My Tamed Beast Returned with a Dragon – Chapter 26 – Our Baby Has Changed

Author: Aster

The first to notice the change in the baby’s presence was Belquior. As soon as the baby realized Eunsae wasn’t beside them, they effortlessly flipped over.

Wriggling, the baby pushed themselves up and sat on their bottom. Having completed their first awakening, the baby had suddenly grown into the form of a three-year-old child.

Plump, fair cheeks. Their wavy sky-blue hair remained unchanged.

Large eyes framed by long fluttering eyelashes. With their overall pale complexion, the child looked like a mirage that would disappear if touched—mystical and otherworldly.

“Nyuna.”

Eunsae was still fast asleep in Belquior’s arms. The baby wasn’t pleased about that.

“Nyuna!”

“Don’t wake her.”

Belquior sternly warned. The baby’s face crumpled as if they were about to cry.

“Mm… Huh?”

“Nyuna!”

Eunsae woke at the sound of the unfamiliar yet familiar voice.

She bolted upright. Belquior clicked his tongue, regretting the loss of warmth.

“Baby…? Are you really our baby?”

The child crawled over and eagerly reached out with tiny hands. Their movements were just like the baby Eunsae remembered, making her break into a bright smile.

“Baby! Are you okay now? Does it still hurt?”

“Hehe, no.”

As Eunsae hugged the child, they rested their head against her.

Thump, thump.

She could hear their heartbeat. The child felt at peace.

Eunsae held the small body, still slightly feverish, unsure of what to do. Their soft, chubby cheeks were so tempting that she wanted to nibble on them.

Their delicate features, already sharp and well-defined like Belquior’s, hinted at their growing beauty.

“Why did you grow up so fast? And you can talk now? You’re still adorable. Our baby is the best. You did so well.”

“Hehe. I was sick. But Nyuna kept saying it’s okay, it’s okay, so I held on.”

“You heard that? Our baby is amazing. A genius.”

Unable to resist, Eunsae showered the child’s cheeks with kisses. The baby burst into laughter, squirming in delight.

Belquior approached and asked,

“How do you feel?”

“Nyuna, look!”

The child, nodding at Belquior’s question, tugged at Eunsae’s sleeve to get her attention.

They released their magic. A beautiful, golden-yellow light, like blooming forsythia, enveloped their small body. And then—

Poof!

[I can do this form too!]

A tiny dragon with sky-blue scales soared into the air. Their wings were still small compared to their body, requiring rapid flaps to stay airborne, but they looked incredibly proud and majestic.

At least, to Eunsae, they did. Her eyes shimmered with awe.

“A dragon! Your scales glisten like pebbles in the sunlight. I don’t think there’s a dragon as beautiful as you.”

The adorable little dragon landed on her shoulder, pressing their round snout against her cheek.

Eunsae, delighting in their new form, suddenly darkened.

“But… does this mean you’re leaving now?”

Belquior looked at her as if puzzled by the question.

“You said you’d stay only until the baby awakened as a dragon…”

[No! I’m not going. I won’t leave.]

The baby dragon clung to Eunsae’s head with their chubby front paws, completely obscuring her vision.

Belquior gently pried their wings off Eunsae. The little dragon bared their tiny teeth and wagged their tail in protest.

Belquior frowned.

“You really intend to stay?”

[I want to stay with Nyuna. If someone has to leave, Daddy can go alone.]

“That’s not an option.”

[Why not?!]

Belquior scoffed, amused by the baby dragon’s defiance. His voice dropped, carrying the weight of undeniable authority.

“Eunsae is human. You understand that, don’t you?”

[…]

“And yet, you still want to stay with her?”

There was a deeper meaning behind his words. Dragons, the supreme apex predators of the natural world, did not coexist with others.

Even a young dragon instinctively understood the difference between their kind and other species.

[I want to stay with Nyuna…]

The baby dragon buried their face in their front paws, letting out sorrowful tears. Eunsae fidgeted, unable to watch them cry.

Sigh.

Belquior let out a deep breath.

“Eunsae.”

“Yes?!”

“I’ll take the baby to Yggdrasil.”

“You mean…?”

Eunsae clutched her chest, her hands trembling.

“If I try to stop them, they’ll just find their way back. It’s better to let them stay.”

“Belquior…!”

Eunsae practically leaped in joy, barely containing her excitement.

‘Now that I think about it, Belquior is always weak when it comes to the baby.’

Freed from Belquior’s grip, the baby dragon grabbed Eunsae’s hands and twirled around with her. Their faces lit up with radiant smiles.

“Baby, let’s take a picture! I want to keep this memory.”

