Tooyama Naruhito And The Hoarding Dragon

“Hm? Guild Master, what is wrong with you? You look as dazed as a pigeon that has been struck by an arrow. That face does not suit you.”

“…Ah, y-yes, no, I am terribly sorry. I gratefully accept the dragon’s words. Everything shall be as your heart desires.”

The Guild Master bowed stiffly, still wearing the face of someone who had seen something impossible.

“Mm, good work. You may withdraw.”

The blond woman was still in a good mood. Resting her cheek on one hand, she turned her gaze back to Tooyama and opened her eyes wide.

“Oh, come to think of it, Husband-dono, those clothes suit you quite well.”

“O-oh, thanks. …You too. That awesome armor was good, but those clothes are amazing too. Somehow, uh, you look like an important person from Rome.”

“Rome, you say? Haha, very well. I shall take it as praise.”

The blond woman laughed merrily.

To the people of the Empire, that sight was truly abnormal.

“Marie-kun, what is that?”

“I… think she is… a dragon…”

The Margrave and the Guild Master. The heads of factions that were quite close to the Dragon Embassy within this city were having their sanity greatly shaken by an impossible sight.

And there were also those who could neither silently watch nor accept that sight.

“…Hey!! Slave!! You are being disrespectful!!”

A high-pitched man’s voice rang out.

He was a handsome young man clad in luxurious equipment and decorated ceremonial armor.

He pointed at Tooyama, and even left his seat, striding toward Tooyama.

“Ah, wait! Clan?! This is bad, seriously bad right now!”

“………”

The narrow-eyed woman in a black sister’s habit who had been sitting beside him tried to stop the man, but it was already too late. The woman in white nun’s robes stayed silent, did not twitch, and only stared into empty space.

“Huh?”

“What is with that attitude, if I have kept silent and listened until now?! Do you know who sits before you!! The guardian deity of the Empire, the knot binding the bond between humans and dragons, the Dragon Shrine Maiden-sama! What manner of attitude is that toward her!!”

The man approached Tooyama with enough force that he seemed ready to punch him at any moment. The sound of his armor was noisy.

“Dragon… Shrine Maiden?”

It was a word he had heard here and there, but he did not understand its meaning. Still, from the sound of it, it was probably one of the names for that armor bastard.

Tooyama began guessing carelessly.

“W-what is that face? Do you mean to say you do not know? There is a limit to disrespect! Normally, a lowborn person of unknown origin like you should not even be permitted to lay eyes on her! That attitude is unforgivable!!”

“Ah, yeah, I see. Brother, stop it. I’m unarmed over here. Take your hand off that grand sword at your waist. I’m so scared I can’t help myself. Well, if flashing a sword at someone who doesn’t even have a weapon is your hobby, then I’ve got nothing else to say.”

Appraisal. Noisy as he was, this man was strong. If they fought one-on-one, Tooyama probably had no chance of winning. It would be a different story if he used Kiriyaiba, though.

In other words, he could kill him at any time. Tooyama was relatively composed.

But that attitude must have offended the young man’s pride.

The young man placed his hand on the sword at his waist.

“Wha—gr—y-you dare mock me!! Come outside!! As a Church Knight, I cannot overlook those words!”

Those honorable men hated being insulted above all else. The sight of a mere slave speaking with a dragon as an equal, and the dissatisfaction that had built up from recent incidents, exploded here—

“Knight.”

That voice fell upon them. It was a branching point. It was a line of death.

“With all due fear, I must speak to the Hoarding Dragon-sama!! This person is clearly toward your honored self—ah?! F-fire, fire?! Ah, aaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

And because of his youth, the knight did not notice it. The moment the knight objected to the dragon’s words, he was wrapped in flames.

“Gya—AAAAAAAAAAA?! D-dragon, why, whyyyyy, only meeee!”

He writhed around on the floor while becoming a human torch.

“Whoa. Seriously?”

Tooyama was plainly creeped out. The smell of burning flesh made him feel a little like vomiting.

