Chapter 15
I can't oppress them.
I can't persuade them.
What should I do with those arrogant dragons who think they're above the sky?
How can I control those who can't be controlled?
At that moment, a flash of lightning crossed my mind.
If they won't listen to me, why not have those who the dragons will listen to do it!
Above all, there are children who are perfect for the job!
[Erebos. Shamash. Ifrit. Tethys. Sylphid. Sagarmatha. Yggdrasil. Appear before me.]
"Mother?! Are you calling us again?!"
"Please stop calling us like this! We get dragged away from other things we're doing!"
"Hmm... I don't mind."
"Sagar and I always have plenty of time, so it's fine to call us anytime. But what's the matter suddenly?"
I silently pointed to the Red Dragons and Black Dragons.
Seeing the injured dragons, Ifrit and Erebos's expressions hardened.
"These children fought and some dragons ended up dead."
"Uh, M-Mom? The children are a bit willful, but... Isn't it normal for children to fight sometimes?"
"What kind of children's fight takes each other's lives? And this is happening when dragon birth rates are plummeting and numbers are decreasing. To try to kill each other over trivial conflicts..."
I let out a big sigh and said.
"At least I set a rule not to harm hatchlings... At least the newly born children could be protected. If there wasn't such a rule, surely some thoughtless ones would have killed hatchlings."
This actually happened and escalated into a war.
"Anyway. I can't suppress all the children myself. So you take responsibility for your children."
"What? Those troublemakers?"
"My children are relatively obedient... but what should we do if other children pick fights?"
"Obedient? Black Dragons? Those guys who multiply like crazy?!"
"That's right! There's no way Blacks would be obedient!!! They have such large numbers! Among the newly born hatchlings these days, only Blacks are in double digits!! It's unfair!"
"Aren't dragons of other colors just being passive about expanding their families? I don't think that should be called unfair."
Well, about half of the hatchlings are Black Dragons.
"Anyway, since they're children born because of you, manage them properly. I can't manage all the children myself."
"Are you saying there's something impossible even for you, Mother?"
I sighed at Erebos's words.
"That's right. I thought about forcibly managing them a few times, but it only led to destruction."
"De...struction?"
"No, it's nothing."
There's no need to mention rewinding time from the future.
"And... If you don't manage them properly, I'll give you penalties. I think I should have done this earlier..."
"What? To us? Suddenly?!"
"Oh my... Then Erebos with many children will be in trouble, won't he?"
"Hmm... Our kids. They're well-behaved."
"Our children too. They don't fight unless provoked first. So it should be fine."
Yggdrasil and Sagarmatha's children rarely cause problems, so it should be fine.
The biggest problems are Black and Red... I'll have to leave that part to those two.
"Mother. If you'll punish us for not managing the children properly, will you reward us if we manage them well?"
"Hm? Reward?"
I was momentarily speechless at Erebos's words.
I hadn't thought of that? Hmm...
Alright!
"For the next 100 years, to the parents of children who don't kill other dragons..."
The children's gazes focus on me. With eyes expecting what words will come out of my mouth. With gazes that are almost burdensome.
"Just one thing. I'll grant anything. As long as it's within my power to grant."
At those words, all the children looked at me with surprised eyes.
What? Is that so surprising?
"Just now... you said anything...?"
"Are you serious, Mother?"
"Yeah! Mom! You shouldn't say such things carelessly!"
"Mom! I think you should value your own body!!!"
"Hmm... I object...!"
"Oh my... Oh my, oh my! What's going on!"
No, why is the atmosphere like this?
I'm just granting one request, why are they making such a fuss??
"Hmm... Looks like everyone lacks confidence in managing their children? Then this competition... is my victory♥"
Shamash's words full of confidence. At that, all the other children bristle at once.
"That statement! I can't let it slide!"
"This is why they say empty-headed golden sparkly ones!"
"I'm confident in managing children!"
Uh, well... Please manage them diligently?
