By Zephyria 
As the children’s crying finally subsided, my parents entered the room.
In the end, the whole family couldn’t hold back and burst into tears. It had been a long time since I had shown tears in front of others, which was embarrassing, but since it was crying out of joy, I felt as if a weight had been lifted from my chest.
After the commotion died down, my parents asked me to call my companions, saying they would prepare luncheon.
I readily agreed to their words, expressing gratitude for their companionship, for healing Asdel this time, and for all the future reasons they would give me to be thankful, wanting to repay them in some way.
From what Michael had said yesterday, it seemed my family didn’t know I had been to the Magic territory.
The Magic territory and the Yuil Mountains are practically the same place to civilians. I figured Ruben had his reasons for not explaining in detail, so I told my companions to just say we had been traveling around the Yuil Mountains.
Come to think of it, only my companions and Shayden knew that Spiritus was a Dragon. I wasn’t sure what the Knights who watched her spar with me thought. It’s a short trip to the capital, so I just hoped they wouldn’t say anything unnecessary to Ruben.
Everyone in the luncheon hall was beaming.
From the servants to the maids, the staff, and the housekeepers, everyone had a smile on their face. Even the attendant who had looked at us suspiciously at first was now cheerfully serving food. I was overjoyed, feeling the warmth of their kindness.
It was here that I could finally properly introduce my companions.
Gano Paquin introduced himself as a Mage, and Spiritus as the Mercenary Peter. My parents and Michael might have heard that I travel with a god, but I didn’t feel the need to go into lengthy explanations about their existence in such a public place.
Because of an old custom of giving girls male names and boys female names to wish for longevity, no one found Spiritus’s strong-sounding name suspicious.
Asdel sat with two thick shawls draped over his shoulders.
Despite the variety of delicious dishes placed all around, Asdel only had a bowl of plain porridge in front of him. Yet, the child was delighted, with a bright smile, saying it had been a long time since he sat like this.
The children had many questions.
“So, did everyone here go on a pilgrimage with you, Oppa?”
“Yes. Though these three joined us a bit later.”
“Then you must have seen the Oasis and the Temple of the Sun God! What were they like?”
Hugh Benson, who had been warmly responding to the child’s greeting, froze for a moment.
I couldn’t tell them that the Oasis had summoned Sandworms to trick us, nor could I explain that we fled from a horde of zombies only to be saved by the Sun God at the last moment.
As much as Michael and Asdel tried to act mature, they were not yet adults. While Hugh Benson looked at me, asking with his eyes how much I would reveal, Mage Boulder quickly interjected.
“I joined later, so I didn’t see the Shatun Desert, but I saw the Golden Turtle! Young Lady, I don’t know if you’ve heard the story, but Lord Ernhardt here personally went into the waters of the Indus Bay and brought the Golden Turtle ashore!”
“Wow! I did hear about it. It caused quite a stir at the 4th Magic Tower for a while.”
“I rushed here immediately because I wanted to see it with my own eyes. It looked like a sea turtle so enormous it could fill this villa’s garden, and honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever see such a radiant holy relic in my life again. I was almost blinded.”
“Wow.”
“I even went inside the Golden Turtle’s belly! It was so fragrant and dizzying, Young Lady, you couldn’t possibly imagine. Its throat was wide enough for a person to stoop and enter, and inside, all sorts of jewels sparkled…”
Gano Paquin and Spiritus’s expressions gradually turned grim.
Perhaps I should shut that mouth.
The reason for the treasure inside the Golden Turtle’s belly was the presence of a wealthy human’s corpse. Fragrant, my foot. Thinking of Mage Boulder, who had been emitting a corpse odor within a fifty-meter radius, I wanted to check if his nose had gone numb.
With nowhere to look, I was cutting and eating the meat placed before me when Michael, with an intrigued expression, asked,
“You said your brother defeated the God of Memory. Did you see that too?”
“Ah, of course! It was truly artistic!”
As I was contemplating how to silence Mage Boulder, a Magic Formula suddenly appeared above the table. Asdel, who had been listening intently while eating a couple of spoonfuls of porridge, blushed deeply on both cheeks. Not only the children but even my parents couldn’t close their mouths, which hung open like those of children.
A Black Dragon the size of a doll Asdel might hug, and humans the size of a fingernail, moved like a puppet show before the children’s eyes through an Illusion spell.
The dragon, barely emerging halfway from a large lake, acted quite villainously, spewing Breath and swiping its forelegs. Over a dozen Knights rained attacks from the dragon’s rear, while a pink-haired figure, distracting the dragon, leaped ceaselessly, drawing its sword.
