Chapter 357: 『The Dragon's Blessing』
"Hey, Edogawa, why does Satella call you Roy?"
On the streets of the royal capital Lugunica in the Lionheart Kingdom, Frugel trailed after Roy, chattering incessantly.
"Guess?"
Roy glanced at the man beside him, whose looks were rather plain yet somewhat resembling a host, and replied with a smile.
"That 'Edogawa' name is obviously fake, isn't it?"
"If you already know, why bother asking? Are you stupid or something?"
Seeing Roy's look as if he were staring at an idiot, Frugel flushed red with anger, his temper flaring as he instinctively wanted to make a scene right then and there.
But he managed to suppress his irritation.
Modern people, influenced by their environment, tended to be somewhat self-righteous. Frugel wasn't the type to stay cooped up at home all day, and aside from his arrogance, he was also prone to fits of impotent rage—a flaw in his character, his excessive pride. When he first crossed over into this world, he had thrown many tantrums and caused quite a few disturbances.
However, during his travels in this other world, the various events he encountered had smoothed out some of those rough edges.
But the reason he didn't lose his temper with Roy wasn't because he'd become more composed—it was because, during a previous argument, Roy had decisively taught him a lesson.
It happened when they were leaving the slums.
At the time, Satella had inexplicably asked Roy if he could save the poor souls living there, and Roy had refused without hesitation.
Frugel, seeing an opportunity to impress his crush, had boldly declared that he would be the one to save the people of the slums. But instead of earning Satella's gratitude or admiration, he was met with Roy's mocking retort:
"...Who do you think you are?"
At that moment, Frugel felt the last thread of his rationality snap. He grabbed Roy, shouting in fury—though he couldn't even remember what he'd said, only that it was probably some grand, self-righteous spiel.
And then—
Roy beat him up.
For someone so full of themselves, Roy never bothered with reasoning. His response was always fists.
After the beating, Frugel became much more subdued. Deep down, he knew how unrealistic his words had been. Even in the modern world with all its advancements, slums remained an unsolved problem—let alone in a place resembling the Middle Ages.
He knew deep down that he had only acted so irrationally to show off in front of the girl and because he'd been mocked. After calming down, Flugel actually agreed with Roy's words—this was something neither of them could control, as it stemmed from the most fundamental systemic issues of their society.
Flugel had initially worried that Roy's overly harsh words might upset Satella, but he soon realized he'd overthought it. The half-elf girl was remarkably understanding, and after just a few brief explanations from Roy, she accepted his reasoning.
Kind yet never naive—Flugel recognized Satella's rare virtue and felt ashamed. As a transmigrator, he was less mature than a girl who had grown up in the slums of another world.
With these thoughts, Flugel stole another glance at Satella walking beside Roy's left hand.
Normally, someone of his temperament would have stormed off after being mocked by Roy like that. But for some reason—perhaps the first stirrings of youthful infatuation—that faint, bittersweet affection kept him from leaving. This time, however, he finally behaved himself while tagging along with Roy.
Rubbing his ribs, he cursed inwardly. Damn, that guy really didn't hold back. If he hadn't been somewhat capable, he might have died right there.
Roy remained oblivious to Flugel's complicated thoughts and had no interest in deciphering another man's heart.
Though Flugel sometimes had an inflated sense of self-importance, he wasn't a bad person overall. Roy still knew little about this world and had no clear plans for what to do next, so he didn't bother driving Flugel away.
"Do you know of the Divine Dragon, Volcanica?"
Aside from the Witches of Sin, the dragon was Roy's greatest interest in this world.
On the bustling streets of the royal capital Lugunica in the Lion Kingdom, their small group stood out conspicuously. While Flugel and Shaula appeared relatively ordinary, the pairing of Roy and Satella was downright bizarre.
A nobleman dressed in opulent attire, exuding an air of refined elegance, was holding hands with a half-elf in public. Even if the half-elf's beauty was otherworldly, the stark disparity in their social status left onlookers stunned.
Walking hand-in-hand like this clearly indicated the half-elf was neither slave nor servant.
Soon, gossip began swirling in people's minds—tales of a young noble lord falling for a mixed-blood half-elf.
Satella noticed the strange looks directed their way. She understood why they stared, and as the Jealous Witch, she didn't want Roy to feel uncomfortable under their scrutiny. She tried tugging her wrist free, but Roy's grip was firm, as though afraid she might flee. No matter how hard she pulled, she couldn't break away.
A pang of regret struck her. If she'd known, she would have worn a hood to conceal her ears—then no one would have recognized her identity.
There are still significant differences in appearance between elves and half-elves. An elf's ears are much pointier and longer than those of a half-elf, making it easy for most people to distinguish between the two at a glance.
Walking beside Roy, Frugal also heard his question and replied, "...The Divine Dragon 'Bolkennica'—I've heard countless legends about it during my travels. It's said this divine dragon lives near the great waterfall at the edge of the world. I've never been there, so I haven't seen 'Bolkennica' myself."
At the same time, Frugal was surprised that Roy knew so little about Bolkennica. After all, anyone of even minor status should be aware of this highest-ranking dragon among dragonkind.
'Could he have just crossed over? But that can't be... His power is absurdly strong. If he really just arrived, does that mean he was already this powerful on Earth? Are Earthlings actually that terrifying?'
Frugal wasn't stupid and quickly pieced together the reason, his mind racing with wild speculations.
Though his thoughts were chaotic, he still answered Roy's question honestly: "...Very few people have seen the Divine Dragon 'Bolkennica,' and among those few, an even smaller number have received its blessing."
"...Legend says 'Bolkennica' possesses the ability to bestow blessings known as the 『Divine Dragon's Blessing』. Those granted this blessing gain access to most of its power. Though I imagine there must be limitations—this divine dragon is already unbelievably strong. If it could freely grant blessings, wouldn't that make it invincible?"
Frugal's words made Roy pause mid-step.
To bestow upon others power nearly equal to one's own without losing anything—wasn't this 'Bolkennica's Blessing' the very foundation of the golden thaumaturgy he sought to complete?