Rehilis.

The Red Dragon with that noble bloodline.

A dragon descended from one of the world's coordinators, possessing overwhelming magical talent purely by virtue of its lineage.

And that's not all.

With scales of incredible hardness, the ability to compress natural energy into a powerful breath, and an exceptional memory that never forgets anything once remembered, dragons are nearly omnipotent beings.

As such, Rehilis had a strong sense of pride in herself.

After all, she was a great dragon, far more powerful than most other races that were weak in comparison to her.

And now as well,

"Kyaaah, stop it... don't lick!"

Kyuu.

A small rabbit with fluffy white fur licked Rehilis. Holding the chubby white rabbit in her arms, Rehilis smiled as she gently pushed the rabbit away from her face.

"You little rascal!"

Kyuuuuu——!

Tosili.
The fluffy white rabbit with pink eyes.

For some reason, even when she was still a dragon, this rabbit had a particular affection for her. Although dragons are known to naturally instill fear, causing other animals to avoid them, Rehilis seemed to be an exception.

Not only did the rabbit not fear her, but it also clung to her and displayed affection.

"Well, being human isn't so bad."

At first, she had tried to find a way to return to her dragon form. She experimented with various spells and even dabbled in alchemy while thinking of her original body.

In the end, she concluded that using polymorph would work.

However, the issue was that polymorph was a spell that had been abandoned among dragons.

Polymorph is a high-level spell that temporarily transforms one's species. Many dragons who used this spell to become human ended up having children with humans.

To dragons, who favored pure bloodlines, the mixing of blood with other races, especially humans, was an unbearable thought.

Therefore, among dragons,

Polymorph was designated as a forbidden spell.

"Not that it's something I need to worry about."

It wasn’t fear of that rule that kept her from using polymorph.

The dragon who established that rule had long since been buried in the ground.

The reason she didn’t return to her dragon form was simple.

"So soft..."

If she became a dragon, she wouldn't be able to hug the animals that snuggled up to her.

"Besides, I'm just too big..."

A dragon's body is enormous.

It measures tens of meters in length, and the power contained within that body far surpasses that of other races.

Because of this, she had to be careful when she was a dragon.

Even a slight movement on her part could pose a great danger to the animals around her.

Hugging an animal like this was unthinkable.

And no matter how keen a dragon's senses are, they couldn't compare to the softness of human skin.

"Though I’m not yet fully accustomed to combat... it's not like I'll be fighting anytime soon."

This place was deep within a forest.

A lush, green forest that most civilizations hadn’t even approached.

Because of that, she could count the number of battles she had experienced on one hand. It was unusual for several battles to have occurred recently; normally, peace was the norm.

For these reasons,

Rehilis didn’t particularly miss her dragon body.

There simply weren’t any battles to fight.

And just as she was feeling reassured in this thought,

A stranger appeared.

She was a mysterious woman.

Her long blonde hair reached down to her thighs, shimmering with every movement, and her transparent, clear green eyes sparkled.

She also wore a blue dress.

However,

Rehilis could tell.

How many sharp thorns lay hidden beneath that woman’s beautiful exterior.

No, were they thorns?

They were too fierce to be called thorns.

Even at this moment,

Her dragon's sharp eyes were sending endless warnings her way.

She felt a chill down her spine.

Cold sweat dripped down her back before she even realized it.

Blood flowed from her clenched fists.

‘Can I protect them…?’

Rehilis glanced behind her.

The various animals at her side were staring at her with bright, innocent eyes.

‘Why aren’t they running away…?’

Why weren't they fleeing?

They were always the first to detect and escape when a dangerous opponent appeared.

But the animals were just staring at her with wide-eyed curiosity.

There was nothing she could do to change that with a glance.

So, she decided to buy some time by initiating a conversation.

She noticed the woman’s gaze drifting toward the scales she was holding.

‘Who is she?’

Could she be someone related to Jörmungandr?

Come to think of it, how did she know exactly where to find me?

This was a remote forest, and there were no hidden treasures or anything like that here.

