Miss Black Dragon Refuses to Be a Mount

It cracked!

But no egg white flowed from the crack in the shell. Instead, the egg began moving again.

Ailolin was thrilled. She was doing her utmost to break through the shell and welcome her new life.

Likaro quickly understood what was happening. She had once seen chicks hatch from their eggs and knew that the egg before her was about to give birth to a new life.

As she silently cheered it on, she also prepared to retreat. The egg was so large; if the creature inside was aggressive from the moment it was born, that could be troublesome.

Running away when faced with danger one could not handle was nothing shameful.

Edafalon Forest was unlike other regions. At most, there were only low-level magical beasts here, while everything else was ordinary wildlife. Today was Likaro's first time seeing such a huge egg, and it was clearly the egg of a magical beast.

The wild animals and lesser magical beasts in the forest were all friendly toward Likaro, but if it was a powerful magical beast, she could not be sure whether her special ability would work.

So if anything went wrong, she would run. If necessary, she could use the item her father had given her, though she would probably receive a very stern lecture afterward...

Ailolin was now using every ounce of strength in her body to break through the shell. Strands of light were already filtering through the cracks, and she understood what that meant.

A bright world was beckoning to her. She would be reborn, no longer as a human.

PS: Although people talk about the golden first three chapters, I think it should be the golden first ten chapters instead~

Don't miss out if you're passing by—please add it to your favorites! (Shameless hinting)

That Winter, 003: The Wish Back Then

Likaro had been bold since childhood and could remain calm in any situation, but she was still only eight years old—a child.

When the black creature before her broke through the eggshell and burst out, Likaro immediately recognized what it was, and she also understood what kind of egg it had been.

A Black Dragon egg!

Dragonkind was famous enough to be known by most people. Likaro had seen illustrations of dragons in books and recognized it as a Black Dragon that had just hatched.

As for why she had not recognized the Black Dragon egg, it was not because Likaro lacked knowledge. The books she had read simply contained no records of what dragon eggs looked like!

Come to think of it, that made sense. Dragonkind was extremely protective of its offspring. Dragon eggs would be guarded within caves, so how could one possibly appear in the wilderness and be seen by someone?

Yet one had truly appeared before Likaro now.

Faced with one of the future kings of magical beasts, Likaro nervously swallowed.

This young dragon had only just been born, yet it was already larger than Likaro. It was probably over two meters long!

Likaro was only an eight-year-old human child. Even most adults were not as large as this newborn dragon.

Though she felt afraid, Likaro's naturally bold personality made her brave again. She did not immediately run away. Besides, by common sense, most newly born creatures were not aggressive. Instead, due to something like imprinting, they would feel fondness toward the first creature they saw...

Likaro boldly guessed that since the dragon egg had been in the bushes of the forest, this Little Black Dragon had probably been abandoned...

Although most information about Dragonkind was little more than legend to people, everyone agreed that Dragonkind cared deeply for and cherished its offspring.

Likaro had no intention of running away. How could she give up such a rare opportunity? What she had experienced today would be something she could brag about for the rest of her life.

And it would be wonderful if her ability worked on this young dragon...

Quite some time had passed since the Little Black Dragon hatched, yet it had made no move to attack. Only then did Likaro realize that the Black Dragon before her seemed to be spacing out.

Ailolin really was spacing out. Or rather, she was uncomfortable because she was unfamiliar with her new body.

After emerging from the eggshell, she saw the bright world again. She seemed to be in a forest. Trees, flowers, grass, and soil all lay before her, and most importantly, all of it meant that she was still alive.

She should have died in that hospital bed. She could now be certain that she had been reincarnated, except she had retained the memories of her previous life.

After Ailolin adapted to her surroundings, she began examining her body.

Dragons were creatures of fantasy. Ailolin had never imagined that she would see one with her own eyes, but now she had not only seen one—she had become one.

Suddenly, Ailolin realized why she had been reincarnated as one of Dragonkind.

"If there's a next life, I hope I can have a body with exceptionally strong physical abilities..."

Those had been her wish before she died. Could there really be gods in this world, and had one fulfilled her wish?

There was simply too much information to process. Ailolin felt that she needed a long time to calm down. Oh, right, there was also a little girl in front of her.

Ailolin turned her gaze toward Likaro.

She had not looked carefully before, but what an adorable little girl!

