Chapter 9 : The Second Girl (1)

And after briefly cooling it by blowing on it, she soon took a big bite.

Chew, chew.

Her small mouth moved diligently.

Her cheeks puffed up adorably as they moved up and down.

I quietly watched the sound of her chewing.

The child definitely seemed to have gained a little weight compared to when she first came here.

Even her once skinny arms and legs now appeared to have a faint layer of muscle, and there was color in her face.

Of course, she was still a small and thin child, but there was a sense of vitality in her.

Was it thanks to the food I brought and the strange training I made her do?

‘She looks good when she eats well.’

I thought that without realizing it.

While she had been focused on eating the meat for a while, the sound suddenly looked up.

Then, she stared at me intently.

There was still a shine of meat grease around her mouth.

I met the child’s gaze, wondering why she was looking at me like that.

Then, the sound opened her small mouth.

An unexpected question came out of the child’s lips.

“Dragon… aren’t you going to eat?”

“……?”

For a moment, I wondered if I heard it right—no, I doubted my ears… or rather, my head.

What did she just say? She’s asking if I’m not eating?

Me? Eating?

I had so naturally forgotten about the act of eating itself.

Like how one gets used to intermittent fasting, I had just kept sleeping and forgotten about hunger!

But now, the sound was asking me.

Why I wasn’t eating.

As if it were completely natural that I should be eating too.

“…….”

I couldn’t say anything and just looked at her.

In her eyes was pure curiosity.

There was no fear or wariness, just simple wonder, or maybe… a faint sense of concern.

‘Is she… worried about me?’

That can’t be.

She’s smaller than me—there’s no way she’s worrying about me.

But then… what is that look in her eyes?

A strange emotion welled up in my chest again.

Not pride, but something more… ticklish and warm.

It was a feeling similar to when someone cared about me back when I was human.

A very old memory, faint but definitely a pleasant one.

‘…This little runt.’

I almost let out a chuckle without realizing it.

Of course, what came from my throat was just a low rumble, like “krhh.”

I didn’t know how to answer her question.

Even if I explained, I doubted the sound would understand.

So I just decided to answer in the simplest way.

Slowly, and clearly, I shook my huge head from side to side.

It meant no.

The sound tilted her head, seemingly not understanding at first.

But then, as if she understood my meaning, she didn’t ask anymore and focused back on eating.

Though it seemed she was eating a little slower than before.

Was she distracted because of me?

I watched as she finished the remaining meat.

After finishing her meal, she wiped her mouth with her small hand.

Then she glanced at me, gave a little bow, and quietly went to curl up in her bed near the cave wall.

She must’ve been tired.

After seeing her small figure retreat, I laid myself down as well.

I recalled the words the child had said just a moment ago.

‘Dragon… aren’t you going to eat?’

Aaaargh! This kid is too precious…!

Morning came, and training began.

After running, Sori would collapse flat on the ground without fail.

But she never gave up.

When I lifted her back up, she didn’t grumble and prepared for the next training.

It was admirable, and at the same time, surprising.

Kids that age, back when I was human, were never like that.

If it got hard, they would cry, scream, lie down, or look for a way to run away.

But the sound was different.

Where in that scrawny body was she hiding such stubbornness and stamina?

‘She’s definitely not an ordinary child.’

Watching her sweat profusely as she ran inside the cave, I thought again.

Maybe what the villagers called a “curse” actually meant this kind of unnatural strength…

Foolish humans. I’ll raise her well so they can never lay a hand on her!

After training, it was mealtime.

The sound still ate heartily and with gusto.

Thanks to that, the child looked much healthier now—almost no trace of the scrawny figure she once was.

She even seemed a bit taller.

After meals, we each rested.

Hmm… she really does look taller.

I suddenly wanted to record her height somewhere in the cave.

How should I say it? I want to give her memories, like a normal child.

“Sori.”

“Yes, Dragon.”

To put it simply, it didn’t seem necessary to speak so ceremoniously, but deliberately lowering my voice to a deep bass made it awkward.

“Stand… by the wall.”

I pointed a sharp claw toward the wall, and Sori tilted her head slightly as if confused by my words, but soon began to move.

Once she stood in the corner of the cave wall, I scratched the wall with my claw, recording her height.

