Naita's dragon tail gently coiled around Kurose Akira's waist. It wasn't as agile as a serpent's tail, yet its distinctive plumpness conveyed a completely different tactile sensation—soft, weighty, and strangely comforting, as if one were sinking into something wonderfully yielding and warm. That unique feel made it impossible not to want to explore it further… to savor it.
Those golden eyes shimmered with a faint glow as they locked onto Akira's gaze, reflections of earlier scenes rippling through her mind.
That day—after Naita had asked Akira to close his eyes—she had begun to experiment.
What followed exceeded her expectations.
Fortunately, she was a true dragon. Her physical structure differed from a human's, and by relying on her half-dragon form…
Yet for reasons she couldn't explain, her thoughts kept drifting back to that moment, over and over again—almost as if she feared she hadn't done well enough.
And so now, she wanted to relive it once more. To do better this time. To repay Akira's kindness properly.
At Naita's request, Akira's Adam's apple bobbed slightly.
Since there had already been a first time, there was no reason for him to refuse a second.
"Are you sure?" Akira asked softly, his fingertips gliding through Naita's hair.
Naita nodded gently, her voice tender."I want to understand more deeply the life magic ritual you mentioned before."
As she spoke, she drew closer—so close that her soul-formed body seemed ready to merge with his, passing through fabric, brushing against his skin.
"Cough—"
Akira's gaze drifted for a moment.
He had once asked Naita whether she had ever undergone a life magic ritual, and her answer had been no.
Which meant—
She had produced an egg that contained no life.
As for why Naita believed the egg carried her child, it was likely due to fragmented memories… or perhaps a fundamental misunderstanding of her own condition. After all, when Akira first encountered her soul, she couldn't even remember her own name.
It was as though she remembered having an egg—but forgot that she had never once received the blessing of life.
And just as Akira's thoughts spiraled, Naita moved.
She pushed him gently down onto the sofa.
Those golden pupils gazed into him with intense affection, faint heart-shaped lights shimmering within her eyes. At that distance, they were so close it felt as though they could touch the deepest layers of each other's souls—
The effect of [Soul Ensnare] had never once faded!
"Mr. Akira," Naita asked expectantly, cupping his face in both hands, "what should I do next?"
She waited eagerly for his guidance in performing the life magic ritual.
"It's actually quite simple," Akira explained. "First, you need to place the special ritual focus of the life ceremony into—"
As he spoke, his fingers lightly traced along Naita's dragon scales.
Although she existed only as a soul body, every detail was vivid and lifelike. There were subtle differences from a physical form, yes—but they only added to her otherworldly charm.
What surprised him even more was that the once-hard dragon scales had become soft after turning into a soul form.
They weren't gelatinous like Loserine's slime-like texture—rather, they felt light and airy, like stroking silk itself.
"I understand~"
With a soft, playful lilt, Naita's soul-woven long dress vanished without a trace.
Her flawless, voluptuous body was revealed in full, radiating the forbidden pressure unique to a red dragon.
Her porcelain whiteness rivaled even that of the Elf Queen.
As expected of Naita.
A true Red Dragon.
"The special item you mentioned for the life ritual is…"She smiled brightly and asked,"Is it… this?"
Gulp.
Akira swallowed involuntarily.
"And then…"
Following Akira's instructions, Naita proceeded—
"Eep~"
(What followed was an extensive process of life-ritual enlightenment. The next ten thousand words are omitted…)
...
Within the black dragon tribe's territory, black dragons stretching hundreds of meters in length gathered together, their expressions dark and grim.
"That heartscale was destroyed?"
"What exactly happened? Didn't we assign someone to guard it?!"
"It must've been Vernis! Our little princess messing things up again!"
"Vernis? We should've married her off to a green dragon long ago instead of letting her keep endangering our clan!"
"Enough! First, let's find out who stole the heartscale!"
As the black dragons argued heatedly, their gazes snapped in unison toward a figure sneaking toward the corner.
"Crap—!"
Vernis froze instantly under dozens of pitch-black stares.
"Vernis, stop right there! Trying to run again?!"
"You must take responsibility for the stupidity you've caused!"
"This time, your father and brothers can't shield you anymore!"
"The elders have decided—three years in the Dark Prison! You are not allowed to flee!"
"I'm not getting locked up! So long, you old fossils!"
With that, Vernis spread her wings and bolted from the clan.
"She escaped?!"
"Don't let her get away!"
...
Several hours later, Akira lay sprawled across the sofa in blissful exhaustion.
He couldn't help but marvel—red dragons truly lived up to their reputation. Even in soul form, Naita had delivered sensations beyond words.
At that moment, Naita rested obediently against his chest, her dragon tail swaying gently as she smiled contentedly.
She lifted her head and asked curiously,"Mr. Akira… although this life ritual was deeply moving, I feel like your holy light was a little different from last time?"
She remembered clearly—the holy light Akira had radiated before had been dazzling and scorching, overflowing with incomparable power.
That brilliance had brought tears to her eyes.
This time, while she still felt profoundly affected, that overwhelming intensity hadn't returned.
Akira froze for a few seconds.
He recalled that during the previous encounter, he had been in a half-dragon transformation state. The difference in holy light output between those states was indeed significant.
That form increased his total combat power by roughly one-third—but considering the fragility of Naita's soul, he hadn't activated it this time.
Besides, he still hadn't tested just how far his limits could go in half-dragon form…
Looks like Ivsha should be the first test subject.
"Next time, for sure," Akira said with a smile.
Naita gently kissed his cheek, her eyes shining with anticipation."I'll be looking forward to it~"
After thoroughly enjoying Akira, Naita stood and walked toward the dragon egg resting nearby.
She cradled it tenderly in her arms.
Even though it held no life, she cherished it all the same.
This left Akira puzzled.
Could this egg truly be hiding some deeper secret?
Was it causing Naita's soul to subconsciously protect it?
He sensed no magical fluctuations from the egg whatsoever, making it nearly impossible that the Black Radiance Dragon's heartscale was hidden inside—otherwise, the black dragons would've detected it long ago.
…Wait.
Akira's eyes sharpened.
What if the egg contained nothing at all—yet could indirectly restore Naita's memories? Perhaps even lead her to recall the location of the Black Radiance Dragon's heartscale?
After all—
It was only after finding the egg that Naita remembered her own name.