Dragon and Animals
Lick.
"Oh, for real."
Lick lick.
"Would you cut it out already?!"
Lick lick lick.
"...Fine. Have a taste. Knock yourself out!!"
In the end, I gave up on chasing the creature off.
"Siu turned into ice cream. Oh, and Siu—there's drool running down your head..."
"Kkakakakaka!!!! Ahahahahaha!!!! Dude! Cha Siu looks like he gelled his hair!!"
"Ugh. That drool smell is next-level. You even gonna be able to eat lunch later?"
Ha-yan, Do Ji-yeon, and Choi Hoon had clearly abandoned all hope and left everything up to heaven, each of them lobbing a remark at my defeated self. Of the three, Ha-yan looked the most anxious, as if she were afraid I might explode. So even with saliva streaming down my head, I reached out and stroked her hair to put her at ease.
And yet, through it all—
Lick.
Lick lick.
Lick lick lick.
—that insane horse's licking never once let up.
People passing near us added their own commentary as they glanced at my head under assault.
"Look at that. A horse is licking some kid's head?"
"Did they smear honey on it or something? Feels like... it wouldn't be great."
They each left a remark and drifted past. Honestly, part of me wanted to roast this thing right where it stood with fire magic and turn it into grilled horse meat. But when I casually read its mind, there wasn't a shred of malice—only
Our master! The master must be licked! Take our scent with you, Master!
—so getting angry over it felt weirdly unfair. Besides, I could already sense the owner's frantic worry as they started searching for the horse nearby, so I decided to just roll with it for a bit.
As if she had read that thought, Ha-yan carefully approached the horse that had been standing quietly behind me. The animal still had some wildness left in it; the moment Ha-yan drew near, it stopped licking me and seemed to fix her with a wary stare. I immediately poured a thread of mana into it.
If you don't want to die, stay still.
Ah. Yes, sir. And I had absolutely no intention of doing anything!
It didn't actually speak those words, of course, but the horse accepted my command at once. It stopped growling at Ha-yan and simply watched the two of us.
Then, as it sensed the mana flowing from the girl who had come close, the horse seemed startled—and actually took a small step toward her. I nodded at Ha-yan, who had been watching my face for cues. She beamed the way she always did, carefully laid her hands on the horse's face and body, and cried out in wonder.
"W-wow. It's crazy soft."
Heeheehee~
The instant Ha-yan's hands touched it, the horse seemed to feel her mana even more strongly and began rubbing its face against her with enthusiasm.
"Uheh? W-why are you suddenly doing that?"
Startled but smiling, Ha-yan gently stroked the horse's face with both hands. The horse clearly enjoyed it; it snorted soft breaths and luxuriated in her touch. Right after that, Choi Hoon and Do Ji-yeon drifted into the scene like people under a spell.
"Whoa. The fur is ridiculously short. Feels like petting a carpet."
"More like microfiber bedding, don't you think?"
Of course I fired off another warning at the horse.
If you don't want to become horse meat, just stay still.
While the other three were completely absorbed in the animal, Rhea appeared in a flash and held out a magically treated towel.
"Here you are. Wipe yourself off first."
I pretended to dab my damp nape and the back of my head with the towel she handed me, while quietly using magic to restore everything to its original pristine state. There were too many people around; casting magic with no cover at all would have drawn suspicion. I passed the towel back to Rhea and asked,
"So why are they suddenly like this? Animals around me have liked me a little before, but those were always pets that were already used to people."
"Strictly speaking, those horses aren't wild animals either. They're raised here."
"True enough. But they still had some wildness left in them, didn't they?"
Rhea folded the towel neatly and spoke in an offhand tone.
"This is only my conjecture, but there are stories in certain novels claiming that dragons stand at the absolute apex of all animals. If that writing happens to be true, it would rather neatly explain the things you are experiencing right now."
"Hmm..."
I sank into thought for a moment at Rhea's words. In that interval the horse's owner, having finally realized that the animal they raised was at the center of the crowd, appeared and apologized to us.
"Aigoo! I'm so, so sorry! These kids aren't normally like this. Especially this one—he's famous for hating people. Why is he suddenly acting this way?"
Muttering like that, the owner tried to lead the horse away.
Heeheehee!!!
"W-why are you doing this all of a sudden? Come on, let's go! You've already caused enough trouble!!"
Heehee!! Heeheehee!!!
The horse refused to budge even under its owner's hands, digging in its heels until it finally slipped free and quietly hid itself behind our group.
"Are you hiding? What do we do with you? You're so big that hiding doesn't really count as hiding. Hehe."
