He hid the empty bottle behind his back and clasped his hands there. Then, with a face full of wrinkles, he gave a slight tilt of his chin.
At that, Adeline’s body, which had been sprawled on the ground, trembled and rose into the air. The insects pulled out of her body shrank with squeaking, grating sounds before slipping back into the places they had emerged from.
Floating in midair, Adeline seemed to draw in the surrounding air. Small pebbles scattered across the ground were pulled upward and began circling around her.
One, two... Soon, more pebbles than could be counted lifted into the air, forming a dense, massive sphere that enclosed Adeline. It began to spin rapidly with a low, buzzing hum.
“Ah... Adeline... Lady Adeline!!”
Noance, still restrained by Morpha, screamed as he looked up at the sky.
Drunkard let his thin shoulders sag and shook his head slightly.
“I’m sorry, young man. There’s no Adeline in there.”
“No! Stop! Lady Adeline is still in there, she is! Please, stop!!”
Noance cried out toward Adeline, now floating five meters in the air. As he screamed for it to stop, Morpha, still holding him, looked toward Drunkard.
With a dark expression, Morpha gave a small nod. Though he wore a blindfold, somehow sensing the gaze, Drunkard snapped his fingers sharply into the air.
At once, the spherical shell around Adeline began spinning even faster. Not even a scream—no, not even a groan—escaped from within.
All strength drained from Noance’s body. Only then did Morpha release him. Noance collapsed to his knees on the dirt.
The Rebels stirred and gathered around. Some still floundered in shock, while others trembled with fear that the monster might rise again.
Even if it had been on the brink of death, Drunkard—who had subdued the Sarco in an instant—straightened his hunched back and looked around.
“Well, well. Are you just going to stand there and watch the forest burn?”
While everyone’s attention remained fixed at the center, the embers of Varen’s flames, not yet extinguished, flared up again. Sparks that had caught on the remaining cloth and branches were slowly gaining strength.
But not a single person moved to put out the fire. All of them only stared in silence at Adeline, trapped in the air.
Drunkard clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“So you leave all the dirty work to the old man.”
He turned and faced the collapsed tent. Then he gave a silent signal.
As if defying the desperate situation, dark clouds gathered in an instant across the once-clear sky. The clouds, clustering precisely above the Rebels’ base, began to release heavy raindrops.
As the rain poured down, signaling the end of the situation, I dropped back down to the ground. Even though my body had been cleanly healed, the lingering tension left my limbs trembling.
“Ugh... Ceryl....”
At that moment, Varen, awakened by the heavy rain, pushed himself upright.
I turned to look at him with unfocused eyes. The young dragon, still unable to grasp the situation, blinked his clear eyes.
“Ceryl, are you alright? That... that bug....”
At the sight of that clear, innocent face, emotions I couldn’t control surged up.
I didn’t even care that Kallen was sitting right beside me.
I threw my arms around Varen’s neck. Though confused, he naturally wrapped his arms around my waist in return, only to hesitate and stiffen, unable to tighten his grip.
Instead, he ran his large hands over my side and back, checking my condition. At the belated arrival of this dragon healer, I buried my face against his neck and let out a soft laugh.
“Oh my... I’ll go get an umbrella. You two have a nice—no, a comfortable time.”
Kallen hurriedly got to her feet. The sound of her small footsteps splashing through the mud faded into the distance.
After finishing his inspection, Varen carefully put some strength into his arms and gently pushed me away. He looked at me with a face full of worry.
“Ceryl, you were badly hurt. Are you really alright now?”
“......”
“Why aren’t you saying anything? Don’t tell me....”
I pressed my lips over his before he could finish.
Perhaps because of the sudden rain, his body temperature—warm, but not overwhelming—felt pleasant as it welcomed me.
***
I didn’t know when or where I had lost consciousness. With my eyes still closed, I slowly traced back my last memories as my mind cleared.
The ancient parasite wearing Adeline’s face had actually been the leader of the Rebels... I had nearly died, and Varen, Kallen, and Margon had saved me...
