Show Me Your Stats!-Chapter 154

Janus scattered the mana stones like flower petals, then set the full sack down next to Ayra. With a thud, the bag toppled over, spilling an avalanche of glittering stones. Pebble, perched proudly atop the pile of gifts, clapped his pebble-like hands.

“Here, use this to buy yourself something tasty.”

“Oh, thanks...”

Ayra had been expecting some kind of beast to leap out of the sack, so the fact that it was filled with mana stones left him slightly disappointed—but not displeased. He smiled. It was probably enough to buy something delicious not just for himself, but for all the people of the territory.

He magically pulled back a chair and gestured.

“Come sit. There’s still plenty of food left. Let’s eat together.”

Ayra slid a large hunk of meat toward Janus, who plopped into the chair and immediately tore into it, apparently quite hungry.

The retainers, who had been staring at the sack of mana stones with their mouths hanging open, now returned to eating and drinking strong liquor with flushed faces and laughter. There hadn’t been many reasons to laugh in Solar lately, so they were genuinely enjoying the birthday banquet. Even Nilma Argan managed a faint smile. It was a joyful feast.

After the banquet, Jinas distributed food to the territory’s residents. In a place as barren as Solar, sharing food held deep cultural meaning. Thanks to the bountiful finances, nearly every resident was able to receive a portion. On top of that, they were given a few small mana stones to use as fuel for their hearths for a couple of hours. This boosted the approval rating by 1%.

Once the banquet ended, Ayra took a stroll around the courtyard to help digest. He was in such a good mood he found himself humming, but that didn’t last long—after about a minute, he was shivering from the cold, clutching a trembling Pebble to his chest and hurrying back when Janus approached, ambling toward him.

Ayra beamed and offered brightly:

“Want to go down to the village together for the first time in a while?”

Having received a whole sack of mana stones as a birthday gift, Ayra felt willing to brave the cold for a couple of hours. Solar had basically become a kingdom of snow lately—so this was no small decision for him.

‘Now that I think about it, it’s a little unfair to make clothes just for the retainers, right? Maybe I should make a few outfits for Janus too... from skitte silk.’

He’d have to make them thin, like summer clothes, since Janus ran hot even in winter. As Ayra was sizing him up with his eyes, Janus smoothly wrapped an arm around his waist.

Updat𝓮d fr𝙤m ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com.

“First, let me give you your real birthday present.”

“Birthday present? Wasn’t that sack earlier the present?”

“That was just something I picked up while I was out looking for a present.”

That massive sack of mana stones wasn’t the gift? Had he left the real gift somewhere else so as not to startle people in the banquet hall? Did he perhaps catch a beast that shocking?

‘But wait, Janus isn’t the type to be considerate of other people’s feelings.’

Ayra followed him curiously. Unexpectedly, Janus led them to the study. He opened the door and said “Ta-da” with a flourish. Ayra glanced around, but nothing looked particularly gift-like.

‘If he suddenly ties a ribbon on himself and says “I’m your gift,” I’ll have to act like I’m overjoyed.’

The sack full of mana stones had put Ayra in such a generous mood that he turned to Janus with a smile.

“So where’s the present?”

Wait—if Janus is the gift, that would be amazing. A whole gorgeous dragon, mine...

“Over there.”

Ayra followed the direction of Janus’s pointing finger—and his eyes widened. Without realizing it, he lifted a hand to cover his mouth in shock. The ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) once-empty spot in the display case was now completely filled. Janus had finally returned his beloved collection that he’d cruelly snatched away.

Overwhelmed, Ayra dashed to the display case.

“...Huh?”

The glass jar occupying the previously empty slot was indeed familiar—but what was inside was not. Within was a large orb, the size of a baby’s head, like a crimson ruby carved into a perfect sphere.

“This is...”

Having spent years researching various types of magical beasts and collecting their eyeballs, Ayra immediately realized this was a specimen he had never seen before. He leaned in so close his nose nearly touched the glass, breath fogging up the surface as he stared.

