Evan D. Sherden, Looting the Dragon’s Nest (2)

The group from Dungeon didn’t return immediately. Instead, they remained in the hot spring village for another day. Although the attack had ended in a short time, fatigue was inevitable because they had just fought against a dragon.

“Whoa, why am I the only one in the private bath…”

Evan splashed around in a bath that would’ve been enough for ten people to fit in and murmured dejectedly. Of course, he knew the reason. Raihan was the only one who could enter the bath with him, but that wasn’t an option now because he was taken by his lovers as soon as he returned. Hopefully he would be back by tomorrow morning…

‘Am I happy with my life?’

Evan was lying in the bath, watching the night sky over the wooden pillars, harboring such thoughts in that quiet environment. However, he remembered Raihan being dragged away by Hannah and Serpina earlier. Raihan looked embarrassed, but he seemed to like it all the same. It might be Evan’s mistake to think that Raihan might be in trouble with the two. That was how the three people continued their relationship.

‘But it’s not normal for two women to date one man. Maybe they’re trying to balance their unstable emotions by organizing each other’s positions in that way…no, I’m not in a position to talk about it.’

In this era, if he asked people about it in this country, they would ask what was strange. In a world where there was nothing strange about dying at any moment, anywhere, without ability, it had been taken for granted and even encouraged for a person with a more remarkable ability to have several relationships at the same time. It was a natural choice for the survival of the species. However, it was different for Evan, who had modern memories. He knew it shouldn’t be taken for granted…at the same time, he had proudly declared that he would take several mates as his own.

Evan thought it was the most reasonable way, considering everyone else’s situation and mind, but if he put it objectively like this, he was just a big womanizer. It also reflected the numerous bad endings that Evan faced due to his misbehavior in the game. This was the result of realizing that no answer could be found in ordinary relationships.

“Well, I really am just a son of a gun.”

Realizing the fact again, Evan ran his hands through his hair as he contemplated it. It was also common to filter out all the wrong answers and choose only the one left, which wasn’t the perfect answer for anyone.

“That’s why I didn’t want to take it seriously. Whether it’s wrong or right, there is no point in this matter.”

“You’d better take a drink and calm yourself down. How about a glass of cold honey strawberry wine?”

“Oh, thank you, Diona…Diona?”

He turned his head, and there was Diona. She wasn’t in the usual bunny girl costume but in a glossy black bikini. He couldn’t understand the reason why.

“This is my private bath.”

“From now on, it’s a mixed bath, Master.”

“Excuse me, Master.”

“Lua, too…”

Belois appeared at the dressing room door a moment after Diona. Evan realized that this wasn’t a daring solo crime committed by Diona, nor a hallucination. As expected, he was able to see the members coming in one after another.

“I want you to give me a chance to make excuses, Evan.”

Arisha, who showed her delicate body in a one-piece swimsuit that stuck to her body, raised one hand and spoke. She looked very noble and elegant with her brilliant platinum blonde braided and hanging down to one side.

“I wanted to infiltrate, but I was holding it back. I’m not the one who started it.”

“I think that’s what you were going to do from the beginning, considering you brought your swimsuit.”

“I hate when you get sensitive about such a topic.”

It was quite a spectacle to turn away each of them with a slight expression. Evan’s eyes seemed happy, though, despite his words.

“Anyway, to make an excuse.”

“Yes.”

“First, Mirole sneaked in and tried to infiltrate Evan’s bath.”

“…”

As soon as he heard it, Evan was looking at Mirole, but she was looking back without blinking at Arisha’s snitching. Evan couldn’t figure out why this woman was so obsessed with him.

“Belois caught her.”

“I was able to do it thanks to my increased ability to handle mana from the battle with the dragon.”

“Yes, I didn’t consider it. That’s a shame. I wanted to have a bath and talk with Evan alone.”

“And so, I tried to grab her and punish her.”

“You did?”

When she answered Arisha’s words, ignoring Mirole’s comments, Diona responded in her stead.

“I suddenly felt empty. Hannah and Serpina, unlike us, are enjoying a bath with their man. That’s why we’re all angry together.”

“…I realize that everyone agrees.”

“Of course.”

In other words, the Raihan couple’s blatant love affair highlighted their painful situation of cracking down on each other in the women’s bath. They couldn’t stand it, and all of them went into Evan’s bath in the end.

“People will love it when they find out that they went to a hot spring to perform a mission and enjoyed a mixed bath between men and women.”

“Well, the fact that Astray is the leader’s personal harem isn’t a rumor that spread yesterday. Isn’t it a relief that everyone knows that Raihan isn’t a harem member?”

“Yes, I was wrong.”

Evan gave up his resistance and decided to join the party because he didn’t think he would be able to kick them out. Even if he weren’t alone, his self-reflection would continue, and it would be more productive to enjoy reality.

“Honey strawberry wine. Are you going to drink it?”

“Of course.”

Diona took out a bottle, which had been kept cool, and several glasses from her bracelet-type inventory pocket. Drinking in a hot bath wasn’t generally recommended. However, Evan was willing to take the liquor from her because he wasn’t weak enough to worry about its effects on his health.

“I brought it with me to drink only with you.”

“You’re bold, Diona.”

“Moreover, I’m not wearing a bunny girl costume.”

