I’m Telling You, I’m Not a Boss Monster!

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The sky was stained with blood and flames, and the ground was littered with the corpses of the dragon kin.

The sight of dragons soaring high only to plummet down felt surreal to Roxanne.

“Hide, Roxanne! Take care of our daughter, Elder!”

With those words, her father flew into the sky, leaving behind nothing but urgency.

After all the dragons had departed, only Roxanne and the elder remained in the lair.

“Come here, child.”

“…Why are they fighting?”

Roxanne couldn’t shake the confusion as she looked up at the sky.

It was unbelievable to witness kin slaying kin among the dragon kind.

Dragons were known for their strong bonds with one another, more so than any other race.

So why were they killing each other? Was their difference merely in color?

“They seek each other’s hearts.”

With just one sentence, the elder explained the dire situation. Ultimately, it was greed that had sparked the war.

A dragon heart grants immense power to another of its kind, as if taking in the strength of the dragon it comes from.

Instead of answering her questions, her confusion only deepened.

How precious could power be if it led to the slaughter of one’s kin?

Witnessing the horrors of war made Roxanne numb.

As she stared blankly at the sky, the elder pulled her back from the brink of despair.

When she managed to gather her senses, she found herself deep within the lair alongside the elder.

“This place isn’t safe either. They’ll come barging in soon.”

“I don’t understand. Why are they fighting?”

“Simply greed.”

The elder spread his wings, enveloping Roxanne protectively.

“We crave glittering treasures as hatchlings, but it’s different when we mature.”

The greed for shiny treasures during childhood becomes corrupted into the greed for dragon hearts.

To quell such desires, they were educated early on during their hatchling days.

“…Killing each other over that?”

“That’s greed, Roxanne.”

It was astonishing that a war could erupt solely out of greed, without even a slight conflict.

No matter how much she pondered, it simply didn’t make sense.

“Come, child. Go to the Abyss Canyon.”

“What do you mean?”

“I hear wings flapping. They’re coming here.”

The traitors, having gained strength by acquiring many dragon hearts.

The elder had guessed this would happen soon enough.

“You want me to run away?”

“Stay hidden in the canyon until the war is over. You’re small; you should be able to avoid detection.”

“…What about you?”

“What good would it do for an old dragon like me to run away? I’ll buy you time to escape.”

Boom!

The elder stomped his foot.

In that moment, the ground beneath Roxanne collapsed, and she fell without resistance.

“It’s a rite of passage, Roxanne. Control your emotions and make the best choice. Only then can you become a true dragon.”

Roxanne didn’t spread her wings; instead, she gazed only at the elder.

In her vision, dragons were rushing towards the elder.

In that instant, as she tried to spread her wings to return, she froze at the elder’s gaze.

Despite having his throat gripped, the elder waved his hand dismissively.

The focused gaze of the elder dragon fixed upon Roxanne.

The elder cast an incantation spell, directing it toward the enemies.

Even in that fleeting moment, Roxanne understood the meaning behind the incantation.

“Don’t come near.”

It was both a spell to stop them and a message to Roxanne.

She was told to control her emotions and make the best choice.

The rite of passage urged her not to return, but to find a way to survive alone.

He added that only by doing so could she truly become a dragon.

“…Still just a hatchling, huh?”

Roxanne returned and stayed by the elder’s side.

Once again, as in previous instances, her emotions guided her rather than rational thought.

Three or four dragons looked at Roxanne with wide eyes.

That surprise lasted only a moment before they burst into laughter.

“A fledgling has wandered in.”

Roxanne opened her mouth to unleash a breath attack, but it had no effect.

Sadly, she realized only after experiencing it directly.

Just having recently left her hatchling stage, she couldn’t provide any help to the elder.

In an instant, Roxanne found herself lifted off the ground.

The elder had thrown her down.

As she plummeted through the air, she caught the elder’s gaze, and the voice saying “Do not come” echoed painfully in her ears.

Overcome by helplessness, her eyes welled up with tears as she spread her wings.

Gliding low, she looked around.

With the war raging on, no one paid her any mind. Perhaps they even overlooked her sighting.

Just having escaped her hatchling stage, Roxanne was small and weak. This fact was evident even to the naked eye.

Roxanne recalled the elder’s words to hide in the Abyss Canyon for a time.

The canyon, known for its complex and difficult natural ecosystem, was like a labyrinth.

Roxanne chose to trust the elder and headed there.

