#599 Dealing with an Evil Dragon

My name is Gardampnie, a Glintz Dragon.

Born as a dragon, the most powerful race in the world, I have no enemies other than my own kind!

...Well, there are still too many of them that I can’t beat, no matter hard I might try.

Starting with our father, who was once the Geyser Dragon...

His eldest son, Alexander the Grauglintz Dragon, is the strongest dragon that even the gods fear.

Second to him is Bloody Mary, the Graugrinzel Dragon.

Veil, a Grinzel Dragon who has recently emerged and is said to be on par with the two.

And Ardheg, the newly enthroned Geyser Dragon, or so they say.

Yup, I don’t think I can beat any of them!

An ordinary Glintz Dragon like me would be crushed in a second.

We’re all dragons. How can there be such a difference in our abilities?! 

Our strength is supposed to be our raison d’etre!

But I, Gardampnie, refuse to be discouraged.

We dragons have another raison d’etre besides strength, and that’s tyranny!

The true joy of being a dragon is to go to the limits of destruction and extermination as our impulse takes us!

What’s the point in being born a dragon but not oppressing the weak and wreaking havoc?!  

That’s what we dragons are known for!

Luckily for me, dragons are the strongest race.

As such, puny races are aplenty. 

Averting eyes away from the stronger ones and tormenting the weak is the most respectable way of a dragon’s life.  

All right, I’ve decided on my life path!

I will enjoy tormenting the weaklings while keeping out of sight of the strong in a faraway frontier! Yahoo!

But just as I was thinking of such things...

* * *

I was one-sidedly beaten to a pulp by another dragon that appeared from who knows where.

I couldn’t defend myself, even though we were both dragons.

Who is this assailant? I can tell she’s one of the strong dragons!

Huh? Veil?

Veil, the mystery Grinzel Dragon whose strength is now on par with an emperor?!

“Take that! Gahahahaha!!!”

The strongest class dragon stomps on me and makes an odd declaration of victory.

Why is one of the stronger dragons, whom I had been trying to avoid, coming after me?

My plan to live happily for thousands of years while bullying the weak was ruined before it even began!

“Great! Got the materials now! I’m going to use it to make Junior’s birthday present!”

She just sees me as some kind of material?!

I feel like I’m being denied my very identity! 

Do strong dragons like her only see everyone else as no more than insects?! Drats!

“What are you doing to your own kind, Veil?”

Oh? The human who came with the Grinzel Dragon is scolding her.

Yeah, you tell her, human!

“Actually, what do you want to make Junior’s present out of this dragon? Are you going to use it as a crafting material of sorts?”

“Yup.”

“Why are you bothering another dragon for that?! I mean, you’re a dragon too! Can’t you just use yours?!”

Hear, hear!

Scales, claws, lifeblood, and even wings or tails can quickly regenerate using our dragon vitality.

Why did she have to go out of her way just to get those from another dragon?

“Frankly, I’m willing to use my own materials for Junior, but it’s different this time. Even dragons have organs they can’t afford to lose.”

“And that is?”

“The head.”

That’s true too.

The head is the most important organ for dragons, as it is for many other creatures.

Not only is it responsible for controlling thought and consciousness, but it also holds command over our magic. 

If our head were to be cut off, it wouldn’t regenerate so easily!

In fact, it WON’T!

“That’s why I can only use another dragon’s head. I can’t help it, can I?” 

That’s not a valid reason!

How could you behead your own kind without hesitation for such a reason, you fiend!

“What are you going to use a dragon’s head for...?!” fearfully asks the human.

Veil the Grinzel Dragon responds, “To turn it into a tsantsa.”

“A tsantsa?”

“Let me explain the process of making a tsantsa. First, you remove the skull from the severed head, boil the remaining skin and dry it to make it more compact. You now have your tsantsa.” 

“No one asked for your morbid explanation!”

What is she talking about?

Is she going to do the same gruesome things to my head?! Yikes!

“What horrid thing are you trying to make?! That’s gonna be a cursed item, no doubt about it! Do you think there are two-year-olds who would be happy to receive such a thing?!”

“Lemme finish first. A dragon’s head is Pendragon.”

“Pendragon?”

“It symbolizes domination and strength. Whoever possesses it will surely grow up to be a worthy champion in the future. It’s a lucky charm that will light Junior’s path.”

“Like the head of a sea bream?!”

I was terrified.

In other words, am I to be unilaterally slaughtered just for the sake of making a good-luck charm, regardless of my circumstances?

This must be the selfishness of the powerful!

“But! I am Grinzel Dragon Veil! I’m going to add a little more flair to my gift!”

“How exactly?”

“Once the tsantsa is done, I’m going to put a chain through it so it can be worn. In other words, a Pendragon pendant! Doesn’t it rhyme?”

“Uh, just the pen part.”

Do you think I’d be pleased to hear you say that?

As the dragon whose head is gonna be used for that tsantsa, this is preposterous!

“And then, I’ll add another twist. Remember the story you once told me, Master? You know, The Gift of the Magi?”

“Yeah? What about it?”

Huh? What’s the story about?

“It’s a story about a couple who wanted to give each other gifts but didn’t have the money to afford one. Instead, they sold their hair and watch chain. The wife received a comb and the husband a platinum watch, but in the end, they couldn’t use it.”

The heck?!

Humans really are stupid!

“But the couple in the story also realized how much they cared for each other. That moral lesson moved me! That’s why I’m going to do the same for Junior’s gift!” 

“What are you going to do then?”

“Even if I make Pendragon, we need a chain to make it into a pendant. That’s why I’ll sell the Pendragon to get the money to buy the chain.”

“Self-Gift of the Magi?!”

“I may not have the gift that symbolizes a champion, but I can still convey my precious feelings to Junior. It’s a tear-jerking story.”

Wait a minute!

Doesn’t that seriously diminish the significance of my sacrifice?

Why do I still need to be beheaded for that?!

“Don’t worry. I went out of my way to consult with Mary to introduce me to a naughty dragon who causes trouble to people. And that’s you.”

Whaaaaaat?!

“Even if I kill you, people will be overjoyed to have a menace like you gone! I can carry on with my work of making a tsantsa without feeling guilty. It’s a win-win situation.”  

But what about me?!

“The death and suffering of the wicked are the blessings of the world.”

Hold on just a secondddddddddddd!

Wait! Don’t cut off my head! Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeee!

As I cried and begged for my life, the human interrupted.

“Think about it for a minute, Veil. Do you seriously think Junior would be happy to know someone was killed for his own sake, bad guy or not?”

“Hmm, well, Junior is a kind boy.”

“Bad guys can change, too. It’d be better to make Junior happy with something else. How about you and I make a wooden toy together?”

“Junior does seem like he’d be happy with that. Okay! Let’s make him a toy instead.”

With that, Veil and the human left without a word to me, the victim.

...

What the heck was that charade all about?

They came in like a storm—appeared suddenly, laid waste unilaterally, and when they were about to take my life mercilessly, they stopped on a whim and left.

Is there anything more unreasonable than that?

I learned firsthand the misery of being at the mercy of an overwhelming force.

I wonder how many weak people in the world are experiencing this same feeling at the hands of the heartless.

How can such heinous acts be committed? The strong are only weak in the eyes of those who are stronger than them.

Now that I know this feeling firsthand, I no longer have the desire to oppress the weak as I did before. I cannot escape from the fear that I might be put in the same position.

In order to rid myself of this anxiety, I will change like that human said and live as a good dragon who protects the weak.

If we believe that this world is shaped by compassion, then the tyrants who oppress the weak will disappear from this world.