TEB Ch 20

“I hope he’s not a scary person.” 

No, he wasn’t a human. He was a dragon. Although Liev wanted to correct him, he stopped himself. Instead, he gently rubbed Renard’s head again. 

“……” 

I will miss you a lot. As long as I live and breathe here, I will continue to live thinking about Renard. When Renard grows up as a dragon, maybe at that time, Liev could play the role of someone who comes to greet him with a hello as a passing benefactor. A vain hope rose in his chest. 

I may not always be by your side, but I hope that someday, when you recall the memories of when you were born, you will remember that someone loved you very, very much. Liev smiled, swallowing all the sentences he wouldn’t say, and laughed. 

“Yeah, I hope he is a kind person.” 

While they were spending their final rest together, the sun set again. The sky, which had turned black, had suddenly regained its color, and Renard, who had recovered his strength, looked at Liev with sparkling eyes. 

“Now, let’s go!” 

With Renard’s spirited shout, they soared into the sky again, shaking the ground. The vast expanse of the sky, without any presence that could stop Renard, seemed like a stage prepared solely for him. 

Even now, it’s so magnificent. How much more impressive will he be in the future when he becomes so big that it can’t even be compared to now? Liev chuckled and hugged Renard. I hope I can watch you from afar, even when you become that big. With a small but underserved wish, the two approached the Impassable forest. 

*** 

How long has it been since they started flying? It seemed like almost two hours had passed when the desert, resembling snow-covered mountains in the distance, gradually came into view. The end of the world. The breathtaking landscape of vast sand dunes, shining like surreal grains of sand, gave a palpable sense that it was a place where life could not survive. Endless hills of sand without a single blade of grass, and beyond them, the giant stone mountain where Mahatra lived. 

Pointing to the white, rocky mountain, Liev said, 

“There it is. Where Mahatra lives.” 

Then Renard approached the forest, flapping his wings. 

“Something feels off. I have a feeling that I shouldn’t get too close.” 

Liev, preparing to chew on some herbs, asked,  

“Why? Is it because it feels unfamiliar and you don’t like it?” 

Renard immediately shook his head. 

“No, it’s just… I feel something weighing me down. Even when I’m still, it’s like something is scolding me. 

After saying that, Renard immediately set Liev down at the entrance of the forest, transforming him back into a human form. He hugged Liev in his arms, whimpering like a scared puppy. 

“Liev, I don’t like it here. Do we have to stay here? Can’t we go somewhere else?” 

Perhaps it was the resistance coming from meeting a stronger existence than himself for the first time since being born from the egg. It must be a frightening and unpleasant feeling. For the first time, he encountered someone who could overpower him after living freely for a while. However, overcoming this process was necessary for Renard to grow into a true dragon. 

If he had been a normal dragon from birth, he would have already learned things that would have been as natural as breathing at the age of ten. This was a problem that he couldn’t help with. It was a moment that he had prepared for countless times and in various ways. Even if he felt lonely right now, it was a necessary for the creature that had to live independently from humans. For the sake of a breakup, “Suhyuk” had to become the villain. Liev firmly composed himself and chewed and swallowed the herbs. 

“No, we can’t. Let’s go quickly. There’s no time now.” 

Since his body had not fully grown, the effects of the medicine lasted only about three or four hours. It seemed impossible to go all the way to the middle of the forest. After bringing Renard to the entrance, he would need to leave immediately. After checking the plan one last time, Liev started walking across the forest with Renard. Renard refused to fly himself because he felt a continuously unpleasant sensation.

“……” 

The forest was densely filled with trees, but there were no sounds of birds or insects. Normally, in such a lush forest, you would hear the sounds of birds and the movements of mountain animals from afar. However, it was silent, as if there were only Renard and Liev as living beings. Well, considering that this would have been a place where Liev would have fainted immediately if the herb’s effect didn’t work, it was understandable. Walking through a silent forest where no sounds returned was eerily like experiencing a scene from a horror movie. 

“Liev… I don’t like it here. I want to go back.” 

As they got closer to the desert, Renard’s anxiety increased, but Liev resolutely refused. 

“No. We can’t go back. We have nowhere to go back to. We can’t go back to where we’ve been until now.” 

Renard flinched in surprise, dropping his eyebrows and showing an unexpectedly bewildered expression. 

Until now, Liev rarely refused Renard’s requests, always granting them without hesitation. When Renard insisted after initially being told no but begged again and again, Liev accepted as if there was no other choice. He could not understand why Liev, who always loved, cherished, and adored Renard, was incomprehensibly stern in this situation. 

“……” 

Is it okay to just meet the dragon called Mahatra here? Will Liev return to being the one who grants anything he wants if that happens? Renard followed Liev, looking very depressed. The moment they walked in silence and finally reached the entrance, Renard asked with a joyful voice. 

“Is it done now? Can we leave now?” 

However, Liev’s attitude was cold. 

“From here on, you have to go alone.” 

