Chapter 229 Facing The Dragonkin Leader.

Alright, I gotta be honest here. What am I looking at?!

One might wonder what was running through my mind as I stood in the presence of the Tribe Leader of the Dragonkin.

We were in a well-made tent. If I had to guess, I would say it was constructed using Monster skin, reinforced with Magic to ensure it was durable and of impeccable quality.

Compared to any tent I had seen in this world, this was most definitely the best. Obviously, this excluded the one I brought from earth.

Within the tent was an ornate, exquisite chair, and seated on the chair was the leader of the dragonkin.

Behind me were the two dragonkin that had the right, or should I say nerve, to remain in the tent with me. The guy was most likely the chief warrior, considering how skilled he looked. Also, he was the one who led those scouts who were checking out that Dragon Nest.

The second dragonkin behind me was also among the scouts—and I noticed she and this other dude leaving for the leader's tent when they first arrived at the camp. That meant she was an important personality as well.

'She's also very close to the chief warrior, considering…' I recalled how the two were acting all mushy on their way to the leader's tent.

Nero had been in camouflage mode, and we were using binoculars to spy on them. We saw everything that happened so clearly, it was practically as though we were there in person.

Speaking of visuals, though…

'DAMN! This Tribe Leader's tits are massive!' I thought to myself, nearly drooling at the mere sight of her.

I knew my thoughts were irredeemably perverted, but hear me out. If anyone else from Earth could see these puppies, they would definitely understand my sentiment!

'Such well-rounded beauties. They looked so plump and shapely, held firm by the thin piece of cloth that left little to the imagination, and left slightly exposed by the coat only she was wearing.'

Yeah, the leader of the dragonkin wore a special dark crimson coat, unlike the other females here—most likely a symbol of her authority as a leader.

As for her other features, her lustrous long hair and beautiful red scales made her utterly majestic. She had piercing crimson eyes, and her horns arched backwards in a seductively curved stroke—maybe that last part was my imagination, though.

Her tail seemed to be rigid, for some reason—curving in an odd pattern. It didn't seem that way a few seconds ago, when we first entered, but now…

'Hm. Maybe she's nervous. Did I read about that somewhere? Well, I don't really know much about dragonkin physiology.'

What I knew about, though, were boobs! And hers were definitely on another level.

I was actually quite distracted by the chest of the dragonkin females—especially the one behind me. However, the moment I arrived in the presence of her majesty, all my preconceived notions were shattered.

I instantly realized the difference between mediocrity and perfection.

'They're… beautiful.'

Of course, I made sure to maintain my proper 'Hero Face' while standing in the presence of the Tribe Leader. Lucy was right beside me, after all, and I couldn't lose face in front of her.

Besides, after building myself up to such a grand entry, it would really suck if everyone here branded me as a pervert and lost all respect for me.

Yep, that would really suck.

"How long will you remain silent? I asked you what you want!" I suddenly heard the tense voice of the Tribe Leader, which sharply jolted me back to reality.

'A-ah, damn! I almost got pulled in too deep!'

Quickly regaining my composure, thanks to my impressive mental fortitude, I decided to concentrate my gaze on the dragonkin leader.

"I could very well ask you the same question." My tone was low, yet defiant.

With my intractable gaze and authoritative air, I firmly passed my message across to the seated leader.

She appeared dazed by my unapologetic tone—no surprise there. The thing is, as much as I would love to be nice to these people, I could not afford to seem weak.

My Dragon Golem was parked right outside, for crying out loud.

'If I act nicer, they'll look down on me since I'm a human.'

That couldn't happen!

"What do you mean? You are the one who barged in here with your… dragon. You are the one who needs to provide an explanation immediately."

Fair point, to be honest.

I wasn't unreasonable, and I actually agreed with all she said.

These people were just minding their business when I came over in this world's version of a calamity, while flexing in front of everyone. If anything, they deserved an apology.

However, I couldn't afford to show weakness.