Finding the horse's behavior adorable, Ha-yan stroked its head even more warmly. Seeing that his horse would not listen, the owner finally approached us with an awkward expression.
"You look like students on a trip... Would you mind walking this one over to our riding grounds with me? I came out without any gear, so I don't have many options. Of course I'll compensate you—free horseback riding experiences for as long as you like."
"Oh. Really? You mean it?"
Still petting the horse, Ha-yan turned a bright smile on the owner. Then she looked at Choi Hoon, Do Ji-yeon, and me.
"What do you guys think? We were heading somewhere else, but given the situation, this seems fine, right?"
"I don't care either way. I'm in."
"If that's what Ha-yan wants, then of course I'm fine with it. By the way—you said this one doesn't listen well? He isn't reacting badly at all to me, Ha-yan, or Choi Hoon."
"Haha. I'm just as baffled. Once we get there you'll see for yourselves how ridiculously foul-tempered this guy usually is."
Once everything was settled, I clapped my hands and spoke to the others.
"Alright. Shall we move, then? It's decided. I'm going to talk to Rhea for a second, so get ready to head out."
I left the kids, who still couldn't tear their eyes off the horse, and walked over to where Rhea waited.
Kids will be kids, after all. Technically I was a kid myself by human age, but my mental maturity had long since finished developing.
How did I know that? Well. Let's just say I knew it by instinct.
To give the owner a little time to prepare the horses, I deliberately headed toward the car where Rhea was waiting. She had already seen the entire situation and heard everything, of course, but I had something else to discuss.
When I approached the driver's side, Rhea—sunglasses on, seat reclined a little—tilted her head at me.
"I already heard the whole thing. What is so urgent all of a sudden? Is the horse drool still clinging to the back of your head?"
"The way you talk, I swear... That's not it. Dig a little deeper into the relationship between dragons and other animals."
"It's obviously a favorable relationship at a glance. What more is there to look into?"
"Whether there are any side effects if I give animals orders and things like that."
"...You want me to dig through more novels?"
"It's an animal that's lived on as legend for centuries. There have to be more stories floating around."
I spoke curtly, and Rhea scowled at the order handed down during her break.
"Do you simply refuse to let people rest?"
"Rest, my foot. Just the fact that you're sitting here means you're already resting plenty and you know it. Don't try to freeload even harder."
I shot her a rotten look, left those final words, and turned away without mercy. Behind me I heard Rhea grumbling as she started the engine and drove off, but I didn't pay it much mind. She always talked like that and still did the work perfectly well.
"Siu! Let's go! He says he's ready!"
"Okay. Got it. Let's move."
In the meantime the owner had fitted the horse with the gear he had brought and promptly boosted Ha-yan—the person the horse had reacted to most warmly—up onto its back. Listening nearby, I learned he rarely let anyone ride this particular animal, and even he was muttering about how strange the whole thing was.
"It's crazy high up... and thick. Pure muscle!"
Perched on the horse, Ha-yan wore an expression that screamed This is so much fun! while continuously stroking the back of its head. The horse clearly loved it, snorting and making its good mood extremely obvious.
Soon the owner, holding the reins, spoke to us.
"We'll need to walk about thirty minutes from here. Is that alright?"
"Of course. Let's go right away. We were planning on a riding experience anyway."
As we set off, Choi Hoon sidled up and asked quietly,
"What about the driver? We don't have the car either."
"Huh? Oh. She said she'd finish some errands and head our way. I already dropped her a pin, so she'll probably show up around the time we're done."
"Mm. R-right."
"...?"
I floated a question mark at Choi Hoon's oddly vague reaction. Do Ji-yeon, who had been stroking the horse alongside Ha-yan, leaned in and whispered,
"There it is. He's at it again."
"At what?"
"That gold-digger falling-for-the-fancy-type streak of his."
"Ahh."
And I muttered the words Poor bastard only inside my head.
Rhea and Choi Hoon...? Well.
Objectively speaking Choi Hoon wasn't ugly, but if Rhea didn't eat him alive, he'd already be lucky.
"Waaaaah~~!! W-we're going! Fast!! Too fast!!"
In that moment the owner tugged the reins and started walking, and Ha-yan—whether from joy or terror—began screaming from atop the horse. I left Choi Hoon trailing after them with slumped shoulders and spoke to Do Ji-yeon.
"He's not a little kid. He'll figure it out. Not really our problem to worry about, is it?"
"True enough. I just find the sight of it eyesore-inducing."
With that, Do Ji-yeon also followed the others. I started walking as well, thinking to myself.
I honestly couldn't tell whether those two got along well or terribly.