That Elusive and Mysterious Male Lead (16)

Yes, it was Charles. But why hadn't he left? According to the rules here, after delivering the offerings, they were not allowed to linger.

"Zoom in on the image," she instructed her system.

The system complied, enlarging the scene until Charles's features came into sharp focus before her eyes.

He looked rather disheveled. His golden hair had lost its former smoothness, his clothes and boots were caked with mud, and there was a weariness about him that was impossible to ignore. Most importantly, he was heading toward a massive group of wild beasts, all driven into a frenzy by the dragon's presence.

"Why is he..." She fell silent.

Why else? She'd gone too far. And she had called him a knight when they parted ways. In this world, chivalry was valued above life itself.

"Don't worry too much," her system tried to reassure her. "Charles is incredibly strong; ordinary beasts can't take his life. I'll keep an eye on him, and if there's any real danger—"

"I wouldn't be able to do anything anyway," she interrupted. "I can't even make it out of the cave entrance."

"You could have Dahei take you outside!"

"Oh, please. Didn't I just beg for that earlier?"

No sooner had she spoken than the dragon returned with its prey.

Despite its massive size, the dragon could move with startling silence when it wished. She was first startled by the enormous tiger suddenly thrown at her feet, then nearly bumped noses with the dragon's huge head when she turned around.

Those black-gold eyes stared at her unblinkingly as it nudged the dead tiger closer to her.

She remained motionless. The dragon seemed a bit agitated and gave the tiger another push.

She inexplicably understood his gaze: Eat.

"Thank you... but I don't eat raw meat," she replied.

The dragon slowly turned its head, giving the tiger a puzzled look.

"Sigh!" She patted the dragon in resignation. "Honestly, you ought to be quite wise. So why so clueless? Raw meat is inedible." She pointed at the tiger.

The dragon blinked deliberately, then suddenly turned and breathed a stream of fire onto the tiger.

In an instant, the tiger was reduced to charcoal.

She was speechless.

The dragon froze in place.

"Pfft... hahahaha. You really are... unexpectedly adorable." She couldn't help herself and burst out laughing, tears streaming down her face. She cupped the dragon's head and kissed it with a loud smack. "You're a real treasure."

A glimmer flickered in the dragon's eyes. Seeing that the kiss ended with just one, he nudged his head toward her again.

He was as gentle as could be, but she was still nudged so hard she landed with a thud on the ground.

The dragon stiffened.

She laughed so hard she was pounding the floor. "Hahahahahaha..."

The system was silent.

"Alright, alright, I won't laugh at you anymore—pfft... hahaha."

The dragon lowered his head slowly, even covering it with his wing, then turned around, presenting his tail to her, sulking.

"Sorry," she managed between giggles, "we've had professional training, we don't just laugh at dragons... unless it's just too much to resist... pfft..."

The price for teasing a dragon, of course, was that she had to coax him back with great effort, which cost her several more kisses as compensation.

The system looked on in silence and made a difficult decision.

Better not to tell the host that Dahei can take human form.

Once appeased, the dragon went out again, this time bringing back fruit for her.

She was surprised and touched.

At least she wouldn't have to worry about starving for now.

The dragon's injuries, however, were healing slowly; at present, she had no other solutions.

Meanwhile, things were looking up for Charles. He was indeed formidable—the beasts posed him no real threat.

This was the territory of the Dragon God; no other magical creatures would dare approach. As for weaker animals, the dragon usually ignored them, so they managed to survive on the outskirts.

But the closer one got to the forbidden ground, the more lifeless it became.

Charles appeared once more at the boundary of the forbidden zone. He gazed at the thick, seemingly harmless mist, determination etched across his face.