Gernasa began to wonder if there was something wrong with his ears.
“What kind of side effect is ‘becoming prettier’ supposed to be! You nearly scared me to death!”
But just as Gernasa finished shouting, he saw Geli looking at him with a strange expression.
“What do you think?”
“What do I think? What nonsense… Wait a second!”
Gernasa pouted and looked at Geli sideways.
“So the side effect is just me, huh.”
Geli nodded affirmatively.
“Of course. You’re an energetic Red Dragon, seeing someone clever and beautiful. Every night you’d be fired up, not caring whether she can handle it or not—if that’s not a side effect, what is?”
“Shut up, you dirty old hag! What the hell are you saying! What kind of talk is this! Am I that sort of dragon?!”
“You’re probably that kind of dragon. Might even be a breeder.”
Beep—
Exhausted, Gernasa didn’t want to keep talking about this. He muttered irritably in his heart:
“Seriously, they make it sound like I’m some kind of desperate Goblin, even call me a side effect… Hmph, if I really were that kind of dragon, I’d just…”
Before he could finish, Aixi was scooped out of the cauldron by Geli and landed lightly on the ground like a cat.
Seeing her transformed appearance, Gernasa’s eyes went wide.
“I’d just… just… just be a Loli-con.”
Trying to act calm, Gernasa walked up to Aixi and looked her over from head to toe.
Next to him, Geli shot him a disdainful look:
“Heh, a male dragon.”
“You talk too much.”
“Yell.”
Ignoring the two of them, Geli went to clean the Potion Cauldron.
Gernasa turned back, continuing to scrutinize Aixi.
Her white scales now carried a colder, frosty sheen, her form seemed a little different—though not drastically so—and there was a distinct crisp, cold fragrance wafting from her.
Most importantly, she carried a new air about her; overall, she really had gotten prettier.
“How can a simple bath change your whole temperament? Never mind, do I really not feel anything special?”
Wary of being tricked by Geli again, Gernasa asked directly.
After thinking for a moment, Aixi still nodded expressionlessly a few times.
“I feel something.”
“Uh… What do you feel?”
“I feel really hungry. I want to eat ice cream.”
“You think that’s a meal?”
Gernasa didn’t agree, but Aixi wasn’t about to give up so easily.
“I want to eat ice cream, ice cream, ice creaaaam.”
She flopped on the ground, weakly rolling back and forth, rolling a bit, then stopping—a halfhearted protest.
Gernasa watched wordlessly, the corner of his mouth twitching.
“Is this supposed to be acting cute? She looks half dead…”
He just watched, not answering. After a while, seeing this tactic wasn’t working, Aixi calmly picked herself up.
She moved closer to Gernasa, looking up at him due to their height difference, her gaze fixed on his face.
Stare––(U△0)
“You can’t just eat that and not have a meal. Eat first.”
Staring continues
“Don’t pull that dead fish act.”
He refused resolutely. This time, Aixi just pouted and turned her head away.
Gernasa thought she’d finally given up and sighed with relief, only to feel something press against his chest.
Looking down, he saw Aixi’s calm face, but her eyes were brimming with tears as she looked up at him pitifully.
“Don’t cry expressionlessly. It’s so awkward.”
In the end, Gernasa just couldn’t handle Aixi’s persistent pestering.
“Alright, alright, you win. Really…”
He muttered as he walked to the storeroom. Aixi looked utterly triumphant.
“Yay~”
つ
Even though she looked happy, she still kept that deadpan look.
In the end, a helpless Gernasa started making ice cream, and Geli, having finished cleaning the Potion Cauldron, came over curiously:
“Are you cooking food?”
“Sort of.”
“Unbelievable! You’re actually using the Potion Cauldron to cook food!”
Geli suddenly let out a piercing shriek, making Gernasa jump in fright.
“Why are you yelling so loud! It’s not like I used your big cauldron!”
“That’s exactly the point! How is this little cauldron enough? Go on, bring out the big one and make more—I want some too.”
As expected, Gernasa wasn’t surprised, only looking at her speechlessly.
(프_Ⅱ )
He glanced at the Potion Cauldron that, if turned upside down, could be used as a house for him.
“You’re just making things hard for me.”
“Uh… true. Fine, I’ll do it myself then.”
“Oh ho~”
Hearing she planned to do it herself, Gernasa’s face lit up in amazement.
“I’m telling you, I’m very picky about flavor. Let me tell you all about it. Come, Aixi, what flavor do you like? Is fruit flavor okay?”
“Fruit flavor? Any is fine.”
Getting a reply, Gernasa gave Geli a comical look.
“Then let’s start with strawberry, shall we? Hehehe~”
At last, a huge pot of strawberry ice cream was born.
For some reason, Geli’s storeroom seemed to have an endless supply.
“Wait, is she just using us to clear out her stock? Whatever, as long as we get to eat.”
Aixi couldn’t wait, leaping into the pot and devouring with gusto.
Just as Gernasa finished muttering, he saw Geli—who had just finished freezing the ice cream with Ice Magic—looking at the cauldron thoughtfully.
“This thing…”
“What’s wrong?”
Curious, Gernasa walked over to ask. She spoke up, a bit strangely:
“This is a pretty common snack out there, but the question is, how do you know how to make it?”
“I was just planning to whip up something with milk and eggs, but then I suddenly wanted meat, so I put it in Aixi’s hatching chamber to chill for later, and it turned out like this.”
In that instant, Gernasa’s mind raced, coming up with an excuse.
“Is… that so?”
“If you don’t believe me, ask Aixi. I finished making it right after she hatched.”
They both looked at the pot. Aixi, covered in ice cream, raised her head, nodded, and went right back to eating.
“See? I told you.”
“Mm.”
Geli kept mulling it over, but something still felt off.
“Can it really be that much of a coincidence? Hm…”
After thinking for a while, Geli gave up.
Once Aixi and Gernasa had eaten their fill, Geli returned to her true form and gulped down all the leftovers from the pot in one go.
“Mm, tastes pretty good.”
Then they saw Aixi lying on the ground, unmoving, looking about to die of happiness, and Gernasa next to her, looking exasperated.
Clearing her throat, Geli addressed them seriously:
“Alright, playtime’s over. Let’s get down to business. What do you want to learn? Speak up while I’m in a good mood.”
Gernasa raised his claw.
“I just want to know why my potions always explode when I make them?”
“Maybe you’re just better suited to making Explosion Potions.”
“Why are you saying that too…”
Hearing this again, Gernasa’s face drooped like a sad kitten.
Put nicely, he’s suited for making Explosion Potions; put bluntly, he has no talent for alchemy.
“Ah well, if you don’t have the talent, don’t force it. Why not try something else, like Forging?”
“Hmm… guess I’ll give it a try then.”
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