Show Me Your Stats!-Chapter 66

"......I see."

After hearing all of Janus’s explanation, Ayra replied calmly, her head feeling slightly dazed.

Her chest felt like it was filled with shards of cold ice, rattling with a scraping sound. The excitement of seeing a dragon for the first time, the joy of being with a /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ beloved lover, even the shock at his ruthless act of killing Mishio in a single stroke—everything had vanished.

What was this feeling?

Betrayal? Anger? But the one she was dealing with wasn’t a human who thought like her. He was a dragon. There was no reason to feel betrayed. Ayra knew that. Even so, she felt anguish—as a human lord who should at least put up a futile resistance, and as a lover who had grown to like Janus.

This dragon—who was currently pretending to be her sweet lover—was the very same being who would one day bring about the ruin of her territory in search of his so-called true lover. Ayra steadied her erratic breathing and lifted her head. Janus wore a face of concern, as if genuinely worried about the emotional impact she must have suffered.

‘Stay calm. Getting angry now won’t help at all.’

Her mind, honed by countless bizarre experiences in the labyrinth, scolded itself into remaining rational. She thought carefully about what she could do here. How could she persuade a living disaster who wouldn’t be swayed by money, power, beauty, or anything else?

Ayra recalled the one thing she had come to understand meant something to Janus during their time together. He was endlessly indulgent—only toward his lover. If she couldn’t convince or overpower a stronger being, there was only one card left to play. It was something she had become quite good at in the harsh hierarchy of the labyrinth.

"Alright. Janus, I... I understand what you’re saying."

She sighed, nodding as if she truly understood. Of course, what lay beneath that calm exterior was anything but agreement.

‘You bastard. You depraved, perverted dragon freak. Just because you’re a dragon, you think you can do whatever the hell you want? ......And dammit, you probably can!’

He was speaking so nonchalantly about slaughtering humans just because he couldn’t find his soulmate. And Ayra, who belonged to that same species, felt her insides boiling with rage.

No, it wasn’t just that. She’d always known she was just a passing fling to him, since he kept going on about a “true lover.” But she hadn’t expected him to be this casual, this unfeeling about it. To Janus, a lover was nothing more than... a good breed of pet. Even though she knew this was how non-humans thought, it still made her angry. She realized, in that moment, that she had come to like Janus far more than she’d admitted to herself.

And because she’d liked him that much... perhaps it was natural for her to resent or even hate him now.

But now wasn’t the time to dwell on personal emotions. Before being someone who liked another person, she was a lord. Ayra steadied her heart and carefully controlled her expression. A quiet sigh with a downcast face, then a deeper, longer breath. Janus’s expression shifted slightly.

"You understand?"

He rubbed his chin with his index and middle fingers, clearly surprised. The nuance in his tone revealed he knew just how unacceptable his words were to a human. Or, to put it another way, it meant that he didn’t care whether Ayra accepted it or not. If she had gotten angry, he’d probably have said, “That’s a shame. Then let’s break up,” and ended it without a second thought.

Of course, Ayra had absolutely no intention of giving up the only advantage she currently had: being the dragon’s lover.

‘But when we do break up, it’s me who’s going to dump you.’

Grinding her teeth silently, lest his sensitive hearing pick it up, Ayra seethed. She felt bitter, disappointed, and furious. And yet—because it was her first time facing a dragon—her heart still pounded like mad. Swallowing her tangled emotions, she smoothed out her expression.

"No, to be honest, I can’t say I completely understand. But if I try to think from a dragon’s perspective, I guess it’s possible. I’m a mage, after all—I get the general idea... Even among humans, different cultures lead to different ways of thinking. It makes sense that the gap would be even wider with non-humans."

Ayra spoke in a calm tone, recalling that unpleasant senior from the labyrinth who acted like a robot without a shred of emotion or conscience. At the same time, she deliberately bit her lip—letting her inner turmoil show just enough.

"But... you’re not asking me to decide right this second, are you? Just give me a little time. You’re basically asking me to abandon the homeland I only just returned to. Can’t you wait until I’ve made up my mind? I am your lover, after all."

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"Of course. I’m not planning to wipe Solar off the map immediately either. I’d like you to think positively about it."

His touch was terribly gentle as he patted her back and held her hand, asking if she was alright. Just as Ayra was forcing her lips into a smile—Ding!—a chime sounded, and a quest window popped up in front of her eyes. It was her first time seeing a Main Quest window.

<Main Quest!>

[Territory Survival: Preparing for Disaster]

Save your territory before the time runs out. (D-198)

Achieve over 60% territory support rate (14/60%)Recruit 5 loyal retainers (2/5)Reach the final level of the Spirit GM (Not Achieved)Reward: ??% of territory residents survive

As she stared at the Main Quest window, Ayra’s pale gray eyes sank into shadow. Her ears burned red as heat surged through her head—yet the fingers gripped in Janus’s hand turned cold, and that night, they never managed to get warm.