First Reunion (6)

A massive, ornate hall located in the very center of the Grand Cathedral.

This was the supreme council chamber where the Archbishops gathered.

And mediating opinions in this place was the role of Camille, the Saint, the pinnacle of this Holy Dominion.

“Then, I shall begin the meeting.”

Camille sat in the center, holding me in her arms in my baby Dragon form.

Normally, she would have been subtly disregarded due to her origins, but…

That would no longer be possible.

Because simply holding me in her arms made her authority absolute.

“First, everyone, we need to recall the values we have temporarily forgotten.”

“What values are you referring to…?”

“I speak of the ideology upon which this Holy Dominion was founded, and its very reason for existence.”

To that, Aidel, an old Archbishop with white hair, replied with a somewhat bored expression.

“Naturally, it is to always remember the miracles and blessings bestowed upon us by the Dragon, and to implement its profound will upon this land.”

“That’s right, but until now, we haven’t fully grasped the words bestowed by the Divine Dragon, and at times, we have strayed.”

“…”

“And in the meantime, a problem has arisen.”

Camille rose from her seat and gently extended my body, which she was holding, towards the Archbishops.

“While it is certainly a joyous occasion for the Dragon to appear directly before us, it is also, in a way, the beginning of a great tragedy.”

“What blasphemous words are those, Saint-nim? The birth of a Dragon is an event that must be unconditionally blessed.”

Archbishop Aidel, who had been wearing a bored expression until then, now looked stern.

What’s with this old man?

The atmosphere suddenly changed, didn’t it?

“Please don’t misunderstand. Do you remember the monsters that appeared last time?”

“Of course. In fact, we are currently mobilizing all intelligence organizations of the Holy Dominion to gather information on those monsters.”

“Those creatures are like a calamity. Monsters so formidable that it would be difficult for us to resolve them without the Dragon’s direct intervention.”

“…”

At her words, the Archbishops stirred.

To say Camille was spouting nonsense…

There must have been several unsettling aspects.

“Indeed, the recent oracles have been unusual. I was wondering if the Dragon God was continuously issuing warnings about danger, but…”

“Are those bugs truly such dangerous beings?”

Good, Camille has set the stage appropriately…

Should I make my appearance now?

Woong!!

I cast Polymorph, returning to my human form.

Ebony-like black hair cascaded down, and a skirt woven from black scales fluttered.

I had Polymorphed into the form of a small girl.

At that sight, not only the Archbishops but even Camille’s eyes widened.

“Oh, they’re super dangerous. Those bastards. If you underestimate them just because they’re bugs, you’ll regret it.”

“O Dragon-isiyeo…? What is that form?”

“Ah, you old men wouldn’t know. I’m a Dragon, so I don’t really have a gender.”

“I-I see.”

There wasn’t any grand reason for me to specifically take the form of a girl.

If I were to return to a male form in this state…

It would likely result in a somewhat indecent posture, as if I were sitting on Camille.

“O Dragon-isiyeo, what exactly are those bugs called Termites?”

“I don’t know much either. But I do know one definite goal.”

“What is that?”

“To devour the World Tree.”

“…”

A heavy silence fell among the Archbishops.

Even for the Archbishops of the Holy Dominion, who were fervent in their Dragon worship…

They certainly weren’t ignorant of the World Tree’s importance.

“What would happen if the World Tree were devoured by them…?”

“Well, at the very least, a great famine would be certain. The moment its blessings are lost, countless lands would turn barren.”

Of course, the world wouldn’t immediately perish just because the World Tree is gone.

Even this Holy Dominion maintains its current prosperity more through the blessings bestowed by the ancestral Dragons in the past than by the World Tree’s blessings.

“The problem is when those bastards devour the World Tree. They grow stronger through predation. That’s why they constantly crave to devour anything and everything.”

“Anything…?”

“Yes, anything. They truly eat anything.”

When those horrific monsters begin to move in swarms, an entire city can vanish overnight.

The scale of their forces is simply incalculable.

The strength of individual creatures can never surpass mine, but…

They overwhelm everything with their sheer numbers.

“O Dragon-isiyeo, if we were to lose the World Tree, would there be no hope at all?”

“No, not entirely. Do you know about the Daughters of the World Tree?”

“Yes, we only know them as the successors to the World Tree, but…”

The Daughters of the World Tree.

I know them very well.

For one, they were my wives in my previous life…

And I myself was connected to them.

“Even if the World Tree dies, if the next Daughter of the World Tree can inherit it, the repercussions can be lessened.”

“Oh, so there was a countermeasure.”

“Yes, the Daughter of the World Tree is both a successor and, in a way, a provisional World Tree.”

But we cannot be completely at ease with just that.

“The problem is that the Termites are also targeting the Daughters of the World Tree. The more targets they have to devour, the better for them.”

“So, ultimately, it is our responsibility to protect the World Tree’s forest.”

“That’s right. But that’s for later; for now, it would be best to clean up our own backyard first.”

