In this world, resources are extremely scarce.
The newly born golden dragon heard its creator, the God of Creation, mutter this with a pained expression.
It seemed that the so-called resources would not become usable unless nurtured over tens of thousands of years.
Thus, the God of Creation bestowed the star with mana essence, the source of magical power.
Mana essence moistened the parched earth, causing plants to sprout.
Mountains and seas emerged, and evaporated seawater summoned rain.
Rain enriched the land, leading to the formation of rivers and lakes, and the birth of diverse flora and fauna.
Watching small creatures spring forth and multiply brought joy to the God.
Occasionally, the God of Destruction—counterpart to the Creator—would intervene in the world.
Left alone, evolution progressed at an extremely slow pace, necessitating occasional intervention, or so the God of Destruction claimed.
With a single finger, the God of Destruction would “stir” the settlements of small creatures.
Most of them would be destroyed, but the survivors would grow stronger and wiser.
Thus, this world, carefully nurtured by the two gods, was born.
The golden dragon, deeply attached to this rich and flourishing world, cherished it dearly.
“Ah… another demon or magical beast has been born,”
The Creator God sighed.
This god, who loved even the smallest lives, was troubled.
When insects, animals, or humans were exposed to dense mana essence, they would transform, a phenomenon the god lamented.
While magical beasts were manageable, the proliferation of powerful demons posed a threat to the small creatures, leading to their extinction.
“In that case, perhaps we should increase the number of the weak and small.”
The God of Creation granted intelligence to the frail beings without claws or fangs, equipping them with weapons and abilities.
Dungeons were constructed to provide resources—food and minerals—that these beings needed.
The god reasoned that as these beings grew stronger through trials, they would avoid total annihilation even in the face of demons.
However, dungeons, places rich in mana essence, also gave rise to swarms of magical beasts and demons, with some mutating into formidable entities.
When such occurrences overwhelmed humans, the golden dragon, a divine beast commanded by the troubled god, was sent to quell the chaos.
“You shall watch over this world and eliminate only the uncontrollable rampages of mana essence.”
This was the sole command given to the golden dragon by the God of Creation.
Thus, the golden dragon made its nest atop a mountain steeped in mana, watching over the world.
Even when the Creator and the God of Destruction clashed, shaking the world, the dragon could not interfere.
Only during mana essence rampages, such as stampedes or the appearance of mutations like demon lords, was the dragon free to unleash its power.
Such events, however, were rare.
As the apex of all living creatures, the golden dragon often found life atop the mountain tedious.
Occasionally, it considered descending to human settlements, but its presence only incited fear, leading it to abandon the idea despite its curiosity.
Flying through the sky became its sole amusement.
One day, the golden dragon noticed something unfamiliar at the base of its mountain.
“Is that near the entrance to a dungeon? Trees in the forest have been felled, and some peculiar structure stands there.”
Reflecting on its neglect in monitoring its surroundings, the dragon circled the area from the sky.
The structure, blending with the forest’s green hues, was unlike any human buildings it had seen before.
It was unclear if it could be called a “house,” but crops seemed to be cultivated around it, indicating someone lived there.
“Who would choose to live in such a mana-rich area? They must be quite confident in their strength.”
What piqued the dragon’s interest most was the presence of a holy barrier surrounding the structure.
This divine aura was unmistakable.
“Why is the Creator’s barrier in such a place?”
The Creator, having expended great power to seal the God of Destruction, should have been weakened.
“Could it be… a summoned hero resides here?”
As the dragon flew closer, it spotted a small figure atop the building.
The figure stared up at the dragon with wide, blue eyes.
The moment their gazes met, curiosity consumed the golden dragon.
It longed to converse with that being.
Thus, the golden dragon descended before the house and forged a bond with the high elf who lived there.
◆◇◆
Initially wary, the high elf boy gradually opened up as they conversed.
Eventually, he invited the dragon into his peculiar home.
When the boy panicked, fearing the dragon’s form would destroy the building, the dragon transformed into a human.
Unfamiliar with human appearances, the dragon modeled itself after the Creator God.
Although it could not replicate the divine rainbow-colored eyes, the dragon was satisfied with its holy new form.
The boy treated the dragon to a dish he called “barbecue.”
Having grown tired of magical beast meat, the dragon was astounded by its flavor.
The skewered meat was seasoned with a sweet and savory sauce that enhanced its taste, the boy explained.
There were other foods too—something called “grilled rice balls” and “yakisoba,” dishes made from grains.
For the dragon, accustomed to gnawing on raw meat and occasionally eating forest fruits, these new textures and flavors were extraordinary.
