I Reincarnated As A Dragon With A Devourer System

The carriage continued along the old dirt road as the sun slowly rose over the hills.

The morning mist was beginning to lift, revealing a landscape completely different from the one Noir had known his entire life.

No giant trees were blocking out the sky.

Nor were there endless mountains covered in mana.

Everything seemed... open.

The meadows stretched as far as the eye could see, forming a vast ocean of green grass that rippled in the wind. Small blue flowers grew scattered here and there, casting tiny silver glints whenever the sunlight hit them.

Noir watched the phenomenon with curiosity.

"Do they have mana, too?"

Arlene followed the direction of his gaze.

"A little."

The young dragon continued to gaze out at the field.

Every time a gust swept across the plain, thousands of luminous particles would drift from the flowers for a few seconds before disappearing.

It was as if the wind itself were covered in tiny stars.

"..."

Noir remained silent. It wasn’t as spectacular as the Magic Valley, but it was beautiful in its own way.

As the carriage continued on its way, strange creatures began to appear all over the vast meadow.

A group of small, dark-blue-furred animals was hopping through the grass. They had long ears, four legs, and a fluffy tail that ended in a leaf.

Every time they hopped, tiny seeds fell behind them.

"What are they?"

Arlene smiled for the first time since they’d left town.

"Arbor Rabbits."

"Do they plant trees?"

"Exactly."

Noir watched as one of them buried a seed with its front paws before continuing on its way.

’Interesting.’

He would never have imagined that an animal could devote itself to planting forests.

Much later, another creature appeared.

It looked like a huge turtle.

But instead of a shell, it had a small hill covered with grass, flowers, and even a bush where several birds had built their nests.

The gigantic creature walked so slowly that, for a moment, Noir thought it was part of the landscape.

"Is it a monster, too?"

"No."

Arlene shook her head gently.

"It’s a Meadow Turtle."

"Is it dangerous?"

"Only if someone tries to pull up its plants."

Noir tilted his head slightly.

The turtle continued on its way without even paying attention to the carriage.

Dozens of tiny yellow flowers bloomed on its back, where butterflies the size of a hand fluttered about.

Noir couldn’t help but smile.

’This world is truly strange.’

And he loved it.

Every few minutes, something completely different appeared.

He didn’t know what he would find beyond the next hill.

He couldn’t even imagine it.

And that feeling... was exactly why he wanted to discover this world.

To discover.

To learn.

To explore.

For a long time, no one spoke.

All that could be heard were the wheels of the carriage, the steady trot of the horses, and the songs of unknown creatures that inhabited the vast prairie.

Noir rested his chin on the edge of the carriage once more. There was still so much of the world left to explore.

Then... his Draconic Senses kicked in, and a faint pressure ran down his back.

It wasn’t a monster.

It was many presences.

Human ones.

The young dragon slowly looked up.

Several hundred meters away, atop a grassy hill, several figures had just appeared silhouetted against the sky.

They were not riding horses.

The enormous beasts beneath them looked like a cross between hyenas and reptiles, with long, muscular legs, yellowish fangs, and bony plates running the length of their backs.

The creatures snorted as they impatiently scratched at the ground.

The riders wore dark cloaks, carried curved swords, and had crossbows slung at their sides.

One of them slowly raised his arm.

And pointed directly at the carriage.

The wind gently ruffled their dark cloaks as the enormous reptilian mounts sniffed the air restlessly.

Noir watched them without looking away.

’They don’t look like merchants.’

The merchant wagons he had seen along the way were traveling without any visible weapons. Those men, on the other hand, were equipped as if they were expecting a battle.

Noir remained completely still.

He found them interesting.

Very interesting.

’Could they be tamed monsters, too?’

The thought popped into his head immediately.

Until now, he had never stopped to think that humans might use magical creatures as mounts.

If that was common sense, the world had just become even more interesting.

One of the riders pointed toward the carriage again.

Another nodded.

Then they began to make their way down the hill slowly, like predators, completely certain their prey would not escape.

Arlene still didn’t seem to have noticed them. She continued to study a small map on her lap absentmindedly.

The coachman didn’t suspect a thing either. He was whistling an old tune as he held the reins.

Noir slowly turned his gaze toward them both.

’Should I warn them?’

He paused for a few seconds, thinking.

He didn’t feel any obligation to do so.

After all... these humans had only just entered his life.

But...

Arlene was now his guide. And losing her on the very first day would be quite inconvenient. Besides, he still had far too many questions about the world.

He needed answers.

And the half-human seemed to be the right person to give them to him.

Noir raised a claw slightly.

"Arlene."

The young woman looked up from the map.

"Yes?"

The young black dragon discreetly pointed toward the hill.

"I think we have company."

Arlene followed the directions she had been given. At first, all she saw was the grass swaying in the wind.

Then, her pupils contracted.

"..."

Her expression changed completely, and her calm vanished as she said forcefully,

"Stop the carriage!"

The coachman immediately pulled on the reins.

"What’s going on?"

Arlene was already standing, her eyes fixed on the hill.

"They’re not travelers."

The man squinted, trying to make out the silhouettes. A second later, he turned pale.

"Damn it..."

The carriages were descending faster and faster.

Now they could be seen clearly.

There were at least nine... Maybe ten. Too many to mistake them for mere adventurers.

The coachman swallowed hard.

"Bandits..."

Noir tilted his head slightly.

’Bandits?’

He had read several manga; most of them were isekai stories. In those stories, a group of humans would attack other humans to rob them, and—magically and mysteriously—there was always a princess among them who fell in love with the protagonist.

Noir’s eyes sparkled with amusement; this would be his first real Isekai experience, and he quickly extended his senses to where several carriages were under attack, but there didn’t seem to be any princesses.

’What a rip-off!’

The young dragon didn’t make the slightest move to hibernate; he stayed still. His excitement had faded when he realized there was no princess in distress.

Meanwhile...

The Bandits stopped advancing; one of them rode his horse forward several steps.

He was a huge man. A scar ran across his entire face; a heavy battle axe rested on his shoulder.

He calmly observed the carriage.

Then he smiled. It was the smile of someone who had just found exactly what he’d been searching for for hours.

Then he slowly raised a hand.

And, with a single gesture... the others drew their weapons at the same time and attacked.

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