BSS 101

Chapter 101

“Why! You included the ogre! The ogre’s an intelligent being too!”

Rai’s fifth body had been an ogre, and it was Magi who insisted on including it.

“Ugh, ogres are monsters, right? Dwarves are humanoids.”

“That’s basically the same thing! Either way, they’re both food!”

“No wonder you think like a dragon…”

“Let’s include the dwarf! Huh? Ogres and dwarves are both living beings anyway. Ogres are intelligent too! They have brains. And brains are tasty…”

The rest of that sentence was better left unheard.

From the perspective of a dragon, the ultimate predator, dwarves and ogres were equally prey. There’s no such thing as fairness in that sense.

“Magi, if you really like me, you should consider it from my perspective. I’m human, right?”

“And?”

“Ogres eat humans. Dwarves don’t. Dwarves are friends of humans. Got it? It’s not that I dislike dwarves just because they’re intelligent. Humans and dwarves share a bond.”

“Hmm…”

“Do you understand now?”

“Somewhat.”

“Then let’s choose something else. You’re kind, Magi. Like you did with Toka’s orb.”

Compared to when Magi first captured me, I was far more relaxed—both physically and mentally.

After spending more than a month together, I’d grown attached. And I was confident that Magi wouldn’t eat me.

Magi’s attention shifted from Rai to me, and now they liked me so much it was almost too much.

Because I didn’t want to get eaten, I made sure to provide food, let them pet my head a few times, and slept next to them. And somehow, Magi completely melted because of it—such an easily tamed dragon.

A dragon falling for me—my charm could even conquer the continent.

“Got it! Then I’ll think of something else. Something that doesn’t have a bond with humans!”

“Right, right.”

“I like Genie the most among humans!”

“Oh… I also like Magi the most among dragons.”

Magi was the only dragon I knew, but still.

With a slightly fake smile, I embraced Magi as they wrapped themselves around my waist.

When I hugged them tightly, Magi looked up at me with a big smile.

They seemed genuinely happy, gazing only at me, with that angelic face I had tailored to my liking.

‘This one’s grown fond of me… and they’re actually pretty cute.’

Flash! Our dragon has changed!

Before, staying in Magi’s lair felt like sharing a bed with a wild beast, a terrifying experience. But if that beast became my pet, the story was entirely different.

I had shifted my goal from just surviving to becoming friends with a dragon…

[Cheh.]

But there was one being who clearly disliked that change: my shadow, my spirit—Rai.

He’s the jealous type who can’t stand to see me treating anyone well.

[Ugh, I can’t bear to look at this.]

There was a large wolf stomping the ground with its massive tail, clearly dissatisfied, spitting as I displayed affection toward Magi.

Who else could it be but Rai, escaping his snake form for the first time in ten years?

His fluffy golden fur was the epitome of high-quality pelt, and his sharp, gem-like golden eyes reflected both ferocity and precision.

Due to his massive size, calling him a “dog” was pushing it, but his appearance was undeniably striking.

“Come here, Rai. I’ll hug you too.”

[No need. Who would envy that?]

“You won’t come unless I say so?”

Despite his changed appearance, Rai was unmistakably himself.

His pupils flickered nervously for a moment, but he couldn’t resist and quickly dove into my arms.

Since I’m not always the gentle master who hugs and pets him, he seized the rare opportunity.

When he was a snake, he fit in the palm of my hand. Now, he was so large that even embracing him fully, I could barely hold his head.

I never realized how good it felt to pet a wolf.

I petted Rai’s golden fur and Magi’s golden hair at the same time.

“Feeling good. How about we stop here for today and go outside to play?”

[Yes!]

“Great!”

[What?! Stay home! How dare you intrude! Stupid dragon!]

“…I’m not stupid!”

[Dragons should stay in dragon lairs!]

“You should go back to the spirit realm!”

Ugh, here they go again.

[You dung-colored lizard! Don’t interfere between me and the master!]

“You’re the one interfering!”

Rai bared his teeth and let out a savage roar. Magi responded with predator eyes and a menacing aura, not backing down.

The ferocity of a dragon at the top of the food chain is enough to raise anyone’s heart rate—even when not directed at you.

How could Rai bare his teeth without fear? That’s not normal.

[Time to settle this! Come at me!]

“You scrap-metal spirit!”

Magi’s eyes shone like a dragon’s, golden scales emerging from their soft skin, signaling the start of battle.

“Stop!”

I hurried to intervene before the two could tear each other apart, brushing my tingling arms.

Whenever they fought, something inevitably broke—sometimes it could have been me.

“I told you both not to fight!”

“It’s not my fault! You saw it, Genie! That scrap-metal started it first!”

[No! Master! That lizard-brain just recklessly interfered!]

“I’ll kill you!”

sigh

A sigh escaped me.

Once upon a time, Magi used to love Rai so much they always had him by their side. Now, they were mortal enemies.

[How dare you! You dung-colored lizard!]

“You ugly thing!”

[Argh!]

I backed away quickly to avoid the fight.

Who would have thought the day would come when they could actually communicate like this—yet fight like cats and dogs?

It would have been better when they didn’t understand each other.

The tragedy began when Rai took on a wolf’s body.

It was also why his fur was dazzling gold.

Different forms could have different colors, but in wolf mode, it had to be gold.

One of the gemstones used to create Rai’s wolf body caused this.

It had a profound effect on him.

The unusual golden gem Magi brought had been overlooked in favor of Toka’s orb, which distinguishes good and evil.

‘So that was a Dragon Heart… a Gold Dragon’s, no less.’

The Dragon Heart.

Literally the heart of a dragon and everything within it.

Humans leave names after death, tigers leave skins, dragons leave Dragon Hearts.

Dragons don’t rot—they crystallize their remaining power before death.

A Dragon Heart is the result, containing immense power beyond ordinary comprehension.

It’s so vast that even using it in a sword releases a beam of energy, or in a mage’s staff, a meteor shower—yet rare enough to be priceless.

Rai had absorbed it completely. The Dragon Heart being gold allowed him to communicate with Magi.

The main benefit? Rai could now use immense power without consuming my mana.

The Dragon Heart granted him a staggering mana pool.

No spirit mage in history had ever obtained a Dragon Heart and fed it to a spirit—it was unprecedented.

It was a waste in some ways, but what a remarkable one.

Rai absorbed it but couldn’t reproduce it—the power was uniquely a dragon’s.

If mass-produced, I could have one too!

“Genie is mine!”

[What? The master has always been mine!]

“Hey, both of you? I’m mine.”

When I refused to take sides, they glared at each other, biting and rolling around.

[Die already!]

“You die!”

[I’m a spirit! I can’t die!]

“I’ll live a thousand years!”

Their fights lasted long, and apparently, they never grew tired of competing over me.

I wish they’d aim for popularity among humans instead of fighting over me.

“Go back to the spirit realm, you evil spirit!”

[What?! You’re the evil dragon who kidnapped the master!]

No matter how they hit each other, there was no clear victor.

Rai, having consumed the Dragon Heart, had virtually unbeatable defense, and Magi’s offense suffered unless they returned to their original form.

I wondered who would win if they truly fought, but curiosity never outweighs survival.

I had no intention of being the shrimp crushed in a whale fight.

“You take that back immediately! I’m a good dragon, recognized even by Toka’s orb!”

[Hmph! Good dragons are all dead, I see!]

“Hey! You insulted a dragon!”

[Oh my, I’m so scared. Forgive me, Ebeebe!]

Even for these dumb whales…