Nestled on the slopes of the mountains, the village bustled with life each day.
「Like this…?」
「Yes, yes! Now, thread that stem through there… Well done!」
「Mint, you’re so skilled! Not that we could manage it with these claws, though!」
「Maybe… I’m a little jealous…」
「You’re a dragon, after all. It can’t be helped. Just use magic instead.」
「Exactly. We may have the same hand shape, but we’re too big to manage it ourselves. We always use magic to make our flower crowns.」
「Hey, Pochi, if you’re going to decorate your horns, which of these do you want?」
「Kyuruu…?」
The blood demon flower Alraune, young dragons, the Tarasque, and fairies—all sorts of different beings—played together in the grassy fields.
Some made flower crowns and grass flutes, while others chased each other around, rolled balls across the fields, or rode on the back of the Tarasque, laughing with glee.
Some floated gently in the air, held up by young dragons, while others rolled lazily on the ground. Even the lamia busy with farmwork watched from a distance, smiling at the lively scene.
「It’s a peaceful life, isn’t it?」
The one who murmured this with a deep, gravelly voice was the master of the village. Ji Liz, striding across the settlement, watched the children with fondness.
「It is almost lunchtime. The bread here is delicious, so I never tire of it.」
「You’ve made yourself quite at home, haven’t you, Heavenly Bell-dono?」
Ji Liz said in a playful tone, addressing a human woman dressed in a witch’s garb.
The woman sat comfortably atop the base of Ji Liz’s neck, her silver hair flowing in the wind as she gazed out over the pasture, clearly enjoying herself.
「Well, it would be rude to act too reserved when you’re hosting us.」
She said with a laugh, gently patting Ji Liz’s neck as she spoke.
This woman—Viole—was currently staying in the village with her family, excluding Sui and Karen.
The reason for their stay was a little embarrassing: her lacking household skills.
In the Hatano family, nearly all the meals were prepared by Sui, as Viole was terrible at cooking and could barely manage to help. With Sui gone on a long journey, Viole was faced with a choice: stay in town, try her hand at self-sufficient cooking, or bring her family to the dragon’s village.
In the end, she chose the third option, and now they were all staying in the village. Even the fairies, finding themselves with nothing to do, occasionally visited, making every day lively and noisy.
However, Ji Liz and the villagers welcomed them warmly. Viole, who happily accepted all that was offered to her without reservation, was almost refreshing in her carefree approach.
「Honestly, if you were quiet and reserved, it would feel strange.」
「Oh? And what exactly do you mean by that?」
Viole asked with a slight pout.
Ji Liz smirked but then his expression softened, his tone taking on a note of melancholy.
「Is it that much more comfortable here than in Sidera?」
「Yes. There aren’t any people here.」
Viole’s quick response was kind of contradictory.
「…You don’t like people, do you?」
「Not really. I don’t say it out loud for Sui’s sake, but…」
Ji Liz recalled the first time he met Viole.
Back then, she viewed the world with detachment, mistrusted everything around her, and only opened her heart to her family—Kazuteru, their two children, and their dog.
Her aura of magic was vast enough to dwarf even dragons, sharp and volatile. When they first clashed, it wasn’t Kazuteru who had seemed the greater threat, but Viole.
The reason she eventually forged a bond with him wasn’t just because Kazuteru and Ji Liz had become close friends. It was because he was a dragon. To the ‘Heavenly Bell Witch’, dragons were still more trustworthy than humans.
「Even so. I’ve softened over the past thirteen years. After my husband and son got caught up in that mess and were sent away, I had to rely on the kindness of others, on their strength… And during those times, you disappeared without a word and became untraceable.」
「I apologize for that. I wasn’t used to dealing with people either… I regret it now.」
「No, that was petty of me. I should be the one apologizing… Kazu-kun would have wanted to see you again, I’m sure.」
It was a sad reflection. Even if they’d stayed in close contact, Kazuteru was still lost to them. There was no changing that.
「Even after all the help I’ve received from people, and even though I’m no longer as rigid as I once was, I still find it easier to be here than in Sidera. The dragons, the lamias—they treat me like any other guest. They don’t watch me nervously, trying to please me or manipulate me to serve their interests.」
Though Ji Liz had been mingling with humans far more frequently since this past spring, the intricacies of human society still eluded him. It wasn’t that he lacked knowledge; he simply couldn’t empathize with or fully understand the human way of coexisting with those they didn’t like. All he could offer was a vague sympathy, aware of how tiresome that life must be.
「…Sometimes, I think about the mutants.」
Viole murmured, her eyes drifting toward the sea below the slopes.
She was recalling the time a mutant—a hybrid of snake, turtle, and shark—had threatened the lamia’s existence. It was a tragic creature, ultimately defeated by Sui.
「What if they lived longer? What would happen to them, driven purely by instinct and rage? Would they come to hate the world, to loathe and resent it? Perhaps even wish to destroy it?」
She had heard an old story, a legend passed down from long ago.
Once upon a time, there had been a mutant who overcame the madness consuming its body and achieved unnaturally long life. It melted the crystal crucibles within its body and regained a semblance of its former self. Yet, despite appearing to be a living being once again, it was nothing more than a living disaster—a calamity that ravaged the world, heedless of anything but its own whims.
At least, more than two thousand years ago.
It appeared in the world, disrupted the stars, and was ultimately defeated by someone, yet no one remembers the details. Even among the ancient dragons, it is only remembered as a fairy tale.
It was called——the ‘Demon King’.
Viole said with a hint of self-mockery,
「I grew up unable to fit into society, unlike Sui-kun or Karen. And in human society, I am far too strong. …Perhaps I am no different from those beings, merely a different version.」
Not out of arrogance, but as a simple fact.
Thus, she spoke with a voice full of unease.
And then——
「…Eek! What’s going on all of a sudden?」
Ji Liz, without a word, spread his wings and soared into the sky, his magic enveloping them. The ground quickly receded beneath them, and the children playing nearby, cheering and pointing at them, became mere specks.
「Heavenly Bell-dono. No… Viole.」
Upon reaching the height of the clouds, he hovered in place and addressed Viole, clinging to his back.
「Humans are so small. If I were to release the air around me and perform a somersault, you would fall straight to the ground and be squashed. Such things cannot be done by a mutated being.」
「Wait?! What are you—」
「I will not carry a mutated being on my back. I will only carry someone as proud as myself, someone I consider a friend.」
「Ji Liz…」
The dragon——looking up at the sky with its scales shimmering in the sunlight.
「It may be old news to you… but Viole, you tomboy. The battle where you burned my scales and froze my claws feels recent to me. It was enjoyable. Even without Kazuteru-dono, it’s still a lot of fun.」
Viole——
For a moment, her face seemed on the verge of tears, but she then held it back and chuckled.
「Don’t be so cheeky. Did you think you could beat me just because Kazu-kun isn’t here? It’s been eighteen… or maybe nineteen years, let me show you how much people can grow in such a short time.」
「Heh, you can try, but afterward, I will be scolded by my wife, and you will be reprimanded by the children.」
And so Ji Liz too.
His mouth stretched into a wide grin, showing his teeth, laughing heartily.
「That’s scary. Perhaps I should avoid that. …Instead, how about a little flight around here?」
「Very well, let that be our compromise.」
The dragon soared through the sky.
Carrying his friend, who laughed like a bell, proudly and majestically.
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