Chapter 50
If she moved,
Her loyal lesser dragons that she created,
The beautiful structures she cultivated,
And all of these things welcoming her.
But if she stopped,
All of these things would disappear naturally yet tragically like bubbles.
This was what the Outer God known as the Dragon Slayer experienced shortly after she was born.
***
In a house without air conditioning, one could smile with just a single fan, and in a house without a fan, one could smile just by being in the shade.
Living beings don't feel a strong longing for "comfort" and "happiness" they haven't experienced.
This was no exception even for a newly born "god".
Born as a proud dragon, the Dragon Slayer was satisfied with this environment where everything she created welcomed her.
The lesser dragons took care of her every move, and the beautiful buildings were enough to bring joy every time she saw them.
So the Dragon Slayer felt no lack of anything.
Until she looked down at the human world.
The Dragon Slayer, who happened to look down at what the lesser dragons were watching, couldn't help but admire the lives of humans as she observed them.
In particular, the scene that the Dragon Slayer liked the most was seeing a pair that looked like a male and female smiling and talking to each other, and then kissing.
The high-class Dragon Slayer couldn't understand the reason for that behavior.
But she could feel it instinctively.
That this might be what the long-standing lesser dragons occasionally referred to as "romance".
I want to go down.
I want to go down and experience such a flow of time!
But there was a principle that the Dragon Slayer naturally realized.
That a being like herself couldn't go down there simply because she "wanted to".
The Dragon Slayer felt this mere fact constricting her like handcuffs.
But on the other hand, she also thought, is there really a need to go down?
After all, she had her lesser dragons.
It wasn't a big deal if she couldn't go to such a place.
Not knowing that problems would arise from here.
***
From that day on, the Dragon Slayer's mind was filled with thoughts about the human world.
Even if she tried to ignore it and had excessive conversations with the lesser dragons, she couldn't shake it off.
The "strong stimulus" she felt while watching the human world stuck in her brain, and for the first time in her life, she began to feel what is called "longing".
No matter how much she tried to shake it off, it was useless.
The curiosity she felt towards something she was seeing for the first time and the desire to become like that grew stronger with each passing day.
The Dragon Slayer, who was enjoying tea time with the lesser dragons, eventually ended up flipping the table.
What is this continuous boring daily life?
In the end, aren't these lesser dragons just creatures I created?
When she even heard news that some beings of her rank had already gone down, those emotions were intensified even more.
I want to go down too.
Why can't I go down?
So the Dragon Slayer shut herself in her room for about 10 years in human time.
She just felt sad about everything.
Since Outer Gods are beings unaffected by the flow of time, it was literally throwing a tantrum.
That long time was enough for the Dragon Slayer to acknowledge and reflect on her situation.
The Dragon Slayer, getting up from her bed, thought she should go out and apologize to the lesser dragons with an embarrassed feeling.
When she opened the door with a smile like that, the Dragon Slayer encountered for the first time.
The feeling of despair.
The lesser dragons who should have been having fun conversations and doing housework were nowhere to be found.
Not only that.
What greeted the Dragon Slayer when she opened the door after wandering around the room, pale-faced, was.
Pitch-black darkness, 'nothingness' itself.
The Dragon Slayer realized.
That her creations were like dust that easily disappeared if she didn't maintain them.
And so, several more decades passed.
The Dragon Slayer was lost in a daze in the 'nothingness' with an empty feeling.
Despair, deep regret, all of these became a strong deficiency and became the Dragon Slayer's anchor.
That's how the Dragon Slayer came down to the human world as she wished.
But is this really good?
Is this truly what she wanted?
She didn't know.
So she decided to start anew.
But there was a rule of heart that formed in the Dragon Slayer's mind.
Never to give affection to what she created, no matter what happened.
After all, they were beings that would leave her side like bursting soap bubbles.
Nevertheless, there was one goal.
Since she came down anyway.
To find her love as she wished...
"Wh-When did I say love! Don't interpret it as you please!"
"Hm? Wasn't it like that?"
"...Th-That's... Anyway, it's not!"
Since the person in question seems very uncomfortable, I'll correct it a bit.
Let's say she decided to find a human who could be with her.
The Dragon Slayer, who came down to a place where only snow was falling heavily, saw other beings like herself establishing their own territories and decided to follow suit.
Due to her overwhelming force and intelligence compared to other beings, the territory she occupied was quite large.
She created lesser dragons.
But if they did strange things, she gave them destruction instead of forgiveness.
At first, it hurt her heart, but she gradually got used to it.
Such things, if they disappeared, she could just create new ones.
As she was establishing her domain like this, someone entered the territory of the lesser dragons.
Usually, other beings were so scared of coming here that they would take detours.
But for some reason, this woman was just wandering around without any care.
