Emily:

Slam!

A thick stack of papers had just been roughly placed atop several other thick stacks of papers.

“More work for you, human,” the werewolf man said, smirking.

Emily clenched her jaw, but only for a brief moment before she forced her body to relax again.

“Yes,” she replied simply. There was nothing else she could do in this situation.

Emily’s job was to keep track of the sales of household magical tools and write reports on who was buying them and in what quantities. A mundane job for a mundane girl.

Of course, her coworkers saw her as an easy way to slack off. Not one of the growing stack of tasks on her desk was her own to deal with; she had finished hers hours ago.

Over 200 years ago, Earth and a fantasy world merged. That world had plenty of nonhumans, but no humans at all. To this day, that alone still isolated humans somewhat.

But the real issue was magic, or rather, the complete lack of it. Humans had none at all, and out of all the species inhabiting the massively-expanded world, they were the only ones. Magic was everywhere, in everything. It even made you stronger, even if you never actually used it at all.

Humans in this world were vastly outnumbered, physically weaker than every single other sapient species, and had no magic, which the entire world revolved around. They were at the very bottom of the social ladder, and the gap between the bottom rung and the next was quite large.

Emily wearily eyed her stack of work. She nearly let out a sigh, but managed to keep it in.

Malkin, the werewolf who had just dumped his work onto Emily, snickered to the lamia next to him. “Maybe the boss was onto something with her human outreach program. Having a weak little monkey around that just does what you tell it to makes our lives so much easier.”

The lamia nodded in agreement. “Speaking of, human, I am leaving early today. My report on the implementation of short-burst heating enchantments needs to be done by tomorrow morning.”

“Yes,” Emily robotically replied.

Malkin glanced at Emily’s pile of uncompleted work. “You sure about that, Shenala? The human’s going to be here until morning doing everything else by the look of it.”

I have a name, Emily angrily thought, making sure to not reveal her feelings at all.

Shenala replied, “The human already agreed to do it. If my report isn’t done, then maybe the boss’ little charity project will to its expected conclusion.”

Malkin grinned toothily at Emily. “I’d love to see it. I wonder what effect a dragonfear has on a human? Instant death, perhaps?”

She scolded the werewolf, “Who cares, just let the monkey be. It has work to fail at doing.”

They snickered, along with a few other people who had heard the conversation.

I’m not an ‘it’!

Emily had gotten this job because the CEO had begun a human outreach program. It was true that humans were physically weaker than everyone else, but that didn’t mean they were dumber. But when you can’t even flush a toilet because it requires mana to do so, many people will see you as someone to avoid hiring.

And it didn’t help that the government’s stipend of mana for humans was already barely enough to get by as it was. It came in a small device with an interchangeable mana core, and the number of cores she received every month was minuscule. Emily had to be very picky about where and when she would use what little she was given, lest she suddenly finds herself unable to access certain basic functions of modern society.

———

Fyezna:

Fyezna stood up from her desk and stretched, thankful that she had mastered the spell to make her wings intangible and hidden. It was a tricky one that not even many dragons had managed to get right, but she had pulled it off, and no longer had to be so mindful of her surroundings. She hadn’t cast the spell on her tail or horns, however, as those hardly ever caused any problems.

She had one remaining task for the day before leaving, one that was an uphill battle.

She walked into her assistant’s office, who abruptly straightened up the moment he was within her dragonfear’s reach. Dragonfear is an aura that all dragons emit unconsciously, terrifying all who feel it.

Fyezna impassively looked at the sweaty elven man. “Anything to report?”

“O-On what, ma’am?”

“On our recent hire.”

“We hired someone?” he asked, his eyes wide as he struggled to remember who she was referring to.

“The human girl.”

“O-Oh. I… didn’t know she counted.”

Come on. I know it was months ago, but still.

“Do I have to do my assistant’s job for him?”

“N-No! No, ma’am. I’ll do it right away.”

“See that you do. Don’t make that mistake again.”

“Yes! I won’t! Thank you!”

The dragon left his office, already considering a replacement for him. Whether or not she went through with it would depend on the contents of tomorrow’s report.

The elf didn’t know, but she had been gathering her own information to compare with his. Having an assistant properly do his job was paramount, even if it meant ensuring a good working environment for a human.

She had been making the girl’s job easier where she could, but she had been too busy to do anything serious up until now.

She grabbed her things and left, glancing at the building from outside and seeing two lights still on. One from her assistant, and the other from the overworked girl she had hired.

One thing at a time, she thought, quashing the guilt she felt for something she hadn’t even done.

———

Emily:

Emily groaned as her alarm went off. She sat up, feeling miserable for having slept in her desk chair, and only for a few hours of sleep at that.

She took her bag to the bathroom and used a bath wipe. It was a far cry from a real bath, but it would at least do the bare minimum for a day or two.

She had expected to be stuck overnight again sooner or later, so she kept some emergency food bars in her bag for just such an occasion.

Working here was already better than any of her previous jobs. Having a powerful dragon as the boss meant people were afraid to go too far. She hadn’t had any of her things stolen or ruined even once yet.

People really believe it’s okay to act like that because I can’t fight back. Honestly, they’re so childish, she mentally complained.

She sighed and returned to her desk. She still had an hour before work began, which should be just enough time to finish Shenala’s report.

I can probably last another month here before I’m fired, but the amount of money I’ll have saved up from working here will have made it worth it. I’ll finally be able to replace some of my things with better-quality versions.

Fortunately for Emily, Shenala wasn’t someone who ever came in early. She had just placed the finished report on the lamia’s desk when Emily saw her slither into the room. Emily left before she could be noticed.

The snake woman arrived at her desk and leafed through the report. She didn’t even so much as glance at the human who had done it all.

Not that I expected anything else…

About an hour into her shift, Emily received a horrifying email.

Emily,

Please report to the CEO’s office.

-CEO’s Assistant, Wirar

She was aghast. That piece of crap, Wirar! What did he tell her?! The elf’s attitude toward her had been worse than most others because he had been forced to hire her in place of the CEO, who hadn’t wanted to overwhelm the human girl with her dragonfear.

Emily took a deep breath, then shakily began making her way to the dragon.

Am I already going to get fired? I thought I was doing well enough to last at least a bit longer…

She stopped before her boss’ closed office door, took several deep breaths, then knocked.

“Come in,” a pleasant voice responded.

Emily was so nervous that she missed the doorknob twice. Entering, she saw an attractive woman with large horns and lavender hair sitting behind a desk.

“Emily, it’s nice to see you in… person…?”

———

Fyezna:

Fyezna looked at the trembling human before her. The girl was obviously scared—dragons have a reputation after all—but she wasn’t terrified.

Huh, I wasn’t expecting to come across more evidence today. This is going to be such a mess in the future.

“Please sit down,” she told her.

“Y-Yes.”

She’s cute but looks beyond exhausted. I’m sure this meeting isn’t helping any, either.

“You aren’t in any trouble. I just want to get that out of the way first.”

Emily seemed to relax slightly, but mostly just looked confused.

“I want you to tell me about how working here is for a human.”

Knowing how bad humans have it, she’s probably going to tell me she’s not having any problems.

“It’s bad.”

Oh? Well now.

“How so?”

“It’s only a marginal improvement compared to everywhere else I’ve worked, and that’s only because you’re here. Otherwise, it’s the same overworking, constant harassment and being unable to speak out against anything. But the pay is better, so there is that much.

|

“I wasn’t expecting to actually say any of that, but for some reason, I’m not feeling as scared as I thought I would’ve.”

She just went right out and admitted it. I didn’t even have to ask for confirmation.

“How much are you being paid?”

“20 ris1.”

So Wirar is skimming, huh. Even though that’s normal when it comes to human employees, I explicitly instructed against doing it. Idiot.

Fyezna pulled out the two reports on Emily.

“Here are two different reports of what your workday is like. One is definitely biased, and the other hopefully less so. I would like to go through both of them with you to verify what is and isn’t true, and to determine what’s missing.”

They spent the next hour going through everything. Wirar’s report quickly ended up just being set aside, while Fyezna’s received numerous edits and additions.

Had she known her dragonfear was ineffective on the girl, she would’ve collected much more of the information personally. In most other situations like this, it would’ve been fine to leave it to her employees, but the only people who weren’t prejudiced against humans were other humans.

Even if she had a report from an employee that only stated facts, that report would’ve emphasized all the negative ones and not the sheer amount of work this girl was capable of.

Wirar’s report hadn’t been 100% false. He had mentioned Emily being unable to use the facilities without the government’s help as if that was somehow Emily’s fault.

Everyone just goes out of their way to make humans miserable. I want to punish my ancestors for the mess they’ve made.

The discussion over Emily’s time in the office had ended, leaving Fyezna with several things to think about regarding how her company was run.

Mentally pushing those things aside, she asked Emily, “Do you have any questions for me?”

She blinked in surprise, then asked, “I feel way too calm despite sitting right across from you. What’s going on?”

"My dragonfear is ineffective against you.”

“What…?”

“You aren’t feeling anything at all from my dragonfear. There is a reason for that, but for now, it’s better that as few people know that information as possible. I’m afraid you’ll have to keep it to yourself for now. And I mean it. If another dragon finds out, it could end terribly for you. I am not stating this as any kind of threat against you, either. It is literally dangerous information.”

“O-Oh… Um, okay. What do I do about my coworkers then? What if they catch on to the fact that I don’t feel it?”

“The best I can come up with right now is to say I gave you something to insulate you from it, and that it only works on humans. If they press you for more information, then say you don’t know what I did exactly. Because I’m a dragon, they won’t question it.

|

“Of course, if you come up with anything better than that before leaving this room, then please tell me.”

She nodded, then asked, “Why was I the only human hired?”

Fyezna scowled. “The shareholders didn’t like the idea. They only liked the publicity of willing to help out humans, but not actually doing it. I’m working to change that, but it will probably be at least a few months before I can hire another.”

The office was silent for a couple minutes while the two women both thought through different things.

“Can I ask you something personal?”

Fyezna nodded.

“What makes you different? I’ve never had a boss like you. If anything, with you being a dragon, well…”

“I should be even more prejudiced?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“When I was young, I heard an interesting story from my mother one day. She hadn’t even meant it to be educational, but it was enough to pique my interest and set me on a different path.”

“And that story was?”

She’s completely relaxed now. It’s refreshing to have someone other than another dragon like this around me.

“I’ll be keeping it to myself, sorry.”

“Oh.”

“A question for you, then. You aren’t experiencing any dragonfear, but even so, you’re much more open than I think anyone would be even if you weren’t a human and I weren’t a dragon.”

She thought for a minute, then finally said, “I honestly have no idea what to make of this meeting. I’ve never had an experience like this. I have no idea where this will lead in the future, but even if I lost my job right now, I wouldn’t regret having tried something different.”

‘Something different’, hmm?

———

Emily:

People say meeting a dragon is an unforgettable experience. Emily could certainly vouch for that, though for none of the reasons that were normally talked about. “Approachable” was definitely not on the typical list of descriptors.

She was back at her desk now, but her work neighbor, the incredibly-obnoxious werewolf Malkin, was apparently feeling bored. “Hey, human. How was the dragonfear? You were in it for two whole hours. You didn’t piss yourself or die, so I guess that makes you the most powerful human in the world? Any stronger and you might be able to fight a toddler. You probably just passed out the second you stepped inside, though.”

