Show Me Your Stats!-Chapter 113

After repeating the process several times, Janus’s methods grew increasingly brutal, and by the fifth time, he outright lopped the candidate’s head off. It was at least some relief that slimes didn’t die unless their core was destroyed. Just in case, Ayra had even looked through records of people who’d gone missing or been murdered over the past decade. Thankfully, there didn’t seem to be any serial killings in Solar that could be blamed on Janus.

“Is it hard to get clues about a fated partner through a magic puppet imbued with illusion magic...”

Considering how hypersensitive his senses were, there was a good chance he had noticed something off. But still, she couldn’t go stuffing every single citizen of the estate into the jaws of a dragon until the right one turned up. After about a week of repeating this madness, Ayra’s stress reached its peak.

She couldn’t find a single hint about the fated partner, and it was exhausting enough just throwing candidate after candidate at Janus, even if they were just slimes. Once again, she’d spent the whole day rushing around the estate trying to stave off collapse. The work kept piling up, and she couldn’t come up with any clever way to support the citizens.

Suppressing the bubbling frustration in her chest, Ayra sighed again and again as she rummaged through her subspace storage. She needed something to blow off steam.

“...Maybe I should just try researching one thing right now.”

She pulled out the samples she’d been carefully storing—Janus’s samples. Hair, blood, fingernails, and toenails were laid neatly out on the table. After some thought, she decided to start with the easiest—his hair. She opened the pouch that held the strands, but her brow furrowed the moment she saw them.

“Was this... the original color?”

The few strands she pulled out were pale and faded. The vivid red tint they’d once had was nowhere to be seen—there was only a faint trace of color now. As Ayra watched, they gradually became transparent and then disappeared completely.

“No way...”

She hurriedly checked the other samples. The nails and blood were all fading as well. Staring blankly at the vanishing materials, Ayra let out a hollow laugh.

“What an idiot I am...”

It was laughable. When a ma-beast’s core was removed, the creature disappeared without a trace. If you wanted to preserve a sample, you needed special treatment. If Janus was a dragon and thus a type of ma-beast, it was only natural that his body parts couldn’t be preserved through ordinary means. That’s the same reason no one had ever discovered a dragon corpse.

“So that’s why he told me to come get more ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ whenever I needed.”

From the moment Ayra had taken part of his body, Janus had probably already known it wouldn’t last. But she didn’t even feel angry at him. She was just disappointed in herself. How long had she been dealing with ma-beasts? And yet she hadn’t even considered something so obvious.

‘He always said he was a dragon, but I’ve been treating him like a human this whole time.’

Feeling completely drained, Ayra got up from her seat. She stopped by the castle kitchen, stuffed her subspace with quality booze and snacks, and went to find Janus’s house. When she opened the door and stepped in, she saw him standing by the window, closely inspecting an eyeball inside a glass jar. He glanced her way and gave a lopsided grin.

“Looks like you don’t have anyone new to introduce me to today.”

“I can’t exactly keep introducing you to people when every last one disappears.”

Her voice was exhausted as she snatched the jar from his hand. It was dusty from neglect, so she pulled a microfiber cloth from subspace and wiped it down until it squeaked, then gently set it back on the windowsill.

Ayra slumped into a chair and began pulling out the drinks and food she’d stashed. As the steaming dishes filled the table, Janus licked his lips and sat down across from her.

“Got a sudden craving for alcohol?”

She didn’t answer. She simply poured herself a mild drink and filled Janus’s cup with something much stronger. One shot, then another—her insides began to burn, so she shoveled food into her mouth as well. But something surged up from within her, and she slammed her cup down on the table.

“What the hell are your criteria for choosing a fated partner? Can’t you at least explain it properly? I need some kind of clue to track them down! Why are you so sure your partner is in Solar, anyway? Couldn’t they be in Sobletz or Bolni instead?”

Honestly, if he wanted to throw a tantrum, she wished he’d go do it in one of those other territories. As Ayra raised her voice, Janus let out a thoughtful hum and propped his chin on his hand, clearly not in the mood to explain. But Ayra, her stress boiling over and her judgment dulled by the alcohol, pressed him anyway.

“Janus! If this is so important that you’re willing to wreck my entire estate for it, then at least pretend to cooperate. I’ll find your damned partner or whatever and make sure you live happily ever after.”

“...You really want to know how I choose my partner?”

At the word “partner,” his eyes flashed coldly.

He smiled sweetly—and then, in the next moment, his hand shot out and clamped around Ayra’s throat. She barely even saw it happen. He wasn’t even squeezing that hard, just applying light pressure, and yet she couldn’t breathe. Had she pushed him too far?

Heat surged to her face, her heart pounding wildly as her magic flared through her body. Janus’s eyes narrowed as he took in her flushed face. As if savoring the fluttering pulse beneath his fingers, his crimson eyes drifted closed and then reopened. His thumb slowly stroked along her jawline before he finally let go, smiling again. It hadn’t been enough to choke her seriously, but something about that touch made Ayra’s chest heave once.