“Who gave you permission to chirp? Right now, I am speaking with Husband-dono.”

The woman’s voice was cold to the end. Though it likely did not reach the young man rolling around.

“Oh no, that’s why I told you… Haah, with deepest reverence, our dragon, all responsibility for that fool over there lies with me. However, everything that man said came from thinking too much of your honored self. As the pitiful nature of a person who yearns for dragons, might you please overlook it?”

The narrow-eyed woman in a black sister’s habit. She raised her voice timidly, yet with a rather carefree air.

The blond woman released killing intent that froze the room for an instant, but when she realized the one who had spoken was that narrow-eyed woman in sister’s clothing, her atmosphere softened.

“Hm, money-grubber. Come to think of it, your prophecy was what brought me and Husband-dono together. Very well, I forgive him.”

Snap.

The flames wrapped around the man writhing and thrashing on the floor disappeared as if they had been a lie.

“Ah, gi…”

Charred black.

His beautiful blond hair had melted away, and the blackened human twitched in convulsions.

“Haah, honestly, that is why I did not want to bring him. Dragon Shrine Maiden, that fool over there is nevertheless one of the ten sharpest swords among the blades of our Angel Church. With your generous heart, I humbly request permission to treat him.”

“Oh, what, this one is one of the Ten Knights? Hahahaha! No wonder. I meant to reduce him to cinders, yet he is still breathing. Very well, I permit it. Heal him.”

“Your heart is gratefully received. Svi?”

“Yes, Bishop-sama.”

The small woman in white nun’s robes looked no taller than 140 centimeters.

She trotted over to the charred man, crouched down, and held her hand over him.

“Most high one, place your grace in the palm of my hand.”

A clear voice. Words were woven.

“Sacrament: Healing Hand.”

That was a miracle granted by angels. A heavenly power that only some humans belonging to the church could handle.

The authority of healing acted upon the charred man.

“…U, ah…”

Surprisingly, the man still seemed to be alive. Each time an orange light glowed, he gave a small groan.

“Oh, a saint of the church. True to the rumors, a strong fragrance, a deep fragrance of angels, drifts from you.”

“You honor me with words I do not deserve, Dragon Shrine Maiden.”

“I…”

“Be quiet. The reason you are alive right now is because of the Dragon Shrine Maiden-sama’s whim and because Bishop-sama risked her life to appeal for you. If you do not even understand that, I will kill you here.”

“Kh…”

After that, the man said nothing more.

However, his charred face was turned toward Tooyama. It was grotesque, so Tooyama immediately looked away from it.

“Hahaha, now then, there was a little trouble, but all of you chosen humans gathered here must already understand, yes? Why you were called.”

Once again, the blond woman began speaking.

“This man before my eyes now. This black-haired slave. He is the man who killed me, the Hoarding Dragon. Without a doubt, in a serious duel, I was defeated by this man.”

“That is why I permit it. I permit him to sit before me. I permit him to interrupt my words. I permit him to object to my words. He is the only human species whom I permit to stand equal with me.”

“That Church Knight there must have misunderstood something. That a dragon had been swayed by a human. Hahaha, the price was costly. No. Absolutely not.”

“The only one I permit, the only one who may sway me, is this man alone.”

“If I say this much, then my will has been conveyed to all of you, that is, to the adventure city—no, to the Empire, has it not? From this day forth, I have decided to take this man as my mate. He is the Dragon’s Bridegroom. Consider it an honor, adventure city. Worship it, Empire. Through the marriage between this man and me, the bond between the Empire and the Dragon Realm shall become eternal.”

Those words were the words of a dragon.

It had now been declared to the Empire.

A dragon had found her mate.

“Oh… so it was true.”

“Wow, Marie-kun, give me stomach medicine.”

“I am sorry. I drank all of it earlier.”

“…I see. So this is how it turned out.”

The great hall grew noisy.

