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"Who are you?!"
"Wait, where did you all co from?"
"Are we being attacked by barbarians?!"
"Calm down. There's nothing bad happening. We just ca to check on the village. Sorry to bother you all. This is Yuki, my wife, and that's Yudra, my daughter," I said. "I am Drake, the—"
"Intruders! They got inside the village!"
"Guards! Guards!"
"Warriors, co help us!"
"Don't get close to the honey!"
Mothers snatched their children and fled, screaming in panic. I suppose these people were accustod to tribal conflicts. The atmosphere felt noticeably wilder than in Muspelheim.
In less than ten seconds, dozens of guards and warriors surrounded us, their magical weapons aid directly at our group.
"Heheh!"
Yudra found the chaos utterly hilarious, giggling like the mischievous little gremlin she was.
The guards tensed further as her laughter echoed.
"Who are you?!"
"Where did you all co from?"
"Are you from an enemy tribe?"
"Barbarians?"
"Bandits?!"
"You're all far too paranoid," Yuki said. "Drake, can we just beat them down?"
"No, of course not. This is simply a misunderstanding," I replied. "They're far too weak anyway. It's not as if they could ever harm us."
"What did you say?! Just because you're three tis taller than us and covered in scales doesn't an you're stronger!"
Enraged, the guards thrust their spears at with all their might.
CRASH!
As expected, the spears shattered on impact, sending the warriors stumbling forward. They tripped and banged their heads against my legs.
"Aagh!"
"Ouch!"
"What the—?!"
I glanced down and sighed, genuinely concerned for their well-being.
"Hey, are you guys okay?"
Fear flashed in their eyes as they scrambled back, then began shouting.
"Chief!"
"Call the chief!"
"CHIEF!"
At their cries, I sensed a powerful presence stirring from the largest house, one that had remained hidden until now.
RUMBLE!
The ground quaked with each step as a massive figure erged, nearly matching my own height. His body was covered in thick yellow fur, crowned by a majestic mane and a fierce lion-like head.
His arms and torso bulged with muscle. He wore only a leather loincloth and wielded an enormous stone hamr.
"Who dares disturb the peace of my village?! Have you co to cause trouble?!"
Roaring like a lion, he leaped high into the air and landed with a thunderous impact that shook the earth.
His people erupted in cheers. Beast-kin of every shape and size jumped and waved their arms while others struck up flutes and drums, filling the air with intense ritualistic battle music.
"The chief is here!"
"He'll show that intruder what he's made of!"
"Chief Ugaru, do it!"
"Crush him!"
Ugaru threw his arms up, laughing boldly. His Aura flared powerfully, laced with faint Divinity. He was clearly an early-stage demigod, far stronger than anyone else in the village.
"No, I'd rather not fight. This is just a misunderstanding—"
"RAAAAHHH!"
Ugaru charged with ferocious strength, unleashing a storm of kicks, punches, and golden energy blasts from his palms.
"Take this! And this! And THIS!"
CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!
"Perish! You cannot win! RAAAHH!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Yet the crowd's excitent faded swiftly into stunned disappointnt. Their mighty chief could not leave so much as a scratch on , let alone damage my clothes.
"Ugh... Oof... My hands hurt like hell! Are you made of stone?! No, I can shatter stone easily! Just what are you?!" he demanded, eyes wide with shock.
"I told you, it's a misunderstanding. I only ca to check on your village. I am a Dragon... The Dragon King Drake, by the way."
"D-Dragon? What? Hahaha! You're just a big guy— AAACK!"
His laughter turned to a scream as I soared into the sky, transforming into my colossal dragon form and looming over him from above.
"Is this proof enough? Or shall I reduce your village to ashes with my breath?"
"Please spare us, great dragon god!"
In an instant, Ugaru and his entire village dropped to their knees, prostrating themselves and pleading for rcy.
I despised resorting to such intimidation, but these stubborn folk left little choice. They would not listen until I displayed overwhelming force.
"It's all right. I'm only here to ensure everyone's safety. We just erged from a great battle and wanted to know if anything terrible has happened here."
"You... you are?" Ugaru stamred. "Well, there are the crystals... we haven't touched them. And many villages were destroyed by the tremors. But we're fine."
"Understood," I nodded. "I'll handle things here, then I suppose we'll leave. It's clear we're not welco. Sorry for the disturbance."
"Wait, great dragon god! We apologize! Please forgive us. We did not realize you and your family were divine beings!" Ugaru begged.
"It's fine," I said. "I don't mind. Let's go, everyone. Perhaps the next village will be kinder."
"Gaahh..."
Ugaru stared in disbelief as we turned away. I caught his villagers muttering and hissing at him for nearly ruining everything, though they shared the bla.
Well, it was still a valuable glimpse into how life worked here.
"This should do it."
I touched the massive crystals, willing them back underground with a single thought. The six protruding spikes vanished in minutes.
"That's one task complete. Shall we have lunch now?"
"Wait, Lord Drake!"
"Hm?"
