My Tamed Beast Returned with a Dragon Chapter 15 - I’ll Pay Any Price

Yoo Eunsae and Belquior headed to the backyard to plant the World Tree fruit.

She turned to Haneuli.

“Can you dig a hole for us?”

Dirt flew everywhere.

“Thanks, Haneuli!”

She hugged the monster’s fluffy neck before carefully placing the fruit into the soil.

Then, she stuck a wooden sign into the ground.

[World Tree]

After flattening the dirt, she watered it generously with a watering can.

“Is this good enough?”

“Yes. Water it every three to four days.”

Belquior raised his hand, summoning a flow of golden particles.

The fine, shimmering dust swirled gracefully around his fingers—

As if he were playing a beautiful melody.

‘Wow, that’s pretty…’

Eunsae stared, completely mesmerized.

The mana settled over the buried fruit.

No visible changes happened yet, but Eunsae wasn’t disappointed.

Growing a tree required patience and care.

After finishing, Eunsae returned inside to start making baby food.

Belquior watched silently as she prepared it.

She ground pre-soaked rice into a fine powder with a food processor.

“Next step….”

She double-checked the recipe before placing the rice powder into a pot of water and boiling it until soft.

Then, she strained the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl.

“Done!”

She wiped her forehead, even though she wasn’t sweating.

A wave of satisfaction filled her.

Now, it was time for the real test.

She took a spoonful and blew on it before tasting it herself.

“Hmm. No real flavor.”

If anything, it had a subtle nuttiness.

After ensuring it had cooled down enough, Eunsae carried the bowl into the baby’s room.

The baby was playing with a rattle, surrounded by monsters.

Seeing the familiar, loving face, the baby smiled.

“Baby, I brought your first meal!”

“Aah! Aaah! Mammm!”

The baby kicked excitedly.

Laughing, Eunsae lifted him into her arms, nuzzling their noses together.

“It’s your first time eating real food—I hope you like it!”

Belquior observed.

Even though the baby was a completely different species, Eunsae treated him with deep affection.

Raising any child was no easy task.

She didn’t just feed him.

She thought about what he wore, how he slept, and what he played with.

She cared about everything.

Even to Belquior, her level of dedication was unfathomable.

Carefully, Eunsae took a tiny spoonful of the rice porridge and brought it to the baby’s mouth.

Whenever he opened his mouth, she hesitated.

“Is it okay? Does it taste weird? If you don’t like it, you can spit it out, baby.”

“Mmm! Nyam-nyam!”

The baby happily swallowed.

He didn’t know what poison was, but even if he did, he would’ve eaten anything Eunsae gave him without question.

Because he trusted her completely.

She was his person.

More than the one who created him—

She was the one he felt attached to.

His golden eyes sparkled.

“You finished the whole bowl?”

Eunsae looked astonished.

After giving him a few sips of water, she patted his back and rocked him until he fell asleep.

Then, she returned to the living room.

Belquior, sitting on the couch, glanced at her.

“You should eat too.”

“Oh, right. I will!”

Eunsae grinned.

Belquior said nothing more.

He simply opened his book and started reading.

 

 

 

****

 

 

 

Han Woori and Choi Mirinae had secretly flown to Japan.

Their mission—to track down one of the missing Japanese hunters.

A-rank hunter Oh Hyang-gi from Dochun Guild served as their guide.

Their journey took them to Saitama Prefecture, away from well-known cities.

The scenery was closer to rural farmland than a metropolis.

A rusty white signpost, half-hidden by weeds and barbed wire, barely marked their path.

Few cars passed by, and their final destination was a run-down apartment complex.

Hyang-gi knocked on the chipped, peeling door.

A long silence followed.

Finally, slow footsteps approached from inside.

The door creaked open.

A haggard man with lifeless eyes stared at them.

“Yamashita Yoshio?”

Hyang-gi translated.

The man responded hoarsely.

“Yes… that’s me.”

“We’re from Korea’s Dochun Guild. May we speak with you?”

“Hah… not sure what you expect to hear from a retired hunter, but… fine, come in.”

Inside, the stench of rot and decay filled the air.

Garbage piled up in mountains.

The foul smell of spoiled food made it almost unbearable.

It was the home of a man who had given up.

Hunters who could no longer fight often ended up this way—fading into obscurity.

Some took their own lives.

Others lived out their days in misery, like Yoshio.

But Woori and Mirinae showed no reaction.

They simply got to the point.

“Do you remember the three-nation Chinese-Korean-Japanese raid three years ago?”

Yoshio’s cracked lips twisted.

“…You mean the Thornwood Dungeon?”

His voice was rough and broken.

At the mention of the raid, his face contorted with pain.

“Yeah. That’s when my life fell apart. If I had never gone on that damn raid—”

“What do you mean?”

Yoshio laughed hollowly.

“Hah… I remember you now. You were there too, weren’t you?”

His dull eyes flickered.

“What, did something happen to a Korean hunter too? I knew it—I knew I wasn’t the only one. That would’ve been unfair. Do you have any idea what I did to survive that hell?!”

Woori and Mirinae frowned.

He was clearly not sane.

Life as a hunter had a dark side.

