Show Me Your Stats!-Chapter 179

‘I really have no idea what’s supposed to have trespassed.’

Pebble’s abilities were convenient, but not omnipotent. The range and resources weren’t infinite, after all. Depending on the situation, it was like having to choose whether to dig a deep, narrow well or a wide, shallow pool with limited water. A good example was that when Pebble focused on reading someone’s deep thoughts, it could barely read anyone else’s surface thoughts in the meantime.

So, to maintain efficiency, it usually read only the surface emotions of a broad area of people. Since it prioritized tracking humans, it was naturally less attentive to the movements of animals or ma-beasts.

Ayra checked the map window again just in case, but at that moment, Janus hoisted her over his shoulder and stood up. She figured the bedroom was a better spot than the drawing room and went along without resistance. The dragon carried the mage up to the tower-top bedchamber and laid her down, saying:

“Don’t let your eyes wander to anyone else.”

Of course, as lovers, the proper response was to say she’d never cheat. But mages were beings who absolutely had to satisfy their curiosity, so Ayra asked instead:

“And what would you do if I did?”

The very air seemed to thicken. In the cozy nest-like darkness, Janus lifted the corner of his lips in a quiet grin. His eyes gleamed with a hunger whose target was unclear.

“I’d eat you up.”

A response laced with dense, honest sincerity—something no human could ever say. Me? Or the other person? Ayra didn’t even get to ask before Janus pounced on her.

❄

The next morning, Ayra awoke and shifted in bed. Shrinking into the chilly winter air, he instinctively reached out to find warmth. But instead of the dragon’s warm body, all he found was a cooling heat-retention stone.

He didn’t want to leave the bed and burrowed under the covers until he groaned and finally threw them off. Sitting up with effort, he magically pulled a thick robe from the chair and wrapped himself up, then peered under the bed. His brow furrowed seriously as he slowly slipped his toes into the now-cold slippers—then promptly yanked them out and instead put on thick wool socks. A shiver ran through him.

Opening the map window to check Janus’s location, he trudged to the window. Drawing the curtain aside, he looked down to see Janus now furiously digging up the outer courtyard in the midst of a blizzard. The hole was already as deep as a person’s height, and a flash of red hair would flicker in and out of sight. Still, as his lover, Ayra bit back the words “he looks just like an excited dog on the first snow day.”

“So energetic, first thing in the morning...”

[Territory upgrade in progress. 3%......]

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

[Tip. Dragon’s Territory Effect: Even during ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ upgrades, dragons can detect the presence of other dragons trespassing on their land.]

Ayra read the system windows and watched Janus dig. Now he understood why ma-beasts couldn’t appear in territory where a dragon had chosen a mate and settled. Once the territory was complete, perhaps ordinary ma-beasts couldn’t even cross into it. Or maybe every time they did, they’d be hunted down.

After some time pondering, Ayra turned away. As much as he wanted to laze in bed all day reading, he forced himself up with the grim sense of duty befitting a lord. He washed reluctantly and dressed himself properly, but the piercing winter morning air felt brutal. Dragging his feet, he made his way to the hall for breakfast and the vassals’ meeting.

As Ayra entered the banquet hall, buttoning his coat, the vassals who had arrived early all bowed politely.

“Good morning, my lord.”

“Yes, good morning to you all as well.”

Ever since Sir Bloom’s overwhelming victory against Sobletz, the atmosphere among the vassals had changed dramatically. The subtle disregard they had once shown Bloom for being an outsider—even as captain of the knights—had vanished. Now, when their eyes met his, they quickly looked away.

Well worth dragging them all the way to the frontlines to watch the battle.

Some things just couldn’t be understood through words alone. Once they saw with their own eyes what a real battlefield was like, what it looked like for a single knight to fight off nearly a hundred enemies by himself—then even if they wanted to dismiss him, they couldn’t. Especially now that Bloom was not only deeply trusted by the lord but hailed as a hero by the citizens and idolized by the soldiers.

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

And among those who had once muttered about offering silk tribute to Sobletz for peace—those vassals had been especially quiet lately. With the tide having turned, they now stayed flat on their faces, meekly responding with “yes, my lord” to everything Ayra said.