Those in this place were influential people involved in the administration of the Empire. They had expected it, but having that thing stated anew from the dragon’s own mouth was still shocking.

“Haha, I understand your agitation. However. Marriage is, in other words, a blessing. If anyone objects to this marriage, raise your hand. If there is none, then show your agreement with silence and obedience.”

There was no way anyone could.

For in the human world, there was no one capable of overturning a dragon’s words.

“Haha, good, good. Hm, with this, from today onward, dragon and human. One of the ancient covenants has been fulfilled once more. Ah, this is the height of fulfillment as a dragon. To be joined with a dragon slayer is a dragon’s true desire.”

“…Representing the Adventurers’ Guild, I sincerely offer my congratulations on this marriage of the Hoarding Dragon-sama. Accordingly, during the Dragon Festival, we would like to offer a celebratory match in the arena.”

The woman in glasses stood without a sound and bowed respectfully.

“Oh, is that not good? Hm, let me see. I wish to see a match between an Elder and a Tower-Class. Any Tower-Class will do. They are among the few human types who do not bore me even from my perspective.”

“Yes. We shall certainly prepare a match that will dispel your honored self’s boredom.”

“Haha, good, good. Work hard.”

“…With all due fear, I speak on behalf of the Empire. This marriage is truly auspicious. His Majesty the Emperor, seated in the Imperial Capital, will surely regret deeply that he could not be present in this place.”

Next, the plump man followed suit.

“Ah, that old man must be busy in his own way. Very well, I permit it. Margrave, you are sufficient as that old man’s representative. I shall not punish you, so be at ease.”

“Y-yes, what deeply merciful words. As for the Empire, in celebration of this marriage, we are considering granting amnesty to those imprisoned for minor crimes, reducing taxes in farming regions, and in urban areas, canceling debts through a debt-relief decree, in the form of the Hoarding Dragon-sama’s mercy.”

“Mm, not bad. But the moneylenders would be pitiful. Hm, let us do this. As for the moneylenders who become unable to collect loans due to the debt-relief decree, the Dragon Embassy shall compensate them for that amount under its name. Have them prepare their ledgers, blood-sealed documents, contracts, and the like.”

“Ha, ha, what grateful words.”

“Hahaha, well, yes. If the moneylenders fall into hardship, it would affect your business as well… Haha, this is a decision made in recognition of your usual old fox-like behavior. You may fatten your own pockets to your heart’s content.”

“Ha, haha, Dragon Shrine Maiden-sama, you are a bad person—no, a bad dragon.”

The plump man gave an ingratiating smile while sweating grease. The dragon must have lost interest at that point, as she took her eyes off the man.

“And, anyone else?”

The blond woman looked around the seats in the great hall with dark bluish eyes.

As if competing, the prominent people gathered there began announcing, one after another, how they would celebrate the dragon’s marriage and what their factions would do, or could do, as that celebration.

The dragon listened to it in a good mood, nodded magnanimously, and the discussion proceeded.

In this world, a dragon’s marriage was an unparalleled honor and a celebration that would remain in history.

In order to draw even a little of the dragon’s interest, the faction heads proposed celebrations to show their respect for the dragon.

“In celebration of the Hoarding Dragon-sama’s marriage, the Merchants’ Guild shall lower the rent of rental storefronts, and we shall have every merchant under the guild’s influence display goods related to the celebration of the dragon’s marriage.”

“Hm, that is somewhat weak. Submit another proposal to the embassy by tomorrow. If it is boring, I shall crush all of your trade routes.”

“Yes. We shall gather all our wisdom and draw your honored self’s interest.”

“Oh, haha, girl. Not bad, you are. I have expectations of you.”

“You honor me with words I do not deserve.”

Humans were, normally, tiny beings who would not even be perceived as individuals in a dragon’s eyes.

However, throughout history, in some cases, once in a while, there appeared humans who caught a dragon’s eye.

