Absolutely Do Not Touch Eldmia Egga

Chapter 653

Since they are a race that wears armor made of dragons, I looked at it again to see if it might be a hat made of a dragon’s head, but that doesn’t mean the statue turns into a dwarf or a human. Rather, upon closer inspection, I realized that they paid even more attention to detail to capture the dragon’s form.

I looked around, thinking that this might be a place decorated like a pantheon, but it wasn’t. The statues were of various shapes, but they all had dragon heads. The captain of the guard approached me quietly, feeling like I was a tourist looking at the statues, and naturally began to speak.

“Aren’t they well-made statues? Each one was dedicated to the temple by famous warriors. It is said that the tradition is to make one on the day a warrior becomes a warrior and another on the day he retires.”

It seems that the qualifications for the captain of the escort also included being quick-witted.

I was worried because I had no way to ask the dwarves why the god they serve has the form of a dragon, but thanks to the captain of the guards, I was able to find a natural solution.

“I have never heard of the kingdom, so it is unfamiliar in many ways.”

With a more relaxed mind, the captain of the guard smiled slightly and continued his explanation.

“I did the same. Personally, the most unfamiliar thing was that each of the dragons who created the statues had a different form of Baazkal. Some dragons had a kind-faced dwarf, while others had a dwarf who seemed to be slashing flames with anger…”

Something is wrong

As soon as I heard the captain’s explanation, I had to show superhuman patience to keep my eyes from rolling left and right.

Since there is no option to tease me, it is clear that the reason why my appearance is different is because of me.

Is it because he is a warrior? Or because he turned the dragon’s blood inside out? Is it possible that simply killing a dragon would trigger something and make him look like this? How would he appear to other dwarves? Why do the warriors create statues of this type and place them in their temples? Ambassador Hulgen was worried about the dragon’s attack, but was it just an act?

“···It was a very refreshing experience to see all the Ete statues in the country portraying the same female figure. What about Etiselle?”

Because of the thoughts that were swirling around in my head like firecrackers exploding, there was a slight delay in my reaction to the voice of the captain of the escort that pierced through my mind. Even in that split second, I debated whether or not to say it…

“It’s hard for me to say for sure because I didn’t have the opportunity to visit many temples. The ones I visited were all painted in a similar way. There may be differences depending on the sculptor’s skill, but the overall feel was similar.”

It seemed right to hold off until I met the person in question, Yongjang, so I pretended to be worried and delayed in answering.

“I apologize for the inconvenience. I had heard that you were very devout, so I assumed you had visited many different temples.”

I was a little nervous when I saw the captain of the guard look puzzled as if he had noticed something in response to my answer, but fortunately, his reaction was different. I think he thought that since I pray to God every time I visit a place, the conversation would proceed smoothly if we talked about topics related to religion.

It was Ambassador Huelgen who saved the captain of the guard, who was clearly embarrassed by the fact that his prediction was wrong.

“They say the preparations were finished in the evening, but they heard that they received word from the palace that His Majesty had departed just before we arrived. If it’s not urgent, wouldn’t we wait for His Majesty and then pray together?”

Even though the form was one that covered up a small embarrassment with a bigger one. It wasn’t particularly urgent, and it wasn’t a request that was difficult to follow, but I felt sorry for getting that kind of reaction.

So, I agreed with him and said that I wanted to learn how to pray, and he showed a much better expression and guided us inside.

In the meantime, I tried to casually mention the new appearance, but the response I got was not much different from that of the captain of the escort. Unless he was a master of method acting, and could add something like, “This actually looks like a dwarf, so it feels strange every time I see it,” while looking at the same dragon head.

In the end, I decided to empty my mind and focus on praying, thinking that I would naturally learn when I met the dragon directly later.

It is true that the grace of Bazhkal is watching over the dwarves, whether they have the head of a dragon or not.

Mr. Balkun was also one of those dwarves, and my equipment made from the byproducts of the dragon will also be made by the hands of the dwarves living under his protection, so I have more than enough reasons to be grateful.

The prayer method that he taught us, saying that it was a simple method that he learned from a priest… was so simple that it was embarrassing to even call it a ‘prayer method’. The only unique thing about it is that he is told to stand tall in front of the bazaar by not bowing his head or closing his eyes. The rest of the movements are so simple that it is harder to get them wrong.

It was truly dwarven, I guess. Thanks to that, I had to spend time chatting with the priest who taught me the prayer method until the dwarf king arrived.

