Chapter 50
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: My Tooth Fell Out (3)
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“Eek?!”
An involuntary scream of surprise burst from my lips. What the hell was going on?!
Where had the cute little lizard gone, and why had some girl suddenly popped up instead? A girl who looked exactly like me, no less.
The only differences were that she had no wings on her back, her hair was a jet-black bob, her horns were tiny, and her tail was way thinner than mine.
Now that I looked closer, she seemed a bit shorter than me too. Her tail and horns were black as well. But her face and build were so similar there was no denying it. Was this what having a little sister would feel like? Or maybe a twin?
As I stood there lost in confusion, I heard someone at the front door frantically punching in the door code at blinding speed.
Beep-beep-beep! Click!
At the same time, someone came charging into the house at a terrifying pace. The front door flew open, followed by the bedroom door, and a dark figure appeared.
“Are you all right?!”
Miss So-jeong burst in shouting that, but she froze solid right after without another word.
“...Miss Lee Da-yoon, two of you...?”
She mumbled in a bewildered voice. She stared at the naked girl for a long moment, eyes scanning her from top to bottom, then bottom to top.
Seeing that made my cheeks puff out for no reason.
After spending over a month with me, she couldn’t even tell us apart?
“I’m over here, you know?”
I grumbled at Yu So-jeong, but she just stared at me with a still-dazed look.
“Ah... I’m sorry.”
Even as she apologized to me, her eyes kept flicking toward the girl.
“May I ask for an explanation?”
“Um...”
How was I supposed to explain this? That a bone lizard had suddenly appeared from my tooth, turned into a lizard, then a girl? And that it was my tooth?
There was only one perfect way to sum up the whole situation.
“I think I just became a mom.”
“...Pardon?”
Another dumbstruck sound escaped Yu So-jeong’s lips.
“...So that’s what happened.”
“Yeah. Honestly, I don’t really get it either.”
The girl was sitting quietly on the sofa next to me, wearing some spare clothes of mine for now.
“So, what exactly is she?”
I stroked the girl’s head as I asked. She narrowed her eyes in pleasure, accepting my touch.
“Wanna stand up?”
At my words, she hopped right up from her seat.
“Sit.”
She sat back down on the sofa.
“Turn around once.”
She spun around cutely in place.
“Say something. Try ‘hello.’”
But this time, she just shook her head. No matter what I tried, she wouldn’t open her mouth.
Watching all this, Yu So-jeong spoke up.
“It seems she’s a ‘Dragon Fang Soldier.’”
“Dragon Fang Soldier?”
The term rang a vague bell, like something from a game or webtoon, but also totally new.
“Yes. A soldier born from a dragon’s tooth. They appear in ancient myths and fantasy novels. Known as familiars that obey their master’s commands absolutely. The original texts say they’re soldiers grown from teeth planted in the earth... but skills don’t always match the lore perfectly.”
I nodded at her explanation.
“So, basically, a daughter who listens to everything I say!”
“It might not be quite that.”
But we still didn’t know much about the girl.
“There are still so many questions. Exactly what kind of child is she?”
“If you’re curious, why not ask her directly?”
“Mm, but she doesn’t seem to talk.”
“Conversation isn’t only with words.”
Yu So-jeong fetched paper and a pen from the study and set them in front of the girl.
With half doubt, I handed her the pen and asked.
“Um... who are you?”
She looked at me for a moment, then picked up the pen and wrote on the paper.
- Il-ho
She’d written her name, so she was definitely the lizard I’d given scales and mana to earlier. But I wasn’t asking for her name.
“Okay, so you’re Il-ho. But beyond the name, I’m curious about your exact identity.”
At my words, the girl... Il-ho moved the pen again.
- Dragon Fang Soldier
For someone with such a straightforward vibe, her handwriting was a total mess. Like a kindergartener’s first attempt at letters, all crooked and wobbly.
As I stared at the writing, Yu So-jeong murmured softly beside me.
“It’s the same handwriting as Miss Lee Da-yoon’s.”
“Huh? No way. Mine’s neat and straight, and Il-ho’s is all wiggly.”
Yu So-jeong just replied impassively to my denial.
“Is that so.”
