11 - Baby Yong's Housekeeping
Dragon Baby Saves the Duchy - Episode 11
* * *
For the next few days, Ashil smashed wooden dolls every single day.
Dylan initially repaired them with his own money, but soon realized it was like pouring water into a bottomless pit and gave up.
Meanwhile, the compensation money Ashil gave him was steadily accumulating on his desk, one coin per day.
"Great job!"
"Use money wisely."
"Our little one is the best!"
His life was depressing.
It got to the point where even his colleagues were asking him questions like this:
"Did you mess something up?"
"I don't know, I really don't."
Dylan sighed and ran a hand over his face.
Was he showing his dislike for reptiles that much? Why was Ashil doing this?
He'd been having nightmares about a lizard ghost chasing him every night lately, and he just couldn't enjoy life.
He felt like he should go beg the Duke to let him quit being a guard soon.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk."
"You got such a good position, too."
The fellow knights, who didn't know about Dylan's reptile phobia, clicked their tongues and felt sorry for the misfortune that had befallen him.
Then, one of the knights who owned a cat threw him a fishing rod.
"If it's really that hard, try taking this."
Ting-
The bell on the fishing rod made a pretty sound.
It was a cat toy fishing rod with fluffy feathers at the end.
Dylan, dumbfounded, shook the fishing rod a few times.
"It's for a lizard, though?"
"You never know. Isn't it better than not taking anything at all?"
"I guess so..."
"It seems like Ashil just has too much energy, so try playing with him well. Who knows? If he's satisfied with playing, he might stop smashing wooden dolls."
"Maybe..."
Thinking it couldn't hurt to try, Dylan took the cat toy fishing rod.
And when Ashil, after handing over the compensation money, headed to the training grounds to smash another wooden doll, Dylan held it out in front of him and shook it vigorously.
Ting-a-ling, ting-a-ling.
The bell on the fishing rod made a pretty sound.
Ashil, seeing a cat toy for the first time, perked up his ears.
'What's this?'
It looked a lot like the sticks that adult Beast-men used when teaching hunting.
Ashil stared intently at the fluffy feathers swaying up and down.
The way they moved back and forth, seemingly just out of reach, was like teasing, 'Try to catch me.Ashil, thoroughly provoked, made a 'beep' sound.
'Does Ashil think he can't catch it?'
Even though he was still young, he was a predator. He was specialized for hunting.
He glared at the feathers with wide eyes, and when they came down, he jumped and grabbed them.
"Piyah!""
"Ugh!"
Dylan, not expecting the jump, fell on his butt. Just as he was staggering back and trying to get up, Ashil dragged the fishing rod along the ground and held it out to him.
"Piya Piya."" (Do it again.)
"Ugh..."
Dylan groaned involuntarily.
Since Ashil wasn't going to smash wooden dolls, it seemed like the toy was definitely working.
But the other party's reaction was too scary.
It felt like that little lizard's paws would touch his hand any second.
Dylan froze and couldn't move from the spot.
Eventually, Ashil, tired of waiting, started shaking the fishing rod himself.
'If the human won't play with Ashil, Ashil will play alone.'
Ting. Dylan screamed just from the feathers touching him.
"Hwaaaaaaack!"Pee-yah-ah!""
Ashil, who had been absentmindedly shaking the fishing rod, was also surprised by the explosive reaction.
Oh my, this human was a beggar and afraid of feathers!
'But he still used this to play with Ashil!'
He was so kind.
It seemed that sharing his precious gold coins and providing wood had been a great help.
Ashil was so touched that tears welled up in his eyes that the human understood his feelings.
So, he forgot that the other party was a scary human and said this:
"Biyap!" Beep!" (Knight human! I think we've gotten pretty close now!)
"Huh? W-who... Me and you?"Bam!"" (Yeah!)
Ashil, shouting energetically, gripped the cat toy fishing rod tightly and moved his feet.
Now that he had secured a friendly human witness, it was finally time to go scold his bear friend!
* * *
Ashil didn't know the layout of the castle.
But he could tell where the Bear Holy Beast was by the scent in the air.
Dylan hurriedly followed Ashil's unhesitating steps.
"Where are you going?"
It was good that they weren't heading towards the training grounds, but he was going down a path that not many people used.
'What is he trying to do this time?'
Dylan, unable to predict Ashil's actions, was on edge.
And belatedly realizing what was at the end of this path, he was horrified and tried to stop him.
"L-Lord Ashil! This is not a path."Ppyatppy."" (Ashil is not a lizard.)
Ashil said primly and glanced at the neatly laid path on the ground. Then he looked up at Dylan.
'There's a path right here?'
Dylan, flinching at Ashil's questioning gaze, made an excuse.
"It's not a path for people to walk on."Beeee."" (Ashil is not a person.)
"That's true... Lizards shouldn't walk on it either."Bee."" (Not a lizard either.)
"Ahem, no one should walk on it."Piya?"" (Why?)
"Because a very dangerous Bear Holy Beast is at the end of this path."Ppyatppy."" (Ah.)
Ashil nodded nonchalantly and started walking again. Forward, not backward.
Dylan, who had expected Ashil to back down, was horrified again.
"L-Lord Ashil!"
Did they put honey on it or something? Why did he keep going that way?
He was confident that he wouldn't lose to Biante's Bear Holy Beast, but the problem was putting the person he had to protect in a dangerous situation.
With no other choice, he snatched the fishing rod from Ashil and shook it with all his might. Ting-a-ling.
Ashil's head snapped around at the clear sound of the bell.
"Piyah!""
Ting.
"Beep!""
Ting-a-ling.
There was something so fun in the world! When he went back to the forest, he would have to ask his mom to make him one.
Ashil, completely distracted by the fishing rod, started jumping up and down.
Dylan was terrified of the lizard's black scales, but he forced himself to endure it and slowly backed away as intended, successfully increasing the distance from the bear's den.
How long had it been?
"Kuaaaaaaar!"
Suddenly, something roared loudly in the distance and came running.
It was Biante's Bear Holy Beast.
'Damn it.'
Dylan gritted his teeth. Did the bear get loose again?
He reflexively put away the fishing rod and picked up Ashil in a flash.
It was to get away from this place quickly.
But contrary to his plan, he screamed, "Euaaaaaaack!" at the unique sensation of the reptile and involuntarily threw Ashil away.
"Bam!""
Ashil flew and hit a tree with a thud. Ouch!
Dylan, belatedly regaining his senses at the cry, was horrified.
"No!"
He tried to run quickly, but the bear was already near Ashil.
It was a brown bear several times larger than Dylan.
The bear, finding its target, charged forward powerfully.
"Kuaaaaaaar!"
"Lord Ashil!"
Dylan drew his sword and ran forward quickly.
But unfortunately, it seemed that the bear would attack Ashil before he could arrive.
Dylan, filled with self-loathing, gritted his teeth.
'You idiot.'
What was that phobia worth?
Throwing away the person he had to protect, he was disqualified as a knight.
He ran towards Ashil with all his might, thinking that he had to save his life at least.
But.
Thud!
The bear hit Ashil faster. It sounded very heavy, as if it had hit with all its might.
Dylan couldn't bear to watch the outcome that would soon be revealed, so he barely managed to resist the urge to turn away.
In his sight-
"Kuaaaaaaar!"
The house-sized bear was screaming in pain and flying far away.
Huh?