“Dragon Shrine Maiden-sama, I know the earlier barbarity of the Church Knight could not be atoned for even with this head. However, before offering your honored celebration, I first ask for a fitting punishment. All faults of the church’s people are my responsibility.”

“Haha, money-grubber. The reason I cannot fully hate you, despite how filthy with money you are and how unbecoming of a clergyman you are, is that courage of yours. You said that knowing I would not kill you no matter what, did you not? Hahaha, I permit it. I permit everything. That knight’s rampage is already over and done. In honor of your prophecy and your courage.”

“…You are a wonderful being who stands alongside our most high light. We are proud that you are in the Empire.”

“Hahaha, good, good. Now then, what does the church think of this celebration?”

To be chosen as a mate by a dragon, one of the endpoints of countless lives. That was equivalent to receiving love directly from a god.

Wisdom beyond humanity, wealth, immortality, beauty—everything that ordinary people sought without end, dragons possessed.

“Yes. In the name of the Hoarding Dragon-sama, first the church shall greatly reduce the prices of holy goods for which it has secured distribution rights and sales rights, and release them to the market. Specifically, we shall reduce church taxes on food necessities centered on ‘Angel Powder,’ and compose hymns praising your honored self, as an initial measure.”

“Oh, haha, very well. I permit it. Complete everything by the Dragon Festival.”

“Yes.”

Everyone bowed their heads. The relationship between humans and dragons had been fixed since ancient times.

Dragons above, humans below.

Humans were not even permitted to touch that existence unless they were chosen by dragons.

Dragons tested humans. Dragons chose humans. And humans sought to be chosen by dragons as one of the greatest honors.

The fact that the Angel Church’s Church Knights regarded defeating a dragon and being chosen as its mate as their supreme goal, and the fact that the nation called the Empire itself worshiped dragons as guardian deities, were all because of the absoluteness and sacredness of the existence known as dragons.

Was that why?

Everyone in this place. Everyone living in this Empire had forgotten it.

The apparently useless Margrave entrusted with this key location by the Emperor.

The Guild Master, who managed a collection of roughnecks and outlaws full of difficult characters.

The money-grubbing female bishop of the Angel Church, the state religion of the Empire and the headquarters of its only unified religion, and the saint, the church’s strongest fighting force, praised as the finest in history.

The capable head of the Merchants’ Guild, who managed the Empire’s foremost special economic zone.

And the others, the carefully selected among humans. Humans who had been permitted at the very least to be invited to the Dragon Embassy.

Everyone had forgotten it.

Yes, even the dragon. Because of the existence of a dragon slayer after hundreds of years, she had forgotten something truly obvious.

“No, I’m not marrying you, okay? You’re talking about marriage and celebrations, but I still want to stay single.”

The air froze.

Marriage was not something decided by the will of only one side.

Everyone had forgotten something even a three-year-old child knew.

Because there was no human in this world who would refuse marriage with a dragon.

“……………………Huh?”

“No, no, no, don’t give me ‘huh.’ I’m the one saying ‘huh.’ I don’t get this. Why did this turn into me marrying you? Even if this is some new kind of scam, the setup is way too full of holes.”

“…………….Husband-dono, I am… a dragon, you know?”

“Ah, yes. And?”

“——?!”

“Ojou-sama!!”

“Ah, ahh, forgive me, old man. I was having a slightly bad dream. …A dream in which Husband-dono refused my marriage, haha. Now then, I must change into my wedding attire… Huh? I am already wearing it…”

“Ojou-sama, please pull yourself together. This is not a dream.”

“Eh, huh? I am a dragon, you know?”

“Yes, you are a dragon.”

“………Phew. All right, I understand. I have grasped the situation. Could it be that my marriage has just been refused?”

“That is what it amounts to.”

“I see.”

“?!”

Tooyama’s body stiffened.

Crash. Before he knew it, around him, most of the important-looking figures who had been bowing their heads to the dragon until just earlier had fallen from their chairs and were crawling on the floor in pain.

“Geh, ugh.”

