Chapter 185: Responsibility
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 185: Responsibility
After biting her fingers repeatedly, I considered biting somewhere else but decided against it, thinking it would just ruin my appetite. So I stayed still.
Tang Soyeong, who had been fuming, saw me quiet down and started wiggling her fingers again before sneakily beginning to touch my scales.
"Kkiiiong!"
"Kkieeek!"
The spiders shot her a warning, of course, but since Tang Soyeong had treated them well until now, they didn't make a big fuss.
"Hehe... scales..."
...Is she some kind of lecherous beast?
"Ah, I'm not touching you for my own selfish reasons! I'm just trying to see what's different from before."
You should probably wipe the drool from your mouth before you say that.
"I've been watching you since you were about this big, Hero Go. It feels strange... though of course, you're even smaller now."
Tang Soyeong seemed to be reminiscing about when we first met.
I was a Crocodile Monitor back then.
Albeit one with a size that couldn't be compared to a normal Crocodile Monitor.
"Your size is probably just a temporary thing... Looking a bit more at your appearance in this state, the first thing that stands out is, of course, your horns."
Tang Soyeong gently touched my horns with her small hand.
"Many horned spirit beasts are special species. They're not just strong; they often possess their own unique powers."
When it came to horned spirit beasts, unicorns and bicorns were the most representative.
The Red Dragon had horns, too.
What this Tang girl was saying might not be entirely correct, but it seemed to have some credibility.
"The Tang Clan has a few horned spirit beasts as well. The most memorable one is a green Aryong that uses Void Grasping freely."
A dinosaur that uses Void Grasping freely!
Sounds like it would make a "Hoit!" sound.
"That would be Hero Gerato (掲螺討). Unfortunately, I wasn't the one managing him, so I only saw him a few times."
Gerato?
"It means 'the beast that strikes by lifting its conch-like horn'."
...Judging from my past experiences, she must be talking about a Ceratosaurus.
It didn't seem like the typical Ceratosaurus I knew of.
Just as the Dilophosaurus used poison and the Magnosaurus used fire, this must be a dinosaur that used psychokinesis.
A horned dinosaur.
I should remember that.
I might have to fight it one day.
Tang Soyeong's hand, which had been fiddling with my horns, moved down to my neck.
"Fur... hehe..."
...You are Tang Soyeong, right?
Not some lecherous beast pretending to be her?
I entertained the thought for a moment, but one look at that pitifully flat chest confirmed she was definitely Tang Soyeong.
"I know a few horned spirit beasts that resemble you, Hero Go. But this is the first time I've ever seen one with fur."
Tang Soyeong slowly stroked my fluffy fur.
"...I've never even heard of a Gomodo being able to change into this form. Huhu, if I record this, a book could be published under my name."
As she said this, she glanced at me furtively.
It seemed she wanted to document my appearance and characteristics.
She was probably testing the waters because doing so would mean bothering me quite a bit.
She'd need to see my original size and examine every part of my body.
And having it recorded in a book meant that someone in the distant future could read it and exploit my weaknesses.
Of course, by then, I'd probably have evolved into a different creature.
"Gekgek."
It was a bit of a hassle, but I could do this much for Tang Soyeong.
"Ah, really?"
I might seem mean to her, but I've grown quite fond of her.
The reason I'm so insistent on bringing her to my territory is because I care for her.
Tang Soyeong is from the Tang Clan.
It would seem best for her to return to where she originally lived, not a place like this.
But there's another reason why Tang Soyeong said she wanted to stay here instead of returning to her clan.
The Tang Clan, one of the Five Great Families, is unequivocally part of the Orthodox Faction.
And my master's Heavenly Demon Divine Cult is hostile to such sects.
So, what does that make Tang Soyeong?
A Second-Rate martial artist sent by the Tang Clan to the 100,000 Great Mountains, the territory of their enemy, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
That sentence alone defines her situation.
And it's suspicious from the get-go.
Even if their goal wasn't an all-out war with the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, the 100,000 Great Mountains is still undeniably the cult's domain.
Even with the best of luck, a conflict with the cult was inevitable.
From what I'd seen, the martial prowess of the people who came with Tang Soyeong was pathetic.
Except for Baek Woon, they were all weaker than she was.
Even considering they brought a powerful spirit beast like the Dilophosaurus, it was hard to accept that the Tang Clan's leadership would make such a decision.
Worse, the Dilophosaurus I saw wasn't even an adult.
If they wanted to measure the Dilophosaurus's combat power, there must have been other ways. Why would they undertake something like this?
Tang Soyeong's martial ability might be weak, but her other skills were far more valuable than those of many high-ranking masters.
She could almost perfectly read the mind of a lizard, a non-human, and could communicate with other beasts and spirit beasts without any issue. On top of that, her medical skills were outstanding.
Objectively speaking, it was clear that such a talent was extremely rare.
Yet the Tang Clan sent this precious talent to the 100,000 Great Mountains with nothing but a single, not-fully-grown spirit beast.
If they wanted to get rid of her for some transgression, they could have done it secretly within the clan.
There was no need to go through the trouble of dispatching her here.
