Thud… thud…
All kinds of creatures with poison were stuffed into one place, forcing each other to eat one another until only one survived—the one that possessed the strongest venom.
The world was a jar that created solitude.
Trapped inside and unable to escape, we had to continue a merciless war until every other race perished.
A time of chaos.
During such an era, we existed and fought fiercely for survival.
The Demon Race was trying to summon their Dark God.
The Celestial Race aimed for the descent of their Heavenly Deity.
Humans sought to bring down the Sun God.
Elves desired the return of their ancestral land.
Dwarves aimed to preserve the power granted by the sky.
Spirits acted for the World Tree.
We fought for survival.
Amidst a war intertwined with our goals and desires, we expanded our territories with our victories.
By the time I became a great commander, we had become the rulers of the Central Continent.
But the war did not end.
On the contrary, it seemed to incite further conflict, as new upheavals arose.
Unique abilities that allowed each race to manifest their innermost thoughts began to awaken.
The reason was unknown.
Was it truly the world’s will inciting war?
Was it the result of each other’s greed and goals?
Or was it simply the end of the world?
No one knew.
But we knew precisely what we had to do.
To achieve an armistice and survival.
And so.
A great war broke out once again.
The magic of the Demon Race became sharper.
The wings of the Celestials soared into the sky.
The Dwarven artillery became hotter.
The Elf’s spells covered the land.
The Spirits’ magic whipped through the air.
We could no longer catch up with humanity’s growth.
Our fangs grew sharper still.
The Celestials made the first move.
They began scattering white feathers and igniting the Dwarven artillery.
Soon after, the Demon Race entered the fray, breaking the Celestial wings.
The Elves erased the Demonic magic.
The Spirits engulfed Elven lands.
We too entered the battlefield, tearing the throats and skin of all races.
Thus, as all artillery was shattered, tattered feathers blanketed the ground, the Demonic energy blanketing the sky scattered, all forests burned, and the Spirits returned to the World Tree…
A Dragon awoke.
With magical power more vile than the demons’.
Wings more solid than the Celestials’.
Breath hotter than the Dwarven artillery.
Incantations stronger than the Elves’ spells.
Ancient magic more complex than the Spirits’ magic.
Its body more robust than ours.
With such absurd abilities, it scorched the entire continent and quelled the skies.
And we fought against such beings.
Chomp! Tear!
Whoosh!
We leaped into the sky, chewing through magical power, resisting incantations, and leaving scars upon their bodies.
The blood spilled by my kin became my armor.
The blood of enemies became my weapon.
But we couldn’t kill them.
We lacked the strength.
As one by one we were broken down.
The humans, who had silently been gaining strength, rallied around the Sword of Victory.
They erased the Dragon’s magical power.
Bounced back the breath.
Shattered incantations and ancient magic.
They pushed forward.
But those crawling upon the ground, the humans, could not reach the sky-dominating dragons.
We.
With our superior bodies, could reach them.
Thus, we forged an alliance with the humans.
When the war ended and peace returned to the world,
We granted survival rights to the remaining kin, urging them to coexist peacefully if possible.
A simple, straightforward, and easily breakable pledge.
But I believed them.
I leaped towards the sky.
To tear the wings from the arrogant ones.
To smash the faces of the audacious.
For the survival of my proud kin.
With a bright smile, I dedicated myself to solitude.
*
Swish… swish…
The soft sensation wrapping around my body stirred my waking mind.
“Ugh…”
Rustle… rustle…
“St-stop it…”
Swish… clap…
“Ahaha… that’s ticklish…”
Something soft was tickling my lower back, urging me to wake up quickly.
What is this…?
[Did you sleep well?]
“Ugh…?”
[You told me to take a quick nap, but sleeping for a week? What are you doing?]
The worried voice of Cartia echoed in my head.
“…A week…?”
[Yeah. A whole week. You slept without waking up once. But I get it. You’ve gone through so much, faced immense… shock, and fought like a dog. It makes sense.]
“…Huh?”
[Tsk, this isn’t good… Hey, pup. Slap me a bit. Wake this guy up.]
Rustle… swish…
“Ugh?”
Swish… smack!
“Wha-what is this…!”
[What do you think? You’re the one who trained this pup.]
“Pup…?”
Ah… Carpen?
Wiggle… wiggle…
The tail, alternating between tickling my left and right thighs, twisted around excitedly.
[While you were asleep, this guy was on high alert. Not letting anyone except Rubia approach.]
The tail, happily brushing against my neck, felt curiously soft, fuzzy, and warm…
“Fur…?”
Rustle… rustle…
“Ugh…? That’s not it?”
Swish…
“Then… it was just Blood Aura giving a feeling…?”
Upon hearing my words, Carpen’s Blood Aura trembled violently, beginning to wag energetically.
Swish… swish… swish…
Such a huge expression of positivity…
[Wow. Can you two even communicate?]
“W-well, not really… it’s just a vibe… By the way… where’s my Great Sword…?”
Whoosh! clink! clink!
Thud—
“Uh… th-thank you…?”
Rustle…
Noticing the slight eh-thank you felt like nothing special, the Blood Aura quickly dissipated.
[Well, what did you just say?]
“Hmm… I think I said it’s nothing special…”
[Oh? Seems like that’s the case…]
Swallowing my dazed feelings, I grasped the Great Sword handed to me by Cartia.
