“…I see.”
After listening to everything Janus said, Eira responded calmly, his mind feeling somewhat blank.
A cold shard of ice filled his chest, scraping against his insides. The excitement of seeing a dragon for the first time, the joy of being with his beloved, and even the shock of witnessing Mishio being mercilessly slain—all of it faded away.
How was he supposed to describe this feeling?
Betrayal? Anger?
Janus was a dragon, a creature with a fundamentally different way of thinking. Feeling betrayed by him was pointless. And yet, despite knowing this, Eira still felt the unbearable weight of his emotions—as both a lord who had a duty to his people and a lover who had genuine affection for Janus.
This dragon would one day destroy his territory in pursuit of his so-called true mate.
Eira steadied his breath and lifted his head. The dragon, who was still pretending to be a devoted and affectionate lover, was now feigning concern, as if he actually cared about the psychological shock Eira must have felt.
Calm down. Getting angry right now won’t change anything.
His mind, trained through years of enduring the horrors of the labyrinth, coldly urged him to stay rational. He needed to think about what he could do here.
How do you persuade a living catastrophe—something immune to wealth, power, or even the charms of the most beautiful men and women?
Eira thought back to everything he had learned from being with Janus. If there was one thing Janus truly valued, it was his lover. He was endlessly indulgent toward them.
If he couldn’t persuade or defeat a dragon, then there was only one option left.
And that was something Eira, who had survived the labyrinth’s brutal hierarchy, excelled at.
“…Alright. I understand what you’re saying, Janus.”
Eira sighed and nodded as if he truly accepted Janus’ words.
Of course, inside, it was a completely different story.
You bastard. You evil, perverted dragon. So just because you’re a dragon, you think you can do whatever you want? …Well, I guess you can!
The fact that Janus was blaming his lack of a lover for his impending massacre of humanity made Eira’s blood boil.
But that wasn’t the only reason for his frustration.
Janus had been ranting about finding a true mate all this time, and Eira had already realized he was just a passing fling. But he hadn’t expected to be this insignificant.
To Janus, a lover wasn’t even an equal companion. It was more like… a premium breed of pet.
Eira knew that this was simply the way non-human creatures thought, yet he couldn’t stop himself from being furious.
And in that moment, he realized just how much he truly liked Janus.
Maybe that was why his emotions felt so conflicted.
The more you love someone, the easier it is to resent or hate them.
But right now wasn’t the time to get caught up in personal feelings.
Before being a man in love, Eira was a lord.
He quickly composed himself, suppressing his emotions. He took a deep breath and let out a long, deliberate sigh, making sure to look just the right amount of dejected.
Janus’s expression changed slightly.
“…You understand?”
He rubbed his chin with his index and middle fingers, as if perplexed.
It was clear that Janus had expected a different reaction. He knew his words would be difficult for a human to accept, but whether Eira could accept them or not didn’t actually matter to him.
If Eira had gotten angry, Janus likely would’ve just shrugged and said, Well, then let’s break up.
But Eira had no intention of throwing away his position as the one person a dragon wouldn’t harm.
When we do break up, I’ll be the one to leave first.
He clenched his teeth in frustration, though only in his mind—Janus’ sharp hearing would catch even the smallest grinding of teeth. He was disappointed, furious, and heartbroken.
And yet, his heart still pounded at the realization that he was standing face-to-face with a real dragon.
Swallowing down his emotions, he carefully controlled his expression.
“…No, I can’t say I completely understand. But from a dragon’s perspective, I can see how it might make sense. I’m a mage, so I have an idea. Even among humans, cultural differences can lead to completely different ways of thinking. So for a species that isn’t human… it must be even more extreme.”
He recalled an older labyrinth veteran who always acted like a cold, unfeeling machine, using that memory to imitate a detached, rational tone.
At the same time, he deliberately bit his lip—just enough to make it seem like he was struggling to suppress his emotions.
“…But you’re not expecting me to decide right now, are you? Give me some time. You’re asking me to abandon my homeland, after all. Can you at least wait until I’ve made a decision? I am your lover, after all.”
“…Fine. I don’t plan on wiping out Solar immediately, anyway. It’d be nice if you could think positively about it.”
Janus’s touch was gentle as he patted Eira’s back and held his hand, as if he was genuinely worried.
Eira forced himself to smile.
And then—
Ding!
A quest window popped up before his eyes.
For the first time, it was a main quest.
<Main Quest!>
[Territory Survival: Preparing for Disaster]
Save the territory before the time limit ends. (D-198)
✔ Achieve 60% territory support rate (14/60%)
✔ Recruit 5 loyal retainers (2/5)
✔ Reach Spirit GM’s final level (Incomplete)
Reward: ??% of the population survives
Eira’s blue-gray eyes darkened as he read the quest.
