Chapter 176: Getting the Unicorn Married Off
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 176: Getting the Unicorn Married Off
“You’re going to bring the kids here?”
Communicating with my ‘gekgek’ sounds is the best I can do, but it seems they understand me perfectly now.
This is why faith is so great.
It has a hidden feature that allows me to communicate with just my gek-ing.
Sometimes, it even conveys the thoughts of those who can’t speak.
I was curled up in the coiled Red Dragon’s embrace.
And curled up in my embrace was Baek Rang.
My belly was cool and my back was warm.
It was like lying on a heated blanket with the air conditioner on.
Strangely addicting.
If I had my way, I’d suggest they stay in their human forms, but that would probably undermine my dignity.
I could easily picture myself, miniaturized, lying between a warm steamed bun and a cool rice cake.
…I’d like to think I have more self-control than that, but you never know.
For some reason, I lose my mind whenever I see something big and soft.
I wasn't like this before.
…It must be a side effect of this lizard body.
Besides, the Red Dragon and Baek Rang are probably more comfortable in their true forms than as humans.
“Gekgekgek.”
“…So, you’re saying you want to make this place your home?”
Home.
That’s the right word for it.
Now that I’ve declared Mount Hua as my territory, I plan to gather my followers here.
“It doesn’t seem like a bad place to raise the kids…”
The fiery energy of Mount Hua has almost completely vanished.
That’s because I defeated its guardian and took the power of the Dragon Gate for myself.
In its place, a mountain of flowers has bloomed where a mountain of fire once stood.
You could say I used a bit of a shortcut to make the Dragon Gate my own.
My abilities weren’t limited to simply making plants grow.
I purified the land, which had been barren due to the fire, and made it fertile.
The ecosystem, which couldn't thrive because of the flames, will now be restored.
It would be better for the wolves to stay in my territory, where the weather is warm and food is plentiful, rather than hunting down below.
…There doesn’t seem to be much to eat right now, but time will solve that.
If worst comes to worst, I can always herd some prey for them.
“…Indeed. If you possess the Dragon Gate, my siblings will be able to get closer to becoming spirit beasts.”
Now that was new information.
It made sense, though. All the beasts drawn to this place by the power of the Dragon Gate had their strength enhanced.
There was the minor side effect of losing their intelligence, but that was it.
Now that it’s my territory, I should be able to eliminate that side effect and keep only the good parts.
That gives me even more reason to move my followers here.
I’m fine as I am, but the spiders want to transform into human form.
…I mean, I’m fine without it!
“I agree. The Divine Beast who put a leash on me should at least possess a Dragon Gate. Don’t you think?”
The Red Dragon purred, letting out a small puff of flame.
…If my fur wasn’t from a Fire-light Beast, I’d be bald by now.
“You need to increase the number of your followers accordingly and gradually build up your power. Otherwise, there’d be no point in me joining you, my little one, would there?”
“Geeeek…”
The Red Dragon’s scales gently brushed against my back.
“Grrr… Well, now that I’m under you, I suppose my siblings should be too.”
Baek Rang’s fur tickled my belly.
…Do you two even realize you’re my subordinates?
“Geeng…”
I’m the Divine Beast, and you’re the followers.
Just regular followers!
…….
I should probably come up with some decent titles for Baek Rang and the Red Dragon.
It feels a bit off to call the two strongest members of my faith ‘regular followers.’
But I can’t give them any grand titles right now.
I don’t have enough divine power.
…Something like ‘Whitey’ and ‘Yongyong’ shouldn’t cost much divine power, right?
Fwoosh.
Crack.
“Geek!”
Just kidding, just kidding!
*
“Pant, pant, pant.”
Chillang-i greeted me, wagging her tail furiously.
She’s a fairly large wolf, but next to my current size, she feels more like a medium-sized dog.
In other words, she’s incredibly cute.
“Whine… Whimper!”
Gomodo-Crushing Dragon Style Secret Technique: Frantic Petting.
“Pant, pant, pant, pant…”
Chillang-i went wild, her tongue lolling out.
Unlike Baek Rang, her fur is closer to gray, which gives it a different feel.
I grabbed Chillang-i under her front legs, lifted her up, and was about to shower her with kisses.
Thump.
“That’s enough.”
Baek Rang’s white hand covered my mouth.
“Gek.”
I was curious what her reaction would be if I put her hand in my mouth, but I refrained.
I had to maintain my dignity as the Divine Beast of the Gaegaek Cult.
“Pant, pant!”
“Woof, woof!”
The wolves began to run around, exploring the area.
They sprinted back and forth and leaped high in the air like arctic foxes.
They seemed to love their new home.
But the wolves weren’t the only ones I recruited.
The Bicorns, who had been watching cautiously from a distance, also joined the Gaegaek Cult.
I had been thinking about recruiting them, but I never expected them to come to me on their own.
They prostrated themselves, looking as if they were begging to be let in, so I gladly accepted.
My forces were instantly bolstered.
Seven direwolves and ten Bicorns were added to our ranks.
Moreover, their loyalty was exceptionally high.
The wolves, of course, were a given.
We had lived and struggled together.
But surprisingly, the Bicorns’ loyalty was even higher than theirs.
“Polygamyyyy!”
They seemed to be looking at me with eyes full of respect. Could it be related to my title, the Black Sun?
I didn’t know the reason, but it was a good thing.
The Bicorns were not only powerful but also had outstanding abilities as spirit beasts.
To be honest, I had no idea what their true identity was, but everyone has their secrets.
I’ll let it slide with my broad, lizardly generosity.
