Show Me Your Stats!-Chapter 108

"He's tall, muscular, good with both weapons and his body, has great stamina, yadda yadda yadda... Anyway, I had a weird feeling, so I stayed on alert—and then the Lord of Bolni asked me to kill the Lord of Solar."

Janus’s words didn’t sound like they were born from personal dislike or jealousy. It sounded like he came to kill the lord for some other reason entirely. But what the hell kind of reason would that be? More than that, something caught Ayra’s attention—her eyes cooled. As she recalled her family who’d died so tragically, her heart thudded heavily in her chest.

"The Lord of Bolni asked you to kill me?"

"Yeah. If I’d known it was you, I wouldn’t have come."

No, that wasn’t it. Ayra didn’t particularly resent Janus for coming to chop off the lord’s head. She was already well aware that Janus was a dangerous being, someone capable of crushing the territory and slaughtering its people at any moment. Even though she never showed it outwardly, Ayra often felt like her neck was half-laid across the blade whenever she was with him.

So something else was far more important now.

"...Have you ever done a favor for the Lord of Bolni before?"

It was the first time Janus had ever heard Ayra speak in such a frigid voice, and his eyebrow twitched upward.

"Like, for example—taking a request to assassinate the family of Solar’s lord."

Just imagining that Janus had killed her family made Ayra feel like her guts were twisting. Maybe she couldn’t kill him, but she’d make him suffer one way or another... As Ayra pressed him, Janus seemed to understand exactly what she was thinking and let out a dry, scoffing laugh.

"Looks like there's been a misunderstanding. Listen up. I came to cut off the lord's head because it happened to suit my own goals. I wasn’t doing some favor for the Lord of Bolni."

"...Really? Then that’s a relief."

At least Janus wasn’t the kind of person to lie, so it probably wasn’t him who killed her family. She even double-checked with the pebble before finally loosening her rigid expression. Watching her, Janus’s mocking smirk faded as well. He leaned back lazily on the couch and shrugged.

"Back then, and now too—I don’t do those petty, annoying jobs. A dragon isn’t some servant of humankind."

His arrogant tone made it clear: maybe he’d destroy a territory outright, but he wasn’t about to go around assassinating for lowly humans. Still, Ayra felt reassured. If dragons acted on petty human greed, that would be a truly horrifying disaster.

"Anyway, why the hell won’t ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ this damned castle break?"

Janus, who had been silently swinging his foot as if lost in thought, suddenly snapped in frustration. He looked visibly offended that he couldn’t even destroy a single fortress.

"Obviously—because it’s under a spell."

It wasn’t exactly a given, so Ayra herself was surprised. Considering Janus’s physical attack power, this kind of castle should’ve been easy to dismantle barehanded. The only reason it had withstood Janus’s attacks was likely the preservation magic. And when properly maintained, magic usually grew stronger over time. Especially if it was from at least five hundred years ago.

‘That was close. The study almost got wrecked. Then my precious collection would’ve...’

Ayra shuddered. Just thinking about her study being destroyed, and her precious eyeball collection shattered, sent chills down her spine. But something definitely felt off. No matter how old the magic was, could it really block a dragon’s 99,999 physical attack power this perfectly?

‘Something’s weird... Even if it were a thousand-year-old spell, could it really block 99,999 ATK? The numbers just don’t add up.’

Either way, now wasn’t the time to investigate. As Janus grumbled about the absurdly strong magic, his lips slowly shut. A heavy chill settled in the air. His emotionless red eyes shifted left and right with an eerie slowness, then curved into a crooked smile.

"Yeah... Ayra, so you really are the lord of this land."

He asked with a slightly unhinged smile, but there wasn’t a trace of amusement in his eyes, which had grown even more subdued.

"So since you’re the ruler here, you never actually had plans to leave for Sobletz or Bolni, did you?"

"...Yeah."

"So you’ve been lying to me all this time. How amusing."

Janus laughed again, letting out a low chuckle. From the outside, it was impossible to tell whether he was amused or pissed. But the fluctuating temperature in his gaze as he looked at Ayra made it seem like he was doing his best to restrain himself, possibly out of affection for his lover. And sure enough, the "Bad Ending Warning" popped up again.

‘Well, from a dragon’s perspective, maybe all of this really is just a game.’

