The dragon's harem

“I’m at the center? You must be joking. I’m neither an elf, a plant, nor a spirit.” He pointed at himself and then waved his hand, summoning everyone else. “So what now, still want to fight?”

Dendron flew up, waved her hand, and summoned a dress of leaves and flowers to somewhat cover herself up. “No, I’d be stupid to fight you now. I’ve just been reborn and I’ll need a few days to get back to my full power. I’ll be at least three times stronger than what my old body could achieve since this new one is young and strong, but still, I can’t see myself beating those four clones of yours.”

She flew past Arad and looked at Cerilla. “Care to tell me in whose basement you found this weirdo? I’ve never seen someone like him before.”

Cerilla looked at Dendron with a confused face and then back at Arad. “Who is she? And was she naked a moment ago?”

“That’s the leprechaun. Her name is Dendron, a Spirit Queen who protects the world tree. I killed her, but she got reborn from the tree moments ago.” Arad looked at them, at Dendron, and then at the ruptured cocoon from which the spirit emerged.

“Yeah, your man here fucked me up so badly that I’ve ripped apart, burned, and died.” She said with a sad, victim-like face.

Jasmine and Cerilla glared at her. “You mean beaten you up. Are you trying to start another fight?”

Dendron shrugged with a disappointed face. “And I’ve thought I’d get you all to fight.” She sighed and looked back at Arad. “Come on, he can cheat a bit.”

“You don’t know him as we do. So, did you explain yourself, or should I get him to beat you again?” Jasmine growled and Dendron laughed, “Like you can.”

But before she could say anything else, Arad grabbed her in his fist and started putting pressure. “Let’s see how many times you can revive in a row.”

“Wait! Wait! Don’t, you’re crushing my tiny ribs!” She cried, wiggling for her life. “I’ve already told you everything I know. I was just doing my job, beating guests and intruders as I’ve always done.”

Arad glared at her for a long while and then sighed. “It seems that she is telling the truth. As ancient as she is, she doesn’t seem to know how to hide her emotions. I can tell by sensing her thoughts.”

“So? What’s now? Can we just go up without any troubles?” Dalla asked, and Dendron looked at her. “Of course not. First, those two can’t go up any higher. Dark Elves were forgiven but are never trusted. I can’t allow them into the upper branches.”

It wasn’t as Cerilla and Jasmine expected, but it was the same result. They expected to get rejected at the top, right before meeting the goddess. But it seems that Jasmine and D are getting kicked out the front door.

“Do you have to kick them out?” Arad lifted Dendron and got her close to his face, glaring at her. “It’s either I take them up with me, or I bring the goddess down, alongside the tree.”

“That I can’t do. Rule two thousand sixty-one, the second line: Dark Elves aren’t allowed anywhere above half the tree’s trunk.” She bobbed her head, and a thick book appeared out of nowhere. “The Elvish Divine law, your Queen right there should know it.”

Cerilla looked at her. “I know the rules. But she has her necklace, and we want to ask the goddess if the Dark Elves can return to live in roots.”

Dendron growled as if she heard the stupidest thing in her life. “HA? What are you on, bitch. Wasting the necklace like that. Who said you can’t live in the root? You move in and live with the High Elves at the base of the tree if you want. I don’t care; no one cares. We’ve already reinforced the lower parts, so you can’t set it ablaze again.”

Jasmine blinked several times. “Wait. You mean, we can just move into the roots, like that?”

Arad let Dendron go, and she stretched her arms. “AH! I can breathe!” She then flew around, cleared her throat, and looked back at Jasmine. “If it’s not written in the rules, then do whatever the hell you want. And for the necklace, you don’t need to reach the goddess to use it. What kind of idiot do you think Goddess Sylph is? As long as the wish is serious, she’ll grant it even if you were locked up in the depths of hell.”

She pointed back at Arad. “I don’t know. Let’s say a stupid dragon sneezed the wrong way and eradicated all of the Dark Elves by blowing their kingdom to ash. You found yourself dead, stuck in the depths of hell, the abyss, or whatever hole you wanted. Just make a wish, even if you’re dead, even if you aren’t carrying the necklace. Sylph will help.”

“In that case, she’ll revive all of the Dark Elves and send an army of angels to slay the dragon. Of course, the necklace would shatter.”

Arad looked at her. “I’m taking her up with me either way. If you think she shouldn’t be allowed up, then I’ll be going and bringing that goddess down.”

Dendron stared at him. “Do you really think you can harm Sylph?” She then remained silent for a few seconds, remembering how she thought before their fight, how he beat her, and how he could do the same thing again. She then imagined him grabbing Sylph by the hair and smacking her face repeatedly on the ground.

“Thinking about it, I’ll help you find a way to get her up.” She once thought he couldn’t beat her, and he proved her wrong. She’ll be a fool to underestimate him a second time. This man before her is a credible threat, one that must be treated with utmost care. Unless she wants a disaster to fall upon the whole tree.

“Changed your mind quite quickly.” Cerilla stared at her with a smug smile.

Dendron stared back at her with an emotionless face. “Listen, I got beaten once, and I’m not a fan of pain. Besides, this bastard already proved that he’s crazy enough to do anything.”

“Arad!” Jasmine looked at them. “We don’t need to get on the World Tree and Sylph’s bad side. I’ve got what I wanted. The Dark Elves can return home to the World Tree’s roots. We should be satisfied with that. I didn’t even lose the necklace.”

To Jasmine’s surprise, it was Dendron who spoke first. “No, I’m taking you up, and I’ll see to it that you don’t have a problem with either the World Tree or the Goddess.”