A big piece of news spread throughout the border village that day: Hero Loranhir had rescued the princess from the evil dragon Patunasankus's lair, which was tremendous good news for the locals.
The villagers prepared flowers and fruits to offer to the heroes, enthusiastically entertaining the hero in their eyes, as waves of cheers and adoration came rushing in.
"Have you heard what the bard said? The great Hero is truly remarkable. At the age of 6, she could kill a bull with one punch. Who would have thought that in less than a year after becoming a hero, she's already slain a legendary evil dragon? Truly worthy of being the chosen one!"
"Evil dragons must be killed at any time! They must be killed! Think about it, folks. You leave the village with your wife, eating bread and singing songs, when suddenly you're abducted by an evil dragon. So, days without evil dragons are good days."
"Really? The evil dragon won't come back again?"
"That's guaranteed."
How did the rumors get so exaggerated?
Loranhir maintained a stern face, naturally controlling her serious expression, calmly dealing with the enthusiastic villagers. Even though she was accustomed to such scenes, her heart still pounded uncontrollably, which ironically attracted even more admiration and praise.
...That's enough.
Loranhir couldn't help but look at the princess beside her, a faint sense of satisfaction rising in her heart, unexpectedly immersing her in it.
This was a feeling she had never experienced before.
Patunasankus secretly observed the hero's reaction, thinking that this hero was naturally so cautious that even in such a celebratory atmosphere, the Heart of the Red Queen was still making noise. It was too difficult for her to find a suitable time to make her move.
However, Patunasankus wasn't very interested in such occasions.
Throughout her life, she had received more fear and curses from humans than anything else. She didn't mind; at most, she would respond with a blast of dragon fire. If she won, she would gain some peace and quiet.
Patunasankus didn't know what was going on today. By all rights, she should have been in some country's capital right now, spewing fire and kidnapping a princess.
Yet here she was, sitting in a carriage, receiving welcome from the villagers, which felt completely bewildering to her.
Her throat itched.
She wanted to breathe fire.
"Princess... Princess! Princess!"
A faint call reached her ears. Patunasankus didn't respond until the childish voice grew louder, and she finally turned to look.
"Hmm? Are you calling me?" Patunasankus asked.
She saw a little girl running beside the carriage, carefully offering a floral wreath headdress, seemingly handmade, filled with unrecognizable wildflowers.
The evil dragon looked at the girl in confusion, making no move, while the girl continued to hold it up foolishly, blinking eagerly. The two of them stared at each other blankly, as if waiting for something from each other.
"Thank you, little one," Loranhir said, taking it herself when Patunasankus showed no reaction for a long time. She gently placed it on the princess's head.
"...?"
Patunasankus raised her fingertips to lightly adjust the headdress, her long hair sliding from her shoulders. Sunlight streaming through the treetops danced brilliantly upon her.
She instinctively tilted her head and raised her eyes to see what had been placed on her head, but this was obviously impossible. Instead, it made her look even more adorable to Loranhir, who finally couldn't help but reveal a smile.
"It's very beautiful. It suits you well."
The hero said.
How strange.
The evil dragon just turned her head, her hair fluttering. She paused for a long moment before answering.
"...Thank you."
The villagers, unaware they had just escaped being turned to charcoal, escorted the group to a small inn at the village entrance.
Loranhir had planned to rest here for the night before making further plans, but before she could properly settle in, she was dragged away by the village chief, who insisted on showing her the village's finest sword.
Although the hero had the right to eat, drink, and take things for free anywhere, Loranhir was too embarrassed to refuse, leaving Patunasankus and the two attendants to rest at the inn temporarily.
At the inn's counter, a hunched old woman with white hair approached Patunasankus carrying a fruit basket as soon as she saw her.
"What an adorable young lady. My apples will surely suit your taste. This basket of fruit is free for you."
The evil dragon looked her up and down, contempt hidden in her eyes.
Did she need anyone to give her things for free?
She always just took what she wanted by force.
After thinking briefly, Patunasankus still accepted it.
Free stuff was always welcome.
"I knew you'd like it. This old woman will go get you some wine as well." Saying this, the old woman slowly walked out, leaning on her cane, and disappeared at the doorway.
Patunasankus narrowed her eyes, watching her leave, feeling a sense of familiarity. After brief consideration, she handed the fruit basket to the two attendants.
She didn't eat vegetables.
"You've had a long day driving the carriage. Thank you for your hard work."
Patunasankus said expressionlessly, ignoring the attendants and going upstairs without looking back.
She needed to think about this familiar feeling alone, sensing that she had experienced a similar aura somewhere, from someone.
Where was it?
Before she could think carefully, Patunasankus heard the faint conversation of the attendants downstairs as they chewed on the fruit.
"...Following the hero is definitely the right choice. I say, this is much more enjoyable than our previous lives as bandits robbing and killing people on the road..."
"...Shh, keep your voice down. Don't let anyone hear us."
"What's there to fear? It's just a wet-behind-the-ears kid. We can easily fool her into doing whatever we say. If you ask me, these so-called chosen ones aren't very bright, believing whatever they're told."
So noisy.
She wanted to breathe fire.
Patunasankus's cheeks puffed up. She hated being disturbed while thinking or eating. In her dragon lair, all servants knew Patunasankus preferred quiet; they would deliberately lower their voices when talking, fearing the temperamental dragon would fire them.
Just as Patunasankus was contemplating where to start burning, accompanied by the creaking of a door, a stooped old woman walked out from the back room, trembling and holding her forehead.
"...My head is so dizzy, as if someone hit me. Has the inn been robbed again?"
"Whose pretty young lady are you?" Upon seeing Patunasankus, the old woman asked in confusion. "Are you here to stay at the inn?"
Looking at this person with an appearance identical to the old woman who had just left, Patunasankus tilted her head slightly, her golden ahoge gently rising.
At this time, the conversation between the two attendants downstairs also began to sound strange.
"...Your idea was good. We can use the hero's name to take things from locals without leaving a single thread behind. But the princess is truly beautiful. I've never seen such a beauty before. It's just a pity... Hey, what's wrong with you? Your face doesn't look right."
"I... I don't know... There seems to be something wrong with this fruit."
Before the attendant could say much more, he clutched his throat in pain, his face contorting.
The other attendant noticed something was wrong and tried to help, but soon a sharp pain erupted from his lungs as well. His face turned purple, his legs buckled, and his body dropped.
Then came two "thud—" sounds.
By the time Patunasankus went downstairs, the two attendants were motionless. Black-purple tainted blood seeped from their orifices, their pale hands open, dropping half-eaten fruit. The basket had tipped over, spilling its contents across the floor.
Fortunately, she didn't eat fruits and vegetables.
Patunasankus unhurriedly picked up an apple, examining it carefully.
The smooth skin showed an enticing red tint, and there seemed to be a faint black energy flowing, like tiny veins meandering under the skin, as if countless small black dust particles were attached to it.
Without a doubt, it was contaminated with a moist affliction curse that would use corpses as a breeding ground to cultivate the curse. Thus, even after death, one could not return to the realm of the deities of their faith and would suffer eternal damnation.
In Patunasankus's knowledge, this was one of the most taboo existences.
Patunasankus finally recalled where she had sensed a similar aura.
Just once.
Before Princess Latifa's death, she had briefly sensed something similar from her, but it vanished so quickly that she had dismissed it as an illusion.
"..."
Patunasankus closed her eyes, allowing various thoughts to flood her mind—thoughts concerning a girl with dandelion-colored hair.
"How interesting."
The evil dragon grinned, eating the apple in one bite.