This woman would later be known as 'White Mask' in the human world.
***
White Mask was casually wandering around the Dragon Slayer's domain, seemingly inspecting something, and later started bringing strange objects and setting up something.
Although she didn't know what it was, the Dragon Slayer could tell that she was laying down a path.
To install something in her domain without permission.
Yet the Dragon Slayer wasn't angry.
No, she even liked that woman.
Her sharp, slanted eyes made her look chic, her distinct features, and the voice that was occasionally heard even had charisma.
Above all, it seemed that this woman wasn't afraid of her.
The Dragon Slayer, recalling how passing humans were surprised to see her appearance, asked the lesser dragons to make her look as similar to a human as possible.
The Dragon Slayer, who had confidently stood in front of White Mask like that, approached White Mask who was hammering.
"You!"
"...?"
Although she called out boldly, White Mask just glanced at her once and frowned, only glaring at her.
The Dragon Slayer didn't know.
That her language, the horns protruding from her head, these things would make her appear far from human.
"You've entered my domain! Now that it's come to this, you must follow my words..."
"Tch, so an Outer God has entered here too."
But White Mask didn't listen to the Dragon Slayer's words and immediately retreated from that spot.
"W-Wait!"
Even though the Dragon Slayer tried to catch her, White Mask only got further away.
After that, White Mask kept coming back.
The Dragon Slayer didn't give up.
She simply thought that it would be difficult only at first, but if she kept showing her face, they could quickly become friends.
One day, the Dragon Slayer brought one lesser dragon to White Mask, who had come to lay train tracks as usual.
This was because she felt that the train White Mask had brought that day was too inefficient.
"It's too much trouble because of the mode of transportation, why don't you just borrow this child from me? It will also serve as your loyal servant."
The Dragon Slayer spoke proudly with her chest puffed out, but to White Mask, who couldn't understand her words, it only looked like she had brought a group to attack her.
So she drew the sword she had been keeping in its sheath.
Swish!
She mercilessly cut down the lesser dragon first.
"Eek! Not only do you dare reject my goodwill, but you even kill it?!"
The Dragon Slayer was naturally disappointed by White Mask's action, and as a way to vent her frustration, she breathed fire and burned the train that White Mask had brought.
"...Aaaagh!"
Seeing the train burn, White Mask let out a scream full of anguish and paced back and forth, not knowing what to do.
The Dragon Slayer thought it served her right at that sight, but soon her heart sank when she saw the expression White Mask showed towards her.
An expression full of anger and resentment.
She was making such a malicious expression towards her.
White Mask left like that for that day.
After that, the Dragon Slayer shut herself in her dwelling and fell into thought.
She attacked first.
Why is she making such a resentful expression, she wondered.
"I just wanted to become friends with you."
The Dragon Slayer, who had fallen into such thoughts, decided to apologize to White Mask first.
Because she was somewhat at fault too.
It was largely because she failed to consider human feelings.
So she waited for the next day, and when she saw White Mask coming, she brightened up, but.
Soon she made a frustrated expression.
Because there was White Mask, looking at her with an even more vicious expression than yesterday, holding a sword.
"N-No. I-I... was wrong. It wasn't my intention to fight with you..."
But there was no way White Mask could understand the Dragon Slayer's words.
White Mask's sword was swung relentlessly towards the Dragon Slayer first.
The Dragon Slayer, who had been trying to ask for forgiveness while constantly dodging, finally got angry as she saw her clothes being continuously torn.
Why.
Why do I have to be the only one to understand?
Why don't you understand my intentions?
So in a fit of anger, as a tantrum, she bit White Mask's face.
But what came back was.
"...Ugh, aaaagh! M-My face...!"
"R-Retreat immediately! Retreat!!"
The sight of White Mask clutching her face and screaming miserably.
The Dragon Slayer didn't know.
How to approach a weak being, thinking her strong power was natural.
Seeing White Mask's face gradually deforming and grotesquely distorting, the Dragon Slayer felt gloomy.
There was nothing she could do.
Her impulsive action had caused critical damage to White Mask.
"This isn't right... I-I didn't want you to be hurt to this extent..."
Her knees gave out.
The Dragon Slayer collapsed on the spot.
Ah.
The Dragon Slayer thought, only after being driven to catastrophe.
That perhaps she never had the right to possess the beauty of the human world.
***
A sad story with neither victim nor perpetrator.
This kind of tragic story, it was a development I really disliked.
"So I became unable to trust humans. So I dealt with every human that came in. But..."
Still, she must have kept thinking, what if she had become friends with them?
Because it was her first goal, her first curiosity.
How come there isn't a single bad Outer God from the beginning?
Among the Outer Gods that have died so far, weren't there some with such pitiful stories?
