TEB Ch 16

Moreover, dragons live close to eternal life, for Renard to confidently live independently as a dragon in the future. He needed a mentor to teach him how to live as a dragon. I don’t know what process he went through to come into human hands, but since he has never been properly taught as a dragon, he needed to learn in the future. 

That’s right. Dragons should be seen as independent beings, not just wild animals. 

Just as humans have their own lives, dragons have their own lives to live for countless years. He couldn’t ruin Renard’s future because of his desire to be with him.  

Liev looked down at Renard, who was squirming in his arms, swallowing another sigh. At the age of fifteen, his body was tall enough to be considered an adult if he covered his face or didn’t speak. Since he had been quite tall even before entering the novel, it wasn’t uncomfortable or awkward.  

“Come to think of it, somehow, his original appearance seems to be slowly becoming more similar to his body.  

Was it like this from the beginning?” Liev remembered the face that had been reflected in the water a while ago. Although his memories were fading, when he first became Liev, he had a typical foreigner’s appearance. Now, his face seemed strangely indistinguishable. He looked quite similar to what he could remember as Suhyuk.  

“Maybe it just feels that way because he keeps being conscious of it…  

While curiosity without an answer took over his mind, Renard, who had already fallen asleep, let out a soft breath. Well, it’s not that important anyway. When he was Suhyuk, he received a lot of undeserved praise for his looks, so honestly, it wasn’t such a bad thing. Now that his face looks good, he wondered what it can be used for. Of course, looking good is better than looking bad. Liev, who was thinking about this, frowned, curled the corners of his mouth with a small laugh, and smiled.  

“Enough, let’s go to sleep.”  

He would have to repeat this kind of life for the next 2–3 days, so he needed to conserve his stamina when he could. Liev turned over his robe, embraced the warm body temperature that filled his arms, and soon his eyelids became heavy.  

The smell of wet moss and the sound of the wind diligently tried to disturb Liev’s sleep, but they didn’t bother him at all. This was because the creature that was hugging him with his entire body was warmer than most electric blankets, giving him a greater sense of stability.   

***  

The next morning, Liev, who woke up to the sound of rain outside, got up and checked the surroundings. The heavy rain poured down, making it difficult to see the surroundings.  

On a day like this, flying up to the sky and getting hit by raindrops all over the body wouldn’t be good. Moreover, it’s especially true for a young dragon who is not yet fully grown. And for some reason, unlike usual, Renard, who wakes up earlier than him, was still sound asleep without any signs of moving a muscle.  

While dragons, even if not elderly, wouldn’t experience symptoms like getting a cold on a rainy day, it could be that today’s weather wouldn’t have a positive impact on Liev, who used fire as a main attribute. The pouring rain would weaken the fire, even a child would understand that.  

I guess today we have no choice but to stay here. First, Liev needed to share the situation with Renard. As Liev approached the sleeping Renard, he was surprised by an unexpected situation.  

“Huh?”  

Was he always this hot? Although his body temperature was already higher than that of an ordinary child, he now felt like a furnace. Instead of warmth, he felt slightly hot. When he brushed aside the disheveled hair and checked his face, Renard seemed so exhausted that he couldn’t even get up.  

“Renard! Are you okay? Wake up. Where does it hurt? Are you okay?”  

Liev shook his shoulders in panic, and Renard slowly opened his heavy eyelids.  

“Ugh… I want to sleep more…”   

He then spread his arms wide and embraced Liev tightly, snuggling into his arms and being as cute as he always is. Liev was overwhelmed with his body temperature, which was as hot as a fireball was felt throughout his body.  

“Wait a moment! You seem to have a fever right now. Where does it hurt? Are you okay?”  

Despite Liev shaking him continuously, Renard’s body collapsed as if all his strength had left, and he seemed to have lost even the minimum energy to regain consciousness.  

This is not good. How was it until now? The forest where Renard and Liev had been living together until now wasn’t in an area with heavy rainfall. Occasionally, it rained, but it never poured down like this for several hours. Was it because of that? Renard, who used to be somewhat sunken when it rained, Liev couldn’t have expected his condition to deteriorate so much.  

What should he do now? Maybe it’s not just because of the rain that his condition has worsened, is there another reason? Did the Count secretly conduct experiments on Liev without his knowledge? Did a problem arise with his body maintaining stability after rushing out of the laboratory? While considering various possibilities, Renard grabbed the hem of Liev’s clothes tightly and started tossing and turning.  

“Let’s sleep together, okay?”  

Then, he smiled brightly and hugged Liev once again, but his carefree attitude made him sigh in frustration.  

“Are you really, okay?”  

“When Liev asked again, Renard touched his slightly swollen cheek and answered,    

“Yeah, I just want to sleep well right now. Then I think I’ll be okay.” 

As Renard embraced him with his whole body, Liev had no choice but to believe those words for now. Upon closer examination, Renard’s breathing and pulse seemed normal despite his high body temperature. There didn’t seem to be any severe pain, it appeared as though his condition was just deteriorating. Liev looked at Renard with a distraught look on his face and rolled over to lay down on his back again.   

Since he wasn’t moving and wasn’t hungry, was there anything he could do? He didn’t have a car, so there was no way to move through the rain with a sleeping Renard. In weather like this, even the pursuit team wouldn’t be able to move. He closed his eyes, and soon sleep overcame him. The sound of rain, the humid air, and the warm body temperature in his arms added to the drowsiness, and his consciousness faded away.  

***  

When he opened his eyes again, Liev found himself in an unfamiliar darkness. What is this? Everything was pitch black, and when he reached out, there was nothing to touch. Is this a dream? Amidst the complete darkness, only Liev’s own body emitted a faint light.  

Well, it’s a dream. Liev, who had been looking down at his hands, finally concluded. If this is a dream, I hope to wake up soon. If I’m going to have a lucid dream, I’d prefer a brighter, more pleasant one. This made him feel gloomy and uneasy.  

“……”  

However, despite realizing it was a dream, nothing happened even as time passed. He remained in the silent, empty space without anything happening. Initially, Liev, who viewed it as a moment of tranquility, gradually began to feel a rising sense of fear.  

Didn’t something similar happen when he suddenly found himself in this world? Without warning, he opened my eyes to an unfamiliar space, and in common web novels or webtoons, there was no system window appearing to help. He was thrown into the novel with nothing but my bare body. Now, is it the same again? What should he do if it’s not a dream but another sudden transfer to a different world? A thought crossed his mind.  

“Renard…!?”  

Liev was first called the most familiar name. Perhaps he wasn’t alone, and Renard might be wandering somewhere with him. However, in the eerie space where not even an echo resounded, no answer came when he called Renard’s name repeatedly. A shiver ran down Liev’s spine.  

“Renard!!”  

Liev shouted Renard’s name once more at the top of his lungs, but there was no change. Now, complete fear swallowed Liev from head to toe.