Chapter 19 : The Skybound Apology

The three strangers were quite shocked to see me.

The middle-aged man with a bushy beard seemed less affected, but the slim man and the woman next to Jonan were trembling with fear.

“Dragon God, I have come to greet you again.”

The village chief bowed his head politely and approached me.

“I will formally introduce myself. I am Pavore, the village chief of Estel Village, located in the Craystist Barony of the Runan Kingdom.”

Pavore, the village chief, was the third person whose name I had come to remember.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t Jonan who stepped forward next. Instead, the middle-aged man, now breaking out in a cold sweat, stood beside the village chief and introduced himself.

“I am Gaiser, the hunting captain of Estel Village and Jonan’s teacher.”

Ah, the hunting captain.

So he could be considered another influential figure in the village. Next, Jonan and Rachel stepped forward. After that, the woman, who appeared to be Rachel’s mother, introduced herself hesitantly.

“So, So, Sophie… my job is Rachel’s mother… uh, ah?! Th, that is…!”

Sophie seemed more nervous than the others. Well, that was a normal reaction.

“Honey, don’t be nervous. Take a deep breath.”

“Huu, huu.”

“Mom, you’re being weird.”

“Cough! Cough!”

[……You don’t have to be so nervous, family of Jonan and Rachel. I don’t eat humans.]

“Yes, yes!”

I had no choice but to tell her to relax, but Sophie only became more flustered.

Finally, there was the young man… well, he was already unconscious. The village chief had no choice but to explain on his behalf.

“Dragon God, he is the best painter in our village.”

[A painter? Is there a reason you brought a painter?]

“That is… first, I wanted to inform the villagers about the Dragon God through a painting……”

In summary, he had brought the painter to prevent the villagers from collectively fainting. If I revealed myself directly, they might all pass out, so he hoped to acclimate them to my presence through a painting first.

The intention was… understandable. I could roughly imagine how I appeared to humans. But the problem was that the man who was supposed to paint me had already fainted.

The village chief looked at his son, who had collapsed on the ground, with a mix of pity and frustration, especially since Sophie had managed to stay conscious.

“……Actually, he’s my son.”

……What should I say? I’m sorry for making your son faint?

No, in this case, it was better to give him time to wake up and calm down.

[Jonan, Rachel…… and Sophie.]

“Yes, Dragon!”

The three whose names were called looked at me with varying reactions. I lifted them with psychokinesis and slowly floated into the air.

[Until he wakes up, I will borrow these people.]

I rose at a slower speed than usual for their sake, ascending above the clouds. Sophie clung tightly to Jonan, her eyes closed, but she gradually opened them at Rachel’s urging.

“……”

Jonan and Sophie gazed around, marveling at the sky’s scenery, which they were seeing for the first time. Rachel, who had seen it before, was still overjoyed.

This was both a token of apology and a gift of gratitude for Jonan’s family. First, a week ago, though I had been provoked by the reverse scale, I had pressured and been hostile toward Jonan. Second, it was thanks to Rachel that I had been stopped.

I wanted to hear Rachel’s impressions, but now was the time to talk to Jonan.

[Jonan, you were the second human I saw. And the first was your and Sophie’s daughter, Rachel.]

“Yes, that’s right.”

[You two are the reason I decided to have a relationship with humans.]

“……!”

For over a month, I had been alone in this other world. My sudden transformation had made me hesitant to meet other humans. Then, the first ones I encountered were Rachel and Jonan. After meeting humans for the first time in so long, I developed a deep fondness for the two of them, who did not oppose me.

If the first human I had met had attacked me, I would not have sought a friendly relationship. Because Jonan and Rachel did not reject me, I was able to approach them.

[But I didn’t fully trust you. Showing you this scenery now is a token of apology for that.]

“An apology? That’s absurd! This is clearly my fault……!”

[There is fault on both sides. You were not careful, and I did not have faith.]

Of course, I wasn’t going to end things just by giving them a tour. But for now, I wanted to show them the view from the sky.

I wanted them to understand the perspective I, as a being different from humans, held.