Thanks to her stunted growth, her small stature was an advantage.

She endured discomfort and hid in a crevice for a long time.

While her body was still, her mind was in turmoil filled with various worries.

What had happened to her father and the elder? Were the others all dead? Were they all to be wiped out when this war was over?

***

How much time had passed?

The cacophony that had been echoing through the skies died down.

It seemed the war had ended, but the outcome worried her.

Would her family still be alive? She could only fill her mind with vague fears.

Roxanne cautiously lifted her head.

She was startled back down at the sound of wings beating nearby.

Frozen in place, she waited for the noise to vanish.

The thought of being discovered left her barely able to breathe.

‘…Did they leave?’

The sound gradually faded.

When it eventually ceased, a sigh of relief escaped her.

But as she turned back, she flinched.

Before her stood an ancient dragon with scars etched across its eye.

“I almost mistook you for a lizard, since you’re so small. Your heart must be tiny as well.”

“Ah…”

“Stay still, little one. I’ll only take your heart without causing you any pain.”

The ancient dragon’s eyes gleamed with avarice.

Instead of being interested in treasures, that look was ominously fixated on the dragon heart.

The ancient dragon sharpened its claws as it reached for Roxanne.

Overcome with vague fear, Roxanne was left helpless, staring blankly.

Even when she came to her senses, she recognized that resisting would be pointless.

With tears welling up, she shut her eyes tightly.

Roooom─!

At that moment, the natural ecosystem of the canyon began to shift dramatically.

The already complicated structures twisted into chaos, and a single number flashed through her mind.

Finally, something inside her felt an overwhelming rush.

Her head spun, and the magical power within her began to surge.

Just as Roxanne couldn’t hold it anymore and opened her mouth—

Fwoooooosh!

A breath attack surged forth, engulfing the ancient dragon.

Startled, Roxanne quickly closed her mouth.

“…?”

The ancient dragon vanished without a trace.

*

A day later, she realized something incredible.

For some unknown reason, she had grown immensely powerful.

Moreover, the canyon had transformed into a labyrinth, spawning monster imitations of dragons in various places.

All of them served Roxanne as their lord.

They were nothing more than mere variants resembling wyverns or draconians—just imitations of dragons.

Roxanne, embroiled in her newfound powers, left the canyon in search of her kin.

The visible kin had all become corpses, including her father, the elder, and many tribe members.

“….”

Roxanne buried them before setting out to explore the world once more.

After that, she could find no other living dragons.

Greed called for greed, betrayals spurred betrayals, and ultimately, every dragon had turned on each other.

What power was worth this?

Roxanne denied her solitude, roaming in search of her kin.

Days turned into months, and as months passed, there was only death in her path.

Before long, a year passed, and Roxanne finally confronted the reality she didn’t want to accept.

She was the last dragon left in this world.

*

Apathy and boredom.

Dragons were said to feel nothing more than that emotional pain.

But Roxanne felt a loneliness more painful than any other.

Dragons thrived on the pride and bonds of their kin.

Having become alone, Roxanne felt this more acutely, reaching a point where she couldn’t bear to live without her kin.

All dragons, except for her, had perished in the great war among their kind. While Roxanne knew this, she desperately refused to accept it.

It didn’t matter if they were hatchlings or fully grown.

All Roxanne desired was the warmth of her kin.

Additionally, she wanted a male whom she could mate with, as much as possible.

Long gone was her pride as the child of a lord; ensuring the existence of her kin facing extinction had become her singular wish.

Having been alone for what felt like a hundred years.

Despite tirelessly searching for her kin, she found nothing.

Roxanne began to learn necromancy to alleviate her loneliness.

She dug up her family’s graves and resurrected them as bond dragons, but they lacked any reason or sense.

Her father, let alone the elder, responded with lamentable ineptitude.

Without conversation, there could be no connection.

No matter how proficient she became in necromancy, the bond dragons grew stronger only to obey their master’s commands.

They were nothing more than corpses bound to a sorcerer’s will.

“…”

Roxanne set aside necromancy and resumed her search for her kin.

Two hundred years passed in that manner, and Roxanne had grown utterly weary.

Consumed by loneliness, she began to collect treasures that would entice hatchlings.

She hadn’t managed to shake off the habits she developed at an early age when she lost her kin.

Roxanne’s lair became filled with glittering treasures.

If her father had seen this, he would have scolded her, and if the elder had seen it, he would undoubtedly have clicked his tongue in exasperation.

