Chapter 18

"Um... Sir Cyril?"

"Huh?"

As I was at a loss for words, the princess cautiously leaned in to look at my face.

"Is it not possible?"

"No, it's not that. I was just surprised by the enormity of the task."

That's really the case.

The request from the princess, the grand title of "Child of the God."

It would be strange not to be surprised by such things.

However, at the same time,

There was no reason to refuse.

I turned to face the princess directly.

"I will accept."

And I bowed politely.

☆

To retrieve the "Child of the God," we set off from the town of Boarsel.

Since this was a top-priority mission, I decided to take Louise, Colette, and Emma with me.

Riding on Louise's back, who is skilled at transportation, I had Colette and Emma on either side.

And next to us, a carriage with the princess's emblem ran alongside.

I thought the princess would be in the carriage, but that wasn't the case at all.

"Wow... it's amazing."

The princess was riding right next to me—on the same Louise.

While I was sitting cross-legged in a casual manner, the princess was sitting gracefully with her knees together.

"I've never ridden a dragon that's so comfortable."

"But you've ridden Louise before, right?"

"Ah, that time..."

The princess blushed and answered hurriedly.

"I was so flustered that I don't remember much."

"Ah... that's right."

I nodded in understanding.

It was a situation where the carriage had fallen off a cliff, and all the guards had been wiped out.

If she had the presence of mind to comment on the comfort of the dragon ride, she would be something extraordinary.

"But it's really smooth, it's amazing. To be able to tame it to this extent, you truly are remarkable, Sir Cyril."

I wondered if "tame" was the right word, but...

"Rest assured, Master, you're the one she wants to please, so I'm walking carefully."

Louise said this.

It was true, but I didn't think she needed to say it out loud.

Of course, since only I could understand the dragon's words, there was no problem even if she said them out loud.

Instead of replying, I patted Louise's back.

The wording was a bit too obvious, but it was true that the princess was the one Louise wanted to please.

I was grateful to Louise for arranging this.

"Indeed, it was the right decision to ask Sir Cyril about the Child of the God."

"But after I did some research, it said that the Child of the God died a long time ago and had no children."

"Yes, that's correct."

"Huh?"

I was surprised.

Died a long time ago and had no children.

If the princess was making the request, it meant the story was a lie, a rumor, or something was missing.

I didn't expect her to fully agree with "that's correct."

"What do you mean?"

"The Phoenix species—Child of the God—is said to be the only one in the world."

"Hmm."

"Instead of having offspring, it is said to revive at some point after death."

"Really!?"

I was even more surprised.

Dragons have many characteristics and stories that surpass humans and other creatures, but the idea of reviving after death was something I never imagined.

I patted Louise's back.

Do you know about this? It was a silent signal to Louise.

"I've heard of it."

"I've heard that it's a being that surpasses even dragons."

"I've also heard that it can't be damaged while it's alive."

When Louise answered, Emma and Colette also understood and shared their knowledge.

It seemed to be true.

"That's... amazing, the Child of the God."

"Yes! But it hasn't revived in hundreds of years, so I thought, if anyone could do it, it would be Sir Cyril!"

"That's... yes."

I nodded, but I was full of doubt.

I never expected the target to be a living dragon.

☆

The journey lasted about two days, and we finally reached our destination.

It was a grand temple on the top of a mountain.

The mountain path was treacherous, and the carriage that followed us couldn't keep up, so it had to wait at the base.

The princess, who was now accustomed to it, rode on Louise's back and climbed the mountain.

"Here we are."

"Yes."

I jumped off Louise first and held out my hand.

The princess took my hand and slowly dismounted.

The princess then headed towards the temple.

There was a small building that looked like a guardhouse next to the temple, and a guard was standing watch outside.

As the princess approached, he seemed to have already noticed us and straightened up to salute.

"We have been waiting for you, Princess!"

"Thank you for your hard work. Can we see the Child of the God immediately?"

"Yes! It's the same as always, so you can see it anytime."

"Is that so? Thank you for your hard work."

