01 - The Dragon and the Girl

On this continent, there is a mountain range that divides the land.

There is an exceptionally large mountain in the middle of this range.

Called the Dragon's Roar Mountain.

The Dragon's Roar is the innermost and tallest mountain in the world.

Rocks rise from the surface like trees, steep cliffs prevent people from entering, and red dragons inhabit the mountain peaks.

It is not a place where people can live.

High-level adventurers may visit the foot of the mountain, but they do not dare venture into its depths.

But if you dare to climb to the summit, you will find an unexpected sight.

A house.

There is a house on the mountainside.

It is a strange sight.

Because there is a house in a place where people should not live.

If you approach the house, you will be even more surprised.

There is a girl.

A girl who should not be wandering into the wilderness.

A blonde girl with long ears is laboriously walking in front of the house, holding an object resembling a bathtub.

The girl repeats the action of carrying the tub behind the house, going inside, and coming back out with it again.

Apparently, she is carrying water to the back of the house.

If you follow the girl to the back, you will see a large cave.

It is a cave with an ominous atmosphere, yet the girl does not hesitate to enter and proceeds to its depths.

Lurking inside is a reptile with a massive body and a long neck, red scales, sharp fangs, and claws.

It is a red dragon.

The girl pours the contents of the tub into a box placed near the Red Dragon.

Looking at the girl, the Red Dragon does not show hostility.

It simply continues to watch, with an expression as if urging her to finish her task quickly.

However, the amount the girl can carry and the size of the box are vastly disproportionate.

To fill the box with water, she will have to repeat this process many times.

However, this was the last time.

The girl placed the tub beside the box and stretched.

"Hoo, I got the water!"

The girl declared proudly before giving a slight bow to the dragon.

As if responding in kind, the dragon twitched its nose.

The girl triumphantly returned home.

It is an unassuming wooden house.

However, those who know would see that the house is protected by a high-level magical barrier.

"Master, Master, I finished fetching the water!"

The interior of the house the girl entered was quite cozy.

Chairs, tables, decorative plants, paper packages, various trinkets of unknown use.

The girl weaved through them all.

Because the person she called for did not answer.

She quickly arrived at her destination.

The room at the back of the house.

This was the largest room, where the master of the house resided.

"Master?"

The girl opened the door and stepped inside.

Inside, there were bookshelves several times taller than the girl's height.

It was like a library.

The girl walked further in, passing by neatly arranged bookshelves.

Libraries were uncommon in this world.

But this book-filled environment was a familiar sight to her.

There was a man in this world of books.

With his back to the entrance, he was writing something casually at his desk.

Hair stained with a mix of silver and green.

A terrifying hair color, to be sure, but a familiar sight to the girl.

"Master!"

When the girl called out, the man lifted his face as if coming to his senses,

Softly spreading the wings on his back and turning around.

He recognized the girl.

"Ah, Rostelina. It's late. Why haven't you gone to sleep? You have a lot of work tomorrow. You need to go to bed early."

"What do you mean, it's late! The sun is already high! I even finished giving water to the Dragon."

"Ah, is that so?"

The man stood up.

The girl had to look up at him.

After all, the man was over two meters tall.

"Ah, you've already given the water. Thank you. Well done. However, I see… A whole day has already passed."

"Master, please sleep properly!"

"Ah, I know."

Even as the girl nearly shouted, the man barely reacted.

"No, you don't! I don't think you've slept in the past two days!"

"…I don't need to sleep every day like you all do."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, I am of a long-lived race. I only need to sleep once every few years."

The girl sighed in resignation at the man's response.

But a moment later, she puffed out her cheeks again.

"I don't know anything about you, Master!"

"That's right, you just followed me without asking anything."

"Please tell me more about yourself, Master."

"That's fine too, of course. But my life has been long, the stories are many…"

The man narrowed his eyes and looked around.

A bookshelf even taller than he was.

Filled to the brim with books.

All of them written by him.

His records, his biography.

"I don't mind. Besides, is this a good time? Are you busy, Master?"

"It doesn't matter. For someone like me, who has a long lifespan, there is no need to preserve every second. I have time to talk with you."

As the man said this, he encouraged the girl to sit on a nearby chair.

He himself sat in his chair and placed his hand on his chin.

"But if you want stories, I think it's more fun to talk about something other than myself."

"The story of a boy who traveled alone to defeat the Demon Lord."

"The story of a hero who slew a giant monster and won the princess."

"Or the story of a saint who was manipulated by an evil god and was forced into a battle he could not win."

"…No, I suppose the last one was not a happy story."

"No! I'd rather hear more about you, Master!"

The girl interrupted the man as he reminisced about various stories.

Because otherwise, he would surely choose something else.

"All right, all right. But what do you want to know?"

"…Everything."

"Everything?"

"How Master has lived until now, or, for example, why you are doing the work you do now."

"I see… but that is not a happy story. There may be some interesting parts, but they all lead to a sad ending. It is a bad ending, my life. It will make you sad."

"I don't care!"

The man removed his hand from his chin, as if surrendering to the stubborn girl.

Then he looked up at the ceiling.

As if searching for his past self there.

"Yes. All right. If you say so, let's talk. But, hmm, where should I start? I'm at a loss, as I don't speak much about the old days."

"Anyway, let's start from the beginning. From the moment Master was born and became aware."

"The beginning? Hmm… I will try… but if it's not interesting, you can't fall asleep. Don't sleep while listening to my stories."

"I don't fall asleep during conversations, and certainly not when talking with Master."

"Haha, you are a good girl. All right then, let's talk."

The man closed his eyes.

The girl leaned forward and listened.

"First, instead of starting from when I was born, let's begin with how exactly the world came into existence."

The man began to speak.

A story from the mythical era, long, long ago.