Evil Dragon, Without a Princess, I Had to Transform Myself!-Chapter 74 : You Are a Good Person

The campfire crackled, pushing back a small circle of night and settling into silence.
Elaphia quietly rose to her feet, treading lightly to avoid waking those around her. The night was deep, and this was naturally her hunting time.
As a thrall, she was not permitted to freely drink human blood. Elaphia had long grown accustomed to sneaking into the forests and fields in the dead of night to seek out animals as her blood sustenance.
Yet, feeding on the blood of beasts could only barely satisfy her most basic need to sustain her life, just barely suppressing her instinctive thirst for blood.
In daily life, being around people brimming with vitality, the sweet fragrance of living beings constantly tempted Elaphia to commit a grave mistake.
Even so, she endured as best she could.
Elaphia did not want to lose everything she now possessed because of her primal hunger. Even less did she wish to risk losing control of her bloodlust and revealing her monstrous side in front of the Princess.
But...
Elaphia glanced toward the carriage. It was peaceful and quiet, with no sound of breathing to be heard, but she knew the most adorable girl she had ever seen was sleeping sweetly inside.
"The Princess... she smells so good," Elaphia murmured.
To her, the Princess's scent was the most intoxicating of all.
Elegant yet profound, unlike some who were overpowering and shallow—like the finest palm frond, a flower of purity, holiness, and irreproachability.
Every moment spent near the Princess, Elaphia fought to suppress her instinctive craving. She absolutely refused to expose the ugliness of her bloodlust.
It's fine. Soon, she wouldn’t have to endure this torment anymore.
Elaphia comforted herself with this thought.
Taking a few steps outward, she noticed Loranhir lying nearby, brows furrowed, her tense sleeping posture suggesting she was trapped in a nightmare.
"...Yanubi... Yanubi... no..." Loranhir muttered in her sleep.
"Yanubi? Who's Yanubi?" Elaphia whispered to herself, utterly baffled. She had never heard that name from Loranhir before.
Maybe the hero owed this Yanubi person a lot of money. Elaphia didn’t think the hero would be afraid of anyone.
She shrugged and headed toward the nearby woods, wandering around as she searched for the scent of prey.
Just as she locked onto a target and prepared to hunt, Elaphia heard a childish voice calling out from a little further away: "And then? And then?"
"Shh, keep your voice down," came another voice—one that sounded all too familiar. "You promised me this morning you wouldn’t make a fuss. I don’t want them seeing me reading to you here."
"Oh... and then? And then?" The childish voice grew quieter. "Read it, read it!"
"And then..." The voice was unpretentious, pure as clear water.
That unmistakably familiar tone compelled Elaphia to follow the sound. She crept closer, hiding in the shadow of a bush to peer out.
There, standing in a corner, was a pear tree—its tall trunk like a towering fortress of dense leaves, adorned with milky-white blossoms stretching in every direction.The lantern hung lightly on the tree branch, its dreamlike glow illuminating the delicate book held in the slender fingers of Her Highness the Princess.
Her long hair flowed gently in the breeze, serene and sweet, as the evening wind whispered through the leaves, producing faint sounds beyond human comprehension.
Another little girl nestled beside her like a kitten by the hearth, occasionally tugging at the Princess's slender hand, urging her to read the next part of the story. As the Princess turned the page, the girl squealed excitedly before settling down again.
Just watching from afar gave Elaphia renewed strength for the hunt. She turned away, crossing the path to disappear into the night that belonged to her.
Almost the moment Elaphia's gaze shifted, Patunasankus's ears twitched slightly before relaxing into a more comfortable position.
She continued reading to the little one.
After all, she wouldn’t be seeing this one again.
Patunasankus thought to herself.
She wasn’t the type of dragon to meddle in others' affairs, but having accepted their kindness, she felt obliged to do something in return.
It was a matter of principle.
○
By the next morning, Patunasankus's carriage was packed full of people.
The evil dragon kept glancing inside warily, as if worried someone might suddenly pull her into a ridiculous dance.
At the oak table on the other side of the carriage, Patunasankus watched as Loranhir casually handed paper and a pen to the three-year-old girl.
"Do we really have to bring her along?" Patunasankus asked.
"Does Your Highness dislike her? I thought you were quite fond of her. Just earlier, I heard Elaphia mention she saw you reading to her last night," Loranhir replied calmly.
"…Fine, think what you want," Patunasankus muttered.
She glanced in Elaphia’s direction, thinking that this blabbermouth clearly couldn’t keep anything to herself. Next time, the evil dragon would make sure to pinch that loose-lipped fool right in the softest part of her waist.
"Hedica asked us to look after her for a bit. Her caravan is overcrowded—too many refugees returning home. It’s safer to keep her with us until we reach their village," Loranhir explained.
Patunasankus lifted the window curtain, observing the caravan outside. Crowds of returning villagers, still ragged but no longer fearful, were gradually beginning to laugh and chat.
The goblin tide stirred up by the lich had ended with the lich’s demise, leaving the refugees no reason to wander. Now, they were returning home in groups. Hedica seemed to have chosen a remote village to settle her fellow countrymen.
