Chronicles of Forgotten Extra

Chapter 350: I Am Definitely Not Selling My Loyalty for Mere Spices. It’s a Strategic Decision, Trust Me.

For someone so cold and stoic, she was surprisingly childish and unbelievably petty.

That was what Alden had thought a few minutes ago but as she continued following him back toward his camp, his opinion began to change.

She wasn’t merely childish and petty, she was whatever came after that.

The woman clearly didn’t trust him, she didn’t seem to enjoy his company and she certainly didn’t want to be anywhere near him and yet she continued following him anyway because, for some incomprehensible reason, she had decided stopping him from making any trouble was now her responsibility as a Princess.

No matter how much Alden thought about it, he couldn’t understand that logic.

So, eventually, he gave up trying and instead, he caught a dinosaur that had the misfortune of crossing his path and dragged it back toward the lake.

Aemirya returned with prey of her own.

A massive snake.

At first, Alden paid little attention to what she was doing as the night had already fallen and his focus was entirely on dinner.

He roasted the dinosaur over a fire and began eating peacefully and then an incredibly aromatic scent drifted through the air.

Alden froze.

Slowly, his head turned toward the Dragon Princess.

Aemirya had somehow produced an entire collection of spices and cooking ingredients from her storage ring. She wasn’t merely roasting the meat like him, she was actually cooking it properly.

The aroma alone was enough to make Alden question every life decision he had made over the past week and even though his pride desperately wanted to resist, he couldn’t stop himself from drooling slightly.

It was the first properly cooked meal he had seen in days.

"Hey... can I have a bite?"

The Dragon Princess didn’t even look up.

"Why would I give my food to you?"

Alden’s eyes twitched.

"How about some spices then? Just one would be enough."

"No."

Her answer came instantly.

Alden took a deep breath and then he resorted to his strongest negotiating tactic. "I will take these clothes off and start walking around naked if you don’t give them to me."

He expected the threat to work just as well as before but instead, Aemirya finally looked at him, her gaze resembling someone observing a particularly strange insect.

"Do it."

Alden blinked.

"What?"

"Do it." She shrugged. "If you walk around naked, I will stop following you and then you can deal with the wrath of the Aurumscale Family by yourself."

She paused.

"And the persecution of Dragonkind as well."

Alden’s expression stiffened.

Shit.

It seems I wasn’t the only one gathering information.

Alden didn’t want to back down but unfortunately, his options were limited. So he returned to eating his roasted dinosaur while silently envying the petty, lizard-brained Dragon Princess sitting nearby.

Then, as if fate had finally decided to show him some mercy, Aemirya spoke again.

"But I am willing to make you an offer."

Alden immediately looked up.

"What is the offer? And why a suspicious pervert like me?"

Aemirya was silent for a moment.

"I have been observing you since your battle with Minerva."

So that’s the name of that orange dragon.

"She was strong and yet despite relying on deception, you still managed to wound her severely enough to create an opening for me."

Alden chose to interpret that as a compliment.

"So I continued observing you, partly to ensure you wouldn’t cause trouble and partly to determine whether you would be useful."

She paused.

"Although your tastes are strange and you are clearly a pervert... you seem capable which is why I am offering you an opportunity."

She continued in the same tone.

"Throughout this Holy Land, there are participants stronger than me. There are older and experienced Dragons who are the competitors standing in the way of my victory."

Her gaze met his.

"I want your help dealing with them. In exchange I will personally ensure you leave this place safely, answer your questions and cooperate with you."

Silence fell between them as Alden’s gaze slowly drifted toward the spices.

"What about the spices?"

He pointed directly at the bottles in her hand.

Aemirya nodded.

"Yes. The spices as well."

Alden immediately stood up and without the slightest hesitation or asking for further details, he walked straight toward her and extended his hand.

"I accept." A brief pause followed as a smile appeared on his face. "Can I have the spices now?"

Naturally, Alden had not just sold his services for a few bottles of spices as that would be ridiculous. He had accepted because she offered him a safe way out of this place and because she promised answers and because cooperation would benefit both of them.

Those were the real reasons and the spices had absolutely nothing to do with his decision and the fact that he was currently staring at them like a starving man looking at treasure was entirely unrelated.

***

Aemirya stared at him for a long moment before letting out a quiet sigh.

Of course that was the first thing he cared about.

Without another word, she handed over several bottles of spices she always carried with her. Unlike most Dragons, who were content to eat almost anything, Aemirya’s tastes were considerably more refined, perhaps a little too refined. It was a trait she had inherited from the human side of her bloodline.

As she watched Alden eagerly inspect the spices, she couldn’t help but feel puzzled as the man had appeared out of nowhere.

She didn’t know who he was, she didn’t know what he was and she certainly didn’t know whether he could be trusted and yet strangely enough, none of those questions felt important right now.

What mattered was the ceremony.

This Holy Land was filled with Dragons who looked down on her, dragons who whispered behind her back and those who saw only a half-breed, a blemish upon the bloodline of the Queen.

Her grip tightened slightly.

She wanted to prove them wrong and survive longer than any of them including the other descendants participating with her. She wanted to show the entire Dragon kind that, regardless of her heritage, the blood flowing through her veins was still that of the Dragon Queen.

And if she had to rely on help from even the devil for that, she would do it without hesitation, let alone some mysterious stranger without a background.