"My lord, please accept our servitude," Elder Jolen started.

  As the eldest among the three elders, he decred his allegiance to me at the start of the meeting. The other two elders looked on with varying expressions, with the youngest one appearing troubled.

  A moment ago, he had been overwhelmed by the group of tree nymphs and the guardian.

  Before the meeting began, I allowed them to introduce their respective representatives. First to speak was the guardian of the tree nymphs, surrounded by her people. Her introduction caused a stir among the forest elves. Then, the three representatives of the forest elves introduced themselves: the youngest, Elder Moss, followed by Elder Nard, and stly, Elder Jolen.

  "I already have a servant," I said firmly.

  "Yes, we are aware that Warrior Faul has pledged his loyalty and devotion to you, my lord," Elder Jolen replied.

  "Then I assume your servitude extends not just to you personally, but to the entire forest elf tribe?" I inquired, understanding his true intent.

  Upon hearing this, the youngest elder stirred uncomfortably but couldn't find the words to respond. My commanding presence, coupled with his troubled mind, weighed heavily on his judgment. He realized that if he interrupted and caused trouble, the wrath of the Fire Dragon would fall upon him and his tribe. So, he chose to remain silent and pced his trust in Elder Jolen's decision.

  "Yes," he answered candidly.

  "Hmm... Elder Jolen, I believe you already understand why I chose Faul as my servant. As you know, his presence provides me with some comfort in my otherwise solitary existence. Now, what about you and your tribe? What can you offer in return?"

  I had no more excuses for my choice to make Faul my servant; they knew the real reason behind it. My servant had reported on the secret meetings and the discussions between the elders, and it became clear that Elder Jolen’s insight was truly exceptional. His ability to observe surpassed even Faul's.

  But nothing comes without a price. If they sought my blessings, they would need to offer something in return. If Elder Jolen thought he could exploit my solitary nature to gain favor, he was mistaken. Even without Faul as my servant, I was confident that I could survive alone.

  Elder Jolen bowed deeply, joined by the other elders at his side. "We will offer our loyalty to you, my Lord," he decred.

  I felt uneasy about the situation. Seeing an elderly man bow before me and pledge his loyalty was uncomfortable. Even if I accepted them as my subjects, I had no nd to offer them.

  "Elder Jolen, I have neither nd nor territory to shelter your people. Even this forest belongs to the dryad, the guardian of the tree nymphs," I expined.

  To my surprise, a voice responded, "Oh my~ How did you know my identity, Lord Dragon?" The dryad seemed genuinely shocked.

  I chuckled, realizing my guess had been correct. "So that truly is your identity?" In my world, a Dryad is a spirit tree nymph. This idea originated from my knowledge of Greek mythology, where I learned about the identity of tree nymphs. Because of this, I suspect that their guardian would naturally bear the title of Dryad.

  "Yes~ Over time, my existence has faded into obscurity. Only a select few I am close to know the truth," she admitted, unbothered by the revetion.

  "A dryad? A legendary being spoken of only in myths?" Elder Moss muttered in astonishment.

  The forest elves had long specuted about the guardian’s true identity, and hearing her casually confirm it left them in awe. To them, she was a living legend—someone thought to exist only in stories.

  "But~ let me correct you on something," the dryad interjected. "I am not the owner of this forest. I am merely its humble guardian, protecting its roots and my people."

  "Then who does the forest belong to?" I asked, hoping she might know since she had likely lived for centuries.

  "I do not know," she admitted. "No one truly owns this forest. However, we were its first inhabitants before other races settled here."

  "Then wouldn’t that make you its rightful owner?" I reasoned. "Since your people were here first, you should have the right to cim it."

  She smiled softly and shook her head. "Hmm~ Even if we were the first residents, I must respectfully decline ownership. My only purpose is to safeguard our sanctuary. As long as my people can live peacefully without threats, I have no interest in who cims ownership of the forest."

  I gazed at the dryad, her easygoing smile making it seem as if she found our conversation amusing. I wondered if she ever truly took this matters seriously.

  “So, you won’t mind if I cim this area as my territory?” I asked, my tone firm.

  “Fufu~ But isn’t this already your territory?” she replied, effortlessly turning my question back on me.

  Her nonchant attitude irritated me. “Dryad, take this matter seriously,” I reminded her coldly.

  “Oh my~ I do take it seriously,” she said, still maintaining her carefree tone. “If you wish to cim this forest as your own, I have no reason to stop you—unless, of course, your actions threaten the forest or its inhabitants.” Though her demeanor remained lighthearted, I could sense the weight behind her words.

  Was she trying to provoke me? The thought crossed my mind, but I dismissed it. There was no benefit in turning this into a hostile exchange.

  “In that case, I will formally cim the area where I reside,” I decred.

  “By all means~” she responded casually.

  Turning to the forest elves, I continued, “Since I can see that you will not back down, I will accept your servitude.”

  Having already taken one of their kind under my wing—ensuring his loyalty—I decided it would be wise to extend my blessings to the others.

  “We are grateful, my Lord,” the three elders said in unison.

  Just as I was about to conclude the meeting, the dryad interrupted.

  “By the way~ Lord Dragon, I have a favor to ask,” she said.

  “Oh? What is it?” I asked, intrigued.

  “Our sanctuary was recently attacked by a green dragon,” she began.

  “If you suspect me of being its ally, you should rid yourself of that notion immediately,” I said coldly.

  The tree nymphs flinched at the intensity of my presence, but the dryad remained unfazed.

  “Oh~ don’t misunderstand me. I already know you are not that kind of dragon,” she reassured me. “However, the dragon that attacked our sanctuary is still alive.”

  “You want me to deal with it? Is that your request?” I asked, quickly grasping her intent.

  “Fufufu~ Yes. Please help us eliminate the green dragon that threatened our sanctuary. In return, I will trade for food to sustain your people,” she offered.

  I considered her proposal carefully. The deal was tempting—securing a stable food supply for my people was a necessity. Now that I had taken on the role of a lord, I needed to start thinking accordingly. It was clear that my way of life had to change.