Great Eastern Forest, Enkatria.
Before Wise stood a Large three story mansion.
Formerly owned and abandoned by a wealthy merchant who fled due to the dangerous nature of the forest, a few renovations later and it was now his home.
The walls had been repainted dark blue with white highlights giving the house a cool vibe and the flowers were in bloom, adding to the beauty of the frontage.
Seeing the building, Wise felt the overwhelming feeling people usually had after arriving home.
It was the only home he could remember after all, after dying, all Wise could remember was the day he fought a hero.
The hero had bonked him on the head with a mystical blade which seemed to restore his memories of his past life, all while making him lose his dragon memories.
Sixteen years of his life, poof!
Imagine waking up to a fight with a cocky hero with city level powers. Wise did the only logical thing he could have done. He flew away.
He let out a sigh.
"Welcome to my home. Shall we?"
The princess gave the house a thorough look.
'How does a dragon's house look inside?' She wondered as she took the first step forward.
Just as they both got to the front porch, something swiftly intercepted them, standing between them and the door.
Esme shivered when she saw it and quickly hid behind Wise. What stood before them was like a cross between crocodile and man.
Its skin was a deep green with red patches. A tail swayed behind it like how a dog's tail normally would in the presence of its owner and its lips were parted, revealing rows upon rolls of jagged serrated teeth.
"W-wise… it's a lizard monster." Esme whispered sharply in his ear.
Wise let out a chuckle, imagine clinging onto a dragon out of fear for dragonoids… who is meant to be more terrifying?
The dragonoid seemingly offended by her words, crossed his hands across his chest and let out an angry gruff.
"I am no lizard! I am a proud Dragonoid."
Esme's eyes widened to the point that Wise felt her eyes might pop out.
"Y-you can t-talk?"
The dragonoid took a step closer and Esme took one back.
"What do you mean? Of course I can talk."
Still taking steps backward, Esme bumped into something solid and almost stumbled to the floor.
But then, she felt someone grab onto her hand just in time to prevent her fall.
Once she was stable enough, Esme raised her head to see who her savior was.
"Thank you—eek!" She yelped
Standing right next to her was another of the so-called dragonoids. Only that this one was red and seemed feminine due to a noticeable bulge in her chest area.
Esme wanted to run but she was still holding firmly onto her hands.
The dragonoid smiled at her but only managed to look more terrifying in the process.
Esme suddenly felt light headed.
"Welcome back boss." The red dragonoid said as she finally let go of Esme.
Wise smiled, watching as Esme slowly crept back to him.
"How are things, Kurenai?"
"Everything is great boss." She said with a hint of pride in her voice.
Kurenai and the second dragonoid were creatures under Wise's leadership.
Dragons often had dragonoids serving them, and not only that, dragonoids without a dragon as their leader were often seen as inferior to those who had one.
He was quite shocked when the dragonoid tribe native to the forest pledged their loyalty to him, but they had turned out to be very useful.
Kurenai glanced at Esme before returning her gaze to him.
"Oh, this is Princess Esme. She'll be staying with us from here on out, make sure to be kind to her."
Kurenai nodded and offered her scaly hand. "Pleased to meet you."
After a brief moment of hesitation, Esme took her hand. "Pleased to meet you too."
Wise then pointed his thumb in the direction of the dragonoid that had barred their path.
"That one there is Champ, he's a real talkative so don't indulge him."
Champ waved his hands apologetically at Esme. "Sorry for scaring you earlier." He said, to which Esme nodded.
"Least I forget. Have you gotten my message to the Orks?" Wise asked Champ.
The Orks were another tribe that lived within the forest of Enkantria.
Champ went down to a knee. "Yes boss!"
"Alright then, you guys can continue your patrol. It's been a long trip, I need to rest."
Champ finally left their path and pushed the door open for both Wise and Esme to enter.
Once they got inside, they were greeted by a nice aroma that waffled into the air from deeper into the mansion.
Wise smiled immediately he perceived the scent and his stomach growled, filling him with a ravenous hunger only befitting a beast.
He was about to sprint towards the kitchen when he felt a hand grab onto his shoulder.
Wise frowned and turned to check who was bothering him, only to gasp.
Nestled in the dark corner of the room was a girl with pitch black hair that went down to her waist, dark eyes that resembled an endless void and pointed ears.
Scattered around her were multiple twisting shadows, moving as though unsettled by a spiritual force.
He gulped.
~[Name: Daphne Ethkránknier]~
Well, that is a mouthful.
[Race: Elf]
I see an elf, I like an elf.
[Level: 15]
Capable Warrior! But not the best…
[Exp: 90/1000]
Not bad.
[Affinity: Darkness and Shadow]
Be careful with this one…
[Ability: Shadow Manipulation]
The host can call shadows to her aid. Can blend well with the darkness and might just feel a noticeable strength buff the dimer the world gets.]
You caught a big fish and you didn't even try! If only she wasn't a little—violently inclined.
[Skills: Shadow Excursion]
"Daphne! You look lovely today."
For a moment there was no response, then an icy voice came from the corner.
"Where have you been?"
Only when Esme heard her voice did she realize someone else was there.
She turned only to stiffen in fear and scream at the sight of the shadowy figure— just before running deeper into the house, leaving Wise all alone.
"Oh…" The sight of Esme only seemed to tick her off the more.
Wise felt shadow tendrils, similar to tentacles, climb up his leg and wrap themselves around his throat.
"We made you dinner."
There was no love in those words, which made Wise even more worried. That was because—
"If you are here, who is cooking?"
A giddy laughter emerged from the corner and Daphne stepped into the light, smiling wide.
There was also a faint blush scattered around the beautiful constellation of freckles dotting her face.
If someone were to see her now, they would think she was a perfectly normal girl.
Yet her next words made her no different from the demon king himself.
She cocked her head to the side and her black hair fell downwards like a wave of black.
"Freya of course."
'Shit.'