A heavy silence settled inside the Oracle Chairman. If we were to liken the dragon-like building, it felt like something was stuck in my throat.
Anyway, the elders’ gazes were raw and unfiltered.
What that meant was they were ready to sink their sharp teeth into me at any moment.
If I hadn’t intercepted them, a dagger called the Wrath of the Dragon might have aimed for my forehead next.
“What does that mean?”
Among those sitting at the round table, the only one who couldn’t even grasp the validity of my words was the dragoness, who asked back with a trembling voice.
“I heard it was pirates led by a Pirate Lord. Does that mean they’re not human?”
“The Pirate Lord is indeed human. But the question was whether the pirates are only made up of humans.”
Understanding this, the dragoness murmured softly.
“So, there could be dragonkin among the pirates.”
Immediately, one elder shot back defensively.
“The one called the Pirate Lord is a human born and raised in the kingdom. Those who follow him are also humans he has been with for a long time.”
“They are outlaws roaming the continent. It wouldn’t be strange to find any companions or slaves aboard their ship.”
Clears throat One of the elders began blabbering.
“What does that have to do with anything? Either way, we told them to compensate for the damage caused by the pirates.”
“You’ve changed your words. Until now, you called them ‘humans,’ but now you say ‘pirates.’”
Maybe they’re lizard-like humans or something, but they slyly changed their word choice like a snake. The elder who spoke looked away, as if he had something stuck in his throat.
“If it’s damage done by humans, we will compensate you, but damage done by pirates is different. That’s your fault.”
If they were just humans, it would be fine to call them ‘humans,’ but if the pirates included dragonkin and other species, the responsibility would not fall on us.
From what I knew, pirates included not only humans but also other races. Humans were the majority, but there were dragonkin, elves, dwarves, and beastmen as well.
According to their logic, we would have to demand reparations from every race for the current damage caused by the pirates.
It was nonsense, and prideful dragonkin would absolutely not accept it.
“They were humans.”
At that moment, a heavy voice struck my mind.
The elder presiding over the oracle clasped his hands together and placed them on the table.
It felt like a clear signal they intended to hold their position firmly.
“Were they humans?”
“Yes, they were definitely humans. That’s how we received the report.”
“Then fine. We will conduct a minimal field check and prepare the compensation immediately.”
I couldn’t back down now. The situation where they were clearly lying was too obvious for me to ignore.
As my eyebrows twitched slightly, I momentarily closed my mouth, but there were still 11 other elders left. Among them, one who seemed particularly fierce pressed on.
“Are you saying we are lying right now?”
“You are demanding a considerable compensation amount. It’s only natural that we can’t hand over that amount based solely on your words.”
“Can you say such things in front of the dragonkin who were murdered without reason? In front of their graves, killed mercilessly by your pirates!”
“That’s why we need to be even more certain. For the sake of the victims. To lay their souls to rest.”
Shut your mouth already—sensing my subtle anger, the elder who was arguing with me swallowed hard and leaned back. He almost toppled his chair.
“Fine, I will allow it.”
Was I firmly expressing my stance not to back down any further? Eventually, the presiding elder slowly reached out for his staff.
“However, as we will need protection, Cardinal Theosender will accompany you.”
“I will heed your request.”
At once, Cardinal Theosender placed his fist against his chest and bowed his head. Behind him, Eve and Rin showed faces of discontent, but this wasn’t something we could refuse.
“I will also accompany you!”
The staff in the elder’s hand froze mid-motion, as if interrupted by the dragoness’ sharp shout.
The elder contemplated for a moment, letting out a calm rumble, but Cardinal Theosender exclaimed with shining eyes.
“Fear not, for I am here. Protecting the goddess is part of my duty.”
“If that’s the cardinal’s wish, then very well. Let the dragoness accompany as well.”
Bang bang bang
The staff hit the table, and the oracle was concluded.
The elders, perhaps expressing they no longer wanted to see the dragoness’ face, all stood up at once and turned to leave.
