Chapter 36
“Hahaha, that’s my divine beast!”
On the other hand, Duke Starrafit excitedly pounded the armrests of his chair.
“I knew it! A monster defeating our Fear? That’s absurd!”
“Order it to stop breathing fire at once!”
“Regrettably, Duke, no matter how much you shout from here, they won’t hear you over there.”
Unfortunately, his words were true.
Edenber glared at the sky, now engulfed in flames where Asil was.
No matter how exceptional his swordsmanship was, it was utterly useless in this moment.
The helplessness he had felt when he mistakenly thought Asil had died came crashing over him like a tidal wave.
‘Why can’t I do anything?’
That small child was sacrificing so much for him, so why…
He clenched his fists tightly.
He should have done whatever it took to stop Asil from rushing out earlier.
If they could just get through this friendly match safely, he would never let Asil go to dangerous places again. He would keep it by his side and protect her at all costs.
Forgetting even the significance of a divine beast as the empire’s guardian, he prayed and prayed again for Asil’s safe return.
Meanwhile, Duke Starrafit, watching Fear spew flames explosively with satisfaction, muttered to himself.
“It’s breathing fire for quite a while. Well, even when catching a worthless lizard, you have to give it your all.”
It was just as the Duke said. Though the match seemed long over, Fear continued to breathe fire.
Around that time, the expressions of the cheering crowd began to shift one by one.
“Isn’t it time to stop? Is it trying to burn even the bones to ashes?”
“That’s too cruel…”
“Even if it’s a monster, it seemed like a baby. This is a bit much.”
The enormous size difference, combined with Asil’s adorable appearance and cute cries, stirred sympathy in the hearts of the soft-hearted.
Even Duke Starrafit’s aide cautiously offered advice.
“Wouldn’t it be wise to tell it to stop soon?”
“Tch, always with the weak talk.”
Even as he spoke, Duke Starrafit grumbled inwardly.
‘If that were possible, I would’ve done it already.’
To begin with, Fear had never listened to him.
As evident from the context of the friendly match, it always acted on its own.
“Booo!”
“Let it at least have a proper burial!”
“That’s cruel!”
As the crowd’s jeers grew louder over time, Duke Starrafit cursed inwardly.
‘What the hell is it doing, that damned divine beast!’
If it was done, it should stop already. Had it gone mad, intoxicated by the taste of victory?
However.
Contrary to everyone’s assumption that it was reveling in victory, Fear was currently drenched in cold sweat.
‘What is this lizard?’
Its pride and symbol, its flames, were being overpowered.
In truth, Asil hadn’t been caught in Fear’s flames. It was simply breathing its own breath without wavering.
In terms of raw power, Fear was stronger than Asil.
But when the same power is concentrated into a single point, it becomes sharper.
It was truly a battle of hammer versus awl.
Though strong, Fear, unable to wield its power with precision, was enveloped in the aura of defeat for the first time in its life.
It was then that the evenly matched flames began to tilt toward Fear.
‘No way!’
The moment Fear, in a panic, tried to muster its last reserves of strength to push back—
“Boooo! That’s cruel!”
“Please stop now!”
“This is a friendly match, not a real fight!”
The jeers of the crowd directed at Fear reached its ears.
Fear felt a surge of injustice.
‘No, you humans! I’m the one being pushed back!’
As Fear’s focus wavered in that moment—
“Pippi-ya!”
Asil let out a loud cry, and its breath grew stronger.
Just as Fear had tried to summon its final strength, Asil, too, unleashed its last reserves.
“Houuuuk!”
Fear, in shock, belatedly drew out its power.
But it couldn’t restore the balance of power that had begun to tip.
Asil’s breath pierced through Fear’s flames, closing in right before its eyes.
‘No!’
Boom!!!
A massive explosion rang out.
At the same time, Fear, struck by the breath, lost its balance and plummeted to the arena floor.
Thud!
The crowd, who had thought Fear was winning, gaped in shock at its sudden fall.
As they tried to make sense of the situation, someone pointed to the sky.
“Look at that!”
There, with its front paws on its hips and its chest puffed out, a bald lizard soared majestically through the air.
The bald one roared triumphantly.
“Pippiyaaaaa!!!!”
It was Asil’s victory.
* * *
Stunned by the unexpected outcome, the crowd froze, unable to move.
Who could have imagined that a fake divine beast summoned by magic would defeat their proud, authentic divine beast?
As silence hung over the stands, Duke Starrafit ’s knights struggled to carry the giant firebird out of the arena.
It was around then that the referee announced the end of the match.
“This friendly match has concluded with a complete victory for the Monlepe Ducal House!”
Meanwhile, Selena, having successfully outmaneuvered the bald association president, gleefully collected her winnings.
“Jackpot!”
A cheer burst out instinctively.
Unlike the knights’ friendly match, where quite a few had bet on Monlepe out of curiosity, in the divine beast match, most had bet on Starrafit, resulting in far greater earnings.
Selena wasn’t the only one thrilled.
Thanks to betting on Monlepe in the divine beast match, Eokaste also made a fortune.
Glancing at Asil, she returned to the palace with a very satisfied expression.
Meanwhile, Edenber formally demanded an apology from Duke Starrafit.
“Apologize.”
“…”
“For using a divine beast in an inappropriate situation, causing the deaths of our house’s knights, and for insulting us as a house incapable of subjugating monsters without a divine beast—apologize for it all.”
‘Grit.’
Duke Starrafit ground his teeth.
But with so many eyes watching, he forced a smile and extended his hand.
“I’m sorry, Duke. I underestimated the strength of your house.”
Edenber didn’t take his hand. Instead, he turned coldly, drawing a line.
“I hope you won’t evaluate us by your standards in the future. It seems our levels are different.”
At the blatant sarcasm, Duke Starrafit clenched his fist in anger.
It was then that Asil, singed black from the flames, flew over.
“Pippiyatppi! Pippiya!!” (Husband! Asil has a little sibling now!!)
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
Edenber, as if he hadn’t just been angry, instantly softened his expression and checked Asil’s body.
Asil puffed out its chest.
“Pippi. Pippiya.” (Nope. Asil is always sturdy.)
“That’s a relief. Hold on, there’s some soot here. I’ll wipe it off.”
Edenber, unconcerned about dirtying his own clothes, hugged Asil tightly.
Duke Starrafit, glaring at the heartwarming scene with blazing eyes, stormed back to his ducal estate.
‘My divine beast lost to a puny lizard!’
Fear was the only one among the ducal house’s divine beasts capable of flight.
Not only had it lost the title of “the only flying divine beast,” but it had been slammed into the ground by flames of the same element.
There was no need to say how desolate Duke Starrafit’s heart felt.
The only silver lining was that he still had the diamond mine, a reward from the imperial family for clearing the desert caves.
‘This is mine.’
Duke Strafit forced the corners of his mouth upward.
‘With money, honor can be restored.’
He had to sell it off quickly before Monlepe could demand it.
Heading straight to his office, he pulled out documents related to the diamond mine from the safe and began calculating where to sell it.
It was then.
“You have no conscience, do you?”
Startled by the voice from the darkness, he dropped the documents.
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By Anna 💓
