Killing Time
"Red Dragon. Isn't this our first time meeting?" Those were the first words she uttered the moment she first recognized me.
She tried to sound bold, but it was obvious she wasn't feeling it. She was clearly afraid of me. Sensing her own death, she stared at me with all her resolve hardened. But up to that point, it wasn't all that surprising. Most people fall into fear the moment they see me. Even Leviathan, who kept her cool, had been cautious when we first met, hadn't she? So her fear wasn't anything unusual.
However.
"And this will be our last moment together too. Either I die, or you do. You can't go any further until one of those happens."
She wasn't just afraid. There was hostility. Clear intent to kill me. She harbored that toward me. That made my train of thought grind to a halt. It was pretty disorienting. I wasn't trying to kill her or anything. I hadn't even threatened her. I'd just flown up and appeared in front of her. Especially since White Gold Dragons have their own attributes, there'd been no historical entanglements with me. In other words, I still hadn't done anything—at least not yet.
And yet, she was hostile toward me.
"The emotions you're showing me... it's like you've spotted your mortal enemy."
So I asked in a bewildered tone. She replied curtly, as if it was the dumbest question ever.
"Of course. There's not a single soul in this world who likes you. So you'll live on through eternity without ever knowing love."
...Love? What the hell was that nonsense? I couldn't make heads or tails of her words and was about to ask Leviathan to interpret, but.
'...Gone?'
I realized she'd vanished from my back. No way she could've fallen off during flight without me noticing. My hearing and sense of smell are top-notch. The fact that even I hadn't noticed meant she'd deliberately hidden her presence to move.
'So, seeing this White Gold Dragon's hostility, she's planning a sneak attack.'
I was struck once more by how cunning Leviathan had become. Come to think of it, we'd heard there was a dragon here, but no word on whether it was friendly or not. That meant we'd have to "handle" it proactively depending on the situation. My interpretation seemed spot-on.
'She's gotten good at concealing her presence. Did she improve after that last incident?'
She was a sea-dwelling dragon, so her combat power on land was limited. Hiding and waiting for an opening was smart—creatures evolve, after all.
'But unfortunately, she won't get her turn.'
I almost felt sorry for her choice. This dragon wasn't all that strong. Even if she charged in with death-defying resolve, it was doubtful she'd even scratch me. In other words, to me, she made for a pretty decent... plaything.
"Well, no need for long talks."
So I decided to humor her. It'd been a while since I'd gone out. I love holing up at home, but a walk now and then feels great. And if a promising street vendor pops up mid-stroll, it's worth stopping by. This White Gold Dragon in front of me? She was exactly that—a vendor with no reason to expect mercy from me. She'd shown unprovoked hostility and tried to kill me. No grounds for compassion anywhere.
So.
I closed in on her faster than ever before.
—Kududuk...!
I twisted her neck with my foreclaw and pinned her down.
"[...?! Guh...!]"
Her pained groan echoed. She started gathering cold breath for a counterattack.
"You insolent—"
—Saaaaah...!
But her breath would never reach me. A dragon's breath comes from the heart. Power drawn from the heart surges through the throat. So what happens if you strike the heart directly?
—Kuwoong—!!
"—Kuhak...?!"
Just like the White Gold Dragon right in front of me—her gathered breath backfired. Mana surged back through her veins, slamming her heart. The intense cold meant for her enemy rebounded into her own body.
"Kuhp, kahak...!"
Pain overwhelmed her. Not just the chest blow, but blood rushing backward. That assaulted the White Gold Dragon.
And I didn't miss the opening it created.
"Slow."
—Kwaduk—!
"Aaak...!"
I sank my teeth into her neck.
—Kwaaaang—!!!
And breathed fire.
"Sloppy too."
"Kuhuk...."
I slammed her tattered body to the ground, crushing her with my immense weight.
"Even pitiful."
"A, aa.... Kuhp...."
She couldn't move properly. My attacks hit before she could react. Overwhelming violence she couldn't resist. A relentless barrage that left even another dragon unable to think of countering. It hammered down on her.
"Where'd that burning hostility go?"
Surprisingly... this was fun.
"Where'd that burning desire to kill me go?"
It felt like venting frustration. At gods—beings beyond the material world that even I couldn't touch. Unloading built-up rage on her. And yet, I felt ecstasy from it. Memories from before I was "me" resurfaced. The pleasure of violence crashed through my mind. Because she was clearly an enemy. And not some great being. No achievements piling up, just breath and fangs I could swing freely. I was reveling in it.
