Iss didn't know what kind of wine the humans had brought him with a careful face, it smelled good, but it tasted sour and astringent, so spicy that it burned his tongue like fire, and then burned down his throat and into his stomach.

He glared at the guy who had brought the wine, seriously thinking about whether he should smash the glass on his head, but finally tilted his head and poured the whole glass down.

He had to admit that the feeling of a fire burning back into his head from his internal organs made him a little dizzy, and it didn't seem to be that bad.

The meat roasted by these northerners was dry, hard, and bitter, and it was too far from Naria's craftsmanship...... No, that kind of thing was an insult to her compared to any food Naria made, but he still unconsciously swept over plate after plate, and his numb tongue became more and more unable to distinguish any taste.

He had to do something to stop himself from roaring and smashing this stinking fortress - along with Scott and Ed.

The Anktans who filled the small space stinked like orcs, and every whisper they thought he wouldn't hear was so clear into his ears that it was as noisy as thousands of bees buzzing around him, and he couldn't shoot any of them to death.

Nothing new about that, he told himself.

-- but it's still unbearable.

He simply couldn't understand why he was sitting here instead of flying under the night sky, in the cool, crisp air...... Ah, by the way, it's because Ed Singal has a plan...... And. Scott is here.

Is he here to find him, or is he here to stop him from discovering something?

I don't know...... He didn't even really care.

More and more, he felt like he was desperately trying to hold on to those warm memories. Those beautiful and trivial clips and the nostalgic temperature in them are swept away by the waves little by little like grains of sand on the beach. Day by day it is more blurry and broken.

Unanswered questions, disappointment of not being trusted, piling up into resentment and exhaustion, slowly but never ending to consume the love that human beings call "family affection".

That's what made him "him", that's what made him abandon "it" and return to this world, but he wasn't human after all...... And the dragon does not understand family affection. The life and soul of dragons are one, and the only thing they need to love is themselves.

This burden, known as "love," may have been too heavy for him...... He didn't know how long he would be able to hold out before giving up completely.

As his fingertips began to tingle, Iss could no longer tell whether he was drinking ale or the fiery spirits, blurred his vision. The whole world began to flicker and flicker, swinging around irregularly.

For a brief moment, he realized that he seemed to be drunk—he was probably the first drunken dragon ever.

Before he could give himself a self-deprecating smile, he fell headlong onto the table.

He was still conscious, but his whole body was soft and heavy, like an uncontrollable mess of mud, and his soul floated in the air in a trance, half annoyed and half pleasant.

“...... What the hell did you give him a drink?"

He vaguely heard Scott's angry and helpless voice.

"Some ale...... Well, a lot of ale, and the honey that I learned from the barbarians...... There's probably one last bit of cider...... I'm sorry. My lord, we didn't think he would get drunk......"

There was a moment of silence, then a sigh.

“...... Never mind. ”

- Or else?

He thought to himself a little smugly, and passed out before he could be picked up and thrown onto the bed.

When he suddenly woke up in the darkness, his consciousness was still blurred. But there is a part of the soul that is incomparably sober - the instinct of a dragon is incomparably sober.

It was a kind of extreme calmness and sensitivity that had been soaked in his blood and precipitated for thousands of years. Untroubled by his short twenty-plus years of vain memories and emotions, pure and powerful. But it was chillingly cold.

It was one of the treasures he had inherited, but it had been buried deep in his consciousness for a long time. He knew he couldn't control that yet. And if he still obeys the call of instinct, he will be completely ...... Turn into another dragon.

A real, but no longer "his" dragon.

But now, it's woken up.

In the darkness he heard a silent roar, coming from every brick, from every speck of dust, one after another, through the fortress, through the whole world.

It was the roar of a dragon.

He trembled in the darkness and chaos, hearing the voice of the Silver Fang, hearing the voice of Ankramarat Iceray, hearing the voice of countless dragons...... Hear its own voice.

It is the pride that has been insulted, the dignity that has been trampled, the sacredness that has been desecrated, the power that has been defiled.

That is absolutely intolerable, inexcusable, and unforgivable...... Deception and betrayal.

