Despite waiting while forcibly suppressing my pounding heart, the group of humans visible before me was in a wretched state. It might be more accurate to say it was conduct I don’t want to believe.
“Really… impressive.”
I mean it sincerely. It’s not a very pleasant matter, but it really was impressive.
My nest doesn’t particularly have a barrier. Because there are no individuals trying to approach. If they don’t want to die, nothing wants to come near me. They die just from being aware of my existence, so what kind of guts would they have to come looking for me? Even if something does come, the Dryads handle it on their own.
The reason the humans could come this far was simply because they were lucky.
It just so happened that I was preparing to go find the humans, the Dryads had gone to wake the other children on my orders, and the path here wasn’t particularly blocked? No.
The biggest reason those things were lucky was because I just watched and let them.
“Actually, I knew you were coming up.”
How could I not know when it’s my territory?
The reason I bothered to tell them was a kind of demonstration. I kindly let them know how angry I was. Though I wonder if these things will even notice this signal.
“I was curious how long it would take, but you came faster than I thought.”
Actually, until I saw them directly, I rather thought well of it. I thought it worked out well since the humans were coming to find me on their own when I was about to go down anyway. So I was waiting with a relaxed mind, but as they got closer, I could see something was strange.
Setting aside how crude their level is, they’re armed?
By human standards, my nest is in a very high and rough place. It’s a place that would be difficult to climb even with a bare body. It’s harder if you don’t know the way. It’s strange to climb to such a place holding spears and swords while wearing armor.
Yet the reason I bothered to wait might be because I wanted to believe. The hope that it couldn’t be that, that those things wouldn’t be that foolish. Along with the very small favor that started from them being Miros’s kin, whom I cherished.
The one standing at the very front of that human group spoke.
“Are you ‘Levia Rishian’?”
I really don’t know what they’re thinking. My outgoing words naturally become sharp.
“You know who I am and you just came like that?”
I thought I could wait leisurely while having a cup of tea. Because I was planning to admonish them with kind words, I waited while wearing a human form, imitating a very leisurely appearance. I thought if I showed them a familiar form, they’d be a bit less scared.
“If I’d known it would be like this, I could have just stayed in my true body.”
Even if you think ‘surely not,’ if they came like that, anyone would have no choice but to be suspicious, right?
In any sense, I don’t feel good.
I put down the teacup I was holding and asked.
“Looking at your state, I can roughly tell, but I’ll ask just in case. Why did you come?”
Something’s very strange. They seem to be tense in their own way, but it’s not conduct like they’re sensing danger. I knew that humans have considerable dependence on vision, but this is really refreshing.
Those things are looking down on me. They think they can do as they please. They showed conduct blatant enough to know without having to probe. How could this be?
How could they be this dull?
“I’ll say it once more, but if you cooperate obediently, there will be no bloodshed.”
There have often been cases of humans asking me for something. There have occasionally been cases of one or two insane individuals doing so, but this is the first time they’ve come in a group and demanded so boldly.
Most humans handled those brave individuals on their own. Because they know how scary I am when I’m angry.
But the current humans are acting like they don’t know that.
“What cooperation am I supposed to give?”
Why is that? Because my exchanges with humans have been too long? Because humans’ lifespans are too short so they’ve all forgotten?
No, humans are tremendously obsessed with time because of their short lifespans. They record and preserve almost everything. And they pass it down to future generations for ages.
They even knew my name and came looking for me. They must have left traces somewhere. Even so, these things came looking for me in such a rude state. They think they can do something to me.
Running at the extreme of arrogance. Really amazing and impressive in many ways.
“Submit under the name of Hadika right now.”
I don’t want this tedious wordplay. I’m listening since I’ve already waited. But making the effort I waited futile, they’re spouting nonsense.
What kind of idea led to that statement?
“Why should I do that?”
“Because this land is Hadika’s.”
“What is this Hadika to begin with?”
“It’s our empire.”
I guess they call the place where the humans down there live Hadika. Not very useful information. I very kindly explained for the foolish humans.
“This is my territory, and I just left you gathering and living alone. It was never yours.”
“The humans who revered and served you as a god are ancient history. You are not our god.”
“Right. I’m not a god. Just something old.”
“Therefore, this land is ours. You are just an existence permitted by our mercy.”
Hah, I’m so dumbfounded I’m not even angry. Because it’s such nonsense.
Right now, those things are saying that because the landowner gave them a small place to stay, the entire land is theirs, right? They’re even threatening the landowner saying, ‘You’re our slave now. So do as we say.’
I thought it was an absurd joke, but Havi was right.