“Hmm. Nah. I don’t feel like telling you.”

He said it playfully, but her heart turned to ice. That little moment had made it all too clear—Ayra was just a passing fancy to him. She’d known, of course, that this was a shallow relationship, but still... her gut churned with the betrayal, and her alcohol-soaked stomach twisted. How had she let herself fall for someone this dangerous, this heartless? Her lips pressed into a tight line.

Janus, acting like nothing had happened, downed an entire bottle of the strong liquor and finally spoke again.

“Ayra. Dragons know where their partner will be born even before they’re born.”

“...You know that before they’re even born?”

The chill in her chest barely had time to settle before the unfamiliar story caught her attention.

“At first, it’s nothing more than a vague, nagging sensation. Sometimes you feel so irritated you think you’ll kill whatever it is just to make it stop. But then, eventually, it gets born—and your entire world flips upside down.”

His eyes wandered happily through the air, like he was imagining a beautiful illusion. Ayra, watching him, clenched her fists tightly.

“Like a flower blooming and a fruit ripening, there comes a moment when it fills the world with a rich fragrance—just once. Then you do whatever it takes to hunt it down before the scent fades completely.”

His red tongue flicked along his lips, like he was imagining devouring something delicious. But then, for some reason, his face twisted into a displeased grimace. Ayra’s mood soured with his. So looks and personality meant nothing when it came to a partner, huh? All this time, she’d been wasting her efforts.

“So you’re saying that smell or whatever it is—you sensed that in Solar?”

“Well...”

Janus turned his head to stare at her. For some reason, he frowned slightly, looking puzzled. Then he asked abruptly:

“You said you were a labyrinth mage, right?”

“...Yeah. Why?”

“The labyrinth—that’s down south, isn’t it? Have you been there since you were a kid?”

“Yeah. It’s a southern city. I stayed there until I came here around age six to take over as Lord.”

Ayra replied, confused as to why he was asking. Janus curled his lips. And then he said...

“Then it definitely isn’t you.”

And completely upended her.

Right. She hadn’t thought she was his partner anyway. She tried to stay logical, but something ached beneath her ribs. Ayra downed another drink to suppress the dull throbbing in her chest. The alcohol ignited a blaze inside her, but her mind went icy cold.

‘So that’s why he’s got a nose like a bloodhound? His criteria is scent? ...Or maybe that’s just a metaphor?’

She frowned faintly. If that was the only standard, then finding this partner would be like searching for a star in the sky. Even her pebble’s navigation magic was useless. But could scent really be all there was to it? Surely there had to be something more?

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As those thoughts crossed her mind, Ayra looked up—and her face froze. Janus was staring at her with a terribly indifferent expression.

Ever since he promised to find his partner in exchange for not destroying the estate, he’d been in a constant sour mood. More specifically, he seemed to dislike her constantly bringing up the topic of his partner—but she’d pretended not to notice. Her pride and feelings were wounded, but there were more important things right now.

“Ayra.”

He called her name gently, like coaxing a stubborn child.

“Why don’t you just give up? I’m starting to get bored.”

Bored? Was that it? All of this—risking the lives of thousands, Ayra breaking her back day after day—was nothing more than boring to the great dragon?

Her insides twisted, but she forced a smile onto her lips.

“Is that so? You’re bored now?”

“There’s not much time left, right? Eventually, you’ll forget. Humans have short lives. It all passes quickly. Why not just enjoy it while you can? I told you—I don’t hurt my lovers.”

With that, Janus poured another glass of strong liquor into her cup. Ayra stared at the gesture, then slowly took the drink and downed it. The liquid scorched like molten lava, burning down her throat, through her stomach, and into the place where her heart lay.

Her face flushed red from the heat. Breathing hard, she let herself pretend to forget—just for a moment, just long enough to kiss him. When she leaned in, the lips that met hers were warm and soft, almost heartbreakingly human. Janus reached out to pull her close, but Ayra pushed him away and stepped back. She left without a word, turning away from his gaze and opening the door.

Having poured such strong alcohol into an empty stomach, she staggered on her way back to the castle. The first signs of full winter had arrived, and snow piled softly on the streets. When she stepped on a patch of ice and fell forward, the cold hit her like a wave.

Lying prone on the snow, Ayra grabbed a handful and pressed it to her face, trying to shake off the drunken haze—but her cheek only grew number and colder. The stone from her hand rose into the air and gave her a pitiful look. It gently brushed her icy face, and then a system window opened.

“Hah...”

Ayra’s breath came out in a misty cloud. The moment she saw the system message floating before her eyes, the last remnants of her drunkenness vanished completely.

[Emergency Alert! Dragon Attack: 17 Hours Until Destruction of Naulam Village.]

Her eyes glowed blue as her robe and hair whipped in the wind. Snow slipped between the fingers of her clenched gloves. Staring coldly at the system window, Ayra murmured:

“Fine. It’s not like I ever really intended to find your partner in the first place.”