Lascaris' magic changed the landscape around him.

　The swarm of demons and the carcasses of behemoths have disappeared, and even the terrain has changed. A large funnel-shaped hole in the middle of the desert reminded me of an ant hellhole.

　The explosion could have been seen from the Belka, and it was likely to be a topic of conversation for some time to come about the old days and ancient weapons. The trouble is, Joel and the rest of the Leero Oasis community know that the Dragonslayer was there. I'm sure they'll be asking me about the situation.

　Well, you can do whatever you want about this. I'm going back to Ishqa soon. I don't have the time or inclination to explain the situation to the people of Belka in a respectful manner.

　What matters is that the reason I came to Belka - the horns of the behemoth - were blown off in the earlier explosion.

　I don't know if it's the king of the Imperium or the presiding officer of the nightclub, but what the hell is he doing for me, dammit," I told him, and the response I got was very simple.


I'll give you a replacement. Then I'll give you something to replace it.


　It's a magic stone the size of a child's fist. It's a normal size for its size. But the purity is off the charts. The purity here refers to the magical power contained in the magical stone.

　It's not a surprise that this is the national treasure of the Canary Kingdom - no, it's a level item that could be called the national treasure of the Ad Astera Empire.

　I'm not sure if he read my mind, but Lascaris' next words confirm my assumption.


The Philosopher's Stone. The Philosopher's Stone, that's what it's called. The Philosopher's Stone is one of many, but it's a very fine one from the Imperium. Pope Noah wouldn't complain about it either.

You seem to be very knowledgeable about the situation.

Probably more than you do. So I know all this stuff.


　Lascaris tells us.

　There is no doubt that a catalyst is necessary if warding magic is to be maintained over the long term. But it didn't have to be the horns of a behemoth. It could be Leviathan's Gekirin, Jizhu's tail, or even a white whale's beard. Even the Philosopher's Stone would suffice as a catalyst.

　All of them are similar in the sense that they are difficult to obtain, but even so, there would have been no need to limit it to behemoth horns.

　However, Pope Noah dared to do so. Why?


'It was to lead you, the Dragonslayer, into the desert and get rid of the Behemoth. When it comes to the words of the Pope of the Holy Kingdom, most people just take them for granted. Few would think of any other option. Not to mention the fact that the Pope is also a magician.


　I'm sure you were too.

　Lascaris, who teasingly uttered that, continued to say more.


''Also, in your case, if it's called the Horn of Behemoth, I can't help but think of the demon man you're sheltering, so there's a good chance your induction will be successful in that sense as well.

'You have a well-spun tongue. Let me ask you a question for a test: what does His Holiness do after I get rid of the behemoth?

Of course he'll try to get Andorra. There's something over there that the legal gods want, you know.

'What is it that you've been dying to have a legal deity?'

'You already know what that is. In addition, the legalistic religion has already secured two of them. One is in the imperial city of Ad Astera. The other in the Great Foul Sea of the Holy Kingdom (Caritas).


　The capital of a great power that holds the hegemony of the world, and the rotten forest of the Holy Kingdom, where it is said that an illusory species (Hydra) once appeared. What connects these two places that don't look much like each other and the dark elf country that exists deep in the Catalan Desert.

　It is--


A dragon's hole.

"Your answer.


　Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.

　As I've mentioned in the past, the dragon hole that spews out the chi of the earth is a symbol of prosperity. It is said to ward off evil, and since ancient times, the heroes who founded their countries have always located their capitals near the dragon hole.

　To be honest, I only thought of this story as a fiction to enhance the authority of the country and the king. However, I discovered a large hole in the deepest part of the Titis Forest that can only be called a dragon pit. This is a real hole.

　If this is the case, it's not surprising that it exists in the capital of a country as large as Ad Astera.

　If the legend about the Rotting Sea in Caritas is true, there is a high probability that there is also a dragon-hole, if the legend is true that a hydra appeared in that place. Just like the hydra that appeared in the forest of Titis, the hydra of Caritas must have emerged from the magical power of the dragon pit.

　It goes without saying about Andorra, the existence of the abyss that Wisteria had mentioned.

　It wasn't difficult to come up with the existence of the Dragon Hole from Lascaris' words.



　Of course, it's all speculation. I only saw the dragon cave of Titis with my own eyes, and the other dragon caves are a combination of hearsay and knowledge I've heard about.

　Above all, it's too much to be honest to believe the information about the legalistic religion spoken by Lascaris, who is hostile to the legalistic religion.

　However, it is a fact that since I came to Belka, there have been glimpses of the shadow of legalistic religion. Considering that, it would be meaningful to listen to the opponents of legalistic religion.

　While he was thinking about this, Lascaris' story continued.


''As you know, the Ad Astera Empire is taking advantage of the chaos of the emergence of Hydra to increase the pressure on the Canary Kingdom. It's in the form of forcing the marriage between the Crown Prince and the Third Princess, which was once on the verge of disappearing. This is not unrelated to the current story either. Unlike the Empire, this country doesn't have legalistic religions as its state religion. We don't have the will of law and religion as much as the Empire does.

'So you're saying that it's not convenient for the Dharma God religion to secure the dragon cave in Titis. It's possible that the Canary Kingdom, which has discovered the existence of the dragon pit, will try to take control of it themselves on behalf of the Dharma God religion. That's why the Dharma Theists are trying to manipulate the empire to control the country.

'Again, your answer. By the way, it's not just the Empire that moved it. The Kingdom of Canary is too. I'm sure the non-Imperialist aristocrats are in agreement with this wedding ceremony.　It's not just about wanting help to get out of a domestic predicament.

'Sounds plausible, but the Dauphin's wedding ceremony was in motion long before the Hydra appeared. I don't see how a late-beginning legalistic religion can lead a marriage ceremony.

'The answer to that question is this--legal deism was involved from the beginning. Or perhaps it's easier to put it this way: they knew about the dragon-holes in Titis long before Hydra appeared. They knew that there was a dragon hole in Titis long before Hydra appeared. And they were working to get it. It was the guardians of the demon gate (Moribito) who destroyed the clan of Kamuna who were guarding that forest, but it was the Hokage who manipulated it behind the scenes.

''Well that's how long ago do you think it was?''

Forty years. Forty years. It may seem like a long time to you," he said, "but it's been three hundred years since the first legalistic religion expanded through the Ad Astera Empire. But it's three hundred years since Dharma God started to expand its power through the Ad Astera Empire. That's how long it's taken them to achieve their goals. Compared to that, don't you think forty years is a small amount of time?


　When I said that much, Lascaris began to move away from me, floating in the air. Apparently, he just wants to say what he wants to say and then disappear.

　I didn't feel the need to stop him, so I didn't move.

　But there was something that was bothering me. I finally asked him about it.


"So what is the purpose of legalistic religion, after all?　You've got the Dragon Hole, what are you going to do with it?


　Nowadays, the teachings of the Dharma God have spread universally throughout the continent and have acquired worldly power. What is the purpose of the Dharma God's religion, which can grant most wishes by itself, even to the point of coveting a dragon pit?

　Lascaris's answer to this question was: "Law is the preservation of order.


Lascaris' answer to this question was: "Law is what preserves order, and order is what keeps man's world in order. And order is the light that shines in the darkness of the world.

...a scripture of the Fahrenheit.

Yes. And this verse is the answer to your question. If you want to know more than this, light deity, you can look up these words.


　I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow because it was a familiar word to hear.

　I don't know how he received my expression, but at last Lascaris disappeared, saying


You just have to be careful when you look into it. The person I tell you about this is inevitably going to die prematurely for some reason.