Please Bully Me, Miss Villainess!

Chapter 262 : She Changed the Present

According to some scholars of magical creatures, dragons, an ancient species, have existed on this continent for nearly ten thousand years.

They existed before humans had a recordable civilization. No one knows when dragon herds began migrating here.

Some beastfolk races that worship dragons even believe—the original magic was created by ancient dragon gods, although Elsa had always thought this was an unfounded legend, as no one had ever seen the intelligent phantom dragons that exist only in mythology.

Even species with powerful magic like ancient dragons couldn't avoid the racial process of weakening bloodlines for better reproduction and iteration.

Legend has it that in the ancient era rich with magic, dragons once dominated this continent.

As time passed and the world changed, by the time humans developed magical civilization, most dragons had already degenerated into sub-dragons, indistinguishable from ordinary magical beasts, with swift wind dragons being one of these branches.

Among sub-dragon races, some gifted individuals can learn rare skills, but no matter how high their talent, they couldn't possibly learn high-level illusion skills like transforming into human form, let alone speak human language or gain intelligence comparable to humans.

"No, no... Let me gather myself..."

Holding her forehead, Elsa nearly collapsed to the ground, her legs weak.

She had just experienced a time regression and hadn't fully come to her senses, and now she suddenly encountered a legendary phantom dragon... The information overload was too much, her brain capacity exceeded, feeling like her head was about to explode!

Sphinx actually transformed into human form... What kind of development is this??

If Evie knew about this, she would probably have the same reaction as herself...

However, she had heard that after accumulating enough magical power, some sub-dragons with special bloodlines could activate their innate blood and complete an "advancement"—

So... did Sphinx evolve during a time she wasn't aware of?

But within common knowledge, "advancement" at most meant changing from a "sub-dragon" to a "true dragon"... Elsa had never heard of beings that could become "phantom dragons"—those were creatures that only existed in legends and myths, never appearing before humans!

In her mental confusion, Elsa's thoughts ran wild, her dazed eyes unable to move away from the silver dragon woman before her.

Feeding Bebe the prepared recovery potion, Sphinx looked up at the dumbfounded Elsa staring at her and frowned questioningly:

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because... I find it incredible... that a swift wind dragon could turn into a human... and even talk to me..."

"It's an incredible thing for humans, is it?"

Sphinx didn't understand human language; she was able to converse with Elsa because she directly used magic to transmit thoughts. Of course, such communication also had strict conditions—both parties must possess abundant magical power, otherwise smooth communication would be difficult.

"As for the appearance... I just thought a form similar to humans would be more convenient for communication, so I took this form."

From the indifferent tone, Elsa immediately sensed Sphinx's underlying meaning: it seemed the human form wasn't the only one; she could apparently transform into other forms as well.

"Sphinx, you reaching out to help me like this... is it because you remembered something? Do you remember me??"

"Remember something? What a strange question... You're human, so perhaps you don't understand, but dragons have excellent memory..."

Sphinx, in human form, gently arranged Bebe's bangs with her scaled hand, just like a real human woman would, and handed her back to Elsa.

"We can remember every path we've walked, the texture of trees, prey and scents, and every human we've encountered... So I'm certain I have no impression of you."

Despite saying this, Sphinx's expression became complex as she looked at Elsa and Bebe.

Sphinx could accurately recall everything that happened after escaping human captivity and restraints.

She remembered the trainer who vigorously wielded a whip full of metal spikes before her chained self, and the greedy-faced hunters who aimed bows and spears at her and her kind, attempting to hunt them.

—Humans were enemies who only hurt herself and her kind.

It should have been like this... As a dragon, she should have been more ferocious and cruel towards humans. After all, with such unpleasant memories, she had enough reason to seek revenge on humans.

But Sphinx didn't do that.

Until now, she had only driven away humans who attempted to hunt her from the swift wind dragons' habitat, never intentionally harming human lives—unless they brought it upon themselves.

Sphinx had always been puzzled by this: why could she never bring herself to harm humans?

After hearing the familiar name called out by the girl before her, Sphinx finally recalled the reason.

Because her past self had also been treated with kindness.

"It should have been like this... but when I hear this name, I feel very nostalgic, as if I've forgotten something very important..."

The silver-haired dragon woman looked up at the human girl before her, her complex expression seeming to ask for something:

"Is Sphinx... really my name?"

"...Yes! That's right! That is your name... Thank goodness... This is really wonderful..."

Upon receiving confirmation, Elsa felt an urge to cry welling up in her chest.

She couldn't be entirely sure before, but now, Elsa could confirm—

Something important had indeed changed after the regression!

Her actions in the 'past' had truly changed the 'present'!

"Can you remember? Even if it's just a little... This name was given to you by someone called 'Yvonne'."

Elsa was eager yet cautious, desperately wanting to obtain more definitive proof of Yvonne's existence from Sphinx.

"...Yvonne?"

Hearing this name that should have been unfamiliar, Sphinx was flooded with a strong sense of nostalgia.

"...Was she the one who saved me?"

She vaguely remembered the feeling of a gentle hand stroking her scales, remembered how she was led out of darkness to see sunlight—but couldn't recall that person's face or voice no matter how hard she tried.

"I used to think I was being childish... always competing with you, a dragon, for attention..."

Holding Bebe, Elsa sat down slowly in front of Sphinx and the dragon herd, smiling bitterly.

"Looking back carefully now, it was probably out of some selfish possessiveness... Hoping that I was the only one who had been so gently saved, hoping that I could become such a unique existence for Evie."

"As another who was saved by her... Sphinx, can you listen to my request?"