CH 48.3

Havoc sighs. “So, basically, you’re saying you didn’t mean to cause harm?”

“People become frightened when they see me. Such misunderstandings are unavoidable. Essentially, not many intelligent dragons hate humans. Though, there are some who do. After all, it wasn’t very long ago that a dragon burned a country, and the tale is passed down among mortals as well. I do not wish to fight humans, so I usually live deep in the forest away from human settlements to avoid such troublesome occurrences.”

“You say it wasn’t that long ago, but that happened a pretty long time ago, you know…” Liam says with his hand to his temple as if he has a headache.

“My name is Vivre. Things have become noisy in the north recently, so I was searching from the sky for somewhere with few people that would be a good place to build a nest.”

“Noisy? You mean something happened in the north? Like vampires causing mayhem?”

“I lived in a forest between the region where humans live and the northern lands, you see. But a horde of monsters invaded from the northern lands. The monsters from the northern lands are hostile to me. If we meet, a fight is inevitable. Naturally, I would not lose, but unfortunately, there were so many enemies that it would have been troublesome. Therefore, I fled to the south.”

I’ve heard that the monsters have become more active, so does that mean the monsters from the north attacked Vivre for the same reason?

“The northern lands? You mean the place where the battle with the evil god happened?” Liam asks.

“Yes, that’s the one. Though I do not particularly wish to remember it, I was also present for that battle. Perhaps the monsters were told about me.”

“Hold on, you mean you’re a survivor of the age of legend?!” Liam says in shock as Vivre casually says something that can’t pass without remark.

“Have you not heard my name? I was quite young at the time– no, even now, I’m still in my prime.”

“No, you’ve been alive since the age of legend, so I doubt it,” Havoc mumbles.

But for some reason, it’s not Vivre, but Emilia who glares at him. And it isn’t just a look of admonishment for his interjection. It clearly contains a personal grudge.

Havoc quickly shuts his mouth. Apparently, Vivre takes no notice of this as she continues her story.

“I stood my ground against the monsters and fought with all I had. I’m sure that’s why they’re terrified of me. How ironic it is that I was not forgotten by the monsters who were my enemies, but mankind who were my allies have forgotten me completely. But perhaps this was unavoidable. As soon as the battle against the evil god was over, humans immediately began fighting over land and starting wars. Dragons are stronger than humans. That’s why there were some who tried to use us. The dragons who grew tired of battle distanced themselves from mankind and cut off contact with them.”

“Using the dragons… I can’t help but think that humans are evil,” Emilia says.

“Such people only make up a fraction of humanity. You must not judge humans by the misdeeds of the few,” Vivre counters. “Even now, I can still remember my comrades who once fought the monsters and the evil god alongside me as if it were yesterday. Their struggle to survive was by no means evil, and they had such bravery that I’m proud to have fought alongside them. Knowing this, I couldn’t possibly hate humans. This must be why there are so many dragons who have no animosity towards humans. However, though it’s a sad tale, it’s only my personal experience. There are some who hate mankind as well.”

Vivre’s expression is hard to read, and I don’t know what’s going through her head right now. But her voice sounds very kind and sad.

“Hm? You seem a bit different,” Vivre says suddenly, interrupting her somber moment. She lowers her long neck, brings her face closer to me, flares her nostrils, and sniffs.

“Different? Is there something strange about me?”

I look down at my body and smell myself. Maybe I stink? I know what other people smell like, but I’m not sure how I smell.

“Humans are created by the gods. Of course, the same goes for dragons such as myself. All living things in this world were created by the gods.”

It’s a very fantasy-like story. It has even more credibility coming from Vivre, who claims to have actually fought a god. The theory of evolution doesn’t seem to apply to this world.

“And yet, your body is slightly different from those created by the gods. It’s as if you’re a golem intricately made to resemble a human.”

I receive a shock that almost seems to pierce right through my chest.

In this world, there are monsters known as golems. They’re puppets made of mud and rocks created by the evil god, and they’re slightly unique monsters that require you to deal damage to and destroy the jewel inside their bodies in order to defeat them.

If Vivre says my body is like a golem, does that mean she feels like there’s something wrong with my body which was created as a game character?

Vivre’s suspicions are undoubtedly correct. From the outside, I look no different from the real thing, but I can do things that are impossible for my body in the real world, like how I don’t get tired no matter how much I run and I can use the skills from the game. It seems like it’d be more accurate to say that I’m moving a puppet that only looks like a human.

“But your soul does seem to be human. And there’s something nostalgic about this soul. No, it couldn’t possibly be… Hmm, just what is going on here?” Vivre says, sounding puzzled. Cornelia and the others react to her meandering words with doubtful expressions.

“Golem? You say some strange things. By all appearances, he’s clearly human,” Cornelia says.

“I am not judging by appearances. What I am referring to is the scent emitted by the body which acts as the vessel as well as the soul it contains. I can discern their scents. Though there are differences between individuals, those of the same race have similar scents. Just as beasts have a keener sense of smell than humans, my senses are different as well. Among all the races created by the gods, dragons in particular were bestowed with great power. Perhaps mankind lacks these senses, or they are simply dulled. In any case, his scent is different, as if it has been touched by human hands.”

“So souls have a smell too, huh?” Liam says.

I sniff myself again out of curiosity, but I still can’t smell what Vivre is talking about. The game doesn’t have any strange skills like that. At least my sense of smell is about the same as the humans of this world.

Vivre raises her long neck.

“Well, no matter. Though I am curious, if it’s related to your birth, I suppose it’s only natural that you wouldn’t know about it. Besides, it’s been quite a long time since I’ve had a proper conversation with a human. Perhaps my senses have dulled.”

Though I’m trying my best not to let it show on my face and keep my expression neutral, deep down, I’m relieved. If I tell everyone that I’m from another world, maybe I wouldn’t have to worry about things like this. But I don’t know what kind of effect it’ll have if I reveal it. So even though I haven’t decided whether I should tell them or not, in the end, I’m still not revealing it, though I feel guilty about it.

“We should go back now. I’m sure there were some people in the village who saw you. It’ll turn into a huge commotion. If we don’t tell the village that you’re harmless, it’ll probably become a problem,” Havoc says.

“That’s right. I don’t think the villagers would do anything as stupid as trying to attack a dragon, but they’re probably worried. We should return quickly,” Cornelia says.

I agree with them. A friendly dragon is here. If we can prevent problems from occurring and coexist with dragons, then we should coexist.

“Yeah. Sorry, Vivre, but we’re going back now. Everyone’s worried,” I say.

“I would offer to escort you back, but that would only make things worse. Excuse me, but could you explain the situation to those who live near this forest? Ask if they would allow me to live in these woods. As long as they do not harm me, I will not harm those who live in the village.”

“Alright, I promise we will. But since we aren’t residents of this village, we’ll let you know what their official response is afterwards.”

“That is fine. If it were me, I would frighten the villagers. I owe you a debt. If anything happens, I promise I shall lend you my strength. Should you require it, simply call for me in this forest. Until we next meet!” Vivre says as she flies away.

I just talked to a dragon. I return to the village feeling fully immersed in fantasy.

“Man, it’s a good thing that dragon was more gentle and reasonable than we expected,” Liam says.

“You can say that again. The moment she roared, I thought we were done for,” Havoc says, letting out a deep breath as if he was really terrified. Well, until a moment ago, there was a being standing before us that was so overwhelmingly powerful that if we angered her, she would kill us for sure. It’s no wonder he was scared.

I recall the moment that Vivre nearly discovered my identity.

If someone discovers my identity like Vivre almost did, what should I do then?