There had been a massive fire, then Drunkard appeared and rain fell... and then... I kissed Varen...
“Mm....”
Am I still dreaming? My last memory overlapped with my current state.
What was moving softly inside my mouth was unmistakably Varen.
However much he had already fed me, the dragon’s saliva flowing into me was so sweet it made my tongue ache.
Slowly regaining my senses, I lifted my hand from where it had been resting neatly. When I lightly brushed Varen’s cheek, our wet lips parted with a soft sound.
I opened my heavy eyelids. A smile came naturally at the sight of his familiar face.
“Varen, are you alright?”
“Ceryl, are you alright?”
The moment I opened my eyes, we both asked the same question at once. We stared ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) at each other with blank expressions for a moment, then let out breathy laughter and pressed our lips together again.
We smiled as we kissed, sucked at each other’s lips, whispered softly, and tangled our tongues. By now, kissing Varen felt as natural as breathing.
Only after a long while of sweet kisses did I grab his cheek and push him away. Though his eyes showed faint displeasure, Varen obediently pulled back.
Even though I had recovered plenty of strength, he still helped support me as I sat up. Only after adjusting my posture did I take in my surroundings.
I slowly turned my head, looking around. It was an unfamiliar place—a modestly sized tent. The bed I lay on was also unfamiliar.
It was large enough for two adults to roll around comfortably, and its soft cushioning was something I had never seen in the Rebels’ base. A soft blanket from Beljena was spread over it.
Varen, who had sat up with me, carefully brushed my hair aside. His thick fingers lingered over the ends, as if bothered by the singed strands.
“Varen, where are we?”
“We’re still inside the Rebels’ base. This is a space that old mage made.”
“There were beds like this?”
“That old man is quite calculating. He handed over this bed and took ten more bottles of liquor in return.”
At the absurd trade, I covered my forehead and laughed out loud. Listening to Varen, the horrific events of today almost felt like a midsummer daydream.
My laughter gradually faded. When I lifted my head again, my expression had hardened.
“What happened to Adeline...?”
As if he disliked even hearing the name now, Varen frowned. Still, he answered immediately.
“The old mage turned her to dust. She’s completely dead.”
“Ah....”
“Tch, that damn bug. Using every filthy trick it could.”
Varen took my hand and stroked it carefully. He ran his fingers over my wrist—now perfectly intact, without even a bruise—again and again, still seething under his breath.
“That damn bug wasn’t even anything special.”
“Yeah. If I hadn’t been caught, you wouldn’t have been put in danger either.”
“What are you talking about, Ceryl? It’s my fault for not protecting you properly. I should have burned it until not even ash remained.”
Watching him grind his teeth as he spoke, I let out a quiet laugh.
There had been countless shocking moments, but a few scenes remained vividly etched in my mind.
Holding me as I lay gravely wounded, barely breathing, Varen—still in human form—had begun showing the traits of a dragon.
Back then, he had lost all reason. Nothing he said could reach him. He had been consumed solely by the urge for revenge, to burn the entire world.
That must have been what Varen was like in the original story. A mad dragon drunk on slaughter. The Dravergh who burned half the world.
I lifted my free hand and gently cupped Varen’s cheek. My thumb brushed over his skin, now smooth and free of any trace of scales.
At that, Varen leaned into my palm, rubbing his cheek against it. Like a dog seeking affection.
“Varen, are you going to set things on fire like that again?”
“......”
“You’d been so calm lately. You almost burned the entire forest again.”
I spoke as gently as I could, but Varen immediately wilted, his face falling. He wore that familiar expression—one that made it impossible for me to truly get angry—and glanced up at me cautiously.
“I’m sorry. I thought I might lose you... I couldn’t bear it.”
Since meeting Varen, this was already the third time.
The third time he had lost control and set everything ablaze because of me.
Before, I would have scolded him harshly and told him never to do it again. But now, the words wouldn’t come so easily.
I quietly stroked his cheek as he sat there subdued. After feeling that soft skin again and again, I finally spoke in a dry voice.
“I understand. If I were to lose you... I think I’d do anything too.”
