Becoming a priestess of the **Heavenly Horse Church** is not something one can simply wish for.

**Baek Seolhwa** is the younger sister of the church leader. However, she couldn’t attain that position merely through blood relation.

Yet, the reason she was able to ascend to the position of priestess was simple.

She had the ability to do so.

Her predictive powers were strong enough to be called prophecies.

In particular, the prophetic dreams she experienced had never been wrong.

Her sister, **Baek Yeon-young**, possessed some of that power as well.

However, she focused on her innate martial strength and ascended to the position of church leader, while Baek Seolhwa focused on her abilities to become a priestess.

Baek Seolhwa had many responsibilities within the Heavenly Horse Church.

The most prominent of these was to tidy up the messes created by the wayward church leader.

In truth, her resemblance to the leader played a significant role, but aside from that, her most crucial duty was to use her prophetic abilities.

The power of the priestess was used for the benefit of the Heavenly Horse Church.

Most of that was spent on seeking the church’s deity, **Heavenly Horse**.

However, at some point, her powers began to weaken.

The serious decline likely started about three months ago.

Though she was still strong, her effectiveness had diminished compared to before.

In particular, acquiring information related to the Heavenly Horse had become nearly impossible.

The only information available to the current Heavenly Horse Church was this:

The Heavenly Horse is born in the **Ten Thousand Great Mountains**.

It was such an abstract piece of information.

But to call it a prophecy felt odd, as the origin of the Heavenly Horse Church was the **Ten Thousand Great Mountains**.

Saying that the Heavenly Horse is born in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains might be a given.

It was no different from saying that a **Demon King** is created in the **Four Great Clans**.

Her prophetic powers had weakened.

Yet, oddly enough, aside from seeking the Heavenly Horse, her abilities functioned fully.

Baek Seolhwa couldn’t understand it no matter how she thought about it.

Using the **Sugoongsa** and the **unicorn’s horn** might also be futile.

But she had to at least try.

Thus, she ascended to the **Ten Thousand Great Mountains** and encountered the unicorn.

Though she had prepared for battle with the unicorn, for some reason, it simply handed over its horn.

Thanks to that, she accomplished her mission without needing to call upon the **Zuo Ho Fa**, which she had hidden in the shadows.

Though she felt a bit deflated, there was nothing she could do about it.

However, she wasn’t the type to call back the unicorn that had willingly surrendered its horn just to fight again.

The moment she saw the unicorn’s horn, she realized it had nothing to do with her abilities.

While her prophetic powers would likely become stronger, she instinctively knew they wouldn’t help in finding the Heavenly Horse.

Frustration washed over her.

What could possibly be the problem?

That was the thought in Baek Seolhwa’s mind.

And at that moment, she sensed a presence approaching.

Something was rapidly moving through the underbrush.

It was small.

However, the energy contained within it was remarkable.

At the very least, it was at the **peak level**.

No, considering the energy that hadn’t yet been digested, it could be close to **supreme level**.

Though Baek Seolhwa didn’t typically enjoy hunting, she wouldn’t leave a spirit that charged at her alone.

Before she was a priestess, she was a martial artist.

It was a suitable opponent to alleviate her frustrations.

The spirit that reached her location leaped forward at a high speed.

However, to Baek Seolhwa’s surprise, it was not the spirit she had envisioned.

It was a small lizard.

It didn’t seem to harbor any malice.

It simply climbed onto her finger.

Baek Seolhwa observed the lizard closely.

It had a strangely insignificant-looking face.

Contrasting that, it possessed beautifully black scales.

The lizard focused solely on the finger before it.

With a “Waaah,” it attempted to chew on her finger.

Could it be that this little creature plans to swallow her finger whole?

Baek Seolhwa smiled faintly.

She wanted to see how far that lizard would go, so she decided to let it be.

At that moment, the lizard raised its head and locked eyes with her.

As if realizing something was off, it jumped down to the ground.

Baek Seolhwa understood that this lizard was not just any ordinary creature.

It was the lizard that **Baek Yeon-young** had boasted about.

To be honest, I still struggled to understand the term "handsome" when referring to a lizard.

How handsome can a lizard really be?

Of course, the glossy scales and the well-defined, agile face could remind one of a mythical dragon.

But that’s about it.

Fundamentally, the term "handsome" doesn’t apply to lizards.

However, for some reason, she couldn’t help but keep staring at the lizard’s face.

Not as a martial artist Baek Seolhwa, but as the priestess of the Heavenly Horse Church.

Her previously frustrated heart began to ease to some extent.

When it came to finding the Heavenly Horse, this lizard would be far more effective than the unicorn’s horn.

Baek Seolhwa instinctively realized that.

---

**White Hands:**

A white hand with a flesh-like hue.

The description of **Baek Yeon-young** would not be an exaggeration at all.

Though her eyes were the same blue as **Yeon-young**, unlike her sister, there was no lack of expression in them.

There was a tiny dot beneath her eyes.

Its position was the exact opposite of Baek Yeon-young’s.

To describe her face, I had to compare it to Baek Yeon-young’s.

The most beautiful woman I had seen was **Baek Yeon-young**, and the one in front of me was her equal.

Her figure was impressive.

**Baek Yeon-young** wasn’t small by any means.

However, this woman was exceptionally grand.

Moreover, it seemed like she was sweating on her chest, as she wore a garment that left that area exposed.

Whoever designed that outfit knew what they were doing.

The overall impression was like **Baek Yeon-young**.

