Chapter 202: Interlude – Philia’s Story

When she was a child, Philia imagined that if the gods had a form, they would look like fickle little children.

Considering the life she had been given, she couldn’t help but feel that way.

Born the daughter of a wealthy merchant family, she enjoyed every luxury, but after her family’s business collapsed, they were reduced to poverty almost overnight.

Thanks to the credit they had built up, they managed to borrow money and start anew as traveling merchants, but even that was snatched away when they were attacked by bandits.

Her parents were killed in the fight, and Philia was captured and sold into slavery.

She managed to steal a key and escape on the third day, but was quickly recaptured.

As punishment for her defiance, she was sold to a cult as a live offering.

All of this happened before Philia had even turned eight years old.

A fall too steep for any one person to endure.

A chain of overwhelming misfortunes so extreme, she could hardly believe it was real.

The priest had said that Lafray was a merciful goddess — so why was she punishing her like this?

She had always obeyed her parents, never done anything wrong.

She had tried so hard to be a good girl, never crying, always behaving.

So why?

Why only her?

Why?

Philia thought: it must be because the gods were fickle and capricious beings.

Sometimes they bestow blessings that bring people joy, and sometimes they cast misfortune that drags them into utter despair.

There was no standard.

They simply shuffled destinies at their whim, watching people laugh and cry from far above the sky.

And they would smirk vilely, like a mischievous child giggling behind others’ backs after causing trouble.

That was how Philia saw the gods: beings of overwhelming power coupled with immature minds — the strongest little brats in the world.

Which was why she was truly shocked.

She never imagined that someone who looked exactly like the god she pictured would come to rescue her.

“Ah, damn it, my clothes are covered in blood. What a pain. Should I just buy new ones? The village isn’t far anyway.”

The blue-haired girl grimaced as she twisted the hem of her sleeve, wringing it out.

Crimson blood dripped to the ground, merging with other puddles of blood that had already gathered in the lower parts of the cave.

She looked unmistakably underage.

Of course, she was still older than Philia, but not by much.

She looked even younger than the parents Philia had lost, and certainly younger than the cultists she had just killed.

Everyone — Philia, the cultists, anyone who was present — thought the girl would lose.

It was only natural to assume so.

But the girl shattered that assumption completely — quite literally.

With a single punch, she pierced through the torso of a grown man.

With a single kick, she sent three enemies flying at once.

She even snapped her fingers, and the resulting gust of wind exploded the head of a distant cultist.

Meanwhile, despite taking blows and blades with her bare body, she didn’t have a single scratch.

Her resilience was astonishing, unbelievable even when witnessed with one’s own eyes.

Nearly fifty cultists had gathered around the altar, but not a single one landed a clean hit on the mysterious girl.

In the end, they threw everything they had at her — even sacrificing their own bodies — but it was useless.

The girl swept through them like a natural disaster, leaving nothing in her wake.

The only survivor was Philia, who had been chained to a corner of the cave.

“Huh? Oh, there’s a kid. Were they going to offer you as a sacrifice? Typical disgusting cultists.”

The girl — a calamity in human form, named Dorothy — muttered as she grabbed the chain.

With just a simple tug, the thick chain snapped as easily as silk thread.

“There. You’re free now. Go wherever you want. Run as far as you like. I’m off.”

With a flutter, wings sprouted from Dorothy’s back — wings so large they dwarfed her own body, a pair on each side.

And at that moment, Philia was certain.

‘Ah, she really is a god.’

“W-wait, please!”

“?!”

Philia called out desperately to Dorothy, who was just about to leave the altar.

Dorothy turned her head, a question mark practically floating above her face.

“What? Got something to say to me?”

“Well, um, that is…”

Philia nervously wrung her hands, fidgeting with her fingers.

But then, summoning all her courage, she shouted:

“P-please take me with you! I’ll do anything you ask!”

“Huh?”

Dorothy frowned in confusion at the unexpected request.

Misinterpreting that reaction as rejection, Philia pleaded even more desperately.

“P-please! I’ve been trained by my parents to do all the housework! I can wash dishes, do laundry, clean — everything! I can’t cook yet, but if you teach me, I’ll learn right away! So please!”

“Honestly, I don’t really need any of that though…”

Dorothy scratched her head with a troubled expression.

“Don’t you have a guardian? Your parents?”

“They died, just a few days ago, killed by bandits.”

“Any relatives? I could take you to them if you have any.”

“None. I don’t even know where we are right now. We were attacked after leaving home by carriage…”

“Hmmm…”

Dorothy’s face twisted in deep contemplation.

She found the idea of taking Philia along troublesome, but also couldn’t just leave her here out of pity.

Sensing that a little more push would do it, Philia clung to Dorothy’s ankle and begged even harder.

“Please, I’m begging you! I’ll do any chores you want, even the hard ones!If you ask, I’ll even offer my body! Just please, take me with you!”

“Agh, geez…”

After a long internal struggle, Dorothy finally let out a heavy sigh.

“You seem to think I’m some kind of wandering martial artist or knight-errant or something, but I’m not.

I’m not even the same kind of being as you humans. Since you’ve come this far, I guess I’ll show you—”

In the next instant, Dorothy’s body swelled up dramatically.

Her blue hair melded into her skin, transforming into shimmering blue scales.

Her small, delicate hands became thick forepaws.

Her dainty face twisted into a reptilian form, and two sharp horns jutted out from her head.

Her size grew large enough to blanket the entire altar.

Her charisma was overwhelming.

The god — now revealed in her true form — looked down at Philia from high above and spoke.

[As you can see, I’m a dragon. I’m a monster who could swallow you whole if I wanted, not someone who needs your cooking. You still want to come with me? Planning to be my portable emergency ration or something?]

“……….”

Philia gasped in terror.