Malkin kept droning on and on about how inferior she was. It was this moment that made Emily realize just how much Malkin actually enjoyed sitting next to her for all the wrong reasons.

An entire week went by, and the work she was saddled with decreased day by day. She had even gotten a full night’s sleep the last three days in a row.

Fyezna must’ve done something. She seems to be more than just talk, Emily thought with a rare smile.

She received an email the next morning from Fyezna, coming from the woman herself this time, requesting her in her office. She obliged, a bit nervous, but nowhere near as much as compared to last time.

I wonder what she wants this time? It’s only been a week. The fact that she reduced my workload so much is already a lot.

Entering the dragon’s office, Fyezna said, “Hello again, Emily. Please take a seat.

|

“How has your work been? I’ve been shuffling things around to reduce your burden, though I know there is still much progress to be made.”

Emily nodded in agreement. “It’s been improving a lot. The last three nights, I was able to sleep a normal amount, and yesterday, I even made it home in time to cook a meal. Most of my food had gone bad though, since I’m usually not home enough to cook or even have the energy to do so.”

The dragon woman blinked in surprise at the irrelevant information.

“Ah, sorry. I just haven’t been able to do either of those things in a long time, so I was pretty happy about it.”

“I see. That’s good. Now, the reason I called you here is that I have an offer for you. One that would mean less work and higher pay should you accept it. I’ll continue to work toward that for you regardless, but I think you’re the right person for the job I have in mind.”

Fyezna smiled. “Emily, how would you like to be my assistant?”

“…What?”

“I shouldn’t be telling you this, but I will be firing Wirar soon. This past week, in addition to paying attention to your work, I also made sure I had a suitable cause to fire him. Outside of his treatment of you, he actually did his job well, so the justification was difficult to come by.”

“Okay, I have several questions. Why choose me over literally anyone else? I’m confident in my abilities, but I’m still human. Other people won’t like me being in that kind of position.”

“You’re quite thorough and quick with your work. It’s excellently done. Despite having similar circumstances as most other humans, your resume was still a cut about the rest, which was why you were hired in the first place over someone else.

|

“As for what other people will say, the people who work here won’t be a problem. I’ll just show them your work, and they can take the issue up with me if they feel brave enough. I was also thinking that I could put your desk in here so people wouldn’t be able to isolate you. My office is stupidly massive as you can see, so I certainly have the space.

|

“The shareholders will question me about it, but I’m confident I can convince them it will be fine.”

“Okay… Can I ask about Wirar?”

“Regarding his treatment of you, he outright lied in that shoddy report from last week, and he was skimming your salary, which I amended.

|

“But unfortunately, those things are common. Firing him for being cruel to a human will possibly end with me being replaced.

|

“However, he did directly disobey me, and disobeying a dragon is never looked well upon. That, combined with some smaller things, will be sufficient. I hate to use my species advantage like that, but if it gets the job done, then it’s fine.”

“Why are you so open with me?”

“Because you’ve done an incredible job these past several months, and my meeting with you last week convinced me of your character.”

Being praised so much is embarrassing, especially since it’s coming from someone so powerful. And somehow, it doesn’t even feel patronizing.

“What would I have to do if I accepted?”

“Taking calls, keeping notes and organizing documents is most of it, things you already do to an excessive degree. I actually sent you an email containing all the details just before you came in. Please take a look at it when you have time. I would like an answer within three days.”

The meeting ended there, leaving a stunned Emily to try to figure out just what in the world she had done to make a dragon want a human working directly for her.

———

Fyezna:

Immediately after Emily left, Fyezna was mulling over her second interaction with the human woman.

I wonder what home cooking is like? She wants to do it and never has the time, and I’m a useless rich person who’s always had a personal chef.

Such considerations led to her pulling out her acquisition from only a few days ago. It was a human newspaper dating back 196 years ago, not even a decade after the worlds merged.

“Deranged Local Man Insisting ‘Dragonfear’ Doesn’t Exist Found Dead”

Information on the man was almost entirely nonexistent, likely having been erased, but Fyezna’s investigation found records of a dragon passing through that area.

It’s unknown why the man was the only one who spoke up about the lack of dragonfear, but everyone else was likely either silenced or bribed. It couldn’t have helped that this headline called him deranged and stated his death. It was a threat to anyone who spoke up.

Regardless, this was a rare instance of a human meeting a dragon. The difference in social status was far too large for them to meet under normal circumstances. Nearly all the instances she could find were from the first two decades post-merge. She hadn’t been alive back then, but it was quite a chaotic time for everyone.

Fyezna believed the man to have truly encountered a dragon and paid the price for speaking up about it, but there was too little to go on to count this as solid evidence of anything.

She leaned back in her luxurious office chair. I wouldn’t have such a comfy chair and large office without the suffering of humans.

She sighed. I think I’ve gotten nearly everything I possibly can. From what I’ve learned barely any dragons at all are even aware of the truth. I was incredibly lucky with my find in the original ritual site from who even knows how many thousands of years ago.

In the long-distant past, in an old ruin now barely left standing, a ritual had been enacted. Evidence of the act had been eliminated a long, long time ago. But after the worlds merged, things left buried and forgotten were disturbed.

I think I’ll have to publicly reveal the information all at once across every major source I can possibly contact. There have to be some dragons out there who know the truth and want to keep it buried, so I can’t half-ass this.

Mom was pretty famous a few decades ago, so if I get her in on it, that’ll make it much easier. She still has lots of fans out there, and I think she’ll be convinced.

I hope Emily accepts the job offer. I’ll need to earn her trust beyond just that of an employer, but if I can show the world what it means that humans don’t experience dragonfear…

Yes, I think we can give everything back.

And having such an adorable assistant would really make me happy. She looks so good now that she’s properly rested and full of energy, not that she didn’t look good before.

———

Emily:

Free of work for the day, Emily returned home. For the second day in a row, she could eat a regular meal at a regular time.

But despite her growling stomach, her mind was on the email her boss had sent her. She had already reviewed it several times, satisfied with her understanding of the contents.

What her mind was really on was whether or now she was truly up to the task. It wouldn’t be the job itself that was the problem, but any time she had to meet with someone face to face without her beautiful boss around.

The negative attention she would receive would be even worse than now.

But isn’t it already bad now? My coworkers, no matter what job I might have, will always suck. The lack of humans is disheartening, no one to share my frustrations with, but Fyezna said she was working on it.

I do think she’s nice, but do I actually trust her enough to carry it out? To hire humans in the face of such blatant disgust for me and my kind?

She put her phone down and looked through her entire kitchen for every bit of food she had. She had thrown out what was unsalvageable last night, leaving little remaining.

She had a slice of toast for now and grabbed her bag to buy groceries. She checked her bank account before leaving, and actually tripped in surprise from seeing the sudden spike in money.

Wirar really stole that much from me…? Wait, what’s my real salary now that I’m properly getting paid?

After checking, she had to sit down to process it.

And she wants to pay me even more than that!? I could afford to live somewhere half-decent!

She glanced around her rundown apartment. Things were falling apart, there were stains here and there, and there was hardly any room at all.

…Okay, Fyezna, you win.

Her stomach growled again, the single piece of toast not enough to satisfy her.

Maybe this job will be the end of me, but I have enough money to hold a small celebration tonight!

As she walked to the store, she smiled, thinking of Fyezna.

———

Fyezna:

Fyezna looked at the desk that had just been brought into her office. The desk had previously been used by Wirar, who was now gone for good after a bit of angry spluttering. She was surprised he had managed even that much, considering her aura.

It had a soundproofing enchantment surrounding it for if she needed to make a call or block off any noise coming from Fyezna’s side, such as if she was meeting with someone.

She smiled, imagining the angry faces of all the people who would have to quietly accept the human casually working amid the dragonfear.

There would certainly be some anger and dissent, but she simply saw that as an opportunity to get rid of people who felt like they were owed something out of a false sense of superiority.

Someone knocked at the door.

“Come in,” she called.

In stepped her new assistant, looking around at the rearranged office.

“You don’t have to knock anymore. This is your office now, too.”

She nodded. “Okay.”

She’s so casual with me! I love it so much!

Fyezna had been prepared to pick up the slack while Emily learned how to perform her new job, but the woman had slid into the role so smoothly that she wondered just how hard she must've had to work to become capable of so much.

A few hours later, Fyezna said, “Emily, let’s take a break.”

“A break?” she repeated. “…Yes. Okay.”

“Have you ever been on a break before?”

“I have, though it’s been some time since my last one. Two jobs ago, I think.”

That’s rough.

“Do you think there’s anything that would keep you working past closing time if you did take breaks?”

She looked at all the various papers on her desk and checked something on her screen.

Fortunately, things like computers are fed mana via external sources, or else she wouldn’t be able to do much here.

“No, I suppose not,” she finally said, then just sat there awkwardly, struggling to find something to busy herself.

“Is there anything you’d like to talk about?” I suggested. This girl has no idea what to do with her free time.

“I don’t know? Normally in this kind of situation, there would be another human to complain about things with, but there are neither things to complain about nor other humans here.”

“Do you always work at jobs with other humans?”

She nodded, “Mhmm. Safety in numbers, solidarity in shared experiences. We have to help each other where we can since no one else will. Oh, speaking of human coworkers, are there going to be any anytime soon?”

I shook my head. “It’s hard to say when exactly. Having hired one human, the shareholders are content with the good publicity the company received. So right now, I’m working on chipping away at their mindsets, and I’m also buying shares to eventually become the majority shareholder.”

“Sounds like a slog.”

“Oh, it is. It really is. So what do you do with your free time when not at work, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Read, mostly. I find free stories online, and text-only doesn’t take up too much data in comparison to watching a movie or something. Other than that, I occasionally hang out with other humans, but human schedules tend to be too chaotic to really form any consistent plans.”

“So what are you going to do going forward?”

She shrugged, “I have literally no idea. What about you? What do you do when you’re not making strange friends at work?”

I smiled. “I have a certain project I’ve been working on for a long time, though when I work on it is inconsistent because I often have to wait for information or packages to come in. But there’s a lot of research involved, and most of it leads nowhere.”

“Sounds interesting I guess? Not that you really explained much.”

“I’d like to keep it private for now. But yes, it is interesting. Other than that, I also mostly read.”

“Huh. I guess I expected something less mundane.”

Oh, it’s nothing, just a little project that will directly affect the lives of billions of people.

“When pretty much the only people you can associate with are other dragons and most of them are incredibly stuck-up, reading is a much happier alternative. Quieter, too.”

She nodded. “Makes sense.”

“So many of them love talking about themselves so much. So much, Emily.”

The so-called ‘dragon’s pride’. What will that pride become when the entire world finds out we’re nothing but thieves?

She giggled. “I think everyone knows that. Media with dragons in it is constantly shoved in everyone’s faces, after all.”

Fyezna looked at the impressive view outside the window. “That will change one day, I’m sure of it.”

“What makes you so sure?”

The dragon was silent for a long time. Looking back at the human, she cryptically said, “That which was stolen must be returned to where it belongs.”

“Huh?”

She smiled. “You’ll find out one day. Let’s get back to work.”

