Chapter 2: I'm Not Here to Eat You
Rumble—!
The Dark Lord wasted no words. The moment he moved, the black mist surged forward like a tidal wave, rushing straight toward Smaug.
Amino—Smaug—had a clear grasp of the Dark Lord's current strength. More importantly, from the memories he'd inherited… ordinary magic attacks simply couldn't harm an adult dragon like him.
So he wasn't afraid in the slightest.
He opened his jaws and unleashed a torrent of blazing fire. At the same time, his massive wings beat powerfully, whipping up a violent gale as his enormous body rose into the air.
Inside the Lonely Mountain, thunderous explosions echoed again and again.
In the blink of an eye—
The black mist incarnating Sauron was forced into a rapid retreat, driven back by the flames and the raging wind!
Smaug, barely airborne, didn't hesitate for a second. He twisted his massive body midair and lashed out with his powerful tail, smashing it straight toward Sauron.
The Dark Lord was forced to retreat yet again.
"Smaug—you will regret this!!"
Knowing full well that his current state left him unable to deal with the dragon, Sauron nonetheless spat out a cold, venomous threat.
"Heh."
Smaug let out a low, mocking laugh. "Sauron, don't think I don't know what you've been sneaking around doing."
"Say one more word."
"And I'll spread word of Dol Guldur across all of Middle-earth."
Boom!
The black mist shuddered violently.
Dol Guldur was Mordor's recently reactivated secret stronghold in Middle-earth!
A secret of that magnitude—
How in the world did this stupid dragon know about it?!
The Dark Lord's mind shook uncontrollably.
The reason was simple—once the Elves, Dwarves, and Men of Middle-earth learned the secret of Dol Guldur, all the schemes he had painstakingly laid over the years would be utterly ruined.
Sauron was unwilling to bear such a loss.
And so—
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
After glaring viciously at Smaug for a full three seconds, Sauron finally suppressed the fury boiling within him.
The black mist faded away obediently.
"Next time you come," Smaug laughed and shouted loudly after him, "remember to knock. Try having some manners, will you?"
Sauron heard it—and nearly lost control.
Yet in the end, he said nothing, retreating at top speed toward Mordor.
Sauron was gone.
Smaug, meanwhile, didn't idle around. He continued with his original plan.
Not long after—
Boom!
The massive boulders sealing the palace gates were smashed apart.
The Dwarven halls, buried and forgotten for over a century, finally saw daylight once more.
Smaug strode out, drew in a deep breath, then spread his wings and soared skyward.
---
Lake-town
Lake-town had descended into absolute chaos.
The thunderous explosions from the Lonely Mountain earlier had been heard by nearly everyone. Almost instantly, panic seized the town.
"The dragon is still alive!"
"He's awakened!"
"He's been sleeping for so many years—now that he's awake, he must be starving! He's definitely coming to eat us!"
"Run!"
For a time, desperate cries rose from every corner of Lake-town.
Some people dashed home, trying to hide and stay out of Smaug's sight.
Others rushed straight for the docks, desperate to board ships and flee.
Some fell to their knees, praying fervently for divine protection.
At the Master's house—
The pot-bellied Master was terrified. In a frenzy, he ordered his men to load all the gold and silver he had embezzled over the years onto a ship so he could escape.
His lackey, Alfrid, urged them on with even greater enthusiasm.
Elsewhere—
By coincidence, the archer Bard happened to be in town that day. He sprinted toward home, worried sick about his two children.
Just then—
A hysterical scream rang out:
"He's here! Smaug is here!!"
The cry was so loud—and Lake-town so small—that before long, most people had tilted their heads back, staring at the sky in sheer terror.
Naturally, the screaming only intensified.
High above—
As a dragon, Smaug's hearing was excellent. Though he couldn't make out every word, the screams were unmistakable.
This isn't good, he thought.
He was here to recruit followers. If their first meeting after all these years went like this, future cooperation would be… difficult.
With a thought, Smaug took out two small piles of gold from his system storage, gripping them in his claws. Then he shouted loudly:
"People of Lake-town, there's no need to run. I'm not here to eat you today."
The response—
"This evil dragon has learned how to lie!"
"Why would he lie to us?"
"Is he afraid we'll escape, so he wants to eat us all at once?!"
Stereotypes were stubborn things.
In the blink of an eye, the people who had just stopped to look up at Smaug turned and ran even faster—every last one of them sprinting for their lives with all they had.
Smaug watched this, momentarily speechless.
He opened his mouth to explain—then stopped. Saying more would undermine his dignity.
Forget it.
They couldn't run very far anyway.
Once the real business was done, those humans would come back on their own.
"Where is the Master?" Smaug said directly. "Have him come to the eastern clearing immediately. I have a deal to make with him."
---
"????"
The Master heard this and trembled violently, nearly wetting himself.
"Me? Why me?!"
In some sense, Alfrid was an exceptionally competent lackey.
Things the Master missed in his panic, Alfrid caught instantly.
"Master, look!" Alfrid said obsequiously. "That dragon is holding gold—shining gold, all of it!"
At that—
"Huh?"
The Master stopped shaking and widened his eyes. "Real gold? That much gold? Could it be… for me?"
"He did say he wanted to make a deal with you," Alfrid replied.
Men die for wealth, birds die for food.
Greedy to the bone, the Master's heart stirred. After a few seconds of silent consideration, he clenched his teeth and made a decision.
"Bring all the soldiers," he ordered. "We're going to meet that dragon."
"Yes, sir," Alfrid answered promptly.
---
About two minutes later, elsewhere in Lake-town—
Bard stood atop a rooftop, his expression cold and resolute as he watched Smaug descending.
In his heart, he wrestled with whether to take up the final black arrow and look for a chance to kill the dragon.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds…
Thinking again of his children's safety—and the fact that Smaug didn't seem to be here to slaughter anyone—Bard made his choice.
He moved.
Soon, he was on the ground, running toward the eastern clearing.
He wanted to know, as soon as possible, what Smaug had come here to do.
---
Lake-town was built atop the lake itself.
Though there was an open space to the east, it was small.
After landing, Smaug had no choice but to adjust his posture—letting his long tail sink into the water while only half his body rested on land.
Once settled—
He wasted no time and released his claws.
Clatter—clatter—
At least a hundred pounds of gold coins piled into a small hill, gleaming dazzlingly under the sunlight.
At once—
Many nearby residents, who had been peeking out in secret, felt their hearts race, fear momentarily forgotten.
There was no helping it.
Gold stirred the human heart.
Smaug naturally noticed the humans lurking in the shadows, but paid them no mind. He waited calmly.
Time passed.
Bard arrived as well, hiding himself and observing quietly.
When he saw the mound of gold, his confusion only deepened.
What exactly is this dragon planning to do?
---