Chapter 86
In Christianity, dragons are monsters that symbolize the deadly sin of 'wrath'.
This dragon, too, was no exception—born with an inherently short temper.
'I am a dragon.'
'I am strong.'
'I devour. That is my right!'
Because it was strong, it believed it was justified in trampling the weak.
It should devour, crush, and tear apart as it pleased.
Holding such beliefs since childhood, the dragon flew to a human settlement as soon as it was time to leave the nest.
When it was young, it had heard something from another dragon.
That in this world, the race called 'humans' ruled the largest territory.
'How dare they pretend to be masters of the world, ignoring us, the strong! They must be punished!'
Harboring such one-sided rage, the young dragon flew to the human village to attack them.
While flying toward a place crowded with people, it encountered a scene where an iron vehicle stretched its body like a snake, running across the land.
'How arrogant, to have a body larger than a dragon! I'll kill it and devour it!'
The young dragon didn't know... that it was a vehicle called a train.
Aiming at the moving train, the dragon prepared to unleash its fiery breath.
"Kumaa"
'Gwah!?'
However, a glowing humanoid flying in from somewhere struck the dragon down.
The one who delivered the unexpected blow to the dragon was a humanoid with wings sprouting from its back. Yet its face had the features of a beast.
Caught off guard, the dragon spun in a corkscrew motion and crashed into the sea, nearly drowning.
'Grrrr... To commit such disrespect against the great me... Unforgivable! I'll kill you! I'll tear you apart!'
Crawling out of the sea, the dragon burned with rage and searched for the 'something' that had knocked it down.
That 'something' radiated a uniquely pure aura. Thanks to that, its location was easy to find even from afar.
Seeking revenge, the dragon headed toward the beach town where that 'something' was likely to be.
'Found you, found you! I'll devour you!'
Eventually, the dragon set its eyes on a girl in the town.
Though her appearance was different, she possessed the same aura as the 'something' that had knocked it into the sea.
Most likely, that girl had transformed into that 'something' through some means. Thinking this, the dragon charged in.
'Dieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee—bwahhhhhh!?'
However, just as it was about to attack the girl, it was once again caught off guard.
This time, something flew in at high speed from somewhere and pierced its belly.
There had been more than one 'something'. Apparently, that girl was one of them.
'Grrrrrrrr... To think there exists a species that can inflict serious wounds on a dragon like me...'
This was a grave situation.
Dragons are the strongest and noblest species in this world.
And yet... such a being that could so easily strike down someone like it should not exist.
Even more unacceptable was the fact that the being could fly.
The sky belongs to dragons. Dragons are the true rulers of the skies.
'Kill, kill... But first, I must heal...!'
The dragon hid itself on a small island floating in the sea and began to heal its wounds.
Among monsters, dragons possess high intelligence and can use magic with precision equal to or greater than that of humans.
Using stealth magic to hide from other creatures, it focused solely on healing its injuries.
For several days, the dragon remained hidden this way... but eventually, hunger set in, and it released its stealth magic.
'I am hungry. I must devour food.'
The dragon sniffed around, searching for prey.
However... at that moment, it unfortunately encountered the scent of that unforgettable 'something'.
"A dragon...?"
What appeared was a male humanoid.
A young man holding nuts in both hands peeked out from the bushes.