"The dragon food is still alive?!"
Dragon food? Lilican raised his head to stare at Cilestras, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. This Evil Dragon wanted to eat him?
"Host, we should kill him! Who knows when the dragon will swallow you whole?" System 948 brought up his dragon-killing idea again.
Instead of dissuading the system like usual, Lilican actually said, "Should we?"
The Black Dragon felt a trace of hostility, but it was gone in a flash. Still, he followed that trace, lowering his head to meet his wife's gaze.
Cilestras didn't have time to think about the invisible enemy because his wife's tears were threatening to fall again.
Hidden from his wife's eyes, he flicked a finger to send a spell, successfully silencing the two goblins. He hoped this would stop his wife from crying.
But even then, it was too late. In just a second, Lilican was weeping, his shoulders shaking from how hard he was crying.
"You wanted to eat me?" Lilican asked while sobbing. "I thought I was your wife."
Cilestras immediately pulled his wife's face to his chest, hugging the human in his embrace. He didn't want others to see his wife's crying face.
He looked at the other creatures still present, warning them with his eyes not to peek at what was his.
Breiroc looked at the wall, at the floor, anywhere but the couple. He was blind; he was air. He was never here in the first place.
He still wanted his life, so now was the perfect time to inspect the great hall.
"You are my wife," said Cilestras, flustered and not knowing what to do. "I have never eaten a human before, and I do not intend to eat one now."
"Then why did they call me dragon food?" asked Lilican in between hiccups. He really released the waterworks this time. The front of Cilestras's shirt was already wet from his tears.
"I—" Cilestras started to stay, but stopped when he realized he didn't know.
He knew a rumor about him was circulating. Multiple rumors, even, but he didn't bother with them before. Now it had come to bite him in the hind.
Where did this preposterous rumor even come from?
"Just eat me now, then!" Lilican cried even louder; his wailing was echoing throughout the great hall. "You don't want a wife at all. You just want a meal."
"I would never eat you."
"I don't believe it." Lilican hit the dragon's chest once. He wanted to hit Cilestras a few more times, but that one punch was a little painful.
Cilestras grabbed his wife's little fist which was causing trouble. "I would never even harm you."
"Do you promise?"
"I do."
As Cilestras spoke, something in the air shifted.
A dragon's promise is as good as gold, and with just those two words, Lilican would never be harmed by the Evil Dragon.
Lilican felt something change within him, as if there was a force now protecting him all around.
The system, which was connected to Lilican, also felt the changes within its host.
So it didn't hesitate to praise, "Host, you're so awesome!"
System 948 initially thought that its host had gone soft, but Lilican still accomplished things efficiently as usual. It hadn't even been 24 hours since they arrived, and yet Lilican had already guaranteed his safety.
Now, the system didn't have to worry about the host being killed or eaten at any time.
Lilican was also satisfied. This was what he was waiting for. Liking and doting weren't enough. Who ever said that the dragon would never change his mind one day?
If he wanted to survive under the claws of a creature much, much more powerful, he needed something binding, something that carries power and magic.
To express his gratitude, Lilican hugged Cilestras's neck while wiping his tears on the dragon's shoulder.
"Thank you, husband," he said in a sticky and soft voice.
Cilestras was glad to have averted a crisis, but he still hadn't forgotten the source of it all.
He looked at the two goblins who were still silent. In his mind, he was choosing how these two goblins would die: by lightning or by fire?
The goblins were shaking with fear. Even if they weren't that smart, they still realized that they had offended the Queen, the Black Dragon's sweetheart. They probably wouldn't make it out of here alive.
The two goblins looked at each other, silently saying farewell.
Lilican, who thought that he had expressed his gratitude enough, finally remembered the matter at hand.
"Hello," he said to the goblins, not knowing where to start.
The goblins didn't - or to be more precise, couldn't - answer, so Lilican continued, "I have something to ask you."
Lilican waited for a few seconds, but the goblins still didn't talk. He looked at Breiroc, wondering what had happened.
The dark elf, who received the Queen's silent inquiry, didn't want to answer as well, so he looked at Cilestras, hoping the Queen would understand his message.
Lilican followed Breiroc's line of sight. Then he understood.
"Husband," Lilican said to Cilestras with a sigh.
When Cilestras heard his wife sigh, he realized he had been caught. So, he quickly released the silencing spell.
Almost immediately, the two goblins knelt and asked for forgiveness.
"Spare us! Spare us, please!" they chittered.
Even if Lilican wanted to ask a question, he couldn't speak over them. He wondered how such small creatures could hold such loud voices.
Breiroc, who saw that the Queen was getting impatient, interrupted the goblins' pleading. "Hush, goblins! Only answer when asked."
He didn't forget to give them a wink from where the Dragon King and Queen couldn't see. He had already tried his best, and if these two still didn't know how to behave, he couldn't save them.
The goblins were frightened but somewhat appeased by Breiroc's scolding. They huddled next to each other, ready to answer whatever Lilican asked.
Lilican saw that they calmed down, so he said, "Can you tell me about how you found me in the … cave? Start from the beginning."
"Yes, yes," they said, nodding.
"Past day, humans came again. With an offering," said the goblin on the left.
"Yes, yes. We watched while hiding. We thought food. But no. They brought the Queen. The Queen was asleep. Tied," added the goblin on the right.
Lilican already figured as much, so he asked, "Did they say anything or do anything strange before they left?"
"Strange? Strange, no."
"Humans carried the Queen, then left. They were fast. Quick."
Lilican couldn't believe it. "That's all? Did they say anything about a sacrifice or the dragon?"
"Sacrifice?" the goblin on the left asked his companion.
The goblin on the right seemed to be thinking, because then he said, "Sacrifice? Yes!"
A clue! Finally!
"Tell me about it."
"Humans said…" the right goblin trailed off, scratching his head. "Humans said. Sacrifice for famine. Stop the famine."
Famine?
Lilican's eyes sparkled with the discovery. This was never mentioned in the original owner's plot. But how much content could there be in the story of a cannon fodder?
Was he finally about to access the content of the main plot?
—--
[Mini theater:]
Cilestras: Oh, I want to swallow him whole, alright. Just not in that way, if you know what I mean. *wink wink*
Lilican: What did you say?
Cilestras: Nothing, wife. I said I want to follow your goal. Follow your goal.
Lilican: Hmm.. okay. I thought I heard something weird.
Cilestras: *sweating*