“Geh geh...”

I could clearly speak now, so why was this happening again?

“Our divine beast, I feel like I’ve heard your voice, but why are you acting like this all of a sudden?”

Right? 

“If I make you angry again, will you come back?”

“Geh geh!”

“I’m just joking, a joke.”

The Red Dragon chuckled playfully.

Before, even when she joked, it didn’t feel like a joke, but now I could tell she was truly playing around.

Maybe it was because I was considering bringing her into the cult of divine beasts; her eyes looked gentle.

If the Red Dragon joined the cult, it would be a tremendous gain.

The moment Princess Hwi Hwi entered, the cult of divine beasts evolved into the cult of divine beasts.

The Red Dragon is of a higher caliber than not only Hwi Hwi but even the Serpent Queen.

If such a being were to join, it would surely bring about another change in both the cult and the divine belief.

While I hadn’t actively utilized the divine belief, it had been of great assistance.

Especially when fighting the feathered dragons, it had helped me the most.

Not only that, but it had also responded a bit when I was trying to increase my power.

It wouldn’t hurt to raise the level of that divine belief.

And it also meant I could put a collar on this dangerous spirit.

…Of course, from what I’ve seen of Tus and Pus, it didn’t seem absolute, but I could prevent anyone connected to me from being harmed.

Moreover, in case of emergencies, I could fight alongside the Red Dragon.

I imagined the Red Dragon flying in the sky, spewing flames at multiple enemies.

She possessed power on the level of a strategic weapon.

While one-on-one was uncertain, when facing multiple opponents, the Red Dragon had a clear advantage over me.

To recruit such a Red Dragon?

It would be the best choice.

But it wasn’t something I needed to do right now.

Of course, the option of recruiting her hadn’t changed.

I merely meant to push it back a bit.

I didn’t know how the system would perceive the suggestion, but the Red Dragon had already called me her divine beast.

She was completely full of thoughts about joining the cult, and even if I told her not to, she would likely come in.

In such a situation, it would be better to proceed with organizing the traffic rather than rushing her in.

I also had to consider my relationship with Baek Lang.

Currently, the Red Dragon and Baek Lang had reached a state of being enemies.

While this red lizard didn’t seem to care much, Baek Lang would have a lot to say.

No matter how well I explained things, the two would inevitably clash.

Moreover, since the Red Dragon was much stronger, Baek Lang would only have to tuck her tail between her legs.

It would feel pretty bad, almost like watching a puppy get beaten.

But what if Baek Lang entered the cult first?

She would gain the upper hand.

I would recruit the Red Dragon, but first, I’d offer Baek Lang the opportunity.

This seemed like the best choice I could make right now.

After giving the Red Dragon a glance, I moved forward.

“Worried about that puppy? But she shouldn’t have gotten hurt too badly.”

“Geh?”

“No way our divine beast would strike to kill a spirit she knows, right?”

Even as I walked, I kept my gaze fixed on the Red Dragon.

By your standards, this might have been a considerable restraint, but the opponent wouldn’t think so.

“I was just trying to correct her bad habits. ...I didn’t intend to touch that chain with bare hands, though.”

“Geh!”

I lightly tapped the Red Dragon’s backside with my tail.

She bound me with something so dangerous? Now that I think about it, it’s a bit infuriating.

Still, I should let it slide generously.

What’s done is done, and I just need to receive the appropriate compensation.

“...Divine beast, your expression has become a bit scary.”

I would continue to endure until she became a true dragon.

I walked with the Red Dragon, leaning on each other toward Baek Lang.

It was a bit of a comical sight.

Just moments ago, we had been fighting like we would kill each other, and now we were leaning on each other as we walked.

“...But fortunately, I broke her left arm. If it had been her right, it would have been a long struggle.”

“Geh...”

At least she was sturdy.

I felt like my whole body was broken.

As we walked, I noticed something.

“Divine beast. Do you see that?”

The Red Dragon spoke in a slightly surprised voice.

“Geh?”

She pointed her finger to just beside where Baek Lang had collapsed.

I felt an unusual energy.

“Geh geh!”

Without caring who would be first, we both rushed toward the object.

“...Is that a horn of an Igal-Dragon?”

The object was a horn of an Igal-Dragon, shimmering with an emerald hue.

“Not just one, but so many?”

What the heck was this?

The corners of the Red Dragon’s mouth curled into a smile.

“If that’s the case, I won’t have to worry about that puppy.”

Is this also treated as a type of elixir?

If so, I’d feel reassured.

It was like suddenly discovering a pile of elixirs.

…But why were there so many horns here?

“Somebodyaaa!”

“Thud thud thud thud!”

“Scales scales!”

From afar, the roars of Igal-Dragons could be heard.

“Do you know that spirit?”

The Red Dragon looked at me with drowsy eyes.

Avoiding her gaze, I answered simply.

“Geh.”

I didn’t know that spirit.

No, what the heck are they?

How did they arrive here without me and the Red Dragon even noticing?

And what were they doing to leave so many horns behind?

“Geh geh!”

I didn’t know the reason, but I was grateful to receive them.

“Somebodyaaa!”

*

As the opposing entity to the Igal-Dragons, I briefly worried about what to do if the effects of that horn were the exact opposite.

But fortunately, the horn of the Igal-Dragon also possessed healing powers.

I and the Red Dragon’s injuries could be healed with the horn.

Broken bones mended, and melted scales regrew.

The same went for Baek Lang.

