As the carriage made its way toward the city, nothing stood in their path.
The guards, upon realizing that Resham was inside, hastily opened the gates, bowing deeply while uttering words of glory and honorable deeds.
Of course, it couldn’t be said that dealing with the dragon had no part in it, but Aslan thought that things were easier with Resham around.
Without Resham, they would have surely been asked to compensate for the damage to the city walls.
Thus, Aslan could not refuse Resham’s request to meet the mayor immediately upon entering.
Naturally, their visit here was primarily for Resham’s purpose.
Still, it was undeniable that the journey had become significantly simpler thanks to Resham.
Fortunately, Resham had offered to go alone.
There was no need for Aslan’s group to accompany him and say anything, so Aslan did not object to Resham’s suggestion.
“What will you do?”
“We’ll rest. Somehow… Tiamat seems on the verge of death.”
“Yes, exactly. This old one needs rest, ugh.”
Tiamat, clutching their jaw and bending like a bow, writhed in pain.
Resham looked at Tiamat strangely for the first time and stepped out of the carriage.
“Then wait here. I’ll be back soon.”
Rarely seen pure-blooded human guards left with Resham, allowing the group to finally stop the carriage and take a brief rest.
Though they hadn’t rested during the long carriage ride, Tiamat would likely consider this a break.
Aslan got out of the carriage and leaned against Tiamat, then turned his head to look at the city.
Suretoruht.
A city celebrating festivals with great enthusiasm, despite having supposedly suffered a dragon attack.
This ease stemmed from the might of the Empire.
A colossal empire occupying nearly half of the southern continent.
Inheriting the full legacy and ruins of the ancient empire, they established their capital near the remnants of the fallen regime.
The successor to the empire, where members of the Green lineage had held high positions since the days of the ancient empire and clung to imperial authority.
Fittingly, there was no sign of worry on people’s faces.
It was hard to believe this was Geladridion.
No one seemed concerned about how they would survive the next day.
There was no fear of encountering priests along the streets.
Everywhere, symbols derived from the ancient imperial language representing war and knowledge were visible, proving that these people served none of the evil deities.
Aslan reaffirmed this fact as he gazed at those symbols.
Even newcomers to the southern continent and the empire wore expressions of unfamiliarity but shared similar sentiments.
Among them, Angie stood out the most.
“Aslan, Aslan! Look at that! Water is just coming out!”
Angie, pointing with her finger while tapping Aslan’s shoulder with an unusually high-pitched voice compared to usual.
Despite her overwhelming strength, her gentle touch revealed her complete control over her power.
“A fountain, huh.”
However, while she controlled her strength, she didn’t control physical contact, making Aslan quite uncomfortable.
The soft curves pressing against various parts of his body and the casual skin contact.
With a troubled smile, Aslan responded, and Ereta, noticing Aslan’s expression from the corner of her eye, extended her hand with a peculiar look.
And with pink eyes filled with a strange jealousy, Ereta pulled Angie onto her lap.
Feeling uneasy rather than compassionate about being dragged into such a situation, Aslan showed discomfort.
Whether Angie realized this jealousy or not, she offered no resistance.
She merely let out a small “Eh?” sound as she was pulled and ended up sitting on Ereta’s lap.
Despite Angie being much taller, it didn’t seem like Ereta minded, thanks to her divine-enhanced body easily bearing the weight of a human.
Instead, Ereta wrapped her arms around Angie’s waist, and Angie responded with a faint laugh.
“What are you doing, hugging me like that!”
Her joyful laughter contrasted with Ereta’s jealous expression.
Just as Aslan observed the two, Phey, seizing the opportunity, tried to sit on Aslan’s lap but was caught by Lumel.
“Phey, let’s stay here and wait quietly.”
“…Phey dislikes Lumel now.”
While Phey grumbled with a pouty face, Lumel’s expression remained bright, and his unique aura gave Richard, who was observing the scene, a dazed look.
“Uh, should I also sit on Aslan’s lap…?”
“That’s not appropriate.”
Aslan’s firm refusal brought laughter to the carriage.
Even the initially dazed party eventually joined in the laughter.
Aslan spoke first amidst the laughter.
“After this mission is done, how about we relax during the thanksgiving festival?”
Taking a leisurely stroll around the city too.
No one rejected the added suggestion.
Aslan, unaware of what the thanksgiving festival entailed, smiled happily as he discussed plans with the group.
He thought.
With Resham around, there was no need to worry about lifespan.
Unless someone sustained severe injuries, there wouldn’t be any significant issues with lifespan.
Thus, as Astrid had mentioned, it was alright to enjoy happiness to some extent.
Aslan genuinely believed this and belatedly noticed a strange sensation.
It felt like molten lava flowing down his spine.
A foreboding feeling that swelled and boiled in his brain.
Aslan realized this was a reaction of fate.
At that moment, a low sound, akin to air condensing, echoed.
*
“It’s fine.”
The elderly Green standing right in front of Resham spoke.
With a seemingly relaxed demeanor, he continued, ignoring Resham’s displeased expression.
“Of course, I don’t doubt or disregard your judgment as a Watcher. But a crisis in Suretoruht? Dragons causing a city crisis…”
His chuckling did little to affect Resham, whose expression barely changed.
Merely maintaining consistent discomfort, the so-called mayor—an elderly man—shook his head.