I looked at White Mask.
She was closely observing my actions.
Probably, beyond that mask, her expression must be full of worry.
Humans are not to blame either.
Because they have no choice but to deal with beings that harm them.
Because there's no way they could view favorably the beings that led them to destruction.
"You're the first human who not only understands my words but also listens to them."
Seeing the Dragon Slayer's attitude, which had softened much more than before, I thought it might be okay to feel a bit relieved now.
"Subordinate."
"Yes."
"Why are you continuing to listen to that damn one's words?"
White Mask finally threw in a word.
After hearing all this story - the Dragon Slayer had told the story quite objectively - White Mask couldn't help but express anger towards the Dragon Slayer.
"Master. This friend says she wanted to become friends with you."
"...Such damn words..."
"It's natural that you would think that way, Master. Of course. But Master, can you perhaps believe my words?"
At my words, White Mask, who had slightly lowered her head, raised it to look at me.
"...It's because you believed in my power that we were able to come this far, Master. Isn't it because there weren't only bad Outer Gods in the world that I was able to be active with my abilities?"
"You're saying that because you don't know. Trying to judge based on just a few Outer Gods' words is..."
"That's also correct, but at least this Dragon Slayer doesn't seem to be such a bad Outer God, that's what I'm saying."
That's right.
If you were going to show hatred towards 'Outer Gods' from the beginning, you should have filtered me out first.
White Mask seemed to have decided to listen to my words silently, as she didn't say anything more.
...From the conversation on the train, I thought she was quite a cool woman.
"The Dragon Slayer says she brought the lesser dragon because she wanted to give it to you, Master, and she was lingering in front of you because she wanted to become friends with you and was trying to strike up a conversation.
Burning the train was... a misunderstanding that arose from a difference of opinion. So she tried to apologize, but that day..."
"..."
White Mask, perhaps thinking that there wasn't a complete lack of plausibility, didn't say anything and just slightly lowered her head as if lost in thought.
That's natural.
After hearing the words of the opponent she had hated so much until now, if she could understand it right away, that would make her a saint.
After a few minutes passed.
White Mask finally seemed to have organized her thoughts and raised her head again.
"Then... if that's true, show at least a bit of an apologetic attitude. As much as the trouble you've caused me until now!"
At the voice filled with resentment, the Dragon Slayer made a surprised expression, then with an expression full of apology, slowly stood up and went in front of White Mask.
Soon, she pulled one leg back, grabbed the hem of her dress, and deeply bowed her head.
A curtsy.
I think I heard that noble ladies do this deeply and seriously when expressing apology.
Perhaps because she saw even that gesture.
"...Kugh."
White Mask let out a choked voice, lowered her head, and her shoulders shook greatly.
At the moment when the misunderstandings that had built up until now were resolved, wouldn't it feel like the feelings that remained like sediment were chaotically mixed?
I decided to give her some time.
Because I thought it would take time to understand, given that it was a wound that had remained for a long period.
***
"...If that's true, I guess I have no choice but to apologize for some parts as well."
Hearing White Mask's words, the Dragon Slayer stammered and looked back and forth between me and White Mask.
Geez.
You should be happy if things turned out as you wished.
"Then in a little while, can I borrow one lesser dragon? Since the train exploded... I need to rest a bit."
"O-Of course! I'll lend you as many as you want!"
The Dragon Slayer answered with all her might, though stammering.
I gave a thumbs up to White Mask, who obviously couldn't understand these words, to indicate that it was an affirmative response, and White Mask nodded.
White Mask said that and leaned against the wall, then relaxed her body and took a comfortable posture.
She had been injured after all.
It's only right that she should rest.
"...Thank you. Thanks to you, even the misunderstanding has been resolved."
"It's just meddling. There's nothing to thank me for."
After saying that, a moment of silence fell.
Hmm.
I really don't like this awkward atmosphere that always comes after resolving something.
By the way, how can we remove the Dragon Slayer's anchor?
I thought the purpose was 'relationship with humans', but even after reconciling with White Mask, there was no sign of it disappearing.
That means, as expected...
As I was thinking about this, suddenly a 'scratching' sound came from the wall behind me and the Dragon Slayer.
When the Dragon Slayer and I looked in surprise, there was:
-Hello, this time I'm going to talk about 'How to Win Love'.
Winning love isn't as easy as it sounds T.T There are cases where approaching the other person recklessly can be a nuisance, but it's not like staying still will solve things either.
But if I could give you one tip! When the mood is right, if you kiss the other person then, you can win their heart very effectively!
That concludes our talk on 'How to Win Love'!
These words were written there.
The Dragon Slayer's face started to turn red, and I couldn't hide my bewilderment either.
What the hell is this damn Recorder babbling about?!