A strange ceiling...

  The girl opened her eyes, staring at the wooden beams above as memories of her st moments before losing sciousness flooded back to her. She had entered a dragon unlike any she had ever seen. It had taken just a single word from the dragon t her to her knees.

  I never imagihe gap would be this wide...

  She recalled the words of the other dragons—words that had spoken of power and strength, of symbols and legends.

  Their reputation was well-deserved... Wait, where am I?

  The girl tried to sit up but found herself uo move. Every muscle in her body ached with an iy she hadn’t felt in years. Her sense of pain had dulled over time, yet now, the pain was so intehat if her perception were normal, she might have bcked out from the shock alone.

  "Don’t move. Your wounds haven’t healed yet."

  A soft yet mature voice broke the silehe girl shifted her gaze—the only part of her body she could still trol—towards the source of the voice. A woman dressed in a simple long dress had just ehe room, carrying a tray in her hands.

  The woman was striking. Her long green hair flowed down her back, and her red eyes gleamed softly. She stood about 1.6 meters tall, with a curvaceous figure atuated by the dress's bodice, which strained against her ample chest. Her beauty was undeniable, a blend of youthful innod mature allure.

  "I made some food. Here."

  The woma dowray, pig up a spoon and a bowl. She scooped up some of the food and brought it to the girl’s lips.

  "…"

  "You o eat to get better. Open up, ahh~"

  There was a subtle hint of a threat in the woman’s geone. Relutly, the girl opened her mouth.

  The spoonful of food slid into her mouth. It e, filled with bits of meat, egg, and finely chopped vegetables, perfectly cooked with fvors that harmonized beautifully.

  "Mmm, if you like it, I’ll give you more."

  The woman scooped another spoonful a to the girl.

  ...

  Soon, the bowl of pe was empty. The girl, feeling somewhat revitalized, finally voiced the question that had been nagging at her.

  "Why am I here?"

  "If you mean why you’re in this little , it’s because you were gravely injured. Of course, I had t you back here to heal."

  It was a logical answer, but not the ohe girl had hoped for.

  "And you are…?"

  "Did the pe taste good?"

  "It was… det? But—"

  "Good to know I haven’t lost my touch. It’s been a while since I cooked. This probably isn’t enough; I’ll make some more."

  "Wait—"

  Before the girl could stop her, the woman had already left the room.

  "…"

  What’s going on…?

  The girl was utterly baffled by the series of events. She should have been unscious—perhaps even dead—after fag that dragon. A, here she was, being cared for by a beautiful stranger.

  She shifted her gaze around the room. The design and materials were unfamiliar, unlike anything she had seen in the pce she had reached after crossing the barrier. The room was cozy, filled with cute animal figurines on shelves and various stuffed toys he bed. The air carried a faint, pleasant st that wasn’t reted to food, particurly strong around the bed.

  There’s only one possible expnation. This st belongs to the woman who lives here. The smell has seeped into the room over time. Or maybe it’s the other way arouher way, it doesn’t ge much.

  She surmised that the green-haired woman was the room’s owner. Her thoughts were interrupted when the womaurned, carrying another bowl of pe.

  "I added a few different ingredients this time. Try it."

  Once more, the womahe girl. The fvor was slightly different but just as delicious. However, the girl’s dulled senses could only distinguish between good and bad tastes at this point.

  Still, it was food—nourishment. As she ate, she felt her almost depleted magical energy slowly start tee, along with her physical strength.

  Notig that the girl was eating faster, the ed up her feeding pace slightly, though she still maintained a reasonable rhythm.

  "…There, that should do it."

  The sed bowl of pe was gone, leaving the girl feeling full. Although she could have eaten more, it would have been more about ing energy than enjoying food—a process of force-feeding, essentially.

  "Who… are you?"

  "Hmm? Ah, I fot to introduce myself. My name is Farkonia, and I live here in this small house."

  Farkonia’s soft smile, bined with the sunlight streaming through the window, created an almost ethereal se. For a moment, the girl was stunned. In her limited memory, she had never entered anything so beautiful.

  But she quickly shook herself out of her reverie. There were more pressing questions.

  "Where is this pce?"

  "My house, of course."

  "That’s not what I meant."

  The girl paused, then tinued.

  "Before I lost sciousness, I was fag a beautiful dragon. There was no one else there. Do you know why?"

  At this, Farkonia’s face turned a shade of red. She fiddled with her fingers, looking away like a shy maiden.

  …So, it’s true…

  Seeing Farkonia’s rea, the girl knew she had hit the mark.

  "You… You’re that dragon, aren’t you?"

  The girl had deliberately used the word "beautiful" to gauge a rea, and Farkonia had walked right into it, her flustered response giving her away.

  Though, to be fair, the girl did think the dragon had been quite beautiful.

  "Yes… you’re right."

  Farkonia turned back to face the girl, her cheeks still tinged with pink, and pced a hand on her chest.

  "I’m the ohe legends of the dragonkind speak of… Though I still ’t quite accept it…"

  Farkonia buried her fa her hands as the redness on her face deepened, more intehan before.

  To her, the legends among the dragons were like a dark history—every time she thought of them, it ure torture.

  "Alright… Sorry to keep you waiting."

  Farkonia lightly patted her cheeks, trying tain her posure.

  "You must be curious about how all this happened. Let me expin…"