Chapter 20


Translator: AnnieVanCookie

Editor: Ryunakama


It’s night time now. I split my consciousness out of my body, and by giving it a basic dragon form, I fly towards Gouda’s residence in Galois. Due to today’s events and the strong impression Gouda’s soul has left in me, finding where he lives by tracing his soul and moving my consciousness near him takes no time at all. Looking down at my unconscious body lying on the bed, I pick up a trace of Gouda’s soul. The next moment, I’m flying over his house. I go into what seems to be his living room.

The room, while not being particularly messy, is still littered with empty bottles of liquor. The moonlight that shines through the open curtains illuminates someone other than Gouda and me.
That other figure under the moonlight looks like a transparent young woman in her twenties.
From what the village headman had told me earlier, I have no doubt that this is the spirit of Gouda’s late wife.

「Are you Director Gouda’s wife? 」

I try to make my voice as gentle as possible so as to not frighten her.

「Ah, are you one of my husband’s acquaintances?」

The woman has never even dreamed of meeting a dragon in her whole life, or afterlife. Still, she bravely decides to speak with me.

「I met him briefly in Bern Village.」

「Isn’t that the village that has been under his jurisdiction all this time? I find you being a dragon as well as being related to that village a little strange, but I suppose all sorts of people from Bern Village and its surroundings can hold a grudge against my husband.」

「I wouldn’t go as far as to call it a grudge, just a bit of resentment. I had been wondering about what to do and figured that if I came to see his face, I would be able to come to a decision. But I never thought that his late wife still remains in this world.」

「This is where my husband and I said our last goodbyes to each other. After our son passed away, and myself meeting the same fate, I became uneasy about leaving my husband behind to fend for himself all on his own, and I remain in this world because of that.」

「An earthbound soul… stuck here for Director Gouda’s sake?」

「I can only watch over him, this husband of mine, left to live alone and to drown himself in liquor because he has lost both his son and myself. I can only watch over him, this husband of mine, who used to look after the livelihood of so many people with a burning passion, and his current degraded self.」

Since her soul was bound to this place, no priest can find her here, so they can’t send her to heaven.

「It’s all my fault. When our son passed away, I went too far and blamed my husband for it. Because of that, he started to resent me, and to make matters worse, I died soon after. I’m sure these events have deeply affected the people of Bern Village… When he came back to this room, he began torturing himself, lamenting the man he is today, hating himself, and escaping to alcohol. Oh, if only I hadn’t put such a strain on my husband back then! If I hadn’t left him all alone, he wouldn’t be like this!」

My heart is filled with all sorts of feelings as I watch this woman choking with tears and covering her face with her thin, sickly hands.

It’s very likely that Gouda will be filled with anger about me showing him this form. I wonder if it was a good thing to try to come up with a solution by coming here to see Gouda’s face, to unexpectedly find his late wife’s soul. If Caravis and the brothers back in the dragon world were to find out what I’m about to do, they would probably laugh at me for being so soft. Especially Caravis and Alexander.

「If I had to speak frankly, I’d say that Director Gouda’s way of thinking is too severe on others.」

「That… please, please forgive him. Please excuse his rudeness. I am already dead, but if it would help appease your anger, you can rip me to shreds if you wish to.」

「Don’t jump to conclusions. I have always been easily moved by kindness, and having died once myself may have made it even easier. With my power, I can make it so that you can speak with Director Gouda for a short while. When that happens, I’d like you to tell him how you feel.」

「Oh, I… I could never ask you for such a favor. But why are you being so kind to both my husband and me? I don’t know what sort of relationship a dragon such as you has to Bern Village, and I don’t understand why you would show compassion for my husband, who seems to have provoked your anger.」

「Now, I don’t mean to understand either your husband’s feelings nor yours. If anything…」

Is this because I understand the feelings of children who know that their parents suffer? That’s because I have been reborn as a human, and I have parents for the first time.
In any case, the most honest thing to say would be that it’s difficult to understand what has brought me so far. Reflecting upon the fact that I can’t quite precisely bring myself to words well, I extend my left hand to the woman.

「I will send you to Director Gouda’s dream now. Please decide what you will tell him. Once the two of you have spoken to your hearts’ content, you might find your way towards where you want to be.」

The woman’s spirit is enveloped in a bright white light and slowly disappears. Instead of severing her ties to the material world, she is connected to the world inside Director Gouda’s dream.