“It is a blessing to have two warriors, but what else could it be if they are warriors who always know how to be faithful before the gods?”

From the old priest with white hair, I felt a calmness and gentleness that I could not find in other dwarves. Honestly, I expected dwarves to have fiery personalities, but the other priests who gathered around me were also like that, and I could not find any sign of that.

Even the questions are clerical. Starting with the question of how he came to have faith, he asks why he decided to worship all the other gods equally, and so on. It is a series of responses like a neighborhood elder seeing a wonderful little boy.

I got a similar response from the World Tree, but the biggest difference was that they had a certain distance in their conversations, while the dwarves didn’t have that. It was difficult in many ways, but thanks to that, time passed quickly.

When I came to my senses, there was already a commotion outside the temple, announcing the arrival of the king.

“Oh, you finally got here.”

When a strange sound like a torch being shot from outside was heard, all the dwarves, including the priests, stood up from their seats. I realized belatedly that the sound of the fire was coming from the lizards that the dwarves rode on, and I followed suit. But soon after, a group of dwarves appeared, making a loud clashing sound of armor.

At first, I thought he was a guard because he was a dwarf who didn’t even raise his helmet visor. It was only after the other dwarves bowed to him that I realized that the golden thing shining on his helmet was a crown.

“You are the warrior of the demon. Nice to meet you. I am the king of this place, Dena Otrimael.”

I briefly forgot the confusion caused by Schrödinger’s statue as I shook hands with the King, who shook my hand coolly while eating all the etiquette. I barely managed to keep my composure and shook his hand.

“It is an honor to meet the scepter that supports the kingdom.”

And I also greeted him informally as befitting him. Then the helmet, still closed, shook once and laughter erupted.

“I really like it. I originally wanted to ask why you visited the temple before the palace, but I guess that’s not really necessary. Isn’t that right, General Miwood?”

I couldn’t figure out what on earth was in my answer that made him come to that conclusion, but I couldn’t understand why he hadn’t even raised his helmet visor at this very moment, so I decided to just let it go.

As I followed the helmet that returned with the impression that the first dwarf kingdom trip was full of questions, an old man who looked noticeably older than the white-haired priest dwarf appeared, supported by a sturdy dwarf.

When I saw that sight, I had to work very hard not to reach for Este’s handle.

“Even if you ask for my consent, I find it difficult to follow Your Majesty’s ideas. Since you are flexible, do you think there must be a reason why you visited the temple before the palace?”

I had never imagined a dwarf who needed a cane because he was so uncomfortable moving around, so the sight alone was quite shocking, but the real surprise was not in his appearance but in something else.

“You keep following along and complaining. That doesn’t mean your retirement will come sooner.”

“Hahaha, if you harass an old man, you will be punished.”

The amount of magical power felt from the direction of the old man who was joking with the king of a country with a kind smile was so great that it reminded me of Iranoreph.

I could tell because I had been wandering around the Demon Realm and tried various ways to hide my magical powers.

It’s not that it’s been revealed openly, but that it’s hidden and covered up.

“Anyway… It’s nice to meet you, warrior of the Masin. My name is Miwood, the warrior general. I am the representative of the warriors because I am old.”

The dragon general Miwood, who approached me with support, naturally offered to shake hands as if the king had done so. I paused for a moment to think because of the amount of magical power that was suffocating me, and as soon as I realized that I might look awkward like that, I instinctively grabbed his hand.

“It’s an honor to meet you. I came here because you said you would only make the item if I saw it in person.”

I don’t feel any magic.

“Haha, there are still a lot of dwarves left to shake hands with. I’ve stepped back from the front lines.”

But the magic that touches the skin is still there.

“I see. Is the person next to you one of them?”

This situation meant only one thing, so I turned my gaze to the one supporting him, hoping that my smile would look natural.

Then the dragon answered:

“I am just a servant who helps the general move without any inconvenience.”

There was no way to know what the dragon was thinking, hiding himself in the form of a dwarf who smiled very naturally while humbly bowing his head.

In the end, all I could do right now was smile.

A Word from the Author (Author’s Note)

Thank you YorHa9s for donating 1 coin!

Sorry, but there are no plans for a map update yet… There are a lot of things that have been piling up… Maybe someday, someday, something will be uploaded to the edge of the map… But it seems difficult for now…

Thank you, Kim Kong-guk-su, for your silent 100 coin support!

I will try my best to repay your support by writing diligently so that you will not regret it!