Under the lead of the guard man, the four of us, including Wraith, are led to a room. It has a more solemn atmosphere than any door I've seen before, and I could understand at a glance that it was the place I wanted to be.

　The guard man stands in front of the door and knocks on it as he is accustomed to do.

''Enter.''

　The guard man opened the door as an answering voice arrived from the other side of the door. The Wraiths stepped inside as recommended.

　It must be a place for an audience.

　The long red carpet continues in a straight line, and beyond that, the figure of the king sitting on his throne at a slightly higher level. He looks more than fifty years of age, but the light in his eyes is still strong.

　It's just like a king of a country.

　Wraith quietly swallows his spit and slowly proceeds to his feet. Eventually, as Seth and the others stilled, the Wraith also stopped and fell to their knees.

　Glancing to the side, I saw several knights standing guard. It's not hard to imagine what will happen if they do something poorly.

　Wraith quietly cools his liver. The Lurimes next to me was chewing out a lack of breath even in this situation. It's a spaciousness that comes from being accustomed to the scene, but it's likely to be disrespectful one day.

　That's what Wraith was thinking about.

'Give me your face. You can make yourself comfortable.

　A dignified voice arrived and the Wraiths stood up as they were told.

''First of all, I am grateful that you have gathered here today. Let's get right to it, but let's talk about the reason why we've gathered here. The two of you in Linfold will have heard of it, but the two of you will not yet know.
Yeah.

　Lurimes returns to the king's words in a lighter tone. It's never a good attitude to take against the king. Wraith unintentionally looked at Lurimes as if he doubted her sanity, but she did not seem to be blamed.

　The king's air of dignity breaks down a bit and a bitter smile appears on his face.

''Lurimes-dono is unchanged, isn't he?
When's the last time I saw you? You've aged a bit over there, Velber.
Ha, it's hard to beat the age.
If you're sick, just let me know and I'll help you.
I'd be careful, but I'll ask you to be careful then.

　Wraith saw the king exchanging words with Lurimes, and for some reason he felt something close to himself.

　In other words - he's a hard worker (same kind of person).

　Surely, he has been pushed around by Lurimes until now. Wraith can understand. I'm sure you'll be able to see that scene as if you actually saw it.

　While Lace is feeling a sense of affinity for the king without permission, the conversation goes on.

The only thing I would like to ask is for you to do one thing. I ask only one thing: the restoration of the 'symbol' of this country.
The 'symbol'?

　Rulimes ruminates on his questionable words with a quizzical expression. I'm sure you'll be able to find a great deal more to say about it.

　Then what is it?

　When the king signals one of the knights with a hand gesture, a sturdy-looking cage is brought in. Then the answer was presented in front of the Wraiths.

''This is........''

　Wraith blurted out. Lurimes also looks at the creature in the cage, his eyes widening in surprise.

　--a dragon.

　Although its body is small in stature, it has a tail and wings, and its appearance, which reminds me of a reptile, was definitely that of a dragon. It was no ordinary dragon, either.

'Crystals, is it?'

　Crystalline shards were scattered on the surface of his wings and skin, thickly overlapping and covering his entire body. The shards shine beautifully in the light, giving the dragon's form a divine look. Its appearance is so reminiscent of the phantom beasts that appear in mythology.

　However, there is one thing that bothers me.

　It's a beautiful and shiny shard, but it's also cloudy in places. The black, dull cloudiness gives me an unpleasant feeling, as if the beautiful painting had been painted with mud.

　Mindlessly, the dragon in the cage seemed to be listless as well. It hung its head, closed its wings, and cowered still.

'That dragon is a crystal dragon, a dragon that has been worshipped as a 'symbol' of the kingdom for over three hundred years. It is a very rare dragon, and as you can see, it produces crystals in its own body.

　Dragons are a type of demon, and many are hostile to humans. However, there are some dragons that are intelligent and friendly to humans. I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to do anything about it.

　In the course of doing so, they became the 'symbol' of the country, and have been cherished for generations.

　But now.

　However, something strange had happened to this symbol.

Normally, these crystals would not break and do not change color at all. However, a little while ago, a part of the crystal suddenly turned black. Along with that, the crystal dragon's weakness began to wane as well.

　Shosaurus are dragons that live on metal and do not need food or water. Their bodies contain organs that store, crush, and process metal. The organs are filled with a special liquid, which melts the metal over a long period of time, and then clings to the surface of the body to recrystallize it.

'So that's what you want us to do...
Yeah. Can you do that?
Well, I'll take care of it, but I can't honestly say I'm sure I can fix it!
M.....

　It's a weak statement, unusual for Rulimes. But that's just as well. Perhaps, or rather, almost certainly, a crystal dragon cannot be cured by an elixir.

　This is because potions were created to act against the human body in the first place. No matter how highly potent the elixir is, it is not an exception.

　Demons need a potion for demons.

　As the king reluctantly looked at him, Alda, who had been silent for a long time, stepped forward.

''O king, don't worry. I'll make sure that this Alda Linfold will cure you.

　Is it a falsehood, or is it a confirmation?
　Orda smiles a clear smile and confidently states.

''Heh, you say...''

　The contrasting statements of Lurimes and Alda.
　Rulimes couldn't help but narrow his eyes and look at Orda. He had a cool expression on his face without cracking a smile.

''Well, it's the first time I've seen a rare dragon like a crystal dragon, too! If my apprentice there can't cure it, then I can't either!''

　Rulimes said, and pointed at the Wraith with a throwing look. Her gaze naturally focused on Wraith.

''Err........''

　I don't want you to raise the bar too high. Because I'm afraid of failing.

　Wraith searched for words, thinking that earnestly.

'Well, I'll do my best.

　I'll muddle through with bland words. I can't really say that I'm full of confidence. No matter how much of a title as a disciple of Lurimes, it was inevitable that he would appear a little unreliable.

　Seeing Wraith's condition, Alda secretly raised the corners of her mouth. It's as if she's implying that he's not her enemy. Well, aside from Lurimes, Wraith doesn't have much of a competitive spirit.

''Really, I wonder if it's going to be okay...''
I'm fine, I'm fine!　My Ray, you're amazing!

　So don't give me that kind of credit.　

　Wraith's prayers didn't reach Lurimes, and all she did was make remarks that lifted Wraith up. Her eyes were glancing at Orda, and I could tell at a glance that she was trying to compete with him.

''Sounds like a lot of work...''
Do you understand...

　Seth chuckled and spoke to Wraith in a whisper. Just as Wraith looked at Seth and sensed the difficulty of the nobleman, Seth also sensed the difficulty of Wraith's position as Lurimes' apprentice.

　Two people competing with each other and understanding the hardship.

　The space of the place was neatly divided into two.