There were some things still deemed impossible even if Alexia had seen them with her own eyes. This was obviously in the list.

After the smoke dissipated, the 30-feet blue scaled dragon was gone, replaced by a figure of a person. Whether if she liked it or not, or how impossible it was, the demon lord didn’t lie to her.

It was still unbelievable, and it was just beyond her comprehension that a single flask of stinky potion could reform something as big as a dragon, to a person with small built. Firstly, the difference gap was too vast, and secondly, a drink-type potion usually gave an upgrade or a downgrade to the body, not changing them completely into something different.

Still, it did happen.

In exchange of the dragon, a boy was standing there. He wasn’t small enough to be called a child, but not big and old enough to be called a young man. His height didn’t seem to differ much than Alexia’s, and he had a quite young face. His eyes were still the draconic type with vertical slit pupil, but in his human form, the slit wasn’t as big as before and the silvery color of his eyes were slightly darkening.

What was more impossible is the fact he wore proper clothes. Not wearing anything wouldn't be good either, but it was just too weird.

Alexia remembered clearly that she didn’t saw any clothes on him when he had been in his dragon form, but after the reformation, the clothes suddenly appeared out of nowhere and sticking to his small and lean body.

There was a bandana with squared ethnic design which tied at his forehead between the bangs of his vibrant blue hair. Then, he wore a loose oversized half-coat with a same ethnic design on the sleeves' part, over a dark tight leather suit as his top, while the bottom was a pair of knee-long baggy pants, plus a pair of flat shoes. In short, he wore a whole complete set.

Really, Alexia had nothing to say, except well-clothed for someone who used to be a dragon.

“Nnmmmmmnnn!!! FINALLY!!!

The dragon—no, the boy screamed in joy and jumped high in excitement. His face was showing off an immeasurable happiness as he ran cheerfully towards Alexia.

“Thank you so much!!” He grabbed the girl’s hands, and shaking them many times in gratitude.

Alexia instantly froze in her place, surprised. Nervousness struck her hard, leaving her unable to do anything except looking carefully at the boy.

Now that he’s near her, Alexia realized that he was only a few inches higher than her. By appearance only, he couldn’t be much older than she is, but that was her presumption. The menacing aura of the dragon was gone completely, but the fact didn’t change that he IS a dragon.

“Hey, Enna, you’re supposed to say that to me, not her,” Zefrael cut in between the boy and the girl with a grumble, “Without me, you’ll be stuck in that form for eternity, you know.”

The boy released his hand from Alexia’s in reflex. He was standing casually with one hand on his hips, but his eyes were glancing at the demon lord with spite. “How many years now?" he snarled, "I see you don’t change a thing! You still like to cut my name wrongly, huh!!”

Zefrael started to open his mouth, but the boy stopped him with finger raised. “And who would want to say any gratitude to you!?" he snapped again, "Acting like you didn’t understand me when you did! Laughing when you knew I was stuck in a fight I didn’t want. Ignoring my words completely that I only needed my transforming potion. You obviously only had fun with my predicament!”

The demon lord smiled teasingly. “But in the end I helped you, didn’t, Enna?”

“It’s Ennario!! Spell it properly, Zef!” the boy instantly replied with spite, "You're not even older than me to call me using that impolite way! And mind this too, you didn’t help me, the hero did!”

As if his animosity towards the demon lord was nothing important, the boy turned to the girl and smiled sincerely, “Isn’t that right—er,” he paused, trying to remember something, “I think I had heard your name back there, it’s Al—something?”

“Um…it’s Alexia…I—uh,” Alexia nervously replied while fidgeting on her place. She was fine when he was a dragon, but she couldn’t help to become anxious when those silvery grey eyes were directed at her.

"I'm not being impolite," The demon lord interrupted with a shrug, relieving Alexia’s obligation to continue her hard-found words. His purple eyes amusingly drilled into the dragon boy named Ennario, looking like he'd just find a toy to play with. "You know, I only picked the one which sounds cuter, so it'll be suited with your face."

This time, Alexia couldn't make herself to deny the demon lord's point. Despite being a scary dragon, Ennario had a really cute face in his human form. How it turned even cuter when he was angry was a plus.

Still, the dragon boy himself didn't seem to like that fact.

"Don’t call me cute!!" Ennario instantly protested with a peevish look.

"But you are cute, Enna," Zefrael teased again.

"And don't call me Enna!!!"

"Still," the demon lord let out a mumble. Looking like he was already satisfied with his amusement for a day, he stared into the angered dragon boy with a troubled look. "I really can't overlook what you just said, Enna. Whatever said, I'm still older than you."

