The Dragon Regressed

Crraack!!

Along with the sound of the shell cracking, warm sunlight shone through.

‘It’s dazzling.’

The sunlight, which I encountered for the first time, was so harsh that I frowned.

For a long time, I blinked my eyes, trying to adapt to the light.

How much time had passed like that?

The dazzling light had subsided somewhat.

The first thing I saw was a foreleg covered in black scales.

And at its tip, a tiny, adorable claw.

It was so blunt that it hadn’t even been properly sharpened.

I’ll have to trim them later when I have time.

Pressing down on the crumbled fallen leaves, I slowly re-adapted to my young body.

Thud!!

And then, I would occasionally trip and fall.

Perhaps because I had just been born, my limbs were short, everything was short.

Even though it was my own body, it felt incredibly unfamiliar in many ways.

‘It’s been a while, so I’m not used to it.’

As you can see, I am no ordinary human.

I am a Dragon.

A legendary mythical beast with massive wings covered in scales all over its body.

Considered an avatar of God, a being that performs miracles.

That is the kind of being I am.

But how do I know such things, having just been born?

That’s because I am a regressor.

This life is, for me, my seventh life.

Having already lived six lives,

I had married six times during that period.

I had six wives.

My marriage in my first life was with the Saint of the Holy Dominion.

My marriage in my second life was with the Empress of the Empire.

My marriage in my third life was with the High Elf, guardian of the World Tree.

My marriage in my fourth life was with the Queen of the Fairies.

My marriage in my fifth life was with the Spirit of the Lake.

My marriage in my sixth life was with the Vampire Princess.

The sad and joyful moments I shared with them. And even the moment of death…

All of it remained vividly in my mind.

‘But why do I have all my past life’s memories in this life?’

Normally, one would lose all memories once a life ended.

Until now, I had regressed, having completely forgotten all previous memories.

But why is it?

Not only did I not lose my memories in this life…

I even regained all my past life’s memories.

What exactly could this mean?

Even after racking my brain and agonizing over it for a long time, no answer came.

‘Ugh, I don’t know.’

Thump!

I just lay flat on my back, staring blankly up at the sky.

Unlike my complicated feelings, the sky was terribly clear.

That blazing sun seemed to be mocking me, making me feel annoyed.

‘I wish I hadn’t remembered at all. Why did I have to remember…’

To put it bluntly, all six of my marriages were failures.

Well, it’s not like I cheated or we fought and divorced.

Complex political entanglements.

Each wife’s ambition.

Or personal desires.

If I were to list them all, there would be no end.

However, one thing was certain.

‘I, as a being, was not there.’

For the organization.

For the nation.

Or for the world.

They packaged it well with plausible justifications, and I was forced to sacrifice every time.

‘I’m tired now.’

I don’t want it anymore.

I’m sick of it.

It’s even painful to face it again.

Saying they loved only me…

My first wife, who tried to use me as a stud for her nation’s benefit.

Promising to make me happy…

My second wife, who used me as a war machine for her own ambition.

Even though I helped her by dedicating everything…

My third wife, who actually harbored jealousy towards me.

Blinded by the position of the Daughter of the World Tree…

My fourth wife, who took my sacrifices for granted.

Deceiving me out of possessiveness…

My fifth wife, who separated me from the people I cherished.

Fooled by the schemes of evil beings…

My sixth wife, who abused me during my hatchling dragon days.

All of them were utterly tiresome.

Of course, I know they all had their own circumstances.

There were also parts where fate inevitably unfolded that way.

Yes, I understand.

But that doesn’t mean forgiveness comes easily.

Because dragons are originally incredibly petty.

Because I’m not a saint who forgives everyone with a heart as vast as the ocean.

Truly, I can’t stand to see them anymore.

If only I could, I’d throw everything away and leave.

Perhaps it would be fine to just go to a secluded island and live out the rest of my life quietly.

But…

‘This damned Dragon’s Duty.’

Even that, I couldn’t do as I pleased.

Being born a dragon is no different from being shackled.

Though great power was given, a price was also given for it.

The reason I regress infinitely is also because of this Dragon’s Duty.

Most people don’t know.

That this world has long been threatened by evil beings.

And that is true even at this very moment.

For now, they are merely operating in the shadows for their plan.

They are steadily progressing with a plan to one day swallow this world whole.

I am strong.

After all, I am a dragon.

There is no living creature on this land that can contend with me one-on-one.

But they are strong too.

Incredibly strong.

So much so that even I, a dragon, find them overwhelming.

But I couldn’t avoid it.

Even if I regressed, there was no way they would simply disappear.

There was no way to escape in the first place.

Even if I didn’t want to fight, I had to confront them.

Whoosh!!

Just as my head felt a little hot, a gentle breeze blew in.

I let my body be carried by the cool wind, stretching out my wings and yawning.

‘Alright, I’ll just finish my role and then rest.’

It’s just that my wives are tiresome.

It’s not like I particularly dislike this world itself.

If anything, I’m rather fond of it.

I love fields lush with greenery and blooming with flowers.

Lying there and gazing blankly at the fluffy clouds is the greatest pastime.

For me, this world was still beautiful.

[Polymorph]

Huuuum!!

Instantly, a golden magic circle glowed around my body.

My body was enveloped in a pure white light.

A moment later-as the light vanished, what appeared was a human form.

“This is a decent transformation, I suppose.”

I briefly touched my head to check if the Polymorph had worked properly.

