Chapter 169: Chains
Komodo doesn't know anything.
I thought maybe I could get through it that way.
But the atmosphere around the Red Dragon had changed from what I’d seen before.
“White fur… There are no such beasts around here.”
“Gyaack…”
To be honest, I thought I was on somewhat friendly terms with the Red Dragon.
Even if she didn’t see me as an equal, she seemed to think of me as a similar species, teaching me techniques and all.
She shared food with me, stroked me gently at times.
At the very least, I knew she didn’t think negatively of me.
Sometimes, she rearranged her treasures and moved my position, but I thought that was an act of affection or familiarity.
Because of that, I couldn’t sense the danger in the red dragon in front of me.
“Baby, let’s talk nicely while we still can, okay?”
Subconsciously, I didn’t want to see her as an enemy, knowing she was stronger than me.
No, judging by the intense signals from my Crisis Detection and Killing Intent Sensing, it seemed true that the Red Dragon hadn’t intended to harm me until now.
Her current reaction, as she said, was because my body carried a different scent.
It was perhaps only natural.
Wild animals often attacked their offspring if they carried an unfamiliar smell.
“Judging by the texture of the fur, a wolf? And the faint cold aura… seems like a spirit beast?”
This was dangerous.
Not just for me, but even for Baekrang.
I had to hide him somehow.
“You’re not going to claim the fur is from prey, are you?”
“Gyaack…”
But that excuse didn’t seem like it would work.
The Red Dragon, who had always been laid-back and acted as if everything was a bother, had changed.
At those times, she seemed endlessly round and easygoing, but now she looked sharp and dangerous.
“In that case, maybe I’ll just eat the owner of this fur.”
My entire body began trembling.
This was unmistakable killing intent.
At least, she was unlikely to harm me.
After all, I was Baek Yeonyeong’s disciple.
And since the Red Dragon knew Baek Yeonyeong, and from her words, she didn’t seem to surpass her in strength.
But Baekrang and the wolf pack were different.
From the Red Dragon’s perspective, they were nothing more than prey.
“Oh, I haven’t even asked you properly, have I?”
The Red Dragon clapped her hands as if she’d forgotten.
The fact that I couldn’t speak turned out to be an advantage.
Since I wasn’t deliberately keeping silent, the Red Dragon couldn’t say much about it either.
“Hmm… Your face has turned a bit pale, and you’re avoiding eye contact. Seems like my baby has something to hide, huh?”
Tup.
She placed her finger against my cheek.
I thought about biting it and running away, but that was out of the question.
Having seen the Red Dragon’s true form, I knew such a choice wouldn’t even be considered.
“Baby, do you know what I like and dislike?”
She grabbed my face and fixed my gaze on hers.
“What I like are shiny treasures. Just staring at them makes my frozen heart feel like it’s melting for a moment.”
Her vertical pupils, characteristic of reptiles, slit ominously.
“Even if it’s just for a brief moment. That’s why I collect treasures.”
Her greedy eyes scanned me thoroughly.
It was then that I realized.
This dragon considered me one of her treasures.
“So, what do you think I hate?”
I was the Red Dragon’s treasure.
You could interpret it as being treated well, but in reality, it was far from that.
Even as a treasure, I was nothing more than an object.
No different from the golden statue over there.
If I fell into lava, she’d feel regret for a moment but would soon find a replacement.
“A thief who steals my treasures.”
A Red Dragon is inherently greedy.
Even if something is worthless, if it disappears from their nest, they throw a tantrum.
Calling it a tantrum was an understatement; with the Red Dragon’s power, the entire area could be scorched.
“If I can just catch the thief, I think I can forgive you, baby.”
That was absolutely not an option.
It was obvious what she’d do to Baekrang.
“Are you going to tell me, baby?”
I kept my mouth shut.
Not that I could speak even if I wanted to.
“Just tell me where they are, and all the problems will be solved.”
“Grrr…”
I growled lowly, signaling refusal.
“Pfft, I knew my baby would do that.”
…Was fighting my only option?
There was no chance I’d win.
Fighting wasn’t a good choice.
The best solution was to redirect the Red Dragon’s interest elsewhere.
Of course, clearing the misunderstanding about the treasure theft wouldn’t be possible.
Judging by her crazed eyes, no explanation would work.
The only way was to make her lose interest in me entirely.
I can’t kill her, so if I keep my mouth shut, she’ll lose interest eventually.
“What makes you think I’ll just leave you alone if you keep your mouth shut? Well, fine.”
This was my only way out.
“Would I ever treat my lovely little one roughly?”
The Red Dragon placed the fur of a Fire Rat over me.
“I’m worried I won’t be able to control my strength, you see.”
Whoosh.
Flames surged around us.
Without the Fire Rat’s fur, the heat would have burned me instantly.
“If you feel like talking, do it anytime, okay?”
Was this the true nature of the Red Dragon?
It seemed likely, but something felt off.
The sudden shift in personality was suspicious.
Maybe it was wishful thinking, but I believed the version of her I’d seen until now was the real one, and this was just an act.
…Although, the killing intent she radiated wasn’t something you could fake, and even if it were true, nothing would change.
“Awoo…”
Baekrang let out a sorrowful cry.
How many days had it been since that black lizard had disappeared?
Didn’t he say he’d come every day? Isn’t it only right to keep promises?
Did he think I had all the time in the world?
In truth, Baekrang climbing the volcano to meet the black lizard wasn’t an easy task.
The volcanic heat was deadly to her, yet she endured it daily to ascend the volcano.