The boy even offered dessert.
A white, fluffy substance resembling fragments of clouds, roasted over fire, became soft and gooey.
When the dragon placed it in its mouth, the sweetness struck like a bolt of lightning.
“What is this?!”
“It’s marshmallow. Do you like sweet things?”
“Yes. I’ve never tasted this before, but it’s delightful.”
“Great! Then you’ll probably enjoy this too.”
As he softly smiled, the boy handed over a “marshmallow” roasted over the fire, sandwiched between two brownish cracker-like pieces.
Without hesitation, the Golden Dragon took a bite.
The crisp texture surprised him—it was different from the marshmallow—but as he chewed, the melted marshmallow’s gooey sweetness spread across his palate, leaving him enraptured.
“…This is delicious as well. The combination of the crispy and gooey textures is outstanding.”
“I’m glad you like it. Making s’mores is something I always end up doing during barbecues. But since it gets overwhelmingly sweet, I’ll make us some coffee as a palate cleanser.”
“Coffee?”
“It’s a drink. It has bitterness and a bit of acidity, but it grows on you. If you don’t like the bitterness, you can add milk and sugar.”
The liquid handed to him in a container resembled muddy water, but it had a unique, roasted aroma.
Sniffing it with a subtle twitch of his nose, he found the smell agreeable, but the taste was awful. Grimacing at the bitterness, the Golden Dragon accepted the sugar and milk the boy offered.
Imitating the boy, he scooped and added sugar and milk, making it palatable.
With sweetness added, he found it to be a decent drink.
As they drank their coffee, the boy spoke.
It turned out he wasn’t a summoned hero after all.
The Golden Dragon had used an appraisal skill to confirm it—he was not a summoned individual, but rather someone reincarnated in this world, just as he had claimed.
The boy laughed self-deprecatingly, referring to himself as “bait for the summoned hero,” but from what the Golden Dragon could see, he seemed to be enjoying his life in this otherworld well enough.
The boy shared his name, and the Golden Dragon suddenly found himself wanting to be called by a name as well. So, he asked this boy—dragged into another world by summoning—to give him one.
The name he was given was Rei (零), and the Golden Dragon grew fond of it.
When the High Elf boy, Tohma , called him by that name, Rei felt a warm flutter in his chest.
Tohma beamed a bright smile as he invited the Golden Dragon—now Rei—into his home.
Inside, it was filled with things Rei had never seen before.
Most of the items, it seemed, had been obtained through a unique skill called Summoning Magic, which Tohma had recently explained to him. Unlike summoning monsters or beasts, it allowed him to summon objects from another world—a concept unheard of. Yet, Rei could see how it was a skill well-suited for comfortable survival.
The peculiar house, too, was something from another world, and Rei found it fascinating.
The cushiony texture of what Tohma called a “cushion sofa,” which had been praised by the cat spirit Cait Sith as “incredible,” was particularly impressive.
The steak made from orc meat, the “cookies,” and the “black tea” were all delicious, and the “bath” he tried for the first time was nothing like his usual water bathing—it was a revelation.
After his bath, the “coffee milk” he drank left him trembling with delight.
Above all else, what captivated Rei’s heart were the books from another world.
The high-quality, beautifully illustrated books astounded him, but it was the novels—stories of another world—that truly moved him.
For someone who had spent nearly a millennium in this world in monotonous existence, they were deeply stimulating.
(Fascinating.)
Rei was genuinely grateful for the translation skill he had.
When unfamiliar words stumped him, Tohma lent him a thick dictionary and told him to look them up. Even the dictionary itself intrigued him.
As Rei pored over the pages, Tohma noticed his enthusiasm and, with a smile, summoned something called an “encyclopedia.”
It was filled with vividly illustrated depictions of animals, plants, buildings, and landscapes. Books on vehicles, science instead of magic, and otherworldly phenomena—all of it enchanted him.
Completely engrossed in reading, Rei was dimly aware of Tohma ’s amused gaze, but he couldn’t bring himself to stop.
For the first time in centuries, Rei forgot his boredom and eagerly absorbed new knowledge.
As the Golden Dragon devoured the information, Tohma ’s brilliant blue eyes—matching the color of this beautiful world—narrowed with amusement as he made a suggestion.
“If you like books that much, why don’t you stay here for a while? Of course, I’d ask for a little help in return as payment for lodging.”
Rei’s answer was clear.
“I would be honored to stay.”
The Golden Dragon, Rei, and Tohma —once bait for a summoned hero—shook hands firmly.
