My Tamed Beast Returned with a Dragon Chapter 22 - They're Acting Super Suspicious

“What do you mean?”

“The place we’re heading to isn’t somewhere humans can survive easily. So you need to prepare.”

Belquior pushed something round like a pill into Eunsae’s mouth as she held the baby. Not knowing what it was, Eunsae just accepted it and ate it.

Munch, munch… It had a strong grassy taste. Only after swallowing it did Eunsae ask what it was.

“What is this?”

“Naehwan Yeondan. It’s an elixir that boosts energy and opens up your physical abilities to the max.”

“There’s something that magical?”

“And also…”

Belquior drew a symbol on Eunsae’s forehead with magic. Looking closely, it was a magic circle.

“It will protect you from the heat of lava and the harmful environment.”

“Lava… Are we going to a volcano?”

“Yes. It’s the lair of one of my kind.”

Eunsae’s mouth formed a perfect “O.” If it was one of Belquior’s kind, it had to be a dragon.

Another dragon… What would it look like? Would it look human like Belquior? How strong would it be?

Curiosity and anticipation bubbled up. Seeing Eunsae’s excited face, Belquior scolded her.

“Do you not realize you’re going to remove a curse?”

“Oh, right. Is that person going to help us? I should thank them.”

“More importantly… never mind. I forgot how you are.”

Belquior brushed his face with a hand. Even in another world, Eunsae was bold and cheerful.

Belquior gently pulled Eunsae toward him. A teleportation magic circle spread beneath their feet.

[Come back safely.]

“We’ll be back!”

Eunsae cheerfully lifted the baby’s hand to wave, and Belquior gave a slight nod.

The group was wrapped in light.

“Wow… it really is a volcano.”

Eunsae looked around and muttered blankly. A protective shield was active, but the wave of heat and awful smell still hit her.

There had been volcanic terrains in dungeons too. But it was her first time this deep inside.

Just before entering the lair, Belquior spoke quietly.

“Whatever my kin says, just let it pass. Talking nonsense is their specialty.”

“Okay!”

Eunsae steeled herself. This was a dragon even S-class hunters couldn’t handle.

The apex predator of nature. She couldn’t even begin to imagine how insignificant humans must seem to them.

Belquior being kind to Eunsae was the strange part. With a determined look, Eunsae stepped into the lair.

“Oh my, oh my, oh my, it’s really a human girl!”

That was the first thing Eunsae heard. She was momentarily speechless.

She couldn’t take her eyes off the beautiful woman in front of her. Eunsae covered her mouth in awe.

‘All dragons are so pretty and cool…’

Hair the color of a deep blue night sky. A black dress flowing down to her ankles that hugged her curves.

Long, graceful limbs and huge ruby-like eyes that sparkled.

Her looks were naturally eye-catching. Her pupils thinned into slits like a reptile’s.

“You’re the human Belquior mentioned! What’s your name?”

“Yo-Yoo Eunsae…”

“The one in your arms is Belquior’s son? First time seeing something like this. Did you maybe put on perfume that dragons like? Hatchlings don’t usually let others hold them.”

Sanchez chattered away. The baby showed discomfort at the strong presence it was sensing for the first time.

Baekhap got scared and burrowed into Eunsae’s clothes. Flustered, Eunsae looked at Belquior.

Belquior pushed Sanchez’s head back as she got too close to Eunsae.

“This is Sanchez. The dragon of secret arts.”

“That’s right! I really wanted to meet you. Belquior’s mate!”

“Huh? Mate…? Who?”

“Nonsense. Sanchez, shut that mouth.”

Belquior let out pressure as he growled. Sanchez casually ignored the threat and gave a mischievous smile.

“Oh, not yet? Got it. Heehee!”

Eunsae was confused. Sanchez’s reaction was milder than expected, and Eunsae couldn’t make sense of her words.

“You’re under the Arachne curse, right? Poor thing. No time to waste, so let’s get this over with. Hatchling over there, you this way. Oh my, what a cute little creature! But in the way. Only the human should follow me.”

Sanchez snatched the baby from Eunsae and handed him to Belquior, tossing Baekhap to him too. As Eunsae was being dragged by the wrist, she looked back.

“Waaah, ma! Abububu, hwaaah!”

The baby whimpered. Baekhap, coiled around Belquior’s head, had trembling eyes.

Suddenly, Eunsae thought the scene was kind of funny. She waved her free hand.

“I’ll be right back. Just wait a little.”

Sanchez led Eunsae into a big room. Slam! The door shut, sealing them off from the outside.

Eunsae swallowed hard. She was alone with a dragon she didn’t know.

But contrary to her tension, Sanchez hummed cheerfully and moved busily.

“Shall we have some tea first?”

“Uh, tea?”

“It’s the polite thing to do when meeting someone for the first time. Hehe.”

With a gesture, a table and chairs appeared. A steaming teapot flew over and poured tea into cups.

Eunsae watched in wonder. Like she was meeting an old friend, Sanchez began chatting.