「Ah… even though until now I haven’t been able to do anything but see my dear husband as if from a distance, to meet him like this… O mighty dragon, I can’t thank you enough.」

「You don’t need to thank me. Go now to your husband.」

「Yes! I will never forget this favor, even if I am reborn a hundred times!」

As I think about how it’s not such a big deal, the woman’s spirit disappears completely and enters Gouda’s dream world. From here on, it’s entirely on both of them. I cannot interfere.
Though I came to see if Gouda’s anger had been stirred or appeased, this situation is quite complicated. I am no longer angry at Gouda, but I am rather tired. Letting out a sigh with a hint of satisfaction, I return my consciousness to my body which is resting in a bed, and go to sleep.

Two days later, I found out about Gouda’s resignation, and how he has turned towards dedicating his life to pray for his late wife and son’s happiness.

The morning after Gouda’s sudden visit to this village, I go towards the village’s south gate while the sun is still coming out of the horizon. I’m heading there to see Christina off, who’s returning to Galois after having stayed in Bern Village for a long holiday from the Magic Academy.
Christina looks at the village headman and me and begins to talk.

「You didn’t have to trouble yourselves to come here just to see me off.」

「What do you mean? If anything, we should be sorry that it’s just this old man and Dran here to see you off.」

「No, I haven’t told anyone else about my departure, and everyone has been so busy after last night’s preparations. You two coming to see me off is more than enough for me. Dran, you even got up this early in the morning although you didn’t have to. You knew I was going today, didn’t you?」

「I just didn’t want to miss saying goodbye to you before you left. Besides, I always get up at this time anyway, so I didn’t have a hard time or anything.」

「I see. I haven’t been in this village for too long, but I’ve had quite a memorable time here, one I haven’t had in years. Besides, you are a particularly amusing boy, Dran.
If you’re ever in Galois, please come visit me at the Magic Academy. I’d like to show you around the city.」

「Hmm. I’ll be sure to let you know if I have the chance in the future.」

「Yes, please do. I’m really glad I’ve come to this village. I feel really refreshed. And since yesterday’s event with Gouda, I was able to rethink many things. Well then, I’m sorry for dragging you for too long, you two must be busy, so I’ll get going. Send my regards to the people of Bern Village for me.」

Christina gets on her horse with such grace that she looks like a feather being carried by the wind. As she turns around to bow at us, the village headman and I bow back at her. She gallantly works her horse’s reins and begins to gracefully walk away. As the sound of the horse hooves echoes one after the other, Christina continues to go south towards Galois.

I wonder when I will cross paths with her again?

Even though she has been in this village for less than a month, it feels as if I’ve known her for many years. After Christina left the village, and having learned about Director Gouda’s resignation, I decided to visit my parents. This is to tell my parents and brother that I’ve been thinking about many things, day and night after Gouda’s visit to the village. After contacting my parents, I promptly visit Grandma Magul and ask her to contact her son, Denzel, who’s a teacher at the Magic Academy in Galois. The reason for this is to ask him to make the preparations needed for my admission in the academy.

Fortunately, thanks to Denzel’s recommendation, I can take the entrance exam without having to pay the admission fee. My parents will inform the village headman of my plan. I only have two concerns regarding my entrance to the Magic Academy and the fact that I’ll be leaving the village. Being involved in the activities and human relations that are involved with the academy student life, I won’t have as many chances to be in contact with Vaje, Liu Yu, or Ryoukichi.

And the other thing, it’s the one that’s been worrying me the most.
I bring myself to it and knock at the door in front of me.

「Selina, it’s me.」

「Ah, yes. Just a moment.」

I hear something that sounds like the crawling of a big snake, then the bolt on the door is unfastened, and Selina’s beautiful face appears from the gap in the opening door.
Seeing my face, Selina smiles cheerfully, and invites me inside her house.

「Please come in.」

「Ah, excuse me.」

Selina’s house seems to grow bigger the more sunlight gets into it. The windows are adorned with the flowers she had received from Fio and Marl, and lots of stuffed toys made with leftover cloth and cotton sit happily on the shelves and the table. I looked straight at Selina’s face, whose lower half of the body had settled into a coil.

