When the sun had finally set, I started looking for a place to sleep. Normally, this would require some preparation, but my thoughts were so far away at this point that I couldn’t even do that.

Instead, I tried to remember how much power I’d put into that shot, and whether or not it was lethal. Unfortunately, I’d lost track of time, and not knowing how resilient dragons were didn’t help either.

I tried to convince myself that my actions were fully justified and reasonable and that I was entitled to defend myself. But, eventually, I realized that I would never recognize it as self-defense, even with the official laws.

The creature may have been a bit obnoxious and… uh, pesky, but it still wanted to help me. He may have treated me like a child, but still… I couldn’t just electrocute him!

The fear of going to the border guards was quickly replaced by the guilt I felt for my actions to avoid it. My freedom now seemed so meaningless to me…

Suddenly I was reminded of The Villain of Our Time, one of the novels I’d read a long time ago. The story of an awful man who ruined lives with whatever people he met just for fun. Am I becoming like him?… When I read that novel, I was disgusted by the bastard, but at no point in my life had I ever bothered to look at myself.

I tried hard to remember if I had hurt anyone else. Was there someone else whose feelings I had hurt with my careless words? Someone I’d pushed away when they needed me? Someone whose heart I had broken without realizing it?

I tried hard to remember any of these things, but I couldn’t. When I was born, I tried to full-fill all the duties of a nobleman: helping the poor in need, giving aid , food, and whatever else they needed. I tried to be virtuous and benevolent with everyone I met on my way, offering various services in the house or everyday life as I could. Many people even complimented me , saying that I was pleasant, educated, and interesting. Of course, I probably didn’t deserve some of these praises because I lied to everyone about my origins, but there was hardly anything criminal about it.

…Or was it? What if I really *did* start treating people selfishly without even realizing it? What if I can’t remember my mistakes because by now they’ve become normal to me? After all, I had already committed a crime today… he may not have been a human, but he was still a living, sentient being . How is that different from harming a person ? Is this the first time I’d ever done such a thing?

What if I’ve… already sunk to the level of a pathetic low-life ?

“Well, if that’s the case, I’d better stop before it’s too late.”

Having come to this conclusion, I finally decided to go back to the dragon . I would confess everything, surrender willingly, and accept whatever punishment he saw fit. And if… if I killed him, then I’ll wait for someone else to come to him and bring me to justice.

…

By then it had gotten so dark that even my flashlight and compass were no longer helping me find my way back.

A nervous chuckle escaped me.

“Some sort of adventurer I am…”

I was so inept that I couldn’t even voluntarily surrender myself up to the authorities . Just… wow.

When I calmed down, I was tempted to try to find my way again…

…as I suddenly heard an angry growl nearby.

I immediately turn off the flashlight and pull out the rifle. I quickly found a hiding place, turned toward the sound, and laid low.

Cautiously, I peered out and saw three ominous red lights moving slowly toward my hiding place. As time passed, my eyes began to make out a more coherent picture.

The creature in front of me looked like a mutated wild wolf. Unlike normal wolves, this one seemed to be made of living shadows. It had two bright eyes and some kind of crystal just below its neck. The sight of it gave me the creeps.

As the creature slowly circled me, I took its head in my sight and started retreating. But just when I thought I had escaped the danger…

…My foot stepped on a branch with a crunch.

‘Damn, why am I having such bad luck today?!’

At that moment, the creature’s eyes immediately turned to me. It rushed forward, jumped...

…and I fired.

His head splattered blackley across my pants and jacket, but at least I could breathe out a sigh of relief now.

In place of his head, a jet of black blood was fountaining… disturbing.

I could hardly tear my eyes away from the sight. However, when I almost did and was ready to walk away…

…its head somehow regenerated and the next moment the creature was back on its feet.

Now I didn’t just get goosebumps. Now I felt how primal fear and terror swept over me.

And right after that, I heard two more growls from the sides.

“You gotta be kidding me!!!”

Feeling desperate, I reached for my jacked, quickly and chaotically fumbling for a pulse trap. Just as all three of them jumped at me, I activated it, pushing them all away at once. Without another second’s hesitation, I rushed away.

I didn’t even pay attention to the direction anymore, I just ran. After the first few seconds of shock, I struggled to remember if the dragon had said anything to me about those creatures. And I knew for sure that he had said something about them, but I was so busy trying to show how strong and independent I was that I wasn’t paying attention .

