I Was Wrong, It Was a Bean Pod
I was wrong.
It was a bean pod.
"Since stealthy scales sting if pricked, I'll ride my firstborn. Understand?"
Sagak.
Stealthy obediently answered.
But that sound felt a little sulky, so I stopped bundling the load on Alduin's back and turned to look at him.
"Why."
Sagak.
"It's not that I don't like it."
Sagak.
"It really hurts if it pricks."
Stealthy turned his back toward me.
His steel-colored scales pushed the cave light inside thinly.
It looked smooth metal from the outside, but I already knew how dangerous those scales were.
Touching them with fingertips would slice the skin thin, and pressing with force would tear leather gloves.
Riding on those scales for a long distance was like sitting on a bundle of blades, not just climbing on a horse.
"Riding on your back is torture, not travel."
Sagak.
"Don't deny it right away."
Stealthy made his body half-translucent, looking a bit wronged.
I immediately narrowed my eyes.
"You can't go invisible."
Sagak…….
Alduin growled low beside me.
"Krrr."
I turned my head right away.
"Don't laugh either."
Alduin had a face that said he never laughed.
But his golden eyes were strangely bright.
He must have been secretly pleased to hear the part about riding the firstborn.
I tapped Alduin's nose bridge with the back of my hand.
"Don't be careless."
"Krrr?"
"It's not because you're safe, but because you're the least painful."
Alduin's eyes wavered a little.
I stayed silent for a moment, then added.
"And you're wide and warm."
"Rr."
"Don't get full from one compliment."
Alduin's tail tip twitched slightly.
I raised my fingers.
"Tail."
The tail tip stopped moving.
"Good."
I checked the loads I had tied on Alduin's back again.
Dried meat bag, root vegetable pouch, stone pot, water bowl, leather bundle, small basket holding stealthy scales, and the stone box with the invisible dagger inside.
When we first came to the Cradle of the World cave, I never imagined the household would grow this big.
We started with one small blanket and one pot, but now the luggage had swelled enough for one person and two dragons to prepare for a move.
This place was an inconvenient house.
It was cold, high up, windy, and we had to gather food ourselves every time.
Still, it was the first house Alduin made with his breath, and the second place he made for stealthy.
I looked at the claw marks on the black hardened walls and floor, Alduin's wide resting spot, and stealthy's flat rock.
"I'll be back."
When I said that quietly, Alduin tilted his head.
"Krrr?"
"I'm greeting the house."
"Krrr……?"
"You don't have to understand."
Stealthy quietly pressed his forehead against the rock by the entrance.
Sagak.
I smiled at the sight.
"The second one understood."
Alduin's eyes widened.
Then he carefully brought his nose tip to the cave wall.
Kung.
The cave echoed low.
I immediately raised my hand.
"Gently."
"Krrr……."
"If I destroy the house while greeting, it means nothing."
Alduin backed off with a slightly embarrassed face.
I climbed to Alduin's nape and wrapped the leather strap in my hand.
The black scales were warm.
A deep heartbeat-like rumble came from below, and I matched my breathing to it.
"Ald."
"Krrr?"
"Today, be careful."
"Krrr."
"Not based on you."
Alduin hesitated.
I spoke firmly.
"Based on me."
"Krrr……."
"Even when going down the cliff, based on me."
"Krrr."
"Even when spreading wings, based on me."
"Krrr."
"Even when roaring happily, based on me."
"Krrr?"
"If you roar just a little bigger, my organs will rumble too."
Alduin looked sorry.
I stroked Alduin's nose bridge.
"It's okay."
"Rr."
"I know my firstborn is being careful."
"Rrr."
"Don't shake from compliments."
Alduin's back twitched very slightly, then stopped.
I looked up at the cave entrance.
Outside the Cradle of the World, clouds drifted.
White clouds passing below, and beyond them mountain ranges, forests, and low plains.
Southwest direction.
A place I had never been to.
But for some reason, the direction I knew.
Dragon Canyon.
Just thinking of that name made my chest quietly tighten.
I adjusted the leather strap.
"Let's go."
Alduin slowly raised his body.
As the black body moved, shadows in the cave were pushed back, and the low sound of claws scraping the floor echoed.
Stealthy went out the entrance before us.
His steel-colored body was hit by sunlight, then the scales made a sagak sound as they flipped, becoming a little hazy.
I said while watching.
"Stealthy."
Sagak.
"You follow beside me."
Sagak.
"Don't go too far."
Sagak.
"Don't suddenly disappear either."
Sagak…….