“Okay,” Emily replied, deciding to shrug off another of her eccentric boss’ oddities.

———

Emily:

Emily had been Fyezna’s assistant for several months now. There had been some people who were clearly against it at first, but the boss quickly shut them down.

She thought it was a bit funny, how well the two of them got along with each other. The very bottom and very top of the social ladder, so far apart from each other, yet sharing an office. They were both isolated from society, albeit in opposite ways. One by too little power, and the other by too much.

As promised, Emily never had to stay past closing time. That, combined with her newly-inflated bank account, meant she had more free time than ever before and numerous new ways to fill it.

She first began replacing her possessions with more intact ones, being careful to not wear clothes that looked too nice, or else someone would take issue with a jumped-up human. She didn’t plan on moving just yet, as she wanted to save up a lot first.

She also helped out her human acquaintances in small ways, giving them little boosts here and there. But billions of humans were struggling, and there was only so much she could do on her own.

It was strange, but talking with Fyezna brought a kind of joy into her life that she had never felt before. Sure, she had had friends growing up, and she still talked with her mom, but never before had she had someone in her life that she could simply converse with.

She loved her mom, she really did, but conversations with her would inevitably always involve being smothered in constant worry. Those conversations had even been a little tricky lately, as her mom had noticed her new things and how she seemed to be doing better in general.

She couldn’t exactly tell her that she had an important position within the company, as that much was already unusual for a human. Let alone the fact that her boss is a dragon, and she works directly for that dragon. Or that she’s somehow on really friendly terms with her boss, and might even be crushing on her a little bit. Emily couldn’t tell her mom any of these things, as she wished for her mom’s head to remain in one piece.

Emily and Fyezna had been talking with each other during their breaks about the books they had read. Their tastes were wildly different, especially since nearly all of what Emily read came was free things found online.

At the end of one such discussion, Fyezna asked her, “Would you be able to stay after work a little bit today? I want to tell you about my secret project.”

“Oh? Okay, I have time.”

She smiled. “Thank you. I promise it’s important.”

They continued on through the workday as normal, though Emily was a little distracted from time to time as she wondered what it might be.

When the day finally ended and it was just the two of them left, Fyezna told Emily, “First, I’ll tell you that this information could be dangerous. That’s as much as I’ll say about it without you stating that you want to continue, but… some people in this world may not wish for this information to be spread.”

“I’m in.”

“I… What…? You could lose your life!”

“What else is new? Humans are easy targets and die all the time. No one cares about us. If I’m going to die anyway, then I might as well fuck up someone’s day doing it.”

She began chuckling with that delicious husky voice of hers. “Why did I expect anything else? Okay. This is about why dragons have so much mana and humans have none.”

“What, did dragons steal all the humans’ mana or something and accidentally smush the worlds together?”

She gaped at the human.

“Wait… Seriously?”

After taking a minute to collect herself, Fyezna burst out in peals of laughter.

“Um…”

Still chuckling a bit, she said, “I’m sorry. You always throw me off kilter like no one else.”

“Okay? Can we get back to the thing about mana? Was what I said actually it?”

Getting serious, Fyezna gave a small sigh, then stated, “Yes. Dragons stole all the mana from Earth for themselves.”

“But how would that make sense? Dragons have been powerful since forever, and humans weak since forever, but the merge happened only 200 years ago.”

“The theft occurred somewhere around 13,000 years ago. A kingdom of dragons now lost to history wanted more power, and in their research, they discovered that there was mana that existed outside their world.

|

“From the records, it seems like they thought it was just in the air or from the heavens or something. It’s unclear. But they’re all long dead and don’t matter anymore. Only an elite few were given that power initially, and that eventually led to other dragons wanting it for themselves. Other kingdoms wanted it, and a civil war also broke out over it.

|

“The point is, in the end, they spread the magic to all dragons as a way of compromise. From that point on, dragons have always reigned at the pinnacle of society, a fact which is still true to this day.

|

“All that extra mana gave them longer lives and made them much more powerful. The truth is, dragons were originally just like anyone else.

|

“But the mana isn’t entirely compatible with our bodies and spreads a feeling of discomfort around us. It’s an inherent wrongness that can be felt by all who approach us. That feeling, combined with the sheer power we’re known to wield, came to be known as ‘dragonfear’.

|

“And the reason it doesn’t affect you is that it’s your mana in the first place. If it was where it belonged, nobody would feel anything like that.

|

“There were several prominent dragons after the merge who explicitly stated that humans are somehow wrong or corrupt. This lowered everyone’s perception of humanity while helping to ensure no human ever managed to get close to any dragon. That doesn’t mean it never happened, though documented cases of it are rare.

|

“Even among dragons, this information isn’t widely known, which is why I was able to hire a human without another dragon interfering. I think of the few who do know, they pass their story of the successful theft to their children as a way of reinforcing their superiority.”

“That’s… I… Okay, wow. Um… So, what now? And why did the worlds merge? And how do you know all this?”

“The worlds merged because that mana originally belonged to humanity and the Earth in the first place. The dragons were attached to the stolen mana, so the Earth took the dragons, which brought literally everything else with them. That makes it sound like the world has a will, which is a whole different conversation, but I see it more as a stretched-out rubber band snapping back into place.

|

“The reason I know all this is because I’ve spent many years researching it and collating evidence to one day reverse it. There’s been a great deal of erasure of evidence over the years, so finding clues has been tedious and time-consuming.

|

“It goes all the way back to my childhood when my mother offhandedly told me one day that our ancestors were supposedly just as weak as everyone else and weren’t special. She didn’t seem to believe it, but what she said eventually got me thinking.

|

“As for what to do now, I would like your help. I’ve collected as much as I think I can from as many sources as I can, and I want to disseminate all that information to as many places as I possibly can all at once. For that, I’ll need my mother’s help.

|

“My mother is a former celebrity. She isn’t active these days, but she is still widely known. I want to use her connections. And to help convince her, I simply want you to meet her. A human standing right next to two dragons and not experiencing any dragonfear should go a long way. I should also note that I think she would be angry about the tragedies we dragons have caused and would want to help us.”

“Do you know how to reverse it?”

She shook her head. “I’m no physicist, ritualist, rune expert, enchanter, or anything like that. But I’ve done as much research as I can on my own into possible solutions. It’s even the reason I took the job here, so I could have easy access to a wide variety of information on enchanting.

|

“My hope is that either my mother knows someone like that, or that with all the people in the world seeing the information, enough of them will get together and figure out how to fix it.

|

“I also… have one other idea. Using an area recreation spell, we could record the three of us meeting and explaining everything. That would make us very public, but would also make it more believable, since those are hard to fake.”

Emily smiled and shrugged. “Sounds fun. Assuming the meeting with your mother goes well, then there is something I would like to ask of you. Protect my mom.”

“Done.”

“Oh, she is going to freak so hard.”

“I would imagine. We’ll also need to get you some nice clothes for when the spell is recording us. In addition to just looking good, it will help emphasize the point that humans are actual people.”

She nodded in agreement. “So when do we meet?”

“She’ll be visiting tomorrow, so that means you’ll be coming home with me.”

Oh… Okay, might be weird timing, but if dragon mom doesn’t hate me, then I’m going to ask her out.

———

Fyezna:

Fyezna was having a minor freak-out. She definitely had a thing for the human woman in the passenger seat next to her.

She’s going to see my oversized house. And my mom. Why do I feel like the first one is scarier? Oh, because she might think I chose to live here instead of having to live up to some bullshit symbol of status.

Fyezna was scared that Emily would have a negative opinion of her. She knew it was an irrational fear, but emotions are not always rational things.

She has glad right now that she had insisted on driving herself around since she began her investigation in earnest. She didn’t want to involve any chauffeur in it, after all. And it meant that today, there was no one to question why there was a human in the car. She had also ordered the entire staff to not be here at this time, so there should be no one to question what a human was doing in a dragon’s house.

“How… opulent…” Emily commented.

Fyezna cringed. “If I didn’t live in a house befitting of my perceived status, other dragons would see me as weak.”

“Well, that’s stupid.”

She nodded. “I agree. I hate it, actually. I barely even use any of it. Once all this is over, I’m moving somewhere more reasonable.”

“I should probably move soon, too. I’ve been saving up for a while, so I guess it’s time to finally leave the crappy excuse of an apartment I live in.”

Fyezna was now freaking out for another reason. We’re both thinking of moving out of our homes around the same time?

“What if… we were neighbors?” she asked as they exited the car.

Why did I ask thaaaaat?

She waved her off. “No way. Even with my increased salary, what I can afford is still nowhere near wherever you’ll end up living.”

“R-Right…”

“Would be nice, though.”

“Yeah!”

“If this whole situation works out… maybe we could be roommates?”

Her eyes went wide and she grabbed Emily by the shoulders. “Yes!” she exclaimed with a huge smile.

Emily’s face had gone red and her mouth was flapping up and down as she tried to process the sudden contact and closeness with her crush.

“O-Oh, um… Sorry,” Fyezna stuttered as she let go.

“I-It’s fine. Just surprised me is all.”

Fyezna gave Emily a tour of the manor, which actually wasn’t much, since most of it was vacant. Emily seemed scared to touch anything, afraid that she would somehow damage something worth more than her entire life.

As planned, Fyezna’s mother arrived a while later. Emily went to go wait in another room while she explained everything to the once-celebrity.

———

Emily:

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With all the nerves Emily was feeling, she felt almost the same as when she first met Fyezna. But this time, she had her friend on her side. Her friend who just so happened to also be a dragon.

“Emily!” her friend called out to her.

I guess the explanation went well. Here goes…

Emily stiffly walked into the room with two dragons in it, one of them smiling gently at her and the other looking at her with an analytical gaze. Numerous stacks of documents and folders were spread out across the table.

“Um… hi,” she said, giving a rickety hand wave.

The older-looking woman said, “I see. Nice to meet you, Emily. It seems my idiot daughter was telling the truth. My name is Secilla.”

Where have I heard that name before? Did Fyezna mention it? she wondered.

Fyezna looked at her in confusion. “What? Why am I an idiot?”

“You’ve been at this for how many years, Fyezna, and not once did you ever ask for help with your research? You said it yourself, I am your last resort.”

“I didn’t want to involve you! I’m pretty sure those dragons out there would kill you if they knew what we were trying to do.”

Secilla only rolled her eyes. “So, what then? If you got yourself killed, I was just supposed to spend the rest of my life wondering how and why it happened? Wondering for what reason was my daughter murdered or vanished?”

“Um… I mean, okay, I’m sorry. I guess I was too scared of the possible results of failure to think clearly about it.”

“So long as you realize.”

The two dragon women hugged each other. Secilla wasn’t using the intangibility spell that Fyezna was, which meant her wings were out. They wrapped around Fyezna as part of the hug.

I want Fyezna to do that to me, Emily thought with envy.

From what Fyezna had told her earlier today, she really did get along with her mother. This interaction had apparently occurred because Fyezna was digging into dangerous things alone without any help.

Secilla looked at Emily as she let go of her hug. “I’m sorry about that. I was just slightly upset upon finding out my daughter was risking her life.”

“No, I agree.” Emily turned to Fyezna. “I thought you had like, people helping you find information and stuff?”

