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As I watched the humans leave the forest, I plopped down onto the ground and curled up in a ball.
I can’t believe that damn cat. We finally meet again, and the first thing she does is reinforce my seal? She probably doesn’t know how stressful it is for a dragon not to be able to soar freely in the sky.
To relieve that anxiety, I’d always summoned her and made her listen to my rants. She was the reason I’d been sealed, after all.
Come to think of it, whenever I’d brought that up, Lilybell would give an exasperated sigh and say, “It was Efren who sealed you, not me.”
No, Lilybell, you don’t understand. Normally, a measly human would have never been able to seal me. It only came to pass because I reduced my firepower, which only happened because you were there, and I was scared I’d hurt you. So in the end, you were the culprit behind my sealing.
Lilybell... I guess she’s “Lucille” now.
Reminiscing about that cat-turned-human brought a smile to my face.
I was an almighty dragon. Well, I was currently shrunken and bound to this forest by my stupid seal, but still, I was a proud dragon.
When Lucille had yelled at me before, she’d been mistaken. I really hadn’t intended to hurt that human. No, my goal hadn’t been to harm her—it’d been to kill her.
You see, I’d sensed the hint of Lilybell’s mana on her and thought, “This is the person who took Lilybell away from me!”
I admit I got the wrong idea and lost my cool. But you can’t blame me! I’m a dragon that can basically live forever, and ever since I accidentally got sealed, I’ve been locked here alone, living like a zombie without Lilybell.
So I’d seriously lost track of how long it’d been since I last saw her. If I’d thought about it rationally, I would’ve realized that my last encounter with Lilybell had been ages ago. In fact, that human girl’s soul would’ve been reincarnated twice over by now, it had been so long.
“Thinking about it, it’s a good thing Lucille showed up before I killed that girl. If I’d gone through with it, she’d never forgive me for the rest of her life.”
Saying that out loud was a revelation; I’d been so close to suffering Lucille’s wrath. A chill ran down my spine. I absolutely would not want her to hate me after all this time.
Basically, Lilybell was really important to me. And after not being able to sense her mana for ages, I’d lost my composure when I felt it coming from a different person.
“I guess she really did die, huh? I’m glad I got to see her again, though.”
Come to think of it, after Lilybell’s disappearance, a curse had gradually taken over this land. I hadn’t really been paying attention—I was too distracted by how badly I missed her—but the weakening of my seal had to have something to do with the growing curse, right?
And that guy who fixed my seal... (I think Lucille called him Felix?) He was especially cursed. Like, he probably deserved to be sealed more than I did. But I wasn’t going to say that ’cause Lucille would likely yell at me to stop being mean.
You know, that Felix guy kind of reminded me of him—the last owner Lilybell introduced me to. What did he say his name was again? Lilybell had only said, “This boy doesn’t have a name. I’m going to give him one, but I haven’t decided on it yet.” But after she disappeared, the boy visited me once, just to tell me his name. Then he left too.
His name had sounded vaguely familiar, so at the time, I thought Lilybell might’ve given it to him before she disappeared. But now I wasn’t sure. I mean, I wasn’t interested in the first place. That was why I forgot it.
How’s that kid doing? I wonder where he is now.
I hadn’t revisited these memories in a long time, but after seeing Lucille and regaining my peace of mind, they suddenly came rushing back. It was as if time were finally moving for me again.
Even back then, she’d never realized how I felt about her and was always clinging to others. It bothered me so damn much over the years.
Aren’t you a cat? Why’re you hanging out with humans? You should just stick with me. Not that I’m a cat either, but still.
Hmm?
“Wait a second. That Felix guy... Could he be her next one?!”
Until now, Lilybell had been a white cat, so I’d come to terms with her living with humans. But now...
“This can’t be real, right? You’re not a cat anymore, so why would you need an owner? Tell me I’m overthinking this, Lilybell—I mean, Lucille...”
Too restless to keep lying down, I jumped to my feet.
Even though I knew she wouldn’t be able to hear me because of the seal, I bellowed toward the sky, “What’s your relationship with Felix, Luciiiiille?!”