"You are making me sound like a pervert."
"Aren't you?"
"Am I?"
Albion looked at Layland with an amused smile on her face. Very few dared to talk back to her and despite not being the strongest among them or even stronger than the weakest, Layland dared to do that. Layland was a smart Demon, so she was sure he was not overestimating his power. He was confident that he would surpass her soon.
She had initially laughed at that but she had long way changed her mind. Layland had only spent 37 days in her care yet he was already incomparable to when he first came to her. His growth was ludicrously rapid. The more he was pushed the faster he grew. It excited her when she thought about what his limit would be.
"Compared to you, that lass is not progressing well." A sigh of disappointment escaped from Albion as she thought about Aurelia.
"You Dragons are too fond of the 'let them figure it out' method. It wouldn't have been a hassle if you had just told her that she no longer had the Seal."
"That won't do, my dear. It would have worked if it was a measly human's Seal but it is a Dragon's seal. If she has someone tell her about it, the Seal will reactivate itself."
"I thought a strong emotion was enough to break it."
"Aurelia is just unlucky that the strong emotion she felt was love. Had she been in danger, she wouldn't have to suffer from this fate."
Layland didn't say anything, not knowing how to respond. He was conscious of the eyes that women put on him whenever he was around, so finding Aurelia holding an interest in him was not so surprising. However, he had never considered it to be so pure. He could easily swat someone's sexual attraction since no sincerity was involved but not when it was something innocent like this.
In a way, he felt grateful to Albion for keeping Aurelia occupied at the moment. He had been thinking of a way to convince Aurelia that what she was feeling was superficial, yet he was somehow sure that it wouldn't work. The Seal had even confirmed it wasn't true. Aurelia wouldn't buy it easily.
Remembering his main reason to come to Ne Okozmo, Layland quickly cast the thought away. He came here not to overthink but to get stronger. Putting off something was not his style, but he had to when it would only hinder him. By the time he paid attention to his surroundings, he was already in the monitoring room near the hall where Aurelia was trapped.
Layland slightly blinked his eyes when he looked at the screen displaying Aurelia. It was his first time coming to the room after Albion did something to Aurelia. He didn't know what Albion did had such an effect on Aurelia. One would have a lot of ways to describe Aurelia, but sane was not among them.
Boom!
With a swing of her hand, the air exploded. The space trembled as a small dimension rift appeared. It was quite bewildering to witness the hall withstanding such a fearsome force. He was once again reminded that Dragons were the existence that had driven the Gods to the end of their era.
Whoosh!
Aurelia did everything she could to break the Seal that Albion had cast on the hall. She tore the dimension with her claws but the Seal remained undamaged.
Crack!
The veins in her forehead became even more prominent as frustration overtook her. Lightning sparkled around her as she clenched her hand. Thrusting it forward, she hit the door. A deafening explosion was produced and the ground also trembled as if it was in fear.
Rumble!
Witnessing the spectacular scene, Layland wondered out loud, "Ddraig should be capable enough to do it, shouldn't he? Is he truly trying to enjoy our fight?"
"That coward isn't comparable to Aurelia, but, yeah, he should be able to do this much." Albion waited for a few seconds before giving Layland the answer he wanted to know. "Your greatest quirk is that you grow faster the more you are pushed. Ddraig is a coward—he is afraid to die—so he holds back. He doesn't want you to accidentally kill him."
"I thought the Dragon's population was no longer an issue. I didn't expect you guys are not back to your old lifestyle."
"The Great Reset has taught us something precious: a long boring life is better than an adrenaline-ridden short life."
"So, Dragons have become reasonable."
"That is not quite true, but let us go with that."
Rawr!
Layland and Albion's attention was brought to Aurelia when they heard her roar. Its loudness wasn't the only thing that caught their attention. There was something ominous in the roar. Layland was not quite affected by it since he had faced death countless times, but Albion was visibly shaken. It sounded like a death sentence even for a Dragon of Albion's calibre.