“I’m older," Ennario straightly retaliated with a pouting face, "if I count your last re-born day!”

“That obviously didn’t count!” Zefrael exclaimed, and suddenly darted his eyes to Alexia. “What do you think, Alex? Who’s older?”

Alexia was promptly taken aback. She couldn't even find an immediate answer for the question which was suddenly thrown at her. Rather, she was astonished why she had to be included within their stupid conversation. She literally had nothing to do with it, and clearly she wouldn’t know the exact answer.

There was a slight confusion when she heard the 'born day' words—the shitlord's birthday or something? Yet, in the end, it was nothing important for her.

By common sense only, it was pretty obvious that both were older than she is, but Alexia could guess neither of their real age. Then, there was only one last option she could pick.

“Whatever,” she grumbled, "Do I look like that I care about that??"

"You're no fun, Alex," Zefrael instantly pouted.

"I refused to be your fun. Period!"

“Haaa….” the demon lord promptly let out a long sigh, "fine, I could let the 'who's older' topic slide, still—" Turning back to face the dragon boy, he intently stared at his face, “You being cute is really undeniable, what did you actually done to have this kind of human appearance?" he cynically added.

Ennario puckered his mouth peevishly, “I'm not doing anything!!!"

“Oh, really??" Zefrael grinned, "So you're magically born to be cute! Nice!"

In the demon lord’s words, the dragon boy protested again. As if they had forgotten Alexia's existence, two guys resumed their volley of words. They were bickering, but in the same time, they looked like they’re enjoying themselves. Her heart promptly pricked by a slight envy.

“You two are really good friend, huh?” the girl muttered quietly, mostly to herself.

Friends were the things that she never had in her entire life. She always thought that their existence is going to be a bother, but now, she had a vague feeling that it could be kind of fun too. Like the demon lord and the dragon boy who—

Her train of thought instantly stopped as she saw two pair of eyes prying on her. One purple, one silver, both peered into her with a tinge of discontent.

“No, Alex, Enna isn’t my friend, less a good friend. Told you he’s an acquaintance,” said Zefrael with sullen tone.

“Exactly! Who would want to become friend with him!?” followed Ennario, “It’s a connection I want to severe anytime!”

“Right! What Enna said, doubled!!”

“Don’t copy my words, Zef!”

“Er…” Alexia didn’t know what to say when the two guys in front of her glared at each other again. They denied it completely, but in her eyes they really looked like a good friend. Still, she should keep it to herself to avoid further bickering.

Ennario was the one who released his glare first from Zefrael. He shifted his attention to Alexia, and cleared his throat. “Sorry, I let this good-for-nothing occupied me for some time. I was talking to you right?”

“Uh, yes?” Alexia answered ambiguously. To be honest, she already forgot what was the dragon boy had talked about before.

Fortunately, Ennario easily gave her the answer.

“I was in the middle of asking your name,” he said while scratching the side of his bandana reluctantly, “it was Alexia, you said?”

The girl promptly nodded.

“Okay then,” the dragon boy smiled vibrantly, and bowed down, “Once again, thanks, Alexia—” he suddenly stopped mid-sentence. Looking confused, he raised his body, and peered into the girl with a full attention while observing her from top to toe. As if he’d just saw unbelievable things, he suddenly inhaled sharply and exclaimed in surprise. “You’re a girl!?”

“Wh—”

Alexia instantly lost her voice. She wasn’t too nervous anymore since she saw the guys’ bickering, but the words which she'd just heard instantly flipped over her state of mind. Her anxiety was completely blown away to the brink of annihilation, and her rage immediately gushed out like a hot geyser. It seemed the dragon boy was as blind as the demon lord!

“But, but, Zef called you Alex, so I thought…”

“Buhahahahahaha!!” Zefrael suddenly laughed happily while holding his stomach. With a voice tinged with giggle, he said, “This is really a masterpiece, Alex! Told you it wasn’t obvious!”

“Grrr!!! It’s because you cut my name all the time, asshole!!”

“Ass—” Ennario gasped in surprise and faced Alexia with mouth agape. He looked very astonished as he incredulously blinked his draconic eyes many times.

Crap! I did it again!

Alexia regretted her actions, but she knew that it was already too late to vindicate her mistake.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

In other side, Zefrael struggled to contain his laugh within a grinning face, but he failed miserably, and ultimately let out a sentence with submerged laugh, “The cat’s finally out, hahah.”

“Ugh!! I’m really going to #@¥$€£!!!” Alexia was bursting uncontrollably, too annoyed at the shitlord to weave a proper sentence. It was partly her fault, but it was mostly his fault!

She glared resentfully towards her enemy, but her effort was stopped by another gaze by her side.

