My Tamed Beast Returned with a Dragon Chapter 18 - Did the Son Show Filial Piety?

Eunsae didn’t notice our subtle reactions.

“Come and see it later. The tree with a bluish glow is really pretty.”

“Alright. Eunsae, if your condition suddenly gets worse, you have to tell us, okay?”

“Su~ure. Don’t worry too much.”

For a moment, Eunsae recalled collapsing a few days ago, but she quickly smiled as if nothing was wrong.

‘I’ll just say something if my condition gets worse later. I’ve been feeling fine these days anyway.’

We kept reminding her until the very last moment before ending the call.

 

 

****

 

 

 

Belquior returned to the volcanic region to meet Sanchez again. Just like last time, Sanchez was deep in sleep.

Seeing her slowly rise from the bed, Belquior frowned in disgust.

“You’re unbelievably lazy.”

“They say old people don’t need much sleep, so I must still be in my prime. Jealous?”

Sanchez smirked mischievously. Snap! With a flick of her fingers, her appearance became neat and polished.

Sanchez served Belquior some tea. Without even touching the steaming cup, he got straight to the point.

“Did you find out?”

“I did, but be honest—why do you want to know?”

Sanchez had no intention of giving him an easy answer. Belquior, who never left Yggdrasil’s side, had come all the way to her lair in person.

And out of nowhere, he was asking about a monster’s curse. There was no way a dragon like him had been cursed by a mere monster—there had to be someone else involved.

“That’s a useless question.”

“That’s for me to decide. Ahh~ The ever-mysterious Belquior. If you don’t tell me the truth, I won’t tell you anything~”

“……”

“What? What are you looking at? Eyes down~”

Belquior glared at Sanchez as if he wanted to kill her, but she didn’t even flinch.

With a sigh, Belquior finally spoke.

“What does it matter to you?”

“Concern and affection for my kin?”

“More like reckless curiosity.”

“I won’t deny it. So who is it? A woman? Is she pretty?”

Belquior muttered bitterly.

“This is exactly why I didn’t want to come here…”

“Oh, so Akeia was right? It’s a woman, isn’t it? You’ve got a woman now, don’t you?”

“No.”

Belquior considered how much he should reveal. Dragging this out would only give Sanchez more ammunition, so he decided to be direct.

“A human woman taking care of my son has been cursed. It’s a curse filled with resentment. So…”

“Whaaat? A human woman?!”

Sanchez jumped up, eyes widening as if they were about to pop out.

Her words sped up.

“How did you even get involved with a human woman? No human could possibly reach Yggdrasil. Wait, no—that’s not the point! Why is a human woman taking care of a hatchling?!”

“……”

“If you don’t tell me, you get nothing.”

Belquior felt a headache coming on. He wanted to turn around and leave the lair immediately.

But he knew that if he did, Sanchez—burning with curiosity—would chase after him.

Coming here had been a mistake. He realized that now.

“She’s not from this world.”

“Huh? Well, that’s unexpected. How did you meet her?”

“My son left the nest. I followed his trail, and she was there.”

Sanchez’s expression turned sly. She prodded Belquior with her finger.

“Well, well~ Your son did you a favor, didn’t he? Looks like he took action since his old man was about to die a lonely bachelor. Hey, this is great!”

“That’s not what happened.”

Belquior pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose. No matter how he explained, it seemed Sanchez wouldn’t hear it any differently.

Before she could twist his words any further, he steered the conversation back to the main topic.

“So, what’s the cure?”

“I checked, and wow, this is a mess. Are you planning to save her?”

“…For now.”

“The great Belquior going this far for a human woman! I need to tell the others immediately.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

Belquior grabbed Sanchez by the back of her neck as she tried to leave. But even so, he was willing to bet his left horn that all of their kin would know about this within a day.

Dragons, lazy and indifferent most of the time, were always quick with gossip.

Sanchez rubbed her hands together, intrigued.

“Never mind that—just bring me a few things.”

“Name them.”

“A generous 100 Tarantula Wraithstones.”

“…Are you talking about monsters? What do you mean by wraithstones?”

Belquior was already taken aback, but Sanchez wasn’t done.

“As many Zombie Tarantula Eggs as you can find. Chronos’s Tendon. Pandora Flowers. Oh, and bring an entire flower field for that one, since I need the extract.”

“……”

“Lastly, a Root of Yggdrasil. That should be easy for you, at least. So, what do you say? Gonna do it?”

There was a mischievous glint in Sanchez’s eyes. Belquior narrowed his own suspiciously.

“You’re not messing with me, are you?”

“Of course not. I know you sulk for ages when you get upset—why would I joke about this?”

Sanchez beamed at him.

Belquior wasn’t convinced, but he didn’t have much choice.

He mentally went over her list. Everything she asked for was difficult to obtain—not impossible, but tedious.

“…I’ll have to move quickly.”

“Looks like you’re getting some exercise, Belquior.”

Sanchez chuckled.

