15화 좀 과했나?
The flames licking at his skin like a predator lunging at an innocent chick were truly intimidating.
At that very moment, the Imugi stretched his front paw forward before the baby bird, using it as a shield.
“Chee-ack?!”
Startled by the sound of pain, the baby bird let out a cry that was almost a scream.
“What are you doing?!”
With Perdikion’s furious shout still ringing in the air, the flames vanished in an instant.
Perdikion muttered to himself as he watched the scene.
‘No way this is dangerous. Even if this brat had a brain, he could never hurt me here in Christina’s Lair. Not with Christina watching over me.’
Of course not. Even a far more powerful being would find it impossible to harm him here. Christina’s Lair was protected by her.
Despite appearances of gentleness and kindness, Christina was the Queen of Light and the Elder of the Gold Dragons, ruling this entire region.
If she were to attack the hatchling she protected, she would face no mercy. Not even her true wrath could be avoided.
‘She may be giving him leeway, but that little fool dares to act without knowing his place and will suffer a great setback.’
He gently cradled the baby bird in his arms and gave Perdikion a cold, warning stare.
Perdikion did not flinch in the slightest as he responded to the Imugi.
“Hah, you’re trying to raise your pet like a servant?”
“…”
Perdikion clicked his tongue inwardly.
‘This idiot hasn’t learned his lesson yet. Just how far do I have to go to fix that thick skull of his?’
It seemed he would have to be the one teaching the lesson.
The thought alone made him groan with irritation.
‘Should I just ignore him and let it slide?’
He could have. As the successor to the Elder of the Fire clan, building a proper relationship with him might prove useful later on.
‘No. That won’t do.’
The thought of spending thousands of years with this arrogant fool made him lose all desire to show leniency.
How could he just leave him alone after seeing him once?
It would have been far better to set him straight back when he was barely a year old.
‘First, I’ll fix him from top to bottom.’
The Imugi glared at Perdikion with a subtle undercurrent of killing intent.
The heavy pressure and aura that came with his nearly thousand-year existence began to steadily thicken, instantly making the surrounding air in the room feel frigid.
Perdikion instinctively tensed his body, sensing danger.
Yet he quickly twisted his face in anger toward himself.
‘Me… feeling pressure from a hatchling who’s barely a year old?’
Contrary to his anger, his body felt suffocated by the weight pressing down on him.
But in the next instant, the killing intent vanished without a trace.
“Hah!”
Perdikion exhaled sharply.
He straightened his breathing and stared at the Imugi.
How could a hatchling who was barely a year old have felt like he was “lenient”? It didn’t make sense.
‘This is plenty.’
In front of the still-confused Perdikion, the Imugi calmly placed the baby bird on his shoulder.
Perdikion felt a surge of anger at the sight of someone who had been afraid of him, but confusion set in when he realized the one who had been afraid was merely a hatchling a month old.
“You… what are you exactly? How did you acquire such an aura?”
“…”
To Perdikion, the Imugi appeared as a frightened beast that barked wildly and threatened to harm anyone who dared approach.
His eyes were sharp with clear warning as he tensed up.
The Imugi shrugged his shoulder, then gently stroked the baby bird’s head with his paw.
‘…Was that a bit too much?’
His behavior was arrogant, yet his spirit felt weak.
He should have paid closer attention to his strength control.
‘Even though he’s younger than me, if he reacts this way, what will he do later?’
It was only natural.
The Imugi was the kind of person who had locked himself away for hundreds of years in a place filled with terrifying auras that everyone avoided, focusing solely on his ascension training.
Those days of sincere dedication to becoming a dragon had left no room for comfort.
In other words, the density of time Perdikion had lived through was lighter than the Imugi’s.
‘Yet when I saw him wielding fire, his skills looked quite refined.’
The only reason for that was because he was using it for intimidation.
His mana flow was remarkably gentle and careful, in stark contrast to his rough personality.
‘He’s a timid lion, but he truly has the talent to handle power.’
Though still lacking, his innate talent seemed quite good.
If only he could fix his poor temperament, he would be quite useful.
‘I wonder if his mother has passed, and he’s been receiving only education on becoming Elder from his father. Pasiyas doesn’t seem like a good father, and he probably had no proper friends emotionally either…’
Suddenly, the Imugi sensed the truth of his essence.
‘No way. Could this be Christina’s plan?’
To create someone he could share bonds with.
She must have thought the same way.
Now that he thought about it, it was incredibly difficult for Perdikion to form equal bonds with anyone.
‘Christina couldn’t be his friend. After Perdikion arrived, it was clear that Pasiyas’s permission had already been granted.’
It was a good method.
From the way he had behaved when stroked by Christina, it was clear he would find it hard to let go of a favor once he accepted it.
‘If this goes well, there won’t be any conflict with the successor to the Fire clan Elder. It’s a win for me too.’
Christina was his benefactor, so he would gladly participate in her intention.
