"Grk-grk-grk…."

Wait, why did she suddenly faint?

She doesn't seem to be seriously injured.

I stared at the fallen terror bird.

Something felt strange. I could sense a faint trace of an ominous aura.

It makes sense now why three first-class martial artists struggled so much; this was the reason.

"Grrr…."

Even though the terror bird was dead, the aura lingered.

Crunch!

I stomped on the strange red eye embedded in the bird, and finally, the aura disappeared.

So a remnant of that evil god’s influence was still here.

I hope this is the last of it, but I doubt it.

Seeing these Heavenly Demon Sect humans here, they must be here to clear out the remnants as well.

But these young martial artists aren't that strong. Why were they fighting something like this?

…Did they just wander in, unaware?

I’ll find out once I question the unconscious humans here.

Just as I approached the fainted woman—

"W-Wait!"

I turned and saw a man with a chest wound staggering to his feet.

It looked like he’d lost quite a bit of blood, but he could still move.

A regular person would be in danger, but martial artists are something else.

"Grrr…."

The short-haired man flinched at my growl.

Scared of me, huh?

Once, I wouldn’t have understood why, but now it makes sense.

At my size, even a hamster would be terrifying.

"P-Please, spare Wol-Ah!"

Trembling, he made that plea.

It was unexpected, so I found it a bit intriguing.

Despite being terrified, he was standing up to me.

Wol-Ah.

Judging by where he was looking, it wasn’t hard to deduce that the woman’s name was Wol-Ah.

But asking me to spare her?

She just fainted.

He’s the one in more danger.

Blood’s still dripping down, too.

And he’s not even supporting his unconscious friend behind him.

"You can eat us if you want, but please spare Wol-Ah!"

I may be a lizard who rarely cries, but…no, I guess I don’t cry at all.

"Grk-grk."

Why would I eat you?

I may have a lizard’s body, but my mind is still human.

…Mostly, anyway.

Some values of mine have changed—like the way I can’t resist certain big pouches. That must be the lizard instincts influencing my mind.

Still, even with this change, eating a creature capable of speech feels wrong.

Now, if it were an enemy like a Biikjo or an Inmyeonjo, I wouldn’t hesitate. But with no grudge between us, it’s not something I’d do.

It’s not about hypocrisy; it’s just basic decency.

Think about it. Imagine a sizzling pork belly starts talking to you right before you eat it.

Wouldn’t your appetite disappear?

No matter how appetizing it is, it wouldn’t be easy to eat it.

…Well, if I were starving, maybe. But that’s not the case here.

Besides, these humans don’t even look that tasty.

Not much strength in them.

Like a garnish of seasoned eggplant?

At least eggplant has some health benefits, so they’re probably below even that.

In short, even if offered, I wouldn’t eat them.

"Grk-grk-grk."

"Th-thank you…."

Did he understand me?

Good.

Since he’s still conscious, I don’t have to go to the trouble of explaining everything.

"Grk-grk, grk-grk-grk!"

Letting out my mighty lizard cry, I explained as clearly as I could.

"Ah… I see!"

Is he really understanding me?

Just to be sure, I used hand gestures to fill in any gaps.

---

Seo Wol-Ah was dreaming.

A dream of being embraced by soft white fur.

And of stroking smooth scales.

"…What a strange dream."

She muttered to herself.

"Are you alright?"

A short-haired man was shaking her shoulder.

Jang Cheong.

She also saw a brown-haired man massaging her knee.

Jo Ahn.

These two were orphaned by war and taken in by Baek Yeon-Yeong into the Heavenly Demon Sect. They grew up like siblings and had risen to first-class martial artists before even reaching their twenties.

"Did I fall asleep?"

Yawning, Seo Wol-Ah looked at them.

How could she have made such a mistake?

It was embarrassing that she couldn’t resist the drowsiness brought on by the herb they were gathering, especially after having that weird dream.

As she thought this, she noticed the herbs plastered over Jang Cheong and Jo Ahn’s bodies.

"Did you two… get hurt?"

Her eyes widened in surprise.

Jang Cheong looked puzzled by her reaction.

"Don’t you remember? We encountered that monster bird. …Did you hit your head?"

So it wasn’t a dream.

"I remember, but… that wasn’t a dream?"

"Right. We almost died, but a mystical creature saved us."

"A mystical creature?"

"Yeah. That lizard that looked like a dragon… though it feels wrong to call it a lizard."

When she called upon the Heavenly Demon’s name, the mystical creature appeared, seemingly out of a dream.

She had assumed it was a dream, but it had actually saved them from the brink of death.

Seo Wol-Ah glanced around, but the lizard was gone.

"It not only took care of the bird but even left us some herbs."

"Right. I thought Jang Cheong here was about to be split in half."

"How could you doubt the divine creature? It didn’t even eat the bird but graciously left it for us."

"…You were shaking at first too."