Aside from feeling two small horns, there was nothing particularly unusual.

Since I was still a hatchling dragon, my magic power was a bit lacking.

I was worried I might not fully humanize, but this much was a decent success.

“First, I should probably go to the Holy Dominion.”

There are so many things I need to do from now on.

I must root out the cancerous beings lurking in this world.

It’s a task so difficult that even if I stake everything, it wouldn’t be enough.

Still, somehow, I felt a vague expectation that I could succeed this time.

Perhaps it was because I had my past life’s memories and could utilize them.

Grrrrowl~

“Should I eat first…?”

Come to think of it, I’ve just been born.

Originally, as a hatchling dragon, even if I piled up meat and ate it every day, it wouldn’t be enough.

Moreover, I even used magic like Polymorph, which consumes a lot of magic power.

My stomach felt like it was sticking to my back.

I should look for a nearby village or city.

The only problem is that I’m completely broke right now, not a penny to my name…

Rustle!

I heard the sound of grass being stepped on.

“He-Helix…!”

At the somehow familiar voice, I unconsciously turned my head.

A girl appeared.

A girl of about ten years old, wearing a pure white robe.

When our eyes met, I couldn’t help but be startled.

“Camille…?”

Luxurious platinum blonde hair, like a waterfall cascading down.

A cute girl of about ten years old, with azure eyes.

Her gaze, both benevolent and dreamlike, fixed on me.

Her mysterious aura remained unchanged, both in my past life and in this current one.

The girl’s name was Camille.

The one and only Saint of the Holy Dominion.

The woman who was my wife in my first life before regression.

Such a woman was, for some reason, right before my eyes.

“Helix. It really is Helix…”

With a faintly trembling voice,

Camille approached me, one step at a time.

‘Calm down.’

It was true that I was surprised by the sudden reunion with Camille.

Still, I quickly regained my composure.

Come to think of it, it wasn’t that strange for her to have found me.

From the start, Camille was a Dragon’s Priestess before she was a Saint.

If she had truly intended to find me, there was nothing she couldn’t do.

However, it was still quite surprising that she found me right after I was born…

But if the Holy Dominion’s intelligence network was fully mobilized, it wouldn’t be impossible.

“Hello, Camille.”

“Helix… You remember me, right?”

“Of course.”

I had no intention of pretending to have lost my memories.

Because it was obvious that it would only make things more troublesome later.

“You’re in human form. Did you use Polymorph right away…?”

“Yeah, thanks to that, I used up a ton of magic power. And I couldn’t even do it perfectly.”

I lightly tapped the horns on my head.

Horns are originally a part synonymous with a dragon’s symbol.

They are also the body part that remains until the very end when using Polymorph.

“Are you perhaps hungry…? Helix, you loved to eat a lot when you were a hatchling dragon. Especially after using magic…”

“Well, yeah. I was actually planning to head to a city to find something to eat.”

“Th-Then we’ll prepare a meal for you!”

At those words, I felt a sense of bewilderment.

“We?”

“Yes… The Holy Knights are also nearby.”

“Camille, why would you come all the way here?”

“Why, of course, I came to find Helix.”

A brief silence fell.

“Um, Helix.”

“Yes.”

Camille slightly raised her eyes, as if gauging my reaction.

What was contained in her blue eyes, looking up at me, was anxiety.

I deliberately ignored it, pretending not to notice.

“Are you perhaps angry?”

“Huh? What are you suddenly talking about?”

“I… I did a lot of things wrong to Helix in my past life. So I thought you might be angry…!”

At Camille’s words, I silently shook my head.

“I’m not angry.”

“Really…?”

“Yes, at least for now.”

“Ah…”

Camille parted her lips in bewilderment.

Then she wiggled her adorable fingers and clenched them into a fist.

There were certainly times when I was angry with her.

But that was merely a story from my past life.

If you ask if I’m still angry now, well…

Now, I’m just exhausted.

“Then… will you come with me to the Holy Dominion?”

“Of course, I have to go.”

Even if Camille hadn’t asked, I had intended to go myself.

The Holy Dominion is a very important force to fight against evil beings.

Even for the sake of a future war, it’s right for me to intervene directly now.

I plan to go there, find all those damned bastards, and root them out beforehand.

“Th-That’s a relief…”

A small smile of relief appeared on Camille’s lips.

“Then… we’ll get married again, right…?”

“Married…?”

“Ah, of course, we’re both too young right now! I’m talking about after we become adults!”

“…”

Instead of an answer, a bitter smile emerged.

I faced Camille’s innocent face.

Perhaps because she was a child, her baby fat hadn’t fully gone away yet, making her a little chubby.

How could I say harsh words to such a little kid?

It would only make me feel like a bad guy for no reason.

“Huh…? Why are you staring so intently?”

Still, she was my wife in a past life.

She was once the woman I loved more than anyone else in the world.

I tried not to show it, as I didn’t want to hurt her as much as possible.

Why did you have to come find me and step on a landmine with your own feet?

“Helix…?”

As I remained silent, Camille’s eyes trembled violently.

Why are you making such an expression now?

Shouldn’t you have been prepared for this much when you came?

“I’m not forcing you right now… I just…”

“I’m sorry.”

“Huh…?”

“That won’t be possible.”

Camille’s eyes blinked a couple of times.

A terrible silence fell…

“Why…?”

What came from her lovely pink lips was…

A voice like dry, crumbling fallen leaves.