Chapter 74

Sukurashisu has been slightly revised.

We returned to the capital city.

Since Lirisia's secret of being an angel has already been revealed, Edgar allowed us to use the dungeon passage.

When we reached the front hall, Kō called out from the back hall with a loud voice.

"Welcome back, Master."

"Yeah, we're back," "We're back, Kō-chan."

We answered casually.

Then, Edgar, who had suddenly become cheerful, opened his eyes wide and exclaimed in surprise.

"Mr. Alec, you're a Dungeon Master? It's said to be extremely difficult for a human to be recognized by a dungeon, but you're amazing!"

"Is that so... Well, I just repaired a broken dungeon core. Don't tell anyone, okay?"

"Of course. I'm pretty tight-lipped—so, I'll do anything you need! I'll work for you for the rest of my life!"

"For the rest of your life... Well, you're competent, so that's a relief. Then, can you search for the evil god's bust next? There are supposed to be about 2,000 of them..."

Edgar's black eyes, hidden by his hair, sparkled as he said,

"Finding things is my specialty. If you know the location, I'll thoroughly investigate everything!"

"That's a relief. I'll leave it to you, Edgar."

"Please do."

"Mr. Alec, Mrs. Lirisia! I'll take care of it!"

With a smile on his lips, he replied in a reliable voice.

However, he suddenly exclaimed.

I tilted my head and asked,

"What's wrong, Edgar?"

"No! I haven't thanked you, Mr. Alec! Thank you so much for saving the princess and me!"

With a rustling sound, Edgar bowed deeply, shaking his messy hair.

"Don't worry about it. After all, it was partly my fault for giving you a dangerous mission."

"I appreciate your consideration—well, I'm off! See you later."

"See you later," "Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Edgar."

Edgar bowed, took the map marked by Lirisia, and returned to the city.

—Now, we have a lead on the evil god's bust.

Then, from the corridor leading to the mansion, two light footsteps echoed.

It was Tetti and the dragon girl.

I raised my hand and said casually. Lirisia also smiled beside me.

"Hey, thanks for watching the house," "I'm sorry for causing you worry while we were away."

"Welcome back, Mr. Alec! Miss Lirisia!" "Kyui, kyui!"

The dragon girl ran over and hugged my stomach.

She had a happy, beaming smile.

Tetti came over with a glowing gemstone.

"This was just delivered by the children from Edgar's team? It's probably for bedside lighting?"

"No, it's quite important. Thanks for holding onto it for me."

"Is that so? Hehe..."

I thanked her, and Tetti smiled happily.

I took the gemstone and put it in my magic bag.

Then, while petting the dragon girl's head, I asked Lirisia, who was standing beside me,

"Kō said this child is somehow unusual. Can you tell what's wrong?"

"Yes, I'll check—Oh my! What a surprise! This is serious, Master!"

Lirisia's surprised voice echoed well in the dungeon as she looked through her monocle.

I shook my head, letting my black hair sway.

"What's wrong?"

"This child is not just a dragon! She is a sacred dragon, a Holy White Dragon!"

"Really? What does that mean?"

"She is a dragon that assists the hero's journey! She can carry the hero on her back and take them anywhere—how could I ever meet one! Master, you truly are a real hero!"

Lirisia said excitedly, reading the details through her monocle.

I shrugged and responded.

"Well, that's flattering. But I've already quit being a hero, so it doesn't matter."

"Uu~. That's true, but..."

"Kyui, kyui!"

The dragon girl clung to me, trying to communicate something.

—I really can't understand what she's saying.

"It's a problem that she can't even speak... Why is she so small?"

"That's because... the Holy White Dragon is said to appear as an adult dragon when revived by offering a six-colored gemstone. —This child was born without the gemstone, so she remains small, I think."

"I see. So, if we find the gemstone, she'll grow up?"

"Yes, probably."

"Then, after we reverse the aging, we can look for it."

"Yes. We can do it while traveling the world."

"That sounds good."

The dragon girl also chirped happily, "Kyui, kyui!"

Tetti was impressed.

"I always thought she was a very smart child. So, she's a legendary dragon, huh? That's amazing."

I nodded and looked at Lirisia.

"We only have the bust left. Let's do our best, Lirisia."

"Yes, I'll do my best too."

Lirisia nodded strongly, shaking her silver hair.

Seeing her radiant smile, I felt even more motivated.

◇ ◇ ◇

Meanwhile, in a temple with an evil atmosphere, the Demon King and Mikoto were present.

Thick stone pillars stood at regular intervals, supporting the ceiling.

