EP.3
The dragon was a being of legend.
Created from the collaboration of the goddess and the demon in the beginning.
They were creatures made as the two deities gradually took parts of themselves to balance the order of the world.
Thus, dragons were immensely powerful and maintained peace in the world.
However, over generations, they became increasingly evil.
The first dragons were two: the Evil Dragon and the Divine Dragon.
As they lived, they split themselves to give birth to offspring.
Perhaps they desired to create a family that could understand them.
The offspring they bore through their own division were undoubtedly strong, but they could not inherit the blessings of the two gods.
The authority to adjust the world.
Dragons without that power, as they lived through time and generations, became more and more wicked.
The essence of a dragon was greed.
When the restraint that came with the title of world-adjuster disappeared, their true nature began to reveal itself.
Dragons crossed the line more and more.
They caused harm to mortals, inflicting suffering and demanding sacrifices from them.
By the time the goddess realized the situation and sealed the dragons, it was already too late.
No longer were dragons transcendent beings capable of adjusting the world, but rather evil tyrants and monsters.
——This was the content of the myth.
Lesberico sighed as he read a book deeply hidden in the royal library.
“…A dragon, huh?”
He had thought it was just an ordinary myth.
Yet, it had appeared.
Even in one of the mountains within his territory.
To be honest, he still could not fully grasp it. After all, dragons were merely dismissed as mere rumors even within the royal family.
But….
“…The goddess’s oath.”
A sincere vow and promise made by the hero when offering his heart to the goddess.
Hans passionately appealed to the king, offering his own heart.
“What I saw was a dragon.
If this kingdom is to avoid destruction by that dragon, we must offer a sacrificial offering—”
“Damn it.”
The king chewed on his lip, troubled.
Blood flowed from his split lip, but there was no time to worry about something like that.
After all, it was the hero.
It was an oath made by giving his heart.
There could be no lies in that vow.
Moreover, Hans was a hero who was extremely devoted to the Kingdom of Trelinia.
He had saved the kingdom on numerous occasions.
Therefore, he had no choice but to believe him.
Even if what he said was absurd.
“Bring the vassals.”
He had to make a choice.
Between the safety of the kingdom and the sacrificial offering.
“Prepare 50 cows, 50 pigs, and 300 chickens.”
He earnestly wished that this would suffice to satisfy the dragon.
Lesberico prayed fervently.
Ignoring the fact that the ‘sacrificial offering’ demanded by the dragon from the myth had once been the most noble and pure maiden.
* * *
Since coming to this fantasy world,
There had been many grievances.
First and foremost, the fact that I couldn’t walk on two legs meant that I was forced to see the ground first, crawling along the filthy floor with my body.
Not being able to converse with humans was also part of it.
It wasn’t that I couldn’t talk, but the average human, let alone most of them, would surely freeze in fear at the sight of me.
However, the biggest complaint was….
“It’s bland.”
The food was tasteless.
My palate was not the issue.
The food I had eaten since coming here was all strange.
Fire-breathing lizards, dogs, giant worms that moved the earth, and frogs that froze water.
Each one wielded gigantic and mysterious powers, but they were all corrupted creatures that harmed and devoured humans.
Especially the ones exuding a dark aura all over were clearly not appetizing.
And true to their appearance, they all tasted bitter, like food that had been charred.
I ate them to survive, out of resentment for harming humans, but I had absolutely no intention of living on such tasteless food.
I had once eaten deer.
It had seemed delicious, but… it was far too small, and I couldn’t taste anything.
At that time, I hadn’t learned how to shrink my body, nor had I established my own identity.
So, if I were to ask how it would be to eat now, the answer would be no.
The problem was, as always, size.
Even though I knew how to adjust my physical size, the smallest I could become now was this enormous one.
A colossal 300 meters in length.
How many innocent animals would I need to consume to fill this massive belly?
It was clear that I would hardly be satisfied.
Besides, if I were to eat until I was full, it would mean devouring every creature in the mountains until they went extinct, so I didn’t exactly hunt animals.
Thus, I was always starving for delicacies.
“I miss Hanwoo.”
As I thought of Hanwoo sizzling on a grill, my mouth watered.
