NOVEL WEB Chapter 47: Mascot
In the present, the king of the Myrstia Kingdom was Mengis Sharion Dine Myrstia.
Compared to his predecessors, he was a capable ruler. While his tendency to present himself in a grandiose manner may have been a flaw, considering his position as the king of a large country, his ability to draw people to him was surprisingly advantageous in many situations.
He was also blessed with capable subordinates and children, but this was due to the magical attribute of “luck” that he possessed.
He did not personally select outstanding individuals, but many people with remarkable abilities in various fields, such as his secretary, Edmund, gathered at the palace around the same time.
However, the unfortunate reality was that the abilities of these exceptional individuals had to be directed towards factional struggles. If not for the gathering of such talent, Claude, Luke’s father, and others would have already completed their preparations to usurp the throne.
Furthermore, Mengis’ beloved first prince, Alexdra, was the current commander of the First Magic Division. His position was not obtained through power though, politically speaking, but rather due to his own unquestionable innate magical talent.
“Huh… didn’t defeat it, but tamed it? —That’s intense. Can you do it Tucker?”
“No, I can’t. I’m clumsy after all. How in the world did he manage to tame a dragon, the incarnation of hubris? … I can’t stop being interested in this boy who keeps coming up in the news.”
“Right. I think I can beat it, too, but to tame a dragon…”
“Enough! Be quiet!”
King shouted.
The air tightened. It wasn’t that he had controlled the situation as a ruler, but rather that he was irritated and didn’t want to hear anything more from the members of the Gilbert family. However, to most people, he probably appeared dignified as a ruler.
“…Harry and Tucker. I’ve given you a lot of ‘freedom.’ I hope you can handle something like this.”
“Haha, that’s tough.”
“I’m clumsy, but…”
The humiliation of having possessions inferior to others is what King Mengis is feeling. Harry laughed off the king’s words, while Tucker took them seriously. Although they were twins, their reactions were opposite.
“Um…King, may I have permission to speak?”
Edmund, the secretary, asked for permission to speak in a fearful manner. In his head, he wanted to quit this job right away, but unfortunately, his body carried out his duties in a detached manner. There was something he absolutely had to confirm here first.
“Well… the Marquis Gilbert is having a party to celebrate the defeat of the attribute dragon…”
“Send someone.”
“…Eh?”
“Send one of the Ministry of Magic’s appraisers. We’ve done it before.”
“But, that…”
“Do you understand? I’m asking you, Edmund.”
“…Yes, understood.”
Mengis had an inexplicable power. It was the aura of a born ruler.
So Edmund couldn’t say anything more. He had tried to advise the king, but he was not allowed to. Well, there was nothing he could do about it now. Edmund switched to a nonchalant attitude, thinking that he was no longer responsible from this point on.
(…No, you should invite them to the royal castle and throw a big party. That’s the proper thing to do, right? As a king, you must at least maintain a minimum level of decorum. This is the perfect opportunity to show your generosity. But you’re an idiot who’s only thinking about factional struggles and can’t see anything else. Ah, I don’t care anymore..)
Freedom of the mind.
As a small act of rebellion, Edmond cursed the king without saying a word. This was the secret to his success as a secretary, a job that had been filled with stress.
“Good morning, Luke-sama!”
“Ah, the slayer of dragons!”
“Luke-sama!”
“Mama, is that person great?”
“He’s a very important person. Look, bow your head like Mama.”
Whenever Luke walked through town, many people stopped and bowed their heads.
Moreover, he was popular among children too.
The dragon was a well-known enemy to everyone, and even children could easily understand the “greatness” of being its ruler.
Additionally—
“…My Lord, the people around us are making strange poses and looking at us. Are they making fun of us? If they are bothersome, I can—”
“—Be silent.”
“Eeek! I-I’m sorry!”
The ice dragon, which had shrunk to the size of a small stuffed animal, fluttered by Luke’s side. Everyone had to accept this fact as true. It is still unknown whether all dragons possess this ability, but the ice dragon was able to shrink its body. Until now, this ability had only been recorded in the encyclopedia as an uncertain “theory.”
