Another World Reincarnation Chronicle

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As soon as I opened my eyes, I felt the gentle warmth pouring in through the window and a splitting headache that felt like the remnants of a hangover.

“Ugh…”

With a weak groan, I got up. I vaguely remembered staggering around drunk, but somehow I made it back to the inn. During my sleep, it seemed the shape of a dragon had not left my heart’s circle.

Looking out the window, the sun appeared to be high in the sky, indicating it was around lunchtime. I patted my queasy stomach and headed to the first floor of the inn.

“Ugh…”

The atmosphere of the inn was different from yesterday. The bustling crowd had vanished, leaving only one person occupying the empty first floor.

He was wearing a hood that obscured his face, but I could tell from the outline that he was male.

“Are you the Dragon’s Blood?”

The voice belonged to the man in the hood. Since I was the only one around, the question was clearly directed at me. I frowned and kept my mouth shut. These beastmen meant a person with the form of a dragon manifesting outside their body when they spoke of Dragon’s Blood.

“Is it unworthy of a response?”

“I think there’s some misunderstanding…”

Before I could finish my sentence, the man removed his hood and stood up. His face was now revealed.

A sharp scar crossed under his eyes and his unruly white hair was adorned with a pair of horns of uneven sizes, as if they had been cut off by someone.

He was a white stag beastman.

Gently caressing the horn visible in my line of sight, he spoke again.

“Taebaek Mountain’s Apostate, I challenge the authority of Dragon’s Blood.”

The man who introduced himself as Apostate placed his hand on the sword at his waist. He looked ready to draw it and attack the moment I was prepared.

“But I’m not Dragon’s Blood…”

Apostate’s intensity heightened at my words. His aura caused the long red thread at the tip of his sword to dance.

He didn’t seem like a person who would back down with mere conversation. I had taken on the form of a beastman to avoid trouble, but now I was faced with even greater annoyance. It seemed that this Apostate had a complicated history with those called Dragon’s Blood in the past.

How could I clear up this misunderstanding? As these thoughts raced through my mind, Apostate suddenly drew his sword. That was the signal to attack. The moment his feet hit the ground, a swift strike aimed at me was unleashed.

It was a straight sword with a certain formality, reminiscent of knights’ swordsmanship. It clearly seemed developed for fighting against fellow humans rather than monsters.

Fast, but not fast enough for me to not react. I immediately drew my sword to parry Apostate’s strike.

Clang!

The clash of swords sent up small sparks. Over the dazzling flash, I could see Apostate’s eyebrows twitch violently. In that instant, his sword, which had been suspended in the air, drew an uncanny curve and flew towards my neck.

Swish!

Apostate’s sword skimmed my neck, but my smooth skin was left unscathed. A transparent Mana Barrier covering my body protected me.

Without wasting a moment, Apostate stepped back and aimed his sword at me. His slightly contorted expression revealed his discomfort.

He adjusted his grip and muttered under his breath.

“Indeed… is this enough to pierce through the Dragon’s Shield…?”

“Dragon’s Shield? What?”

“Haah…!”

Apostate didn’t answer my question. He kicked off the ground and swung his sword at me again. His swordsmanship was versatile. Sometimes speeding up, then slowing down, occasionally even stopping mid-attack.

It seemed like he was trying to lull me into a sense of relaxation, but it didn’t work on me.

I furrowed my brow as I deflected Apostate’s strikes. His swordplay was tricky. The difference in physical capabilities was evident, allowing me to handle it easily, but against someone with equal abilities using such techniques, I would have considerable trouble.

In truth, I had no intention of dragging the fight out with Apostate. Since the gap in skills was so obvious, I figured there was nothing to learn from him. However, after a few clashes, I began to see the flow of Mana he was using.

His use of Mana was efficient. Unlike adventurers from another continent who spread their Mana throughout their whole body, he was firing small bursts of Mana with each movement, creating momentary enhancements.

But that was all. I decided to conclude this quickly and raised my sword to strike hard against Apostate’s blade.

Clang!

With a powerful blow, Apostate’s sword flew into the air, embedding itself into the inn’s ceiling. His empty upper body came into view. Immediately, I extended my hand, which wasn’t holding a sword.

It was a light gesture, but the result was anything but light. The Mana I had pressed into his body created a rebound, and he expelled an enormous shockwave as he was sent flying out of the inn.

As I followed Apostate outside, I found the street that had been crowded with residents was now deserted. Everyone was hiding, watching this fight.

There were far too many eyes on me. I dragged the squirming Apostate back inside the inn.

“Cough, cough… so you really are Dragon’s Blood…”

Despite writhing, Apostate kept muttering about Dragon’s Blood. I tossed him into a suitable spot and sat on a nearby chair.

