Show Me Your Stats!-Chapter 129

“The lords of Sobletz and Bolni are coming?”

“Well, strictly speaking, it’s not just the lords. They’ll probably bring a few attendants and a small escort too.”

Unusually, Janus’s brows furrowed. For some reason, he seemed thoroughly displeased at the news that the lords were coming to Solar. Ayra cautiously prodded.

“What, are you ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) the guardian dragon of Bolni or something? I heard you were friends with the lord of Bolni. And supposedly you’re the lover of the Sobletz lord’s daughter.”

“I’m the guardian dragon of Bolni? The lord’s friend? That’s the funniest shit I’ve ever heard.”

Janus burst into loud laughter, somehow managing to roll around on the small sofa while doing so. Each time his hand thumped the armrest, it sunk a little. He laughed hard enough to tear up, then stopped cold like nothing had happened. His next words came with a sneer.

“Why would a dragon protect something like a human? There are more of you than bugs in the world—what value is there in protecting just one? A friend? Don’t make me laugh.”

It was an obnoxious statement, a perfect window into how a dragon saw humans. After saying that, Janus turned to stare directly at Ayra. His comment about treating humans like bugs made her bristle, and she glared right back. His red eyes flickered like a fire was lit behind them. Then, for some reason... he slowly licked his lips as he looked at her.

Meeting that cold, predatory gaze made Ayra deeply uneasy. She quickly turned her eyes away and continued.

“Well, I guess it’s good news for me that you’re not some ‘guardian dragon’ of Bolni. Anyway, I’m asking you—just try to behave while the lords are visiting.”

She wasn’t sure if Janus would listen to her request, but surprisingly, he nodded obediently. It was strange. It was good that he agreed, of course, but dragons didn’t care about things like rank or summits between humans. She didn’t understand why he was being so compliant.

She glanced at Pebble—but as always, the spirit AI that loved hiding vital information for her “own good” was busy playing dumb. Just as she was about to punish it, Janus fell silent in thought and suddenly asked:

“If I killed one of your townspeople, would that upset you?”

Ayra, instantly alarmed, answered without hesitation.

“Obviously!”

“Well, yeah. For a lord, townspeople are valuable assets.”

I’m not upset because they’re assets, you heartless, psychopathic lizard...

Even after all this time in this world, Ayra still retained a good chunk of her modern-day moral compass. This was a society where nobles and slaves existed, but still—she never saw her people as property.

“Alright, then. I’ll do what you want. But in return, give me one person I can kill. Preferably someone young and full of energy.”

“...What?”

“There’s gotta be someone, right? Like a prisoner on death row or someone whose death wouldn’t matter.”

It wasn’t exactly a pleasant request, and Ayra frowned. But at the same time, she realized that Janus was at least trying to consider her feelings... and that gave her a strange feeling.

“Why someone who’s allowed to die?”

“Because I have the most fun when I’m around you—but if I have to be apart, I’ll get bored. So I want something to play with in the meantime.”

He was talking about human life like it was nothing—like a bug he could flick. But for some reason, Ayra felt like Janus was hiding the true reason behind the request. She looked at him suspiciously, and Janus lazily added, as if it were a favor:

“Or I’ll just pick one myself.”

“...Fine. When the lords arrive, I’ll give you one. But try not to kill them unless you really have to. And if you do kill them, make sure no one sees.”

One thing Ayra had learned from the dungeon was this: some people really did deserve to die. People who had crossed a moral line so many times, they could never be rehabilitated.

Among the criminals sold to the dungeon as slaves, there were those who continued to commit crimes even after arriving—and others who, once released, immediately returned to their horrific habits. Ayra had seen many of them. She believed that people who committed such atrocities weren’t worth protecting or respecting.

So if she had to choose between offering up a townsman or a heinous criminal to a dragon, of course she’d choose the latter. Thankfully, her ability to read minds gave her an advantage—there was no risk of sacrificing an innocent person by mistake.

‘Even without that ability, I’ve got the dungeon’s special truth serum, so that helps.’

At the moment, there were a few unredeemable criminals rotting in prison—men who had committed unspeakable acts against children or widows. Wouldn’t death at a dragon’s hands be better than getting sold into slavery in the dungeon? Sometimes, death really was the more merciful option.

Having concluded the negotiation as a proper lord, Ayra began her paperwork. Janus sprawled on the couch again and chuckled.

“Still can’t get over it. Guardian dragon, friend? Ridiculous.”

Yeah, it would be funny to a dragon—hearing that humans think of him as some kind of protector or buddy... Ayra let it go in one ear and out the other, her quill still moving, until she suddenly paused.

Come to think of it, Janus had laughed off being a guardian or a friend—but he hadn’t said a single word about being a lover.

She shot a glance at him. He clicked his tongue and turned his head. She picked up her quill again.

