The next day.

As of yesterday, Alon had finished most of the paperwork.

With an easygoing mood, he sat there stroking Blackie’s head as he watched the two Sea Gods drifting leisurely between the castles.

Grrr—

Blackie had never made sounds like that before, but at some point it had started making noises like a real cat. Alon watched it for a while, then—

'...No matter how I look at it, at this point it really does feel like a Demon King’s castle.'

That thought crossed his mind again, and then he turned his gaze toward Basiliora.

For the past several days, ever since Alon had started seriously working through the paperwork, it had been blankly staring up at the sky.

“Basiliora.”

Like a cat staring at goldfish swimming in a fish tank, that was exactly what it looked like. Alon called out to it.

[Hm? Ahem— what is it?]

Only then did it snap to attention and ask back.

“You’ve been staring over there for days... do you want to try it too?”

[What? Me? Hahaha— as if!]

“So I was right?”

[Hmhm— but weeeell— if you insist on making me do it, I suppose I could humor you!]

Basiliora unfolded its bizarre logic.

But put simply—

it meant it had spent days staring at the castle because it wanted to fly through the sky like the Sea Gods.

[Qyuu—]

Blackie, purring in Alon’s arms, let out a cry that sounded like it was mocking it with, ‘Are you an elementary schooler or something—’

[That’s what I’m saying! It’s not that I want it, but if you beg me, I’m saying I might fly just once!]

Basiliora passionately refuted Blackie’s reaction—

but only for a moment.

[Qyu—?]

Blackie looked at Basiliora like it was ridiculous, then suddenly widened its eyes as if it had thought of something good and tapped at Alon’s collar with its round little paw.

“What is it?”

At the question, Blackie tapped at his collar again, then pointed at itself with that same round hand.

Alon thought for a moment, then ventured a guess.

“...Are you asking for magic power?”

[Qyu—!]

It nodded like that was the correct answer.

He was briefly puzzled, but Alon used Reverse Heavens and poured magic power into Blackie.

At the same time—

Wooooong—!

“...Huh?”

Blackie flew.

It hadn’t grown wings.

Its appearance hadn’t changed at all as it floated in midair.

But Blackie was clearly hovering in the air, and Alon stared in confusion for a moment before—

“...Is this the power of Divine blood?”

[Qyu—!]

At Alon’s question, Blackie nodded and began flying around through the air.

[What kind of— impossible—!!!] 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Basiliora screamed in shock at the sight, and just then the office door opened—

“...Lord Alon?”

“Evan.”

Evan came in.

He had entered like he had something to say, but when he saw Blackie flying around in midair, a strange expression crossed his face.

“...May I ask what exactly is going on here?”

“It seems that among the Divine blood Blackie absorbed, there was one with the ability to fly through the sky.”

“The ability to fly through the sky?”

“Yes.”

“Uh...”

“What is it?”

“No, it’s just... for a Divine blood ability, doesn’t that feel a little cheap?”

“I suppose it does...”

Alon agreed as he watched Blackie bobbing around in the air with its four tiny paws.

But only for a moment.

After thinking about something, Evan suddenly said,

“Then the airship problem is solved, isn’t it?”

“...Out of nowhere?”

“Huh? Well... Blackie can fly, can’t it?”

“It’s not as if I can ride Blackie and fly.”

Alon’s rebuttal.

At that, Evan scratched his cheek awkwardly.

“Well, I mean... it’d probably be hard to fly just by riding Blackie alone... but you two merge together anyway, so couldn’t you move like that? ...Though I guess things in this world don’t work out that conveniently, do they?”

That was what he said.

And at Evan’s words—

“There’s no way it’d be that eas—”

Alon, who had raised his hand to wave the idea off,

“...Hm?”

stopped midway, unlike his original intention, and stroked his chin instead.

And then, a moment later—

“...Huh?”

As if he had realized something, a strange sound slipped from Alon’s mouth.

“...What is it?”

Evan asked curiously.

“No...”

“...It actually might work?”

Alon answered as if spellbound.

####

“In conclusion, it is possible.”

The second office.

