Show Me Your Stats!-Chapter 178

“It was just stamping a seal.”

“A seal? What kind of seal?”

“Something like... declaring this land mine.”

Even as Ayra narrowed her eyes and stared at him, Janus only whistled without offering much of an explanation. That’s when Pebble’s system window popped up.

[Territory upgrade in progress. 1%......]

[Dragon Janus Rehzedet is putting down roots in Solar......]

[Tip. Dragon’s Territory Effect: Within their claimed land, dragons receive enhanced attack and HP buffs.]

[During the upgrade, a powerful provocation effect will occur throughout the entire territory!]

Putting down roots? A powerful provocation effect? What the hell was that supposed to mean? A dragon wasn't some plant, after all... Ayra was full of curiosity but couldn’t ask directly since this was Pebble’s collected intel. Instead, she clenched her fist and declared her ownership.

“This land isn’t yours—it’s mine!”

“Yeah, yeah. Your land is my land, and my land is your land.”

Janus gave a half-hearted reply as he wiped himself with the towel Ayra handed him. After lazily splashing water around for a bit, he seemed to find it annoying and simply dunked himself fully into the tub until only bubbles remained. For a human, the time he spent submerged would’ve easily led to suffocation or drowning—but he leisurely washed his dirtied hair and body underwater. Definitely not a species that needed oxygen, Ayra thought with a smirk.

Apparently, Janus heard her chuckle underwater somehow, because he lifted his head again, water streaming down his red hair as he brushed it back and curled his lips up.

“Come here.”

“Why?”

Suspicious enough to prepare a magic shield in case she got splashed, Ayra hesitantly approached. Janus curled a finger arrogantly and ordered again.

“Bend down a bit.”

Raising an eyebrow, Ayra leaned forward with a "let’s see what you’re up to" look. Janus gently took her chin with his finger, guiding her face lower, and pressed a kiss to her lips. His lips were cold, but his leisurely, savoring tongue was hot—soon, even her lips began to warm.

“Hm.”

Letting out a satisfied sound, Janus bit down gently and then pulled back. As Ayra licked her now-swollen lips, she gave him a slow, appraising look. At what point did dragons begin to take human form? He looked perfectly human, but on closer inspection, was too flawless to really be one.

The gaze that met hers was no longer the same as when they’d first met. Even without checking the favorability stat, Ayra could clearly feel how much affection the other now held for her. Perhaps it was even because he was a dragon that he liked her more?

Thinking that, she suddenly voiced it aloud.

“I get the feeling that... even if you weren’t a dragon, even if you were human, I’d have ended up liking you all the same.”

It was rare for Ayra to speak her mind so honestly, and a bit embarrassed, she gave a soft smile—but then froze. Upon hearing her words, Janus suddenly stood up with a splash, red eyes glinting with a predatory gleam. Dragons, clearly lacking emotional nuance, seemed to interpret her words as a seduction attempt. Especially a certain part of him between his legs... seemed to have misunderstood quite a lot.

“It’s cold here, isn’t it? You can see our breath.”

Blowing out a steamy huff like a dragon’s breath, Janus said it. Ayra’s gaze involuntarily dropped toward the space between his legs.

“The castle’s heating system isn’t the best, after all... Wait—don’t come closer.”

Janus began to approach, still dripping cold water, and Ayra jumped back with a shiver. The thought of that icy water touching her made her skin crawl. Janus grabbed a nearby cloth and casually dried himself off.

“Shall we go to bed?”

“Mm, no—I’ve got things to do. I was planning to tear into the castle a bit this afternoon.”

Sobletz was lying low now, giving her some breathing room. And with the D-Day drawing closer, she could no longer delay inspecting the castle. Ayra was convinced there was something here she didn’t yet understand.

Should I start with the drawing room fireplace...? ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) Or maybe the corridor?

Lost in thought, she looked up—only to find Janus staring holes through her. Snapping back to reality, she began to backpedal.

“You must be tired from digging. Go change and get some rest.”

Terrified of getting dragged to the bed just like that, Ayra handed him some clothes and quickly fled. After she was gone, Janus’s eyes lowered for a moment. Clicking his tongue, the dragon slowly started walking.

❄

“My lord, my lord.”

Ayra finally tore her eyes away from the brick fragment she’d been analyzing when she heard Gretel calling repeatedly. Turning her head, she saw Gretel standing there with a tray of simple snacks.

“Wouldn’t it be better to eat something while you work?”

“Thanks, Sir Gretel.”