Of course, with the help of the Igaksu, she could manage to some extent, but there were other challenges too.
During the day, she had to lead the pack, and at night, she climbed the volcano.
Her time was stretched thin just moving around.
That’s why she had slept alongside the lizard before.
“…Does he even understand how hard this is for me?”
Hmph, seriously.
I even went up there to cool the place down a little, but he didn’t care.
As Baekrang wandered, she spotted a familiar creature.
“Ilbudachyeooong!”
“Heuktaeyaaang! Heuktaeyaang!”
It was the Igaksu.
Baekrang wasn’t particularly good at understanding the language of the Igaksu.
Even between different species, there should be some shared meaning, but the Igaksu’s situation was a bit different.
She could understand the words but not their meaning.
They’d chatter while looking at her wolf pack.
Sometimes, they’d make loud honking sounds and jump around.
To Baekrang, their words were incomprehensible.
Still, she could tell they weren’t bad creatures.
After all, she’d received help from the Igaksu herself.
“Ilbudachyeooong!”
“…Fine, fine, I get it.”
Baekrang muttered begrudgingly.
For some reason, the Igaksu seemed to know that she wouldn’t go looking for the lizard.
“Judging by this, they must be spirit beasts… But you guys are really weird.”
Even though the lizard had disappeared without a word, she figured she’d give him one last chance.
After finishing her preparations, she headed toward the cave.
“There’s plenty of food, so share it without fighting, okay?”
She gathered everyone, from Illang to Chillang, for a proper briefing.
“Stay inside at night as much as possible.”
“Awoong.”
“If you see a lizard you don’t know, don’t interact with it.”
“Awoo? Awuuu.”
“…If it’s a lizard you know, just grab its tail and hold on.”
“Awooo!”
Even without Baekrang, the seven Dire Wolves wouldn’t lose a fight anywhere.
Especially Illang and Iryang, who were almost as big as tigers, could lead the pack in her absence.
It wasn’t something Baekrang needed to worry about.
Still, she left them with strict instructions to prepare for any unforeseen situations.
Normally, she would have felt reassured, but since meeting that lizard, the wolves had grown strangely mellow.
She felt the same about herself.
“Watch over the den properly, alright?”
As she was about to leave the den, it happened.
“Kiing… Kiing…”
Suddenly, Chillang curled her tail and rubbed against Baekrang’s face.
“What’s wrong, youngest?”
“Kiing…”
She whined mournfully, as if begging Baekrang not to leave.
“Well, it’s true I haven’t seen that lizard in a while.”
“Kreung…”
“Alright. This time, I’ll drag him back to the den after giving him a good beating.”
Baekrang reassured Chillang with those words.
But the youngest wolf could only whimper helplessly as she watched Baekrang leave.
Baekrang climbed the volcano once more.
But this time too, the lizard didn’t show up.
“…He could’ve at least said something.”
Though she felt a bit downhearted, another thought came to her.
Was that lizard the type to vanish without a word?
…It seemed unlikely, but considering her previous warnings, he must have left something behind this time.
But there were no traces at all.
Then could it be that something had happened that prevented him from coming here?
That was the conclusion Baekrang arrived at.
“It’s fine. I’ve already lost anyway, right?”
No matter how hot the volcano was, when night fell, cold air was bound to creep in.
Even the Red Dragon she was wary of would be elsewhere, as the lizard had mentioned.
In other words, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to look for the lizard herself.
Baekrang climbed higher.
After walking for quite some time, a strange sight caught her eye.
Countless treasures glowing faintly.
Gold coins, silver coins, and even weapons favored by humans were scattered everywhere.
And in the center of those treasures was the black lizard.
“Seriously, what kind of nonsense is this?”
Baekrang sighed and trotted over to the lizard.
The lizard had its eyes closed.
“Why do you have fur…?”
She was momentarily startled by the white fur, similar in color to her own, but soon realized it was the hide of another beast.
“Of course, it’s not like you could grow fur anyway.”
Even so, a part of her felt a bit disappointed.
“…Hey, are you asleep?”
She wagged her tail and poked the lizard.
“Gyaaack?”
The lizard opened its eyes at her words.
“If you couldn’t come, you should’ve said something….”
“Gyaaack!”
The black lizard cried out urgently.
“Huh? There’s something weird about your body.”
“Gya-gya-gyaaaack!”
The lizard squirmed as if trying to convey something.
Baekrang narrowed her eyes.
Upon closer inspection, she noticed the lizard’s body was bound by chains.
Chains that emitted a strong heat.
“Hey, are you okay?”
Baekrang hurriedly shook the lizard.
“Gyaaack! Gyaaack!”
The lizard wailed in pain.
Baekrang struggled to remove the chains.
The lizard hadn’t been sleeping.
The chains had pierced through its scales.
Blood had splattered everywhere.
It had fainted momentarily after being tortured.
“Who did this? Was it that damn red woman? No, wait. Let’s get this off first. So just hold still….”
Rage boiled up within her cold body.
She thought the lizard had been treated well, but the moment she took her eyes off, this had happened.
“Gyaaack!”
What could have possibly happened for this scheming lizard to be crying out like this?
Even so, Baekrang felt a sense of unease.
The lizard’s cries sounded a bit strange.
It wasn’t so much a cry of pain as it was an attempt to convey something.
“Gyaaack! Gyaaaack!”
It sounded like it was telling her to run away.
And by the time Baekrang realized it, it was already too late.
“So, it was you?”
A fierce heat radiated from behind her.