The Red Dragon didn’t take long to return.

With a loud whoosh, she flew off and soon came back, grumbling and laden with something enormous.

Had I tried to escape, she would’ve caught me at the volcano's base.

“You kept the place safe, huh?”

“Gekgek.”

I’d thought about running away several times, but there was no need to admit that. Not that I had any way to say it aloud anyway.

The Red Dragon had brought back something massive, more like a small house than a simple bundle.

In fact, calling it a bundle didn’t do it justice. It was a collection of items that symbolized the Red Dragon herself.

Just looking at them made me marvel, unable to look away.

“You really are a baby, aren’t you?”

She’d brought treasures—gold and jewels!

“Gekgek!”

There were golden statues, and gemstones that looked like garnets or sapphires. Even armor and swords, clearly of foreign make. The gold and silver coins scattered around felt as common as pebbles next to such rare items.

If I could take all of this, I’d be set for life. Even a single coin would make me incredibly rich.

…Not that I had anywhere to spend it.

Maybe I could give some to my master. She’d surely be pleased and might even praise me for a job well done.

The Serpent Queen would probably enjoy something pretty too.

And perhaps I could pass a few pieces to that family, especially considering how they always seemed a little too interested in my scales and venom whenever they mentioned money.

“Gekgek.”

Just as I tried to pocket a few coins, I locked eyes with the Red Dragon.

“Little one, what are you doing?”

I quickly returned the coins to their place.

“The statue goes here, and you should sit next to it.”

“Gek?”

I thought she was mad about me touching the coins, but thankfully, that didn’t seem to be the case.

She gently tugged my tail to adjust my position.

“Looks good right here, doesn’t it?”

…Huh?

The Red Dragon was arranging her decorations carefully. Did that mean she saw me as some kind of decoration, too?

“Putting things in place like this lets me know if anyone tries to steal something later.”

Flames flickered around her, like a warning to any who would dare to covet her treasures.

“Of course, only a fool would touch my things.”

“Gek…”

“But you’re an exception. Just because a crown sits on a statue doesn’t mean it belongs to anyone else, right?”

Was this supposed to be a privilege?

I couldn’t tell if she was granting me a special status or if she just didn’t care.

Either way, I didn’t have many options. 

With the influx of gold and treasures, life had become richer.

You could argue that I had no use for them, but high-value treasures exposed to extreme heat would naturally lose their worth over time.

And here we were, on top of a volcano.

No ordinary item could withstand the heat that felt like it would set you ablaze with each breath.

The fact that the Red Dragon placed her treasures here meant there was some way to regulate the temperature.

Hisss…

Just as I thought, the temperature in what she called her “nest” wasn’t as high. Somehow, she was constantly generating a cool aura that kept the temperature down.

Thanks to that, I could move around without the Fire Rat hide.

“Already shedding that, even though you’re still so young.”

“Gekgek?”

The Red Dragon muttered something I didn’t quite understand.

Hey, what’s the big deal about taking off a hide?

It’s not like I relied on that to get around in the first place.

---

More time passed as I stayed in the Red Dragon’s nest.

Technically, I was “detained,” but I had a relatively comfortable life.

Even if I just lay around, she brought me food. And since water was scarce on the volcano, she even brought fruit that was rich in moisture.

All I had to do was lay back, scratch my belly, and open my mouth to receive food.

Every time she fed me, though, she’d mutter, “When will you grow up?” with a tone that reminded me of a fairy tale—where a witch fattened up a child to eat them.

To stave off the witch’s appetite, they’d hand her bones instead of food. But unfortunately, the Red Dragon had sharp eyesight—a dragon’s eye, so to speak.

Of course, I knew she wasn’t actually going to eat me.

But I still couldn’t let my guard down.

She did say she was raising me to be eaten…

“Gek…”

I wasn’t completely useless, though, lazing around on free food. I’d learned a few techniques from the Red Dragon.

“You catch on well, little one. You even know how to shoot beams from your mouth.”

The Red Dragon praised me when she saw my Gek-Gek Death Beam.

“But that’s more of a snake’s skill, you know? For our kind…”

She took a deep breath.

Fwoooosh!

She unleashed a red flame into the air.

“This suits you better.”

A breath attack!

My tail swayed involuntarily.

The Red Dragon was undeniably… a dragon.

The dragon’s breath was definitely an attractive skill.

But my Death Beam didn’t pale in comparison, either.

“Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have both. But if you’re going to walk the path of a dragon, you’ll likely face many strong foes.”

The best strategy would be to use both without sacrificing one.

“A breath attack spreads far, and you can use it just by inhaling and exhaling. You might not be ready yet, but if you walk the path of a dragon, you’ll be able to learn it someday.”

“Gekgek.”

If I evolved into a salamander, I could probably use it right away.

Not exactly like the dragon’s breath, but I’d be able to control fire and apply it similarly.

Meeting the Red Dragon didn’t seem like a bad thing after all.

It was like meeting a senior in the field.

Learning about dragons had proven invaluable.

I’d pick up what I could while I had the chance.

Even if I didn’t become a dragon right away, once I evolved this time, I could aim to become at least a lesser dragon.

And if I could evolve into a Fire Dragon, even better.

The Red Dragon must have sensed this too, as she frequently demonstrated her dragon techniques.