‘It’s awkward to suddenly say he can relax. First, I need to loosen the restrictions.’
The Imugi put on a gentle expression and carefully wrapped the baby bird in his paws while looking at Perdikion.
The killing intent he had unleashed moments ago was a reflexive reaction to threatening his friend.
He had even shaken his head gently to emphasize that he was just a young hatchling.
It felt like a silent plea: “Don’t touch my friend.”
The way the hatchling cherished the small white baby bird slightly softened the memory of his previous killing intent.
Perdikion saw the scene and showed a puzzled expression, loosening his guard a little.
‘Now the question is how to build a bond with him.’
The first thought that came to mind was to show his power to establish a clear hierarchy and make him obey his words.
‘That won’t work.’
As soon as he thought of it, he immediately rejected the idea in his mind.
Since he couldn’t reveal his past, he would have to explain his inherited power and knowledge from Christina.
It was also a request from Christina, but it was also his trump card.
Above all, it wouldn’t solve the root issue of him abusing those weaker than himself.
‘It would only be a matter of tightening the reins to make those stronger than him listen.’
He could never turn this brat into a cowardly one who submits to those stronger than him.
Watching Perdikion who had begun a serious eye lock with the baby bird, he organized his thoughts one by one.
‘The reason he grew up like this is likely due to the influence of those close to him. He was probably raised to act arbitrarily toward the weak.’
With that thought, he figured his original personality might not be as bad as it seemed.
‘If only I could punish him thoroughly without holding back, saying I don’t even qualify as a caregiver.’
The Imugi let out a deep sigh in his heart.
While he was organizing his thoughts, Christina entered the room through a teleportation magic, having been away.
“You two, have you been having fun?”
“Kkueu.”
The Imugi looked at her with a completely innocent expression.
“What is this?”
Perdikion asked.
Christina answered.
“This child loves this food especially much. You should try it too.”
“…Thank you.”
Perdikion greeted her politely with a bow, and he saw a basket inside.
It contained crisp biscuits, bottled milk, and a simple teapot containing honey and cheese.
He realized these snacks were no ordinary ones.
“Mana in food…”
“You’ve noticed. This child really loves foods with mana in them.”
“Food with mana?”
“Huhu, isn’t it strange? He only eats that.”
Perdikion looked at the Imugi with curiosity.
‘Does he really enjoy meals full of mana every day?’
This was the first time he had heard of a hatchling who stubbornly ate only foods containing specific ingredients.
It was like saying a human enjoyed eating food that was sprinkled with nutritional supplements or potion syrups.
If there was no special purpose, it was odd for a dragon hatchling, who was born with abundant mana, to only crave food filled with it without knowing anything.
‘No way… could the strong aura I felt earlier be because he grew up eating these foods?’
Perdikion immediately denied the thought that had come to mind.
‘No way. Unless he deliberately ate it, such a thing couldn’t happen.’
Unaware of Perdikion’s thoughts, the Imugi poured a generous amount of honey over a biscuit and swallowed it in one bite.
“Kkueu.”
‘It’s really delicious.’
Crispy. Crunch crunch.
The Imugi puffed his cheeks and calmly chewed the biscuit, then took out another one and ate it with a deeply satisfied expression.
Then, with a calm face, he took another biscuit from the basket, soaked it thoroughly in honey, and handed it to Perdikion.
“Kku!”
‘Don’t waste effort on unnecessary things and just eat it.’
Perdikion looked at him in surprise.
The sight of offering a sweet-smelling cookie was extremely cute and friendly, but the contrast with the killing intent he had shown moments ago left him confused.
Of course, he couldn’t keep refusing in front of Christina.
Perdikion narrowed his brows slightly, then accepted the biscuit and pushed it into his mouth.
Crunch.
The moment it touched his tongue, Perdikion’s expression subtly stiffened.
‘Taste… delicious?’
Crispy… crunch crunch crunch!
He quickly chewed the biscuit.
The Imugi saw this and took out another biscuit, soaking it in honey and handing it over.
After a moment of hesitation and caution, Perdikion accepted the biscuit and put it in his mouth.
Seeing Perdikion eat it so readily made him feel like he was taming a wild cat.
‘Oh, is this it?’
He felt as if he had found a clue to refining the brat’s temper.
It was natural that the one who gave delicious food was hard to hate.
Especially the combination of sweet and tasty snacks had the effect of making the recipient feel good.
If he learned how to share such snacks with others?
‘There’s a saying about sharing one pot. It’s a great way to build trust.’
Perdikion could also gain trust by eating delicious snacks and learn how to give to the weak.
‘This guy is the future Elder of the Fire clan and the master of this Lair and Dungeon. If he learns how to give to those under him and becomes close, it will benefit me as well.’
He could succeed without letting him act arbitrarily and by creating a moderately friendly relationship.
And if they grew even closer, it would be as good as making the Fire clan his ally.