* * *
To be honest, I don’t really understand human standards of time.
To me, a lifetime is just a fleeting moment—summarized as “a while ago,” “recently,” “yesterday,” or “tomorrow.”
Yet, humans seem to die even while I am just taking a breath.
Other living things are the same, but humans die incredibly fast for creatures that possess intelligence.
Perhaps that is why humans divide and record time in such tiny, detailed units.
I don’t understand the difference, but since they die just by breathing, I suppose every single day is precious to them. I just accept that’s how it is.
Anyway. Even for someone like me, this happened quite a long time ago.
I’m not sure exactly when it started.
At some point, humans began gathering and living beneath my home.
Humans call my territory the “Baeksa Mountain Range.”
White snakes are actually rare in my domain. I don’t know why they call it that, but it is a pretty name.
Then one day, for some reason, humans laid out a huge spread of delicious food in front of my house.
Was it for me to eat?
They were incredibly shocked when I actually appeared.
When I asked if I should do something to thank them, they asked me to make it rain.
The sky is not my domain, so that was a bit difficult.
I could do it, but I told them it would be a problem because the young grass was growing, and they would die if they got hit by rain now.
When I asked why they needed rain, they said they had no water.
They said they needed water for themselves and for the grass.
So, I asked if they just needed water, and they said yes.
As a thank you, I dug a small path to send water down to them.
Water is overflowing where I am, so it wasn’t hard at all.
The humans were very happy.
They gave me more gifts, like lots of colorful cloths and shiny things.
I was grateful for that, so I granted almost every request they had.
Their requests were all so easy and simple, but the things the humans gave me were all strange and beautiful.
For me, it wasn’t a bad deal.
They treated me well, so I liked them too.
And so, we became quite good neighbors.
For a while, I didn’t go down much, but recently I went down almost every day.
It had become cold and everyone was sleeping, so I had nothing to do.
I went down to see what the humans were up to these days because I was bored.
In my memory, there were only a few hundred of them, but I didn’t know their numbers had grown so much.
Humans call this a “city.”
In front of it, they even built something called a “castle.”
They said the leader of the humans lives there.
What? You’ve been living in groups in my territory and didn’t even say hello once?
The last human leader I remember was Pelos, and they say that was 1,200 years ago by human standards.
To me, it felt like “a bit of time had passed,” but for them, isn’t that an incredibly long time?
I feel a little disappointed.
No, wait.
Humans are diverse and have short lifespans, so they could easily forget.
Plus, there are so many of them now, maybe they’ve found enough fun things to do without playing with me.
That’s a good thing, then.
As I was looking around with these thoughts, I found something incredibly beautiful.
My goodness, how can something be that beautiful?
Jet-black hair, eyes as clear as amber, and I could even feel a faint ancient blessing from them.
They were definitely blessed by the stars.
Why is something like that just wandering around out in the open?
Are individuals blessed by the stars common among humans now?
That’s strange.
Even in my domain, being blessed by the stars is a very, very rare event.
“You are truly beautiful.”
“…What the hell is this crazy guy?”
I tried talking to them because they were so beautiful, but they were a bit more aggressive than I expected.
They were quite wary of me.
For some reason, the other young ones nearby glanced around and then slithered away.
So, only I and that person remained.
“Hello? What should I call you?”
“Who cares! Get lost! You pervert!”
And then they ran away.
Why? Wasn’t that a kind enough greeting?
I learned it a long time ago, but isn’t this how humans greet each other?
Was it because the sun was setting?
So, I went back the next day as soon as the sun rose.
“What are you trying to do? Even if you sell me, you won’t get much!”
“Sell? You? Why?”
I heard humans get what they need with something called “money.”
I don’t know the details.
But why would I need human money?
Beautiful jewels or well-carved stone sculptures would be nice because they are pretty, but they are things that are good to have, not things I need.
In the first place, I like pretty things, but I’m not desperate enough to bully weak humans who don’t live very long just to get them.
I already have a lot, so why would I bully such pitiful things?
“I just came to see you because you are beautiful.”
“Is something wrong with your eyes? You’re really crazy.”
“Is it strange to come and see something beautiful?”
“What’s so beautiful about a beggar thief like me that you’d come to see?”
“You don’t know that you are beautiful. Why do you think that?”
They called me a strange guy and ran away again.
A few more nights passed.
I kept going to see them.
Maybe because they were young, they had a sharp temper, but even that was cute.
They were beautiful, after all.
Since I kept visiting, they finally told me why they thought they weren’t beautiful.
