It was highly likely that the result would be the exact opposite of my intention to bring food.
‘Still, I can’t just catch something alive and tell the girl to kill it herself…’
I felt a throbbing pain in my head.
When I was human, I just had to go to the market or a restaurant.
I never thought I’d be worrying about such primitive survival problems.
‘Maybe… are there any fruits?’
If I go into the forest, there might be some fruit trees.
If it’s fruit, there wouldn’t be any bloodshed, and the girl could eat it without much discomfort.
But the problem is, I know absolutely nothing about the terrain or vegetation in this area.
I have no way of knowing what trees are where, or which fruits are edible.
If I accidentally bring back something poisonous, it would be a disaster.
‘In the end… hunting, huh.’
The most certain, yet the riskiest method.
I fell into brief contemplation.
I can’t let the girl starve.
But I also can’t scare her even more with my actions.
‘…As clean as possible…?’
Even if I hunt, what if I bring it back with as little blood as possible, and cleanly deal with the body? But is that even possible? It’s not like I’m a butcher or anything.
‘Or maybe catch a really small animal…’
If I bring her something small like a rabbit or a squirrel, would she be less afraid? But could such a small animal really satisfy her hunger?
‘…I don’t know.’
I stopped thinking for a moment.
This wasn’t a problem I could solve right now.
For now, I should go outside the cave and assess the situation directly.
The state of the forest, the types of animals—whatever it is, I need to see it myself to judge.
The problem is, if I leave the cave, the girl will be left alone.
What if something happens while I’m gone? Or worse, what if when I come back, she’s no longer here? What if she tries to run away while I’m out?
‘…If she runs away… is that actually okay?’
Maybe that would be the best outcome for her.
It would be much better than staying with a monster like me.
But can a young child like her survive alone in these deep mountains?
She might get lost, starve, or be eaten by some other predator.
‘…No.’
In the end, I reached the conclusion that I had to take responsibility.
I couldn’t just abandon a child who had been offered as a sacrifice.
I had to somehow find her food and keep her safe.
And someday, I would have to return her to where she came from.
Though I didn’t know when that ‘someday’ would be.
I looked at the girl again.
She was still curled up, not moving an inch.
But her eyes seemed just a little less wary than before.
It was a very faint change, but it was there.
‘For now… let’s rest a bit.’
I was tired too, after waking up for the first time in centuries and worrying about all this.
My body still wasn’t fully recovered.
Rather than pushing myself to go outside right now, it would be better to take a short rest and recover my strength.
I settled down near the cave wall, as far away from the girl as possible, and curled up again.
Then I slowly closed my eyes.
I wasn’t trying to sleep.
I just wanted to close my eyes and rest a bit, while calmly planning what to do next.
The cave once again sank into deep silence.
My eyes were closed, but I wasn’t asleep.
My massive body was resting, but my senses were still focused on the small presence inside the cave.
The girl’s faint breathing, her occasional sniffles, even the subtle sound of her fidgeting with the pebbles on the ground.
I could feel it all with sharp clarity.
‘…What should I do.’
My mind was a mess.
At least she had drunk some water, so the immediate crisis was averted.
But the next step was the problem.
Food.
And ultimately, sending her back to where she originally came from.
But how?
Hunting? That still seems like the most realistic method.
But when I think of the shock she’d feel if I came back with a bloodied corpse, I hesitate.
If only I could use fire, maybe I could cook the meat before bringing it to her…
‘Fire, huh…’
That thought suddenly crossed my mind.
Isn’t that the iconic ability associated with dragons? Fire breath.
Could I actually do that? I hadn’t tried it even once since I hatched.
In fact, I hadn’t even considered the possibility that I had such a power.
‘How do you use it?’
Breathing fire from my mouth… it sounds simple in theory, but I had no idea how to actually do it.
Do I need to tighten my stomach? Or draw up some kind of heat from my throat?
This was something far beyond the logic I knew as a human.
I thought I should try it out someday, when the girl wasn’t around.
The food issue would have to be put on hold for now.
Then the next issue is… communication.
I need to somehow let the girl know that I mean no harm, that I actually want to help.
Only then might she feel even a little bit at ease, and I might be able to break out of this frustrating situation.
My previous attempt was a total failure.