Once their bodies couldn’t keep up, they were discarded.

Those who thrived under the spotlight often couldn’t handle being forgotten.

Some took drastic measures.

And those who didn’t?

They ended up like Yoshio.

Mirinae spoke.

“You mentioned a problem. What happened to you after the raid?”

“Don’t play dumb!”

Yoshio sneered.

“That dungeon boss left a curse! It’s eating away at me— rotting my body, decaying my insides! Soon, I’ll cough up blood! I won’t be able to sleep! Every single day will be agony, and you’ll hate the entire world! And worst of all? There’s nothing you can do to stop it! Hah… Hahahaha!”

His laughter was shrill, filled with madness.

Woori’s expression hardened.

“You mean… this happened to someone else?”

Yoshio’s shoulders shook.

“Yeah. Miura.”

Woori and Mirinae exchanged looks.

Miura Kenichi.

One of the missing hunters.

Yoshio hunched over.

His voice, once empty, was now seething with rage.

“I should’ve never gone to that damn dungeon. Now it’s my turn. My turn!”

Mirinae hesitated, then asked—

“Is there any way to break the curse?”

“Ha! You think I’d still be rotting if there was?! If you know something, tell me! I can’t die like this! AAAAAGH!”

Yoshio screamed.

His mind was too far gone.

Deciding they couldn’t get any more useful information, Woori and Mirinae left with Hyang-gi.

Their expressions were grim.

The dungeon boss’s curse hadn’t only affected Eunsae.

But…

They had no way to fix it.

Woori ran a hand down his face.

“…Eunsae.”

Yoshio’s haunted screams echoed in his mind—

“Next is my turn. My turn!”

For some reason, those words wouldn’t leave his ears.

 

 

****

 

 

[Han Woori: I’ll be stopping by your house today.]

Eunsae stared at the message she received earlier that day.

She murmured, a little worried.

“He doesn’t sound like himself… Did something happen to Woori?”

It was a short and simple text, but she had known him long enough to read between the lines.

Hmm… Should I check with the others?

But she dismissed the thought.

She would find out soon enough.

“Baby, look here!”

Eunsae waved her hand, catching the baby’s attention.

The baby had been chewing on his toes, but at the sound of her voice, he paused.

“Ba! Bwaa!”

“Where’s Nuna? Peek-a-boo!”

“Heehee! Hahaha!”

The baby’s mouth opened wide in delight.

His pure, joyful laughter echoed through the house.

Eunsae repeated the game, hiding her face behind her hands before revealing it again.

From the side, Belquior watched, his expression unreadable.

His voice was flat.

“Why are you doing that?”

“Huh? Oh!”

She blinked at him before explaining.

“It helps with a baby’s development.”

“How?”

“Hmm… I think it improves their memory and focus?”

She had read it in a child development book.

Belquior nearly scoffed.

A dragon had no need for such things.

But since Eunsae seemed to enjoy it, he let it be.

Then, his head turned slightly.

“Someone’s here.”

Ding-dong.

Eunsae’s face brightened.

“It’s probably Woori! Could you watch the baby for a second? I’ll go open the door.”

She hurried off.

Belquior stood there, blinking slowly.

…Did she just leave my son in my care?

He looked down at the baby, who was blowing raspberries.

Drool dribbled down his chin.

Belquior let out a quiet sigh and wiped the baby’s mouth with a handkerchief.

For some reason, he felt strange.

Like something wasn’t quite right.

Meanwhile, Eunsae greeted Woori at the door.

“Woori! Come in!”

“Hey. How’ve you been? Where’s the baby?”

“With Belquior. Have you eaten?”

“I already did. But I brought sushi for you.”

“Ooh! Sushi! That sounds amazing.”

Eunsae happily accepted the shopping bag.

But then, Woori lowered his voice.

“I need to talk to… that dragon.”

Eunsae’s eyes widened slightly.

Then, they narrowed.

“You’re not going to pick another fight, are you?”

“No.”

She studied him for a second, then nodded.

“Alright. Give me a moment.”

She set the sushi on the table and went to find Belquior.

The dragon lifted a brow.

“What is it?”

“Woori wants to speak with you.”

“With me?”

Belquior found that unexpected.

Still, he stood up without complaint.

When he reached the entryway, Woori gave him a respectful bow before motioning outside.

“Let’s talk.”

“Where are you going?”

Eunsae tilted her head.

“Just for a moment. You eat first.”

She watched them step into the yard.

The glow of the outdoor lights cast long shadows over the ground.

After a brief silence, Woori spoke.

“I owe you an apology.”

Belquior made a noncommittal noise.

He had no real interest in human etiquette.

But then, Woori looked him directly in the eyes.

“Are you aware… that Eunsae is cursed?”

Belquior’s expression darkened.

What was this leading to?

Woori’s voice held the weight of deep concern.

“She was cursed during a raid. We’ve searched everywhere for a cure, but… there’s no easy answer.”

A heavy silence fell between them.

Then—

“If you know anything—anything at all—we beg you to help.”

Woori bowed deeply.

“Please. Eunsae doesn’t have much time left.”

His tone was desperate.

“And if you do… I’ll pay any price.”