Should I punch him?
Between me, who just got kissed by Varen, and Varen, who’d get punched by me—who would be more shocked?
“...No. Don’t.”
The imagined punch had already landed squarely on his smug face in my mind, but I restrained myself—like a proper adult.
Mostly because I’d just remembered that that awful, skin-crawling line about beauty had come out of my mouth.
“Why? You kissed me first.”
Right. This is why people say you shouldn’t even drink cold water around kids—they’ll twist everything.
“That was when you were in dragon form.”
“Do humans not kiss when they’re both human?”
“It’s not that. It’s that men don’t kiss men.”
“Why not? What does gender have to do with beauty?”
The way he latched onto words and kept digging was exactly like a grade-school boy. I’d thought he was at least adolescent, but maybe his mental age was even lower.
And really, I couldn’t start explaining the meaning of kissing, or launch into a discussion of species and gender, to a kid like that.
I just waved my hand dismissively. Meaning: I’ll let it slide this once.
“Enough. Don’t do it again.”
“But you did—”
“Hey, that was on your tail.”
Varen’s thick eyebrows twitched. His golden eyes lit up, as if he’d just had a revelation.
“Ah. The tail.”
“...”
“What if there’s no tail?”
“You little—!”
My patience snapped the instant his gaze drifted downward toward my backside.
I ended up grabbing him by the hair. It was long enough to reach his waist—nice and easy to grip.
“L-let go!”
“Are you insane? What kind of freak licks his lips while staring at someone’s ass?”
“I didn’t lick my—let go, Ceryl!”
Every night, I’d dreamed of the moment Varen would finally step into the world above. I’d imagined something beautiful, even holy.
“Touch me one more time and see what happens.”
“It wasn’t my hand. It was my lips—”
“Don’t talk back!”
“....”
Reality was just a dragon with his hair in my fist, and me, panting with fury.
***
The underground cell where the dragon had been kept was far too close to the Facility, and the area where the monster corpses had been dumped was within the administrators’ patrol range. We needed somewhere deeper, more hidden.
Without a word, we climbed the mountain. Varen kept glancing at me at first, then got distracted by the scenery, eyes tracing the beauty of it all.
By the time we’d been hiking a while, my anger had cooled. I felt almost embarrassed—had I really lost my temper over something a child did without thinking?
“Ahem. You’re not hungry, are you?”
“No.”
“Good. That’s a relief.”
Of course the first thing out of my mouth was about food. Varen was built like a tree trunk; even from the side, his torso looked as thick as a log.
And yet, every time I saw him, I wanted to feed him. The thought of that six-month fast after refusing corpse meat was burned into my brain.
We arrived at a wide, treeless plain. It had taken a week of scouring the mountains to find a place like this after Varen learned to humanize.
“If you transform here, you might hurt yourself on the trees.”
“I wouldn’t be hurt. The trees would break.”
...Fair point.
The field was carpeted with soft green grass and low wildflowers. I dropped down in the middle, and Varen sat beside me.
He looked up at the full moon in silence. I watched his profile instead. Human or not, he was beautiful—handsome enough that it made you hesitate to speak.
Then my gaze fell to his bare feet. We’d never found shoes big enough for feet like those—aircraft-carrier size, basically.
Sending him off barefoot bothered me more than I wanted to admit.
“When they notice you’re gone, the Facility staff will start searching.”
“I know.”
“This is near the border. The central defense troops are stationed nearby, and there are dragon hunters in the forest.”
“Dragon hunters?”
“Yeah. The bounty for capturing a dragon is enormous.”
Varen frowned, exhaling softly. He’d thought leaving the basement would be the end of it, but the road ahead was long.
“Your true form stands out too much. You’ll be spotted right away. It’s safer to travel in this form until you reach a secure place.”
“Humanization doesn’t last. I’m barely holding it now.”
“I figured as much.”
A young dragon had to pour all his mana into becoming human. It was unstable, and the duration was short—an obvious problem for a long escape.
There was only one place Varen could go: the Belzena Mountain Range, home of the Dravergh Clan.
Even for a dragon, it was a week’s flight.
I pointed at the brightest star in the night sky.
“Follow that one. It points northwest.”
“Got it.”
“Tonight’s your golden time. Don’t stop—fly as far as you can. Once you reach the Silvern Plateau, the Facility staff won’t be able to chase you.”
He followed my finger to the star, then looked back at me. It was only the second time I’d seen his human face, yet his eyes were the same as his dragon’s—familiar, not strange at all.
“Humans use guns and harpoons. Stay high. Hide yourself in the clouds.”