He knew what he had to do—he knew what those voices wanted him to do. He should change back to his original form, he should destroy this place completely, tear every human body apart, let their blood soak every fragment...... Even this does not wash away the sins they have committed.

His soul swayed like a candle in the wind in too strong anger, and the faint light seemed to be drowned out in an instant, but it was still stubbornly burning.

He couldn't remember how he left the room, how he walked silently through the winding corridors like shadows.

He wants to know, he wants to see...... He had to listen to him admit it so that he could put out that little flame once and for all.

He heard his name called...... Names that belong to human beings. When I looked back, I could barely recognize the familiar face.

"She's here. He told Ed that he didn't care if he could understand it.

- But she's not here.

Her anger is here, her broken strength is here, but she is not.

The ice dragon roared and destroyed everything that stood in its way. Stout stone pillars, ugly statues, broken bricks...... It could feel her presence, but she wasn't there.

"Iscontia Alan Chrysus!"

-- That's not its name, it doesn't have a name.

"Whatever crazy you're doing, stop me!!"

- No one can talk to a dragon like that. Even the human who gave birth to it with the force of life has lost this qualification.

"Crazy?"

It stretched its massive head out in front of the human, and the weary soul was as calm as death, "Scott Christus, you don't know what it would be like for a dragon to really go crazy. ”.

Scott didn't take a step back.

He looked at those huge golden eyes, and knew that his eyes were shining with the same light, and he knew that his face was probably colder and paler than the scales of the ice dragon.

He wasn't surprised, and even felt that he had been looking forward to this moment - maybe not expectation, he just knew that he had to face this moment after all, and he could no longer hide it, he couldn't escape it.

If it weren't for his luck, those who knew nothing would not have befallen this unexpected disaster on this peaceful night.

He forced himself to look directly at the powerful and terrifying magical creature in front of him, and all that came out of his mind was the little baby that Lydia had stuffed into his arms, with a red and wrinkled face and a smile mixed with tears, snot and saliva, a toddler with his footprints on the snow, a barefoot figure running through the hallway, and a clear, pure light blue eye that looked at him as if he were looking at the whole world......

He knew that in this moment he had completely lost those.

"Not here. He heard his own voice, firm and powerless, "The people here don't know anything, and there is no need for your anger to be vented on their heads. ”

"Why should I care about this?" the dragon asked indifferently.

“...... Because they gave you the best food and wine and made you lie in their best bed?" Scott smiled wryly, wondering if it meant anything to a dragon.

The dragon fell silent, blinking slowly.

It looked a little confused—that gave Scott a faint hope in his heart.

But he knew that even if the dragon still retained its humanity, it wasn't because he—not anymore.

"Is......"

When Ed walked up to him and spoke cautiously, he didn't stop,

"I don't know exactly what's going on, but we might ...... Can we calm down and talk about it?"

“...... Yes, we do have something to talk about. There was still no temperature in the Ice Dragon's voice, "But until then, tell me, Scott...... Where is she. ”

“...... Not here. Scott replied with difficulty.

The ice dragon's head was closer, its sharp teeth almost pressed against his chest.

"I'm asking 'where'. ”

- "Where" instead of "Why...... It rejected either interpretation.

“...... You know I'm not going to tell you. Scott replied.

“...... Scott!" Ed whispered nervously, and he ignored it.

"You also know that you are no match for me. He finished speaking calmly.

Ed seemed to gasp - it would be unwise to provoke a dragon like this, of course.

But he knew Is...... This dragon will no longer be so easily provoked. It is calm, as if the fragile and vulnerable part of the soul has been completely cut off, and when it is no longer easily swayed by emotions, out of the instinct of survival, a dragon knows how to make a better choice for itself.

The ice dragon stared at him without blinking. Scott never knew that frozen sight could be such a powerful weapon, and it quietly sliced his heart, over and over again.

The ice dragon finally raised its head slowly and spread its wings.

"I'll come to you, Scott Criess. It told him, "And you will pray that you will never be resurrected." ”.

(To be continued......)