Chapter 19 : The Dragon Who Awoke from Sleep (1)

The sensation rising from the depths of consciousness was quite different from before.

It wasn’t the kind of deep sleep where one’s very existence seemed to fade away, sinking endlessly into pitch-black darkness.

How should I put it—maybe it was similar to the refreshing feeling of waking up after a really, really long, deep sleep.

‘…How long did I sleep?’

When I lifted my eyelids—or rather, the scale membrane that served as eyelids—the familiar scenery of the cave came into view.

It was still dark, but the amount and angle of light seeping in from the faraway entrance had clearly changed from before.

Though my sense of time was still a mess and I couldn’t say for sure, I had a vague feeling that at least several days had passed.

The first thing I checked upon waking was the children.

When I turned my head, I saw two small figures curled up close together and sleeping not far from the rock where I had been resting.

Sori and Lisette.

When I suddenly fell asleep like that, how scared and anxious must those children have been?

I felt sorry, but this irresistible sleep that came regardless of my will was something I couldn’t control.

If this was some kind of natural phenomenon for dragons, then something like this might happen again in the future.

‘…That’s going to be a problem.’

Now that I had decided to take responsibility for the children, falling asleep without warning like this posed a lot of issues.

It was at that moment when I tried to lift my body.

Whether she sensed that I had awakened or had simply been in a light sleep, Sori stirred first and opened her eyes.

She looked around with a sleepy face, then suddenly noticed me and jumped up in surprise.

“Dragon!”

At Sori’s shout, Lisette, who had been sleeping next to her, woke up as well.

Lisette, still half-asleep and trying to grasp the situation, spotted me awake and quickly hid behind Sori, asking in a startled voice,

“You’re… you’re awake?!”

She peered out from behind Sori’s back, using it as a shield, and looked at me with frightened eyes.

She still seemed to have lingering fear toward me, but at least she wasn’t frozen in place like before.

Rather, in those eyes, besides fear… there seemed to be curiosity too.

Sori’s reaction was a bit different from Lisette’s.

She was clearly surprised, but more than that, a look of relief mixed with concern crossed her face.

She hesitated like she wanted to come closer to me, then cautiously asked,

“Are you okay? Are you hurt or anything?”

That little child was worried about me.

It seemed she’d been anxious the whole time I was asleep, fearing something might happen.

Once again, a warm emotion rose from deep within my chest.

“I’m fi…”

I tried to answer in the softest voice I could manage.

But still, my voice came out low and rough.

It seemed the vocal cords of this massive body were far from anything delicate or gentle.

‘Nothing bad happened while they were sleeping, right? Did they eat properly?’

I worried whether they had faced any danger while I was asleep, or if they had gone hungry.

Especially Lisette—she probably hadn’t adjusted to life here yet.

[Were both of you okay while I was asleep?]

That concern of mine echoed within my mind.

“Huh? We were okay! Wait, why can I hear the dragon’s voice in my head?”

“Sori, that’s called telepathy.”

Sori responded with wide eyes, clearly startled by what I said, and Lisette explained like she knew something about it.

“During the week the dragon was asleep, we trained really hard.”

From behind Sori, Lisette added that they had continued their training diligently.

She still seemed wary, but looked surprised at my question asking if they were okay.

Wait—a whole week had passed?

But hold on a second.

‘…Huh?’

I suddenly went blank.

Just now… the kids heard my thoughts? No way.

I had tried it before, and it didn’t work at all back then.

What changed? Did something happen while I was asleep?

‘Maybe… if I do this, they can hear me?’

This time, I consciously directed a thought to Sori.

[Sori, aren’t you hungry?]

“Yes! I’m really hungry! Right, Lisette?”

Sori nodded immediately and answered, and Lisette also nodded slightly beside her.

I had intended to send it only to Sori, but it seemed Lisette heard it too.

‘…It’s real.’

I couldn’t believe it, but this was reality.

Unintentionally, I had gained the ability to communicate with the children using just my thoughts.

Why hadn’t it worked before? Did I not know the right method?

