| Author: Kisasaki Suzume | Original Source: Syosetu |
| Translator: Mui | English Source: Re:Library |
| Editor(s): Deximus-Maximus | |
Going back a little in time.
It was said that half of the world was inhabited by dragons while the other half was by humans.
In reality, the number of dragons was limited, and they did not require much living space. However, they needed vast hunting grounds to survive, and the Variants that increased in proportion to their number turned the lands into monster dens uninhabitable for humans.
To make matters worse, intellectual monsters called demons formed a cooperative relationship with dragons, settled in their territories, established kingdoms, and posed a threat to humanity.
The Volcanic Group of Belmar, composed entirely of red dragons, controlled an area around the size of the largest human kingdom, centered around Mount Belmar as its name suggested.
While humans controlled the wild, natural energy using specific methods to preserve habitable regions, dragons powered the world instead. The red dragons, who had a strong affinity for fire, increased the potency of fire elements.
The ash-colored Belmar constantly spewed flames day and night, and the rivers of not water but lava it produced illuminated the land with a dazzling glow. Not only were dragons and Variants ruling the land, but the landscape itself was so ominous and forbidding that no human should venture into it.
One day, in a cavern of Mount Belmar.
The cooled-off lava had turned into sharp and complex pieces of art, sticking out both from the ceiling and the ground, creating an illusion as if you had jumped into a gigantic dragon’s maw.
A large lava waterfall flowed by the wall, releasing enough heat for an average person to dry up and die.
Deep inside that large space, a giant, deep crimson dragon crouched majestically.
His carapace and scales were weathered like a rock exposed to ten thousand years of wind and rain.
However, the dragon didn’t look decayed at all. On the contrary, he exuded an overwhelming aura that could only be attained by beings that had endured a long test of time.
Before that old dragon sat a young dragon with glossy scales and a mane, bowing her head to him. Its body was two sizes smaller compared to the old one too.
Her name was Kafal.
“Please impart the knowledge of human transformation to me.”
She implored with a slightly trembling voice. Seeing that, the old dragon heaved a sigh mixed with sparks.
“Well well… Is this the initial utterance upon our reunion after several decades? Pray tell, what brought this?”
The old dragon, Shurei1, spoke with a majestic voice that seemed like the roar of the world itself. He was the head of the Volcanic Group of Belmar.
Kafal remained silent with her head still hung. It was hard to say whether she was searching for words or simply didn’t want to answer at all.
“Did Luja die?”
“…Yes.”
“I shall not extend my condolences, for those who fall by the hands of humans have none but themselves to blame for allowing it to happen. Not to mention, one who willingly left the group and made a nest within the human territory. Luja and you should be well aware of this fact.”
Kafal said nothing and bent her long neck further down.
She was originally from the Volcanic Group of Belmar but had run away several decades prior.
She had departed with a dragon from a different collective – a blue dragon named Luja, to be exact. Despite being a red dragon herself, she had eloped with a blue dragon, abandoning her own group.
That said, this was not exactly forbidden by her group’s laws.
A region controlled by a group of a single color was generally influenced by a single elemental factor, which made it hard for dragons of different colors to form a pair and settle there, but it could be realized if they found a suitable environment and moved there.
Adventurous dragons leaving the nests to live near humans would be advantageous for their species as a whole in the long term, so they weren’t exactly banned from it.
Mixed-race offspring sometimes turned out failures but sometimes were blessed with wonderful wit and intelligence, which served to further strengthen the blood of their group.
As such, Kafal forming a pair with Luja wasn’t a problem in itself.
The problem was that Kafal, who was a young dragon that hadn’t even laid eggs before, was completely infatuated with Luja and followed him along on a thorny path without much thought.
Dragons rarely spent their entire long life with a single companion, so it was normal to maintain a special relationship with someone they once paired with while still changing companions several times.
Some dragons tried to gently stop her saying that she shouldn’t choose a dragon of a different color as her first partner and flee, but rather gain experience as a mother first and then form a pair with them… but Kafal chose to flee and join him.
And during the third breeding season, Kafal finally produced an egg.
However, Luja soon fell into a human trap and was killed.
And then…
“Then, what of your child?”
Hearing Shurei’s words, who seemed to have guessed the situation, Kafal’s giant body trembled.
Before long, she mustered a groan.
“I… failed to protect her…”
“…It was to be anticipated. That child inherited the blood of Red and Blue. Your flames alone have been inadequate to quell her without resulting in her demise.”
It could be said that Luja died at the worst time possible. The birth of a dragon was a world-shaking event. When an egg hatched, the power of the very world awakened and went wild.
Unless the parent properly controlled it, the power would attack even the baby dragon itself.
Kafal, being a red dragon, could subdue the flames. However, controlling the rampaging water factors was impossible with her strength.
Mount Kuguse experienced its once-in-a-century flood. It went beyond a simple flood disaster and became the embodiment of a water catastrophe that destroyed and washed away everything.
Kafal controlled her flame output to be just a step away from burning her child to death, and drove the water’s power back to protect the egg.
However, for just a moment, her love for her child caused her to make a mistake and lower the flame’s output.
That instant was enough for the water to rob the life of the fledgling.
“For what reason have you refrained from seeking help?”
“I was… arrogant. If I asked the Blue group for help, they would have surely taken her away once she was born. I believed that to be no dissimilar fate from death’s separation… Oh, how wrong I was. It was only after losing her that I realized it – even if we were never to reunite, I yearned for her survival! I…!!”
Her regretful scream reverberated in the lava tube.
Tears fell from her eyes like jewels and evaporated as they hit the surface of the rocks.
“……I see.”
Shurei muttered silently.
Had Kafal not been regretful he would have pressed further. But rubbing salt into her was just a distraction.
“Alas, it is an unchangeable past now. Now tell me, why have you come before me to seek human transformation all of a sudden?”
“Well…”
“Speak. You do not expect me to listen to your request without an explanation, do you?”
“Then, if I explain it, will you teach me?”
Shurei pondered for a moment. The technique to transform into a human was not something he was reluctant to give… but it was natural for him to feel something was up for Kafal who left their group to suddenly come back just for that.
“…So be it. It remains contingent, however. Should I hear that you have succumbed to the charms of a human man this time, I may be compelled to contemplate locking my youngest tomboy daughter away.”
Kafal raised her head slightly.
She saw the sharp gaze of her father directed at her.
