Home/I Saved the Villain and Fell Asleep/ch 33

Chapter 33

"The children born in this land are born here and die here. But very rarely, some children leave this land. Just like this little troublemaker."

So saying, the guardian looked down at Bibi.

Good heavens, Bibi! I knew something was strange. A puppy that eats magic couldn't possibly be an ordinary dog!

"So Bibi was born here?"

"Yes. Usually, they play for a while and then return... but this one showed no intention of coming back."

I met Bibi's blue eyes. He tilted his head as if he knew nothing—it was utterly endearing.

"Are you going to take Bibi away?"

Kali asked the guardian in a stiff voice.

"The child doesn't want that. He wants to stay by your side."

"Then why did you bring us here?"

"Once he's grown enough, it'll be fine, but since he's still young, he needs to feel this land's energy from time to time. And I was curious about the humans he so desperately wants to stay with, so I brought you along as well. I apologize if I startled you."

At the guardian's words, I let out a sigh of relief. It didn't sound like a lie. If they were someone targeting Kali, they would have attacked us by now.

The guardian set Bibi down, and he came running to me with floppy ears. You're really spreading the love around, aren't you?

"Where exactly is this place? I've never heard of such a place."

"It exists nowhere."

"Pardon?"

I couldn't see the guardian's face, but I somehow felt they were smiling.

"It exists nowhere."

The guardian whispered the same words again. A chill ran down my spine—that "nowhere" felt like it meant the original story.

Kali, noticing how stiff I'd become, pressed close to my side.

"How curious. Perhaps it's because I haven't seen humans in so long?"

"Sorry?"

"A child born of fire and a destroyer of magic. Each is rare enough, yet here they are together."

'A child born of fire.'

It didn't seem like they were just saying that because his unique magic was fire. It was a title I'd never seen in the original either. But since this person didn't appear in the original, maybe that was only natural.

"I can worry a little less about this child. You call him Bibi? Bibi, Bibi... Come to think of it, I believe there was a child among his bloodline who was also called Bibi."

"Pardon? Bloodline? Does Bibi have family?"

He's still young. If he insists on leaving his family behind to follow us, that would be really troublesome.

We don't want to be kidnappers!

"Even if it is bloodline, it's a distant one. The Bibi I spoke of was a dragon."

"A dragon?!"

He's a fluffy, four-legged puppy! How could a puppy be born from a dragon's bloodline?

"No, more importantly! Dragons actually exist?"

Those things that appear in 70% of romance fantasy stories.

The dragon—either the protagonist's hidden ally or the final villain.

Even though Cold Heart was set in a world of magic, dragons never appeared. Maybe mutant beasts similar to monsters, but not dragons.

"What's a dragon?"

"Huh?"

What did he just ask? What's a dragon? A dragon is... a dragon, isn't it?

I was flustered, like a child seeing a lion for the first time and asking what it was.

"Humans also call dragons 'dragons.'"

"But those are extinct mystical beasts."

"It seems humans call us mystical beasts."

"Pardon?!"

"Hari, why are you getting so worked up?"

To shut up Kali's arrogant gaze, I used two fingers to gently close his eyelids, then took a step toward the guardian.

"Mystical beasts? Bibi too?"

"Yes. That child as well."

In fantasy novels, unreal mythical creatures often appear—dragons, elves, mystical beasts, fairies, and so on.

What was curious here was that the guardian used the term "dragon" (yong) rather than "dragon" (deuraegon). If so, perhaps...

"Then! Do you... by any chance, know about goblins?"

The guardian was silent for a moment. Then they clasped their hands behind their back, took a step closer, and slowly circled around me.

"Where did you hear that name?"

'Good heavens. They know about goblins?'

That's a type of spirit from the legends, fairy tales, and folklore of my previous life—how could they know?

Just as I was about to ask if the guardian knew anything about my Goblin Club—

A shadow fell over me, and goosebumps erupted on my neck. Kali and I looked up at the same time. The snake that had been chasing us earlier was right behind us.

