Varen’s appetite was not something human strength could handle. Even if I combined the labor force of Leobin and Margon, the daily catch would be at most ten fish.
But I had a sturdier friend than those two idiots.
“Wow, Ella. You’re walking really well now.”
“Prrrrng.”
“I’m not heavy?”
“Prrr–rrrng.”
Ella, whose fractured femur had completely healed, readily became my legs. She even knelt down first to let me get on her back.
Kallen had been extremely jealous when I rode Ella. To be honest, I only set the splint—Kallen was the one who spent most of the time caring for her. Yet Ella never let Kallen ride her back.
Dragging a magical beast outside the management grounds would have drawn eyes, even for me. So I waited until it was late at night and slipped out into the mountains.
A full moon larger than the one on Earth lit the dark mountain path. Soon, I reached the upper stream of the valley.
“Ella, the red salmon. You know which ones, right? I’m counting on you.”
“Ehee-hee-hee-hee.”
Ella let out a pleased whinny. The crystal horn embedded in the center of her forehead began to glow faintly.
Tukuduk, tukuduk. While standing in place, she stamped her forelegs, and the ground slowly trembled.
The glow from the crystal horn grew brighter and brighter. It was now clearer than the full moon hanging in the sky.
At the same time, Ella’s forelegs moved more vigorously. Despite standing still, the sound of a galloping horse echoed.
The vibrations through the ground intensified and spread across the calm water’s surface.
Then, at the moment Ella raised her head and let out a long cry, the red salmon swimming underwater burst up to the surface all at once.
“That’s it! My baby, you’re doing great!!”
The salmon moved in sync with Ella’s gestures. They dove deep, floated up again, over and over.
At some point, the fish hung motionless in midair. Without me lifting a finger, they floated and neatly dropped themselves one by one into the sack.
Ella did not take her eyes off them until the very last fish. Only after completing the task did she exhale—piheeeuu—her gaze weakening.
“You did great! You’re the best! Aaaah—Ella!”
“Ehee-hee-hee-hee!”
The magical beast that resembled a unicorn, the Elphera, had telekinesis as its ability. It was a difficult beast to capture, so its power had gone unnoticed—until Kallen, who always paid close attention, discovered it.
Kallen only fed Ella carrots when she behaved. Then one day, the carrots stacked in the corner of the stable floated up into the air and drifted straight into Ella’s mouth.
Telekinesis was among the strongest and most useful abilities a magical beast could possess. Using such a revered ability to catch food for a dragon made me feel a little guilty.
“Ella, you’re the best. The smartest magical beast I know.”
I rubbed the long nape of her neck and offered her a treat. Her dewy eyes widened and she snorted excitedly.
Easy, easy. I soothed her and placed a sugar cube on my palm. This was a special trick I hadn’t shared with Kallen yet.
Ella flicked her long tongue and swept the treat away, munching it happily.
After she had caught so many salmon in just minutes, this much gratitude was the least I could do.
I hung the heavy sack over Ella’s back. This time, I decided to walk down myself.
As I scanned the area for traces, I saw him across the valley again.
The old man in white clothes and a straw hat.
“...Seriously, is he a ghost or what.”
The first time, I tried speaking to him. Once, curiosity won out and I crossed the river to approach.
But each time, the old man disappeared like smoke.
At first it was frightening, but after seeing him so often, he felt like an NPC—one of those characters who simply exist in one spot.
I walked away down the mountain trail, but something tugged at my mind and I stopped.
I took out the rice ball and walnuts I brought as my own snack. I spread a handkerchief on the ground and placed the food on it, then bowed toward the old man.
“Thanks to you, our household dragon is eating well. Thank you.”
The old man, as always, didn’t respond. Instead, Ella sniffed hungrily.
“Hey, this isn’t for you.”
Raised in a land of Confucianism and shamanism, I couldn’t help it.
Ghost, lingering spirit, mountain god—whatever he was. I was taking food from his land, so I had to pay the price.
***
With Ella’s efforts and my dedication combined, the dragon’s beauty grew day by day.
He'd always been beautiful, but now each of his scales gleamed, and the feathers on his back shone with a luster that rivaled Ella’s.
