I held my breath again. Since I couldn't see anything, I had to sharpen my hearing.
I heard the sound of footsteps approaching. And it wasn't just one, but two.
However, I couldn't hear the voice clearly. I dawdled again and pressed my ear against the wall.
"...You're definitely ready, right?"
"Of course. Don't worry."
"I have to succeed this time. That bastard Theo must be grinding his teeth by now."
A small voice burrowed into my ears.
"This might be your last chance."
"Don't worry, I'll steal it no matter what. With this, even that dragon won't be able to do anything."
Stealing?
My mouth opened little by little.
Regardless, their conversation continued.
"You know what will happen if I tell Theo, right? If I'm not careful, I could turn my back on the North and the Human World."
"Who are you threatening right now? I know exactly what's going on, so just go back to your seat. What if someone hears you?"
The conversation ended with the man's rebuke. My body began to sway. It seemed to be moving again.
I ruminated on the conversation I had just heard. The North and the human world. The two words lingered in my mind.
Then, the legend of the beast world I had read in the South came to mind.
'They said there were humans who tried to steal the dragon's heart.'
I mean the so-called Dragon Hunter.
'And you said the first leader captured them.'
It was said that a war broke out between the beast world and the human world because of them.
...I felt like I knew what they were trying to steal.
'Of all times...!'
The timing was absolutely incredible.
I recalled the memory of Noelier that I had seen with Aria.
He was lying on the ground with serious injuries.
'That's when Noelier met my mom.'
In other words, it meant that the person who should be here right now is Lily, not me.
'What should I do? If Mom ends up not being able to meet Noelier because of this...'
As my grandmother said, the past could have gone awry, and my existence could have vanished.
"..."
I bit my lip. That must never happen.
...Then there was only one way.
I look very much like my mom, Lily. So they must have kidnapped me, thinking I was Lily.
If so.
'...I just have to pretend to be Lily until the end.'
Then everything would flow as it originally was without going awry.
It was a time to slowly exhale and steel my resolve.
"Hey."
With a loud noise, the floor shook violently again.
"We're almost there."
"Really? Then I should put her to sleep."
The sound of voices was close.
'You're not saying you're going to put me to sleep?'
I suddenly lifted my head. At the same time, the door burst open.
Beyond the sunlight that cut through the darkness, something the size of a sword bean rolled inside.
Chi-ik!
The bead began to emit gray smoke.
"...!"
The smoke quickly enveloped the surrounding air. At the same time, the door closed.
'So this is what it means to put someone to sleep!'
I held my breath. But that resistance didn't last long. I didn't have enough air, and I had no choice but to inhale the smoke.
I ended up collapsing as if I had fainted.
***
A southern castle bathed in warm sunlight.
He thought it would take longer, but the wolves arrived in the south sooner than expected.
The master, the Red Dragon, looked at the wolves kneeling before him with a crooked posture.
'If they only love one mate, were all wolf habits just rumors?'
He had expected them to cling desperately, begging him not to be their mate, but it was more anticlimactic than he had anticipated.
If he had known this would happen, he should have said something else.
However, as his expectations cooled, everything became a hassle.
The red dragon, looking at the wolves with a face full of boredom and annoyance, opened its mouth.
"Did you bring what you mentioned?"
"Yes."
The red dragon nodded and said.
"Right, let's see."
He moved his hand lightly. Just then, a wolf rose from its seat.
“Leader.”
The red dragon looked at the wolf and spoke.
"What?"
"...We have prepared something to apologize for the rudeness we committed."
Apologize? It was when he shrugged one eyebrow.
"What kind of trick are you trying to pull this time?"
The dragons around him sneered, as if telling him not to pull any stunts.
"Leader, we must not be swayed again. Please take only what you wanted and cast them out immediately."
One of the dragons spoke strongly, but the Red Dragon's thoughts were a little different.
The wolves were weak. He was confident that he would not fall for their trick.
Even if it was a lie, he felt he might willingly pretend to be fooled if it could resolve this endless boredom.
The red dragon nodded after finishing his thoughts.
“Okay, let’s take a look.”
“Leader!”
One dragon strongly objected. However, the moment he saw the cold red eyes, he had no choice but to shut his mouth.
Some of those mixed in with the wolves quickly shared a glance with one another.
It was as if it were saying, "Now is the chance."
“This is it.”
What the wolves held out was a red velvet box.
"What is this?"
"You will know once you open it."
