The sun was already up by the time Tsu stirred from her sleep. She awakened to the faint, smoky scent of roasting meat, the warmth of the fire reaching her skin before her eyes even opened. Instinct took over—her body tensed, her senses sharpening as she pushed herself up.
Pain lanced through her side. She hissed softly, her breath catching as a dull ache rippled through her body.
She turned her head.
A large hunk of meat, skewered on a crude spit, slowly turned over the fire. The juices sizzled as fat dripped into the embers, sending up a thin wisp of smoke. She didn't recognize the animal it came from, but the scent was undeniably rich.
Beyond the fire, Hibana moved quietly, his small frame weaving between the trees as he cleared the area of debris. He wasn't just loitering or waiting for her to wake up—he was cleaning, dragging off remnants of the night before.
The corpses.
Her gaze followed him, watching as he methodically worked, pushing aside charred scraps of clothing, discarded weapons, and the lifeless remains of those who had sought to kill them. He moved with steady, unhurried efficiency, as if none of it carried weight, as if he had done this a thousand times before.
She shifted again, trying to sit up fully—her body protested, pain flaring up. A sharp gasp escaped her lips before she could suppress it.
Hibana glanced over his shoulder at the sound, his expression unreadable.
"The potion stopped the bleeding," he said simply. "You fell asleep quickly. So I decided to clear the area of the corpses you left."
He turned back toward his work, as if the explanation needed no elaboration. Then, without looking at her, he added,
"And… no. That there is just the result of my hunting."
Hibana saw Tsu open her eyes a little wider, she took out a knife and began prodding at the meat as if she was checking for something.
"I was full...I couldn't eat it all. It would have been a waste."
Tsu continued to scrutinize the meat. and then she took the knife away. and looked coldly at Hibana.
"If you wait too long, it'll dry out."
Tsu stood up. her towering figure casting a complete shadow over Hibana.
"...Do you prefer vegetables? I could probably find some tubers, but they aren't very tasty." Hibana said slightly nervously.
"I don't accept "free" gifts from dragons." She says like daggers flying out of her mouth.
Hibana nods. "I see. I didn't know that. What you did last night...I...thought I'd repay it. But not as a gift okay...I don't want anything from you...truly. What you did it...made me happy. Those were terrible people."
Tsu pauses mid-step, her expression unreadable, but there's a flicker of something—uncertainty, maybe. Her brow lifts slightly, a quiet challenge in her eyes, but she doesn't press the issue.
Then, with a sharp exhale, she scoffs, turning on her heel. Her movement is deliberate, dismissive, as if she's shaking off an irritating thought she refuses to acknowledge.
Hibana watches her for half a second, then, without a word, he kicks dirt over the fire, smothering the flames in a single practiced motion. Embers hiss and fade into the earth.
By the time the smoke clears, he's already walking after her.
An hour passed in near-total silence, the only sounds being the rhythmic crunch of their footsteps against the earth and the rustling of the wind through the trees. The dragon and the beast woman walked side by side yet worlds apart.
Finally, Tsu's patience snapped.
"Stop following me, dragon!" she barked, her voice cutting through the quiet like a drawn blade.
Hibana didn't even hesitate. "Sorry, but I can't do that."
Tsu's footsteps halted abruptly. Hibana stopped as well, watching as she turned to face him.
Her golden eyes burned with restrained irritation. "I will not be your protector."
Hibana, unfazed, met her gaze without a trace of hesitation. "I didn't ask you to be."
For a flicker of a second, her expression wavered. A brief wrinkle in her brow—the smallest crack in her carefully controlled mask. But just as quickly, it was gone, replaced with her usual cold, unreadable stare.
"Well, I don't need your protection either," she said, crossing her arms as if reinforcing the boundary between them.
Hibana smiled, not mockingly, not smugly—just with quiet acknowledgment.
"I am aware," he said simply. "You're an incredible warrior."
Tsu scowled at him, turning on her heel without another word. As she resumed walking, he could hear the low rumble of a growl in her throat, a sound caught between irritation and something else—something she refused to name.
Another hour passed. Hibana never stopped following her.
The silence between them stretched long, but he didn't mind. He quietly admired her relentless drive, the way her steps never faltered, the way her presence felt like a force of nature moving forward, unshaken, unbroken.
Then—a flash of silver.
A ringing impact.
Tsu's Nodachi slammed into the ground, the force of the strike sending up a spray of dirt and stone right next to Hibana.
The air hummed with tension.
Hibana's eyes traced the length of the blade, then calmly lifted to meet hers. He barely flinched. His expression never changed.
Softly, with certainty, he said: "If you had intended to kill me, you wouldn't have missed."
Tsu bared her teeth, frustration flickering in her golden eyes. "Just leave me… Where I'm going, you cannot follow!"
Hibana nodded, unfazed. "And where might that be?"
She exhaled sharply, her grip on her sword tightening for just a moment before she pulled it free from the ground. She didn't meet his gaze this time. Instead, her eyes turned distant, locked onto something far beyond the horizon.
"I go to my death," she said, her voice quieter now. "To fight the monsters in the Cursed Lands."
A long pause. The wind rustled through the trees.