Immediately after his conversation with Evan, Alon had brought Blackie and Basiliora to Reinysius, and that was what he heard from him.

“...Really?”

“Yes. First of all, even if the power used by that Shadow Dragon is used by taking magic power from you, it is not a power that uses magic power itself as the main body.”

“...What does that mean?”

At Alon’s question, Reinysius thought for a moment, then held out a hand in front of him and formed a simple sphere of magic power, as if to demonstrate.

“Do you see it?”

“...You mean the magic sphere?”

“Yes. How do humans create a magic sphere?”

“...? By using magic power to create a magic sphere, obviously.”

“Yes. That is the basic way we use magic power. We consume magic power to create magic. But the way the Shadow Dragon uses magic power is different. It burns magic power as fuel.”

“...Fuel?”

“To put it simply, it would be easier to think of it as an artifact inside Blackie’s body that runs on magic power as fuel.”

“Ah.”

Alon let out a sound as if he understood.

“So it’s not using the magic power directly.”

“Yes.”

“...But why are you suddenly bringing that up?”

And to the question that followed, Reinysius answered without hesitation.

“Because I wanted to talk about efficiency.”

“Efficiency?”

“Yes. I had vaguely sensed it before as well, but now that I have confirmed it clearly, that Shadow Dragon is somewhat abnormal.”

“...In what way?”

Reinysius looked at Blackie, which was flying around in the air by kicking pointlessly at empty space and, as a result, looked a little pathetic.

“The abilities of the Divine blood that I have analyzed require a truly absurd amount of magic power in order to reproduce them through magic power.”

“I was aware of that to some extent as well... but is Blackie using its ability that efficiently?”

“Yes. In fact, even now, as time passes, it seems to be using it more and more efficiently.”

Reinysius stared silently at Blackie, then added,

“It is at the level of producing one hundred magic spheres with the magic power needed to produce one.”

“...No, it’s that extreme?”

“Yes. In fact, the more time passes, the more its efficiency seems to be improving.”

He muttered that it almost made him want to investigate it.

Then, only a moment later—

“Anyway, what I want to say is this. Even if its overall volume increases, given the way that Shadow Dragon uses its abilities, I do not think it will suffer from a lack of magic power. However—”

Reinysius looked at Basiliora.

“The problem is that one.”

[Not ‘that one,’ Basiliora!!]

Basiliora flared up at Reinysius’s words.

But the golden dragon continued speaking without the slightest interest in Basiliora’s reaction.

“You said this one requires a lot of magic power?”

[It’s Basiliora!!]

“Yes. I summon it with this.”

“Hmm—”

[Craaaahhh—!!!]

Without even blinking at Basiliora’s fit, Reinysius stared intently at the Kalgunias’s Covenant Ring Alon had handed over and said,

“I see— it has an interesting structure.”

“Does it?”

“Yes. I do not know who made it, but it is an extremely advanced artifact.”

Sounding impressed, he turned the ring over and over as he examined it, then asked,

“If it is alright with you, could you leave this ring with me? A few days will be enough.”

“Why?”

“I think I may be able to adjust its magic power efficiency.”

“...Its efficiency?”

“Yes. Roughly to around one-tenth of its current level.”

“...That much?”

'This is a dragon...?'

That was what Alon found himself thinking as he looked at Reinysius.

Meanwhile, the dragon in question remained calm regardless, never taking his eyes off the ring.

“It is not that I can do it through my own ability alone. It would be closer to limiting this ring’s functions.”

“...The ring’s functions?”

“Yes. You do not seem to know, but this ring appears to have various effects besides summoning that one. At least five or more.”

[Not ‘that one’— I said it’s Basiliora, you bastard!!!!!!]

“It had effects like that...?”

Alon tilted his head.

He clearly remembered there not being any such explanation for the Kalgunias’s Covenant Ring even in the game, so it wasn’t as if he felt no doubt about it.

But—

“Anyway, I am thinking of disabling all of those effects and increasing its efficiency instead. What do you think? For reference, it seems there will be no problem using it the way you have until now.”

“If that’s the case...”

“It should be finished within a day or two. Ah, and if possible, could I keep the Shadow Dragon here with me for a while as well?”

