TEB Ch 58

During the time when Suhyuk was an intern, there was a monster movie that was released overseas. It was a film depicting the forbidden love between a human woman and a creature that resembled a human but couldn’t speak human language. The creature was a hybrid of a monster grown in a lab, and surprisingly, the movie had a happy ending. It was the story of two people who became lovers, or rather, one human and one creature, escaping from the research facility and ending up on a deserted island. 

At first glance, it seemed like a typical Hollywood monster movie, but the problem was that it was rated 19+ and contained subtle sexual interactions between the two main characters. The opinions were divided among the film industry and the public about whether to view it as bestiality or a transcendent love that transcended appearances. 

Amidst all the controversy, a crazy organization that advocated for the legalization of marriage with dolphins publicly supported the movie. Suhyuk remembered seeing the news and cursing, “Are they really crazy?” The memory of swearing remains in his mind. 

Of course, Renard was not a dolphin. Sometimes, when he saw his actions, he thought he was a fool, but that was because he was not used to human society. He had a longer lifespan and abilities that were beyond human comprehension. From the perspective of a dragon, he might be closer to a dolphin than a human. Then, was it Liev himself who committed an act that could be considered bestiality? The most difficult conclusion was that he was more stimulated by what Renard did to him. 

“No matter how much I try to control my physiological desires, how can this be? 

I’ve been taking care of him since he was an egg. He ended up being involved in his pleasure twice. He couldn’t deny that it didn’t feel; good. Even when he first touched Renard’s thing with his hands, he didn’t realize that his lower body was reacting, and he almost got excited in front of him. When it came to this point, he had to admit it. He didn’t hate it, either. But there were still some unclear points. 

“Am I originally weak to stimulation, or was it because the opponent was Renard? Liev, who had been contemplating this for a while, suddenly recalled the fact that dragon scales were known to be natural nourishing tonics. Furthermore, for some people, they were even considered weak drugs. Whether the scales actually had such effects was unknown, but like other reptiles, dragons had a habit of consuming their shed scales to replenish nutrients. 

If that were the case, everything could be understood. If Renard’s bodily fluids had a stimulating effect and Liev had been influenced by it, it made sense that his body would react even though his mind thought it shouldn’t. Of course, it didn’t provide a clear answer, but just hoping it wasn’t entirely his own body’s excitement slightly improved his mood. 

“So, what do I do now?”

Liev’s mood improved slightly before plummeting back down. Now what? It might not end with rubbing between the legs next time, the moment he was lost in thought. And Renard, too, was facing a new problem in his own way. 

*** 

“In the end, the situation I was worried about happened.” 

In a solemn conference room, everyone nodded with serious faces while a map was spread out on the table. Except for one person, or rather, one dragon.” 

“At this point, the biggest problem is that we can’t figure out why monsters are getting so agitated and coming down to the villages.” 

“Normally, during spring, some creatures wake up from hibernation, and with the mating season, conflicts increase as they try to replenish nutrients.” 

“Still, conflicts are not this frequent. Pierre’s Great Mountain Range is rich with animals that could be prey for monsters.” 

“Then could it be that the ecosystem on that side suddenly collapsed, causing animals that were living well to go extinct?” 

“Well, listening to the stories from the villages near the mountains, it doesn’t seem like that’s the case.” 

Many opinions came and went, but there was no clear answer to the situation. Since the large-scale attack in the Melik Gorge a few weeks ago, monster appearances have become frequent along Pierre’s Great Mountain Range. In response, a letter arrived from the Kingdom of Airen, claiming that the Antium Empire’s negligence in properly maintaining the border zone had led to these incidents. They asserted that they would take control and manage the situation, requesting permission for military deployment and offering to pay residence fees. 

As discussed earlier, spring was the time when monsters, originally dormant during the winter, began to actively move. It wasn’t unusual for monsters to appear frequently during this period. However, this time was different. Usually, incidents involving contact with monsters near Pierre’s Great Mountain Range result from people mistakenly entering dangerous areas. 

In recent raids, monsters formed groups and attacked villages first. Monsters were inherently true to their instincts. 

If the food is plentiful and there is no threat to survival, monsters do not take actions that involve a great risk of attacking the villages. Compared to animals, humans were not prey that offered much gain in exchange for the danger. When the monsters came down to the villages, which were far from their nests, there must have been a reason for it. 

“Can’t you guess anything, Renard?” 

After thinking for a while, Rowena asked Renard. He only replied with an indifferent expression. 

“I don’t know. I don’t know everything. The abilities of dragons differ slightly from one another. Unlike Mahatra, exploration is not my specialty.” 

It was true that dragons had their own unique abilities. They all had a long lifespan, almost close to eternity, and the power to make their desires come true. The destructive power of each was a common characteristic. However, each individual had their own unique abilities. 

For example, Mahatra could sense everything that happened on the other side of the star, and if he wanted to, he could even look into people’s minds as if they were their own lair. A dragon that Renard met during his time as a disciple under Mahatra had the ability to foresee the future. Renard’s unique ability was to be a flame that could burn anything. 

The reason why Mahatra had repeatedly told Renard that he had to control his own power was because his mother, Eris, had burned down the entire continent and chose to kill herself. 

Anyway, for these reasons, Renard was not a dragon who was helpful when it came to sitting and analyzing the truth or exploring. 

“Then, do we have to go around the entire mountain range by ourselves…?” 

Everyone had a disappointed expression at the conclusion, which only brought a sigh. The Pierre’s Great Mountain Range was a large range of mountains that extended from the southernmost to the northernmost part of the Airen Kingdom. Even if Renard used his flying ability, it would take several days to fly there, and it was not enough to just fly above the sky at top speed without being able to see what was happening below. In the end, they had no choice but to search and confirm where the monsters had been erupting one by one. 

“Sigh….” 

Albert grabbed his head in frustration at the obvious predicament. 

“This is insane,” he muttered. 

Although he wanted to ask for Mahatra’s help again, the old and wise dragon had drawn the line and refused to intervene in human affairs after sending Renard. It was a situation where they could not ask for more help from Mahatra, since he had strengthened the barrier, it was impossible to break through it with a human body. 

“Well, the Emperor’s demands have been firmly rejected by His Majesty. Instead, he has proposed to send a dispatch to suppress the monsters, so we can expect an expedition order to come soon.” Albert explained. 

“Ah…” 

All the members, who wanted to relax a bit, held out a sigh. At that moment, Renard, who had been silent the whole time with a sour expression on his face as if it had nothing to do with him, suddenly asked. 

“Um, do I have to go too?” 

Everyone was surprised by his pure expression, as if he were sincerely questioning why he had to go.