Another World Reincarnation Chronicle

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Kaiman pretended not to, but he was preparing various things for me. It was also under his guidance that I ended up greeting the young dragons and exchanging names.

A faintly intense affection could be sensed. Kaiman’s feelings were gradually leaking out. Although he pretended to hide them, since the object of his affection was me, I could easily pick up on it.

It was the affection of a male, no less than that of a young dragon. Normally, I would have pushed him away, but given the situation, that was not an option.

I couldn’t quite grasp why Kaiman, who had said he was embarrassed by his human form, felt affection for me, a human, but I decided to make the best of his feelings.

For the sake of obtaining what I wanted, I could tolerate a moment’s discomfort. I smiled lightly as I thought of the people waiting for me.

At that moment, the golden dragon, Albao, who had shown me affection after Kaiman, asked a question.

[Why is Seris only in human form?]

“Because I can’t wear pretty clothes when I grow up.”

[But what Seris is wearing isn’t pretty at all!]

Albao tilted his head, questioning my answer. I tugged at my collar and spoke up.

“Really…? My mother said it was pretty.”

[Huh…?]

Albao, taken aback by my response, looked around cautiously. He hid his face behind his massive wings, avoiding the gaze of the other dragons nearby.

In truth, my mother back home had never said such a thing. After all, she had never seen how I was dressed now.

But what does it matter? I had managed to gracefully sidestep an awkward question.

From then on, the young dragons threw various questions at me that were difficult to answer. They weren’t intended to be malicious, just born from innocent curiosity.

[Does Seris’s mom have red scales?]

Our mother is an ordinary human with no scales.

[A faint chill is felt. Surely, it must be from the father’s blue scales.]

Our father is also an ordinary human with no scales.

I mumbled the answers I couldn’t express aloud, subtly ignoring the stares of the dragons. While I was keeping an eye on them, it seemed that the dragons, tired of my evasions, began to converse among themselves.

Their focus dissipated. Now was my chance. I discreetly approached Kaiman, who stood with his arms crossed and a sharp expression.

Noticing my approach, Kaiman raised his eyebrows, but his posture remained unchanged.

“Hey, Kaiman…”

I trailed off, gauging his reaction. What I needed now was a failed dragon egg. It was a sensitive matter, and I couldn’t just demand it without finesse. I needed to start with something very simple.

“What’s the matter?”

Kaiman responded as if pleased to be called. I swallowed hard and continued.

“Do you happen to know where our kin’s eggs are?”

“Eggs…?”

Kaiman’s eyebrows twitched at my question. I bit my lip in surprise. Stay calm. There was nothing odd about my inquiry.

“Why do you ask?”

As I expected, the location of the eggs was a very sensitive topic. Nevertheless, I didn’t falter; my small head shone brightly as I seized the fleeting moment.

“Well… since I was born outside, I haven’t had the chance to see other eggs.”

A background quickly formed. I was a dragon born outside the Dragon’s Cradle, and due to some untold circumstances and peculiar parents, I had only now sought the Dragon’s Cradle.

My parents’ names were [Kalbain].

I borrowed the name of the dragon that has now passed. Of course, I wouldn’t voice this concocted background.

It was just a clumsy piece of fiction. If I were to be interrogated by an adult dragon instead of young ones, this shabby setup would surely fall apart quickly.

“That’s the case…”

“Could you show me?”

“Um…”

Kaiman frowned as if my question was troubling. However, his hesitation didn’t last long. He nodded as if he had made a decision and transformed back from his human form into a gigantic dragon.

Paaah-!

With a storm of rough mana, Kaiman spread his black wings wide. He opened his massive jaws and spoke to me.

[Get on my back. I will guide you there.]

“Wow…”

[Don’t forget to express your gratitude.]

“Thank you.”

As I sent a short expression of thanks, the giant dragon’s eyes trembled with intensity. Immediately after, Kaiman exhaled forcefully and began to flap his wings.

Whoooosh-!

I might be the first human to fly through the sky on a living dragon. I stroked Kaiman’s smooth scales while gazing down at the ground shrinking away.

