"AAAHHH! WHAT THE HELL—?!"
The cave echoed with the terrified scream of a baby.
A massive pair of wings swept through the air—
And the next moment, the tiny body of the boy was flung upward like a toy.
"I'M GONNA DIE—!!"
Before he could crash into the cave wall, the wings caught him again—gently.
Then tossed him once more.
"SLIME! HELP ME! THIS CRAZY DRAGON IS GOING TO KILL ME!"
Not far away, the black slime stood frozen.
"…What am I even looking at?"
It blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Its thoughts spiraled into chaos.
Wasn't this supposed to be my revenge plan…?
Wasn't he supposed to get eaten the moment we got here…?
"…How the hell did this even happen?"
A Few Moments Earlier
"Who exactly are we going to meet?"
The baby glanced at the slime suspiciously.
"Is she strong? Some kind of boss monster? You keep calling yourself 'Great Demon Slime,' so she must be even stronger, right?"
The slime let out a sly chuckle.
"You'll find out soon… hee hee hee…"
Just wait… your end is near.
They reached a cave.
The entrance—
Was ridiculously small.
"Are you serious?"
THUD!
"Ow—!"
The baby's head hit the stone as he tried to enter.
"Watch it, you idiot!"
Inside, however, the cave expanded.
Wider.
Deeper.
Darker.
Until—
A presence filled the entire space.
A massive dragon revealed itself.
Deep purple scales shimmered in the dim light.
Her wings unfolded slowly—
And with it came an overwhelming aura that pressed down like a mountain.
The slime immediately dropped the baby onto a rock and rushed forward.
"Great Dragon Vaelithra, I have brought you a present!"
It pointed dramatically.
"A special human child."
The dragon's gaze shifted.
"…What's so special about it?"
She paused.
"…It looks cute—"
Ahem.
"I mean… it's just a small baby."
The baby stared back, unimpressed.
The slime continued,
"That's what I thought too! But it can communicate with monsters… and it even forced a pet contract on me!"
"…Sob… sob…"
Vaelithra's eyes sparkled for a brief second.
"…It made a contract with you?"
Her tone softened.
"Interesting."
The slime leaned forward eagerly.
"So please, break the contract for me—and I will kill him and offer him to you!"
Silence.
A dangerous silence.
Then—
The dragon moved.
In an instant, she scooped up the baby with her wings.
But instead of killing him—
She started playing.
Present Time
"Put me down—! PUT ME DOWN—!!"
The baby flailed helplessly midair.
Vaelithra finally stopped and gently placed him on the ground.
He gasped for breath.
"I almost died…"
"You exaggerate," the dragon replied calmly.
"…Now then."
Her gaze sharpened slightly.
"Explain."
After hearing everything, Vaelithra nodded slowly.
"So… you are an otherworlder."
"But unlike summoned heroes… you died and were reborn here."
"…Fascinating."
"I have heard of other worlds. Heroes are occasionally summoned to fight demons."
"But reincarnation like this?"
She shook her head.
"This is new—even for me."
The baby's eyes widened.
"Heroes can be summoned here?!"
"Yes," she replied.
"Though rarely. It requires immense mana and resources."
"…In fact, another summoning may happen within a few years."
The boy's heart skipped.
"Then… can I go back to my world?"
Vaelithra's expression turned serious.
"No."
"It is a one-way summoning."
"And more importantly…"
"Your body has already adapted to mana."
She continued,
"To you, mana is now like air."
"If you return to a world without it…"
"You will suffocate and die."
Silence fell.
"…I see."
After a pause, the boy looked up again.
"You seem to know a lot about this."
The slime puffed up proudly.
"You fool! She is Vaelithra—the Dragon of Wisdom! One of the ancient dragons!"
"…Oh?"
The boy turned toward the slime.
"And you didn't think to mention that earlier?"
"…Especially when you were planning to sacrifice me?"
"…You absolute idiot."
"WHAT?!"
The slime shook violently.
"How dare a mere human child insult me?! I would've killed you long ago if not for the contract!"
"Yeah, yeah. Shut up, jelly."
"IT'S NOT JELLY—!"
The boy turned back to the dragon.
"So… what exactly is this contract?"
Vaelithra tilted her head slightly.
"…And you are calling me by name so casually."
The boy blinked.
"…Then what should I call you?"
She leaned in slightly.
"…Mama."
Silence.
The boy's face froze.
"…Are you serious?"
Vaelithra coughed lightly.
"…Ahem. Then… Aunt would be acceptable."
"…Yeah. That's way better."
An awkward silence passed between them.
Vaelithra continued,
"A pet contract is usually formed between monsters or demons."
"It involves the exchange of mana—one becomes dominant, the other a servant."
She glanced at the slime.
"Humans cannot normally withstand monster mana."
"It is considered corrupted."
"If they attempt it…"
"They either lose consciousness—or die."
Both the slime and the boy stared at her.
"…Then how did he do it?"
Vaelithra frowned.
"…That is the problem."
She narrowed her eyes.
"…You should have died the moment the contract formed."
"…But you didn't."
Then—
She paused.
"…Wait."
Her gaze shifted between them.
"…Why are neither of you emitting any mana?"
"…What?"
Both of them froze.
The slime immediately protested.
"That's impossible! Even if I try to hide it, you should still sense it!"
Vaelithra shook her head.
"I see nothing."
"It is as if… mana does not exist within either of you."
The slime trembled.
"…Does that mean I'm dead?"
"No… no no no… I can't be dead…!"
It started panicking.
Meanwhile, the boy asked,
"Is it abnormal to have no mana?"
The slime snapped,
"You idiot! Only the dead don't emit mana!"
Vaelithra raised a claw slightly.
"But both of you are clearly alive."
"…Which means…"
She smiled faintly.
"You are exceptions."
Silence.
"…What should I even do now…" the slime muttered weakly.
At that exact moment—
Grrrrrr…
The boy's stomach growled loudly.
The slime stared at him in disbelief.
"…Are you seriously hungry right now?!"
"What do you want me to do?" the boy replied. "It's not like I can control it!"
Vaelithra chuckled softly.
"Enough."
"For now, stay here."
"I will bring you food."
The boy blinked.
"…Wait. The entrance is too small for you, isn't it?"
Vaelithra turned slightly.
"There are many entrances to this cave."
With that—
She spread her wings and disappeared into the depths.