Oh, how I hated myself at that moment, how I despised my arrogance. And the most shameful thing was that after me there would probably be nothing but a monument to human stupidity.

When I looked back, I saw the wolf pack already catching up with me and realized that further escape was futile.

I dropped the bag and grabbed the rifle again, but before I did, I pulled out my flare gun and sent a shot overhead. If there were any more dragonkin around, they’d know how to deal with them. As soon as the ground lit up with scarlet light, I prepared to fight back.

At that moment, I finally realized exactly how I had sinned. My sin was condemning myself to death, because by doing so, I would cause pain and grief to many other people — family, friends, and all those strangers I met along the way. By throwing my life so recklessly and carelessly into the wind I have also doomed them all to suffer with the realization that I am gone. How many of them will be sorry for the rest of their lives for not stopping me before it was too late?

No… it’s not going to work that way. I’ll survive. Whatever it takes I’m gonna survive.

…

After ten seconds of futile shooting, I suddenly misfired, hitting the crystal below the head. This turned out to be a shot I should have done from the beginning, as the creature dissipated for good.

‘I have to target crystals! Of course, how could I be this dumb!?’

I finally managed to shoot one of them while jumping, after which it vanished into thin air. And then the second one. I didn’t have time for the third one: it swung, aiming his fangs right at my neck, and I had to use my rifle as a shield. His onslaught was so strong that I was pinned to the ground.

And while this creature was sinking its fangs into the gun, I suddenly saw another one swinging its claws at me from the side.

My eyes opened wide in deathly terror…

…when suddenly it and all the other creatures around me were overrun by vines. A moment more, and they were all raked into a pile by an unbelievable force. When I got up from the ground, I saw the same lizard… only now he was holding a huge scythe, and he was enveloped in a bluish glow-like aura. I didn’t know what it was, but it seemed to give him incredible power, which he directed at his enemies. He began to hammer at these creatures with his scythe mercilessly, always hitting the target with precision, crushing creatures and their crystals.

He looked so angry and violent that for a moment I thought it was a different dragonkin… if not some kind of monster altogether. But then he turned to me and shouted:

“To the house, don’t make any turns! Hurry!!”

I was momentarily surprised by his voice. It was harsh but… not angry. Just very agitated. But it was only for a moment, after which he was back to beating the bastards without mercy, back to being a raging beast.

But no matter how relentless he was with these creatures, somehow more and more of them appeared.

I was about to hurry away, but then I saw one of those freaks leap up from behind him and a deep claw wound appeared on the dragonkin’s body.

When I saw that, I realized I couldn’t leave him… again. I knew I should have, especially when I finally realized how much I should value my life, but I still couldn’t. After all… what good would it do me anyway if I would waste it saving my own skin?

Summoning my remaining will, I grabbed my gun. I knew the man wouldn’t thank me, but screw it — I was ready for any punishment already.

As soon as a new pack appeared from the side, I immediately fired a laser at each of them, destroying them on the spot. My head was working much more clearly now, allowing me to act quicker. I didn’t have to wait for these things to turn to me, I had a good idea of where the crystal was.

“What the hell are you doing?! RUN!”

“Sorry man…I can’t.”

I kept shooting my portion of the wolves. I could see the man trying to rush toward me, but he couldn’t get through the crowd of enemies. I kept taking down the ghoulish things one by one, and even when one of them got hold of my gun again, I didn’t hesitate, tossing it aside, drawing my blade instead and plunging the thing into him. Their fur was horrible to the touch, but it didn’t hurt my hands, and that was enough.

When all the enemies were finally slaughtered, the dragon rushed toward me. I thought he was going to slap me, so I instinctively closed my eyes. Instead, he just grabbed me and said:

“All right, let’s go. Hold on!”

He put me on his shoulder and rushed forward, almost making me drop my rifle.

A few seconds later, I hastily loaded the gun with explosive charges, at a few of the wolf-ghouls that were still running after us. It wasn’t easy to shoot while shaking, but at least now I didn’t have to aim accurately, since the blasts were destroying everything in range.

I put on one last explosive show, but at least I managed to kill a bunch of creeps. One of them, however, managed to get through the explosive curtain and was ready to claw at the dragon, but at the last moment it turned to dust, and then I saw some kind of force field forming around us.

Finally, we were safe, and I felt my body go limp. The scaly man also gradually stopped, lowering me to the ground.

I instinctively turned away so I wouldn’t have to look him in the eye. I felt so ashamed and guilty at that moment.