[Before I build a new relationship with Estel, I thought I would resolve this with you. So that future events will not be hindered.]

Jonan seemed troubled, but he eventually nodded as if he had made up his mind.

“Thank you. For thinking of me and Rachel, and for considering Estel Village.”

In truth, Jonan might have felt compelled to accept my apology. How many humans would refuse forgiveness from an 80-meter-tall monster? But I dismissed that thought when I saw Jonan’s expression.

He didn’t look like someone forced to accept an apology; his expression was one of genuine relief.

Jonan descended from the sky, pondering what had just happened.

The dragon had asked for his forgiveness.

For a moment, Jonan was stunned, but he accepted the apology. What followed was a realization he hadn’t expected.

‘He cares about humans more than I thought.’

Every night for the past week, Jonan had been plagued by nightmares.

In his dreams, he arrived at the cliff too late, only to find the dragon gone. Returning to the village, he discovered it in ruins and desperately searched for his wife and daughter in the collapsed houses.

Each nightmare reminded him of his carelessness.

‘I could have killed my family because of my mistake.’

That thought had consumed Jonan. But the dragon had erased it. The dragon, too, had made a mistake. Just as Jonan had been careless, the dragon had lacked trust.

Jonan felt comforted.

Because of their shared fault, the dragon had been attacked. Yet, the dragon had tried to comfort Jonan, taking on his own share of the blame.

‘No, it’s not just comfort. It’s forgiveness and salvation.’

The dragon, once only a figure of fear, now appeared different. It was the image of a true god—sacred, benevolent, and all-seeing.

So, when Jonan returned to the ground, he approached the village chief’s son, who had regained consciousness and was now painting, and said:

“Make it more sacred. That part there—you didn’t capture his appearance properly. Redo it.”

“Jo, Jonan? Why are you suddenly so critical?”

“Chief, even if he’s your son, you can’t let this slide. The painting’s role is to show his appearance to the villagers. It’s far from adequate now.”

“Hmm……”

The village chief was slightly taken aback by Jonan’s changed demeanor after his trip to the sky. But when he recalled the red demon and the storm that had appeared during the red moon, he nodded.

“……You’re right.”

“Ah, Father?”

“If you’ve been painting every night, do it properly. What is this, tsk.”

The village chief’s son, now under sudden scrutiny, found no one to defend him. In the end, he silently took out a new piece of paper.

The painting created by the village chief’s son was astonishing. It vividly and intensely depicted me ascending into the sky. With feedback from the village chief, Jonan, and Rachel’s additional input, I worried it might be excessive.

But Jonan and the village chief insisted it was just right.

Eventually, the commotion over the painting subsided, and Jonan’s group prepared to return to the village. With the village’s key figures absent, they couldn’t stay long.

“Dragon God, is there anything you desire?”

[Do I desire something?]

“Yes. Although it’s temporary, I built an altar last time. I want to use it whenever you need something.”

Had they come while I was resting? Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been time to build it.

But the village chief’s expression darkened slightly. He seemed nervous that I might ask for something beyond the village’s capabilities.

I didn’t want anything yet…… but the village chief didn’t seem willing to leave empty-handed.

……Ah, an idea came to mind.

[Bring two swords, a rope, and a bow in a week.]

The village chief’s expression brightened noticeably. The hunting captain was surprised, as the request was far more reasonable than expected. Being the hunting captain, he had likely anticipated requests for animals.

“I understand. I will return in a week.”

With that, the village chief and his party disappeared into the forest. After they left, I began to explore the vicinity of Estel Village from the sky.

[If there is something to receive, there must also be something to give.]

But if I asked them, they would likely refuse. So, I decided to choose a gift myself.

Fortunately, I already had something in mind.

The vast plain stretching to the left of Estel Village. Part of it belonged to the village’s farmers, who all wore sullen expressions.

Additionally, the stream near the forest had significantly lower water levels than before.

Rumble.

Dark clouds formed over Estel Village, and finally, the first gift began to pour down.

Swoosh……

The rain, like sweet water, began to soak the great plain.