Chapter 40: The Dragon’s Demise: A Foretold Fate

Valentina fidgets in my arms for a while.

Her horn keeps poking my cheek; I think it’s going to bleed soon.

“Khahaha. Really? That fellow Don Quixote died like that?”

I just finished reading Don Quixote to her.

Of course, the night is too short to read the original, so I read a children’s abridged version.

“Yes. He’s quite foolish, isn’t he? That’s the end of the story.”

“What’s the next story? The story of the king who drew the sword, and the story of the mad knight, were also very interesting.”

She looks at me with sparkling eyes, full of anticipation.

After our conversation ended, Valentina, nestled in my arms, begged for more stories.

Her head is resting on my chest, making it a bit awkward to move.

Perhaps she still feels uncomfortable using my true name, as she seems to prefer being called Valentina.

Whether she craves a mother’s love or is simply bored, I don’t know, but

I was enjoying myself, finally able to share stories from my past life.

Of course, since I have no talent for creative writing, I simply recounted my favorite stories.

But I’m running out of medieval chivalric literature…

“There’s the story of the gray wizard who left the hero’s party, the boy who drew the Holy Sword in the underground city, and the story of the regressor who loved a blind person…”

But my most beloved stories are a bit too long.

It’s impossible to convey the beauty of those masterpieces in a single night. Then…

“I’d like to tell you about a foolish Saintess.”

“Please do. I never tire of your stories.”

What I discovered while talking with Valentina is that whenever I need specific knowledge, it suddenly appears in my mind.

As long as it’s not about the future, it keeps coming.

So I thought if I talked about the Saintess with Valentina, I might learn more details, so

I started talking about the Saintess, but…

“…Ileia, let’s skip this story. I have a bad feeling about it.”

I had no choice but to stop because of Valentina, who frowned and expressed discomfort.

Perhaps it’s intuition.

Dragons have excellent intuition.

“Okay, then I’ll stop here.”

“Hmm, one thing’s for sure…that woman will likely become a god.”

Huh?

She’s the one who told me not to talk about it, and now she’s saying what?

And the content is also unexpected.

Slightly flustered, I asked in a trembling voice,

“Excuse me?”

“Early sacrifice, reincarnation, regression, and subsequent transcendent actions. What’s left? If I had to guess, it would be the subjugation of the dragons.”

At Valentina’s casual remark,

a star flickered in my heart.

I knew instinctively.

I knew, even though I didn’t want to.

The Saintess’s plan for world peace.

The final requirement for becoming a god.

The death of the little girl in my arms, old beyond her years.

Valentina’s demise.

Valentina, unaware of the beginning of the tragedy that suddenly flashed through my mind, continued calmly, her tone analytical, speaking of her own death.

“With that Saintess’s noble sacrifice alone, she would have become a constellation with at least four stars. But isn’t she aiming for something more?”

“Ah…”

“Heehee, why the long face? If such a person exists, I’d gladly fight with all my might and die. I could be recorded as the dragon who contributed to the birth of a god.”

Is there any reason for me to be sad if Valentina dies?

A murderer.

A monster who destroyed dozens of nations.

The last Dragon King.

And a little girl.

Consumed by power, unaware of anything.

A fallen star, a star-eating star, mocked by the stars.

A fool.

“Still, I want to crush the constellations that gave me this fate.”

“The god who rules the stars versus the dragon who devours them. Aren’t you curious who would win?”

“It would be a monumental battle. A fight between cosmic beings, beyond the involvement of the Demon King or the Hero…”

Valentina said dreamily, a look of ecstasy on her face.

The scale is certainly immense.

“…When that time comes, I’ll mourn for you.”

“Haha, I hope I can die in your arms.”

Valentina laughs,

uttering the most futile wish.

Ah, your wish will surely be granted.

Your god will embrace you after killing you.

Taking all the tears you should have shed,

I will resent the world in your stead.

Becoming the god who created you and this world.

Tears well up.

Sadness for the world?

Regret?

Is it an act?

Or perhaps…joy.

“Really, it’s just a story, why are you so immersed?”

