"Are you really sure she's just a regular anti-Dragon Servant? That aura she gives off is way too dangerous."
Siegfried pointed a trembling finger at Draco, who had just sliced Fafnir clean in half, looking at Adam with clear confusion.
Adam was about to reply when Draco suddenly appeared beside him. She puffed out her chest proudly, planted her sword in the ground, and struck a pose like she was waiting for praise.
"How was that, Master? Did my magnificent dragon-slaying earlier sweep you off your feet? Don't hold back—shower me with the most flowery compliments you can think of."
Faced with Draco's adorable demand for praise, Adam's eyes filled with affection. He stepped forward and pulled her into a warm embrace.
"As expected of Draco. That slash just now was incredibly cool. I've already burned that image of you into my memory."
Draco closed her eyes in bliss, enjoying both the praise and the hug, a happy smile on her face.
While she was savoring the moment, a voice inside her urged her to pull away. The other consciousness inside her couldn't hold back any longer and forcefully took control.
Under Adam's puzzled gaze, Draco's Third Ascension form instantly transformed into the soft, adorable ten-year-old version of her Second Ascension.
The moment the change finished, Draco quickly squirmed out of his arms. She turned her face away, refusing to let him see how flushed her cheeks had become.
Trying (and failing) to sound fierce, she warned him in a voice that came out more like pouting: "Master! You didn't see anything just now, right? You definitely saw nothing, right?! And I definitely didn't say anything about wanting praise, right?!"
Draco desperately tried to deny all the coquettish behavior her Third Ascension had just shown.
Adam couldn't hold back his laughter. The contrast between her identity as Beast VI and this shy, embarrassed reaction was irresistibly cute.
He pulled the Second Ascension Draco back into his arms. Unlike her armored Third form, this version was incredibly soft, light, and pleasant to hold—like hugging a living doll.
Adam spoke gently, full of fondness: "Alright, alright, Draco. I got it. I didn't see anything, and I didn't hear anything. My love for you has completely blinded both my eyes and ears."
"Uuu~" Draco immediately felt like she had shot herself in the foot.
Her heart overflowed with sweet happiness, but her tsundere side refused to show it. Still, she was losing control of her expression. Her racing heartbeat made her face burn hotter. She wanted to pull away and calm down, but the happiness she felt in his arms made her unwilling to leave.
In the end, she could only bury her face shyly against Adam's chest.
Adam smiled happily as he felt her warmth.
He then nodded toward the completely stunned Siegfried. "Yes, Siegfried. I'm very sure. To me, Draco is simply a very loving anti-Dragon Servant. She's not some world-destroying threat."
Siegfried stared at them for a long moment, her expression complicated. "..."
Finally, she spoke with mixed emotions: "Master, I know you have a lot of charm… but this… isn't this a bit too much?"
Adam continued gently stroking Draco's hair. Hearing Siegfried, he seemed to think of something and said calmly: "Strictly speaking, there are a few more like Draco back in my Chaldea."
"Ha?!?!" Siegfried froze again.
[Siegfried Emotion Value +10]
[Siegfried Emotion Value +10]
[Siegfried Emotion Value +10]
Ignoring Siegfried's shock, Adam turned and walked toward another part of the battlefield.
Meanwhile, on the Atalanta versus Kiyohime battlefield...
Kiyohime still hadn't managed to take down Atalanta. Even with her Spirit Origin maxed out by Adam, every flame she unleashed should have been devastating. Yet Atalanta's incredible agility and sharp instincts let her dodge every attack.
Atalanta fired arrows from afar, but Kiyohime's flames incinerated them all before they could get close.
The fight had reached a complete stalemate.
Then both of them sensed an extremely unusual presence. They turned and saw Adam walking toward them, carrying the small form of Draco in his arms.
"What is that?!" Atalanta watched Draco warily, instinctively on guard against the ominous aura.
Kiyohime ignored the dangerous aura entirely. Instead, she focused on how tightly Draco was clinging to Adam and immediately bristled with jealousy. "Damn it~ You thieving dragon!"
She dashed over at full speed and leaped, latching herself around Adam's neck. Adam instinctively supported her with his free hand.
"Master, I want some too."
Seeing her needy look, Adam smiled softly. "Okay, okay."
So Adam continued walking with one dragon in each arm, both of them happily nestled against him.
Kiyohime wasn't satisfied with just being held. She suddenly kissed Adam on the cheek, gazed at him lovingly, then buried herself back in his chest.
Draco's eyes widened in shock. She stared at Kiyohime, who responded with a provocative look.
Draco's eyebrow twitched. Her gaze moved to Adam's lips. She clearly wanted to kiss him too, but her shyness held her back. She fidgeted restlessly in his arms, looking nothing like a Beast should.
Inside her, the Third Ascension personality watched with pure exasperation.
At that moment, an arrow whistled through the air, aimed straight at Adam's head.
The shot was stopped more than ten meters away—burned away by Kiyohime's flames and swatted aside by Draco's tail.
Adam looked at the shooter: Atalanta.
She stood with her bow drawn, staring at him with open disdain. It was obvious she disapproved of him holding two girls at once.
Adam stopped Draco, who was ready to crush Atalanta, and gently set both girls down under their reluctant gazes.
He walked alone toward Atalanta, casually dodging another arrow she fired at him.
"Tama— I mean, Atalanta… You seem to have some strange hostility toward me."
Atalanta scoffed. "Hmph. So what if I do?"
"Let me guess. You despise me because you serve the Moon Goddess, whose rules forbid relationships. That's why I annoy you."
Adam dodged yet another shot. "But it's not just that. The level of contempt you're showing suggests it's connected to something that happened during your voyage on the Argo."
"You landed on an island full of women… and saw many so-called heroes lose themselves completely in pleasure, nearly dooming your entire quest."
"That's why you hate men who surround themselves with women."
Atalanta's eyes widened. "How do you know all this?!"
Adam smiled inwardly. Because you told me yourself.
He continued: "Since your sense of justice is so noble, you must hate what Jeanne Alter is doing to France. You want to resist, but your Mad Enhancement forces you to obey. So when you saw Draco with me, you deliberately tried to provoke her into killing you so you could exit this fight with a clear conscience."
Atalanta stared at him, shaken. "…I have to admit, as an enemy Master, you are terrifying."
"But that also makes this easier for me."
She drew her bow again and fired a serious arrow—this time with real killing intent.
She immediately shouted for him to dodge.
But the arrow was intercepted not by Adam or the two dragons, but by two figures she never expected.
A silver-gray paw crushed the arrow mid-flight.
It was Atalanta (Berserker).
Standing beside her was Atalanta (Archer).
"Since your heart is so noble… the best end for your maddened self is to be defeated by your sane self, Tama."
Adam smiled. "Right, Tama?"
Both Atalantas subconsciously began wagging their tails the moment they saw him.
The original Atalanta stared at her two counterparts and their friendly reaction toward Adam, sensing something was very wrong.
***
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