❄

<Quest Complete!>

[Let’s Level Up the Brave Pebble]

Display religious affiliation using the map system (99/99%)

Count number of couples formed in Solar since user became lord (99/99%)

Approval rating reaches 40% (40/40)

Reward: Unlock 1 stat of the user’s choice

The quest completion window floated before her eyes. It had been quite a while.

Ayra had no idea whether the lords' visit would raise or lower her approval rating, so she wanted to wrap up the quest beforehand.

The issue was that the current approval rating was 31%—still short of the needed amount.

After thinking it over, Ayra decided to personally go meet with the people and raise her popularity. Now that Janus knew she was the lord, and Pebble’s level had increased enough to read the stats of citizens at a distance, there was no longer any need to disguise her identity. She immediately began preparations for a tour.

Ayra was well aware that her appearance was a useful tool for raising Favorability. Before heading out, she made sure to present herself as gracefully as possible. She avoided gaudy decorations but chose snowy white clothing, adorning it with three crimson flowers of Morunka. She cast a light illusion spell to make herself glow faintly, then added a delicate veil that fell over her eyes like the one from the temple, lending a reverent aura.

Once perfectly prepared, she headed into the city with a few retainers and knights.

The effect was more powerful than expected. The lord, who had only ever worked inside the castle, was suddenly walking among her people.

Everywhere Ayra went, people stopped and turned to look.

She first sought out influential figures and gave them gifts—a small statue of a goddess holding three flowers, carved by a skilled stonemason. With a single mana stone inserted, it displayed a stunning aurora effect. It was one of her own handcrafted pieces.

She offered blessings as a priest officially recognized by Morunka. Winning Favorability was easy.

Next, she visited the slums and handed out medicine and daily necessities. She stopped at each plaza, using Pebble to identify those with the most serious struggles. She listened to their stories and solved their problems as best she could using her authority as lord. Then, she tirelessly delivered sermons on Morunka’s teachings. Thanks to her prior studies, she could now recite the doctrine fluently—even without reading minds.

She built psychological connections with the people. Before moving on, she reminded them of the quarry evacuation plan in case of future monster invasions.

After walking around nonstop for days, her approval rating finally reached 40%... but she never wanted to do it again. It was utterly exhausting—physically and mentally. Still, she’d finished the quest just before the arrival of the visiting lords.

<Quest Complete!>

[Please select a stat to unlock as your quest reward.]

Magic Attack

Occupation

Strength

Related Characters (Insufficient level)

Current Thoughts (Requires final Spirit GM level)

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

There had always been one stat she’d been curious about, so Ayra chose Strength without hesitation.

Pebble spun in place and released a small fanfare, glowing brightly and trembling. It had been a while since she’d seen the evolution effect, and Ayra’s eyes sparkled.

When the light faded, Pebble now had... twitching little ears on its head.

“Our little Pebble has ears now!”

Pebble wiggled joyfully. After praising its new ears to her heart’s content, Ayra opened her and Janus’s stat windows side by side.

HP: 712

MP: 55,487

Physical Attack: 123

Magic Attack: ???

Favorability: 95♡

[View Details]

Title: Devout Lord

Occupation: Lord, Blooming Mage (Second Job Advancement)

Strength: 28

Intelligence: 462

Skills: Physical Magic IV, Illusion Magic XII, Mind Reading IV

Owned Titles: [Click!]

Dungeon Mage, Monster Enthusiast, Skilled Agitator, Hide-and-Seek Master

Related Characters: [Click!]

Janus Rehzedet: Beautiful-Scaled Massive Pervert Dragon ‖ 65♡

Botello: How can tea be this good ‖ 53♡

Hess Lu Jinas: My chief administrator works way too hard ‖ 58♡

Bloom: Righteous Massacre Machine? ‖ 36♡

Ran Gretel: Please come back, I’m dying from overwork... ‖ 21♡

Dalrok Logia: Wonder if he’ll attend the summit? ‖ 10♡

Aterra te Act: Super-annoying High Priest ‖ -16♡

Current Thoughts: Dragon’s eyes are stupidly pretty...

HP: 9,999,999

MP: 46

Physical Attack: 99,999

Magic Attack: ???

Favorability: 43♡

[View Details]

Title: That Red-Haired Bastard

Occupation: ???

Strength: 999

Intelligence: 389

Skills: Slash, Tear, Bash, Transform

Owned Titles:

That Red-Haired Bastard, Lord’s Lover, Violent Fixer, Red Dragon

Related Characters: ??? [Click!]

Current Thoughts: Unlockable at final Spirit GM level

It was the textbook case of an Intelligence build vs. a Strength build.

She’d suspected as much, but Janus’s Strength really was 999. Scanning through the rest of the stats, Ayra noticed a new title had been added—“Lord’s Lover”—and sighed.