(Side S. 1) A dragon’s melancholy.

Alice.

Hey guys, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, 2600+ words. This chapter is a bit different compared to previous ones. In all honesty, I am kind of nervous about it, but I still hope you guys enjoy it. Added a lame poll for the sake of myself at the end. My writing style might have changed a bit. 

I was sleeping, inside a spacious natural cave with few stalagmites and stalactites, It was a nice place until I was shaken to wake up. I was confused, what kind of existence could wake me up, I am the [Legendary Dragon]. Then I heard it.

“Hey little girl, are you ok?!”

An adventurer that looked like a holy knight, asked with a concerned voice. I was mad, he who dares disturb my slumber moreover calling me little girl. A mere human, he looked rather big compared to the humans I was used to, however, a human is just a human. There’s only one human I will not look down on. I spoke in rage, however, what came out was not my grandiose voice.

“Do you know who I am?!”

Instead what came out was a childish girl voice, it sounded as if I was throwing a tantrum. I saw hair cover my eyes, I realized at that moment. I was no longer a dragon, I was a human. I started thinking about what could’ve caused it. Then I recalled that…

[Cat’s charm has been activated. Source: Kuro]

[Contract link severed.]

Could it be… I was extremely upset that the only human I ever considered on the same level as me, disappeared, I found it extremely weird, someone as powerful as him just vanished… I realized no matter how strong, humans are just humans, I went into a deep slumber after he vanished, and now I am here.  I was shaken again by the adventurer that looked to be in a panic.

“Girl, everything will be fine, I don’t know what that wicked dragon did to you, but we will avenge you.”

“Dragon?”

I was bewildered, he suddenly mentioned a dragon, so I asked unconsciously. He spoke with a resolute voice filled with anger and seek for revenge while clenching his fist.  I could feel his bloodlust.

“Yes, that dragon, the [Legendary Dragon] is the incarnation of all the evil in the world. I the hero will subjugate it, worry not girl I will protect you from him.”

“Are you looking down on me?!”

I could not tolerate this human’s foolishness anymore. Protect me from myself? I was angry. Calling me a little girl? Needing protection? Subjugate me? Bring it on.

“Girl?!”

“I the [Legendary Dragon Aizen] will not tolerate this.”

“What are you saying? I know you are altered but everything will be ok.”

He kept spouting nonsense, I am the [Legendary Dragon] yet you are trying to console me. Trying to support me? I do not need such things. I have had enough of your foolishness.

“Die.”

“Woah there!”

I tried to claw him. He stopped me, I was bewildered, at that moment I remembered, I was human too. A fragile existence. The so-called hero stopped me effortlessly. I kept trying to attack him however he stopped me while spouting nonsense like: ‘That damned dragon, what did he do to you?’ or ‘Everything will be okay, just calm down.’ He kept looking down on me. I had enough, I might be a human now however my magic will not change. I said while pointing my finger at him.

“[Ruin]”

“Just what are you-... Arghhh!”

He started holding his chest in pain and collapsed on the ground. I am surprised he even survived that. I stepped on his head, looking down on the insect that dared to disrespect me. I said with the most dignified voice I could muster with this childish body.

“Do not look down on me.”

“Who are you!”

“I said it didn’t I, now die.”

I killed the so-called hero. Look down on me, pay the price. You should prostrate at my existence and beg for your life. You should pay me the utmost respect you can. You did not. Suffer the consequences. Once a fool, always a fool. I collected a card and a black colored tag from him.

I went into slumber again. And the same thing happened.

“Hey, girl are you ok?!”

“You have come to subjugate me?”

“What nonsense are you talking about, everything will be ok, we will kill that wicked dragon for you”

“Die.”

It kept happening over and over again, countless of adventurers kept coming in trying to subjugate me, yet every time they saw me. They all looked down on me, until the very end, trying to protect me. I felt rage dwell inside me. I decided to go outside the cave, wearing some scavenged clothes. When I went out of my cave, everything was different. Like a new world, yet people knew about the being called [Legendary Dragon]. I was confused by this phenomenon. I started walking down a dirt road when I recalled Kuro mentioned something called “status”. It was apparently useful for checking information. When I thought about it, it happened.

Name: Aizen

Race: ??? [Cat’s Charm (Permanent)]

LVL.120

Title(s): [Legendary Dragon] [Summoned Beast] [Class SS Monster] [Catastrophe] (31 others)...