“When Belquior first talked about you, I didn’t believe it. That neat freak with a woman? A human woman at that? All the dragons said it made no sense. But he really brought you.”

“Haha… is that so.”

Eunsae tilted her head. Neat freak? Belquior?

Sanchez let out an exaggerated sigh.

“Not sure if you know, but everyone was super worried that Belquior hadn’t found a mate at his age. A dragon growing old alone? How shameful! But I’m glad he finally met someone. Please take good care of Belquior.”

“Um, what exactly is a mate?”

“A dragon’s partner. Soul’s other half. Center of the world. And you.”

“Me? Why me…? Belquior-nim never mentioned anything like that.”

Sanchez tapped her fingertips together with a sly smile. She recalled a conversation she had with Archaea, the dragon of prophecy.

“Belquior must be unsure too. It’s his first time, so he’s probably confused. Hey, human. Just the fact that you’re here is incredibly special. Asking a fellow dragon to lift a curse for a mere human? You don’t know how huge that is because you don’t understand dragons.”

Dragons were selfish. And arrogant.

They never sacrificed or cooperated. Their pride wouldn’t allow it.

Belquior’s recent actions were shocking enough to make dragons who’d known him for thousands of years faint.

He even used the World Tree’s essence to have an heir because he didn’t want to touch anyone but his mate. Though he seemed to think he was just being moody…

He was unconsciously drawn—to this human girl in front of him. Sanchez figured she had to help her clueless kin.

“Drink. It’s tea brewed with good herbs. Very healthy.”

Sanchez pushed the cup toward her and urged her. Eunsae hurriedly took a sip.

‘Ugh, bitter…’

But she couldn’t show it. Eunsae awkwardly smiled and emptied the cup.

“Thank you for the tea. What do I need to do now?”

“Nothing. Just take a good nap.”

Suddenly, Eunsae’s vision spun. Drowsiness hit her like a wave.

Right before she fell asleep, she faintly heard Sanchez’s voice.

“Sweet dreams, dear.”

 

 

****

 

 

“I seriously can’t with Yoo Eunsae. That walking disaster!”

Sol fumed, clutching Eunsae’s phone that had been unreachable for days. Next to her, Yuha wore a look of zen-like resignation, and Woori was stroking the neck of the magical beast Haneuli as a form of animal therapy.

“Just leave her alone until she reaches out first. What else can we do?”

“I don’t trust that dragon. I’ve got a feeling he’s just gonna snatch Eunsae and bolt off to his world.”

“No way… Even if Eunsae’s a bit dense, she wouldn’t let that happen so easily.”

They were currently on a business trip in Hunan, China. Deputy Guildmaster Mirinae and Inchan had stayed back in Korea, while Woori, Sol, Yuha, and A-rank hunters Oh Hyang-gi and Bae Jinhyuk were part of the team here.

Only Haneul the magical beast had been brought along— the rest were left at the guild. Eunsae’s house was being watched over by guild members.

With all the A-rank hunters gathered, Woori clapped to get everyone’s attention.

“Let’s stay sharp and not mess up today. We can’t afford to be underestimated by the Chinese hunters.”

The dungeon they were tackling today was S++ rank. High-grade dungeons were erupting all across China at the same time, and there was a shortage of top-ranking hunters.

Though to be fair, it wasn’t so much a shortage of hunters as it was guild conflicts and political fights that were delaying raids.

The team traveled by car to the dungeon site. Hunters from the Qinghua Guild, who had arrived first, came to greet the Dochun Guild members.

“It’s been a while, Guildmaster Han Woori.”

“Guildmaster Yoo Gilseon, good to see you.”

The conversation was held in Chinese. Most of the selected guild members this time could speak the language.

“Thank you for coming all this way. I’m glad our cooperation can strengthen the relationship between China and Korea.”

“With a request coming from none other than the Qinghua Guild, of course we had to come.”

Woori and Yoo Gilseon shook hands, exchanging businesslike smiles. Yoo Gilseon scanned the Dochun faces and tilted his head slightly.

“By the way… how has Hunter Yoo Eunsae been doing lately? She’s not part of this operation either, and she’s been absent from public appearances for some time.”

“Hunter Yoo Eunsae is taking a break from active duty due to personal reasons. She should be back soon depending on how things go.”

At that, Yoo Gilseon’s expression subtly shifted. He stroked his chin.

“I see… I hope it’s nothing serious.”

“Thanks for your concern.”

Yoo Gilseon gathered the hunters and gave a quick overview of the raid plan.

Sol quietly crept up to Woori and whispered into her ear.

“Hey, hey. Guildmaster. They’re acting super shady. Who do they think they are asking about Eunsae like that?”

“Keep it down.”

“It was fishy from the moment they singled out Eunsae by name. Something’s definitely up. And the reward? They’re offering some weird magical beast egg.”

“There’s nothing up. Just stay quiet, will you?”

Even as she said that, Woori couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling settling in.