Another night with a bright moon and sparse stars.
As usual, the golden-haired girl, having tidied up her affairs, slipped out of her home and dashed toward the cliff.
The journey was smooth, with no notable threats along the way... though, curiously, she occasionally spotted the corpses of small animals in the bushes.
Rabbits, hedgehogs.
These creatures bore no signs of fatal wounds, only their eyes wide open, bodies stiff and straight, as if they had died from sheer terror.
When the wary girl reached the cliff's summit, the scene before her left her stunned.
The once-spacious platform was now dominated by the bloodied corpse of a massive bear, looming like a dark hill under the cover of night.
And there, perched atop the bear's body, was the blue-white baby dragon she thought of as "harmless" And "somewhat cute." It sat with its head tilted, poking at the corpse with its claws... seemingly trying to carve it up but unsure where to begin.
"Did you do this?"
The girl's mouth fell open in disbelief as she stared at the enormous bear, now dead from excessive blood loss. Then she looked at the dragon atop it, its appearance somewhat disheveled, with three startling claw marks on its body, yet still brimming with vitality.
She could sense faint traces of magical energy emanating from the corpse... proof that this bear was no ordinary beast but a Magical Beast, infused with the bloodline of some mysterious creature.
Such a Magical Beast was a dominant force in the forest, something even a well-armed militia would never dare provoke… yet this baby dragon had managed to slay it? How?
"Roar roar... "
The baby dragon, hearing her question, turned its head with a mix of pride and mild discontent.
Its expression, a blend of disdain and triumph, made the girl realize that the little dragon standing before her, atop the beast's corpse, was no mere "cute little thing" As she had imagined.
"This is a dragon."
"A true dragon."
Speaking of which, this girl... no, this being named Artoria Pendragon... was herself a true dragon.
But having lived among humans for so long at the twilight of the Age of Gods, this female Red Dragon, cloaked in human form, had little understanding of what a true dragon should be.
"They are born rulers, Phantasmal Species that suppress all rebellious wills with absolute strength."
Thus, even a baby dragon, barely two months out of its shell, lacked neither the courage to challenge a forest overlord nor the strength to triumph over it.
"Roar?"
"Well, you're not wrong. I could defeat something like this too, I suppose."
"Roar roar... "
"Huh, inviting me to eat with you? That doesn't seem quite right… this is your prey, after all."
"Roar roar roar!"
"Alright, alright, I won't hold back then!"
…
With Artoria's help, Alaric's efforts to carve up the bear became far more efficient.
Her exquisite swordsmanship, meant for slaying foes, proved equally effective on the bear's corpse. Blades infused with wind elements sliced effortlessly through the beast's thick, sturdy hide, revealing the flesh and bones beneath.
"I see."
"She has a human form… so her sword is her claw."
Alaric watched Artoria's movements with curiosity, attempting to mimic her use of wind elements... but to no avail. The lively wind elements refused to coalesce around his claws.
Perhaps it was because his attribute was [Light], not [Wind]?
"This bear hide is impressive, with some resistance to magical energy… If we could find a craftsman skilled in magical forging, it could be turned into fine soft armor."
"As for the meat… a bit of salt and stewing should do the trick."
Truth be told.
The most valuable parts of this bear's corpse were its blood and its hide.
The least useful... almost a drawback... was its meat.
Unlike the flesh of ordinary beasts, a Magical Beast's meat was tough, chewy, and unpalatable, even laced with toxins... generally not considered food.
But fortunately, the two standing here were genuine dragons, not some other creatures.
"Even a Magical Beast's meat, if prepared properly, can fill a belly!"
That was Artoria's sage wisdom.
This dragon girl, with an appetite so vast it had never been satisfied since birth, now had a rare chance to eat her fill... even if the Magical Beast's meat was unappetizing, the energy it provided was undeniable.
"Burp~"
The two dragons worked and ate from dusk until nearly dawn.
When Artoria, patting her now-bulging stomach, could eat no more, three-quarters of the massive bear... originally weighing four to five hundred pounds... remained uneaten.
"We can eat for days!"
Exhausted from eating, Artoria squinted at the faint light on the horizon, her face showing a mix of fatigue and blissful satisfaction.
It was the first time in her life she realized: eating could be tiring too.
"Roar roar... "
"Huh, you want me to take the rest of the meat? Why? Aren't you eating it?"
"Roar roar roar... "
"Because you're hunting fresh prey today, so you don't need this old stuff? Alright, alright, just be careful."
"Roar... "
Artoria gazed at the spirited baby dragon with a fond, almost maternal look, as if watching her mischievous child grow into something remarkable.
... Perhaps it was her imagination.
But she couldn't shake the feeling that this little dragon seemed just a bit bigger than it had a few days ago.
---
If they block this again, you can read it on SH (S-c-r-i-b-b-l-e- H-u-b) under the same title.