The Visitor from the Sea
Elenoa and Isabella clutched the scales, their faces alight with rapture. The Red Dragon wasn't a god, but to them, he might as well have been. And so, the scales in their hands were nothing short of holy relics. The pride and sense of responsibility from being their custodians was enough to exalt them completely.
"Mom, who should we give this to?"
"Good question. I'm stumped too."
But setting aside their joy for the moment, they still had to distribute these relics beneficially. Truth be told, most of their kin weren't loyal to the Red Dragon—they were too terrified, trembling at the mere thought of him. It wasn't an easy decision.
"...For now, let's forage for food outside. We can look for crops suitable for growing indoors too."
"Yes, that makes sense. No point brooding over it."
So they decided to handle the most pressing matter first. The elves here hadn't fully settled in yet. There were no lush grasses or trees—just darkness and rock. They had a duty to ration food to those living in such a place.
"...Outside, huh. Mom, am I the only one feeling this lately? I just don't wanna go out there."
"Me too. I wish we could stay by the Red Dragon's side and serve him forever..."
The moment they stepped out of the cave, a subtle displeasure washed over them. The sunlight, once always welcoming, now stung their eyes. The thick grassy scent their elven senses picked up was utterly repulsive. They remembered the aroma of ash and sulfur from when those grasses had all burned away—and for some reason, they craved it now.
"...But we can't do that."
"Hehe, I know exactly what you're thinking. Let's fill the baskets first, then worry about it."
"Yes, Mom."
Yet the two, ever strict about separating duty from desire, dove right into the task. Blessed with powerful bodies from the Red Dragon's grace, they swiftly filled their baskets. Before long, having met their quota, they slung them on their backs.
"Alright, let's go. We have to feed our kin."
"Yes, Mom. Let's go together!"
With baskets brimming with game, fruits, and vegetables, they headed back into the cave. Or tried to.
"...Huh?"
"Isn't that a kid over there?"
"P-please... spare me...!!"
Until they spotted the little girl.
****
"Come this way, dear."
"Y-yes...!"
They guided the girl inside first. A fleeting thought crossed their minds—what if she was a spy?—but she didn't look it, no matter how they scrutinized her. Wounds everywhere had gone untreated and festered. Her clothes and hair were unkempt, singed and tangled. Visually, she couldn't be older than late teens.
No matter how they turned it over, she just seemed like a pitiful child.
"Hold my hand and follow slowly. Otherwise, you might wander this place forever."
Elenoa smiled naturally to put her at ease, leading the way.
"Eek...! Y-yes...!"
The girl followed without protest, despite her fear. But to Isabella's eyes, something about it felt off.
...Something's strange.
Yes, something was wrong. Though she'd lost much of her magical talent to the curse in her youth, Isabella's eyes were sharp. It felt like an illusion or some warped sensation clung to the girl.
"...Elenoa? Can we stop for a sec?"
She halted her daughter amid the fog.
"Huh? Sure, Mom? What's up?"
To resolve the nagging dissonance. To confirm her suspicions.
"Just for a moment, that's all."
She approached the girl step by step.
"Wh-why are you doing this, sis...? Did I do something wrong...?"
The girl trembled but didn't back away, complying as if accustomed to such situations.
"No, just checking something. Can I see your hand for a sec?"
"...Sure."
Isabella eyed the hand briefly, then rummaged in her pocket. As she moved to place one of the Red Dragon's scales on it—
—Swish.
"...So, why are you doing that?"
She resisted. The same girl who'd been compliant moments ago.
Suddenly.
"As I thought. Something's up."
Isabella stated it with certainty, staring her down.
"...Hmm."
Elenoa, watching, reached for her bow.
Flanked by Isabella and Elenoa, the girl glanced around briefly.
"...Sigh, what a pain."
She smirked faintly and continued.
"Why'd you have to pull this now, of all times, when you're carrying that? Did your Red Dragon plan for this too?"
"...Don't speak his name lightly."
She no longer seemed fragile.
—Shhh...
Naturally so. Her wounds were healing as if water seeped into them.
"An apostle of the Water God? If you came here alone, that won't end well for you."
Elenoa immediately thought of a priestess. Priests handled regular spells, sure, but mainly divine magic infused with godly essence. Healing from them carried a fragment of the divine.
In that sense, what the girl wielded fit a Water priestess perfectly.
But.
"Nah, priestess? Nah, I don't like gods any more than that big lug deep down there."
That was the moment.
On her cheeks, arms, legs—familiar scales emerged.
But not the Red Dragon's. These evoked the sea: deep blue scales.
"Gasp...!"
"Th-this is...!"
That alone told Isabella and Elenoa exactly what she was.
Nice to meet you, 'apostles' of the Red Dragon. More serious than I thought, huh?
A dragon wandering human society in human guise. Friendly to humans, endlessly curious.
So, mind guiding me back inside? Got something to discuss with your master.
The 'Blue Dragon' had come calling.
But the two weren't intimidated. She was an uninvited guest, after all. How to handle her was the master's call alone.
Thus, Elenoa declared boldly.
"Please wait here, Blue Dragon. I'll ask my master's will. If you force your way in, you'll have to kill us both first."
You are an uninvited guest. You cannot enter freely.
Such a proclamation, boldly to a dragon.
...Huh.
...Fine, go ahead. He'll probably allow it.
The Blue Dragon paused in surprise but had no intention of causing a scene in the Red Dragon's front yard. She simply complied.
****
Hmm, I've been thinking lately—maybe I'm just fated never to live peacefully. Every time I try to improve things a bit, incidents crop up, accidents happen. I couldn't fathom what triggered it all.
I'd just cleaned up the annoying humans, and now a dragon shows up in person? The Blue Dragon, no less—one even my past 'self' never crossed paths with?
Just as I sensed something seriously tangled—
"Red Dragon, sir. I've brought her."
Elenoa's voice pierced my ear, reminding me it wasn't time for distractions.
"Understood."
I responded to her words for now. Truth be told, I had zero desire to meet. She looked like pure hassle—pretentious, bound to drone on boringly. I wanted to shoo her far away, but instinct screamed it'd just summon more headaches.
So I opted to meet her. And sure enough, my prediction hit the mark.
She had a strikingly cheerful vibe.
...And an incredibly chatty mouth. Her demeanor suggested this was her reining it in. Noticing my bored stare, she seemed to think, 'Oh, he doesn't like chit-chat,' and toned it down.
Shoving her out might've invited even weirder trouble. Imagining it made my neck ache, so I cut straight to it.
I said Leviathan's fine!
Leviathan. Whatever. Fine, straight to business like you want.
With that, she released her polymorph.
—Crunch, crackle...
A bit smaller than me but still massive serpentine form—her true self—and she pressed on.
What're you thinking? Staying quiet all this time, then suddenly gunning for divinity?
I could only gape in shock.
Challenging divinity? What the hell was that supposed to mean?
You were basically the concept of 'calamity' already.
Was I? Really? Why?
Everyone stayed silent, watching you quietly wreak havoc.
But now you're gathering followers, building a 'holy site' like this... It just looks like you're gunning for a calamity god's throne.
...Listening to her, I was certain. Things were seriously messed up.
Very seriously.