The young dragons looked up with tilted heads, their eyes following the sky.

[Kaiman is taking Seris away.]

The dragons gazed, seemingly with no intention of following. Kaiman glanced down at the dragons and then flapped his enormous wings with all his might.

Boom-!

The force emanating from his massive body was nothing short of violent. Just a simple flap of his wings created sonic booms, and the shock I felt was far from light.

Kwahhh-!

Caught in the fierce gust, my short scream was carried away in an instant. I had no choice but to clutch my bag on my back and wait for Kaiman’s speed to decrease.

As I endured the wild wind, I began to perceive the traces of magic emanating from Kaiman.

Body enhancement and flight, storm preparation for speed amplification. Even the paths of wind for sudden directional changes.

The spells used in that brief moment were countless. At least five, but potentially over ten spells were activated at once.

Was it because he was still a young dragon? I had felt nothing from Lonabes, who guided me here, but Kaiman was different.

Just by watching, I learned a great deal, and stroking his scales, thrumming with immense mana, let me experience a multitude of sensations.

[We have arrived.]

Suddenly awakened from my thoughts by a voice, I shook my head and turned with Kaiman’s gaze. What I saw was a fluffy white cloud.

It was as if someone had pulled the clouds from the sky to create a gigantic cradle, and within that spherical cloud were various eggs floating.

The eggs were as large as Kaiman’s wings, so they could only be dragon eggs.

I tilted my head as I gazed at the eggs floating inside the clouds. Since they were dragon eggs, I expected an immense presence to radiate from them, but the eggs floating there emitted barely a faint aura.

“Hey. Could we get a closer look?”

[Hmm…]

Kaiman began to ponder deeply at my question. However, his hesitation was short-lived this time too. With a solemn expression, he nodded and approached the gigantic cloud a bit closer.

As we got nearer, it became apparent that a thin veil surrounded the cloud. Given the lack of mana traces, it seemed to be some other kind of force at work rather than magic.

I tapped Kaiman’s horns, urging him to go even further.

“Just a bit more, please move a bit closer.”

[Like this…?]

“Yes. Just like that…”

I stood up on Kaiman’s neck, tiptoeing as I clung to the transparent wall. Kaiman, watching from below, breathed heavily as if anxious.

“Hmm…”

As expected, even focusing my mana on my eyes, I couldn’t spot anything beyond the cloud. It seemed this transparent barrier blocked external observation.

“Hm…?”

In that moment, a sudden high-pitched sound froze my entire body. I hadn’t noticed the presence of an unfamiliar one, and I had exposed my back.

Goosebumps erupted across my skin as instinctual dread set in. A strong force gripped my extended tail, and my vision spun as my body was lifted upside down.

“Gah…!”

Hanging upside down, I finally grasped the situation. At that moment, I shifted my gaze from the chill and pressure enveloping my tail.

As icy blue crystals settled upon my white hair, calm fascination sparkled in my serene eyes.

It was a woman of mesmerizing beauty, like snowflakes. And this woman was lifting me upside down by my tail.

“W-who are you…?”

“I should be the one asking. Why do I feel your energy?”

The woman replied, her lips curling into a small smile. At that moment, a chilling cold emanated from her body.

Crackle-!

The icy chill began to converge around my restrained tail. This bone-chilling wind, freezing even time, had no effect on me at all.

Except for one thing.

The scales on my tail, caught in her grip, began to change color gradually; from the fiery red of warmth to the chilling blue of frost. Furthermore, the Ice Dragon Sword at my waist began to vibrate violently, drawn forth as if responding to her cold.

“I don’t recall birthing a child…?”

The woman tilted her head in genuine confusion. At this point, I couldn’t possibly miss her identity. I swallowed hard and concealed the drawn Ice Dragon Sword behind my back.

The woman, holding my tail and lifting me upside down, was undoubtedly Kashpa, the Ice Dragon. The fragments of Kashpa I had previously encountered taking on the form of a boy didn’t matter much.

An absolute being transcending life forms. A dragon could probably change its gender at will whenever it wanted.

I smiled at Kashpa, trying to appear as charming as possible.