The dog-headed king, feeling the strength in his arm, frowned deeply.
This strength.
It was truly extraordinary.
Even he felt a sense of threat.
"Who said we were friends?"
The Dog King spoke in a deep voice, his tone filled with animosity.
The Bee Woman gazed at the figure before her.
Majestic.
As if radiating golden light.
This—
Was this the prince her aunts spoke of, the one who only appeared in fairy tales?
The knight who always arrived at the last critical moment,
When the princess was in distress.
In an instant, the Bee Woman's heart seemed to flutter, her eyes shining with dazzling colors.
Mesmerized, the Bee Woman stared at the figure.
She watched silently.
Watching the black knight who appeared before her.
It was just—
This black knight of hers seemed a little off.
"Ah... Hahaha." Suddenly, the person holding the Dog King's wrist broke into a fawning smile. "I saw your extraordinary aura and felt a desire to befriend you, to become your friend."
"You mean you want to meddle, don't you?"
"How could that be?"
The person in the adventurer's outfit plastered a smile back on his face.
"If you don't want to meddle, let go." The Dog King's face sagged, his skin creasing several layers deep.
Hearing this.
The hand holding the Dog King's wrist quickly let go. He rubbed his hands together, sighing with admiration.
"Your arm is really sturdy, you'd be great at carrying cement."
The Dog King was clearly not understanding his words.
"What did you say?"
"Ah, nothing..." The person in the adventurer's outfit grinned again, his face serious. "It's our hometown dialect. We praise you for being strong, exceptionally strong!"
"Oh?"
"Don't doubt me (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧ You're amazing, truly!"
The Dog King wasn't sure if it was true or not, but judging by his eyes, it seemed very sincere, not fake.
After a moment of contemplation.
The Dog King didn't think much of it.
Being praised, he felt much better.
"You do have good judgment. Are you a foreigner?"
"Oh dear, you truly have a pair of discerning eyes to spot that I'm a foreigner at a glance." The adventurer gave a thumbs-up, his face filled with admiration. "My name is Chen Yu. I've only been here for a short while."
"We dog people have always been wise."
"I can see that."
Chen Yu nodded solemnly.
Being called wise, the Dog King's mood improved significantly. Praise for wisdom was the dearest thing to the dog people.
It was just that this foreigner appeared rather abruptly.
He still furrowed his brow.
"Why did you stop me just now? Don't tell me you want to save this Bee Woman?"
The Dog King’s scrutinizing gaze swept over Chen Yu a couple of times.
"How could that be?" Facing the Dog King's gaze, Chen Yu widened his eyes earnestly. "Why would I save her? We're not related at all. I truly admire you."
"Admire me?"
"Yes. We foreigners are all weak. In a place like this, where the strong prey on the weak, we have no way to survive. If we want to live, do you know what we have to do?"
"What do you have to do?"
Suddenly, Chen Yu's eyes became solemn and grave.
"We have to find a great king like you, bow down to you, and become your loyal subordinate. The weak, after all, should attach themselves to the strong, don't you agree."
Chen Yu wore a face full of fawning smiles.
Being so flattered, the Dog King felt a sense of elation. In a great mood, he patted Chen Yu on the shoulder.
"Good, you foreigner speak very well."
"No!" Chen Yu suddenly shook his head with a grave expression. "I'm not trying to flatter you. This is truly from the bottom of my heart. You are the strongest here, you are the king!"
"King?!"
The Dog King's eyes gleamed.
"You are the king!" Chen Yu nodded earnestly, his voice exaggerated. "Please don't doubt it. You were born for this world, you exist for this world."
"I... I am the king!"
"Indeed. I can see your future. You will trample all beings under your feet, live in the most luxurious doghouse, surrounded by countless beautiful dog consorts, enjoying everything this world has to offer."
"You can see the future?"
The Dog King's heart leaped in surprise.
"Yes!"
"You're a fortune teller!"
Huh?
A fortune teller?
Did this cave even have such a profession?
Chen Yu muttered to himself.
Alright.
Since I'm already here, no matter what it is, I'll just agree.
Looking at this Dog King, his brain doesn't seem very sharp.
Even if I agree, it won't be exposed.
With a soft sigh, Chen Yu nodded solemnly.
"Yes!"
The Dog King's eyes widened instantly.
Fortune teller.
The most mysterious group in the cave, possessing the ability to foresee the future.
Absolute high society.
People like him, dog people from the outer regions who had just gained sentience, were not qualified to associate with such individuals.
This foreigner...
Was actually a fortune teller!
"Why should I believe you?" The Dog King still had some doubts about Chen Yu's words.
"King!"
Chen Yu suddenly sighed sadly.
"I know you might not believe me, but think about how I found you. If I couldn't see the future, how could I have encountered you in this vast cave?"
"This..." The Dog King fell into thought.
"It's okay if you don't believe me. I came here with sincerity. If you see my sincerity, you will believe what I say."
"What sincerity?"
"Please, look."
Clang!
In the flowerbed, hundreds of black and white loaves of bread, along with over a hundred kilograms of wheat, fell to the ground.
Seeing this, the Dog King was stunned.
For the food-scarce cave, this was an astonishing fortune.
Even the Bee Woman was taken aback.
So much—
So much food!
She stared blankly at Chen Yu's back. The light that had enveloped him not long ago seemed to dissipate bit by bit.
He wasn't here to save her.
He was here to pledge allegiance to the dog-headed tribe!
Despair!
Slowly grew in the Bee Woman's heart.
As expected, fairy tales were all lies. There were no princes in this world, nor black knights who saved princesses.
The Bee Woman bit her lip.
Her eyes showed a resolute expression.
If the Dog King still tried to force her later, she would perish with him.
The Dog King, looking at the food before him, swallowed hard.
"This is your sincerity?"
"Of course. No!" Chen Yu smiled and shook his head. "This is a token of my willingness to join your ranks. As for my true sincerity..."
A fruit burning with flames appeared in Chen Yu's hand.
Seeing the flames, the Dog King instinctively took a step back.
"What are you doing?"
Beasts naturally feared fire, and dog-headed people were no exception.
"This is the Flame Fruit."
Chen Yu held the fruit and whispered with a smile.
"King, you must know, the Flame Fruit grows in the core region of lava, from the Flame Tree. It bears fruit once every thirty years, yielding only one fruit at a time."
"Yes, I know. What about it?"
Actually, the Dog King knew nothing of this. He was only pretending to know to avoid appearing ignorant.
"I want to present this fruit to the great King!"
Chen Yu held the Flame Fruit with both hands, his face full of sincerity.
"By eating this fruit, you will no longer fear flames, and you will become a great fire-element dog-headed mage."
"I searched for you for days, just to give this to you."
"Please accept it, Your Majesty!"
--
Author's remarks:
Good evening. I'm sleepy~ Going to sleep~