The red dragon swept low, and Luya jumped off its back heroically. She picked up a wooden club from the ground, rushed towards the Shiba Inu, and smashed the mud hand that had captured it.
The mud hand was surprisingly hard and very agile. After being struck by Luya, it immediately released the Shiba Inu. Perhaps due to the presence of the red dragon in the sky, it did not attack Luya. Rather, it quickly fled back into the swamp and disappeared.
Luya was in no mood to pursue the mud hand. Even if this one was destroyed, there were likely countless others. She hurriedly ran over to the Shiba Inuâs side, and examined its injuries.
âŠThere were serious wounds on this dog.
She had no idea what it had encountered when it ran over here. There was a ring of bites all over its fur, and there were countless scary gashes which exposed tender red flesh. It was extremely disturbing.
âOh my godâŠâ
Luya couldnât bear to see things like this. In her former life, she often rescued stray animals. One time there was a dog that had been abused by its owner, and its injuries were even more severe than this. She had taken it to the hospital and spent more than half of her monthly salary to save that dog. However, as a corporate slave who worked 80-hour weeks, she didnât have the time to take care of pets. In the end, she found a good owner to take care of the dog. As much as she was capable, she would always try to help stray animals.
Incidentally, from the dragonâs perspective, did it consider her to be an adopted humanâŠ?
The dog struggled to stand. Even though it had ended up like this because it had tried to run away, Luya still couldnât bear it. She didnât care to think about why the dog had come here, or why there were abandoned ruins in this place. She hurriedly picked up the dog and climbed back onto the dragonâs back.
âYouâre safe now, donât worry.â
The Shiba Inuâs consciousness was fading. Before he completely lost consciousness, he was enveloped by a warm embrace. That woman was so weak that he hadnât been the slightest bit interested in her, but now she was stroking his body. She spoke to him with a gentle voice.
âMommy wonât let you die.â
âŠ
ââŠâ
If he had still been human, he would have definitely shut her up.
But if he tried to protest right now, all he could make was a faint âwoofâ, which would merely sound like he was trying to act cute1. He couldnât bear it.
As the crown prince of the Asdra Empire, Zeros Aguiros Gaias felt something more shameful than becoming a dog for the first time in his life.
His mother had died of illness before his earliest memories. He had never seen his mother, and he had been raised under the strict tutelage of his father and his teachers. He was an excellent and ruthless warrior, and he didnât have much desire for maternal love. Occasionally, he would wonder what kind of woman had given birth to him, but that was it.
âŠAnd now there was this immature little wench who actually dared to call herself his mother.
But for some reason, he was surrounded by an indescribable warm feeling at this moment. Perhaps it was an illusion from the girlâs body heat due to his severe blood loss.
A heavy feeling of sleepiness swept over him, and Zeros slowly closed his eyes, fuming at his own incompetence. He was unwilling to accept it.
Zeros had a long dream.
He was the emperorâs eldest son, and the most talented of all his brothers. By right, he should have been the heir to the throne.
The entire empire had high hopes for him, but truthfully Zeros was not interested in politics or state governance. His brothers were all more proficient in this than he was.
If something were to happen to him, the third prince Chukar was the most likely to inherit the throne.
Chukar and Zeros were like opposite sides of a mirror. His style was totally different from Zerosâs cold and indifferent attitude. Even when Chukar was full of plots and conspiracies, he always smiled at others, and acted warmly towards the poor. However, the outstanding first prince was the only son that the emperor ever kept in his eyes.
However the kind of âaccidentsâ that the third prince Chukar hoped for would never happen. Zeros was an excellent warrior and hunter, with a keen sense of danger. No assassination attempt had ever been successful. When Chukar suggested to the emperor to have Zeros join him in battle against the Dark Warlock Danaas, Zeros knew exactly what he was planning. Nonetheless, he still agreed to his brotherâs request.
To Zeros, these kinds of little ploys were just games, and it was difficult to get him interested. What could his younger brother even accomplish, anyway?
âŠ
But he never imaginedâŠ
Chukar⊠he actuallyâŠ!!
âŠâŠ
âWhat should we do? Itâs unconscious, and it wonât drink any water.â
Luya, who had brought the Shiba Inu back to the dragonâs lair, looked extremely worried. There was no medicine or veterinarians here, so she could only perform first aid by cleaning the wound, but this many injuries was surely fatal for a dog.
She had no idea what the dog had gone through to end up like this. Luya was very worried that it wouldnât survive, so she couldnât help but ask for help from the dragon.
She remembered that at the monsterâs market, there were other special items traded aside from food. Some were cursed devices, but there were also healing ointments sold by the beastmen.
Beastmen were an extremely aggressive race. They did not fear death, and they showed no mercy. In battle, they often fought to the death, and it was normal for them to break their arms and legs. The beastmen who survived would often fully recover, not only due to their powerful innate regeneration ability, but also because their race produced special healing herbs.
One portion of beastmen medicine could cost as much as 30 magic stone shards, which was comparable to the price of human meat.
âAt this rate, itâll die. I want to save it.â
Luya hugged the dog and pleaded with the red dragon, âCan you2Â bring me to the market?â
The red dragon stared deeply at Luya, and then finally sighed. It understood what Luya wanted, and it slowly crawled into its lair. When it came out again, the red dragon threw a bag of magic stones to Luya.
Luya was shocked, and she looked inside the bag that was nearly filled with magic stones. It took quite some time before she finally reacted.
