Wait, it’s a Bushtit.

A White-Headed Bushtit, to be exact.

That cute, round, white bird… is Argentavis’s daughter?

If it had been something like a White-Tailed Eagle, I could’ve accepted it.

But this? No way.

How could a massive bird of prey like him have a tiny, adorable Bushtit as his daughter?

How was I supposed to know that?

Chirp-Chirp and Shik-Shik slipped out of my mouth.

I quickly curled my tail and hid behind the Snake Queen.

Of course, with my current size being larger than hers, I wasn’t exactly concealed.

“Snake Queen, what’s the meaning of this?”

Argentavis’s face turned red with fury.

Seems he was upset that some outsider lizard nearly gulped down his precious daughter in one bite.

I was innocent.

She was the one who started tapping at my teeth and came inside on her own.

And I even let her out unharmed.

But I couldn’t protest.

The alliance between the Snake Queen and Argentavis had just been formed.

If I spoke up now, it might all fall apart.

I lowered my gaze in an act of remorse.

“Gegeek…”

Just as I was about to bow in apology, the Snake Queen grabbed my head firmly.

“What do you mean, ‘what’s the meaning of this?’”

She gave me a look.

I couldn’t read its exact meaning, but I understood one thing clearly.

She didn’t want me to bow.

In hindsight, it made sense.

This alliance was supposed to be one of equals.

Actually, the Snake Queen held a slight advantage.

Since I was her partner, if I bowed, it was as if the Snake Queen herself was bowing.

Seeing that she had another solution in mind, I decided to hold off on apologizing for now.

Argentavis raised an eyebrow at the Snake Queen’s words.

“Do I really have to say it? Your partner laid hands on my one and only precious daughter.”

There was anger in his voice.

It was understandable.

From his perspective, it must’ve looked like his daughter had nearly been swallowed whole by my jaws in the middle of our alliance discussion.

Although, that wasn’t exactly how it went down.

“Hah.”

The Snake Queen chuckled, clearly amused, then looked at Argentavis with her usual emotionless gaze.

“Let’s get the facts straight.”

“What?”

The Snake Queen pulled me close, catching me off guard.

I was too stunned to respond to the sudden embrace.

And besides, staying still might actually be more helpful right now.

“It was your daughter who laid hands on my one and only partner.”

A warmth filled my chest.

This warmth wasn’t just because her core pouch was resting on top of my head.

She was standing up for me even in this situation.

I was touched.

…But wait, are we sure about this?

It felt like her stance was about to escalate this into a war.

“What?”

Argentavis blinked in surprise.

The Snake Queen continued, her expression unchanged.

“Are your ears blocked? Or perhaps your wound from Gechalgoatal hasn’t healed yet?”

I appreciated her support, but…

Are we really doing this?

I mean, we came here to forge an alliance!

I went through so much trouble to find the unicorn’s horn.

“Are you sure you won’t regret those words?”

“Regret? I regret even considering an alliance with someone who lacks the basic decency to respect my partner.”

*Boom!*

The power of the Snake Queen and Argentavis collided.

Even I could feel the pressure tingling through my body.

While Argentavis’s strength was probably inferior to the Snake Queen’s, this wasn’t just any ordinary space.

It seemed to be a space advantageous for Argentavis, creating a balanced standoff.

Could this actually turn into a full-blown fight?

That wouldn’t do.

“Gegeek!”

I spotted Shik-Shik and Chirp-Chirp, who had somehow gone from fighting to holding each other tightly.

If anyone could stop this, it was those two.

“Gegeek!”

“Hieek!”

Shik-Shik seemed to understand and immediately sprang towards the Snake Queen.

Chirp-Chirp, noticing the situation, flew straight to Argentavis.

“Chirp-chirp!”

“Sssak!”

Chirp-Chirp pecked at Argentavis’s cheek while Shik-Shik bit down on the Snake Queen’s hand.

They couldn’t go full force with their children nearby.

But neither could they back down.

Both their prides were on the line.

“Chirp-chirp!”

“Hieek!”

But there were things more important than pride.

Chirp-Chirp and Shik-Shik seemed to be explaining the earlier situation earnestly.

Shik-Shik was surely adding a favorable spin in my defense.

Now, it all depended on how that white bird explained things.

Honestly, I didn’t even know why the bird had come into my mouth.

It wasn’t like I’d hidden anything—why on earth had it climbed in?

The real issue was that the bird happened to be Argentavis’s daughter and that he’d caught it in that moment.

If the bird could explain well, this might all blow over.

“Gegeek…”

I anxiously watched the situation unfold.

*Clang!*

Almost simultaneously, both the Snake Queen and Argentavis retracted their power.

To be precise, Argentavis withdrew first, followed immediately by the Snake Queen.

“What did your precious daughter say?”

“…She said the black dragon did nothing wrong, that she entered his mouth out of curiosity.”

The misunderstanding was cleared!

…Wait, black dragon?

I’m a black lizard, though.

“Did I not say? My partner would never do such a thing.”

“…I apologize for that part.”

Realizing it had been a misunderstanding, Argentavis bowed his head in apology.

He apologized so quickly that I didn’t even have a chance to let out a triumphant “Gegeek!”

