My Girlfriend Returned as a Dragon - Chapter 73

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

◈ My Girlfriend Returned as a Dragon ◈

Chapter 73: Would You Like to Stay at My Place Tonight?

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Everyone avoided mentioning the aura, but I was certain that those who had taken part in the battle must have seen the mysterious aura.

It had openly announced its presence, radiating a brilliant spectrum of colors. There was no way they could have missed it.

But then.

“You really didn’t see it?”

“No. From the moment the battle began, I checked on your side from time to time, Minjun, but... I didn’t see anything like an aura.”

“That’s strange. That can’t be right.”

A hypothesis came to mind that perhaps I was the only one who could see it because it was related to a dragon’s power.

But Estelle had said the residents of Elysium could sense a dragon’s aura more keenly than others.

Had I seen an illusion, or was that aura an unusual case?

There were too many things I didn’t understand, but I figured I should return to the tavern and ask the others.

“I think we’ve gotten enough fresh air. Thanks to you, Estelle, I’ve sorted out my thoughts a little too.”

“That’s a relief. Shall we head back now?”

“I think that would be best.”

A fair amount of time had passed, so Estelle and I returned to the tavern where the feast was being held.

But even after returning, I asked the others whether they had seen the aura. Not a single person said they had.

* * *

Kutun had not been exaggerating when he said he would drink until dawn.

There was no clock, so I didn’t know the exact time, but it felt like it was around three or four in the morning.

“I should probably head in now.”

I was exhausted. I didn’t think I could stay awake any longer.

When I rose from my seat, people around the room showed their disappointment.

“What a shame. I wanted to drink with you until dawn.”

“Come back anytime if you change your mind. We’ll be drinking until morning.”

Everyone there expressed regret when I said I was leaving.

“I’ll go with you too.”

When I got up, Estelle rose as well.

After drinking for hours, it seemed Estelle was getting a little drunk too.

“Minjun, let’s go.”

Estelle and I left the tavern together.

The moment we stepped outside, I realized I had overlooked one very important fact.

“Wait. Where am I supposed to sleep...?”

I should have found an inn much earlier.

The day had been so hectic that I hadn’t thought that far ahead.

“Is there an inn where I could get a room at this hour?”

“It’s so late that there probably isn’t. Besides, do you really need to find an inn?”

With a smile in her eyes, Estelle gently took my hand.

“If you don’t mind, would you like to spend the night at my place? We have a guest room, so please make yourself at home.”

I was grateful that she was readily offering a room to an outsider.

But.

Elf, woman, unmarried, sleeping together.

As those four keywords flashed through my mind, I violently shook my head.

“...Absolutely not. Sia is a little more jealous than most people. If she finds out about this later...”

Of course, I knew Estelle wasn’t asking me to stay at her home with any strange intentions.

Still.

If Sia learned that I had spent the night in the same house as another woman, even if we were of different species...

Not only was I not confident I could handle the aftermath.

There was a high chance Estelle wouldn’t get away unscathed either.

We would be sleeping in separate rooms of the same house, so wouldn’t that be fine?

Probably not.

Sia and Estelle couldn’t possibly meet while they lived in different dimensions, but that didn’t mean there was a zero percent chance of getting caught.

The moment Estelle heard me, her face, which had been red with drink just moments ago, went white.

“Th-then there’s nothing to be done...! I-I’ll go ask someone else!”

Estelle went back into the tavern. Not long afterward, she returned holding a key.

“A male dwarf said he has an empty room at his house, and that you may stay there.”

Estelle placed particular emphasis on the word “male.”

“Then I’ll impose on him for tonight. How far is his house from here?”

“It’s a ten-minute walk from here. I’ll show you the way!”

I followed Estelle and soon arrived in front of a house.

Perhaps because it belonged to a dwarf, it looked more refined than the other houses.

“Please sleep here just for tonight. Tomorrow, I’ll get you a room at an inn!”

“Ah, thank you. You must be tired too, Estelle. Go get some rest.”

“Okay! Have a peaceful night too, Minjun!”

After seeing Estelle off, I immediately entered the house. I found what appeared to be the guest room and collapsed onto the bed without even having time to change clothes.

But just as I was beginning to fall asleep.

It bothered me that I was the only person who had seen the aura stretching out from the statue.

