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“What’s this?” Khrx and Duchess Rose asked at the same time as a metal object that looked like an egg descended from the sky like a meteor. It landed in front of Anaheim, Khrx, and Duchess Rose, stopping an inch before hitting the ground.
“This is a flight craft,” Anaheim said. “Since I don’t know how far Luke is from us, we’ll use this to get there. I don’t want to fly around half the world using my mana alone.” She pressed a button on her watch, and the egg split open horizontally. “Hop in.”
Khrx and Duchess Rose exchanged glances as Anaheim climbed into the metal egg, motioning from them to follow her. Duchess Rose hesitated, but stepped onto the craft as well after pulling up her dress to grant her legs a wider range of motion. She was wearing a completely black outfit that shielded every part of her skin from the sun, making her seem like the grim reaper. Khrx sighed as he muttered to himself while climbing aboard, “This is so weird. Like I’m becoming unborn.”
“You were born from an egg?” Duchess Rose asked.
“He’s a dragon,” Anaheim said. “You literally went to his home underneath the earth. How did you not realize that?” She pressed another button on her watch, and the two halves of the egg reconnected, trapping the trio in darkness. Anaheim pressed another button, and a series of holograms lit up the insides as three couch-like seats grew out of the floor.
“I thought it was normal,” Duchess Rose said and gestured towards Khrx, who claimed the largest seat for himself. “He’s part god.”
Anaheim stared at Khrx with an odd expression. “Like part god of creation kind of god?”
“No!” Khrx glared at Anaheim. “I’m not like Erif! I’m devoted to a single woman—Fufu.”
“Fufu? Is that what my god, Theda, prefers to be called these days?” Duchess Rose asked as she took a seat.
“What does Theda have anything to do with Fufu?” Khrx asked. He flinched as he was pressed towards the seat from above as the flight craft rose into the air at breakneck speeds.
“You aren’t Theda’s partner…?” Duchess Rose asked.
“No,” Khrx said. “She made me the co-owner of the underworld.”
“Doesn’t that mean you’re her partner…?” Duchess Rose asked. She removed the hood covering her face and blinked at Khrx. She turned towards Anaheim. “Head west. I’ll tell you when to stop.”
“Got it,” Anaheim said. The flight craft buzzed before falling tranquil. Anaheim took a seat and swiveled it around to face Khrx and the duchess.
“Co-owner is co-owner,” Khrx said. “And partner is partner. She asked me to be one, not the other.”
Duchess Rose gave Khrx a wry smile and leaned towards Anaheim. She pretended to whisper into the hero’s descendant’s ear, “Would you give someone the keys to your house and half your property if they weren’t your partner?”
“Hell no,” Anaheim said. “Even if they were my partner, my money is my money. And their money would be my money too.”
Duchess Rose glanced at Khrx. “There you have it.”
“But you know Khrx looks just like a child, right?” Anaheim asked. “That goddess wouldn’t … you know. Right?”
“At most, it’ll take twenty years for a child to become an adult,” Duchess Rose said, waving her hand dismissively. “And what’s twenty years to a god? Nothing. She left her mark on him early so no other gods would interfere before he grew up. When a god shares his or her powers with someone, it shows a clear intent on making them their partner.”
“I wasn’t told about this,” Khrx said, his eyes widening. “What the heck!? What about my opinion?”
“If you haven’t noticed,” Duchess Rose said, her eyes twinkling, “my god isn’t one to ask for opinions. What she wants, she takes. That’s why I worship her.”
“I’m pretty sure that violates a lot of human rights,” Anaheim said. “Not to mention borderline illegal and sunk in a not-so gray area of ethics.”
“A cat will rub its scent onto its property,” Duchess Rose said with a shrug. “A dog will pee on trees to mark their territory. A tiger will defecate to scare away intruders. Even humans will build fences and gates around property they think is theirs.”
“I don’t like any of those analogies,” Khrx said with a dark expression. Did Theda essentially pee on him to warn away other gods? If Theda didn’t do it, would other gods have peed on him instead? “I’m not anyone’s property. I’m Khrx’Lrvnjl, the laziest dragon in the world! I’m going to teach Theda a lesson after we find Fufu.” The flight craft trembled as waves of hot mana billowed out of Khrx, causing the projected screens on the wall to distort and ripple.
“While we’re on the topic of people who think they own you,” Anaheim said, reinforcing the flight craft with her own mana to counteract Khrx’s, “let’s talk about Lorin. She’s completely insane, and she thinks you’re hers. You know that, right?”
“Lorin too?” Khrx asked with a furrowed brow. “Why didn’t I notice?”
“Because you’ve spent more time asleep than awake since I’ve known you,” Anaheim said. “That can’t be very healthy.”
“Head a bit to the south, but not completely southwest,” Duchess Rose said. “Do you know what I mean?”
“You mean west by south?” Anaheim asked as she adjusted the flight craft’s course. “Is this it?”
“No, a little more south,” Duchess Rose said, shaking her head.
“Then west-southwest,” Anaheim said, adjusting the course again. “Now?”
“Yes,” Duchess Rose said. “Perfect.”
Khrx heaved a sigh, causing Anaheim and Duchess Rose to turn towards him. “Why was I cursed with such cuteness?” Khrx asked. “How about Monika? Did she claim me? Isn’t she married?”
“I’m pretty sure Monika sees you as her child,” Anaheim said with a nod.
“Then what about you two?” Khrx asked, raising his head to face both Anaheim and Duchess Rose.
“What? No!” Anaheim said. “I don’t think of you that way. You’re more like a pet I’m taking care of.”
“A pet…?” Khrx asked, tilting his head. His eyes widened as his pupils narrowed into slits. “You think of me as a pet!?”
“If you’re not a pet, then what are you?” Anaheim muttered as she turned her head away. “I shelter and feed you. How are you not a pet? You’re certainly not a roommate.”
Khrx resisted the urge to bite Anaheim’s face. Despite his anger, he still remembered the tragic fate that befell his drinking buddy, Tsorfy. The poor frost dragon was ambushed and killed in a single hit by the hero, and Tsorfy was a lot sturdier than him. Couldn’t Anaheim easily repeat her ancestor’s actions, but instead of killing a frost dragon, she’d kill a dragon of calamity. Khrx sighed as he lowered his head.
“I don’t think of you as a pet,” Duchess Rose said, smiling at Khrx. She leaned over and patted his head. “You’re like a father to me since my god is my mother.”
“I’m a father now?” Khrx asked, his expression dimming even further. Just how many weird relationships did he establish in the short time he spent in this awakening cycle? He’d usually live through thousands of awakening cycles in a row without learning another person’s name! Khrx gritted his teeth. This was all Luke’s fault. Luke needed to be taught a lesson too.