His head felt like it was burning up, yet his fingertips—still in Janus’s grasp—had gone ice cold.
That night, no matter how long Janus held his hand, it never warmed up.
Quest Completed!
[Let’s Level Up the Smart Pebble!]
✔ Maintain stat window for 12 hours (12/12)
✔ Check the stat windows of obstructed NPCs (200/200)
✔ Achieve 15% support rate (23/15%)
Reward: “Detailed View” and MP stat unlocked
The pebble bounced excitedly into the air, twirling in celebration. It wiggled, showing off its round back.
And on that soft, pale surface—something new had appeared.
A tiny, dumpling-like tail.
The pebble wagged its tail, then raised its equally round hands and summoned a glowing notification.
[“Detailed View” and MP stat have been unlocked!]
Fireworks burst around the alert, visible only to Eira and the pebble.
Smiling slightly, Eira opened his stat window.
He had been wondering what exactly this “Detailed View” function would reveal.
<Solar Singh Eira>
HP: 758
MP: 54,763
Physical Attack: ???
Magic Attack: ???
Affinity: 95♡
[Detailed View]
MP over 50,000?
Eira felt quite pleased with his stats—they were exactly what a glass-cannon long-range mage should be.
At the bottom, a new [Detailed View] button had appeared.
He focused on it, and after a brief loading screen, additional details filled the window.
[Detailed View]
Title: ???
Occupation: Lord, Advanced Mage (Second Job)
Strength: ???
Intelligence: ???
Skills: Physical Magic IV, Illusion Magic XII, Telepathy III
Associated People [Click!]
Current Thoughts [Click!]
Current thoughts? What the hell?!
Eira’s eyes lingered on the unfamiliar entry.
Being able to read someone’s thoughts in real time…?
How insanely useful would that be?
His gaze then moved to the Associated People tab.
As soon as he focused on it, a small window popped up beside it.
[Associated People]
- Janus Lehzadeth: Perverted little dragon boyfriend ‖ 52♡
- Botello: My steward. Isn’t it about time he retired…? ‖ 47♡
- Hess Lou Ginas: The administrator—his resignation is NOT an option ‖ 33♡
- Bloom: Stubborn knight commander. The rebellion card works well. ‖ 26♡
- Dallok Logia: Useful connection #1 ‖ 7♡
“What? 52? It’s already at 52? It increased that much? Is this a bug?”
Eira blinked, staring at the affection score next to Janus’s name.
The last time he checked, it had only been around 30.
How the hell did it jump so high in such a short time?
He clenched his fist and took a moment to think.
…Well, if he really thought about it, it made sense.
Even though he was furious, even though he was sickened by the way Janus saw humans, even though he was dealing with an impending territory annihilation, he still couldn’t help it.
It’s not my fault. I mean… it’s a dragon.
Eira had grown up in the Solar family, sheltered like a delicate flower in a greenhouse. But after entering the labyrinth, he had encountered his first living magical beasts. That was when his love for them began.
His fascination had only grown, culminating in his membership in “Dragon Lovers’ Association”—a small but dedicated group of mages who dreamed of studying dragons up close.
Eira had firmly believed that dragons were a highly intelligent adaptive magical species, a belief shared by his faction within the association.
Their dream?
To capture a dragon alive. To place it in their own personal enclosure.
But reality was cruel.
Dragons fell into one of three categories:
- The rulers of vast, powerful territories—essentially untouchable kings.
- Nomadic dragons who slaughtered humans on sight.
- Dragons who lived disguised among humans.
All three types made their dream practically impossible.
And yet, out of nowhere, his own boyfriend had suddenly revealed himself as a dragon.
It was an objectively horrifying situation—his land was on the verge of being destroyed.
But Eira, a hardcore magical beast researcher at heart, couldn’t stop the sheer thrill bubbling up inside him.
He had always known that, no matter what kind of dragon he met, his minimum affection level for them would be at least 30.
That was simply how he was wired.
Clenching his jaw, he forced himself to look away from Janus’s affection score and closed the stat window.
“So, what’s the next quest?”
<Quest!>
[Let’s Level Up the Stylish Pebble!]
✔ Check the stat windows of NPCs at least 30 meters away (0/150)
✔ Achieve 20% support rate (23/20%)
Reward: Unlock one stat of your choice
The quest notification popped up, and Eira’s eyes flicked over it quickly.
He nodded to himself.
…He didn’t know what lay ahead, but one thing was clear.
If he wanted to survive, he needed to get stronger.
Little Pink Starfish 
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