Humans are truly amazingly shameless and have wicked dispositions.
“It would be good not to resist. We have already completed the subjugation of even the dragon.”
Dragon? There’s a dragon? I asked back in puzzlement.
“Hm? What are you talking about? Right now, there’s only one ancient dragon, Caldeas, left here.”
Even Caldeas went down to the Abyss not long ago. He entered an early sleep cycle saying he was getting bored of amusement and would sleep. In human time, that was about 200 years ago.
The lead human thrust forward what he was holding as proof.
“They say you can’t use your power against a dragon’s heart.”
“Mm. There are too many errors, but since it’s a waste after waiting this long, I’ll endure as much as I can.”
This level of nonsense is art. They’re spouting such absurd things that I don’t even feel like getting angry. I can’t even explain what this feeling is.
I was dumbfounded to the point of finding it funny. It’s interesting even though it’s not a pleasant situation at all. I don’t know what this feeling and sensation is. Really new in many ways. Not at all in a good way though.
I pointed directly at what the human was holding and told them.
“First, that’s not a dragon’s heart. It’s a core left as a trace by a dragon called Andras. Also called a remnant. Debris left where a dragon stayed gathers and imitates a dragon. It might be quite a great treasure for humans, but it’s still just debris. In human terms, trash left after moving? Traces of sauce remaining in a pot after serving food? Something like that. Second, I’m holding back out of consideration for my relationship with dragons and face issues, not because I can’t use my power. To begin with, the dragons except Caldeas have already abandoned and left this world. In other words, I no longer need to consider the kids’ face.”
I used to think those heartless things were leaving too coldly. Until just before, when I was with Miros, I still believed in love.
Though not as much as Miros, I still thought humans were lovely. I even praised them saying these weak things gather and live hard.
But when I think about such guys also swarming, I understand those who left early. All the humans I saw were good guys. There must have been plenty of these insane individuals too. Since humans are numerous, when these dim-witted things act up, they inevitably stand out more.
“Lastly, I’ll ask just one really important thing.”
I’m foolish, but still, I had a glimmer of hope.
“What is ‘Levia Rishian’ that you know?”
Maybe, just maybe, these things crawled in without knowing well? Human records are transmitted through physical mediums, and their lifespans are so short and their memory isn’t good either, so something might have gone wrong somewhere.
But the humans didn’t answer my question right away.
“Th-this… isn’t a dragon’s heart?”
“Please, at least answer the question I’m asking on time.”
“No, this… that can’t be… We caught it directly…”
They won’t listen. They just seemed flustered that what they brought wasn’t a dragon’s heart. Seeing even their voice trembling.
Right, adding a bit more kindness won’t change anything. A sigh comes out on its own, but what can I do?
“Of course. How could humans catch a dragon?”
“B-but in the past there were dragonslayers, and this is definitely a dragon… so…”
Ah, this won’t end. Is it a struggle to live even a little longer?
No, those things just don’t recognize me. So they can only talk about themselves, and they can look down on me. I haven’t heard the answer I want yet, so until then I’m responding kindly.
I hope they’ll understand even now and quietly go back, but is that too much to ask?
“A dragon’s death requires the world’s permission. They died because they had to die.”
Dragons are beings of a similar caliber to me. They existed before the thousands of gods that are currently acting up. Of course, they’re endlessly shabby compared to me, but still, they can’t be killed by the likes of humans. Even if they themselves want to die. There’s really no method. Truly.
Whether they wanted death or had to die. In any way, a promise was already made and they just went that way. If you examine each one, it’s not even the kind of ‘death’ humans speak of. Those things say they died because they don’t know.
“It’s really funny, but the dragonslayer you’re talking about wasn’t even human. It’s ‘something’ that did its job under the world’s permission. The fact that you think such a thing is the same as the likes of you is really… impressive confidence.”
What human could fight without eating or sleeping? No mortal creature can do that. As far as I know, that human hero wasn’t even a being of this world to begin with. I remember it as a being temporarily borrowed from elsewhere.
It was something the world permitted because the thousands of gods were so anxious. More precisely, the ancient beings above showed mercy, but anyway it’s the same thing. It was a mercenary called to catch demons and save the garden.
Come to think of it, I wonder what that hero is doing now. I heard they dusted their hands off after clearing out the demons, but I don’t know what happened after that. Not that it’s important.
“It’s sudden, but humans have such absurd confidence. They sincerely think they’re something. Without any basis at all.”
The humans murmured, completely revealing their confusion. I kindly asked once more.
“Now then. You don’t have any more questions now, right? So please answer my question. What am I that you know?”
I hope they’ll give me an answer this time.