Her wounds and burns were all neatly healed.

However, she didn’t return to her senses immediately.

But it was alright; her mind wasn’t shattered, and she just fainted for a bit, so I didn’t need to worry too much.

I just needed to stay by her side for a while and wait for her to wake up.

Since I couldn’t lay her down on the ground, I picked up Baek Lang and moved to a corner of the cave where I had a secret rendezvous with the Red Dragon.

“So this is where you did that kind of thing?”

The Red Dragon was sniffing around, fervently trying to catch a scent.

I didn’t know what smell she was looking for, but whatever she was thinking, there wouldn’t be such a smell here.

The Red Dragon had also been removed from that place.

After all, it was clear that if Baek Lang woke up first, she would react to the Red Dragon immediately.

She would surely attack.

Thinking about what the Red Dragon had done, it would be a fight, but if she exerted herself too much, it would put Baek Lang in danger.

After tapping the Red Dragon’s backside with my tail again, I sent her off.

She would likely go deep into the volcano to warm herself in the lava.

Thanks to my strength, the volcano's heat had nearly dissipated, but for her, that amount of warmth would be more than enough.

Her heart wasn’t as cold as before.

Now, it was just Baek Lang and me left in this cave.

Waiting quietly for her to wake up was a bit boring.

I slowly melted some frozen meat and played with Baek Lang’s body.

“Geh geh geh.”

I gently stroked her ears, which were covered in soft fur.

Though she was a spirit that manipulated cold, her body temperature wasn’t that cold.

I felt like I could become addicted to that soft texture.

This part was something I could touch at any time, so I moved on quickly.

In a defenseless state, it made sense to choose something I wouldn’t usually have the chance to touch.

The plump tail that swayed.

Every time I tried to touch it, I’d receive a shard of ice, but that was no longer the case.

Thud.

“Geh geh!”

I felt an impulse to bury my face in it.

If she had taken the form of a wolf, I would have gone straight for her belly, but unfortunately, she was in human form.

The only things I could touch were her ears and tail.

…Though in this state, I could technically touch her belly, it would prick at my last remnant of conscience.

But chances like this were rare, so maybe I should touch a bit more?

I cautiously moved my hand.

I lightly tugged at her soft, glutinous cheek.

“Gehh...”

I thought human flesh would be a bit lacking, but the addictiveness was substantial.

I grabbed Baek Lang’s cheeks with both hands and stretched them.

How far can this go?

With her fur, adequate body temperature, and soft cheeks.

Baek Lang was a perfect all-rounder, with nothing to discard.

Such

 things should be touched while I could.

Stretch.

“…Is it fun?”

“Geh geh.”

There was something strangely addictive about it; I wanted to keep touching it.

“…Geh?”

Baek Lang’s golden eyes stared at me intently.

“Geh geh.”

She’s awake?

“No, why are you touching me so much while I’m sleeping?”

I pulled my hands away from her cheeks and hid behind Baek Lang.

She let out a small laugh, as if she found it ridiculous.

Well, it was impossible for my size to be hidden by a human body.

“Still, if you’re doing this, it seems like you’ve resolved things well?”

“Geh geh.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Gehh.”

A brief silence fell before Baek Lang quickly shot back.

“Don’t expect anything weird just because you saved me. We’re kind of saving each other, and I don’t want anything from a creature with only scales!”

I hadn’t particularly thought that way.

“I saved you out of necessity. If you died, Chilang would mope around all day.”

“Geh geh.”

As she began to make excuses without me even asking, she realized that talking too much would disadvantage her and changed the subject.

“…My body seems to be fine, so maybe quite a bit of time has passed.”

Baek Lang muttered as she stretched.

“Yawn. By the way, are you alright? That red dragon looked incredibly strong.”

From her speech, it seemed her body was fine.

I could tell by glancing at her body that there weren’t even any scars, so it was safe to say she had fully healed.

“Hey, why aren’t you answering?”

She turned her head away in a huff.

“Don’t hide behind me, come out.”

Baek Lang’s pupils widened.

As if she was shocked by something, her mouth slightly gaped open.

“Did you get hurt...?”

She seemed to want to say something but couldn’t finish.

“...Let me see.”

Breathing heavily as if her breath had gotten rough, she finally managed to piece her words together while staring at me blankly.

Baek Lang’s tail began to move rapidly.

Her face turned bright red, and sweat dripped from her forehead.

Swallowing her saliva, she fumbled with her fingers, unsure of what to do.

Baek Lang, suddenly reacting strangely.

Did something go wrong?

She hadn’t said anything, but I could hear her heart pounding.

With that, her tail sped up even more.

Could there be something wrong with her body?

Since she was a spirit that manipulated cold, it wasn’t normal for her to sweat.

I moved closer to examine Baek Lang’s condition more carefully.

“...Turn your face.”

She let out a rough breath as if her breathing had become labored.

“I said turn your face!”

Baek Lang said that and suddenly turned her head away.

Then, she began to wag her tail vigorously.

It was clear that something was wrong.

She was someone who occasionally acted strangely, but I had never seen anything like today.

While telling me to go away, she was gradually walking toward me.

She wasn’t looking at my face, but her tail was swishing.

After a while, she finally managed to spit out some words.

“...If you do this.”

Suddenly.

Baek Lang turned her head to look directly at my face.

Her face was as red as a ripe tomato.

Tears glistened in her golden eyes.

“I can’t deny it anymore...”

In a flash, she leaped into my arms and hugged me tightly.