She shook her head. “Not in any permanent capacity. And I didn’t tell anyone what I was doing exactly or even who I was. I even disguised my appearance when necessary.”

Emily pinched the bridge of her nose. “Jeez, Fyezna. I didn’t know you were secretly so reckless.”

Fyezna retorted, “I’m not! I was extremely careful all the time!”

“Missing the point entirely,” she said exasperatedly.

“Um, I-I mean, yes, I was wrong, and I’m sorry.”

She couldn’t withstand the judging gazes of both myself and Secilla. She shrunk in on herself and gave up on trying to justify doing everything alone for so many years.

After that was done, we then went over the numerous plans she had drafted for how to go about the reveal. The information that had been gathered over all this time could still be painted as false, so the plan was to spin the story in such a way that would motivate people to investigate and carry out research.

Since the chef had been sent home for the day, that left me to do the cooking, a detail which hadn’t occurred to any of us until now.

I was well-versed in making do with minimal ingredients, so after seeking a little inspiration online, I then went to work with the cornucopia of ingredients that were in the house.

Fyezna stood beside me and watched as I began preparing everything.

“So this is cooking? I’ve never really paid attention before.”

“I’ve barely even started. It doesn’t even resemble a meal yet.”

“Oh.”

“…Are you going to just stand there being useless, or are you going to help?”

“I-I’ll help! What do I do?”

“First, wash your hands, then come back here.”

“Okay!”

She seems excited, Emily thought with a smile.

They made it through the rest of the cooking, with Emily guiding Fyezna the whole way. In the end, Emily thought it turned out well. The dragons said it was good, but they seemed unfamiliar with what I had made.

Afterward, we discussed a few more things, then Fyezna and I went to relax in the living room while Secilla went off somewhere.

When Fyezna went to the bathroom sometime later, Secilla came to find me. “Let’s go to the patio. I want to talk for a bit.”

“Okay,” Emily replied, leaving Secilla nonplussed at the unfamiliar behavior coming from a non-dragon.

“So there really is no dragonfear with you…” she muttered.

For some reason, I don’t feel nervous at all. She’s not scary.

Out on the patio, Secilla asked, “How long have you been working for my daughter?”

“I started at the company eight months ago, but it wasn’t until three months later that I met her for the first time. A week after that, she offered me the position of her assistant.”

“And you’re okay with that?”

Emily nodded. “Mhmm. She’s great to work with. We get along surprisingly well.”

“I noticed.”

Did she find out?

“Wh-What do you mean?”

“How long have you been interested in her?”

“U-Um… Maybe around four months ago? Maybe sooner or later? Hard to say when exactly.”

She raised an eyebrow. “So pretty much for as long as you’ve been her assistant.”

“Well… yeah. I guess so.”

“Are you going to do anything about it?”

Forcing herself to be confident, Emily stated, “Yes. I only decided just yesterday actually that I’m going to ask her out.”

“Why only just yesterday if you’ve liked her for so long?”

“With all the information she suddenly dropped on me, I decided I should just go for it. It probably wouldn’t have been too much longer anyway even if she hadn’t told me all that.”

“Hmm… You pass, I suppose. Though you should be more decisive.”

“Didn’t know I needed your approval.”

“Are you picking a fight, my dear?”

“Maybe. Are you looking to lose one?”

They stared.

And stared.

Then they both started laughing.

After calming down, Secilla told Emily, “As you’re aware, she’s quite intelligent, but gets too caught up in trying to achieve her goals. And for her to take up something like cooking… that means you’re probably pretty good for her. I can’t wait to see what you do once you have magic.”

“Yeah…”

Secilla smiled as she left Emily on the patio. “Goodnight, Emily.”

“Goodnight.”

———

Fyezna:

“Oh, hello, Mother. Did Emily go to bed?” Fyezna asked, having returned from the bathroom to an empty living room some time ago. Secilla had just walked in.

“Still calling me ‘Mother’ despite how close you are with that girl? I don’t think you have to put up a front with her. As to your question, she’s on the patio.”

She sighed softly. “I know. It’s just a habit. Constantly having to maintain the image of the ‘noble and proud dragon’ and all that. How undignified it would be to use the word ‘Mom’.”

“It seems that that false dignity will be a thing of the past soon enough.”

“Yes,” she said, smiling.

“It will be hard for you, you know. You’ll both become famous overnight. Even more than I was thirty years ago. You may very well lose everything.”

“This is what I want to do.”

“I know. And I’ll help you, of course. What did Emily say when you told her about all this?”

“Something along the lines of, ‘Humans already get killed all the time, so if I’m going to die anyway, I might as well ruin someone’s day doing it. She also asked that I protect her mother when we go public with it.”

“Hmm, I like her even more now.”

“You spoke with her?”

“Yes. She threatened to beat me in a fight.”

“…She’s always doing this.” Seeing her mom’s questioning look, she added, “She always catches me off guard. All the time. I can’t beat her when it comes to that.”

That sent Secilla into another fit of laughter, though Fyezna hadn’t heard the previous one.

“Why are you laughing?”

“That girl really is something else. Even without the dragonfear, she still manages to look you right in the eye and surprise you.”

“Yeah, she really is,” Fyezna agreed, meaning something a bit different.

Secilla shot her a smug look.

“Shut up!”

The look became even smugger.

“Ugh, you…”

The mother dragon laughed again. “You’ll be fine.”

“Huh?”

“Goodnight, my daughter.”

“Um, okay? Goodnight… Mom.”

Fyezna had been left alone in the living room, and decided she should talk with Emily now.

Finding her on the patio, she called out, “Hey.”

The human turned around, looking gorgeous in the light of the setting sun. “Hi.”

“So I heard you’re challenging dragons to fights now?”

“Sure. I’m ready for two victories in a row. Wanna go?” she asked, raising her fists.

“Yes.”

“What?” Emily asked, clearly not expecting that response.

“I mean, no!”

“Want to go out?”

“Uh, y-yes!”

“Just be clear, I mean like, on dates and stuff, as girlfriends.”

“That’s what I want!”

Emily sighed in relief. “Okay, good. Why did you answer yes to the fight question?”

“I was, uh, thinking about you, and when I heard ‘wanna go’, my brain just tacked ‘on a date’ to the end. Why did you abruptly ask me out right after that?”

“I was already going to ask you out soon anyway, and just decided to do it right here in the moment. The orange sky and your lavender hair look so good that I just had to do it now.”

“…I-I see.”

She’s unbeatable.

The two women, slightly stiffly, moved closer and wrapped their arms around each other. They just held each other, both basking in the other’s warmth.

“Wings, too,” Emily said.

“What?”

“I want a wing hug.”

Fyezna rolled her eyes and released the spell on her wings, making them pop into existence. Feeling the wings surrounding her, Emily completely relaxed in her new girlfriend’s embrace.

“Warm,” she muttered.

“Yeah,” Fyezna replied.

The pair held each other like that, and in the last vestiges of sunlight, their lips met.

———

Fyezna:

It had been a week since the night at the manor, and Emily was thankful her boss/lover’s office didn’t have a way to see into it from within the building. And from outside the building, the windows could not be seen through, even with magic. Emily was glad about all this because the two had kissed each other quite a lot since then.

At the moment, however, Emily was feeling a bit nervous. She had asked Fyezna to protect her mom once the information was released, and that would be a lot easier to do if they had met each other beforehand.

It was after hours, and they were now waiting for Emily’s mom, Clara, to show up.

Soon enough, she received a text, saying, “I’m outside the front door.”

Opening the door, she greeted her mom and hugged her, then led her inside, but not all the way to the CEO’s office just yet.

“This is your workplace? It’s upscale,” Clara observed with a frown.

“It is.”

“So why did you need me here? You weren’t exactly clear.”

“Well, my boss here is actually really, really, super great. And she needs my help with a project she’s been working on for a long time.

|

“Under normal circumstances, I probably wouldn’t go through with this kind of thing, but this project is extremely, and I mean life-alteringly, important.

|

“Which means that, as a precaution, when the time comes, I want you to be placed under her protection. You can refuse, of course. But today is just to meet her.”

“You’re involved in something so dangerous, Emily?”

“Mom, we should talk over the details with her, but this could change everything for humanity. I’m serious.”

“…Okay. I can’t help but be suspicious and concerned, but I’ll go along with you for now.”

And now for the hard part, Emily thought, having reached the door with the dragon on the other side of it.

If Clara knew what awaited her on the other side of that door, she would never have come here in the first place, which is why Emily didn’t say anything and pulled her into the office, quickly closing the door behind her.

Fyezna spoke to the woman, who had immediately become a statue after entering the room. “Hello, Clara. It’s a pleasure to meet you, despite the circumstances. Emily said she wasn’t going to tell you anything, or else you would never have agreed to meet me. First, I would like you to focus on how you aren’t experiencing any dragonfear at all, and we can go from there.”

Fyezna went back to doing some work on her computer, leaving Clara to adjust to her bizarre and terrifying situation. Emily led her to a sofa at the side of the office and had her sit down.

It took several minutes, but she was eventually mentally thawed enough to quietly ask, “Is this real?”

“Yes, Mom, it’s real.”

“Why? How?”

“What specifically do you want to know first?”

“…The dragonfear thing, I guess.”

“A quick summary is that she found out her ancestors did something thousands of years ago that stole all the mana of Earth for themselves. It’s why dragons are powerful and humans are weak. Humans don’t experience dragonfear, because that mana is ours.”

They then spent the next several minutes going over all the details Fyezna had learned.

Holding her head, Clara said, “Okay, I think I understand. So how does this involve you?”

“When she reveals the information to the world, it’s going to be a lot more convincing if there’s a human right there next to her not pissing themselves in fear.”

She slowly nodded. “And why does that human have to be you?”

“It doesn’t. I volunteered.”

Clara gave her daughter an exasperated look.

She shrugged. “It’s something I want to do. I’m going to do it no matter what, and that’s why I brought you here now.”

The older human sighed and shook her head, then got up and stiffly sat in one of the seats in front of Fyezna’s desk.

“…Hello, Ms… I don’t know your last name. I’m sorry.”

The dragon replied. “It’s fine. I actually took down the nameplate for this, as my surname is well-known. Just call me Fyezna.”

“O-Okay.”

“Emily explained all the history to you, but is there anything else you have questions about?”

“Your protection. What does that entail exactly?”

“My manor will be devoid of servants and will be placed under the best protection enchantments I can possibly get my hands on. You can stay there for as long as you feel the need to, and it isn’t a prison, either. You can simply leave if you wish.

|

“There will also be things you can carry with you that will automatically defend you should something happen, but portable protection enchantments pale in comparison to stationary ones.”

“So I would just be left alone in a stranger’s giant house?”

“During the day. Emily and I will be there when not at work. We might not have jobs after this, but we’re prepared for that.”

Clara looked at Emily, still sitting on the sofa and reading something on her phone.

“Why go so far? What are you getting out of this? It sounds like you could lose everything?”

“I was raised with a more compassionate upbringing than most dragons. My mother apparently experienced quite a bit back when she still worked, and that affected what she told me. And after learning the truth… I just couldn’t ignore it.

|

“But there’s also dragonfear. We dragons are seen as these powerful, untouchable existences, but the truth is that no one approaches us because they simply can’t. We’re isolated from everyone. It’s one of the reasons I value Emily’s company so highly.”