She said nothing more, but somehow I felt like I’d lost.
“Anyway... we should take her to the Management Bureau for a precise checkup.”
“Yeah, that sounds best.”
To figure out what Il-ho was, her condition, and get her an official identity, we had to go there.
“Il-ho, we’re gonna go meet some strangers for a bit. That okay with you?”
At my question, Il-ho nodded as if it were the most natural thing. Somehow, an invisible wave of trust and confidence emanated from her.
“Then let’s get changed first...”
Just as I started to stand—
Pop!
“Huh?”
White smoke erupted from where Il-ho had been. And she was gone.
...No, not gone.
Il-ho had reverted to that Armored Skink-like form from before.
I carefully approached and lifted her from the sofa. A translucent system window popped up before my eyes.
Dragon Fang Soldier-Guardian, ‘Il-ho’
The first Dragon Fang Soldier and first Guardian born from the first tooth of the Great Gold Dragon. Forged by three firsts and three rituals. Possesses eternal loyalty and boundless potential. Cannot maintain human form for long, as mana connection from its creator has not yet been permitted.
“Aha...”
Reading the description made everything click. She’d run out of mana and reverted. Makes sense—tons of my mana had been sucked out when she first turned human.
‘The first Guardian, huh...’
Born to protect me. What a good kid.
I gazed fondly at Il-ho in my palm. She rubbed her little head against my finger, acting all cute.
Then, a chilling thought crossed my mind.
‘The fact that an info window pops up like for an item... doesn’t that mean she could be used as crafting material?’
I swallowed hard and activated my [Treasure Crafting] skill. The familiar crafting interface appeared. I checked the materials list.
Materials: Dragon Fang Soldier-Guardian ‘Il-ho’, Gold Dragon Nail Shells × 20
Current Craftable Items: Sword, Necklace, Shield, Axe, Mobile Structure, Spear +3
I slowly lowered my gaze to my palm.
Il-ho stared up at me innocently with her sparkling golden eyes, utterly oblivious. Those pure orbs stabbed at my conscience mercilessly.
“No no no no, this has to be a system glitch!”
There’s no way I’d use Il-ho as material! She’s so cute and sweet!
Classifying a living being as crafting material is the weird part! The system was being too much!
I hurriedly closed the crafting window. My heart plummeted. I’d almost used my precious... well, not daughter, but family on materials.
“Hey, Il-ho.”
At my call, Il-ho looked up at me.
“If I permit you to draw mana from me, can you turn back into that human girl form?”
She nodded up and down.
“Got it. Then I permit you.”
I felt mana steadily flowing out from within me. About half my production rate?
Pop!
The same sound rang out, thick white smoke billowing up. As it cleared, the black-haired girl who looked just like me stood before me again.
Good thing she wasn’t naked this time. Would be a hassle if her clothes vanished every transformation.
“Shall we head to the Management Bureau, then?”
“Ah, yeah. We have to. Can’t leave things like this.”
I took Il-ho’s hand and stood.
Yu So-jeong’s familiar black sedan. She opened the back door for me as always, and I slid in naturally. Il-ho quietly entered from the opposite door and sat primly beside me.
The door shut, and the car smoothly pulled away.
It’d take a while to reach the Bureau, so I pulled out my phone to watch some YouTube.
As usual, when I opened YouTube, Il-ho peered intently at my screen. It showed a huge, fluffy Samoyed placing its front paws on its owner’s lap, acting cute.
The owner held out a palm, and the Samoyed plopped its big paw on it with an adorable expression. The owner ruffled its head wildly, and the dog wagged its tail furiously in delight.
Feeling eyes on me, I turned. Il-ho was gazing at me with big, sparkling eyes.
‘No way...?’
Nah, couldn’t be. She’s not a dog—why would she imitate that?
But her unwavering stare made me raise my hand just in case.
“...Hand?”
Il-ho promptly placed her hand atop mine.
‘She’s actually doing it.’
Hm... gotta praise her if she did it, right?
I raised my other hand and brought it to her head.
Pat pat.
“...Good girl.”
Il-ho’s face stayed blankly expressionless, but I could tell she was happy.
Daughter, pet, little sister—whatever she was, it looked like I’d gained a new family member.