Finding Kin
The dwarves dispatched laborers here faster than I'd expected. And they immediately kicked off a massive construction project. Watching them, I could finally enjoy some long-overdue leisure.
—Kraaack! The material costs are way beyond imagination!! This is like a full year's food budget!!
Of course, Leviathan's head must have been spinning as she handled the budgeting, calculations, and paperwork. But honestly, that wasn't my problem.
I'd rescued them from being kidnapped, and I hadn't even planned on getting involved in the first place. Where else would you find a king this merciful and wise? With thoughts like that, I savored a nice, deep sleep.
What I really wanted was to ask for a dragon-sized bed and pillow made just for me. But...
'If I did that, it'd ruin my dignity.'
Unfortunately, now that I was wearing the crown of a monarch, I couldn't make such a request in good conscience. Especially since...
—Clang, clang!!
—Krunch!!!
They were working busily. As if to prove their worth, or maybe just to finish up and get out of here as fast as possible. Their craftsmanship was precise and swift.
Day by day, the Draconic Elves' living spaces transformed. The crude stone huts were carved into walls, turning into works of art. Like... a massive, well-made anthill for people. That was the Draconic Elves' new home.
Narrow passages etched into the outer walls, expanded into rooms. And they even added soft, comfortable furniture. The dwarves' skills were beyond reproach, as expected.
Of course, things occasionally went a bit off the rails.
—Um, Red Dragon sir...! We're trying to build a small, very small temple. Is that okay?
Elenoa's request was a prime example. A temple? I was causing all this fuss precisely because I didn't want divinity, and now a temple?
—[Temple? Don't build something so useless.]
Naturally, I refused her.
—Ah! Understood!
But somehow, Elenoa twisted my words into something else entirely.
—Here! To let people know and remind them of your majesty, Red Dragon sir, we've made several statues of you!
She'd gone and sculpted little mini-me statues, placing them everywhere.
—[....]
—Hehe, did we do well? My mother loved them too!
Honestly, I hated it. But what could I do? They were already made. Pointing them out one by one and ordering demolition would just lead to more weird nonsense. Dealing with each one would be a headache.
Besides, she was sort of the gatekeeper here, so I let her antics slide a little.
And so, two months after the dwarves started construction...
My cave had changed beyond recognition. The ruined temple was partially demolished and repaired where needed. Spaces for the Draconic Elves were expanded and improved. Areas for livestock were cleared widely.
They even installed mirrors to channel outside light for farming.
And even...
—Red Dragon, these are our... masterpieces. Our main export item, too.
A hundred sets of enchanted light armor. Agile elves didn't favor heavy plate, so they'd tailored these for us. Proof they actually cared about us.
Living quarters, farmland, a massive gate at the entrance. Seeing my nest turned into a proper human habitat in every sense, I felt glad I'd allied with the dwarves.
[I won't forget your hard work, dwarves.]
"Not at all, Your Majesty. We merely fulfilled our duty."
So I praised them sincerely. A good alliance secured. I watched the departing dwarves, lost in such thoughts.
But sadly, with them gone, it was time for me to move.
Because...
"Sob sob...! We'll guard this place well! Safe travels, Red Dragon sir!!"
[Let's go, Red Dragon. To where other dragons are. The space is bigger now—we need more people to live here.]
[...Sigh, yeah. Guess we do.]
I still had a duty to build my nation.
Surprisingly, the Draconic Elf population hadn't grown much. Makes sense. It's not like nagging them to have kids would make babies pop out easy. These were survivors who'd crossed the Flames—gender ratios were off, and my presence alone made them too intimidated for romance.
Elves weren't bold enough for ceremonies under those conditions anyway.
The key point: we didn't have enough people for a proper nation yet. Especially from my perspective, where I wanted to minimize personally handling fights. I needed more combat-ready personnel.
And dragons fit the bill perfectly.
Sure, you might wonder, 'Then why not just become Dragon King instead of building a country?'
But look at Leviathan riding on my back right now.
"...? What? Why are you staring?"
As Leviathan shows, dragons are individuals—personality good or bad. My past memories confirmed it: one challenged me over "its territory" and backed off; others hid as cats, dogs, birds among humans; some posed as village guardians collecting tribute.
Dragons were a bunch of weirdos.
Crown myself king just for them? Plenty would ignore me even in death. How would I wrangle them?
Better for Leviathan and me to recruit selectively. Dragon King was clearly the wrong choice.
...Though I wonder if any nation has its king running errands like this.
Whatever. Given the situation, what choice did I have? Feeling sorry for my fate, I reluctantly took to the skies.
A week of flight later, we arrived at some nameless remote village. I couldn't help questioning it immediately.
[A dragon here?]
It didn't look the type. Maybe 200 people tops. A dragon would stick out like a sore thumb. Especially with dragon hunters rampant lately—they wouldn't leave such easy prey.
But...
"...Well, doesn't have to stay dragon-shaped."
Leviathan gave a bored reply.
[What do you mean?]
"Dragons are naturally magic-proficient. That's why I can turn human."
[I can't.]
"You don't need to. No issue stays a human scum anyway."
...Hmm, fair point. My memories: never shapeshifted. Just annihilated foes with fire and chaos. No need for transformation magic.
Learning magic means thinking, right? You don't need equations or geometry to survive. Basic math suffices.
Shapeshifting was pointless to me.
"Anyway, plenty of dragons besides you hide as small animals or humans."
[Sounds exhausting.]
"...."
[...?]
"And from what I know—info before joining you—this place has a dragon."
No argument there. Trust her or not, if none, we'd pivot. She knew of many candidates.
—Fwoooom!!
So I sped up.
"Wha—hey?! W-wait!!"
[Why? Faster check is better, no?]
A week of flapping wings drained me in every way. Body fine, but mentally exhausting. I just wanted home ASAP.
"Sh-showing up like this will scare everyone—Kyaaak...!!?"
I ignored her, diving straight in. Finish quick, rest.
Meanwhile, the villagers...
"R-Red...! Red Dragon!!"
"We're dead! All dead!!"
"Run! Everyone, get out of here—now!!!"
Panic, naturally. The Calamity, the Apocalypse's Red Dragon, hurtling toward them visibly.
And "he" was no different.
'Why... why is he here?!'
No—even more shocked.
Because...
'No way...! Did he figure out Kellian slipped me into the expedition to kill him?!'
He'd seen me once before.
'B-but I definitely refused!'
He'd led that expedition, spoken to me alone.
"D-dear...! We have to flee now—"
So Einhardt urged his wife to hide.
But she, eyes lifeless like she'd despaired of life, hugged him and spoke.
"Ein, you flee first. That way... you can save the world, right?"
"No, I can't...! I won't leave you after bringing you this far—Urk...!"
She appreciated his worry.
But sadly, he could no longer stand.
"...[Flee, Einhardt. Please.]"
A powerful mind-control spell. Ordering him to run.
"...Okay."
Then she revealed her true form.
The one she'd hidden from human eyes. The truth only Einhardt knew here.
[For my beloved other half.]
No more human guise.
[Need to buy time.]
Near-pure white scales emerged, wings like blue ice unfurled.
Her true form: a White Gold Dragon.
A dragon fated to love a human.
To block the Red Dragon...
[Heard there was a dragon here—ah, there she is.]
[Come at me, Red Dragon. I won't let you pass, no matter what.]
She revealed herself.
[...?]
'What? Why's she posing like that?'
The Red Dragon was baffled....