Karma: -150

HP: 132981/132981

MP: 89173/89173

ST: 64391/64391

Luck: 5000 [Cat’s Charm (Permanent)]

STR: 198230/198230

AGI: 133404/133404

CC/CD: 300%

Special Skills: [Cat’s eye] [Translation] [Spatial Box] [???] [???]

I… I can’t deny this information is useful, but this information is useless at the same time, do you seriously care about stats that much Kuro? I heard humans had these things called classes. I have none, does that make me not human? Well looking at my race displaying ‘???’, that is most likely the case, at that moment I felt something dull strike me. I was pulled back to my senses. First thing I heard.

“I am sorry little girl. But I must do this!”

“What is the meaning of this?”

I was confused by the sudden “attack”. The veteran looking adventurer and his party were trembling. The adventurer started speaking with a hard expression and voice on the verge of tears.

“I-I am sorry little girl, however, there has been an assassination request on a delirious psychopath little girl that claims to be the [Legendary Dragon], that person is you.”

“Ah, I see, however, I do not claim to be the [Legendary Dragon]. I am the dragon. Now die”

I killed them effortlessly, this is getting annoying. Just prostate and I will forgive you! Is it really that hard? Well now that I think about it, that person did not do it either huh? However, you are different… Kuro, you showed me, you surpassed every single conception I had of a human being. I wanted to continue serving you. I wanted to continue being with you. Yet you disappeared. I clenched my fist in anger. Just where are you? I decided I needed information. Which means I had to act like a human. That thought sent a shiver down my spine.

I looted the corpses of the adventurers I just killed and decided to head towards the nearest city. The adventurers had some sort of tags of different colors on their necks and some sort of cards. I also took their coins.The landscape started changing, the plains changed into crops. I could see big imposing walls on the distance. Frankly, everything was too big. When I arrived at the gate the guard looked at me weirdly. I decided to show him the tags of different colored tags that were colored with blood. He was flustered and decided to speak in a bit of a panic.

“O-oh, I am sorry girl. Must have been rough, you can leave those at the adventurer guild.”

I was annoyed, to say the least but after saying that he spoke again.

“Welcome to the Kingdom of [Rienia].”

Oh, so there’s a king here? The walls are imposing but it leaves a lot to be desired. I entered without a second thought. The guard seemed to want to say something or move but decided not to. Good. After entering, I found myself in a big spacious circular area that seemed to be the central plaza. It had a lot of businesses. Some looked like inns, some had food. Three, in particular, stood out. They all looked like town halls but had different signs with emblems on them. One had a sword and a shield, one had a smithing hammer and the last one money? I found myself receiving curious stares as well as ones filled with pity from various people, as I was observing the place. I wanted to teach them their place however I already made my decision.  

I headed towards the town hall with the sword and shield. I entered, it was a place filled with a foul stench, I wanted to blow the place off however I came for information. When I entered all of the adventurer’s sent curious stares my way. A guy from a group of 5 people that were drinking stood up. He was 3 or 4 heads taller than me. He started coming towards me until he stopped in front of me. He started speaking with a belittling tone.

“What do we have here? Missy, I think you got the wrong building.”

I was mad, I tried walking past him at that moment he swiftly placed himself in front of me yet again.

“Just where do you think you are going.”

You asked for it, I muttered ‘[Ruin]’, my original spell. A spell that its damage scales depending on the amount of mana used on it. I used one hundred points on this person. He froze for a second and I walked past him and arrived at the counter. The young lady at the counter seemed weirded out by what just happened. When she opened her mouth to speak, she froze looking at what was behind me. And the hall grew noisy. I turned around and saw the drunk man that spoke to me laying on the floor, he was spewing foam from his mouth. Serves you right, you dare stand in my way when you cannot withstand just that? Learn your place.

I placed the colored tags stained with blood and the cards I got from the adventurers on the counter. Including the one from the so-called hero.

The receptionist’s eyes grew wide and she started seeing all the tags. When she saw the black colored one, she audibly gulped.

“I-I will call the guild master.”

She was flustered and left quickly in a hurry to the second floor, a few seconds later I heard a strong voice filled with presence. It was a bald man with beard and mustache that looked in his 30s.

“What is going on here?”