“Hey… are you okay?” he suddenly asked.

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I expected his voice to be much rougher and angrier, but… it sounded completely different. When I plucked up the courage to look at him at that moment, I was surprised to find almost the same expression on his face. He looked so… sad and guilty… I expected him to be angry but...

“I… I think I’m okay… no, wait…”

Looks like one of those things did scratch me by my jacket after all… and took some skin with it, leaving behind a bloody trail.

“Let me see that.”

He quickly examined the wound, then summoned one of his vines, plucked one of the leaves and applied it to the injury.

“It’s a shallow wound, but it’s better to treat it anyway. Are you okay to go?”

Just as I was about to answer in the affirmative, my legs suddenly gave out and I fell. The next moment I was sobbing in the lizard’s arms.

“Hey. It’s okay, it’s over. Come on, don’t cry… Be strong…”

“I… I can’t. I can’t!…”

Now I’ve gotten to the point where I can’t even say a few words without sobbing… What a pitiful end.

…

The dragonman carried me in his arms the rest of the way. He didn’t object or scold me, didn’t say something like “I told you so” or “That’s what you get” — he just walked silently, holding me gently in his arms like a baby.

When he returned to his hut, he gently lowered me onto the bed, washed my wound, and whispered some kind of a spell. I noticed how my wound suddenly began to heal slowly… though of course “quickly” would be a better word since even our medicines take days to fully heal such wounds, not just a few minutes.

His hand was… surprisingly pleasant to the touch. His scales were smooth and soft. So much that I felt as if my spirit was being healed too. I remember some scientists claiming that just the touch of a hand can sometimes heal a person — without any magic. I’d long thought it was something out of pseudo-science fiction or quackery, but… perhaps there was some truth to it?

“Well, good as new!” — he said and smiled. His smile was a little strained, but I couldn’t help but smile back.

After that, he took out his shirt preparing to mend himself. I looked away, feeling a rush of embarrassment, surprised that I still cared about that sort of stuff after everything that just happened.

I noticed there was another reason why I was nervous: I was probably going to have a tough conversation now. Truth be told… I didn’t want to go back. But I was no longer in a position to *want* anything, so I sat silently, waiting for the moment to finally come.

Out of nervousness, I wanted to prob my healed wound.

“Uh, You’d better not touch it, or it might open up again,” — he said. I looked at him and saw him trying to reach his back with his hand. The pretend calmness of his face changed to irritation, then anger, and then utter despondency.

“Damn… I’m not getting younger, am I…” — he said, sighing heavily.

‘Wait a minute…where’s my first aid kit!?’

I had to abandon my main bag to save my skin, but luckily I had foreseen this course of events, so I packed smaller bags with all sorts of useful little things. I rummaged through one of it and found a healing tonic and medical bandages.

“I-I can help you! I have wound spray and bandages! Although… unfortunately, it’s unlikely to have any immediate effect…”

“Eh, I’m in no hurry. And yes, your help would be greatly appreciated.”

“Okay… uh… I need somewhere to wash my hands.”

“Of course.”

After I did what I needed to do, I grabbed the necessary stuff and got down to business.

When he showed his back to me, I felt like I was somehow invading a private territory, and immediately felt even more guilty. But I already did it multiple times today anyway, so there is no way left for me to climb up.

He got hurt more than I did, so had to use up a pretty significant portion of my first-aid tonic, but I didn’t care at all.

In the same place, I also noticed other, much older marks…. scars?

“Can I…ask you something?”

“The scars? — He asked, and I immediately felt ashamed… for the second time that day at that, so I immediately changed the subject.

“Oh, no, not that… I was just wondering, can you guys heal wounds at, like, a distance?”

“Not me, sadly. Requires too high of a magical expertise level. Always been on more of a brawn side of the spectrum. Probably should have practice for times like this, heh.”

‘Poor dude…’ — I thought, — ‘so much trouble because of me…’

Somehow I managed to patch up the wounds on his huge body without him stopping me once or questioning my intentions.

“Well, it’s done! Although you will have to wait a few days to fully heal…”

“No problem, I’m in no hurry. I may be old, but I’m not old enough to fall to some little pest.”

‘If these monsters they have are considered small pests… I’m afraid to even imagine.’