That thought made Ayra boil with helpless anger. To some, this was about life and death, home and livelihood. But for Janus, the dragon, none of that mattered. It was probably no different from a child stomping out hundreds or thousands of ants in some mischievous game. Even knowing Ayra worked here, he had still tried to sever the lord’s head and destroy the castle without a second thought.

Soon, Janus wiped the smile completely from his face and stared silently at her. His inhuman red eyes gleamed under the flickering lamp, unreadable and cold.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

When Ayra asked, Janus just made a “hm” sound and slowly glanced over the towering pile of documents on her desk, as well as the bedding she’d placed on the sofa for the nights she worked late. As he took in the traces of her effort, the pebble informed her what he was thinking:

I’m sorry for lying all this time. Let’s break up. (Bad Ending)

These are the signs of my effort as the lord of Solar. (Imprisonment Ending)

If you haven’t had dinner, wanna eat together? (Retainer Death)

Want to check out my castle? (Lord’s Castle Collapse)

You have 12 seconds to respond. 11, 10, 9... :(

Every option was a disaster, and the 12-second timer was practically a flashing warning: don’t pick any of these. Ayra racked her brain. A breakup was out of the question. Getting imprisoned over small talk? A retainer dying? All of those would mean instant failure of the main quest. In other words, each choice was a fast track to the territory’s doom. She had to avoid them at all costs. And she had to find a response that would genuinely grab Janus’s interest—fast.

Which meant, there was only one conversation topic that could seize Janus’s attention right now.

"Should I find your fated partner for you?"

"What did you say?"

That definitely struck a nerve—Janus’s red eyebrows twitched. Even the pebble seemed shocked, throwing up a system window that made no sense at all:

[:0 ......!]

Ayra ignored the sudden pop-up and continued, feeling anything but amused.

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"You’re about to wipe out my entire territory just because you’re annoyed and fed up after not finding a mate for ten years, right? So if I find your fated one—or your lover—then that solves the problem, doesn’t it?"

Even as she spoke, Ayra felt a boiling fury inside. No matter how casual their relationship was, they were still lovers. She’d enjoyed being with Janus, they’d shared a bed, and—whether he knew it or not—she’d come to care about him. It meant something to her. And now she had to make an offer like this?

She was growing bitter with jealousy and resentment, but she held it in. If she weighed her pride against the lives of her people, the latter clearly mattered more.

"Are you saying that seriously?"

The moment she said the word “fated partner,” Janus’s face went blank, his voice completely emotionless. Of course she wasn’t serious. But her desire to protect the territory was absolutely sincere.

"And just how exactly do you think you’re going to find my match?"

"I’m a Labyrinth Mage. I’ve got more than enough ability for that."

Ayra puffed herself up, acting like she was bluffing, but it wasn’t even a bluff. The skills of a Labyrinth Mage far outstripped those of regular mages. Still, that wasn’t why she made the offer. She had another reason—and a bit of faith. In her trusty artificial spirit, for example...

[:0 ......!!!♡]

The pebble popped up another flustered system window, but she ignored it. Janus didn’t laugh off her offer or brush it aside. He tilted his head slowly, a crooked smile creeping onto his lips.

"You clearly don’t have a clue about the standards I use to choose a mate."

His voice was laced with dark amusement, like his standards were some grand, untouchable mystery. The atmosphere turned threatening. He was clearly displeased. But Ayra didn’t back down. She stared him down with defiant eyes, until finally Janus relented with a smirk.

"One month. I’ll give you one month to find my fated partner. If you succeed, I won’t touch your territory. But if you fail... you know what happens, right?"

With a bam, he struck the table lightly with his fist. A cruel smile spread across his face just as the pebble popped up a new notification.

[‘Janus Rehzedet’ Favorability Score Tally Complete]

[‘Janus Rehzedet’ Current Favorability: 9]

The deal was struck. If she failed, the D-Day until Solar’s destruction had just dropped to 30 days. And after all that effort building up Janus’s affection, his favorability had plunged to single digits. Ayra’s mood also plummeted. Inside, she cursed him out: You bastard, you pervy lizard freak, you piece of shit—but outwardly, she just smiled with grace.

"Don’t worry. I’ll find them for you—no matter what it takes."