Chapter 9: The Cabin Roof Collapsed
by fnovelpia
Just then, a clothing store came into view nearby.
Beyond the glass window,
The clothes hanging quietly caught my eye.
Soft fabrics,
Glittering decorations,
Elegant embroidery.
Not bad at all.
‘…Something a child could wear. …There it is.’
Small clothes were visible inside the store.
Slowly, I opened the door.
Ding-a-ling—the bell chimed.
“Welcome.”
I gave a slight nod and approached the display I had spotted earlier.
Carefully, I reached out.
A soft, thick fabric brushed against my fingertips.
‘Wearing something like this would keep them warm.’
Just then, the clerk approached.
“Are you looking for children’s clothes?”
“Yes.”
“How old are they?”
“Don’t know. A baby, they say.”
The clerk blinked, then smiled faintly.
“Baby clothes are over here.”
“These… aren’t they too small?”
I muttered without thinking.
The clerk, still smiling, nodded.
“Baby clothes are usually this small.”
“…I see.”
They looked far too tiny for a child to wear.
Glancing between the clothes I’d first seen and the ones the clerk recommended, it suddenly hit me.
‘…Ah, right.’
Come to think of it,
There was a time when clothes adjusted their size to fit the wearer.
“…So these must be like that too.”
“Huh?”
“Pick out warm ones for me.”
“Of course. How many sets would you like?”
“A lot.”
The clerk’s eyes widened.
Perhaps because the request wasn’t specific enough.
After a brief hesitation, I spoke again.
“Enough to last at least ten years.”
“…Pardon? Babies grow so quickly—they wouldn’t need that many, ma’am.”
“…I see. Then just pick a reasonable amount.”
“Understood.”
The clerk nodded belatedly, still smiling.
Leaving them to their task, I turned my gaze elsewhere.
‘In the meantime, I should look at robes.’
I examined the robes hanging on one side of the store.
Robes of various colors were neatly arranged.
From lightweight, soft materials to thick fabrics specialized for cold weather.
I picked out a familiar design and skimmed over it.
‘…Ah, it’s enchanted with cold resistance.’
I set it back down and picked up a robe without any enchantments.
‘Who knows what side effects might occur if mixed with modern magic.’
Ever since becoming an evil dragon,
I’d been casting detection spells on my robes.
Even the robe I’d tossed aside in the corner of the cabin after wiping the child down had been enchanted.
Detection spells were woven into it,
making it react to even the slightest changes.
‘The problem is, it’s so sensitive it even reacts to falling leaves.’
Perhaps because I wasn’t wearing it,
my body flinched every time the child moved.
‘I should’ve dispelled the magic and discarded it.’
Once I get back, I’ll undo the spells on the robe and adjust the detection magic to be less sensitive.
After finishing the purchase, I draped the new robe over my shoulders.
Maybe because I’d worn one while drifting through worlds,
The familiarity brought a sense of comfort.
‘Next… found it.’
I stopped by an alchemy shop.
The scent of medicinal herbs,
Which I hadn’t smelled in a long time,
Assaulted my senses the moment I opened the door.
‘…This.’
Alcohol, dried herbs, mineral powders,
And the faint remnants of mana residue.
The blended aroma was rich yet familiar.
‘The smell hasn’t changed.’
A distant memory surfaced—
A time when I gathered herbs myself,
Meticulously measured ratios,
And carefully crafted potions.
‘Some things really do stay the same.’
The tools might have changed,
But the scent was just as I remembered.
Beyond the display counter, a woman with deep wrinkles around her eyes greeted me.
“Welcome, what are you looking for?”
“A child got hurt. Recommend something useful.”
“Oh dear. How old are they? And how severe are the injuries?”
“A baby. Their knees and shins got scraped while crawling.”
The woman nodded lightly,
Then bent down and pulled out a few small bottles from the shelf.
“This is a fragrance-free ointment. It aids skin regeneration and soothes pain. Made with gentle ingredients, so it’s safe for babies.”
“Okay.”
“And this is a disinfectant. It’s also mild, so it should be fine.”
“…I see. What’s that?”
“Ah, this is a powdered medicine. It protects the wounded area. Apply a small amount over the ointment for best results.”
I picked up each bottle, sniffed it, and examined it closely.
A vaguely familiar scent.
Recalling their effects, I tested them in my palm.
They were mild enough to use on a child.
“Good. I’ll take them all.”
“Of course.”
“I’d also like to buy some alchemy tools and ingredients.”
“Which ones?”
“All of them.”
The woman’s eyes widened, her mouth falling open.
“…Excuse me, all of them?”
“Yes.”
“…Why?”
