I had been kidnapped by the Red Dragon.

Well, maybe "kidnapped" wasn’t the right word—more like "detained."

Luckily, she hadn’t flown off with me to some unknown location. Since her nest was on the very volcano I climbed, escaping would be simple—just sneak away and I’d be back in Ten Thousand Grand Mountain.

I could always run to Baek Yeon-Yeong and let out a few “geks” for help. Assuming, of course, that I could actually escape.

The fiery aura of this volcano was intense—enough to roast me alive just by staying here.

The higher up I went, the stronger the heat became, and since I was close to the summit, just standing here made me feel like I was cooking from the inside out.

Fortunately, the Fire Rat’s hide that I’d draped over myself was helping, especially after I’d eaten its inner core. But the moment I took off this hide, I knew there’d be a whole host of problems waiting.

And to make matters worse, the Red Dragon kept eyeing me like she was considering throwing me into the lava. For her, that would be a cozy hot spring, but for me, it would mean becoming Komodo stew.

Could I escape if I evolved here?

The thought crossed my mind, but that’s all it was—a fleeting thought. If I evolved, my choice would be Komodo-Salamander, the mystical beast that controls fire.

It wasn’t a bad option, but against a Red Dragon? Even if I had fire abilities, they’d be pointless.

She’d probably think it was funny and toss me into the lava to “test” my resilience.

No, I had to delay evolving for now.

If only I could evolve into a Fire Dragon…

So, for now, I was stuck in this life—nestled on the Red Dragon’s lap, reluctantly resting my head there. Not ideal, but this was the reality I faced.

“Gekgek.”

“…Seeing you like this, I can tell you’re not just some baby.”

And so, I endured the unavoidable lap pillow.

“Hey, little one.”

The Red Dragon had started calling me that strange nickname.

To call the divine Komodo of Gegek “little one”… Unacceptable.

“Gek.”

Just this once, I’ll let it slide.

“Could you open your mouth?”

She said it like a question, but her hand was already on my snout.

Why does everyone want to look inside my mouth? First Baek Yeon-Yeong, then the Serpent Queen…

Even Chickadee had wandered in on her own, and Do So-Yeong’s dumpling-head even went in a few times.

Sighing, I opened my mouth as she’d asked.

As if it were perfectly natural, the Red Dragon stuck her head inside.

“Gek…”

“I can sense fire and cold inside you. You’ve been eating Ice Crystal Herbs and Fire Pears, huh?”

Her tone was one of fascination.

“Whoever’s been feeding you really knows their way around mystical herbs.”

This mystical herb, certified by the Red Dragon herself, had been bestowed on me by our very own Serpent Queen.

“And you’ve got venom in there too… and inner cores… Wait, just how many have you eaten?”

“Gek?”

“Honey of the Jade Peak, Ten-Thousand-Year Ginseng Fruit, and… Golden Tranquility Dew?”

The Red Dragon withdrew her head and stared at me.

“There’s no way you gathered all this in such a short time…”

She traced a finger down one of my scales.

“Have you been charming creatures with those pretty scales of yours?”

“Gek!”

Charming? How rude.

I’d earned them fair and square.

“No matter what, I can’t believe creatures would just fall for a mute lizard… It’s not like they were raising you to eat later.”

She seemed slightly indignant.

“Had I known, I might’ve stolen some Purple Brew Pills for you.”

Purple Brew Pills?

That was the sacred elixir of the Volcano Sect.

“Gek…”

I gave the Red Dragon a hopeful look.

If I played my cards right, maybe I could get one.

“Hmm, so you know what’s good for you, huh?”

“Gekgek.”

“For now, it’s a bit tricky, but I’ll bring you some next time I move my nest.”

The Red Dragon gave me a gentle pat on the head.

For a divine creature like myself, this was a rather unexpected treatment.

But the promise of a mystical herb was enough to make me overlook it.

If I was going to escape, I might as well take everything I could first.

“Now that I’ve checked what’s inside, all I have to decide is how to raise you.”

Her words made me realize she didn’t mean “raise” me like Baek Yeon-Yeong did. She really thought of me as a baby lizard.

Of course, dragons are naturally long-lived, so considering her human form, she was likely ancient compared to me.

If I thought about it that way, I guess it wasn’t too strange.

It’s only been a year since I was born here, after all.

But just look at my size.

How could anyone think this was a baby lizard?

“…This is starting to feel like a hassle.”

The Red Dragon yawned.

“Maybe if I just hold onto you for fifty years, you’ll be fully grown?”

Her sense of time was vastly different from mine.

Fifty years? I’d be nothing but bones by then.

“Kidding, kidding.”