"Aaah!!!"

Making eye contact with the horrifyingly massive snake, I reflexively pulled out my club. Kali's hand burst into flames, and tension filled the air instantly.

Just as I gripped my club tightly at the snake flicking its tongue, Bibi, oblivious, ran toward Kali to eat his fire.

"Bibi!!"

Kali, who had been on edge, was knocked to the ground by Bibi's body slam.

"Oh my, this one is curious—he followed you all the way here."

The guardian waved their hand, and the black snake began to shrink. Once it was about the size of an anaconda, it slithered over to the guardian.

"It's not threatening you, so don't worry. It seems it was curious about humans."

I clutched my pounding heart and let out a sigh of relief. Honestly, dealing with humans would be less scary...

This massive black snake radiated such an otherworldly aura that even the thought of being able to defeat it vanished completely.

"I suppose I don't need to answer your earlier question. Seeing that you carry a goblin's club."

My jaw dropped. When the word "goblin's club" came from the guardian's mouth, I felt blood rush to my head.

"This is my unique magic... how do you know about it?"

"It must have been passed down to you for some reason. Goblins, like Bibi, were mystical beasts that wandered the human world. A very old story, though."

Among the stories passed down, there are tales of dragons but not of goblins—so it must have been a very, very long time ago.

"Do you happen to know anything about the club? There's a part I'm really struggling with!"

The setting collection only mentioned that magic could be stored in the golden gems—not how to store it.

The green gems could store physical objects, so I'd managed somehow, but I hadn't found a single clue on how to store magic in the golden gems.

I looked at the guardian with sparkling eyes.

Please! Say you know! Please!! I want to make explosions and shoot flames with my club too!

"I'm sorry, but goblins existed before I was born, so I don't know much about them."

"Sob."

The moment I heard "I don't know," my legs gave out and I collapsed. Damn it... I was hoping to figure it out before returning to the estate.

"But I do know someone who might."

"Pardon?"

"As a token of thanks for taking care of Bibi, I'll take you to them."

My eyes snapped open. I scooped up Bibi from my feet and showered his face with kisses.

Oh, you adorable thing! My little lucky charm! I take back all those times I teased you for being a glutton! If you ever want to eat magic, just say the word—this big sis will get you fog, wind, fire, anything!

"Kali! Let's go together..."

"No. You must go alone, child."

"Pardon?"

I froze at the unexpected words. Kali frowned and gripped my wrist tightly.

"The one who knows about goblins dislikes fire. And I'm also curious about what's on this human's head."

My gaze turned to Kali's head. What was on his head? But Kali seemed to realize something and slowly released my wrist.

"What is it?"

"Take Bibi with you."

"Are you really sending me alone?"

"Yes."

"Don't go setting things on fire while I'm gone, okay? Be careful with fire at all times! Got it?!"

"I said I got it."

"This field will burn up in an instant if a fire starts!"

"Ah, I said I got it."

I held Bibi tightly and looked at the guardian. The snake coiled beside the guardian began to grow larger. Startled, I watched as the guardian pointed at it and spoke.

"This child will take you—ride it."

...Ride? A snake?

I hesitated, unable to approach, when my body floated up on its own. Startled, I flailed my limbs, but in an instant, I was seated on the snake's back. The scales weren't as slippery as I'd expected, nor were they unpleasant.

In fact, the large, glossy black scales were quite beautiful. The moment I was on, the snake moved forward without hesitation.

I was a bit worried about Kali... but he'll be fine, right? I'll have to ask him later about what's on his head. It's not a tumor or cerebrovascular disease, is it? There's no surgery here, and no insurance coverage either.

As I was lost in these useless thoughts, Bibi squirmed and burrowed into my arms.

"Grrr."

"Hm? Bibi, what's wrong?"

The black snake had entered the forest. The deeper we went, the more Bibi's tail drooped. He seemed listless, so I scratched behind his ears—he burrowed his head deeper into my arms.

It felt like he was afraid of something ahead.

Was coming alone really the right choice...?

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