TEB Ch 91

“From here on, the forest itself is under an ancient curse, so we have to be careful.” 

Recently there have been incidents of monsters attacking nearby villages, so they were in a situation where they had to find and subdue those lurking in the forest. The dense forest obstructed the view from above, so there was a limit to what Renard could see while looking down. In the end, they split into groups, and each carried a magical device that could convey their locations. As expected, Renard and Liev were in the same group. 

Soon, the rest of the group were splitting into twos and threes and scattering from the center. During this moment, when everyone was dispersing, we heard chilling laughter surrounding us. 

“Hehe…ahahaha…!” 

“Kyaahh…Hahaha!” 

It sounded like the innocent laughter of children, but upon closer examination, it also sounded like crying. 

“Ugh, creepy. Is that something monsters do too?” 

When Albert shuddered while rubbing his goosebump arms, Sigrid lightly smiled and replied, 

“Well, we won’t know until we see it with our own eyes.” 

In the eyes of Liev, who clearly knew the truth, Sigrid’s nonchalant attitude was quite funny. The loud laughter was not the work of monsters. Liev, who had read the original and knew exactly what it was. It was the sound of the fairies, who had been living in this forest for a long time.

It was strange to have dragons, so it wouldn’t be surprising to have other things as well. Fairies, who normally avoided humans and gathered to live in this secluded forest, had strategies to prevent humans from entering their territory, unlike the powerful monsters who could protect themselves. They would spread rumors, such as “If you enter that forest, you’ll be cursed.” They did this to scare humans away from their territory. 

So, it wasn’t really something to be afraid of. The problem was when a mischievous fairy would imitate the voices of the group, causing them to get lost in the forest or even leading them to the edge of a cliff below. Whether the fairy would stop playing around or cause serious harm depended entirely on their mood that day, so it was necessary to be cautious. 

They wouldn’t dare do something foolish on Renard, so we were relatively safe, but… 

“Will the others be okay? Liev became worried for a moment and slowed his pace, but then reminded himself that they were all part of the group of heroes. They were all capable of protecting themselves. As he thought about it more, he realized there was something else he should be paying attention to. 

Come to think of it, you still haven’t told me yet.

What was the reason for causing such an incident yesterday? It was a last resort to find out what Renard was hiding. Liev couldn’t help but feel annoyed whenever he saw Renard, knowing that he hadn’t received a proper answer before leaving in a rush. Liev sighed and looked around. The area was quiet, with no sounds coming from the nearby surroundings. 

I guess they don’t have the courage to play games with a dragon after all.

Thanks to that, Renard and Liev were able to navigate through the forest without any difficulties, but the thick fog that covered the forest showed no signs of dissipating even in the middle of the day. Liev glanced around again and grabbed Renard’s wrist, asking, 

“We still have things to talk about. You’ve had your way, now it’s time for you to answer.” 

Renard narrowed his eyes for a moment before responding, 

“Did I really have things my way? You were so excited yesterday, I couldn’t even…” 

Liev was startled by Renard’s sudden words and quickly covered his mouth. Although they were in a situation where no one could overhear them, if the fairies were to hear and start repeating it like a rumor, he would want to run away somewhere. Renard immediately pulled away and said, 

“Honestly, you liked it more than I did. Shouldn’t we admit that?”

“Don’t say unnecessary things!” 

Liev slapped Renard’s back a few more times before saying, 

“Anyway, tell me now. A promise is a promise.” 

With a determined look, Liev stared at Renard, making it clear that he wouldn’t let it go. Renard hesitated for a moment before gesturing with his hand for Liev to bring his ears closer. And at that moment, when the distance between the two became closer, his lips lightly touched the side of his ear. Liev immediately moved away from Renard with a bright-colored face.

“What are you doing? Are you kidding? Do I sound like I’m joking?” 

It wasn’t until Liev’s anger reached its peak that Renard seemed to realize and start explaining. 

“…So, all I have to do is bind Liev’s soul to his remaining descendants and protect them so they can prosper.” 

Renard had a confident expression on his face, as if not to worry anymore. 

Liev wondered for a moment whether he had understood correctly. When a person dies, their soul becomes a magical mass and separates from the deceased body. The separated soul is absorbed into the vast magic that exists in the natural world and circulates until it is reborn into a new life. It is amazing that there is a way to prevent the soul from scattering elsewhere by tying it to a bloodline, but considering that dragons can manipulate magic with knowledge that humans can’t understand, it doesn’t seem impossible. 

The real problem came after. Even if he were to have offspring, as a man, Liev would have to have a child through someone else, not Renard. But even if he somehow managed to create an offspring, the future offspring will have to continue giving new life until he is eventually reborn as the child of descendants in the distant future. Doesn’t that mean Renard would have to wait in the same spot as a dog that has lost its guardian. 

“So I’m sure if I understood correctly? You would have to wait until I’m reborn again? Without any guarantee of when that will be.” 

Liev’s expression darkened in an instant, causing Renard to frown as if he didn’t like the reaction. 

“It’s not that long of a time to wait. You don’t have to worry, Liev.” 

“You don’t have to worry!? No, wait a minute, it doesn’t work if I don’t have offspring before that!”

Liev pointed out, his face contorting in confusion. 

“Why?” 

“Because men can’t give birth?” 

“Is that not possible?” 

This wasn’t a childish joke. Why was he insisting on something that was impossible? Or maybe there was some way? Liev shuddered at the thought. 

“What are you even talking about? Are you saying that I would have to do something with another woman to have a child?” 

“That’s ridiculous! With who!? You said you only wanted to do it with me!” 

“You keep talking nonsense! If it wasn’t for you, who else could I have done that with?” 

Now even Liev was getting frustrated, his voice was louder than usual. As soon as he realized how loud he was speaking, his face turned red. What was he doing? Liev looked at Renard with deep skepticism. 

“What exactly do you think is possible? I don’t have the necessary organs to carry a child!” 

Then Renard confidently replied, 

“We plant the seed inside Liev’s body. If we nurture it with love, the seed will grow into a egg inside Liev’s belly. And if we take good care of the egg that Liev gives birth to, a baby will be born from it.” 

“……?” 

Liev once again doubted what he was hearing. Was Renard talking about planting a cherry tomato seed in a pot and then getting fruit as a result? Does this even make sense? Or is it possible because he’s a dragon? Wait, does that mean there’s a possibility that he is pregnant from what happened yesterday? Liev’s mind was in a state of chaos, and he became dizzy. Whether Liev was flustered or not, Renard was very confident, saying.

“I told you it could work!”