Looking doubtful, Ennario was staring at her. “Alexia, you—” he mumbled quietly, before his doubt changed into amazement, and his cute face glistened with joy, “—are a fellow brother—” he suddenly remembered and hurriedly revised, “oops, I mean sister!!”

“Eh?” Alexia blinked in surprise. At first she thought that the dragon boy would degrade her about her bad habit on using dirty words, like Zefrael had done. But he didn’t?

Confused beyond words, Alexia peered into Ennario's figure carefully, trying to find a sensible answer within his unexpected reaction, but she hadn't got the time to find it.

The dragon boy grabbed her hands in a blink of an eye, and shaking them vigorously in joy. He did this before immediately after he'd changed into human form, and he did it again now. She had been frozen in nervousness back there, but this time, she froze in confusion and dismay.

“I never guess that we were the same victim of Zef’s rude nickname!!” he exclaimed in joy, “From today on, we were brother—sister—whatever in arms!!” Then, he gestured his eyes towards the demon lord, “Together we will make this good-for-nothing beaten up, enough to force him call our names properly!”

Alexia’s face promptly lit up with joy. A person who would help her beating the shit out from the shitlord? Bring it on!

“Yeah, let’s beat him dead!”

Releasing her hand from Ennario grasp, Alexia reached the hilt of her longsword. “Like, now?” she added joyously, drawing her blade in a slow menacing way.

“Wait, wait!!” Zefrael interrupted with a dejected look, “That’s not fair, Alex! You aren’t allowed to make a dragon your party member! It’s not an option!!”

“Why not? There is no rule in that!” She unsheathed her blade, and flashing it in front of the demon lord. “Get ready!”

Zefrael jumped away in reflex. “I said, no!”

“What party member?”

A single confused question ultimately stopped Alexia’s march. She turned her head to the individual who had thrown the question, and realized that he was actually staring at her and at the demon lord with pure doubt.

“Now that I think of it, why are you out from your castle, Zef?” Ennario asked the demon lord, before he darted his eyes to the girl, “And you’re the hero, right, Alexia? What in the world are you doing with the demon lord??”

The questions immediately staggered her. Alexia unconsciously put down her longsword, as she was reminded by the stupid agreement between her and the demon lord. She warily glanced towards the demon lord, before her eyes reluctantly returned towards the confused dragon boy.

First of all, Zefrael was supposed to hide his demon lord identity, no one should even know that she, the Hero was having a journey with her enemy, the demon lord. They had acted pretty great at the town, as a hero and her fellow party member, no one got curious or suspicious. Still, that presumption definitely wouldn’t work at Ennario who knew Zefrael as he really is.

Telling the dragon boy the whole truth was definitely easier, but then, should she? After knowing the real reason behind this journey, what if Ennario sided with Zefrael to become her enemy? He was his friend, after all. It would make her trouble doubled.

“Ah, yes, Enna, about that…” Zefrael started with a serious tone, but when he realized Alexia was busy contemplating, he struck a wary pause. He stared at the girl in silence, before an evil-but-happy grin brushed on his face. Turning back to Ennario, he opened his mouth, “Actually, we’re on a honeymoo—”

“—ouch!!”

The demon lord swallowed his words and screamed in pain as a painful cracking sound cried out in the quiet cavern. He grimaced, rubbing his left temple which had struck by a long and blunt object, and dejectedly staring at the girl, “What are you doing, Alex!?”

Alexia promptly gasped. With a feeling like she had just woken up from a dream, she became aware that she’d just thrown something at the annoyingly insane demon lord. Involuntarily, she realized that her longsword was missing from her hands.

In her bottomless fury and her gushed outrage when she heard the demon lord nonsense, it seemed she had lost herself and unconsciously threw her blade, not swinging it properly. It miraculously hit the shitlord, but regrettably, only at the blunt part of the hilt.

H-h-honeymoon, he said!?? No f*cking way!!

Alexia would never, ever, ever want to have one with this shit of a demon lord!!

Zefrael picked up the fallen longsword beside his feet and glanced towards Alexia with a pouting face. “That’s kinda unexpected, and savage, Alex," he commented, "Is this counted into one of your tries to kill me?”

“Who started it!?!” she yelled furiously.

“Well, me?”

The damn shitlord innocently returned her question with a jeering tone, adding more annoyance to her already-piled-up indignation. Alexia promptly cursed, “You son of a—”

“Erm, I don’t really understand, but you guys are married?”

Ennario’s confused voice interrupted her cursing words with a question which sounded similarly annoying than the demon lord's action. Without wasting any time, Alexia immediately moved her glare towards the dragon boy, “You there!!” she pointed at him and let out a streak of hate, “Are you deaf? Or are you blind? Stupid? All of them!?”