'That said, I shouldn't be a jerk as well.'

"You seem to misunderstand something here." I spoke in a low tone, taking a step forward.

I saw both dragonkin guards move, but their leader instantly told them to stand down.

"I haven't come here for you, nor your tribe. I have come for the Nest. As such, it is you and your people that owe me an explanation for what you were doing there, to begin with."

An uncomfortable expression instantly played on the faces of the dragonkin. I could see the hesitation in their eyes, giving me the impression that I had hit the nail right on the head.

"If I may ask, what is this business you have with the Dragon Nest?" The leader's voice had been stripped of its previous animosity.

She had a gentler, more docile tone. I could tell she was trying to play things safe, while also doing her best to pry information from me.

'I've gotten them right where I want them!' I grinned internally.

"And why should I tell you that?"

As expected, another uncomfortable silence ensued. I could see the gaze of the leader shift awkwardly from left to right—most likely staring at her two subordinates. It seemed she was trying to make a decision.

I just hoped it was the right one.

"If I choose to tell you our purpose, would you listen to our story?"

And just like that, the leader cracked. There was no need to be obstinate or stubborn at this point. Playing along was to my benefit. Of course, etiquette demanded a mutual understanding.

"I will."

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"... And that's why we need to take back the Dragon Nest." The Tribe Leader finally explained the whole thing, emphatically highlighting the high stakes involved in her tribe's fight for survival.

From her lengthy explanation, I deduced a couple of things.

One was the name of these dragonkin.

The stern-faced dude was Sirius. Accounting for wordplay, that name suited him perfectly. As for the chick, she was Lydia.

The Tribe Leader's name was Nadia—a beautiful name, I might add.

Without mincing words, she was stunning. She had this mature vibe to her, and if I were to measure her by Earth standards, she seemed to be in her late twenties.

'Damn…'

Before my mind derailed too far, I brought it back to the topic at hand. And yeah, it was quite serious indeed.

This dragonkin tribe was stuck in a dilemma, where they had to take over the Dragon Nest or take their chances with the limited resources they had. Let's just say their odds weren't so great.

As an alternative, they thought of attacking the nearby human settlements, but their pride wouldn't allow it. Besides, it was too late at this point.

I actually liked how Nadia was honest enough to tell me the truth to my face—despite me and Lucy being humans. It made her all the more amiable.

'I would have actually wondered about that option if she didn't mention it, so, bonus points for you, Nadia!'

To an extent, at least, I felt like I could trust the words of the dragonkin. I mean, they hadn't actually given me a reason to doubt them yet.

"I see," I muttered, apprising them of my comprehension of their problems.

The thing was, this was actually good news for me!

Not only did the plans of the dragonkin not clash with mine, but I could see a way in which we could both work together to achieve our respective goals.

'I could actually manage to steal a couple of eggs without them, but I actually wanna help these guys.'

I was the Hero, after all. My duty was to the people of this world.

It definitely wasn't because I hoped for some sort of reward from the Tribe Leader or anything—no, I wasn't that kind of Hero.

I was an honest do-gooder who believed in doing the right thing. And right now, my Justice Senses were tingling.

'If we joined forces, we could actually stand a chance against the dragons in the nest.'

The dragonkin had done all the work for me by scouting the area and acquiring all the information needed to invade their Nest. All we actually needed to do now was to formulate a great infiltration strategy that utilized the strengths of both parties.

Then, we'd storm into the nest and both parties would obtain what they wanted.

'Am I brilliant, or what?'

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[A/N]

Due to personal reasons, I will now be posting about one or two chapters of this novel per week.

I thank all my loyal readers for their constant support, and the help you have all shown me during these times.

I thought of pausing the book, but that wouldn't be fair.

Instead, I've chosen to simply write one/two chapters a week, to keep the fire burning.

Feel free to drop your comments to tell me how you feel about this development.

Thank you all once more.

Cheers!