TEB Ch 106

It was a surprise attack that the Empire was aiming for the Airen Kingdom, and I didn’t expect they would try to control Renard. I regretted it, wondering why I didn’t think that far.

According to what he heard as he bit his lips and went down the stairs, the only fortunate thing was that the spell didn’t seem to work perfectly. After immediately completing the coordinates and formula, they were successful in bringing a dragon in human form to the laboratory, but Renard did not seem to be properly controlled. It seemed like he was forced to follow the orders of the magician scholar who researched the spell, but he was in a state of being put to sleep because he continued to try to destroy objects or attack the soldiers other than the person who had the imprint.

“That story… anyway, there is no such thing as perfect obedience.”

Just by seeing the reaction to his call, there was still hope. It was a separate issue as to how to release the transferred imprint. He needed to see Renard soon. At least if he could hear his voice, he wouldn’t crush him. As he thought about it, his steps became more and more anxious.

How far did he come down like that? Soon, he heard the sound of water and then saw the underground waterway where the sewage from the castle was flowing.

“No way… I don’t have to jump into that sewage and get out, right?”

At that moment, the worst situation came to mind and he felt dizzy, but fortunately, he saw a staircase leading to the entrance.

“….!”

Liev managed to carry the soldiers and barely climbed the stairs, leaning and lying against the still-standing pillar of the castle wall. Just in case, he kicked it hard, but fortunately, only the bottom cornerstone remained, so he didn’t think it would fall here.

“I can’t help you from here. Please. I hope you can meet your comrades again here.”

Then the soldier nodded his head with difficulty and replied.

“Thank you for bringing me here. I gave up hope of being able to see the sky before I die.”

As the soldier spoke, Liev reflexively raised his head and saw that the forest was burning in the distance. The sharp gray smoke combined with the chaotic sky, creating an unreal scene.

Liev looked around, running and keeping his distance from the soldier. He saw the view of a huge stone castle surrounded by a dense forest. Where was Renard? Liev called out for him with a heavy breath.

“Renard! Where are you?”

And in that moment, a giant shadow loomed over his head. At first, it was only the size of a rock, but as it approached, it grew to the size of a large castle. Liev looked up in shock and saw a massive creature approaching from above.

“……!”

As Liev looked up in surprise, a loud thud echoed, and the ground shook as if there were an earthquake. Barely able to keep his balance, Liev turned around and saw the figure he had been desperately searching for looking down at him.

“Renard…!”

As Liev urgently called out his name, the giant figure in front of him flinched and blinked, looking at him. Liev had seen Renard transform many times before, but this was the first time he had seen him in such a massive form. The dragon’s body was like a vessel for magic. The sudden growth of his body meant that he had received an amount of magic that exceeded what he could handle, and his body had forcibly grown to contain it. Liev could only guess that during this process, he had gone on a rampage and absorbed the surrounding magic, resulting in his current state.

So it’s not strange for him to be in this irrational state.

The problem was what came next. If Renard was currently in a mindless state, filled with uncontrollable power, and only driven by his destructive instincts, then he was no different from the berserk dragon in the original story. Liev couldn’t help but feel his legs weaken at the creature looking down at him with such a fierce and dangerous gaze.

He didn’t even realize it, but his legs had given out from under him.

Is it too late? If he had responded to his call, would that have been a positive sign? Despite feeling his tongue stiffen, Liev closed his eyes tightly and persevered. He couldn’t back down now. Creatures like dragons were known to chase their prey more aggressively if he tried to escape.

If Renard was completely lost in his current state, Liev could also be in danger. While his flames would no longer harm him, he could easily be crushed by his heavy paws or pierced by his sharp claws.

“I need to call out his name. I need to.”

His mind went blank, and he couldn’t utter a word. Liev took a deep breath and, with a glimmer of hope, called out Renard’s name.

“Renard~! It’s me!”

At the sound of his voice, Renard suddenly spread his wings and flew into the sky. Then, as if punishing himself, he flew low and hit the ground repeatedly, causing Liev to struggle for air from the dust and debris.

“Is he in even more pain when I talk to him?”

Once again, Liev’s vision went dark. And now, there was also the sound of Renard’s agonizing roar. It was a hopeless and desperate situation. Should he give him space until he calms down? Or should I keep provoking him?

“I wish I had some knowledge or ability that could help in this situation, even after reading the original story multiple times and learning all kinds of TMI (too much information) from the author. It would have been great if he were not an ordinary extra but a character with special knowledge and abilities like the protagonist’s party. In this moment of regret, Renard seemed to calm down and collapsed on the flat ground he had made by smashing trees and mashing them together.

“Oh!”

Liev took a few steps back, but then approached Renard again when he confirmed that he had fallen without any energy. He wished he would turn back into his human form right now. His form was not a humanoid but a dragon’s body, so this form must have been the most comfortable for Renard.

“What if I get too close and his condition gets worse? But I couldn’t just leave him alone. Please, I desperately wished for a miracle and for him to return to his original state. I got closer to Renard.

“Are you okay…?”

I didn’t expect to get a proper answer. But I couldn’t just leave the guy who might get killed by someone’s hands. So I moved my legs first. And at that moment, when I held my breath, Renard’s tightly closed eyes suddenly opened, and a bright red, watery sight appeared in front of me.

“…..!?”

In the moment of confusion, my sight was suddenly filled with darkness again.

***

“…….”

Meanwhile, Renard had been continuously experiencing a strange and painful sensation, as if trapped in a small box. It was a suffocating feeling, being forced into a narrow space and unable to breathe properly. He twisted his body in agony, calling out a familiar name but receiving no answer.

“Liev! Where are you!?”

The same fear and unease he felt when he first separated from Liev overwhelmed Renard. And the voice of a strange man, whom he heard for the first time, echoed in his mind, causing an exploding headache.

[“Hurry and destroy everything! Just do as I say! I can achieve anything, if you fall at my feet.”]

He couldn’t understand why this insane man was babbling such bizarre words inside his head. All Renard wanted was to be by Liev’s side. He needed to make sure Liev was safe. Liev promised he wouldn’t leave him and that he wouldn’t run away. If Liev had deceived him again, this would be the second time. Why does he keep hurting me? All I wanted was for him to stay by my side. The pain and anger of being lost and abandoned erupted like a volcano inside Renard.