Chapter 66

“I’m done for.”

It was the first thing that came out of my mouth just a day after I started making clothes to uphold at least a minimum level of dignity as a social being, even though there was only one onlooker: a dragon.

In reality, over 60% of the area was that of the Gal Dragon, but everything in this place, known as the realm of giants, was enormous.

This meant even the plants suitable for use as fabric for clothing were the same.

The process of splitting and twisting the large hemp fibers by hand to create fabric was incredibly cumbersome.

While it was possible to weave a tidy fabric on the loom with the delicacy of sewing torn flesh together with hair, the area of the fabric I barely managed to obtain after thousands and tens of thousands of repetitions was just enough to cover my upper body, leading me to give up neatly.

‘In the forest, Saraswati could create anything if I just inspired her.’

Here, however, there was only the kidnapper, who looked at me with a strange gaze.

Seemingly curious about the plants I had rescued from outside and what I was making with them, he was watching me intently.

‘…Unsettlingly so.’

His head alone was about half the size of either Golb or Silv, making his eyes nearly the size of my entire body.

As I continued to be stared at by such a large dragon in my naked state, I found myself unable to grow accustomed to it over time.

Moreover, without saying much and just observing, I couldn’t discern what he was thinking, which only heightened my discomfort.

“Are you going to give up?”

The Gal Dragon, who had been watching me twist fibers into thread and then into fabric, broke his silence when I threw the fabric aside.

“It’s too inefficient, you know.”

The Gal Dragon looked pleased.

“Then you won’t wear any clothes?”

“…I don’t know why you like this so much, but as a civilized being, I can’t do that. I suppose I’ll have to find another way.”

“Is that so…”

He sounded somewhat gloomy.

Seeing the Gal Dragon like that made me chuckle inwardly.

He had the air of a little priest or crusader who had missed their treats as a punishment in the temple.

It was hard to imagine that this dragon, who used to slaughter giants and who never knew defeat since birth, was now looking so pitiful.

Although I had the worst first impression, having caused a raid, endangered his disciples, and broken all the gifts given by his family, he was strangely cute in this light.

‘…What am I thinking.’

Is it because it’s his first defeat that he has softened? Or maybe it’s because nothing significant has happened in the two weeks since he awakened, contrary to my expectations.

The dire situation where his whims could threaten my life was still unchanged.

But it was his mellow demeanor that made me confused.

‘Elder Roa… Perhaps because he is a transcendent being, but his values are not typical.’

Despite having fought fiercely before, the Gal Dragon seemed indifferent to it now, as if he had forgotten those battles.

I couldn’t tell whether it was his inherent dignified character or if it was because the fight wasn’t worth that much, but if it was the latter, it would hurt my heart a little.

And, without sleeping, he seemed to exist outside of the temporal sense that typical lifeforms have.

All his actions appeared leisurely, laid-back, lazy, and utterly bored.

Although it could just be that he was arrogant.

‘If I were to live for a long time, would I become like that?’

For now, I’m trying various things as if to resolve the regrets of my past life, but if I live long enough, perhaps everything will eventually become mundane.

It’s hard to imagine the feeling of being overwhelmed by life accumulated over a long lifespan with the imaginative capacity of a short-lived human.

But that’s not something I should think about right now.

“Should I just cover up with this for now…”

It had been a long time since I struggled without clothing to cover my body since the early days of clearing the forest.

“…Back then, I just hid with leaves and such.”

It had been troubling when a chilly wind blew in from below, failing to block it.

This was only a slight improvement over that…

“…Are you really planning to wear that?”

“? Yes, I am.”

“I don’t like it. It’s not beautiful.”

“…What nonsense are you talking about?”

As I was tying the fabric made of plant fibers into two pieces, top and bottom, the dragon responded with an unhappy voice.

It was true that it wasn’t beautiful, but I hadn’t made it while considering such things to begin with.

“The clothes you originally wore may not have had a color I liked, but their shape was beautiful. Clothing is something only the inferior need, but its aesthetic form is commendable.”

“Is it really appropriate for the one who ruined that clothing to say such a thing? …Well, I guess it is. Since it was made by the best elf craftsman.”

No elf would deny that Atira was the best among them.

Her skill in making clothes with precious threads from the Telayana was undoubtedly beautiful.

The style of the clothes Atira made for me was even influential enough to touch the garments worn by the nobility among the recent humans.

“That is not beautiful. Take it off.”

“What are you saying now!”

“You must always be beautiful!”

A demand for beauty addressed to a woman.

If only looking at one part, it sounds quite romantic, as if it were said to a lover.

But if you dissect it, it’s just an imposing, lascivious demand to strip a woman of her clothing.

It was utterly vulgar and impure.

Additionally, I had lived a life where I had never had anything to do with women in my past life and couldn’t properly recognize my male identity, even though I was indeed a man.

In the flow of time, possibly due to the perspective shift, it may make sense if it remains as a distant memory, but discussing beauty now with my current self was something I couldn’t possibly take well.

An excited lizard stretched out its enormous forepaw.

“Are you out of your mind?”

I exclaimed in surprise.

The sheer size of a single claw was larger than my body.

