“Pyaa.”
The little white chick, still unable to fly properly, soon settled atop the head of the prone, sprawled-out imugi like a small lump of white cotton.
It was as if he had ended up with a fledgling perched on his head. ‘What the hell. Why is this baby bird so good at balancing?’ Dumbfounded, he swallowed a hollow laugh and spat out the grass stuck to the corner of his mouth.
Brushing off the dust with a few pats, he got up and looked at the white sphere before him. ‘I did bring this firefly-like fellow along, at least.’ [ㅇㅁㅇ;;;;;!!]
To Rai, this situation was beyond anything imaginable.
Not only had the hatchling used teleportation, one of the higher forms of magic, with precision, he had also come completely outside the lair.
“Kkyuuk.” ‘Hey. Calm down.’ [ㅇㅁㅇ!!;;]
Rai flew about wildly in a panic.
Unfortunately, the imugi was not especially skilled at comforting anyone, so he merely scratched one cheek and watched for a moment. ‘Christina used it so easily. Is this really that surprising?’ The fact that he, still only a young hatchling, had used movement magic he had never even been taught was more astonishing than expected.
Now that he thought about it, if it were natural for an ordinary hatchling to use movement magic, they probably would not have assigned only this one firefly to him. ‘Tch. It’s already been used, so there’s nothing I can do about it.’
Deciding it was better to think about what to do next than linger over something already done, he looked around to grasp the situation.
“Kkyuu……” ‘Where is this?’ The direction of Christina’s lair was clearly visible.
Though only the portion of the roof not hidden by trees could be seen, it was shaped like a golden, translucent dome.
Sensing that they were not very far from the lair, the imugi decided to walk around and survey the area.
Rai followed along in a fluster, not knowing what to do, while the little bird clung to the top of the imugi’s head like an ornament and began looking around.
Crunch, crunch.
Fresh flowers and dense trees grew as they pleased, yet they did not encroach upon one another and instead formed a harmony.
It seemed similar to the world he had lived in, yet was full of things that were different.
It looked like a dense jungle, but there was an orderliness to it like a garden.
For the imugi, who had originally lived in a place where not even a single blade of grass grew properly, it was an unfamiliar sight. ‘So this is what it’s like outside the lair.’
Everywhere he went, there were things alive and breathing. Grass, trees, small beasts, birds, and butterflies.
The imugi slowly inhaled, then exhaled just as slowly. ‘This land and the lair were connected like one part of nature.’
The lair was the center of an enormous mass of mana.
In other words, it was like a heart, and the surrounding land received mana from the lair to nurture life. ‘I more or less understand.’
Having grasped the situation, the imugi stretched to loosen his stiff body, and Rai looked at him in helpless anxiety.
“Pyaa—!”
The baby bird on the imugi’s head spread its wings and roared energetically.
Relishing the freshness of the outside air, it looked back at Rai and chirped in delight.
“Pyaat. Pya.” [ㅇㅅㅇ!]
Hearing that pure cry, Rai came back to his senses.
These were beings Christina had shown kindness to after so long.
Moreover, they were beings whose safety Christina had personally entrusted to Rai.
Rai wanted to protect them well and keep them safe.
Although the origin he sensed from the imugi was the sort that Rai, a light spirit, instinctively rejected, they were people Christina treasured.
Steeling himself, Rai shed a warm light and gently circled around the baby bird.
Then he flew ahead of the imugi and the baby bird, scattering a soft glow before them. [ㅇㅅㅇ~]
Rai took the lead to guide them in the direction of the lair. ‘That will-o’-the-wisp-like fellow seems to be telling us to go this way.’
The imugi glanced at Rai and began walking as the spirit guided him.
Though still clearly worried, Rai led them along the safest route possible.
The white baby bird, who had been watching him quietly, shook the single black feather sticking out from its plumage and let out a questioning cry toward the imugi.
“Pyabyat. Pya?”
The imugi intuitively read the bird’s intention as, “Is it okay to follow him?” and nodded.
“Kkyuu. Kkyu.”
“Ppyak.”
The bird answered succinctly and became docile.
He obediently followed Rai’s guidance while thinking, ‘If I’d intended to leave him behind from the beginning, I would’ve excluded Rai when using movement magic.’
If any problem arose during this outing, it was obvious that every single one of his actions would be restricted from now on.
So even if he went outside, he needed to show that he could follow Rai’s guidance and return properly.
It would be perfect if he could present himself as a clever hatchling who had the ability to use movement magic, yet did not recklessly wander far off alone and had good self-control. ‘Christina is capable. If she judges that a child she took in has talent above the standard, she’ll instead try to develop his abilities in that direction.’
Fortunately, Christina seemed to sincerely hope for the imugi’s well-being, so if he aimed for that, it seemed entirely possible.
Since he could also relieve his frustration and grasp the situation around the lair at the same time, it would be perfect as long as he returned home properly like this. ‘I’m worried I might handle it too intelligently and arouse suspicion.’
It was going smoothly.
But not everything went according to plan.
For example, one could suddenly face a crisis of death while trying to return home.
“Kkyu?” ‘Wait. What is this?’
The herb that caught the imugi’s eye as he walked through the forest had an exceptionally bitter yet unique scent.
It was what was called wild ginseng, or Korean ginseng.
And not just any ginseng, but a heaven-sown specimen, said to be seed bestowed by the heavens!
The imugi’s eyes widened, and he approached carefully to examine the wild ginseng. ‘……Amazing. As expected of something grown on a spiritual mountain, it’s incredibly numinous. The energy is different.’
