Natural Disaster (2)
‘But… more sexy and beautiful than being naked. What the hell happened?! This isn’t what I wanted!’
Audria had always imagined a dignified and kind master, yet here he was—Rian—staring at her with open-mouthed awe.
‘I want to confess my love! Hey, miss! G-give me your contact info…!’
While Rian stood there, dazed and smitten, Audria felt his scorching gaze brush over her like a physical touch. Every time it landed, heat flooded her cheeks and she struggled to keep her composure.
‘If only you wouldn’t stare…!’
It wasn’t that she disliked the attention, but this situation, this strange flutter in her chest, was entirely new to her. She could only manage a cold, haughty expression, refusing to show how flustered she truly felt.
Her mind spun in helpless confusion. Like a person under a spell, she simply walked past the still-gaping Rian without a word.
“Today I’ll stay here and sleep. So don’t sleep early—stay up late and take care of me.”
With that, she slipped into her room and slammed the door shut behind her.
Thud!
Rian snapped back to reality at the sound.
“You’re sleeping here?”
Of course everything on the farm belonged to the princess, so it was perfectly reasonable. Yet something still felt off.
“If you’re going to heal your wounds, you should rest at the lair. Are you sure you’re alright…?”
Inside her room, Audria sat on the edge of her bed, heart racing with quiet hope.
‘I hope Rian will be here tonight… Did I close the door too hard? It should be fine… Rian would understand. If only he’d come inside and talk to me…’
But all night, Rian only appeared when she called for water, then vanished again without another word.
“Urgent business—I’ll be going now!”
“Already?”
“Yes, four o’clock!”
He slipped out of the room like a startled rabbit.
Left alone, Audria let out a long, sulky sigh.
She had been disappointed that he never did what she truly wanted.
“Babo can be fixed, but it said even a repaired fool is still a fool. Hmph!”
Yet Rian had his own reasons for keeping his distance.
‘I’m trembling so much I can barely speak. I only put on one layer of clothes, and why does she look even more beautiful…?’
By midnight, exhaustion finally claimed Audria. The day’s excitement faded, and she drifted off with a quiet, “I hate you…”
Rian, the clumsy fool, quietly opened her door to check that she was asleep. A relieved sigh escaped him.
“Hoo… finally asleep.”
He closed the door as gently as he could and flashed a wide, happy grin.
“Yo! Free time starts now! Sweet!”
***
The next day, Rian’s lessons continued without end.
Audria taught him how to choose the finest seeds and how to breed better ones, all while slipping in quick bursts of Haste Flash training between words.
After weeks of wrestling wild boars in the fields, ten days after mastering magic, Rian finally achieved enlightenment.
His running speed through the fields had become astonishingly fast, yet he made no sound at all.
Two days after that realization, he drove his spear straight through a boar’s body.
The beast that had tormented him for so long let out a final cry and flipped onto its back.
“Princess, look! I caught one!”
Rian shouted in triumph, but Audria’s expression remained perfectly calm.
“This is only the beginning. Tomorrow I’m going to hunt goblins.”
“G-goblins?!”
Day after day, study and training blended seamlessly. Four years had vanished in the blink of an eye.
Now Rian had mastered Lagreanir completely, learned every farming technique, and could discuss crops with Audria on equal terms—offering opinions first and holding his own in debate.
During this time, the two were deeply focused on crop improvement.
Their goal was to develop new varieties that were healthy and slowed aging, so Rian—whose lifespan was shorter than a dragon’s—could live longer.
Having spent nearly four years side by side, their feelings had grown in secret.
With just a little more encouragement, the two would surely have ignited into a blazing flame.
But Rian’s habit of treating Audria with the utmost respect and reverence always pulled him back from the edge of passion…
Meanwhile, trouble was brewing for the pair.
High above the entrance to the Great Gorge leading to the King and Queen’s Sanctuary Farm, a massive man hovered in the air, dark devil wings spread wide.
“So this is what you call a barrier? How pitiful, Audria.”
He thrust out one hand and exerted gentle force. The transparent barrier covering the entire gorge shattered with a resounding crash.
When the gorge revealed its true face, the Demon King Vanderzhaar smiled wickedly.
“Well then… shall we go eat that woman’s power too?”
***
“Hey, look up there!”
Rian pointed at the sky and cried out happily.
“They came again this year too!”
