Reincarnated as a Dragon and Raised by a Demon

I couldn’t help but exclaim at the mention of the Demon King.

“Is the Demon King the emperor of the Roran Empire?”

“The emperor and the Demon King are different.”

We entered a nearby tavern and found a place to sit.

“It’s a bit complicated, so I’ll explain slowly.”

Aila ordered three simple drinks at the tavern.

As the drinks were served, she took a refreshing sip and began her story again.

“First, the emperor and the royal family were humans.”

“Were? Then what about now?”

“For quite a long time, there has been a mix of hybrid races. There are no pure royal bloodlines left. But that’s also the reason why the current empire can be maintained.”

This is also the reason why Latnia discriminates and persecutes hybrid races.

Living in the territory of a human emperor, they view the hybrid races as lesser beings.

On the other hand, I haven’t seen signs of discrimination against other races in Roran yet.

Aila had mentioned that she couldn’t completely eradicate it, so it must still exist.

“The Demon King comes from royal lineage. He was a figure from a long time ago and is considered a distant ancestor of the current royal family.”

“But you said the royal family was human?”

“He’s a hybrid. He has human, demon, and beastman blood mixed in.”

After taking another sip of her drink, Aila continued.

“Just being born doesn’t mean he’s called the Demon King. He’s called that because he stands at the pinnacle of all races.”

“Then why is the country governed by the emperor?”

“That’s a good question. The Demon King doesn’t want to rule a country. So he handed it down to his brother the emperor. That’s how time has passed.”

The Demon King, being a hybrid, has lived for hundreds of years, and it’s said that no new Demon King has emerged since then.

From the Demon King’s perspective, the current emperor is like his own descendant.

He doesn’t concern himself with issues of imperial legitimacy and permits marriages between different races if desired.

It was truly fascinating how an entire empire operates in this manner.

“So, isn’t the Demon King effectively above the emperor?”

“The Demon King doesn’t interfere with the emperor’s decisions. Occasionally, when the emperor’s children wish to avoid unwanted marriages, they visit the Demon King, who helps resolve the issues. A tragic marriage can lead to tragedy.”

Perhaps because he was born as a hybrid, the Demon King seemed to show little interest in the dilution of royal blood.

“Anyway, the Demon King has been looking for dragons for a long time.”

“Why is that?”

“I don’t know. You’ll have to meet him in person to understand the details.”

As we exited the tavern, the sky was painted with a deep sunset.

Upon returning to the olive tree, the market was beginning to tidy up.

Near the tree, there were several individuals who appeared to be of the elf race gathered along with us.

They piled stones around and lit a fire, creating a bonfire.

As I joined my companions, Riki was making something similar to what the elves had made.

“Why are you lighting a bonfire?”

“We can camp here. Plus, we get the added benefit of being protected by the elves.”

I didn’t quite grasp what it meant to be under their protection.

That evening, we roasted skewers that Riki had brought over the bonfire.

“Isn’t anyone on watch tonight?”

“They’ll stand guard over there instead.”

I was curious about what the elves meant to them.

Unable to fall asleep, I was momentarily awake when an elf approached me.

“Hey, aren’t you sleeping?”

“I don’t understand why our group trusts you.”

Just yesterday, we had fled over the mountains.

With the borders and army of the Latnia Empire not far away, how could I sleep soundly?

“Well, I can’t force you to trust us. But our mission is to protect this village and the tree.”

“Why do you protect the tree?”

“The tree was planted by our ancestors.”

The elf spoke while caressing the olive tree.

Thud!

A branch from the olive tree fell just above my head.

It didn’t hurt, but the elf in front of me was startled.

“This tree has given you a gift.”

“This?”

“If you make a magic staff with that, it’ll be the best material.”

I thought it would be better if Jema used it for magic.

“Can I give it to someone else?”

“That’s up to you. You could give it to someone in need, but wouldn’t it be a shame?”

“Yeah. I don’t think it would be a shame.”

I had felt during my training in mana manipulation that I didn’t have much magical talent.

The next morning, I recounted everything that had happened the night before in front of everyone.

“An elf talked to you? Who was it?”

“That white-haired elf over there…”

“There’s no white-haired elf.”

Upon closer inspection, the elf who had spoken to me yesterday was not in the group.

“Was it a dream?”

“But I have this branch!”

“You didn’t break it, did you?”

“No.”

“Then it’s fine. You can keep it.”

Aila said it was okay as she stretched her arms.

The elves seemed tired from guarding the tree all night, and by the time the sun rose, they began to seek some rest.

“So where are we going first?”

“Let’s meet the Demon King first.”

Aila casually referred to the Demon King as if calling a neighbor.

“Do you know the Demon King?”

“You meet him once if you’re with the Knight Order in the Imperial Court.”

The place where the Demon King resided was closer than I had expected from the olive tree.

“There aren’t any carriages nearby, so we’ll have to walk to arrive by tomorrow.”

I was the only one who sighed at the mention of walking.

Though the effects of the transformation magic were starting to wear off, there was still no sign of returning.

It was incredibly difficult to keep up with the strides of the rest of the group in this body.

After walking for a while, I set aside my pride and called out to Aila in the afternoon.

