By Zephyria 
Monday morning of the third week of May.
It had been a week since I started sitting in the office, with aides coming and going. Now I had become adept at immediately grasping and reading each document number and agenda. Therefore, the aides resumed their reports in the usual manner, the same format as before I took this seat.
Ruben, just by hearing the document number, would immediately recall when, by whom, and why it was proposed, and enjoyed discussing with the aides the shortcomings of previous reports and the flaws in newly added documents.
The sun was particularly bright today.
There were many trees surrounding the Crystal Palace. Because of them, on days like this when the sun was bright, the fragrant scent of grass would waft up to the office.
Since Ruben had no time to rest even on the weekend, I was also confined to the office. I didn’t feel dissatisfied, as time passed quickly just by sitting quietly and observing Ruben’s stern profile.
Throat.
Come to think of it, Ruben’s Adam’s apple is quite prominent. If I were to bite it…
“Your Majesty!”
I was startled as if my wicked thoughts had been discovered.
Philip Swanson, Ruben’s attendant, who was already familiar to me, burst through the door. He was usually quite well-behaved. It was unusual for him to make such a loud noise and rush about so erratically, which made me quite curious.
Ruben asked coolly.
“What is it?”
“A Dragon… A Dragon has come!”
“…What?”
“For now, in the reception room… Hck!”
“I was too impatient to wait, so I came directly. I heard the news, Mikael. Congratulations?”
Spiritus, who suddenly poked his head out from behind Philip, tossed something towards me. I caught it quickly; it was a silk pouch about the size of my fist. Wondering what it was, I opened it, but it was just dark inside, and I couldn’t see anything.
“I brought as much as I could fit into this subspace pouch. As a wedding gift.”
“Ah… No, how did you know.”
“My sister said so. She said that no matter what, it wouldn’t do to let you get married empty-handed, so the gods who could come should come and congratulate you. Our second sibling said she couldn’t make it and apologized, so half of this is what I extorted from her. Didn’t you hear?”
“…What?”
The only person Spiritus could refer to as “sister” was the First Goddess. As I hadn’t visited the shrine recently due to being preoccupied, this was news to me.
Ruben immediately wrote something on the corner of the report he was holding and passed it to me.
「Dragon Heart」
I understood immediately and flipped over the report.
“I apologize, Ruben. I will stand up for a moment and go greet our guest.”
“Yes, don’t worry about me and go.”
Ruben gently held my fingertips.
As I stood up and kissed Ruben’s temple, Spiritus’s face contorted. Ruben, still seated, smiled faintly at Spiritus. I worried inwardly about whom he was trying to charm with such a beautiful smile.
“My apologies for the late greeting, Spiritus. Thank you for congratulating us on our marriage.”
“Uh… yes. You look happy?”
“Thanks to you. Philip, please prepare refreshments in the first reception room.”
“…Yes!”
“Us.”
For some reason, my earlobes tingled. I just smiled.
❖ ❖ ❖
The first reception room was one that was only opened for state guests and was not usually used. Spiritus, after looking around the dazzlingly ornate room, which was kept free of even a speck of dust, threw himself onto the sofa with a sprawling posture.
“Ugh, I feel alive now.”
“Did you have a tiring day?”
“Didn’t you hear me? I met with our second sibling. The Shatun Desert is quite chaotic these days.”
“Why?”
“It’s become difficult to control the Mutants created by the Black magicians. Still, they contain small soul fragments, so we can’t just melt them all away, it’s a mess. At first, they tried to melt them all away, but then the sun grew larger, and the desert temperature rose. Biban and Yulan, who are half-blocked by the Indus Canyon, are in a better situation, but the desert dwellers are suffering immensely.”
“Desert dwellers?”
“Uh, humans who used to roam and live in the desert. Our third sibling is also there, struggling to protect them. Still, she begged and pleaded to be brought here to see your wedding. I promised to open a portal for her, so you might even see her face at the Oasis on the day.”
“Hmm.”
“Gano said he’d come then too.”
Indeed, portals were very useful.
I briefly considered seating Spiritus on Sierren’s lap, but seeing him lounge with one thick leg propped on the back of the sofa, I immediately gave up. Even if I were a god, Ruben was the Emperor of a nation; wouldn’t it be uncomfortable for me to see him behave so casually in front of him?
“You came early, considering that.”
“How can I count months or even weeks one by one? I was afraid I’d miss the wedding in the blink of an eye and get thoroughly scolded, so I figured it was better to come and wait. At least if I’m mixed in with humans, I won’t forget the date I need to open a portal.”
