Chapter 18: The End of the Age of Dragons (2)
“O Creator Dragon God… What on Earth is going on here?”
A dragon hiding behind me spoke up.
According to the other dragons, it seemed pretty shocked by the tragic situation.
“It’s the end for the fools who thought they could be like their parents just because they got some scales from them.”
Maybe if I’d argued a bit more, we could have avoided this mess.
But how could I possibly break their stubbornness, as tough as dragon tendons?
They’d rather choose death than admit they were wrong.
My attempts at persuasion were probably pointless.
“Are we… are we going to end up like that too?”
“If you give up your body and life.”
“W-what?! How could this happen…?”
I let out a little sigh.
“Do you know how special your ancestors… my little ones… the seven children were?”
The kids shook their heads at my question.
“How many natural phenomena are out there in this world? Don’t you realize it’s special that only those seven actually woke up to self-awareness among all of them?”
“Is it really that special?”
“Absolutely.”
I nodded, feeling all wise and stuff.
“Natural objects and phenomena aren’t supposed to have self-awareness at all. But those kids got magic miracles and gained it! More special than any natural phenomenon on this land, if you ask me!”
Honestly, after those kids woke up, no other natural phenomenon managed to develop real self-awareness. Case closed.
“So then… their current form is…?”
“It seems those beings who had self-awareness ended up becoming natural phenomena instead.”
At least having some self-awareness meant they could keep even these tiny little forms.
But man, it’s just all the more pitiful to see.
“O Creator Dragon God… what then happens to us?”
I glanced at the twelve kids huddled together, nervously shaking and quaking.
Young ones just out of their eggs.
Innocent little dragons untainted by hate and rage.
Maybe, if I take good care of them… we could avoid the same mistakes those foolish dragons made.
“I’ve stashed the hatchlings and unhatched eggs somewhere else, so let’s get moving.”
As I stretched out my arm, the kids flinched.
There was fear shining in their eyes.
Well, can you blame them?
I’ve shown them some pretty terrifying stuff. The world falling apart, erasing that destruction, and sucking the life out of countless dragons’ bodies—yeah, that’s a hard day at the office!
If that doesn’t scare you, what will?!
“Relax. If you don’t commit the same sins, I won’t do the same to you either.”
Only after calming them down a bit did the children show signs of relief.
I was way too angry, way too impulsive, and way too harsh… but hey, I promise to do better!
There’s really no need to stick around here anymore, so let’s skedaddle.
But before we leave…
I took one last look at the bodies of countless dragons left on the plains after their spirits and souls had departed.
Lifeless corpses. I can’t just leave so many dragon bodies lying around like this!
With a bit of magic, I pulled lots of dirt from under the plain and created a massive hole in the ground.
Then—bam!—I gave the surface a little shake and sent the entire plain down into that hole, dumping all those dragon corpses into it.
Finally, I sprinkled dirt over the pit to finish things up. Call it the Dragon’s Tomb for now.
I suppose I could’ve left it, but as their parent, I couldn’t just let their final resting place be all neglected.
I felt a bit sad… but I guess this is how it has to be.
With everything else wrapped up, only one nagging anxiety lingered in my heart.
Where on Earth did Erebus run off to?
What sort of tricks did he pull to not come when I summoned him?
I stared into the empty spot where Erebus had vanished.
Looking at that vacant place, a wave of sadness crashed over me—the anguish of my most cherished child turning away and fleeing was just too much.
Should I turn back time? But if I do, to when?
Even if I went back to before the scales were taken, could I ever see Erebus the way I once did?
Sure, I might catch that kid running off to avoid losing his scales, but could I ever hold onto his heart?
Maybe if I rewind enough, I could change the kid’s mind… but honestly, I’m just too mentally drained for that right now.
I just want some time to chill out after all this… sometimes I just want to throw my hands up and quit, but nope, can’t do that.
So.
I pushed aside that nagging little anxiety tucked away in my heart and moved through space with the twelve kids.
Together, we’ll venture forth into a brand new world!
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
The Dragon’s Tomb is one of the world’s seven major no-go zones and is believed to be a burial ground for dragons from ancient times.
Originally a vast plain, this area is now home to a ton of dragon corpses buried underneath. Depending on luck, you might even dig up an intact dragon body!
However, this place is one of the seven most dangerous zones in the world—step here and your life isn’t guaranteed.
The aura of death leaking from all those dragon corpses eats away at living creatures, suckering the life right out of them! And before you know it, any corpse tainted by this aura becomes undead, craving life and dragging itself along the ground!