“Oh, just a story? People’s lives change because of the strangest things. Not everyone I’ve met lived for a noble cause.”

“Not a noble cause…?”

“Not revenge for their family, or a family’s long-cherished wish, or an adventure to revive something lost…but someone who lived to emulate a protagonist in a story. Someone who lived to feed their child.”

The sound of Valentina’s heart beating against my chest,

resonated with my own.

I didn’t know. How those trivial things could sustain a life.

“The world is a stage. But there are no supporting roles. Everyone is the protagonist of their own story, and even those I’ve thoughtlessly killed had stories longer than a single book.”

I feel foolish, having lived so selfishly with all my cheat abilities.

While I, with the power to change the world, stood idly by, why did people live so diligently?

It’s obvious.

Because the world I abandoned is also the world they want to change.

Pretending not to understand, I wipe away my tears and retort,

“What’s with the sudden moral lesson…”

Valentina speaks like a poet who loves the stars and the wind.

For some reason, looking at her, I harbored a futile fantasy.

If I change the world, if I become a god,

I want to give her a chance.

A trivial chance to live an ordinary life.

The things she loved in stories.

Adventure, dreams, love, friendship, camaraderie, trivial quarrels.

Joy, regret, bitterness, suicide, birth, death, despair and hope.

Another chance to live, feeling the stars, the sea, the wind, and the sky.

“I adore trivial things. I live, feeling a deep passion for each and every one of them. That’s why I can easily distinguish those with grand destinies.”

She presses her head harder against my chest.

Our gazes meet at a right angle. We’re both crying. One out of sympathy, the other out of sorrow.

“You must also be someone with a grand narrative. I pray your journey is free from harsh winds. As you know, beautiful things melt away too quickly.”

“Yes. And I pray that your journey towards the death you desire…will one day see the light.”

Valentina smiles faintly, saying nothing. I smile too.

Because we both know it’s time to part.

A platinum sun rises from the depths of the sea.

The sun, not the strongest of stars, but praised above all others because of its proximity.

Burning as if to incinerate all that is unholy.

But Valentina remains unchanged. Stars are not gods.

Valentina leaves my embrace.

I wanted to hold on, and she lingered, reluctant to leave.

“The sun is rising. Any last words?”

Huh. It’s already over…though it feels like eight hours have passed.

Last words.

We’ve already said all sorts of nonsense, caught up in the pre-dawn emotions, but there are still so many things left unsaid. But what I want to say most is just one thing.

“Eat well, and sleep well.”

“…Hee.”

Valentina lowers her head and chuckles.

Cute. Not like the most depraved of beings.

Stopping her laughter, her expression turning serious, she says,

“A word of advice. Don’t be in Baiton tomorrow. It will be a sacrificial offering to accumulate my bad karma.”

…I had a feeling.

A disciple raised with care, killed and displayed in this town.

His corpse left to rot in the streets for over a month, becoming indistinguishable from the filth.

Baiton must be a nightmare, a hell, for you.

I know you intend to accumulate as much bad karma as possible, to become kindling for the hero who will eventually arrive.

But what you’re doing doesn’t suit you.

To me, you’re just a cute girl who loves stories.

If you were born an ordinary child in this world, you’d dream of becoming a librarian.

If you were born in a world like my past life, you’d be a fragile soul like me, giggling while reading web novels.

My voice trembles slightly as I ask,

a plea hidden within my words,

“Do you have to go that far?”

“There’s no mercy for the Dragon of Revelation.”

You’re not the Dragon of Revelation.

You could have become the guardian dragon of a nation.

If you hadn’t transcended, you would have lived happily with the other dragons.

“Just… a baby lizard.”

“Such bold words before a dragon. Well, I have no pride in my race.”

Tears well up.

Perhaps I’m synchronizing with the Saintess.

Or maybe I’m just incredibly feminine.

Now that I know your past,

I truly must become a god.

“I will definitely free you…

and change everything.”

 

***

 

“So, you didn’t catch a single fish because you got caught up in the pre-dawn emotions?”

“Haha, Cephas, well…”

“Come here. I was worried sick all day because of…”

Cephas stood up, holding his harpoon.

I ran away as fast as I could.