Dark Fantasy: Super Coward Mode

Chapter 50

When she moved,

The obedient wyverns she had created.

The beautiful structures she had cultivated.

And the way all of these things would greet her.

But if she stopped,

All of these would disappear, as naturally and tragically as a burst bubble.

This was something the Dragon Slayer, a being known as an external god, experienced not long after she was born.

In a home without air conditioning, just a fan can bring a smile. In a home without a fan, even the shade alone can do the same.

Living beings do not crave comfort or happiness they have never experienced.

And this applied even to a newly born god.

Born with the pride of a dragon, the Dragon Slayer was content with the environment where everything she created welcomed her.

The wyverns attended to her every move, and the beautiful buildings were a constant source of joy.

Thus, there was nothing the Dragon Slayer lacked.

At least, until she looked down at the human world.

One day, while glancing at what the wyverns were observing, the Dragon Slayer happened to see the lives of humans, and without realizing it, she was captivated.

What struck her the most was the sight of a pair, a male and female, smiling as they conversed and then sharing a kiss.

The proud Dragon Slayer couldn’t understand why they were doing this.

But instinctively, she could sense it.

Perhaps what the older wyverns occasionally spoke of as "romance" was something like that.

She wanted to go down there.

To experience that flow of time herself!

However, the Dragon Slayer naturally realized one truth.

A being like her couldn’t simply descend below just because she wanted to.

That simple fact felt like shackles binding her.

But at the same time, she wondered if there was any need to go down.

After all, she had her wyverns.

It wasn’t as if anything terrible would happen if she couldn’t go down.

She had no idea that the problem would arise from this.

From that day onward, the Dragon Slayer’s mind was filled with thoughts of the human world.

Even when she tried to ignore it and engage in excessive conversations with the wyverns, she couldn’t shake it off.

The "strong stimulus" she felt while watching the human world had imprinted itself in her mind, and for the first time in her life, she began to feel what could be called "yearning."

No matter how hard she tried to rid herself of it, it was futile.

Her curiosity about something she had never seen and her desire to become like that grew stronger by the day.

One day, while enjoying tea time with the wyverns, the Dragon Slayer ended up flipping the table in frustration.

What a dull, monotonous life this is.

In the end, these wyverns were just creations of hers.

When she heard that a few beings of her rank had already descended, those feelings intensified.

I want to go down too.

Why can’t I go down?

And so, the Dragon Slayer shut herself in her room for about ten years, in human terms.

Everything just felt so sorrowful.

As an external god, a being unaffected by the flow of time, she was, quite literally, throwing a tantrum.

That long period was enough for the Dragon Slayer to come to terms with and reflect on her situation.

Rising from her bed, the Dragon Slayer thought that she should go out and apologize to the wyverns with a sheepish smile.

But when she opened the door and stepped out with a smile, the Dragon Slayer encountered something for the first time.

Despair.

The wyverns that should have been chatting happily and doing household chores were nowhere to be found.

That wasn’t all.

As she wandered around the room in shock and opened the door to leave, what greeted her was—

Pitch-black darkness, 'nothingness' itself.

The Dragon Slayer realized then.

Her creations were like dust—if she didn’t maintain them, they would easily vanish.

And so, for several more decades, the Dragon Slayer sat in the void, lost in thought.

Despair, deep regret, all of these became a powerful yearning that anchored the Dragon Slayer.

Eventually, she descended to the human world, as she had wished.

But is this really a good thing?

Was this truly what she had desired?

She didn’t know.

So she decided to start anew.

However, a new rule had formed in the Dragon Slayer’s heart.

No matter what, she would never get attached to anything she created again.

After all, they would leave her like bursting soap bubbles.

Even so, she had one goal.

Since she had come down here, she might as well find the love she had sought....

"What, when did I ever say it was about love! Don’t just assume things on your own!"

"Hmm? Wasn’t it?"

"...That, that’s... Anyway, it’s not!"

Since the person in question seems very uncomfortable, let’s correct it a little.

She decided to find a human who could be with her, something like that.

When the Dragon Slayer descended to a place where snow was falling heavily, she saw that beings like her had already established their territories, so she decided to do the same.

Her strength and intelligence overwhelmed the other beings, so her territory was quite large.

She created wyverns.

But if they did something strange, she offered destruction instead of forgiveness.

At first, it hurt, but she grew accustomed to it.

Even so, she must have kept thinking about what it would have been like to befriend them.

After all, they were her first goal, her first curiosity.