Whether it’s good luck or bad luck, the temples of the Church of Life surrounding this area do their best to stop the death aura from leaking out. So, unless you’ve got their okay, good luck trying to venture into the Dragon’s Tomb!
Now, if you—yes, you reading this—are confident in your skills, why not take the Church of Life’s trial and challenge this prohibition?
Trust me, even snagging a tiny bone or piece of skin can make you rich overnight!
Of course, there’s always the chance you could become undead and never come back.
– A guide for adventurers on a world exploration.
Chapter on the seven major prohibitions of the world.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
After that, well, I just kicked back and enjoyed some peaceful time teaching the little ones.
Given they weren’t soaked in hate and rage yet, I was able to plant at least a bit of new morality in them—pretty positive, right?
And then there were the hatchlings, and even the baby dragons just born… Hmm…
It’s only a handful of them, but at least they’re not trying to kill each other. That’s a win in my book!
While I was busy teaching all sorts of things to the young dragons, suddenly—
“Waaaaah!!! Mom!!!!!”
Sylphid came bursting in, crying her eyes out.
“Are you awake?”
“No! It’s not about being awake!!! How could you have done such a terrible thing?! All the kids turned into tiny gusts of wind!!!”
“Well, that’s what they wished for.”
If they didn’t want it, they wouldn’t have gone that far.
“Or did you secretly want me to completely erase them?”
“No way! I just felt sorry for them…”
“I may have been a bit too harsh on those kids, but I’m not turning back.”
If I was planning to rewind things, I’d have done it in the first place!
Sure, even if I could, it wouldn’t have led to a different outcome anyway.
“Ugh….”
“And I’m definitely not giving your scales back.”
“What?! Why not?! I think I’ve been punished enough!”
“A few years here and there hardly counts as punishment. Unless something really out of the ordinary happens, they’re not coming back.”
“Ugh… Mom, that’s so unfair….”
“You’re the ones being unreasonable. How many times have you betrayed my expectations? Sigh.”
I gently pushed Sylphid away with a flap of my wings.
“If you truly want your scales back, find Erebus. When you bring him back, I’ll consider it.”
Where on Earth has that guy hidden away… He doesn’t even respond properly when I try to summon him.
“Erebus?! If I find him, you’ll return my scales? You promise?!”
“Yep, I promise.”
I scratched my chin, where there should be scales.
The space left behind where one scale used to be… It felt like it would never be filled again.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
“Krrr! Oh, Creator Dragon God…!”
“Huh? Oh, you guys. You’re still alive—now you’re talking too?”
Not long after Sylphid’s arrival, a lizardman wielding a spear I recognized strolled over.
Despite the raging chaos caused by the foolish dragons’ war above, they somehow managed to survive.
In a world where most dinosaurs are gone, how did these guys pull through? Did they dig underground or something?
“Th-thank you for ending the age of dragons…!”
Well, did I really end it because I wanted to…? It feels more like it just… happened.
“It’s nothing. I just acted because those idiots went too far.”
“W-We saw it all. The world’s destruction… We don’t want to see that kind of thing again… So, we offer a sacrifice!”
“A sacrifice?”
A group of lizardmen popped up from behind the first one.
Some carried big chunks of meat from the last few dinosaurs, and there was a little lizardman bringing a bouquet of white flowers.
“It has long been tradition… to offer sacrifices and conduct rituals to the Creator Dragon God… It’s been tough, but we won’t screw that up anymore…”
Hmm. That’s rather commendable!
But honestly, no need to go through all that trouble for a ritual.
“Thanks, but you can take the meat back with you.”
With that, I accepted the bouquet of flowers from them.
They were the same flowers I got when I helped fix the spear before.
“These flowers are more than enough as an offering. You guys should take the meat and feast to your heart’s content.”
I could eat it, but it’s not mandatory.
It would be better to let the lizardmen have it, since going without food could seriously jeopardize their lives.
“How kind you are!! Thank you! Oh, Creator Dragon God!!!”
Considering there aren’t many dinosaurs left, that huge chunk of meat must be worth a fortune.
Today might just be their big festive day!
“Today is a day to fill our bellies!”
See? It’s a festival, for sure!
The lizardmen excitedly marched down with their meat, their steps light and jubilant.
Watching them, I brought the bouquet of white flowers to my face, and the sweet scent tingled my nose.
Seeing those innocent little creatures made me think—maybe I can look forward to the future a little after all!
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