“Th-this is… my lord, please stay conscious…”

“S-Svi, use a sacrament…”

“Yes, Bishop-sama.”

“Bleeergh… I-I’m gonna die.”

Only a handful of people remained without changing color. Almost everyone was frothing at the mouth, rolling their eyes back, and turning the place into a scene of utter chaos.

Was it acceptable for one living being to have such an effect on other living beings without even touching them?

No, it was acceptable. This was a dragon. The majesty of a higher lifeform. Humans, being lower lifeforms, could only bow their heads before that majesty.

Tooyama barely remained seated in his chair. It was pressure so great that he probably would have fainted if he had not spent three years as an explorer killing monsters.

“H-haah, haah. Hey, what… are you trying to do?”

“What am I trying to do, you say? You, Husband-dono. It seems you are misunderstanding something.”

“…Bridegroom-dono. It seems you do not understand what marriage with a dragon means.”

The old man standing beside the throne quietly wove words toward Tooyama.

“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean? Whatever it means, that kind of thing—”

Tooyama filled his body with strength and tried to answer back.

“It means everything, Bridegroom-dono.”

“Huh?”

“If you are human, then you surely have desires. Life, money, honor, sex, realization. For the human body, desire is something like the driving force that moves a person forward. Humans live in order to fulfill it. This may be a rough way of putting it, but it is certainly one truth.”

“Heh, hehe, I won’t deny that, old man.”

Talk of desire. For Tooyama Naruhito, it was something worth hearing.

“Oh, then. If I put it this way, will you accept the marriage? I will say it once more. Everything. Ojou-sama—in other words, marriage with a dragon—is the same as obtaining every desire sought by the human body.”

The low voice mixed with the light descending through the stained glass.

“Simply by marrying a dragon and being chosen by a dragon, your name will be carved into the history of this Empire. Even after you perish, you will continue to live on in the memories of all Imperial subjects as a symbol of honor.”

“Inexhaustible wealth. You can obtain every pleasure in this world without any hardship. Marriage with a dragon is, in other words, something that could be called the completion of every desire. Look at them, prostrated under Ojou-sama’s majesty.”

The finger wrapped in the old man’s spotless white glove indicated them.

It indicated the humans prostrating themselves before the dragon’s majesty.

“Humans are beings with the desire for comparison, wanting to excel over others, defeat others, and be superior to others. Look. Look at the sight you will be able to see after marrying a dragon. No matter how high one stands in the human world, before a dragon, as you see, everyone prostrates themselves. In other words, they prostrate themselves before you.”

“Everything will be granted. Everything will be obtained. Everything you desire, all of it.”

The old man’s words were sweet poison.

They were words with which a being beyond humans tempted a human. So long as one was human, those words were hard to resist.

Even those who were not the target of those words began to dream. What if they themselves had been chosen by a dragon?

Ah, everything could be obtained. Marriage with a dragon was none other than the completion of desire.

It was the very right to devour, as one desired, every desire in this world that was too much for a human body—

“……………”

Tooyama sank deeply into his chair. His body, having touched the dragon’s serious killing intent, was exhausted, and his eyes stared emptily at the ceiling, at the light shining in through the skylight.

“I will not say it twice, human. I have chosen you. Become my mate. Become mine. You, who took one of my seven lives, have that right.”

“Choose. Chosen one. For you are the luckiest person in this world.”

A dragon and a superhuman.

The two transcendent beings delivered their voices and their majesty to Tooyama Naruhito.

There should have been no need to choose. It was completion. It was everything. Merely by nodding, everything would be obtained.

That was right. He had died. At that time, protecting his comrades, he had died.

And by what coincidence, by what causality?

There was a continuation. There was a next.

Was that not fine already? He did not understand the meaning, nor the reason.

Marriage. If he did that, apparently everything would be obtained. Would he also obtain a house built by the lake?

“Husband-dono.”

“Bridegroom-dono.”

