Punish Her For Me (7)
"Demon Seal Mandala?"
Atergar immediately recognized the pattern etched on Kosa's eyepatch.
"Looks like you've got that instant-death gaze curse. One look into those eyes and you're done."
She put on an exaggerated look of disappointment as she gazed up at me.
"So that's what it was? You even have tastes like that? Sigh... I give up on you now..."
"At least it's not a reptile fetish, so relax and sit in the chair."
I forcibly planted Atergar in the chair opposite Kosa.
Kosa sat quietly, her hands clasped politely on the table, waiting.
"Kosa. Take a look at this one's past. There's something I want to know, but she won't talk even if it kills her."
I had to know for sure if Atergar really turned Myanfeld into a sea of flames—or if not, who the hell did it.
Only then could I resolve the refugee issue.
If those refugees kept hanging around, the city and all the requisitioned businesses would bleed money big time.
And with Bue blocking the southern road, it was obvious the same mess as when Golruk clogged the north would happen again.
The longer this dragged on, the more massive the losses.
"Oh, a fortune teller, huh? Now I get it. Make her relive peak orgasm on loop forever, nonstop..."
What the fuck was in that crazy dragon head of hers?
I ignored the babbling Atergar and said to Kosa, "Sorry about that. Just let her nonsense slide."
"It's fine, Master. I meet all sorts in this line of work. Really."
Atergar shut her trap quick once Kosa stayed so composed—it wasn't fun anymore.
Kosa opened her mouth with a faint smile.
"Please tell me your birth date and name."
"Birth date...?"
Atergar looked a bit troubled but soon gave the info.
But... her birth was hundreds of years ago.
Kosa's face shifted subtly at that.
Still, the veteran fortune teller started divining exactly as instructed, no hesitation.
As Kosa's fingers danced complex patterns on the table, Atergar scoffed like it was a joke.
"Saw some trick somewhere, huh? All it's gonna do is fool outsiders with that fancy eyepatch and bleached hair vibe. Total scam artist."
Kosa didn't react at all. Neither did I.
Atergar clammed up and just stared at Kosa's fingers.
For a dragon who'd lived thousands of years, why did she act like such a bratty little girl?
Maybe hanging around in that kid form made her actually believe she was a young human.
Hell, a few hundred years might be a blink for a dragon's lifespan.
So... she really was a baby dragon.
The room fell silent, filled only with the tapping of Kosa's fingers on the table.
Then, abruptly, they stopped.
Atergar and I both looked to Kosa's mouth at the same time.
"Great dragon."
Kosa spoke softly.
"I am but a lowly creature, but I offer my condolences for the hardships you've endured."
Atergar stared at her, stunned, then furrowed her brow deeply.
"A mere human daring to offer comfort to a dragon...?"
Flames flickered from Atergar's nostrils in rage.
I was ready to smash her head into the table right then.
But no violence broke out.
Because suddenly... Atergar sniffled and started bawling her eyes out.
Atergar rubbed her unstoppable tears with both hands and wailed like a banshee.
Kosa just sat there silently, but I had no clue what was up, so I panicked hard.
I figured she'd lost her territory to another dragon or something, but was it that cry-worthy?
Sure, it could suck, feel unfair, piss you off. Humans bawl their eyes out sometimes.
But I'd never heard of a dragon crying like this.
A baby dragon just a few centuries old—maybe her mental age matched her looks...
Dragons were so strong, violent, and rare that solid info was scarce.
So I just guessed.
Her snotty face was pathetic, so I pulled a handkerchief from my pocket and handed it over.
Atergar snatched it, wiped her tears, and blew her nose—then a sudden spark turned it to ash.
Damn...
Still, Kosa had some steel nerves. Finding out the girl in front of her was a dragon mid-reading, with breaths and flames flying, and she kept her cool.
Hell, she even comforted the dragon.
Wait, but when she read my past, she was shocked...
It took a while, but Atergar finally calmed down with hiccups.
"Haa... Feels refreshing."
"Never knew dragons could cry like that."
"A heartless monster like you, cold-blooded killer..."