Tarantula Wraithstones were rare soulstones that didn’t drop every time a monster was slain—getting 100 of them would be no easy task.

Zombie Tarantula Eggs would be hard to find since it wasn’t their breeding season.

Chronos was a sea-dwelling monster, which meant Belquior would have to reveal his true form to reach the depths.

Pandora Flowers were infamous for their loud, incessant cries. They didn’t grow in normal areas—he’d have to search harsh environments like swamps, wastelands, or perilous terrains.

Belquior felt a growing sense of urgency.

“I’m leaving.”

“Hey! You’re just gonna go? At least tell me more about this human woman!”

“It’s not like that.”

Ignoring Sanchez’s grumbling, Belquior quickened his pace.

 

 

****

 

 

 

“I can’t quite reach it…”

Eunsae stood on her tiptoes, trying to take a pot down from the kitchen ceiling rack. But since it wasn’t used often, it had been pushed far back.

“Ah!”

She wobbled precariously—until a hand reached out from behind and steadied her.

Eunsae’s eyes widened as she found herself caught in a broad, firm embrace. Then, she broke into a bright smile.

“Father? When did you get here?”

“Just now. Were you trying to take this down?”

Belquior, without much expression, reached up and grabbed the pot she had been struggling with.

“Thank you. Please, have a seat.”

“Mm.”

Belquior sat on the living room sofa, watching as Eunsae moved about busily. She was preparing a special meal for the beasts, boiling meat with various medicinal herbs.

With the weather getting hotter, she wanted to make something nourishing. After setting the cooked meat aside to cool, Eunsae opened the dryer to take out some clothes.

“You’re going to fold those?”

“Huh? Oh, yes.”

Belquior casually waved a hand, casting a spell. Instantly, the baby clothes folded themselves neatly—much tidier than if Eunsae had done it herself.

“Oh… Um, thank you?”

“It’s nothing.”

Eunsae, puzzled, looked at him before reaching for the vacuum cleaner. But before she could even turn it on, Belquior’s magic swept through the entire house.

Not a speck of dust remained. Eunsae blinked in surprise as she glanced around the now-spotless home.

“Uh…”

“It’s done. You should focus on eating instead.”

Belquior clicked his tongue. Judging by the situation, she had likely been feeding the baby and the beasts while neglecting her own meals.

Unable to refuse his insistence, Eunsae finally decided to have a late breakfast—perhaps even lunch. She pulled out some side dishes from the fridge and scooped rice from the rice cooker.

Yet, as she did, she couldn’t shake the feeling that Belquior was acting a little different than usual. She tilted her head in thought just as she was about to take a bite.

“Tsk.”

Belquior made a disapproving sound. He glanced at the food she had set on the table and sighed.

“Do you really think that’s enough nutrition?”

“I might not look it, but I’m actually pretty sturdy.”

Belquior promptly took her spoon away.

“Wait here.”

“Huh?”

Without hesitation, he strode into the kitchen. Curious, Eunsae followed him to see what he was doing.

Belquior summoned various ingredients—meat, vegetables—out of thin air. Rolling up his sleeves, he washed his hands.

Eunsae stared at him, dumbfounded.

“What is that? How did you do that?”

“You’re making a mess. Just stand back.”

“I’ll be quiet. Can I at least watch?”

Realizing what he was about to do, Eunsae’s face lit up.

Belquior didn’t bother chasing her away as she hovered nearby.

Having closely observed her cooking in the past, he easily turned on the stove—though he adjusted the heat using magic.

Surprisingly, Belquior was skilled with a knife. His hands moved swiftly, expertly handling the ingredients.

He blotted excess blood from the meat with a dry cloth, trimmed the fat, and cut it into portions. Some he seasoned, while the rest he left raw.

The prepared meat was tossed into a pan, sizzling as he sprinkled in various seasonings. The marinated portion was stored in the fridge, with a note to cook it later.

Everything was done in a flash. No wasted movements.

“Wow…”

Eunsae was in awe.

In no time, Belquior had prepared a full meal and guided her back to the table.

“It’s simple, but eat.”

“You know how to cook?”

“When you live long enough, you learn to do just about everything.”

Eunsae picked up a piece of the golden-brown meat. Though the ingredients and spices were clearly from another world, the delicious aroma reassured her.

Besides, she doubted Belquior would serve her something inedible.

“Mmm! This is delicious. What kind of meat is this?”

“Unicorn stag. It’s the most common animal in the central continent.”

“Oh, wow. Thanks to you, I’m feasting today.”

At least it’s not a beast, she thought as she stuffed her cheeks with more food.

The meat was savory, full of umami. It had a tender texture, cooked to perfection.

Even someone like Eunsae, who had a small appetite, finished her plate clean.

“There’s something I’d like to ask. I want to meet that friend of yours.”

“Who? Woori?”

“That should be the one.”

Though puzzled, Eunsae immediately reached for her phone.

“Alright. I’ll call and ask her to come over.”