It seems we’re at the thrilling start of Part 2! Episode 138!
45. The Disappearance of the Magical Beast and Yingyi #2
In the fabled golden desert oasis, where refreshing water ripples enticingly, I dove my snout in and gulped down like I hadn’t had a drink in ages. My mouth, parched by the sandy winds, tasted that bland water as if it were the finest soda on the market.
— Phew, I feel like I can live again. Really great abilities, truly splendid. So useful!
I pet Yingyi’s soft body with my front paw, and it wiggled happily, perhaps pleased by my praise.
— Gyu-ing!
“I too would like to drink. Nothing quite compares to the water of a desert oasis.”
From nearby, Azidahaka, who was lounging next to me, piped up while lazily dipping the end of its long tail into the water, making gentle waves as if auditioning for a calming commercial.
— Just drink it.
“Alas, with my hands like these, I can’t partake without dropping a bit.”
Azidahaka displayed its shackled hands toward me.
— You could simply put your mouth in it.
“I, being a high-level dragonborn, cannot stoop to such unrefined behavior as a hairy beast.”
— Oh, come on. What should I do? Should I bring you a cup or something?
I glanced around. But alas, there were no utensils around that could serve water to this horned lady. Only sand, a few weeds, some pebbles, and Yingyi were my company…
— Ah.
— Gyu-ing.
I used my front paw to dunk Yingyi into the oasis. With bubbling sounds, it sucked in the water and puffed up like a fluffy balloon.
— Lift your head and open your mouth!
I pulled the puffed-up Yingyi out of the water and brought it over Azidahaka’s head. As if understanding my intentions, it opened its mouth like a baby bird ready for a meal.
‘What those teeth… is it because it’s a dragon that looks so sharp?’
Those protruding teeth in its mouth were quite fearsome. I squeezed Yingyi’s body to let the water flow into Azidahaka’s mouth.
Gush.
— Gyu-ing!
Water flowed like a squeezed sponge, splattering all over Azidahaka’s mouth, blindfold, and face. With a satisfied licking of its bright red tongue on its lips, Azidahaka closed its mouth, looking pleased.
“This is enough. Delightful! Thank you!”
I didn’t verbally respond to its thanks. Granted, we had fought fiercely in the arena as if we wanted to k*ll each other, but after a few days of traveling and chatting together, I realized Azidahaka wasn’t that bad of a fellow and could even offer thanks politely.
“To return the favor, I’ll give you this!”
With a splash, Azidahaka’s tail, dipping in the oasis, leaped out and flaunted a giant fish, about half my size, wriggling at the end.
— Phewshiiiii…!
The fish that had bitten Azidahaka’s tail flopped around on the sandy ground, creating a noise that could probably rival the wind.
Its flopping mouth and gold-scaled body looked less like food and more like an ornamental fish. But hey, with its hefty body, it could provide quite a meal.
Having quenched my thirst, I suddenly remembered I hadn’t eaten in a while during my desert adventures. It was quite difficult to find anything edible in this sandy, rocky terrain.
— Dinner acquired!
Swack!
I hammered the flopping fish onto the ground with my front paw, knocking it out!
*
The temperature swings in the desert were more dramatic than I expected. The crushing sun was no longer a concern as the chilling wind whipped around, cooling my body drastically.
Even I, with my furry body, felt quite cold.
“Ugh.”
With a sigh, Azidahaka blew fire into the dry wood.
I placed my prized golden fish, Gold Fish King, on a skewer over the crackling flames.
Sizzle. Whoosh.
As the pieces of fish cooked, the oil dripped out, making the flames roar even louder.
The savory yet light aroma made my stomach grumble. I could feel Yingyi, perched atop my head, perk up and focus quietly on the cooking fish.
Meanwhile, Azidahaka merely sprawled on the sandy ground, seemingly unaffected by hunger.
The brilliant red dress it was wearing had been tattered into rags after a fortnight of rough travels. With chains and shackles on it, one could easily mistake it for a rough-handled slave.
‘It should be all cooked by now.’
I grabbed a stick embedded with fish meat and held it up to Yingyi above me. The little one immediately swallowed it whole, bones and all, spitting out the remnants afterward.
— Gyu-ing.
— Want more? That was exactly three servings!
— Ying….
I looked at the other two sticks of fish still on the fire. One was mine, and the other was for Azidahaka’s free dinner ticket.
However, Azidahaka indifferently responded.
“Let my portion go to the little one. I can go without eating.”
— Quite the convenient being. So you can go without food, huh?
I handed over what was supposed to be Azidahaka’s fish to Yingyi. Unsurprisingly, Yingyi devoured it like before, swallowing it whole with the stick and shaking off the bones onto the ground.
It seemed to be eating more and more these days, possibly entering some growth spurt.
‘If Leaf sees this, I bet he’d be shocked. He used to handle the food duty for Yingyi….’
I suddenly pondered what my raccoon friend Leaf left back at the palace was up to these days.
When I escaped with Azidahaka during the chaos stirred up by the Black Brotherhood, I considered bringing Leaf along, but not only did I have no idea where he was in the palace, but dragging my feet too long risked being discovered by Batus, which left me hesitant to seek him out.
‘Living a prosperous life in the palace might be a better deal for him.’
With a casual huff, I bit into my portion of fish.
The savory saltiness spread across my mouth, and the crispy texture felt less like eating fish and more like crunching on perfectly grilled bacon.
‘Delicious!’
While the luxurious meals I had at the palace and Mendel’s mansion were tasty, there was something wild and special about feasting rustic-style under the open sky.
‘Is this the taste of freedom?’
I gazed across the vast wilderness illuminated by the moon, staring at the endless horizon. The sand desert stretched infinitely, resembling my uncertain future.