Ennario reluctantly rubbed his cheek. “U-um, well—I just saw that you just done a domestic violence to your husband. That’s kinda wrong, don't you think—”

“Holy shit!!" Alexia instantly cursed to cut off the dragon boy's blabbering nonsense, "I’m not married to him!!!” She indignantly pointed her finger to the demon lord, “AND HE IS NOT MY HUSBAND!!! PERIOD!!”

“But Zef said—”

“HE'S LYING GODDAMNIT!!” Alexia screamed again. It was way beyond her comprehension on how the dragon boy’s brain works. Was he faking it, or he was really, really an idiot!?

As if he was watching an interesting show, Zefrael laughed again for a second time, acting oblivious at the fact that he was the one who started it in the first place. He slowly rubbed the sharp side of the girl's blade in his hand, and grinned with a pleased look, “Really now? Who knows it could happen?”

Alexia stomped her feet in blasted fury. She dashed towards the demon lord and violently grabbed the collar of his dark long coat.

Regardless how strong he was all this time—too strong and too fast—to foil every each one of her attack, the demon lord acted a second too late. In the impact of the forceful pull, the longsword fell from his hand and rang against the ground.

“That sick nonsense would never happen in a million years!” Alexia shouted resentfully, straight to his still grinning face, “Don’t! Ever! Dream!!”

“Aww, that’s kinda disappointing.”

Zefrael actually showed an expression brushed with regret, but Alexia wasn’t that stupid to believe him. He was most definitely did it deliberately for his own amusement. She would never play along, no!

“Oh…” Ennario slowly raised his voice. His eyebrows were wrinkled in confusion, “Then, what’s the deal?”

Alexia cast a final glare to her sworn enemy, before she roughly let go of his collar, and threw him away from her. Fortunately, Zefrael wasn’t resisting, he just gave in and shrugged his shoulder.

As she picked her longsword from the ground, the girl realized that the demon lord swiftly turned his attention to his dragon friend.

“Actually, Enna…”

Alexia instantly warned him with a cold glare, and he promptly let out a short sigh and mumbled, “I got it! Stop drilling into me, Alex. I’ll tell Enna the truth this time.”

True to his words, Zefrael started to explain all the things that happened so far. Alexia sheathed her blade and opened her ears wide to listen carefully, ready to interrupt if the demon lord spouted nonsense again. But in the end, she didn’t need to.

Contrary to her fear, the demon lord explained properly and rightfully. He revealed everything that had happened since Alexia’s arrival to his castle, and how it turned out to the present condition where he followed her to a journey. He explained the bizarre proposition he came up, with a sole reason to find appropriate party member for a lone hero.

Truth was out, but for Alexia, that was for the best. She was reluctant at first to tell Ennario the whole truth, but she realized that it was better than hiding it and let Zefrael spouting his nonsensical lies. Still, she did learn it the hard way.

“Party members…” Ennario pondered quietly, “That's an insane reason.”

“Exactly!” Alexia agreed immediately, nodded her head in excitement. Finally, someone who understand how f*cked-up the adventure was.

“I say this insane shitlord is already out of his mind,” she added.

“Hey, you’re being rude, Alex,” Zefrael reprimanded with a grumble. He was standing lazily with hand crossed, discontentedly staring at the girl for a moment, before he turned his unpleased gaze to the dragon boy. “Don’t tell me you agree with her, Enna?”

Ennario started to open his mouth to say something, but Zefrael walked to him and put his hand on the dragon boy’s shoulder. It immediately stopped any words from the dragon boy's throat.

The demon lord smiled, but it was obviously a threatening smile. “If this insane journey didn’t happen, you’ll be most definitely stuck in this cavern as a dragon for eternity. But now you reverted back! Isn’t that fortunate??”

Ennario seemed surprised for a split second, but soon his eyelids dropped down with guilt. “Uh…well…”

“And what caused that fortunate things happen, huh??” continued the demon lord, ignoring completely the clear change in the dragon boy’s face, “Care to clarify to the great hero here?”

Ennario looked uncomfortable with Zefrael’s suave but forceful persuasion. He hesitatingly played his fingers on the tassel of his ethnic bandana, and mumbled, “Err…that, I think…is…this insane…”

He seemed so pitiful that Alexia couldn’t stand to watch anymore.

“Stop cornering him!” she blurted and pushed the Zefrael away. Standing in between the two guys with her back facing the dragon boy, she resentfully glared him, “No matter what Ennario, or whoever say about this journey, for me it will always be the f*cked one. You know why?” she added provokingly to the shitlord.