They said they weren’t beautiful because they had nothing, were dirty, and were even a thief.
It was a very strange thing to say.
“If you don’t have something, you can just fill it.”
“I don’t even have food, so where would I get money?”
“Is it human currency that you need?”
“…I’ve been thinking this, but you really talk weird. And you’re wearing weird clothes.”
“Am I strange?”
“Just looking at your clothes, you’re a nobleman. Even if I don’t have eyes, I know that’s silk.”
These were clothes a human gave me before, so I guess they are good.
I don’t know well, but I guess you have to reach a certain level to wear them.
I just thought everyone wore different things because they had different tastes.
Is there some kind of set order among them?
“You are smart.”
“You’ve really lost your mind. I feel like I’m going crazy too.”
“What are you going to do with that currency once you get it?”
“It’s good to have money. I can eat, sleep in a good place, buy warm clothes…”
My goodness, these creatures who die just by breathing have to solve everything for survival with that “currency.”
You can just hunt or gather for food, and you can just build a nest for sleeping.
I don’t know about clothes.
I thought it was because they don’t have fur, but I remember other intelligent beings only used them for decoration.
Even then, I rarely saw them bother with it.
They really are weak, even in terms of durability.
How did such weak things grow so much in number?
“Where are your mother and father?”
“If I had those, would I be begging and stealing?”
I guess they became independent early.
It is strange.
I thought humans raised their young until they were adults before letting them be independent.
This one is still so small they can’t even reproduce, but to be forced into independence so early even without a parent.
Don’t group-living creatures usually help their own kind? I heard humans were especially devoted to their own.
“Can’t you ask other individuals to help? You are a hatchling. Your kind will help you.”
“I don’t know what a hatchling is, but why would anyone help me? Is there some sucker who would feed and clothe a beggar?”
They say they don’t even take care of their own kind’s young.
Was I mistaken?
But this individual is blessed by the stars, isn’t it? It’s a very precious individual, so they just leave it?
“Then what can you eat?”
“…Are you going to give me something?”
“If I can give it.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re beautiful.”
“I’m not. Your eyes are just messed up. I’m so dirty I don’t even remember when I last washed…”
“Are you a herbivore or a carnivore?”
Since they kept insisting they weren’t beautiful, I just said what I wanted to say.
At my question, they looked at me with suspicious eyes and asked.
“What is that?”
“Hmm… The difference between grass and meat?”
“Then meat.”
Are humans carnivores?
I think I saw them eating grass before, but they seemed closer to omnivores…
Anyway, this individual seems to like meat.
No, I thought so, but I was wrong.
“How am I supposed to eat this?”
“It’s meat.”
“It’s a corpse.”
“You can’t eat this?”
I caught a rabbit for them, but they said they couldn’t eat it.
What, should I give them something smaller?
When I caught a mouse, they were terrified and ran away again.
So next time I brought strawberries, and they ate those well.
“You’re a herbivore. Why did you say you were a carnivore?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never eaten meat. I just said it because others said it was good.”
“Ah… So it’s not that humans can’t eat meat.”
“I can eat it too! It’s, it’s just because I can’t eat it raw!”
That beautiful thing was smarter than I thought.
It might have seemed that way more because I didn’t want anything in return.
Actually, I think they lack a lot for an intelligent being, but I understand since they are a hatchling and had no adult to train them.
It’s impressive that they figured things out on their own when no one ever taught them.
And so, I visited that beautiful thing every day.
As expected, beauty is the best.
No matter how much I look, I don’t get tired of it.
It’s new every time I see them.
Is it because their lifespan is short?
They grow so fast.
They look different every time I see them.
I gave that beautiful thing food and got them human clothes.
At first, I just brought the clothes I had without thinking, and they said they would die if they wore those.
They said it was actually dangerous because other individuals might kill them.
So, I brought sheep’s wool or other leathers that would be appropriately warm.
After some more time passed, they asked me.
“Why are you being so nice to me?”
“Because you’re beautiful.”
“…It’s not like you’re going to kidnap me?”
“I don’t eat humans. Humans don’t taste good.”
They laughed and told me not to make jokes like that. But I’m serious.
Humans really taste bad.
Before, humans killed another human to serve me a meal, and it was barely edible.
It was mostly bones and organs, with only a handful of meat.
Plus, there was too much blood and it was all skin, so there was nothing to eat.
Even though they caught a full-grown adult for me.
To think such a large individual doesn’t even produce a handful of meat—I really don’t know how these things even walk around.
