My New Beast Companion Is the Dragon Emperor

Lillia's POV

My beast companions are in the middle of my medicinal soak when a soft, dramatic little "ow" drifts in from outside.

Vex, my wolfkin companion, drops my leg. Brom, the bearkin, jerks his hand and a fortune's worth of elixir spills into the water.

They crash through the floor-to-ceiling window and bolt outside without a single glance back — all for some ordinary girl.

I'm still staring at the broken glass when a stream of glowing blue text pops up out of nowhere.

[The main character Ivy literally fake-tripped in the garden and these two idiots jumped out a window for her!]

[Honestly, the original side character Lillia had it so rough. Backstabbed by her own companions, dies a miserable death, and they end up in Ivy's entourage…]

[And she never even figures out what's happening. Just suffers through the whole thing without a clue.]

I read through all of it, and one thought slowly rises: seriously?

If my companions won't behave, just get new ones. Simple.

I go straight to my mom, and before I've even finished talking, she's already pulling me toward the door.

"Any beast that turns on its master isn't worth keeping. Come on, baby — let's go pick you out some new ones. Mom's paying, so make it the most expensive ones they've got."

I'm still staring at the ripples in the starlight spring water, mind completely blank, when another line of text pops up.

[LMAO, the great Miss Lillia is still just sitting in her tub while her little guard dogs are out fawning over Ivy!]

Live comments?

Aren't those things only supposed to show up in trashy drama streams?

And what are they even talking about? Supporting character? Me, Lillia, the only daughter of the most powerful Magic Guild master in the world, the wealthiest woman in the entire magic scene — I'm a throwaway character in some story? And Ivy, that nobody who just got fast-tracked into the Guild, is the actual main character?

Vex and Brom abandoned their post over one little "ow"? And took out my window on the way?

"...What is wrong with them."

I scoff, climb out of the tub, and wrap myself in a robe.

But those comments aren't wrong. I'm not about to just sit here and become a cautionary tale.

Barefoot, I walk straight down the hall and shove open the door to the top-floor magic lab.

"Mom!"

She's in the middle of crushing a magic crystal with her bare hands. She turns, takes one look at me standing there dripping wet, and her red eyes narrow.

"Baby girl, who upset you?"

I wrap my arms around hers. "Mom, I was in the middle of my soak and Vex and Brom just left. My mana nearly surged out of control."

The crystal in her hand crumbles to dust.

A wave of raw mana rolls through the entire lab. She lets out a cold laugh.

"A beast that turns on its master is worthless. I'll have the Guild enforcement squad drag them in tomorrow and strip out their mana bones."

My mood lifts immediately.

"No rush on that," I say. "I've sunk way too much into them to just write it off — I want every bit of it back, with interest." I blink. "But I do need a new companion. Didn't the shelter just get a new batch in?"

She ruffles my hair. "Let's go. Mom's paying, so pick the most expensive ones. Two, ten, whatever you want."

Half an hour later, we're standing inside the largest beast companion shelter in the world.

The air reeks of blood and raw, restless mana. The owner trails behind my mom, sweating straight through his shirt.

"Ms. Margaret, Miss Lillia, right this way. We have top-grade Thunder Leopards, rare Frost Giant Bears…"

I drift past row after row of cages, half-listening to my mom go on.

"I said from the start those two were trouble. One look and you could tell they weren't going to stay in line. But no, you had to have them."

"They were hot, though," I mumble, shrinking a little.

Can you really blame me? Vex had that silver hair and those sharp eyes. Brom was built like a wall and moved like he owned every room he walked into. I spotted them at the market, grabbed my mom's sleeve, and didn't let go until she said yes.

"Good looks don't mean anything," she says. "They're there to protect you, not to look pretty. And look how that turned out."

I stare at the floor and mutter a quiet agreement. Hard to argue with that.

Being the daughter of the world's greatest mage sounds impressive, until you find out I was born with a shattered mana core. I've studied more magical theory than most people twice my age and I can't cast a single spell. Any random Guild apprentice has more raw power than me, let alone the enemies circling on the outside. That's why my mom made an exception and handpicked two top-tier companions to stay by my side at all times.

"Stop moping," she calls from up ahead. "We'll just find you better ones."

I have zero interest in the ones already falling over themselves to impress me. If I'm replacing them, I'm going all the way to the top.

Then something catches my eye. Tucked in the darkest corner of the shelter sits a beat-up iron cage shoved against the wall. There's a man inside, covered in blood.

His back is to me, clothes torn to shreds, pale skin exposed beneath. Even through all the blood and grime, the muscle definition across his back is impossible to miss — clean lines, coiled power, abs you could make out from where I'm standing.

My eyes light up. Gorgeous face, incredible body, and that raw, completely unbroken energy coming off him — he checks every single box.

"That one." I point straight at him. "I want that one."