Loranhir unconsciously straightened her posture, as if on the verge of uncovering something extraordinary.
Utterly pointless.
Patunasankus thought as she watched Loranhir’s retreating figure leave the carriage.
Then she glanced at the little girl again, only to find her scribbling furiously on a sheet of white paper with a pen of unknown origin.
"Draw-draw!" she babbled at the evil dragon before looking down and sketching a big, beaming smiley face.
Well, as long as she keeps herself occupied…
Patunasankus couldn’t be bothered to pay her any more attention.Since she had nothing to do at the moment, she might as well consider which princess to kidnap later.
Patunasankus fetched the latest edition of the Evil Dragon Yearbook and casually flipped through it without a care in the world.
Currently, the only other person in the carriage was a little one quietly drawing, so there was no need to hide anything here.
"Viviantar, the jewel of the Silver Moon Court? A vegetarian bean sprout—utterly unappealing."
Patunasankus' expression clearly showed her declining interest as she decisively turned the page.
"Serina Vilenta... Princess of the Magic Kingdom of Babelon? How coincidental, the capital is even Astraea City," Patunasankus muttered to herself. "Missing, huh? Never mind, next."
"Lulian captured another princess? A princess from the northern barbarians? That’s quite the bold taste."
Patunasankus frowned slightly but said nothing. She turned the page again.
"Yanis Flandoya... A princess who’s gained popularity only in the last two years? If I recall, isn’t she Latifa’s sister?"
Patunasankus examined the princess, whose features bore a seventy percent resemblance to Latifa’s.
The same shade of long hair, the same deep blue eyes, yet their auras were entirely different.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that this princess was deliberately imitating someone, giving the evil dragon an extremely awkward impression.
Patunasankus disliked this sensation—a feeling of something counterfeit.
"Soulless," Patunasankus concluded. "No interest. Next."
Patunasankus flipped through the entire Evil Dragon Yearbook, but no matter how many pages she turned, not a single princess caught her fancy.
However, as she skimmed past one page, her movements abruptly halted.
The magical portrait displayed was of the princess who haunted the dreams of all evil dragons.
Illuminated by light and shadow, it depicted the face of a girl as radiant as an angel, indescribably beautiful.
Latifa Flandoya.
Patunasankus still remembered their first meeting—her sweet innocence, her smile like a spring breeze.
Now, she wore the same dress as Latifa, her figure delicate, her face adorned with the same light makeup, almost identical.
This déjà vu sensation made Patunasankus deeply uncomfortable.
Because the evil dragon had to suppress the urge rising within her.
The urge to reach out and caress Latifa’s delicate cheeks, kissed by the wind.
Though her hand remained at her side, for some reason, her fingertips ached faintly.
"..."
Patunasankus swallowed her words, saying nothing.
For a fleeting moment, a glimmer flashed in her eyes—one she didn’t even notice herself.
Suddenly, she felt her fingers brush against something soft.
It took her a while to realize the little one had cautiously pressed her cheek against Patunasankus’ fingertips.
Soft and sweet.
○
The carriage finally came to a stop.
The sudden jolt caused the girl to drop a colored crayon, which rolled all the way beneath Patunasankus’ seat.Patunasankus actually bent down to pick up the crayon—quite peculiar behavior for an evil dragon.
She examined the crayon for a few seconds before suddenly asking, "Name."
The tiny, light creature clambered up and slowly walked over her head, seemingly not understanding.
"Your name," Patunasankus repeated.
"Before asking someone else's name, you should say yours first!" The girl pouted in dissatisfaction, hopping over like a sprite.
Patunasankus froze.
Of course, it wasn’t because of the girl’s tone—but because she suddenly realized she didn’t know which name to give.
Only now did the evil dragon think of this.
She had never introduced herself to anyone before. Whether it was the acquaintances she had gradually met along the way or those she knew well, everyone had labeled her with the Princess’s name. From initial discomfort and unfamiliarity, she had nearly grown accustomed to being called by Latifa’s name.
Was she Latifa, or Patunasankus?
Patunasankus didn’t answer the little one’s question. As if suddenly losing interest, she turned her gaze away.
"That, that…"
The girl suddenly raised her hand, looking as if she was about to reveal an important secret.
Then, hiding half her face behind the upright drawing paper, she gazed over with gentle eyes. The silly smile drawn on the paper seemed to mirror her own.
"I think… you’re a good person. I like you…" she stammered, giggling shyly.
"...?"
Before Patunasankus could figure out what the girl meant, she saw Hedica’s hand pulling open the carriage door.
Just as Loranhir had said earlier, they had reached their destination—their paths would diverge here.
"Thank you for looking after her for a while."
Hedica thanked Patunasankus, then took the girl’s hand and gently led her out of the carriage.
Immediately after, Patunasankus overheard Hedica’s soft whisper to the little one—
So faint that, were it not for the evil dragon’s exceptional hearing, she might have missed it:
"...Your Highness, it’s time to go."
"Your Highness?"
Confusion flickered in Patunasankus’s eyes.