But the details were different.

She even referred to me as a “handsome lizard.”

It was a long-awaited encounter with a sane person.

…I want to think so, but unfortunately, that’s probably not a normal reaction.

Only two people would use such words.

Both of them were suspiciously odd, **Dang So-young** and **Baek Yeon-young**.

Despite the similarities in appearance, it was evident that this woman had some sort of relationship with **Baek Yeon-young**.

One thing was certain.

This woman showed no signs of malice toward me.

This means communication might be possible.

“...Can I talk to a lizard?”

Moreover, she seemed to possess a certain level of common sense.

She’s better than **Dang So-young**.

“I should just call you a lizard, right?”

Though I thought that might not be quite right.

Let’s give an appropriate response.

“Gekgek!”

“No? Should I call you **Hee**?”

Hee.

That was the name **Baek Yeon-young** had given me.

Given that she knew that, she must be part of **Baek Yeon-young**’s family.

If we looked at her energy pouch, she was probably on the sister’s side.

The white **Baek Yeon-young** extended her finger toward me.

I walked over to her finger, almost entranced.

Although it was different from **Baek Yeon-young**, that finger also had a delightful texture.

“Gekgek.”

A person who allows me to touch her finger.

You’re a good person.

I grabbed one of her fingers with both hands and put it in my mouth.

There was a reason I focused on her finger.

Nibbling on the finger was a sort of ritual.

It was a sacred ritual to assess how much I had grown in my training aimed at **Baek Yeon-young**.

Since this woman’s finger also had a nice balance of firmness and softness, it would make for a good training tool.

**Gnaw, gnaw.**

“It’s tougher than I expected.”

The white **Baek Yeon-young** petted my dragon scales.

Since she allowed me to use her finger, I would pass this stage.

“The belly feels soft.”

“Gek…”

Though it was a bit uncomfortable to touch my belly, I would let it slide.

“The tail is plump and looks quite… no, beautiful.”

Even my sleek tail received some praise.

“The claws are sharp, but the soles are surprisingly soft.”

“Gek!”

Stop it.

At this rate, you might touch my **Reverse Scale**.

Though I continued to nibble on her finger for quite a while, nothing changed.

If I released my miniaturization, my teeth might sink in, but that would put me in danger.

Right now, the reason she was being friendly was probably because she viewed me as just a small lizard.

Given **Baek Yeon-young**’s character, it was highly likely she introduced me simply as a little lizard.

So far, things had gone pretty well.

I didn

’t know what this woman’s true intentions were, but it seemed she was satisfied with touching my body.

I, too, was using her finger as a kind of training.

However, I couldn’t just keep nibbling on this finger indefinitely.

The reason I came here wasn’t just to nibble on fingers.

It was for the unicorn’s horn.

And to negotiate with the human who took that horn.

Nibbling on her finger had been a misunderstanding, assuming she was **Baek Yeon-young**.

“The energy within her is also quite impressive. It’s no mere boast.”

In truth, one of the reasons I had kept nibbling on this finger was for more than just training.

What kind of fool of a lizard would be so entranced by a finger to climb aboard and cling to it?

I’m an intelligent and clever lizard.

The behavior that seemed foolish was intentional on my part.

Another reason I continued to nibble on her finger.

It was to gauge the strength of the white **Baek Yeon-young**.

In fact, when I first bit down, I could tell she was strong.

I assumed she was like **Baek Yeon-young**, and since my teeth didn’t leave a mark, it was evident her durability was exceptional.

I tried nipping at different angles to see if there was a weakness, but nothing changed.

In other words, even if I threatened with my bites, it wouldn’t mean a thing.

The only option left for me was negotiation.

“It’s nice to have come this far.”

Fortunately, this woman seemed to harbor some affection for me.

Given she’s the younger sister of **Baek Yeon-young**, that might be expected.

Riding this momentum, I should try to gain the unicorn’s horn from her.

“Gek!”

“The sound is interesting too.”

She possesses some common sense and seems to have some affection for me.

“If it were up to me, I’d like to take you home and raise you.”

Using the experiences I’ve gained from interacting with humans several times, I decided to attempt a conversation.

Even if verbal communication failed, I could express myself sufficiently through gestures.

First, I needed to escape from her grasp to be able to move.

“Gek.”

Now, let me go.

“…Gek?”

Something felt off.

The white **Baek Yeon-young** tightened her grip.

It seemed like she intended not to let me escape.

“If it’s this lizard, I think it could find the Heavenly Horse.”

She muttered something incomprehensible.

“Yeah, it’d be just right to use it as a material for Sugoongsa.”

…Sugoongsa?

“Geeeek!”

No way! Even though she resembles **Baek Yeon-young**, that’s too much.

How could her thought process be so similar?

Luring me in with that soft, firm finger and then intending to hand me over as a material for Sugoongsa?

She said she’d raise me!

She said she’d raise me!

“Of course, it would be alright, right, **Hee**?”

**Baek Yeon-young** said that normal people wouldn’t talk to a lizard.

I could understand why **Dang So-young** would speak to me.

She was someone who communicated with spirits from the start.

She probably didn’t realize that speaking to a lizard was an odd behavior.

But what about this woman?

She knew that talking to a lizard was strange.

Yet, she still chose to speak to me with respect.

**Woahhh!**

The sirens in my mind, sensing danger, blared.

This is an emergency.

She’s weirder than **Dang So-young**!

“Gekgekgek!”