After that, we sat next to each other, not saying a word. Apparently, neither of us knew how to continue the conversation, and I had to be brave enough to take the first step. I noticed that I was reluctant to give myself up again, but I didn’t have the right to choose. When I finally made up my mind, the scaly man was the first to break the awkward silence:

“So, uh, human? There is something I wanted to tell you…”

“I know”, — I prematurely replied, — “I’m ready for any punishment. My life is yours now.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and waited with bated breath for the verdict.

“Actually… I didn’t mean to and don’t want to punish you in any way… just, you know? I thought I’d teach you a lesson, in terms of… what’s the word I’m looking for…”

“Honesty?”

“That too, and also to show how dangerous our realm can be. And also… I don’t think so anymore, but when you lied to me about yourself, I thought it was for personal gain. I figured your moral compass was a little… crooked, so it was my job as an adult to set you on the right path. Well, of course, just to scare you off from doing something stupid in the future, but I didn’t want it to come to that… to get you hurt…”

“Me too…”

Finally letting my feelings out, I hugged him and burrowed my face in his scale.

“Me too, man! I didn’t mean to hurt you! I really, really I didn’t…”

“It’s alright,” — he said, giving me a light pat, “Don’t let it bother you. It was my fault as well.”

For a second, I thought I misheard something.

“What do you mean?…”

“I should have handled the situation differently, without getting too testy and scolding. It’s just that it’s been a while since I’ve interacted with the younger generation, so I’ve forgotten how to treat you without unwittingly humiliating you. Besides, you had every right to self-defense, so it’s not your fault. I hold no hatred for you or your race.”

After a while, I finally calmed down.

“Thank you, really. I didn’t think you’d be so understanding. I’ve heard dragonkin can be cruel… uh, sorry if that offends you.”

“Nah, it’s fine. It’s not entirely incorrect. After all, by your standards we are still stuck

in… what was it called again… Middle Ages?”

I couldn’t resist the urge to think about other questions to ask on that topic, but he changed the subject before I could.

“…Anyways we will save it for later. For now — tell me, how are *you* feeling right now?”

“Oh me? Pretty great actually… I’m alive and even in one piece! And got a second chance at that… What more could I possibly ask for?”

“That’s good to know… are you still angry at me by chance?”

“What? Why?! You saved my hide today, how can I be mad at you?!”

Truth be told I was probably still a *little* salty, but I couldn’t let him know about it. Considering how much trouble I’d already caused him today, I didn’t have a right… not to mention my self-respect had already hit rock bottom, and I didn’t want to sink any deeper somehow.

“Well, feelings of resentment are sometimes hard to overcome, so if you feel that way, I thought you wanted to have revenge.”

“ ‘Revenge’?… seriously? How do you even imagine this?”

“You could give me a good punch for instance.”

I stood there for a couple of seconds without saying anything, trying to figure out if he was serious or not, but he had such a look on his face that I couldn’t help but burst out laughing against my better intentions.

“What?…” — he asked embarrassedly, making me want to laugh even harder.

“I’d sooner break my hand!” — I replied, trying to calm down.

“Well, then you can take something heavy like, I don’t know, my scythe, or one of your, uh, what are they called… guns? One of yours that stung me is still around here somewhere.”

“Dude, this won’t even be a punch anymore! Please, stop!”

I felt like a total scumbag, laughing in his face after all, but still I couldn’t stop. Luckily he didn’t mind at all, and after a while, he even started laughing with me. I suddenly felt so good and comfortable… as if nothing bad had happened to me that day.

“Seriously, come on…you’ve already done so much for me.”

“By your command, my lord.”

“Very funny.”

After we both calmed down he said:

“Well, since our first meeting was… a bit troublesome, how about we try again and start over?”

“Like a do-over you mean? Sure! I’m really good at that stuff actually. So! My name is Gran. Gran Bell. A self-styled… Well, I guess “wanna-be” adventurer would be more accurate to say. A man in the prime of life in my 19th year.”

“A ninth, you say?”

“Yeah? Wha?”

“Nothing. You just look like a teenage whelp to me rather than a “prime-life” man.”

“…is your offer of punching you still holding up by chance? I think I’m starting to have second thoughts..”

We laughed again

.

“Sorry, it’s just that I don’t see a lot of humans. We dragonkin live twice as long as you do so… I couldn’t help myself.”

“I will forgive you… this time.”

“Well, my name is Grynoth and I’m… Well, nobody, really. Just a farmer, wasting my life here. It’s a bit of a long story to tell.”

“Well, nice to meet you then… Grisha.”

“All right. Anyway… if you need anything — just ask and I’ll help you in any way I can.”

