The Divine Dragon's Admirers
The Divine Dragon. Ten. The Divine Dragon.
In the peaceful city of Seoul, beyond its strikingly modern skyline, there lies an ancient forest that has breathed with malice accumulated over hundreds of years. Deep within the Great Cavity of that gray forest—known in legend as the Burning Purgatory—dwells the tale of the hidden guardians. And among them is the story of Niyu, the devoted servant walking the fated path of battle against the threats of the Abyss to protect the one she loves.
Several days had passed since that incident with the Abyss.
During our morning routine, the Divine Dragon and I walked on our own two feet, checking the Abyss seals scattered throughout the forest. As expected, we found the seal that man had utterly destroyed. After repairing the one located in the southern hemisphere, we once again concealed it with divine power so that no ordinary human could ever find it again.
Still, if only two fragments of malice had escaped despite such damage, it meant the Abyss had not yet accumulated that much wickedness. Because the Abyss was the world beyond this one where all of humanity’s malice was discarded and piled up, we always worked to prevent it from swallowing the living world. It was the Divine Dragon who had taken on the role of gatekeeper, guarding the doors leading to that place all this time.
But somehow, word of it had gotten out.
While the Divine Dragon gathered divine power through meditation, her energy grew more refined and potent with each passing day. She could wield mysteries powerful enough to easily crush even the Abyss. Meanwhile, I controlled the people who wandered into the forest and kept their mouths shut as tightly as possible so she could continue accumulating that purified power.
Just who was running their mouth so carelessly?
“·····.”
“Niyu, how does black bean noodles sound for dinner tonight?”
I had been meditating beside the Divine Dragon with a face full of worry and concern when she asked me with a faint smile. I slowly opened my eyes and looked at her. She must have noticed something strange.
“Then… never mind. Let’s not eat anything dark today…”
She shook her head, agreeing that she didn’t want to see anything black anymore. Once I had regained my composure, I closed my eyes again and continued meditating with her.
“What about grapes, then?”
“Are you teasing me?”
We exchanged light, playful words while basking in the setting sunlight. As I continued trading silly banter with the Divine Dragon, I suddenly felt her thick, chubby tail wrap around my waist and pull me close. By the time I drew near enough to feel her breath, I opened my eyes slowly and lifted my head to meet her gaze.
The Divine Dragon pressed her shoulder firmly against mine and interlaced our fingers. A gentle smile graced her lips as she continued the whimsical conversation.
“Was it boneless?”
“Even if it isn’t, I’ll debone it all for you…”
She was so adorable that I began gently stroking the plump tail coiled around my waist. Her body gave a tiny flinch. She pursed her lips tightly, trying to focus and not lose herself in that mysterious sensation.
But in the end, the texture of her tail made me start drooling. I found myself wanting to bury my face in it and rub all over. Just as I was about to lose control and start ravishing her tail—
'E-excuse me…?'
A woman’s voice I had never heard before came from outside. Startled, I looked toward the entrance. The Divine Dragon withdrew her hand and tail from me, rose slowly, and walked to the door first. I hurried after her. The moment she opened it—
“Ah, you are here…”
The woman, who looked somewhat downcast, immediately held out the fruit basket she was carrying and spoke.
“I… I realized I never properly thanked you for saving me that day…”
She was the woman who had been chased by the Abyss alongside that man. At the sudden appearance of this unexpected guest, the Divine Dragon stiffened in surprise. But the woman simply expressed pure, innocent gratitude toward her.
“Thank you also for saving my brother, who nearly got taken by the Abyss that day…”
Somehow she knew about the Abyss in detail and offered her thanks. After leaving only well-wishes for our continued good health, she quietly left the shrine.
“·····.”
I stood there blankly, watching the Divine Dragon who remained at the entrance holding the fruit basket. Then she turned to me with flushed peach-colored cheeks and a bright smile, looking utterly delighted.
“Niyu! I received gratitude!”
I broke into a huge grin as well and pulled her into my arms as she stepped back inside. Even so, she spoke to me in a somewhat hollow voice.
“…In the end, she has awakened her spiritual power.”
She was telling me that the woman would likely become a shaman and be fated to fight the strange entities and threats of the Abyss spreading across the city. I felt a twinge of pity. Still, the source of the Abyss was firmly sealed within this forest. She could slowly build her strength in the city and later stand firm against any threat from the Abyss or other horrors.
Even though she had lost her lover and now walked alone, I found myself cheering for her to keep living. “We’ll meet again someday…”
Since we now walked the same path, the Divine Dragon’s voice carried the intuition that we would cross paths once more. I spoke to her in a calm tone.
“When that time comes, we’ll surely meet with brighter faces than now.”
This was one of the few precious connections we had gained—us extreme homebodies. I firmly believed that when we met again, it would be with good expressions. I embraced the Divine Dragon so her loneliness wouldn’t grow any larger.
She nodded, then said it was about time she wanted to eat dinner. I smiled and gladly headed to the kitchen to prepare the meal. Today, the Divine Dragon seemed unwilling to leave my side; she kept hovering around me. That day, there was never a moment when the warmth between us faded. Our body heat continued to warm each other, and so we spent a night warmer than any other…
Who could have known that would become the problem?
