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“Your boss will not be happy with you if he learns about this,” said Gohvis.

“Eh, maybe,” said Jercash. “But a part me think he’d be too excited to get angry with me. Either way, I’m not handing Lozaro over to him. Guy’s too valuable.”

“Why did he come to you for protection?”

“Heh. Well, it wasn’t like he had many options. Couldn’t exactly go to the Vanguard after all he’d done, and Sai-hee isn’t particularly fond of him, either.”

“That’s not what I was getting at.”

“Hmm? Oh, you meant why didn’t he go to you!” Jercash broke for another laugh. “Don’t be jealous, pal! I’m sure you were his next choice!”

“How puerile.”

“That’s rich, coming from you. Look, if you want people to approach you with these sorts of things, then you have to be more approachable. Get it? This whole scary-dragon thing you’ve got going on is cool ‘n all, but it invariably has its costs, y’know?”

“...Are you blackmailing him?” said Gohvis.

“What? No. How would I even do that? Everyone already knows he’s one of the evilest dudes in the world. And I’m pretty sure there’s precisely nothing and no one that he loves in that cold, black heart of his. Hell, sometimes, I think he even hates the very knowledge that he spends so much time trying to amass, strange as that might sound.”

“You’re holding him prisoner, then.”

“Excuse me, but I’m quite capable of acquiring new subordinates without resorting to such things. He’s with me of his own free will, thank you very much.”

“Hmph.”

“Speaking of my subordinates, how many of them survived the battle? Tell me where they are, already.”

Gohvis exhaled a deep breath and began trudging through the snow, heading in the direction of the nearest mountain slope. “I will take you to them.”

Jercash just stood there and watched him for a second before following. “Y-you’re not... you’re not actually going to walk, right? At this snail's pace?”

“...I’m thinking about it.”

“Wow. How is it that so many people have come to look at you as their new lord and savior? Do you think they’d have a change of heart if they learned that the real you is just a giant baby?”

“Do you think your followers would have a change of heart if they learned that the real you is just more lucky than smart?”

“That’s not an insult. I’m incredibly smart, and yet I’m even more lucky than that! Where's the downside, huh?”

“I should’ve let them kill you.”

“...A big, fat, dragon baby.”

“Shut up.”