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Dryadic Dragon Chapter 32: Roygun Belphegor
🕑 Added 2025-07-02 15:30:51 +0000 UTCChapter 32: Roygun Belphegor
Apparently, my previous hypothesis was right on the money. The assassins were on the payroll of the Belphegor Clan’s elders and were ordered to eliminate me to prevent the marriage between me and Roygun from going through. Unlike her, they have absolutely no interest in joining the 72 Pillars.
But that’s not what I’m particularly interested in, they were all feeble at best anyway. In hindsight, their mission failed the second it was assigned to them. Clearly, they expected my strength to be High-Class at best.
Unfortunately for them, after completing my awakening ceremony, I took my first official step into the realm of Ultimate-Class. Although, as much as I hate to admit it, I’d be remiss not to say that Martha and Sebastian’s constrictive treatment kinda came in clutch here.
It prevented them from getting any information on me and my exact strength level beforehand. Sure, they could research the abilities of the Buné and Sallos Clan if they wanted to—and while that might seem beneficial on paper, in practice, fighting those clan traits is an entirely different story.
But I digress, what I’m really interested in is Roygun’s involvement in all this. Halibel’s presence makes it abundantly clear that she knew what they were plotting in advance, and I’d like to know what’s going to happen from this point onwards.
“Halibel, would it be safe to assume that you were watching the whole time?” I asked the wolfman as we strolled through the hallways of the Belphegor Estate.
As expected, the architecture was quite rustic and antique in nature. It was still a residence that most certainly belonged to a noble, but it wasn’t of the same caliber as the one that a Pillar would own. Much less a Pillar that managed to climb its way into the Underworld’s Top 10.
There was only one aspect of the estate that managed to catch my attention.
The trees. Composed of a smooth, dark bark, with small raised pores all over its surface. The flowers varied from different shades of pink to a pristine white color, most of which contained five petals per flower, save for some that had experienced a double bloom and grown to ten or even twenty.
They were Cherry Blossom Trees.
A species I didn’t think even existed down here. One truly worth marveling at. I’m even considering negotiating with Roygun to see if we can bring a few over to our estate. I’d be more than willing to trade for them. Although I probably should focus on the more pressing matters at hand.
“Yeah, I was watching ya’,” he confirmed offhandedly.
I lifted an eyebrow. “And you didn’t think to intervene until I had already killed six of them?”
“Hey, don’t get snappy at me for that. I was simply following the Lady’s orders.” He shrugged, taking an extended drag from his pipe. “She wanted me ta’ get a read on yer’ skills while the opportunity was there, but once I realized that those goons weren’t going ta’ be able to test much. I decided to end things early.”
“She let it continue on purpose?” My eyes narrowed. I’m not sure how I feel about that.
“What’s the harm? They clearly weren’t capable of really threatening you in the first place. Even if they were, yer’ good pal’ Halibel over here would have dealt with them lickity split!” He pointed at himself, chuckling.
Hmm. He’s not wrong. My life probably wasn’t in danger there, especially with Sylvie aiding me. Also, with that freak speed of his, there’s no doubt he’d be able to intervene before anything actually managed to catch me by surprise—even if there was only a second to react.
“So, what’s going to happen now? The elders have made their move, I imagine it’s Roygun’s turn to make hers.”
“She already did.”
“What?”
“Once I confirmed that the assassins attacked ya’, the Lady took a trip over to the elder’s side of the estate and—” He swiped a claw across his throat. “—you know, dealt with their opposition for good.”
“Be that as it may,” Thora chimed in, who was pacing right behind me. “It was awfully inconsiderate of her to knowingly expose her fiancé to an assassination attempt before even meeting with him for the first time.”
“Well, I won’t say you’re not entitled to your opinion.” Halibel opened one eye, revealing an enchanting, bright gold iris. “But if you want to bring up that opinion with the Lady, you’ll have ta’ do so yourself.”
Thora swallowed a nervous gulp. I couldn’t blame her for hesitating, this is a Satan-Class existence we’re talking about at the end of the day.
“Don’t worry, Thora, I’m sure we’ll talk everything out.” I offered her a warm, reassuring smile, even though I wasn’t entirely confident myself. Honestly, I merely want the two of us to make it out of the Underworld in one piece. I’d rather neither of us become Belphegor sashimi before we’re up above.
“Kekeke, you two seem to have quite the relationship, eh?” Halibel snickered, his gaze shifting between the two of us suggestively. “How daring, especially considering ta’ circumstances.”
Thora’s face flushed bright red in embarrassment. “We’re not—!”
