Chapter 19: The Dawn of Humanity (1)

Time continued to flow.

The dragons, as if trying not to repeat their previous mistakes, got along as well as possible with each other. They began early moral education for existing hatchlings and those just hatched from eggs, teaching that dragons should not fight each other.

They're doing this because they remember that I get very angry if problems like before arise. If fear can serve as a deterrent, I can willingly play the villain.

The Lizardmen also show a harmonious appearance, coming once a year to offer me flowers and holding festivals among themselves. It was quite cute how they visited regularly.

The elementals who lost their bodies and scattered everywhere were now living like innocent children, having forgotten what they once were.

It's too sad to call this the end of dragons who dominated an era.

Other than that... As time passed, I met each of the six children who returned to natural phenomena, except for Erebos.

Unlike Erebos, those guys were accepting their mistakes.

Well, even so, I had no intention of returning their scales.

If they bring Erebos, I might consider it.

Oh, come to think of it, one problem arose.

The dinosaurs finally went extinct.

Their numbers drastically decreased during the dragon war, and after the dragons disappeared, dinosaurs pushed out by wyverns, drakes, sea serpents, etc., decreased in number to the point where they couldn't maintain their population... In the end, they became invisible to my eyes.

At least the descendants of dinosaurs survived in forms that can no longer be called dinosaurs... Birds or... various reptiles...

They might still be alive somewhere beyond my sight, but for now, they weren't on the ground. So it's right to consider them extinct.

Hmm. It's very sad, but it couldn't be helped.

It's not that dinosaurs are bad, but now it's time to open the era of mammals. Ah, but Lizardmen are still living thanks to having intelligence...

With dragons also remaining in small numbers, the masters of the world have disappeared.

In this situation, it should be about time for humans to appear. It's time to pass the baton of the era!

Well, mammals still feel just a bit bigger than mice, so there's a long way to go!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Time flows quickly.

I designated one of the most mature dragons that other children follow well as the leader of the dragons. I created the position of Dragon Lord and outsourced management to them.

I dumped tasks like overall management of dragons, hatching of eggs, and communal childcare of offspring on them.

I especially instructed them to pay attention to egg hatching and communal childcare, so they should handle it well on their own.

Even if their scale colors are different, if they are born together and grow up together, there shouldn't be wars where they spill each other's blood.

In that process, there were cases where dragons of different scale colors matched eyes and paired up, but... Hmm... It's not particularly important.

It seems that even in mixed breeds between dragons of different colors, the colors don't mix. It seems they inherit the color of just one of the parents.

It doesn't seem like there were any particular problems.

The overall natural environment seemed to be maintained by the children who returned to natural phenomena and the elementals managing it appropriately.

Although the small elementals had forgotten about themselves, they still seemed to remember their parents, or perhaps they felt familiar with their parents' energy. They followed their parents' instructions well.

Thanks to this, it was an unexpected benefit that the small elementals were making this world more colorful by traveling around the world following their parents' instructions.

And the Lizardmen, currently the only intelligent beings besides dragons, seemed to have increased in number considerably.

The farming I taught them as a pastime seemed to work better than expected, as the Lizardman population was rapidly trending upward.

I gave them a slightly modified plant similar to corn, and they farmed it well on their own. I also provided them with a bean-like plant considering soil depletion.

After farming a few times, they were alternating between corn and beans on their own, which made me quite proud.

And the long-awaited mammals...

"Oook! Keeek!"

Had become monkeys.

No, it's natural, but! Somehow, hasn't the speed of evolution slowed down a bit?! I understand that more complex organisms evolve more slowly, but!!!

The one fortunate thing is that intelligence seems to be sprouting among these monkey-like mammals, as they've started to grasp tree branches and use them as tools.

Hmm. That point is quite positive. As they use tools, their front legs... hands will develop. They might evolve quickly.

One worry is whether the Lizardmen might hunt these mammals? But such concerns were resolved thanks to their completely different living environments.

Well, since Lizardmen are cold-blooded animals, they're heavily affected by the environment. Dinosaurs seem to have minimized external influences with their large bodies... but Lizardmen couldn't do that.

As a result, it seems difficult for them to live if the temperature or humidity doesn't suit Lizardmen. Hmm.

Therefore, it seems Lizardmen can't spread out to various parts of the world. Even though they're quite strong physically.

