to us.”

“Hmm…Then--!”

“I believe it’s my turn to ask, old man. This is getting one sided.”

“Tsk… fine. I’ll speak too.”

“I want to know more about this place. Why are devils appearing in this place?”

“Are those things are devils? Is that you call them? You know, they are not that strong for us but they keep pestering us and they appeared at some point of time. They would always come from that place where magic is sparse and dimly lit.”

“………”

“I know you are already aware but we do not have any knowledge about what’s happening outside and this is the first to us that the world is facing this calamity you are speaking of. So, what do you hope to achieve by telling us this? We aren’t that mad at what happened earlier. To be honest, the degree of that damage won’t affect our life. What got me curious is that you actually pulling me into something else. What are you after?”

“I…I want you…all of you…to help us…to cooperate with us in fighting this enemies.”

“You want us to risk our life fighting enemies unknown to us? That’s like trying to control of us.”

From our conversation, Da’lek voices out his opinion which opposes my request. This is where everything becomes harder.

Negotiations are troublesome after all.

“It’s not just for us but it’s for the sake of this world!”

“Don’t flatter yourself brat. Disciple of Lord Mrothgir? We do respect him but your words alone don’t carry any power here. It can’t compel us and we do not trust you. We just acknowledged you as someone who carries the Calm Dragon Tempest art.”

“But…!”

“What do we gain if we follow your demand? Do we get treasures, wealth, or even power? I believe that you didn’t try to talk to us without any compensation which satisfies us.”

H’roak added the fuel to the fire and asks me for compensation and what rewards they will gain from their participation. I don’t know.

I seriously don’t know if I have anything here that would satisfy their yearning for what they mentioned.

My composure is falling apart.

I need to think up of something that will convince them.

“I…I promise that when everything is over…I will---!”

“Little girl, don’t you get it? Promises won’t even sway us. As we mentioned earlier, our trust for you isn’t that great. To tell you the truth, we are even worried that you people will tell the whole world about us and that would pull trouble to us.”

“N-No…we won’t!”

“How about we keep them here? Wouldn’t that be better? Our population is barely a thousand so an addition of three or four is good.”

La’kakh intervenes and also opposes my request.

When she said about causing trouble for them and keeping us here, every dragon in the vicinity raises their hostility towards us. Their bloodthirst comes raining down to me.

How did the talk become like this?

“[Sword Grave!]”

Swords immediately rise around me and Ichirou. He promptly took a step and stands in front of me. Various swords with beautiful and fierce designs appear from the ground. The tension becomes heavier as Ichirou pulled out weapons.

His atmosphere becomes entirely different.

“That’s not something I can ignore anymore. If you want to lock up Asagao, Casablanca and Hibiscus in this place, then I have no choice but to cut down every single one of you!”

“Ichirou, you’re against the odds. Do you really think you can take all of us?”

Da’lek and Ichirou stare at each other and hostility sparks from him and all of the dragons.

This is not what I have in my mind…

I just wanted to make a simple request and voice out my simple wish. I overestimated my ability and underestimated them. I didn’t think that their demands are heavy and their distrust to us, outsider, is in depressing level.

I can’t even convince them that the enemies that we are about to face are much stronger as they dismisses the devils as just a little bother. If I cannot drag them out of here, they won’t know how dangerous the devils are and how destructive they can become towards ordinary civilians.

Also, there’s the Order of Arcana Sins…

Instead of talking in peace, we’re already having this mess. I appreciate that Pr’thcor didn’t mind about the damage caused by Hibiscus.

What to do?

I was so stupid not to prepare any trump card in this talk or any preparation and followed my wishful thinking that they would actually believe me.

This reminds me the reality of relations towards other people isn’t simple.

I don’t have any other choice…I’m desperate…

I at least should break off this hostility that wafts in the atmosphere.

“Wait…Ichirou-nii…”

“Asagao? Don’t stop me…”

“I want to…do this peacefully.”

“What do you have in mind, missy?”

Pr’thcor asks me as I talk to Ichirou to stand down.

“If you cannot trust me then, how about an oath?”

“An oath?”

“Yes…!”

“You wish to make an oath towards us, Dragons? How’re you going to do that? What kind of offering did you prepared?”

“I… don’t have any treasures or anything of sort…but…”

As I pause, I drew out a sword from my dimensional storage. Everyone in the vicinity becomes more alerted but I ignore them and proceed to my desperate plan.

I brushes my hair to the side and combs it with my finger and…

SHING

I cut it…

My hair which flows down up to my waist becomes a length of under my shoulder.

“Asagao!!”

“Ichirou-nii, please don’t interrupt.”

“Kuh…”

I tied my hair which I cut and set it down in the table between me and Pr’thcor. After that, I retrieve a small bowl from my dimensional storage and place it at the said table.

I place my wrist above the small bowl and…I slit it…

“A-Asagao…”

“This much is…nothing…”

It hurts…

Blood spurts out and it falls down to the small bowl filling it a little before my regeneration kicks in. I did it again and again and again until I was able to fully fill the bowl with my own blood.

Pr’thcor including the four behind him was visibly flabbergasted from my actions. But to no avail, Da’lek speaks again.

“Do you plan to garner our pity? That isn’t even worth anything for us! Are you mocking us?”

“No…”

“Your desperation disgusts me.”

He’s right…this is desperation...

What am I thinking?

But…this is what I could only think of…

Without giving me any break, H’roak followed…

“What the hell…this won’t even cut out for lunch. A hair? A blood? The oath that you are proud of just amount to this?!”

At this point, I could only clench my fists which I place at my knees while looking down. I bit my lips from their words. This is a good lesson for me.

I was able to gain trust from people whom I am with like Fon and Violetta because they’ve known me long enough, unlike them…

My desperation is disgusting and my oath is like a child play for them…

Without me knowing, tears start rolling down from my cheeks and falls to table I am faced.

My mind becomes fuzzy and drifts towards hopelessness...when…

“YOU SISSY COWARDS!!!”

“Eh…?”

“!?”

I immediately raise my head and saw Pr’thcor who stands up and shouted. Everyone’s attention was pulled to him. He faces all the dragons behind him with an enraged face.

“An honest request from a little girl and you can’t even answer properly to it!”

“But Pr’thcor…!”

“What? Where’s your pride as a dragon?! Have you forgotten that we are a race brought by the gods!”

“…”

“Have all of you forgotten how glorious we are?! Being scared of the unknown?! You guys make me cry! Aren’t we dragons supposed to face every kind of danger out there?! I already just came to my senses and we’ve rot enough in this place! How about you guys? Are you guys satisfied here?!”

“No…We are not!”

“We do not need to heed the call of Asagao but, isn’t this the time for us to rise!? Knowing that the dragon capital Mujinn above ground is already gone, isn’t it a good opportunity for us to take over the whole dragon continent for ourselves?!”

“You’re right!”

“But…I won’t forgive you guys for belittling this girl’s offering and oath!”

My teary eyes immediately gleam as Pr’thcor mentions about the things in table.

“A hair is a maiden’s life as it represents her purity and beauty and you dare belittle that?! Her blood is more expensive than the purest gem that could ever be found and you dare mock that?! And…her tears, a maiden’s tears which beats the most clear diamonds, you people dare to make her shed those?! And you call yourselves warriors!?

“”””UUOOOOOOOOOHHHHH!””””

I end up smiling as they roar a battle cry that shook the whole place. Even Ichirou nod from Pr’thcor’s preaching.

As I look at old man, he sent me a glance and winks at me and gave me a thumbs up.