âThank you a million times over!â
She knew that the red dragon had agreed, and she hugged the dragonâs neck emotionally.
The red dragonâs breathing was very calm, and it wasnât bothered by Luyaâs behavior.
She never imagined that it would give her money⊠it was really unexpected.
Luya thought of all the other things she could buy, and she was really interested in the pocket translator that the pig butcher had used. It would be great if she could get one of her own.
The temperature outdoors was fairly low, and Luya was afraid that the bleeding dog would freeze to death, so she moved the dog back into the dragonâs cave. Then she opened the dogâs mouth and fed it a little water. The dog was hanging on by a thread, and she didnât know if itâd be able to survive by the time she came back.
She rubbed the Shiba Inuâs head hesitantly. At this important moment, she made her decision.
Luya softly placed her hand over the Shiba Inuâs body. Just like a miracle, the fatal wound slowly disappeared, and then emerged on Luyaâs abdomen.
âEeghââ
Luya hissed in pain. She lifted her clothes, and saw a gash on her abdomen that was the same size as the Shiba Inuâs injury.
So it really was true. She gritted her teeth and bandaged the wound with a clean cloth.
She hadnât believed that her original bodyâs powers were actually real, but it really could transfer injuries. She had no clue why she had this kind of Gift, but it seemed to make her backstory something like a holy child who had come to the mortal world to take on humanityâs sufferingâŠ
This wound wasnât fatal for a human, but it was certainly lethal for a big dog. If she could buy some beastman medicine, antibiotics wouldnât be necessary due to its strong anti-inflammatory properties, and it wouldnât leave any scars.
Right now she had no other choice. She could only take on the Shiba Inuâs wounds, and she still hoped that the dog would survive and continue to accompany her. This post-apocalyptic world was too lonely for one person, and sheâd go crazy after an extended period of time by herself. Even if she was living with the red dragon, there were certain things she was willing to do with a dog that she didnât dare do with a dragon! In either case, she didnât intend to eat dog meat even if it died.
Luya endured the pain, and then mounted the dragon in the usual manner. Holding on the dragon, they flew into the sky.
It really was a strange twist of fate. Before transmigrating, Luya was the type of person who had menstrual cramps so painful she thought sheâd die, so she was able to endure this gut-wrenching pain right now. The red dragon seemed to know that she was suffering, and it tried to fly as smoothly as possible. However, it did not take her to the monsterâs market. Their flight trajectory was different from their first time, and the surrounding scenery gradually changed. The dragon flew towards a barren wasteland that her former group of vagrants never dared approach.
In order to reach the Grandina Continent, the place where refugees from the Asdra Empire all wanted to go, it was necessary to pass through the Curtain of Fire3Â at the end of the world.
Unlike the atheist Empire, people of the Grandina Continent believed in the Supreme God of Light, and they prayed for his blessing. When the Demonic World Eye appeared, the Grandina Continent also suffered a catastrophe, but the believers of the God of Light held a god-summoning ritual. With their sincerity, they called their God to the mortal world.
The God of Light rescued his believers. He set up a crystal barrier around their cities, capable of repelling the monstersâ attacks. The God of Light brought salvation to humanity. He was a merciful God who accepted all who believed in him, and turned Grandina into a miraculous holy land. The refugees rejected by the Asdra Empire all hoped to flee to the Grandina Continent, but few people could pass through the Curtain of Fire. If Luyaâs former team of vagrants hadnât been wiped out by monsters, their ultimate objective would have been to pass through the Curtain of Fire to reach the holy lands projected by God.
However, Luya had some doubts about this. If God truly was omnipotent, why couldnât he destroy the Demonic World Eye, and restore peace to mankind?
Luya felt like there was some kind of contradiction, but the original owner of this body and the vagrants never questioned these things. Perhaps she was excessively paranoid.
After passing through a snowy field, the red dragon finally approached their destination. It was a black gothic city shrouded in evil, imbued with eerie silence. Overhead, they began to spiral down slowly.
When she saw this black city in the snowfields, Luyaâs heart suddenly sank.
Authorâs notes :
Some people asked if the red dragon had picked up the prince in his human form, would he have adopted him?
The answer is no. In the eyes of the dragon, the crown prince is a rabid dog, and he wouldnât want to raise him.
The heroine is clingy and cute, so sheâs easy to dote on.
The dragonâs perspective of the heroine saving the dog: My cutie is so kindhearted, sheâs even willing to sacrifice so much for the hamster that sheâs raising. As expected for the cutie I choose, sheâs the best!
Crown prince: Everyone approached me, flattered me, and fawned on me because they were all scheming. Only this girl is different. Sheâs kind to me only because she really thinks Iâm a dogâŠ
PS: The third princeâs name can be pronounced like Chukar, but I wrote it like Zhujia (æ±ć ) because I think it looks better, and seems more masculine.
Do you remember this guy? The pighead sold this princeâs head to a necromancer in the first chapter⊠he already had his death flag.
Translatorâs notes :
Act cute (æćš) : Refer to the TL notes in chapter 9. You (æš) : Luya continues to use the formal âyouâ to address the dragon. Curtain of Fire (ćŻæç«æ”·) : More literally, âSea of Fire Jungleâ. Itâs a basically a flaming forest. Iâve translated as a âcurtainâ because Iâve read ahead, and itâs accurate to say that it extends for far into the sky that you canât fly above it.