If so, could it be that there was a faction within the Tang Clan that considered Tang Soyeong a thorn in their side?
They couldn't risk leaving a trace by dealing with her in Sichuan, so they found a way to send her to the 100,000 Great Mountains.
After all, the chances of an Orthodox Faction member returning alive from here were nonexistent.
Tang Soyeong can't go back to the Tang Clan.
Even if she did, she would face other threats.
The faction trying to eliminate her could use this incident as a pretext to finish the job for good.
They could even frame her as a spy who colluded with the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Tang Soyeong probably knows this, which is why she doesn't talk about going back.
Since she's become a believer of Gaegaek, I suppose I have to take responsibility.
It might be different for other humans, but I think Tang Soyeong could get along well with the spirit beasts.
Besides, we desperately need a physician on our side.
We can't just keep brewing the horns of some lecherous beast forever.
"...Then, if you'll excuse me for a moment."
Huh? Doing it now is a bit of a pain.
"Everyone, now!"
Tang Soyeong wore a triumphant expression.
It was the face of someone who thought they'd finally gotten one over on me.
Chwaaak!
At the same time, white silk shot out.
Not at me, but at Tang Soyeong.
"Hyeok? Why are you doing this to me?"
You never change, do you?
"Lady! This isn't what we agreed on! We were going to go for that soft belly together...!"
"Hmph."
Nephila and Pus snickered.
Right.
So this was the plan they'd been cooking up.
"H-Hero Go? That was just a joke...!"
Kkang!
*
I tried to sleep, sandwiched between the girls.
I couldn't even imagine sleeping alone anymore.
...I'm a reptile, so it's a necessary measure for regulating my body temperature.
However, there was a fatal flaw in my sleeping arrangement.
Nephila and Tang Soyeong.
Being between them was incredibly uncomfortable.
Should I say it felt like lying on a stone bed?
To be honest, they weren't that hard and flat, but the contrast with my other options was just too stark.
No scales, no fur, no pouch.
"Ge-eeeng..."
I closed my eyes, dejected.
Am I going to get sick from this?
It was then.
Suddenly, something soft enveloped my entire body.
A faint scent of flowers.
A texture so plush I couldn't resist it.
Was this a gift from the heavens?
It pays to live as a pure lizard.
I closed my eyes and moved according to my instincts.
I threw my body into that fluffy place.
This familiar sensation.
It felt like I'd moved from a stone bed to a water bed.
This is what I need to be able to sleep.
Just as I was diligently burrowing in to find the perfect position...
"You impudent little thing."
It was a familiar voice.
When I slightly opened my eyes, Baek Yeon-yeong's blue eyes were staring right at me.
"Gek?"
My mind snapped to attention.
Why did I burrow into this place so naturally?
I didn't even notice someone had come in.
It must be possible because it's my master, right?
If it had been anyone else, I definitely would have noticed.
"Is it right for This Lady's disciple to act like a beast?" Baek Yeon-yeong said with a chilly expression.
...My master would never call me a beast.
Of course, I am a beast, so it doesn't really matter.
But it was a word she wouldn't normally use.
Did something upset her?
Her expression didn't change, so I couldn't tell.
"Do you still not know what you've done wrong? There's a limit to committing the act of Betraying the Master."
Betraying the Master?
That means bringing shame upon one's master.
...I must have really done something wrong.
The Baek Yeon-yeong I knew wouldn't be like this without a reason.
"Ge-eeeng..."
I don't know what's going on, so I'll just try making the sound of an innocent lizard.
"And after so boldly provoking me, declaring you would come to This Lady's bedchamber."
...Huh?
"To say such a thing in front of the cult's believers... what do you think that does to This Lady's dignity?"
Wait a minute.
What is she talking about?
I never said anything like that.
"Gekgek?"
Besides, I can't even talk to normal humans.
"Thanks to you, I've been made a laughingstock. And because you sent the corpse that had the remnants of Tai Sui hiding in it, I couldn't just dismiss it as a baseless rumor."
...Is this because of those Terror Birds?
No, they seemed to understand me, but I never said that.
Those bastards are repaying my kindness with enmity.
"There was talk of punishing the one who tarnished This Lady's prestige to make an example of them."
"Ge-eek..."
"The cult's believers have done nothing wrong. They were merely relaying the words of a certain ungrateful beast."
Baek Yeon-yeong grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and lifted me up.
"Ge-eeek..."
My body naturally went limp.
"I have no intention of punishing you."
"Gekgek!"
That's my master for you.
"However, you must take responsibility for putting your master in such a position."
"Gekgek?"
Take responsibility?
This conversation seems to be heading in a strange direction.
"You beast who commits the act of Betraying the Master."
Even as she said that, she gently stroked my head with an affectionate touch.
"Did you want to enter This Lady's bedchamber that badly?"
No, I'm telling you, I never said that.
"It is a master's duty to teach a foolish disciple."
Those nameless believers framed me.
"Therefore, you shall spend tonight with This Lady."
...Maybe I did say something like that.
"Gekgegek!"
From a stone bed to a water bed