Became an Evil Dragon

3. The Dragon’s Meal (3)

The dragon’s appetite periodically swells, on average two beasts the size of cows can keep me full for about a month.

So two beasts a month is just enough for me to ethically take my fill.

See how generous this dragon is?

Good dragon.

The village mayor collapsed on the ground did not respond to my words at all, merely trembling violently like an aspen leaf.

Anger rose in me at the frail, weak human not daring to answer me. I wrinkled my brow. Unlike furry mammals, as a perfect being covered in beautiful scales, dragons lack eyebrows, but still I moved my brow area in the same manner from human habit.

“Do you understand?”

I press him.

If he doesn’t respond this time either, I had intended to let him personally experience my rage. Fortunately the old human village mayor hurriedly nodded his head, answering:

“Y-Yes, I understand! I understand! I heard you, Great Red Dragon!”

My anger at the old human who had dared not answer me melted away instantly at the words ‘Great Dragon’ he had appended. Though he probably only said it out of fear, somehow being extolled feels oddly nice.

In a good mood with the matter resolved, I opened my mouth to start the meal:

“Then, Mayor, bring today’s livestock. Today I desire two horses instead of a cow. Young ones with tender meat.”

Cows and horses each had a slightly different texture. Biting down, cows were soft and fatty, while horses were a bit chewier and firmer. For the belly region packed with organs, horses tasted better when torn through with a satisfying crunch. I didn’t dislike cows either, they had their own unique cow-like texture. And the younger the livestock, the more tender and flavorful their meat.

Personally I seem to prefer horses over cows.

Hmm, looking forward to it.

Anticipating the imminent meal, I licked my lips, but seeing that, the mayor was frightened again, wetting his pants. Seeing the slovenly sight of a furry beast, my mood soured. Dropping the gentleness, I snarled impatiently with frustration filling my voice:

“Quickly!”

Hearing my roar-like prompting, the mayor’s eyes rolled back and he fainted on the spot. How dare he ignore me and lose consciousness as he pleased. And after failing to properly fulfill my earlier kind, gentle request to bring livestock as well.

Should I kill him?

Anger surged until it filled my head, I repeatedly took deep breaths to calm myself. Fury at the insolent furless monkey churned inside, spurring a dreadful impulse.

The dragon’s violent instincts arise.

Torch this place and slaughter every living being to showcase your rage.

Kill all the human maggots and gorge on the livestock, then return home to sleep satisfied.

No.

I have to stop thinking that way.

Calm down. Can’t get caught up in a dragon’s mentality. Calm yourself.

I’m human. Human. A human in a dragon’s body.

Damn, what was I doing?

Since arriving at the village and seeing the frightened people, I’ve been unusually overcome by a dragon’s mentality, unlike usual. Looking down on them, I’d unconsciously regarded them as filthy furry beasts, insignficant ants I could easily kill anytime.

The impulse to kill anyone who annoys me even slightly churns inside. As if someone was whispering in my ear to remove any pesky insect daring to put the dragon in a bad mood.

But I’m not a red dragon. I’m a person inside a red dragon’s body.

I don’t easily kill people. However maggot-like they are, I have to know to respect them. They may be pathetic creatures, but they can at least think, right?

Respect them.

Exhaling a fiery deep breath and inhaling repeatedly to cool my anger, I turned my head. There, unlike the mayor, was a young looking man collapsed in the same posture.

Seeing the fainted mayor, he was crying “Father! Father!” repeatedly with a grieved expression. Based on this, the young man nearby seemed to be the mayor’s son.

Swallowing my anger at the human who had dared speak without my permission, I open my mouth.

“You, state your name.”

The man who had been shouting for his father met my gaze and, just like his father, wet his pants in fear. Seeing him trembling his jaw in fright, I prompt him in the gentlest tone possible.

Exercising a dragon’s kindness.

“Answer me.”

“L-Luis, I’m Luis! Great Dragon!”

“Very well, Luis. Young human. Bring the livestock. I won’t ask twice.”

My gentle persuasion this time was effective, unlike with his father Luis didn’t faint. On trembling legs he stood up from his spot and dashed off somewhere.

If he too had failed to properly fulfill my words, I likely wouldn’t have been able to restrain the dragon’s instincts this time. Fortunately that was avoided.

Soon Luis hurried back, the reins of two horses gripped in his hands. Returning to me, Luis started trembling his legs again as he led the two horses forth.

Whinny! *Snort*!

Seeing me, the horses immediately sensed their fate, desperately kicking and struggling to get away, but Luis had a firm hold of their reins so they couldn’t escape.

Hmm, they look appetizing.

“H-Here I’ve brought them. The youngest and most obedient gentle ones in the village.”

After removing the reins, Luis hurriedly retreated back to his fainted father. Though an unpermitted action, I’d already received the meal so I paid the hairless monkeys’ antics no mind, letting him be. I am a generous dragon showing mercy to one who brought me food for the day.

And now my full attention was on the two large horses before me, not the monkeys.

How shall I eat today? Cooked over flames or raw?

I did have them raw last month, so today I’ll decide on cooked.

But eating them raw is a delicacy I can’t easily give up either. The unique flavor of raw meat and the taste of blood bursting in your mouth when you bite down is a savage culinary experience you can’t get from cooked food.

Recalling last meal, my long tongue naturally shoots out past my lips. Flicking through the air once, it withdraws back inside.

Yes, cooked it is. Raw is good too but today I’ve decided on cooked.

For a dragon’s meals, variety is important. Eating different preparations each month should be healthiest.

Having decided, I inhale briefly…

Whoosh!

And breathe out.

The flames covering the cowering horses leave behind appetizing chunks of meat like the knight I met today, smelling of cooked meat. But unlike the knight burnt by my careless exhalation, this time I delicately controlled my fire, so finding completely charred chunks among the meat was unlikely.

Chef dragon. Mm, splendid.

With sniffing noises, I savored the cooked aroma for a moment before opening my jaws wide.

And took a huge bite of horsemeat.

Mm nom nom!

Meat juices and traces of blood remaining in the meat trickle between my teeth. Licking the messy blood smeared around my mouth with my tongue, I savor the flavor palette dancing inside.

Mm, the exquisite taste, like fireworks bursting all around. The taste naturally soothes anger towards pathetic inferior creatures.

In a slightly better mood, I slowly finished off the rest of the meal, savoring it.

Having polished off two horses, my stomach was full. Though a dragon, I’m a light eater, two mere horses fill me up. The humans will surely respect and revere me for this.

Right, I’ll head home now for an afternoon nap.

In good spirits with a full belly, I spread my wings to take flight but paused mid-flap as something entered my vision.

Glittering. Yellow metal. An existence provoking a different greed from the appetizing cooked meat.

It was a yellow metal ring worn on Luis’s left hand.

Gold.

Discovering the ring, my instincts whispered to me.

Don’t you want it?