“……”
The dragoness, who had remained in her seat for a moment, glanced at Cardinal Theosender’s face and turned away vigorously, as if she didn’t want to associate with him.
*
The day after the 729th oracle had ended.
We headed towards the sea area which suffered damage, along with the dragoness and her escort, Cardinal Theosender, and a few guards.
It would have been nice if we could have gone through a warp, but I heard both regions had their warp markers brutally destroyed by the pirates’ attacks, so we decided to ride a carriage instead.
Rin, who had hoped to ride a wyvern again, was soon disappointed, but when she saw it wasn’t pulled by horses, her eyes sparkled again.
Calling it a horse was an understatement; it had a sharp appearance, with toes thick like a wyvern instead of hooves.
It felt like looking at a small wingless wyvern.
“It’s a special breed created by mating a horse with a wyvern. A rare creature you can only find in the dragonkin lands.”
“A horse with a wyvern?”
As I asked, imagining something bizarre, Eve nodded sadly while looking at the mare.
“Of course, they wouldn’t have engaged in direct relations… but perhaps, it wasn’t a child they wanted. Compared to horses, they are slower in speed but much stronger.”
“Isn’t it unnecessary? Can’t you just raise a horse to pull the carriage?”
I wondered aloud if it was necessary to stubbornly create this bizarre special breed, and Eve nodded slightly, whispering back.
“Since the Dragon God, Shakallim, fell asleep, the dragonkin have obsessively strived to distinguish themselves from other races. Especially expanding on themes related to dragons. Structures resembling dragons and creatures like this mare are remnants of that.”
“……Right.”
Rin had already informed me that Shakallim was pretending to be asleep. That he was disappointed with the dragonkin and had turned his gaze elsewhere.
Moreover.
“Please carry this.”
“Yes, Dragoness.”
In the distance, the dragoness Zane calmly loaded her baggage, fully aware that the Dragon God was awake.
My top priority was having a conversation with her and arranging a private meeting with Shakallim.
“Could you step back a bit?”
“I am the goddess’ escort. I cannot step back.”
Cardinal Theosender stuck to the side, as if to flaunt that he was the dragoness’ escort.
He had just asked another guard for assistance with the baggage, but he snatched it right away and showed how much he was loading.
Eve, who was watching this beside me, muttered in a drained voice.
“I’ve read many books where such a couple combination appears, you know?”
“Combination…?”
I wondered what she was rambling about, but Eve continued her speech as if I hadn’t understood.
“I’ve seen stories split into various combinations like a kingdom’s princess and her warrior protector, a saint and a paladin, or an actress and a guard. But reality is colder than I imagined.”
“Well, I know Cardinal Theosender is passionately pursuing her.”
“Right? The actual tale would be the opposite. The escort is grumpy and aloof, but secretly caring, causing the princess’s heart to waver! That’s the kind of vibe I was hoping for…”
Eve folded her arms, looking disappointed for a moment, then suddenly gasped and turned to me.
“Wait, is this about Daniel?”
“What?”
Suddenly, what is she talking about?
“Grumpy and aloof on the outside, yet secretly caring, causing someone’s heart to waver…? That’s totally Daniel’s style!”
“Stop with the weird talk! What style are you even talking about?”
Eve spoke as if I was intentionally flirting with women. I desperately tried to refute, but I couldn’t think of a single solid counter.
Looking up at me, Eve exuded an ominous aura and warned.
“Don’t give the dragoness any strange ideas. Got it? Don’t let her suddenly say something like, ‘I want to go with you!’ while finishing our tasks!”
“Come on, make some sense!”
“I’m just warning you! Especially if it’s a time I thought it was my turn! Don’t you dare get too chummy with another girl!”
“Haah, that will absolutely never happen.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“I want to believe you, but I’m inherently anxious.”
Eve, letting out a sigh, pointed her index and middle fingers at my eyes.
“I’ll be watching.”
“That will never happen.”
“If you break your promise, it’s 100 punches. Not a forgiving punch, just a punch! It means I won’t forgive you!”
“Haah, do as you like.”
Eve’s cheeks puffed up with distrust directed at me.