Eunsae pulled out her phone and activated the camera. The baby dragon immediately snuggled up to her, striking all sorts of poses.

They were a natural model.

“Belquior, you should join too!”

“I…”

“Can’t you?”

When Eunsae made a pleading face, Belquior couldn’t refuse.

After a long photo session, the baby dragon was finally led away by their father to the world of the World Tree.

The backyard, once bustling, was now empty except for the softly glowing Yggdrasil.

“They’re gone…”

The once lively house was now silent. The beasts surrounding Eunsae gathered to comfort her sense of loss.

“It’s okay! They promised they’d be back soon!”

It wasn’t a permanent farewell.

That was enough for Eunsae to wait forever.

****

Eunsae returned to the guild for the first time in a while.

The rumors about her supposed marriage hadn’t completely died down, but now that the curse was lifted, there was no reason for an S-rank hunter like her to avoid going out.

As soon as she showed up, reporters swarmed her. However, the bodyguard accompanying her, Dodari, let out a deep growl and effortlessly drove them all away.

Inside the guild, Eunsae also became the center of attention. She was used to this, though, so she ignored it and headed straight for the guildmaster’s office.

Woori looked up in surprise.

“Eunsae, is something wrong?”

“Hmm. I guess you could say something is, or isn’t.”

Eunsae scratched her cheek.

“Yoo Eunsae, are you here?!”

Before she could answer, friends who had heard the news of her arrival started pouring in.

Woori grumbled about his office turning into their playground, but no one paid him any attention.

“What about the baby? You came alone?”

“The baby went through their first awakening!”

Mirinae’s eyes widened.

“Already? That’s earlier than expected.”

“Yeah. Wanna see pictures? They’re so cute in dragon form. They even call me ‘Noona.’”

Eunsae proudly pulled out her phone. Since it was too small for everyone to see, she sent the photos to their group chat instead.

Ding ding ding ding ding!

A flood of notifications rang out as the pictures kept coming. Her friends looked overwhelmed.

Still, they couldn’t hide their curiosity at the sight of an otherworldly dragon.

“So this is a dragon…”

“Eunsae, you’ve never seen the father dragon’s true form, right?”

“Nope. I’m curious, though. How big and majestic must he be? He must be more imposing than any beast out there.”

“There it is. Yoo Eunsae’s signature look.”

As a monster tamer, Eunsae often wore an enraptured expression whenever she encountered a creature that fit her ideals. And dragons, after all, were still beasts.

Seo Inchan hesitantly asked,

“But… are you okay? The baby isn’t gone for good, is he?”

“Huh? No.”

“What?”

“They said they’d come back. The baby wants to stay with me. So now I have to buy new baby supplies.”

Eunsae buried her face in her phone, scrolling through an online store.

Sol turned to Mirinae and covered her mouth with her hand.

“This is suspicious. That dragon actually agreed to that?”

“You don’t think… that dragon’s fallen for Eunsae?”

“Pfft! No way!”

Her friends burst into laughter—until they suddenly froze.

“Wait a minute…”

A troubling thought crossed their minds, but they quickly dismissed it. It was too ridiculous to be true.

Knock knock.

“Guildmaster.”

It was Woori’s secretary.

“A package from China has arrived.”

“Bring it in.”

The secretary set down a heavily sealed box on the table before leaving. Eunsae looked at it with curiosity.

“What’s this?”

“A beast egg we received as compensation from our last mission in China. You take it.”

“Me?”

Hearing the words beast egg, Eunsae’s eyes lit up. She eagerly unwrapped the package, revealing a large, ostrich-sized egg with a faint pink hue.

“Did they say which dungeon it came from?”

“The Spring Tower Dungeon.”

“They gave you something from there? That’s a big deal.”

Eunsae was surprised. The Spring Tower Dungeon was where China’s most symbolic beast of the post-cataclysm era, Chuntian de Yaoqing, had first appeared.

Since it had been discovered in China, it naturally had a Chinese name.

“Think you can hatch it?”

“Not sure. I’ll have to do some research… but wouldn’t it be a problem if I did?”

“No. We have official ownership transfer documents.”

“Well, in that case…”

“But Chinese officials are notorious for going back on their word. Stay sharp, Guildmaster.”

Woori nodded at Yuhwa’s warning.

“I’ll have countermeasures in place.”

Sol stretched with a grin and turned to Eunsae.

“Anyway, enough about the egg. The curse is gone, so Yoo Eunsae, it’s time for you to get back into the dungeons.”

“Me?”

“Yes! How long are you going to sit around doing nothing as an S-rank hunter? The baby’s not here, so go work!”