“Sori… your height… recorded.”

“…”

Sori seemed surprised when I said I recorded her height. As soon as I removed my claw, she looked at the mark on the wall, touched the scratch, then turned around and smiled at me.

Unlike her previously frail appearance, the smile coming from her now chubby cheeks seemed much brighter.

“Thank you, Dragon!”

“A… belly-button bow. At times like this…”

“Belly-button bow?”

I slowly explained to Sori, who was asking as if she didn’t understand what that meant.

“Put both hands… above your belly button and bow your waist.”

Then, as if the pose fascinated her, she politely placed both hands over her belly button and bowed to me.

“Like this… is this how you do it, Dragon?”

“Y-yeah.”

Seeing Sori give a belly-button bow again while smiling brightly and expressing her thanks made me feel proud.

I told her to take a break.

After that, Sori spent time either fiddling with something in the corner of the cave where she slept, or just sitting blankly.

I either watched her from a distance or fell into a deep rest again.

At night, as if it were the natural thing to do, Sori would come to my side, curl up, and fall asleep.

It was awkward and confusing at first, but now I had become used to that small warmth.

‘…How long do I have to keep this child with me?’

That thought suddenly crossed my mind, and I let out a yawn wide enough to tear my mouth open.

Mmm, Sori was definitely growing stronger quickly.

If she continued like this, she might eventually be able to protect herself without my help.

When that time came, what should I do? Should I send her out of the cave as originally planned?

But she’s a child with nowhere to return to.

There was no guarantee she’d be safe just because she went out into the world.

‘…It’s not time yet.’

I forced myself to push away the complicated thoughts.

It was one of those days when the peaceful—if you could call it that—routine continued.

Just as our afternoon training was about to end, I sensed an unfamiliar presence outside the cave.

It was faint, but definitely the movement of a living being.

And… the scent of a human.

It wasn’t Sori’s scent, but another human’s.

I was still quite angry about what had happened with Sori, and now another human had come.

I spoke to Sori, who was catching her breath after training.

“Sori, wait here.”

Then I immediately turned and strode toward the cave entrance.

Each step was filled with fury, as if the ground trembled.

Good thing they came while I was awake.

This time, I wouldn’t just send them away.

I had to give them a powerful warning, so they’d never dare come to my cave again.

As I neared the entrance of the cave, I heard a small voice from outside.

“Father… Father, where are you?”

It sounded like sobbing, or maybe someone calling out to someone.

I hid my body in the shadows at the cave entrance and peeked outside.

There stood another young girl.

She looked slightly older than Sori, but probably no more than ten years old.

Her blonde hair was neatly braided in two, and unlike the rags Sori wore when she first arrived, her clothes looked relatively decent.

Of course, now they were dusty and torn in places, but originally, the fabric must have been quite fine.

The girl stood anxiously, glancing around with a face full of fear.

She was muttering to herself.

“That’s strange… Where did the carriage go?”

She seemed completely unaware of the situation she was in.

With a trembling voice, she muttered again.

“Why did they leave only me here… The coachman said my father was in the cave… This is scary…”

The moment I heard that, I felt something snap in my head.

Another child—this was clearly another sacrifice.

And this time, they even deceived the child to bring her here.

From what she said, they pretended they were taking her somewhere nice by carriage,
then abandoned her in this rough mountain area.

And the last thing they told her was, “Go into the cave.”

A growl of rage erupted from deep in my throat before I realized it.

My killing intent likely flowed out of the cave entrance and reached the child.

That’s when it happened.

“Dragon…?”

A cautious voice came from behind me.

When I turned around, Sori was peeking out from behind my massive leg, hidden but curious.

Even in her eyes, I saw fear mixed with confusion.

‘Ah… Sori, it’s not directed at you.’

Perhaps she heard my growl, or maybe she just now noticed the massive shadow at the cave’s mouth.

The blonde girl slowly lifted her head.

And… her blue eyes met mine directly.

“……!”

The expression that appeared on her face was the same one I first saw on Sori’s.

Pure, primal fear.

Terror so intense it could freeze even time.

The girl couldn’t even scream—she was frozen in place.

I looked down at the new little human with eyes burning with fury.