The Long Journey After Becoming an Ancient Dragon

Chapter 11

At this moment, Aino’s defenses broke; she even felt as if she’d been wrong all along.

Because Alea was special.

Aino had spent many years in this world, but she’d only really communicated with three people—Carter, Molly, and Alea.

From the moment she first laid eyes on Alea, Aino had focused on her, not only because of her appearance but also because she sensed the aura of magic within her.

It was a mysterious, eerie power—faint, yet undeniably there.

Searching her memories, Aino realized this woman was a “witch,” though stripped of her powers.

This was worlds apart from the other women who had been brutalized. Alea’s eyes retained a spark of spirit, and her words revealed a vibrant, cunning mind.

If she were the protagonist in some reincarnation novel, this encounter would be with a pivotal character.

Aino was already speculating about her background, her experiences, and how their relationship might develop.

But Alea’s words struck her like a thunderbolt.

“Could it be? Had this bright, spirited girl before her been violated countless times by goblins, just like the others?”

A sudden sense of unreality washed over Aino.

Wasn’t there supposed to be some invisible hand intervening at the critical moment to save her?

Was this world truly like this?

Alea didn’t seem to care much about modesty; she unabashedly washed herself in the nearby river, her back covered in scars.

Aino was hit with a renewed sense of reality.

“I’ve been wrong all along...” she murmured to herself.

This was a real world.

Every person had their own life, their own thoughts, regardless of rank or strength.

This was a true otherworld, not a game—no one here was an NPC.

Alea was the same as those women treated like swine and insects.

Externally, she looked like a young girl, delicate features, pale skin, with uncommon black hair, seemingly innocent to any normal onlooker.

And yet...

A dense aura of malice surrounded her, blood almost seemed to drip from her form.

Even though my powers were stripped and I was as a mere mortal, my ability to sense mana had fused with my very being.

Most people, even those beyond the ordinary, could only see her human “skin,” but as a witch, I could see her “bones.”

How many lives must one take to become such a monster?

What puzzled me was the ordinary human standing beside her. To me, it was strange enough that anyone could survive near her, let alone seem unaffected or unbound.

Like the adventurers who stormed the goblin nest, they searched the lair, rescuing any women who could still be saved.

My power is never wrong—the creature before me, known as “Aino,” had devoured countless souls, even admitting as much.

“Would you remember how many loaves of bread you’ve eaten?”

Terrifying, yet logical. Only such a creature could carry such a palpable aura of death.

I didn’t know what would happen next, but it couldn’t be worse than serving as a goblin broodmare underground.

I don’t fear death, so accepting a creature like her was easy.

The future—a bleak, gray world...

I washed the grime from my body, swept my long hair out of my eyes, and turned, feeling a hint of relief.

And met the eyes of a monster about to cry.

It was an overwhelming sight, for I could see her essence as a witch.

Can you imagine a monster, one that stands atop a mountain of corpses, gazing at you like a troubled young girl with a wounded look?

She quickly turned her head, taking a few steps from the pool to an appropriate distance.

I continued washing.

A strange feeling stirred in both our hearts.