Chapter 16: Has Your Attack Begun?

"Safir, do you want to teach me instead of the Demon King?"

The woman in front of him spoke softly, her expression confused because she was uncertain too.

The Gem Dragon suddenly loosened its fingers, and even the palm that had just touched the other’s skin began to heat up.

You reckless female.

Safir would not let himself say any rude words; he had faced more insults while being with Lin Lin than he had in his whole life.

Lin Lin questioned his loyalty to the Demon King Castle and mocked his arrogance.

Safir had not felt anger for many years.

Even though the people around him could easily do things that would make anyone angry, how could Lin Lin think that way about him, the last survivor of the previous Demon King Castle who had raised the Demon King himself?

She accused him of desiring what belonged to others.

Order was Safir’s bottom line. Lin Lin was accusing him of intending to break that order.

Safir’s heart beat coldly.

Safir calmly watched the confused human woman who had not received an answer.

She was only in her twenties, Safir kept reminding himself. Although Lin Lin was considered an adult among humans, twenty years old was still just a young cub for the Dragon race.

Safir neither answered yes nor no. The question was not worth responding to in the first place.

"I will tell the Demon King that you need to be taught basic common sense," Safir said calmly, his voice deep like that of the Dragon race, "I will supervise his results."

Lin Lin’s heart skipped a beat.

Safir’s calm and slightly drawn-out tone reminded her of painful memories from school.

It was truly the kind of terrifying teacher who graded solely based on facts, never giving a second chance even for a score of 59!

Lin Lin was as terrified as a struggling student who knew they had to take a sudden exam.

If I had known, I wouldn’t have asked! She just wanted to make a little joke about Safir’s annoying habit of being overly serious.

The change in Lin Lin’s expression did not escape the eyes of the Dragon race.

She widened her eyes, wanting to say something, but was afraid that her words would make things worse, so she carefully kept quiet.

Lin Lin’s panic calmed Safir a little; at least this daring human still understood fear.

The Sapphire Dragon’s cold eyes swept over Lin Lin’s legs.

The ointment he brought was a healing balm often used by magical creatures. Safir, being a dragon, had never used it, as he rarely got hurt, so he didn’t know how it felt to use it.

From Lin Lin’s recent strong resistance, Safir guessed that this potion might be a bit irritating for humans.

Looking at the woman’s slightly pale, soft face, the heart of the Dragon race softened a little too.

Maybe I should make her a gentler potion, Safir thought.

–

"Hello, the Demon King is not available right now. Please leave a message after the beep."

A mechanical male voice came from the receiver.

"Your Majesty the Demon King, I know you are listening on the other end," Lin Lin’s voice was eerily calm, "If you don’t answer the phone, I will make a mess of your study when I return."

One, two, three.

On the other end of the line, someone picked up. The young man pretended to yawn to show he was working hard, "Oh, it’s you, Lin. I was just too focused on my work and didn’t hear the phone ringing right away."

He was lying; he was definitely lounging in the sun, enjoying afternoon tea.

Lin Lin was no longer interested in exposing the Demon King’s lies; she had something much more important to deal with.

Lin Lin tightened her grip on the golden receiver and calmly said, "May I kill Safir?"

Using the word "please" makes it seem polite.

The person on the other end of the phone was silent for two seconds, "Lin, you are really adapting more to the style of Demon King Castle. But he is my teacher, even if he always looks serious and lectures, it shouldn’t go this far."

Lin Lin ignored the prolonged voice of Demon King on the other end of the phone; she didn’t even finish listening to Demon King’s defense for Safir, "He wants you to teach me about how to treat beings from other races, and he said he would supervise your teaching."

"Oh…" Demon King adjusted his tone, casually as if he just thought of something during a chat, "Do you know that the weakness of the Dragon race is their heart?"

Switching sides so quickly! You’re just a coward who fears teaching and being supervised!

"Now I know," Lin Lin added, "and there is also a Dragon Slayer sword in his bedroom, although it was given as a reward by the king, and it’s impossible to pull it out of its sheath."

"You can use that," Demon King was already fully advising her, "a sword used by the Dragon Slayer will carry the will of the Dragon Slayer; you don’t need to pull it out, just stab it into the teacher’s heart."

At this moment, don’t call him teacher anymore.

Lin Lin said confidently, "Okay, I have completely mastered this."