The reason Ayra collected eyeballs was because eyes were the most visibly distinct feature that set magical beasts apart from ordinary creatures. The blood-red eye floating inside the jar looked as though boiling lava had been captured in the form of a perfect globe.

Ordinary biological eyes didn’t retain such pristine spherical shape upon extraction. Eyeballs were wrapped in muscles, sclera, and had optic nerves attached. But this one... it was like a gemstone. On the surface were gold, lightning-like patterns resembling neural ganglia and fibers. The back bore three holes—probably where muscles and nerves had once connected.

It was nothing short of beautiful. Ayra examined it in awe, as if witnessing a specimen from an alien lifeform for the first time.

“Is this... what I think it is?”

His voice was hoarse. Ayra’s pale blue-gray eyes sparkled like starlight as he instinctively reached out to touch the corners of Janus’s eye. Thankfully, the regenerative powers of the one before him had left no trace of damage or pain. His HP still read 9,999,999.

“Well, I have a lot of eyes, and I recover in a day or so anyway.”

Janus said it like it was nothing. Ayra, overwhelmed by emotion, placed a hand on his chest and exhaled shakily. This, without question, was the best birthday present he had ever received. All the irritation and resentment he’d felt toward Janus melted away like snow.

It might’ve been cold winter outside, but in Ayra’s heart, it was spring—no, a bright summer.

So what if his personality—no, his dragonsality—was a bit questionable? He wasn’t even human! Dragons could be quirky! He might act annoying sometimes, but he was in a human form, and he was trying to match Ayra’s pace...

Ayra couldn’t help floating the jar into the air to examine it from every angle. Then Janus, watching him with amusement, leaned his arm on the hovering jar and smirked.

“Did you know? That’s the smallest of all my eyes.”

Ayra, who had been staring at the jar like it was the most priceless treasure in the world, blinked and looked up.

“That’s the smallest one?”

That thing the size of a baby’s head? Then how many eyes did Janus have? Three? Five? More than ten?

“The biggest one’s about... this big.”

Janus held out his arms in a wide circle—nearly the span of a whole embrace. Ayra’s eyes shook like an earthquake. Usually, even in massive magical beasts, the eyes weren’t that big. Larger creatures tended to have multiple compound eyes rather than one enormous one.

“Each eye sees something different. The biggest one looks like a mystic eye gem.”

“Each eye sees differently? Seriously?”

This was knowledge no one had ever managed to obtain from a magical beast before. Ayra began to tremble with excitement, his cheeks flushing with a rosy hue. Janus grinned, clearly pleased by the reaction.

“If you agree to go out with me again...”

“You’ll give me more?”

Ayra cut him off mid-sentence, voice breathless with anticipation. Janus’s smile deepened.

“One eye every ten years.”

“T-Ten years per eye...”

Ayra gulped. A flicker of hesitation crossed his burning cheeks, but it didn’t even last a full second. Before he even knew it, he was already nodding. After all... these were dragon eyes. The very specimen he’d longed for. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“Okay. Let’s date. Starting today. Day one.”

The instant he agreed, Janus laughed in delight and kissed him. Ayra, feeling like he was floating on clouds, kissed back enthusiastically as he returned the jar to the display case.

At this point, Ayra didn’t just like Janus—he might actually be falling in love.

Maybe it was materialistic of him, but still... he couldn’t imagine loving anyone else the way he did Janus. The being before him wasn’t just the pinnacle of magical beasts as a dragon—sometimes, he even felt like a fellow human, a peer.

“Alright, day one it is. Here’s to the next ten years. But—there’s one condition.”

“A condition? What is it? Just say the word, anything.”

Ayra declared, ready to do whatever it took. Janus embraced him like the most loving partner in the world, and whispered into his ear:

“For now... let’s keep our relationship a secret from the others.”