「Sorry for bothering you, Selina. You must be busy.」

「No, you’re always welcome here, Dran. But you could have let me know in advance, that way I could have cleaned up and got properly dressed to have you here. 」

「Hmm, the reason why I’ve come today is that I have something important to discuss with you.」

「I see. What is it about?」

I take a seat and straighten my back as if an iron bar had gone through it. As Selina looks straight at me, I bolster my resolve and begin to speak about the matter regarding the Magic Academy.

「The truth is that I’ve decided to take the entrance exam at the Galois Magic Academy」

「Umm… isn’t that the school where Christina studies? So, if you pass the exam, you’ll be studying at the same academy as her, right?」

Judging from that reaction, it seems that she still has not realized that me going to study at the Magic Academy in Galois means I have to leave this village. But isn’t it unfathomable to her, having been raised in the village of Lamias herself?

「Yes, that’s right. I’m looking forward to spending time together with Christina, so if I’m admitted into the academy, I’ll be leaving this village and moving over to the academy’s dormitories.」

「Oh, I see. I’ve heard that going from Bern Village to Galois and back does take quite some time… Oh. So you’re moving away, right?」

At the exact moment that Selina realizes what attending the Magic Academy entails, her smile disappears from her face. The tip of her tail, which had been swaying left and right, now droops down completely limp, and her blue eyes that resemble the full moon begin to tint themselves with the color of loneliness. I imagined that she would have this kind of reaction after speaking so frankly about this to this emotional snake girl, but witnessing it first-hand makes my chest ache with feelings of guilt.

「That’s right. But that doesn’t mean I don’t like living in this village, or that I don’t enjoy being around you or the other villagers, Selina. I’ve only realized that I have to leave. In short, the livelihood in villages such as this one is greatly affected by how people like Director Gouda manage them. So I thought I could stand up to that position myself. For that reason, I have to go to the Magic Academy. 」

「But, but… I never thought you would leave the village, Dran, so even if you tell me this so suddenly…」

Soon enough, tears start to well up in Selina’s eyes, and it’s only a matter of time before she starts to spill large tears.

「I’m sorry. To be honest, this was a sudden decision, so I couldn’t find the time to come to consult with you about this before. I’m sorry for being so selfish and talking about how I’m leaving you and the village behind.」

「Umm, Dran… If I say that I would like to go to Galois with you… do you think I could go?」

I can’t hide my surprise after hearing such a proposal coming out of Selina’s mouth as she wipes the tears that were welling up in the corners of her eyes.

「Going together to Galois, huh? I’d like that. Lamias are not normally allowed to enter cities such as Galois, but if you were to get authorization from Mairahl, Baran, the village headman, and a letter of introduction from Leticia, then maybe…」

「Then I could go with you, Dran! Then, if you end up moving to Galois, let’s go together!」

Without noticing the grin on my face, I frankly reply to Selina, whose face is bright red after making such an announcement.

「Thank you, Selina. I’ve been feeling lonely, thinking that I would be separated from you. I’m glad that you want to come with me.」

After I say this, Selina seems to realize what she has just said, and what I’ve just told her, since her face goes extremely red from one ear to ear. Good grief, Selina is so cute!



NEXT CHAPTER

01d 20:26:10

Become a VIP
Question icon
Become a VIP and enjoy the benefits of being able to read chapters in advance of the current release schedule.

  • Read +1 extra chapters (inc. Ad-FREE experience)
    $5 / month
  • Read +2 extra chapters (inc. Ad-FREE experience)
    $10 / month
  • Read +4 extra chapters (inc. Ad-FREE experience)
    $20 / month

RELEASE RATE

Goodbye Dragon Life, Hello Human Life

Speed up schedule by 10 hours

125 / 55000

Current schedule: Every 70 hours

SPEED UP SCHEDULE
Question icon
Use Krystals to speed up the schedule of this novel. When the bar is completely filled, the schedule will be updated manually by an admin and the chapters will release at a rate 10 hours faster. E.g. 70 Publish Hours will be reduced to 60 Published Hours. Any excess Krystals donated will be credited to the next speed-up schedule if available or refunded to your account

Novel Schedule

Goodbye Dragon Life, Hello Human Life

Schedule will be reduced when the goal is reached

Balance: 0

Comment (0)

Get More Krystals