The most likely explanation was that my body had undergone some kind of change during the week I was asleep.

There were still many unknowns, but at least I had gained a convenient new ability.

Now, I no longer had to use a voice that might sound threatening to communicate with them.

‘Alright, let’s eat first.’

Perhaps they had picked up on my thought, because I saw both of their faces light up.

Especially Lisette—her expression looked visibly relieved, as if she had been waiting for this moment.

“No need to light a fire anymore!”

It seemed they had been cooking for themselves until now. I was relieved to hear it.

Then, I led the children to the place where we prepared meals.

Fortunately, there was still some of the wolf meat left over from last time.

Phew, looks like I won’t have to go hunting again.

I thought to myself as I handled the meat.

‘Huh? But why does it seem kinda fresh?’

If I really had been asleep for a week like Lisette said, the meat should have gotten soft by now.

From experience, I knew that food didn’t rot easily in this cave, so it could be stored for a long time.

But instead of rotting, the meat would lose its elasticity as it aged.

Since the meat was still within the edible period, I didn’t worry too much and started grilling it using my fire breath as usual.

With a sizzling sound, a savory smell began to fill the cave.

The kids waited in front of the plates and forks I had retrieved for them previously.

‘They’ve gotten used to it already.’

Lisette still fumbled a bit with the fork, but unlike before, she wasn’t anxious about the lack of utensils.

Good thing I brought them.

‘Last time Lisette freaked out when she saw those—maybe she’ll be okay today?’

I tossed in the leftover root vegetables into the fire as I thought.

A little later, I served the nicely grilled meat and root veggies onto the children’s plates.

[Here you go, eat up.]

“Thank you!”

“Ugh… Thank you for the meal.”

It seemed my thought had reached them, because the two kids immediately grabbed their forks and started eating.

“It’s delicious! Right, Lisette?”

“Definitely, meat grilled with the dragon’s fire tastes better…”

Sori still ate heartily, and Lisette, too, brought the meat to her mouth more naturally than before.

She hesitated with the root vegetables at first, but then took a bite—and her eyes went wide.

“Hmm… I really feel like my mana is recovering.”

I heard her mumble.

See? My cooking skills are improving.

Seeing the kids eat so happily made me feel warm inside, too.

As the meal was nearing its end, I took another look at the children’s appearance.

They were grimy.

Quite some time had passed since we started living in the cave, and Lisette especially hadn’t had a proper wash since arriving.

Sori was in the same boat.

I trained every day, sweating and rolling on the cave floor, so it must be tough.

‘I can’t leave them like that.’

My memories from when I was human were faint, but I still had the basic understanding that hygiene was important.

If they stayed that dirty, they might end up getting sick.

It looked like they at least washed their faces, but that wasn’t enough to maintain true cleanliness.

‘I need to wash them.’

I made up my mind.

But how? There wasn’t a proper place to wash inside the cave.

There was a pool of water that bubbled up, but it looked too small and uncomfortable for bathing.

‘…Should I make a bathhouse?’

It seemed like a pretty good idea.

If I could find a good spot outside the cave and use my powers, I could create a space where the kids could comfortably wash up.

For example, I could use my flame breath to heat the water or dig into the ground to make a bath.

‘Yeah, let’s do that. I should create a better environment for the kids.’

I conveyed my idea to the children after they finished eating.

[You’re very dirty now, so I’ll make a place for you to bathe.]

“A bath?”

Sori asked, her eyes sparkling.

“Really? We can take a bath here?”

Lisette also perked up, showing interest.

She was a noble girl, so I thought she’d be especially sensitive about cleanliness, and she indeed seemed happy about it.

[Of course. I’ll find a good spot outside the cave where you can take a warm bath.]

The two children’s faces lit up with anticipation at my words.

Yes, it was definitely a good idea.

‘You two rest here for a while.’

I told them I’d be back and stood up.

Thanks to getting some good sleep over the past few days, my body felt much lighter than before.

That overwhelming drowsiness had finally calmed down.

As I stepped outside the cave, the refreshing forest air greeted me.