“Relax, relax, I won’t needlessly snitch. I’m not that kinda guy.” He reassured her, motioning with his hands.
Great, he thinks she and I have “that” kind of a relationship.
I mean, not that I’m opposed to the idea. On the contrary, I’ve been actively trying to create that exact type of relationship.
We’re just not there yet, I don’t have any plans to do anything rash—at least not while I’m still in the Underworld.
Once I’m in the human world, it’s fair game.
“Just a word of advice for ya’, try not to be too open with you and yer’ Young Lord’s shared affection.” His voice deepened, emphasizing the gravity of his words. “Especially around ta’ Lady, trust me, she won’t take kindly to that kinda behaviour.”
Gulp.
I nodded stiffly. “I’ll be sure to heed your advice.”
“Mm,” he hummed approvingly.
Soon enough, we arrived at the lone door situated on the uppermost floor of the estate. With the Belphegor Clan’s horned emblem encrusted into the frame with regal, gilded accents.
“The Lady’s waiting inside, and obviously, only fiancé-kun is allowed to enter.” He turned to Thora. “In the meantime, how about I give the lass a tour of the place? If she’s yer’ personal attendant, she’ll be coming round’ here quite often. It’d be good for her to know ta’ lay of the land.”
Thora glanced at me, probably seeking my approval.
“I don’t see why not,” I motioned for her to go ahead. Despite my misgivings, Halibel was clearly just following orders like he was supposed to—he doesn’t strike me as someone with his own agenda. And if anyone’s going to look after Thora around here while I’m busy, I’d rather it be someone like him. His strength definitely checks all the boxes.
“Very well, Young Lord, if anything arises, please don’t hesitate to call on me.” She bowed, taking her leave with Halibel in tow.
Exhale, now then, time to meet my fiancée.
Hesitantly, I put my hand on the doorknob, slowly pushing the door inwards and stepping inside Roygun’s bedroom. Quite the location for a first meeting, if you ask me.
To my surprise, the woman in question was nowhere to be seen, allowing me to take some time to gander at the design of her room. If one thing is for sure, it’s that she really has a thing for pink, if that wasn’t already obvious by the myriad of Cherry Blossom Trees I had seen outside.
Her bedsheets? Pink.
Her drapes? Pink.
The semi-translucent curtains framing either side of her bed? Pink.
Her wardrobe? Pink.
Her walls? Pink and white, how daring.
Her floor? Pink wooden planks.
I’m a Sallos, and even I have no clue what kind of tree produces pink timber.
Pink, pink, and more pink, no matter where I look. Honestly, it’s hurting my eyes.
She also has some trophies framed across a hanging shelf, they all appear to be ones awarded by top-rated game companies. There are three of them here so far, one for beating the #10, one for beating the #9, and another for beating the #8. Fuckin hell, it’s only been a month since I heard about her entering the Top 10, and she’s already snatched two more positions in that time.
Is that kind of progress even natural?
I continued to aimlessly meander around the space, probably touching stuff that I wasn’t supposed to—but can you blame me? It’s not my fault that my fiancée doesn’t want to show herself. I hope I’m not kept waiting for too long. The tension’s seriously starting to get to me.
Wait, what’s that sound?
My ears started to twitch, my attention shifting towards another door within the room that I hadn’t noticed earlier. The sound of running water crashing against marble flooring resounded from within, alongside a faint, metallic smell akin to blood being washed away, that wafted through the doorframe and into my nostrils.
Oh shit.
It didn’t take me long to connect the dots.
She was taking a shower!
Halibel! You bastard! You definitely knew, yet you still told me to go inside!
I take back everything good I said about him!
===
“Kekeke,” Halibel, for no apparent reason, started to snicker to himself while he was showing Thora around.
“Is something amusing?” Thora asked, cautiously side-eyeing him.
“No, not at all. I’m just praisin’ ma’self for being such a good matchmaker.”
===
I snapped to my feet, quickly marching towards the door while counting my blessings, deeply thankful that I hadn’t walked in at a different time. Even if she’s my fiancée, the last thing I need right now is for my first impression on her to be that I'm a peeping tom.
“Stay,” but before I could do so, I was stopped dead in my tracks by a charming, soft-spoken, mature womanly voice. “I’ll be out shortly. Sit on the bed while you wait.” Her voice made it clear that it wasn’t a suggestion, but an order.
Woman! I was trying to give you some privacy!
Anxiously, I robotically walked back over to the bed. Planting my behind on the soft mattress as agitated beads of sweat formed on the surface of my skin.
