Chapter 130
－POV: The Earth Dragon Mistaken for a Lizard－
The magic power coursing through my entire body doubled as the World Tree grew.
Compared to the amount of magic power I originally possessed, it was still far from enough, but it was hard to believe I had been suffering from depletion until recently.
Perhaps because of that, my body had drawn closer to its original form.
Flying with my wings really feels wonderful.
I'm not very good at flying, but seeing the changing forest from the sky is truly something special.
I can feel the World Tree's magic power spreading through the forest with my entire body.
The Magic Eye seems to have weakened considerably as well.
This, too, is all thanks to Master.
When I landed in the clearing by my dwelling, the forest king who had come to be called Big Boss-san was there.
Hm? Core, the Fenrir King, was there too.
You haven't risen that high in a long time, have you?
It might have been.
After my magic power began to diminish, maintaining my body took priority, and I never flew.
I did float a little after meeting Master, though.
But that is a little different from flying.
What are you going to do about those forms of yours?
Both Big Boss-san and Core grinned at my question.
How strange.
In the old days, the forest kings would normally be at odds with one another.
I don't remember why we fought, but we simply did.
I looked at the two kings before me.
Their body sizes were completely different from what I remembered.
The Fenrir was a species that raced through the sky; its body was much smaller and covered in long, silver fur.
Chuearenie was a species that controlled infernal flames and raced through the forest; its body was about half its current size.
It has wings now, but it should originally have had spines there.
The kings at the top of the forest were powerful beings; the dragons among them were especially strong and responsible for protecting the entire forest.
When the Magic Eye began spreading through the forest, I traced the magic power it emitted and repeatedly attacked what seemed to be its core.
But I could not destroy the core. Instead, I lost an enormous amount of magic power, leaving me barely able to protect the forest.
I regretted it terribly then. Underestimating humans had been my mistake.
My form gradually grew smaller as I used the magic power needed to maintain my enormous body to protect the forest.
I had never cared about size, but humans desired dragon blood and flesh.
No matter how small a dragon's form became, it was still a dragon, and power dwelled within its body.
I had to prevent a dragon from falling into human hands at all costs.
But dragons had another troublesome role.
That was our role as divine beasts.
We could not readily accept death.
We had a duty as divine beasts.
That said, I couldn't remember what that duty was...
All I knew was that I existed as a divine beast and must not die.
What a troublesome thing.
How were we to protect ourselves from humans?
The Fire Dragon was the first to make a decision.
The Fire Dragon transformed its shrunken form into a completely different shape I had never seen before.
Following its example, we too changed into forms modeled after the Fire Dragon's.
The kings who remained behind protected the forest after that.
When the dragons stopped attacking, humans immediately began invading deeper into the forest.
The other kings enlarged their bodies to deal with this and drove out the invading humans.
Growing larger was considerably more burdensome than evolving into a smaller form.
Even so, they chose to grow gigantic, so humans would understand that the kings other than dragons were terrifying beings as well.
Though it could also be said that, with no time to spare, it was the only path available.
I like this form too, so it's not a problem.
I heard Karen the Phoenix's voice behind me.
When I looked, Karen, who had become the largest of the Three Kings, was holding a barrel. Wine, perhaps?
...The golem's going to be angry with you.
Is that okay?
Did you ask someone to get it for you?
Flying Lizard, let's enjoy a match for the first time in ages!
Drinking this thing called wine puts me in a happy mood.
That's right. The past is the past.
The World Tree has been revived, and the forest has regained its strength.
The kings have become allies, and the other powerful beings of the forest are gathering here.
Isn't that good enough?
The Fire Dragon and Wind Dragon will come here someday, too.
Karen, I won't lose.
Oh, Master, look! I've grown a little closer to my original form!