Chapter 78

That voice was ephemeral and weak, seeming ready to disappear at any moment. A worthless call that the usual dragon wouldn't have even bothered to hear.

But why? That small, faint voice shook the dragon's soul that had been sinking into darkness.

However, when he came to his senses, he couldn't remember what he had heard or what thoughts had crossed his mind. They disappeared more quickly the more he tried to grasp them, like sand slipping through fingers, leaving the dragon with only a sense of loss. It was like after having a nightmare.

However, the dragon wasn't trapped in that feeling for long. Because he belatedly realized the human wasn't dead. After all, a dead person couldn't open their eyes and look at him.

'He's alive.'

Light returned to the dragon's darkening eyes. His stopped breath resumed, and his clouded scales regained their luster.

If someone had seen this, they would have said it was like night ending and morning dawning. Though he himself didn't see this change.

The lakeside under moonlight was quiet as if no commotion had ever occurred.

In that silence, only Asad's heart was noisily stirring.

"..."

Asad looked down intently at the human sleeping against the rock. His face, delicate and beautiful as if carefully carved by the gods, was frozen as if confronting a terribly serious situation.

It couldn't be helped. At this moment, he had discovered a major problem.

The great dragon who protected the two worlds muttered with a serious and grave face.

"Too weak."

Nearly dying just from being dropped in a lake. It was still unbelievable thinking about it. Naturally, the restriction preventing him from killing bride candidates hadn't activated since he had no killing intent.

Though he seemed impossible to kill when he had tried to kill him, this time from such a trivial thing...

Suddenly, the image of the human dying in the water appeared vividly before his eyes.

"Ugh."

Asad groaned softly and pressed his chest. Thump thump, his heart was beating so fast it felt strange. That wasn't all. His mouth became parched and eventually cold sweat ran down.

"Mmm..."

Just then, what seemed like a sleep-murmured groan from the human caught Asad's attention. His golden eyes that had been wavering anxiously stared blankly at the human.

After a moment of silence, Asad moved hurriedly as if being chased. It wasn't a conscious movement. Like a foal with its tail on fire jumping into a puddle, he too had instinctively found a way to solve the problem.

"Hmm... now this is better."

Asad muttered while holding the human like a child hugging a doll.

He first sat down and placed the human's bottom on his thigh, then firmly embraced his upper body with both arms so it was pressed tightly against his chest. Even in his hurry, he moved carefully, afraid of waking the human.

"Ahem..."

Though he briefly looked away and pretended to be distracted, worried the human might find his actions strange if he woke up, after confirming the human was still asleep, Asad pulled him more boldly into his embrace.

Though it had been an unconscious action, the effect was very good. The anxiety that had gripped his entire body gradually faded like snow melting in spring sunlight.

A satisfied smile spread unconsciously across Asad's face. Though the body wasn't particularly warm, and the thin frame was only hard, somehow it made him feel at ease.

Asad naturally buried his nose between the human's neck and collarbone and took a deep breath. The horrible perfume smell was gone, and only the human's sweet body scent remained. Though he had nearly killed him, he thought it had been right to wash away that perfume smell.

Like a cat intoxicated by catnip, he kept rubbing his nose and cheeks against the human's nape, and it was quite some time before he regained his reason.

'...But why am I doing this?'

Once the anxiety disappeared, fundamental questions about his actions finally arose. Burying his nose in someone else's body and enjoying their smell. No matter how he thought about it, this wasn't something he would normally do.

People called him mad, but was he really going completely mad now?

But thinking carefully, it didn't seem like he had become strange.

Others lower their heads to smell flowers because they like the fragrance. Wasn't what he was doing now the same? It only felt strange because he had never done it before.

Because Asad had disliked most things in the world, he had never once thought of anything as good. But this human's smell wasn't unpleasant... it was good.

The dragon could now finally understand why others stopped while walking to smell flowers, why they opened windows in the morning to take in the morning air fully, why they carried sachets and wore perfume.

Because they liked it. When you like something, you want to do such things.

"...Lord Asad?"

Just then, a soft voice was heard. Asad realized the human had awakened because he had embraced him too tightly.

"You were whining about being cold in your sleep, so I was holding you."

Asad quickly spoke before the human could say anything. Though his gaze wandered aimlessly and his expression stiffened awkwardly, making it obvious to anyone that he was lying, the human being held from behind couldn't see.

"...I'm sorry. I'm not cold anymore, so you can let go now."

"..."

"Lord Asad?"

He didn't want to let go. Asad desperately racked his brain.

"Your body is still cold, so wait until you warm up."

"I'm fine."

"Ah, trying to fall sick again? How much longer are you planning to trouble me here?"

Finally when he snapped in irritation, the human fell quiet. See, he should have just stayed still, why did he have to make him say unpleasant things? Asad grumbled inwardly.

And what he said wasn't untrue. The human's body still felt cold with moisture, and he could even feel slight trembling through their touching skin. Asad quickly raised his body temperature using magic.

How much time passed like that? The human who had been quietly resting in his arms suddenly turned to look at Asad. His face showed surprise.

"Lord Asad, do you have a fever?"

"Huh?"

Had he let his guard down? The human slipped out of Asad's arms in an instant.

What? Where are you going?

Before Asad could dwell on his sense of loss, cold hands touched his forehead.

"How can you have such a high fever..."

The human was looking down at him from a distance close enough for their breaths to touch. His own dazed face was reflected in eyes black as the night sky.

After his lips moved silently for a while, finally a small voice escaped from Asad's mouth.

"Why are you worried about me?"

"What's wrong? Come to think of it, your complexion wasn't good earlier either... Weren't you supposed to be immune to illness?"

"Know your place."

Asad reached out his arms. Grabbing the back of the human's head and pulling him forward, their lips met in an instant.

Even as he opened the closed lips with now familiar ease, Asad thought the human would push him away as always. But contrary to expectations, the human didn't push him away. Though he didn't embrace him either, only tightly gripping Asad's clothes.

Asad, who had been sucking on the cold lips as if to melt them, separated their mouths. His eyes held doubt that couldn't be hidden even by the heat.

"Why have you become so docile?"

Are you really sick? Asad frowned and thoroughly examined the human's body. Come to think of it, he seemed to have lost weight since he first saw him...

As Asad was feeling the thin body with his hands.

"I had regrets when I was drowning."

"What regrets?"

The human didn't answer and only gave a faint smile. Wasn't a smile usually an expression made when happy? But that face now seemed far from joy.

Feeling his chest somehow tighten, Asad frowned.

"More importantly, are you really not sick?"

"I'm not, so stop worrying. Rather, what did you regret? Answer quickly. Or else..."

However, Asad couldn't continue his threat. Because the human kissed him again.

He instantly forgot what he had been trying to ask. His mind, where all irritation and anxiety had melted away, was left with only the human before his eyes.

'This generation's dragon isn't normal.'

That's what everyone said about Asad.

It was natural for alphas to be attracted to omegas. The gods had created them that way from the beginning. So everyone found it strange that Asad showed no interest in omegas at all.

Until now, just hearing others' words, Asad too had thought himself an abnormal alpha. But now he felt he could proudly answer them.

That he had simply had too high standards.