Menacing clouds slowly covered the sky as a thin rain began to fall over a deserted alley.
Matching the gloomy heavens, the ground didn't look any more inviting.
It was littered with all sorts of garbage left-behind trash, courtesy of drunks and the homeless.
Looking down at the puddles of mud and other disgusting substances beneath his feet, a childlike-looking teenage boy let out a tired sigh.
"I really should get this place cleaned…" he muttered in a weary voice.
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After a soft "tsk," he quickly crossed the alley wearing an inconspicuous robe, as if fleeing from something.
Outside the alley, the city streets were nearly empty because of the fickle weather.
With the exception of a few pedestrians running for cover, the vendors had long since packed up their stalls.
The strikingly handsome teenage boy was called Kirito. He used to be a student in Paris, but his life had been flipped upside down because of one thoughtless decision.
One day, on his way home, the man once known as Ren received a suspicious message. The email contained a link that led to an equally shady webpage.
Normally he would have ignored it and gone on with his life as if nothing had happened.
But… Ren was bored, and according to his watch the bus wasn't coming for a long while.
Because of that one tiny, utterly mundane decision, Ren became Kirito.
A character he himself had created while only half-serious.
'Why am I suddenly feeling nostalgic? Tch… no point dwelling on the past now,' he thought, frowning.
A gesture that did nothing to diminish the natural charm of his appearance, modeled after a character extremely popular with women.
Humans, demons, elves, dwarves… many different races lived on this vast planet that Ren had randomly chosen when filling out the survey.
All of them claimed the title of "sentient beings," yet one race refused to be content with merely being another intelligent lifeform.
The demons.
A predatory species that, in Kirito's understanding, were more like beasts wearing human skin.
In the tense atmosphere between all these races—largely due to the demons' belligerence—a major conflict felt inevitable.
For now, almost every race remained allied, with the exception of the isolationist demons.
According to rumors, that alliance existed solely to face the demonic race in the north of the continent.
"Finally… here we are," Kirito muttered before knocking on the enormous door at the end of the alley.
...
Ding-a-ling~
"Welcome~"
A pleasant voice rang out as the door opened.
Feeling the damp discomfort on his average-sized body, Kirito quickly stepped inside the establishment.
The Angel's Gift.
That was the name of a tavern from his old life when he was still Ren. Now he had used it as a model to build his own place.
"Eh?! Boss?! Y-you're back?!"
After crying out in surprise, a petite woman with reptilian features literally jumped with excitement.
"Ilulu, you look as energetic as ever. I hope running the tavern hasn't been too hard," Kirito answered, flashing her a fake apologetic smile.
Unconsciously, the young man nodded in satisfaction while looking at the cute maid in front of him.
'Thirty years ago I picked up this little dragon girl with no real intention of raising or employing her. Yet she's become an invaluable asset,' he thought as he watched the young woman in her maid outfit.
Indeed, thirty years ago…
After reincarnation, Ren was no longer human—and he hadn't kept his Earth appearance either.
He had become an elf.
A race renowned for exceptional magical talent and absurd longevity.
Today, he had already surpassed the age he reached in his first life, despite still looking like a teenager.
"No way! As long as Master is here, Ilulu will always be happy," she declared proudly, puffing out her ridiculously oversized chest.
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Her generous bosom jiggled in time with her enchanting, childlike voice.
Even after thirty years, she still acted naïvely around Kirito, though her behavior was completely different with everyone else.
The young dragoness bared a small fang and pouted at her master, as if she had suffered a terrible injustice during his absence.
Which was impossible—there was almost nothing in this city capable of seriously harming her.
"B-but Master… I have to admit the job is getting harder with all those useless nobles hanging around the tavern. If they just came to admire the great Ilulu, I could understand, but they think they can do whatever they want… *sigh* At this rate it's going to hurt our profits."
After gently removing Kirito's coat and tunic, Ilulu followed him.
The elven teenager didn't immediately reply to her report about the tavern; instead he put on a thoughtful expression.
Finally he opened his mouth to address his subordinate's concerns.
"Yeah… at this rate I'll have to find a new profitable business. Damn it," he said, frowning slightly.
The tavern wasn't something Kirito took seriously.
The real source of his anger was the slowdown of his projects caused by certain nobles' perversion.
"I'm afraid that even after a thousand years, humanity still hasn't made any progress or learned from its own vices…" he muttered, glancing at a slightly ajar door inside the tavern.
