“I don’t know anything, really.”

I thought I could brush this off with that excuse.

But the Red Dragon’s aura had changed entirely from what I was used to.

“White fur… There aren’t any animals around here with that kind of fur, you know.”

“Ge-eek…”

Honestly, I thought I’d grown close to the Red Dragon.

While she didn’t treat me as an equal, she seemed to consider me a similar species and even took the time to teach me techniques.

She would share her food with me, stroke me gently, and even rearrange her treasures to change my position—things that felt like displays of affection or familiarity.

So, the danger I now felt emanating from this red dragon hadn’t really registered.

“Let’s talk this out while I’m being nice, shall we?”

Maybe it was my subconscious trying to avoid conflict with a creature more powerful than myself.

No, considering how much my instincts were screaming at me to run, it was clear that the Red Dragon hadn’t intended to harm me before now.

Her reaction seemed solely due to the scent she had picked up on my body.

It made sense, in a way. Wild animals sometimes attack their young if they smell something unfamiliar on them.

“Judging by the feel of the fur, a wolf? And given the faint coldness, a spiritual creature?”

This was bad.

Not only was I in danger, but White Wolf was too.

I had to conceal this somehow.

“Are you going to tell me that the fur just came from prey?”

“Ge-eek…”

But it didn’t seem like that excuse would work.

Up until now, the Red Dragon had always appeared indifferent, even lazy.

In those moments, she seemed relaxed, almost soft. But now, her gaze was sharper than ever.

“In that case, I could just find the owner of this fur and devour them.”

A shiver ran through my entire body.

This was pure, unadulterated killing intent.

She likely wouldn’t harm me, at least. I was Baek Yeon-Yeong’s disciple, and the Red Dragon seemed to know and respect her.

But White Wolf and her pack were a different matter.

To the Red Dragon, they were probably nothing more than prey.

“Oh, right, I forgot you can’t speak yet, can you?”

The Red Dragon clapped her hands as if she’d suddenly remembered.

Not being able to speak turned out to be an advantage after all.

Keeping my mouth shut wasn’t exactly something she could fault me for.

“Hmm… Your face looks a bit pale, and you’re avoiding eye contact. Is my little one hiding something?”

She tapped a finger on my cheek.

I considered biting it and making a run for it, but there was no way that would work.

After seeing the true nature of the Red Dragon, I knew better than to try anything foolish.

“Do you know what I like and what I dislike?”

She grabbed my face and held my gaze.

“What I like are shiny treasures. When I look at them, I feel as if my frozen heart thaws, even if just for a moment.”

Her reptilian pupils narrowed ominously.

“For a very brief moment. That’s why I collect treasures.”

Her greedy eyes swept over me.

And then I realized.

She viewed me as one of her treasures.

“Now, can you guess what I dislike?”

To her, I was a treasure.

I thought it meant she treated me well, but in reality, it wasn’t that simple.

Even as a treasure, I was ultimately just an object.

No different than the golden statues she kept piled up nearby.

If I were to fall into lava, she might be saddened for a while, but she’d soon find a replacement.

“A thief who tries to steal my treasure.”

Red dragons are inherently greedy creatures.

Even if an item in their nest isn’t particularly valuable, they’ll wreak havoc if it’s taken.

In her case, “havoc” could mean leveling this entire region.

“If I catch that thief, I might just forgive you.”

Absolutely not.

I knew all too well what she’d do to White Wolf.

“Will you tell me who it is?”

I clamped my mouth shut.

Not that I could speak anyway.

“All you have to do is tell me where they are, and all our problems will be solved.”

“Grrrr…”

I growled low, indicating my refusal.

“Heh, that’s my little one.”

…Would I have to fight her?

It wasn’t a winnable battle, not by a long shot.

Fighting wasn’t an option.

The best course of action was to redirect her interest elsewhere.

There was no way to clear up the misunderstanding about her treasure being “stolen.”

Her eyes had already clouded over with greed, and no explanation would reach her now.

The only solution was for her to lose interest in me.

She wouldn’t kill me, so if I stayed quiet, maybe she’d eventually get bored.

“Do you really think keeping silent will work? Well, fine.”

This was the only option I had.

“But would I really rough up my sweet little one?”

The Red Dragon threw a fire rat’s pelt over me.

“Just in case I lose control of my strength.”

Woosh.

Flames flickered dangerously close.

Without the fire rat’s pelt, I would’ve been burned instantly.

“If you feel like talking, I’ll be right here, okay?”

Maybe this was her true nature.

I had a hunch it was, but something felt off.

Her sudden change in demeanor was suspicious.

Maybe it was just wishful thinking, but I wondered if her usual, more caring behavior was her real self and that this was merely an act.

…Though, this killing intent didn’t feel like something you could fake.

---

“Awoooo…”

White Wolf let out a sorrowful howl.

How many days had it been since she’d last seen that black lizard?

If he’d promised to meet every day, he should have kept his word, right?

Did he think she had all the time in the world?

The truth was, climbing up the volcano every day to see the black lizard wasn’t a simple task for White Wolf. The heat from the volcano was harmful to her, and she had been enduring it just to keep her promise.