“…Anyone will do.”

*

Among the 72 Lords, the seven highest lords were stronger than the average dragon and possessed reason.

Roxanne held onto a glimmer of hope. Perhaps with them, she could feel a sense of kinship.

As the second-ranked dragon lord, Roxanne hosted a meeting of the 72 Lords.

The twin homunculus, the Giant King, the Lich King, the Succubus Queen, and the Ashen Beast.

They respected Roxanne’s rank and entrusted her with the authority to preside over the meeting.

“How should we address you? Dragon Lord? Or do you prefer your name?”

At the Succubus Queen’s words, Roxanne hesitated to mention her name.

That thought was fleeting.

“…Call me elder.”

The wisest dragon she knew.

Roxanne always wanted to be like him.

***

Ultimately, Roxanne could not find kinship even with the 72 Lords.

They may have been stronger than dragons and possessed intellect, but they weren’t her kin.

As time wore on, Roxanne became increasingly ensnared in loneliness.

In a world devoid of kin, she no longer wished to live.

Roxanne attempted suicide countless times, but her body was immortal and wouldn’t die.

She instinctively understood that crushing the poison gland in her mouth would ensure her demise.

Yet, knowing none of that mattered, in the end, what she attempted was self-harm masquerading as suicide.

Was it simply a fear of death, or was it the hope that there might be some kin left?

Even Roxanne didn’t fully grasp what lay within her heart.

300 years, 400 years, 500 years.

Even after 800 years of being alone, Roxanne continued her fruitless quest for her kin.

Eight hundred years. To beings who live forever, eight centuries were a tremendous weight.

Roxanne slowly approached her limits.

She grew weary of being attacked by humans while flying in the sky, exhausted from clinging to a hope that didn’t exist.

Yet she couldn’t simply stand idle.

From then on, Roxanne directed her subordinates to search for her kin.

Any encounter with a kin who could share mutual feelings would be more than welcome.

***

A millennium passed.

For the first time, the realm’s garden within the Seven Lairs was invaded.

Perhaps this was a chance for Roxanne.

If she could access the dungeon core of the Seven Lairs, she might be able to create a dragon.

Surely, if they were dragons, they would be fitting beings for the Seven Lairs.

If the newly born seventh rank was a dragon, Roxanne would wholeheartedly ally herself with him.

Furthermore, if it were a male, she was determined to mate with him and revive her race.

“…A Death Knight, you say?”

“Yes.”

Roxanne’s hopes shattered in an instant.

Even sharing the same lair, she had no desire to concern herself with a being who wasn’t dragonkind.

…Or so she thought.

But then, that Death Knight, having slain a hero with a single blow, was the only singular entity in the lair.

Unbeknownst to her, her interest began to be drawn toward the seventh-ranked Death Knight.

Her pride was injured, after all. How dare a mere Death Knight earn her attention with such a feat?

Filled with animosity, Roxanne convened a meeting after centuries of silence.

***

Since their first encounter, her animosity bloomed to its zenith.

A mere Death Knight had the audacity to defy the Dragon Lord. How absolutely infuriating.

Returned to her lair, Roxanne spent some time simmering in her anger.

That damn Death Knight kept crossing her mind.

A Death Knight with the antlers of a stag.

“….”

Roxanne immediately shook her head.

Could it be a polymorphed ancient dragon that died? Just because it had horns didn’t mean it was a dragon.

Were all undead with horns merely bond dragons?

The foolish conjecture she formulated on her own was, indeed, rather silly.

*

Now, reaching present times, the absurd notions she once entertained resurfaced.

The dragon kin’s bloodline, ancient incantations, and blue dragon scales.

Everything the ancient dragon had encompassed.

“How do you know about this?”

The ancient dragon asked Roxanne while holding a scroll of ancient incantations written on parchment.

…She found it. Finally.

Roxanne swallowed her surging emotions.

Trying desperately to speak, she found herself unable to utter a single word.

Swallowing hard, she finally managed to produce a quivering voice.

“Ancestral one…?”

It wasn’t just another kin.

A male ancient dragon graced with the wisdom above that of elder dragons.

First, she wished for kinship to soothe her loneliness.

Second, she desired mating to preserve their kind. With that, she longed to find a male.

Of course, there lingered doubts about whether she could even mate with a polymorphed bond dragon, and whether they could conceive.

‘Ah.’

In that moment, the weight of her past deeds dawned on her.

Even if she found a way to mate, would he even accept her?

 

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