Chapter 4 You Were Picked Up by Me
She’s… angry?
Though stabbed by the dagger, Gladys only trembled slightly. She didn’t retaliate at all. Her slender, fair arms still gently held Erika in her embrace, her cheek resting near Erika’s ear.
Erika’s small face was tense, her eyes tightly shut. She could clearly feel Gladys’s warm breath in her ear.
She’s going to bite me again!
Her little body began to curl up slightly. Right now, Erika was like a child about to get an injection—completely terrified.
Hmm?
Time passed, yet no pain came from her shoulder. Erika peeked her eyes open slightly and saw only the blood still flowing from Gladys’s shoulder.
What is she trying to do?
With their faces nearly pressed together, Erika was at a loss. She tried pushing Gladys’s shoulder with her tiny hands, but with her current strength, the woman felt as immovable as a mountain.
“Hsss~!”
Suddenly sucking in a breath, Erika’s eyes snapped open wide. All her fear and panic vanished instantly.
Her entire body went stiff as if struck by electricity. Her tail, once drooping, straightened upright like it had been electrocuted.
She’s sucking on my ear!
Erika didn’t know what was happening. She only felt her ear being gently enveloped by the woman’s lips—no biting, just a soft, tender hold.
Like… some kind of animal’s way of saying hello.
But that gentle suck felt like it had hit a sensitive switch in her body, sending a jolt of pleasure and tingling numbness through her. Her body went limp, resting against Gladys’s chest.
“What… What did you do to me?”
Her body weak, Erika’s voice trembled.
Looking down at the little girl in her arms, Gladys’s gaze softened. She seemed completely unconcerned about the cut on her shoulder.
Her jade-like hand gently caressed Erika’s gray-white hair. “Just saying hello.”
“That’s your idea of saying hello…?”
“All dragons greet like this.”
“I’m a dragon?”
“Mm-hmm. What else would you be?”
Hearing that, Erika looked at the woman again—
Horns on her head… massive wings… a long, slender tail.
Then looked at herself—she had those too. Just… smaller in comparison.
So maybe… it was true…
Thinking back to hatching from the egg, Erika finally voiced her thoughts.
“Who are you?”
“Gladys Tiamar.”
“No… I mean…”
While speaking, Erika raised a small hand and pointed at her pink-tinted nose. “What are you to me? Are you my mom?”
“No,” the other replied indifferently.
“Then why did I hatch from an egg?”
“You were picked up by me.”
“……”
So I was picked up… Erika fell silent.
That felt kind of like hearing your parents yell at you in a past life, “You were just a freebie from a phone recharge.”
Before she could ask more, Gladys moved.
Still holding Erika in her arms, she turned toward the door—her movements light and gentle, like a mother carrying her daughter.
“Where are we going?”
“Home,” Gladys answered quietly.
It was only when Erika was carried out of the underground trading room that she truly saw this new world.
It was already late at night. The streets were empty. Torches lit the roadside like streetlamps. No one noticed the two emerging from the trading post.
The surroundings were completely different from the skyscrapers she once knew. The buildings nearby had distinct medieval Western style—pointed rooftops and arched doors.
The whole atmosphere pulled one into a nostalgic sense of history.
“Fwoosh!”
Just as Erika was taking in the view, Gladys suddenly flapped her enormous wings, kicking up a fierce gust like that of a bat’s.
They were flying!
The cold night wind swept through Erika’s gray-white hair. Seeing the ground getting farther and farther away, her little hands clutched Gladys’s collar, and she nervously buried her head in her chest.
Oh god, this is my first time flying—what if I fall!?
But her fear was unnecessary. Gladys held her tightly and even shielded her face with her hand to block the cold wind.
Gradually, Erika realized they were heading toward a desolate mountain not far from town.
Under the moonlight, she could make out the mountain’s outline.
Its summit jutted up in two massive peaks—sharp at the tips. Overall, it resembled a pair of ivory tusks.
Below the peaks lay darkness. The forest exuded a quiet stillness. In such a remote and wild place, wild beasts were surely common.
“You… live here?”
“Do you not like it?” Gladys asked.
“A little.”
Erika pouted. After all, she was human in her past life. Even if she was a dragon now, she didn’t quite like this kind of place.
“Then where do you like?”
“The town we passed earlier was nice,” Erika replied honestly.
“Then we’ll move.”
Huh?
She agreed?
She just said that casually… that easy?
Erika found it hard to believe.
Under the night sky, she blinked. Her red eyes looked up at Gladys holding her, an odd feeling rising in her heart.
At first glance, this woman had seemed so cold and untouchable.
But now… she seemed so gentle. Even the chill in her gaze had vanished.
Didn’t she say I was picked up?
Still… she’s so beautiful…
“Is there something on my face?”
“Ah… no.”
Gladys suddenly asked, startling Erika into averting her gaze. Her cheeks turned slightly red, and she buried her head again.
She herself didn’t even know why she was blushing.
The cute little reaction brought a rare smile to Gladys’s usually expressionless face.
She gently shielded Erika’s head with her hand. Against the cold night wind, Gladys descended with her onto the summit of Ivory Mountain.
There was a massive cave here—her temporary lair.
The interior was pitch black.
Snap.
With a snap of her fingers, a pulse of energy rippled from Gladys like a wave.
Suddenly, the cave lit up with a soft white glow—like a light bulb had been switched on. The once-dark cave became bright and clear.
What appeared inside was not the savage den Erika expected.
The cave was spacious—very spacious—and filled with human-style furniture. A large bed made of hay sat in the center. Nearby was an old bookshelf, and even a pole-like structure for hanging clothes, on which were various adult women’s outfits.
The most eye-catching part was a nearby waterfall flowing like a spring.
The sound of water echoed throughout the cave, giving it a serene, picturesque charm.
Though it was just a cave, Erika felt a strange sense of warmth from it.
“Let’s get you cleaned up.”
“Huh?”
Still dazed, Erika hadn’t responded when Gladys removed her own clothes. The dragon traits had all vanished—what remained was the mature body of a woman, with an almost dangerously seductive figure.
That feminine silhouette could only be described as flawless. Erika was even starting to doubt—was she really a dragon?
Before she could speak, Gladys picked her up like a doll and gently brought her into the spring waters.