“Blackie too?”

“Yes. There is something I would like to examine while I’m at it.”

At those words, Alon looked at Blackie and said,

“Will that be alright?”

[Qyu.]

Blackie lightly bobbed its head as if it understood what Alon had said.

“It seems it’ll be fine.”

“Thank you.”

Alon nodded at Reinysius’s reply, then suddenly grew curious and asked,

“But where is Kylrus?”

“Ah, as for Kylrus—”

Reinysius tilted his head toward the window.

Alon turned his gaze that way, puzzled.

And over there—

“...?”

Kylrus was there.

More precisely, Kylrus was there surrounded by maids.

“...What is that?”

Evan asked in disbelief, and Reinysius explained,

“From what I heard, one of the humans offered to pack lunches for Kylrus, and after Kylrus started accepting them, it turned into that.”

“Ah...”

Just as Reinysius said, when they looked at Kylrus’s face, Kylrus was frowning, clearly uncomfortable.

And yet at the same time, Kylrus was unable to use force against the maids crowding in, and could only helplessly take into its mouth the food they kept pressing toward it.

“Ha, this is ridiculous, seriously... it was sweeping adventurers aside left and right back when it was a goblin, and now—”

“......”

“Look at it acting like some guy who gets all troubled because he can’t lay a hand on women.”

“......”

“Lord Alon, it’s absolutely enjoying that, seriously, absolutely, I’m telling you.”

Evan’s voice rang out beside them.

[Try speaking without crying.]

“I’m not crying, you snake-headed bastard!”

That ended with Evan shouting at Basiliora’s teasing.

Then the group left the office.

And while they were on their way back, Alon asked,

“...By the way, Evan.”

“...Yes?”

Evan replied in a strangely dejected voice.

“Have you seen Penia?”

“...Uh— no, I haven’t. Now that you mention it, that’s true.”

'Where did she go...?'

That was Alon’s question.

But that question did not remain unanswered for long.

Because—

“...She said she’d be going to the Mage Tower for a few days?”

A letter was lying on Alon’s desk.

It was a letter from Penia saying that because of urgent business, she would be stopping by the Blue Tower for a while.

“Hm—”

He stroked his chin for a moment at the suddenness of the letter.

'...Come to think of it, she disappeared in a panic last time too, didn’t she? Did something happen?'

Recalling the last time Penia had left in a fluster, Alon thought that he would ask her when she returned.

“Evan.”

“Yes.”

“They said they were voting over the rooms in the inner castle, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Once that vote is over, we’ll head to Divine Land. I should at least see them off on their way back.”

“Will you be returning again?”

“I think I’ll return after stopping by Divine Land and then visiting Star Root as well.”

Alon finished the day.

And the next day—

“Evan. Is the vote over?”

“No. They’re on the third round of voting.”

“...Third?”

“Yes.”

“...It’s gone to a third round just to pick floors?”

“Yes.”

Two days later—

“Is the vote over?”

“They’re on the tenth round...”

“...Tenth?”

“Yes.”

And another three days after that—

“...Evan.”

“...Yes.”

“Still not over...?”

“They’re on the twenty-eighth round of voting.”

“...No, wait, isn’t it just nine people voting?”

“That’s right.”

“Then how are they getting tied votes that many times...?”

At Evan’s words, question marks rose over Alon’s head.

And at that point—

when the voting still hadn’t ended even after passing the twenty-eighth round and reaching the thirtieth because the ties just kept continuing—

“...At this rate, this is never going to end.”

“I think so too.”

“Me too.”

“Then what should we do?”

“It can’t be helped. At this point, let’s have one person choose.”

“...Who?”

“You know.”

“Ah.”

And because of Magrina’s suggestion, the one who got dragged in was—

“So— this is how it ended up. All you have to do is choose which one of us will live on the eighth floor.”

“Huh...?”

—none other than Penia, who had been locked up and subjected to brutal torture (kneeling with her hands raised from 9 to 6).

“...Can’t I just keep doing what I was doing...?”

Her pitiful voice rang out.

...Penia, standing at the crossroads of life and death...!!