Hibana nodded again, his voice just as steady. "Then I shall go with you… I won't let you die alone."
Tsu stiffened. The faintest shift in her stance—not anger, not yet, but something close. Her eyes flicked back toward him, sharp and wary, searching for deception.
But there was none.
Hibana simply stood there, small beside her, but utterly unshaken, unwavering.
The wind carried the sound of Tsu's low, rumbling growl.
She turned sharply and resumed walking.
Hibana, as always, followed.
The forest grew less vibrant as they neared the border of the Cursed Lands. The scent of decay thickened in the air, and the once-lush trees stood twisted and withered, their skeletal branches clawing at the sky. Something about this place felt wrong. Hibana could sense it—the quiet hum of death lingering beneath the surface.
Then, without warning, Tsu stopped.
Her ears twitched. Her golden eyes flicked around the thinning woods, her hand drifting toward her sword.
"Come out," she called sharply. "I know you're there."
For a moment, silence.
Then—movement.
Figures emerged from the dying trees, stepping out from the shadows one by one. Small, scaled humanoids barely reaching Tsu's knees. Their bodies were covered in vibrant, iridescent scales—a chaotic spectrum of blues, reds, greens, and yellows. Their muzzles were short and sharp, more like those of wild dogs than lizards. Long, thick tails swayed behind them as they moved with a practiced wariness.
Tsu's expression darkened.
"Kobolds," she spat. "Filthy creatures."
One of them, a yellow-scaled kobold, stepped forward. Unlike the others, he was decorated with leather skins and bones, his body adorned with trinkets that rattled softly as he moved. His yellow eyes gleamed with recognition as he stared at Hibana.
"It's a baby dragon!" he announced.
Immediately, more voices joined in.
"Awfully big for a baby!"
"Eggo of that baby musta been huge!"
"Yeah! Probably hurt his momma real bad layin' it!"
Laughter rippled through the group, sharp and yipping, like a pack of hyenas mocking fresh prey.
But beneath the amusement, Hibana could sense it—recognition. Understanding.
The kobolds knew exactly what he was.
Hibana felt it immediately—the familiar pulse of Appraisal washing over him. A subtle but unmistakable shift in the air as the yellow kobold activated the spell.
"So, just about anyone in this world can use that spell… He saw my stats."
He straightened, keeping his voice firm. "Please let us pass."
A ripple of excitement ran through the group as the kobolds whooped and jumped, their yipping voices blending into something almost like laughter.
The yellow-scaled kobold grinned, baring sharp, uneven teeth."No, no! You're an F-tier dragon! Weak, useless, pathetic!"
The others chimed in, their voices overlapping.
"But you will grow!""And make our tribe strong!""We have food for you!"
Hibana stared at them, and for a moment, his thoughts drifted—back to his dead goblin friends.
Their smiling faces flashed in his mind.
They had made him the exact same offer.
Tsu, however, didn't share his hesitation. Her hand shifted toward her sword, her golden eyes narrowing as she prepared to cut them down.
Hibana quickly stepped in front of her, shaking his head. "This will only take a moment, Tsu."
She glared at him, her jaw tightening in irritation, but after a tense second, she exhaled sharply and looked away. She didn't strike—but she didn't sheath her sword either.
Hibana nodded and turned back to the kobolds.
"So it's not just the goblins who do this." The realization settled in his mind. "The kobolds are in the same boat as them."
He took a slow breath, then spoke.
"Let me guess—you want a dragon to strengthen your tribe. In return, you offer me food, shelter, and protection against raiding adventurers."
The kobolds bobbed their heads enthusiastically, their tails wagging.
Hibana's voice remained calm, but there was a sharp edge to his words.
"In the end, it's always the same, isn't it?" His eyes narrowed. "Fight and die with you… or fight and die alone. Those are my choices, right?"
The yellow kobold let out a sharp bark of laughter.
"Yes! You've been offered this before! Who was it last time?"
His yellow eyes gleamed, his tail flicking behind him.
"The Lizardmen? The Orcs? Those pathetic, miserable Goblins?!"
Hibana's expression didn't change, but his breath hitched for just a second.
The kobold grinned wider, sensing an opening.
"Or maybe…" He leaned forward, voice dripping with amusement.
"The human we caught told you about this?"
Hibana's stomach tightened.
"He's a mouthy one, he is!" the kobold added with a cackle.
Hibana glared at the yellow kobold. "Interesting! take me to this human, and I'll consider your request."
The kobold camp was a mirror of the goblins' settlement—mud huts, a roaring fire, the stench of survival thick in the air.
And then Hibana saw him.
Tied to a large wooden pole, bound and gagged, was a young man with dark purple hair and piercing violet eyes. His black robe was marked by six colored circles along his sash—some kind of magical insignia?
The yellow kobold grinned, throwing a hand toward the prisoner.
"This was the food we were talking about!"
Hibana felt something cold settle in his gut.
He had seen too much death already.
He knew this human wouldn't be grateful. Would probably resent being saved by a dragon. But that didn't matter.
He couldn't let this happen.
And then there was Tsu.
He didn't need to look to know she was already gripping her sword.
One wrong move and she would strike.
One wrong word and the kobolds would turn hostile.
The rest was up to him.