Time to Pay the Price
“We need to talk. Alone. And you’d better be honest with me, at least while we’re face to face.”
Raylin’s crimson eyes flashed like the blood-red full moon hanging in the night sky. Her gaze was sharper than ever, the look of a wild beast staring down its prey. Those eerie red irises burned with an intensity that left no trace of the usual heart-shaped pupils that marked her Dragon’s Allure.
‘Her eyes are completely normal? Why only Raylin? How…?’
Somehow, Raylin alone had eaten the bun without falling under the Dragon’s Allure. Before I could dwell on it, she spoke again, her voice low and deliberate.
“What’s wrong, Whitey? No answer? You look like a terrified little puppy…”
“……”
“Don’t tell me you’re already scheming again? Trying to wriggle out of this with another cheap trick like before?”
Raylin stepped closer, her tone carrying the weight of someone who already knew everything. Gone was her usual cheerful, boisterous self. Right now she was nothing but a predator sizing up her next meal. Her eyes seemed even redder than usual, as if promising a storm of blood.
—Step, step, tap…!
She stopped right in front of me, pressing close enough that a wave of heat washed over my skin, like standing in front of a blazing furnace. Her body was radiating intense warmth.
“Um, Sis…? I think there’s been a misunderstanding—”
“Whitey? It’s nighttime. We should be quiet, don’t you think?”
—Smack!
“Hup…!?”
“Everyone else is fast asleep, you know?”
Raylin suddenly clamped her palm over my mouth, cutting me off. She raised a finger to her lips and whispered for silence. Her hand was burning hot, the fiery heat of a Flame Dragon seeping into me. My ears flushed crimson in an instant.
‘Still, it’s not as scalding as last time. I probably won’t get burned at this level…’
I had worried my skin might melt from her dragon body heat, especially since even light contact a few days ago had left burn marks. But things were different now. Maybe it was because I had accumulated more Dragon Hearts since then. The heat was noticeable, but tolerable. It didn’t strain my body much at all.
“Why are you giving me that pitiful look? What exactly do you think you did right?”
“Puhah…! S-Sis……?”
Raylin finally withdrew her hand, her eyes cold and piercing. She gave a small nod, as if granting me one last chance to explain myself.
“…It really couldn’t be helped. Let me explain everything from the beginning!”
“You’d better. You were planning to charm everyone and get away with it… I never imagined you’d stoop that low.”
“Huh? H-How did you—?”
“Hmm~ I guess our little Whitey wouldn’t know. As the heir of the Flame Clan, there’s no way I’d fall for the ability of a lower-ranked clan, right?”
“A-Ah……?”
“Dragon’s Allure doesn’t work on me. I’m immune.”
So that was it. I had overlooked the difference in clan affinities. Eros’s earlier explanation came back to me.
‘Even if they share the same roots, blood is still blood, huh?’
The Flame Clan held the upper hand. On top of that, there was a significant level gap between Raylin and Eros. I hadn’t considered that until now.
“I’m really disappointed in you, Whitey. After everything we’ve done for you…”
“I-I’m sorry.”
“Sorry isn’t enough. Why? Why did you take in those second-years? Were we not enough for you?!”
“…I had to, to stay alive.”
Now that everything was out in the open, there was no point hiding anymore. It was better to come clean and beg for forgiveness. Maybe she would understand that I had no choice if I wanted to survive.
“…What?! Did those second-years threaten you or something!?”
“N-No…! That’s not it! Just listen to me, Sis……?”
“Hohwawa…? So you healed the internal injuries from the monster using Eros’s heart instead of Sofia-senpai’s? How could you even…?”
After hearing the full story, Raylin muttered in shock. She wore a hollow expression, murmuring something like, “So now I’m even behind the second-years in line…?”
“Gulp……!”
This was bad. I had been honest to survive, but it only seemed to shock her more. Losing her spot in the hierarchy to juniors one after another must have hit hard. I wouldn’t have been able to laugh it off either.
“Haaaaah……!”
—Fwoooosh!!!!!!
Raylin let out a scorching sigh, flames bursting from her mouth instead of mere breath. Thankfully, the blaze only burned the oxygen in the air. For a second I thought she was going to incinerate me on the spot. She was barely holding back her anger. Without the favorability and the pact we had formed, I would have been charcoal long ago.
“……”
I couldn’t even swallow anymore. The heat had dried out my throat completely. Breathing in front of Raylin was difficult.
—Whoooosh…!
Outside, a bleak wind howled, while inside the watchtower a heavy, suffocating silence lingered.
“Hoo… Whitey?”
“Yeah? Ah, no…! Did you call for me, my lady?”
“It’s fine. You can speak casually. I understand.”
“Huh…? R-Really?”
The answer was far gentler than I expected. Raylin continued, her jaw clenched tight.
“…In the end, you’re safe. You had no choice if you wanted to live, right?”
—Grind…! Grate…!
Her voice was calm, but the sound of her teeth grinding told a different story. She was forcing her emotions down, trying to reason rather than react.
She was right. Without Eros’s Dragon Heart, I would probably be a cold corpse by now, weakened to death.
“Y-You’re right! Sofia’s Dragon Heart had already activated during the day, so I had no other way to cure the weakness!”
I forced the words out despite the terrifying atmosphere. If I didn’t convince her now, I never would.
“But even so……”
“Yeah?”
“You only needed to receive the Dragon Heart. Why did you have to sleep with them? And why Sonya too?”
“T-That’s……!”
Damn it. I should have just stayed quiet. I hadn’t expected her to counter like this. There was no excuse. Taking in Sonya and Eros had been pure instinct. I simply couldn’t resist the urge in the moment.
“Why aren’t you answering again? You’ve got nothing to say about this, do you?”
“……”
“Haa, looks like you’re admitting it yourself. Fine. Let’s set that aside for now…… You still have to pay the price for impulsively taking them in, don’t you?”
“W-Wait…! The price?”
“Of course. I’m going to punish you properly for being a bad boy♡”
“……?!”
With those words, Raylin’s shadow slowly began to swallow me whole.
2.
The return trip to the dormitory went smoothly. Raylin’s flight was swift and graceful. She had transformed into her massive dragon form and carried everyone on her back.
Condition-based rapport established with target (Sonya/Ice)!
Congratulations!Formal rapport successfully achieved!
‘Whew, Sonya’s quest is finally over.’
—Creak, click!
After returning to the dormitory with Raylin, I laid Derke down in her room and was heading back. Things were finally starting to settle one by one.
—Flop!
I went straight into the night-duty room and collapsed onto the old bed. I wanted nothing more than to fall asleep right away, but I couldn’t. There was still work to be done.
—Knock, knock, knock…!
A knock sounded at the perfect moment. It was probably Raylin. She had likely just finished bringing Sofia and the juniors to their rooms, just like me.
—Creeeak…!
The knock was merely a formality. The door opened without a word, and a dark figure stepped inside.
“Whitey? Everything sorted?”
“Yeah……”
“Good. Then it’s time to pay the price, isn’t it?”
“Sis? What exactly do you mean by the price……?”
“It’s simple. Bad children deserve to be punished, don’t they♡?”
“……?!”
With those words, Raylin’s shadow slowly began to swallow me whole.