It was early morning when Lil woke up to the sound of strong winds.

Marron and Kohaku also woke up, tilting their heads in curiosity.

‘This presence… Lil, let’s hurry outside!’

Kohaku seemed flustered.

Sensing an emergency, Lil quickly changed clothes and rushed outside.

There, waiting for them, was the dragon who had once escorted Kohaku.

‘Apologies. I tried to land quietly, but did the sound of my wings wake you?’

“It’s fine. Thank you for coming again.”

Lil bowed respectfully, remembering that this dragon was an elder who had lived for over a thousand years.

‘I’ve heard rumors from the Silver Wolf Tribe that this place has become a haven for divine beasts, so I came to check on things. Here, take this as a gift.’

Before Lil lay the massive corpse of a magical beast, several times her size. She was astonished by its sheer enormity.

“Thank you so much!”

The dragon glanced around the square in front of the entrance and chuckled.

‘This place has changed again in such a short time. Human technology is always full of surprises.’

“Sir Maynard Pfeiffer, the Holy Knight, built most of it! There’s now a water fountain for everyone, a playground, and even a greenhouse!”

As Lil eagerly explained, the dragon, looking pleased, said:

‘Oh? Is that so? Well then, tell this old dragon all about it.’

Lil happily shared the details. The divine beasts, who had come to play since the morning, eagerly joined in, passionately describing just how fun the playground was.

The dragon listened with narrowed, gentle eyes.

‘For the past few centuries, things have been dull with nothing happening. But this was truly entertaining. I must thank you, Lil.’

“If you’re ever bored, please come visit anytime! Tomorrow, we’re installing a magical device to keep the ground warm for winter!”

Lil’s words surprised the dragon.

‘Humans even have such magic tools? Truly, you come up with fascinating ideas… But I am grateful for what you do for the divine beasts. The weak among us will be able to survive the winter in peace.’

Lil smiled brightly. She felt reassured that what she was doing was right.

‘Ever since Wils passed away, no ‘interpreter’ has appeared, and the gap between humans and divine beasts has only widened.’

The dragon looked sorrowful. Wils was the first king. He must have been a dear friend to the dragon, and Lil felt a pang of sadness.

‘Lil, you are still young. Thanks to you, I won’t be bored for the next few decades. Please, continue to bring humans and divine beasts closer together.’

“Leave it to me!”

Lil clenched her fists with determination, making the dragon laugh heartily.

And so, the kind old dragon departed, promising to return soon. Lil was overjoyed.

After seeing the dragon off, Lil was immediately questioned by the knights.

Apparently, they had been watching for a while but refrained from interfering because it looked like she was having fun.

When Lil explained that the dragon had only come to check on things, the knights sighed in relief.

When she pointed at the massive gift, everyone became excited.

That magical beast was said to live only deep within the forest, in a place known as a hidden sanctuary. It was an extremely rare find. Lil once again felt deep gratitude toward the dragon.

After the dragon left, Lil resumed playing with the children who had come in the morning. They were all thrilled to have met a dragon, enthusiastically declaring how cool it was. Even among divine beasts, dragons seemed to be the ultimate role models.

Curious, Lil asked, “Are there a lot of dragons?”

‘No.’

‘There are only five.’

Upon further questioning, Lil learned that only five dragons could exist in the world at any given time. The gods controlled the population of divine beasts to prevent them from increasing too much.

‘That’s why divine beasts rarely have children. In the Silver Wolf Tribe, I’m the youngest.’

Kohaku was around forty years old, if Lil remembered correctly. That revelation surprised her.

“What a shame… I was hoping to see a divine beast baby someday.”

She had imagined how adorable that would be, but if births were rare, it couldn’t be helped.

While they were playing tag, a leopard suddenly arrived—bringing along two small companions.

They were baby leopards!

Lil was overwhelmed by their cuteness.

‘You said you wanted to see babies, so I brought them.’

The cubs hid behind their mother, seeming nervous.

‘Thinking about it, this place is safer than the forest, so I figured it would be fine to bring them.’

The cubs were about three months old, about the size of raccoons. Lil was amazed at how big they had already grown.

“Nice to meet you! I’m Lil!”

‘Nice to meet you.’

‘Hello.’

They responded shyly from behind their mother.

Lil fought hard to resist the overwhelming urge to scoop them up and cuddle them.

“Oh! I have snacks!”

Lil took out some jerky from her pouch, originally meant for everyone to share.

She waved the jerky enticingly, and the cubs, unable to resist temptation, hesitantly approached.

After sniffing it for a moment, they started eating, their tiny mouths moving adorably.

“Can I pet you?”

‘Okay.’

‘I guess so.’

Thanks to the jerky, she had won them over.

Lil gently petted the two, feeling their fluffy fur. They were impossibly cute.

She thanked the mother leopard for bringing them and offered her some jerky.

From now on, she promised to bring the cubs along every time.

Lil was overjoyed.

The cubs greeted the other divine beasts. Watching the small ones chatter and interact was heartwarming.

Lil smiled warmly at the sight.