"By the way, the punishment will be confiscating the scales I gave you."
At the words I briefly added, the children's expressions hardened.
What. Why. What.
The scales I gave you. I'm saying I'll confiscate them if you don't work properly.
Is there any problem with that?
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
And so, the bet-like challenge I set hoping dragons wouldn't kill each other...
"How did it come to this..."
Had turned into a war where they just don't kill each other.
"Indeed! I said not to kill!!!! But why are they using their brains to think of ways like plucking wings! Amputating limbs! Barely keeping them alive and such!!!"
I looked at the dragons collapsed at my feet in a miserable state.
"Especially Black Dragons! Erebos!!! Intentionally provoking other dragons to induce attacks! Using your family in such a way!!!"
I clutched my throbbing head.
A war where they just don't take lives. A war where numerous dragons try to tear off each other's limbs.
This... wasn't the result I wanted.
Above all, what angered me most... was that even if I rewound time again and again, it converged to the same result.
Even if I rewound time dozens or hundreds of times, changed conditions, added prohibitions, stopped fights, the cunning children who found loopholes in the weak rules and started wars... I was dizzy.
But if I prohibit everything, it would be the same as oppression. And eventually, it leads to destruction.
Uselessly smart, yet stubbornly disobedient. If I had known it would be like this, I would have returned everything to nothingness... No, that's not right. Yeah.
No matter how angry I am, there are things I can do and things I shouldn't do.
I sighed and healed the dragons rolling around at my feet. I could fully regenerate their lost bodies, but if I did that, they would just jump back into war. In the end, it was just a repetition of the same thing.
Dragons who draw lines between each other based on scale color, dragons who reject each other. Dragons who consider only those of the same scale color as family and ignore others.
At this point, I was starting to think that maybe dragons were wrong from the beginning.
No, I'm a dragon too, but... I'm different from those children.
So. Let's be patient a little more.
Just a little more. Just the set period of 100 years.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
On a plain where all dragons except for the still unknowing hatchlings and unhatched eggs were gathered.
On a plain where all the children were gathered, including Ifrit who had already lost his scales and body.
I spoke in a low voice.
"I set conditions hoping you wouldn't fight, but you only aimed for the reward of the conditions and tried to disqualify each other."
The set period of 100 years. During that time, the children never stopped the war for even a moment.
They just didn't take lives. No, even that was broken when a Red Dragon killed a Black Dragon, causing Ifrit to lose his scales and return to being a flame.
The Red Dragons who lost their parent were wandering without a place to go and were under my protection.
"Mother... But..."
"Silence, Erebos. I didn't give you a chance to speak."
Erebos. Erebos... Clever Erebos. Cunning Erebos.
Why do you use that good head of yours to try to disqualify other children?
To use your family, your children as bait, as sacrificial lambs to try to disqualify other children.
I am so sad.
"Did I look weak in your eyes? Because I was always a kind mother to you, did my words seem like they could be ignored?"
The children don't answer. Despite growing up relying on my kindness, my goodwill, my heart... The children were no different from ignoring my words to act as they pleased.
"I didn't want to be a scary and fearsome parent, so I tried to be as kind as possible, admonishing with words as much as possible."
In the open space where all dragons are gathered. Dragons with intact bodies, dragons with injured bodies. I let out a small sigh at the sight of dragons gathered according to their colors.
Even in this situation where I'm angry, they still distinguish each other by scale color.
"Now my patience has reached its limit. I've been patient for a long time, and even after rewinding dozens and hundreds of times, I'm sick and tired of your foolishness that keeps repeating."
So. I'll show you true terror.
I'll let you know that you should have feared a more powerful being than hating and fighting each other.
I quietly used a magic I didn't want to use.
A magic that summons a meteor quietly orbiting in space and drops it on this world.
Meteor. Meteor Fall.
It was the moment when the cosmic strike that destroys the world revealed itself, parting the clouds in the sky.