“Hm?”
Something was approaching the cave.
At first, I thought the ground shaking was caused by a monster, but it wasn’t. There were too many of them. I stretched out my senses and focused…
There were hundreds of knights.
Were they here to hunt me down?
That thought suddenly crossed my mind, as it wasn’t unusual for the knights dispatched by the kingdom to be here to exterminate a monster.
“Animals?”
No, it wasn’t that.
The knights were bringing animals with them.
Pigs, cows, chickens.
Familiar animals for a fantasy world.
The knights carefully pushed the animals into the cave.
…What is this?
Are they offering them as food?
I tried to grasp their intentions for a moment, but was that even possible?
And above all.
The bait was far too tempting to endure.
Though their numbers were quite small… I was grateful.
I gulped down a whole herd of cows.
‘!!’
Delicious.
Incredibly delicious.
The beef danced in my mouth.
With each bite, the tender flesh oozed, and being full of juices from having been raised properly was the best part.
I trembled with emotion.
It was a simple meal that could be finished in one bite, but I took my time swallowing, wanting to savor the flavor.
Next came the pigs and chickens.
Each bite brought back memories of the past, they were exceedingly delicious.
A wave of gratitude swelled toward the humans who had brought me these animals.
I was about to head towards the knights to express my simple thanks when…
“Ah, ahhhh!! The dragon has been enraged!!”
“Everyone! Retreat!!”
The knights fled in desperation.
…Why?
The Knight Commander of the Kingdom of Trelinia, Keles, scoffed.
A dragon, really?
Could that even be true?
It was probably just some mediocre lizard that had caused all this commotion.
As he dragged the livestock along, he hurled a bucket of insults at Hans.
‘What a mess this is because of that guy.’
Here I am, fully armored in this scorching heat, dragging livestock up a mountain. My temper flared in the stifling heat, but I suppressed it and searched for the cave.
“Everyone, halt.”
The entrance of the cave was indeed enormous.
The great opening looked like the gaping maw of a monster.
He unconsciously swallowed, but soon regained his senses and began pushing the animals into the pitch-black cavern that seemed endless.
He thought nothing would happen.
Maybe it would just be like the lizard that Hans claimed resembled a dragon, moving a bit?
But then, something unexpected occurred.
Rumble——.
The earth shook.
“C-Captain!”
“What is happening…!”
It was a tremendous vibration.
Could it be that the monster Hans had seen was rampaging within?
Snap.
Nearby giant trees cracked under the earth’s tremor, and coincidentally, lightning struck from the sky.
The world was in upheaval.
It was as if an infinitely massive being was in a frenzy.
“Could the Hero’s words be true…?!”
“Don’t be ridiculous! There’s no way dragons exist…!”
Keles shouted in irritation at the murmured words of the knight. It was nonsense. If that dragon existed, how could they possibly survive?
Rumble——.
Even at this moment, the upheaval continued.
The ground shook to the point where standing was difficult, birds fled into the sky, and lightning and rain poured down from above.
Keles stared blankly at the scene.
He had heard of such phenomena before.
The world convulsing, filled with the wrath of the heavens as it erupted.
Mythical tales.
When divine beings, far beyond his comprehension, became angered, the world was thrown into chaos.
Keles felt as if he were living in that very moment of upheaval.
No, he could hardly even breathe.
The overwhelming pressure that pressed down upon the earth made it difficult to draw a breath.
“……Why?”
Was it because there weren’t enough offerings?
Or perhaps a consequence for his complaints?
Keles desperately wished for this situation to end, praying earnestly.
Did the heavens perhaps take pity on him?
The chaotic world soon quieted, as if nothing had happened at all.
“Is it… over?”
It was at that moment a knight muttered such words.
A gigantic presence was approaching.
Obsidian-black scales, vertically slit blue eyes.
An impossible size that could hardly be perceived at a glance.
At the moment he faced that being, Keles’s mind was filled only with death.
“What… is that.”
And then, as his gaze met those blue eyes.
“Ah, aaaaaah!! The dragon has been enraged!!”
“Everyone! Retreat!!”
Keles shouted involuntarily.
It was a scream for survival.
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