“Thank you. In that case, since it’s late I… would like to stay for a night at your place. If you don’t mind that is. Also…”

I suddenly realized that after today I had no desire to travel anytime soon… and on top of that something else was pushing me to stay here.

“Look, I don’t mean to be presumptuous, but… how long can I stay at your place?”

“Do you promise you’ll obey me at everything?”

“Yes,” — I replied without hesitation.

“Then on an indefinite basis.”

To be honest, I still couldn’t believe that the Great Goddess took such pity on me, going as far as sending such a gift of unprecedented generosity… I’m naive, of course, but even I couldn’t believe that life could be just like those trashy novels where some girl (or boy… depending on the target audience…) are teleported to the netherworld where they are incredibly lucky to meet some kind of himbo in a variety of manifestations who just takes them under their wing to take care of them and love them forever. Subconsciously I felt that I didn’t deserve such a gift, so I was still expecting some kind of trick. Despite still being willing to give up on my life, I wasn’t willing to let him use me against other people… which would be a big problem if I allowed that to happen.

And yet it didn’t seem like he had any evil intentions. He was too… sincere, maybe even… trusty himself? But since he didn’t look like that at least from the first impression to me, I still decided to take a little test.

I rummaged in one of my pockets and found a device called a “lie detector” — a miracle of the modern invention that allowed me to determine the intentions of an interlocutor with almost a hundred per cent probability. It was a pity that I couldn’t tell if it worked against someone who wasn’t human. But it was worth a try.

“I really appreciate your help, but, uh…”

“You want to see if I can be trusted?” — he guessed.

I blushed and, not wanting to hide anything else, pulled the gadget out of my pocket.

“Yes. Some people have already been trying to trick me on my journey. Not all of them, but some. I hope you understand.”

“Of course,” — he said, — “Believe it or not, our realm has its share of scumbags, so if you need to test me, do as you see fit.”

Somehow, it suddenly seemed to me that no more was needed by now, and yet I couldn’t let the random impulse overwhelm me.

“Alright then... Why are you so kind to me?” — I asked the first question and immediately felt guilty for doubting him so much after everything.

“Why should there be a reason?” — he asked a counter-question, stumping me. Come to think of it, the lie detector wouldn’t recognize such answers, because technically they weren’t… Well, answers. Funny how I couldn’t think of that.

“Well, during our conversation… um… *two* conversations, you repeatedly alluded to how cruel your people are. So I’m surprised you’re so honorable.”

“Understandable. It’s true, by your human standards we’re really stuck in the Middle Ages… with all that that entails. But even we have people who go against the law of the jungle, believing in goodness and justice. So far there are… well, I can’t account for how many there are considering how easily the boundary between good and evil can be blurred… but hopefully, I can be considered as one of them”.

The detector light flashes green. So he was telling the truth.

“So you’re driven by those ideals, right? Not some kind of selfish motive?”

“I don’t need anything from people, I already have what I need.”

Grynoth paused but then continued.

“I…want to believe that I am driven by…so-called “kindness” if such a concept exists in its purest form. After all, it is the duty of the older generation to instruct and guide the younger. But…”

He stopped again, and I could see the look of guilt and regret on his face. I realized that he clearly had something to say… probably that he, too, had done something bad in his life, but maybe he was afraid that it would scare me off… or that I would be disgusted that he was doing it out of guilt… that his intentions weren’t sincere enough.

I suddenly felt even more ashamed somehow. How long can you torture a man? No matter how scary he is, I refuse to see him as a monster.

As I turned off my device, tucking it back in my pocket, Grynoth said.

“Look, Gran, I really want to help you. But if you still don’t believe me, then… shit I don’t even know how to convince you anymore”.

“Wait!” — I stopped him, — “I believe you”.

He was silent for a moment, then he looked at me a little incredulously.

“Honestly?”

“Honestly! It’s just… this is the first time I’ve ever seen a dragonkin. Of course, I’m doubtful on an instinct… especially when you’re the one who scares me about you all being so big and scary… but I don’t think you’d risk yourself like that for personal gain.”

Grynoth thought for a moment, then smiled awkwardly again.

“Understandable. Hopefully I will be able to prove myself to you If you still have doubts. But for now…”

Suddenly he held out his hand to me instead, and damn it was gigantic like a boxer’s paw.

“…peace?”

“Yes.”

I was a little embarrassed that my palm had completely fallen through his fist but immediately forgot about it the next moment.

“Yes!”