Oh, by the way, I instructed them to stop coming to hold rituals for the Creation God Dragon.

I would occasionally be away for hibernation, and if Lizardmen came to hold rituals during that time, wouldn't they be disappointed?

Moreover, as the environment changed due to elementals, Lizardmen also moved their base to another place, so coming to me would be burdensome for them.

I decided to accept just their intentions. Just their intentions.

Instead, I taught the Lizardmen some knowledge.

It's nothing too great, just the ability to resonate with elementals that other creatures except dragons can't even see.

Although Lizardmen had almost no talent for magic, perhaps because they were quite good at communicating with nature, or because both dragons and Lizardmen had a common root in dinosaurs, they even created something called sorcery that borrows power by communicating with elementals, which is truly positive, isn't it?

Ah, the important thing isn't the Lizardmen.

"Keek! Kik!!"

I watched the monkeys from a distance. Fellows picking and eating tree fruits, playing pranks on other monkeys.

I wonder how much time will pass before these guys form a civilization?

It felt like it would take quite a long time.

"Mom. Were you watching those furry ones again?"

"Hmm. I never get tired of watching them."

Because each of their actions feels like watching a slapstick comedy.

And it's fun because they have a moderate level of intelligence.

"The dragons were smarter..."

"Were they so smart that they waged war?"

"......"

Sylphid couldn't say anything.

Because they committed sins, they can't speak even though they have mouths.

"Have you still not found Erebos?"

"No. The other children are sulking and staying quietly in their places... but when I went to the cave where Erebos originally was, he wasn't there. Where on earth did he go..."

A slightly worried feeling peeks out.

I'm endlessly worried about what that cunning child might be up to again.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I fast-forward time slightly to observe the changes in the monkeys.

Monkeys evolving in various directions. Some resembling gorillas appear, some resembling chimpanzees appear.

They say there's no direction in evolution, but they really are evolving in all directions.

And such evolution was experienced not only by monkeys but by other creatures as well.

"Kyaong!!!"

"Noisy. You rascal."

I grab the head of a tiger-like animal rushing at me.

Saber-toothed tiger? A tiger with very long canine teeth.

Surely the beginning of mammals was an animal resembling a mouse, but how are they evolving so rapidly?

Even though I intervened to make mutations and evolution faster, isn't this a bit too rapid?

When the evolution of creatures gets on track properly, it might be good to control it a bit.

"Kiyaaoong!!!"

The saber-toothed tiger chewing on my arm as if trying to tear it off. Look at this guy.

It doesn't even tickle. You rascal.

I grabbed the back of the saber-toothed tiger's neck and threw it lightly, and the saber-toothed tiger flew away with a scream of Kiyaaaaaaang!!!!

They say cats don't get hurt when falling from high places, so it probably won't die from being thrown like that.

It won't die, right? Hmm.

Anyway... I wonder when humans will appear.

It's fun to see animals evolving as they please all over the world, but... the truly important humans aren't appearing, so it feels exactly like a gacha.

A gacha where the character you want doesn't appear.

While bear-like animals are appearing, horse-like animals are growing horns, and cow and elephant-like ones are appearing.

Perhaps because they've grown a bit bigger and can no longer live in trees, some monkeys that started living on the ground began to evolve into primitive human-like forms.

Hmm. Is this finally the appearance of primitive humans? I've waited for quite a long time, and they're finally appearing!

Ah, wait. Monkeys resembling humans are appearing in other places too? At least 3 places... and places I haven't checked... Hmm...

Well, the more the better. It can become more diverse.

Monkeys resembling humans scattering from the forests, spreading in all directions.

What changes will occur where their steps reach? I held a small expectation in my heart.

And so I began to watch over the world.

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Although many demi-humans deny this fact, it's clear that the origin of all demi-humans is human.

Except for dragons and Lizardmen, who have clear evidence of existing before humans appeared, the origin of other demi-humans was human.

Primitive humans, adapting to various environments and changing, became various demi-humans.

Primitive humans who went to the forest with the World Tree became the ancestors of elves, and primitive humans who went to the highest mountain in the world became the ancestors of dwarves.

Only humans maintain purity among the numerous demi-humans!

Therefore! Humans should rule this world!

It should be humans excluding all other demi-humans!!!

- Statement of a human supremacist.

The human supremacist who made this statement was arrested and dragged away by guards.