REFDL 3

Krraak!

It must have been around noon that day. The parent dragon suddenly let out a cry of rage and plunged off the cliff. Spreading his wings wide, he glided and shot off into the distance.

The wounds that grew with each return were now covering his entire back.

It felt ominous.

But I don’t know anything.

Besides, the immediate situation before me was a bigger problem than the parent dragon.

Whoooosh!

I poked my head out of the small, seashell-like legde. It was foolish. Within a second, I regretted it and retreated back toward the wall.

‘…….’

I don’t know how it happened, but I ended up in a fantasy world. But dying on a cliff after only four days? That’s just too unfair!

But something happened.

“…The wind is a bit better… How are you feeling today…?”

“If you don’t shut your trap, I’ll toss you off the cliff.”

A murmur came from higher up the cliff. Startled, I turned my head up. Simultaneously, a thick, coiled rope was tossed over the edge.

Thud!

A man with a rope wrapped around his waist grabbed the lowered line and rappelled down the cliff.

The man’s very presence was extraordinary. Perhaps mindful of weight, his attire was light, and his armament consisted of only a single sword. Yet, nothing about him seemed light.

He was large-framed with broad shoulders. His torso was thick, and his entire build was solid, muscular.

Damn. How can someone be that beautiful…!

But his face was breathtakingly beautiful. It was a beauty that could only be described as incredible.

And that tattoo.

‘……!’

The man had a peculiar tattoo.

The unique color of ink seeping into his skin formed a squiggly script pattern, wrapping like a belt around the center of his neck and both wrists.

It felt wrong. It was unsettling.

Was it because he gave off an aura that, even if thrown into the heart of enemy territory, he’d have the prey come to him on their own… and slaughter everything around him? His appearance leaned closer to a fashion tattoo, but…

It looks like shackles.

Or a leash.

I swallowed dryly.

My instincts sent a warning: I’m in a very dangerous situation right now.

Even though I knew they were right, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him.

I felt an intense intuition from the man.

That he would profoundly impact my life from here on out. An intuition bordering on prophecy.

It wasn’t just fear.

There was definitely some other reason. I just couldn’t figure out what it was yet.

What is this?

Even when I suddenly found myself transformed into a reptile, I hadn’t felt like this.

The sea inside me, one I didn’t even know existed, churned.

My heart pounded.

It was then that I suddenly thought the word ‘fate’ wasn’t an exaggeration.

The man in question reached the nest. His charcoal-like eyebrows arched upward. He wore a displeased expression from the start, and after confirming the nest, he clicked his tongue in disapproval.

“Too late. They’ve already hatched.”

“Wh-what?!”

“The eggshells are dry, and judging by the hatchlings’ development, they must have hatched the very day we withdrew.”

“Oh dear…”

“Can’t be helped.”

Swish.

He drew his sword. The lone remaining sibling puffed himself up and screeched. It was the first intruder he had ever encountered. The sibling spread his wings and charged bravely.

“Since things have come to this, I’ll deal with it first.”

“Wait, just a moment! Let me take one of the gentler ones alive! I’ll find a way to tame it!”

“Do you think these are some kind of ‘Knum’? Even a Pensilta from the knight order can’t be tamed without an imprint. What makes you think you can tame a Kremlis without an imprint?”

“Ha, but it’s a Kremlis! Even this place is considered the outskirts by their standards. Just encountering a rare specimen with eggs was a miracle… And this cliff was the perfect nesting ground. Plus, we discovered it. What are the odds of that happening?!”

“Do you think I don’t know that?”

“……”

“What’s ‘the edge’ to them is ‘the border region’ to us. We can’t leave a dangerous element like a Kremlis this close to the Empire.”

The man answered flatly and swung his sword. The brother’ cries, brave and incessant, stopped abruptly the next moment.

Even without the scent of blood carried on the wind, it was impossible not to know what had happened. My stiffened bodies curled up. I didn’t even dare to breathe.

D-damn it!

