Alexia hoped her ears would stop ringing. It distracted her so much, but she had no fastest way to make them stop immediately.

The dragon kept roaring at high note, shaking the cavern walls where it resided. The sound was literally numbing her eardrums.

This is bad.

As she nervously grasped her longsword's hilt, she warded off the stone rubbles which had broken from the stalactite because of the quake, and focused her concentration once again to her enemy—the dragon.

It was a blue-scaled four-legged dragon as big as a 30 feet house, with a pair of enormous clawed wings on its back. With forelegs clawed deeply into the cavern floor, it opened its mouth wide, and roared again at Alexia.

She grimaced, trying to withstand the roar which was slamming her eardrums. Dodging the harsh wind from the dragon throat, she hurriedly dashed sideways towards the dragon’s hind legs.

She’d almost arrived when a sudden strong wind blew unto her. As Alexia frantically kept her balance, she realized that the dragon was flapping its wings furiously right towards her. The cavern stalactites fell in a streak, and she immediately dodged to save her precious life.

Right after the rain of stalactite was over, the girl jumped away to catch her breath. She glared the dragon with all her might, but unfortunately, her threat wasn’t delivered properly. The blue scaled dragon roared back fervently, as if it was angry at her.

“Buhahahahahaha!!”

Alexia instantly jumped in surprise when a loud laugh resounded behind her. She glanced to her behind, in the corner of the dimly lit cavern, and there he was, laughing his damn ass off.

“This is so funny!!” Zefrael exclaimed cheerfully without containing his laugh.

Looking very annoying in Alexia's eyes, the demon lord was sitting comfortably at the corner of the cave with a leather hard-cover book in one hand, and a bag of potato chips in the other. He even had a cushion pillow to prop his back from the rough cavern wall, while a ball of light was floating around his head, conveniently illuminating the book in his hand as his eyes drilled into the pages.

He wasn’t paying any attention at Alexia who was fighting, at the shaking cavern, even at the dragon. He only read his book and munching his chips like a glutton, occasionally giggled to himself, and sometimes, laughing so hard like he did just now.

Alexia was enraged by his carefree behavior. It had irritated her how Zefrael wouldn’t help her with the dragon and rather chose to read his damn book, but it irritated her even more when he suddenly giggled—and laughed—in the middle of her difficult battle. The hell he’s even reading!? A book of jokes or something??

Sadly, Alexia's fight hadn't progressed much since it began. The dragon kept fending her attack, and frequently chased her away to the distance where her sword couldn’t reach. She hadn't suffered any wounds, but in the same time, she also hadn't yet to be successful in scoring a hit to the dragon.

Then all of the sudden, the dragon roared in anger. The reverberating roar immediately shook the inside of the cavern, and slapped Alexia awake from her annoyed feeling. She scolded herself for being distracted and once again, repositioned her longsword to face the dragon.

She didn’t need Merion’s help, and she also didn’t need the demon lord’s help for slaying the dragon. It was already an established fact within her mind. The girl wouldn't even begin to hope that the shitlord would help her, but his action—plus his annoying laughs—irked her so much that she wished a stalactite would accidentally fell on his head. Or maybe, the dragon's attack could stray at him or something.

Exactly when she thought that, the dragon swung its foreleg furiously and kicked the stalactite rubble. Alexia hurriedly braced herself to dodge, only to realize that the stalactite wasn’t flying towards her.

The stalactite flew through the cavern, and ran straight to the cave corner where Zefrael was enjoying himself to the fullest.

Alexia couldn't help to blink in surprise with mouth agape. She couldn’t believe her secret wish was granted, by her enemy dragon nonetheless.

With a swoosh sound and a gust of wind, the stalactite’s tapered edge pierced Zefrael’s ball of light, and struck the wall near him with a loud cracking sound. The light instantly dimmed, and shrouded the cavern with darkness. Amidst off everything, the blue scale of the dragon was glowing menacingly.

As sudden as it gone, the ball of light appeared again, floating around Zefrael, and illuminated the cavern for a second time.

“That was foul play, you know,” the demon lord dejectedly said while looking up to the dragon. He raised himself to stand, while hugging a closed hard cover book in front of his body. The remnant of his potato chips, the bag and the crumbs was spreading in disarray below his feet near his cushion pillow.