How is it that there isn’t a single truly evil external god?

Even among the external gods who have died so far, weren’t there some with similarly tragic stories?

I looked at White Mask.

She was watching my every move carefully.

Perhaps the expression behind that mask was filled with concern.

Humans aren’t to blame either.

They have no choice but to deal with entities that harm them.

They couldn’t possibly see those who led them to ruin in a favorable light.

"You’re the first human I’ve encountered who not only understands my words but also listens."

Seeing the Dragon Slayer’s much calmer demeanor, I thought it might be safe to relax a little now.

"Subordinate."

"Yes."

"Why do you keep listening to that wretched creature’s words?"

White Mask finally spoke up.

Given everything she had heard—though the Dragon Slayer had told the story quite objectively—White Mask couldn’t help but show her anger toward the Dragon Slayer.

"Master, she wanted to become friends with you."

"...What a ridiculous notion...."

"It’s natural for you to feel that way. But Master, could you perhaps trust my words?"

At my words, White Mask lifted her slightly bowed head and looked at me.

"...You’ve been able to get this far because you believed in my abilities. If there weren’t any good external gods, would I have been able to succeed with my powers?"

"You’re speaking out of ignorance. Judging based on the words of just a few external gods...."

"That’s true, but I don’t think this Dragon Slayer is one of the bad ones."

Yes.

If I were going to harbor hatred toward external gods, I should have started by filtering myself out.

White Mask remained silent, listening to me.

...The more I talked to her on the train, the more I thought she was a remarkably cool woman.

"The Dragon Slayer brought that wyvern because she wanted to give it to you, and she approached you because she wanted to be friends with you. She burned the train because of a misunderstanding, but she intended to apologize, though that day...."

"...."

White Mask didn’t say anything, perhaps finding some plausibility in my explanation, and simply bowed her head slightly in thought.

It was only natural.

Listening to the words of someone she had hated so much up until now and trying to understand them—if she could do that, she would truly be a saint.

A few minutes passed.

Finally, White Mask seemed to have organized her thoughts and lifted her head again.

"Then... if that’s true, show some sign of apology. As much as you’ve inconvenienced me until now!"

The Dragon Slayer, startled by White Mask’s voice filled with pent-up frustration, slowly stood up with a deeply apologetic expression and approached White Mask.

Then, she pulled back one leg, grasped the hem of her dress, and deeply bowed her head.

A curtsy.

I’d heard that a noble lady, when sincerely apologetic, would perform it in such a serious and deep manner.

After witnessing that as well,

"...Ugh."

White Mask let out a choked sound, lowering her head, her shoulders trembling violently.

At the moment when all the misunderstandings that had built up over time were resolved, the lingering emotions in her heart must have been mixing in a confusing swirl.

I decided to give her some time.

Since this was a wound that had lingered for a long time, it would take time to understand.

"...If that’s true, then I’ll have to apologize for my part as well."

Hearing White Mask’s words, the Dragon Slayer began looking back and forth between White Mask and me in a daze.

Honestly.

If things had gone as she wanted, she should be pleased.

"Then, could I borrow a wyvern later? The train exploded... and I need some rest."

"Of course! I’ll gladly lend you one!"

The Dragon Slayer answered with some hesitation but with as much force as she could muster.

I gave White Mask a thumbs up to convey that this was a positive response, and she nodded in return.

White Mask leaned against the wall, relaxing her body into a comfortable position.

She had been injured too, after all.

She needed to rest.

"...Thank you. Thanks to you, the misunderstanding was cleared up."

"It’s just meddling. You don’t need to thank me."

As I said that, a brief silence fell.

Hmm.

I really don’t like the awkward atmosphere that settles in after solving something.

By the way, how do we get rid of the Dragon Slayer’s anchor?

I thought it was all about 'her relationship with humans,' but even after reconciling with White Mask, there was no sign of it disappearing.

So, does that mean...?

As I was pondering this, a 'scritch-scratch' sound suddenly came from the wall behind me and the Dragon Slayer.

When we looked, startled,

There was a message written there:

"Hello, today I want to talk about 'How to Win Love.'

Winning love is not as easy as it sounds ᅲᅲ. Approaching someone carelessly can be an annoyance, and just staying still doesn’t solve anything either.

But here’s a tip! When the mood is right, a kiss can be a very effective way to win someone’s heart!

That’s all for today’s talk on how to win love!"

The Dragon Slayer’s face began to turn red, and I couldn’t help but feel flustered.

What on earth is this damn chronicler talking about?!