Clara looked at her daughter again, who was now smirking.

“What aren’t you telling me?” she asked, turning back to Fyezna.

Emily walked over and hugged Fyezna from behind and kissed her on the cheek. “We’re dating.”

Clara was frozen again.

Many minutes later, the three women were now heading for the manor so Clara could see where she would be staying.

She muttered, “I knew it would be fancy and huge, but seeing it in person is something else.”

Fyezna replied. “Yeah. I really hate it. Once this whole thing is done with, I’m moving into a more normal place.”

“With Emily?”

“Yes,” she happily replied.

“Even though you only began dating last week?”

She shrugged as she exited the car. “We’ve already known and got along with each other for several months.”

“Fair point.”

“I only just noticed, but how did you not experience any problems with your tail and horns in the car?”

“There are intangibility enchantments built into it. They feel a bit odd compared to the ones I cast on myself, but they make it so even a lamia’s entire body could fit in the space of just a driver’s seat. Of course, these are the high-end versions of those enchantments. Less strong versions wouldn’t be as effective.”

“…I can’t wait to do magic.”

“You want to be an enchanter?”

“No. Maybe. I don’t know. Humans are rarely so close to things of this nature, and getting such a good look at them makes me excited for the possibilities.”

They entered the house and found Secilla in the lounge, typing away on a laptop.

“I-Is that Secilla!?” Clara exclaimed.

The older dragon looked up with a smile. “Oh, hello. You must be Clara? You were mentioned. Yes, I am Secilla.”

Fyezna asked, “Mother, weren’t you back at the coast?”

She nodded. “I was, but I took care of things there more quickly than anticipated. I just got back a few hours ago.”

Clara, still shocked, asked, “W-Wait, she’s your mother!?”

Fyezna looked at her. “Yeah. Did we not mention that?”

“No! You both were too busy flirting and being smug!”

Emily nodded in acknowledgment. “That’s true, but we didn’t expect her to be here today. Also, I completely forgot about her fame. I don’t even know any current celebrities.”

Clara sighed and pinched her nose. “I don’t know if I can take any more heart attacks today.”

“I think this should be the last one?”

Emily’s mother looked at her in exasperation.

Secilla interrupted, “It seems both our daughters have a habit of causing problems for their mothers.”

““Hey!”” the problematic daughters exclaimed in unison.

She raised an eyebrow. “Are you going to tell me it’s not true?”

They both averted their gazes.

Somehow, Clara was feeling a sense of camaraderie with Secilla of all people.

———

Fyezna:

Fyezna and Emily were giving Clara a tour, with Fyezna explaining the various enchantments along the way.

Clara asked, “So the three of us would be living together, then? And what about… Secilla?”

Emily explained, “Yeah, it would be the three of us. Secilla wasn’t decided yet, last I heard.”

Fyezna shook her head. “She hasn’t made up her mind, no. She doesn’t particularly care for this house, and staying here would mean she wouldn’t have any servants, but she likes the idea of sticking together.

|

“She has other options for safe places to stay, though, so it’s kind of up in the air right now.”

Clara shook her head. “I can’t believe my daughter knows Secilla and might be living with her.”

Emily question. “Isn’t that exactly your situation, too, Mom?”

She gaped at her daughter, “I-I still haven’t decided if I’ll stay here!” Changing the subject, she asked, “In fact, why don’t you live here yet?”

She shrugged. “I promised to help out my neighbors with some things. But I’ve already been gradually bringing the few things I care about to work so Fyezna can bring them here. I’m actually moving out in a few days.”

“I see…”

“What do you think of Secilla?”

“I really liked her songs when I was younger, though I haven’t thought about her in a long time. She seems nice, though, so I think I probably won’t have another heart attack the next time I see her. And somehow, we immediately found common ground with our troublesome daughters.”

“Again with that…”

“You’re literally on the cusp of causing massive societal upheaval, Emily.”

Fyezna chuckled. “She’s got you there.”

“Agh! I’m being bullied!”

“Don’t act like you don’t like it,” she retorted, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend.

Clara just began walking back to the lounge. Talking with a famous dragon would be more reasonable than this.

When everyone returned to the lounge, Secilla took note of Clara’s weary expression and asked, “Did something happen?”

She then saw the dragon and human pair behind the woman, holding hands and trading flirtatious barbs. “Oh.”

Clara replied to the celebrity, “Just the problem children causing more problems.”

Fyezna looked at her in confusion. “What? Did we do something wrong?”

“The two of you flirt so much I can’t even hear myself think.”

Emily apologized. “Sorry. At work, we only have the office to ourselves. Being somewhere else and able to walk around a bit, it’s freeing and hard to resist falling into it.”

“I suppose I hadn’t considered that…”

Fyezna added, “We can’t really go on a date in public or anything, so this is the most time we’ve had to ourselves since last week. Still, sorry about that. We’ll tone it down.”

Clara said to them, “It’s not as big a deal as I was making it out to be. If you’re still like this all the time even after weeks of living together, I might say something.”

Emily told her, “We’ll have been living together for a couple weeks already by the time you would move in, assuming you do. I think we’ll have gotten it out of our systems by then.”

Her mom narrowed her eyes at her.

“Probably. No promises.”

Secilla asked Clara, “How do you feel about living here?”

Clara said, “It wouldn’t be bad. It’s a nice place, obviously. I don’t know a lot about enchantments, but what I saw looked impressive. And if things get too loud, there’s still plenty of space in this house.”

The potentially loud ones blushed and looked away, at each other, then blushed again and looked in different directions with no people.

“Children,” Secilla said.

“Children,” Clara repeated in agreement.

In her mind, Fyezna yelled, I haven’t been in a relationship before because I’ve been busy, okay!? And nearly all the other dragons I’ve met were so obnoxious!

———

Emily:

As she had told her mom, Emily moved into Fyezna’s manor a few days later. She wasn’t used to having so much space to move around in, and was finding it difficult to not just huddle up in a corner somewhere.

She had also begun experiencing things other than free webnovels, and while movies and shows were interesting, she still preferred to read.

But more than anything else, she and Fyezna had been spending a lot of time together and being incredibly intimate. Even though they still went to work, it still felt like they were on a vacation.

Fyezna had a private parking space—a benefit of being the CEO—so Emily would just wait in the car for a few minutes to not be seen entering the building with her boss.

She had actually been cornered one day by Shenala, who tried to force her to quit the company. Nothing serious happened, and Fyezna, who interrupted the incident, immediately fired the woman.

Emily, Fyezna and Secilla, along with the recent addition of Clara, had been finalizing the plan on how they wanted to reveal everything, hashing out every conceivable detail. Secilla had looked into gathering more evidence, but found that her daughter really had done an outstanding job.

Two weeks later, Clara moved in as well. She had quit both her jobs, and now had a lot of free time as a result. She had taken to cleaning, feeling like she had to do at least something, but it wasn’t enough to fill all her time. With all the time and resources suddenly available to her, she just started trying out several hobbies.

The overwhelming power of the two dragons was also able to compensate for the lack of staff in some ways; the yard work, for example. The property was massive, but they didn’t bother taking care of all of it.

They only cut what was immediately surrounding the house. Conjured blades made entirely by magic sliced through the grass with great ease and speed, and they then used powerful gusts of wind to blow all the cut grass to the back.

Emily and Fyezna both commented how they hated lawns like this. They agreed that wherever they ended up living, they wanted some biodiversity. Fyezna didn’t quite understand the appeal of having a garden to grow food, but she was still excited about the idea.

Both of the dragons were helping out with all the smaller chores as well, which was interesting to see, as neither of them had done much housework before.

Secilla had apparently decided to stay there, too, so that meant four people lived in the manor now.

It was another two weeks before they finally decided on exactly what they were going to say and do. Clara had decided that since she was already this deep in it, she might as well go all the way and be recorded by the spell along with everyone else.

Having an additional human moving around would make it just that much harder to claim it was fake. There would also be cameras recording from multiple angles and other methods of ensuring authenticity as well.

They had everything fully set up the following day, including nicer clothes for the two humans, and Fyezna then spent the next two hours talking about everything she had, with others helping out according to the plan they had made.

She and Emily had decided to show how close they were with each other—though they weren’t excessively flirty like they usually were—Secilla appeared dignified throughout, and Clara seemed a bit awkward, but not too bad. Secilla had given her some tips on things like how to stand and what to do with your hands when you weren’t sure where they should be.

Once they had all the recordings taken care of, both magical and mundane—though even mundane methods still involved mana in one way or another—, they then moved on to making countless copies of everything. All the materials were then put in individual boxes to be shipped off to several different media outlets as well as Secilla’s connections.

One tricky part was that they weren’t sure who they could safely involve, so all of Fyezna’s information sources that weren’t herself or otherwise safe to reveal were kept anonymous. But every single one of those sources was going to be sent a message at the same time, listing places they could give information to if they were interested.

The final task was to spread everything as far as they could. They would upload everything onto several websites for people to download, would stream everything, send physical copies everywhere they needed to be, and then some. Secilla’s connections would get it into the hands of several prominent people as well, which was going to be a massive help.

Everything digital had been set for a simultaneous release, and everything physical had an enchantment that prevented the contents from being viewed before the set time. The boxes were all incredibly durable, as well, but still allowed people to perform some scans to check for anything unsafe. It would all become available when online traffic was at its peak.

Flopping herself onto a sofa, Emily said, “A few days for shipping, and then the world changes. Hopefully.”

Fyezna sat on Emily’s lap and made herself comfortable. “I’m confident it will. It might take a while, but I’m sure of it.”

Seeing the two of them so close, Clara bluntly said, “Ah, that reminds me, don’t forget to turn on your room’s soundproofing next time.”

What!? She overheard us!? Noooo!!!

Emily tried to bury her face in her hands, but one of them was already busy holding her girlfriend, so she buried her face in her girlfriend’s shoulder. Fyezna didn’t have such a luxury in her current position, so she could only stare hard at the floor, her intense blush clearly visible.

Secilla began laughing. “Oh, I haven’t seen her that embarrassed since she peed herself on stage!”

“Mom!” Fyezna yelled.

Thinking fast, Emily looked up and said, “Huh, I didn’t know you were into that.”

“Emily!” she yelled in exasperation. “That’s not even what happened! I was only four and I mostly held it in!”

“Doesn’t that mean you still peed?”

“Barely! I was just getting super embarrassed doing the potty dance on stage, and none of the adults came to help me, so I was left stranded until the very end, on the verge of bursting. Practically nothing came out, though! Nobody even saw anything!”

Secilla smirked, “So you still peed on stage.”

Fyezna chose to no longer participate in this conversation.

The contrast between the confident businesswoman and the flustered dork is amazing.

Emily asked, “Where do dragons go to school, anyway?”

“There are special schools that only dragons attend, which leads to a very biased education. Many of them see it as a symbol of their status rather than the isolation it actually is. They interpret it as, ‘No one dares to approach us because of our greatness,’ rather than, ‘No one approaches us because simply being near us is uncomfortable.’”

“I see. There aren’t any human-only schools to my knowledge, but we’re seen as problematic and parents don’t want their kids playing with a human, so our schools are generally human-only. Which also results in a biased education.”

“Well, that will begin to change soon.”