People showed a different image than usual from time to time, so he had no time to be excited about each individual. No, but the honey strawberry she poured was so delicious that he decided to give her lip service.

“You’re pretty, Diona.”

“Thank you, Master. But please be aware that there are more and more women who have foolish hopes like me because you praise us sometimes.”

“Huh, don’t cheat in front of your fiancé.”

Arisha, who said so, held a glass of strawberry wine in one hand. Arisha, soaked as she was in the translucent hot spring water, felt very beautiful. And then he realized something.

“…Wait, I’m naked right now.”

“You realized that just now?”

Arisha smiled. However, her face was a little red. She didn’t drink that much, so it couldn’t be said that it was because of the alcohol. And she had just put her body in the bath. When Evan realized where her gaze was headed, he covered his groin with his free hand, but it was already too late.

“You’ve been looking at it naturally, so I forgot! Why are you so calm?”

“I’m sorry, Master. It was so dashing that I had no time to be surprised.”

“True art takes away the shock. It was just overwhelming.”

“Don’t give me such a serious answer!”

Evan screamed at Belois and Mirole, who were talking quite seriously. Even now, they were facing Evan and, to be exact, Evan’s lower abdomen without blinking once. So, he was mistaken due to their firmness not to back down.

“I’ve brought your swimsuit, master.”

Diona took out swimwear pants that fit Evan, looking as natural as she had when taking out the honey strawberry wine. Evan responded by accepting it, still dumbfounded.

“I wish you had given it to me before the wine.”

“Then, we wouldn’t be able to see it properly.”

Evan put on the swimsuit, avoiding the gaze of the four carnivores staring at him.

“Wow, that’s great.”

“It was a satisfying snack, Evan.”

“Shut up!”

He took the bottle Diona was holding and downed it in one shot angrily, but the second bottle only popped out faster. At that point, Evan decided to give up his dignity neatly. Perhaps this was the price he had to pay to balance his and the women’s unstable feelings.

“Then…let’s have a little serious talk, Mirole.”

Evan, free from shame, opened his mouth after emptying his new drink. Spices were added to the high-end honey strawberry wine, making his throat soft with a more luxurious sweet and bitter taste.

“I’ve been very serious so far…oh, about the dragon.”

When Evan’s eyes grew sharp, Mirole changed the subject abruptly, not wanting the possibility of having him hate her. Soon after, there was an embarrassing smile formed around her mouth.

“But I don’t think I can tell you anything beneficial. I’ve always known that dragons were extinct.”

“I didn’t think it would be easy for a dragon to hide his identity…it’s no wonder that there are more dragons alive and breathing in the world besides the one we’ve just killed.”

“There won’t be many. Especially a dragon that is strong enough to lay eggs.”

“Huh? They need something to lay an egg?”

After listening to Evan and Mirole’s conversation, Arisha asked this question with her head tilted. Evan nodded with his second glass in hand.

“They have to give up some of their abilities permanently. They have to invest mana to create the eggs; that’s why it’s tough to reproduce.”

The existence of a long life in this world might be due to nature’s laws, but it wasn’t easy to have children. The success rate was shallow in the first place. That might be why witches struggled to connect generations, and land fairies and forest fairies had their issues. Bernard and Illoin…it was nothing short of a miracle.

“Dragons are already powerful and have a long life, so there are thousands of penalties for reproduction. They have to hatch eggs over a very long time, and they have to give up their abilities permanently. They still may not be able to hatch successfully. In that sense, dragons that are already obsessed with power have inevitably gone extinct.”

“And did we just kill the dragon who was laying eggs and protecting it so hard?”

“It was self-defense.”

“You have no sympathy for your enemies.”

Arisha just laughed when she saw Evan confessing the guilt of killing the dragon right after talking about why it was so difficult to reproduce.

“Anyway…I’m more aware of the situation because of this. The world doesn’t work that way.”

Evan, who now emptied his glass, leaned back against the wall and mumbled, eyeing the roof of the bath. The other monsters were delicate. Even when the Devil Rune popped out, he could move on easily, thinking that the monster of the Yo-Ma Great War 5 had only popped out a little earlier. However, the dragon had a different story. They were the beings of the past. The existence of a past that couldn’t be seen now, however…

“It’s not a bad thing to be prepared for every possibility.”

As if she had read his mind, Mirole spoke quietly. Come to think of it, Mirole didn’t look so surprised when the dragon had appeared. It wasn’t surprising, considering her usual personality, but she shouldn’t have done that against the dragon. She shouldn’t have done so if she remembered when she had hunted the last dragon of the previous generation in Yo-Ma Great War Zero.

‘Maybe that’s why she came to Sherden…’

He wasn’t sure yet, but perhaps this was the case. Evan succeeded in swallowing the thought. Next to him, Mirole spoke up in a flat tone.

“Maybe the divine seal has been unsealed.”

“…”

Evan was silent.

She added, “You wouldn’t know if I said it like this.”

However, Evan knew it. It was one of Yo-Ma Great War Zero’s critical scenarios, and Evan knew it. The Seal of God was a great spell formula performed by the ancient Master to protect humankind from all kinds of high-ranking beings that had endangered the world’s existence. The fact that the seal was undone meant……

“An ancient monster like a dragon may appear on the ground.”

Evan heaved a deep sigh. It meant that he would have more work to do in the future.