When his eyes met mine, he realized something. So much so that, he went back into the room where he came from in a hurry, and came back with a red-colored stone that looked like a ruby. He went down the stairs as soon as he could. And stood in front of me. He asked in a nervous voice.

“G-girl could you please place your hand on this stone?”

I complied, I had no reason to reject him, however, I was annoyed that he treated me as if we were on the same level. The moment I touched that stone I felt a strange sensation of my body, like a slight shiver. I quickly removed my hand because it was unpleasant. After I removed it I realized the man was frozen in place. He stayed like that for a few seconds until a receptionist tugged on his clothes. He was incredibly nervous and started speaking again in a submissive and fragile voice.  

“I-I am sorry for my rude behaviour earlier, I have no idea what got into me. Would you please come this way?”

The guild grew even noisier after that happened. I was slightly happy to have heard him being so respectful. So much so that I followed to where he led me without saying anything. It was a luxurious room, with two couches and a center table in between them. I sat down on one couch that was there. He quickly sat down in front of me, while being visibly nervous he started talking.

“What can we do for you Mister Dragon.”

“I want to meet the leader. The so-called King or whatever you guys call him.”

He stiffened after hearing that. I want to meet the king or whatever, If he respects me and bows before me I might just be able to restore my former fame or infamy. Whatever it may be, I cannot tolerate people any longer. The man talked again in a stuttering and nervous voice.

“I-I cannot do-”

“I want to meet the King.”

I interrupted him as he was going to finish his sentence. Saying the same thing again but in my usual dignified voice. He panicked.

“Right away!”

He left the room in a hurry and I did not hear from anyone or anything. I was alone in the room, I noticed the ruby stone thing was on the table, I grabbed it. I did not feel strange anymore when it touched the table as I was holding it. Something appeared in my mind.

[Fancy table: Handcrafted by a renown carpenter, every noble wants one.]

So it was an appraisal. ‘How useless…’ I muttered It was useless for me at least. When Kuro did his thing. I acquired the skill called [Cat’s eye] which did the same thing. I might have turned into a girl but I do not hate him. Being a girl or a dragon I am still the [Legendary Dragon] after all. I waited patiently for the man to come back. A few hours later I decided to stand up, even my patience has limits. When I got up, the guild grew fussy, I headed towards the door. Suddenly the door opened. There stood a visibly nervous old man, he was emitting an aura of royalty wearing luxurious clothes and a crown. It was the king, he was surrounded by guards that gave the sense of ‘I am strong’. When the king looked at me. His expression quickly changed from wariness to rage. He turned towards the man from before. The guildmaster.

“Is this some kind of joke?! You told me it was the [Legendary Dragon], yet all I see is a pitiful and frail small girl!”

“Pitiful and frail?”

I asked, in a dead cold voice. I was mad, who do you think you are looking down on? The guildmaster noticed that the king encouraged my wrath and prostrated himself begging for forgiveness of his foolish king.

“Yes, pitiful and frail. I am leaving, you are wasting my time with distasteful jokes, I will spare your life for now.”

Spare? Who exactly is going to spare who? I was boiling with rage, I could not be stopped anymore. That day the Kingdom of [Rienia] was erased from the map leaving behind a single man. I continued my journey while complaining. ‘I will spare your life for now.’ Huh? Who do you think you are to tell me that, well it doesn’t matter now that you are dead.

[Title unlocked: Kingdom destroyer]

You have destroyed a kingdom… Congratulations?

I continued on my journey, the first kingdom. Then the second… The third... I kept hearing stories about the world-renowned craftsman in my travels. I realized. Kuro if they saw you, no matter how ridiculous you look, they would recognize you the moment they saw your crafting.

25 years later. My karma had reached -400. I am no [Legendary Dragon] at least not anymore. No matter how dignified I act, how much regality I have. Humans are foolish but they made me understand that, no matter how many of them I kill, no matter how much terror I infuse into them. I am no dragon in their eyes. I am just a little girl. Kuro I don’t know where you are. But I don’t think I can continue serving you. Not in this state.

Alice.

The chapter was posted from phone, let me know if you see anything weird. Fun fact, this chapter was supposed to be released after chapter 9. However, I think this is for the better. Let me know if you noticed the writing change. If you didn't well... In all honesty, it's not very noticeable.