If others on the battlefield had seen it too, that would have been one thing. But everyone said they had not, which made it all the more concerning.

That only made me more curious about the statue and the aura’s identity.

If Sia or Rokan had been beside me, they might have immediately satisfied my curiosity. But this was another world.

Imagining my return home, I fell into a deep sleep.

And the next day.

When I came to, I opened my eyes with a faint hope.

But, as expected.

An unfamiliar ceiling greeted me.

I hadn’t been able to see clearly in the dark yesterday, but it was probably the ceiling of the dwarf’s house where I had fallen asleep.

The sun was high in the sky beyond the window, so it seemed to be around noon.

I should go outside for now.

When I cautiously stepped out of the room, I saw a familiar figure.

“Oh, you’re awake. Sleep well?”

It was Kutun, the dwarf who had sat across from me at the tavern yesterday and kept filling my cup.

“Kutun? Didn’t you say you were drinking until dawn yesterday?”

Did drinking until dawn not literally mean stopping when the sun began to rise and going home?

“That’s right. But it felt like a shame to end it there, so I went to another friend’s house for a few more drinks before coming back.”

“Before coming back...?”

“It means I only got home not long ago. Ah, come to think of it, it’s already this late.”

I couldn’t help but be horrified as Kutun casually looked at the clock hanging on one wall.

Just how much had he been drinking?

“Anyway, I should go get some sleep. Ah, I ran into Estelle on the way home. She said she has something to tell you about the matter you asked her to look into.”

Kutun handed me a rough map he had drawn himself.

“Use this to find your way.”

“Thank you.”

“No need to thank me. Come visit whenever you have time! There are many things I wanted to talk about with you, but it’s a shame we didn’t have the chance.”

Kutun saw me out, and I left the house.

As I followed the map to Estelle’s home, several children who seemed to recognize me trailed after me, pestering me to tell them this and that.

It felt nice to receive such enthusiastic attention from the children.

Seeing their bright, innocent faces also made me think that I wanted to marry Sia soon and have adorable children like them.

At the same time.

“You are different species to begin with. How could you possibly reproduce? Under no circumstances will a child be born between you and your lover.”

The words I had heard yesterday kept circling through my mind.

‘Sia must have known too.’

Maybe that was why she had been unable to show it and had been sad by herself.

My heart felt heavy.

Thanks to the children, who approached me warmly and took an interest in me, I was able to find Estelle’s house without getting lost.

When I lightly knocked on the door, Estelle greeted me in a cheerful voice.

“Ah, Minjun. Welcome!”

“Kutun told me. He said you had something to tell me about what I asked you yesterday.”

“Yes. But would you like to eat first? You came without having lunch, right?”

“I was getting hungry anyway. I’ll gladly accept.”

“The meal is almost ready, so could you wait just a moment?”

Estelle led me to the kitchen, and soon finished dishes began appearing one by one.

I didn’t know whether Estelle simply made large portions, but it looked like far too much food for two people.

The dishes laid out before me also caught my eye. There were sausages, an unidentified meat dish, meat stew, and a plate of salad that seemed to have been set out merely for propriety’s sake because a meal with only meat would be a little much.

Who would think this was an elf’s diet?

I had heard yesterday that she liked meat despite not seeming like an elf, but I hadn’t expected her to be this obsessed with it.

“Please eat as much as you like.”

“Thank you for the meal.”

There was so much that I wondered whether I could finish it all, and whether it would be rude to leave any behind. Thankfully, Estelle’s cooking was so good that it was only a matter of time before the plates were empty.

As the meal was nearing its end, Estelle finally brought up the main subject.

“I was originally going to speak with Adil myself. But I heard Adil is currently outside Elysium on important business.”

“Ah...”

Did that mean my chance to investigate Bellium’s statue would be pushed back by a few days?

No, perhaps not days, but weeks or months.

“He will probably return within a day or two, but there is a small problem.”

“A small problem?”

“We thought we had wiped out the monster army yesterday, but after investigating, we found that there are still some remnants.”

There had been so many of them, and it appeared some had hidden in the forest amid the chaos.

Fortunately, that meant the situation was not as serious as yesterday.

However, Adil was an ordinary person with no combat ability. If he encountered monsters, he could get hurt.

So they had to deal with the monsters that had escaped yesterday, bring Adil back, and escort him safely to Elysium.