“You’re surprisingly clingy, aren’t you?”

“It’s not that. I just truly can’t keep up.”

“It seems like the effects are almost gone.”

“How do you know that?”

“By the smell.”

Aila didn’t seem particularly keen on putting her nose close to sniff.

In fact, I hoped she wouldn’t do that.

Having not washed for several days, I could easily tell I had a smell on me.

After a full day of walking, I noticed that the forest was becoming increasingly dense.

There was no sign of a village nearby at all.

“It seems like there’s no village where the Demon King lives.”

“He lives alone in a remote place.”

I wondered if it would be lonely to live all alone in such a secluded area.

Having lived alone in the city for a hundred years without marrying, I had always felt lonely.

If I had lived in a place with no one for a hundred years, I would have definitely gone mad long ago.

It had been quite a while since we began walking through the mountainous forest with no established paths.

The sky was obscured by the trees, and not a single beam of sunlight came through, casting a darkness akin to that of early evening despite it being daytime.

“We’re almost there. We just have to go a little further.”

“You realize you’ve said that ten times, right?”

“This time it’s for real.”

“You’ve said that five times….”

While carrying me, Aila walked at the front without even a hint of breathlessness.

Jema kept looking at me disapprovingly.

“Ririan. It’s a nuisance to keep carrying you, so come here.”

“I’m fine.”

“Come on.”

Jema stretched out her arms towards me.

Without hesitation, Aila handed me over to Jema.

“The ride feels different.”

“What?”

“Never mind.”

Jema was also quite beautiful and had a nice figure. However, in comparison to Aila, she seemed a bit lacking.

Based on my experience having been carried by both, Aila was far better.

Jema spread her wings to make it easier to carry me, gliding slightly above the ground as we moved.

“Isn’t it hard?”

“Not too much since I’m flying.”

Before long, we arrived at a lake shrouded in mist.

There was a small wooden bridge leading to an old castle at the end.

“We’re here.”

The castle, with an eerie and chilly aura, seemed just like a Demon King’s castle.

As we crossed the bridge and approached the entrance, Aila opened the door without knocking.

“Is it okay to just go in?”

“It’s not a place you can’t enter.”

The interior of the castle was far from glamorous and rather simple.

A few paintings hung on the walls, and the hallway seemed freshly cleaned, shining brightly.

Knock. Knock.

Aila knocked on a door located at the end of the hallway, which she hadn’t done when she opened the castle door.

“Who’s there? Come in.”

A surprisingly youthful voice came from beyond the door.

As it opened, we saw someone bustling about inside the bright room, holding a broom.

“I’m here!”

“Aila! It’s been a while, Riki.”

“I greet the Demon King.”

Riki knelt on one knee to pay his respects.

“Who are the kids behind you?”

“They are the ones I’m taking care of.”

As Aila gestured, we each introduced ourselves to the Demon King.

“Nice to meet you~ I’m Niv, the Demon King.”

The girl who introduced herself as the Demon King flashed a bright smile.

“Are you busy now, Niv?”

“I was cleaning, but it’s fine. I have plenty of time.”

Unlike Riki, Aila did not treat the Demon King formally and spoke in a relaxed manner.

Judging by Riki’s reaction, it seemed he was already aware of this.

“Ririan, over here.”

“Okay.”

“Go ahead.”

Aila gestured for me to go to Niv.

As I slowly approached, I found that there wasn’t much height difference between us.

When her bright yellow eyes met mine, I felt as though I might be drawn into them.

“Is this kid…?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Sorry, but could you all step outside for a moment?”

As the Demon King spoke, the rest of the group left the room.

“Give it to me.”

“Pardon?”

“The scales you have. Give them to me.”

Caught off guard by the sudden request, I stood still, unsure of what to do.

“Give me a dragon scale.”

“How do I give that?”

“Um.”

The Demon King circled around me a few times, contemplating something.

“How old are you?”

“About two years since I was born?”

“Still young.”

Though I appeared human, I had only been in this world for about two years.

The Demon King reached out and began to touch various parts of my body.

As she brushed her fingers down my spine, my wings sprang out with a tickle.

When her fingers went a bit lower, my tail revealed itself.

“I’ll just take a bit from your tail.”

“Go ahead.”

I heard the sound of her nails scraping something, followed by her satisfied reaction.

“Thank you~”

“Um, why do you need that?”

“As proof. Now you’re mine.”

“Wait a second! Why am I—”

“The Demon King needs to have a dragon. That’s what makes a true Demon King, right?”

Whoever said that a dragon and a Demon King are a set?

Above all, having just regained my freedom, I did not wish to live under someone else’s oppression again.

“I don’t want to be subordinate to anyone.”

“You don’t want to? Then that’s fine.”

The Demon King accepted my refusal more easily than I expected.

“Then let’s at least be friends instead.”

“I can be friends as much as you want.”

The Demon King’s behavior felt oddly childlike yet mature.

Curious about the question I had since I first saw the Demon King, I asked.

“Why do you look like a child, Demon King?”

“You can call me Niv. I’ve stopped growing in this state.”

“I see.”

“I can never become an adult. Hehe.”

The Demon King didn’t seem too discouraged by her situation.

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