Boundless freedom, without limits.
I could go anywhere, yet without road signs or guides to show the way, I was utterly clueless about where to head.
“Once you finish your meal, could you do me a little favor?”
Just as I was getting lost in sentimental thoughts, Azidahaka, lying on the ground, called out to me.
— Nope.
“It’s not too difficult. Just tell me how many stars are in the sky.”
Azidahaka had often asked me such odd questions.
If it wasn’t about the strange sounds a bird made, it was about how clouds looked, or the colors of leaves—mostly trivial inquiries.
Having been locked away for more than a decade, it was understandable that everything outside felt magical and exciting.
During my 21 months of military service in Gangwon Province, I felt the same joy when I stepped outside after so long.
I looked up at the sky and began counting the stars from the desert. The forest of the World Tree, the palace where the king stayed, the vast desert—all reflected the same glimmering stars.
— So many stars. It’s like someone scattered salt grains on black cloth.
“Really? Oh, I can’t wait to see it with my own eyes!”
— Sounds like you’ve got a lot of wishes.
“Don’t you have anything you wish for?”
— Hmm?
At Azidahaka’s sudden question, my mind went blank for a moment. What did I desire? As I mulled it over, nothing specific came to mind.
— There are things I must do, though. Get the treasure you once possessed, obtain the Fruit of the World Tree, deal with the mythical creatures, and become the king of this world.
Yet, that purpose didn’t feel as clear as it used to. The pressure of being the ‘Alpha’ and what it entailed seemed to fade away like smoke. It felt like most of the things I had to do were driven by what Batus, Eve, Ilgast, and others wanted from me.
In that sense, Yingyi and raccoon Leaf were easy companions. They never demanded anything from me.
As I sunk deeper into thought, Azidahaka spoke calmly.
“Things you have to do are one thing; desires are a different matter. What do you want to do? What actions will you take to achieve it? Reflect on that. Your ambitions will guide your powerless steps.”
— Quite a flowery sermon, aren’t you? I think I understand why people call you a saint now.
With a clank, the sound of chains echoed as saintly Azidahaka adjusted its blindfold.
“I can’t help but meddle. I see things others don’t—the past of living beings, human thoughts, even glimpses of the future. Because of that, humans used me as a political tool.”
Recalling Azidahaka’s abilities as a mythical creature made me consider just how powerful its vision was, capable of seeing the past and future.
Using that very ability, humans had established the organization known as Hunters over the last decade.
It seemed that the reigning ruler of the kingdom, Solomon, earned his reputation as a wise king thanks to the insight of the saint, Azidahaka.
It reminded me of how, even in modern society, politicians often sought out gifted fortune tellers to predict the likelihood of regime changes or re-elections.
In a world stuck in medieval times, having a saint who could foresee the future would possess immense influence. Naturally, they wouldn’t let such a valuable asset roam free, binding them with chains and locking them in a cage for safekeeping.
“Of course, not all the beings of the World Tree were any different. Especially Nialli… that guy was particularly greedy. He desired to possess everything in existence. The moment he discovered the treasure that Mother World Tree had hidden, I realized I had to escape from that forest. I saw a future where Nialli would claim it, and it was horrifying…”
Azidahaka trailed off, its voice trembling.
Suddenly curious about what this treasure really was, I interjected.
The Fruit of the World Tree, a priceless near-mythical item that allowed the Fire Dragon to create new realms.
Mother World Tree’s treasure, hidden deep in the forest where it dwelled.
— So, what exactly is this treasure? Just an orb or something?
“The sap of the World Tree, being born from the very womb of the realm, you must have heard of it before.”
— Ah, I’ve tasted it!
I recalled the World Tree’s sap I had eaten with Leaf in the Bewitching Forest, near the territory of the monkey Mihuwang. It had a refreshing taste reminiscent of exquisite beer, with a fizzy carbonation and a woodsy aroma—a taste I’d never experienced at any table in the human world, even at the palace or Mendel’s mansion.
— But what does sap have to do with it?
“Did you know that tree sap or resin can harden over incomprehensible ages, glowing like jewels?”
— That’s amber, right?
“Exactly! Humans call it amber. The treasure I stole from Mother World Tree was a massive chunk of hardened sap.”
— Hmm.
I pictured the hardened form of that sap I had consumed; it seemed like a strange stone that tasted refreshing, akin to beer. But I questioned if that was indeed something worth coveting so deeply.
— The World Tree sap is delicious, but is it truly valuable once it hardens?
“While ordinary hardened sap can be seen here and there in the realm, it’s not that rare. Humans still pay good prices for it. Still, that piece of amber was different. A beast was trapped inside it, perfectly preserved.”
— A beast inside amber.
I envisioned the movie Jurassic Park, where fossilized mosquitoes were found in amber. There were reportedly treasures in the world containing ancient life forms preserved in a similar manner.
“That creature is one you know well. Most likely, it was the first-born of Mother World Tree. It was a magical beast, Behemoth, just like you. The amber encasing Behemoth contained powers akin to the Fruit of Good and Evil, directly from Mother World Tree.”
— A sacrificial beast trapped in amber with powers of good and evil? How does that work?
At my question, the Fire Dragon Azidahaka paused before taking a slow, steady breath and continuing.
“Adam, Eve, and Ilgast probably never explained what the true essence of the Fruit of the World Tree was to you. They might have described it merely as a fruit that grants immense powers.”
— So what is it then?
“The Fruit of the World Tree is not just a fruit; it is an egg containing seeds. It is indeed the egg from which the magical beast Behemoth was born, which is why they refer to you as the son of the World Tree.”
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