Emily nodded in agreement. “Even if everyone believes the truth right away and the mana problem is resolved, it will still take time to undo centuries-old prejudices.”

“That’s true. A lot of dragons are going to have a hard time, too. Even though only dragons have lifespans long enough to even remember the merge, there are many people out there who are going to be furious with us for not just being the cause of the merge, but for reigning at the top of society for millennia. We haven’t always been fair.”

“How long would your lifespan be without the influence of the extra mana?”

She shrugged. “About the same as everyone else, I would assume. It’s hard to say with any certainty.”

Emily’s mom clapped her hands once. “That’s enough serious talk. We’ve had several conversations like that already anyway.

|

“Now, we’ve got three days to gather any remaining supplies before we lock ourselves in. Is there anything else we need?”

Emily relaxed. She hadn’t even realized how tense she was just now. That was the first one of those conversations they'd had after everything was already done.

“Good call, Mom,” Emily said.

“Someone had to interrupt you.”

The four women went over anything else they might need, and money wasn’t something they had to worry about. They could even have things shipped in via drones if necessary.

———

Fyezna:

Fyezna had announced several days ago that she had some meetings to attend outside the company, which meant Emily, as her assistant, wouldn’t be there either. They did this to not only give themselves more time to get anything else they needed, but to make it at least a little more ambiguous about where they were.

They had considered staying in Secilla’s manor instead in order to increase the distance, but as a former celebrity and a dragon, her home was widely known.

In the end, skipping work probably wasn’t going to do very much, but it was still something they thought they should do. They used the extra time to order anything else they might need and to shore up the manor’s protection enchantments even further than they already were. To keep up appearances, they still did a lot of work from home.

The four of them were currently gathered in the lounge with the TV on so they could cycle through the news stations while they each had their own laptop to see how people were taking it. Fyezna was the most nervous one of all of them, as she had invested several years of her life into this.

It hadn’t been very long since everything became available, but the shock of seeing a human and a dragon so close to each other was what was gaining the most attention so far. That was closely followed by the presence of Secilla, then people noting the ineffective dragonfear, and after that was finally the facts, which people were still dissecting.

It wasn’t even an hour before several news stations abruptly stopped talking about it as if nothing happened, and several of the uploads had been taken down already. Enough people were interested that there had been several thousand downloads before that had happened, which meant the information wouldn’t be destroyed so easily.

Emily looked at the text message she and Fyezna had both received some time ago. “You’re fired, effective immediately,” it said.

She commented dryly, “Guess I’m not getting those human coworkers anytime soon.”

Fyezna shrugged. “I only started working there for enchanting information anyway.”

I wonder what I should do once everything is settled? she thought.

People had already begun trading the files with each other rather than relying entirely on downloads. All major sources of information had returned to normalcy after denouncing their work, but everywhere else, it was spreading rapidly.

The people in charge of those things then realized they had made a fatal error; by trying to hide something away, more people wanted to look at it. So they switched to a new tactic, which was to create counterarguments.

The lack of sources was cited, but two people had already come forward and revealed their part in things. They hadn’t been entirely verified as being truthful just yet, but it was enough to give the evidence more credence.

As for how the dragon population was reacting, they chose to disparage Fyezna and Secilla for associating with humans and were attempting to incite anger and revulsion while drawing attention away from the facts. As for what they did say about the facts, there were already several conflicting reasons for why they weren’t true.

Many tried to claim that the lack of dragonfear in the humans had been falsified, but the extensive preparation made verifying that claim difficult.

Fyezna felt the need to keep paying close attention to all the happenings, but everyone else wanted a break.

It was nearly time for dinner, so they all gathered in the kitchen to cook. The two humans were certainly not professionals, but they could still make food that tasted good, and they had plenty of new ingredients and tools to work with.

The two dragons were having fun learning, and were also helping because they didn’t want to be useless. Neither of them had seriously considered what their lives might be like without all the servants helping out in the background. They had been aware of them and appreciated them, but hadn’t truly imagined life as a regular person who didn’t have all that.

The kitchen definitely had enough space for all four of them, so it was fine.

Fyezna smiled as she hugged her girlfriend in bed that night. I’m really looking forward to having a more regular life. I hope the dragons don’t struggle too much with all the coming changes.

———

Emily:

As the days went by, arguments went back and forth. More of Fyezna’s sources came forward; many more than she had expected. She had underestimated just how much people actually loathed dragons in general and were eager to have a more balanced society. There were even other people adding their own anecdotes and information to the evidence.

Several people who had been studying the merge for a long time came forward with information that dragons, and only dragons, had actually become slightly weaker after the merge occurred, and they had speculated for a long time that they may have had a connection with the incident, but had never once been allowed to determine whether or not it was true. There was even a small anecdote about how humans’ overall health was slightly increased immediately after the merge and before their living conditions became worse, though this was from an old record and couldn’t currently be verified.

News crews and other people had begun waiting at the edge of the property, hoping to catch a glimpse of them. The obfuscation barrier prevented anything at all from showing through, however.

Emily and the two dragons had begun answering questions on social media, but they had thoroughly explained pretty much everything relevant already, so there wasn’t much to add regarding that other than just minor clarifications for the most part. They made sure to be incredibly careful with what they posted, as the whole world’s eyes were on them.

One question was about if either Fyezna or Secilla would be willing to return their stolen power if it was possible, to which they both replied yes. They had mentioned it in the recording, but they elaborated on their reasons here.

Another major thing people had questions about was the relationship between her and Fyezna. They chose to simply confirm that it was real but not go into any further detail. Secilla was also asked if she was with Clara, but that was not the case.

Not that I wouldn’t love to show off, but people just want to gawk at us, Emily thought and sighed slightly.

Suddenly, it became much brighter outside and there was intense rumbling outside the window. Fyezna rushed to take a look.

“It’s flames! Someone’s trying to burn through the barriers!” Fyezna yelled.

Seriously!?

“Go to the safe room!” Secilla followed up.

The four of them rushed to the well-fortified underground room. Once the door was shut and sealed behind them, they gathered around the monitors in the room and switched to the feeds that showed what was directly above the house.

Currently, they could only see intense and unnatural flames. It was only thirty seconds later that they stopped, and a handful of people-shaped dots could be seen flying away.

“How much damage did they do?” Emily questioned.

Secilla explained, “They burned through four barriers with that attack alone. They had to have prepared for that extensively to do that much. We still have eight more, and we should be able to restore the burned-out ones over a few days.

|

“The obfuscation barrier was damaged but remains partially effective. It normally filters out people, so those on the other side would just see an empty manor, but I think we would occasionally flicker into visibility on occasion with its current state. The runework for that particular enchantment is going to be tedious to repair, but the repairing barriers should take priority.”

Clara asked, “Will it be okay to go back up any time soon? The house doesn’t even look singed at all.”

“The barriers prevented anything, even just the heat, from reaching the manor. The attackers are unlikely to return anytime soon, if at all. And the beginnings of an air patrol is already in place.”

Fyezna said, “I’ll notify them that we’re all okay and send them the footage.”

“We should still remain down here for a while, just in case. We should use this time to talk to those outside and see how much they will be helping us.”

They waited around for a few hours, and the attackers were actually found quite quickly. It had been the work of six dragons. The dragonfear they emitted had made them quite easy to find. That, however, when combined with their power, meant it was also quite easy for them to escape. But their faces were known now, and they would at least be prevented from getting close again.

After the four women finally left the safe room, Clara suddenly started laughing.

Emily looked at her with confusion. “Mom? Are you okay?”

She shook her head, still laughing. “I was just locked in a room with my childhood celebrity crush. I think I had that exact fantasy at one point.”

“Oh. Well, you didn’t get very far with her,” she replied, glancing at Secilla who looked amused.

“I can’t exactly just… She’s famous! And a dragon!”

“Mom, you live with her! If I can pick a fight with her and then ask out her daughter, you can ask her out on a date.”

“I…” She blinked. “Y-You did what…? No, never mind, something like that isn’t a huge surprise at this point. Can we not have this conversation right in front of her?”

Emily raised an eyebrow. “Too late for that. I’m going to cuddle with my girlfriend now, bye~!”

She grabbed the younger dragon’s hand and rushed up the stairs, leaving the moms to whatever romantic turn of fate may await them.

Once upstairs and out of earshot, Fyezna asked, “You sure that was okay?”

She shrugged. “I could tell that the idea has been burning in the back of her mind pretty much since she arrived here. She just needs to get it out of her system, so I pushed her. Besides, they’ve been rather friendly with each other until now, haven’t they? Though admittedly, Secilla can be difficult to read at times, so I don’t know how she feels about my mom.”

“Hmm…” Fyezna thought aloud as they settled into a sofa. “Maybe? My mom hasn’t been in a lot of relationships, and I hardly ever saw her interact with any of those people, so I don’t know how she behaves around people she likes.”

“Well, either way, my mom will feel less stressed after they’re done talking. She’s also the one who’s been struggling the most with what we’ve started, but I know she doesn’t regret joining us. Still, this will help her take her mind off it a little.

|

“Ah! I just realized! If they get together, then my mom will be dating my girlfriend’s mom!”

Fyezna facepalmed. “Obviously. Did you really not think about that?”

“No! I just thought she should go for it! Whatever, it’s not a big deal, just a little odd.”

You can do it, Mom!

———

Clara:

Clara had been left behind in the basement with Secilla, the famous dragon songstress she once had a crush on. She would be lying if she said there was no attraction when seeing her in person, even after so many years had passed.

Secilla was older than her, but with the slowed aging that dragons had, they appeared to be close in age.

Really, Emily, just what have you gotten me into? At the very least, if something were to happen to me right now, I can say that I had some rather incredible experiences in my final days.

Secilla had been waiting patiently for Clara to work through her thoughts, so she hadn’t said anything since the girls left.

Clara chuckled slightly. “I suppose I should thank Emily. I had to work quite hard when she was young, and she learned early on to be able to tell when I had something on my mind.”

Secilla replied, “Maybe that’s why she was good enough to make it through all those jobs and end up here. From what I’ve seen of how she works, she’s rather exceptional.”

She nodded. “She is.” Taking a deep breath and looking directly into the dragon’s beautiful ruby eyes, she finally asked, “Secilla, would you like to go out with me?”

The dragon smiled. “Of course. You could’ve chosen a more romantic location, though.”

“I underst-… Wait, really?”

“Yes. And as our daughters have proven, dragons and humans can get along just fine.”

“Ah… Yes. What was that about her picking a fight with you, though?”

“Exactly what she said, though it was more of a joke. Still, it takes a lot of guts to say that to a dragon.”

“’Guts’ is certainly something she has in abundance. Why did you say yes to me? I’m struggling to believe this is happening.”

“You’re interesting, our sense of humor is similar and you’re attractive. I admit that part of it may just come from being able to talk with someone who isn’t terrified of me, but regardless, I’m interested.”

“Well, shall we go somewhere nicer?”

“Yes, I would very much like that. But first…” Secilla stepped forward and gave Clara a long but slow kiss. “Let me know if there are any other fantasies you would like fulfilled.”

“O-Oh my…”

Emily, you are the greatest daughter in the world!

