Motherly Resemblance

Anastrus—or Anthony as he was now called—slept like the baby he was because it was in his nature as a dragon, to escape reality and because an overwhelming sleepiness grabbed hold of him and, like a delinquent, shook and threatened him until he obeyed. And when he woke up, he opened his eyes, hoping the horrible nightmare was over.

Alas, the sight that greeted him confirmed his worst fears. His previous realization that the robed mage's spell had dragged his soul out of his body and stuffed in a human baby was still valid. The log ceiling that filled the majority of his sight and the wooden stokes of the crib around him were blows to an already whipped dog.

Even if his rational mind knew it was true, that he had indeed been forcibly reborn into a baby, Anthony was reluctant to accept it. He had gone from being one of the strongest beings in the world to one of the absolute weakest.

Well, there were a lot of things that had been the same as humans in the Dragon King's eyes since the bottom echelon of the world was crammed full of weaklings. But that only made being one all the worse.

However, Anthony couldn't mope around forever just because he was in an unprecedently bad situation. As a former supreme being, a dragon, a king of dragons, and an unrivaled mage, he was wise enough to know that he should think forward. After all, only those living in the future are guaranteed to beat those living in the present.

He might be weaker than the worms around his old lair right now, but that didn't necessarily mean he had to stay weak for the rest of his human life. And Anthony still had his soul, the soul of the Dragon King, Anastrus. Not even the sky was the limit for him.

While humans were undoubtedly one of the weakest races, they were also the race with the most sporadic potential. Every so often—well, maybe not that often, considering how many humans there were—there would come a human that reached the top of the world despite their weak physiques, lackluster start to life, and less-than-average life span. It was undeniable that the human race had potential.

'Hmm. Humans are superstitious, right? That means I might be considered a changeling or possessed by a demon if I expose or reveal any oddities. I might get killed.'

Anthony almost felt shameful. He was so weak he had to seriously consider playing the part of being a baby, a human one, just to go unnoticed and survive.

'As I am now, any stray elbow can probably kill me. Don't want that.'

But while Anthony didn't want to engage in such shameful behavior that was far below his pride as a former Dragon King, he didn't have much choice.

'But only until I can go off on my own.'

Anthony vowed that he would only endure the bare minimum. As soon as possible, he would leave this place, wherever this place was, and begin his quest for strength and vengeance.

'Humans live around a hundred years, right? That means I should only have to spend a couple of weeks in this infantile and useless state. It would be ludicrous if it's any longer.'

"Oh, baby! You're awake! You're so quiet!"

The overexcited father of Anthony entered the nursing room and instantly went over to pick him up.

"Ooh, what a glare! I knew you resembled your mother. Though, I'm curious who you got those eyes from. They're so sharp and black. Nothing like her gentle ones at all. What do you think, baby? Maybe you got them from your cool and suave daddy."

'Can't forget about giving this human the punishment he deserves for treating my personage like this.'

Coincidentally enough, Thomas, whom Anthony tried his best to ignore, fanned the flames of desire for strength, retribution, and vengeance in the baby.

'I probably can't do much until I leave this dragon-forsaken hell, but I can begin amassing mana.'

Anthony had originally wanted to leave any training for after he left in case anyone was perceptive enough to pick up on what he was doing. He couldn't risk his chance at getting to the bottom of the people behind his forced rebirth just because he was eager to grow stronger.

But if he became strong quickly enough, he could leave this place sooner. So, while continuing to ignore Thomas swaying with him in his arms, Anthony began thinking about how to grow stronger, stronger than he was when he was a Dragon King.

He might not have fully matured into the power of an Elder Dragon when the robed mage attacked him, but Anthony had a feeling that it wouldn't have changed the outcome much. At most, he could have fought the spell and changed the result into a case of mutual destruction between him and the spell's sphere. That honestly wasn't much better than his current fate, even if it was less disgraceful.

Now, at least, he had a fighting chance at revenge as long as the robed mage or anyone else didn't have any plans on using his current weakened state for any other devious purposes.

But to ensure nothing similar ever happens again, Anthony has to become so strong that even with a spell tailored for him, no one could just rip his soul out and stuff it somewhere else. He had to become stronger than he would have been, even as an Elder Dragon King.

The first and only step he could take right now in that direction was to gather mana. But….

'A dragon heart won't be enough.'

Dragon hearts, as the central magical organs of beings that rule magic, were flawless. They could store an incredible amount of high-quality mana and grant dragons perfect control over that mana. A dragon heart was an organ that gave dragons their ability to spew out and control magic like no other race could. And they didn't even have to do anything with it. It grew and gathered mana on its own.

But it wasn't enough. Anthony needed more. He needed something even better.

Dragon hearts weren't endless wells of mana, contrary to popular belief. They were basic, they took time, and their use was proportional to the size of the body. Forget about successfully growing one in a human body for the moment. It would be too small to generate the power Anthony craved.