Chapter 80

In the silent scene, Hestia's small voice echoed.

"Huh? Did I say something strange?"

"No, it's not strange, and rather, I'm grateful you said it."

Rather, I should have asked Hestia from the beginning.

She seemed to have noticed it just by a glance.

"Y-You know about this, Lord Hestia?"

"Hmm, the Star Dragon King is of the same flying type as me. I know of its existence. It's the administrator of the sky dungeon, after all."

I see, it's a Dragon King.

New information keeps coming up.

"Ah... All our research team's efforts..."

And Dianeya is sulking all alone.

"Well, good job."

I patted her shoulder.

"It's only natural you didn't know. It's been about 130 years since it came to this area. It's written in documents, so you would have found out eventually. Don't worry about it."

"U-um..."

Hestia's follow-up is nice.

"I see, it's been here since before I was born, huh, Lord Star Dragon King."

Anne hasn't met it either.

That's why she doesn't know.

"So, what's this Star Dragon King like?"

"Well, it's very large and gentle."

"Ah, I see."

Even the scales that fall are large, so the main body must be even bigger.

"More than ten times the size of my dragon form, I think. In terms of size."

"Ten times... That's about 300 meters."

Such a thing was flying in the sky.

I didn't notice at all.

"Hmm, but it's very high up in the sky. It floats way above the clouds, so it's natural you didn't notice."

"Ah, so the scales fall from such a high place?"

"That... If they fall with the force to create a crater, it wouldn't be strange. That Lord Daichi managed to block it effortlessly is a bit odd, though."

To say that much.

Well, it's probably like a meteorite falling.

"But why do the scales fall?"

"I think it's shedding or something."

"Eh? Do dragons like Hestia shed?"

"Not when they take human form, but sometimes when they're in dragon form."

"I used to shed when I was in dragon form too."

Anne said this with a nostalgic sigh.

It seems to be normal for them.

Well, that's fine, but...

"I never thought shedding could cause such a situation."

"Yeah, having buildings destroyed by waste is no joke... With the festival coming up, this is a serious problem...! We need to come up with a plan...!!"

And Dianeya is holding her head, deep in thought.

This witch princess always seems to have a tough time.

"Maybe I can adjust my sleeping schedule... For now, I'll go back and hold an emergency meeting. --Thank you, Lord Hestia! And Lord Daichi! I appreciate the information."

"I didn't do anything, though."

Rather, I was the one who was told.

"Anyway, I'll take my leave here. I need to report to the Knight Captain urgently."

"Alright, good luck."

"Thank you! See you next time!"

With that, Dianeya rushed out of the shop.

"Hestia always seems so busy."

"Well, she is one of the important people in this town."

While chatting with Anne,

"Hmm, the juice is ready, but one person is missing..."

Hestia came over with four glasses.

"One is left over, but I can drink it, I guess? Anyway, here you go."

"Thanks."

I took the glass from Hestia.

It smells good, maybe because it's freshly made.

"Then, cheers--"

I drank the contents of the glass. Then,

--Crunch!

There was a strange texture.

Actually, this isn't juice. It feels like pureed apples, like a liquid meal.

"...Hestia, how did you make this? Did you put something strange in it?"

"Only apples, though?"

"But it's hard."

"Maybe because I crushed it whole with magic? The core and seeds are a bit hard."

"Oh, I see..."

I thought you would remove the core. It seems that's not a common sense for her.

Hestia is drinking it down without any issues.

I quietly asked Anne, who was sitting next to me,

"...Anne, is Hestia bad at cooking?"

"Eh, well, Lady Hestia is indifferent to food, or rather, she eats anything... She even eats things like tree bark and grass for her staff materials..."

I understand.

Come to think of it, she was rumbling with hunger when we met, but she was expressionless and indifferent.

She has a lot of knowledge, but she seems to lack in these areas.

"Hestia, can you let me know if you're going to cook in the future?"

"?, --Okay. I don't know why, but if you say so, I will."

At least, it's good to know more about Hestia.

And it seems I shouldn't rely on her for the shop's duties.