“Hmm.”
“What. Are you grateful?”
“…Yes.”
For some reason, it felt awkward to meet Spiritus’s gaze.
I recalled a casual remark he had made before, offering to heal me if I got hurt. Spiritus had a fondness for the Ninth God. He had readily given me the monsters he raised for the Ninth God and had abandoned his Lair to sit alone in a desolate cave. He doted on his youngest sibling so much that he showed no complaints.
Hadn’t I been the one to end the life of that youngest sibling whom he cherished so dearly?
Sensing my thoughts, he waved his hand as if to say, “Sit down too.” As I obediently sat in the opposite seat, there was a knock, and the door opened. Philip Swanson, looking pale, briefly placed tea and sweets down and was ordered to leave the vicinity, sending away all nearby people.
Waiting until no one was left around the reception room, Spiritus spoke.
“Is this because of the previous youngest?”
“…What?”
“Don’t be so awkward. I told you before, it wasn’t your fault.”
Just as relationships between people aren’t always clear-cut, the relationships between gods must be the same. I knew little about connections that spanned a thousand years. However, I knew well the pain of losing a close friend with whom I had associated and held dear for decades.
Even without me, he would have done wicked things, and I knew I was merely swept up in his rampage, yet it still affected me. The uncomfortable feeling that had settled like sediment in my heart, tormenting me, was something I hadn’t felt when I saw the Sun God and the God of Records grinding their teeth while looking at the Ninth.
“…Still…. I apologize.”
“Yes… Well, I’ll accept the apology for now. That’s all.”
“And thank you. I had no way to contact you, so I hadn’t even thought of it, but thank you for preparing this.”
Saying this, I pushed the plate of sweets towards him.
Spiritus raised one eyebrow, looked directly at me, and smiled faintly as he reached for the plate.
The tea contained cinnamon, and the plate held jerky and cheese. It was more like a drinking spread than a tea party. I swallowed my surprise, choosing not to show it.
Spiritus picked up a piece of jerky, about the size of his palm, and put it in his mouth.
“Why would you have no way to contact me? Didn’t your sister teach you how to deliver Divine Revelations?”
“Ah, that’s because I haven’t shed my human form, so I can’t. Even now.”
I immediately used Sound Transmission.
[I can speak like this, but I can only do it if the other person’s Divine Body is within about 3km of me. It’s probably a habit from my past life that remains.]
“What? That’s peculiar. Well, not all gods are the same, are they? Even among us, we’re all different.”
“Perhaps, Sister…?”
“…What?”
“May I ask how much of your memory from the previous world you retain?”
Spiritus, who had been lying there with a strange expression, swallowed the jerky he had been nibbling on and chewed it with a crunch. It was strange how such a sound could be made by human teeth.
Spiritus, wiping his hands and sitting up, rolled his eyes for a moment and sank deeply into the sofa.
“Were there no Dragons in your world?”
“Yes. There were legends of Dragons, but we weren’t close to them. Most anomalies were merely spiritual beings, like the monsters of this land.”
“I see… Where I lived, Dragons forget nothing.”
“…Nothing?”
Spiritus laughed and tapped his head with his index finger. Even in his current human form, he was quite large, but I had seen his true form before.
“Yes. Basically, since they are larger than humans, their cerebrum area is vast. The longer they live, the more they remember. In my past life, I was an Ancient Dragon, about eight thousand years old. I died in battle.”
“…Against what?”
“Things that came from other worlds?”
“Yes?”
“Hoo, don’t worry. Nothing like that will happen in this land now.”
“…How can you be so sure?”
“In the world I came from, there were no gods. Sometimes there are worlds like that. Worlds created a very long time ago, but the gods left, yet the inhabitants coexisted and maintained peace for a long period. I heard that several Dragons had lived long lives and departed before me, so it was a very old world.”
“Hmm.”
“But why that?”
“That’s…”
How should I begin?
I was cautious, fearing I might be digging into the other’s wounds, but with Ruben’s command, I couldn’t feign ignorance. I took a sip of tea with a polite demeanor and set down the teacup.
“…Recently, I discovered the legacy of Karzentia. I was wondering if you knew anything about it.”
“…Karzentia?”
“Yes. I heard… she was a third-generation Dragon.”
“…Ah. When did she die again?”
“About five hundred years ago.”
“…Right. It’s been that long already.”
Spiritus slowly rubbed his cheek with his thumb and then suddenly sat up.
“Where is it? Let me see.”