The floor was paved with marble, and the walls and ceiling were all made of stone.

In a corner of the temple, the Demon King was sitting by a kotatsu with tatami mats spread out, editing a novel manuscript with a red pen.

Mikoto, who was sitting across from him, was eating an orange. After sipping tea, she spoke.

"Why didn't you tell me that Alec had been fired as a hero?"

"I thought it was obvious that you would know."

"You always called him 'Hero Alec.' If you had mentioned 'former hero' even once..."

"He was such a hero that it was hard to believe he was fired. What else would you call him?"

"Well, that's true..."

Mikoto frowned and sipped her tea.

Then, a bright female voice echoed.

"How lazy. Two mighty warriors who terrorize the world, sitting around like old men."

A stunningly beautiful woman, wearing a twisted headband, was energetically kneading clay.

She was tall and had a great figure, especially her large chest that pushed up her clothing.

Mikoto sipped her tea and looked at the woman with a worried expression in her narrow eyes.

"Will that make you feel better? ...That terrifying hero Alec had an incredible goal."

"Besides, he has already met the guiding angel."

"It's fine. He's not fighting the Demon King but making an elixir of youth."

"Continuing to live will be a disaster for the forces of darkness."

"That's not a reason to be depressed. He hasn't made it yet."

The woman's casual words made the Demon King stop editing the manuscript and snort.

"You can only say that now. Next, your 'evil god's bust' will be the target, won't it, Evil God Sukurashisu?"

"Hmph, that won't happen. The only way to get here, the Holy White Dragon, is incurably ill and has been turned into an undead dragon in the Undead Dungeon! I've even prevented its reincarnation. Even the god of creation can't do anything about it. You're different, you know!"

"If you say that, it suddenly appeared in the demon world. I wouldn't neglect to deal with it."

"Deal with it? You only did negative things... Besides, you failed because you handled it incorrectly."

"What!?" "What's that supposed to mean?"

The Demon King and Mikoto asked in unison.

Sukurashisu stopped kneading the clay, her large chest jiggling, and said firmly.

"A hero is just a human. If you attack a human, they can't handle it properly!"

"What? You mean we should attack first?"

"Of course! Attack is the best defense."

The Demon King and Mikoto looked at each other.

Then, the Demon King sighed and looked back at the novel manuscript.

"If you say so, let's see what you can do."

"Yes, I look forward to it."

Mikoto, exasperated, reached for an orange on the kotatsu.

However, Sukurashisu smirked and said,

"Hehe. I've already laid the groundwork."

"Hmm? That's interesting."

Sukurashisu pounded the clay and pointed to the wall of the temple.

Various evil statues of different sizes lined up.

"I've been creating and spreading these evil god statues around the world."

"Is that the groundwork? ...They all seem to be different evil gods from you..."

"All the other evil gods are either dead or sleeping, so I'm spreading their statues as a proxy and receiving their followers' power. I'm hiding my true identity while gaining their power! —I've spread over 2,000 statues worldwide, so I'm now stronger than the two of you combined."

"Hmm, that's impressive," "That's wonderful."

The Demon King and Mikoto responded in a flat tone, as if it meant nothing compared to Alec's overwhelming strength.

Sukurashisu scowled.

"Really... That's why men who don't understand art are no good."

"Art!?"

"These statues, all of them, are full of artistic sense! I've been known as a sculptor and sculptor for the past few decades! The one I'm making now is for an exhibition I've been invited to by the country!"

"Hmm. That's impressive. I don't see how it relates to defeating Hero Alec, though."

"What are you saying? It means that a mere human can be easily manipulated by an evil god like me!"

Sukurashisu said confidently, puffing out her chest.

Mikoto sighed, her beautiful face showing worry.

"But Alec's holy aura is immense..."

"Hehe. I'll ruin Alec's life by making him my cultist and business rival! I'll make it so he can't even make the elixir of youth!"

Sukurashisu said firmly, arching her chest even more.

The Demon King and Mikoto exchanged glances.

Sukurashisu laughed happily and continued making the statues.

—'Sukurashisu will see her life flash before her eyes until she dies · 4 days left'

This concludes Chapter 2!

Thank you for reading!

How was it?

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Chapter 3 is still in progress, so the timeline until Sukurashisu sees her life flash before her eyes might shift. Sorry about that.

I expect it to be resolved within Chapter 3.

Before Chapter 3 starts, many people were concerned about Edgar's work, so I'll write a bit about Edgar in an interlude.

I'll probably update again tomorrow.