He must’ve momentarily lost his mind, thinking his daughter had been attacked.

While Argentavis apologized to me, the Snake Queen questioned Chirp-Chirp.

“So, why did you go inside my partner’s mouth?”

The Bushtit averted its gaze.

Argentavis answered for her.

“My daughter possesses a unique ability.”

“A unique ability?”

“Yes, it’s the power to sense traces of dragons.”

Dragon traces?

What an impressive power.

Shik-Shik also had a special ability—a healing bite, though he didn’t use it often.

Guess they wouldn’t be successors without reason.

Maybe they could give me something similar too.

“Gechalgoatal will surely be after her.”

“Yes, in fact, I only fought him to protect my daughter.”

“There must be a reason you’re revealing this power now.”

“Yes, I can’t hide it any longer.”

It looked like they were starting a difficult conversation that had nothing to do with me.

Whatever it was, it was likely beyond my concern.

“My daughter detected traces of a dragon in that lizard.”

Huh?

Me?

I may have been reborn as a lizard, but I hadn’t exactly thought of myself as a dragon descendant.

Then again, I did have Dragon Scales and Dragon Blood listed in my skills.

So, technically, those could count as dragon traces.

I also used skills like Dragon’s Claw and Ancient Dragon Strike.

Having these didn’t exactly mean a lizard could become a dragon, though.

Argentavis’s gaze sharpened.

His intense, predatory eyes locked onto me.

It was the gaze of a raptor sizing up its prey.

And those eyes were fixed on me.

“Dragon Scales… and Dragon Blood…”

Detecting Dragon Scales was something even a passing… what’s-it-called could do.

But Dragon Blood was different.

It was within my body.

Without circulating my inner energy, it looked like ordinary blood.

“Snake Queen, may I approach your partner?”

The Snake Queen looked displeased but nodded reluctantly.

She was likely curious too.

It seemed the existence of dragons held special significance for these jungle creatures.

But seeing me up close wouldn’t change anything.

Sure, I had Dragon Scales.

And Dragon Blood, too.

But that was all.

“Snake Queen’s partner, would you mind opening your mouth?”

They really must be related.

Why does everyone want to inspect my mouth?

“Gegeek.”

Still, I couldn’t refuse.

Since the Snake Queen had allowed it, I guessed showing him my mouth was fine.

Why are so many creatures so curious about my mouth?

Baek Yeon-Yeong always tried to peek into it, and even… what’s-his-name occasionally ended up with his head in my mouth.

*Click.*

I opened my mouth.

“…This can’t be.”

Argentavis’s voice trembled.

Why the ominous reaction?

“Dragon Scales and Dragon Blood… and now, Dragon Fang?”

A Dragon Fang refers to a dragon’s tooth.

“Geek?”

…I don’t have any skill like that?

Could it be some hidden skill I wasn’t aware of?

Now that I think about it, I’d never really used my teeth as a main weapon.

Learning martial arts had made it unnecessary.

But all the martial arts I’d learned were human techniques.

Even though I’d adapted them somewhat, they didn’t fully suit my lizard traits.

Despite having incredibly sharp teeth, I only used them for finishing moves or eating.

It seemed I’d never really grasped the true power of my teeth.

A Dragon Fang?

“A Dragon Fang? I understand Dragon Blood and Scales, but what’s this about a Dragon Fang?”

“Well, it makes sense. As a partner, it’s not easy to know everything.”

*Crack.*

The Snake Queen’s brow twitched.

The atmosphere was shifting to the complete opposite of earlier.

Hey, let’s not provoke him.

Did you not notice

 how he just took a deep breath?

He’s about to shoot a beam from his mouth.

“Look closely at those teeth. Unlike other animals’ teeth, they’re uneven. It’s a structure similar to a saw used by humans.”

“I know that much. Do you think I haven’t been bitten by those teeth once or twice?”

He’s been bitten by me?

I don’t remember that.

…What did he do after giving me that wine?

“Those teeth carry a metallic essence. If that isn’t a Dragon Fang, then what could it be?”

Apparently, my teeth were saw-toothed.

And they’re infused with some “metallic essence.”

Argentavis was adamant it had to be a Dragon Fang.

…Look, Komodo dragons just naturally have saw-like teeth, you know?

Believe it or not, their tooth surface is even coated with iron.

Since I’m an evolved Komodo dragon, this trait is probably even more prominent.

So, you can’t call my teeth Dragon Fangs.

They’re just regular old Komodo-rania teeth.

“It’s certain. This is a Dragon Fang.”

No, it’s not a Dragon Fang.

“Dragon Scales, Dragon Blood, and now Dragon Fang… If this isn’t a dragon, then what is?”

Real dragons don’t make that “Gegeek” sound, you know?

Snake Queen, could you maybe clear this up?

Seems there’s a misunderstanding here.

“…You’ve discovered quite a bit. Yes, my partner is indeed worthy of being called a dragon.”

The Snake Queen avoided my gaze.

She said that, yet still felt guilty.

It was clear she’d said it just to one-up Argentavis.

“Gegegeek!”

I’m not a dragon.

I’m a lizard!