This situation isn’t developing how I wanted it to! Not even close!
But I can’t let myself get distracted, focus Alduin, you have a goal to accomplish here—remember? Don’t lose sight of that.
Click!
I tried to steady myself, but the sound of the bathroom door unlocking caused my confidence to waver a little further. My eyes were still fixated on the flooring beneath me, my mind unsure whether or not it was a good idea to look at the door.
“I don’t see what’s so interesting about the floor. I’m over here, Alduin. Don’t you think it’s a bit rude to avert your gaze from your fiancée?” That same, alluring voice addressed me, leaving me with no choice but to muster up my courage and face its origin. “Much better.”
There she was. Stood in the doorframe, staring at me with a faint, unreadable smile.
A ravishing, young-looking woman with freshly wetted cherry blossom locks cascading down her shoulders, the same shade of pink as the trees I had marveled at outside. Two, upwards curving horns protruded out of the sides of her head like laurels, though they obviously couldn’t compare to the majesty of mine.
Damnit! There I go again with that weird complex!
Strangely enough, her pupils weren’t all that dissimilar from mine, at least in shape. They were also vertical slits, but just a little thicker than I and Sebastian’s pupils. There was also this odd, almost eerie ring that circled her irises, which only made her unblinking, fixated stare even more frightening.
Then there was her slim, slender, hourglass figure blessed with broad, child-bearing hips and her wonderfully endowed breasts that would make for a pair of heavenly pillows—all of which was covered solely by the fluffy white bathrobe she adorned.
Shit, she’s smoking hot.
“Oh my, you’re even cuter in person than in the pictures your father sent me.” She said playfully, patting her soggy hair down with a towel. “The horns are definitely a nice addition, full points.”
“Uh, thank you?” I replied, somewhat muddled.
“You’re most welcome,” she started to approach, her hips gracefully swaying from side to side as she strode towards me, an effort that almost seemed purposeful. “I know your father kept it a secret from you, but I’ve been looking forward to this meeting for quite some time. Longer than I would’ve liked, to be frank.” I noticed her calm and collected demeanor falter for a second.
She sat down right beside me, slowly folding one leg over her supple thigh, causing me to inhale the sweet, aromatic scent that lingered around her body, and catch a glimpse of her cleavage sandwiched in between the puffy fabric of her robe.
She’s got fucking mountains!
“But you’re here now, and for that I’m glad.” She simpered, supposedly waiting for me to pick up the conversation.
Alright, Alduin, you can’t afford to flounder here.
“No, the pleasure’s all mine, Lady Belpheg—”
“Don’t call me ‘Lady’, I hear that title enough times on a day-to-day basis to drive me mad.” She frowned, pushing a nervous gulp down my throat. “I’m referring to you by name, it’s only proper that you do the same.” She drew her face closer to mine, wearing a distinct, fairly adorable pout on her face.
“S-sorry… Roygun.”
“Again.”
I blinked. “Pardon?”
“Say it again.”
“R-Roygun…?”
“Again.”
“Roygun…”
“One more time.”
“Roygun.”
Her posture softened, her smile brightening as her mood underwent a drastic improvement, her expression happy as a clam.
I don’t understand what just happened, but it seems to have worked out in my favour. The better her mood is, the smoother this conversation will go, specifically the part about me shelving our wedding for an unknown amount of time.
“Mm, I like hearing you say my name. Make sure you keep using it from now on, alright?” She cocked her head, catching me off guard as she affectionately stroked my cheek. Her eyes sparkled with a distinct warmth that caused my chest to tighten, making it harder to deliver the news I needed to convey.
Get it together!
“A-alright,” I cleared my throat, nodding my agreement. I’m glad that her mood has been uplifted, but the atmosphere is a bit too casual for my liking. I need it to become more formal for this particular conversation. “You’re probably already aware, but before I arrived here, I ran into a… incident of sorts.”
“Yes, I’m well aware.” She rested her chin on her hand. “You were attacked by assassins sent by my clan’s elders. Halibel told me everything. But you needn’t worry any longer, I’ve… dealt with the issue.” Her tone told me all that I needed to know.
The blood she had just washed off was, in fact, that of the perpetrators, just as Halibel told me.
Hmph, good riddance.
“I see… about Halibel—”
“What about him?” She interrupted me, scooting closer as our shoulders and thighs brushed against one another. “Halibel’s done his job. Now you’re with me, this is an opportunity for us to get to know each other as future husband and wife. Don’t you want to know more about your fiancée? Go on, you can ask me anything.”