I stared blankly at the colorful Sword energy flashing like light. It was more like a fireworks display than a puppet show. The reconstructed battle scene, which lasted less than a moment, was not fierce, culminating in the Black Dragon crumbling into beautiful bubbles as it couldn’t withstand the attacks. It was beautiful.
Spiritus let out a scoff and glared at Gano Paquin. I noticed him avert his gaze far away with a sullen expression. The moment the bubble-like foam completely dissipated, and silence descended upon the table where light had once gleamed.
“Bel Vifer!”
“Bel Vifer!”
Benjamin and Asdel exclaimed simultaneously.
“Did Oppa defeat Bel Vifer?”
“Did you really see Bel Vifer? You said it was just a dragon’s illusion!”
I had simply beaten it to death because it attacked ferociously, so how would I know its name? I recalled the creature that had just blasted Breath without giving us time for introductions. We had no time to introduce ourselves, nor was there any need.
My speech caught in my throat, and I turned my gaze to Gano Paquin. Benjamin seemed to realize his mistake then, but Asdel, who knew him only as a Mage, was beside himself with joy, wringing his small hands.
“Were you there too, Mage-nim? Was it really, really Bel Vifer?”
“It… it was an illusion of Bel Vifer. Though it’s said the size was similar in reality, it wasn’t the Dragon itself. Isn’t Bel Vifer known to have died over two hundred years ago?”
“Ah, ah, I see… That makes sense. But to be large enough to fill the Lake of Memories, that’s truly amazing. I’m jealous… I want to see a Dragon too.”
“What if a Dragon eats you in one bite?”
“Wouldn’t it be okay if Oppa went with me? Look, Oppa killed Bel Vifer, even if it was an illusion.”
“What on earth is it?”
“It’s a Dragon known as a warmonger. It was famous for its ferocious nature, combined with the dark color of Contaminated Mana… There’s a legend that Felix, who once declared he would make Bel Vifer his Guardian Dragon, angered the Dragon and caused the capital to be half-destroyed, after which the nation couldn’t recover.”
“There are also tales that it had a rather close relationship with the First Goddess. It’s said to have enjoyed amusing itself in the Sierran Empire. It was reportedly adopted by various noble families as a son, though it couldn’t claim the Emperor’s throne.”
“At that time, many people who had slightly dark eyes, hair, or skin would boast that they were descendants of Bel Vifer. Several of my ancestors were among them.”
Spiritus, watching the two excited children, butted in.
“It wasn’t that much of a rake. It was just very shy.”
“What? Bel Vifer was shy? Which text says that?”
“Just… well, I don’t remember the title of the book, but I definitely saw it.”
The story about it destroying the capital seemed true. What kind of creature destroys someone else’s city because it’s shy?
Though it was hard to believe, it seemed the Dragon had its own standards, so I didn’t argue. Asdel’s expression, still lost in enchantment, was so cute that I couldn’t help but smile.
“Do you like Dragons that much?”
“Of course! Dragons are big, cool, and very strong. The more I learn Magic, the more I like them.”
It seems she won’t give up, even after suffering so much because of that Magic.
I felt both proud and worried. As I closed my mouth with concern, the child added,
“And they’re very, very beautiful!”
“How do you know they’re beautiful?”
“I heard that Dragons have a very high sense of beauty. They said even Elves and Fairies can’t compare. Right, Lord Claudian?”
“Yes, that’s right. They are said to like ornate things, and especially have an excellent aesthetic sense for jewels.”
Perhaps Benjamin Claudian had forgotten who was sitting in front of him?
I looked at Spiritus, wondering what would happen if I told Asdel that the creature before him was a Dragon. Then, Spiritus scowled and mouthed a curse.
‘What are you looking at.’
It was a spoken word so fast it would require a Sword Master’s Eye Force to see. I immediately gave up and resumed eating my food.
Yes, Asdel had been critical even of Ruben. His standards must be quite high. Since he wouldn’t be satisfied with just anything, it was better not to shatter his illusions and protect them well.
With the help of Leon, Boulder, and Hugh Benson, my adventures across the continent were embellished and presented on the table. Benjamin, in particular, delighted the children by recounting how terribly the Goblin Boulder always carried around smelled. Boulder’s shrill voice wasn’t particularly bothersome either.
The luncheon, which began with the meal in the afternoon, continued for quite some time even with dessert served. It finally ended when Asdel showed signs of fatigue and could no longer sit up straight.
My parents took care of the children, and I returned to the drawing-room with my companions.
It had only been a day and a half, but seeing Asdel and Michael laughing vibrantly put my mind at ease. Only one day remained until the promised three days were up.