Selene gnawed lightly on her thumb, her heart full of regret.
If it had been someone even a little weaker, she could have simply taken them by force and dragged them back with her.
But against someone like Kabe, a monster who, if he went all out, could probably pin her down and pound her head in, Selene did not dare try anything hard-handed.
'Tch, I really want him. If only I could bring him back and keep him by my side...'
A sudden chill ran through Kabe.
Looking at Selene, who was staring at him in a daze, he could not help feeling that she was definitely thinking something dangerous.
Clearing his throat, he decided to change the subject and asked her instead,
"Selene, why are you wandering around near here?
You know this place is already very close to Ishgar. This is Acnologia's territory."
The instant that name came up again, Selene's brow twitched, and the good mood she had been in over her newfound treasure vanished at once.
"Hmph. So what if it is his territory? Do you think I have to hide from him out of fear?
Every one of us Five Dragon Gods possesses strength no less than Acnologia's.
I am not someone easy to provoke."
At those words, both Kabe and Irene raised their brows, each with the same expression, as though they had just heard something ridiculous.
Irene acknowledged that Selene was indeed powerful, but if someone claimed she was not inferior to Acnologia, Irene did not believe even half a word of it.
Perhaps if Selene went all out, she might be able to unleash destructive power on par with his.
But Acnologia's greatest terror had never just been his raw destructive force.
It was his near-total immunity to magic itself.
That meant whether one was a mage or a dragon, the moment they faced him, they were already forced into a battle where magic was effectively useless.
Only the most primitive form of close combat, flesh against flesh, could truly defeat Acnologia.
And in a battle of pure physical combat, Irene did not believe Selene could possibly be the match of the black dragon who had nearly driven dragonkind into extinction by his own claws.
Kabe was even more direct.
Without the slightest mercy, he mocked her openly.
"If you really are not afraid of Acnologia, then why are you Five Dragon Gods hiding away on the northern continent, so far from him?
Do not tell me all of you are pacifists with no interest at all in the vast world outside."
The moment those words landed, Selene's face gradually turned red under Kabe's amused gaze. She stiffened her neck and loudly argued back,
"What do you mean hiding? We just got used to living in Guiltina. We are attached to home, that is all."
What followed was a flood of awkward explanations about things like dragons having strong territorial instincts, both sides staying out of each other's waters, and not fighting pointless battles for no reason.
The result was that both Kabe and Irene burst into laughter, and before long, the entire deck was filled with cheerful air.
Only when Brandish and the other two finally brought out the tea and desserts did the two, who were laughing so hard tears were nearly coming out, manage to stop.
Wiping the corners of his eyes, Kabe looked at Selene, whose face was red all the way to her neck, her fists clenched tightly, and then sent her an invitation.
"Since you do not even put Acnologia in your eyes, how about coming with me to Ishgar as a guest?
Do not worry. Even if that black dragon really catches your scent and comes after us, I guarantee I can drive him away."
"So what if he comes after me? I already said I am not afraid of him."
Selene was still being stubborn, but when it came to Kabe's invitation, she looked deeply conflicted.
If this were only empty boasting, she could curse Acnologia until sunrise the next day.
But if she actually had to go back to Ishgar with Kabe, then she really did start hesitating.
"N-no. I still have a whole group of human servants waiting for me at home.
If I do not go back, they will probably starve to death.
So not this time. Next time, once I have settled things at home, I will come to Ishgar to visit you all."
That excuse was so weak that even Irene could not listen to it any longer.
Taking a sip of black tea, she let out a soft breath and then spoke with an unusually serious expression.
"Selene, you have already seen my current situation.
Given Acnologia's hatred for dragons, even though I am also a Dragon Slayer, now that I have become dragonized, there is absolutely no way he would spare me if he found me.
And precisely because of that, I want to extend this invitation to you. I hope you will come with me to Ishgar."
She raised one slender white finger and pointed at herself.
"After all, standing here is the strongest female mage of the western continent..."
Then her finger shifted, pointing first at Selene, then at Kabe.
"And here are you, who bear the title of a god, and Kabe, who still stands above both you and me.
The three of us together are almost certainly the strongest combination in the world.
If we join forces, we can absolutely defeat the black dragon, Acnologia.
Rather than continuing to live every day in fear, constantly worrying that one day he might come knocking at your door...
Why should we not unite, take the initiative, and kill him first, so that we can end this trouble forever?"
Selene instinctively leaned back a little, clearly shocked by Irene's crazy proposal.
But after calming down, she immediately felt ashamed of that cowardly reaction.
Even Irene, a human, could face the black dragon without fear and boldly propose striking first.
Yet she, a pureblooded dragon, had felt fear the very first instant.
To Selene, that was pure humiliation, the kind of shame that made her feel as though she had disgraced dragonkind itself.
Kabe, meanwhile, nodded again and again in deep agreement.