Chapter 0:Prologue

The dragon is the most powerful creature.  

From birth, they have the ability to wield magic as if it were an extension of their own body.  

A natural talent for freely manipulating magic. An overwhelming, massive body. Physical abilities proportional to their size.  

Unparalleled intelligence.  

The culmination of all these traits:  

Dragons became the undisputed rulers of all beings.  

And then, they declared…  

“Born strong, we have a duty to guide the lifeforms of this planet.”  

“Starting today, we will teach humans magic.”  

They shared their knowledge with humanity.  

And they went ahead and did it.

*        *       *

Dragons are no longer the strongest.

The moment humankind gained access to the power of magic, they became greedy for the riches the dragons had gathered.

Their downfall began.

Two thousand years.

That’s how long it took for humankind to defeat the dragons for the first time.

“You ungrateful lowly creatures…”

“Die, you monster!”

“Kaaaah!!!”

The dragon’s Rare, freshly hatched, was trampled underfoot.

Dragons don’t flock because they’re strong.

Humans banding together because they are weak.

The two clashed, and it was the dragon that broke.

“Praise be to Lord Ian, the great Dragon Slayer!”

“The time of men has come!”

“Long live the Kaiser’s empire! Long live the Kaiser!”

“Wipe those vile monsters from the face of the earth!!!”

History was rewritten to favor the victors.

Dragons are monsters.

They became usurpers who oppressed other races for gold.

Mankind is the hero who saved them all.

Instead of dragons, they were transformed into warrants of all things to rule the continent.

“Ian. Set out.”

“Yes, sir. Your Majesty.”

A hundred years of fighting followed.

The war that would later be called the Age of Heroes had begun.

*        *       * 

“Alas. Please destroy these foolish things….”

“————————Die, monster.”

-Tongue.

“…You don’t even resist, how pathetic.”

After a series of blows from the humans, the last remaining dragon, Dragon Lord, fell.

The dragons were extinct.

“Does that mean there are no more evil dragons?”

“Yes! A time of peace and no more wars!”

And mankind, with its vast treasury of gold and silver, enjoyed a peaceful era……

“The Kaiser’s Empire has invaded the kingdom!!!”

“Damn you, evil empire, get everyone ready for war!!!”

“Issue a conscription decree!!!”

———————There was no peace.

The war-bellied monarchs had gotten greedy again.

With no public enemy in the form of dragons.

The continent was engulfed in war.

“Death to those vile bastards!”

“Slay those demons in human guise!”

“This is a crusade, not an invasion!!!”

Mankind began to die and kill each other as they understood.

The knight’s sword glowed with greed instead of honor.

The sorcerer’s flame burned with lust, not justice.

The priest put gold coins on the price of his miracles.

Bards sang of loathing, not romance.

In the thirty years since the dragon’s extinction.

Humanity continued to decline, not advance.

“Those were the good old days…”

“The day you came back from defeating the dragon, we laughed without worrying about war. There’s no such romance nowadays.”

“Everyone’s crazy for gold, dammit.”

*        *       * 

And in that era of chaos,  

a time when hatred engulfed the entire continent…  

-Crack.  

“……Grrr?”  

‘What is this?’  

The last dragon hatched from its egg.