Became a Dragon kidnapped by Humans

I pouted in disappointment.

Hana Kang’s waist tightened its grip on my tail involuntarily.

“Ugh, huhk.”

Whenever that happened, Hana Kang emitted strange sounds, but it wasn’t really my concern, so I let her keep sleeping.

No.

I had waited for quite a while now, I was sure.

How could there be no more humans after just one?

‘Uuehng, why isn’t this moving? … Ack! It got stuck again! You pig snake, you’ll not leave me alone, will you…!!’

— Slurp, slurp.

‘Bead. Calm down. No idea what to do! Stop the attack. Stop it!’

Of course, the two self-proclaimed descendants who were having fun in the cramped space weren’t human, so they didn’t count.

But still, even if we included them, that’s only three people, right?

Isn’t that too few?

There are quite a few people here, and I had expected dozens to show up.

Moreover, that one guy seems suspicious for various reasons.

“Gyao.”

“…Huhk.”

Just meeting his gaze left me a bit startled.

I’m not some monstrous chimera that eats people.

No matter how I looked at him, he didn’t seem like someone with deep faith.

Looking at his trembling eyes which seem as tired as mine made me suspicious.

Could it be that this guy just happened to wander here by mistake or something?

Hmm.

The more I thought about it, the more it felt like a reasonable assumption.

“Gyao…”

… Well, whatever.

That’s not my job as a god. I shouldn’t waste time with such trivialities.

Mna once said that gods should not focus on individual trees but look at the forest as a whole.

Even though I’m a little annoyed, since I decided not to banish everyone, I’ll probably keep seeing them, so if the irritation persists, I can settle it later.

Let’s wait and see. Hehe.

“Uh, suddenly feeling chills…”

I tore my gaze away from the troublesome candidate as he pulled his robe tighter.

Next, all I could see were the black-jacketed humans surrounding me.

It was quite commendable.

Despite this building being one of the worst shelters in human history, the reason I haven’t yet decided to banish everyone has to do with these individuals.

Yes.

This is what a devout follower’s attitude looks like.

These people, who are too weak to even fight over a single feather of mine, have taken it upon themselves to gather here and rest, guarding me as if they were on watch.

It’s quite admirable.

It’s because of this that I hesitate.

My eyes opened half-heartedly.

During my time here, I’ve known that my treatment was far from ideal.

Yet, I can see and hear everything I want; how would strong-minded Hana Kang know all of this?

If they all acted like the ones in white robes, I would have judged them all as heretics by now and scolded them.

However, … always, without exception.

Like the girl named Elena I saw some time ago.

Whenever I start to suspect, the people in black jackets always behave like devout believers.

Even though they belong to the same group, thinking about this contradiction made my head ache.

Then, a memory from my human days offered the theory of the carrot and stick approach, but this clearly doesn’t apply here, so I’ll skip that.

So, do I see all people in white robes as heretics?

Nope.

Though communication with them is not easy, Hana Kang, clad in white, handles concepts at a decent level.

Then, what about that suspicious guy in the gray coat?

I can’t sense his presence anymore; he seems to have gone far away from this building.

Ugh. I don’t know.

Everything is just so unclear.

I, who have watched over the birth of human civilization, can confidently say that I’ve never come across a group so strangely incomprehensible.

Ah. My headache’s coming back. I’m tired.

Exhaling deeply, I rested my head on Hana Kang’s chest.

—Thump, thump.

Without opening her eyes, Hana Kang naturally pulled me closer into her embrace.

“Hhhe, I love youu…”

Nope, I don’t love you.

So just sleep quietly. Keep your hands where they are.

“Gyaaaak.”

I skillfully dodged Hana Kang’s hand reaching towards my wing and rolled my eyes.

If only someone could simply explain everything to me.

Umm.

‘I should’ve arrived much earlier by now, but I’m too slow… Hmng. I wanted to see the Progenitor so badly…’

The one who is coming now seems to have a mental age below teenagers.

Still, compared to the infantile vocabularies of someone like the pig snake, this one seems relatively better.

Can we expect a decent explanation from them this time?

If they’d hurry up a bit.

If they had come a little earlier, I wouldn’t have made these complicated judgments about banishment within a day or such.

For now, it seems slightly more plausible that these humans aren’t believers.

But I should wait a little longer, as a day hasn’t passed yet.

“Gyao.”

Time doesn’t go by.

Should I have just set it for half a day from the start?

Listening to Hana Kang’s thump thump heartbeat, I idly passed the time.

Hmm.

It’s comfortable and nice.

So soft, warm, and quiet.

Feels like my absorption of the heavenly light made Hana Kang’s embrace even warmer.

… If only it were a lake.

If it were my lake, it would be far more comfortable and pleasant.

My human memories were suggesting that being with Hana Kang in the lake would feel like lying under a fan with a blanket.

Hmm.

When I first woke up here, I would get irritated just by trying to stir, but now it’s fine.

Yes.

It’s time to return to the lake.

With Hana Kang and the pig snake well taken care of, that is.

Even if they oppose, it’s already decided.

Because Mna is gone now.

You’ll be crucial, Mna…

I silently cried tears of longing.

Meanwhile.

But is it really enough to just take care of the two of them?

There are three people who claim me as their ancestor, right?

I didn’t even need to turn my head.

Even with my face buried in Hana Kang’s embrace, all I had to do was turn my gaze slightly.

There was Gwangcheol-i in sight.

I don’t need to turn my head to see him; just rolling my eyes finds him.

