Heavenly Vein Dragon (Part One)

[52 years before the death of the hero Himmel]

"Have you heard? It seems a Heavenly Vein Dragon has appeared in the skies above [Äußerst]."

"What!? A dragon! Does this mean the city is about to be attacked? Could it be that the Demon King's Army is finally going to attack this place...?"

"Hey, what nonsense are you talking about? That's Heavenly Vein Dragon; it won't attack us on its own."

Many adventurers and residents gathered on the street, and many of them were looking up at the sky with curiosity, chattering about the Heavenly Vein Dragon.

At this time, everyone should have started to get busy with their own affairs, but the news of the appearance of the Heavenly Vein Dragon had been spread throughout the city by someone.

People flocked to the streets, all looking up at the sky in an attempt to find the legendary dragon.

Even though they strained their eyes to see, they couldn't find a trace of the Heavenly Vein Dragon in the sky.

As a legendary dragon existing in ancient books, the Heavenly Vein Dragon possesses a remarkably long lifespan and an extremely large body, said to be large enough to build a kingdom on.

Since long ago, there have been occasional reports of people witnessing the figure of the Heavenly Vein Dragon.

However, since people at this time did not possess [Flight Magic], even if they could locate the Heavenly Vein Dragon, they had no way to go up and investigate.

If it were truly as large as described in ancient texts, it wouldn't be impossible to not even see a trace of the other party, would it?

Could it be that the Heavenly Vein Dragon has hidden behind the clouds?

"Could it be a rumor? With such a vast sky, where could such a huge dragon possibly hide?"

Many residents had this question, and after waiting for a while without finding any trace of the other party, they dispersed disappointed.

After all, everyone has their own things to do, and it's impossible for them to just stand here dumbly all day waiting for the Heavenly Vein Dragon to appear.

"But yesterday afternoon and this morning, people were saying they had witnessed traces of the Heavenly Vein Dragon. It can't be fake, right?"

Although many have returned to their posts, some knowledgeable and leisurely adventurers stubbornly stand on the streets, just to catch a glimpse of the Heavenly Vein Dragon.

Such a commotion naturally caught the attention of Galan and Lia.

"That's outrageous... I think I saw the boss in the crowd just now. I never expected him to run out to look at Heavenly Vein Dragon without even checking the shop. It's like people in my time would go to the wilderness at night to look at the stars and moon."

This is no exaggeration. I remember once the TV broadcasted that there would be a total lunar eclipse that would happen once every few years, also known as a "blood moon." Galan vaguely remembers that the street downstairs from her house was full of people, just to see that red moon.

The scene then was almost identical to the one everyone is experiencing now; it just goes to show that humanity's morbid curiosity and love of spectacle remain unchanged in any world and era.

What do you mean by "my era"?

Lia, standing next to Galan, also heard his mutterings and asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Oh... it's nothing, it was just a metaphor... By the way, Lia, have you ever seen Heavenly Vein Dragon before?"

Realizing he had unintentionally said the wrong thing, Galan quickly tried to make amends by changing the subject and drawing Lia's attention away from her.

However, Galan was indeed somewhat curious about this matter.

After all, Lia has lived for hundreds of years, so it's possible that she's become so familiar with species like the Heavenly Vein Dragon that they can live just like Elves that she's lost interest in them.

"Hmm... it seems I haven't seen them more than a few times."

Lia shook her head, indicating that she wasn't very familiar with the Heavenly Vein Dragon.

"Although some adults in the village have seen Heavenly Vein Dragons many times because there were quite a few in their time, their numbers began to decrease significantly a few hundred years ago, and they appeared much less frequently. So, I have only actually seen one Heavenly Vein Dragon so far."

"You've only met him once too?"

"Yeah, so I'm actually quite curious about the Heavenly Vein Dragon that appeared this time! Hehe."

She smiled, then peered out the window again, desperately trying to spot the Heavenly Vein Dragon in the sky.

However, given today's weather and Lia's method of searching, finding the Heavenly Vein Dragon will likely be a difficult task.

Galan chuckled and put his arm around Lia's waist to prevent her from falling off, though he had also become interested in the Heavenly Vein Dragon.

If there were a way to get to the Heavenly Vein Dragon, he really wanted to take a good look at it.

"I wonder if Serie will be able to get up there..."

At this moment, Galan also thought of Serie. About a few weeks ago, the long-lost original had finally returned to [Äußerst] from the Imperial Capital.

The proof was that the other party mocked him as soon as he returned, saying how ignorant he was of his own abilities to run out and be caught red-handed by Rivale.

He wondered if he had already been lectured by Serie's Copy, so why was he being teased again after the original returned...?

But now that she's back, maybe I can ask her if she can take me and Lia to play on the Heavenly Vein Dragon.

"You want to go to the Heavenly Vein Dragon?"

Almost the instant the thought crossed Galan's mind, Serie's familiar voice suddenly rang out.

The sudden sound startled Galan, causing his hand, which was wrapped around Lia's waist, to tremble and involuntarily loosen, nearly causing her to fall out of the window. Lia was terrified and screamed from the window sill.

"Hey! So you really did use some kind of magic on me, like [the ability to read someone's mind], right!"

After regaining his composure, Galan asked with some indignation.

"This is outrageous! Can I sue you for violating my privacy rights?"

The timing of Serie's appearance was too coincidental; no matter how uncertain it was before, it was now undeniable.

Otherwise, Galan simply couldn't think of any other reason to explain such an absurd situation.

I had barely even had this thought when Serie connected with me remotely. Could it really just be a coincidence?

If that's really the case, the coincidence is just too outrageous.

"What, you seem to have a problem with me."