I began searching for a spot where the children could safely and comfortably take a bath.

Someplace spacious and flat, with access to water, and safe from other threats.

‘Where would be good?’

I wandered through the forest, looking around.

Just thinking about building a clean and warm bathhouse for the kids made me feel a little excited.

Who would’ve thought I’d be building a bathhouse as a dragon?

When I was human, I used to go to the bathhouse every week without fail.

Should I make one big enough for even me to get in?

That was probably a bit too much, so I let out a dry chuckle, but the thought didn’t feel bad.

In fact, it felt like a worthwhile endeavor.

‘It’d be great if water was nearby.’

It would be perfect if there were a stream flowing nearby, but I barely knew anything about the terrain around here.

All I could do was walk and look around until I found a suitable place.

By now, I’d gotten used to moving my massive body, and I no longer stumbled or struggled like before.

Ever since I woke from my deep sleep, my steps had felt much lighter.

As I was pushing through the forest path—

‘Hm?’

I noticed something strange at the edge of my vision.

A long shape rising very slowly but clearly toward the sky.

At first, I thought it was smoke, but the shape was too distinct.

Like a snake?

I stopped walking and looked at it more closely.

A long body with faint scale-like patterns was visible.

There was no doubt about it.

It looked exactly like the giant snake I had hunted and grilled for Sori.

But unlike last time, the figure now looked hazy, like a mirage—or maybe even a spirit—semi-transparent.

It was floating upward against gravity, almost divinely, as if summoned by the sky, slowly ascending.

‘…What is that?’

I narrowed my eyes and observed the phenomenon.

Countless questions crossed my mind, but I had no answers at the moment.

More than that, some instinct inside me stirred.

‘I don’t think I should just let it go.’

I didn’t know why.

It just felt like a waste to let it vanish into the sky like that.

That thing was still “food” after all, and I was sure it would be nutritious for the kids.

‘It kinda looks like an imugi… But if it’s an imugi, shouldn’t it be holding a yeouiju or something?’

Rather than letting it rise into the sky, maybe I should put it to use for the kids once more.

Snakes have long been considered a great source of protein.

Alright, let’s catch that thing and feed it to the kids!

I moved instantly.

I flew toward the rising snake shape and whipped my tail like lightning.

Whoosh! The tip of my tail sliced through the air and wrapped precisely around the snake figure.

The captured snake squirmed as if trying to escape, but it was powerless against my overwhelming strength.

I tightened my tail and slammed the ascending snake straight into the ground.

Thud!

With a dull sound, the massive snake crashed into the earth nearby.

The translucent figure began to shimmer and regain its color the moment it touched the ground.

‘…Nice.’

I nodded in satisfaction.

I didn’t know why, but I’d secured it anyway.

I’ll take it back to the cave later and grill it for the kids again.

Sori enjoyed the snake meat last time, so she’d probably like it this time too.

I returned to my original goal: scouting out a location for the bathhouse.

After walking a bit more, I finally found a spot I liked.

It wasn’t far from the cave entrance and was a cozy little clearing with a pleasant amount of tree cover.

The ground was relatively flat, and a few small boulders were gathered on one side.

I could hear water nearby, suggesting there might be an underground spring or a small stream.

‘This is the place.’

I finalized my decision.

This spot was more than enough for the kids to wash.

With a little work, I could turn it into a warm and cozy open-air bath.

I began walking back to the cave.

I didn’t forget the snake I had slammed into the ground earlier, so I poked it with my tail and dragged it along.

Another ingredient for the kids’ meals.

When I returned to the cave, the kids were resting quietly just like I had told them to.

“Sori, this is a cat.”

“The ears are pointy too—what’s the difference?”

“Cats need whiskers on both sides of their mouths.”

They were drawing pictures on the ground with sticks, and cat drawings were spread all over.

“You’re back?!”

The kids turned their heads simultaneously when they saw me return.

[I found a good spot to make the bathhouse. I’ll build it soon.]

Their faces lit up again with excitement after reading my thoughts.

But the thing wrapped around my tail kept twitching like it was still alive.