Come to think of it, a long time ago—when I was still a member of the pack—my fellow dragon said this.
"No matter what kind of dragon you are, if you live for a thousand years you can become a black dragon."
I thought it was just a fairy tale, but I vaguely thought that it was true...
Having just inherited the name, memories, and powers of the former Blue Dragon, I was left in a daze. My memories were vague and I felt as if I was in a dream.
However, even though it was vague, I could feel an incredible power coursing through my body.
Hehe, that's amazing. The black dragon's energy is really that great.
An ancient species, a disaster-class monster that inherited ancient powers. That's the Black Dragon. A dragon that stood out among the same dragon species, with such overwhelming differences that it could be said to be a different species.
I became that dragon...
And then a year passed. I became a grown dragon.
The adult version was so strong that it made me wonder what the strength I felt when I was a juvenile was all about. With just one swing of my tail, I could knock most monsters away.
Overwhelming and absolute strength. That's why I didn't need anyone else. There was no problem with one horse, and alone was all I needed. I didn't need anyone else but myself.
So, I made my home in the deepest cave of Blackpeak Mountain and spent most of my time there. You wouldn't feel the rain inside the cave, and no daredevils would venture to approach the black dragon's lair.
For a thousand years I spoke to no one, I had no contact with anyone. I was comfortable in the solitary kingdom I had created.
And then, death came once again... and I was reborn once again as a small and weak black dragon. When I raised my eyes from my lowered position, I saw the corpse of a gigantic black dragon lying there. It looked like a large moss-covered tree.
And a new, unchanging millennium began...
When a baby was first born, its memories and powers had not yet been established. It probably would spend a period of time in a daze. I curled up deep inside the cave and wandered in the silence of a dream.
A few weeks later, I was suddenly awakened by a sudden wave of hostility.
——Oh, What a thing! I was surrounded.
In the pitch black cave, several yellow eyes shined brightly. Among them, one pair was red. This was bad... I slowly raised my body. The cave had multiple exits in case of an emergency, but all of the holes leading to those exits were blocked off.
I really didn't get along with Fenrirs... A sigh escaped from the bottom of my heart.
At some point, the distribution of other monsters on this continent began to be determined by these three monsters. One of those three was me, the Black Dragon, and the other was the Black Fenrir, a higher-level species of Fenrir.
I was surrounded by a flock of Fenrirs. There was one among them with red eyes that was undoubtedly a Black Fenrir. Only one of them had a completely different energy.
...I was in trouble.
They targeted me at my once-in-a-millennium time of weakness...
I acted before the Fenrirs could pounce on me.
"GROOOOOOOOOOAAARRRRR!" (Zavilia)
I roared, and while the Fenrirs were momentarily frightened, I escaped from the encirclement. My direction was 90 degrees west of the Black Fenrir. Heading towards the Black Fenrir was the worst move, and there would be traps set up diagonally across from them. To be precise, there were probably traps set up in all directions, but I chose the places that seemed even the least bit safe.
The Fenrirs bit one after another on my shoulders, legs, and wings, but I didn't have time to knock them away. If I stopped for even a moment, I would be pulled down and not let go until I was dead.
I ran, ran and ran through the pitch black cave, dragging several Fenrirs behind me. Along the way, several Fenrirs forcefully bit off parts of my body, causing the force to send me tumbling down and away.
When I finally reached the exit of the cave, my whole body was covered in blood. Still, I mustered my last bit of strength and took flight.
To the southwest. I didn't know why I thought that. However, when I thought about where I should go, I could see clearly the direction I should go, like a ray of light shining in the darkness.
I continued flapping with all my remaining strength. Far away. As far away as I could. Far enough southwest that the Fenrirs couldn't find me.
One of my wings was badly torn off, making it difficult to fly straight. My legs, having continued running while dragging the Fenrirs, were no longer feeling anything, and my tail had been torn off at the base. It seemed I lost too much blood and my consciousness started to fade. In fact, I repeatedly lose consciousness, my flying altitude decreased, and I regained consciousness due to the pain of hitting tree branches.
And finally, running out of strength, I fell straight into the forest.
"...Ah, I was almost there." (Zavilia)
With my consciousness hazy, I was thinking about something in a dreamlike state.
As I fell, I could see my body getting smaller. I was turning into a juvenile. It felt like I could no longer even maintain my own body.