"I know disappearing is your specialty, but today we're moving."
Stealthy lowered his head a little, looking wronged.
I tapped Alduin's nape.
"Start."
Alduin left the cave entrance.
His first step on the snow deeply pressed the thick snow, and the second step pushed snow dust sideways.
If it were usual, he would have spread his wings right at the cliff edge, but today my life and the load were at stake.
Alduin remembered my words and began descending the ridge with amazing caution.
Of course, "amazing" was from Alduin's perspective.
"Wah."
On the first downhill, my body shot forward.
I gripped the leather strap tightly.
"Be careful!"
"Krrr?!"
"Be more careful than you think!"
Alduin quickly slowed down.
This time the load on his back shook backward.
I gritted my teeth.
"Stopping suddenly is also caution!"
"Krrr……!"
"Slowly."
I said nearly lying on Alduin's nape.
"Gently."
Alduin tried to understand "gently" with his whole body.
Thanks to that, we advanced a little more.
We descended from the Cradle of the World.
We passed the ridge mixed with snow and rocks, cold wind slapped my face, and clouds slowly moved farther above.
Stealthy followed beside us.
At first I thought he was walking, but at some point his steel-colored body slid through the air.
The stealthy dragon with spread wings was much quieter than Alduin.
He didn't push air with huge wings like Alduin, but glided by fluttering his thin long wings very slightly.
His body was hazy, and the wing tips were as sharp as blades cutting light.
I sincerely sighed in admiration.
"Oh."
Sagak.
"You can fly too."
Sagak.
Stealthy's voice sounded a bit proud.
I laughed.
"Nice."
"This would make scouting much easier."
Sagak.
Until then, I really thought that.
If stealthy could fly, it would be much better.
Quiet, fast, body hidden, scouting the way first.
I thought about it that peacefully.
I would find out how naive that thought was a little later.
As we went lower below the Cradle of the World, snow decreased and rocks and earth increased.
The landscape that was only white started changing little by little to black forests, dry grass, and dark valleys.
To go southwest, we had to pass through the massive forest below the mountains.
That forest looked dense even from afar.
Trees were much larger than a normal forest, branches tangled and blocked the sky, and among them a mirror-like wide lake shone blue.
I swallowed from Alduin's back while looking down at the scenery.
"Ald."
"Krrr?"
"From now on, be careful."
"Krrr."
"There might be high-rank monsters below."
Alduin tilted his head.
I felt a bit frustrated.
Alduin didn't seem excited about the high-rank monster words.
Of course.
He didn't know the world.
Since he was raised in my arms since we first met, he didn't know how much danger exists.
"High-rank monsters are dangerous."
I explained seriously.
"They leave big footprints, break trees, eat people when they see them, and sometimes use mana."
"Krrr."
"You absolutely must not attack."
"Krrr?"
"Why that face."
I lightly tapped Alduin's nape.
"Anyway, when I say stop, stop."
"Rr."
"Stealthy only check first."
Sagak.
Stealthy obediently answered from the side.
I felt a little relieved.
At that time, near the forest entrance, we found huge footprints.
A deep mark in the ground mixed with snow and soil.
The place where claws passed was torn earth, and several trees at waist height were broken.
Rock had rough marks like something rubbed its body.
"Look."
I lowered my body.
"This."
Alduin looked at the footprints.
"Krrr?"
"No, not your footprints."
I stopped for a moment.
"Your footprints are bigger though."
Sagak.
Stealthy made a sagak sound from the side, sounding like he was laughing.
I narrowed my eyes at that strange sound.
"Second."
Sagak.
"Are you laughing?"
Sagak.
"Don't answer vaguely."
At that time, a low growl came from inside the forest.
Trees shook.
A heavy-sounding stomp, and a massive mountain troll with gray skin appeared from the forest.
Rock-like bumps were on his back, and he held a stone the size of a human torso in one hand.
Humans facing him alone would end without time to run.
I tensed and gripped the leather strap tightly.
"Ald."
"Krrr."
"Don't move."
Alduin stopped.
Stealthy quietly slid sideways.
The mountain troll saw us.
Exactly saw Alduin.
At that moment, the troll's movements stopped abruptly.
The troll slowly lowered the stone he was holding.
I thought a fight was about to start and lowered my body.
But the troll took one step back.
And another.
Then he gently placed the stone on the ground.
"……?"
I blinked.
The troll suddenly turned his body.
In the next moment, he ran away through the forest with that huge body, crushing trees.
Trees creaked and fell, and the troll didn't even look back.