Zefrael didn’t say anything, but actually, she didn’t need him to say something. With a voice muddled with hate, she continued, “Because you’re in it.”

The demon lord widened his eyes in surprise. He was dumbfounded for a second, before he turned his eyes away from the girl's glare. “Huh, that’s kinda harsh. Do you hate me, Alex?”

“Yes,” Alexia answered immediately. She didn’t even need to think anymore. The answer was already too clear for her, that she didn’t even need to consider the otherwise.

For a second there, Zefrael’s expression was glum. She thought that he was hurt by her words, and finally showed a sign that he would be willing to accept her challenge directly to end this farce once and for all. Instead, he turned back to her with a very bright smile on his face.

“Hate is good. You hate me so much but you still stuck here, in this insane journey,” he said, smiling so contently, as if he never showed a glum expression in the beginning. “If hating me will make you more satisfied, then keep doing it. I won’t forbid you.” Then, he grinned in excitement. “That itself would become the spices of amusement in this insane-but-interesting journey.”

Honestly, Alexia was too astounded on his answer. As usual, the shitlord wasn’t giving in to her. Anytime, anywhere, he always acted like he was having fun the entire journey. Instead disagreeing on everything she does, he just regarded them as interesting.

Then, so be it.

If that the case, she also wouldn’t care anymore.

She would only focus herself at the best part where she would have a chance to kill the demon lord covertly during the f*cked-up journey. To tell the truth, that was the only part that she liked.

“Then, I’ll come,” Ennario suddenly said.

It actually surprised Zefrael, and of course, Alexia.

She wheeled back to face the dragon boy and raised her eyebrows in doubt. “What do you mean?” she ascertained. Who knows she just heard wrongly?

“I’m willing to become one of your party members, Alexia. I did say that I want that chance to beat up Zef, right?” he explained with a slight grin, “And, guess what? Now that my shop at this town is broken down, I should probably find a new place to set up my shop during the journey. Two bird, one stone.”

“Ha…” Alexia replied with a quiet and vague mumble. His reason was actually making sense, but still…

Suddenly, as he remembered something, Ennario hesitatingly added, “Oh, but of course, if you want me to…”

Alexia confusedly stared at the dragon boy’s silver draconic eyes which were looking straight at her. There was no hesitation within his eyes. It seems he was really honest about what he said about being her party member—whatever his reason was.

Having a hard time to believe his choice, the girl peered into his draconic eyes, trying to find something behind that resolute gaze, but she didn’t find any.

Usually, she would straightly refuse.

Even if the demon lord said that the purpose of this insane journey was to find party members, she wasn’t sure that she could accept someone to be her companion. Her stranger anxiety was the main reason.

She would feel uncomfortable with another existence of strangers near her, and ultimately, it would disturb her in accomplishing her mission. At least, that was what Alexia thought.

But, with a reason unknown to her, the anxiety problem wasn’t acting up anymore in front of Ennario. She was perfectly sane and quite calm to think everything through. No nervousness, no panic, nothing. It felt like she was having a sense of familiarity with him.

As he said before, they were the same victim of Zefrael’s improper name cutting. It couldn't be that, could it??

“No, no way, Enna!!”

In the middle of her thoughts, Alexia heard the demon lord’s protesting voice. By the time she realized, Zefrael was already in front of her, obstructing her view of the dragon boy's small figure.

“Why?” asked Ennario.

"It's because you’re not in the list!” Zefrael immediately answered, sounding very certain with himself.

“Ha?" The dragon boy let out a baffled voice, "What list?

“List of party members, of course,” continued the demon lord, “A dragon obviously wouldn’t be there.”

Zefrael stubbornly denied Ennario's idea with his twisted common sense, and really, Alexia was fed-up already. She pushed the demon lord away harshly from her front, and took a step towards the dragon boy who wanted to become her first party member.

Alexia had let her chance to stab the demon lord’s back slip away, but she didn’t regret her actions. After all, she didn’t like it more when her view obstructed, especially by the demon lord. Plus, she didn’t like it more if the shitty demon lord could get what he wanted, right in front of her eyes.

Arriving at one absolute decision, she threw the last ultimatum.

“You can come, Ennario,” she said confidently, “I would love it if you’ll become my party member.”

“Alex!!”

Zefrael protested again, but the girl didn’t try to care even one bit. She was the hero, and it was her party members they were looking. Naturally, choosing them had been her rights, not his.

After all, the main problem was solved already. Her stranger anxiety wasn’t acting up towards the dragon boy, so there wouldn’t be any problem in having him as her companion.

Would it?