You think you're worthy of saving the world?

Just as Yuri was about to speak, there was a knock on the door.

It was Emil, who came in carrying a tray with dinner for two.

Dinner was even more lavish than Yuri and the others had imagined.

Two slices of ham paired with two slices of bread spread with butter; the bread was well-fermented and had a perfect texture.

The side dishes included cream soup and unidentified fruits picked from the island, a small cup of homemade wine for each person, and even pudding as dessert.

It seems that the village chief's statement that "under the protection of the Dragon God, the islanders live a comfortable life" was not an exaggeration.

The bread was brought to them, and Yuri and Chaika exchanged a glance.

One should always be wary of others, so they secretly activated the magic of "detecting toxins".

Even without doing so, Yuri is protected by the "Black Round Table" and will not be affected by the toxins.

In conclusion, the food is non-toxic and safe to eat.

Jiaika had been walking all day and was starving, so she immediately abandoned all pretense of ladylike manners and started eating heartily.

Yuri also slowly ate his bread while drinking wine.

Throughout the meal, Emil stood by, silently watching them.

She left with the tray and leftovers after the two had finished their meal.

"Please get some rest, I'll come again tomorrow morning."

"Yes, thank you for your hospitality, Mrs. Emil!"

"Mmm, what a satisfying dinner..."

After the door closed, Chaika sat on the edge of the bed, touching her lips and complaining happily, "Yuri, really, all he does is scare people~"

Everyone on the island seems like a nice person... Ah, but it's better to lock the door at night, just to be safe.

She jumped out of bed and walked towards the door.

Yuri took off his coat and hung it on the hanger, then spoke with his back to Chaika.

"If my guess is correct, there was something wrong with the wine we just drank."

"How is that possible?"

Chaika smiled and waved her hand: "Didn't we just use 'Detect Toxin'? There was no reaction, right?"

“Yes, because it wasn’t poison,” Yuri said.

"what?"

With a click, Jaika locked the door from the inside.

Her delicate brows furrowed slightly, her face showing displeasure: "Don't talk nonsense, Yuri..."

Do you have any evidence to back up your claims... By the way, umm... is it a bit hot tonight?

Yuri unbuttoned his inner vest and glanced at Chaika's delicate face, which was slightly flushed.

"I think Mrs. Emil put an aphrodisiac in the dinner drink, hoping we'll contribute to the village's population growth."

152 The Longest Night

"...Ugh...Hmm...?"

Disordered breathing echoed in the quiet space.

Jaika sat hunched over on the edge of the bed, her face flushed, her legs together, and her clenched fists clenched.

“I suspect that Mrs. Emil just put some kind of drug in our wine.”

With her back to Jaika, Yuri said calmly, "She was watching us closely the whole time we were eating, especially when we were drinking."

"Since... since you knew... um... why didn't you tell me sooner!?"

Chaika pressed her hand to her rapidly heaving chest and glared resentfully at the black-haired boy's back.

Yuri replied matter-of-factly, "Because she was right there the whole time, and I felt it wouldn't be right to expose her scheme in public..."

"This is also your fault. Didn't you always nag me to get along well with everyone on the island, to avoid conflict as much as possible, and absolutely not to use force?"

The girl with braided hair bit her lip: "In... under these circumstances, it doesn't matter if there's a conflict!"

Strange, why is Yuri so calm?

Chaika was utterly baffled. She herself was burning up with heat, but Yuri, who had also drunk the problematic wine, seemed perfectly fine.

Could it be that……

I'm actually a really cocky girl, so does that mean the drug works faster than on average?

Thinking of this, Jaika's cheeks flushed even more.

She tried to use antidote and healing magic to remove the effects of the drug while attempting to distract herself with conversation.

"Gurgle... I don't understand, why would Mrs. Emil do such a thing?"

She was completely baffled as to what reason the other party would have for drugging her and Yuri.

Yuri said, "Didn't I explain the reason to you before? It's because of the lack of population on the island."

Mrs. Emil seemed to want the two of us young people to contribute to the island's birth rate.

Hearing his explanation, Chaika was utterly bewildered: "Huh?"

Yuri continued, "The natives of this island are required to offer a young girl to the Dragon God every month, and over time, there are fewer and fewer young girls in the village."

At the same time, some of the young men could not stand the monotonous life here and fled the island.

We saw that during our visit, didn't we? There are very few young people in the village; it's mostly elderly people and children.

I don't know about other villages, but this village's population structure is nearing collapse.

“That’s not what I wanted to ask… Hah…”

Jaika lowered her head and asked haltingly, "We're only staying on this island for a short time, right?"

Even if something happened between us tonight, it's impossible that it's too late... right?

She crossed her arms and didn't finish her embarrassing words.

"About this point..."

Yuri finally turned around and looked at Chaika again.

Wow...so handsome...

The girl with braided pigtails squeezed her legs together, staring at his face and thinking to herself: Is Yuri really this handsome?

Seriously, not only is his face handsome, but his arms and legs are also so long, slender, and beautiful... *cooing*

"Don't space out, listen to me carefully." Yuri frowned.

“Yes…I’m listening!” Chaika exclaimed, blushing.

Yuri asked, "Do you know how old Emily is this year?"

Jaika didn't know why he would bring up the village chief's granddaughter at this particular moment, and instinctively replied, "Little Emily... she looks about 8 or 9 years old?"

“I asked her secretly, and she said she had just turned 5 years old.”

Yuri said, "As for Emily's father, it seems he disappeared shortly after his daughter was born."

Chaika's eyes widened: "How is this possible!?"

She has younger siblings of her own, so she is very clear about the children's ages and situations.

What are 4- and 5-year-old children like?

What are 8- or 9-year-old children like?

Chaika asserted that Emily could not possibly be only 5 years old.

Yuri nodded, stroking his chin as he analyzed, "That's the problem."

I suspect the inhabitants of this island probably have a growth rate far exceeding that of normal humans.

"Varied……"

Jaika was so shocked by Yuri's almost absurd conjecture that her mouth dropped open.

"Although it's hard to believe, this explains a lot of things."

Yuri said, "Not only the growth rate, but maybe even the pregnancy period is very short... half a year, no? Less than three months?"

Only in this way could the people on the island continue to this day despite the Dragon God's excessive demand to offer a young girl every month.

"What an incredible ecosystem! Is this the power of the Dragon God?"

Yuri has 5000 hours of playtime in Goddess of the End, but he has never heard of such divine power that can actually catalyze human growth.

"So... um... that's why Lady Emil drugged our drinks?"

Jaika swallowed hard as she asked the question.

If Yuri's conjecture is correct...

So if something really happens between me and Yuri tonight, and I end up giving birth to a child on this island...

The children born would be considered a blessing from the Dragon God by the villagers and forcibly kept as candidates for sacrificial offerings...

Was this what Mrs. Emil was trying to do?

As for the reason—

Emily's lovely face instantly appeared in Chaika's mind.

To protect his daughter...

To minimize the chances of their daughter becoming a tribute to the Dragon God, they must increase the number of newborns in the village as much as possible.

This is Mrs. Emil's machinations as a mother...!

Yuri nodded, stroking her chin, and said, "That's right, as expected of the most talented woman in the history of Academy City, she's very bright."

Although I also wondered, on this island, even the village chief's granddaughter has to become an offering to the dragon god...

However, it's precisely because he treats even his granddaughter equally that the old man was able to become the village chief.