Even though my life armor was constantly spread out, what guarantee did I have that it would be safe from a giant dragon’s claws that could shred through giants like tissue paper?

As that enormous claw approached, reaching in an attempt to push aside the rough piece of hemp, I staggered back in shock.

“Take it off!”

“For the sake of my dignity, I will firmly refuse!”

Was it trust in me, or had he just lost his mind?

The Gal Dragon kept pushing his claw toward the direction I was fleeing, a small elf compared to him, like a speck of dust.

“Gal! Get a grip! You’re still a dragon, aren’t you? What kind of dragon is so obsessed with a naked virgin woman, pushing those terrible claws towards me!”

“Indeed. I am Gal. A perfect being.”

He answered my reprimand with nonsense and continued to push forward.

“I don’t know what a dragon is, but you are mine. I won’t forgive anything that touches what is mine.”

“I am not yours!”

I ran around the dragon’s nest, which was spacious for me but narrow for the Gal Dragon.

While the Gal Dragon undoubtedly had a mother, an almighty Elder Roa, it was easy to avoid him in this tight space since he could only move according to instinct.

But as I skillfully dodged, he became increasingly frustrated and moved his throat.

“Rip apart.”

“…Ah.”

I let out a futile groan as I watched the fabric tear away not just by stitches but by the sheer power of his command, disintegrating into powder.

“…Are you truly uttering an incantation for such a trivial reason?”

With astonished feelings, I looked up at the gallant Gal Dragon.

‘…If only I had a true sword.’

I would have aimed directly at that proud neck under his nose.

Sighing at the thought of the Gal Dragon, I reflected on my situation.

‘What kind of ridiculous beast is this Elder Roa, this transcendent being, and this dragon?’

Compared to mother El Prigion or Bruwon Krishaka, who once vied for supremacy in the great continent, and Ul Kanadiel… the lack of dignity was far too apparent.

Furthermore, although it was a reminiscence of my past life, wasn’t the dragon a auspicious creature symbolizing the authority of a monarch or emperor?

I couldn’t sense any of that majesty or authority in his appearance now, as it was dominating and tearing apart a woman’s clothing.

“…What a shameful thing.”

“I don’t quite understand. You, while not as much as me, are an exceptional being. Do you really need to maintain your mental stability with just a simple woven piece of grass?”

“How shameless to make my day’s work void…”

Seeing his self-righteous expression of innocence despite my scolding made me sigh.

“I believe I’ve already mentioned this. It’s not just about practicality. You may not understand as a dragon.”

“Hmm. Perhaps I don’t understand. That could indeed be so.”

The Gal Dragon, as if realizing something, moved his enormous face to nod in agreement.

“Having never cared for insignificant creatures until now, I didn’t think about such things. There was no need for me to understand the lives of lesser beings… Very well.”

At that moment, a light enveloped the Gal Dragon’s massive body.

And as the glowing object transformed, his body slowly shrank.

Eventually, as his form dwindled, he became a little larger than me, taking on a human shape.

“…What is this?”

There is a form of martial art known as ‘Shrinking Bone Technique’ in the martial world.

It involves twisting the locations of bones and muscles to alter one’s appearance.

However, that was merely a somewhat advanced form of disguise and in no way would change absolute body mass or volume.

Martial arts and magic make use of the laws but are not miracles that defy them.

However, to see a dragon as immense as a castle shrink to human size was clearly a violation of those laws.

As the light faded, there stood a handsome, blonde elf reminiscent of Demis or Palas.

“…Gal Dragon?”

“Well, it’s a form I tried out briefly last time… but it’s truly a petty form. No sturdy scales, no sharp claws. And without fur or skin, I can feel the flow of air directly on my fragile flesh. Indeed, if it were extreme cold or heat, I’d need equipment to protect this frailty.”

Though he no longer had that booming voice that seemed to resonate throughout my mind, his arrogant tone revealed a side of the Gal Dragon.

“Is that even possible?”

“There’s nothing impossible for me. This is only the second time I’ve taken this form.”

“Second?”

“When I moved you.”

As an elf, no—now as a transformed elf, the Gal Dragon spoke with a blank expression.

“…You didn’t do it in that form, did you?”

“Is there a problem?”

For a moment, I envisioned the scenario of a male in a state of nudity, lifting me into his arms.

‘What the hell…!’

A wave of indescribable disgust surged through me, akin to when I had heard descriptions of the grotesque.

Goosebumps prickled all over my body.

‘A man, a naked man, touching my body…! …Wait?’

As my shocked gaze wandered, it halted at a single point.

What existed in my past life but not in the present.

The Gal Dragon transformed into an elf lacked that feature entirely.

“…Were you female?”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying. Didn’t I mention? I am a perfect being. I have not differentiated into the imperfect forms of male and female. If I wanted to, there’s no reason I couldn’t choose one, but why would I engage in such foolishness that would render me imperfect?”

The Gal Dragon spoke, furrowing his previously expressionless face.

Fortunately, it seemed I no longer carried the baggage of having been fondled by a man in my sleep. But I discovered that the dragon who had kidnapped me was neither male nor female, having no gender at all.

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