Then the dragon paused, staring at me for a long moment, like it hadn’t fully decided yet. Just as it seemed ready to speak, Midori muttered to herself.

  “Huh,” she said with a relieved sigh. “So it was all a nightmare… I’m glad the person I made a soul bond with didn’t turn into a cockroach—” She froze mid sentence.

  She slowly closed her mouth, eyes drifting away like maybe the words would crawl back in if she pretended hard enough. The dragon blinked once.

  “...A what?” it asked, very calmly.

  “You heard nothing,” she muttered. “Just… continue with your offer.”

  “A soul bond… yes, of course,” the dragon said, suddenly forgetting about the offer and locking onto that idea alone. “Why didn’t I think of it earlier? Right. How else could a snail like you end up in such a pretty body?”

  It nodded like it had just solved the biggest mystery in the world. Then it turned to me, eyes sparkling with excitement.

  “I want one too. Please, make a soul bond with me.”

  “What?!”

  I just stood there, brain completely gone, trying to process what the dragon had just said. Then it leaned its huge head closer and winked at me. Winked. Like it had just proposed marriage and was waiting for me to say yes.

  Midori, though, had clearly reached her limit with all the flirting and sudden enthusiasm. Her foot slammed down, nearly cracking the stone, and she stormed forward. With some inhuman strength, she grabbed the dragon by the neck and shook it back and forth.

  “Do you even hear yourself?” she snapped. “A soul bond? Huh? There is no soul bond for you. None.” She yanked it closer, eyes blazing. “We came here to kill you. Do you understand? To kill you!”

  I had no idea how Midori even managed to grab that massive dragon by the neck, let alone shake it like that. I just facepalmed, peeking through my fingers, wincing at every movement. It was like a tiny ant threatening a giant worm, completely ridiculous and painfully impressive at the same time.

  “Midori, please—”

  Before I could even finish, the dragon, clearly fed up with being shaken, shot its massive body out of the water and into the sky. Midori, still clutching its neck, dangled helplessly, legs flailing as she tried, and mostly failed, to land a kick.

  “Let go! Put me down! Right now, or else!” Midori kept yelling.

  The dragon didn’t even flinch. Its gaze stayed fixed straight ahead, perfectly still, while Midori flailed at its neck in frustration. Just watching that scene was starting to hurt me.

  “Hey, uh, could you… maybe let her go?”

  The dragon gently plopped her onto the ground… right on her butt, in the most passive-aggressive way possible. Midori swung her leg and kicked its side, but the thick scales didn’t even flinch. Then it turned those sparkling, excited eyes back on me.

  “So, what do you think? You know… my talent’s way better than this snail’s. You can summon anyone instantly, and it doesn’t drain all your mana!” it said, practically pitching itself on the spot.

  “My butt!” Midori shouted, jumping up on her feet. “You can only use it twice!”

  “At least not just once, like some lowly creature here,” the dragon snapped. Then it looked at me, eyes shining again, “And I don’t have to wait days to get my mana back!”

  “Okay, okay, fine,” I said, rubbing my head like it might stop the headache. “Look, I don’t want power or any of that,” I added, turning to Midori. “We came here for edelweiss, and we got it. Someone needs saving, and immediately.”

  Then I looked back at the dragon and paused, already regretting this conversation. But we had already decided, if talking was possible, we’d try to solve the problem that way first.

  “And as for you,” I said slowly, choosing my words like they might explode, “the thick mana on this mountain drove my people from their homes. It’s killing things just by existing. I don’t know if you’re the reason. But if you are, I’m asking you to stop.”

  “Wha— I didn’t even know that,” it said, pausing to think for a moment. “Yes, the mana is coming from me… but I can’t stop it, I’m afraid.”

  “It’s right,” Midori said with a tired sigh. “This thing… It has mana disease. Or a curse. I don’t know. Even if it wanted to help, it can’t.”

  Then she paused for a while, looked at the dragon, and wrinkled her face in disgust.

  “When they mentioned the thick mana on the mountain, I should’ve guessed it was this worm… but sadly, I wiped all memories of it. Until I saw this ugly face again.”

  Stolen story; please report.

  “What kind of disease is this?” I asked fast, turning to the dragon before it started to explode Midori in return.

  “Uh,” it said, glancing away, clearly uneasy. “I produce mana. All the time. It… just never stops.”

  “What? What kind of disease is that?” I asked. Then I added before it could answer, “And why is producing a bad thing?”

  The dragon glanced at me, then at Midori, clearly unsure how to explain. It didn’t seem eager to talk either, just looking at its face, I could tell even thinking about this conversation was painful.

  “Let me,” Midori said, reluctantly glancing at the sky. “Think of it like this rain… but it never stops. It pours everywhere, floods everything, and eventually, even you get drowned—”

  “She’s right,” the dragon said with a deep sigh. “It’s not just a disease. It’s… a curse.”

  “Of course,” Midori said, stepping toward me, her finger trembling as she jabbing at the dragon. “This overgrown worm is cursed and deadly. So use your domain already. And don’t stop until it turns into a dry piece of leather.”

  Her eyes sparkled with something dark and sharp. Anger, bloodlust, hate… I couldn’t tell which, and honestly, I didn’t want to. None of them looked good anyway.

  “Domain? Impossible!” the dragon exclaimed, eyes widening as it froze on me. “Wait, don’t tell me… the demon lord didn’t actually die?”