At that, the Archbishops nodded.

“Yes, we must certainly deal with the bugs defiling this land.”

“However, O Dragon-isiyeo, is there no more efficient means to catch them?”

“There is. No matter what you say, at their core, they’re bugs. That’s why they’re very vulnerable to scent. The forest folk know that recipe well.”

Of course, I don’t know how to make it.

Even if I did, it’s not something that can be easily made.

I heard that the ingredients themselves only grow in the forest where the World Tree is, and the production process is also complicated.

“In that case, we should try to establish contact with them.”

“The problem is that the forest folk look down on us humans. We haven’t even been able to establish an embassy there yet…”

Ugh, this is the problem.

An ironic situation where I don’t want to get involved with my former wives, but I need their help.

At best, if we put forward Camille, the Saint, they might at least listen to what we have to say…

But it wouldn’t be as effective as me stepping forward.

“Alright, then I’ll go to the World Tree’s forest soon.”

“If the Dragon would do so, we would have nothing more to wish for.”

“For now, you all should first raid the underground organizations hidden within the Holy Dominion. Termites, it seems, prefer dark and damp places. There’s a high probability they’re hiding there together.”

Besides that, I gave the Archbishops a few more instructions.

It might be difficult to completely eradicate them immediately, but…

Even just suppressing them would buy us time.

“Alright, that’s all for now. You may all leave.”

“Yes, Dragon-isiyeo.”

The Archbishops all left to carry out my orders.

Now, only Camille and I remained.

“The old men listen better than I thought. It might be a bit different from my previous life.”

“Originally, the Archbishops were absolutely obedient to Helix. It’s just that Helix didn’t bother to order them around much.”

Indeed, in my previous life, I wasn’t very interested in how human society functioned.

I only paid a little attention after the Empire started a war.

But now it’s different.

To deal with those damned bugs…

I needed to take a deep interest in human politics as well.

“Right, I can’t just leave it all to the old men. Let’s do our part.”

I slowly tried to get up from my seat.

But Camille was unmoving.

“…”

“Hehe.”

Camille had her hands clasped over my stomach, hugging me.

I subtly gave her a look, but she didn’t seem to have any intention of letting go.

“Camille, let’s go soon.”

“Just a little longer.”

When I subtly turned my head…

Camille was looking at me with a very flushed expression.

“Helix, your girl form is cute too. I’ll allow you to be in your girl form sometimes.”

“You used to hate it before, what’s gotten into you?”

In my previous life, she used to get incredibly annoyed when I took a female form…

For some reason, she seemed to like this form.

“It’s cute because you’re a child. You’re at least a head shorter than me.”

“That’s because I transformed as small as possible so you wouldn’t find me heavy.”

“Anyway.”

Actually, this form wasn’t just taken on a whim.

During my third reincarnation…

For some reason, I almost always took this form while I was a baby Dragon.

“But why are your ears pointy? You look just like an Elf.”

“I don’t know, maybe it’s because I’m low on Magic.”

That was a lie.

Actually, the reason my ears were pointy was to mimic an Elf’s appearance.

Suddenly, my third wife flashed through my mind.

A woman I once truly respected.

But just as my expectations were high…

She was also the woman who disappointed me greatly.

‘I wonder what she’s doing.’

Does she have her memories, like Camille?

If so, would she truly miss me?

I don’t know.

“Helix.”

“What?”

“Thinking about another woman again?”

“I said no.”

“No, my ass. You were thinking about the Empress again, weren’t you?”

Camille lifted me, still in my girl form, and placed me on the table.

My current form was a head shorter than Camille, but I shouldn’t have been so easy to lift.

I asked in a voice filled with genuine admiration.

“Wow, you lifted me. Aren’t I heavy?”

“Because I have divine power. And don’t subtly change the subject.”

Camille glared at me with a very displeased look.

A woman’s intuition truly is terrifying.

She somehow figured out I was thinking about my former wives.

“Camille, Vivian is a trauma for me too. She’s not someone I want to talk about happily.”

“R-really…?”

At my words, Camille’s expression softened for a moment, then…

She subtly raised her gaze, as if gauging my reaction, and asked.

“Then what about me?”

“You?”

“Am I also a source of trauma…?”

“Not really.”

No, actually, if you were to ask if it’s true or not, it is.

Seeing Camille holding sharp metal objects in her hand these past few days…

I involuntarily flinch.

Perhaps it’s because the memory of being stabbed is still vividly present.

“Really?”

“I said really.”

But there’s no need to mention it further and hurt her.

I’ll trust that Camille is reflecting on it in her own way.

“Camille, we don’t have time to just chat idly like this. Let’s go quickly.”

“Can’t we stay a little longer?”

“Later.”

“Tch, fine. So where are we going?”

“The underground organizations.”

To deal with those bastards, we should start with a reconnaissance mission.

Imagining those bastards enthusiastically welcoming unexpected guests…

I already felt a long-held frustration lift from my chest.