Chapter 180
Matis Drachen and the other Dragonnewts looked exactly like Dragons forced into human form. They had heads resembling horned lizards, batlike wings, scales covering their entire bodies, and sharp claws and fangs. Like the Dragon Puppy from earlier, the number and shapes of their horns and wings varied from individual to individual, which I found interesting.
Still, perhaps surprisingly, the Dragonnewts wore modern-looking outfits. Their weapons were standardized as assault rifles, handguns, and knives, while their armor consisted of camouflage uniforms and something resembling bulletproof vests. How had they obtained all that? Or perhaps they manufactured it themselves.
In short, they looked like members of a special forces unit. Incidentally, there were holes in the sides of their helmets, the backs of their bulletproof vests, and the pants of their camouflage uniforms for their horns, wings, and tails, respectively.
"Our weapons are manufactured using machinery left behind by the Humans who built this facility. There is also equipment here for manufacturing ammunition, so we can distribute it among our warriors."
"Really...? Would you let me take a look around later?"
"Of course. I don't mind."
Iris, who was intensely interested in their weapons and equipment, continued asking Matis questions as we traveled. It seemed she had indeed guessed correctly that they manufactured everything themselves. After our audience with the Dragon God, she had even smoothly secured a promise to let her observe the weapon-manufacturing process. She was quite the skilled negotiator.
As for where we were now, it was inside the elevator of that building. The elevator running through the center of the building had glass walls, giving us a clear view of every floor. Apparently, this was where the Dragonnewts lived.
"Hmm, very sci-fi!"
"I wonder what they used for the building materials."
"Grrr? Kururururu..."
The elevator floor was made of a strange material that was colorless and transparent, yet as soft as carpet. Almost all of us, myself included, found its curious texture amusing. Karu seemed to like it especially, as he repeatedly pressed down on it with his feet and played around.
It must have been ancient technology, but it would be fun if players could make this, too. I'd love to make it Karu's bed. I can already picture the happy look on his face!
"We'll be reaching the top floor soon. Our god is waiting there."
At the end of this elevator ride was the being who stood at the pinnacle of the Dragons. It was deeply moving to think that, after overcoming 'Azure Moon's Trial,' we had finally made it this far.
"The Dragon God, huh...? I wonder how strong they are."
"Hey, don't you dare pick a fight with them, all right?"
Despite having just been fighting moments ago, Jigorou grinned combatively and made that remark. I had come to return the drop item to its rightful owner, not to make an enemy of them. I had to make that clear.
"I know, brother. I won't do anything until you're finished with your business."
"That sounds like you're saying you'll fight once my business is over..."
"Even though Matis-san and his men are right here..."
"Ha ha ha! How spirited! I suppose that's only to be expected from people who possess the qualifications."
Matis and several of his subordinates were riding in the elevator with us, but they apparently weren't offended by Jigorou's words. Was it really all right for us to openly declare that we intended to attack the object of their faith?
"There's no need for concern. Our god is a magnanimous man, and he will gladly accept Jigorou-dono's challenge."
"Is that so? Then I, too, would like to cross swords with the Dragon God."
"Grandpa, too...?"
Genjuro as well!? The moment he learned that fighting the Dragon God was allowed, he put himself forward, which meant he must have secretly wanted to fight all along. This pair of Battle Junkies made for remarkably reassuring companions. But couldn't they do something about their overwhelming desire to fight?
"Striving for greater heights is a noble pursuit. Now, we have arrived. Please come this way."
While we were clutching our heads, the elevator doors opened with a chime. When we stepped out, we found ourselves in a space filled with magnificent paintings and sculptures. And 'filled' was not a figure of speech. The ceiling, walls, and even floor had all become part of a single enormous canvas.
Every motif depicted a record of battle. In one place, Humans were waging war against one another with hideous monsters and gigantic weapons, while elsewhere a Dragon and a giant were locked in a valiant one-on-one duel. The space depicted battles from legends throughout history and across the world, and even Jigorou was overwhelmed, standing there with his mouth half open.
I had been intimidated by the power of the art, but then I noticed a huge door roughly five meters tall directly in front of the elevator entrance. The wooden door was naturally covered in paint and reliefs as well, and it had two motifs. The right-hand door depicted a single Dragon reigning atop the corpses of various monsters, while the left-hand door depicted a beautiful goddess smiling with her arms spread wide.
A golden Dragon with three pairs of wings—six in total—and four straight, upright horns. Surely this must be the Dragon God. Its majestic form combined an imposing presence worthy of a god with an overwhelming divinity.
As for the goddess, the holy symbol of a rose floating within a black ring identified her as Maria, the 'Goddess of Darkness and Pleasure.' She was an extremely sexy goddess, with raven-black hair and a tight dress that clearly showed off her stunning figure. Perhaps that was only natural for a goddess who presided over pleasure. According to Agnasrelim-sama, the Dragon God-sama had stopped rampaging when a goddess descended, so that goddess must have been Maria.
Judging from the reliefs of the Dragon God and the goddess, this must be what was commonly called an 'audience chamber.' When Matis reverently touched the door, it began to open slowly. At last, we were about to meet the Dragon God.
"Shall we go, everyone?"
We stepped forward, our nervousness and anticipation rising in equal measure. The room was unexpectedly simple. A large table made from what appeared to be fine wood stood in the center, surrounded by about fifty glossy leather sofas. Huh? Rather than an 'audience chamber,' this looked more like a conference room.
"Oh, you're here. I've been waiting for you."
