Is talking to a lizard some kind of cultural thing?

Baek Yeon-Yeong did it, and now this woman too.

I can understand Baek Yeon-Yeong. She’s overwhelmingly stronger than me, so I can see it as a form of amusement.

But what about this woman?

If I were an evil Komodo Dragon and not a kind-hearted Crocodile King Lizard, I would have already gulped her down.

My wild instincts tell me this could get very tiresome.

She’s treated my wounds, and I’m full of energy now. I’ve fulfilled my obligations.

Time to go my own way.

I shouldn’t get involved.

"J-Just wait a moment!"

Suddenly, she grabbed my tail.

Her face says “I’m shy,” but her actions are surprisingly bold.

It’s a bit dangerous, since I’m holding a sword with my tail.

"Grrrr…"

I growled lowly, as a warning to be careful.

"H-Heek! I-I… um…"

The dumpling-haired girl quickly backed off.

How pathetic.

Well, it was nice meeting you. Goodbye.

"P-Please take me with you!"

...What?

I looked around, but there was no one else.

So… was she talking to me?

There are two big problems with that.

First, I’m a lizard.

She’s talking to a lizard.

And it seems like she’s confident that I can understand her.

Of course, I do understand, but ordinary lizards don’t.

Only my master has the right to be a weirdo who talks to lizards.

The second problem is that, in her mind, I’m a vicious man-eating lizard.

Just a while ago, she was trembling in fear, begging me not to eat her, and now she’s asking me to take her along?

Denied. Absolutely not.

She must have some ulterior motive.

Maybe she’ll tie me up while I’m asleep and turn me into grilled lizard skewers.

"Grrrr…"

I growled low in refusal.

The brown-haired woman fumbled around in her pockets.

She seemed to be looking for something, rummaging through her bag for quite a while.

I was a bit worried she might pull out a weapon, but seeing her flustered behavior, it seemed unlikely.

Do your best.

I’m leaving.

"T-This is… I know it’s not much, but… take this!"

She confidently held out a brown object.

It was dusted with some fine white powder.

No, that’s not powdered sugar.

That’s just what happens when the sugars inside it dry out and crystallize on the surface.

"This was really hard to g… Kyaaa!"

Shrik!

I snatched the dried persimmon from her hand with my tongue.

Nom, nom.

A flood of sweetness spread through my mouth.

I felt like my head was spinning.

The unique sweetness of dried fruit filled my tongue.

Humans really are great.

They can make things like this.

Some people think fine dining is just eating raw fish, but this… this is next-level.

"Grrrr."

Got any more?

"H-Huhu…! It’s true what they say about powerful creatures loving dried persimmons… S-See? I’ll give you all of this if you…"

Shrik!

I snatched the additional persimmon she pulled out.

Carrying dried persimmons in her pocket… this girl must have been raised well.

Sweet foods are always the right choice.

Aside from that mysterious sticky ball I ate in the Silver Dragon Cave, I haven’t had any sweet food in a long time.

Though the portion was small, the energy and flavor were exactly what I needed.

I licked off the remnants of the persimmon stuck to my mouth.

The girl who had offered me the persimmons stared at me with expectant eyes.

"D-Did you like it? Now, please take me with you!"

Huh?

Did she say that before?

"W-Wait! Why are you just leaving?!"

Lizards don’t understand human speech.

I just ate the persimmons because they were there.

It’s not my fault she couldn’t hold onto them properly.

Yep, not my fault at all.

"You heartless lizard!"

Heartless?

I gave you that tree root earlier. I’m just collecting my fair payment.

"I won’t stay long! J-Just until my leg heals…"

I paused.

Looking back at her, I noticed her leg was still a bit swollen.

I suppose it’s only natural—those herbs I gave her aren’t a cure-all.

Hmm.

But she doesn’t seem so injured that she can’t move.

If I scare her a bit, she’ll probably run off.

"A-And also…"

Her face brightened a little.

Did she take my pause as a positive sign? She looked determined to get me to take her along.

"By the way, my name is Tang So-Yeong from Sichuan!"

Alright, introductions.

I’m the ruler of the Silver Dragon Cave, the lord of the swamp, the lizard loved by spiders, the Crocodile King Lizard.

...Wait, Tang what?

Sichuan’s Tang Clan?

I flicked my tongue, giving her a closer look.

If she’s from the Tang Clan, doesn’t that mean she’s from one of the Five Great Clans?

Normally, I wouldn’t care about a Great Clan, but the Tang Clan…

The Tang Clan = Poison. That’s a well-known fact.

And poison happens to be one of my favorite topics.

"Gekek."

Tang something-or-other.

Shall we have a deep conversation?

"Grrrr…"

I lightly tapped my back with my tail.

"A-Are you telling me to get on?"

Even though I was clearly inviting her to ride, she hesitated.

I clamped the sword in my mouth and coiled my tail around her waist.

"Kyaa!"

Lighter than I thought.

"P-Please take care of me!"

…You need to eat more.

Upon returning to my nest, Tus and Pus rubbed their sleepy eyes and crawled over to me.

These little guys.

They could’ve stayed asleep.

"Kieeng…"

Is this what parental pride feels like?

