Chapter 37

I stared intently at the Phoenix Horn.

Then I asked Chris,

"What kind of effect does this have? Since it's a divine artifact, I assume it has a great effect, right?"

"Aye, it's something that would make humans weep with joy."

"Really?"

"Grind it up and ingest it."

"You mean eat it?"

"Aye."

I was surprised, widened my eyes, and tilted my head.

When I heard it was a divine artifact, I had expected to "use" or "wear" it, but I never thought I would be told to eat it.

"Exactly. Hahaha, you have to consume the whole thing for it to work."

"What happens exactly?"

"You become immortal."

"What!?"

"To be precise, it cancels out one instance of death."

"…Phoenix…"

I muttered.

I see.

The Phoenix, a child of the gods.

A species with the characteristic of being able to resurrect from the flames even after death.

That's the special ability derived from that characteristic.

"…"

I stared intently at the Phoenix Horn I held.

"Don't worry, it tastes quite good despite its appearance. It's a delicacy, you know."

Chris said this and laughed again, "Hahaha."

"No, that's not it. It's not about the taste or the appearance being gross, or anything like that."

"Aye? Then what is it?"

"There's only one of these, right?"

"Aye."

"You said I have to consume the whole thing, right?"

"Exactly."

"Even if Chris doesn't need it, I want four, you know."

For Louise, Colette, Emma, and Yui.

I want four…

"…Hahaha!"

Chris looked up at the ceiling and burst into laughter.

He laughed with an unusually loud voice.

The ceiling started to collapse from the noise!

"Hey, Chris! Control it, control it!"

"Hahaha, sorry, sorry. It was just too amusing."

"What was so funny?"

"Well, that's what I expected from my heart friend. The Dragon-First policy isn't just for show, you know."

"Ah… No, I've always been like that, haven't I?"

It felt like, "What are you talking about now?"

I've always prioritized the dragons, and Chris should have seen that.

"Aye, that's true. But I never thought someone could prioritize their friends over immortality."

"Yeah, maybe…"

Somehow, I thought Chris was right.

The Phoenix Horn.

With this, Chris must have seen many humans pursuing immortality and eternal life.

"You've shown me something interesting."

"Thank you."

"As a token of my gratitude, I'll fulfill my heart friend's wish."

"Wish?"

I smiled slightly, but my expression changed instantly.

Chris bit his front leg with his mouth and then tore it off.

"What! What are you doing!"

"Hahaha, don't worry. I am immortal; this is just a minor injury."

Chris laughed joyfully, and the torn-off part of his front leg burst into flames.

The regenerative flames enveloped it, and the leg was instantly regrown.

As expected of a Phoenix.

"Heart friend, lend me that."

"Eh? Oh."

I handed the Phoenix Horn to Chris as he asked.

Chris held the torn-off front leg and the Phoenix Horn with both of his front legs—what would be both hands in human terms.

Then—light overflowed.

The light overflowed from the two things he held and eventually merged into one.

After the light subsided, in Chris's hand was a single horn.

A white, shining Phoenix Horn.

"This is…"

"It has no name… but if we go by human standards, it could be called the True Phoenix Horn."

"True…"

I tilted my head even more, wondering what he meant.

☆

In the grounds of the new base, on the outskirts of Boarsel, where the dragon house and house were almost complete, Chris and I faced each other.

"What do I do?"

"Aye, since this is the center, it's best to stick it here."

"Ah…"

I still didn't quite understand, but I did as I was told.

I stuck the white, shining True Phoenix Horn into the ground at the "center" Chris mentioned.

After sticking it in, I let go and stepped back.

"So?"

"Hahaha, you'll see soon."

Since Chris said that, I silently watched.

After a while, a change occurred.

The True Phoenix Horn began to emit light again.

Blinding light that made me turn away and cover my eyes.

The light lasted for several seconds.

After it subsided, I cautiously opened my eyes.

There, where I had stuck the True Phoenix Horn, a massive cylindrical structure had appeared.

The cylinder was made of flames.

"Is this…?"

"It has no name. If we go by human standards, it could be called the Ultimate Phoenix Horn."

"No, I don't care about the name."

I had to point that out.

If I didn't, the variations would keep increasing, and it could end up being something ridiculous.

"What does this do?"

"Aye, it's as you wished, heart friend."

"Mine?"

"As long as you and your dragons are within this base, they will not die."

"Really!?"

"Hahaha, aye. It's best to tell them to take shelter if things get dangerous."

"That's amazing… Thank you, Chris."

"Hahaha."

Chris laughed, looking up at the sky.

He seemed even more amused this time, but since we were outdoors, the ceiling didn't collapse.

I looked up at the cylinder.

The power of the Phoenix, an evolved divine artifact.

With this, I can protect the dragons here.

If they are here when things get dangerous, their lives will be safe.

In other words, they will never die within the base.

The newly acquired base and the power it brought.

The power of "invincibility."

This power will help me and the dragons.

It will help the Dragon-First policy to advance even further.

This concludes Chapter 2, thank you for reading this far!

Thanks to all of you, I've managed to cling to the rankings, and I'm only about 200 points behind the top spot. This might be the last chance to reach the top.

If you:

- Found it interesting!

- Are curious about the next part!

- Want to read Chapter 3 soon!

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