“Norkin.”

“Why are you doing this?”

He thought as he looked at the Orcs.

The place they agreed to meet was the Mansion where the Protagonist was staying. The Mansion had a slightly small but usable banquet hall, and it was piled high with all sorts of food. He should have been drooling, but he couldn’t focus on the food right now. Although it was desolate with no one but the Protagonist, there was a bigger reason.

“Why do you think they want to meet?”

Was it right to invite them in? The thought lingered in his mind. He called people and talked. He asked the Count, but the answer he received was that they had to fight them.

Even if they refused the meeting, it didn’t seem like they would just say, “Oh, I see. We’ll gracefully retreat,” and go back. That was the biggest reason.

“Are you curious about that?”

“You said they were afraid of us. So I don’t understand why they’d want to meet.”

He wondered why they wanted to meet. Those who came to fight, if they lost, should have gone back. Coming here was also a risk for them.

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“Perhaps they are qualified.”

Norkin mumbled.

“Qualified?”

“They have a lot of pride. They probably saw humans as ants to be stepped on. But they almost died to such ants.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

It was a story that ants were stronger than he thought. Surely, he didn’t want to talk to an incredibly strong ant.

“Listen carefully. We showed our strength. We showed that we are not ants, but beings worthy of talking to them. So they want to talk.”

“Ah.”

From the moment they showed their strength, they were no longer ants. So they gained the right to speak. But there was still a lot he didn’t know.

Wanting to talk means they want something. He had no idea what they wanted. Perhaps they would ask him to teach them the protagonist’s magic. Unfortunately, that didn’t seem to be the case.

Three people entered the banquet hall. Strictly speaking, they were not people.

“Are you the mage who summoned the god?”

The old gentleman with a goat’s head said. Next to him was a purple-skinned woman with horns. She also had wings on her back. The other person was a giant, a red demon all over his body.

Only three guests came. But he felt a suffocating urge to leave this place. They were nobles of Count rank, equal to him, as Norkin had said.

He took a breath.

He couldn’t show any fear. Although Norkin was next to him, he was alone and there were three opponents. Thinking that the opponents were beings who could crush the protagonist like an ant, it was difficult to even continue a simple conversation.

“I can’t believe such humans can use such great magic.”

The red demon mumbled. He seemed displeased with the situation, crossing his arms. The woman whose skin looked like it would taste like grapes if licked had a similar attitude.

“Perhaps it’s a lie?”

“I think we should check.”

The atmosphere was not good. The protagonist seemed weak in their eyes. It would be troublesome if they asked him to show his skills. The goat-headed old man spoke to them.

“Now, now, calm down. Have you forgotten why we came here? Above all, what happened to us was true. You surely don’t want to experience such a thing again, do you?”

“No, but…”

The red demon frowned. He seemed to recall the goddess appearing and unleashing a blizzard. As he fell silent, the goat old man looked over.

“You must be wondering why we came here, right?”

“Yes.”

“To get straight to the point, we want territory.”

“Territory?”

“We want to build friendly relations with you. And we hope to acquire proper land. But…”

The Ram Elder drew out his words, rolling his eyes.

“This is only if you are qualified to speak with us.”

“You want me to prove my qualification?”

“It’s not difficult at all. It’s a very simple task, enough to make you yawn. I will swing my staff, just block it once.”

The Ram Elder lifted the staff in his hand, as if to move it. It was an ordinary staff, nothing special. But I felt like I couldn’t avoid it; I was so afraid I felt like I would collapse at any moment. At that moment, someone stepped forward in front of the Protagonist. It was Norkin.

“Stop! Don’t you think that’s going too far?”

“Going too far?”

“If you’re going to act like this, I’ll face you myself.”

As the Orcs grasped their axes, the Ram Elder frowned. Even he seemed uncomfortable facing Norkin.

“That was not my intention. I apologize for threatening you with my staff. But I must verify if the Human Mage standing behind you is qualified.”

“What do you intend to do? If you utter words like before, I will not listen.”

The Ram Elder laughed.