That wasn’t the kind of reaction I was expecting… I don’t know if it was just my imagination, but for a second there she sounded—unstable.
“Believe me, I’ve got plenty of personal questions I’d like to ask you… but there’s also a myriad of formal ones I have on my mind, would it be alright if I asked those first?” I did my utmost to sound as affable as possible. This is the first time we’re meeting face-to-face, so I’m trying my best to form a profile of her personality as we converse.
The more I understand her, the easier it’ll be for me to reason with her.
She narrowed her eyes, exhaling with reluctance.
“Fine.”
“Thank you,” I gestured appreciatively. “For starters, Halibel told me that you used the assassins to gauge my strength… is that true?”
“Alduin,” she crossed her arms. “I’m not sure I like how you’ve worded that, it almost sounds like you’re trying to vilify me.”
“I assure you, I didn’t mean anything of the sort,” I spoke with steadfast insistence, leaving no room for confusion. “If you bore any malice, you wouldn’t have gone ahead and… dealt with the elders. I’m just curious as to why you felt the need to test me, that’s all.”
She paused momentarily, presumably determining whether I was being truthful or not.
“In that case, the answer’s simple. I needed to make sure you weren’t a weakling, such a person would have no business standing beside me as my betrothed after all.”
I hummed, slowly nodding to myself. “And? What’s the verdict?”
“You passed, with flying colours.” Tenderly, she ran her fingers through my hair, causing a faint flush to appear across my face. “Though you’re young, you’ve already achieved the threshold of Ultimate-Class. I have no doubt that you’ll be able to achieve my level of strength in the future, although, in hindsight, I probably should’ve expected as much. You are Sebastian’s child after all. I hear your mother’s quite the powerhouse as well. Unfortunately, my requests to meet with her went unanswered.”
I put my hand on her shoulder. “Believe me, you’re better off not meeting her.”
“If you say so, but I’ll have to talk with her at some point in the future—she’s going to be my mother-in-law after all.” Roygun shrugged, blissfully unaware of Martha’s character.
For your sake, I’ll make sure the two of you are never in a room together.
“I suppose time will tell, moving on, my father told me that you were the one who initially proposed this marriage. Is that true as well?”
“Mhm, it’s true.”
“Might I ask… why?” I’ve heard the old man’s side of things, and now I’d like to hear hers as well. I’m not so short-sighted as to take his words at face value. “I know it’s a little redundant at this point but there’s quite a… staggering age difference between us, not to mention that we’ve never met before, I don’t really understand why you chose me of all people—even taking into account your desire to make your house a part of the 72 Pillars.”
Asudden, a bright smile returned to her face. “Is that really a formal question? That sounds quite personal to me. Frankly, I’m not entirely sure I feel like answering that. You shouldn’t ask a woman such a question so brazenly, Alduin, you ought to learn some tact.”
Funny, Thora told me the exact same thing.
“Roygun, please take this seriously…”
“Hmm,” she tapped her lower lip, a mischievous smile crawling up her face. “Well, I might be willing to answer you… on one condition.”
“Go on…” I don’t have a good feeling about this.
She flopped onto the mattress back-first, rotating herself sideways and spreading her arms out in my direction. Clearly expecting something.
“Cuddle me.”
I blinked repeatedly, taking a moment to process her words.
“I beg your finest pardon…?”
“You heard me. You can either come over here and cuddle with me, or this conversation’s over. Your choice.” Usually, I’d shrug something like this off as a joke, but from the way she’s talking, I can’t help but feel like she’s being genuine… for better or for worse.
“Roygun, I’m fairly certain I just asked you to take this seriously…”
“I am being serious, now hurry up and make a decision. Of course, if you’re feeling shy, I could come over there, push you down, and straddle you. You’ll be pleased to find that I’m a fairly understanding woman.” Once more, her words felt disturbingly truthful.
Good grief, the fact that the last person I cuddled was my literal mother isn’t helping my confidence here. But sometimes a man’s gotta do what he’s gotta do, not that I’m all that fussy about cuddling someone as stunning as her.
After a bit of hesitation, I shuffled over towards her lying figure, and once I was within arm’s reach, she didn’t waste a second grabbing hold of me and pulling me into her iron-clad embrace. Smooshing my head against the… hefty pillows attached to her chest.
So soft… not good… I could actually fall asleep like this.
“Alduin, cuddling isn’t a one-man job. You need to return your partner’s embrace.” She chided me, a shiver crawling down my spine as her hands shifted around my body, sliding from my waist up to my back, her fingers clenching like a koala grabbing hold of a log. “If you wait for me to move your hands for you… they might end up somewhere you’re not ready to touch, just saying.”
