REFDL 1

1. Our dragon doesn’t bite.

I have no idea what happened.

Nothing was visible. Whether I opened or closed my eyes, the world was pitch black.

What did I do last night?

Well, what else? Probably just drank myself silly again.

At the end of my self-deprecating monologue, I heard a sound.

A faint murmur, like the rustling of reeds, grew clearer the more I focused.

“The wind is stronger than expected. It won’t work today.”

“No. We’ve watched long enough. If we keep this up, it’ll break the egg.”

“I’m deeply sorry too. Believe me. My regret is greater than yours, Captain. But no matter how precious the Kremlis’ egg is, it cannot be traded for the Captain’s life!“

”……Tell me honestly.“

”What?“

”Did you make a bet?“

”……What are you talking about?“

”…….“

Thud!

Ack!

Silence fell instantly.

The conversation resumed.

”Lower the rope.”

Zzzzz.

It was strange. Though the world remained pitch-black, the scene unfolded before my eyes as if drawn. A man with a rope tied around his waist hung precariously from the cliff.

His body swayed dangerously in the fierce wind. Clutching the rope so tightly his fingertips turned white, he looked down below for a moment, as if in deep thought.

“Captain. Just a moment! It really is dangerous! The wind should die down in a few days. With luck, it might even stop tonight. So let’s just wait a little longer.“

The man who had clicked his tongue climbed back up the cliff he had descended. His steps were heavy. With strides as large as his frame, he landed at the top of the cliff in just three steps.

”If you have something to say, say it.”

“…Since the bet’s void, I don’t have to pay, right?”

“……”

Smack!

“Aah! How many times are you going to hit me?!”

“As many times as you spouted nonsense.”

“Ah, then just tell me to stop talking nonsense.”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

“Then let’s discuss what constitutes nonsense…”

“……”

Thwack!

“I bet this month’s pay that the vice captain was a weed in a past life.”

“That’s not a valid bet. It’s true.”

“How can he survive getting stomped like that?”

“Everyone, keep your voices down. We don’t know when the nest owner will return.”

The chuckling sounds abruptly stopped.

A moment later.

“This won’t do.”

“Ah, I told you! Do you really have to try it?! Anyway, this is the problem with people who are physically strong. They think if they just charge in recklessly, it’ll somehow work out.”

“If you’re so smart, you know I can’t reach the nest, so why don’t you know what I’ll do to you?”

“……”

The sound of skin tearing echoed again.

“We’re retreating to the hideout. Come back when the wind dies down.”

The men’s voices were swallowed by the howling wind, like a wildcat’s growl. Their footsteps faded into the distance.

I strained to understand their words. It was futile. No matter how much I churned them in my mind, the words beyond comprehension collided like glass marbles, shattering.

If what they said was true, this was a cliff and the nest of something. The wind blew fiercely.

But why can’t I feel anything?

The men’s reactions were strange too. Logically, if someone was lying there with their eyes closed, shouldn’t they at least pretend to try to rescue them?

Or at least show some surprise.

But there was no sign of that whatsoever.

‘…….’

A sense of foreboding spread like paint.

My heart began to pound.

I had drunk, but I hadn’t drunk enough to get completely drunk, which was rare.

I crawled home perfectly fine and flopped onto my bed. So why was I on this cliff?

The fundamental question dawned on me belatedly, just as a cracking sound echoed from somewhere.

Kiiii.

Kiiik.

Kak. Kak.

An unfamiliar cry followed.

……Bird song?

No.

It was more like the pterosaur cries I’d seen in movies.

Crack!

The darkness shattered. I pushed my head out into the light.

The first thing I felt was the fierce wind. Just like the men had said, a gale so strong I couldn’t even open my eyes properly lashed against my wet body.

I didn’t feel particularly cold.

…In that situation, cold wasn’t the biggest problem.

“…?!?”

I blinked. Repeating it several times didn’t change anything.

I saw creatures that had just broken free from their eggs.

Their overall appearance resembled reptiles.

Sturdy front and back legs.