———

Secilla:

Secilla and her new girlfriend went to the living room where their daughters were leaning on each other on the sofa. The young couple’s eyes looked at them, and Emily’s in particular glanced between Secilla and Clara a few times.

The human girl said, “Congratulations, Mom! I can tell you’re trying to keep your expression neutral, but you look super giddy.”

Secilla looked at Clara’s face and saw that what her daughter said was true, though it would’ve taken more time for her to come to the same realization. She’s surprisingly adorable like this, Secilla thought.

Clara let go of the hold on her expression and smiled brightly. “Yes, I’m happy. Thank you, Emily.”

She shrugged. “Eh, you would’ve asked her out eventually. I just made it happen sooner.”

There was another sofa that was facing the girls that they went to sit on. They sat close to each other, but not right up against each other like the younger couple.

Secilla asked Clara, “How long would you have waited?”

Clara replied, “I’m not sure. The species barrier feels like a much higher wall for me to climb than it does for Emily. I don’t think I would’ve waited until the last possible minute, but it probably would’ve been close.”

Emily said, “Mom, you just finished climbing that wall yourself.”

She nodded slightly. “But I still have much to work through, Emily.”

“Details. After asking out a famous dragon, the rest should come easier, right?”

“…I suppose,” she acquiesced.

I see, Secilla thought. A lifetime of always being pushed to the bottom has left Clara wary and pessimistic. She is aware of her shortcomings, however, and Emily is good at pushing her through them.

Secilla looked at her own daughter, the one who had risked her life repeatedly in secret.

Fyezna noticed her staring and asked, “What’s with that look?”

She looked at Emily and said, “Keep Fyezna on track.”

Emily matched her gaze and said, “She won’t get past me.”

She’s good.

Fyezna looked between the two of them in confusion. “What does that mean? Did you have a secret conversation with her earlier?”

“Not at all. You just need someone to hold your hand so you don’t run off and get yourself hurt.”

“I’m not a child.”

“Who was it again that saw something dangerous happening outside and decided to check it out it instead of running straight to the safe room?”

“We had the barriers! It was fine!”

“And a third of them were wrecked in that short amount of time.”

“…Alright, maybe I should’ve been a little more cautious.”

“Not ‘maybe’ or ‘a little’. Next time something happens, I’m going to latch onto you, and then you’ll have to live with the consequences of getting both of us hurt.”

“Okay, I’m sorry,” she relented. “I’ll be careful from now on.”

“Good,” Emily smiled and kissed her.

Secilla looked at Clara, who seemed equally impressed with her daughter’s ability to tame a dragon.

Soon, Secilla and Fyezna began repairing the enchantments. Though Fyezna hadn’t ever worked as an enchanter before, she had still studied and done quite a bit on her own, which made the task much easier. She wondered aloud if enchanting is what she should do for a living once this was all over.

That night, Clara had apparently become quite motivated by seeing how close the younger ones were. Secilla wasn’t opposed to it, and was pleasantly surprised by how voracious her human lover was. The significant strength difference between them also meant that Secilla had to approach things differently, which made things more exciting for her.

After being wrapped in a hug with Secilla’s wings, Clara muttered, “So that’s why Emily likes this kind of hug so much.”

Secilla smiled. I never had this much fun even when I still worked. Maybe I should get back into it? I would love to not be so far away from the audience.

———

All the barriers were back in working order, but there was another issue that came up before that was done. During one of the brief periods when the obfuscation barrier wasn’t working, a certain moment was captured by someone with a telephoto lens.

Fyezna had been sitting outside with her phone taking a break from the repairs when Emily wrapped her arms around her from behind and kissed her, which Fyezna reciprocated. They then cuddled for a bit, and that is when the barrier came back up.

It reignited the discussion of what kinds of relationships were acceptable, but it also turned out to be beneficial. Seeing that the moment was initiated entirely by the human with no visible input from the dragon led people to speculate that the relationship was more equal than they had thought.

The result was that the two of them decided to start a thread dedicated solely to questions about their relationship so they could clarify some things.

Emily and Fyezna’s Relationship Q & A Thread:

This thread is ONLY for questions regarding the two’s relationship. Some tangential questions may be asked, but leave unrelated things out of this thread. Any harassment or negativity will only result in blocking. Questions may be answered by either Emily, Fyezna or both.

-

Q: The two of you are really dating? Like, it’s actually real?

Emily: Yes, it’s real.

Fyezna: We are really dating.

-

Q: It feels weird to put the human’s name first.

Fyezna: That’s exactly why we did it.

-

Q: I thought humans smelled bad?

Emily: You would smell too if you didn’t have regular access to bathing facilities, at home or otherwise. Everything uses mana, and our stipends are barely enough to scrape by with.

Fyezna: She smells nice.

-

Q: Everyone assumes that Fyezna is leading the relationship, but is that really the case? The pictures tell a different story.

Fyezna: Neither of us is leading the other. Yes, that means I consider a human as equal to me.

-

Q: Fyezna, I heard Emily worked for you. Is that how you met?

Fyezna: Yes. She was initially hired for just clerical work, despite a lot of pushback from my bosses who wanted no humans at all. The good publicity is what convinced them to hire one, and only one, in the end.

|

I checked in with her a couple times to make sure she was doing okay there, and her personality, combined with her excellent skills, led to me offering her the position of my assistant.

Emily: She was very friendly and open about how she was genuinely trying to help improve my work situation. Many companies see humans as cheap and expendable people they can overwork and underpay until they drop. That’s if they even see us as people at all. The environment there was the same, but Fyezna worked hard to make a lot of changes to make my life easier.

Fyezna: I had to be subtle with what I did, because if I said, “This is to help the human,” I would’ve been questioned.

-

Q: Emily, what is being wealthy like? Fellow human here.

Emily: Hello, fellow human! Being able to afford basic necessities whenever I need something is great. And I can start having hobbies now. Don’t know how much money I’ll have after this, but at least with mana, humanity will have an easier time of things.

Fyezna: I went into this knowing I would lose a great deal no matter what, but that’s actually fine with me. This manor is way more than any one person needs, and I only got it because dragons need symbols of status to be taken seriously among other dragons. It’s really exhausting.

|

I’m excited to move into something that feels like an actual home. I’ve also been doing chores and cooking meals with Emily. It’s fun!

Emily: I don’t let her cook on her own yet. She’s not ready.

-

Q: What do your moms think of you being together?

Fyezna: They were surprised at first, but are supportive.

Emily: Yep. Our moms are great.

-

Q: How does it feel to have all this attention on you? Both the relationship and everything else? Why didn’t you decide to reveal only the information?

Emily: Not good, to be honest, but we knew what we would be getting into. And we wanted to show that humans and dragons can get along with each other. Neither are seen as people, though in entirely different ways.

Fyezna: Dragons are seen as untouchable existences that are above everyone else. Humans are seen as worthless and something that should be removed.

|

But as recent events have shown us, there are a lot of people who don’t see dragons in that light, which I think is actually a good thing. That perception of dragons mostly comes from dragons themselves, anyway, but it’s what is pushed onto people.

Emily: Humans are still seen as being pretty low. Prejudices are difficult to overcome. But more people are looking at us and seriously considering us than ever before. There hasn’t been this much attention on us since the merge, I don’t think.

|

No matter how long it takes to resolve this, in the meantime, perhaps we could start with giving humans a mana stipend that actually allows for a decent quality of life?

-

Q: Do you think your relationship will last?

Fyezna: All relationships require work, which both of us are willing to put in.

Emily: Mhmm, she’s worth the effort.

-

Q: How does your relationship compare to your moms'?

Emily: They’re not together.

-

Q: Did anything change between you after the attack?

Emily: We got a little closer.

Fyezna: Emily didn’t mention it, but I didn’t handle the situation as well as I should have. As someone who is close to me and can give input on my actions, she is helping me to make better decisions.

-

Q: Will we see more of your relationship in the future?

Fyezna: It’s private.

Emily: We’re mostly just a spectacle for people to gawk at at the moment. Even if we were interested in sharing what our private lives are like, now wouldn’t be a good time to do it.

-

The two of them answered several more questions, but most of them were just reiterating things they had already said elsewhere.

The only lie they said was about their moms’ relationship. Emily suspected that it wouldn’t remain a secret forever, though, but her mom was aware that that might happen, so she just left it alone.

The session went pretty well, and they ended up doing a few more as a result. These other ones were about other topics entirely.

———

Fyezna:

They had been in talks with a group of scientists lately. While there were actually some dragons who were willing to get rid of their extra mana and dragonfear, guaranteeing a safe environment would be tricky.

That didn’t mean it would be impossible to set anything up, but the publicity they would get from working with Fyezna and Secilla would give the project good publicity.

The manor and the property it resided on were both well-protected, which meant it would be a good location. After deciding to come here, they said that they would add their own barriers and protections to what was already there.

Considering that they had been attacked once already, everyone was being very meticulous and thorough about who was allowed to come, what they would be bringing, and why.

The day finally arrived for them to come, and five large vehicles full of people and equipment were waiting at the gate. Fyezna disabled that part of the barrier to let them in and closed it behind them.

As discussed, the vehicles were now in another section that was closed off by a barrier. Several enchantments were activated to verify that everything was safe. Several minutes passed, and the results came back with a very slight discrepancy on the back of one of the vehicles. It was so subtle that it could’ve just been a fluctuation, but just to be safe, Fyezna targeted that area and sent a small lightning spell there.

A man suddenly became visible and fell to the ground, struggling to move properly. The scientists were surprised, but quickly worked to restrain him.

Everyone then spent a long time after getting him outside the barrier to be taken away, going through every single little thing they had brought.

Fyezna still felt nervous about letting people in, but this was what they had committed to doing.

An area in the back of the property had been cleared of the now-tall grass for them to set up their lab and living spaces. They couldn’t live in the same building as the dragons, after all.

Emily and Clara approached while the two dragons watched from a safe distance. Emily also had a video call active so they could talk with the dragons until they had another form of communicating set up.

“Hello everyone. Thank you for coming,” Emily said.

A woman known as Omaera responded. “Hello. It’s nice to meet you, Emily and Clara. Fyezna and Secilla, as well.”

Fyezna replied, “Yes, you as well, Omaera. Is there anything we can do for you right away?”

I’m really nervous about them being there, she thought. Am I being too overprotective? Emily didn’t say anything.

She shook her head. “Nothing is set up yet. We’ll spend the rest of today getting everything organized and working and will begin in the morning.”

Emily and Clara had to wait around for a bit while the scientists loaded up a dolly with a levitation enchantment on it. Once that was done, they brought it back to the manor and left the scientists alone for now. The dolly was filled with some equipment and a communication relay.

The way it was going to work was that the four of them would do as much as they could on their own, as there was no way to contain or lessen the dragonfear. That didn’t mean they would be doing the research themselves, but rather, they would just be acting as the hands of the scientists whenever possible.

If any additional equipment or supplies were needed, they would be shipped in via drone. A small part of the barrier would open up and, like with the gate, everything would be contained until it could be properly scanned and deemed safe.

They set up the communication relay first, and one of the scientists on the others side guided them through what to do with all the equipment.

And like that, the days of experimenting began. This wasn’t the only place in the world where research was being done, either. There were other places with other cooperative dragons, and they were all communicating and working together to resolve this problem.