The blue dragon loudly roared again, and Alexia struggled to cover her ears from the reverberating sound which was striking into her eardrums.

“Oh come on, it’s funny!” said Zefrael.

The demon lord said the words in a self-defense tone. From the sound of it, he seemed like he was pouting, but honestly, Alexia was confused by it.

“What’s funny, shitlord?” she asked, while keeping her main focus on the dangerous dragon, “Your stupid book? Or the fact that a stalactite almost stab you?” she added with mockery.

But, Zefrael only answered her mockery with a happy grin, “Everything, maybe?”

“What are you—”

The roaring of the dragon ultimately stopped her protest. The girl promptly shifted her focus to her enemy, ready to swing her longsword anytime. But, the dragon wasn’t showing any sign to attack.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

It only focused its big and round silver eyes—with a draconic vertical-slit pupil—to the demon lord, while doing nothing except roaring to his every sentence.

“Why?” The demon lord stared the dragon again, looking very disappointed. He played his fingers on his slanted short bangs with sullen face. “If that happens it wouldn’t be interesting anymore…”

“What the hell you’re saying, shitlord? You don’t even make any sense!” Alexia protested again, refused to be confused any further by the weird situation.

“Sec, Alex, I’m not talking to you.”

“Ha?” Alexia stared Zefrael with an incredulous look. He said that he wasn’t talking to her, but obviously, there was no one else here except her and him. She already knew that the demon lord was insane, but talking to himself? That’s a new level of insanity.

The dragon roared again, and for the umpteenth time, the demon lord voiced out, this time, with resignation.

“Okay, okay, fine!!” he said curtly.

The thing that happened before her eyes was really bizzare. Zefrael was talking, but he said it was not to her, and the dragon kept roaring, but not attacking her. It felt like—like the shitlord was actually talking to the dragon instead of her. Wait—is that even possible!?

As he shifted his eyes away from the dragon, Zefrael moved to stare the girl, before he opened his mouth, “He needs your help, Alex.”

“What? Now you’re talking to me—”

Alexia instantly swallowed her sentence, feeling crossed. Confused with the situation regarding the dragon, she had reacted reflexively to the annoyingly short nickname he used. The girl was about to protest, but sadly, she lost that chance as Zefrael walked towards her way.

“I am talking to you, Alex," he nonchalantly said, "and I told you he needs your help. Uphold your hero’s duty and do him some justice.”

Feeling confused again, Alexia asked, “Who’s he?”

Zefrael only shrugged his shoulder, giving her no answer, but the dragon roared instead. The loud sound promptly shifted her confused gaze from the demon lord, to the dragon.

The dragon's silver eyes drilled into her, looking somewhat helpless. it didn't take long for those pair of draconic eyes to move towards Zefrael as it let out a roaring whimper.

Yes, a whimper, from a dragon. Alexia almost doubted her ears, but it was the truth.

“I won’t, Alex will do it instead of me,” The demon lord said it with a pout.

Alexia was so lost. She really had no idea what the demon lord was talking about. She only stared him incredulously in silence, before he finally turned to her.

Letting out a long and weary sigh, Zefrael opened his mouth, “Actually…” he started, “This dragon is kinda an acquaintance of mine.”

“What!?”

“Well, he can’t talk our language in dragon form, but I can guess the meaning his roaring, more or less.”

The dragon roared again, as to protest Zefrael’s word.

“Yeah, yeah, I got it!” Zefrael answered the roar with a grumble, before he turned his eyes back to Alexia, “Revision, I understand him completely.”

Alexia didn’t know what to say to the demon lord’s sudden confession, so she only nodded at him uninterestedly.

“And, he, I mean the dragon, wasn’t actually threatening the town and the townspeople lives,” Zefrael continued to explain, “Instead, he lived there, among the people.”

“What do you mean?”

Zefrael’s explanation was very nonsensical that Alexia couldn’t help to ask. The demon lord was always spouting nonsense, but for some reason, this time, his nonsense didn’t sound like a complete bullshit.

“He lived there as…” Zefrael suddenly stopped and darted his purple eyes to the dragon, “What did you said you did back there?” he asked.

The dragon let out a short growl.

“Ah, right, I remember you always come to—” Zefrael muttered to himself, before he returned to Alexia with a straight face. “Leaving that aside, he’s the item shop merchant at that town. His shop is located in the marketplace.”