I watched his back for a long time.
"Eh?"
Alduin tilted his head.
"Krrr?"
"Why run away?"
Alduin had a face that said he really didn't know.
Stealthy made a sagak sound from the side.
I looked at stealthy.
"Do you know?"
Sagak.
"Is that the answer, or laughing?"
Stealthy didn't answer.
Similar things kept happening after that.
Armored boar groups jumped out from inside the forest and, the moment Alduin's shadow covered them, turned direction.
They turned too sharply, collided with each other, rolled, and disappeared on the opposite side of the forest.
A knight band with swords growled from far away, but the moment Alduin's breath leaked a tiny bit, they scattered.
I gradually became speechless.
It was nice not having fights.
But it was strange.
Where should I go when I'm tense?
"Why doesn't anyone attack?"
When I muttered that, Alduin tried to look at me.
I immediately pulled the leather strap.
"Look ahead."
Alduin looked ahead again.
I looked at Alduin's wide nape.
Black scales.
Golden eyes.
Huge wings.
And the firstborn who was caught stealing dried meat in front of us.
No matter how I thought why high-rank monsters ran from this one, it was hard to feel it.
"Ald."
"Krrr?"
"Are you scary to them?"
Alduin's golden eyes wavered.
"Krrr?!"
"No, not to me."
"Krrr……."
"Why get hurt."
Alduin looked a bit down.
I stroked his nose bridge.
"To me, you're cute."
"Rr."
"But I don't know why everyone runs."
Alduin looked at me.
And at the forest.
Looked at me again.
A face like he was thinking.
I felt an ominous premonition looking at that face.
"Wait."
A faint red light shone very small inside Alduin's neck.
"Ald."
"Krrr."
"What are you trying to do?"
Alduin looked toward the forest and lake.
The direction the mountain troll and boar group ran away from.
Then he naturally raised his head.
I reflexively grabbed Alduin's nape.
"Hey, wait."
Alduin took a breath.
At that moment, the air around disappeared.
It wasn't just wind blowing.
All leaves of the forest bent in one direction, waves on the lake pulled toward Alduin, and soil dust, snow powder, and fallen leaves were sucked up into the air at once.
While I was lying on Alduin's back and holding my breath, heat spread between the black scales.
Golden eyes narrowed, and a red light like swallowing the sun formed at Alduin's mouth corners.
Next moment.
Black-red flames burst from Alduin's mouth.
Kwaaaaah!
The world turned white at once.
Heat came before sound.
Light came before heat.
I pressed my body tightly on Alduin's nape and squeezed my eyes shut.
But even through closed eyelids, it was bright red.
The breath wasn't hot enough to burn the forest.
Where the flames touched didn't even have time to burn.
The forest disappeared in an instant.
The giant trees that blocked the sky didn't burn like burning logs, but collapsed into black ash the moment they touched light.
Leaves, branches, stems, and roots dried and twisted at once, and grass, bushes, and moss on the ground evaporated without a trace.
The lake was worse.
When the blue shining wide surface touched the end of the breath, water didn't even make a boiling sound and shot up as white pillars.
Steam rose to the sky like an explosion, and in the middle of the lake, the bottom was exposed like a huge hole was drilled.
White mist created from water evaporating covered the sky, but even that was pushed back by Alduin's heat and turned red.
Rocks around the lake melted and flowed, mud hardened like black glass, and trees by the water became ash and scattered in the wind at once.
The breath didn't last long.
For Alduin, it was just one short breath.
Really short, light, without a second thought.
But after that one breath, the huge forest and lake were gone.
The scenery I saw a little while ago was no longer there.
Only black scorched earth, melted rocks, endless steam rising from where the lake was, and a huge pond exposing the bottom remained.
Monsters that were running away were even farther.
Or, it seemed like all living things were running to the end of the world.
I couldn't say a word for a long time.
My ears were numb.
My face was hot, and my fingers hurt from gripping the leather strap too tightly.
Stealthy stopped beside me.
No sound from the scales.
Alduin turned his head and looked at me.
And he shrugged his huge black dragon shoulders very slightly.
"Krrr."
As if saying like this.
See.
That's why.
I opened my mouth.
No sound came out.
After a while, a very slow voice came.
"……Ald."
"Krrr?"
"You just now."
"Krrr."
"You destroyed the forest and lake."
Alduin tilted his head.
"Krrr?"
"Why that face."
I pointed in front with my finger.
"Just now there was a forest there."
With another finger, I pointed at the place where steam was shooting up.
"There was a lake there."