Likaro's soft golden hair was lively and brightly colored. Sunlight filtering through the gaps between the trees shone upon it, making it seem almost dazzling. Though her clothes were somewhat dirty, they could not conceal her outstanding appearance.

Ailolin was not someone who judged people by looks. What truly attracted her was the little girl's temperament—cute, yet carrying a hint of heroic spirit. And although they had only just met, Ailolin felt a slight fondness for her.

Perhaps she should ask the little girl about this place first?

"Um... hello?"

Ailolin had intended to greet her, but when the words left her mouth, they turned into a low growl.

From Likaro's perspective, Ailolin's actions clearly looked like intimidation or a threat. Perhaps she was about to attack. For safety's sake, Likaro decisively chose to run.

No matter what, she was only an eight-year-old girl with practically no combat ability.

"..."

Watching Likaro scamper away on her little legs, Ailolin did not chase after her. She understood that she could not communicate with humans in her current state, so there was no need to interact with them.

The golden-haired little girl looked back at her several times as she fled. Ailolin merely watched silently until she vanished from sight.

After confirming that Likaro had run far away, Ailolin began surveying her surroundings. Hmm, a dense forest, and she could not sense any danger nearby.

In that case, she might as well admire her own body first.

Ailolin was excited. Back when she had been human, she had envied the physical fitness of ordinary people. Now, she definitely could not be called frail. Everything about her was wonderful, aside from the fact that she was not human...

She had already died once. To Ailolin, this new life was a gain no matter what, and she would not demand anything more.

Though she was only a newborn dragon, Ailolin's senses were extremely sharp. Her vision had improved dramatically compared to when she was human, while her hearing and reactions far surpassed her former self.

In her young dragon form, Ailolin was only a little over two meters long. Her body was covered in dark black scales, though they looked very immature since she had only just been born. She then spread her wings as far as she could and casually flapped them twice, sending grass clippings and dirt on the ground flying some distance away.

Then Ailolin looked at her short little tail. Was it a bit too short? Dragonkind had a useful area-of-effect skill called Tail Sweep, but unfortunately, this little tail could not even sweep away leaves.

Still, she could not ask for too much from a newborn. Ailolin was already very satisfied with her new body. She did not care much whether she was human or not. After all, this was another world, and none of her family from her previous life was here. She had no one familiar here either, so she could only live on with a new identity.

Ailolin thought of her name again. The inheritance of Dragonkind had not told her who her parents were, but they should have been the ones to name her, and the information had become known to her along with the inheritance.

Ailolin Furnoscott. The latter should be her surname, while the former...

At this very moment, she finally realized what was wrong.

This name seemed somewhat... feminine?

Perhaps Ailolin was the dumbest dragon in the world. What kind of dragon did not even know its own sex? The contents of Dragonkind's inheritance had even included that information, but she had overlooked it.

She froze for a long while, then shook her head.

"So what if I turned female? My species has changed too, so why should I care about my sex?"

Since even her species could change, there was a fifty-percent chance that her sex would change along with it. That was perfectly reasonable.

Even so, it still felt strange...

That Winter, 004: Harmonious Father and Daughter

"Huff, huff~~~"

Likaro ran some distance toward Edafalon City before stopping. Her exhausted expression carried a trace of excitement. The young dragon had not chased after her!

In that case, perhaps she could sneak back and observe it again. As long as she kept her distance and hid herself well, she probably would not be discovered.

Seeing a dragon with her own eyes was incredibly lucky. Dragonkind was rare and almost never appeared before people. Let alone Edafalon City, there had not even been any reports of dragons in the entirety of Edafalon Province.

To satisfy her curiosity and earn her father's recognition, Likaro made her decision.

However, when she returned to the place where the young dragon had been born, it was already completely empty. Even the eggshells on the ground were gone.

Likaro stood there in a daze, as if none of it had happened. She had originally wanted to secretly bring back a piece of the dragon egg's shell as proof that she had truly encountered a dragon, but now...

It was as if her experience just now had been an illusion. Nothing remained.

Left with no choice, Likaro reluctantly headed back.

She continued to watch her surroundings along the way, but found nothing useful.

After returning to the city, she did not go looking for her friends. Instead, she headed straight for the duke's residence.

Her personal maid, who was responsible for taking care of her, had already prepared everything. Likaro took a comfortable bath, changed out of her plain clothes, and put on a gorgeous dress tailored specifically for her. After washing and dressing up, she no longer looked like a commoner child playing outside, but rather the noble young lady of a duke's household.