Item shop? Alexia remembered that it was the part of the town marketplace which turned into unrecognizable rubble. The townspeople said the item shop merchant was missing, probably eaten by the dangerous dragon. But, if the demon lord said is all true…

“He had a human form, once,” continued Zefrael, “Because the potion effect is ran out, he accidentally reverted back to dragon form in the middle of town, destroying his house into rubble. Few people get hurt, and ultimately, he chased out from the town. How stupid…”

The dragon roared furiously, and shook the cavern. Alexia covered her ears in reflex. It seemed the demon lord’s words ticked it—him out.

But, the demon lord wasn’t fazed even a little. He resumed his explanation, as if he didn’t hear the loud roar which staggered his foothold. “To conclude, he needs a same kind of potion to change back to human form.”

“A potion?” asked the girl with doubt.

“Yes, a very special potion mixture he created himself. That’s where you come, Alex.” Ending his explanation with a grin, Zefrael added, “Surely as the real hero, you would extend your help to everyone in need, right? Him, included.”

The dragon whimpered again, as if he really wished for someone to help him. His vertical slit eyes were staring Alexia with a hopeful look, showing none of his menace from before.

She started empathizing with the dragon. “If I could…” she started, planning to offer her help, but suddenly, she realized another probability.

“Wait a second!!” exclaimed the girl.

“What is it?”

Zefrael peered into her with questioned look, but Alexia didn’t pay him any attention. Her mind was already busy playing all the bad scenario that could happened to her.

The dragon could only roar incoherently without any meaning, and the demon lord could possibly use that to his own benefit—if no one but him could understand the very dragon.

For all that she knew, the shitty demon lord never seriously talked to her, so this could be one of his way to trick her again. Whatever said, Alexia refused to yield to him.

“Is this another game of yours, shitlord?” she warily asked while glaring the demon lord.

“Huh? Game?”

“You could be lying to me about the potion! What if the effect isn’t same with the one you told me? What if the potion would make this dragon stronger, enough to obliterate an entire town?” Alexia burst out all of her doubts in a streak, “That would be an inexcusable act as the hero!!”

Contrast with her rage, Zefrael widened his eyes in astonishment. He quietly stared at the girl, like he was assessing her. “You have a really wild imagination, eh, Alex?”

“Shut up! Don’t cut my name!!” She pointed her longsword angrily at the demon lord, “What imagination!? It could be true!! You said yourself that this dragon is your acquaintance! A demon lord helping his evil friend is more fitting than your shitty explanation!!”

Zefrael giggled happily. “Funny part two,” he said, grinning to the dragon, “Even funnier than you, right?”

“The hell you’re saying!!” Alexia screamed in irritation.

Accompanying her irk, the dragon growled at low note, like he was agreeing with her.

Unfazed, Zefrael showed a teasing smile on his face, “Really, I’m sorry to break your hope, but it's the truth.”

“Prove it!”

“Prove?” Zefrael reluctantly repeated Alexia’s demand. “It’s impossible right now, but if you found the potion and gave it to him, it will be proved alright.”

“That would crossed the purpose of proof, you stupid shitlord!!”

“Well,” Zefrael shrugged and became silent. He darted his eyes to the hard cover book in his hand and thought for a moment, before he raised his eyes back to Alexia. “I have no proof, that’s a fact, that’s why I’ll offer you a different approach.”

“After he drank the potion,” The demon lord pointed at the dragon, “if he doesn’t change to human form like I said, or if it happened like you said, I’ll kill this dragon for you.”

“Wha—?”

Too surprised, Alexia almost lost her grip to her longsword. She hurriedly clenched the hilt again, and peered into the demon lord with pure doubt.

“How is it?” he asked.

The dragon growled with discontent, but Zefrael sounded so confident.

After the demon lord said those kinds of things, it would be wrong if Alexia still didn’t want to admit his point. She hated him, yes. Honestly, she wasn’t hoping even for a second that the demon lord would really kill the dragon for her, but the fact that he said that he would itself was kind of impossible.

Sure, he could be lying, but she wouldn’t know for sure if the potion in question wasn’t here to answer her suspicion.

And that could only mean one thing.

“Fine!” Finally, she gave in, “What potion should I find?”