“It’s not like that. We won’t do anything. The Human Mage simply needs to show us. That they possess a value that we can accept.”

“How?”

The Protagonist interjected into the conversation. What the other party was saying was too abstract. I didn’t know what value they were talking about, nor what I needed to do to convince them.

“Show us that you can communicate with a god.”

“Communicate?”

The Ram Elder nodded. He seemed to consider being able to connect with a god as an extraordinary feat.

“Surely you can’t?”

“I can.”

“Oh, that’s quite remarkable. It’s rare for a god to even pay attention to mere Humans, let alone be able to connect with them.”

A smile appeared on the Ram Elder’s face. It was a sneer. He seemed to think the Protagonist could never do it. But it wasn’t a difficult task for the Protagonist.

I rummaged through my pocket. And I set down what I usually carried. Seeing it, the Ram Elder muttered.

…It’s a Statue.

The Old Man’s expression wasn’t good. The man and woman next to him were the same. They had seen Skadi directly, so they knew who the Statue that the Protagonist presented was modeled after.

‘The other person should respond.’

Until now, no answer had been heard from the Statue. The girl was weak and usually slept. She could still be doing so now. They didn’t even know if they could hear the voice of a god in the first place.

“What! This cute and great god is fast asleep!”

First, he grabbed the Statue and called its name. Then the Statue swayed and made a sound. It was a relief. The girl was awake.

“These people said they wanted to meet the Goddess.”

“What? You guys? Didn’t you leave?”

The Statue spun halfway around and then jumped in place. At that voice, the three, including the goat Old Man, knelt down. They seemed to be quite terrified, even burying their heads.

The Protagonist was not afraid of the god. Rather, he felt a strong sense of friendship. Even such a god was incredibly powerful, to the point that even those terrifying Demonkind couldn’t make a peep.

“Haa…”

The Goddess seemed to have a lot to say, keeping them seated and busy talking. He stepped away for a moment. The breath he had been holding came out in a long sigh.

“You look tired.”

He nodded. They had only exchanged a few trivial words. Yet his head ached. As if he had recited difficult spells one after another. It was more tiring than most fights.

“Still, you must endure. They suspect you. You must not show any weakness.”

“They suspect me?”

The Orcs’ expressions were not good. He was thinking of fighting.

“Seeing them exchanging glances, they seem to have realized that this side is weak. They are probably planning to attack.”

“Then what do we do?”

The opponents were strong. If they made up their minds, there was nothing to do but die gracefully.

“There’s no other way but to bluff. Is there anything else we can rely on?”

“No.”

Something did come to mind at his words. The existence of the Dragon. But it was doubtful if she would come to the Protagonist’s aid in danger.

He looked at the Ring. He didn’t understand why she had given the Protagonist such a useless Ring. He felt at a loss.

“Maybell…”

He called her name. He had called it without thinking. But surprisingly, a voice was heard. It was the voice from the Ring.

“Rael…!”

“H-huh! Maybell?”

“What’s wrong? I’m coming there. Just a little further, stay put.”

Hearing her voice, I snapped back to reality. The Dragon was coming. She had rushed here for the Protagonist in one step. From her voice, it sounded like she was close. It was overwhelming.

“How long will it take?”

“A little, just a little…”

It seemed like it would take a while. The Protagonist didn’t have time. They were about to be killed in the Capital City. Even with Norkin, victory wasn’t guaranteed.

He had to make her come faster. If she thought the Protagonist was in danger, she would come faster. He lightly scratched the back of his hand with the Dagger in his arms. A scream came from the Ring.

“What! What’s wrong! Surely you’re not injured?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. Just a slight scratch.”

“I’m coming right away. Just wait a little. Please, please stay safe until then.”

Her voice became urgent.

“Maybell, I love you.”

“Rael? Rael! Why are you saying such things? What in the world are they doing to you?”

“I felt like I wouldn’t be able to say it if not now. I wanted to tell you this.”

“Rael! Answer me! Rael!”

He took off the Ring and put it in his Pouch. Since the Protagonist had spoken as if he was about to die, she would probably come quickly.

“Let’s go.”