Their bodies are just full of water.
The organs are so bitter and tough, and when you chew, only water squirts out.
There’s really nothing to eat.
It’s not just me; unless they are literally about to starve to death, very few creatures eat humans.
Even Orcs, who eat everything, don’t eat humans and just throw them away.
“Hey, what’s your name?”
A name?
A name is something used to refer to something.
But is there anything about me that isn’t known?
How many things are brave enough to even refer to me?
And I don’t really have a reason to be called by a “name.”
My existence is clear enough on its own, so why do I need a name to confirm it?
But this person wants to refer to me.
They want to call my already firm existence by another name.
I thought for a moment.
Even so, there were those who wanted to point to me specifically.
Sometimes they used special words filled with their own thoughts and feelings.
But… were humans of a high enough status to refer to me?
I don’t think so.
I shrugged my shoulders.
“A name? My name is hard for humans to say.”
“…If it weren’t for that ‘human’ talk, you’d be a perfectly fine sucker…”
I think they told me “sucker” was a bad word before, but it feels a bit strange to hear it with the word “perfectly fine.”
I thought for a moment about what to do, then translated it into words humans could say.
“The Headless Dog, the Eyeless Head, the White Serpent Horn of Curse, the Progenitor of the Oak Tree.”
“…What kind of names are those?”
“I didn’t know the human words for these, so I just said the meanings as they are.”
“What did other people call you?”
What did they call me… It’s been so long that it’s fuzzy.
“Well… Levia-Lycian?”
“Those people were crazy too. How can you give a person a god’s name?”
“No way. I have divinity, but I am not a god. I am just something old.”
It seems humans are making a big mistake.
I am just an old being, not a god.
If I had to say, I think I am closer to a world.
Like the whale that eats nightmares, or the first tree—I’m the same as them.
No, by human standards, I might be no different from a god. Like the Dga who worship dragons.
“More importantly, what is your name?”
“You’re finally asking.”
“I’ve been asking since the beginning. You’re the one who didn’t give an answer.”
I just stopped asking at some point because they kept swearing and running away.
I had asked from the start.
At my words, they grumbled and tossed out their response.
“I don’t know. I don’t have a grand name like yours.”
“I see. You just didn’t have one.”
It couldn’t be helped.
A non-existent name wouldn’t suddenly appear.
This is an especially young individual, and they have no kind to protect them, so they might not have needed anything to refer to them.
But I wanted to call them something.
I didn’t want to call them “human” like the others.
I wanted to refer to them specifically.
“Then make one.”
“I don’t really need one.”
“I didn’t really need one either, but you asked for a name to call me. I want to call you too.”
I’m not sure if I said that right. It’s easier to just share thoughts.
The process of thinking of what to say, forming the shape, and converting it into sound is so tedious.
I have to go through two or three steps just to say one word.
But it’s okay. This thing is pretty, cute, and after watching them, they are even lovely.
They were a bit sensitive and fierce, but I suppose that’s what happens when a young individual survives alone without protection.
They are a hatchling.
At this stage, everything is forgiven.
Anyway, they are cute.
They seemed to think about it but soon became dejected with a sigh.
“I don’t know what would be good.”
“I don’t know many human names either. Pelos, Granche, Ramga… things like that?”
“If a beggar like me used names like those, people would kick me.”
“Those are names of humans I knew. I can’t give them to you again.”
“Those guys must have been really something. Using names like those without any fear.”
A name is just a name, I don’t know why there’s a matter of using it or not.
“You’re the one who’s going to call me. Just pick something comfortable for you.”
“But it’s your name.”
“Did you give yourself your own name?”
“Certainly, I didn’t. They just called me what they wanted to call me.”
“If you’re going to be the one calling me anyway, just do whatever you want.”
I think that’s right.
Aside from being an immature individual, they are smart.
They say knowledge and wisdom are different—I wondered what that meant before, but now I see it’s true.
There really are such special individuals.
“Miros. How about that?”
“…Does it have a meaning?”
“Divine Star.”
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. I don’t think I can handle it.”
Isn’t this a very straightforward name?
A name like “New Star” isn’t that big of a deal for an individual blessed by the stars, is it?
But they don’t seem to think so.
“That’s what I’m going to call you. If you want, tell me something else you like later.”
“…Fine. It’s not like I need two or three names.”
Even though they were grumbling, their cheeks turned red.
Do they like it? Do they hate it?
I can’t tell which one it is.
And so, I came to call them Miros.
* * *