Time passed as I watched her skills, ate, and practiced mimicking the language of mystical creatures.

“Hm… strange. By now, you should’ve started speaking.”

The Red Dragon stroked my head.

She seemed to think it was unfortunate that I still couldn’t speak.

Maybe she thought I was a bit of a simpleton.

But it wasn’t fair. I was born human, so it was natural I couldn’t speak lizard.

Besides, I hadn’t exactly had parents to teach me when I was born, considering I was immediately chased by an Oviraptor.

Explaining my entire backstory wasn’t an option, though.

“Should I just teach you telepathy? …No, that’s useless if you don’t know how to speak.”

“Gek!”

There’s a solution right there!

“Gekgek!”

I’m not unable to understand speech.

I’m perfectly capable of listening right now.

It’s just that I don’t know how to talk yet.

But despite my fervent nodding, the Red Dragon didn’t catch on.

“Gek…”

Seriously, nodding and jumping around clearly means “please teach me telepathy.” Why doesn’t she get it?

I glanced at her, but her eyes were closed in thought.

“Gek?”

“Oh, I was just thinking.”

Alright, this was my chance to bring up telepathy again.

But before I could make my pitch, she spoke up.

“Little one, could you sit down for a moment?”

Following her instruction, I rested my head on her lap.

“…That’s not quite what I meant, but I suppose it’s fine.”

“Gekgek.”

“Little one, how much do you know about dragons?”

“Gek.”

The Red Dragon couldn’t understand me.

So, she wasn’t expecting an answer—she just had something on her mind.

I was just here to listen.

“I suppose, in a way, I’m considered a dragon.”

It might seem abrupt, but the Red Dragon would occasionally do this.

Maybe because I couldn’t yet speak the language of mystical creatures, she felt comfortable sharing things with me.

She’d talk about some person in the Volcano Sect named Irihwa, or the kinds of food this person liked, or things about the Grand Master and their accomplishments.

It was like she thought of me as her personal sounding board.

Not that she seemed the type to bottle up things, anyway.

“But I hear dragons carry a ‘Dragon Orb.’”

Confiding in me, perhaps?

Sometimes, just being able to voice a problem helps resolve it.

Of course, for her, this kind of serious talk seemed out of character, but you can’t judge a book by its cover.

“Honestly, I’ve never envied that. I’ve never seen a Dragon Orb, but I don’t think I’d lose to one.”

“Gekgek.”

“But I hear a dragon with a Dragon Orb can control the weather.”

In the East, dragons were regarded as deities.

Their power over the weather stemmed from that belief.

“It sounds enviable in a way.”

The Red Dragon gently stroked my scales.

“Of course, I can mimic it to an extent.”

She probably could.

Creating a drought, at least.

If she released her fiery aura intensely, the land would crack and dry up.

“Of course, it’s just

 an imitation.”

The difference between a dragon’s power and hers was fundamental.

“A dragon doesn’t even need to try. They bring rain and enrich the land.”

Not as a being that brings prosperity, but as a creature that damages it.

“A warm spring day, the heat of summer.”

The Red Dragon’s golden eyes met mine.

“A cool autumn, the chill of winter.”

“Gek…”

“They can decide these things however they want. Hearing that, I guess I envy dragons a little.”

She lightly tugged my cheek.

“Little one.”

“Gekgek.”

“There’s something my fire can’t melt. Can you believe that?”

Something her flames couldn’t melt?

It was hard to believe.

Maybe my master could withstand it, but it didn’t seem like she was talking about her.

“There’s something in this world that’s both the coldest and the most worthless thing there is.”

The Red Dragon smiled faintly.

“No matter how hard I try, my fire can’t melt it.”

“Gek?”

“A gentle spring breeze, the heat of summer—those might be able to melt it.”

Could something that her fire couldn’t melt really be melted by simple weather?

It seemed far-fetched.

“Maybe a dragon could melt it.”

The Red Dragon looked at me intently.

A moment of silence passed.

“…Now why did I bring this up?”

She quickly broke the silence, effortlessly shifting the mood back to her usual nonchalance.

“Guess it’s a bit embarrassing.”

She laughed and tousled my head like it was no big deal.

“Maybe I feel oddly relaxed around you. Perhaps it’s a good thing you can’t talk yet.”

Why did that sound ominous?

Was she implying that if I could speak, she’d roast me to eliminate any evidence?

“Gekeek…”

Probably just her usual teasing.

“Anyway, you got it, right?”

She gave me an awkward wink with one eye closed.

“If you ever become a dragon, would you melt the one thing I couldn’t?”

If I could become a dragon, there was nothing I wouldn’t do.

“Gekgek!”

“Though honestly, it’s probably more likely I’ll make my own Dragon Orb before you become a dragon.”

“Gekeek…”

The Red Dragon chuckled slyly.

“Anyway, it’s a promise, okay?”

“Gekgek!”

Alright.

If I ever become a dragon, I’ll melt anything for her, so could she just teach me telepathy already?

But the Red Dragon didn’t catch my message and continued playing with my scales.

“Gek…”

Powerless, all I could do was endure it.

…

…Though it was just my imagination, the air seemed to grow a bit colder.

Maybe it was because I’d taken off the Fire Rat’s hide, but it felt like a familiar chill in the air.