Chapter 226 - Episode 200: Goddesses, Dragons, and People
"Well, shall we head back?"
"Woof!"
'Did you forget anything?'
"Nah, I think I'm good."
I'd left the fishing rod and tackle I brought. The Grapeful had been turned into wine and wine vinegar, so there was less of it, and I planned to leave the Glycine behind with its small barrel. Surprisingly, I didn't have much to take back.
"Squeal!"
"Alright, alright. The Camlus Fruit, got it."
The Queen-sama was telling me to make sure I gathered enough Camlus Fruit to take home, to replace the amount I'd given Argenta-san as compote. Well, I'd fill up my backpack with whatever space was left and head back.
"How was the Grapeful compote today? I realized later, but I feel like if it were a department store basement, they'd have honey there too."
'It was incredibly delicious! Please make it with honey next time.'
"Yeah."
While chatting and gathering, my backpack was full in no time. Sweee gazed at it, drooling with a sloppy "hehe" face...
'Shou-kun, may I see the World Quest screen?'
"Ah, yeah. I hope whatever happened yesterday gave us some kind of hint and moved things along."
Yesterday's chaotic live stream had racked up an incredible number of views on its archive, and the parts where Argenta-san appeared were apparently being clipped relentlessly. Most of them properly cited "Mion and Shou's Relaxed Showtime" as the source, and those views reportedly even counted towards their own stream's total.
"Oh, it's over 20%! That's a huge jump!"
'That's thanks to Shou-kun!'
"No, no, it seems like someone actually did some proper research."
According to Miki, who told me at dinner, an old guild journal apparently contained a record of that runaway incident. The runaway facility, just as Argenta-san had said, was one that collected mana from its surroundings, crystallized it, and created massive Magic Crystal Stones. The person who wrote it was a direct ancestor of Viscount Edward Amiera, and they were involved in the founding of the current Wolkelst Kingdom.
'That's amazing. Is Seth-chan going to ask the Viscount-sama about it?'
"Yeah, tomorrow. Today, she should be at the Ancient Ruins' tower around now."
As for me, I was hoping President Bell would soon break through the Elemental Magic skill cap and teach me some advanced skills.
'Yes, that's right. And other Applied Magic skills too.'
"Right? Spatial Magic... I can't do much with it right now, but it's also hard to talk about..."
This next World Quest, the Necropolis, was once an Ancient Magic City, after all, so I hoped we'd find all sorts of grimoires and magic tools there.
"Grrr!"
"Woof!"
As we entered the mountain path, the Drab Wolf family came to greet us. As usual, they lay down in front of Lupi, who was sitting. They were wagging their tails happily from side to side.
"By the way, Mion, aren't you watching President Bell today?"
'No. Because I only want to watch Shou-kun today.'
"Ah, oh..."
Recalling being given a lap pillow and having his head stroked, he became incredibly embarrassed. Maybe... I should talk to my best friend about this...
"Woof?"
"Sorry, sorry, let's go."
Lupi peered up at him with a "What's wrong?" expression, so he pulled himself together and resumed moving.
'Next up, I suppose, are the Dragon Coins?'
"Ah, about that, I think they might be fragments of the massive Magic Crystal Stone that the Goddess shattered."
'The Goddess?'
The runaway facility was apparently stopped by the Dragonkin, who poured all their mana into it, creating an instantaneous overload. And then, the remaining massive Magic Crystal Stone was shattered by the Goddess and scattered throughout the world, they say.
"Dragon mana is mixed in, after all, so perhaps they're called 'Dragon Coins' to honor their achievement in stopping the runaway facility."
'It's like a medal, isn't it?'
"Exactly. And since the Viscount-sama probably has Dragon Coins, Seth said she plans to ask him to show them to her."
'I see.'
If that story was true, then given the founding of the kingdom, it was as if it had been established by the Dragonkin's command, so royalty and nobles would likely possess them.
"Hm?"
The leading Drab Wolf stopped, and Lupi also braced her four limbs firmly. What was registering on Presence Detection... was it a Ranziboa?
"Lupi, I'll block it, so I'll leave the rest to you."
"Woof!"
Today, I need to make sure to block it with the Round Shield, yeah.
…
"Thanks again today, guys."
When I stroked the heads of the two Drab Wolf pups, they wagged their tails happily. Once I properly blocked the Ranziboa with my Round Shield, Lupi and the Drab Wolves pretty much took care of the rest, making it an easy win. It felt like I never got a chance to raise my Dagger skill level.
"Woof."
"Grrr!"
"See ya~"
After seeing off the Drab Wolves, we returned to the Observation Deck.
Sweee conscientiously picked flowers and offered them at Lupi's mother's grave.
"Thanks for always doing that."
"Woof~"
"♪ ♪ ♪"
In ways like this, she's certainly queen-like. Why does she become so useless when sweets are involved, though...?
'Shou-kun, what will you do after we get back?'
"Hmm, I think it'll be past 9:30, so first, I'm thinking of making compote for the fairies who stayed behind to watch the house."
"Squeal!"
Sweee gave a thumbs-up, as if saying "Nice!" I figured it would be a good souvenir for them having watched the house, and there should be enough honey for about one per person. Probably.
We crawled through the secret passage into the Ancient Ruins. The collapse visible on the right seemed stable in an unstable way.
"I'll have to think of something for this place too."
'Perhaps with Civil Engineering Magic?'
"If we're digging, then yeah. But, I wonder if we can get through to this side from behind the Lighthouse."
'Ah!'
It was a wish that it was connected, but if we didn't have to deliberately tamper with a dangerous place, then all the better.
We got off the Transfer Elevator at the Crossroads. We could stop by behind the church, but my inventory and backpack were already full of Camlus Fruits.
"Next up, it's beyond the church's front gate, then."
'That's a new area, isn't it?'
"Probably. For now, I want to check up to where the abandoned house is. There might be something left behind."
Just like how the Magic Brewer was left behind at the port's tavern, I hoped some kind of magic tool was left in that abandoned house too.
'Is it okay to do next Wednesday's live stream behind the church?'
"Yeah, that's the plan. I want to introduce the other fairies besides Sweee, and also show off the fields and the inside of the church."
I wanted to keep the weekday Wednesday live stream relaxed and casual. The fields were just normal fields, and the church interior was normal too; there shouldn't be anything strange about it other than the lack of a goddess statue. As for Fairy Honey... since I'd already shown the compote, there wasn't much point in hiding it, I guessed. Sweee's special one was one thing, but the regular kind should be fine, probably. However, since Argenta-san had shown up in the last live stream, I was worried it might stir up trouble related to that...
'Should we also ask about the Goddess-sama?'
"Ah, that might be a good idea. Like, is it okay to craft a goddess statue myself?"
'Shou-kun, I don't think anyone has ever crafted a goddess statue themselves...'
Ah, right, yeah...
[Update History]
2/24 Episode 197: Sweet and Sour ~ To this episode