The transcendent beings, the higher existences, driven by their desires, directed words to the lower existence, trying to obtain all of him—

Ah, maybe that was enough. If he could obtain everything, then that would be—

Tooyama Naruhito, as if yielding to it, nodded his head vertically.

—We’re going on an adventure! You and me!

—Woof. Woof!

—I wanted to build a shop by the lakeside.

Tooyama had tried to throw away everything in order to obtain everything. However, his neck did not nod vertically.

An adventure with a friend that had not even begun.

The words of a certain man that had brought numbness to his body.

What those had in common. Ah, all of it had sounded fun.

Desire was something to be enjoyed.

What Tooyama Naruhito sought without end, following his desires. That was important.

“Heh, hihihihihihi. Hihihihihihihihihihihihihihi, ahh, I see. Am I an idiot?”

“…Husband-dono. Your answer.”

The words were quiet. However, under the pressure that was like a bronze bell ringing at close range, his heart creaked.

But no one could stop Tooyama’s laughter anymore.

“You know, on a day off, the most fun part is actually the night before the day off starts.”

“…What?”

“Ahh, that’s right. That’s right. Even with games, instead of a cleared state with max level and max money, the early-game money grinding and stuff was the most fun. Even when reaching G-rank, the time right after becoming G-rank and reviewing skill builds was the most fun.”

“Bridegroom-dono, what are you…?”

“Hihihihihihi. No, what can I say? I understood it again. The most fun part of desire is when you’re struggling to fulfill it. Ahh, that’s right—”

He stood up.

His body screamed at him not to move. Not to ruin the mood of the living being before him, or he would die.

But he ignored it. Because that was Tooyama’s desire.

“Let’s build a house by the lakeside.”

Those words had continued. They had certainly continued to this place from the moment of the end.

“For that, first I need money. Whether I buy land or build a house, first I need money. I’ll study this world’s economy and currency system too. I’ll work to earn money. For that, I’ll learn this world well. Ahh, what is this, what the hell? The desire I want to fulfill is only one thing.”

“But there’s so much to do. It’s a pain in the ass, but I’m looking forward to every bit of it. Every bit of it is a road connected to my desire. The hardship, difficulty, and trials along the way, and the joy when I achieve them. Ahh, that’s right. All of it is mine.”

He advanced one step.

In the great hall where warm light shone and everyone prostrated themselves beneath the pressure of the transcendent beings, only the greedy human simply advanced.

His eyes shone brightly and strangely.

“I won’t give a single one of them to you. Everything, you say? Octopus bastard. I don’t need anything. Your stuff, anything you people give me, I don’t have the slightest interest in any of it.”

“I don’t need anything. So don’t touch what’s mine. I’ll kill you.”

“Oh.”

“This is…”

It was mist. Mist began leaking from Tooyama Naruhito’s body. The dragon’s majesty immediately burned away the blades mixed into that mist.

However—

“…I see. The one who was inside Bridegroom-dono was unexpectedly formidable.”

“Old man?! Don’t tell me—”

From between the old man’s rich white mustache, red blood spilled out with a gulp.

It did not disappear. This time, it did not disappear.

The mist that leaked from Tooyama’s body did not vanish, even when it disappeared, even when it was burned away.

Rather, it filled the room. Ah, why was it? It came from the corners of the room, one after another, and filled the space with mist.

“This is a warning. Set me free. You people aren’t the ones who decide. I am. Following my desires, the one who decides everything is me.”

That mist affirmed every desire of its master.

That mist hunted everything that interfered with its master’s adventure.

Everyone’s eyes widened.

Objecting to a dragon’s words, dealing with a dragon as an equal. If one was extremely generous, that much might still be fine.

But what was this sight?

Just refusing marriage with a dragon was already a barbarity that deviated from the history of the Empire, no, even from the principles of this world. And yet, on top of that, now—

“Ugh, really, I want new stomach medicine.”

The Margrave, covered in vomit and collapsed after being dragged into this, watched it through his hollow vision.

Ah, it was a nightmare.