Sitting down, Ayra smiled with satisfaction at the soup bun dish placed before him. One of the perks of being a lord was that one of his vassal’s husbands was the owner of a famous restaurant—meaning he got to enjoy gourmet food without waiting in line.

Savoring the taste of power, Ayra glanced around to read the vassals’ moods. Hera, Jinas, Gretel... and even Bloom looked more cheerful and relaxed than ever. They all took deep pride in being citizens of Solar, and since defeating Sobletz, they’d been walking around with heads held high.

After some pleasant conversation and finishing most of their meal, dessert was served and Ayra began to receive the vassals’ reports.

The territory was generally in good condition. Especially with Volny declaring a firm desire to cement the alliance, Solar was livelier than ever. Ayra figured once he secured Actt as his fifth vassal per the main quest, everything would be on track. He nodded to himself—but then Hera’s report deviated from the usual.

“My lord, last night there was a ma-beast attack in Elgran Village. A few citizens were injured.”

Though she spoke casually in private, Hera always maintained formal tone in meetings as a sign of respect. Ayra immediately recalled what Janus had said the day before—something about “a worthless intruder.”

If Janus called it worthless, it probably wasn’t so insignificant to humans.

The map hadn’t shown anything strange, but Ayra still clicked his tongue and asked Hera:

“How many were injured? Do they need assistance?”

“They’ll be fine without aid. Luckily, I discovered the attack in time, so no one’s life is in danger. Well, ma-beast attacks are more common in winter.”

As captain of the knights who’d defended the people from ma-beasts year after year, Hera nodded as she added:

“Hera is right. In fact, this year’s attacks haven’t been all that frequent. Regardless, I’ll increase security around the villages.”

Ayra fell silent for a moment. Outside of places ruled by dragons, the greatest threat to any territory was always ma-beast attacks. No matter how frequently they were exterminated, they reappeared like persistent weeds.

The capital city, at least, was protected by thick walls, but the outer villages only had wooden fences—making them more vulnerable. Guards were stationed in every town, yet sometimes an entire village could be wiped out in a single night. In reality, strengthening defenses was the only viable solution.

I can prepare well in advance for unique entities like dragons, but it’s hard to respond to random ma-beast raids. If I try to monitor that too, I might miss something truly important.

The longer Ayra served as lord, the more he realized it wasn’t a position of comfort. Since the lives of his citizens could be swayed by even a few words, he had to consider every decision with utmost care. After a long, thoughtful pause, Ayra spoke again.

“Sir Bloom, I’ll give you a magic device that sets off an alarm when ma-beasts approach. Distribute one to each village. It’ll make preparations much easier.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Bloom answered with the loyal, reverent gaze he always reserved for Ayra. But Ayra wasn’t finished yet.

“I’ve also been thinking—we need to get the citizens used to evacuating. We need drills, in case of disaster or another ma-beast attack.”

The vassals looked puzzled but agreed respectfully. Those close to Ayra, who knew that Janus was a dragon and clearly quite fond of him, exchanged brief, weighty glances. The firm resolve in Ayra’s tone—“we need to”—told them there had to be a very serious reason behind it.

“Sir Gretel, you’ve divided the regions according to the assigned shelters, right?”

“Yes, my lord! I’ve divided the territory into four regions and marked them clearly.”

With a spirited voice, Gretel reported. As a devoted administrator, he had followed Ayra’s orders and assigned the three quarry shelters—along with the lord’s castle—as emergency evacuation points, dividing the territory accordingly. He even marked the boundaries in color and placed signs to make it easier for citizens to recognize.

“If we simply command evacuation drills, participation will be low—people have work to do. So we’ll need some kind of incentive.”

“Ah! That’s true, my lord!”

“Hmm... to increase turnout, let’s not call it an ‘evacuation drill.’ We’ll call it a ‘treasure hunt’ instead. Say it’s a reward offered by the lord to close out the festival. What do you all think?”

As Ayra asked, Bloom shot threatening glances at the vassals as if daring them to object. Though some looked confused—wondering why Ayra was going to such lengths—no one dared oppose him. Ayra, once again, enjoyed the true joy of power... right after the wolf buns.