Tens of thousands of meters above the ground.
Naohara, who had just rushed over from the Sorcerer Kingdom, sat on a magic carpet cracking sunflower seeds.
Several figures beside him were doing the same.
They were the True Dragon Lords who had taken human form: the Brightness Dragon Lord, the Heavenly Dragon Lord, the Vampiric Dragon Lord, and several others.
The dragons casually ate snacks while watching the scene ahead with great interest.
A mirror called the [Mirror of Remote Viewing] floated in the air, displaying the battle between the Evil Tree and the giant dragon from every angle.
"Burp~ Truly unbelievable. It was only just born, yet it has already reached this level."
The Vampiric Dragon Lord gulped down a mouthful of cola. Feeling the bubbles fizzing in his mouth, he could not help letting out a satisfied burp.
A deep sense of comfort rose within him.
He was sincerely glad that he had chosen to submit back then instead of stubbornly clinging to some so called dragon pride.
Just thinking about the life he used to live and comparing it to the life he lived now made the difference painfully obvious.
Without comparison, there is no pain.
And after the previous test, the Vampiric Dragon Lord had completely believed everything the Brightness Dragon Lord had told him.
His gaze drifted toward the dragonoid sitting nearby.
If it was him, perhaps he really could end this six hundred year cycle and restore the dragon race to its ancient glory.
However, there was still something he disliked.
Three Supreme Rulers?
Heh.
The greedy look in the eyes of that undead called Momonga was still vivid in his memory. And that slime, Herohero...
They were nothing more than thieves who, with the help of their king, had tried to steal the power of Wild Magic.
Only a dragon could make other dragons submit.
And the only king he truly acknowledged and would willingly serve was a dragon.
As for the other two, he would only show obedience on the surface out of respect for their king.
As long as everyone remained peaceful, the Vampiric Dragon Lord did not mind continuing the act.
But if one day conflict broke out...
A faint crimson light flashed in the Vampiric Dragon Lord's eyes.
"After all, Nazarick invested a great deal of resources to nurture that young dragon."
The Brightness Dragon Lord turned his head slightly. His words deliberately emphasized Nazarick, carrying a subtle hint of warning.
As one of the few wise True Dragon Lords, he could roughly guess what the Vampiric Dragon Lord was thinking.
However, the Brightness Dragon Lord did not mind.
He knew very well that as long as their king was still here, the Vampiric Dragon Lord would do nothing more than think about it.
In fact, he would likely try to integrate himself into Nazarick just as the Brightness Dragon Lord had done.
After all, they were both True Dragon Lords who had lived for hundreds of years.
They were not fools. Each of them knew where the line was.
Hearing this, the Vampiric Dragon Lord simply smiled faintly.
The two True Dragon Lords looked at each other for a few seconds before turning their eyes away.
Nearby, the Heavenly Dragon Lord, who was busy eating, looked confused.
Why did it feel like those two were speaking in riddles?
Forget it. Better keep eating.
After thinking about it for a moment and still failing to understand anything, the Heavenly Dragon Lord gave up.
Rather than worrying about such things, it was better to think about where to sleep after finishing his meal.
Anyway, if something really happened, the Brightness Dragon Lord would definitely tell him right away.
All he needed to do was follow instructions.
On the other side, Naohara also withdrew his gaze.
Aside from that simple minded Heavenly Dragon Lord, the other two were far from easy to deal with.
He shook his head, then cracked open a sunflower seed with his fingers, removed the kernel, and placed it on the table.
A small humanoid creature wrapped entirely in green plants was happily nibbling on the seed.
"Now you can believe us, right?"
Naohara looked at the Dryad in front of him and pointed toward the mirror, where the "Catastrophe Dragon Lord" was being violently beaten.
This Dryad had been an unexpected gain.
She had suddenly appeared when Demiurge was lifting the seal on the Catastrophe Dragon Lord in order to test the young dragon's strength.
(PS: This isn't something made up. It actually appeared in the original work.)
After testing, they discovered that this Dryad's level was even slightly higher than Hamsuke's had been, reaching Level 37.
That immediately caught Naohara's interest.
In Nazarick, Level 37 might not amount to much.
But in this other world, Level 37 meant a genuine powerhouse, someone who had surpassed the Realm of Heroes.
At that level, defeating Gazef, the warrior known as the Old Kingdom's greatest military strength, would be effortless.
"Hehe… sorry for doubting you earlier."
The green Dryad chuckled, looking rather cute. It seemed she had completely lowered her guard.