This was beyond Seo Wol-Ah’s understanding.

Even if it was a mystical creature, she had no connection to it.

Some mystical creatures were kind to humans, but that kindness usually didn’t extend to leaving prey as a gift.

"So, did it leave right after that?"

"Yeah. It licked us a few times and went on its way."

"Licked us?"

She patted herself down.

It did feel damp. That must have been the lizard’s saliva.

"Maybe its saliva has healing properties?"

"…Probably? Why else would a lizard touch my chest with its tongue?"

Although, she couldn’t help but feel a bit suspicious of that lizard.

But does it matter?

The lizard had saved their lives.

It had even left them the bird carcass.

They owed it a debt they could never repay.

"The Ten Thousand Great Mountains are truly mysterious. I never thought I’d see such a creature."

"Right? I honestly thought it was a dragon at first. There’s something about it that really resonates with a man’s spirit."

Jang Cheong was still visibly excited.

A massive, dragon-like lizard that showed kindness to humans.

It was an awe-inspiring creature for any man.

And it possessed unfathomable power.

"And it had an interesting voice, too."

"Yes, its voice was something special."

"Yeah, it made such a cute sound despite its appearance…."

"It was more like a deep, resonant tone from deep within a cave… wait, what?"

Jang Cheong and Seo Wol-Ah exchanged puzzled glances.

"Jang Cheong, what are you talking about?"

"Wol-Ah, what are you talking about? Cute sound?"

Seo Wol-Ah could only respond with confusion to Jang Cheong’s question.

"What?"

"Did you hit your head? Let me check."

"What are you talking about? Maybe you’re the one who hit your head?"

They couldn’t understand each other.

"It sounded like the cry of a soft, squishy creature."

"Squishy? What are you talking about…."

Finally, Jo Ahn intervened.

"Wol-Ah, we heard something different."

Jang Cheong cleared his throat, as if waiting for this moment.

"Why have you come to this deep place?"

Jo Ahn, looking slightly exasperated, added further explanation.

"…Not exactly like that, but something similar. It was a deep, heavy voice."

"It… spoke?"

Was she possessed?

Seo Wol-Ah couldn’t believe it.

That lizard could talk?

Sure, maybe it could, but shouldn’t its voice sound similar?

A deep voice, really?

The voice she heard still echoed in her ears.

"…Alright. Fine. So, the mystical creature spoke to you? What did it say?"

Seo Wol-Ah couldn’t shake the feeling that Jang Cheong and Jo Ahn were teasing her.

But they wouldn’t lie about what the lizard had said.

"…Should I even say this?"

"What’s with that reaction?"

Were they hiding something from her?

She felt a strong urge to know what the lizard had said.

"You’re hiding something, aren’t you?"

"Well, it’s not really appropriate to say it myself."

"Aren’t you just relaying what the lizard said? Go ahead."

After some hesitation, Jang Cheong finally spoke.

"Take the bird carcass, but do not touch the inner core."

Jang Cheong lowered his voice as much as he could, but it was nothing like the lizard’s voice. Seo Wol-Ah pushed aside her curiosity about the voice and focused on the lizard’s message.

"And tell her."

Jang Cheong glanced around before continuing.

"Baek Yeon-Yeong."

Baek Yeon-Yeong.

The sect leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect.

Seo Wol-Ah now understood why Jang Cheong had hesitated.

He was essentially speaking the leader’s name aloud.

It was an offense

 for a disciple, but this was an exception.

He was simply relaying a message.

"This inner core contains the evil aura."

That explained why they shouldn’t touch the core.

It was a matter for the sect leader to examine.

Seo Wol-Ah nodded in understanding.

That lizard clearly had a connection with Baek Yeon-Yeong.

That’s why it had helped them.

Finally, she understood the situation.

"And."

Jang Cheong wasn’t done.

Seo Wol-Ah listened closely.

"It will visit your chambers…."

Swish.

Before he could finish, Wol-Ah had drawn her broken sword.

"Are you out of your mind?"

"No, that’s what the lizard said!"

"And you expect me to believe that?"

Swinging the broken blade, she lunged at Jang Cheong with an intense glare.

"As if a lizard would visit the sect leader’s chambers!"

"I told you, I didn’t want to say it! I’m just relaying the message!"

They scuffled for a while.

Seo Wol-Ah dismissed it as a prank by Jang Cheong and Jo Ahn.

What kind of lizard would dare enter the sect leader’s chambers?

The rumor about a small lizard sneaking off with the priestess’s hidden snacks seemed more believable.

"…Wait, lizard?"

Midway through pummeling Jang Cheong, she suddenly thought of the lizard.

No, it couldn’t be.

She wondered if the mystical creature she’d just encountered was the same as the little lizard she’d seen before, but quickly dismissed the thought.

"That doesn’t make any sense!"

"Wol-Ah! You hit my bone!"