Alduin turned around.
Black scorched earth.
Shooting steam.
Melted rocks.
And he looked at me again.
"Rr."
It sounded a bit proud.
I pressed my forehead with my hand.
"Not a compliment."
Alduin's eyes wavered.
"Krrr……."
"No, it's strong though."
I stopped mid-sentence.
"This is also not a compliment."
A very small sound came from the stealthy side.
This time it was definitely a sound of holding in laughter.
I turned my head.
"Second."
Sagak.
"Don't laugh."
Sagak.
"You haven't finished inspecting yet."
Stealthy made his body slightly hazy.
I looked at Alduin again.
Alduin still looked a bit hurt.
A face that he only tried to explain why he was scary.
I let out a deep sigh.
"Yeah."
"Now I get it."
Alduin's eyes looked at me.
I pointed at the place that was the forest and lake just now.
"I know why everyone runs."
"Krrr?"
"Because you're scary."
"Krrr?!"
"To me, you're a cute firstborn."
I tapped Alduin's nose bridge.
"To others, you're a disaster that changes the terrain."
Alduin's face was like he didn't know if the words were good or bad.
I said a bit more gently.
"It doesn't mean being scary is bad."
"Rr."
"But from now on, no breath without my permission."
Alduin's eyes suddenly darkened.
"Krrr……."
"Especially no breath while trying to explain."
"Krrr."
"No breath because I'm curious."
"Krrr."
"No breath because the road is blocked."
"Krrr……."
"No breath because the forest doesn't suit me."
Alduin lowered his head with a wronged face.
I said firmly.
"Just now, the forest and lake disappeared one each."
"Krrr……."
"Reflect."
Alduin lowered his head very slightly.
I pressed my body again on Alduin's nape.
Heat was still there.
Hot steam pushed by the wind came from the direction the breath passed.
Sweat formed on my forehead.
I wiped it and muttered.
"Managing our kids is a bigger problem than worrying about high-rank monsters."
Sagak.
Stealthy's scales made a small sound from the side.
I looked at stealthy.
"You're still obedient."
That remark didn't last long.
Thud.
A branch fell from the side.
At first I thought it was the aftermath of the breath.
Hot wind broke the branch.
I was going to ignore it.
We moved a little more.
Stealthy was quietly flying beside Alduin.
I was distracted by Alduin's breath and didn't properly see stealthy's wings.
His thin long steel-colored wings gently brushed between the trees.
Shoo.
No sound almost.
But a few beats later, the upper part of one tree fell in a diagonal slide.
Kung.
I blinked.
"……?"
Another one.
This time a rock protrusion was cut thin and fell to the ground.
Thud.
I slowly looked at stealthy.
Stealthy was flying as if nothing happened.
The wing tip brushed the next branch.
The branch was neatly cut.
This time I saw it clearly.
I straightened my body from Alduin's back as if jumping up.
"Stealthy?"
Sagak?!
Stealthy startled and made his body half-hazy.
I gripped the leather strap and shouted.
"Wing!"
Sagak?
"Your wing!"
Stealthy looked at his wing.
"Fold!"
Sagak?!
"Fold it!"
Stealthy hurriedly folded his wings.
His body tilted a bit and fell as if about to drop, but he barely caught his balance.
During that process, the wing tip brushed one last tree.
The tree was quietly cut diagonally.
My face turned pale.
"Did you see?"
Sagak…….
"You saw just now?"
Stealthy looked between his wing and the cut tree.
Then he seemed to understand a little.
I pressed my forehead with one hand.
"Your wing isn't a wing."
Sagak.
"It's just a flying knife."
Sagak…….
Stealthy looked dejected.
I hurriedly changed the subject.
"I know you didn't do that on purpose."
Sagak.
"But it's dangerous."
Sagak…….
"If it was my head just now."
Alduin stiffened his body.
Stealthy also stiffened.
"Dragon Canyon or whatever, this is the end of the trip."
Sagak…….
"It's starting the funeral……"
I had only left the cave a little while ago, but my head already ached.
Alduin, just by looking, made high-rank monsters run away.
If he tried to explain the reason by shooting breath, the huge forest and lake disappeared at once.
All stealthy did was quietly fly beside, but trees and rocks he touched were cut like paper.
"…Okay. Let's think positively. The name of stealthy, who was still worrying, came to mind."
Sagak?
"Even if I just quietly fly, the trees next to me get cut…"
Sagak.
"Masor. Let's call him Masor, meaning saw."
Hebrew sounds cool.
Surely Sor would like it too.