The help of the two-horned creatures allowed her to withstand it to some extent, but there were still plenty of other issues.

During the day, she led her pack; at night, she climbed the volcano.

Her schedule was tight as it was.

That’s why she had taken to sleeping beside him.

“…Does he even understand how tough this is?”

Huff, she thought to herself.

She had only gone up there to help lessen the heat, but it felt like she was the only one losing out.

As she was pacing around, she spotted some familiar creatures.

“Polygamy! Polygamy!”

“Black Sun! Black Sunnnn!”

It was the two-horned creatures.

White Wolf didn’t fully understand their language.

Even if they were of a different species, there should have been some mutual understanding. But with these creatures, it was different.

She could understand their words, but not their meaning.

They’d mutter odd phrases while watching the wolf pack.

Sometimes they’d make loud noises and run around.

White Wolf couldn’t make sense of the strange phrases they used.

Still, she knew they weren’t bad creatures.

After all, she had received help from them.

“Polygamy!”

“…Alright, alright.”

White Wolf muttered with a resigned tone.

For some reason, the two-horned creature seemed to know she wasn’t planning to go look for the lizard.

“Guess you’re still a spiritual creature in some way, even if you’re a bit odd.”

As frustrating as the black lizard’s disappearance was, she figured she could give him one last chance.

After preparing thoroughly, she set out for the cave.

“I’ve left plenty of food, so don’t fight over it, alright?”

She gathered her pack together, from Ilrang to Chirang, and gave them a quick briefing.

“Stay inside at night if you can.”

“Awoo!”

“If you see an unfamiliar lizard, don’t act like you know it.”

“Awoo? Awooo…”

“…If you do see a familiar lizard, just grab onto its tail.”

“Awoo!”

Even if she wasn’t around, her seven dire wolves would be fine.

Ilrang and Erang were almost the size of tigers, so they could lead the pack in her absence.

White Wolf didn’t need to worry much.

Still, she gave them careful instructions just in case.

Normally, she would’ve been reassured, but ever since meeting that lizard, the wolves had softened in a strange way.

She herself felt a bit like that too.

“Look after the home, okay?”

Just as she was about to leave, Chirang whimpered and nudged her with his face.

“What’s wrong, little one?”

“Whine…”

He whimpered, as if begging her not to go.

“Well, it has been a while since I last saw that lizard.”

“Whimper…”

“Alright, I’ll give him a good scolding and bring him back here.”

With those words, she reassured Chirang.

But as she left, the youngest wolf watched her leave, whining softly.

---

White Wolf eventually reached the volcano once more.

But once again, the lizard was nowhere to be seen.

“…At least leave a message.”

She felt a bit dejected but had another thought.

Would he really skip out without saying anything?

…Maybe, but she had warned him last time, so he would have left some sign.

However, there were no traces at all.

That could only mean there was a reason he couldn’t come.

That was White Wolf’s conclusion.

“It should be safe enough now, right?”

Even if it

 was a volcano, the temperature cooled down somewhat at night.

The Red Dragon, who she feared, would be elsewhere as the lizard had told her.

In other words, it was safe to look for him herself.

White Wolf continued up.

After walking for quite a while, she came upon a strange sight.

Treasures glowed softly in a massive hoard.

Gold coins, silver coins, weapons humans cherished—all scattered around.

And in the center of it all was the black lizard.

“Oh dear, what a mess.”

White Wolf sighed and padded over to the lizard.

He had his eyes closed.

“Why do you have fur…”

For a moment, she was startled by the sight of white fur similar to her own, but she quickly realized it was the pelt of another animal.

“Of course, you wouldn’t have fur.”

Still, a part of her was a bit disappointed.

“…Hey, are you asleep?”

She wagged her tail and prodded the lizard gently.

“Ge-ek?”

The lizard opened his eyes at her voice.

“If you couldn’t come, you should’ve said so…”

“Ge-eek!”

The black lizard cried out urgently.

“Huh? You don’t look quite right.”

“Gekekekek!”

The lizard struggled, seemingly trying to communicate something.

White Wolf narrowed her eyes.

Looking closely, she noticed that the lizard was bound in chains.

Chains radiating intense heat.

“Hey, are you alright?”

White Wolf shook the lizard urgently.

“Ge-ge-ge-geeeek!”

The lizard let out a pained cry.

White Wolf began working to free him from the chains.

The lizard hadn’t been sleeping.

Chains had pierced through his scales, with blood seeping from several spots.

He’d passed out from the torture.

“Who did this? Was it that red-scaled witch? No, never mind. Let’s get you out of here first. Just hold still…”

Rage surged through her cold body.

She had thought the Red Dragon was treating him well, only to find this had happened while she wasn’t looking.

“Ge-eeeeeek!”

What on earth could have happened to make this usually sly lizard scream like that?

But White Wolf sensed something was wrong.

The lizard’s cries were unusual.

They weren’t just from pain—it was as if he was trying to warn her.

“Gekeek! Gekek!”

It sounded like he was telling her to run.

And by the time White Wolf realized it, it was too late.

“So, it was you?”

A powerful heat surged from behind her.