“Hey there, mister.”

“…”

“What exactly is Dragon’s Blood?”

“To speak of Dragon’s Blood in front of a Dragon’s Blood? Are you trying to shame me…? But such is the right of the victor… perhaps I could bear this cost…”

“Stop with the nonsense and just tell me what you know.”

Apostate let out a small moan and began to explain about Dragon’s Blood. It referred to those descended from dragons that appeared in myths, with innate powers vastly different from common beastmen, which allowed them to act as rulers of this land for a long time.

“So you think I look like one of those Dragon’s Blood, huh?”

“To demand a defeated foe to praise the greatness of their bloodline is indeed arrogance befitting a true Dragon’s Blood…”

“I’m not Dragon’s Blood, you know.”

“You’re thoroughly shaming me…!”

Apostate, who had been writhing on the floor, suddenly sprang up, kneeling in front of me with his head bowed.

“Cut me…!”

“Cut you? Cut what?”

“Either my neck or horn, pick one. A victor has the right to take their opponent’s pride and life…”

So said Apostate. The tails and ears, horns, and parts of beastmen’s bodies are said to be precious. Some individuals cherish them more than their own lives.

I looked at Apostate’s horn with a peculiar gaze. Given the cut mark, it seemed he had once possessed a much larger horn.

Could it be that he once challenged a Dragon’s Blood and lost his horn?

If so, why didn’t the Dragon’s Blood just cut it all off?

There remained unanswered questions. I frowned and asked Apostate.

“Why wasn’t that horn cut off completely?”

“It’s the arrogance of Dragon’s Blood, you see. Even after winning, they don’t take life, nor do they sever all of their opponent’s pride. Instead, they relish the despair and humiliation, nurturing those who come seeking revenge…”

“Sounds like a twisted pleasure…”

Sighing, I sheathed my sword. Cutting off horns or taking lives was part of beastmen culture. I didn’t have to follow it.

Of course, I wasn’t forgiving Apostate for suddenly swinging his sword at me. His methods were wrong. If he wanted revenge, he should have gone after the one who cut off his horn, not me.

“Aren’t you ashamed?”

“Ashamed…? What does that mean?”

“I’m neither of Dragon’s Blood, nor did I cut off your horn. So why did you come looking for me?”

“That’s…”

“Did you think you could overpower me just because I’m a little girl?”

Apostate lowered his head in silence. It seemed I had hit the nail on the head. I turned my body and spoke.

“I told you to take your pride, but it seems there’s nothing left to take.”

As I turned to head upstairs, I suddenly heard a weak groan followed by a sickening crack from behind me.

I glanced back to see Apostate sitting on the floor, breaking his own horn.

Gathering my things, I immediately mounted Nightmare and left the inn. Since I had been wandering the street in the form of Dragon’s Blood, turning back into a human would surely drag me into bothersome trouble again.

Thus, after stowing away my Mana and returning to human form, I left the city with Nightmare. If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have revealed a dragon’s form…

They say regrets come too late, and that was certainly true.

Having exited the city, I began to face continuous ambushes from that day forward. Even in human form, the attackers showed no hesitation in swinging their swords at me.

The attackers mostly had stumps where their horns or tails once were, and occasionally, only one of their animal ears remained.

These were not monsters but people. They approached only at night, specifically hunting me down when I was trying to sleep.

“It’s Dragon’s Blood!”

“It’s alone! The rumors were true!”

The attackers were not just one; usually, there were at least two or more. Blinded by a thirst for revenge, they seemed oblivious to how unreasonable their actions were.

At first, I faced them head-on with my own sword. However, that only lasted a day or two, as the constant assaults quickly wore out my body.

The attackers showed no consideration for my need to recover my stamina and Mana. Therefore, I had to pull out other means of attack instead of my sword and magic.

“Three this time…”

Clink clink!

As I ran on Nightmare, I gently groomed its mane while whispering in a small voice. Immediately, three long crystal stones sprouted from its back.

I pulled out the three crystal stones and drew the bowstring back. Just as the bowstring reached its limit, I released it.

Whoosh!

The quickly launched crystal stones traced bizarre curves, piercing through the bodies of the beastmen hidden in the forest.

“Gah…!”

“Cough…”

“Ugh…”

Leaving behind the small groans echoing in the woods, Nightmare and I sped onward. Emerging from the red-stained maple forest, a deep, wide river came into view. It seemed impossible to cross by conventional means. But for me and Nightmare, it posed no problem at all.

Nightmare soared through the sky and jumped over the river.

On the third day since leaving the city, I finally escaped the beastmen’s ambush.

Only then could I finally rest and sleep peacefully.