I was utterly taken aback by the sudden inscription behind me and the Dragon Slayer.

I thought only the Dragon Slayer had a brain full of romantic fantasies, but it turns out this side isn’t much different!

It felt like that message had been watching us the whole time.

…Could this chronicler just be a voyeur?

If it’s going to carve something like this out of the blue, the chronicler must think that to remove the Dragon Slayer's anchor, a kiss is required.

But seriously, isn’t that a bit much?

How long have we even known each other to start talking about kissing, of all things?

And besides, there are eyes watching us.

"Woong?"

Even if everyone else has collapsed from exhaustion, Bell is still….

"My body is becoming transparent again!"

…Damn it.

Whether it’s by some divine prank or not, even Bell has returned to his original world, leaving just the Dragon Slayer and me alone.

"…Surely you’re not seriously considering this?"

The Gardener’s voice echoed in my mind, mixed with disbelief.

Of course not.

Besides, the Dragon Slayer came down to the human world to experience 'romance.'

Maybe it would be better for her to stay here and help defend Lontan as well.

"…Haha, whoever you are, this is a bit too much…."

I thought the Dragon Slayer would feel the same, but when I turned to look, I was shocked.

She had the same embarrassed expression as when I grabbed her horns earlier.

Hey.

Don’t do this.

Get a hold of yourself! Hold on!

Noticing my gaze, the Dragon Slayer flinched and then punched the inscription straight away.

When she withdrew her hand, the chronicler’s words had vanished.

"…What?"

You could erase that?

I stood there in a daze, wondering if this was normal.

"…Did she really reach the level where she could erase the chronicler's writing?"

Even the Gardener was shocked.

Right? This isn’t normal, is it?

This is the first time I’ve seen an external god erase something written by the chronicler!

After doing something so grand, the Dragon Slayer was panting and then suddenly looked at me with a surprised expression before quickly turning her head away.

Why?

Why are you acting like this?

Misinterpreting my stunned gaze as something else, the Dragon Slayer hesitated and spoke awkwardly.

"…I-it’s fine."

"What?"

"I-if you really want to… then just for a moment! It’s fine… I said. But give me some time…."

Are you out of your mind, you crazy external god?!

This is where you should be vehemently denying it, not agreeing!

I tried to ignore the sounds of two external gods freaking out in my head.

"It’s not like I’m afraid of kissing! I-it’s just that you’re human, right? You might get hurt by the fire I breathe. So, give me some time… to expel it first."

As she pointed her finger at me and threw out her words with force, her voice gradually softened, and she ended up shrinking.

Do you really have to go through with it even though you don’t want to?

There’s nothing sadder than forcing yourself to do something you hate.

I reached out to stop her, fearing that the Dragon Slayer might keep spiraling out of control if I left her alone.

"Calm down! The chronicler is clearly just messing with us. It’s better for your mental health not to react to every little thing. Besides, you and I aren’t even that close, and we were literally fighting just moments ago."

As I firmly cut her off, the Dragon Slayer’s face, which had turned red, slowly began to return to its normal color.

See, if you don’t step in at the right time, rational thinking goes out the window.

I really cut in at the perfect moment.

Seeing the Dragon Slayer’s serious expression as she reflected on her actions, I thought this was the end of it.

"We should take care of the people who collapsed first. They all seem sturdy enough that they probably won’t die, but still…."

As I said that, my gaze turned toward the fallen Asti.

She had shown me some mysterious power.

What exactly was that white hand?

It was definitely not something a human could wield.

As the Gardener suggested, could Asti also be related to an external god?

Or maybe… she’s being coerced by an external god under the guise of a contract.

Even if it feels far-fetched, it’s a thought that crossed my mind.

With the limited information I had, I couldn’t figure anything out.

I’d need to go back and gather more information.

With that in mind, I stood up to support the others and head back.

Thud.

Before I even realized my wrist had been grabbed, my body was suddenly pulled backward.

When I came to my senses, I found the Dragon Slayer pressed close to me, her lips pursed as she looked up at me. Just as I was about to say something, the Dragon Slayer’s face drew near.

Her tightly shut eyes, her pale, smooth skin.

And above all, the warm sensation spreading across my lips, accompanied by a sweet fragrance.

What is this?

What am I doing right now?

「…!!!」

「Woof woof! Grrrr….」

A loud noise echoed in my head, and my mind became chaotic.

Although my reason didn’t fully grasp it, my instincts did, and my heart started pounding uncontrollably, my face flushing with heat.

And just as my eyes began to widen in realization, the Dragon Slayer slowly pulled away.

I wasn’t the only one; the Dragon Slayer, too, was panting, and for a moment, we simply looked at each other.

