Since the moment I arrived in this tribe, I've been flooded with staggering revelations…
Starting with the story of a mother who used madness as an excuse to escape her past…
To the strangeness of this race called the Dryads...
"The Chosen Dryad?"
"Yes… As you know, during the time when the Eternal Demon was spreading chaos across all continents, we Dryads were the only ones who stood alone against his immense army.
Because of that, our tribe's power was pushed to rock bottom—to the point we had to vanish from the world's view.
Then, after the Great Aesir ended the catastrophe of the Eternal Demon and his army—just a few decades after their rise…
The Spirit Race emerged with shocking news: a similar catastrophe would return again."
"And you believed them??"
"You don't understand the weight of their prophecies. Every time the Spirit Race makes a declaration, the world trembles and changes. Their predictions have always proven true. The shocking part was that our race would be the one to handle the next catastrophe as well."
"Weren't they just trying to push you down again?"
"Of course our ancestors suspected that. Ever since the first great calamity, our race was always thrown to the front lines. But according to them, even if no one forced us to… we'd still be the first to stand against any disaster, no matter what…"
"Huh? The more you explain, the more confused I get…"
"The first Dryad Ancestor left behind a hundred commandments. You probably overheard some while spying on us last night?
The first commandment is the reason we always stand against catastrophe, no matter how dire. It's as if our entire existence revolves around those commandments…
But among them, it's written that once we overcome the 'Great Catastrophe,' our race will be freed from the burden of the first commandment—and then we will be blessed with a Chosen Dryad who will lead us into an unprecedented era of prosperity.
And that… is exactly what happened."
"And my mother is that Chosen Dryad?"
"Yes. After enduring dozens of disasters, even one that nearly drove us to extinction, we lost faith in the commandments… until the moment your mother was born. That's when we believed our time of prosperity had finally come!"
"I still don't get it—what made my mother so special?"
"You have no idea!"
She suddenly shouted in my face.
Her expression briefly contorted in anger…
"I mean… you don't know how incredible your mother's sacrificed Job was…"
Then she pulled back slightly, her face sweating.
"You mean the High Magi job?"
"Yes! Ever since we sacrificed all of our male partners to cast our strongest curse, we've been suffering from its side effects generation after generation. The fact that we didn't go extinct during those centuries is a miracle in itself.
Then your mother obtained the job of High Magi, through which she learned forbidden spells only accessible to those near the level of a Virtue—despite her young age. She used them to lift the curse, and over time, we began to recover our strength."
…As I expected~
This is the world where I lived my first life—
That cursed wish that forced me to become a threat to the world:
∴__
⊕Compulsory Wish⊕
King? Power? Evil?
Become the Demon King and rule the world under your authority alone.
∴__
And in the end, they destroyed me with that very curse, making me suffer for a long time afterward...
Sigh…
If all of this was part of Pride's plan…
Doesn't that mean he also predicted the coming of the Eternal Demon? And got rid of him easily just to prevent the Dryads from thinking he was their destined catastrophe?
How ridiculous…
...…
"After being freed from the curse, many talents emerged among us, and our tribe's cultivation speed skyrocketed…
We returned to glory in record time."
"I see. I'm grateful you shared such a secret with me."
"Don't overthink it—you're considered one of our tribe too~"
"Speaking of which… can you tell me what happened to the Fairy Race?"
"That guilty race? It's not much of a secret—most high clans and kingdoms know about them."
She spoke with bitterness and hate as she described what happened to the fairies…
And it matched what I'd seen in Erlina's memories—
The only difference was that the revolutionary leader known as Pride wasn't mentioned at all.
Because of the great massacre that occurred, the entire Fairy Race was deemed guilty by the Spirit Race, who have since been trying to wipe them out completely.
Which explains Erlina's tragic condition…
I suppose I've answered all the questions I came here for.
Now it's time to search for my half-brother and Lady Anya.
...…
The silence that reflected the tense relationships among us all here had finally come to an end…
Two days and one night had passed—it was time to leave the tribe.
My disciples' relationship with my mother was still unstable, but I had no time to fix that now.
"Where is my mother?"
I wanted to say goodbye to her one last time—I didn't know when we might meet again. But…
"She departed this morning on a diplomatic mission. She told me earlier that she'll find you if you plan to leave today."
Well, nothing I can do about it.
We used the same portal we arrived from to return to the Dragon Tribe and begin our search from there. I also wanted to bid farewell to my teacher.
Maria and Kugssa seemed to have adapted to spatial transfer this time.
As for me, I felt something strange for the first time since getting used to teleportation…
A dark, ominous feeling—like I was being watched…
But it quickly vanished.
Upon arriving at the Dragon Tribe, I found my teacher's close maid waiting for us.
"Welcome back, young master. Our King is waiting for you in the hall."
…How did he know I'd be returning today?
I left the girls with her and rushed to the hall as instructed.
There, I sensed two presences besides my teacher.
"Oh, my dear disciple~ You've returned quickly, just as this troublemaker said."
"How long are you going to keep calling me troublemaker, old man?"
…My mother??
So this was the diplomatic visit she went on…
"I wanted to say goodbye before I left—but I didn't expect you to come to the Dragon Tribe. It seems the relationship between the two tribes is closer than it appears."
"My son~ I just wanted to surprise you. In case you didn't know, I studied under this old man's guidance for a while."
That damn old man… I begged for days just to be accepted as his disciple due to his stubborn refusal to teach anyone…
But now he's changed after teaching me a few things, and he's guiding everyone?
"Don't look at me like that, brat~ If it weren't for the special relationship between Dragons and Dryads, I wouldn't have taught her—even with her High Magi job."
"Special relationship?"
"Sigh… Call it fate. We don't know the reason, but for as long as we can remember, Dryads have possessed a significant amount of Dragon Bloodline—enough to be considered a sub-dragon race.
But for some reason, they can't use the power of that bloodline properly.
See those horns on your mother's head? That partial appearance and physical strength are the only things they inherit from us."
"Doesn't that mean there's a high chance you share the same ancestor?"
"Of course we considered that possibility. But there's no historical proof to confirm or deny it. That's why an unspoken law exists: supreme races must not interbreed with one another."
…So the Fairy Race is the only one that broke this rule?
"Anyway, I came to bid you farewell, Teacher. It's time for me to go."
"Already? I even prepared a feast for your return and you're leaving right away??"
"My mother knows the reason for my haste, so I'll let her explain. For now, I hope we meet again soon."
As I turned to leave, my teacher shut the hall doors from afar.
"Wait. I have a request—and I hope you won't refuse it…"
…What's with this sudden shift?
"As long as it's within my power…"
"Good! Come in!!"
Suddenly, a young girl entered—clearly a member of the Dragon Race.
Unlike my teacher, she hadn't taken on a semi-human form—her body was half-covered in black scales, and she had massive dragon horns…
"It's a pleasure to meet the disciple of the great Dragon King.
Allow me to humbly introduce myself, young master...
My name is Junia Al-Dragon."
…Her way of speaking is a bit strange.
"Let me introduce her properly. Junia, my beloved daughter!"
""HAAAAAH??""
Everyone in the hall gasped—not with words, but a collective shock mixed with disbelief!