The day after conquering the dungeon at the foot of the Devil’s Mountain.
Rei, who had been reading a paperback, suddenly looked up, narrowing his amethyst-colored eyes, wearing an expression as though he was peering far into the distance.
“What’s wrong, Rei?”
I had been leisurely browsing for things to buy while lying on the living room sofa bed, but his unusual expression caught my attention.
“Well, I think it’s about time to check for any abnormalities on the continent. Perhaps I’ve played around a little too much…”
“Check for abnormalities? Oh, you’re talking about your job as a divine beast.”
“That’s right. The magic essence has grown too dense, so I need to purify the stagnant places. Also, I regularly patrol dungeons where the monsters or magical beasts might spill over due to halted expeditions.”
“Ah, so dungeon overflow really happens after all…”
“Yes. Dungeons where people don’t venture, like this Devil’s Mountain Dungeon, are also part of it. I used to check them once every hundred years, but this time, thanks to Tohma and Ketsue, we were able to reduce the number of monsters. I appreciate that.”
Rei smiled lightly, tilting his head, which made me feel a bit embarrassed.
“No, it was thanks to you that the dungeon was easier to clear! Plus, I got a lot of points too!”
I grinned mischievously.
Rei immediately turned his whole body to face me, clearly interested, and asked in a hushed voice.
“How much did you get?”
“Heh, prepare to be amazed. Right now, the points I have from clearing the Devil’s Mountain Dungeon are—”
I pulled up the screen of the summoning magic online store and slowly began counting.
Not only Rei, but Ketsue, the cat fairy, was also sitting with sparkling eyes, waiting. So cute.
“142,853,500 points!”
“Unbelievable…”
“Meow…?”
Even the golden dragon seemed surprised, widening his narrow eyes to the fullest. Ketsue clearly didn’t understand what was going on—he’s a cat, after all. Numbers? One, two, three… lots! That’s how it probably looked to him. So cute (again).
“I’ve crossed the 100 million mark! With this, I could easily buy a three-story cottage! Not that I will though!”
“You won’t buy it?”
“Well, it’s not really necessary, is it? The two-story container house is extremely comfortable.”
Rei looked around the inside of the container house and nodded, acknowledging that it was indeed quite good.
“It’s enough for one person and one cat, right? Plus, it’s easy to move. …Ah, since I’m at it, should I add another room for you, Rei?”
“Hmm? A room for me?”
“Yeah. You can’t keep hanging around the living room forever. If I connect another container house, you’ll be able to enjoy reading in peace.”
Rei’s amethyst eyes wavered in surprise, as though he was hesitating, asking whether it was really okay.
“Of course it’s okay. It’s a thank you for helping with the dungeon. I’ll make sure to furnish it properly, so once your patrol mission on the continent is done, you can come visit anytime.”
As I casually told him, his face lit up like a radiant smile. It was a dazzling, handsome grin!
Suddenly, he leapt at me, lifted me under my arms, and spun me around with great force.
“Whoa!? Hey, I get it, I’m happy too, but calm down! I’m getting dizzy! Also, Ketsue, this isn’t a game, so stop looking at me with sparkling eyes!”
I managed to thump his broad, firm back a few times until he finally let me down.
“I thought I was gonna die…”
Breathing heavily, Rei smiled apologetically, saying “Sorry” with a grin.
Yeah, you definitely don’t seem all that sorry.
But whatever.
Ketsue, rubbing up against my legs, seemed to be asking for more attention, so I picked him up and gave him a playful “high-high” toss. Ketsue joyfully purred in delight. Cats really do love high places. As for me, it was pretty exhausting.
It was slightly embarrassing how easily Rei picked me up despite our height difference.
(I’m definitely going to grow big and get my revenge…)
As a long-lived high elf, my potential for growth was certainly enormous.
“I’m happy to hear you’ll prepare a room for me. I’ve been living alone for so long, and no one has ever said something like that to me.”
“…Does the golden dragon have no companions?”
“The golden dragon is the only divine beast in the world.”
“U-um, no dragon companions or anything?”
“There are other dragons, but we rarely interact with them since our species is different.”
So, Rei had lived alone on the peak of the Devil’s Mountain without family or companions.
(That must have been lonely. I was also suddenly transported to this world, and I almost got depressed from being alone with no one to talk to…)
He had lived that way for over a thousand years.
It made sense that he would be lonely.
