Project Necro is an official initiative by Re:Library.

Freeze.

Inside Ekaterina’s mind, a huge pop-up appears, blaring: *“An unexpected problem has occurred and the program will shut down.”*
The background music is an unmistakably emergency-style series of beeps.

Her trauma from her previous life as an overworked systems engineer is flaring at full power, but with processing completely halted, she can’t think of anything at all.

R–reboot.
The final recovery method: the power button. …Where’s the power button…?

“There is one more thing I should say.”

Still holding Ekaterina’s hand, Vladforen speaks.

“You are beautiful.”

An unexpected problem has occurred!

“All living beings possess their own beauty. As a human woman, you have a beautiful form—this much even I can understand. …Deep within these mountains, there is a waterfall still unknown to humankind. The rock face over which the white water cascades is a deep blue. The contrast of blue and white is breathtakingly beautiful. Your colors resemble the beauty of that waterfall.”

Vladforen’s other hand traces the outline of Ekaterina’s pale face, framed by her indigo hair. A faint sensation—his fingertips barely touching, or not touching at all.

“In one corner of the Summit of the Gods that towers at the center of the continent, there is a massive glacier. At the depths reached by following its fissures lies a space like a great cathedral… There, you can see magical fish swimming within the ice—creatures no human has ever laid eyes upon. Do you know the blue of a glacier? A blue deeper than the twilight sky, a blue like the ocean’s depths. Within that blue ice, schools of magical fish emit gold and silver light as they swim and drift. It is like a swarm of meteors swimming across the night sky. In this world, too, there are wonders you do not yet know—beauty you have never seen. If you wish, I will show them to you. Every last one of the wonders of this world that only I know. Take my hand. Come with me, Ekaterina.”

.

—Fish swimming like meteors inside a blue glacier…
Whoa, I want to see it. It completely blows past those “Top Ten World’s Most Beautiful Views to See Before You Die” articles from my previous life.

…Thinking that is just reality escape, isn’t it!
She’s been frozen stiff the whole time, her hand held by the Demon Dragon King, unable to move a single muscle.
Even in the corner of her mind that finally starts working, only utterly trivial thoughts surface.

I mean, I’m bad at this!
In my previous life, romance was nothing but black history… I was an unpopular woman… I did get confessed to and dated once in high school and once in college, but both times, for some reason, the guy quickly turned into an overbearing “ore-sama” type, I got sick of it and broke up, then they turned into stalkers, and eventually even pulled knives on me—both followed the exact same pattern… In high school he was a flashy playboy type, in college a quiet, plain guy, but how did they both end up like that? What did *I* do wrong?

If there was a silver lining, it was that I’d asked the police to increase patrols in advance, so both of them were quickly hauled away by officers.
But back then, I was really exhausted. I was scared… and sad.

*“I’m done with dating men. I’m fine being single forever. I’m done.”*

When I complained to my friends, they replied straight-faced,

*“Honestly, that might be better for you. The way you ignore everyone else and go straight for that kind of guy—you just don’t have an aptitude for romance.”*

That memory hurts.
Waaah, what do you mean ‘ignore everyone else’!? What was wrong with me anyway!?

That’s why, in this life, I’m a devoted brother-con and perfectly happy! I’ve got such a wonderful sister-con brother, and we’re a loving brother–sister pair of mutual obsession—what more could I want?
A companion? Take my hand? Even if you say that…

Being told something like that—something that sounds like a p-proposal—by a man so beautiful he’s on a level I’ve never seen in either life… yeah, a part of me feels like I might float away, and sure, I feel happy too. I’d never even been proposed to in my previous life.
But—My hands instantly grow cold. It feels like the core of my head is freezing over.

With an especially loud beep, my thoughts crash. Closed for business.

.

“…M-my matrimony is something my brother decides. It is not something I can answer on my own. P-please forgive me.”

With her mind half shut down, Ekaterina finally manages to speak in a broken, trembling voice.

“I see. The man who spoke of reforestation said you were the sister of the Duke of Jurnova. So the current duke is not your father, but your brother.”

Ah—he means Forli. When Forli went to check on the reforestation trial, he encountered a Dragontell bird, said to be a retainer of the Black Dragon, and later told her he’d explained the reforestation to it.

“Is that truly acceptable to you? To simply obey whatever the duke decides.”
“Of course. My brother is the person in this world who cares for me the most.”

Ekaterina launches into an impassioned, nonstop explanation. Even with her head half closed, her brocon remains unshakable.

“I love my brother dearly. I want to be of use to him.”
“…Hmph.”

Vladforen furrows his brow, clearly displeased. Yet his beauty does not diminish—in fact, his presence seems to grow even more imposing, which is terrifying.

“To obtain you, must I gain the duke’s consent. His location is… the Northern Capital, is it. Am I to go there myself and offer some sort of greeting?”

For a being like him, who gives no weight to human titles, etiquette, or customs, such matters must be unbearably troublesome. As for Ekaterina herself, he finds her pleasing, and she has the backing of the god of death. But her family are nothing more than ordinary humans.
And while he may know the word *greeting*, he likely does not understand what it truly entails.

“Troublesome.”

After a brief moment of consideration, Vladforen seems to discard it entirely.

“You are already at my side. You need only remain here, as you are.”

Don’t come any closer! Don’t close the distance any further!
You know exactly how dangerous that face is—don’t bring it closer! I can’t handle hazardous materials!

Having blown past even a frozen state and now flailing in panic, Ekaterina is watched from close range as Vladforen smiles softly.
It was a smile so gentle, it was hard to believe it belonged to the strongest dragon capable of destroying nations.

“Is there nothing you desire, Ekaterina?”

Those crimson-flame eyes capture her gaze. His pleasant voice whispers sweetly.

“Anything you wish to do, anything you desire—I will grant it. You may live without aging, in that beautiful form of yours. If you wish to live in a palace, I will build one; I will have my subordinates serve you in human form. I will take you to the ancient gods and let you hear words of wisdom. We will roam the world together and I will show you its wonders. If Jurnova concerns you, I will bring them benefit. I will restrain the magical beasts and grant the forest’s blessings to the humans. To the people of Jurnova, the forest will become a place of peace. They have already made concessions to preserve the forest; I have no objection to this. Desire me, Ekaterina. Remain here—by my side.”

……
……
……

Vladforen, who had been watching Ekaterina, suddenly inhales sharply.
From the girl’s eyes, tears spill forth.

“…Please… send me back… to my brother.”

Tears falling one after another, Ekaterina speaks in a voice like that of a small child.