Sayonara Ryuusei, Konnichiwa Jinsei Vol.1-Prologue

New series! ho ho ho! Didn’t expect me to do this one, right?

Prologue: Goodbye, Ryuusei(Dragon Life).

　　It’s a beautiful moonlit night, I thought as I looked up at the sky. Looking back on it, it has been a long time since I looked up at the sky with such a calm mind.

　I lowered my gaze and saw seven figures that had stepped into my dwelling place to subdue me.

　It is said that a hero is more suitable than a thousand soldiers to slay a monster, and these seven are all heroes with outstanding strength and wisdom.

　I looked at the young man standing at the front of the humans and opened my mouth.

　At the same time, the taste of blood spread in my mouth, and the overflowing blood dripped down from my mouth, creating several red pools of blood on the crystal ground.

　Ho, I hadn’t tasted blood in a long time. I was strangely happy about that. I’m sure you’ll be pleased to know that it’s been a long time since I’ve felt anything.

“As far as I can remember, there was no reason to kill me, and I think that I had been on the side of humans. What was the reason for this?”

　The young man who holds the sword that has just pierced my heart – the most famous hero in the world shows anguish at his appearance that is worthy of being talked about in heroic tales.

I knew that it wasn’t his intention to kill me.

It should be an irreversible order from a person in a position that can give orders to a hero.To those who are at the height of prosperity, an existence like mine is like a sore thumb.

“I would have left if you had just told me so, without bothering to come here and subdue me. O hero, I wonder how much resource and time you spent to make the sword that belongs in your hand. The time and resources it took to make it, it should have been enough to save many people. Don’t you think so?”

I have met the heroes on several occasions and fought with them in the past, so I know they are good-hearted and good-natured.

If they were not such people, they would have responded better to this kind of thing. I have a right to at least say this level of sarcasm, since you’re taking my life, right?

　Hmm, my eyelids started getting pretty heavy.

　It is the effect of the magic that absorbs the life force deployed by the wizard at the beginning of the battle and the blow of the dragon-slayer sword that penetrates the heart.

I was honestly amazed that they would do such a complicated task just to kill one old, moldy creature.

“Take it to your heart, hero and his companions. The human heart is noble and beautiful, but also hideous and greedy. After all, human beings are still in between being a beast and a human. If you are useless, you will be ostracized just like me. You who once stood side by side with me would have a hard time coming to the same end as me. The last advice of the dying old dragon. Listen to it, my little friend.”

　I’m not a big fan of theatricals speech, but it seems to have been a pain in the ears and heart for my little friend, and he is expressing regret and guilt, no matter how big or small.

　Well, you’ll have to forgive me for bullying you like this.

　The number of my brethren has dwindled considerably in recent years, and I’m beginning to feel bored with my longevity.

If I could die under such a beautiful moon, that wouldn’t be so bad. I’m sure I’ll die in peace.

“Fumu”

　　I let out one last word and closed my eyelids.

　Although this is the end of a dragon that has lived since the gods, I think it’s fine for there to be at least one such dragon in the world.

There was a feeling of peace and contentment for eternal sleep.

　This would be, well, good. I may sound like a strange dragon, but at least I was not dissatisfied with the end of my life.

　Oh, Grim Reapers, do not be afraid to let my soul be carried to the depths of the underworld, where it can rest in peace and sleep forever. Otherwise, my breath will reduce the world to ashes.

†

“Hmm.”

　I muttered. No, I didn’t actually mutter it out loud. I tried to move but my tongue and lips wouldn’t move satisfactorily and I couldn’t spin the words well.

My confusion had greatly expanded its territory in my mind. In my last perception, my body should have extinguished the fires of life and accepted its mortality.

Then why am I still alive?

　Suddenly, I noticed a couple of distinct sounds played at a steady beat.

　What was it? After a moment of wondering, I realized that this was the sound of a heartbeat.

　At the same time, the sound seemed to be transmitted not through the air, but rather through a liquid.

