Seated on his throne, the man with an overwhelming oppressive presence.
Gleaming white hair.
Sanpaku eyes with golden pupils.
Nobility radiates from his entire body.
A king.
He is Armored Dragon King Perugius.
With a single glance my legs tremble.
I know the reason.
Because, Orsted looks like that man.
Never forget.
The white haired man that killed me.
No matter their hair or facial features or style of dress, Perugius and him differ.
But they feel the same.
Just like Orsted.
"Come forward."
Urged by Sylvaril, Nanahoshi steps forth.
Matching her, Ariel follows close behind.
I follow like I'm trying to hide behind them.
This is an enormous hall.
Tall ceilings, supported by tree-like pillars.
Looking up, light radiates down from above.
Luxurious, brilliant.
Plus, hanging from the walls are curtains of complex patterns.
Products from Asura to Holy Milis, from the common to the never before seen, a little bit of everything.
On each side of the red carpet under our feet, 11 men and women stand in attention.
"..."
They're all clad in white.
Each a different design, but all the same color.
All white.
Then there are the masks.
Everyone's wearing masks.
None of their masks are the same.
Some in form of animals.
One seems to be missing an eye, so the mask covers only the eye.
Another looks like the helmet from Robocop, like it was made out of the same mold.
They must be the famed 12 Familiars of Perugius.
Despite being Familiars, they all look humanoid.
Long ago, Arumanfi and Ghyslaine fought in a stalemate.
In other words, the twelve of them including Sylvaril have strength equal to that of a Sword King.
I really don't want to make enemies out of these people.
I really need to be careful with what I say from now on.
"Stop here."
Hearing Sylvaril say so, Nanahoshi stops.
"..."
A mere ten steps from the throne two levels above us.
Perugius observes us without saying a word.
Rather, observing me.
I can feel his line of sight.
Scary.
Sylvaril walks slowly next to Perugius, standing in attention to his right.
Sylvaril on the right, Arumanfi on his left.
Then, as if to surround us, 5 on each side.
Slowly, Perugius speaks.
"I am Armored Dragon King Perugius Dola."
Captain Dola!
No, no.
Nothing to do with Castle in the Sky.
"Long time no see, Perugius-sama. As promised, I have returned."
Nanahoshi bows.
How unusual to speak in honorifics.
Suddenly I realize that Ariel is also in a bow.
Luke and Sylphy both kneeling with one knee.
Hesitating briefly, I bow as I usually do.
A Japanese ojigi.
"Nanahoshi."
Perugius's voice sends a chill down my spine.
That voice is full of majesty and oppression.
I feel like a prey animal, frozen in terror, my heart still and my breath difficult.
Cold sweat starts streaming down.
Terrifying.
Truly the feeling of a king.
"You have returned. In other words, you found a clue on how to conduct summoning from another world?"
"Yes. However, I don't know if the results match your expectations."
"Results... Searching for knowledge is the fate of the Dragon Race."
Dragon Race, so he's from the Dragon Race.
I haven't noticed until now, but that makes sense.
Dragon God and the Armored Dragon King.
Neither of them are human, but rather Dragon Race.
They look similar because they're from the same race.
Nanahoshi responds to Perugius without hesitation.
Perugius doesn't seem to hold any animosity against Nanahoshi.
A courteous friendship.
He may live secluded in a castle like this, but I guess he isn't paranoid.
"I hope as promised, you'll teach me your knowledge of this world's summoning magic."
"Em, that's fine."
Looks like Nanahoshi and Perugius have an understanding.
Nanahoshi will research summoning from another world, and share the results with Perugius.
And in return, Perugius will teach her the essence behind this world's summoning magic.
Something like that.
"Speaking of which, you brought quite a group here. Why are they here?"
"Yes. They assist in my research. As reward, they wished to meet Perugius-sama."
"Oh."
Perugius sighs out of boredom.
Calling it a reward felt a little inappropriate, but it wasn't a lie.
"Pleased to meet you."
Ariel steps forward.
"I am Ariel Anemoi Asura, Second Princess of Asura Kingdom. It's an honor to finally meet you in person, your majesty."
"Ariel Anemoi Asura, huh?"
"Pleased to make your acquaintance."
Perugius sighs loudly.
"I'm aware. Refusing to admit defeat after losing an ugly fight for the Asura throne, going as far as trying to get everyone around you involved in the mud flinging, that stupid princess."
Luke raises his head.
But, Ariel looks unshaken.
"That's a bit harsh."
As expected of Ariel.
With a gentle smile, she maintains eye contact with Perugius.
"Coming here, you want to find out whether I'll lend you a hand?"
"No, I just want to witness the world famous hero in person."
"Your scheme is obvious, Ariel Anemoi Asura."
As always, Ariel's voice is full of charisma.
But looking closely, she doesn't look so good. Cold sweat beaded down her face. Having her plan exposed, leaving a bad impression, her rhythm has been upset.
Seeing Ariel like this, Perugius smiles a little.
A smile for a scolded child.
"However, since you're here, that too is fate. Take the opportunity. I shall allow you to remain in my castle."
"T-thank you very much."
Ariel takes a bow and steps back.
Her anxiety eased, but did not completely disappear.