Words of admiration kept rising in him. ‘Wouldn’t eating this help me recover my strength?’
At the sudden thought, his eyes blinked.
He swallowed and reached for the herb.
[ (ﾟДﾟ;≡;ﾟдﾟ) ]
Rai, as if horrified, blocked his hand and displayed an expression in light. ‘This firefly bastard?’
The imugi’s face crumpled at once.
Sensing his displeasure, the baby bird flapped into the air. [ (ﾟДﾟ;≡;ﾟдﾟ)! ]
Rai spun around wildly as if trying to restrain his hand.
He flashed his light and even moved rapidly in an X shape before the imugi’s eyes.
The imugi swiped with both hands to catch him, but he could not grab him at all. ‘This will-o’-the-wisp bastard, why is he so fast?’
When he ignored him and reached for the herb, Rai darted frantically back and forth in front of his face, displaying expressions in light. ‘Ugh. Annoying.’
When the imugi smacked Rai away with his hand, the sphere of light came flying in again with a ( ˃̣̣̥᷄⌓˂̣̣̥᷅ ) face.
At the same time, as if seizing the opportunity, the baby bird pushed off from the imugi’s head, leapt down, and crashed bodily into Rai.
“Pyaa!” ‘Good. Well done!’
Before Rai could interfere any further, the imugi pulled the herb out in one go.
Then, before anyone could stop him, he shook off the soil once and stuffed it into his mouth.
Crunch!
He could taste dirt, but thinking that the troublesome will-o’-the-wisp would give up once he had eaten it, he continued chewing in rapid succession.
Gulp. ‘Ugh. Tastes awful.’
But just as he, certain Rai could no longer interfere, was about to turn back triumphantly—
“Kkeuuh, kkwaaaaaaak!”
“……Kkuu?”
From the half-remaining herb burst a shrill scream that seemed ready to rupture his eardrums.
At the same time, nausea surged in him, and his head spun.
Feeling a terrible dizziness rise, he dropped the herb he had been holding.
“Guek. Kek. Kehek!”
“Pipipipi! Pyaaak! Pyaaak?”
The startled baby bird came running in panic, and Rai was at a loss, floundering helplessly.
“Kkiiiieeeek! Kyaaaaaaaaaaa!”
The herb root that had fallen to the ground screamed more and more madly, and he staggered, unable to keep himself upright. ‘Damn it. Was this not the heaven-sown ginseng I knew?’
The world began to spin dizzily.
Chapter 10. I Did Pull It Out, But
Even when he covered his ears with his own hands, the sound waves tore through his body.
It felt as if his blood and qi were twisting.
“……Kahak!”
Something had gone wrong.
He tried to vomit up what he had eaten, but nothing came out.
What he had pulled out was not wild ginseng, but a
It was indeed a spiritual herb, but one had to be prepared to die in order to obtain it.
Knowing this, Rai circled around in helpless distress. [ ( ˃̣̣̥᷄⌓˂̣̣̥᷅ )!!! ]
Rai cried out “Help!” with his entire body.
At the spirit’s desperate appeal, the surrounding grasses and distant animals glanced back for a moment, but there was no being capable of drowning out the mandragora’s scream.
“……Ugh.”
Just as the imugi collapsed, letting out a shallow breath and feeling that this might be the end—
Whoooooosh—
A wind blew.
“Kkiiiieee… eee……”
The wind sealed off the area around the shrieking mandragora with a wall of air.
At the same time, it wrapped the fallen imugi in a barrier of wind and protected him.
Within the tightening air pressure, the mandragora was placed in a vacuum.
The scream began to weaken.
After complete silence, only the quiet sound of wind remained.
All at once, the surrounding air suddenly became still.
There came a soft rustle of grass being lightly stepped on.
[ㅇㅁㅇ!]
“Pya……ak!”
The startled Rai and the baby bird, whose tear-wet eyes shone glossy, looked at the owner of the green hair.
The shadowed green eyes beneath his bangs were calm, as though empty.
The small fur ball attached to his hat and the bird feathers hanging from it like ornaments swayed together.
Standing there like a dark, black forest, he felt strangely out of place within Christina’s lair.
“……”
He looked at the imugi and silently rolled him over with his foot.
“Kek. Kehek.”
Then, once the imugi was lying faceup, he took a round pill from his breast and slipped it into his mouth.
Though the imugi did not chew or swallow it, the gel-like thing melted like water in his mouth and slid down his throat.
As the pain eased and the imugi came to his senses, he looked up at him.
“Kkyu……u.” ‘Who……?’
“……”
The one who had saved the imugi from danger silently turned away.
Feeling that his presence had vanished before he knew it, the imugi went limp without strength.
Cold sweat ran down him, but his body was slowly recovering.
***
Meanwhile, Christina was facing Pasiyas, a gigantic red dragon.
“It’s been a long time, Pasiyas.”
The massive stalactite cavern was filled by a red body with golden eyes. [Christina, is it?]
She had said it was a matter that had to be discussed in person, so a meeting had been arranged, but he did not know her business.
The reason he, an elder of the red dragons, had granted an audience to someone who had not even told him what the matter was, was because Christina was an elder of the gold dragons.
However, it was also true that there were parts of this he found displeasing.
Thanks to that, the attitude of Pasiyas, elder of the red dragons, was somewhat arrogant.
“Speak.”
Thud.
The cave, with stalactites rising throughout it, was vast and beautiful, but too cramped to hold two dragons in their true forms.
Christina, aware of this, did not assume her true form and instead sat upon a rock rising before Pasiyas.