“R-right…” I stammered, folding my hands around her waist, exposing myself to the tantalizing sensation of touching her sensational figure, diminished only by a bathrobe that was far thinner than I had presumed.
I’m really struggling to focus here…
“Alduin, this is my answer.” She spoke into my scalp, her alarmingly steamy breath hitching against my hair, indicating that I wasn’t the only one feeling… stimulated.
“I’m not sure I follow?”
“While it’s true that our marriage is a necessity for me to make my house a part of the 72 Pillars, it’s not the only reason I want you.” Those last three words had quite the effect on me, that’s for sure. “All my life, I’ve only been surrounded by three things in this estate of mine. Servants, subordinates, and obnoxious elders who looked to oppose my vision for this house every step of the way. Fortunately, I went ahead and eliminated one of those today. Something I probably should’ve done a long time ago.”
“Better late than never,” I chuckled. If there’s one thing I can get behind, it’s geezer pest extermination.
“Haha. Yes, I suppose you’re right,” she returned, a chuckle of her own, her mood swiftly turning stern once more. “The point is, I’ve always been missing one kind of relationship in this residence… family.”
I lifted my brow. “What about your mom and dad?”
“Hmph, they were pathetic excuses for parents. They sided with the elders who wished to suppress me, sticking to stubborn traditions that had no other merit than needless pride.” Even though I couldn’t see her face, since my face was sandwiched between her shoulder boulders and all, I could feel her mood darken. “I killed them alongside the rest of the old fogeys, they were only parents in name anyway. I didn't feel a thing for them, never have, never will.”
“O-oh…” Talk about having a bomb dropped on your head, I’m not sure how to even begin formulating a response to that.
“Does it disgust you? That I’d do such a thing to them without a hint of remorse?” I felt her squeeze me a little tighter.
“Honestly… no, not at all.”
“H-huh?” My indifferent answer seemed to catch her by surprise.
“The truth is, if you hadn’t killed them yourself. I was planning on doing it myself, even though it isn’t really my place to waltz in here and execute the elders of your clan… they did try to assassinate me and all, as you can imagine, I’m not exactly fond of them…”
“But…”
“I know, that’s not what you’re asking.” I exhaled calmly, tilting my head upwards and making direct eye contact. “Roygun, your actions don’t disgust me, not even remotely. They were your parents, you’re the one who experienced life with them, not me. I don’t feel like I have the right to decide how you should and shouldn’t feel about them. If there was nothing more to be done, then that’s that. End of story.”
“You… truly aren’t repulsed by what I did? Not even a little?”
“Not even a nanoangstrom, my dear fiancée.” I placed both hands on the sides of her face, rubbing my thumbs across her smooth, glossy skin, hoping to soothe her.
“Alduin…”
“Yes?”
“I think you might be a little crazy…” She laughed dryly, continuing to move her arms upwards and coiling them around my collar.
Crazy… huh? My mind went back to the fight with the assassins. Yeah, you might be onto something there…
“If that’s the case, then I assure you it’s genetic.”
“Really now? Maternal or paternal?”
“Both.”
“Is that so? I can’t speak to your mother, but your father seemed quite level-headed to me when we talked.”
“Then you clearly didn’t talk with him long enough,” we both giggled. Although I honestly did mean every word I said, any remnants of lunacy dwelling within me are by courtesy of my blood. “It’s a shame, if you had waited a little longer, then maybe the two of us could’ve slaughtered your elders together. It’d make for a memorable first date, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, it would’ve.” She breathed a deeply relieved exhale, evidently much more relaxed than before. “Now then, do you have any more questions for me?”
I feel bad that I’m going to have to bring the mood down again, however, I can no longer afford to ignore the matter at hand. The earlier I rip this bandage off, the better it’ll be for both of us.
“I do, and while I won’t ask you not to get mad. I would appreciate it if you could bring yourself to avoid killing me, or putting me in the hospital for an extended amount of time.”
“Alduin…?” Understandably, that question derailed her peace of mind.
“It’s about our marriage.”
She paused, taking a deep breath. “I see...”
Comments
Accel14
I'm guessing you're refering to Roygun's reason for wanting him, don't worry shnawg, I haven't forgotten. It's according to el plan/keikaku kekeke.
krn
basically told him nothing lol
Ythyryl
Well, that’s not the way I would’ve worded it, but as both Thora and Roygun have pointed out, he could use some more tact when talking with women 😂
