Chapter 1. The Black Dragon Reincarnated as a Human!

Inside a cave shrouded in darkness.

A massive black creature, breathing heavily.

Lanos Albrante, the Dragon Lord, the leader of the dragons, known as the strongest beings on earth.

The creature, breathing heavily, spoke.

"It seems the time has come."

The eyes of the dying giant creature were still very clear.

"Lord, is there anything you wish to say?"

The human standing before him was small enough to be blown away by the dragon's breath.

"Truly, it was a long, long, and tedious life as a dragon."

"Is that so..."

"Yes. Five thousand years, exactly five thousand and one more. No dragon has lived longer than me... I will be the longest-lived dragon, it seems."

The massive creature's faint smile revealed sharp teeth, with a somewhat resigned expression.

"That's right."

"You must be relieved. A tedious old dragon is finally dying."

"...Honestly?"

The man glanced sideways at Lanos, who snorted and slightly shook his head.

He almost let out a curse but swallowed it, suppressing the urge.

He didn't want to be remembered as a foul-mouthed ancient dragon even in his last moments, and Hassel's wide, tearful eyes made it impossible to do so.

"Will you take the throne?"

"I don't know yet. If there's someone who covets the throne, I'll hand it over... Ow!"

Before he could finish, Lanos spewed a small flame, cutting him off.

"Hand it over? The dragons now are all unruly and unreliable... You should do it."

"..."

"I'll give this lair to you."

"Really?"

"Don't be surprised. I have no children, and I can't take it with me when I die."

"..."

"If you don't need it, I can destroy it right now..."

"No, no! Thank you, Lord."

Even a human, when leaving, leaves something behind for their children to covet. How much more so for a dragon to give away their entire lair? There was no reason to refuse.

Moreover, it was the lair of the Dragon Lord! It must be filled with treasures, from jewels to rare artifacts.

"Really, it's time to go."

Where Lanos's gaze fell, a beam of white light was descending.

"It seems so."

"Life is a cycle. We might meet again someday, won't we?"

A hint of sadness appeared in the man's eyes, and Lanos gently consoled him.

"I hope you lead our remaining kin well, Hassel Terride."

"I will wait for the day we meet again."

The white light that had been descending disappeared, and two figures appeared.

They were angels with pure white wings.

"Hello!"

Lanos, smiling at the angel's cheerful approach, polymorphed into a human form.

"Sure. Saying goodbye to a dying dragon, as usual."

"Haha! You lived so long! Every time I met you, you said you were tired of it and wanted me to take you away!"

Laughing heartily, the angel waved his hand, and Lanos followed.

"Yes. My wish is finally coming true."

"Sure! Shall we go then?"

One of the angels smiled and extended his hand, opening a door to Heaven.

"Yes."

Lanos, having finished speaking, looked at Hassel.

"I don't know when we'll meet again, but stay well until then."

Lanos smiled faintly as he finished speaking.

Behind his smile, the door to Heaven closed, and the three figures vanished.

Alone in the vast, empty cave, tears welled up in Hassel's eyes.

"Until the day we meet again..."

***

Lanos's expression was incredibly relaxed as he was led to Heaven by the angels.

He looked more relieved than someone who had just died.

"Long life, wasn't it?"

The angel serving tea also looked very relaxed.

"Yes, too long, it made my teeth chatter."

Hugging his arm, Lanos shivered theatrically, and the angel, Kirita, smiled and took out a small vial from his pocket.

The vial, glowing with a faint purple light, looked incredibly mysterious.

"Have you heard the story that dragons go through an apprenticeship stage before becoming gods?"

"I know."

Lanos, who had been calmly sipping tea, suddenly had a fierce look in his eyes.

"Are you telling me to become a god now?"

"Um... actually, yes."

Kirita, embarrassed, fidgeted and carefully placed the vial on the table.

"I know how tedious a long life can be."

"Get to the point, will you?"

Lanos put down his teacup with a thud and crossed his arms.

Go on, say what you have to say.

"You... lived an unusually long life..."

"Get to the point."

"Haha... So, before becoming a god, you can live freely, regardless of race... Ow!"

-Boom!

Before Kirita could finish, Lanos leaped up and grabbed his collar.

"God!? Do you think I expected eternal life after living for five thousand years!?"

"Ouch! Let go, Lord Lanos!!!"

Flang, an apprentice angel, who had been watching silently, quickly ran over to pull Lanos away.

Regardless, Lanos's voice grew louder.

"Do I look like I want to spend an eternal, tedious life buried in paperwork, unable to die and enjoy eternity?!"

"Ugh... Let go, let go..."

Kirita, firmly held by Lanos, struggled.

In truth, grabbing an angel's collar in Heaven did nothing.

Lanos, being just a soul, couldn't harm an angel this way.

But the angels knew the extent of Lanos's anger and were at a loss.

They had heard about his five thousand years of life since their apprenticeship and knew that whenever they came to guide a dragon's soul, Lanos always said, "Take me, not him."

To ask him to live eternally? It would be the worst torture.

But dragons, the strongest beings on earth, were chosen from the purest and most innocent souls. There was a reason for making them live for so long.

Great power always came with great responsibility, and this was the will of the gods.

