**Baek Seolhwa** was not the type to listen well to **Baek Yeon-young**.

Like many other sisters, they didn't have a particularly close relationship.

However, it was unthinkable for a priestess of the **Heavenly Horse Church** not to heed the church leader's words.

There was an order given not as Baek Yeon-young, but as the church leader.

That was to leave the handsome lizard alone.

Even though **Baek Yeon-young** was not present here, she couldn’t ignore that command.

**Zuo Ho Fa**, who had been assigned to protect **Baek Yeon-young**, was currently hiding in the shadows.

If anything untoward were to happen, the church leader would be directly notified.

Of course, even without that, it was unlikely that Baek Seolhwa, aware of her position as a priestess, would dare to disobey the leader’s command.

Despite that, she had mentioned the term **Sugoongsa**.

That wasn’t a thoughtless or simple remark.

The reason she brought it up was to gauge the lizard right before her.

Let’s summarize the information **Baek Seolhwa** had gathered so far.

First of all, the lizard enjoyed having its body touched.

When she stroked its soft belly, it remained still, indicating it was different from other lizards.

This lizard liked human touch.

It wasn’t an ordinary lizard.

To begin with, it possessed a level of energy that was at least peak level—no, it might even exceed that.

This lizard didn’t harbor any dislike for humans.

In fact, it could be considered to have some degree of affection.

Spirits, after all, are creatures that may communicate but whose understanding of humans doesn’t always align.

Especially the spirits in the **Ten Thousand Great Mountains**.

It was a place where thousands upon thousands of spirits gathered.

They coveted each other’s energy and hunted one another.

Naturally, that would lead to a more ferocious temperament.

Of course, there were spirits that were not hostile toward humans, but they were extremely rare.

Moreover, this lizard understood the term **Sugoongsa**.

There are spirits that can speak human language.

However, even for those spirits, it would be impossible to know a term that was exclusively used by humans unless taught by another human.

And there was no human who would teach **Sugoongsa** to a lizard.

No matter how much **Baek Yeon-young** cared for it, she wouldn’t have explained the meaning of **Sugoongsa**.

Yet, this lizard perfectly understood what **Sugoongsa** was.

With its struggles, it was almost as if it was aware that the material for **Sugoongsa** was indeed the lizard.

A lizard that was friendly to humans and possessed human knowledge.

Moreover, it was a lizard that had been earmarked by the leader of the **Heavenly Horse Church**.

**Baek Seolhwa** thought it necessary to learn more about this lizard.

---

**Emergency.**

I have gotten entangled with a mad person.

After all, which sane being would mention **Sugoongsa** in front of a lizard?

…**Baek Yeon-young** did say it once.

No, even **Baek Yeon-young** merely mentioned it in passing.

This one, on the other hand, has specifically named it, uses honorifics, and engages in conversation.

“Should I feed you mercury and grind you up?”

Is she saying this boldly?

Should I unleash my **Gyaek Death Beam**?

For now, running away is the priority.

That was the dilemma I found myself in.

“Just kidding,” she said, slightly easing her grip.

Thanks to that, I could breathe a little easier.

I felt that if I exerted a bit of effort, I could escape, but now was not the time.

The fact that she loosened her grip meant there was still room for conversation.

Taking any rash action could add to my grievances.

But she just called it a joke?

“Gekgek!”

That’s a scary way to joke.

The likelihood of her lying is slim.

She knows my name, **Hee**; how could she possibly think of making me into **Sugoongsa**?

That name was given to me by **Baek Yeon-young** herself.

If she touches me, my mentor will not stand idly by.

But it’s too early to relax.

My long experience tells me that she is an opponent not to be underestimated.

“The girl’s name is **Baek Seolhwa**. I’ve heard a lot about you, **Hee**.”

**Baek Seolhwa** bowed gracefully, nearly catching my attention with her energy pouch.

I almost lost focus on the danger at hand.

Would she, having made the decision to do something so brazen, now try to make me into **Sugoongsa**?

I can’t let my guard down.

“Gekgek!”

I tapped her wrist with my tail.

Not just a tap.

It was a clear signal.

That meant I was pointing to something.