Good. If you’re planning to raise me, at least take responsibility.

Just toss me a few techniques and some mystical herbs, and I’ll be grateful.

“I suppose I should at least teach you how to talk.”

“Gekgek.”

Learning to communicate was essential.

How difficult it had been to get by with only “geks.”

…In some ways, it had worked out, though.

Even if I couldn’t speak human language, I needed a way to communicate with other mystical creatures.

“But there’s something else I have to do first.”

“Gek?”

“We’ll be living here for a while, so we need to set up the nest.”

Building a nest didn’t seem that important to me, but this was a Red Dragon.

And Red Dragons were known for their greed.

They gathered all kinds of treasures into their nests and scorched any intruders.

“Little one, I’m going to fetch some treasures. Guard the nest while I’m gone.”

She was going to bring treasures?

…Was this my chance?

There were a few things I wanted to learn from this Red Dragon, but those were just ideas based on my current captivity.

Honestly, my top priority was finding a way out.

If I had to describe this Red Dragon, she was kind of like a “gyaru” character.

She might keep teaching me enthusiastically only to yawn and say, “I’m bored now,” before swallowing me whole.

It seemed rather irresponsible.

Her golden eyes locked onto me.

Not metaphorically—it felt like they were boring holes into me.

“Hm…”

She let out a small hum.

“You’re not planning to escape, are you?”

“Gek!”

How did she know?

“Of course, I doubt you would, but you know what would happen if you tried and got caught.”

Crack.

Her form began to change.

Her horns and tail grew larger, and wings unfurled from her back.

And that wasn’t all.

From her human form, she was slowly transforming back into her true self.

---

A massive form that I had to crane my neck to see.

Every breath she took radiated fire.

“Little one, I suggest you don’t make such foolish choices.”

Her voice sounded the same as in her human form, yet the aura she gave off was completely different.

Just looking at her…

A true dragon.

Her scales looked like they were crafted from crimson rubies, her wings vast enough to block out the sky.

Flames danced between her scales, and her claws and talons were razor-sharp.

How could I possibly look away?

As I stared in awe, the Red Dragon let out a characteristic little hum.

“Hm. Even little ones know beauty when they see it.”

She seemed pleased and flapped her wings.

Whooosh.

The powerful gusts caused the flames and lava around us to flare wildly.

“Little one, guard the nest well.”

That’s when I realized how foolish my plan to escape was.

If I tried to flee and got caught, I’d end up as roasted lizard.

“Gek…”

I needed to find another way.

A way to leave that would satisfy her.

---

“Monoga… mee…”

“Mono… ga… mee…”

The two-horned beasts.

Known to be as mystical as the unicorns.

Unicorns were said to guard the love of pure maidens.

Did the two-horned creatures, by contrast, despise pure maidens?

Not necessarily.

Even if a maiden was pure, they would nod approvingly if she were part of a group.

If her heart had already fallen.

They actually despised those who flaunted their bodies carelessly.

As social creatures, the two-horned beasts constantly debated what counted as purity and what didn’t.

Their debates usually ended peacefully in conversation.

But not always.

“Monogamy!”

“Mono… ga… mee!”

Boom!

The two two-horned beasts were butting heads, caught in a fierce debate.

Today’s topic of argument was their idol, the Black Sun.

The Black Sun had been captured.

Of course, monogamy played a part.

But the fact that it was the Black Sun who had been captured was a problem.

The Black Sun was a legendary being who could unify all races.

Yet, it had fallen into the hands of

 a single individual.

An individual was trying to consume the Sun.

“Is… it part… of the plan…?”

“Is it? Is it?”

“Monogamy!”

Thud!

The debate was intense, as they clashed to prove who was correct.

One thing was clear: if this continued, the Black Sun’s fire would be consumed.

Dragons were inherently greedy.

They didn’t share what was theirs with anyone.

“Monogamy!”

Monogamy would disappear.

“Mono… gone…? Aaaah!”

“Pure… love… vanquished!”

The two-horned beasts understood the gravity of the situation.

The Black Sun becoming monogamous was unthinkable.

Yet they had no power to intervene.

Except for one white wolf who was watching them from the side.

The two-horned beasts paused.

They sensed where this wolf was going.

“…No, I’m not.”

Baekrang denied it.

“I’m just going to check on something.”

But her words gave it away.

“Monogamy!”

Her body was pure.

But her heart was somewhere else.

For the two-horned beasts, she was the ideal being.

She had fallen, but she hadn’t acknowledged it.

“Monogamy… vanquished… hahaha…”

The two-horned beasts were delighted.

“What?”

At that moment, they also realized she was the only one who could save the Black Sun.

“You mean that lizard is being held captive?”