Ch.903Shining Head

A group of paladins rushed towards us across the border. It wasn’t surprising since I had expected this.

This was the border region where the Dragonic Kingdom of Jin and the Holy State met.

Not only had a massive white dragon suddenly appeared in the sky above, but my signature starlit sky had also unfolded.

How could the paladins simply stand by and watch? They would rush over to assess the situation regardless of border violations.

They must have clearly seen that I had clashed with the dragon and brought it down.

‘Everything’s going according to plan. I can leave the corpse disposal to them.’

[Is this really the time for that? Put something on before you start talking!]

Ah. I just remembered I was completely naked. My armor and undergarments had all been blown away during the fight with Persiella and the dragon’s breath.

I looked down at my fully exposed body.

My naked form was completely drenched in dragon’s blood. I looked like some exhibitionist who had painted themselves before running into the streets.

Worse still, even that blood was evaporating into steam and disappearing.

‘…Right, I should probably cover myself with something.’

If I didn’t want to be humiliated after killing a dragon.

The problem was that there was nothing around here I could wear…

No choice then.

*Crack!*

I rummaged through the dragon’s corpse, which lay with its head buried in the ground, and tore off a large piece of its scale-covered hide like jerky.

Large enough to wrap around myself like a cloak.

After flapping it a couple of times to shake off the blood, I wrapped it around my body. It smelled fishy, but it covered me well enough.

‘This should do.’

I could borrow proper clothes from the paladins after meeting them. For now, I just needed to cover myself.

—-

About ten minutes later.

“A dragon. There’s a dead dragon…!”

“I wasn’t seeing things after all…!”

The paladins who finally arrived at the scene collapsed to their knees in shock, like fathers who had just heard their beloved daughters had run away from home.

“Yes, it’s a dragon. It was quite a struggle to kill it.”

With dragon scales wrapped around my entire body like a sack, I walked through the torn flesh and skin of the dragon to greet them warmly. In my right hand, I clutched a pearl-like stone that had been embedded in the dragon’s heart—its mana organ.

“Ah, aaaaah!”

“Hueeeegh!”

The paladins’ reactions were truly dramatic.

Some screamed as if their last breath was leaving them. Others jumped up and drew their swords. Some knelt, made the sign of the cross, and called out the goddess’s name.

It was like watching a group of slapstick comedians.

“Why don’t you all calm down? Don’t you recognize me?”

I chuckled in disbelief as I approached them, crossing the pool of blood.

“A-Are you… Lady Ashtika…? Did you… kill the dragon…?”

A paladin who had been making the holy sign asked in a trembling voice.

“What? You do recognize me. If you know who I am, then calm down. You’re being disruptive.”

“Ah… well, that is… if I may be so bold…”

Despite telling them twice to calm down, none of the paladins showed any sign of doing so. They hastily sheathed their swords, knelt, and continued making holy signs.

It seemed excessive even for showing reverence to a saint.

What’s wrong with everyone? Is it because I’m not just a saint but a foreign queen, and I’ve also slain a dragon?

“Bold? Just say what you need to say properly.”

“…Lady Ashtika, what is that halo…?”

What halo?

Confused by his words, I turned to look behind me, but all I could see was the dead dragon’s corpse.

There was no halo anywhere.

“…I don’t see anything?”

“No… not there. Behind Lady Ashtika’s head, there’s a golden halo…”

The paladin answered with his head bowed low. Not behind me, but actually around my head itself.

“…Really?”

“Yes, it’s true…”

The paladin cautiously held out the shield in his left hand. As if suggesting I should check my reflection in the polished metal surface.

“…It’s true.”

I muttered blankly with a dumbfounded expression.

Behind my face, which appeared slightly distorted in the curved surface of the shield, a golden halo shone as brightly as the sun.

It looked so divine that I felt like I should kneel and pray to myself.

[What on earth is this now…?]

I know, right? What is this?

I couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief, just as Hersella’s voice trailed off in bewilderment.

A halo? What is this supposed to be? Evidence that I’ve evolved after receiving Astraea’s blessing?

Goddess, was this not the only trick you played on me besides enlarging my chest? I really can’t believe this.

At this rate, I should be called Gaming Haschal rather than Saint Haschal.

Blue eye light, red Karma of Murder power, and now a golden halo. I’m practically a walking RGB keyboard.

But more importantly, am I going to shine like this for the rest of my life? Surely not, right?

Cold sweat ran down my cheek.

If that were the case, I’d have to live with my hood pulled down for the rest of my life.

Being a human lamp 365 days a year? There’s a limit to how much attention one person can handle. How am I supposed to cope with such a life?

This isn’t just being a superstar—this is Jesus Christ Superstar.

Goddess, if you have any conscience, please turn this off. How am I supposed to walk around with this? It’s unbearably embarrassing.

I frantically ran my fingers through my long hair, desperately hoping the halo behind my head would disappear.

*Whoosh…*

Oh, it turned off.

The halo that had been illuminating the back of my head faded like a mirage and naturally disappeared.

“Phew…”

I sighed in relief.

Whether it was thanks to my frantic waving or my desperate plea for it to turn off… it was a blessing either way.