“...”
“And listen carefully.”
This was the important part. I sighed, my chest heavy.
I didn’t want to send my dragon into danger. But the fate of the Dravergh couldn’t be escaped.
“Soon, humans will start another war. They’ll march on the Belzena Mountains. When that happens, you have to protect the monsters. Understood?”
The longer I spoke, the darker Varen’s expression grew. I forced a teasing smile at the sorrow pooling in his eyes.
“Hey. You hear me? Understood?”
“You really won’t come with me?”
For someone that size, his tone was full of sulky complaint. I couldn’t help laughing. I reached out to smooth the hair I’d messed up earlier.
“I told you, I can’t go with you.”
“...”
“I’ve saved the most pitiful monster in the Facility. Now it’s time to save the rest.”
Once they realized he’d escaped, I’d be named the culprit. There’d be no excuse this time—execution, guaranteed.
But there were over twenty species of monsters in the Facility, more than a hundred individuals total. Most were injured or sick.
Without modern equipment, even healing one required time and care. I couldn’t abandon them just to save myself.
My second life’s goal had been to free Varen. Now that I’d done it, I’d decided to spend the rest of it saving as many more as I could before I died.
“Come on. Get up. You’ve got a long way to go.”
I dusted myself off and stood. Varen sat there, sullen. When I smiled and offered my hand, he reluctantly took it.
“Fly fast, high, and far.”
“...Can I really do it?”
“Of course you can.”
He hadn’t yet awakened his full power, but Varen Dravergh was the strongest dragon of all. He could fly for days without rest and reach the Belzena Mountains safely.
I patted his shoulder twice and turned away, hurrying out of range.
I ran to the far edge of the field and ducked behind the thickest tree. A wave of searing heat blasted past, branches clashing in the wind.
When the air finally settled, I looked again.
Where the tall man had stood, a dragon now filled the moonlit field—scales gleaming ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) so beautifully I almost cried.
That would be the last time I ever saw him like this. I sprinted back to him with all my strength.
“Wow. You look even better out here!”
I threw my arms around his foreleg, rubbing my face against the scales. Varen stayed still and let me.
“Ceryl, want a ride on my tail?”
“Yes! Please!”
Unbelievable. Usually I had to roll on the ground like a fool before he’d agree, but he was being generous tonight—one last service.
I wrapped my arms and legs around the tip of his tail, and it lifted me gently into the air. We looped and circled again and again.
Each time, I felt like a kid. Not even my dad had ever given me an airplane ride—but a dragon had. I couldn’t imagine a luckier life.
When the final ride ended, Varen set me softly down and lowered his long neck until his face was level with mine.
“When I’ve regained all my strength, I’ll come back.”
He’d found his identity, yes, but he was still a child—he had to learn how to use a dragon’s power.
I could catch salmon, pick flowers, read letters for him.
But I couldn’t teach him how to breathe fire or cast magic.
“I’ll wait for you.”
“It won’t take long.”
“Of course not. Whose kid are you?”
“Child of Ordin and Neira.”
My kid, obviously.
Remembering his parents’ names was something to celebrate, but I couldn’t help feeling a little miffed.
This was truly goodbye. I hugged his muzzle, stroked the bridge of his nose, and scratched under his chin where he loved it most. Instead of telling me to stop, he wagged his tail so hard it whumped the air.
“Be careful, Varen.”
“...I’ll come back. I promise.”
If I’m still alive by then—let’s meet again.
Swallowing that thought, I stepped back. Varen spread his wings wide. After a lifetime in chains, he’d finally unfurled them—like a ship raising its sails.
As the wings began to beat, the ground whipped into a storm. His massive body lifted into the air.
At last, a dragon in flight—history in the making. When his eyes met mine, I grinned and waved.
Those blue eyes shimmered, the golden wings slicing through the moonlight.
Boom!!!
“Wha—!”
The body that had risen into the air crashed back down, shaking the earth like an earthquake.
We were three hours from the Facility, but I still scanned the area in a panic. Thank God we’d gone this deep into the mountains.
“What’s wrong? What happened?”
“...”
“Varen, there’s no time! Hurry—!”
For a moment I froze, terrified something was wrong with his wings.
Of course. After being bound for so long, they couldn’t be perfect.
I rushed to check. I’d already examined the humerus and radius back underground, but I hadn’t seen them fully extended—maybe the fascia between the bones was damaged.
“I don’t know how to fly.”
“What?”
The dragon folded his wings neatly and stared down at me.
“I said I don’t know how to fly.”
