“Is this a secret that cannot be disclosed? I am a human, and humans are naturally curious.”

“We lived in our world. In a world that belongs only to dragons. We lived in large families, with wives and children. But one day, obeying forces beyond our control, several families ended up here. There are four of us from our family here, and only I can speak as a human. There were others. But I know almost nothing about them. Pironax subjugated this world to himself. He killed everyone who resisted or tried to resist. People, animals, dragons. And he also said that we must find someone here. But who and why? Only Pironax knows.”

Looking back, I saw how the servants were fussily trying to keep their distance. My new essence inspires them with awe and fear. Passing by them, I said to Vulgaris:

“I’m hungry. It would be nice to eat something.”

Vulgaris nodded and waved his clawed paw weakly, calling the frightened people to attention,

“Hey! We’re hungry!”

We approached his house, and I felt the atmosphere change. Vulgaris’s house was more spacious and less ominous than Laverna’s. There was no disgusting smell of a stagnant swamp here. The air was cleaner and fresher.

When we entered the house, the servants were already bustling about, preparing the dinner table. For a moment, I felt a strange sense of satisfaction from the fact that even in this alien and hostile world; I had strength and power. I, as it was, did not depend on Nyx or Oceania.

Very soon, food appeared on the table. Chopped meat, fresh vegetables and fruits, fragrant bread. I, without waiting for an invitation, sat down at the table and began to eat. Vulgaris and his servants, having turned into motionless statues, watched me with apprehension. For them, I was not a master, but something new and unpredictable.

For some time, the dinner continued in complete silence, broken only by my leisurely movements. Breaking off a piece of fresh bread, I stuffed it into my mouth with pleasure. Vulgaris, swallowing saliva, handed me an enormous dish filled with pieces of raw meat. A grimace of disgust appeared on my face.

“I do not eat raw meat!” - I pushed the dish away from me.

Vulgaris froze. His desire to serve me was rejected, and now he did not know what to do. The dragon’s eyes widened in surprise. I pointed to the dish and began to list.

“Bring me something cooked. Roast beef, as they do in the best kitchens of the world. It should be tender and juicy, with a golden crust on the outside and a little pink on the inside. Serve it with a sauce of red wine mixed with aromatic herbs and spices. I want to see baked potatoes on the table, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, with the addition of fresh rosemary and garlic.”

The servants, dumbfounded by my demands, nodded hastily and went off to carry out the orders of the new capricious master. Vulgaris did not take his eyes off me, still trying to understand what kind of strange creature was in charge of his house.

While the servants were preparing the meat, I sat at the table, lost in my thoughts. Vulgaris looked at me, but I did not pay attention to him. I knew that it was impossible to kill him with bare hands - dragons are too strong for that. Continuing to fight like this would only waste my time and energy. I had to find another solution to this problem.

I thought about how to change the situation, how to find a way that would allow me to gain the upper hand against the dragons. Magic, cunning, perhaps some ancient knowledge that I had yet to discover. Something had to help me achieve my goal.

My hatred for the dragons was strong, but there was something more behind it. I thought about the peace between humans and dragons. Could I find a way for our races to exist in harmony? It seemed impossible. The dragons had been our enemies for so long that peace seemed unattainable.

“You can sit and watch,” I invited him, not looking up from my food, “or you can join me. But remember, I am no longer the man you once knew. I will rule by my own rules.”

With that, I continued to eat, feeling the culinary delights filling me with strength and determination.

“Try this,” I suggested, cutting off a large piece of the roast and pushing it toward Vulgaris. He looked doubtfully at the piece of juicy, pinkish meat, but then carefully took it and threw it into his open mouth. He didn’t even try to chew it, he just swallowed it.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

The dragon is not a man. The shape of his eyes could only judge his reaction. At first, when he took the treat from my hands, his look expressed distrust, which then changed to disgust. He swallowed the piece and his eyes suddenly widened with pleasure. He nodded in approval.

“This is… amazing,” Vulgaris growled, grabbing a new piece. — “I have never experienced anything like this.”

Our roast quickly ended. I did not have time to get full. Dissatisfied with the small amount, Vulgaris loudly ordered the servants to bring more roast meat. The servants, visibly stunned by his order, hurried to carry out his order.

To fill the wait, I decided to talk to the dragon. I waited until Vulgaris stopped chewing and began the conversation.

— Vulgaris, tell me, how strong are your scales?

He narrowed his eyes, clearly surprised by my question.

— Dragon armor is one of our greatest defenses. It is stronger than any steel, impervious to fire and magic. Even the sharpest swords cannot pierce it. Foolish people have tried to kill us many times, but all attempts were in vain. Why do you ask?

I leaned closer, trying to catch his reaction.

— I hatched from a dragon egg, but I am not endowed with such scales. Before meeting you, I always admired your strength and resilience, but who endowed you with such amazing protection? Is it a gift of nature or the work of a skilled magician?

Vulgaris thought for a moment, then answered,

— It is the legacy of our ancestors. The ancient dragons made a pact with the great mages, and they blessed us with this armor. It became part of our being, our strength.

I nodded, understanding that this was an important part of their history and pride.

“But what if…” I paused to make sure he was listening carefully. I paused to make sure he was listening carefully and asked, “What if someone discovers a weapon that can penetrate your armor? What will the dragons do?”

Vulgaris frowned, his eyes glowing with a dangerous fire.

"If such a weapon exists, it will be the greatest threat to us. We will defend ourselves with all our might, and seek ways to destroy this weapon or the one who wields it. But we will not wait to be destroyed. We will fight as long as we have the slightest chance of victory."

The servants brought more dishes, and Vulgaris pounced on them with unprecedented greed.

He ate one portion after another, without stopping for a minute. I looked at him and could not hide my surprise. “Are you always this gluttonous?” I watched with a grin as he greedily devoured the cooked meat.

“No,” Vulgaris did not look up from his dish, quickly cleaning it. “We dragons are used to eating raw meat. But this… this exceeds all my expectations.”

I watched as his insatiability as the master of the house grew with each piece he swallowed. He ate one portion after another, leaving not a crumb. Vulgaris could not get enough. He ate without stopping, and this caused me both surprise and slight alarm.

“Still, dragons also have their weaknesses,” I thought, watching him. “Who would have thought that cooked meat would make such an impression on him? Maybe I should take advantage of his weakness?”

As Vulgaris pounced on another piece of roast, I pretended to be focused on the food. The dragon’s jaws clenched around the meat, and at that moment I quietly uttered the spell I had come up with:

“Mutilius Miniaturus.”

Vulgaris, unsuspecting, continued to chew, loudly smacking and drooling. The enormous piece of roast instantly shrank to the size of a small piece, but the dragon did not notice. His eyes sparkled with pleasure, he swallowed the meat with pleasure, not even realizing that it had become smaller.

“But isn’t this the best meat you’ve ever tasted?” Vulgaris asks, lowering another piece into his enormous mouth.

“It may be tasty, but that doesn’t change the fact that they were hungry,” I reply, raising an eyebrow in appreciation of his tastes.

“Hungry?” Vulgaris asks, looking up. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that all the cattle you brought here were starving,” I explain. “Your rule overwhelms the fields and meadows. The dragons don’t let them flourish. There is no grass in the meadows, no leaves on the trees, everything is dry. The animals cannot eat properly, and because of this, they are very thin. That is why there is so little meat, and it looks like they were just skin and bones.”

Vulgaris was silent, deep in thought, considering this information. Finally, he nodded, recognizing the significance of the information.