Whenever Likaro went out, she deliberately dressed ordinarily so no one would connect her with the duke's daughter. Not even the children she played with could recognize her, and even adults would not know. Likaro was only eight, and as the duke's daughter, she had almost never appeared in public.

Once everything was in order, Likaro prepared to tell her father what she had experienced.

"Father! I made a major discovery!!!"

Duke Wilfen was resting in the garden. There was unusually little official business today, so he could finally relax. He had his eyes closed, enjoying the peaceful surroundings, when Likaro's shout suddenly shattered the tranquility.

Wilfen chuckled as if he were used to it. His daughter was good in every way except that she was far too lively. Sometimes, he even suspected that she had been born the wrong sex.

If his wife were here, he would definitely have her properly teach Likaro the etiquette of a lady. Unfortunately, his wife had returned to her hometown to visit relatives. Having someone else teach her was even less possible. Aside from her mother, no one could make Likaro patient enough to learn.

Though his rare rest time had been interrupted, Wilfen was not angry. If he had enough time to spend with his daughter, there would not be this slight distance between them.

Although his relationship with his daughter was fairly good, he could never seem to find much to talk about with her.

"Father, there's a dragon in the forest outside the city! I saw it being born with my own eyes!"

Likaro excitedly told her father what she had seen, but all she received was a burst of laughter.

"My dear daughter, I know you enjoy reading adventure stories, but don't make up things that don't exist."

"I'm not lying! I really saw it!"

"Never mind that for now. Who told you to go into the forest?" Wilfen suddenly put on a stern face, his entire presence becoming oppressive. "I said the furthest you were allowed to play was within the city. What did you promise me back then?"

"Ugh..."

Likaro fell silent. She was afraid when her father was angry. She had been so excited just now that she had forgotten he had forbidden her from leaving the city.

"I know you're brave, but safety is the most important thing. And you're still too young."

"Then I want to learn swordsmanship to protect myself. Why won't you let me?" Likaro puffed out her cheeks.

"This..."

Wilfen revealed a helpless expression. His daughter had always clamored about wanting to learn knightly swordsmanship. Under her relentless pleading, he should have agreed to her request. However, ever since a massive amount of magic power had been detected within her body, he had wanted her to study magic instead.

Generally speaking, magic power existed in the air. Of course, some people could also possess magic power within their bodies. Likaro's body had a specific term to explain it—a Magic Spring. Her body contained an enormous amount of regenerative magic power.

Moreover, Likaro not only had a vast reserve of magic power, but she also had perfect compatibility with all kinds of magical elements. As long as she worked diligently, she would absolutely become a genius mage rarely seen in a thousand years.

So the problem was, Likaro was so stubborn that she refused to learn magic no matter what. What could Wilfen do?

Considering that Likaro was still a child, Wilfen could only put the matter aside for now. Once she grew older and became more sensible, she would understand what was best for her.

"Let's not talk about dragons anymore. You are not allowed to leave the city again. What if you encounter wild animals or magical beasts outside?" Wilfen said sternly.

"But they all..." Likaro suddenly paused, then started over. "But I run very fast. They won't be able to catch me."

"You still dare to talk back? Not leaving the city means not leaving the city. If I find out you leave again, then you won't be allowed out of the residence in the future."

"Ugh... I understand."

Likaro knew she was in the wrong. Besides, she knew that even though she had seen a dragon with her own eyes, no one would believe her without any proof.

In that case, she would just go look for it in the forest every day from now on. As long as that dragon was still in the forest, she would definitely see it again!

Though she had agreed to her father's rule about not leaving the city, if she truly stopped leaving the city, then she would not be Likaro.

She should listen to what her father said, but she should also do what she wanted to do.

"Then please continue resting, Father. I'll be going now." Likaro bade her father farewell. Her father was usually busy with official duties, so how could she disturb his precious rest time? Besides, they had almost nothing in common and naturally had little to say to each other.

Watching his daughter's departing figure, Wilfen sighed, then thought over what she had just told him.

A dragon?

The Imperial Geological Research Institute had once surveyed all of Edafalon Province. Its research report stated that no medium or large magical beasts existed anywhere in Aidefalong, much less dragons.

Although dragons were kings of both land and sky, they mostly existed only in legends. Even Wilfen, who had fought everywhere in his youth, had never seen one.

Of course, Wilfen was a cautious man. After considering the matter, he decided to send some people into the forest to investigate, just in case.