Aurelia was losing her human form. She looked more and more like a Dragon as seconds passed. At the same time, her pressure was increasing rapidly. The amount of Mana she was exuding was enough to make the space tremble and the Seal falter. Even without doing anything, her presence alone would be enough to get her out of the hall.
"Finally. That girl managed to realize what she wants." Albion laughed ominously. "She has returned to being a Dragon! Unfortunately, she will also be looking for my head after this."
"That Seal shows her an illusion that tortures her mentally, doesn't it? What did you make her see?" Layland asked curiously while soothing his trembling soul.
"…it shows her a world where I violate you while she is watching, unable to do anything but cry."
"…"
Albion didn't need to look at Layland's face to tell that he wasn't amused. The silence said it all. Fortunately, Layland didn't ask her anything about the details of the scene. No matter how thick-faced she was, she would be embarrassed to describe it. Even a Dragon like her also had a fantasy that she didn't want anyone to know.
"Albion!!! I will tear your fucking head off and extinguish the hell's fire with your blood!" Aurelia roared with an ear-grating distorted voice.
She had turned into a full-fledged Dragon. Her black skin was covered in purple veins that let out purple flames. She was slightly smaller than Albion, but her pressure was incomparable to Albion's. Granted, Layland had never seen Albion use her full power, yet he was sure Aurelia was stronger than Albion. Albion herself had even hinted about it on several occasions.
"Might as well run away!"
As soon as she said that, Albion disappeared into thin air, leaving Layland behind. Aurelia seemed to notice it too since she immediately glared at the spot that was previously occupied by Albion. Her eyes didn't stay there for long as she soon turned them to Layland. The said Demon merely stood there and took her resentful gaze with a confused look on his face.
"You…! What have you become? How could you easily accept that harlot as your master!?"
"…I don't know what you are talking about." Layland felt like a boyfriend who was facing his girlfriend's rage for cheating in her dream.
Aurelia extended her Dragon hand and made a grabbing motion toward Layland's direction. Layland thought nothing would happen since he was behind the screen but was completely wrong about it as he found himself in Aurelia's hand in the next moment.
Rawr!
Aurelia roared at him but did nothing that harmed him. Someone at Mark's calibre would have been reduced to ash if they were in his position, but he was way tougher than someone like Mark, so it was technically harmless.
"Who is your master?" Aurelia asked spitefully.
"The day I have a master will be the day this world ends," Layland answered calmly.
"Hm…you sound like Layland. Now, I can be sure that the thing I saw was not you." Layland was about to ask her what she saw when Aurelia tightened her hold around him. "But to think that you would call her master as you licked her foot like a horny retard…! Just why were you so moronic in the illusion!?"
Layland opened his mouth only to close it again. He didn't know what to say. He didn't even want to wonder why Aurelia insisted that he was somehow at fault. That would be a headache for him.
"You even pounced on her like it was the most honourable thing you ever did. You looked so ecstatic as you…hmph!"
Aurelia's speech was not quite intelligible, but Layland could understand what she was saying. Though, he didn't get what she meant. Either way, it was a good thing since she had calmed down. Her pressure was still soul-crushing but wasn't something that Layland couldn't handle. It might not have been the case in the past but he had grown stronger.
It took Aurelia a few more seconds to put Layland down. She then quickly reverted to her human form and crossed her hands as she glared at Layland with judging eyes. Not knowing what to do, Layland merely stood there with raised hands. Then, out of nowhere a 'crack' resounded throughout the hall.
"S-Sorry…I feel like my frustration would kill me if I didn't do that," Aurelia said with a guilty look before lowering her head in shame. Layland was about to pat Aurelia's head to ensure her he was fine with it when she continued, "But know that I did it because I love you. It was so real that I couldn't help thinking maybe it could be you."
Aurelia looked up. "It pains me greatly to think that you can be reduced to such a pathetic existence. I will never let my Layland become that thing."
Aurelia's eyes twinkled. It was so mesmerizing that Layland didn't realize her hand was on his cheek. He regained his composure when she eliminated the distance between them. Despite being in full control of his body, he didn't do anything as Aurelia kissed him for the first time.
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