Immediately, the scenery around me formed.
The room emanated a luxurious inn feel, and a huge bed awaited.
A fireplace crackled softly—snap… snap…—filling the room with a pleasant warmth.
Next to a small nightstand, a plate of apples cut into the shape of cute rabbits lay there.
In one corner of the room, my clothes were neatly folded.
“Uh…”
Clothes…? Neatly?
“Eek…! Why am I in my clothes…? W-what happened…?”
[It was mended after getting torn and dirty during the fight. What were you thinking to make your face turn so red?]
“Oh… uh-huh… that’s right…”
Burying my overly heated face, I pulled the blanket over my head.
“But… um… where did Rubia go?”
[Well, that’s the thing—right now—]
“I-I’m sure there would be… bliss when I wake up…”
Of course, the sensation of the blanket wrapping around me wasn’t bad.
The scent wafting from the table in the corner was nice.
And the sound of the softly crackling fireplace was soothing to the ears.
A good enough environment…
But the soft feeling of Rubia’s embrace was far cozier than the blanket.
The aroma emanating from her was even better.
And her gentle yet sometimes ragged breath, along with the quiet sound of her heartbeat, felt more comforting.
…I thought, when I opened my eyes, Rubia would be there, holding me like usual.
“Ugh…”
I thought about extending my perception but gave up.
After all… If I imagined her talking to me just like usual, it would likely make my mood plummet.
[She was right next to you a moment ago.]
“D-don’t lie… The smell of Rubia hardly comes from this blanket…”
[Wow… You can tell such things…? Did Carpen recognize its kind?]
“Uh, n-not really…”
I carelessly threw the Great Sword on the floor and pulled the blanket over my head.
From within the blanket, a faint scent of Rubia wafted.
Had she been gone for about three hours…?
[Anyway, speaking of Rubia.]
“D-don’t… let’s not talk about it.”
[No, listen to me.]
“I don’t want to…”
[Did I make you mad?]
“No…”
[You stubborn little brat. If you don’t listen to me, you’ll regret it!]
“W-well, I still won’t.”
I curled up, hugging my knees.
But… I felt an odd emptiness.
If only there were something to hold in my arms…
The pillow was singular, and the Great Sword was cold… um…
Rustle…
“…huh?”
Swish… swish…
“Tail…?”
Whoosh…
“…Aren’t you going to let me hold you?”
Wiggle… wiggle…
Suddenly, popping out between my legs, the tail eagerly wriggled, tickling my embrace.
“…Could you be a bit warmer…?”
The tip of the tail curved slightly and straightened as its temperature began to rise gradually.
“Oh, oh…”
After poking it with my fingertips—tap… tap…—I began to pet it and eventually hugged it slightly.
Hugging it like this definitely felt a bit different from actual fur.
A bit regrettable, but still cozy.
Yeah.
Rubia could play by herself.
I would play with the tail and Cartia.
[I’m not playing with you.]
…I would play with the tail.
Cartia scoffed in disbelief.
[Besides, that artifact you requested from Ser is under the bed.]
“Wait, really…?”
[Yep. You secretly requested it, and it was magically hidden well!]
“Ohhh…!”
Immediately tossing aside the tail, I yanked the blanket off with a whoosh! The sulking tail quickly vanished with a swish.
Not minding, I dropped to the floor, grasping the Great Sword.
As Cartia had said, a suspiciously enchanted box appeared, extremely faintly drawn.
I had to concentrate my perception to finally clear it.
“F-finally…!”
[Is that a piece from Tylant?]
“Yes…!”
[What is it? Another bracelet? Or maybe a ring?]
“Hehe… should I show it to you?]
[…The way you asked makes me want to refuse.]
“Oh, come on…”
I stuck my tongue out at the ghostly vision of Cartia before turning back to the box.
But it seemed like the box couldn’t be opened with one hand; I needed both hands to open it.
Resigned, I placed the Great Sword down and grasped the box with both hands.
“Let’s see… here I go… drumroll…”
My wrist tingled, which must mean Carpen was just as curious and popped out again.
Anyway, mumbling “drumroll” to keep the suspense, waiting…
As Cartia sighed in annoyance, clearly ready to lose patience, the moment she exhaled!
Click! Click!
[Huh? Hey, oh… what on earth.]
“Ta-da! It’s a necklace…!”
I lifted the necklace with both hands, proudly displaying it.
But wait, didn’t I just hear the sound of something else opening, aside from the box?
Eh, must’ve imagined it.
[No, Noah. For now, put down the Great Sword—]
“Uh, how is it? If you look closely here… it has Rubia’s name written on it… W-well, normally the owner’s name goes here… But um, shouldn’t it have one…? Anyway, I designed this… Oh! The Great Sword…”
Having voiced the design I wanted, I assumed it would be delivered like that.
But still, it might look different from the real thing!
I quickly grasped the Great Sword lying next to me.
And then.
“Eh… Rubia…? W-when did you come in…?”
I saw Rubia standing there with a blank expression, staring at me.
As Rubia quietly gazed at me, she suddenly lifted my wrist.
Clink…
“What’s this…?”
[Oh no, this is bad.]
A bracelet wrapped in soft fur… No, not a bracelet.
“…C-Cuffs…?”
She had placed handcuffs on me.
And at that moment.
All power swiftly drained from my body as—
Cartia’s bracelet fell with a clang from my wrist, rolling across the floor.