My voice had only terrified her.
But I couldn’t give up.
This time, I had to approach more carefully.
‘Can I control the volume of my voice?’
I focused my consciousness around my throat and vocal cords.
I could feel massive muscles and organs.
If I could control these at will, maybe I could make even the tiniest sound.
Like a human whisper.
‘Or… is there no such thing as telepathy?’
In fantasy novels, dragons often communicate through telepathy.
The ability to convey thoughts mentally.
If that were possible, it would be best.
I tried speaking to the girl with my mind.
‘Hey, are you okay? I won’t hurt you.’
There was no response.
The girl still remained curled up, not moving at all.
So I guess such a convenient ability doesn’t exist.
Or maybe I just don’t know how to use it yet.
‘In the end… it’s the voice, huh.’
The most likely option was still voice control.
I took a deep breath.
Cold cave air filled my massive lungs and slowly escaped.
Then, very slowly, I opened my eyes with care.
Sensing my movement, the girl flinched and looked at me.
Her eyes were still full of fear, but it wasn’t the paralyzing terror from before.
Maybe just a little, very slightly, she was getting used to me? Or had she simply given up?
I met the girl’s eyes.
And consciously trying to make the gentlest sound possible, I spoke in the language the child had used before.
I didn’t know if I could pronounce it properly, but I had to try.
“Are you okay?”
My voice was still low and rough.
It bounced off the cave walls, creating a rumbling echo.
But it was different from my previous roar.
I consciously relaxed and minimized the vibration of my vocal cords, making the sound much smaller than before. Maybe even a little less threatening.
The girl’s reaction was immediate.
Her eyes widened.
It wasn’t from fear.
It was… surprise? No, more like shock.
Her small mouth opened slightly, and she stared at me as if she had forgotten how to breathe.
‘…Did it work?’
Seeing her reaction, I felt a tiny glimmer of hope.
Did she understand what I said? Or did she just think I was a strange-sounding monster?
I gathered my courage once more and spoke again, this time with a clearer intention.
At the same time, I gently pointed my massive nose toward the cave entrance.
“Home… go?”
I tried to keep it as simple and direct as possible.
It meant, ‘Go back to where you came from.’
That seemed like the best solution for now.
Then tears began to fill the girl’s eyes.
These were different from earlier tears.
Not tears of fear, but of something else… sorrow? Despair?
The girl shook her head violently.
Large drops of clear tears fell from her wide eyes.
The child began to sob.
At first, it was a small hiccup, but soon, a sorrowful cry burst out as if she couldn’t hold it in.
“Huuuuu…”
I panicked at the sight of her whole little body trembling with intense sobs.
Did I say something wrong? Was telling her to go home that upsetting?
Crying, the girl shouted with a trembling voice.
“I can’t go!”
Her cry echoed through the cave.
It was a firm and desperate voice.
“If I go… if I go… I’ll die! hic… I’ll die!”
The child burst into tears as she spoke.
The moment I understood the meaning of her words, I felt like I had been hit in the head with a giant hammer.
‘…She’ll die?’
She’ll die if she goes home? What does that mean?
Wasn’t she a child offered as a sacrifice?
Would the villagers punish her if she returned after being offered to an evil dragon?
Or… was she a child with no home to return to from the start?
Countless questions and theories swirled chaotically in my head.
But one thing was clear.
My idea of simply ‘sending her home’ was never a viable solution.
I couldn’t say a word.
I could only stare blankly at the crying little girl.
Her sobs held more than simple sadness — a mix of deep despair, resignation, and fear of death.
‘…What am I supposed to do?’
The situation was far more complicated and serious than I had imagined.
This child wasn’t just lost or temporarily in danger.
She was someone who had been abandoned by the world, with nowhere to return to.
And somehow, this child ended up here — in my cave, misunderstood as that of an evil dragon.
Was this mere coincidence? Or some cruel twist of fate?
As I watched the girl still crying, I sank deeper into confusion.
What should I do with this child now?
My cave — the lair of a dragon who only wanted to sleep — had suddenly become the final refuge for a small human with nowhere else to go.
Only unanswered questions drifted between the silence of the cave and the girl’s cries.
The cave was filled with the sound of her weeping.
How could such hopeless cries come from that tiny body?