Instead of comforting and hugging Renard as usual, Liev gave orders with a cold face, and Renard looked up with an expression of disbelief. 

“W-What are you talking about? I have to go alone. I can’t…! Liev, has to come with me!” 

“No. You have to go alone. I can’t go any further.” 

Liev’s expression, answering so coldly, was not bright. His eyes were furrowed, unable to hide his displeasure, and he seemed anxious and in a bad mood. To persuade Renard, Liev put into practice what had to be said. 

“I said no.” 

Renard, who was blocked from trying to hug Liev with his whole body, couldn’t help but ask again. 

“W-Why are you doing this? Did I do something wrong? Are you disappointed in me? P-Please tell me… I’ll fix anything!” 

Renard’s voice, so despairing, was something Liev had never heard before. It must be confusing. And frightening. But this was a process that Renard had to go through at some point. 

In rescue centers where wild animals are rehabilitated and returned to nature, facilities are managed to ensure that wild animals do not become dependent on humans. However, there were some who became excessively attached to humans and lost their sense of guard. The way to properly return these already-tamed individuals to nature was very simple. to threaten them, making them fear humans, so they wouldn’t trust them easily again. This was to prevent them from getting hurt or losing their lives carelessly. 

“……” 

Liev didn’t have much time left. His head was already dizzy, as if he were going to vomit. If he collapsed in front of Renard in this argument, all his efforts so far would be in vain. 

Liev looked down at Renard with the coldest look he could muster and spat out the piercing words. 

“Seriously, making me sick until the very end. What more do I have to do for you here?” 

Renard couldn’t believe his ears at the sudden verbal abuse that came with a look that was close to contempt. 

“…!? Why, why…? Why are you saying that?” 

His face looked like he might cry at any moment, but there was nowhere else to retreat now that they had come this far. Liev clenched his teeth as if blood would spill from his lips, then finally spoke. It was as if a sharp blade had been pulled out of his mouth, as if his insides had been cut with a knife. 

“All this time, I’ve been taking care of you, going through all that trouble, and even bringing you to your people. And you are asking me to take care of you? Do you have any shame? Do you realize how troublesome it is to take care of you?” 

“What…?” 

Renard shook his head in disbelief again and asked, 

“What are you talking about? Why…” 

Liev had very little left to say now. No matter what he said, he had to make Renard suffer. 

“I was taking care of you only because the Count ordered me to! It’s annoying to death to deal with something like you. If I had run away, the Count would have ordered me to bring you back. So, I took the trouble of taking you to someone who can take care of you in the future. So, be grateful and just go away! Why can’t you understand what I’m saying?”

Those words can’t be true. The moment Renard tried to deny it and hug Liev again.

“What!?” 

Liev reacted like he had never done before. He harshly slapped Renard’s hand away. 

“I told you to stop annoying me and go away!” 

Then, finally, he took out the hidden dagger he had been hiding in his arms and began to threaten Renard. He didn’t bring it with this intention, but the exposed blade seemed sharp enough to pierce the heart at any moment. 

“Why? Why are you doing this? Why… Ugh, sniff… Liev, I hate this. I want to go back.” 

“If you keep coming closer, I won’t stay still.” 

Before Liev could withdraw the blade, Renard approached him, crying. It was an action based on the confidence that Liev wouldn’t harm him, no matter what happened. However, Renard’s expectations shattered into pieces. 

“……!!?” 

Liev, surprised by the sensation of the knife penetrating soft flesh, stepped back while holding the knife. It was a reflex action to avoid hurting Renard, but in the process, the sharp edge once again grazed Renard’s forearm, creating a long cut. 

“Ah…!” 

At the same time, Renard slumped down. He looked startled by the sudden injury. When in human form, Renard could feel ordinary pain.

Unintentionally, Liev almost moved to comfort Renard, but he stopped himself, lifting his head as his breath rose with tension up to his chin. It might be for the best. Perhaps he should have done this from the beginning. Calming down, he spoke for the last time. 

“If you come any closer, you’ll get hurt worse than this. Don’t follow me.” 

Having struck the final blow, Liev left Renard, who was crouching with pain from his forearm. Liev sprinted madly and a feeling of nausea came over him, as if his entire body were violently squeezed. Even though his legs gave out and he rolled around in the bushes, he ran aimlessly with only one thought of getting away from Renard. His entire body became a mess in an instant, and even his hair became disheveled. 

How much longer should he run? By now, Renard probably wouldn’t follow him, right? The seemingly endless forest continued and his exhausted body hardly responded to him anymore. Liev collapsed on the forest floor, breathing heavily. 

Is this how it ends? Even if Renard doesn’t follow him this far, he’ll be fine, right? Renard will go meet the Divine Dragon on his own and live a better life. Ah, he shouldn’t have said such harsh words. 

It’s all lies. 

He wanted to tell him the truth at least once—that there was no one I loved more than you. Then, amidst his multiple regrets, Liev’s consciousness was completely cut off.