Trespassers First
It's been quite some time since I opened my eyes in this world. Roughly a few decades ago, after dying from overwork, I woke up possessed by this red dragon. Honestly, I didn't mind possessing a red dragon at all. Saving the world with some hero's destiny and building a harem? Just thinking about it exhausts me. Or possessing a demon king to conquer the earth? Imagining that tires me out already. Even the web novels and comics I read in my spare time were mostly healing stories. Struggling in the vortex of massive events was plenty in real life.
But this red dragon didn't require any such anguish. Everyone feared me from the start, and I lacked for nothing. I could sleep all day, and no one dared touch me. So I was thoroughly enjoying life as this red dragon.
But...
...Didn't the expedition disband? Why am I sensing presences again?
Lately, the number of people wearing me out had grown considerably. I, the Red Dragon, hadn't ventured outside for about 200 years. All the information they had on me came from records. So they'd forgotten their fear and wariness, creeping in like this.
[...Yawn. What a pain.]
With a yawn, I hauled myself up. It was about time to teach these interrupters of my deep sleep a lesson.
****
"More complicated than I thought. But that's what makes adventuring fun, right, Guns?"
Garner, a lizardman treasure hunter counted among the continent's top three, smiled at the ruined temple before him. He'd successfully plundered and stolen from countless dungeons, caves, and legendary beasts. To him, this temple where the Red Dragon slumbered was the challenge of a lifetime—a thrilling lure.
"Don't let your guard down. You never know with people."
The half-giant Guns saw things differently, though.
"Red Dragon strong. If no good, run right away."
He'd come all this way to this remote mountain because he hated wasting the sunk costs—not because he valued his life any less.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. We've been together for years."
Still, Garner wasn't particularly scared. And Guns wasn't that afraid either. As Garner said, they'd synced up over the years, overcoming countless dangers together.
After trekking deep into the cave for a while, the two noticed something ahead.
"...Whoa, it's huge."
"Massive. What god did they worship here?"
A shattered statue of some long-forgotten deity, toppled pillars...
"...! Guns, look over there!!"
"...Oh!"
And a mountain of gold gleaming brilliantly within. Their hearts pounded harder than ever before.
If they could snag even a little from that pile. If they could pocket just one of those tiny-looking coins.
Countless people would praise their names, granting them eternal fame. They believed it without doubt.
"...Let's go, Guns."
"Mm!"
They activated their invisibility scrolls.
—Ting!!
Vanishing from even the mighty dragon's sight. Silent as ghosts, they slipped inside. Their hearts swelled with the elation of certain success. Though they couldn't see each other, they advanced in perfect sync, step for step, toward the golden hoard.
Now!
As Garner finally reached out to touch the gold—
...Hm?
Something felt off.
...The air. It's changed.
Hot. Insanely hot. A sulfurous stench assaulting his nostrils like cruelty itself. Intense heat scorching his skin already. And above all, the bone-chilling killing intent enveloping him.
It all bore down on Garner.
Run...! I have to run!
He spun on his heel. He wasn't an idiot. He knew when to turn tail—and that's how he'd survived countless threats, plotting for the future. And he had.
So he backpedaled—
—Krunch!!
"—Gaaahk...!!!"
A familiar voice groaned in agony by his ear. Guns. Garner whipped his head toward the sound—his longtime partner—and soon realized they were too late.
That thing was on the ceiling.
The red dragon clung there, tail coiled around Guns. Fixing itself with massive, powerful limbs, it stared at Garner with amusement, flicking its insidious tongue.
[Foolish moths following the expedition?]
That thing already knew their kind. No—better to say it had anticipated scavengers like them entering.
"Guh, guaaah...! Aaaahk...!!"
It showed no mercy. Guns writhed helplessly in that colossal tail, dying without resistance.
Invisibility, how did it...?!
Garner couldn't comprehend. He'd faced dragons before. But no dragon could detect the invisible. Especially not him and Guns—they were nimble, evading sight and strikes effortlessly. They'd been confident they wouldn't get caught.
So how had this red dragon done it? How was it holding Guns and staring down at him?
He couldn't fathom it.
[Simple. I expected it.]
And Garner realized he didn't need to.
"Wh-what do you—"
[—The greedy always fixate on the valuable. Not the scattered coins, but those only found here.]
Its point was clear. The coins they'd reached for were from a kingdom destroyed 200 years ago by this red dragon. Rare treasures impossible to find elsewhere. They'd instinctively gone for them.
[Moreover... you're impatient fools. You entered right after the expedition disbanded? Naturally, you'd grab the nearest first.]
Its mouth twisted. In a voice dripping with pleasure, arrogance, and confidence, it read Garner's thoughts boastfully.
[I've shown mercy until now. When scum invaded my lair and repented, I let them go.]
The red dragon muttered as it slithered slowly to the floor—scaling pillars, climbing the gold pile, arriving before him. Pinpointing his invisible position. Thrusting its massive maw right in his face.
[And I warned the expedition leader. Leave, or I won't forgive a return.]
—Crack.
"Kuhk......"
Guns' spine snapped. He perished without fight in the dragon's tail.
Yet Garner couldn't move. Overwhelming power—untouchable for any human-born. Delusion to think otherwise. That was Guns... and Garner's essence.
—Thud.
The red dragon callously dropped Guns' corpse before Garner. The meaning was instant.
[Dragons are famed for keeping their word rigorously. You defied my order and indulged greed. Time to pay, foolish treasure hunter.]
"...Ah."
—Whoosh——!
Garner uttered that short sound and vanished from the world. Reduced to gray ash, leaving no trace. Not even a proper corpse—a declaration of intent. The Apocalyptic Red Dragon, calamity of legends, proving its name.
...Run now, run now!
Elenoa, watching from afar, lacked the courage to enter. How had it grown merciful? The red dragon had no mercy. No one could face it lightly. Even renowned archer Elenoa felt the overwhelming gap—she couldn't escape it.
So she backed away slowly, leaving the two ahead.
Insane...! Totally insane...!!
Fleeing the cave with elven agility. Regretting her earlier self, legs burning, she reached the entrance light and savored survival.
"I lived...! I liived——!!"
...Or tried to.
[Friend of the forest. That's the extent of my mercy.]
Until that horrific voice echoed.
"...Uh."
[Show respect. Return, bow your head. Or—]
Elenoa knew what came next. Legends adults and friends had told.
[—your home will be erased from the world.]
The Apocalyptic Red Dragon's calamity. Spoken into reality.