The princess thanked the guard again and then turned to me.

"Since that's the case, let's go in."

"Understood. Louise, Colette, Emma, wait here."

"Got it."

"Hurry up."

"We'll wait for you."

The dragons sent me off with their various words.

I entered the temple with the princess, slightly behind her.

The temple had a simple structure, and a dragon skeleton lay sprawled out.

"This is... the Child of the God."

"Yes. As you can see, it's a skeleton."

"Yes..."

"It's been a skeleton for hundreds of years, but the country believes it will revive one day, as the legend says."

"I see, that's how it is."

"Is there anything you can tell?"

"Um... I'll take a look."

I was at a loss when asked if I could tell anything, but I decided to observe the skeleton.

I walked around the giant dragon skeleton and touched it casually.

Hmm, I can't really tell anything, can I?

"Ho, it's been a long time. It's been decades since a human entered the temple."

"Huh?"

"That woman smells of royal blood. The man... is a commoner, I see."

"Are you talking? You?"

"Hmm."

"Are you the Child of the God, the Phoenix dragon?"

"Are you talking to me, a human?"

"Yes."

"...Ho? Is that so? Can you understand my words?"

"That's right."

"………………Hahaha!"

After a few seconds of silence, it burst into laughter.

"How amusing, I never thought a human could hear my words."

"That's my line. I never thought a corpse could talk."

"Hahaha, I see, you're still thinking in human terms."

"Ugh."

"So, why have you come, human?"

"Um... to invite you to revive."

"Hmm."

"There's a legend on the human side."

"I know. But didn't I tell you the method for my revival?"

"What?"

I was surprised.

I walked around to the other side and returned to the princess.

"Excuse me, may I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Is there any legend or written record about how to revive the Child of the God?"

"No, not at all."

The princess said it bluntly.

"Hahaha, so that's how it is. Well, human memory fades easily, and written records are often biased to suit the powerful."

The Child of the God laughed merrily, having heard the conversation between the princess and me.

"I see."

I nodded and turned back to the dragon skeleton.

"How can I revive you?"

"Set me on fire."

"Fire?"

"I revive in the flames. Over and over again."

"..."

I thought for a moment.

This is a big gamble.

The skeleton of the Child of the God is probably a national treasure.

If I set it on fire and it doesn't work, I'll be executed for sure.

But more importantly,

I trusted the straightforward nature of the dragons.

"Princess."

"Yes?"

"I'm going to revive it now. Please don't be surprised."

"Yes, I understand! I'll leave everything to you, Sir Cyril."

The princess placed her full trust in me.

It made me happy.

I took a small tube from my pocket and removed a fire starter from it.

I always carry a fire starter for camping during travels.

I used it to set the Child of the God on fire.

"Sir Cyril!?"

The princess, who had said she would leave everything to me, was clearly surprised by the fire.

I ignored her and set the fire.

At first, it was just a small flame, but it quickly grew into a massive blaze.

It burned with an intensity far greater than any oil.

In less than ten seconds, the dragon's massive body was engulfed in flames.

"Si, Sir Cyril, what is this...?"

"Watch."

I said this and stared at the flaming Child of the God.

About a minute later, a smaller dragon emerged from the burning flames.

The dragon appeared with a calm and dignified gait.

"Ha ha ha ha, I have revived."

It said this with a tone that was either dignified or not.

I turned to the princess.

"Um, it's smaller, but this is the Child of the God...?"

The princess had collapsed on the spot.

She was pale and trembling.

"Princess, what's wrong?"

"Ah, I'm sorry, it's my fault. It's been hundreds of years since my revival, so I forgot to control my power."

The princess let out a small gasp after the Child of the God said this.

"Is, is that...?"

"It seems it forgot to control its power after just reviving. It's quite playful."

"Hahaha, you're the first human to call me playful."

The Child of the God placed its front paw on my head and patted it.

Even without knowing, it was a gesture of affection.

"Amazing... as expected of Sir Cyril..."

The princess, who understood what she saw, was impressed.