Mr. Dragon Knight, the dragon girls are chasing you!

As night deepened, the two returned to the interior of the dragon's nest.

Luo Ye took a quick shower in the hot spring and changed into a set of clean clothes that Eluvia "found from somewhere"—although the size was a little too big, it was still much more comfortable than the tattered combat suit he was wearing.

He returned to his room, lay down on the stone bed covered with thick fur, and felt his exhaustion gradually dissipating.

So much happened that day: the Earthshattering Bear King's surprise attack, the siege by the flying monster horde, the appearance of the Silver Dragon Queen Serafina, and the overnight journey back to the dragon's lair...

He closed his eyes, ready to get a good night's sleep.

But just then, a faint sound of footsteps came from outside the door—or more accurately, the "tap-tap" sound of dragon claws stepping on the stone slabs.

The door was gently pushed open a crack from the outside, and a small black dragon head peeked in.

"Are you asleep?"

Luo Ye opened his eyes: "Not yet. Is there something you need, Your Majesty?"

Eluvia hesitated for a moment, then pushed open the door and came in.

She jumped onto the stone bench opposite the stone bed, squatted down on it, her tail wrapped around her body, as if she was ready for a long talk.

"I have a question for you."

"Your Majesty, please speak."

"Seraphina's gaze towards you was rather strange today in the valley."

Luo Ye's heart skipped a beat, but she remained outwardly calm: "Really? I didn't notice."

"I've noticed," Eluvia said, her voice tinged with a hint of awkward seriousness. "The way she looks at you... isn't the way she looks at a stranger."

Luo Ye sat up and leaned against the headboard: "Perhaps she's never seen a human who can sign a contract with the Dragon King. After all, dragon knights have been gone for over three thousand years, so it's normal for her to be curious."

"It's not curiosity," Eluvia interrupted him, her tone certain. "The way she looked at you wasn't out of curiosity, it was—I've known her for thousands of years, and she doesn't usually look at people like that."

Luo Ye opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.

Elvia and Seraphina have known each other for thousands of years. Her accuracy in interpreting Seraphina's expressions is roughly equivalent to the authoritative level of the Dragon Encyclopedia.

But he couldn't tell her the truth—should he say, "Your Majesty, to be honest, I once tried to woo your old friend, but then I ran away because I couldn't get the Dragon Knight class. Now she might recognize me"?

If he dared to say that, he would probably be blasted to ashes by dragon breath in the next second.

So he chose a compromise—to half-truth about part of the truth.

"...I did encounter quite a few dragons during my adventures." He carefully chose his words, trying to make his tone as relaxed and casual as possible.

"After all, my goal is to explore this world, and I've naturally been to the dragon's settlement a few times. I may have just passed by her, but given her level and status, it's impossible for her to remember an ordinary human adventurer."

Eluvia did not respond immediately.

Her dragon tail tip tapped lightly on the floor, making a soft "tap-tap" sound with an irregular rhythm—as if she were thinking, or as if she was hesitating whether to continue asking questions.

"What you said...makes sense," she finally said, but a trace of lingering doubt remained in her voice.

"But she also said she wanted to see me again—"

"That's just polite talk," Luo Ye interjected, his tone relaxed.

"Just like when people say 'Let's have dinner together next time' in social situations, most of the time it's just talk."

Elva stopped tapping her tail.

She raised her head, her gilded vertical pupils staring directly at Luo Ye, her voice carrying a hint of awkwardness he had never heard before: "...Then, if you see her again, will you go with her?"

Luo Ye was stunned for a moment.

Then he laughed.

"Your Majesty, we signed a pact of life and death." His voice was gentle yet resolute. "Your life is my life. How could I possibly go with someone else?"

A faint blush rose to the tips of Eluvia's ears again.

She turned her head away, her voice muffled: "...I'm just afraid she'll find out the contents of our contract and make a fool of myself. It's not that I care if you go with someone else."

"Yes, yes, Your Majesty is right."

"What kind of tone is that?!"

"His tone was neutral; he simply agreed with His Majesty's words."

"You clearly had a tone in your voice!"

"I don't."

"You have!"

The two exchanged a few words, which ended with Elvia lashing Luo Ye's arm with her tail.

"Go to sleep!" She jumped off the stone bench and walked towards the door without looking back. "I have important things to do tomorrow!"

"What important matter is it?"

You'll see when you get there!

Her figure disappeared into the corridor outside the door, her footsteps fading into the distance.

Luo Ye lay back down on the bed, looking at the dark purple magical veins on the ceiling, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up slightly.

He brought up the system panel and glanced at the favorability rating:

[Eluvia - Wings of Eternal Night Affection Level: 55]

[Note: She's starting to notice your attitude towards other female dragons. Although she's not fully aware of the name of this feeling yet, her instincts are already alerting her.]

Luo Ye looked at the numbers flashing on the system panel and sighed softly to himself.

With her affection level and jealousy rising together, this Black Dragon Queen probably doesn't even realize who she's jealous of.

Then he closed the system panel and closed his eyes.

Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

he does not know.

But he knew that he didn't want to think about that right now.

There's "serious business" to do tomorrow.

He turned over, just about to relax, when he heard a faint voice behind him.

"So—why were you so nervous when you saw Seraphina?"

Luo Ye's body froze instantly.

He slowly opened his eyes and turned his head, only to see Eluvia squatting on the cabinet by the door, her pair of gilded vertical pupils staring straight at him.

"I suddenly realized I was there. Are you lying to me?"

"Our soul connection tells me that your heart raced the moment you saw her."

Luo Ye: "..."

It’s over.

How could he have forgotten that!