Of course, that last part was just a bluff.

Dorothy had never eaten a human, nor did she have any desire to.

She never would.

But she figured a good scare might finally break Philia’s stubbornness.

Look at that — the girl was already trembling in fear, just from hearing those words.

[See? The moment you saw my true form, you immediately started trembling. How do you expect to stay by my side like that?

Now you understand what it means when people say we ‘move in different worlds,’ right? If you get it, stop bothering me and leave.]

“……….”

Philia couldn’t even manage a response. She simply lowered her head in shame.

Good, that should be enough.

Confident in that, Dorothy spread her wings, preparing to take off into the sky.

But at that moment—

“Ugh, I-I’m okay…! I can handle this much!”

Philia shouted, standing her ground even as her legs trembled violently.

Dorothy frowned in irritation.

[Enough already, will you? I told you it’s impossible. Do my words mean nothing to you? How long are you going to cling to me?]

“B-but like I said, I have nowhere else to go! You’re my last hope! Please, at least just give me a place to stay…!”

[Ah, seriously. I really didn’t want to use this against a kid…]

Dorothy cracked her neck a few times, and then, in the next instant, released her power.

Dragon’s Might — Frightful Presence.

“Eep—!?”

Philia’s mind instantly went blank.

This ability, often translated as Dragon Fear, was far beyond what an ordinary person could withstand — let alone a young child not even through puberty.

Philia tried desperately to endure it, but in the end, she collapsed to the ground.

A yellow liquid pooled beneath her, soaking the floor.

Dorothy looked down at her with a twinge of pity, then turned her head away.

[Now you really know your place. Though… looks like you lost control in another way too. Sorry about that. But think of it as the price for your stubbornness.]

Standing next to a dragon isn’t something a short-lived human brat can handle.

“……….”

[I’m really leaving this time.]

With that, Dorothy unfurled her wings again, preparing for uninterrupted flight—

“W-wait…!”

[!?]

The voice behind her made Dorothy genuinely flinch.

No way… did she survive the Dragon Fear? A mere eight-year-old!?

“I-I’m still… okay. Hic… I can manage. I’ll try not to be a burden. I’ll work hard… so please, I’m begging you…!”

[…….]

Of course, Philia was nowhere close to being “okay.”

Her legs trembled, her face was deathly pale, and she looked ready to collapse at any moment.

But even so, she stood up.

Fighting against the crushing pressure, she lifted her head and met Dorothy’s gaze head-on.

There had been others who resisted Dorothy’s Frightful Presence before, but never a child this young.
In almost 500 years of life, it was a first — a rare, incredible feat.

And that rarity piqued the dragon’s interest.

[You’re interesting]

Dorothy said, stroking her chin as she looked at Philia.

[I don’t know how you’ll grow, but… you might be worth raising. And anyway, it could be fun.

Besides, it’s not such a hassle taking care of a kid who’s old enough to know right from wrong.]

“Th-then…?”

Philia looked up at her with eyes full of hope.

Dorothy smiled slightly in response.

[Yeah. As you wish, I’ll take you to my lair and raise you. Sometimes I need someone to go into town in my human form to handle things, so I’ll use you for that.

But no salary — just food and shelter. Got it?]

“Th-thank you! Thank you so much!!”

Philia dropped to her knees and bowed repeatedly in gratitude, tears of relief streaming from her eyes.

Dorothy waited until the girl’s emotions settled, then gave a quiet warning:

[But listen. To keep pests and wild animals away, I always keep my Frightful Presence activated in the lair.
If you keep showing fear like you are now, I’ll kick you out immediately.

Understand?]

“Y-yes! I won’t be scared! I promise…!”

Philia pounded her chest with her fist in a vow, though her trembling voice made it sound more pitiful than brave.

Dorothy, still unconvinced, stared at her and made her swear again.

[I mean it. Even the slightest sign of fear, and you’re out. Got it?]

“Yes!!”

Philia nodded vigorously.

Finally, the dragon nodded back.

[Good. My name is Dorothea Gwendolyn. Yours?]

“Philia, Master!”

[Philia, huh? I’ll remember it.]

Dorothy extended her claw for a handshake, and Philia, overwhelmed with emotion, grasped it with both hands and shook it.

Thus, their first meeting was complete.

And ten years later—

“Master, I’m hungry. Could you go to the store and get me some bread and milk? Preferably with cream filling.”

“Master, none of the laundry is dry. Did you seriously wash it and just pile it up like that?
It’s going to get moldy! Can you please think a little?”

“Ugh, I’m so tired. Trying to go to school when you don’t even know the basics of magic is so hard.
Master, could you come massage my shoulders? At like, 1% of your usual strength?”

“…………..”

With each passing day, Philia’s demands grew more shameless.

Finally, Dorothy’s patience snapped.

The water glass she was holding shattered with a crack.

“Even if circumstances have me working as your maid, don’t you think you’re getting a little too full of yourself!? Huh, Philiaaaa??”

“Eh?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Isn’t this exactly what you wanted, Master? I’m just fulfilling your wishes.”

“Who ever said I wanted this!?”

Dorothy hurled the crumpled remains of the glass onto the floor and glared furiously at Philia.

“You little brat, you’ve gotten way too comfortable after ten years together, haven’t you?
Think you can boss me around now!? Have you forgotten I could crush your skull anytime I feel like it?”

“Of course not. How could I forget something like that? I remember it very clearly.”

“Then why do you treat me like this!? Aren’t you scared of me at all?!”

“…….”

Upon hearing that, Philia gave a small, almost nostalgic smile. As if recalling a long-forgotten promise.

Adjusting her glasses, she said:

“Of course not. I’ve never been afraid of you, Master. And I never will be — not now, not ever.”

Her voice carried a strange, refreshing sense of certainty.