Now it made sense why he seemed unusually affectionate, but still, I was a little surprised.
“I see… Then, I guess we’re similar. I was also sent to this world alone, and Ketsue is the only one left of the Cat Sith tribe. Our species may be different, but we’ve gotten along fine, right?”
“Yeah, that’s true. Living here has been really fun. I’ve learned a lot of new things, and I got to eat some delicious food from this world.”
“Then, we’re basically like family or friends, right?”
“Family… friends…?”
I wasn’t even sure what I was saying anymore.
But I suddenly felt that I wanted to give this lonely, homesick dragon a place to escape to whenever he needed it.
(How strange… I originally thought of using him for my own benefit, but… I guess I’m just being weird.)
A wry smile escaped me.
It had only been about two weeks.
Spending time with the golden dragon had bound us together. It couldn’t be helped.
“Heh… It’s the first time anyone has made such light-hearted remarks to the golden dragon, a divine beast. You really are the summoner hero.”
“Well, I’m just a bait who got dragged into all this.”
“Heh. You’re amusing. But I don’t mind it. I’ll thank you for your kindness. I still have a book I was reading, so I’ll definitely visit again.”
“Yeah. Finish your work and come back soon. When you return, we’ll build your room together.”
“You’ll let me choose?”
“Within the budget, sure.”
“Heh, heh. You’re interesting. Really, you’re quite the amusing guy, Tohma . Stay with me for a while.”
“Huh?”
“Let’s go outside. I have something to give you.”
◆◇◆
I stepped outside the container house.
I had been moved outside the boundary to avoid damaging the garden and the fields. Since the surrounding area had been cleared to improve visibility, there was no problem with the plaza.
Standing at a slightly distant spot, Rei transformed into a golden dragon. As it spread its wings, the majestic divine beast was even larger than the container house, and I found myself momentarily mesmerized by its appearance.
‘I thought I’d thank you for all the help.’
“Well, the joint effort in the dungeon was enough of a thank you.”
‘Well, take it anyway. It’s said to fetch a pretty high price in human countries, so you’ll probably get a lot of points for it.’
“Eh? What?”
The golden dragon scratched its neck like a cat with its back legs, then gently extended one of its front legs toward me. In its sharp claws was a shimmering golden scale.
“Wha…! You shed your own scale?!”
‘It was about to come off anyway, so I just took it. Just change it into points and use it for shopping.’
“No, no! It must hurt to shed a scale!”
‘For you humans, it’s about the same as pulling a single hair out. Don’t worry about it.’
The dragon snorted, puffing out its chest proudly.
I had imagined it would be as painful as having a claw pulled out, so I was relieved when it said it was like pulling out a hair.
“Ah… I appreciate it, but the items I’m gifted can’t be turned into points. It has to be materials I gather myself.”
‘Ah, now that you mention it, that’s true. Then, you should remove it yourself, Tohma . I think you have a blade blessed by the god of creation, don’t you?’
“Eh, you mean this knife? Well, I have it… but wait, you want me to peel off your scale?!”
It was a nightmare. I’ve dissected animals I’ve hunted, but they were all already dead. I couldn’t bring myself to do something like peeling off live scales, it felt like torture.
‘There’s a scale here, underneath my jaw, that’s half coming off. New scales are growing underneath, so it’s getting in the way. Take it off.’
“Eh? …Oh, it really is coming off. Is it not painful?”
‘It’s actually itchy. Hurry up and take it off.’
When it asked me seriously, I had no choice but to do it.
I carefully approached the dragon and placed the camping knife against the loose scale.
◆◇◆
“The scale I peeled off myself is worth thirty million points.”
When I thought of it as a palm-sized scale being worth thirty million yen, it was truly incredible.
The dragon itself seemed rather proud, as if it had fetched quite a good price. Is that okay? Well, I suppose it is…
I decided to gratefully use the points. By the way, I also ended up receiving the scale Rei had shed himself.
Golden dragon scales can be used as materials for weapons and armor, and can be sold for a high price in human settlements, so Rei had insisted that I keep them.
The scale was very hard and beautiful, so I tucked it into the pocket of my outdoor vest. I felt like it would protect my heart if I kept it in the pocket over my left chest.
A divine beast’s scale… surely that’s the strongest charm, right?
‘Thanks for all your help, Tohma . I’ll be gone for a while, but if you’d like, I could take you near a human settlement.’
At that enticing suggestion, I nodded without hesitation.