Exactly one week after his first humanization, Varen looked at me with serious eyes.
“I think I’m ready now.”
“Wait, I’m not ready yet.”
“What do you need to prepare for.”
“My heart.”
I probably wouldn’t see the dragon form again for a while. Maybe this would be the last time.
A vague melancholy welled up, so I took in every detail of him.
Goodbye, you adorable forepaws. Goodbye, round tummy. And... I really loved you, tail.
“Put on the clothes and come up. And don’t come out naked again.”
“Understood.”
“Phew, I’m nervous. I’ll go up first.”
He said controlling the heat surge during transformation was still difficult. I’d rolled across the rock walls last time and bruised myself for days.
So this time, I waited safely above ground. I also installed additional Lightstones along the stairs he’d climb.
A dragon with night vision didn’t need it—but it made me feel better.
The outside was lit by the same bright full moon. I chose the night for him, who’d spent his whole life underground.
I opened the wooden door wide and looked down the stairs. Soon, a wave of heat rushed upward.
For that heat from the fifth underground level to reach the surface—honestly, I was amazing for surviving that barefoot before.
Anyway, it seemed like he succeeded in humanizing again. Now I just had to hope he came up wearing clothes.
“Okay... you’ve got this. You can do it. Fighting.”
I chewed my lip, unable to stay still. My heart raced anxiously.
It was his first time wearing human clothes—would he put them on properly? There was only one path up—surely he wouldn’t get lost?
I felt like a parent watching a toddler walk near a river.
After some time, I heard footsteps from below.
“Please... please...”
The steps drew closer, no longer faint. Soon, Varen emerged. His golden hair shone under the moonlight, even brighter now.
“You did it! You even put the clothes on properly—you did so well.”
But right before the final step, Varen stopped. Even though he stood two steps below me, our eye level was nearly the same.
“......”
Varen in human form still felt unfamiliar. But the nervousness in his eyes was exactly the same as when he was a dragon. I couldn’t help but smile.
I held out my hand to the strange yet familiar man.
“Take my hand. Let’s go out together.”
Varen looked at me with his blue eyes. His broad shoulders rose with a deep breath, then he took my hand.
A human’s skin was, naturally, warm and soft.
Holding his hand, I stepped back, and Varen climbed the last step.
At last, Varen’s bare feet touched the grass.
“How is it? Being out in the world?”
Varen drew in a short breath, then exhaled. He looked at his own feet and wiggled his toes.
Then he lifted his head and looked up at the endless night sky. The Milky Way glittered above us as if blessing him.
A cool night breeze passed between us. His long golden hair rippled.
“...Beautiful.”
At the watery tone of his voice, I just smiled. Seeing Varen finally free and outside made me emotional too.
When I first saw the dragon, ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) I had vowed to free him—but I had constantly wrestled with doubt.
Could I really save a dragon? Could I really break those chains? No matter how firm my will, I hadn’t been certain.
“The world... is truly beautiful.”
It had been a long, anxious journey, but Varen’s happiness melted all the struggle.
Then I realized I was still holding his hand. Normally, holding hands with an adult man was unthinkable for me.
“Haha... I guess after touching you so much while you were a dragon, this just feels natural now.”
I swung our joined hands lightly and looked up at him. No matter the form, he was always big, so I had to look upward.
Varen, in turn, looked down. His blue eyes were warm despite their color, and his lips curved upward.
Just like when he was a dragon. Instinctively, my gaze dropped to his lips.
Those softly smiling lips leaned in toward mine. Without the slightest hesitation, they touched, then withdrew.
“......”
Wait. What just happened?
When a person is truly shocked, every thought stops. All that dramatic flailing in movies is a lie.
My smile froze where it had been. Varen, as if confirming, pressed his lips to mine again—firmly, then pulled back.
“......”
Be calm. Varen had no upbringing, no socialization. He was pure, blank—he didn’t know what this meant.
“...What did you just do?”
“Kissed.”
“...And why did you do that?”
Varen showed no embarrassment. Instead, he straightened proudly.
“Is it not natural to kiss something beautiful when you see it?”