"Welcome."
Two people were seated at the head of the table. One was the goddess Maria, whose likeness had appeared in the relief on the door. Unlike that image, she wore a gorgeous crimson dress and gold ornaments. In reality, the dynamite figure depicted in the relief would have made my eyes wander, but I was far more astonished by the fact that a goddess was actually here, so I had no time to worry about that.
But one problem remained. Under normal circumstances, the only person who should have been sitting in that seat was the Dragon God. Yet why was a beautiful, golden-haired, golden-eyed boy in a suit sitting there, his boy-soprano voice completely at odds with his casual way of speaking?
"A child?"
"Calling me a child is quite an opening, little wanderer. I'm Almadelx, known as the world's strongest Dragon God!"
The boy puffed out his chest and replied to Shishu's mutter with supreme confidence. Yes, I had to admit it. He really was the Dragon God, Almadelx-sama. I had never heard his name before, and I had imagined him as a stern, imposing figure, so I was more than a little shaken by his appearance.
"It is an honor to be granted an audience..."
"Ah, relax. Stiff formalities aren't my thing! And sit down already. What else are those chairs for? Also, Matis, bring some cushions for those youngsters over there."
"Understood."
I composed myself and tried to offer my greeting, but Almadelx-sama waved a hand with an annoyed look on his face. He clearly disliked overly formal speech. He also urged us to take our seats.
I sat in the place closest to the two of them, while everyone else apparently sat wherever there was room. Wool and the other nonhumanoid members could not sit, so they settled onto cushions that Matis-dono brought for them. Now that we had settled in, I would try speaking normally.
"Understood. My name is Izaam, and I am the leader of the clan 'Nightwalker.'"
"You're still stiff, but... never mind. Izaam, you came all the way to this remote place and beat that obnoxious bastard. That makes you more than qualified to meet me, but... what do you want?"
What? A wish? What did he mean?
"Depending on what you want, I might even give you a reward. You seem to be a buddy of little Agna's, so I'll be willing to negotiate to some extent."
"A reward? Negotiations? What exactly are you talking about?"
The 'little Agna' definitely meant Agnasrelim-sama. More importantly, we had not come looking for a reward or to negotiate. We had traveled all the way here to return something to its rightful owner. Wasn't there some kind of misunderstanding between us?
"Huh? What are you talking about? You're after my treasure, aren't you? My wife tells me that's just how wanderers are..."
"Your wife? Um, could you possibly mean...?"
"Yeah. Maria."
"Hello. I'm his wife."
This was an astonishing revelation. I had assumed that the Dragon God Almadelx-sama had either been persuaded by or forced by Maria, the 'Goddess of Darkness and Pleasure,' to give up searching for his secret treasure. So when I saw the two of them together, I had simply concluded that they must have reconciled.
But that was wrong. Far from reconciling, the two of them had become husband and wife. How had that even happened...?
"I descended to stop this man from having his Dragons search for treasure, but he courted me then. Very passionately, too."
"It was love at first sight. I gave up the stolen treasure because I'd found something even more valuable."
"Oh, darling..."
Apparently, it really had been love at first sight. And now the gods had started flirting in front of us. Was the pairing of a beautiful woman and a beautiful boy a popular genre with some people?
In any case, we had identified the cause of the misunderstanding between us and the Dragon God. We had come this far 'to accomplish our objective,' but the Dragon God had mistakenly assumed that 'coming here was our objective.'
We had certainly gone through considerable hardship to reach this place, so it was not unreasonable for him to think that. But we had to clear up the misunderstanding. He did not seem particularly attached to the treasure, but we should go ahead and accomplish our original purpose.
"Almadelx-sama. The reason I came here—rather than we, strictly speaking—is that treasure which was stolen from you."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
First, I took the small cushion Iris had made from my Inventory and placed it on the table. Then I took out the Dragon Orb and placed it on top. Almadelx-sama and Maria-sama stared at it in wide-eyed surprise.
"I have returned the Dragon Orb."
"...I see. So that's why you came here—to return it."
Almadelx-sama slowly picked up the Dragon Orb and stroked its surface, looking as though he might cry. He had made his Dragon kin search for it with enough fervor to risk destroying the world, so it must have been very important to him. The emotion welling up in his affectionate eyes showed how deeply he felt about it.
"This is a debt far too great to leave unpaid... Maria, how do you think I should repay them?"
"Well... first, here you go."
――――――――――
God Quest: 'Dragon God's Secret Treasure' completed!
You acquired the Skill 【Maria's Blessing】.
Your tamed monster, Karnagtool, acquired 【Almadelx's Blessing】.
――――――――――
A quest clear!? Even though I hadn't accepted it... And 【Maria's Blessing】? Karu got 【Almadelx's Blessing】 too...? What incredible generosity!
"This is my thanks to everyone. I made it take the form of quest rewards. Consider it payment for an achievement of this magnitude."
"I'm not a goddess, so I can only grant blessings to my own kind. Sorry about that."
Maria-sama winked as she said this. When I looked around at everyone, they all seemed to have acquired 【Maria's Blessing】. Apparently, Almadelx-sama could only grant blessings to Dragons, so Karu was the only one among us who received his. It seemed he would have given us blessings as well if he had been able to.
"But even this isn't enough to settle my debt... I know! I'll give you that. Come with me!"
"Oh my... Well then, shall we go?"
No sooner had Almadelx-sama said this than he stood up and hurried out of the room. Unsure what else to do, we followed after him at Maria-sama's urging.