“…Alright.”

It seemed the Goddess’s sermon was over, as a voice calling the Protagonist was heard from inside the Banquet hall. He took Norkin, who had a bewildered expression beside him, and went back inside. Their demeanor was strange.

“We’re going to tell you what we’ve been thinking.”

“Thinking?”

“First, we know you can communicate with the gods. But that alone doesn’t seem to be enough.”

He fell silent. The corner of the Goat Old Man’s mouth turned up.

“Oh, of course, not everyone shares the same opinion. That woman said to retreat as is. And that guy said it’s dangerous, so we should negotiate.”

He frowned. From his words alone, it seemed like things would pass without much trouble. But the Goat Old Man’s face didn’t reflect that.

“What do you think I would want?”

“I don’t know.”

“I said that since the Magic we suffered won’t be usable for a while, we should kill you.”

“…”

“Oh, don’t look at me like that. Surely you weren’t hit where it hurts.”

“Are you going to kill me?”

The Goat Old Man nodded.

“You are dangerous. Too much so for a human. How can you even call a god? It’s absurd. Gods shouldn’t appear in the lower world. So, you must die.”

Cold sweat trickled down. They feared Protagonist. That much was fine. But out of fear, they tried to kill Protagonist right then and there. Even with Norkin beside them.

Protagonist racked their brain. They had to buy time with conversation.

“If you kill me, you’ll be in trouble.”

“Why?”

“Who do you think taught me my magic? It was a Dragon.”

The Goat Old Man fell silent. The man and woman next to him also looked like Gnolls. They showed fear at the mention of a Dragon.

“Nonsense!”

“A Dragon?”

The Goat Old Man muttered with a darkened face. It was as if he had concluded that Protagonist’s words were a bluff.

“Haha, a Dragon. A Dragon, you say. This is truly amusing.”

“What’s so funny?”

“She has lived alone for thousands of years. She is even greater than I am. And she would come for a human like you? Just like before, you’re full of bluffs. The moment your bluff is exposed, death is your only remaining option.”

Protagonist swallowed.

The opponent intended to fight. Protagonist’s mind raced. Norkin was already standing in front of Protagonist. How long could she last? Would she even come? If they fought here, wouldn’t the women be in danger? Thoughts piled upon thoughts.

Protagonist gritted their teeth.

This situation could not be overcome by Protagonist’s strength. In that case, what needed to be done was clear. Protagonist steeled their resolve. As Protagonist pulled out a Dagger from their pocket, the Goat Old Man burst into contemptuous laughter.

“What do you intend to do with that knife? Surely you’re not planning to resist? If so, I’d advise you not to. The moment you attack first, you will die.”

“I won’t attack you.”

“Then what? Surely you’re not going to kill yourself with that Dagger, are you?”

“That’s right.”

“What?”

Protagonist held the Dagger reversed and plunged it into their own stomach. The moment the cold blade tore through skin and lodged deep, Protagonist’s mind went blank. It was worse than when an Assassin’s knife had pierced their thigh. This was the abdomen. Protagonist could die.

It didn’t matter. If it wasn’t this severe, the Dragon probably wouldn’t come quickly.

Strength drained from Protagonist’s entire body. Their collapsed form hit the ground as if crumbling. In their fading consciousness, Protagonist looked around. The Goat Old Man and the others were staring with horrified eyes. Clear fear had surfaced on their faces.

The Protagonist had previously mentioned learning magic from the Dragon. This implied they weren’t just ordinary acquaintances. If the Protagonist died, they would have to endure the Dragon’s wrath.

But even as the Protagonist was dying, she didn’t appear. He wondered if she wasn’t coming. He slowly closed his eyes. Before losing consciousness, he heard the sound of a door opening.

The door opened. The Dragon appeared.

As everyone held their breath at the Dragon’s actual appearance, the Dragon’s gaze fell. There, a Mage lay collapsed, a knife plunged into their stomach.

She was about to say something, but stopped and looked at the bleeding Mage. In that silence, the Goat Elder, who had seen the other’s face, trembled all over and shouted that it was a misunderstanding.