When Jeanne brought back a little guy who bore a slight resemblance to her, everyone who saw them felt a wave of sheer disbelief. They seemed entirely curious about where on earth she had managed to pick up such an adorable child during the brief moment she was gone.
She was an exceptionally lovely little girl, looking a bit dim-witted yet thoroughly endearing. However, Jeanne had a persistent feeling that the reason Fafnir looked so simple-minded was absolutely, inextricably linked to Talulah.
Jeanne's current worry was that this child would grow up mimicking Talulah's personality. If she actually turned out to be that kind of dim-witted character, things would be disastrous! She really should have placed a photograph of Kal'tsit right in front of the child's eyes back then.
Right now, Jeanne was like a parent deeply anxious over her own child's future development.
At this moment, Jeanne sat alone at a slight distance from everyone else, holding the small Fafnir in her arms while gazing at the sky. There wasn't a single soul around her; everyone was observing from a far distance.
Jeanne's explanation to the crowd was that the child was a bit shy around strangers. This wasn't entirely a lie, either; Jeanne had noticed that little Fafnir was indeed quite reclusive, though her typical reaction to being shy was to swat the person to death.
The only reason Fafnir hadn't used violence to eliminate these people who made her uneasy was because Jeanne had explicitly told her that the people here would not harm her, and she hoped Fafnir wouldn't hurt them either.
As Fafnir's sole trusted figure in this world at present, she essentially executed all of Jeanne's words unconditionally. Thus, she currently remained nestled in Jeanne's embrace, vigilantly scanning her surroundings.
Seeing such a well-behaved, sensible, obedient, and thoroughly adorable little dragon, one really couldn't help but wonder what on earth could have driven Siegfried to strike such a cruel, heavy blow against her in the legends!
Jeanne sat to one side, pondering this while stroking the dragon. However, regarding the fact that Fafnir appeared excessively young, Jeanne did have some thoughts of her own.
The Fafnir she had summoned was indeed that wicked dragon, yet she wasn't completely identical to the Fafnir of legend. Right now, she resembled a reincarnation or something of that nature, with a psychological age of only about five or six years old.
Even so, she still retained basic memories. For instance, if Jeanne so much as mentioned the name Siegfried in front of her, she would still display an emotion laced with a mixture of terror and fury, seemingly still harboring a desire to battle that dragon-slaying hero.
While Jeanne was busy stroking the dragon... or rather, soothing Fafnir, she suddenly felt a gaze intently fixed upon her. At the same time, a tiny hand was gently tugging at her collar.
Snapping out of her thoughts, Jeanne looked down. She saw the piteous-looking Fafnir staring up at her, before speaking in a soft, tender voice: "Hungry."
Only then did Jeanne remember that this child hadn't eaten a single morsel of food for such a long time! She immediately began leading her around the area to search for various things to eat. However, since she had no idea what a dragon could digest, she simply wandered about.
Jeanne quickly realized that treating Fafnir like an ordinary human child was a massive mistake. She had forgotten that a creature like a Great Dragon possessed almost no dietary restrictions; if starved enough, she could probably digest entire trees!
Furthermore, her appetite was gargantuan. Jeanne escorted her around for a full circuit, and under the incredulous gazes of the onlookers, Fafnir—along with Jeanne—consumed ten portions of food, which only barely served to line her stomach.
Then, an idea struck Jeanne. She sought out the local nomadic herders in the vicinity and purchased several sheep for Fafnir, setting them up to roast over an open fire.
Shortly after, the crowd witnessed a young girl who didn't look very old herself leading a child outside to roast sheep. Anyone unaware of the circumstances would have assumed Jeanne was simply starving and using the child as an excuse to gorge herself!
Where on earth did such an unreliable guardian come from? Could a child of that size even digest sheep? And five of them at once! Anyone who caught sight of the scene automatically assumed Jeanne possessed absolutely zero child-rearing experience, warning that this manner of parenting would surely lead to an emergency.
"Excuse me, may I sit here?" Just as Fafnir was completely engrossed in hugging a sheep's leg and gnawing on it, she suddenly heard someone speaking beside her. She picked up the sheep's leg and stood up to glare at the intruder.
Sitting beside her, Jeanne also focused her attention on Fafnir and the person opposite them. The newcomer was Theresa, who appeared to be holding something as she tried to ingratiate herself with Fafnir.
When Theresa first heard from others that Jeanne had brought back a little girl, she had internally speculated whether the child was the transformation of that Great Dragon. However, the sheer absurdity of the thought had caused her to laugh at herself.