With a pain that felt as if my body was being torn to pieces, I was thrown onto the ground with a heavy heart. Warm rain fell on my body.
Look, it's raining again tonight. Whenever something bad happens, it rains. Even at the end of the world...
My monster instincts led me to do my best to survive. By transforming into a juvenile, I minimized my activity and focused on recovery, but much of my life energy flowed out.
This is impossible...
As my consciousness faded, I felt regret.
I'd been hurt too much. ...How frustrating. I, the Black Dragon, was defeated by the enemy and met my end. It was the most humiliating and shameful way for a monster to die.
Although I had become a Black Dragon, it was the same as when I was a Blue Dragon. In the end, I would die alone...
Then I lost consciousness. Maybe I didn't have the strength to stay conscious anymore. The next time I opened my eyes, there was a person looking down at me. A girl with crimson hair and golden eyes.
As I stared blankly, the girl reassured me, "It's okay," and gave me something to drink.
...What did she make me drink?
I thought with a confused head. Liquid flowed through my body. Then, suddenly, a sharp pain hit my whole body.
——Poison. I have been poisoned!
With a clear attack, I mustered the last of my strength and returned to my original size. There's no way that a person like the Black Dragon would be killed by such a cowardly means as poison!
With a roar, I bit into the girl's shoulder, then her side. The girl didn't even offer any resistance, her entire body was devoured by me. How simple. Did she sacrifice her life to kill me...?
The moment I had doubts, the girl suddenly burst out laughing. Like, it's so funny I couldn't stand it. And then, in the next moment, the girl lightly moved her hand, and a flood of light flooded in—and my body was returned to a state where not a single injury had occurred.
"……huh?" (Zavilia)
The wings that had been nearly torn off had grown back, my tail had regenerated, and all the injuries on my body had disappeared.
While I was in front of her, not understanding what had happened, the girl began to explain using her own body. In other words... this girl slowly healed my injuries. Her shoulders and sides regenerated, and the girl's wounds disappeared from all over her body.
...Ah, she was a saint. And so, she helped me.
I thought it was amazing. I was literally on the verge of death, and only a short time away from losing everything. The future, emotions, and two thousand years of knowledge and technology.
It's truly amazing. This girl could reverse the "death" that came to everyone equally, and that was inescapable once it arrived...
It was such a shock that it made my body trembled.
I truly wanted that power.
I wanted to be subservient to her. I wanted to be by her side. I wanted to benefit from her power.
——Then, I would be freed from the "absolute death."
I suddenly realized why I had headed southwest after being attacked by Fenrir and facing imminent death. I was on the verge of death and with all my heart and soul I searched for a way to survive. And so, she was the only thing that could save my life.
I was, after all, a Black Dragon. I only seek servitude to those stronger than me. And yet, for me to instantly wish to become her servant from the bottom of my heart...how great must this girl's saintly powers be?
Seemingly completely unaware of my intentions, the girl easily agreed to enter into a contract of servitude. Her abilities were great, but what a careless girl she was. By allowing herself to be subjugated, she and I were connected. Wasn't it too risky to do this without really checking who I was?
That night, monsters appeared constantly. It's a monster that wandered around alone, attracted by the smell of the girl's... Fia's blood. There's no way it could be my enemy. However, once there were over 30 of them, I started to feel a little annoyed. ...Wasn't Fia a bit too popular with monsters?
The last monster I defeated was an A-rank monster. Even though she was only supposed to be in the abyss, how far could Fia's scent reach...?
And yet the Saint, who possesses great powers that no one else possesses, asked with a worried look on her face.
"Can you keep quiet about me being a saint?" (Fia)
If Fia were to proclaim herself a Saint, the world would kneel before her power, so why would she want to hide it...? While I wondered what was going on, Fia began to tremble violently.
"...I was a Saint, so I was killed in my previous life. It was a pretty horrible way to be killed. ...I'm afraid that if I declare myself a Saint, I'll be killed again." (Fia)
When I connected with Fia, I could sense her emotions and imagine the scenes she seemed to be imagining. It was a gruesome sight, and I didn't think a young girl could have endured it. ...This was terrible.
I answered sincerely.
"Of course, I won't tell that Fia is a saint. It's my role to help you do what you want to do. But remember, I will protect you, Fia, with all my might." (Zavilia)
Hearing this, Fia blushed in embarrassment and looked away.