　I wondered if it was my heart or someone else’s.

　I tried to keep my senses a little more alert and try to find out what was going on around me.

　Ah! How can I accurately describe my amazement at the realization of my situation?

　How is it that I, who was supposed to be dead, now resides as a baby in the belly of a human woman!

　My soul was supposed to fall into the underworld and continue to sleep, so why is it inhabiting a human baby?

　There was no way that anyone could answer my questions, but for a while I was caught up in them.

　When I regained my composure, I wondered if there was any point in living again, but I could tell from the words coming from outside my stomach that my parents were looking forward to me being born.

　It seemed that I also have a brother in this life. I do not want to disappoint my family.

　I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to act like a human being because I was born and died as a dragon, but at least I’m going to try to make an effort not to betray the expectations of my family.

　Hmm, it seems that magic and science have not yet developed much in the outside world that will be born.

　It will be difficult to even fill my stomach with this. I was still a fetus fluttering around in the amniotic fluid, but my soul is that of a dragon.

　I figured that I could do things in my embryonic stage that a human could never do.

　My soul has been severely degraded by this incarnation, but if I can interfere with the land near where my family lives and activate the veins of the earth, it will eventually be able to bring a rich harvest.

　I, as a baby, immediately began to interfere with the land.

　After a while, the earth will be full of nourishment and we will have a good crop, even if left unattended.

　At first I will have to send my magic power to the land to supply it with nourishment, but in a few years it will naturally revitalize itself.

　Now, it will only be a few more months before my rebirth. Is there any meaning to being reborn as a human? Is there any significance to living?

　The wind of resignation and decadence still blows in my mind. I kept wondering if this wind would ever stop blowing in my mother’s belly.

　Finally, the time has come for me to be born as a human baby.

　As I emerged from the cradle of compassion that had protected me so far into the outside world, I forced open my heavy eyelids and observed my surroundings with my vaguely unfocused eyes.

　What I saw in my vision made me feel confused, even though I should have known.

　My eyes, which opened slightly, caught the sight of a human man and woman smiling gently at me.

　As the figures of the man and woman filled my field of vision, I couldn’t help but wonder if they were some kind of giant species with even bigger bodies than the dragon I was.

　Of course, they are not giants or anything like that, but true, ordinary humans. I don’t know, but somewhere in my head I still think my body belongs to a dragon.

　While I’m still in a state of confusion, the woman moves her mouth with a heartfelt smile.

”Well, this baby’s eyes are already open. Huh, hello, my baby.”

　The man, followed by the woman, spins short words with a small smile on his mouth. They both look at me with a common, unconditional kindness in their eyes.

“You don’t cry too much. A baby should cry a little more.”

　The woman gently reached out her fingers and pecked me on the cheek.

　I am now a baby, unable to do anything for myself, and being held by the woman.

“Your name is Doran. I am your mother and this is your father. Nice to meet you.”

　So the woman who gently pecked me on the cheek with a pouty smile is my mother as a human being, and the man is my father.

　The fact that I had blood parents gave me a strange feeling I had never felt before.

　As the oldest dragon, I have no father or mother. There was an existence that I could call my brother or sister, but there was never someone I could call my parents.

　Maybe that’s why.

　I was beginning to have a feeling I’d never had before with the men and women who gave me unconditional kindness and warmth when I was a baby.

　I was bored with my too long life and deliberately chose to be killed by the heroes, so I had planned to go to sleep for eternity, never to wake up. But now, the warmth that has been given to me is soothing and comforting that I feel very calm.

　Hmm, maybe it’s not a bad idea to try living as a human being.

“Oh, wow, you, Doran, you just smiled.”

“Hoo, Really? Maybe he knows we’re his parents.”

　Oh, am I smiling now? When was the last time I smiled?

　Maybe that alone was worth being born again as a human being, and I was beginning to find meaning in my new life.

(TN: The image below is the edited one, If you guys are interested I add it to Illustration page. Also please point put any mistakes so that I can improve the translations even further.)