It had been a while since Ayra had done research tied to her area of study—she hadn’t even noticed the time passing. She waved a hand without even looking and blindly shoved something into her mouth, eyes still fixed on the brick. Every time the long magical device she held touched the fragment, faint sparks flickered out. The dismantled fireplace bricks lay scattered across the floor.

As expected, Gretel—interested in all things related to Solar’s history—peeked over curiously. While Ayra admired the elegance of a centuries-old mana circuit, Gretel examined the raised patterns on the bricks.

“Truly impressive...”

“Right? This engraving method is so different from now—it’s fascinating.”

“Yes, so many things are different... Even the tools used seem to have been different... Ah, and here—you can see traces of Western influence from that era.”

“Oh, you’re right. Looking here, I can tell.”

Even though they were talking about completely different things, the conversation flowed effortlessly. Then came a yawn from the dragon, who’d been using a brick as a pillow and dozing nearby. Gretel jumped in fright. Glancing nervously at Janus, he scurried off to a corner and squeaked:

“I-I-I washed up really well today!”

“You still stink of human. Beat it.”

Unfazed by Janus’s biting remark that made Gretel run off in tears, Ayra returned her focus to the mana circuit. She’d barely slept since yesterday, her eyes bloodshot from the intense concentration.

After some time, Ayra stood, cracking her back, then reached out to tap a spot on the wall where the bricks had been removed. Hidden mana circuits lit up in a pattern of glowing blue, like constellations. It was the kind of sight that could make anyone gasp in awe—but Ayra’s expression remained flat.

“Weird...”

She tilted her head, arms crossed. The engraving method and structure were certainly unique, but that was all. Nowhere did she see the kind of power needed to repel a dragon’s attack. She poured in magic repeatedly—but the result didn’t change.

“Hmm...”

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After a long moment spent testing the circuit, Ayra waved a hand. The bricks scattered across the floor neatly flew back into place. Janus, deprived of his pillow, sat up and asked:

“All done?”

“Not really. There’s something I can’t figure out. Might need to open up another spot. Jinas probably won’t like that.”

It felt like leaving one blank in a crossword puzzle—maddening. She muttered about dismantling the bell tower or the basement next, when Janus suddenly wrapped his arms around her from behind. A hot, damp tongue licked down her nape, sending a chill through her body.

Feeling sleepy too, Ayra stashed the magical tool back in subspace and let herself be dragged along. Even as Janus led her toward the sofa, her mind remained full of questions about the mana circuit and unexplained power levels. Only when Janus roughly laid her down did she finally push the thoughts away.

“W-Wait a minute...”

Maybe because he’d been holding back since last night, but Janus’s hands were rougher than usual. Ayra’s earlobe stung as he bit it, and she lazily flicked her finger. The drawing room door quietly shut, locking with a soft click. She reached out to pull Janus down.

‘I should just roll around and take a nice long nap after this...’

Shouldn’t arousal fade when you’re tired? But her mood was surprisingly elevated. As she pressed her body closer to him, something suddenly changed. Janus, who had been biting her neck, abruptly stopped. Alarmed, Ayra opened her eyes wide.

“Janus?”

In an instant, dark red scales rippled across Janus’s body with cracking sounds. From his arms to his cheeks to his eyes, he began to transform. But this time, it wasn’t seductive. His muscles tensed like he was ready to leap up and bolt, his expression blank, his body heavy. Ayra swallowed dryly and watched him in silence—then cautiously reached out to touch the tip of a rising scale.

Janus turned his head to one side, expressionless. Then to the other. And just like that, he returned to his human form.

“Eh, nothing serious.”

Yawning sleepily, he bared sharp fangs inside his wide mouth.

“What? What was it?”

“Someone trespassed on my land.”

Trespasser? Ayra’s eyes widened. She could see the territory clearly through Pebble’s map—but Janus could do that too now? She cautiously prodded.

“A trespasser? So when you stamp that... seal thing, does it alert you?”

“It’s my land, so I can tell when a bug sneaks in.”

“It’s my land... Anyway, what do you mean by ‘bug’? A person? Spy? Enemy? Soldier? Ma-beast?”

“Can’t really tell in that much detail. But I don’t bother with measly humans. They're too weak to care about.”

Janus spoke as if it were nothing, but Ayra—being one of those “measly humans”—was slightly offended. Still, if it wasn’t a human, then it had to be a ma-beast, right? Ayra opened the map window, but the ma-beast distribution looked the same as always. Even when she glanced at Pebble, it only tilted its head in confusion.