TEB Ch 25

“So that’s how you want to come out. Alright, that’s fine. Since we have plenty of time anyway,”  

If he’s dragged to the Guardian Dragon’s lair like this, it will undoubtedly start his brutal revenge. Liev didn’t expect things to turn out this way, he thought suffering through painful torture was the only way to appease Renard. 

“Hurry, prepare the carriage to carry the luggage. Oh, I won’t be riding. It’s for you guys to ride. I don’t have the hobby of flying with a carriage in my mouth.  

As Renard finished speaking, the lower-ranking knights, who had been intimidated, bowed and headed towards the building. Then, as if raiding an empty house, they began searching through Liev’s room, packing things like books and clothes into boxes.  

What on earth is this situation? Liev looked at Renard and the knights, then asked with a puzzled expression.  

“W-What are you trying to do…?”  

To this, Renard confidently replied with a dignified face.  

“Well, you see, I’m an adult now, so it’s time to welcome a companion.”  

Liev was even more confused about what it had to do with him.  

“…?”  

Liev tilted his head with an expression that he didn’t understand. Renard clicked his tongue and spoke.  

“It means you can’t run away anywhere now. Because I’m going to make you my companion.”  

“…!?”  

What nonsense is this? Liev couldn’t believe his ears, and his eyes widened.  

“What?”  

“So, you better beg me to die. I came to torment you and make you the most unhappy.”  

Liev was on the verge of dropping his glasses from Renard’s triumphant attitude, as if he had done something worthy of being praised. No, I mean, what is this about? It was still very confusing as to what was happening, but one thing was clear. He had been sharpening his blade all this time to seek revenge on him.  

But when he thought about that, Liev had nothing to say, even if he had ten mouths.  

What does he do now? 

He had quietly lived in hiding like a mouse all this time to avoid catching anyone’s eye. Why did he go out of his way to find him and torment him? Anyway, thanks to him, he met Mahatra and lived well, even becoming a warrior and meeting good colleagues. Isn’t there nothing more he wants? However, Renard’s expression still seemed filled with dissatisfaction.  

What do you mean by making me the most unhappy? Unable to understand the meaning of the threat, Liev glanced at Renard’s face for a moment. Renard then walked to the open space and bathed in bright light, then transformed into his true form as a dragon.  

As expected of the final boss in the novel, Renard’s dragon form was larger than most houses, boasting a glossy, well-maintained body. The scales were smooth and hard without a single rough one, and the sharp horns along the spine were threatening enough to show his destructive power just by twisting his body. Liev’s eyes were taken away by the huge, beautiful dragon without realizing it.  

It’s really beautiful.

Even though he felt distracted by the appearance, he couldn’t help it. How difficult must it be to maintain those large scales without losing their shine? This is only possible when the animals consume high-quality food in an appropriate manner and also get proper rest and a perfect molt at the right time. Liev recalled the moments when he had helped Renard molt.  

Since Renard could transform into a human, the process had been naturally omitted, but when living in the form of a hatchling, he had experienced periods of losing dull scales and replacing them with new ones. If his size had grown this much, even if he had lived in a human form, he would have occasionally molted.  

Liev barely came to his senses as he unconsciously tried to touch the smoothly shining scales with a translucent color.   

And that moment. Suddenly, Renard’s snout approached Liev and, with a chomp, swallowed Liev in one mouthful.  

“……!?”  

Liev, who was suddenly eaten (??), and of course, the knights and the researchers who were watching were shocked. Looking up at Renard, who exhaled lightly with a snort.  

“What are you looking at!? I didn’t eat him. I’m just carrying him because it’s more convenient this way.”  

As he said, Liev was trapped inside the empty space next to the roof of the mouth and the tongue. What’s going on? Before he could fully process what had happened, the sensation of his body floating in mid-air was vivid.  

“Now, you guys take care of the rest. I’ll return to the royal castle.”  

Renard leaped and flew into the sky, leaving the knights telling them to come on their own. Although the inside of the dragon’s mouth was quite spacious, it wasn’t a comfortable environment as it was so hot that it was almost like a steam room. Still, the teeth were clean, and there was no food or foreign substance stuck in them. There were no visible cavities, and everything seemed neat. Apart from the scent of smoke, as if something were burning inside, there was no foul odor.  

Liev had been intently observing the inside of Renard’s mouth, almost as if examining him without realizing it. Suddenly, he raised his head, realizing this wasn’t what he should be doing. What is he trying to do, anyway? Being a companion? And to be a companion just to torment him by chewing him slowly? Seriously? Why? As someone who had a soft spot for animals and pursued rational decision-making almost like a robot, Liev couldn’t fathom this decision.  

If there’s something irritating or annoying, the most fundamental solution is to get rid of it right in front of your eyes. Better yet, throw him in prison or take revenge for a split between the two. Shouldn’t it be resolved by reaching some end through a kind of punishment? Why keep him by his side? It was an utterly irrational judgment.  

Or maybe he just wants to enjoy watching me suffer as long as possible? 

As a human, he might not live for more than a century at best, so even that could be a momentary amusement for a dragon with eternal life. He really couldn’t understand the reason. Amidst his confusion, the surroundings became noisy.  

Have we already arrived? 

Renard, in his current form, should have reached adulthood in human years. Although as a dragon he still had a long way to go, he had grown considerably stronger than he was ten years ago when he was a child. His flying speed seemed to have increased dramatically, and his body was descending in an instant.  

With a thud and a vibration shaking his whole body, Renard landed on the ground, causing a strong gust of wind as he was immediately thrown out of his mouth with strong pressure. Was this Renard’s lair? Rising from the dirt-covered ground with saliva dripping all over his body, he looked around as his surroundings came into view.  

“Oh…”  

“That’s…”  

“He really…”  

“I’ve only heard about it.”  

The apprentice knights who were during training stood at a distance, murmuring and observing Renard and Liev like animals trapped at a zoo. Seeing the wide expanse of the muddy ground and a crowd in half-armored uniforms, Liev realized that this must be the military training ground.  

“Stop making useless comments and get out of the way!”  

When Renard angrily shouted, the crowd scattered as if the Red Sea was parting. What an embarrassing sight. As soon as Liev stood up with his face turning red from embarrassment, Renard, now facing Liev, shouted at Liev this time.  

“Heh. How about that? Am I amazing or what? Everyone moves at my command!”  

Was this really to brag about? Suddenly landing in the middle of a training ground and ordering everyone to disperse? Liev wanted to disappear somewhere in the midst of it all. This situation felt more dreadful than the nightmare he had in the cave ten years ago. Unfortunately, Liev’s misfortune didn’t end there.  

“Come over here quickly. There are some guys I need to show you.”  

Liev was suddenly grabbed by Liev, who couldn’t say anything because his mind went blank as he didn’t know what to say and took Renard somewhere.  

Wait, I’m covered in your saliva and dirt right now, and where should he go while looking like this? Without giving Liev a chance to protest, Renard dragged him to a place where there were many individuals that Liev had only seen described in the novel.