1"Stop, dragon! I have a pact with the Elves! You must have heard!" I screamed hysterically as the dragon opened its snout wide which began to precipitate fireballs. No! This can't be happening. "Hey, listen to me!" I got up and approached it after reflexively dodging. I tapped its unusually hard scales until my knuckles turned red. Then, there was a coughing sound that made the ground and trees shake violently. I realized that the dragon coughed while releasing a little flame. At this point, I had already surrendered because the human agreement to become an offering must have been bound. However, the dragon turned to me and I saw the edges of its eyes watering. "I forgot about that. It's a good thing you reminded me so I could hold my fire breath and only cough from holding it in," he said. I gaped at it, on one hand I was relieved that it didn't attack the Elves, but on the other hand I was surprised that he would take my word for it. Physically, this dragon was not much bigge
I thought my life in this world would be fine with just teaching Celine to read, but instead I got burned by fire again! Monster fire too! My entire body began to feel an intense heat that made my head boil, it was almost the same as being burned by the Velman clan's fire. Even if I couldn't die, it was still painful. I felt my skin peeling and burning, the odor from my burnt hair was very strong. At times like this, I only worried about my four friends because that Hydra had three heads that could breathe fire. They definitely wouldn't be able to stand it especially since no one was carrying a shield, I stupidly didn't think of that weapon either. Now, how was I going to fight Hydra with my wounded self? In the mythology books I've read, if one Hydra's head is cut off, three other heads will grow at once. So, the option of using a sword was not a wise choice. The other way I could think of was to escape from here, but how? It hadn't even been a night since I came here. I opened
Hydra growled after unleashing the huge flames, Duke Nephim managed to escape, but the dragon had no time to dodge. I pondered, should I shoot this arrow and try to help him? But that would only get me chased by the three-headed monster again. However, I apparently had nothing to worry about because the dragon was still standing firmly and fiercely in place. The tips of its scales were burnt, but it didn't seem to have caused any fatal wounds. Then, the dragon let out a big laugh that rang in my ears. My hair stood on end, just like the nightmarish sounds coming from the depths of the canyon and the darkness of the night. The Hydra retreated while still growling violently. "Well, the rumors are true, huh, the ones I got from my other brothers. Apparently Hydras like you are indeed great, as expected of former denizens of the underworld!" exclaimed the dragon. I then sidestepped to avoid the flames that were getting hotter, if this went on a little longer I'm sure humans wouldn't
I bit my lip at the thought of his words. Damn it, is that true? If it is then I'll have to explore further with him, and I'll even encounter more difficult enemies. I can't even imagine what kind of monsters there are in this mysterious forest. As the name implies, this forest is very mysterious, even after the fierce battle just now, not a single animal or creature has come out of their dwelling. Or escaped from this forest. Not a single one, even if it was just rabbits or chickens or deer. The fire was still burning around us, the four elves adjutants were trying to put it out with their strength. My companions were also fortunately unharmed although their faces were already burnt with ashes, their condition was the most important thing, because we were going to walk home. I then scrunched my waist as I exhaled tiredly. "That's cheating, it was never included about the third party, but it also means that I can do anything to help you. Including using a partner," I said as I poin
"You're quite lucky," Duke Nephim hissed distastefully once he realized that I was the one who won now. "Yeah, call it that, I don't care. You can fulfill your promise, right? Give me a nice house on the outskirts of the village, and the power to go home right now. I don't want to stay in this forest any longer," I demanded. Duke Nephim and his aides exchanged glances as if they were communicating through the flow of their hearts. Before long, the Duke folded his hands in front of his stomach with an expression that turned flat. "Alright, I've taken care of everything. Just ask Crys for the key to the house," the Elf said half-heartedly. Wow, can they communicate over long distances? I was rather amazed that she could quickly find a house on the outskirts of the village. "And as for that power, I don't have any power to help you go straight home. You guys just go home by yourselves on foot," he continued indifferently. "It's still going to take a long time, just give it a bit, y
It turned out that the obstacles weren't over once we set foot out of the mysterious forest. I reflexively ducked when a bird with unusually wide outstretched wings flew from the direction of the ravine. I then implored the four young men behind me to crouch down and remain motionless to avoid the bird of God knows what. It was enormous, and I was sure that its talons with their curved pointed nails would be able to tear my neck apart in a single stroke. This seemed to be the predator that was making the corpses lie in the depths of the abyss. The bird was still flying in the sky, matching the color of the dark sky. Before long, I was startled as the bird, instead of clucking or tasting, giggled like a woman's voice. Strange and creepy images immediately flooded my mind. What other strange animals was I going to witness today? Hydras were already more than bad. "It's a harpy. Oh, God, how is this?" Fang grabbed my shoulders from behind. "Harpy?" I squinted to get a better look a
"Well, apparently that's the story," said Lord Crys as he sipped a cup of tea. After the villagers were excited by our arrival, we were bombarded with questions about why the exploration time was so short. I had nothing to say, the four young men were also silent, so the villagers immediately took us to Lord Crys' residence. I told him everything, his forehead wrinkled, and he was much better than the last time I saw him before leaving with the elves. When I looked back, at the windows and doors, many citizens were trying to peek in and eavesdrop on our conversation. Now I was indeed in Lord Crys' living room. "You must have thought that their intention was to use us as bait, right?" I said. Lord Crys paused for a moment, then he said, "I'd be surprised if they didn't do that. Well, it's a bad turn of events and you guys have another side to the bad view of the elves. However, this is how we live alongside supernatural beings. We can live peacefully because this is a very remote v
"Celine!"I came out of my hut quickly to catch up with her, but the child immediately ran and slipped between the crowd of people in the market. I groaned in frustration. It had been two days since I'd returned from the forest and seen Celine battered, but as far as I'd gotten to talk to her and check on her, she'd always run away and not open the door when I knocked. When I purposely waited for her to come home from work, she would avoid me while quickly locking the door. This must have been doctrine from her mother, Anne must have told her to stay away from me. At this point, I wanted to hit her, but she was nowhere to be seen, not even in her house. Celine always came home in a dazed state and the bruises hadn't disappeared from her face, I was sure she had been beaten by Anne. This can't go on any longer. I considered following Celine to Mr. Nick's stall since she was still working there, in addition to Mr. Shuan's residence. However, I didn't want to be seen as a man chasing