A vast flock of swans blanketed the southern sky—countless white, black, and mixed swans, even a few with golden-yellow heads.
They landed on the farm without hesitation and rushed toward the towering harvest piles, devouring everything with greedy delight.
“Well eaten.”
“Yeah. I hope they all had their fill.”
“Look, they’re fighting. Fighting each other.”
Rian shouted.
“You brats! You’ve got plenty to eat—stop fighting and share nicely!”
Four years earlier, when Rian had first arrived, he had asked Audria how the farm’s abundant harvest was handled.
She had answered calmly, “When my father was alive, we mostly sent it to Lorelei Palace. After he passed, contact gradually faded. Now we share it with the descendants of the white swans my father took with him in his youth.”
“White swans? The hero called the Dragon Slayer had a white swan following him? Not wolves or eagles, but without any showy flair?”
Audria nodded politely.
“It was a clever white swan that saved my father in his youth. They named it ‘Dig’ and said he always took it wherever he went.”
“Did the princess see Dig too?”
“When I was born, Dig had already died ten years earlier. I only knew his descendants.”
Back to the present.
Morning.
Under the shade of lush trees.
Rian and Audria sat side by side, watching the swan flocks with quiet delight.
“Quack!”
“Cooak! Cooak!”
“Piiik!”
It had been ages since the farm had felt so lively.
Smiles bloomed across their faces as they watched the swans finish the harvest.
Rian had been in this world for four years, yet Audria’s beauty remained unchanged.
Even without makeup, her flawless white skin, glowing golden eyes, and elegant dignity made her as breathtaking as ever.
By contrast, Rian had changed a great deal.
His shoulders were twice as broad, his chest broad and powerful, his waist slim, and his legs long and graceful. His body was larger, but every inch was lean and well-muscled.
Having followed Audria like a devoted older sister every day, he had grown more mature and steady in both personality and heart.
“Hoo… worked since dawn. I’m exhausted.”
Rian yawned and stretched.
“Princess, I’ll take a nap.”
The swans would take their time finishing the harvest.
“You must be tired too, Princess. Take a short rest.”
“Mhm.”
When Rian lay down on the grass, Audria followed without thinking.
She wasn’t particularly sleepy, but with her only companion dozing, she saw no reason to stay awake alone. Yet the moment she lay down, fatigue crashed over her.
Perhaps because every moment with Rian had been so pleasant, she had never truly felt tired before.
She quickly slipped into deep sleep.
In her dream:
A magnificent wedding hall.
Her mother in a beautiful wedding dress and her father in fine attire stood before her.
Dragon and human wedded together.
Everyone had always believed it impossible, yet here were successful couples.
Under the blessings of many people, her parents kissed.
How much time had passed? When she woke from her nap, Audria’s heart pounded wildly with deep worry.
Marriage between dragon and human. As the result of that union, Audria felt no reluctance whatsoever about marrying a human—especially not Rian.
‘What would Rian think?’
The brilliant sunlight and gentle breeze made her heart race even faster.
‘Marry in a thousand years or tomorrow—either way, my only spouse will be Rian. Why waste time with anyone else? Besides, humans have short lifespans. Time is gold.’
A sense of urgency to have children soon also stirred within her.
The breeding instinct of a monster greater than a human urged her forward—not only her mind, but her fully prepared body as well.
Her body was already perfectly ready for pregnancy.
Audria clenched her fist tightly.
She turned to look at Rian beside her.
He had woken from sleep and was now blankly staring at the swans, rubbing his sleepy eyes.
The swans that had finished their meal were leaving one by one.
“No words of thanks, you guys.”
Rian smiled.
His clear, gentle smile always sent her heart fluttering.
Gathering her courage, Audria finally spoke.
“Rian.”
“Yes?”
She cleared her trembling voice and spoke carefully.
“If I keep living alone, it will be lonely. Shouldn’t I start looking for a good match soon?”
Rian’s eyes widened in surprise.
“You’ll introduce me? Do you know anyone?”
Audria immediately frowned.
“Am I an idiot? Why would I do something like that?”
She snapped back at him, then her face flushed bright red.
“What I mean is… there’s no human woman here who would look at you, and the situation is like that…”
Seeing her speak so shyly—unlike her usual proud self—Rian immediately understood.
‘Hah… is the princess perhaps…?!’