Thank goodness I tossed him down there earlier. My past self was the best.

Grr.

Gwangcheol-i was still burning in flames just as he was the last time I saw him.

I sent out an intent.

Hmm.

Gwangcheol-i.

Gwangcheol-i, can you hear me?

‘…’

However, my intent went unanswered by Gwangcheol-i.

Although it feels like he’s listening.

It feels like there’s no danger to his life. He’s just burning silently without any movement.

That massive body isn’t stirring at all.

This is strange.

I feel like I’m forgetting something again.

What is it?

For a moment, I looked at the deeply buried Gwangcheol-i and the nearby black-jacketed humans.

I quickly realized my mistake.

A hole roughly two to three times deeper than Gwangcheol’s body size.

And, the Gwangcheol-i and the black jackets down there.

You guys.

Can you even climb out?

Oh.

Even if you guys begin right now, you won’t reach me today!

I mistakenly sent out an intent thinking everyone could arrive within a day in a straight line… but this was completely unreasonable.

It’s easy for me to lightly leap over such deep holes.

But Gwangcheol, who has no limbs, or humans by their standards, would obviously need much longer.

I hadn’t considered that.

What to do.

Had they been in white robes, I would have ignored them, but the black jackets are not annoying enough to deserve banishment.

This is a major agenda for announcing banishment, but it feels awkward to withdraw an intent that’s already been sent now.

Sigh… Can’t things ever go my way?

I sighed deeply.

“Jik.”

Hana Kang’s body shivered a couple of times from the hot breath but ultimately didn’t wake up.

Alright.

Let’s not complicate things.

You only need to look up once, which is easy for you, and I don’t need to look down either, which is convenient for me. Let’s do it that way.

Alright, Gwangcheol-i and all the black jackets present.

Listen carefully.

All you have to do is look this way, and I’ll specially pardon your banishment.

Consider it a one-time privilege.

“Gyao.”

I sent out the intent.

‘It works… The head’s out! Now, the body just needs to come out… What the heck, why is the body so chubby!!’

‘Heresy! Heresy! Unacceptable!’

… I guess these wild ones will keep looking this way until they all make it over.

Otherwise, well, it will be unfortunate…

—

The Betrayer Snake regretted the past bitterly.

Through the flames, they saw their old self among the sages, long before the betrayal.

— I will avenge myself. Destroy the bead and exact your revenge? Then… will vengeance be possible?

No.

I mustn’t fall for the sinister temptations of that red snake.

— Smash it to pieces! Now, can I finally avenge whoever dared to call me a snake?

No matter how many times they cried out,

Their past self would stubbornly smash the bead, falling into the path of betrayal.

The Betrayer Snake regretted and regretted again.

— Horns have grown. They grew straight without branching, bending into horns that seem to reflect my inner turmoil. Their pointed tips feel like expressions of inner resentment.

The betrayal of a once-trusted human turned a thousand years of practice into nothing but bitter memories.

— Wings have grown. Not feathered but cold and smooth scales along with membranes. Disgusting. But now, I can set fire to my heart freely.

The one-sided abandonment by the clan they once helped turned into a deep hatred.

— Legs have grown. Different from the Progenitor’s. Long and straight, too ghastly… But for tearing apart humans deserving of hatred, this form is more effective. But why was I hateful in the first place…?

Yet, even then, it wasn’t enough to betray the clan.

Not enough to betray the Progenitor.

— It’s hot, it hurts… I want to expel it, to burn it out. I’ve forgotten how to call upon the Great One. I hate it, help me… I don’t want to be angry anymore…

The Betrayer Snake eternally regretted.

But it was already too late.

The Betrayer Snake was now turning to ash, and the Progenitor, upon seeing this betrayal, simply turned away and disappeared.

To die reduced to ash was the fitting atonement for the Betrayer Snake who had once been blind and turned countless clans into piles of ash.

If it was possible.

If given just one more chance.

I will no longer covet. I will no longer hate, vowing anew.

The Betrayer Snake prayed endlessly.

It was then.

An intent reached them.

The intent they had long awaited after regaining clarity.

‘If you look this way, I will specially pardon the banishment. Consider it a one-time privilege.’

It couldn’t be mistaken.

That immense presence belonged to the Progenitor themselves.

‘Progenitor…’

The Betrayer Snake lifted its head.

Even as their body turned into black ash with each movement and scattered, it didn’t matter.

They simply followed the Progenitor’s words.

Simply upheld the contents of their prayer.

Then, with a great roar,

A bead colored with the Progenitor’s energy responded.

It didn’t spin. It wasn’t hot.

The Betrayer Snake felt it could do something with this bead.

The murmuring humans.

“What’s this…? Wasn’t it neutralized?”

“Everyone, be on alert.”

These tiny creatures who they had once seen as inferior beings.

But now,

Recalling how these grateful humans once held them back from their rampage.

“…Strange. This doesn’t seem like the lizards I once knew.”

To the red-haired human they once considered the most loathsome insect.

The Betrayer Snake sent an intent.

An intent for everyone’s sake, asking them to please look up.

And,

The Betrayer Snake closed their eyes contentedly, feeling fortunate.

“Hold on, everybody’s attention. Is there something above?”

“It hasn’t been confirmed, sir. Why do you ask, Lady Weiyan?”

Following the red-haired human,

“…Hmm. I just have this feeling that I should look up.”

They all gazed up.

‘Progenitor… ah, have I done well…?’

The Betrayer Snake smiled contentedly.

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