The wolf answered politely. The red dragon opened the box.
Inside it was a round golden ring.
"Why are you giving this to me?"
"This is an item that is practically our symbol."
He answered in a humble tone.
"As you know, there are many ice wizards in the North. I have cast ice magic on that ring. It would be good to wear it occasionally when the heat is intense."
Then the other wolves tilted their heads.
...Was there a gift like that?
Regardless, the Red Dragon nodded with a somewhat indifferent expression.
It was a decent item to give as a gift.
It was just as he reached out his hand toward the ring. The dragon, who had been watching, opened its eyes wide.
A different energy was surging above the ring. It was only for a moment, but he saw it clearly.
'It is not ice magic.'
As soon as he realized it, his body moved on its own.
"Leader! No way!"
He hurriedly struck away the red dragon's hand.
Then the ring flew into the air. The dragon that had intervened reflexively caught the ring.
The wolf who had held out the ring smirked, twisting the corners of his mouth. It was only for a fleeting moment, but he saw it clearly.
'...You didn’t do it on purpose?'
He realized his mistake, but it was already too late. He was already holding the ring.
Grumble!
At that moment, a massive fire erupted. Everyone recoiled from the heat, which was so intense that they could not even breathe.
Even that dragon hadn't taken a mate yet.
'At this rate, it might really start to go berserk.'
He had to take the ring off his hand by any means necessary.
But by what means?
He didn't know that he might end up going berserk himself.
It was when the panicked dragons were scrambling.
A frowning red dragon approached him.
A hand holding a ring was visible beyond the strong fire.
The red dragon's hand swept across the air.
Then, the hand holding the ring was severed.
Someone gasped in surprise. There were also those who covered their mouths to prevent vomiting.
But they knew. If they hadn't done that, they wouldn't have been able to stop the dragon from going berserk.
The ring fell from his body. Then, the flames died down like a ghost.
The dragon, on the verge of going berserk, collapsed.
The red dragon, who had been looking at him, gave orders to the other dragons.
"Take him away and treat him. Suture the severed hand with healing magic as well."
"Ah... Yes. Yes, I understand."
The dragons moved quickly. The red dragon, who had been watching them, shifted its gaze.
The end of his gaze was the wolves.
The wolves' faces were pale.
"Ugh. We don't know! We don't know anything!"
A wolf shouted bravely. At least that much was true.
Their goal was to offer their companions to the dragons. Things like rings were not part of the plan.
"That power is amplification! It's not the magic we have!"
"This, this guy has teamed up with humans. He's the one who did this!"
The wolves pointed at one person. As if he hadn't expected to fail so futilely, the wolf who was singled out recoiled and stepped back.
However, even that struggle was nothing but a trivial play to the Red Dragon.
"I was hoping you’d make it fun, but I never imagined it would be such a dirty trick."
As he muttered, a huge fire surrounded the wolves.
It was a heat so intense that it could not even be compared to the rampaging dragon.
"Thanks to you, I feel a little motivated."
" Ugh..."
" Then, shall I give back as much as I received?"
The red dragon approached them.
I couldn't die like this. One wolf bit his lip, took something out of his pocket, and scattered it on the floor.
A massive gray fog began to spread in all directions in an instant.
"...!"
The red dragon reflexively bit back. The flames surrounding the wolves subsided.
"This cunning...!"
He started the flames again, but they mixed with the fog created by the wolf and ended up only blocking his vision.
"Shit..."
The red dragon rarely muttered a curse.
Just then, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching him. He quickly shot flames toward his left.
" Ah...!"
The wolf struck by the flames lay sprawled on the floor.
What he was holding flew away somewhere, but he didn't have time to pay attention to it.
The Red Dragon's face contorted. His emotions began to surge because of the wretched wolves.
With the surging heat, he looked down at the wolf and spoke.
"You still haven't given up."
"Ugh..."
" Did you think you could get the dragon's heart?"
The wolf didn't answer.
The red dragon slowly tilted its head. Then, the flames surrounding him intensified.
" I guess it would be better to just kill you all."
It had gone beyond being annoying; it was irritating. It felt like this unpleasantness would only be resolved by killing all the wolves.
He muttered to himself.
"Alright. Shall I try killing that first?"
The red dragon spoke while looking at the fallen wolf.
“Where is it?”
"..."
" I mean the wolf's mate you brought."
Where is it? The red eyes gleamed with murderous intent as they asked again.
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