Chapter 36

Asad had only one reason for following Kinaine.

He wanted to see him suffer painfully at the hands of a magical beast.

He had changed the first test's content because of Kinaine too.

He had thought Kinaine would naturally run away upon hearing they had to hunt magical beasts. He had planned to enjoyably watch him flee in panic before catching him again. He wanted to see the human's face twisted in despair when caught.

But the human didn't run. He didn't even show signs of fear, which irritated Asad. While the human he had expected to be frightened was perfectly fine, the other bride candidates were making more of a fuss.

Asad didn't even glance their way. His blazing golden eyes were fixed solely on Kinaine.

'Ah, perhaps humans are too ignorant to know about magical beasts?'

Asad thought this must be why the human remained calm even after hearing the test content.

Well, magical beasts weren't common sights in the human realm either. If magical beasts had been as common as wild animals, the human realm would have been destroyed long ago.

'Well, they'll be seeing them frequently now.'

The evil energy flowing from the demon realm was the cause of corruption in the other two worlds. Particularly magical beasts, born from evil energy, disturbed the world just by existing.

For generations, dragons had protected the other two worlds from the demon realm's corrupt energy. However, Asad, this generation's dragon, was deliberately neglecting the dregs flowing into the human realm. And the results would soon manifest as disaster in the human realm.

If pests aren't caught in time, they multiply uncontrollably in an instant. Magical beasts were the same. Magical beasts were born in places polluted by magical beasts, and from lands polluted by those magical beasts, yet more magical beasts were born.

How long would humans endure when that time came? Humans would soon realize the meaning of a world without a dragon's protection.

But that was pleasure for later, and right now he only thought of tormenting the human in his grasp. He looked forward to seeing the human's face twisted with fear when confronting the magical beast. He wanted to see it with his own eyes. He hoped that face, calm to the point of indifference, would contort with pain. They would scream and beg pathetically for their life.

How laughable would that sight be? It would surely be difficult to hold back laughter.

And he would look down on that sight from closer than anyone else, sneering. Just as humans had once done to him.

The arrogant human had such bad luck it seemed they might be favored by the god of misfortune. Just look at the direction they were confidently walking.

Asad knew what magical beast was in the forest in that direction. It was a magical beast named Grimtoad that looked like a toad. It was the weakest of the five sealed magical beasts.

However, the real problem wasn't Grimtoad. It was what was 'inside' that magical beast.

Though not truly alive, magical beasts took forms similar to living beings in their territory. Magical beasts that claimed forests as territory mimicked beasts of prey, while those claiming waterways mimicked fish or frogs. Because of this, magical beasts appearing in similar places had similar forms, allowing them to be named.

However, unusual specimens appeared occasionally. What was inside Grimtoad was one such magical beast. It took the form of a parasite, and while weak alone, things changed when it took over another magical beast's body.

'This has gotten interesting.'

He had wondered which unlucky one would encounter that magical beast, and it turned out to be that human. Everything was rolling perfectly in Asad's favor, as if planned. Though the human would feel the exact opposite.

"I'll watch what happens in that forest. Take the others and watch over the other bride candidates. Intervene at appropriate times if it seems dangerous."

"Yes, Lord Asad."

After ordering Targan who had been following him like a shadow, Asad entered the forest ahead of the human with light steps.

Meeting the winged tribe boy there was coincidence.

"What's this."

The boy had fainted with a pale face as if he had eaten something wrong. Judging by the bitten mushroom lying nearby, it seemed he had carelessly eaten something out of hunger and gotten sick.

Seeing the wings on his back, Asad recognized this boy as a spirit the human had brought. From the twin sword brooch on his collar, he seemed to be a guard...

His interest ended there.

Just as he was about to ignore him and pass by, Asad stopped abruptly.

"Hmm?"

A brilliant idea suddenly occurred to him.

What if he watched the human while borrowing this guard's appearance?

When facing difficulties, the human would ask their guard for help like others. But if all their desperate requests were ignored...

He could watch from closer than anyone as those black eyes that seemed unshakeable by anything became clouded with betrayal and fear.

Asad didn't deliberate long.

Snap!

When he snapped his fingers, his body was enveloped in light.

The next moment, Asad had taken the winged tribe boy's appearance.

Asad moved the winged tribe boy whose appearance he had borrowed to the main palace using teleportation magic. Just in case the human noticed something strange.

Having completed all preparations, Asad casually revealed himself before Kinaine. Dragon magic was perfect, so the worthless human didn't notice that the one before them wasn't the boy they knew, and quickly lowered their guard.

That much was what Asad had wanted. However.

Throughout his conversation with the human, Asad's insides boiled.

'Is he trying to seduce even his servant now?'

Though Kinaine had merely smiled awkwardly trying to lighten the mood, to Asad's eyes it looked like the machinations of a loose omega.

Otherwise, why would his heart beat so unpleasantly fast? This was all because of the vulgar omega's schemes.

'I definitely told him not to smile!'

Though he wanted to shout at the human right away, Asad endured with patience scraped from rock bottom. He was currently pretending to be the human's guard, not the dragon. There would be no point in having transformed if he was discovered so easily.

However, this resolve completely flew from his mind upon hearing Kinaine's words.

"Rahu, I'm not ordering you, I'm worried about you."

Worried?

Was he saying he was worried about this servant now?

The human's eyes were so sincere that anyone could tell the concern was genuine.

'What is this...'

Asad had never sincerely worried about another. He only understood worry theoretically as an emotion that occurred between those with deep affection.

To such an Asad, there was only one reason a bride candidate would be close enough to use the word "worry" with their guard.

'Don't tell me... they brought a lover rather than a servant?'

He almost let slip a crude curse learned in the human realm. His clenched teeth made a grinding sound. He couldn't even remember his resolution from moments ago not to be discovered.

Thump, thump, thump.

His anger-filled heart beat at a terrifying pace.

He had recognized at first glance when they met at the Gold Pot that this was no ordinary promiscuous omega. But even so, for a bride candidate to bring a lover from outside?

Asad glared at the human with bloodshot eyes.

"As expected, you can't abandon your vulgar nature. I don't know how promiscuously you lived outside the dragon's palace, but non-virgins can't become bride candidates."

In truth, Asad didn't particularly care whether someone was a virgin or not. More precisely, he wasn't interested. The standard that 'bride candidates must be virgins' had been set by previous dragons.

However, how could he not care when this human was so promiscuous?

To even bring a lover while coming to become his bride. This was disrespecting him.

Asad saw no reason to endure further.

"My... no, the dragon isn't blind, he won't pick up and eat a rag that everyone else has used..."

He should just kill them.

He completely forgot his thought of keeping them alive to torment them for a long time.

White electricity sparked at his fingertips. The 'restrictions' had reacted to Asad's killing intent.

These mere restrictions... He could just break them and take the penalty.

Just as Asad was about to savagely draw up magical power.

Kinaine's face suddenly came close.

"Wh-what are you doing!"

Asad pulled back with a bright red face.

Not even realizing that his savage surging magical power had instantly become docile like a puppy meeting its master.