Chapter 4

While I was eating, I got distracted by an inaudible noise coming from a distance not too far from me. I finished chomping on another few packets of bread, before heading to the voices.

As I crawled, in a distance, I saw a group of guys was surrounding something as they talked between them. I sneaked closer for a better look, and completely forgot that I’m a huge dragon. Because of that, my horns got stuck at the upper entrance of the cave—which separates each way of the cave like segments—and what do you know? It cracked.

The rock cracked. And, it fell down like sharp stalactites looking on its prey. I am somehow glad that they scattered away when they saw me.

After they had left, the only thing left behind was a woman in restraint. Her garment looks like it almost ripped apart from the earlier people, but luckily I managed to come at a right time. The woman was trembling at my sight. Her eyes wavered, horror reflected in her green irises as she tried to scoot away from me.

“Uh…” I darted my eyes around while rubbing my scaly nape, inadvertently flinched when my echoing voice vibrated through the cavernous walls.

Wow, I’ve never knew that when people is so afraid of you, it would get awkward. The woman doesn’t look like she’ll utter any word any time soon, so I turned around and carefully opened my inventory to not let her see what I’m doing, took out a caramel bread and a bottle of mineral water—which I bought earlier because of how sticky my hands got after consuming the sweet melon bread—and put it beside her. In my surprise, the bread looks like the Ultimate Bread that my family once bought from an Arabic Diner, a bread the size of a coffee table. That’s better than the water bottle I guess, because it looked like a water tank beside her. Again I rubbed my neck and chuckled awkwardly.

“M-Make yourself at home…” I don’t know what I mumbled, and I’m not sure if she understood, but after leaving the water and the bread, I scurried away to the earlier place where I was having my meal.

***

Taking another few minutes to finish the remaining bread, I checked my coin balance.

“Hmm… Now all that’s left is 61 silver and 5 copper. Should I sell some more?” Again, I looked around for any resources other than the white flowers. The shining magic stone caught my interest, I mean, literally EVERYTHING shiny have it’s own value. Never underestimate the quote ‘A diamond among the glasses’, because even glass cost you something to buy. Because of that, I was standing in front of the biggest magic stone that I can find, one the size of my hand. I’ve never learned anything about magic stones back in the web novel, because well, you know that ‘The Evil Villainess Is My Lover’ isn’t about business but love, and even if it did tell you something about their business matters, it’s just a handful, enough to show how rich Minerva is and how quick-witted Carter in managing the finances. That’s all. My nuzzle twitched as I paced my breath, my claws firmly grabbed the magic stone.

“Here goes nothing.”

KTANG!

I don’t know how much strength is required to extract a magic stone, but with a single pull from me, the stone separated from the ground with a loud sound.

I grimaced, eyebrows arching as I shot the stone that was gleaming on my hand with a strange look. “…That was easy.”

With the corner of my mouth still scrunching, I opened the MERCHANT menu and put the stone inside. The dropbox glinted before a window popped up.

SELL MAGIC METAL (PURE) (200KG)?

“T-Two…” My scaly fingers rattled at the number.I sucked a breath and felt my head dizzy, before I decided to ignore the number and pressed the YES button.

Another window popped out.

CONGRATULATIONS! YOU’VE SOLD AN ITEM!

DESCRIPTION

MAGIC METAL (PURE)

• Used for smithing (Mainly weapons and armor)
• Usually found in Mangreatle cave in Kingdom of Rustaval
• Sold for 70 silver coins per KG

Total income: 140 gold coins

“O-One-One hundred…” Again my index finger rattled. Did I just pick up an S-class item or it’s just my brain playing tricks with me?

I averted my gaze from the numbers, again my head dizzy. Isn’t this skill too OP for me? I can see myself becoming filthy rich if I continued on selling things in The Online Store. I might even be able to defeat Minerva in terms of wealth!

…But that dream won’t be accomplished if I were trapped in this place.

“Where is the exit!!!??” I roared, unconsciously made the surrounding rumble from my thundering voice.

I stopped when I heard a soft shuffling in a distance, and turned around to see the girl which I saved earlier trembled as her eyes locked to me. The two of us froze and began staring silently at each other.

“Uh…” I slowly rocked my limbs, trying as hard as I could to not scare her, when she was already so scared, I think she could die if I were to scare her any more than the amount of fear she already had with just my presence.

To my surprise, this courageous girl in front of me inhaled a deep breath and exhaled, patting her chest as she muttered something, probably to herself before attempting to get close.

“G-Greetings…” A thin voice escaped from her trembling lips. It took her another while to step as near as she could to me, before she constructed another sentence, “My name is… Elfina.” She paused again. “Nice to meet you-” She stammered and jerked her head slightly backward before she shielded her mouth from my view and stuck her tongue out, whining in pain.

Ah. Did she perhaps, bit her tongue?

