Chapter 73: 73 True Madness "To suddenly visit the village like this. I wonder what Morgan is thinking." "Well, I doubt she’s coming with ill intentions." Circe and Medea were busy preparing to welcome the dragon Morgan. In truth, the relationship between witches and dragons—specifically with Morgan—was quite good. Morgan would take magical tools and books the witches needed. In return, the witches received various treasures, including gold coins. Dragons, by nature, value their dignity highly. Perhaps because of this, she would often leave behind an excessive amount of gold as payment. Thanks to magic, the witch clan already lived in abundance. But with the treasures and gold from the dragon piling up, the witches amassed an enormous fortune. If the witches set their minds to it, buying a few territories or even a small kingdom wouldn’t be impossible. In any case, since it had been a while since the dragon’s last visit, they couldn’t afford to be careless with preparations, no matter how sudden it was. "Still, this is a good opportunity. I’ve been wanting to introduce Karl to her. And now she’s here at the perfect time." "...You plan to introduce him to Lady Morgan." "Hehe, of course. He’s my husband, after all." Among the witches, Circe and Morgan shared a particularly close bond. If compared to humans, it was like neighbors of different ages who often went to cafes together. In a way, this was like introducing a husband to a friend. Circe was quite excited about the occasion. "Hmm~ The problem is how Lady Morgan views the human race." "It’s likely she sees them as inferior." "That’s what worries me a bit." Long-lived races generally look down on short-lived violent humans. Among them, dragons are particularly prideful and self-assured. If she met Karl, there was a high chance she’d naturally talk down to him. Circe was worried that Karl might get hurt by it. "On a separate note, I..." Medea, who was about to say something, suddenly paused. She seemed to be hesitating, unsure if she should bring it up. "What’s wrong?" "I’m sorry. It’s a bit of a sensitive topic." "Hehe, Medea, I’ve told you before, haven’t I? I truly think of you as my daughter." Seeing Circe’s smile, Medea gave a faint, bitter smile. Their relationship was far from a typical mother-daughter bond. Even among the witch clan, where daughters are "created," it was unique. A witch who had been Circe’s closest friend. Medea was the daughter born after her death. Though Circe had adopted her, their relationship was never fully whole. The death of her friend had left Circe traumatized. It took her a long time to heal from that pain. Medea, for her part, felt guilt over her mother’s death. Knowing how deep Circe’s sorrow was, she couldn’t act spoiled or carefree. In the end, while Medea was clearly Circe’s adopted daughter, there was a subtle distance between them. Because of these complex circumstances, Medea kept a slight distance in their daily lives. But there was no denying that they genuinely cared for each other. Despite everything, they were undeniably mother and daughter, a family. Both Circe and Medea wished for each other’s happiness more than anything. "If there’s something on your mind, feel free to say it. I’m ready to listen." "Hmm, if you say so..." Medea opened her mouth with a worried expression. "This is about your husband as well..." "What about him?" "That man... he gets too close to women too easily." "Uh, huh?" Caught off guard by the unexpected topic, Circe blinked. Medea, as if she’d anticipated this reaction, continued speaking, determined to press on. "That man and the elf Diana have become priest and follower." "Yes... that’s right." "That prideful elf, with a human, no less. And they seem to have grown quite close. A bit... excessively so." "Maybe it’s because Karl is just that good of a person?" "Absolutely not." Medea said firmly. She didn’t know much about men, but she could confidently say this human wasn’t what you’d call a "good person." Innocent Circe might see it as one of his charms, but Medea didn’t view Karl’s ability in a positive light. "That man gets close to women easily and forms certain relationships just as easily. And he enjoys it, too." "Hmm, is that so?" "At least from what I’ve observed." Every woman Karl met ended up that way. Circe, whom Medea respected, had quickly fallen for Karl. Even Diana, the elf, was now showing vulnerability around him. Many other witches, after just one or two conversations with Karl, developed a fondness for him. ’It’s like he’s under some kind of spell to charm women...’ That man was dangerous to women, she thought. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚 With that, Medea let out a faint sigh. She couldn’t quite articulate this uneasy feeling. After all, she was speaking based on a vague intuition without solid evidence. "He’s certainly the Great Witch’s husband. But I don’t think it’s good that women keep getting entangled with him." It wasn’t just that he was skilled at dealing with women. There was something more to that man. Because of this, Medea was more wary of Karl than necessary. Even so, whenever their bodies touched, she couldn’t help but... "Ahem! Ahem! Anyway, I think it might be dangerous for a man like him to meet Lady Morgan." "Aren’t you being a bit too sensitive?" "Even if she’s a dragon, Lady Morgan is still a woman. Wouldn’t it be troublesome if she took a liking to him?" "Oh, come on, that’s not going to happen." Circe, who had been listening intently, let out a light laugh. "Morgan is a dragon, after all. Karl’s a great guy, but... would she really take an interest in him as a man?" "I know it’s unlikely, but..." Yes, normally, a dragon wouldn’t. To Morgan, humans were little more than insignificant insects. But for some reason, Medea had a strange premonition that Karl would get close to her, just like he did with Diana. "...Anyway, I think we need to be cautious. I’ll warn him in advance." "Is that really necessary?" "I believe it is." "If you feel that strongly, I won’t object..." No matter how slim the chance, you never know. Looking at Karl, Medea realized even the smallest possibility shouldn’t be ignored. ’If, by some miracle, even a dragon took a liking to that man...’ Medea shook her head, trying to dispel her unease. Knock, Knock. At that moment, a knock echoed through the office. When they called for the visitor to enter, a witch came in and reported. "Great Witch, Lady Morgan has arrived." "Oh, really? Did she finally memorize the way?" Morgan was notoriously bad with directions. Every time she came to the village, she’d get lost and cause a ruckus. It had become customary for Circe to personally go out to greet her. Then Morgan would make clumsy excuses, claiming she was just in a bad mood. It seemed even getting lost was a humiliation for a dragon. ...To be honest, not being able to memorize a route after hundreds of years was a bit of a problem. "No, she was guided here." "Hmm, as expected. She must’ve run into another witch along the way, thankfully." "Yes, your husband, Lord Karl, happened to meet her and guided her here." "...What?" Circe and Medea’s eyes widened in shock. That Karl... had already met Morgan alone? "...Is something wrong?" Only the witch, unaware of the situation, was startled by their reaction. --- "Hmm~ The more I hear, the more surprising it is. To think Circe got married in the meantime, and to a human, no less." "It was a bit sudden for me too. We’ve even had the wedding now." "Right, I came because I got the invitation." "...The wedding’s already over, though." "Hmph! Such trivial formalities mean little to a being like me, so it doesn’t matter." Morgan and I talked about various things. I had only planned to escort her to the reception room and leave— —"I’m quite bored right now. You seem to have a knack for entertaining, so stay and keep me company." —is what Morgan said, holding me back. It was unexpected, but not bad. I’d been wanting to get closer to this dragon anyway. ’Her personality’s better than I expected.’ Oh, she’s definitely a bit of a bitch, as long-lived beings tend to be. Her prickly attitude was similar to Diana’s in some ways. But considering her status, it was understandable. She’s like a woman made of arrogance and confidence rolled into one. But with that face and those breasts, it’s hard not to forgive her. Women like her, when they’re moaning in bed and sucking your cock, it’s just that much more thrilling. ’The conversation’s surprisingly good, too.’ No, more than that, she was oddly interested in me. ’I thought she’d tell a lowly human like me to shut up.’ Instead, Morgan was the one asking me all sorts of questions. "You seem like a mage yourself." "Yes, I’ve been a mage since before I got married." "Must be tough living among witches. No matter how hard a human tries, they can’t even touch a fraction of a witch’s talent." "It does hit me sometimes. But I consider myself lucky to learn so much from it." "Is that so?" Suddenly, she started munching on a chocolate cookie in front of her. Like she was annoyed about something. ’What an unpredictable... dragon.’ Even the way cookie crumbs fell into her cleavage was oddly sexy. "Hmm... to think she’d take a husband for the sake of an heir. Getting pregnant won’t be easy." Morgan looked at me and asked, as casually as if she were inquiring about my salary. "Is your dick big?" "Yes, it’s big." My answer came out naturally. "How big?" "Big enough to reach your navel if I thrust into you, Lady Morgan." The dragon stared at me like I was some kind of lunatic. Hey, I just answered her question.