Although there were many records of encountering dragons, there were very few records of actively finding their nests. Therefore, it was expected that dragons had a unique ability to hide their presence to others.
Luke’s achievement this time was so great.
Furthermore, surprisingly, if the ice dragon becomes smaller, its weight also becomes lighter. In other words, mass is not conserved. This can only mean that there is a change in the constituent atoms or their total amount.
Dragons are truly magical creatures.
However, with the discovery of this ability, Luke’s plan to make the ice dragon a mascot is showing even more signs of success.
(… Kukuku, all the people bowing their heads in respect. Not bad at all.)
Luke was not dissatisfied with this situation. To put it simply, being looked up to with respect felt good. However,
“Oh, Luke!”
“Wait a minute, Abel! Don’t run off suddenly like that!”
“…”
He found Abel and Lily running towards him with joy, but clouds began to form in his cheerful heart.
(…How long are these guys going to stay here?)
Abel and Lily were still staying in Gilbadia.
“Good morning, Luke!”
“It’s so cute!”
“…”
“A mere human like… oh, um, nevermind.”
But his master, Luke, was also a human.
He reflexively tried to insult them, but remembering that fact, he became quiet.
“Actually, I’m practicing the technique you used back then, Luke! Don’t worry, I won’t ask you to teach me. If I can do it, I’ll come show you!”
“…”
Why would he come show him? No one had asked him to. Luke was at a loss for words at the meaninglessness of it.
“Well then, see you later, Luke! I’m going to practice in the morning!”
“Hey, wait for me, Abel!”
“…”
Abel ran away with a smile and waving his hand. In the end, he didn’t exchange words with Luke.
“…What’s with that guy?”
While thinking that he was like a storm, Luke pondered about the unknown power that resided in his sword, which he had acquired during the battle with the Ice Dragon.
Perhaps that was the essence of Abel’s strength.
The ideology of the Myrstia Kingdom. In other words, Luke unconsciously thought of Abel’s abnormality with magic as the core.
However, he came to realize the existence of a power different from magic.
He reconsidered that that power might be the essence of Abel’s strength.
“Well, whatever.”
Luke started walking again. It was not important. After all, what he had to do remained the same. No matter what kind of power Abel possessed, he would crush him completely and make it clear who was superior.
“By the way, are you male?”
“Um, I’m female…”(E/N: Oh sh-)
“How can anyone mistake me for a male?” Thought the ice dragon, but she did not say it out loud. To be precise, she could not say such a thing even if she wanted to.
“I see. Then, from today on, you shall be called ‘Dia’.”
“Dia… is a great name! I like it very much! Thank you, My Lord!”, said the now happy Dia, formerly known as the Ice Dragon.
As a mascot, Luke wanted to give it a name that was related to the city of Gilbadia to attract more attention.
Luke’s thought process was terribly simple: if it’s male, then ‘Gil’, and if it’s female, then ‘Dia’.
However, he didn’t say this out loud.
“I’m going to the blacksmith now. As promised, I’ll take your materials to strengthen the sword. You don’t mind, do you? It’s a promise, after all. Kukuku…”
“Yes! Of course not!”
“…”
Why is she so happy about this?
Without understanding at all, Luke walked towards the master blacksmith, Dalkin.
“I’ve come up with a new spell. Maybe I’ll try it on you later.”
“D-d-does it hurt?”
“Kukuku, who knows?”
“Eek!”
Finally getting the expected reaction from Dia, Luke smiled a little satisfactorily.
“We’ll make contact tonight. We don’t know what will happen. Are you really okay with this?”
“Yeah. Even if we run away, the pursuers will come. It’s no good to be scared and keep running. We need a strong backer.”
“…I guess you’re right.”
Watching Luke’s back for a while from the back alley, the two people in turbans disappeared into the shadows as if melting into them.