“Are you alright?” I said with the calmest tone I had, just to make sure she didn’t accidentally bit her tongue again. She sobbed once before nodding slowly, sticking her tongue back in.

“I’m alright, thank you…” She bowed her head down. “U-Uhm! Thank you for saving me. I’m sorry for not saying my thanks earlier.”

I shook my head. “No no, it’s okay. I understand how you feel. Well, we’re strangers and I’m a huge ass dragon, of course you’ll be scared, Ahaha…” I awkwardly laughed.

Elfina just stared at me. “…H-Huge ass dragon…?”

I pursed my nonexistent lips. Curse me and my modern language. I might need to be careful of what I speak in the future just to make sure I didn’t teach any new words to the people of this world.

“A-Anyway, how did you end up there, with those guys?” I pointed to the direction she came from, my eyes blinked as I tried to disperse the thought of skewered flesh. To make sure I seemed smaller and more vulnerable, I sat down and crouched my back before hiding my claws, one of the etiquettes I learned from a manga about a handsome gentlemanly werewolf that raised his own mate.

The elf girl named Elfina (No pun intended) proved to show a bit of courage when she scooted even closer as she said, “It started when my carriage got attacked by them when I was returning to Rustaval.”

“Rustaval?” Now that I remember it, the description of Miula Flower also said something about Rustaval. But wait, isn’t that the kingdom located in the Southern region of the continent, near Edith?

Then…

“Is this uh, cave located in the South?”

Elfina nodded.

“Really?!” I suddenly got up from my seat, feeling very excited. If I’m near Edith, doesn’t that mean I’ll be able to meet all my favorite characters soon! I don’t care of I’m a dragon or not, but lemme see them!

Though, it’s strange because I’ve never heard of Kingdom of Rustaval before, the only name I’ve heard that’s related to Rustaval is The Remnance of Rustaval-

“Oh…” My jaw dropped.

Now I remember what Rustaval is. That Kingdom is where one of the characters of the novel originated from, the cold-hearted elf prince, Kuzan! And this girl in front of me is…

I gasped. “E-Elfina Rustaval?!” My voice echoed through the entirety of the cavern, rendering the elf girl to tremble once more.

“Oh, I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…” What luck. I was supposed to be happy that I finally be able to meet one of the leading character’s family. But Elfina was supposed to be dead from ‘accident’, and her death became one of the trigger why the orphan and alone Kuzan went to Edith, because the elf Kingdom of Rustaval was supposed to be destroyed a few days after Elfina’s death.

What a mind blown discovery! I internally congratulate myself for my success of summarizing the whole situation. Aren’t I amazing?

The praising moment I had for myself stopped when Elfina gingerly called me. “M-Miss Dragon…?”

Her voice is tiny enough that you might miss it at first, but with my stats—which I am obliged to not talk about due to the numbers—I can hear sounds at a far distance.

“Call me Suna. That’s my name.” I bragged. Again she shot me a look of awe, before she breathed. “You-You are a named dragon!”

“Well-” Aw shoot. I forgot that named creatures are rare. But dragons are already a rare being in this world—stated in the novel as only 200 left in this world—and I’m a named one, so it won’t make any difference…

…Right?

Please tell me that I’m right.

I’m tired of being a rare x rare class monster. I just want to normally stan my favorite characters. God, I’m so gonna file a complaint later if possible.

“A-Anyway!” My voice loud on purpose, hoping that the frequency managed to cause an amnesia inside Elfina’s brain, when I know unless you didn’t spank her head, amnesia won’t happen.

Please don’t do that at home, dear children.

“Can you show me the way out from this cave? I’m having some trouble getting out.” I asked.

At first, Elfina displayed an expression of doubt, her eyes peeked at my face about two dozen meters above her height as she moused, “What will you do.. If you get out?”

“Well- Nothing much. I just… Lost inside the cave and wants to get out. That’s all.” I scratched the back of my neck and cleared my throat. There’s no way I can clear her doubt, with dragons being feared throughout the whole world, but I’m being honest when I said I want out. I tell you I’m sick of seeing the same ambience all over again. I just want to see the sky, I want to stretch my legs, I want to breathe fresh air, free from the metallic and damp smell the magic metal and the cave exudes.

Elfina paused and stared at me again. After several minutes, she exhaled before agreeing to show me the way out.

ALRIGHT!

I internally yelled.

“But promise me you won’t ransack any village or destroy any kingdom.” She added, her tone sounded frightful, but I comment her courage of trying to negotiate with a dragon like me. Not hat I care though, I’m just a university girl at heart—who just wants to peacefully stan my favorite novel characters—so I wouldn’t want to start any unnecessary fight with anyone.

Our venture out from the cave began with Elfina as my guide. Although this cave caused me to regret so much, as a matter of momento, let’s just remember this cave.