After she visited, the previous rumors that claimed no one but me lived in the annex suddenly changed. People who had once received the Divine Dragon’s grace began flocking here in groups. More and more of them came to offer gifts directly or repay her kindness. Later, even those who got lost in the Great Cavity would return home only after stopping by the shrine first to offer prayers of gratitude or thanks in person.
Damn it. The Divine Dragon is mine. She’s my one and only goddess. She isn’t someone you bastards can just casually talk to—!
Even so…
“Thank you for saving us, Divine Dragon!”
“…I’m glad you’re safe. Hurry home now.”
The Divine Dragon’s expression had grown brighter than before. Of course, her worries and concerns had increased a little as well. But as she interacted with so many people and talked with them, the feeling of loneliness seemed to fade from her mind.
Watching her from behind, I could only feel relieved. Yet somewhere deep in my chest, where I should have been thinking only good thoughts, an unknown darkness began to stir. As my emotions grew stranger and stranger, little by little—
“…What is the matter, Niyu?”
I clung to the Divine Dragon even more tightly, refusing to let go. This behavior grew worse by the day. Even when it was time for morning training, I held onto her and refused to separate.
“There, there. You want to come with me, don’t you?”
In the end, since I showed no sign of letting go, the Divine Dragon—who usually went to the training room alone—had no choice but to lay out two cushions. She knelt with me and traveled through the forest together. But the more I acted this way, the angrier I became with myself.
I had sworn to protect the Divine Dragon. I was supposed to be her faithful servant. Yet here I was, acting no different from dead weight. Still, I didn’t want to let go. If I did, she would be surrounded by countless people again, pulled in every direction.
The Divine Dragon is mine. I was the first to like her. I was the first to love her. I was the first to kiss her. I was the first to creampie her. I marked her all over. Just yesterday I left tons of kiss marks on the inside of her thighs.
Even so, I hated seeing other people casually talk to her. I hated watching them approach her so easily. Of course the Divine Dragon always returned to me. She had no choice but to return. She kept getting marked by me. She remained mine. But still… still, this kind of thing…
For someone like me who had never experienced anything like this, it was simply… unpleasant.
Even though I disliked myself for behaving this way, I still couldn’t let the Divine Dragon go. That whole day, I stayed glued to her side and did nothing. Yet she never once got angry with me. It was as if she understood exactly what I was feeling.
She kept gently stroking me, saying, “I am right here. I am by your side,” as if to reassure the spoiled child I had become.
But eventually, in the middle of that shared moment—
'Divine Dragon, are you there~!!'
A cheerful girl’s voice rang out from outside. The Divine Dragon took me with her and stepped out slowly to see what the girl wanted.
“Divine Dragon, you’re so beautiful!!”
The girl clutched a letter tightly in both hands and suddenly shouted at the top of her lungs.
“This is my heart! Please accept it!!”
She thrust the letter forward and confessed to the Divine Dragon without warning. Standing one step behind and watching, I felt my heart sink with a heavy thud.
A confession? A confession to the Divine Dragon?
I hadn’t done that yet, had I? I never gave the Divine Dragon a proper confession.
Standing a short distance away and staring at the two of them, the moment I heard that confession, a strange sensation swept over me. It was true that the Divine Dragon and I had done all sorts of things together, but I had never confessed. Then what exactly were we? We had gone straight from kissing to having sex without ever confessing… so… were we… lovers…?
“I am sorry.”
But just as I was sinking into that pit of confusion, the Divine Dragon pushed the letter away without the slightest hesitation and shook her head.
“I am not one who can date a human, so I cannot accept this.”
Afterward, she looked at the girl, whose face had crumpled in disappointment as if her romantic dreams had shattered, and firmly rejected her. She sent the girl home while offering kind words.
“Instead, I shall pray with you so that you may meet a good connection in the future.”
She gave the girl only gentle words so she could let go of her lingering feelings and leave. Once the girl had completely departed, the Divine Dragon turned around with a calm expression, met my eyes, and stepped inside. She spoke softly.
“Hoo… These days, people really come for the smallest things.”
For a brief moment, I simply stared at her as she walked past me and entered the house. She looked at my dazed face strangely and tossed out a casual remark.
“Why are you standing there? Come inside quickly. Let us rest a little.”
The memory of the Divine Dragon telling me the other evening that I was not merely her servant but her love suddenly rose in my mind. My previously confused thoughts cleared, and a smile formed on my lips without me realizing it.
It felt like I had been worrying over nothing. I let out a small laugh and came back to my senses.
“…Yes, I’d like that!”
I brushed away my worries, regained my usual bright smile, and ran toward the Divine Dragon.
I… had always thought I had nothing to do with jealousy. No matter what anyone said, the Divine Dragon was my goddess and my love. That was an unchanging truth of this world.
Yet if we continued to get entangled with other beings, someday I would have to face the fact that I could not keep her in my two hands forever. Someday, like ordinary mortals, we too might have to part. Even so, there was no need to be sad.
Because the Divine Dragon loves me. Because I love the Divine Dragon so very much. No matter how far apart we become, no matter how distant we grow, even if we could never see each other again, there was no need to be afraid. There wasn’t a single reason to fear.
“Were you afraid I might accept her?”
“…If you ask so bluntly, even I will get sulky.”
After all, she is my goddess. I am her servant. Even if we are apart, we will remain together forever.
“I rather like… the sight of a sulky Niyu, you know.”