—A human was threatening a dragon.

“I’ve got a lot of things I have to do from now on. Are you going to get in my way, shit dragon, shit old man? Move.”

“F-fufufufu, young brat, you have spirit.”

“So that’s your true nature, old man. Move. I don’t have a hobby of bullying the elderly.”

“Hahaha, you’ve got a mouth on you, shitty brat.”

Tooyama’s feet stopped. The pressure was extraordinary.

He might die. He could easily predict that. But he had no regrets anymore.

“Ahh, this is an adventure. I’m forcing my desire through. It’s an adventure for doing what I want to do. I’ll violate it. I’ll swallow the danger. Even if I die, I’ll fulfill everything according to my desires.”

“Hahahahahahaha, so those are fine as your last words?”

“You’re the one losing your elegance, old man.”

“Shut it, shitty brat.”

The killing intent released by the old man swelled.

As if responding to it, ahh, from every corner of the room, thick, very thick mist that was not under Tooyama’s control began to spread.

A transcendent being and a blasphemer.

A killing match neither could yield from, yet equal, was about to begin.

“…Husband-dono, do you hate marriage with me that much?”

The words were muttered quietly.

The old man’s killing intent weakened slightly.

Because the voice sounded so dejected, Tooyama answered without thinking.

“N-no. I mean, my impression of you is the worst. You tried to kill Mr. Lizard, you acted like you were looking down on me, and you’re arrogant. I normally hate you.”

“You hate me?”

“Yeah.”

“I see.”

“Yeah.”

“……………Sniff.”

“O-Ojou-sama?!”

The old man’s killing intent disappeared all at once. It did not merely weaken; it vanished. Along with that, the mist that had filled the corners of the room disappeared as if it had been a lie.

“…………Enough. Sniff. …Husband-dono, I have done something wrong. Old man, I will rest for a while. …After guiding Husband-dono to the bath and cleaning him, send him to the city… politely.”

“Y-yes, y-yes. Are you certain?”

“…Because he said he hates me. If I do any more, he’ll hate me even more… Let him take a bath, and return his clothes. Sniff.”

Rustle.

The woman, the dejected woman, stood up.

Or so it seemed, and then large golden wings spread from her slender back.

The wind fluttered, filled those wings, and made them flap.

The woman flew straight upward. She broke through the skylight and, in an instant, went far into the distance, high, high into the sky.

The shattered glass of the skylight caught the light and glittered.

Tooyama did not know that a dragon’s tears glittered in the same way.

“O-Ojou-sama, please wait!! Ojou-sama! Damn it!! Fanon! Guide Bridegroom-dono to the bath as Ojou-sama ordered! Also, serve tea and sweets to everyone from the adventure city who came here, and send them back to the city politely!! I will chase after Ojou-sama! Ojou-sama!! Please wait!! Alice-ojousamaaaaa!!”

The old man threw away all elegance and shouted loudly. Then, as soon as he did, he jumped. In an instant, he vanished from sight.

As Tooyama froze while watching that—

“Yes, understood.”

“We will care for you, Bridegroom-dono.”

“Hehe, a care-taking chance has arrived.”

Before he knew it, he was surrounded by a group of maid-like dolls with the same face, lifted by several of them with a heave-ho, heave-ho, and carried away.

“…Yeah, well, whatever.”

Tooyama closed his eyes and stopped resisting. The temperature difference in the atmosphere had been so extreme that all his thoughts had stopped turning.

Heave-ho, heave-ho. A man in a suit was carried by maids.

The dragon who had broken through the skylight and fled into the sky with tears in her eyes.

And the old man who had chased after her with a bare jump.

“…I really should have gone to an Ancient Nihon language cram school.”

“…Yes, indeed.”

The Margrave, who had collapsed after being dragged into it and was covered in glitter from being too terrified, and the Guild Master, who seemed relatively fine.

Their voices mixed with the chirping song of a small bird that had likely wandered into the great hall through the broken skylight.