"As for why I've been guarding the Catastrophe Dragon Lord here… it's because I made a promise with some people."
"Oh? What kind of people?"
Naohara continued cracking melon seeds as he spoke.
Although this Dryad had lived for a very long time, she was unexpectedly naïve, the type who was both easy to fool and easy to mislead.
"Let me think… there were seven of them. Three young humans, one with feathers, a Dwarf, someone wearing platinum armor, and someone who looked very old…"
"The one who made the promise with me was their leader. He carried a crystal longsword."
"He promised he would return and defeat the Catastrophe Dragon Lord."
The Dryad sank into her memories. The leader among those seven had been a very good person. Not only had he saved her, but he was also incredibly strong.
According to his companions, they had once defeated many monsters called Demon Gods.
"One day the Catastrophe Dragon Lord will awaken again. When that time comes, I will return and truly destroy it."
The Dryad still remembered those words clearly. That human had promised it back then, but…
"We clearly made a promise. I've already waited more than two hundred years. Why hasn't he come yet?"
As she spoke, the Dryad shook her head sadly, her mood growing low.
She had never forgotten that promise. She stayed here faithfully, waiting for that human to return.
But even after waiting so long, he still hadn't appeared.
(PS: This part also appeared in the original work. The captain of the 13 Heroes once fought the Catastrophe Dragon Lord but couldn't completely destroy it, so he promised he would return.)
"I see."
"Waiting two hundred years… you've already done more than enough."
Naohara shook his head slightly after hearing this, feeling somewhat moved.
To wait two hundred years for the sake of a promise, should that be called foolish, or innocent?
As for the identity of that human, Naohara had already more or less guessed it.
"A Player confirmed dead… the captain of the 13 Heroes?"
Naohara turned his gaze to the side. The Brightness Dragon Lord, who had been listening nearby the whole time, nodded with a serious expression.
"That's right. Back then, that fellow Platinum once disguised himself and joined the 13 Heroes. Even the death of that human Player was closely related to him."
The Brightness Dragon Lord had paid some attention to the captain of the 13 Heroes back then.
However, he didn't know much. He only knew that the Platinum Dragon Lord had once been on very good terms with that human Player.
That human Player had also revealed quite a lot of information about Yggdrasil.
But later, for reasons unknown, the Platinum Dragon Lord chose to betray that Player.
The Vampiric Dragon Lord and the Heavenly Dragon Lord looked somewhat surprised when they heard this.
Unlike the Brightness Dragon Lord, the two of them had spent most of the past several centuries asleep, so they truly hadn't known about this.
The Vampiric Dragon Lord's eyes flickered. He also wanted to show some value. He couldn't always let Brightness take all the spotlight.
"Let me think… what useful information do I have…"
After pondering for a moment, the Vampiric Dragon Lord quickly sifted through hundreds of years of memories, searching for something worthwhile.
"The Eight Greed Kings… the Six Great Gods… observation… the world… ah, got it!"
As a certain piece of information surfaced in his mind, the Vampiric Dragon Lord grinned.
"My King, I've remembered something interesting."
"Oh? Let's hear it."
Naohara, who had been thinking quietly, raised his head with interest and looked toward the Vampiric Dragon Lord.
Aside from a certain Dragon Lord who did nothing but sleep, these True Dragon Lords who had lived for centuries often managed to surprise him with the knowledge they possessed.
"Ahem. First, regarding the true reason behind the transmigration, you should already know it."
"It was because the father of the Platinum Dragon Lord, the Dragon Emperor, coveted the power of a World-Class Item."
"That's right. But do you know why the Dragon Emperor suddenly wanted to scheme for power from beyond the world back then?"
The Vampiric Dragon Lord paused. Seeing the confused expressions on everyone's faces, he smiled mysteriously before continuing.
"The truth is actually right in front of us. This Evil Tree appeared in this world far earlier than the Six Great Gods. It wasn't summoned by Wild Magic, it was summoned naturally."
Those monsters were incredibly ancient, their existence tracing back to a time even before the Six Great Gods and the Eight Greed Kings had appeared.
They rampaged across the world, bringing destruction wherever they went, and eventually fought a terrifying war against the Ancient Dragon Lords who ruled the world at that time.
"So what you're saying is that the Dragon Emperor sought power from beyond this world because he was influenced by monsters like this "Catastrophe Dragon Lord"."
"Interesting… truly interesting. So this is where everything began."
Naohara slowly closed his eyes as countless thoughts raced through his mind.
All the information he knew flashed through his thoughts one by one, gradually forming a complete chain of events in his mind.