"Fou~~~"
Fou, looking tired and lazy, was held in Ophis' arms, quietly leading her to Ren's store before Jeanne and Raynare caught up.
Honestly, bringing Ophis along was no different from babysitting.
Fou finally understood why Ren sent him to find the Infinite Dragon God Ophis.
She was just another naïve, easily tricked kid.
To be fair, Ren had gotten scarily good at tricking people.
Fou didn't even know what weird ability he'd awakened to make him so good at lying and scheming.
Before, Fou had just randomly wandered outside Kuoh Town and bumped into Asia.
This time, right after hearing Ren mention Ophis, she just happened to run into her on the way back.
What kind of broken tracking skill was this…
Suddenly, Ophis stopped and stared at the ice cream in a nearby display.
Lifting her head slightly, Ophis' gaze made Fou sigh.
This really was babysitting…
Under the shopkeeper's strange stare, Fou somehow pulled out a stack of cash, slapped it on the counter, and grabbed one of every ice cream flavor for Ophis.
Ophis looked like the type to suffer from choice paralysis. Fou generously picked every flavor and gave them all to her.
"Fou~~ Fou~~ Fou~~ (No need to give change. I'm taking everything!)"
No one knew if the shopkeeper understood, but Fou had already taken all the ice cream.
Ophis nodded and placed Fou on her head.
"Good job, Fou… Want a snake? As a reward."
"Fou~~ (Nah, Not interested.)"
"Oh."
Ophis didn't mind. If Fou didn't want it, she wouldn't force it.
She went back to focusing on her overflowing handfuls of ice cream and walked away.
The shopkeeper just stared at the odd pair leaving and couldn't help saying:
"Even pets these days are smart enough to pay for themselves, huh?"
He was already wondering where he could buy that kind of pet.
On the way back, Ophis stared at her ice cream and took a bite.
Her eyes widened as she tasted it.
"Cold… chilly… feels nice."
"Fou~~ Fou~~ Fou~~ (I eat food a hundred times better than that every day!)"
"I want it."
As Ophis lifted her head, Fou lost balance and clung to her hair with her front paws while her back legs kicked in the air, struggling.
"Fou~~ Fou~~ Fou~~ (Don't lift your head suddenly! That's my exclusive food—no way I'm sharing!)"
"So stingy. I don't want it anymore."
Short and blunt. Ophis lowered her head and dropped the subject.
If someone didn't want to share, and if it wasn't something essential, Ophis wouldn't take it.
If it was something truly important to her, she'd definitely fight for it.
But just food? Whatever.
Fou finally stabilized himself on Ophis' head and let out a sigh.
Almost fell off. Even if it wouldn't kill her, the fall would suck.
She still remembered how Merlin once threw her off Avalon's prison tower.
That left a lasting trauma. Fou always made sure to stomp on Merlin's face at least a hundred times every time they met to vent.
Fou said nothing, and Ophis didn't speak either.
Then, Ren's shop appeared before them.
Sensing a familiar aura, Ophis paused with her ice cream.
"Fou~~ Foh~~ Fou (He's inside. Try not to start a fight. I'll be in trouble if you do.)"
"I'm not here to fight. I'm here to invite."
Ophis nodded. She had no intention of battling.
From the pressure she felt earlier, she knew Ren was worthy of joining the fight against the True Red Dragon God Emperor.
Fou nodded back. If no fight was happening, no need to worry.
Ophis and Fou entered the shop.
As they walked in, Ophis seemed to sense something and looked to the corner.
There, a small crimson dragon figure—much smaller than what she remembered—appeared before her eyes.
Tilting her head slightly, Ophis asked:
"Red Dragon?"
---
"Examon, Royal Knight."
"Ophis..."
The moment Examon laid eyes on Ophis, it immediately sensed the dense draconic aura emanating from her.
This was the first meeting between the Dragon Emperor and the Dragon God.
As Ophis slowly approached, even though the Examon had been shrunk, Ren hadn't restricted its strength. So to Ophis, its true form appeared in full clarity.
An enormous figure, with power just as immense.
"So strong... I'm no match. You… you might be able to help me defeat Baka-red."
That was the conclusion Ophis arrived at. Only by directly sensing someone could she judge their strength. She didn't even need to fight.
Examon looked puzzled and instinctively glanced toward the creature on Ophis's head—Fou—hoping for an explanation.
But Fou, upon seeing the two meet, silently hopped to the side and opened up its stash of Jealousy Crystals to start eating.
—Time for lunch!
Then, Fou suddenly froze.
Uh-oh. She felt Ophis's gaze.
Crap! I forgot how attractive this stuff is!
Sure enough, Ophis completely ignored the confused Examon and rushed over to Fou, eyes locked on the Jealousy Crystals in its hands.
She could feel that the energy inside was different from her own.
But… if she could absorb that power, her strength, which had already hit its current peak, could rise again. Maybe—just maybe—she wouldn't even need the Red Dragon to defeat Baka-red.
Though the amount seemed small, that didn't matter. She'd eat first and figure the rest out later.
So Ophis just kept staring at the Jealousy Crystals.
"A strange aura. Feels like I'll get stronger if I eat it. I want some..."
Fou: "…"
Didn't you just say I was stingy and you weren't interested?
So you've fallen for it too?