Some dragons were panicking as the very real threat of losing their power and positions in society came nearer. The entire world was beginning to move against them, and it was all they could do at this point to struggle to not make fools of themselves.

The problematic dragons were losing the people working for them left and right. People stopped buying from those businesses, supporting those politicians, and so on.

Fyezna smiled and thought, It’s amazing to see. The world has no place for overpowered and childish aristocrats.

The tests themselves involved reverse-engineering the ritual that caused everything in the first place. The site it had been carried out in had been completely destroyed not even a month after everything came out. There hadn’t been much of the ruins left, but if there had been anything at all remaining to be gleaned from them, it was long gone.

Historians, ritualists and other experts came forward to contribute what they knew, and worked together in their own teams to see if they could come to any new conclusions.

Some people expressed concerns that if the mana was returned, then the worlds might separate. The scientists explained that Earth’s mana, once returned, would become a part of the mana that was already there from the other world. It was impossible to separate them back into two, though some dragons tried to incite that fear.

As the testing progressed, Fyezna gradually began feeling a sort of tugging sensation whenever the scientists did something. As that feeling got stronger, she realized that it was the mana being pulled toward the ground. Earth’s mana was being pulled into where it belonged.

———

Emily:

The research was progressing rapidly, which was only possible because most of the world was cooperating. Only four months had passed, but they thought they were nearly there.

Secilla and Fyezna had been alternating who would be tested on, and right now, it was Secilla’s turn. Clara laid out the revised counter-ritual on the floor and placed all the monitoring devices both around and on her girlfriend.

Other than the only other human and dragon couple, no one else knew about the two’s relationship. If people knew about it, they both probably would’ve made at least a few flirty comments after all this time. Emily and Fyezna had been doing that frequently, which resulted in many rolled eyes from the scientists.

Clara stepped back once everything was in place and checked to make sure it would do what it was supposed to do. On the scientists’ side, they ran checks on all their equipment.

Once everything was done, Omaera said over the relay, “Test #493, begin in three… two… one.”

Secilla poured mana into the counter-ritual, and as had happened hundreds of times now, it began to glow and a humming noise could be heard as the magic activated. The air rippled like a heat distortion, and a quiet snap could be heard as it all abruptly ended.

Secilla stumbled and fell as Clara rushed to catch her. The dragon was panting heavily.

Clara worriedly asked, “Are you okay?!” Turning to the scientists, she demanded, “What happened!?”

Secilla shakily tried to stand up, but Clara told her, “Don’t get up. Just try to relax. I’m here.”

Secilla looked at her and said, “I can breathe.”

“Yes?”

The scientists could be heard poring over the results in the background while two of them rushed over from their lab.

Continuing, Secilla said, “I… I feel so good. I feel amazing! It’s like I’ve been sick my entire life and have just been cured!”

“R-Really? Do you think it’s gone?”

“Let me check.”

The dragon sat up and cast a light spell, though it was only a speck and was quite dim.

“It’s gone! It’s really gone! That was the same feeling I usually put into it, but it’s so much less!”

“That’s great!” Clara exclaimed.

Scientists were chattering in the background, but no one was paying any attention to them.

The two women on the ground stared intensely into each other’s eyes before strongly kissing each other.

Just then, the scientists who had left the lab came in through the door. “Secilla, are you-… Oh.”

From the communication relay, one scientist could be heard saying to his friend, “Ha, called it! You owe me 10 ris2!"

Emily was smiling and said, “Guess the secret’s out, Mom.”

Clara broke from the kiss. “It’s fine. It was going to happen eventually.”

The scientists in the room with them coughed and asked Fyezna, “C-Could you please leave for a few minutes? We need to kn-know…”

Fyezna nodded and walked out with Emily close behind.

Not too long later, one of the scientists yelled, “It’s gone! The dragonfear is gone!”

Fyezna whispered, “They really did it…”

Emily told her, “You started it all, you know?”

Fyezna turned to Emily and wrapped her in a tight hug. With her wings as well, of course. “We’re so close. We’ll be able to start actually living soon.”

“Yeah. Nearly there, love.”

As desperate as Fyezna was to go through with it as well, she would, unfortunately, have to wait until the following day. The scientists wanted to see if they could refine the process and make it less costly. It would be much easier to spread the counter-ritual if it could be simplified and cut down.

The video of the first successful counter-ritual was posted online, which had people ecstatic. They were happy for the counter-ritual’s success, of course, but to also see the celebrity couple get together.

Clara didn’t like to think of herself as a celebrity, and it was true that she wasn’t one in the typical sense of the word. But her name and face were known worldwide, even though she had mostly just stood in the background during the initial reveal and had barely been in the public eye since.

Fyezna was the second success, and she and Emily kissed afterward, too, but people already knew they were all over each other all the time, so it was neither a surprise nor a world-shaking event.

The scientists packed everything up and left soon after, though they promised to check in regularly to look for any aftereffects or health problems.

As they gathered data from more successful counter-rituals, it was determined that at least 70% of the dragon population would have to give up their stolen mana before everything else would snap back into place. When that happened, all dragons everywhere would lose their stolen mana, and humanity would be able to use magic.

The fact that every single dragon who underwent the process came out feeling good led researchers to believe that the mana was overcharging them somehow. It gave the benefits of high power and slowed aging, but at the cost of feeling sick and emitting dragonfear.

The specifics of it would have to be figured out as time went on, and, of course, there were already some speculating about if this mana overcharging phenomenon could be replicated and what its potential uses might be.

Emily leaned on Fyezna and told her, “I’m so happy for you. Maybe that cold expression all dragons seemed to have came from being in constant pain or something.”

Fyezna pecked her on the lips. “Probably. Don’t care. I just can’t wait to see what comes next.”

———

Fyezna:

The two couples were considering finally leaving the manor after all this time, but were advised against it. They were told they should wait until no more dragons anywhere had Earth’s mana. They could still leave if they wanted to, but said that it was pretty much impossible to protect against a sudden dragon attack unless you basically had a fortress prepared, such as the manor they were in.

So for now, they remained. But they would use this extra time to figure out their futures. The money they had remaining would last them for quite a while yet if they lived frugally, but even so, it would not last forever. That meant they needed to figure out jobs in addition to where they wanted to live.

In Secilla’s case, she has her own manor. Though, like Fyezna, she plans to leave it soon. She admitted she would miss having servants, but after these past several months, she felt she would be completely fine without most of them. She had already let most of them go, in fact. She planned to see how things went in a much smaller place without any servants.

Secilla was going to give her singing career another shot. Clara wanted to be able to travel with her, so decided to figure out something she could do online.

Fyezna considered getting into enchanting professionally, but that had always felt like something she had learned out of necessity, not because she really wanted to.

Emily mentioned that she had been thinking over ideas about ways she could help people. Humans in particular were still going to need a lot of help.

The two discussed what that might entail and various ways it could possibly be done. Fyezna had been aware for years now about what things were like for humanity, and as she remembered Emily’s exhausted demeanor from when they first met, she became convinced that she should give it a shot.

Thinking back to when she first met Emily, she thought, As strong as Emily is, she was still so exhausted back then. If I can prevent more of that from happening, I’ll be happy.

———

Emily:

It took several more months for the percentage of dragons to give up the stolen mana to reach 70%. Several had still been desperately clinging to their power, but rapidly lost their standing.

In addition to the counter-ritual process becoming more refined and less costly, the dragons who underwent it all came out feeling so much better and just in general looked so much happier. Several videos of dragons crying because they were finally able to approach people had gone viral.

They had been cooking Emily and Clara both suddenly fell, spilling food everywhere.

The two humans panted as she felt the mana coursing through their bodies for the first time.

After making sure she wasn’t hurt anywhere, Fyezna asked Emily, “How are you feeling? Did it finally happen?”

Emily nodded. She was completely covered in tomato sauce and some chopped vegetables as she sat up and reached into her pocket and pulled out a ring.

Using her mana for the first time ever, she pushed it into the preprepared enchantment. A small lavender gemstone, the same color as Fyezna’s hair, shined brightly. “Fyezna, I love you. Will you marry me?”

Emily could only stare with her mouth agape and rapidly-rising anxiety as Fyezna remained frozen. Several moments passed in complete silence.

“…F-Fyezna?” Emily squeaked.

“I… Y-Yes. Yes!” Despite the mess, Fyezna knelt down and kissed Emily, wrapping her in a wing hug.

When they finally broke apart, Emily scolded her, “You scared me! You were just standing there!”

Fyezna hurriedly explained, "My girlfriend abruptly gaining mana and immediately using to to propose to me while sitting on the floor covered in sauce, while also realize that the several years of work I had put into fixing the mana problem had finally, truly ended... It kind of shut down my brain."

I suppose that’s reasonable.

“Fine. I guess I’ll forgive you. But you'll have to make it up to me later!”

Fyezna nodded and wiped the tomato sauce off her face and looked at it, then at Emily. “I traded one dinner for another, it seems.”

“I’m covered in it. You can have both.” Emily replied.

They stood up, nearly slipping on the sauce as they went to get themselves cleaned up.

Clara and Secilla were both standing there smiling at them. Secilla put away her phone, which had been recording.

“How much did you get?” Emily asked.

Secilla explained, “From right after you fell.”

“So you mean the whole thing?” she asked hopefully.

“Yes, other than the fall itself.”

“YES! Thank you so much!”

Fyezna asked, “Why does it feel like you planned this?”

Emily replied, “I told them I was going to propose the very moment I got mana and asked them to record it if they could.”

“And when did you even get the ring?”

She smirked. “As the experiments were nearing completion. That’s when I had it made and then brought here aboard one of the scientists’ drone shipments.”

Fyezna chuckled. “You really are incredible. You even still managed to propose despite being covered in tomato sauce. Speaking of which, we should get cleaned up.”

Clara told them, “Take your time. We’ll deal with the mess and make dinner.”

Emily replied, “Thanks, Moms! Love you~!”

The incredibly messy proposal went viral the next day.

———

The next months were hectic. Dragons and humans were now physically and magically equal to everyone else, with consequences for both species. A lot of politics and businesses underwent massive restructuring.

The dragons who hadn’t clung so greedily to power were generally adjusting well, and were quite enjoying all the physical contact they could finally have with people.

The humans still had a long way to go, but now the social ladder was actually climbable instead of missing the rungs immediately above them that prevented them from living better lives.

Everyone involved in the attacks had now been caught. This included not just the attacks on the manor, but several places where the experiments had been carried out.

The initial ritual that started it all had been found to no longer be possible. If something like that were to be repeated, it would have to be stolen from another world, and with modern technology, successfully pulling it off would be almost entirely impossible. One way or another, it would be detected and halted mid-progress, assuming it could even make it that far in the first place.

Secilla had begun singing again. Clara generally stayed out of the public eye, and was having a lot of fun traveling with her. She was currently experimenting with writing stories.

Fyezna and Emily were still planning their wedding. They had already bought a house and sold the manor in the meantime. The house was cozy, and they both loved it.

They started a business together that worked to develop products to help make the lives of poor people easier. Many of the initial items were things Emily or her neighbors had wished they had.

Because Emily had a much better understanding of what it was like to struggle to survive in a harsh society and knew what poor people needed, she took the position of president.

They eventually had a small wedding, the human and her dragon assistant.