I'd always lived alone, and I was by no means very good at maneuvering around. Even I was worried. ...What's wrong with this saint? She had no worldly skills at all. If we let someone like this out in the world, wouldn't she just be taken advantage of?
After that, I watched Fia from afar and also spent time with her, but her words and actions always far exceeded my worst expectations.
I was astonished, but at the same time, I was also truly impressed that no one realized she was a saint. This was possible because Fia's capabilities were so outstanding. Her abilities were so incredible that far exceeded the bounds of anyone's expectations, so no one could arrive at an answer. No one could even imagine that such an option existed.
The lives of monsters had little to do with those of humans, but rumors could sometimes be heard.
——As far as I knew, there had only been one person in the last two thousand years who had been called a "Great Saint." A title of respect that had only been used by one person in two thousand years. ...Maybe Fia should understand what that meant.
The other day, she had turned all the water in the pond into healing potions, but to her it probably felt like she was playing in a puddle. As a bit of a game, she was creating a system that allowed her to recreate high-quality ancient healing potions that no longer existed and useed them indefinitely.
That girl with the red hair and golden eyes must be the most valuable in the world. The problem was that no one, not even the person herself, was aware of this.
"This is a transformation exclusively for Zavilia!!" (Fia)
The saint of supreme worthiness said this as she made time for me.
"Zavilia, you're so cute, aren't you!" (Fia)
She smiled and stroked my head.
I always slept clinging to Fia because Fia allowed it. Fia was warm, so I slept well when I snuggled up to it. And sometimes I dreamed of the past, of the two thousand years I spent alone.
"Hehe, Zavilia. You said you had a dream about the past... when was that when you were 0 years old?" (Fia)
Fia laughed sheepishly. She looked at me and continues to giggle with glee.
...I suddenly understood. Ah, I was protecting the wrong thing.
My Blue Dragon Friends were not important to me. That's why being betrayed didn't hurt him too much, and I was able to easily abandon the Blue Dragons.
I realized this because I met Fia. This feeling was completely different. It's easy to risk your life. No matter what happens, Fia could not be thrown away.
Because Fia accepted me completely. She would get mad for me, fight for me, and laugh with me.
Being with Fia always felt fun, warm, and safe. So, I remembered my past, which was so different...the long time I spent alone, and I was reminded once again how worthless it all was. And, paradoxically, it reminded me of the importance of the time I spent with Fia. It's irreplaceable time.
So when the two blue dragons came swooping down towards Fia, I was overcome with such rage that I thought the blood in my body would boil.
I quickly stood in front of Fia and transformed into a black dragon.
With the blast, dust rose.
I roared at the approaching blue dragon. Then the blue dragons stopped their descent and soared into the sky.
However, instead of leaving the spot, they circled around in the sky. When they saw me, the difference in our strength was obvious, but they were reluctant to leave the place.
——Fia, it's you again.
I sighed as I thought about Fia, who charmed monsters one after another to an annoying degree.
Thinking back, Fia had indeed been casting healing spells on the familiars since morning. Fia had a high tolerance for pain so she probably didn't notice, but she must be injured somewhere. And from there, the sweet scent of the saint's blood was likely spreading.
Otherwise, the abnormal rate at which this monster appeared could not be explained. Everyone seemed to think that the black dragon's appearance had upset the habitat of the monsters in the forest, but there's no way that such vicious monsters would appear one after another near the entrance to a forest like this. The cause was undoubtedly the scent of the saint's blood that Fia was spreading.
As proof of this, the Blue Dragons targeted and attacked only Fia. Even though I knew there was a huge gap in ability between us, I couldn't leave this place.
And yet, Fia reached out and touched me, and patted me on my body.
"Thank you for protecting me. And thank you for intimidating them. Leave the rest to me and the knights." (Fia)
I faced my selfishness in not wanting to fight the Blue Dragons head-on and was trying to do something about it.
She found it so funny that I couldn't help but laughed. What a funny, silly, adorable saint.
...Fia's true nature had always been that of a saint. Although she said she wanted to hide the fact that she was a saint, she used her powers without hesitation when the lives of the knights were at stake. She was so focused on protecting the knight's life that she forgot about her own safety.
The most valuable Fia in the world would easily risk her life for a knight who could easily be replaced. And yet she was so frighteningly weak and fragile that there was no point in talking to her.
——That's why I'd become the Dragon King.
To be her protector. To protect her from everything.