At a certain inn.

*Hmm... nom nom...*

The quiet murmur of someone eating fills the dark night. The three companions who had fallen asleep earlier now stir.

The dragon, still asleep, curls its tail around Keyal as it nestles into his arms.

The Gold Dragon’s mouth twitches.

*Hehe…*

With closed eyes, the dragon dreams. In her dream, she sees blurred memories from the past.

---

***

*Ugh...!! Get away from my father, you damn fox...!!*

The dragon has a dream. She recalls happy memories.

*Get away from the captain, you...!!*

Through rain or snow, the days they had stuck together were still vivid in her mind.

Fox Sister Rivera called her that. The soft fur, a world away from the rough dragon scales, confirmed that she was indeed a fox.

Her pointed ears and pure white tail proved her fox-like nature.

The curve of her blood-red eye makeup, her nine white tails, and the turquoise-colored pupils of a beast made her resemble the legendary nine-tailed fox.

Rivera remembers her.

At the guild... countless times, she had fought with the damn fox, no—her fox sister—over their father.

*Snap!*

*Hii-ii!*

They used to grab each other's hair, sometimes pinch each other's cheeks, and in more serious cases, they'd slap or beat each other.

As they were both beasts, their animal instincts often took over, with sharp claws and fangs flashing out frequently.

Even when they wanted to figure out their ranks, their father, the guild leader, strongly opposed it.

Eleanor sister looked at them with disdain.

Unlike now, Eleanor had once completely adored their father, playing the role of a loyal and self-sacrificing servant.

The Gold Dragon understood.

That look in her eyes was the same as his. But before instinct could overpower him, his rationality managed to hold back the elf before him.

It wasn’t love—it was a bond, a close emotional attachment, more akin to a deep respect.

Of course, their father wasn’t a god. Compared to his mother, who had abandoned him to leave him in this world, Keyal Klein was a compassionate, inclusive leader—nothing more.

He had handed out hope like a rope to cling to, offering the bittersweet comfort of his seductive, dark magic—light in the form of salvation wrapped in evil’s trap.

Yet none of the guild members rejected or disliked this trap.

---

***

For Rivera, the past thousand years had only consisted of meaningless things.

The long years had hardened her, but some things couldn’t be fixed.

Her abandonment by her mother, the decree of the empire that had left her alone in a small cave far from the Dragon’s Lair—those were the things that stuck with her.

At first, Rivera didn’t feel loneliness.

She hadn’t yet learned the emotion of loneliness, nor had she realized her abandonment until time had passed, slowly teaching her the way of the world.

In those thousand years, loneliness grew within her—filling up, becoming something overwhelming. She didn’t cry about being abandoned, nor did she long for her parents’ affection.

She only wished for someone to embrace her—just one person who would.

A man came to the lair. He asked if she wanted to join his guild, and Rivera, desperate to leave her wretched cave, grabbed his hand.

She had longed for something beyond the cave, to see the world, to make connections.

The light that had never shown outside her cave for a thousand years finally began to shine brightly once more.

She had felt the warmth of the sunlight for the first time, born of the darkness that had raised her, and it was magnificent.

The man who claimed to be the guild leader of Edric was remarkably verbose.

"So, what was it that made me... end up in this position?"

His tongue was a bit too long.

"......."

In terms of memory, the Gold Dragon recalled a name that never existed in her own mind—'Daonja.'

---

***

The reason Rivera followed the man was simple.

She wanted warmth. She wanted affection.

From her parents? No. She wanted to feel the warmth of someone who could become a parent.

Well... she also followed him because he was quite good-looking.

After all, he was going to be a father figure, wasn't he? Wouldn’t she have to look at his appearance?

So when she first entered the guild, the sight before her was truly overwhelming.

It felt as if she had entered a place beyond a guild—a mansion, a grand structure that was more magnificent than anything she had ever imagined.

Was this the mage tower she’d read about in books?

No, the reality before her was even more stunning.

Everything—whether trees, flowers, or fields—was beautiful, prosperous, and full of life.

For a moment, she truly thought this might be a paradise that the heavens had sent to soothe her loneliness.

When the gates of the kingdom opened, two women appeared, waving their hands.

Smiling warmly at the man on the side, it was clear they were welcoming the guild leader.

With each step he took, she followed, darting behind with a quick movement.

*Captain, hurry up!!*

*Welcome, master.*

The fox, impatient and excited, rushed ahead, snatching the man and pushing him toward the ground.

She literally shoved him.

*Ugh... it's frustrating...*

She licked him repeatedly, pinning his arms down to hold him still, like a dog greeting its owner. She licked, nipped, and sucked on him without a break, making the situation uncomfortable for anyone watching.

*...*

The Gold Dragon grimaced at this. But even before the dragon could intervene, the elf had already subdued the fox.

*Out you go.*

The elf’s fist hit the fox’s head with a *thud!*

*Clang..!*

The fox collapsed, its head hitting the ground, a large lump rising on its skull. It glared at the elf, clearly upset.

*What… why are you hitting me…!!*

*You must be tired after all your time in the lair, and you can’t behave like this in front of guests. Get up, will you?*

*But the captain didn’t say anything…!!*

*Maybe it’s because you’ve been throwing tantrums?*

The fox growled angrily, its eyes turning red, the spirals in its pupils starting to form.

Despite this, the elf reached out her hand to help the fox up.

*Tap, tap.*

One brushed the dust off while another glared at the fox. The last one scratched their head, looking slightly embarrassed.

The Gold Dragon, in disbelief, followed them, still bewildered by the situation.

Whatever happened, it was clear that this place was one that would require some adjustment.

*Can I handle it...*

---

***

Despite her outward appearance, the young dragon was still quite immature, living through painfully slow years.

Though possessing remarkable abilities and sharp intelligence, she was still a creature grounded in the earth, with mortal limitations.

The word *immortal* felt clumsy when applied to her. Despite her transcendent abilities, the dragon still carried the fragile limitations of a mortal soul.

In her confused state, she had longed for love.

After a millennium, it became clear that no one would come to love her—a thousand-year-old dragon with the form of a child.

*Pat, pat.*

*Hehe...*

No one would have, but—

*Does it feel good?*

*Hmm...*

This was different.

The thick hand that caressed her was full of love.

No one who had ever come for her had worshipped her this way, nor had anyone shown this kind of warmth.

What she had once longed for, what she had thought would never happen, was happening.

*Ha...*

Suppressing the moan rising in her throat, the dragon bit her lip.

Was she really being treated this kindly? Why had she longed for warmth for so long?

The magic-filled embrace surrounded her, and the dragon’s body trembled, consumed by the strange intoxication.

Her tail flicked erratically, her body moving in rhythm, as if drunk, as her skin flushed with heat.

She felt a strange pull, reaching out to stay close, tasting it eagerly.

For the first time in a millennium, the wall of the creatures’ nature was bending, and she was receiving warmth.

*Hmm... just a little more… just a little more…*

Unknowingly, the dragon let its desires slip away, lost in the euphoric feeling.

*Let’s... let’s just try to get along from now on.*

The guild leader, smiling awkwardly, was now the new father figure. Rivera's ears twitched in reaction.

As if rising, the tension shifted.

*Snap!*

With a sharp sound, another line was crossed in her heart.

*...*

Of course, the young dragon had already crossed many lines, but there are lines that should never be crossed, no matter how hungry you are.