Yet, when she heard the Doctor state that she had personally witnessed Fafnir's transformation, Theresa's smiling expression instantly froze. It was likely because a phenomenon of this nature thoroughly exceeded the boundaries of her imagination.
Thus, the Demon King—whose innate curiosity was exceptionally vibrant—had come over to observe Fafnir firsthand. She wanted to see if she could introduce herself to the child or perhaps establish some form of contact.
However, noting how defensively the child regarded her approach, Theresa could feel a faint, trickling aura of pressure radiating from Fafnir's frame. This was indeed the exact same Great Dragon that had manifested not long ago!
Meeting those cold, golden eyes felt to Theresa as though she were facing a terrifyingly lethal predator that was baring its fangs right in front of her, seemingly intending to tear straight through her throat...
"Ow! Painful!"
In the next moment, Fafnir's head received another gentle flick from Jeanne. Jeanne had no idea who she had learned this from; the moment she gave her a light tap, the girl would cry out in pain. That pitiful display made it impossible for Jeanne to bring herself to strike any harder.
But Jeanne knew full well that given the minuscule amount of force she had just exerted, it was physically impossible for this little entity to feel pain! That tap wouldn't even register as painful to a human, let alone a Great Dragon occupying the form of a human child.
Having received Jeanne's reprimand, Fafnir clearly recalled her earlier instructions. Consequently, she desisted from directing any further hostility toward Theresa, simply pouting her lips as she sat back down to concentrate on eating her sheep's leg.
Theresa naturally picked up on the dynamics of the situation. She had already caught wind of reports that this dragon was exceptionally hostile toward any human other than Jeanne, but she had come fully prepared with a method to foster a good relationship.
Maintaining her gentle smile, she produced the item she had prepared and extended it toward Fafnir, saying: "My apologies for startling you. May I use this delicious treat to make amends?"
What Theresa held in her hands were several sweet pastries resembling cupcakes. Jeanne guessed these were likely small confections crafted for her by Outcast; she recalled that this Demon King actually possessed quite a severe sweet tooth.
Fafnir's powerful olfactory senses immediately picked up the fragrant, sweet aroma wafting from the pastries. However, the dragon remained uncertain as to what this somewhat peculiar woman intended to achieve, causing her to take a few steps back while looking toward Jeanne for guidance.
Jeanne could easily read the expression in Fafnir's small eyes; they were entirely written over with a desperate urge to eat. Yet, unable to grasp the stranger's intentions, she could only choose to seek Jeanne's approval to see if she was permitted to dig in.
Watching Fafnir look so utterly captivated by the mere scent of the sweets, Jeanne couldn't help but chuckle. She gave a firm nod, granting permission to her desire to eat. Delighted, Fafnir joyfully accepted the sweet treats from Theresa's hands and began devouring them.
It appeared that not even a Great Dragon could withstand the sheer temptation of sugary treats. After consuming the food in her hands, Fafnir's impression of Theresa significantly improved. She lifted her head, looking at the woman before uttering: "Thank you."
This marked the absolute first instance of Fafnir conversing with anyone other than Jeanne. Prior to this moment, regardless of who attempted to approach her, Fafnir had universally driven them away using the oppressive, chilling weight of her golden eyes.
Seeing that Fafnir was willing to converse with her, Theresa felt immensely satisfied. She had originally come here operating under the assumption that Fafnir would refuse to engage in any communication with her whatsoever; she hadn't anticipated reaping such an unexpected harvest.
"You are very welcome. My name is Theresa. What is your name?" Theresa spoke in a soothing tone that closely mirrored a kindergarten teacher coaxing a toddler. Jeanne could only wonder how many times the Demon King had performed this exact routine in the past.
At present, Jeanne remained entirely unaware of Theresa's ultimate motive for ingratiating herself with Fafnir. However, she firmly believed that Theresa wouldn't attempt to poach her companion; thus, she contented herself with simply observing from the sidelines.
"Fafnir," the little girl stated before immediately returning to her food. By this point, she had completely stripped the sheep's leg she was holding. The little thing turned her head toward Jeanne, waiting expectantly for her guardian to supply the next course.
Jeanne felt that long before she needed to worry about whether Theresa would attempt to poach her companion, the absolute first crisis she needed to resolve was this child's astronomical food consumption. An appetite where five whole sheep were insufficient for a single meal constituted an exceptionally daunting financial and logistical challenge!
Even if she possessed the funds required to sustain her, this desolate wasteland simply didn't possess that many sheep to feed her! This was bound to become a thoroughly significant problem moving forward...