  “Oh, no,” I said, waving my hands. I was so sick of explaining this story again and again. “He sure died. But before that, he chose me as his heir. And, I’m the new demon lord. It’s… a long story.”

  “I see…” the dragon said, though I was sure it didn’t. It narrowed its eyes at me, suspicious. “Still, something about you is off, I don’t sense any mana from you. That scary bastard had so much that it made the world sweat.”

  “Because—” I started, unwilling, but Midori cut in, and honestly, I felt relieved.

  “He has no mana source,” she said flatly. “None at all. That’s why.”

  “Oh,” the dragon said, nodding almost wisely. “Yes… yes… now it all makes sense.”

  It was clearly thinking out loud, forgetting we were even there. Then it snapped its gaze back to me, eyes shining.

  “Well then,” it said, suddenly way too excited, “that’s just one more reason for a soul bond with you. I’ve been waiting for someone like you for my entire life!”

  “Forget that,” Midori snapped, still fuming. “As if I would ever let you make such a bond. Just end it. Use your domain and—”

  I grabbed Midori’s arm and pulled her a few steps away. I leaned in and whispered, almost hissing, “What did we agree on before? If we can talk it out, we don't jump to violence. And look at it. It doesn't feel like trouble. It feels like… it needs help.”

  While we whispered, the dragon slowly leaned its huge head right in, close enough to feel its breath. I felt a chill crawl up my spine. I turned around fast.

  “We are having a private talk here!”

  “Oh, sorry,” the dragon said, embarrassed, pulling its head back. But its ear stayed tilted toward us, very much still listening.

  “...So what?” Midori whispered. “That was before we saw this cursed worm. Now we know the danger and—”

  “That’s enough,” I cut in. “I came here to save a life, not add another body to the pile. We are going to talk. And you are going to help. Got it?”

  She pouted, giving me a look that inspired zero trust. In a tiny voice, barely audible, she muttered, “Fine.”

  We went back to the dragon. I looked at it and waved my hand. “Sorry. You can go on.”

  “Oh, of course,” it said, barely hiding its excitement. “Now, where was I… right. Soul bond. You and I are clearly made for each other.”

  That single sentence was enough to make a few veins pop on Midori’s forehead. She raised a finger, ready to blow up, but I gave her a look that said not now. Somehow, she swallowed her rage and stayed quiet.

  “What does that mean? And also, what was that offer you mentioned earlier?” I asked, turning to the dragon, confused.

  “Ah, you can forget that,” it said sheepishly. “That was before I knew you were a demon lord. I was... going to suggest you stay by my side as my servant—"

  “Like hell!” Midori yelled.

  “Right. Sure. Please... go on,” I said, rubbing my temples.

  “Alright, I produce mana nonstop. And you, from what I’ve seen, can drain it with no limit. So if we stay together—”

  “Never!” Midori snapped.

  “Yes, please continue,” I said at the same time, completely ignoring her. So did the dragon.

  “As I said,” the dragon went on, “if we work together, my mana won’t cause trouble anymore, because you can pull the excess into yourself.”

  “That sounds… great,” I said. The words just escaped from my mouth, and I didn't dare look at Midori’s scary face.

  But the more I thought about it, the better it sounded. I mean, every time I took mana from others, I felt like a thief who still paid taxes. But now, right in front of me, was a creature basically asking me to suck it casually.

  “Or,” Midori said, “it leaves this mountain and the problem is solved. Or better yet, we kill it. I would enjoy that.”

  “If you could do that, you wouldn’t have run off last time, you giant snail!” the dragon snapped. Then it spun toward me way too fast. “Please don’t make me leave this mountain. I’m allergic to flowers. And… this is the only place where they don’t grow.”

  The dragon said it so seriously, so sadly, that I almost felt bad for it. Then it glanced down at the dozens of crushed edelweiss sprawled around its feet, and that pity almost completely evaporated.

  “…Well. Except for that one.”

  “So you’re stuck here because you’re allergic to flowers,” I muttered, rubbing my forehead. “But I still don’t have full control on my domain. I can’t just drag you around and eat a mountain of mana every day. And honestly, if it weren't you, I’d be dead already, crushed by my own crazy mana ball.”

  “Oh, you got it wrong,” the dragon said, waving its arms. “I do produce a lot of mana,” it added with a nervous smile, “but not a whole mountain. That mana you just pulled? I’ve been making it for almost a quarter of a century.”

  Midori stepped in close and leaned to my ear, her voice sharp with anger and clear jealousy. “That one’s a liar, a trickster, and a… forget it. You’re not thinking about making a soul bond with it, are you?”

  “I don’t see it that way,” I whispered back. “And don’t try to manipulate me, I’m already lost enough.”

  I said it, but deep inside, I had already decided. I was just nervous. The thought of having another boss level monster, an SSS-tier one, walking with me made me shiver. I could already imagine the chaos they might cause later. Still, fixing the town’s problems from the source made it worth it.

  “Fine,” I said, turning to dragon. “I have no problem with it, but I’ll be honest. I have no mana. I borrowed teleportation from Midori and my domain from the previous lord. So, none of them are mine. All I can offer you in return is this empty human body.”

  The dragon gave me a slow look, top to bottom. Then its eyes slid to Midori. It started drooling, and yeah, I knew exactly where it was staring. It looked back at me.

  “So, will I get a body like hers?” it asked, eyes narrowing.

  “I think so,” I said. “But I can’t promise. I don’t even fully know how it—”

  “Deal! I’m in!” the dragon said, not waiting for the rest.