My forces had grown, but a problem arose.
Although this entire volcano was the territory of the Gaegaek Cult, there was no proper place to call a nest.
There was one cave, but it was too cramped for everyone, and the place I shared with the Red Dragon was riddled with holes from our battle.
Therefore, we needed to build a new nest…
“Little one. What are you so worried about?”
“Gek!”
Right, the Red Dragon!
Given her habit of collecting treasures, she must have an eye for art.
…It’s not that I need a work of art, but it would be perfect if we could build a nest that would elevate the status of the Gaegaek Cult.
“You have those spirit beasts you just recruited.”
“Gek?”
“They’re quite skilled with their hands, you know.”
…Skilled with their hands?
No matter how I looked at them, they were creatures without anything resembling hands.
“Polygamyyyy!”
The Bicorns wiggled their front paws.
They suddenly started digging in the dirt, and before I knew it, they had created a moderately sized sculpture.
“Black Suuuun!”
It was a large, mighty tail.
Hey, these guys really are skilled!
The shape was a little questionable, but for something made of dirt, it was remarkably well-crafted.
They didn’t just make one, but two thick tails.
…Those are tails, right?
“If you leave it to them, they’ll make something quite decent. Besides, building a nest is something anyone can do.”
“Gekgek.”
Alright.
It seems I can entrust this task to the Bicorns.
“Hehehe…”
“Poly… hehehe… gamy… hehehe…”
Look at those confident eyes.
How trustworthy.
“Conjugal… hehehe… union…”
“One husband, one hundred wives… one husband, one thousand wives…”
…I can trust you guys, right?
They’ll probably do a decent job.
With Baek Rang and the Red Dragon here, if things get too weird, they can subdue them with cold and fire.
I would have had to do it myself, but thanks to them, I can save some time.
If I leave now, I should be able to bring the other followers back by the time the nest is finished.
While I’m at it, should I go see Swish-Swish and the Snake Queen?
I can’t ask them to move since they have to rule the jungle, but I should at least let them know I’ve established my own territory on the volcano.
They might even send a few promising beasts my way.
I’ve made my decision.
I’ll leave things to my followers for a while and depart from the volcano.
“Gegegek, gekgek. Gegegegek!”
I relayed my plans to Baek Rang and the Red Dragon.
“Want your big sis to give you a ride?”
The Red Dragon flapped her massive wings.
My heart pounded at her sudden offer.
Not in that way, but with the excitement of being able to ride a dragon.
Those red scales.
Scales that shone like rubies, and those enormous wings…
It had the same destructive power as an older woman in a red sports car, slightly lowering her sunglasses and offering me a ride.
Smack!
“…Snap out of it.”
A mouthful of white fur brought me back to my senses.
“Geeek…”
Unfortunately, it seemed I wouldn’t be able to ride on the Red Dragon’s back.
Who knows what might happen on the way to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
From a human perspective, she was nothing short of a flying disaster.
And if she were carrying another lizard of similar power, it would be an even bigger problem.
“Hmph. I was hoping to get a ride in return for giving you one.”
A ride on me?
She must mean on my back.
I could certainly offer her that much.
“Grrrr…”
Baek Rang glared at the Red Dragon with sharp eyes.
“Haaam… I should go find some Purple Spirit Pills to give our Divine Beast when he returns.”
She smiled faintly and walked toward the crater.
Baek Rang looked somewhat vexed.
“……Do you happen to like Ha Suo?”
Why are you two getting so competitive over something like this?
“Gekgek.”
I mean, I appreciate it, but please don’t overdo it.
“…Anyway, you’re leaving right away? To see the ones who left a mark on your necklace?”
“Gekgek.”
“Alright. I wanted to see those spiders’ faces anyway.”
I wonder if Nephila’s body is okay.
I should go and check on the situation.
She seemed almost fully recovered, so it might not be a bad idea to just snatch her up, Tang Soyeong and all.
…Wait, am I supposed to send her back to the Tang Clan?
Ah, whatever.
I can just give them a few scales later.
“…The followers you’re bringing this time, are they all female by any chance?”
This one.
She’s as sharp as ever.
How did she know?
You’d do something like that.
Was that phrase written all over her face, or was it just my imagination?
“You’d do something like that.”
It wasn’t my imagination.
“Geeek…”
It’s not an excuse, but I didn’t intentionally recruit only females.
It was purely by chance that everyone I met happened to be female.
…Well, there were those two human men I met when I caught the Gogadurisu, but they’re the exception.
“You knew them before I did, so what can I say.”
Her broad-mindedness made me want to bury my face in her chest.
“…But don’t bring back any more. Got it?”
“Gekgek.”
That should be easy enough.
“The ones you’re bringing this time are female, my pack is female, and that red lizard is female.”
Baek Rang’s golden eyes stared at me intently.
…Could it actually be a difficult task?
I seem to get involved with a suspicious number of females.
Still, I have the Bicorns now.
“And on top of that, all the Bicorns are female too… though that’s just how their species is.”
“Gegegegek?”
What do you mean by that?
The Bicorns were all female?
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Geeng.”
“It’s common knowledge that Bicorns are female… That’s why they’re such rare spirit beasts. To reproduce, they need to meet a Unicorn, but the two are polar opposites.”
I had learned a secret I never wanted to know.
To think that the Bicorns, who kept making those suspicious sculptures, were all female.
Well, I guess it makes sense since they’re the counterpart to the Unicorn.
That one was male, after all.
…Wait a minute.
If I play my cards right, I might be able to recruit the Unicorn.
Hey, Unicorn.
Your big bro is gonna get you married off.