Once.
I had thought about death.
For anyone who wielded a sword, or walked the endless spiral of struggle.
It was only natural to contemplate the final destination waiting at the end of that struggle.
The sensation of a body lying on a cold floor and slowly losing its warmth.
The fleeting emptiness as vision closed and every sound receded into the distance.
What did a person leave behind in that silent abyss, and what did they lose?
Was death the perfect end of everything?
Or was it a milestone announcing a new beginning to a cruel cycle?
An old mercenary I once met in a run-down tavern had murmured over his drink.
'Death never comes beating a drum.'
Like a chill wind blowing at one's back, it arrived without a sound in the most peaceful moment and seized the throat.
Swallowing questions with no answers, I simply went on living today as well.
「―――Excerpt from the faded journal of a wandering knight」
***
As always.
New developments came without warning.
They had a way of bursting into being during the most languid and peaceful times.
The Dragon's nest, suffused with gentle mana.
I was in the spacious Lounge, where a crystal chandelier scattered its soft light.
I savored my leisure, rolling my round jelly body across a plush velvet cushion.
Adele hummed as she swept dust from the floor with a broom.
"Lord Yuri, could you clean the top of that shelf?"
Adele stood on tiptoe, grunting as she tried to wipe the dust from the shelf.
I could not help feeling sorry for the girl as her hand fell short.
I bounced off the floor and leaped lightly into the air.
Stretching out my transparent jelly, I absorbed all the dust piled atop the shelf in one go.
"There you go."
"Wow, Lord Yuri, you really are so convenient, no, the best!"
"Heehee, sounded like you almost called me convenient."
"N-no! I meant you are number 1 in my heart!"
Adele flinched and frantically waved her hands.
My teasing rebuke brought a blush to her face and a sheepish smile to her lips.
It was a truly peaceful slice of everyday life.
The light swish of her broom drifted through the nest like pleasant white noise.
Clear water murmured along the crystal walls, and the sweet scent of mana tickled my nose.
While helping with the cleaning, Adele carefully opened an old box tucked into a corner.
"Oh my, Lord Yuri. Look at this."
What she drew out was an old brass music box, dark with rust.
Its intricate gears looked like the work of a dwarven artisan from long ago.
But after being neglected for so many years, its spring had seized solid.
I curled my jelly body into a ball and approached the music box.
"This is old. Let us have a look."
I compressed the tip of my jelly until it was extremely fine, then slid it between the gears.
With my gentle viscosity, I wiped away the hardened dust and infused a faint trace of mana to serve as lubricant.
Creeeeak.
The spring resisted with a rusty groan, then began to turn with a smooth whisper of friction.
Tinkle, chime, ting.
Pure, crystalline notes rang through the air of the Lounge.
At the same time, dazzling particles of light poured from the transparent jewel set into the center of the music box.
They took the form of translucent silver butterflies in midair, then began circling us with elegant grace.
"Woooow......!"
Adele clasped her hands together and cried out in wonder.
The beating wings of the silver butterflies embroidered themselves beautifully across the girl's clear eyes.
"They are so beautiful. I cannot believe something this wondrous was hidden in the nest."
"It must be one of the toys Lady Airi collected long ago. Quite charming."
For a while, we forgot the cleaning and simply watched the butterflies' graceful dance.
The gentle music swept away the nest's stillness and wrapped it in another layer of warmth.
The chandelier's brilliant light poured down like golden sunlight.
The air inside the nest settled into magical comfort.
As the music gradually faded, the butterflies also dissolved into motes of pale light.
"Now then, it is about time I prepared our snack."
With the cleaning finished, Adele rolled up her sleeves and headed for the kitchen.
Today's snack was a special walnut pie whose dough she had been carefully kneading since morning.
"I will help control the heat."
I rolled toward the oven and gently drew up mana through my authority as Nest Manager.
Flames settled steadily into the oven's magic stone, bringing its interior to the perfect temperature.
"Thank you, as always, Lord Yuri. The bread seems to bake so much better thanks to you."
Adele hummed in her apron. With pale flour on both cheeks as she worked the dough, she looked every bit like a young girl from a country village.
The sound of the oven heating.
Before long, the savory scent of butter and sweet syrup drifted pleasantly through the nest.
I stretched out my jelly body and flattened myself against the floor, savoring the sweet aroma.
The dizzying scent seemed to stimulate my salivary glands, no, my entire core.
"Lord Yuri, you are not drooling, are you?"
Adele placed her hands on her hips and chided me with a warm smile.
"That is not drool. It is a natural secretion of mana."
"Pfft, even your excuses are adorable."
We looked at each other and burst into light laughter.
Soon, the golden-brown pie was moved onto a pretty plate.
"I am baking it to be ready when Lady Airi returns. She will like it, will she not?"
"Of course. Your pie is the finest delicacy in our nest."
"Hehehe, I still have such a long way to go."
Adele scratched her cheek bashfully and set water on for tea.
The water bubbled with a cheerful sound as it came to a boil.
I opened my subspace and handed her a glass jar filled with Supreme-Grade tea leaves.
A subtle jasmine fragrance.
The clear, delicate cups gently filled with red tea.
We spread a pretty tablecloth over the table and neatly arranged the refreshments.