Ugaru flew to my side once more, accompanied by three beautiful beast-kin won bearing bags of treasure, magical weapons, and rare crystals.
"These are our greatest treasures, and these three are our most beautiful won! Please accept them as our humble apology. We are truly sorry!"
The won kept their eyes downcast, their discomfort painfully obvious.
"Hah... Are you stupid or sothing? How dare you offer these won?"
"W-Wha?! You wanted more?! I-I can bring a few more... two... maybe three more? Five?! T-Ten?!"
"No. Won are not what I desire, nor are your riches, which an nothing to . I only wanted respect—not through my power and authority, but from the goodness of your hearts."
"W-What? That's... that's it?"
"Your lack of hospitality deeply hurt and my family. You need to work on that and be kinder to strangers, alright? Soone doesn't have to be an all-powerful dragon god for you to treat them with decency."
"I... I apologize. I see now where I was wrong."
"Hm. I also understand you're all cautious because of how this continent works—the tribes and everything else. I'll accept your apology. Keep the won and your riches. In exchange, would you let us share a al with you?"
"Eat?! Of course! Please co with us! We'll prepare a feast that will satisfy even dragons!"
Ugaru proved to be a warm and welcoming man beneath it all. He laughed heartily, patting my back as we descended. I noticed my children smiling again; they had looked saddened by my earlier actions. I hoped this would teach them a valuable lesson about kindness and generosity.
As we returned to the village, the villagers greeted us with joyful cheers and visible sighs of relief that their chief had resolved the matter. It seed Ugaru's leadership hung on at this mont. They might have ousted him if he failed to persuade .
"Alright, kids, you can go play around! But first, listen to ," I said, catching Drakda and Yudra before they could dash off. "Behave yourselves and don't destroy anything, alright? And try not to steal from people or eat their food. You heard ? Nod if you understand."
Yudra and Drakda both nodded, gazing up at with those irresistible puppy eyes.
"Alright, go," I sighed as they flew off and raced through the village. Benladra and Kate soon caught up with them. "Sorry about that, Ugaru. My children can be quite the rascals sotis."
"Aha! I completely understand, Lord Drake. I'm the father of two myself—they're quite the brats too!" Ugaru laughed loudly, though I could still sense a trace of nervousness in him. "S-So what brings you here?"
"I just saved the world, so I ca to check if the people of Vanaheim are alright," I said. "I was wondering if you have a map I could look at for a mont—one showing nearby villages, kingdoms, and tribes. I want to survey the entire continent and make sure everything is fine."
"Of course. I have plenty of them. I can give you one, Lord Drake," he nodded eagerly. "And... did you say you saved our world?"
"Ah yeah, it's a long story. I suppose I can share a little of it. Then you can pass it on to the other villages. I don't want history hidden any longer. Everyone deserves to know the truth," I said, smiling at him. "We're building a new, better future for all."
"B-Better future?" Ugaru asked, eyes wide with surprise. "I-I am in awe. Am I truly in the midst of a world-changing event, my lord?!"
"Kind of," I laughed. "But relax. Nothing will change overnight. You probably won't even notice it. It will unfold over thousands of years."
"T-Thousands of years?!" he gasped. "O-Okay..."
"Anyway, let's discuss this place while we eat. Do you know much about Vanaheim, or just your surroundings? Since you're a Demigod, you must have traveled so," I said.
"I've lived over fifty years, yes. I've journeyed across most of this sector and to the many beaches," he replied. "I've visited a few dozen settlents and the only large city in the area—the coastal Vanagate City, run mostly by Dwarves from Svartalfheim."
"Ah, so they built a city there to link the two continents. That's clever," I nodded. "But I suppose there aren't any major kingdoms?"
"Kingdoms? None at all. We mostly have large tribes, living together in family groups. We build these settlents to survive the wild lands beyond," Ugaru said. "It can be hard at tis, but we wouldn't trade our way of life for anything."
"Hah, I see," I nodded.
It didn't take long for Ugaru and his people to prepare an impressive feast, brimming with local delicacies like fish, mushrooms, fruits, and various other dishes. The food was surprisingly delicious, flavored with spices I had never encountered before. My family and friends enjoyed every bite. Though the portions weren't enormous, they were more than enough for now.
Ugaru offered three different maps as gifts. But I didn't need them. I swiftly duplicated them with my power of Creation, leaving him montarily speechless.
"I see... five more places to visit. Hm, alright, not too difficult. I can sense at least three more Yggdrasil roots. We should finish this in a day or two. Thank you for your help, Ugaru. We'll be leaving now. Take care."
"Thank you for your generosity, Lord Drake—especially for all the food you left behind!"
"You're welco."
I had provided them with plenty of food, particularly seeds for their farms, along with potions and other supplies to help the village thrive in these challenging tis.
The next two days passed traveling through the skies, chatting, eating, and savoring the small monts together while eting other chiefs and even a warlord. All the while, we suppressed Yggdrasil's roots and sealed most of the openings to the underground.
It wasn't the most thrilling task, but soone had to do it.
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