Being a dragon was an apprenticeship stage to becoming a god, and only dragons who excelled in this process could stand at the pinnacle of Heaven.

"Calm down!!!"

Seeing no sign of Lanos calming down, Flang finally used his strength to pull him away from Kirita.

"God!? God!? Call your almighty god here! Let him come and talk! See if he's happy in his position!"

Lanos, held weakly by the angel, trembled with anger.

"Just let me cease to exist! I have no more attachment to life!!!"

"Ke... ke..."

Kirita, watching him rage, rubbed his neck and approached.

"Listen to me!!!"

Finally, unable to bear it, Kirita shouted, causing a gust of wind.

The wind blew Lanos's long hair back, and after shouting and raging, he finally sat down, panting.

After all, this was Heaven. No matter how much he raged, he couldn't harm the angels in front of him.

"Fine. Raging at you won't solve anything. Sigh... Speak."

Kirita, sitting in front of him, took a deep breath and began.

"You can't refuse to become a god."

"Why not?"

Lanos's brow furrowed as he took a deep breath.

"Because it's the will of the gods."

"The will of the gods... Haha..."

Lanos laughed bitterly at the words "will of the gods."

"The almighty gods show their faces nowhere but their will everywhere."

"...Watch your words."

Kirita's expression turned cold, displeased by the insult to the gods he served.

"Why? I'm already dead; what more do I have to fear?"

"Fine. Let's continue the story."

Lanos, blowing a raspberry, crossed his legs.

"The gods have given Lord Lanos a special chance to live another life. You can live a new life, forgetting your past life, regardless of race. You can be an elf, or even a dragon again if you wish..."

Lanos, listening to him, finally spoke.

"Nice try, but no. Become a dragon again?"

"Or you can choose your race. However, inanimate objects or insignificant beings are not allowed. No monsters either."

"Ha! This sounds more like a threat?"

"I'll give you time to decide."

Seeing no point in continuing, Kirita was about to stand up.

"Human. I'll be a human."

Lanos, who was expected to take a long time to decide, spoke quickly before Kirita could stand.

"Really?"

"Yes. If I have to go through this, I'd rather not be an elf or a dragon, who live for so long. Humans don't even live a hundred years, so that's the best option."

Lanos, realizing he couldn't avoid it, quickly gave up and made his decision.

"Understood. You've made your decision?"

"Damn it..."

Finally, the curse he had been holding back slipped out.

Regardless, Kirita, fearing he might change his mind, quickly created a door to reincarnation.

"Here, drink this."

-Pop!

Kirita quickly uncorked the vial and handed it to Lanos.

"Damn gods."

"Come on, cursing won't help. Drink it quickly."

Lanos, urged by Kirita, drank the potion, and a blue light enveloped his body.

"Ugh..."

As the bitter taste filled his mouth, he felt a gag reflex.

"Ah, ah!!!"

Kirita, seeing the potion go down Lanos's throat, pushed his back forcefully.

Lanos, unable to resist, let out a scream and was sucked in.

After he disappeared through the door, Flang approached Kirita with a worried voice.

"Shouldn't you have checked if the potion of forgetfulness worked properly?"

"It should be fine. I used a dose five times stronger than usual."

Though he felt uneasy, what could he do? Once Lanos had entered the path of reincarnation, it was impossible to bring him back and ask, "Do you remember who you are?"

"Please understand the will of the gods..."

"What do you mean?"

Flang asked, hearing Kirita's mutter as he turned from the door of reincarnation.

"You don't need to know."

Kirita's smile was somewhat bitter.

***

It feels like I'm immersed in warm, comfortable water.

I'm definitely breathing, but it also feels like I'm not...

But the more I think about it, the more I remember how disgusting it was being sucked into the door of reincarnation.

'Kirita, I'll beat you up when I become a god someday.'

I don't know how much time has passed, but a bright white light appeared before my eyes.

***

"Lady, congratulations. It's a healthy boy!"

"Lady, you did well."

A man, with tears welling in his eyes, looked lovingly at his son and wife, holding the woman's hand tightly.

The newborn baby's face was wrinkled, but his pitch-black eyes and hair were incredibly mysterious.

His clear features and prominent nose hinted at how handsome he would grow up to be.

The woman, who had just given birth, took the baby and held him tightly, breathing heavily.

"Baby... it's mommy..."

Tears welled in her eyes as she lovingly stroked the baby's wet hair.

But the baby's eyes, somehow, were piercing.

His restless gaze gave a sense of unease.

However, the woman, who had just given birth, and the people around her, moved by the moment, didn't notice.

Holding the baby tightly and kissing his forehead, she whispered softly.

"Mommy will protect you."

The Rodrigo family, a declining baronial family, had been blessed with a child, a miracle for a couple who had been struggling with infertility.

Once a prominent family, they had been exiled to a small fief in the borderlands due to a political misstep, and it had been years since then.

But the couple was incredibly happy, feeling they had nothing more to wish for.

They had prayed daily at the temple, begging for a child.

Now that their wish had come true, they were happier than ever.

But the baby in her arms felt differently.

'What the hell is this situation?'

Lanos Albrante, the reincarnation of the Black Dragon.