"But… Master, didn't you hate humans? Otherwise why not stay with the other elves?" Ilulu asked without thinking.
"Strictly speaking, I don't care about humans anymore. But their potential is far from negligible," he replied in a complicated tone.
Remembering the ugly, perverted faces of certain nobles, Kirito couldn't help sneering before casually sitting down.
Ilulu served him a glass of fine wine, which the elf downed in one gulp while mulling over his own words.
The young man's black eyes hid the weight of time and years—a burden especially heavy for his still-human mind.
Things his old self could never have imagined facing.
'Ah~ I'm turning into one of those old-fashioned sages from the stories, like Murin? Haha.' After tasting a special wine that Ilulu had brewed using her knowledge of Earth drinks, a sweet and creamy aroma filled Kirito's mouth.
He savored the drink while lightly mocking himself—after all, he had just caught himself thinking like an ancient sage for a few seconds.
While he was seriously considering how to solve his little problem without drawing attention, the little maid had already settled on the sofa beside him.
Ilulu's big eyes looked at him expectantly as the young dragoness even snuggled against his arm.
However, Kirito chose not to cross the line and spoil her too much.
Ilulu was a precious asset to him.
As a mage and inheritor of Vegapunk's legacy, he wasn't really suited to close combat.
'Thanks to the survey I started with an advantageous race and insane scientific knowledge, but…' Physically, Kirito was still sorely lacking even after decades of training.
That's why Ilulu was priceless right now. He could only pamper her a little.
"By the way, you're still a young dragon, aren't you?" he teased.
Despite his words, from the perspective of the elves in his old village he himself was still "very young." That didn't stop him from teasing the ignorant dragoness about her own youth.
He set down his wine glass with his left hand and gently wrapped his hands around Ilulu's slim waist.
Surprisingly, the young dragoness showed neither resistance nor disgust at the turn of events.
So the elf gently lifted the petite loli body and placed her on his lap, then pinched her plump cheeks.
"Too cute~" "Too cute~," he repeated while tickling the dragoness's cheek, until she finally showed her displeasure.
Ilulu wanted her master's attention, but not this kind!
"Ha~ Yi~ Ha~" The little dragon's cheeks slowly turned red from pain and embarrassment.
"I hope you enjoyed your reward for today's hard work, my dear Ilulu." Feeling the reptilian tail twitch in annoyance, Kirito smiled helplessly and let her go.
'Sorry, but to me you're basically a pet,' he thought as he looked at the sulking girl and saw only a small dragon.
If that creature hadn't eaten an artificial Devil Fruit, she would still be a beast.
"What did Master learn at today's audience?" Ilulu asked, trying to change the subject.
"Oh, nothing serious. Just a bunch of stubborn men wanting to ally with other stubborn men from another kingdom to… uh… well, kill yet another stubborn man, haha. Ridiculous. Honestly, even if their plan took thousands of years, I doubt they'd succeed," he answered honestly after reviewing all the information he'd received.
"Oh, and they pulled out their usual brainwashing routine to select heroes capable of defeating the Demon King…" Kirito complained in a bored tone before standing and heading toward the half-open door at the back of the tavern.
He gently raised his hand and used a simple spell to turn the two large wooden signs outside.
The tavern's front door now read "Closed for business."
"Eh?! Master is going to rest this early today?" Ilulu jumped slightly, her delicate body supported by her little legs as she looked at the average-height figure with his back to her.
"Yeah, today's audience was truly boring. This damn rainy weather probably won't offer anything worth my time either. Oh, and the batch of artificial Devil Fruits… is almost used up…" he said, an excited glint appearing in his eyes.
It was a sparkle that revealed his immense desire.
"I believe Master can do it again! After all, he already gave me a reason to live, so he can definitely do it once more," Ilulu encouraged tenderly, gazing at the man she admired.
"Ah~ Of course. There's no shortage of races and strange creatures here… experimental materials are never in short supply," Kirito replied while opening the tavern door.
"Will Master stay in the laboratory long?" Ilulu asked as she left her seat.
Kirito nodded.
"Mhm, and as always, the same rules. Protect me, my dear little maid~"
"As you wish!" She bowed gracefully bowed.
Watching Kirito disappear down the staircase, Ilulu's usually gentle eyes instantly shifted into terrifying vertical slits.
Dragons are proud creatures, full of flaws. Yet they all share one virtue: they protect their treasure until their final breath.