The Demon King encouraged, "I wish you success, my future first assistant!"

The dragon race asked in surprise, "What are you talking about?"

Lin Lin paused for a moment, her right hand gripping the receiver became stiff.

She slowly turned around and saw Safir standing behind her.

He had just gone to check on the progress of the Lizardfolk’s work, which is why Lin Lin felt bold enough to talk to the Demon King on the phone.

In this magical world, phones do not need wires; they use what is called invisible magical waves.

"I felt a magical wave," Safir said with a slight frown, "I thought a magical creature had appeared."

Sorry, it’s my fault. I was on the phone, asking how to assassinate you.

Lin Lin sincerely apologized.

"Um, I am consulting Your Majesty the Demon King about some work matters," Lin Lin began.

But as soon as she finished speaking, she regretted it.

Sure enough, after she mentioned consulting the Demon King for work, Safir’s expression was even more doubtful.

The handsome face of the Dragon race showed a hint of skepticism, probably thinking that Lin Lin and the Demon King would not have any deep topics to discuss.

Safir was not interested in the contents of their useless conversation; he only reminded Lin Lin, "There are many monsters here, so if you go out, you need to bring a Lizardfolk with you."

There are indeed many Lizardfolk here.

"Which one should I bring?" Lin Lin asked humbly.

Lin Lin felt that the Dragon race was becoming impatient again.

Because he slightly lowered his head and stared into Lin Lin’s dull brown eyes, "Any one."

"Yes, sir!" Lin Lin saluted, "No problem, sir!"

Safir no longer bothered Lin Lin about how she addresses him and reminded her to finish her work before leaving, "Remember to write down your suggestions about the Hot Spring Hotel."

My first suggestion is to have separate phone booths, so no one hears when someone is planning an assassination.

Lin Lin quietly swallowed her suggestion.

After Safir left, it was clear that the Demon King felt a strange anxiety, just like Lin Lin did; it was the kind of unspoken worry one feels when the teacher is watching closely during an exam, unsure if the teacher has noticed any cheating.

Both of them feared that Safir might suddenly return, so they hurriedly said a few vague words before ending the call.

The Demon King promised, "I will help you."

Lin Lin thought that the unreliable help of the Demon King was not very necessary; in a critical moment, she still had to rely on herself.

But Lin Lin was a responsible person, so she decided to pick up her notebook to record her suggestions for the hot springs.

Stepping out of the lounge and into the open-air hot spring area, Lin Lin stood for a moment, feeling that having faith made her work faster.

She had only gone in to make a phone call, yet the walls seemed to have risen by over half a meter.

The strong Lizardfolk were busy transporting supplies, building walls, and decorating the area around the hot springs, with dark red scales dusted with soil, but their smooth and healthy colors still shone through.

They all looked very busy and nobody was paying attention to Lin Lin.

According to Safir’s request, the hot spring area was divided into three large pools of different temperatures, and there were also some shallower hot spring pits that hadn’t been used yet.

Lin Lin had visited the hot spring pool in Tocopia, which only had one pool, and the people inside seemed quite content.

It was time for them to experience the bathhouse culture!

Lin Lin pushed up her nonexistent glasses and wrote a line in her notebook:

[Hot Spring Area] [Shower Area] [Scrubbing Area] [Steam Room] [Dining Area].

After thinking for a moment, Lin Lin added a new "Silent Zone" for those with social anxiety.

Very good, perfect.

Lin Lin noted this down and looked up. She was worried the Lizardfolk would fill up those little hot spring holes by themselves, so she wanted to find someone familiar to tell them not to take action.

She wanted to find the Lizardfolk who had driven the wagon for Safir before; that Lizardfolk should be the leader among them.

But to Lin Lin, all these Lizardfolk looked exactly the same; she even struggled to tell them apart after they changed places.

Lin Lin peered at the busy Lizardfolk for a long time, then said, "Oh, it’s you."

She decided to catch them in the act.

All the Lizardfolk were focused on their work, except for one who looked particularly calm and raised its head, looking at her with confusion.

This time, Lin Lin sincerely said, "Oh, it’s you."

The slow-thinking Lizardfolk walked out of the wall-building group, looking a bit confused.

Lin Lin looked at the honest Lizardfolk and thought that the choice of the Dragon race made sense; if she had to choose a follower, she would pick someone as honest as him.

