ALL NOVEL chapter 3
3. Sorry, Your Highness, I Don’t Have a Health Bar
Valentina was a princess with a very good nature. Though she possessed the elegance of nobility, she had no airs about her; she was approachable and incredibly kind.
Even when her half-siblings treated her with sarcasm, she felt that arguing would only make the entire royal family a laughingstock, so she chose to endure.
Not wanting to worry others, Valentina would also put on a smile as if nothing was wrong when it came to her relationships with those close to her.
It was generally quite difficult to make her angry.
However, she wasn’t devoid of negative emotions; they were simply forcefully buried deep within her.
Now, this long-suppressed negativity finally erupted upon encountering the most evil being she had ever faced in her life.
“My affairs are none of your business! What do you know about me?!”
Rationally, she felt there was some truth in Noah’s words, but emotionally, she didn’t want to admit that she agreed with the evil god.
Thus, after choosing to endure for so long, Valentina finally chose to explode. Her dragon eyes, which had been filled with panic, instantly became narrow and elongated, radiating aggression.
A rare look of anger appeared on her delicate face, and her newly acquired wings spread wide, resembling a cat whose tail had just been stepped on.
“Heh, you might be surprised at how much I know?”
Normally, Noah would choose to de-escalate conflicts with angry women, but not with Valentina. He needed her to understand the dangers of men, so she would be more cautious in the future.
Especially regarding her blonde private tutor, who had approached her with the intention of stealing her away from the victim, Clyde, from the very beginning.
Therefore, Noah not only refused to apologize but even spoke in a tone that suggested, ‘I understand you very well.’
—
Even if, in Valentina’s eyes, Noah was merely an indistinct mass of shadow, that knowing attitude alone was enough to infuriate a teenage girl.
“Stop acting like you understand me! You’re just a wicked god who enjoys toying with other people’s lives! Change my body back to normal, now!”
Successfully provoked, Valentina exerted all her strength to deny the wicked god before her.
“!?”
But she was soon startled by her own actions.
All she wanted was to stand up, yet she ended up flying straight out.
Those newly sprouted wings, and yet she flew into the air as if she had always known how to use them.
Even her chest, which had previously needed to be covered with her arms to avoid exposure, was now adorned with a layer of black-purple scales, reminiscent of dragon scales. Though it looked like the seductive attire worn by courtesans to attract customers, it was certainly better than nothing in this situation.
Not only that, but she felt an unprecedented surge of vitality; power flowed from within her, as if she could easily accomplish anything she had previously been unable to do.
This novel experience nearly made her forget her anger towards the wicked god.
Until she noticed Noah, who was surprised by her astonishment at her own body, teasingly said:
“What’s wrong? Princess, why the sudden daze? Do you actually like the new body I gave you? I think it’s quite nice! Those little rabbits of yours are just the best; I’d love to grab them by the throat and play with them~”
That was nothing short of s*xual harassment, and even the naive Valentina could sense the lewdness in his words.
This successfully redirected her focus back to Noah.
“Who likes this body?!”
Valentina, blushing with anger, immediately expressed her strong denial.
If it weren’t for the fact that she couldn’t get rid of them, she would have loved to whip those thick, repulsive dragon tails right in Noah’s face.
Wait… if that’s the case, why not actually do it?
After all, she had already transformed into this ugly form; was she really afraid of dying?
Since she had lost all face to show herself to others, why not risk everything right here to take down the instigator? Perhaps she could actually do it now!
“Haahhh!”
Thinking that she could no longer return to human society, Valentina completely gave up and drew a beautiful arc in the sky, swooping down towards Noah like a true evil dragon.
Even without her external sword, her elongated nails, transformed by her draconic nature, could easily tear flesh like dragon claws, and her powerful tail could effortlessly snap a human spine.
Though she had fully transformed into a half-dragon, she was no longer human; she was now a genuine—evil dragon, with only remnants of her human form left.
No one could easily defeat an evil dragon; even the great heroes from the kingdom’s legendary dragon-slaying tales achieved victory only at the cost of their lives.
“Ugh…”
But unfortunately, no matter how strong an evil dragon was, it still had a health bar. Against a hidden boss like Noah, who didn’t even show a health bar in the original story, even ten Valentinas wouldn’t stand a chance.
Noah deliberately let Valentina familiarize herself with her new body for a few minutes, then effortlessly caught the tail she attempted to swing at him and tossed her away.
Valentina, unable to release her power, crashed through several crumbling temple columns before finally coming to a stop.
Though she should have been uninjured, the pain in her back still made her emit a cute, pained sound.
Damn it! What does this evil god want to do?! If you’re going to kill her, just do it already! Is it really that fun to toy with her life?!
Valentina, trying to muster the strength to continue fighting, attempted to rise from the cold ground, but found herself unable to stand; her body felt as heavy as lead compared to just moments ago.
“Oh, you’ve quickly mastered the ability to retract your dragon traits, huh? Unexpectedly impressive, Your Highness.”
That annoying voice had somehow crept closer from a distance.
But this time, Valentina was more surprised by her own condition than by the urge to retort.
Instinctively, she reached up to touch her head, but found no cold, hard sensation; the feeling of her tail and wings had vanished as well.
So it can be retracted!
Realizing this, a spark of hope ignited in Valentina’s eyes; after all, this meant she could return to human society.
“What… So it turns out it was just that I denied my dragon identity in my heart, causing it to be forcibly retracted. In that case, this situation will last at most a day. Tonight will be the end of it; we’ll meet again tomorrow, Your Highness.”
“What!? W-Wait! What do you mean by that?! D-Don’t go! You annoying evil god!”
Hearing words she couldn’t just ignore, Valentina stretched out her right hand toward the shadow before her in a panic, but received no response.
By the time she realized it, the scenery around her had transformed back into the familiar night view of the royal capital; the eerie, dilapidated temple and the infuriating shadow had vanished without a trace.
“…Well, well, as expected of the protagonist of this world. Just now, her eyes truly seemed to want to take me down with her. Indeed, in most cases in the original story, the lack of resistance was due to an inability to fight back. Once given power, she can really do frightening things.”
Noah, still in the otherworldly temple, gazed at the magic circle reflecting Valentina’s figure before him, murmuring to the bewildered and inexplicably lost silhouette.
Though she likely hadn’t noticed, Valentina, who had just launched a fierce attack against him, seemed to have fallen into a state of inner corruption, becoming a dark dragon.
How to put it? Her aura had suddenly matured and turned dangerous, as if the bewildered princess had truly transformed into a villainous dragon lady.
Moreover, a strange smile lingered at the corner of her mouth, one that she probably wasn’t even aware of.
Although she seemed to despise dark dragons now, if she accepted that identity, her previously soft and yielding nature would likely become incredibly assertive.
If Noah were to truly be defeated, he felt that she might even devour him.
Fortunately, Noah was more skilled; otherwise, being eaten by his own magically corrupted princess would be nothing short of laughable.
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