"Yeah, yeah. Sorry."
I waved her off to shut her up.
"Kosa. Tell me what you saw."
"Master. A fortune teller's code of ethics forbids sharing someone's past with others."
I turned to Atergar.
"Hey. Can I hear it?"
I raised my fist subtly.
(Kosa couldn't see it, of course.)
Atergar eyed the rising fist in terror.
"Blind fortune bitch...! Spill it already!"
Kosa turned her face toward us like she could see.
"If you insist... I'll tell you."
Then Kosa recited what she'd seen in her gray, monotone voice—like an ancient epic of high dragons, monotonous yet captivating.
Kosa's tale matched what I'd guessed almost perfectly.
Ten years after I kicked her out, Atergar returned to Myanfeld—and got jumped by another dragon right away.
Like it was waiting for her; the second her feet hit land, it dove from the clouds.
Yeah... so that's why Atergar wouldn't say shit even staring death in the face.
A prideful dragon couldn't admit sober that another dragon beat her ass and chased her off.
Especially not to the human who'd already thrashed her once.
"So, who was the dragon?"
"Lurtjog."
"Huh...? Lurtjog?"
Lurtjog was one of the few dragons with a known name.
The royal intel spread bullshit that he toppled the Demon King's Castle to hide my existence.
Why the hell was that blue dragon's name popping up now?
Last I knew, the bastard was hibernating...?
Nah, nobody knew if he was sleeping or off somewhere.
Dragons polymorph into humans and blend into cities—no Holy Sword, no finding them.
Suddenly, I recalled what Myanfeld's acting admin Jeffrey told me.
Bolts from a clear sky, right?
Yeah... blue dragons breathe lightning...
"Lurtjog attacked Myanfeld?"
"The blind fortune bitch already said it, you dumb fuck. Memory like three seconds..."
"Whoa, whoa, I got that far. But why did Lurtjog go after you—and the whole damn city?"
Atergar clammed up again.
Pride even after her ass-kicking got exposed. Classic.
"Kosa? You tell me instead."
Kosa spoke quietly.
"The dragon Lurtjog has tormented Lady Atergar for a long time. Ten years ago, she fled to Myanfeld and nested nearby to escape him—from her original home."
Hmm... so that's it.
I pieced the timeline together.
Sometime back, Lurtjog kept harassing Atergar.
She fled all the way to Myanfeld.
But even there, she couldn't settle—got chased off by me to the distant sea.
Ten years later, back at her nest... boom, Lurtjog waiting in ambush.
Dragons obsess over their lairs, so he figured she'd return and laid in wait.
"When Lady Atergar encountered Lurtjog, she polymorphed into human form and hid in the city. So Lurtjog attacked the city to flush her out."
Myanfeld had the shittiest luck.
A blue dragon, of all things.
Any dragon could've razed a city easy, but blues were extra savage.
Like Hildeva said—vaporized into flatland.
"Makes sense... Dragons don't die from a few breaths, so trash the humans and buildings, leave her alone."
Now the question: would Lurtjog chase her here...?
"Lurtjog coming here?"
"Don't even know blue dragons never let go once they bite? Common knowledge?"
"So yeah, he's coming."
Lurtjog would torch Rosens like Myanfeld to find Atergar—lightning inferno.
Two options: I handle it, or hand her over.
First meant intercepting before Rosens—dragon speed and breath range meant no blocking on the north road. At least to Fribourg, maybe farther north...
But that endangers Fribourg, so even higher up... problem was, nobody knew his path or direction.
Handing Atergar over? Not ideal.
Not pity—she was my ward now—but Lurtjog's real goal was unclear.
If why he hunted her stayed vague, he might not leave even after.
"Hey. Why's Lurtjog after you? What's the reason?"
Atergar stayed shut, whatever the cause.
"Fuck, this is frustrating. Knew you lizard shits had pride, but not this much. Just spit it out. I need to know to ship the refugees off or whatever."
I vented a bit angrily; she flinched, shoulders hunching.
Annoying yet pitiful—I sighed, and she finally spoke cautiously.
"That crazy dragon... he's insane..."