“As you can see, the gates of Suretoruht aren’t something dragons can simply overcome. You know that, don’t you?”
He knew. Yet Resham’s finely honed intuition told him something was wrong.
“No matter how senseless these beasts may be, after repeated failures, they’d realize the impossibility and give up.”
Generally speaking, that would seem true.
But Resham couldn’t shake off the uneasiness.
“From the Mareza City Union to the imperial territory, wild dragons living in the mountains to domesticated ones in dragon farms have all gone berserk. Does this seem normal? I suspect there’s a conspiracy…”
“Of course! It’s not normal. However, I don’t think this is as grand as a conspiracy.”
Being a former watcher, it’s natural you’re suspicious. The casually added remark made Resham frown.
“Are you mocking the watchers?”
“Certainly not. Though I am of the Guardian lineage, I’ve retired. Holding such preconceptions would be troublesome. I’m merely stating facts.”
Thud, thud. Following the walking mayor, Resham moved forward as the man sighed while strolling through the wide, pristine temple.
“This dragon… rampage? It’s related to the recent surge in priest activities. The emergence of strong predators has made the dragons sensitive, causing them to relocate. It’s a kind of collective reaction.”
“Speculation.”
“The dragon species itself originated from the divine, so it’s not speculation! And if it is speculation… Watcher Resham, your talk of a conspiracy could also be speculation.”
Let’s broaden our perspective. The subtle contempt in his added words went unnoticed by Resham, who didn’t respond to insults directed at himself as an individual.
After all, Resham was an old Green.
Thus, the veteran Green fell silent with an uncomfortable expression.
‘No evidence to present.’
While watchers investigate corruption among priests within the empire, guardians search for traces of priest corruption.
So, mentioning priests put Resham at a disadvantage.
The quiet Resham prompted the mayor to speak gently.
“Most importantly, the festival must continue. Especially during times like this, we must show the resilience of our empire! We must demonstrate to the priests that our empire isn’t an easy adversary!”
Listening to this while contemplating possible solutions, Resham observed the approaching rumbling sound.
“Oh, they’ve arrived.”
Lost in thought, Resham also looked up and saw the approaching coffin.
A heavy stone coffin carried on a cart.
Inside the luxurious, snow-white stone coffin lay a beautiful woman.
With jade-like skin, wide-open eyes, golden irises, and silver hair.
It was the body of a deity.
The daughter of Law and Order and one of the most loyal beings who worked tirelessly for the empire’s revival until the end—a lesser divinity.
The Goddess of Oaths.
A deity already dead, forever preserved in her beautiful state.
Her remains were covered with white steel.
The coffin was filled with white steel.
White steel clung to the goddess’s skin and tangled in her hair.
Despite the white steel covering half of her golden left eye, her beauty remained undiminished, even enhanced by the metallic attachment.
An awe-inspiring sight.
Unlike the mayor, who placed his hands on his chest, closed his eyes, and prayed, Resham did not pray.
He merely stared at the coffin with wide eyes before speaking.
“Recently, have there been reports of dragon attacks in cities other than Suretoruht?”
Taken aback by the unexpected question, the mayor irritably opened his eyes and shrugged.
“There haven’t been any particular incidents elsewhere. They’ve only been here. Perhaps their base is nearby.”
As the mayor returned to praying, Resham gripped his shoulder with a somewhat pale face.
Startled by Resham’s serious, almost sickly expression, the mayor froze.
“Recently, have there been cities other than Suretoruht where the remains of gods have been displayed?”
“No… there haven’t been.”
The straightforward answer. Resham took a deep breath and looked at the coffin.
The Goddess of Oaths inside the coffin.
All that remained of her was practically white steel.
White steel unusable under normal circumstances but not to certain beings.
Dragons, which change the nature of their scales by consuming metals.
“The bastards behind the dragons are after the white steel.”
Resham voiced the suspicion that had been troubling him, and the mayor frowned at it.
“Nonsense. Do you really think that makes sense? Even if it were true, it wouldn’t be a problem.”
Shrugging off Resham’s hand on his shoulder, the mayor continued with a sneering smile.
“The gates of Suretoruht won’t fall. They stood firm even during the martial monk attack that destroyed Fort Coda a thousand years ago. For centuries, Suretoruht’s gates have been immortal. So…”
And just as the mayor was about to dismiss Resham, the ground trembled.
Rumble, the sound of the earth cracking and flipping echoed.
A distant noise, barely discernible. Following the earthquake was a deafening roar.
A horrific sound like violently crushing scrap metal.
Too far away to hear clearly. As the mayor steadied himself after stumbling from the shaking ground, both he and Resham looked at each other with startled expressions.
It wasn’t staged.
Then?
Turning their heads curiously backward, Resham and the mayor finally saw it.
KWAHHHHHH!
Something flying in, breaking through the snow-white temple, and crashing right into the center.
Something enormous, at least 20 meters long.
The temple floor cracked, chunks of stone flew everywhere, shattering well-baked glass.
Debris scattered, the screaming temple. Inside the dying old building, the guardian and the watcher watched the incoming object with different expressions.
It was the gate of Suretoruht, which the mayor had confidently declared immortal.
The grotesquely torn, twisted, and bent gate.
When the two Greens recognized the gate,
ROAR!
The cry of a dragon was heard.
