The 5000-year-old Herbivorous Dragon

From the first day that we met, I knew that Rēko had a deep and furious imagination.

It was a source of her strength, but on the other hand it had also become her weakness, something I realize only now in hindsight.

In other words, she’ll easily be persuaded by convenient lies.

It can’t be helped since she’s basically just a 10 year old child.

「…I’ve also lied to her coming this far.」

Like how I couldn’t fly because my sleeping posture was bad. Or becoming smaller was due to my training instead of potions.

Everytime, Rēko believed me without any doubts.

「So, what should we do Lord Evil Dragon? Should we just normally try to convince her?」

「I think we should avoid just telling her that this is a fake capital. Although we can easily escape this place, it’s possible that she would demand the same thing in the real capital.」

「They wouldn’t so easily swallow those crazy demands right… in fact she would probably declare war in the name of the Evil Dragon.」

I’ve kept this a secret from Sheina but that would, in reality, be one of the better outcomes of what Rēko could do.

In this situation, in the worst case scenario, she’ll carry the demon over her shoulder and detonate her emotions of wrath and turn into an evil dragon like before.

As you know, she’ll turn into an evil dragon due to the darkness in her heart released from having lima beans put in her soup.

If we recall the biggest moment where she got angry, this time she may become an evil dragon that can’t turn back.

「Sheina, so you were here.」

At that moment, Rēko left the parade and walked over here.

Even now, Rēko doesn’t recognize me as the real body since I’m taking the “illusory body sent over from the base” stance. ƒ𝘳ee𝔀e𝚋n૦𝐯el.c𝗼𝓂

Rēko wore a fake mustache and the front of her robe was filled with sparkling medals.

「…Rēko? What are you wearing?」

「Just now I was inaugurated as this country’s - The Great Divine Evil Dragon Empire’s - minister of state. As the minister, I must put on airs appropriate to my position. This mustache is part of that, I also want some advice to coordinate the other pieces of my outfit.」

Sheina then patted my head and started whispering.

「This is bad Lord Evil Dragon. If this continues, it’s going to become more and more like an established fact.」

「Uhh, there’s no time left. I got it, I’ll do my best to convince her. I’ll try to divert her hate to the demon who made this barrier. For the other part of her anger, I’ll leave it up to you to follow up.」

I cautiously turned to face Rēko who was cosplaying as the minister of state.

「Rēko. Can we talk for a bit?」

「Yes, Lord Evil Dragon, I’ve perfectly accomplished this time’s mission. This country has already fallen into the Lord Evil Dragon’s lap.」

「First of all, it’s been hard on you. I want to praise you a lot since the work you did has made me very satisfied.」

「I’m honored.」

Steam puffed out from Rēkos head as she made an excited expression.

「But… for example, only an example you hear? Listen to this as just a what-if story, what would you do if you found out that you aren’t in the real capital? What if this is just a fake capital made by a demon…?」

「It’s okay, that sort of thing will never happen.」

Rēko denied rapidly like a mechanical doll.

「……Uhhh you see here Rēko, if, even IF this was a plot by a demon, I will still like you okay? This outing and conquering the world are the same in terms of sentiment so I would like you to stop avoiding the fact that the royal palace is just a plank of plywood.」

「From the repeated attacks of the Demon King Army, this country has already exhausted most of their resources… The royal palace is proof of those hardships. However if the Lord Evil Dragon were to lead this country, there’s no doubt that you can reconstruct the palace to be the first in the world.」

「Kuh, how could this happen. Within just these two weeks, she’s already created a setting to convince herself.」

I couldn’t really talk about others since I was drunk on the peacefulness of this fake capital.

「Rēko, look at this.」

At that moment, Sheina came in with a life line.

She pulled along an elderly man who seemed to be this country’s king. The magnificent cape and crown spoke for itself.

Towards the king, Sheina ordered.

「Okay king, please speak.」

「Ooh, you’ve come! Evil Dragon’s party. I leave everything of this country to you.」

「Try saying something else.」

「Ooh, you’ve come! Evil Dragon’s party. I leave everything of this country to you.」

While the infinite loop continued, Sheina flipped the king over on his head with the crown firmly planted on the pavement.

The king stood straight with his head on the ground, except that his mouth moved without sound while his body didn’t move an inch and was well balanced.

「Rēko, this obviously isn’t something a human can do right? How is it? Do you feel just the slightest feeling of wrongness?」

「Fuh… That’s right. The king has already submitted to Lord Evil Dragon. In other words he has become a subordinate of the Evil Dragon. Although he has not been bestowed with power on par with a kin, he has still received the power of the Evil Dragon. That king has, under the lead of the Lord Evil Dragon, awakened to his true powers…」

「So it seems like if my country’s king awakened to his true power, he’ll become like this.」

If possible, I would like it if he never awakened.

Even if the king became a master at headstands, the people won’t benefit at all.

What should we do… Although we want her to realize slowly of the wrongness of this place, just by pointing out things here and there, we won’t be able to collapse Rēko’s fortress of imagination.

That being said, if I straight out said something like “You’ve been deceived,” I don’t know what will happen.

For now, I left the job of stalling Rēko to Sheina and instead roamed around the fake capital to find something that can wake Rēko up.

Something that should definitely not be here. Something that if Rēko saw it, it would definitely make her hold some doubts.

However something that convenient would neve—

It’s really there.

From the center of the capital, drifting by in the canal, in the flowerbed by the stream bank, something similar to a drowned corpse was rolled over there.

On his forehead was written a mysterious message: “Loser.” It was a perfect shoddily made Raiotto doll.