Sunlight gently caressed the surface of the teacups.
Adele rested her chin in one hand with a contented smile, while I vibrated my core in pleasure.
The sweet air wrapped us in a warm embrace.
Rustle, rustle.
Then a familiar presence approached with the sound of light footsteps.
"I am home, my adorable children."
It was Airi.
Her usual languid, elegant voice.
Her silver hair swayed softly with every step.
"Welcome back, Lady Airi."
I bounced up and lightly bowed my head.
"W-welcome back!"
Adele also set down the teapot and bowed at the waist.
Airi's steps faltered ever so slightly before the table.
Adele's fingertips whitened around her teacup and began to tremble.
I blinked my core and quietly studied Airi's eyes.
The same face and the same smile as always, but my keen senses detected a subtle wrongness emanating from her body.
Airi lightly reached out and stroked my transparent jelly.
The touch was gentle, yet somehow cold.
'......Has it begun?'
I forced my round body to swell and bounced playfully.
"Did you enjoy your walk today?"
"Hehe, of course. The breeze outside was rather refreshing."
Airi covered her mouth and let out a quiet laugh.
Her languid laughter softly filled the stillness of the nest.
Adele quickly brought steaming black tea to the table.
The freshly baked walnut pie accompanied it on a pretty plate.
Clink.
The cheerful sound of teacups touching.
It was a perfectly natural tea party.
Airi lifted her fork, placed a slice of pie in her mouth, and smiled brightly.
"Oh my, how sweet. Our Adele's skill improves by the day."
"Th-thank you, Lady Airi!"
Adele forced the corners of her mouth upward and stammered her reply. The end of the girl's voice was cracking ever so slightly, but no one pointed it out.
"What do you think, Yuri?"
I swallowed a large piece of pie with my jelly and played along.
"It is certainly better than the work of the head baker for a merchant company that crosses the continent. Shall we establish a company to supply it exclusively?"
"Hehe, a slime baking and selling bread in a Dragon's lair. That is quite an amusing idea."
The laughter of the three of us once again filled the Lounge.
Lighthearted jokes, sweet tea, and a warm slice of pie.
Airi lightly reached out.
Her slender white fingers gently swept across Adele's cheek.
"Our little cook has her face covered in medals of honor."
Pale flour came away on Airi's fingertips.
Adele flinched and covered her cheeks with both hands.
"Ah! I w-washed my face, though!"
The flustered girl's face reddened like a ripe apple.
I rolled across the floor and bounced mischievously.
"Heehee, no wonder the pie tasted particularly savory. It was not the cook's sweat, but her flour facial."
"Lord Yuri! Really, stop teasing me!"
Adele pouted and raised an empty plate.
She was only pretending to threaten me and could not even hide the laughter escaping her.
Airi also burst into clear, audible laughter.
Our laughter rode the light of the crystal chandelier and spread with gentle warmth.
"Perhaps we should cultivate a wheat field or vegetable garden in one corner of the nest someday."
Airi cradled her teacup in both hands and continued softly.
Adele's eyes wavered at her words, but she soon nodded firmly.
"Yes! I will plant plenty of seeds from good varieties."
Airi did not touch the star candy she usually enjoyed.
Even with sweet treats before her, her fingertips hovered in the air before settling back down.
I tilted my round head and studied her complexion.
"Is the star candy not to your taste?"
"No, it is. I simply wish to hold on to the taste of this sweet pie a little longer."
Her amethyst gaze drifted into the air.
Her distant eyes seemed to behold a faraway scene that was not here.
"Yuri, you once traveled the outside world."
"Yes, I did."
"Then you must have seen the seasons change, the leaves fall, and new shoots emerge once more."
"I have seen it countless times."
"Indeed. The course of the world is both beautiful and cruel."
What crossed Airi's eyes was a deep and profound regret.
The detachment of someone watching petals destined to scatter in the wind.
I also remained silent and merely drank my tea.
Adele kept her head bowed, desperately fiddling with her teacup.
I pretended not to see the faint droplet sliding down her cheek.
All of us were simply waiting in silence for the time to come.
A truth we knew but dared not speak aloud.
The chandelier's mana gradually turned red like the sunset. Long, dark shadows began stretching across the nest.
The laughter faded, and the air settled into a strange heaviness.
Tick, tick.
A sound seemed to come from somewhere.
The second hand of fate moved indifferently toward the next mark.
It was just as the warmth of the teacups began to fade.
Airi quietly set down her cup.
Tap.
A small, sharp sound.
Her amethyst eyes fixed directly upon my core.
"Yuri."
A low, calm call.
I instinctively felt the weight carried by those three short syllables.
'......Airi.'
I compressed my jelly firmly and answered her call.
I steeled myself.
The inescapable moment had finally arrived, and I was forced to acknowledge it in my very bones.
"Yes, Lady Airi. Please speak."
I released the calmest vibration I could beyond my core.
At the edge of my vision, Adele held her breath and bowed her head deeply.
Her small shoulders were trembling.
"Would you keep me company for a while?"
Airi slowly rose from her seat.
The hem of the thin chemise she wore flowed softly to the floor.
And then.
The moment her figure came fully into view.
Ah, I saw it. A massive greatsword was buried deep in her chest.