Chapter 38 – Lake-town: Hosting Gollum
Deep within the underground tunnels of the Goblin Kingdom.
The One Ring's demonic, soundless whispers echoed inside Smaug's mind.
After realizing—again—that he felt absolutely nothing, Smaug figured that since he had time to spare, he might as well listen carefully.
Before long, the whispers resolved into meaning.
"I can grant you power…"
"I can grant you wealth…"
"Whatever you desire—I can give it to you…"
The problem was—
Power? He already had it. And thanks to the system, he would only gain more—far more.
Wealth? Heh. The combined riches of the rest of Middle-earth probably didn't amount to what he already owned.
As for anything else…
To be honest, he couldn't even think of something he still wanted.
No wonder the temptation failed.
Pathetic little trash, Smaug judged silently.
Done wasting time, he bent down and lifted Gollum—who was still cursing nonstop and practically frantic—by the scruff with his free hand.
"My precious! Give it back! Give it back! You damn bastard—!"
Gollum writhed violently, shrieking without pause.
Smaug ignored him completely and strode toward the exit.
Not long after—
Outside the cave entrance.
[Mission completed.]
[Golden Blind Box (1) has been delivered to storage.]
Smaug paused, mildly surprised.
The other mission hadn't completed yet?
Did the Goblin King have second thoughts?
Go back and deal with it now?
…Nah.
Better to head home first. Worst case, he could come back another day.
Decision made, Smaug set Gollum down—the creature was hoarse from shouting by now.
"Gollum, shut up already," Smaug said flatly. "You're loud."
"You need to trust me. I really am your friend."
"Stay quiet, stick close to me, and help me when I need you."
"And maybe… I'll give your precious back."
He wasn't joking.
He'd thought this through.
Should he follow the original fate—go to Mount Doom, destroy the One Ring, and wipe out Sauron completely?
Or…
Keep the Ring as leverage. Control Sauron. Turn him into a subordinate.
The second option sounded far more interesting.
He leaned toward that choice—but whether he'd truly commit depended on how things unfolded. After all, this world still had a hidden Creator God. Mortals plan, but fate laughs.
If things spiraled out of control, the Ring could still be destroyed.
Hearing this, Gollum naturally stopped cursing at once.
His eyes widened like copper bells.
"Really… you'll give it back to us?"
"If you're lying, we'll kill—"
Gollum's words cut off abruptly.
Because the miniature ogre before him silently transformed back into Smaug's true form.
The colossal body of the ancient dragon appeared without warning.
The next instant—
Gollum finally processed what he was seeing.
"Precious! Precious!" he screamed in disbelief.
"You're Smaug! You're Smaug!"
"Haha, my friend Gollum," Smaug said cheerfully, having already stored the One Ring back into his system vault.
"You've never experienced flight before, have you?"
With that, Smaug reached out and grabbed Gollum in one claw.
"Today, you will."
Before Gollum could even scream, Smaug launched into the air, soaring straight toward the Lonely Mountain.
High above the ground—
After truly experiencing flight for the first time, Gollum stared down at the earth below, his mind flooded with unreality.
Nothing made sense anymore.
Ogre… dragon…
Which was real? Which was fake?
Who had taken the precious?
Just like that—
Already fractured beyond repair, Gollum's mind split even further, voices clashing and overlapping, turning his head into utter chaos.
Mirkwood
This time, as the evil dragon Smaug flew past, something unusual happened—
No alarm sounded.
It was as if the Elves had finally given up, choosing to lie flat in resignation.
Smaug didn't linger. He didn't even glance at the Elven Kingdom hidden beneath the forest canopy. Instead, he flew straight to Lake-town, circling once before landing on the rooftop terrace of the Master's Hall.
As expected, Bard arrived quickly.
"Master Bard," Smaug said, loosening his grip and dropping the tightly bound Gollum onto the ground, "please prepare good food and wine at once. I'll be hosting a friend."
He glanced down at Gollum.
"Look at him—skin and bones. The poor thing's practically starving."
"…."
Bard stared at the misshapen, emaciated creature. It was obvious this thing hadn't eaten properly in a very long time.
A friend?
Bound head to toe—this looked far more like a kidnapping.
What was this thing, exactly?
An animal?
A man?
A goblin?
And just how many more monsters was Smaug planning to bring here?
Was this land going to turn into a gathering place for every horror in Middle-earth?
"…Alright," Bard finally said, suddenly too tired to ask questions. He nodded and turned to leave.
"Oh—one more thing," Smaug added casually.
"Roast more meat. Add some vegetables too. Meat and greens—balanced meals are important for growth."
"…Understood," Bard replied.
He cast another glance at Gollum. Setting everything else aside, pity crept into his heart.
About half an hour later, a lavish spread of food and wine was delivered to the rooftop.
During those thirty minutes, Gollum had been pestering Smaug nonstop, obsessively demanding the return of the One Ring.
But the moment the aroma of food drifted through the air—
He froze.
Gollum slowly turned his head. Then his nose began twitching uncontrollably.
It couldn't be helped.
On one hand, Gollum—once hobbit—hadn't eaten proper food in countless years. He hadn't tasted cooked food at all.
The rich scents awakened long-buried memories. His mind was no longer under his control.
On the other hand—
It just smelled too good.
Hunger roared inside him.
"Precious! Precious!"
"So fragrant—so fragrant!"
"We can finally eat our fill!!"
After muttering excitedly to himself, Gollum turned to Smaug.
"Smaug, my friend—untie us! We want to eat!"
"Master Bard," Smaug said calmly, calling him back, "if you'd be so kind. Don't worry—he won't hurt you."
Gollum was small and barely clothed, bound with nothing but a strip of fabric. Bard wasn't afraid.
Moments later—
Gollum was freed.
Instantly, he shot toward the table like an arrow loosed from a bow and began devouring everything in sight.
Food vanished into his mouth at such speed that his hands almost blurred.
Watching this, Bard hesitated for two seconds—then stepped closer to Smaug and whispered,
"…What is he?"
"He was once one of the free peoples — not so different from you," Smaug replied quietly.
"As for what he is now… even I can't say."
A strange, chilling sorrow crept into Bard's heart. He stared at Gollum, still stuffing food into his mouth as if he could never stop, and fell silent.
"By the way," Smaug added, "have someone bring warm water. Let him bathe."
"And find him some clothes."