So I moved again, guilt-free.
—Thud.
I released her neck. I even backed off, giving her literal "breathing room." I knew she couldn't win, and I didn't want this "fun" to end. Arrogance born of that.
Bloodied and gasping, she lay there as I opened my mouth from a distance.
"Stand up."
She couldn't collapse here, pitifully. She had to stay my enemy, keep fighting me. I needed to vent my frustrations and fatigue from annoying things through her. So I pressed her harder.
"Aren't you not supposed to fall? Aren't I your enemy?"
I urged her to fight with all she had.
"So fight. Stand. And give me... pleasure."
Aaah, that thrilling rush. A stimulus I hadn't felt in ages, since I always hated moving. I didn't want to let it go.
"[...]"
—Pak, pakdak.
And she graciously accepted my "mercy." Joints twisted all over, yet she stood again. Eyes fierce with intent to kill me, to pour everything into it. She closed the distance, glaring.
"[...Kuhp, kuhp.]"
But sadly, she couldn't breathe her frost. Damage from the backlash left her aura weak.
"[So this is the end.]"
I felt disappointed but respected her. A frontal foe after so long. Unlike that sleazy half-orc before—honest hostility. So I decided to send her off painlessly.
"Then, farewell."
I gathered fire in my mouth. To melt her completely. To snap her neck swiftly, grant eternal rest. Calmly, I readied the flames.
—Hwaruk....
The moment they were about to launch at her.
"W-Wait! Red Dragon!!"
Leviathan, who'd vanished, intervened right in the middle. I was about to yell at her to move, but someone reacted even faster.
"L-Leviathan...? No way, you're with the Red Dragon...?!"
The White Gold Dragon who'd been coughing blood moments ago. She yelped in shock, addressing Leviathan.
"That's not it, ugh, seriously! We don't need to fight each other!"
Leviathan clutched her head at the White Gold Dragon, then revealed a human from behind her.
He stared at me briefly, approached, and bowed.
"...Red Dragon. It's an honor to meet you again."
As I listened silently, he continued.
"I am Einhardt, who met you before as expedition leader. And with that White Gold Dragon... we've been bound in marriage, undeserved as it is."
Listening, I thought.
Einhardt...? Who's this guy again?
****
Sensing the fight wouldn't drag on, the four of us quickly left the village. We moved to a secluded forest and started talking.
Leviathan's reason for slipping off my back the moment she spotted the White Gold Dragon was simpler than expected.
"...You two never say it outright."
That was it. As the battle showed, the White Gold Dragon was incredibly dense. Impatient, narrow-minded classic short-temper type. She'd charged at me just for getting close.
"Sorry, but that includes you. You go straight for fists and breath the second you sense hostility."
Her words felt unfair. Isn't that obvious? How do you treat someone threatening to stab you first kindly? I glared at Leviathan with that in mind.
"...Still, you were wrong this time. Meirina. The Red Dragon now isn't the old one. He actually thinks things through these days."
I was satisfied with her correction. No matter how I looked at it, I was innocent. The one who'd jumped to hostility on her own was the White Gold Dragon. The one who'd charged despite knowing she couldn't win was her too. Spotless innocence. I spoke up immediately.
"You know it well."
Turning, there sat the human wrapped head to toe in bandages—the polymorphed White Gold Dragon—on a chair.
"...Hic! Um...."
She averted her eyes the instant they met mine. Clearly aware of her own fault.
I ignored her and turned to Einhardt. He flinched briefly at my gaze but quickly shook off the fear and spoke.
"Thank you for sparing my wife, Red Dragon."
Einhardt. Hmm, Einhardt. I rummaged through my memories to recall where we'd met. Finally, fragmented pieces clicked—he came to mind.
"[Ah, I remember now. You were the leader of those vultures.]"
"Yes, that's right."
I rated my memory highly. But separate from remembering him, I wanted to know why this happened. I'd shown him "mercy" before, treated him amicably enough. Yet his self-proclaimed wife had gone half-mad and started this mess. I deserved an explanation.
"So, why'd you run again, and why'd your wife charge me?"
I asked point-blank. He hesitated briefly, weighing whether to speak.
But it didn't last long. Because.
"[The gods... and those chosen by gods. They're targeting you, Red Dragon... and us too...]"
The White Gold Dragon spoke first.