Go back to sleep, you’ll grow faster if you do.

Tus, who had been slyly inching toward my tail, suddenly leapt into the air.

"Kieeek!"

Startled, Tus let out a screech.

Oh right, I’d forgotten about the girl hanging on my back.

"H-Heek…"

Hey, kids, say hello.

This is Tang So-Yeong, our new… no, our teacher in poison studies.

"Gekek."
"Kioong…"

For some reason, Tus backed away.

Tang So-Yeong, now fully awake, got off my back.

"As expected from a great warrior! Raising venomous creatures in your nest!"

Not a warrior, nor a Komodo dragon.

She’s probably not talking to me.

But Tus, why are you trembling so much?

"Kieeng…"

Is it because she’s never seen a human before?

Tus is usually so timid, I guess that makes sense.

"Kiek?"

Pus took the lead this time, moving forward and shaking her legs before suddenly taking up a defensive posture.

"Kiaaaak!"
"Kyaa! W-Why are you doing this?!"

Encouraged by Pus’ behavior, Tus’ cries echoed from the corner.

"Kieeeek!"

Well, I guess it’s only natural for them to be wary of someone new.

Relax.

She’s a little strange, but she’s harmless.

"Gekek."

Still, Tus and Pus didn’t calm down.

They should know she’s safe since I brought her, so why are they acting this way?

"W-Wait. These spiders…"

Hmm?

Why do you look so shocked?

"Hiek! No, no, it’s a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding!"

Wait, do you guys know each other?

"Kieeeek!"

Tang So-Yeong flailed her hands around, clearly panicked.

"No, that’s not it! I didn’t… I was just…"

Tus and Pus lunged at her.

"I was the overseer on another side! It wasn’t me!"

Despite her frantic excuses, the spiders weren’t backing down.

Their eyes darted to me.

Were they waiting for my orders?

Tang So-Yeong glanced at me nervously.

"Grrrk."

If you have issues to settle, go ahead.

"E-Eek! Fine! Go ahead and hit me until your anger subsides!"

Wow.

No shame at all.

Since she’s from the Tang Clan, the spiders’ poison won’t affect her. And how much could such tiny spiders hurt her physically? They’re barely 10 centimeters tall.

"Just let’s put this behind us after, okay?"
"Kieek!"

Hmm.

But why is she talking to the spiders like this is a normal conversation?

Then again, I’ve talked to my neighbor’s puppy before. Maybe it’s kind of the same.

Wham!

Pus struck with a body slam.

"...Ouch! That hurt! Why does it hurt?"

Wow.

Not only is she shameless, she’s also a whiner.

Tus, energized, began smacking her with his short legs.

"Ahhh! What’s going on?! Why are you guys so different now?! You’re not even in the human-faced spider stage yet!"

Bam!

Pus landed a second body slam.

"How are you using such powerful internal energy?!"

Thwack!

"Hiek! What have you been eating?!"

Well.

I guess I did feed them pretty well.

"I-I take it back! Please stop hitting meeeeee!"

Tang So-Yeong sat in a corner, sniffling.

…Wasn’t that a bit much, guys?

"Kieeng!"

Tus and Pus were still grinding their teeth, clearly not over it.

What happened between them?

Well, let’s put this behind us today, and try to get along from now on.

In about a week, her leg should fully heal.

Until then, bear with it, Tus, Pus.

"Gekek."

The spiders, clearly exhausted from their earlier excitement, quickly fell asleep.

They had been terrifying a moment ago, but now they were snoring peacefully.

Angels, absolute angels when they sleep.

After tucking the spiders in under a web blanket, I curled up to rest as well, coiling my body to keep warm.

The nights are getting colder.

“…Hey.”

Tang So-Yeong cautiously called out.

"The s-spiders are really asleep, right?"

Purring.

Reassured by the sound of their snores, she quickly scooted over to me.

You said your leg was hurt.

"Hehe…"

Tang So-Yeong sat close, stealing glances at me.

"Uh, Grand Warrior Komodo…"

I’m not a Komodo dragon, I’m the Crocodile King Lizard, but I let it slide.

Not that I could correct her anyway.

"I heard that reptiles struggle to regulate their body temperature."

That’s a well-known issue.

"So, uh…"

Her voice trailed off as she blushed, though it could have just been from getting slapped by the spiders.

"Would it be okay if I… helped warm you up?"

Tang So-Yeong edged closer to me.

What does she mean by that?

This seems highly suspicious.

"All you have to do is stay still, Grand Warrior. I could collect some of your venom… oh, never mind! Forget I said that."

Do you need my venom?

I could give you some, but what would you even use it for?

And why do you keep trying to get close to me?

"You see… I thought it would be easier to extract venom if your body was warm…"

Her voice trailed off again.

"And it’s a little cold too…"

Tang So-Yeong suddenly leaned in, pressing her cheek against me.

"Huh… just for a little while, okay?"

Pus, still angry, shot a web at her.

"Kyaaa!"
"Kyaaaa!"

With an enraged look, Pus yanked on Tang So-Yeong’s hair.

Oh boy.

Here we go again.

Fight round two.

…Go, Pus.