To distinguish this Lizardfolk from the others, Lin Lin thought for a moment and took off the red hair tie she used to tie her hair.

"Reach out your hand," Lin Lin said to the Lizardfolk.

Tilting his head slightly, the Lizardfolk’s expressionless face showed a flicker in his dark golden eyes as he stretched out his clawed hand, which had four scaly fingers.

Lin Lin put the hair tie onto the Lizardfolk’s wrist, saying, "Okay, you are now my Lizardfolk!"

The Lizardfolk blinked again, looking a bit confused.

Seeing Lin Lin’s determined expression, he thought she had cast some kind of magic on him, making him need to listen to her words.

The Lizardfolk quietly felt for a moment and did not notice anything different about himself, so he looked again at the red hair tie with wavy edges.

Is this hair tie magical? But it still looks ordinary.

Not knowing his doubts, Lin Lin already started directing, "Don’t fill in these smaller hot springs."

Lin Lin sprinkled some flower petals into the first hot spring, "This is the beauty and skincare spring."

She sprinkled herbs into the second hot spring, "This is the longevity spring."

For the third one, "This is the salt bath germ-killing spring."

Lin Lin saw the doubt in the Lizardfolk’s eyes, but her expression was firm as she gave orders.

Indeed, because she was so determined, the Lizardfolk trusted her.

Until the sky began to darken, Safir, who was overseeing the project, returned and saw his loyal Lizardfolk servants pushing a small cart of flower petals towards the "beauty and skincare spring."

Lin Lin sat in the shade, applauding the Lizardfolk, "Great job! You are amazing!"

The Lizardfolk had more energy and poured another cart of flower petals inside.

Clearly, compared to Safir’s usual strict teaching style, this kind of praise was much more effective.

Safir: …

Upon seeing Safir, Lin Lin jumped up immediately. She was still involved in her assassination plan, and seeing Safir made her feel guilty.

The Sapphire Dragon frowned slightly and looked at her legs.

Her legs were not healed yet, yet she made such a vigorous movement. She couldn’t even take care of herself.

"It’s time to go back," Safir said.

"Okay!" Lin Lin held the biggest red flower she had picked from the Lizardfolk’s flower cart.

She was a simple person and thought that this flower was the biggest. It seemed a bit shameful to throw it into the hot spring, so she played with it in her hand.

This time, the gem dragon reached out his arm to her, indicating that she could fly back directly.

Lin Lin sighed with relief and walked over to Safir.

The expressionless Lizardfolk had been watching them until Lin Lin walked toward Safir, and he also took a step forward.

"Huh?" Lin Lin noticed a movement behind her and saw the expressionless Lizardfolk.

She remembered something she had forgotten.

She looked down to take the red hairband from the Lizardfolk’s wrist.

The Lizardfolk remained dazed, allowing the shorter human woman to grip his arm and take off the red hairband that she had made him wear.

His dark golden eyes blinked.

Lin Lin tied the hairband back at the end of her hair, walked over to the Sapphire Dragon, and cautiously grabbed his coat.

Safir held Lin Lin around the waist.

Suddenly, he turned his head as if sensing something.

As a god worshipped by the Lizardfolk, the Dragon race can sometimes feel the faintest emotions of these silent, slow creatures.

As a wise master, he was always willing to show them some generosity.

He looked at the Lizardfolk, making eye contact, but this time Safir felt nothing.

It must be an illusion, thought Safir as he spread his wings; the Dragon race’s wings were powerful and sharp, soaring into the sky as effortlessly as breathing.

Lin Lin was still afraid of falling, keeping her eyes tightly closed and not looking down.

Below the sky and above the ground, the Lizardfolk looked up for two seconds.

He did not look up for long, as the Lizardfolk’s physical condition did not allow them to keep their heads up for too long; they were ground-dwelling creatures, and holding their head up too long would cause neck pain.

The lizard person looked down and saw their empty wrist.

Oh.

The lizard person slowly realized that the magic was over.

–

Hello, I have a question. Where is the heart of the Dragon race?

Lin Lin, a weak human office worker, currently has a big secret plan.

She aims to assassinate the Dragon race and become the top assistant of the Demon King, because the Dragon race wants to force her to study and take exams.

Now this task has been approved by the Demon King; she is only waiting for her assassination plan to succeed.