Long necks and membrane wings attached.

For reference, I was the same.

‘……!!’

As a modern person, I hadn’t lived anticipating this situation, but years of devouring fantasy novels had hammered the correct answer directly into my brain.

Squeak!

Squeak!

Crack!

I had been reincarnated as a dragon.

Why the hell!!

***

The nest was on a jutting ledge beneath a sheer cliff.

It was high up, like the roof of the world. On clear days, you could see the endless sea of trees stretching out; on cloudy days, fluffy blanket clouds took its place.

There were three siblings in total. They looked exactly alike, none standing out. From head to toe, they were red, with a smooth, glossy sheen.

Only the membrane wings are dark red.

A large cloud passed, casting shadows over the forest. Their scales then took on a dark, crimson hue, like a blood-red membrane. The sun shone again. This time, the scales, hit by direct sunlight, held a subtle golden glow, as if dusted with gold powder.

Oh…

It resembled a living, moving jewel. If collectors had seen it, they would have lost their mind and rushed over.

That peaceful thought evaporated instantly.

I hadn’t realized it, but I was the smallest among my siblings. About an hour after birth. Crushed by the backs of my fierce siblings, I was shoved upside down into a corner of the nest.

What a temper you have, brothers…

My growth was unrealistically fast.

Half a day after birth, my gums started itching, and sharp teeth began popping out top and bottom. From then on, the nest, once as spacious as a playground, became a giant illegal fighting arena.

Snap!

Crack!

The siblings bit each other. Blood spurted from wounds on tails and legs.

Hmm.

Good thing I got crushed early…

Perhaps not being the brightest, they didn’t even consider targeting me once I vanished from sight.

They seemed to have forgotten the existence of the youngest (though it feels odd to call myself that, but when I hatched, all the other siblings were already out of their eggs).

The siblings grew more ferocious as time passed. They were like enraged Chihuahuas.

Then. A massive shadow covered the cliff.

The nest’s owner had returned.

Grrrr

I flinched, but surprisingly, it wasn’t terribly frightening. I stretched out the body I’d flattened while my siblings reenacted UFC. I peeked my head out just a little from behind the bushes.

Grrrrr.

The parent dragon spread his wings wide and landed softly in the nest.

Now I understood why the dragon nest looked so much like a playground. The adult dragon was, with a slight exaggeration, the size of a hill.

When he flew toward the cliff from afar, I could see him from head to tail, but upon landing, only the tips of his claws, larger than my own body, and his massive thighs filled my vision.

The dragon, his long neck bent downward, let out a deep, resonant roar.

That wrinkled snout wasn’t from anger, but from joy.

The siblings, who had been fighting fiercely just moments before, opened their mouths wide.

Then, they charged at the parent dragon, whose single tooth was as big as their entire bodies.

A scene I’ve often seen in documentaries.

Like a chick begging its parents for food.

My hesitation was brief. I hesitantly crawled out from the corner. The parent dragon, spotting me too late, narrowed his eyes.

Grrr.

It was the look of someone seeing something thoroughly displeasing.

Cold sweat trickled down my back.

But I’m your kid too, why are you looking at me like that?

Is it because of my size?

If my siblings were Chihuahuas, I was an 8-year-old’s slipper.

I was considerably smaller than a palm.

I was overcome with sadness in that instant.

I…

I was a slipper!

Not even an adult size, but a child’s!

…Anyway.

Why the dragon parent reacted that way wasn’t important.

Natural selection.

The law of nature.

The mortality rate of the offspring of the apex predator in the ecosystem.

Such grim thoughts floated around in my head.

Whether the parent dragon stared at me intently or not, my siblings whined and squeaked, demanding food. The biggest firstborn brother even flapped his wings and practically lunged at him.

The parent dragon’s expression softened as he looked at the firstborn.

I felt an intense sense of crisis. I was still bewildered about what was happening, but I understood that being culled meant death.

I had to do something.

I spread my wings wide and tensed my belly. I braced my tail firmly against the nest floor.

Then I roared with all my might.

Grrrr!!