If it had been a permanent halo, I wouldn’t have known how to live my life.

…Surely it wouldn’t turn back on just by thinking about it, right?

*FLASH!*

“Ohhhhh! The halo is back…!”

“……”

It did turn on.

Good grief. So it was an on/off type of thing.

This was truly a malicious joke.

—-

After the commotion caused by the dragon’s corpse and my halo had somewhat subsided, I asked the paladins to provide me with some clothes.

Anything would do, preferably something loose-fitting.

“P-Please accept my clothes!”

“I have a set too!”

While the male paladins averted their gaze in embarrassment, the few female paladins eagerly offered their garments.

Their attitude was like devotees offering tributes to their idol.

The problem was…

‘…These are a bit small.’

[A bit? You have no conscience.]

The clothes I received were all too small for me.

Their tops were like curtains on me—curtains that barely covered my chest while exposing my lower abdomen. The bottom hem of what should have been at my waist rode up above my navel due to my chest, and the bottoms were so short and tight that they seemed ready to burst at the hips with any vigorous movement.

It was fortunate that I could cover the front with a cloak; otherwise, I would have looked even more indecent than if I were naked.

Anyway, after donning what could barely be called clothing, I explained the detailed circumstances surrounding the dragon’s corpse to the paladins.

“This dragon’s name is Amitamir. It was the progenitor worshipped by the ‘Small Forest’ faction of the Dragonic Kingdom.”

“The progenitor of the Dragonborn… Does that mean the rumor that Dragonborn can become dragons through training is true?”

Rumor?

Ah, that’s right. The humans of this world considered the fact that Dragonborn could evolve into dragons to be an unsubstantiated legend, didn’t they?

“I suppose that’s the case.”

“Goodness… Oh Goddess…”

But this was clearly the truth. The fourth Heaven’s Wall that had been blocking the Dragonborn’s evolution had been shattered to pieces.

Now, Dragonborn could become dragons. Though it wouldn’t be easy.

“The progenitor of the righteous Dragonborn… Is it really okay to kill such a dragon?”

Another paladin questioned with a face that suggested this might be troublesome.

“Well… The Small Forest Dragonborn claimed Amitamir was a kind and merciful dragon. But this was far from the truth.”

Merciful dragon, my ass.

“It seems he was one of the evil dragons. As soon as he revealed himself, he spewed blasphemous insults at our gods. He even went on a rampage, declaring he would burn all humans to death.”

The Amitamir I encountered was a mad dragon who couldn’t endure eight hundred years of humiliation.

“That’s why I had to slay it. Following the guidance and grace of the Goddess.”

I explained the well-packaged truth without a single lie, though the sequence of events was slightly altered.

In reality, it wasn’t the Goddess who guided me, but I who sought help from the Goddess.

Well, anyway, it was true that Astraea spoke to me and bestowed her grace, so it wasn’t exactly a lie.

“Ohhh… Astraea…”

“If it was Her will…”

The effect was impressive.

When I turned on my halo again and explained that the Goddess Astraea had given me divine revelation and bestowed her grace, the paladins made the holy sign with faces full of emotion and praised the goddess.

Not just those belonging to the Church of Astraea, but paladins from other churches as well.

It was only natural.

A halo fundamentally different from holy light. While it was unbearably burdensome for me, to them, this light was sacred evidence of God’s miracle manifesting on earth.

If they could contain their emotion at the sight of this, they probably wouldn’t have become paladins in the first place.

—-

Thanks to my explanation, the paladins now understood the detailed circumstances.

Unlike before, they now looked down at Amitamir’s corpse with eyes full of contempt, asking what should be done with this lizard.

“We should take it back, of course. It’s a magnificent trophy. Send a messenger to the Holy State and request a transport unit.”

“Yes!”

I had no intention of leaving Amitamir’s corpse in the Dragonic Kingdom.

A fresh dragon corpse—if left in the Dragonic Kingdom, all sorts of miscreants would be drawn to it.

The Small Forest faction might request the return of their progenitor’s body, or evil Dragonborn from all over might gather to steal even a single scale of the dragon.

I had absolutely no intention of handing over the dragon’s corpse to such creatures. This was my trophy.

After properly dismembering it, I would divide it into three parts: one-third to be moved to Hestella, and the rest to be gifted equally to the Holy State and the Empire.

So they could make weapons and armor to protect themselves using the dragon’s scales and remains.

“Oh, and does anyone here smoke mana herbs? If so, I’d like to borrow a pack.”

“Here it is!”

Three packs of mana herbs were competitively held out.

“Thank you. I’ll put them to good use.”

“It’s an honor!”

After receiving them all, I sat on the bed in the temporary tent set up by the paladins, smoking one cigarette after another and enjoying a leisurely rest.

I’d like to go find Persiella right now and plant Bernard’s head in her lower abdomen, but unfortunately, that wasn’t possible in the current situation.

Within hours, or at most a day or two, Dragonborn who had assessed the situation would start flocking here.

So I had to stay here.

In the worst case, Dragonborn coveting the dragon’s corpse might massacre the paladins and try to steal it.

But that wouldn’t happen as long as I was here.