My sharp claws were directed at the horn of the unicorn lying over there.

Give that to me.

It was a rather audacious posture for a lizard.

“Gekgek!”

“…Are you asking for the unicorn’s horn?”

“Gek.”

“Even so, I can’t just hand over the unicorn’s horn… Ah!”

It seemed she suddenly had a good idea.

Alright, think well.

“I’ll give you the unicorn’s horn, but how about becoming **Sugoongsa**?”

You must be kidding me.

“Gekgek!”

Why is the conversation flowing this way?

“If I give you the unicorn’s horn, then it’s inevitable….”

Baek Seolhwa continued to explain earnestly.

She needed the unicorn’s horn.

Or, she needed to find a lizard to use as material for **Sugoongsa**.

In this situation, she couldn’t give me the unicorn’s horn.

If she had to yield, she would have to grind me up instead.

…If she grinds me up, what’s the point of yielding?

An ordinary lizard would not be able to escape from this situation.

At best, it would return to **Baek Yeon-young** and lament its failure with a sad **Gek**.

But who am I?

The master of the **Silver Dragon Cave**.

The master of the depths of the marshes.

The beloved of the spiders.

The partner of the serpent queen.

The partner of the serpent princess.

…There’s a lot of weird stuff mixed in there.

In any case, it means I’m not an ordinary lizard.

I know the best move to escape this situation.

**Gyaek Ryu**, Strategy 1.

**Severing the Tail**.

---

**Baek Seolhwa** looked down at her hand.

There lay only a single tail of the lizard.

A long and plump tail.

It was the tail that **Hee** had left behind.

At first, she was horrified.

Although she had severed it herself, she had essentially touched a lizard that the church leader had ordered not to.

However, as time passed, she confirmed that the lizard’s tail would regrow, and she felt relieved.

It was an unexpected method.

Of course, a single tail wouldn’t suffice to make **Sugoongsa**.

**Sugoongsa** was made by grinding up a lizard that had been administered a special potion.

But she had given up the tail in exchange for the unicorn’s horn.

This tail was not an ordinary lizard’s tail.

It was a tail overflowing with energy that could be called sacred.

It was undoubtedly worth several times more than the unicorn’s horn.

She watched as that small creature ran away, the unicorn’s horn in its possession.

Once it received the horn, it didn’t look back and dashed away, which felt a bit disappointing, but she didn’t let it show.

It was a lizard that **Baek Yeon-young** had earmarked.

She knew she would surely meet it again.

“...Thinking back, it’s really impressive.”

She had never encountered a spirit that could compare to this one.

Though hard to describe, it was indeed something special.

Particularly, the matter concerning **Oxbone Honey** shattered her common sense.

The **Ten Thousand Great Mountains** housed a myriad of potent medicines and spirits, but **Oxbone Honey** was not something that could be found here. Any spirit would be unable to resist the allure of **Oxbone Honey**.

Even an extraordinary spirit could lose their sanity upon tasting it for the first time.

Yet, that lizard had restrained itself proudly.

It didn’t sway its tail or attempt to attack to snatch away the **Oxbone Honey**.

That wasn’t possible unless it had a kind of tolerance.

That lizard likely didn’t possess such a tolerance.

Baek Seolhwa sighed.

If she had known it would turn out like this, she would have just eaten it herself.

With such thoughts, she glanced down at her chest.

Each time she indulged in sweet treats, a specific part of her grew larger, which was one of her concerns.

That was precisely why she refrained from **Oxbone Honey**. Even a priestess like her could not casually indulge in such an expensive food.

…Still, it wouldn’t hurt to have one, given she had moved around for the first time in a while.

With that wicked thought, **Baek Seolhwa**

 reached into her energy pouch.

But the container that should have been there was nowhere to be found.

No matter how much she searched, the result remained the same.

What’s going on here?

She had just handed over the dumplings to that lizard.

“...No way.”

Finally, it dawned on her.

That lizard had run off immediately with her precious dumplings.

If she had known, she would have kept it for herself.

 

TL NOTE: Please don't skimp on the stars for the translation - it inspires me and gives me the strength to write more. Thank you~!

If you want to buy me a coffee ko-fi.com/kimsu