“I need them.”
I pulled a diamond from my pocket.
The same one the old man at the bookstore had refused.
The woman’s eyes grew even wider.
“…A-Are you planning to buy the shop?”
“No.”
She pressed her lips together and stared at me blankly.
Normally, I’d have waited patiently,
But the child was waiting.
Tilting my head, I urged her on.
“When will you give them to me?”
“Huh? Wh-What? I mean, I just…”
“If it’s a problem, forget it. Just the medicine.”
“…Huh? Oh, yes!”
Flustered, the woman began packing the medicines.
I put the diamond away
And took out a fingernail-sized piece of gold instead.
“Is this enough?”
“Th-This is too much, though?”
“Really? Then…”
I glanced around the shop again.
A few familiar herbs and ingredients caught my eye.
‘…That.’
A fruit I used to snack on,
Under the shade of trees long ago.
“That one…”
“Pardon? That fruit?”
“Yes. Can a baby eat it?”
“Ah, yes. As long as they’re not a newborn…”
“Add that too. Along with those ingredients and tools. Then this should cover it, right?”
The woman nodded hastily.
A short while later,
We exchanged the carefully wrapped package for the gold.
‘I’ve already got a full load.’
My hands were overflowing.
Clover, books, the child’s clothes, medicine, herbs, and alchemy tools.
Nails and a hammer to fix the door, even a small saw.
But this was the last of it.
Leaving the general store,
I headed toward the ranch the grocer had mentioned.
I walked for a long time outside the village.
Not a single person in sight.
The only living creatures were flocks of migrating birds.
Maybe that’s why.
The urge to spread my wings and fly crept up on me.
‘If not for the child, I’d have waited till nightfall and flown…’
The moment I let out a quiet sigh—
My scales stood on end as my body jolted violently.
A familiar sensation.
This feeling was unmistakably…
The detection spell on my robe activates.
‘…What?’
I stopped walking toward the ranch.
The surroundings were peaceful.
The wind blew gently,
The sunlight was still warm.
No signs of disturbance anywhere,
So why were my scales prickling like this?
‘There’s clearly nothing… Wait.’
It took me a moment to realize—
The enchanted robe wasn’t on me. It was back at the cabin.
The one in danger wasn’t me.
It was the child.
“…Halt.”
The wind stopped.
The flock of birds froze midair.
“Warp.”
Space distorted.
The scenery before me changed in an instant.
Right in front of the cabin.
The musty scent of old wood and thick dust filled the air.
Brushing aside the leaves suspended in the air, I scanned the area.
“…That.”
The cabin’s roof was frozen mid-collapse.
Falling timber,
Crumbling stone fragments,
Billowing dust.
And—
The faint presence of a small life inside.
‘…Damn it.’
My reaction had been too slow—the collapse was already well underway.
Luckily, it hadn’t fully caved in yet,
But if I went in to retrieve the child, the debris I’d paused might resume falling.
The strain of using my power was already making my head throb.
But—
The child had to come first.
Taking a deep breath, I focused power into one hand.
Perhaps because I hadn’t used my abilities in so long,
Hazy memories flashed vividly before my eyes.
The time I eradicated the giants.
When I erased the restraints they’d crafted and reduced their prison, layered with countless barrier spells, to nothing…
Their expressions twisted instantly into terror and dread.
“…Impossible.”
“The seals containing chaos… all of them…”
“W-We definitely cast perfect spells to suppress evil…”
“How in the…!”
I didn’t hear the rest.
I’d already obliterated them all.
The giants’ plan was doomed from the start.
What they’d sealed was a power entirely unrelated to my true nature.
Dragons are born with inherent attributes.
From elements like fire, water, wind, earth, and lightning,
To abstract concepts like light and darkness, good and evil, order and chaos.
A dragon’s attribute is inseparable from its essence,
And in turn, it mirrors the essence of the world itself.
‘…Done.’
Sensing the power gathered at my fingertips, I surveyed the area.
Leaves suspended in midair.
Dust frozen mid-scatter.
The paused world hung on the edge of my finger.
The creatures of this world are gravely mistaken about one thing.
They assume that because I am an evil dragon,
My attribute must be “evil” or “chaos.”
But—
“evil” and “chaos”
were merely labels the gods imposed after I became an evil dragon.
My primordial essence was never those things.
“Reverse.”
The collapsing roof rewound, returning to its original state.
Cracked walls seamlessly repaired themselves,
Shattered window panes realigned perfectly.
The vines covering the walls vanished entirely.
By the time the cabin was restored to its original state, I slowly withdrew all my power.
I am,
This world’s time.
And—
It’s the only eternity.
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