It wasn’t as if she stumbled upon it by accident, considering there were no settlements for miles around.

So, there must be a reason she came here...

"Who are you?"

"Me?"

I don’t have enough information.

I need to find out more.

With that thought, she casually asked the question.

However, the response she received was shocking.

"I’m Jörmungandr’s girlfriend."

"...What?"

She forgot to maintain her composure.

The response was that shocking.

Girlfriend?

As in, a girlfriend?

Did she understand that term correctly?

Rehilis’s head spun.

Jörmungandr, that giant, powerful being, had a girlfriend?

And that girlfriend was this small, delicate woman?

Of course, she knew the power within this woman was anything but delicate... but still, her words were shocking.

As Rehilis’s red eyes spun in confusion,

The woman let out a small laugh and spoke.

"Didn’t you hear? I’m the girlfriend of the one whose scales you’re holding."

"Oh, oh..."

"So, would you mind explaining? How did you get those scales?"

The woman’s green eyes gleamed dangerously.

Rehilis’s instincts buzzed with alarm.

She felt a shiver down her spine.

As she hesitated, the woman, who had been watching her intently, suddenly burst into laughter.

"Pft, hahaha...!"

"...?"

"What’s the matter? Why do you look so stiff? Of course, I was just joking."

As if the tension from earlier had been nothing but a joke,

The woman quickly relaxed the atmosphere, wiping away the tears she had shed from laughing as she slowly walked over to Rehilis.

When Rehilis instinctively flinched, the woman offered a sincere apology.

"Sorry, you just looked so cute. I guess I took the joke too far."

"No… it’s alright."

"I’m Raquelia. And you?"

"I’m Rehilis."

"Nice to meet you."

With a light greeting,

Raquelia passed by her and reached out toward the animals behind Rehilis with a bright smile.

"Come here, come on!"

With a posture and tone that suggested she had done this many times before,

The animals that had been hovering around Rehilis eagerly leaped toward Raquelia.

"Oh, how adorable."

Tosili jumped into Raquelia’s arms.

The fluffy white fur rubbed against her with all its might.

It was only then that Rehilis relaxed.

Animals were the best at discerning the nature of others.

Seeing them eagerly jumping into Raquelia’s arms reassured her that, at the very least, she wasn’t an evil person.

"How curious. I didn’t think animals would approach a dragon like this."

"You knew... I was a dragon?"

"Yeah, you had that distinct polymorphed dragon feel to you. I’ve actually seen one before."

Her words,

Made Rehilis think.

The last time dragons were known to walk around in polymorphed forms was thousands of years ago, at least.

And yet, she had seen one?

Just how old could she be…?

Questions sprang to mind, but

Rehilis decided to hold them back.

Her intuition told her

That bringing this up would be a mistake, a mistake that might end her life.

Rehilis’s ruby-red eyes glanced at Raquelia.

‘She’s beautiful...’

There was no denying it.

She was incredibly mysterious and beautiful.

Was she human?

It didn’t seem that way.

The mysterious aura surrounding her was too different from that of a human.

‘Could she be an elf?’

This seemed more plausible.

Although Rehilis had never seen an elf in person, she had read many stories about them in old books.

Long ears.

A race very in tune with nature.

And they were known for their longevity.

Looking at her now, she certainly fit the description of an elf.

While Rehilis was lost in thought, Raquelia spoke up.

"Oh, by the way."

Raquelia’s voice cut through her thoughts.

"Do you know where Jörmungandr is?"

"I don’t know exactly where he is. Lord Jörmungandr... tends to move around a lot. But I do know where he lives."

"Really?"

Raquelia’s lips curled into a smile.

Her bright expression was filled with the excitement of reuniting with an old friend.

"I’m curious to see how much our Jörmungandr has grown. Want to come along?"

"Hmm, sure."

It had been a while since she had seen Jörmungandr, after all.

Rehilis nodded readily.

Yes, that’s right.

It’s just because it’s been a long time since we’ve met.

Nothing more.

"Hmm..."

And as she did so,

Raquelia watched her closely.