My whole body trembled violently.

So that “profound impact” meant getting screwed over!

Was my life only going to last another five minutes?!

But there was hope.

“Anyway, the only one that survived is the one we just killed. The others seem dead already, one way or another.”

“……Oh.”

The voice from above sighed, muttering with a broken tone.

“Please bring the bodies too. We can study them at least.”

“Alright.”

The lead man pulled a sack from his waist and placed the sibling’ body inside. After tying the opening securely, he signaled, and the rope tightened again. …Is he leaving? Is he just leaving without seeing me?!

I pressed down on my pounding chest. The man’s feet kicked off the solid cliff face, swiftly ascending.

I survived!

In fact, this situation actually works in my favor!

What would happen if the parent dragon returned and saw the scene?

Hee’d definitely be furious.

But all he could do was rage. The ruthless people would already be long gone.

What matters was me.

Would the parent dragon abandon me then too? When all the other hatchlings were dead?

The instinct I’d grown accustomed to over the past few days gave me the answer. Probably not. Weak though I am, I’d become the sole surviving hatchling by chance, receiving the dragon parent’ utmost love and protection.

Growing up like that, I’d become a mighty dragon capable of driving away even last night’s terrifying giant with a single growl. Just thinking about it made me feel like I could fly.

Muscle-bound little bastard! You really were the one who profoundly impacted my life… my dragon life…

Swoosh.

‘……’

A shadow fell over my head.

‘……’

Ah. Please.

My whole body trembled and I started hiccuping.

Hic! Hic!

‘…….’

It felt like the genre had shifted from fantasy to horror movie. I didn’t want to look, but I couldn’t really look away either.

Trembling, I raised my head. Inside the nest, a man stood motionless, staring at me. The rope that had been taut from pulling him up was now slack.

Eek!

“……What is this?”

Trembling, I tried desperately to cling closer to the cliff face I was already attached to. My flailing legs looked pathetic, but I didn’t care. In my heart, I begged not God, but the man.

Uh… you came back. Sir.

But couldn’t you just keep going on your way?

Why do you think I’m on this precarious fragment instead of the nest?

I’m a discarded specimen. I’ll die on my own without you bothering to cut me down!

But the man had no intention of leaving.

“Captain! Finished checking? Should I pull the rope again?”

“No. Wait a moment.”

He climbed over the nest and stood in the narrow gap. It was the exact spot where the firstborn had fallen to his death. The man was much heavier than my sibling. What if the floor cave in like it did then? Even as I trembled, I stared intently at the spot where the man’s feet stood.

The man put one hand on the hilt of his sword. A sack dripping with blood hung from his waist. I knew what was inside. I couldn’t stay calm.

His cool gray eyes scanned me indifferently from head to toe as I trembled.

“Looks like a Kremlis hatchling, but…”

‘…….’

“But it acts like a scared little mutt.”

What the hell, you bastard?

… I couldn’t say that, the man was too terrifying. Besides, I couldn’t speak, so it wouldn’t have gotten through.

Overcome with fear, I clung desperately to my fading sanity. I was lucky I didn’t piss myself.

The man hesitated for a moment. His index finger tapped the sword hilt. Should I cut it? Should I not? He seemed to be debating.

……Should I roll over and try some charm now? Since he called me a mutt, maybe acting like a dog would save me?

My dragon’s instincts raged. But what the hell does he know? The self I recognize is clearly human, and my human soul would rather wallow in dog shit than leave this world.

At that moment, the man tilted his head, then stepped toward the cliff edge.

Oh?!

He didn’t fall.

Of course not. A rope was tied around his waist, and he held another rope in his hand. Even if the footing collapsed, he wouldn’t fall.

Oh…….

Fear had made me forget even the obvious.

My strength drained away. I slumped limply over the shell-like ledge.

Yes. This is how I die. What a spectacular life it was. Just four days, but… Sniff!

Waaah!

Waaah!

Tears streamed down my face as I closed eyes and humbly accepted my fate.