For this plan, Lin Lin endures humiliation, obediently eats, follows rules, and sleeps in the cat bed.

But before she finished covering herself with her little blanket, Lin Lin, sitting in the cat bed, climbed to the edge and looked at the tall Dragon nearby.

Even while nestled in the higher cat bed, Lin Lin had to look up at the tall Dragon.

"Can you tell me about yourself?" Lin Lin asked, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Safir.

The serious Dragon paused for a moment, clearly surprised by Lin Lin’s sudden curiosity about him, "I don’t have much to tell."

His story was not interesting. It wasn’t as colorful as the stories of the orca brothers or the Dark Elf.

"But you are a dragon!" Lin Lin said admiringly, "We have legends about dragons in our world. They are very mysterious and dangerous creatures."

Safir didn’t argue about the Dragon’s mysterious danger.

Lin Lin said, "Is such an amazing dragon supposed to have two hearts and four stomachs or something like that?"

Safir subtly sensed something was off, but he couldn’t quite tell what it was.

"What about you?" The human woman, who was leaning by the cat bed, came closer to him, and he smelled the fragrance of flowers. "How many hearts do you have?"

[How many hearts do you have?]

Safir stared at Lin Lin for a few seconds; her eyes were bright and clear.

"Only one," Safir replied.

Then, she heard the woman’s voice very clearly, "Where is it?"

[Where is it?]

Safir let out a small laugh. Then he laughed again.

He didn’t often show such a clear smile, which made Lin Lin sitting in front of him feel a bit confused.

The reserved and polite Dragon race reached out to her, holding the back of her hand as it rested on the edge of the cat bed.

He is very strong, and Lin Lin is not unaware of this.

It was just that when her ankle was held during the day, she did not feel pain; now, when someone’s hand grips her palm, it hurts a little.

Safir took her hand and pressed it to his chest.

Sapphire Dragon wore a silk nightgown, and the thin fabric could not hide her body heat.

The soft palm of the woman’s hand was pressed against her collarbone and then pulled down.

Sapphire Dragon has a cool and hard body.

Safir helped her find her heartbeat.

The strong heartbeat throbbed, like a living thing trapped in this cold, stone-like body.

Safir said, "The heart is here."

[Right here.]

[Yes, it’s right here.]

"Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you." The Dark Elf at the door held a wire used to pick the lock. "Your Majesty the Demon King sent me to teach Lin Lin some lessons about assassination."

Unlike his formal attitude towards Safir, the Dark Elf spoke to Lin Lin in a gentler tone, "Lin, who do you want to assassinate?"

Lin Lin: ….

The Dark Elf was silent for two seconds, then suddenly realized, "I made a mistake, I came to help you build the hot spring."

Safir looked at him calmly.

Knowing Safir didn’t believe him, Felix shrugged, "So Lin Lin wants to assassinate you, you should have said so earlier, I didn’t bring all my things."

Felix asked Safir, "Are you sad?"

Safir, "No."

Felix, "If you cry, I will pretend I didn’t see it."

Safir, "I am not sad."

"I have an opening!" Lin Lin punched Safir in the heart.

The conversation between the Dragon Race and the Dark Elf ended, and both of them turned to look at Lin Lin.

"Did your attack start?" the Dark Elf asked.

"My attack has ended," Lin Lin replied.

Lin Lin nervously stared at Safir, waiting for his angry expression.

But it did not come.

"Huh?" Lin Lin exclaimed, "You don’t feel pain?"

What pain? Is it poison? Safir touched his chest and honestly replied, "I don’t feel anything."

Now it was Lin Lin’s turn to get angry, "Fairy tales are all lies! The Dragon Race guide says they have special scales that hurt when struck! So that means if I hit you, you won’t feel anything!"

The Dragon Race clutched its chest, watching the woman in front of it sulk about her failed plan, "How frustrating, my grand plans!"

Its heart pulsed once more.

"They do have special scales," the Sapphire Dragon spoke up.

"Uh?" Lin Lin looked up, feeling a bit confused as she gazed at him.

In the darkness, the Dragon Race’s flawless face truly was a creation favored by the maker.

The Dragon Race is powerful, proud, and incredibly precious.

At the delicate collar of the nightgown, the light blue dragon scales at the base of the neck shimmer softly.

Safir said, "You have already touched my reverse scale."