Dragon Life – 1

Chapter 01 – I used to be human. I’ve forgotten my name.

I wonder what all of you imagine when you hear the word “Dragon”.

Four limbs with a horn grown from the head, a long serpent like body, a notched long tail, bat like wings, sharp claws and fangs and a fiery breath. Isn’t that the usual image?

I’m the same. When I imagine a dragon, I immediately think of those appearing in current games or fiction.

At times they kidnap frail maidens becoming evil, at other times they accompany the hero, striving to vanquish evil. There are also those where in legends they create the heaven and earth, mating with humans, leaving their seed.

But right now, we know that things like dragons don’t exist.

In the Mesozoic Era’s jurassic Cretaceous period, during which dinosaurs rampaged, similar beings might have been alive, but among those there probably weren’t any that breathed fire.

When mankind was undeveloped there were biologists who thought that dragons existed, but nowadays almost everyone knows that dragons are nothing but myth and dreams.

In the first place, the concept of dragons are sort of the most fantasy-like thing there is, and appear in all kinds of stories as a symbol of something we wish existed, is what I think.

I might have digressed slightly with that talk, but anyway, my conclusion is but one.

That the beings known as “dragons” don’t exist.

Using selective breeding, we might one day create similar beings, but the dragons we fantasize about certainly don’t exist.

However, however! Something that destroys that logic has happened.

Just what the heck happened.

It took me a while to realize the abnormal event.

How long, you ask? It wasn’t until after I ate a young, delicious village girl.

She was not a noble, just a village girl, but she sure had an abundant amount of magical energy, especially of the spirit of earth that I particularly like, so she was quite the delicacy. Content, I burped.

―――No, no, wait a moment. It’s not a matter of deliciousness.

However, what I ate a moment ago was without question the same species as me, a human. Her frightened expression while she screamed, the taste of her flesh and blood in my mouth. And the near ecstasy as the abundant magical power overflowed within me, the cause of my to desire to “eat”. It was truly delicious. I licked the stuck blood around my mouth with my long tongue. The human I ate this time was truly the most delicious human I’ve ever eaten―――wait!?

Something is definitely wrong!! I don’t eat humans! I don’t have any memories of that at all! So far in my life as a human I’ve never eaten a human, nor do I have such cannibalistic hobbies! Such things are enough if they appear in films and such!!

―――Yes… But it was truly deviously delish… Huh?

The more I think about it, the more my thoughts turn to “Humans are delicious”. More precisely, “humans with abundant amounts of magical power” are delicious.

That’s weird. I should be a human. Humans don’t eat humans. I’ve got a feeling that if a human ate another human they would lose something precious, and eating isn’t such a revolting…No, delicious action… No, no, no, wait. Wait, myself. Please, wait!!

I’m    currently    confused.

It’s almost like my brain and the brain that thinks humans are delicious are being sloppily mixed.

My thoughts of not wanting to eat humans, that humans aren’t delicious and the thoughts that I want to eat humans, and that they’re delicious both exist, and because of the contradiction I’m bewildered.

Just what has happened to my brain, has it been fermented or simply turned into miso?

To calm myself down, I started by looking at my surroundings, and apparently I’m in the middle of a forest. I wonder when I arrived at this forest. It’s true that I live in a rural area, but there shouldn’t be such a forest like forest anywhere close.

When I shaked my head in incomprehension,  a dry sound could be heard close by.

[Vito, what is it? Was the human disgusting?]

Suddenly, from the grass a white rabbit appeared. And it spoke!! It seemed to be one of the formerly popular Angora rabbits, covered with long fur, it was nimbly coming over.

During summer I don’t want to get close to the ball of fur, but it’s a slightly chilly season right now, so I’d by all means love to pet it on my lap.

Nevertheless, I didn’t know that rabbits could speak. It’s not like this is wonderland.

[Vito?]

[Ah, sorry. The village girl was really tasty. Thank you Saus.]

Those smoothly said words surprised myself. The juvenile voice of the rabbit laughed merrily going kyi kyi. What’s with that cute animal sound! Outrageous! I want to immediately stroke it on my lap―――Is not what I thought.

Do I know this rabbit?

When thinking carefully, I seem to recall it. If I recall correctly, I met it a few years ago when it was attacked by a pack of wolves, from which I saved it from. That’s right, after that it became attached to me, taking care of food for me. I have those memories, yet I have no memory of experience it myself.

[Yippie! The human this time, wasn’t very careful, so it was really easy! Please praise me mo-ore!]

Oh no, my desire to cuddle it is rising. Praise it! I’ll praise it as much as it wants if it gets on my lap this instant so I can―――for the moment, I purged those thoughts.

In brief, Saus brought that village girl to me, and I ate her.

… You’re quite capable with such a cute face, oh rabbit you.

[What is wrong? Vito today, is kind of strange?]

[…Hey, I’m human, right? Why am I… eating humans?]

I don’t know if asking is going to help me, but other than the rabbit Saur, there’s noone here. I also think it’s a strange question to ask, but since I was in doubt about it, I asked if I belonged to Domain: Eukarya; Kingdom: Animalia; Division: Chordata; Subdivision: Vertebrata; Class: Mammalia; Subclass: Theria; Order: Primates; Suborder: Haplorrhini; Family: Hominidae; Subfamily: Homininae; Genus: Homo; Species: H. sapiens.

Saus tilted it’s head in puzzlement, and stared at me with wide, red irises.

―――Where rabbits this small?

It’s almost like I’m watching it from the roof of a second story building.

I laid my arm next to Saus, and it was bigger than I remembered. Oh dear, have I gained weight? I’ve even became scaly.

Also, I have to take care so I don’t hurt Saus with my three, sharp claws… ―――Eh?

I gave my own arm a hard look.

Far from fat, it’s covered in scale. And why do I only have three fingers? Sharp claw? Which reminds me, those white curtain like things at the edge of my vision―――are wings? And towards me whose thoughts had stopped in shock, Saus threw an even bigger bomb at me.

[What aare you saying? Are you not a dragon, Vito? A white, big, kind dragon!!]

[…Eh?]

“Dragon”?

Just what has happened.