I expected her to step back out of embarrassment, but instead, she remained close, covering her mouth with her hand and lowering her gaze to the ground.

"…If we were in a deeper relationship… would that be so bad?"

As she spoke those words that nearly drove me insane.

Ah.

Unbelievable.

Raydan Tanton, I…

Have somehow become the man who seduced a great external god.

"Wow, to actually ride a dragon…. It’s even bigger than I imagined. I can even feel the wing bones moving from its back."

"It’s hard to describe the feeling of riding on the back of a being I once thought had to be destroyed. The dark purple all over its body is a bit unsettling, though."

Riding on the wyverns the Dragon Slayer provided, we were flying toward the vicinity of Lontan.

Those people were talking as if they were enjoying some dragon-riding experience.

Talking about the broad back and how creepy the wings looked up close.

To me, they seemed like nothing more than ruffians being carried on the back of a fragile dragon maid.

"Subordinate, you’ve been lost in thought for a while now. Is something wrong?"

"N-no."

"Are you unwell? Should I heal you like last time…?"

"Haha, I’m fine…."

As Muyon and White Mask, who were looking at me with concern, turned to face forward again, I unconsciously touched my lips with my fingers.

'It’s your fault! Y-you grabbed my horns… so you have to… take responsibility for stealing my lips too!'

The memory of the Dragon Slayer speaking in an audacious tone after almost forcefully taking my lips flashed in my mind.

It had happened so suddenly that my heart still hadn’t settled.

This reaction was undoubtedly due to Raydan Tanton’s body.

There’s no other explanation….

「You’re loving this, huh.」

At that moment, a gruff voice echoed in my head.

「Why? Why don’t you just go off and live happily ever after with that romantic?」

The Gardener’s unusually sharp, aggressive tone made me feel a bit awkward.

Why are you acting like this?

Usually, this guy would just make snide remarks, but today he’s especially relentless.

「Jealous, maybe?」

「W-what?! Why would I be jealous of this guy…」

「I’d like it too if a human petted only me….」

「Don’t compare me to that…!」

Even Bell seemed to get caught up in the confusion.

They’re really on edge today.

Or could it be that he wants me to do the same 'thing' I did with the Dragon Slayer?

「Ugh… Enough, you flirt!」

And with that, the Gardener went quiet.

These external gods are truly hard to understand.

With my mind finally a bit quieter, I looked over at Asti, who still had her eyes closed.

Judging by her peaceful expression, she didn’t seem to be in any immediate health danger.

As I said earlier, it might seem far-fetched, but there’s some circumstantial evidence.

It would explain why she attacked me while simultaneously asking me not to hate her.

"Asti…."

The more I thought about it, the more questions arose.

It seems like I’ll have a lot to do when we get back.

At the very least, tomorrow I’ll need to summon the chef and get some food.

Wait, would the Dragon Slayer respond to that too?

…Whatever, I don’t care.

Sometimes, good food is more important than embarrassment.

If I can have a taste of my homeland’s food, it’s a risk worth taking.

Anyway, all I want now is to rest.

A chef, candles, twin external gods… I fought a Dragon Slayer and had an audience with the princess, all in just one day.

At this point, I might as well be considered superhuman.

Ah, I was planning to sleep as soon as I got back.

My eyes were already starting to close.

"…Sorry, I’m going to lean on you a bit."

"Yes, sleep well, Master."

With the voice of a wyvern as the last thing I heard,

I drifted into unconsciousness.

"Huhuhu, you’re doing well."

There was a woman.

With skin and hair as pale as snow, eyes red as blood, and a red mark on her cheek that looked like a scar.

Her skin was the same color as the enormous hand that had attacked the Dragon Slayer.

In a world dyed as red as her eyes, she wore an ecstatic expression.

"Ah, the time is almost here. My time."

The woman spoke as she held something in her hand.

One was a strand of brown hair, the other pink.

"Just hang in there a little longer."

The woman,

With the softest voice in the world, wore the most wicked smile in existence.

As soon as we arrived in Lontan, the wyverns that had brought us began to fade away.

It seemed that since the Dragon Slayer had achieved her desire and vanished from the current world, the wyverns couldn’t maintain their forms.

Even though the Dragon Slayer herself seemed much stronger than most external gods, it was ironic that her fragments couldn’t even maintain their existence.

Is there some sort of power balance among external gods that I’m unaware of?

"Get some good rest today. It looked like you fell asleep for a bit earlier."

"Yes, Master. I’ll be heading in."

"Take care, Tanton."

After waving enthusiastically to White Mask and Muyon, I quickly dashed into the branch.

"Tanton, you were away for days. Did the meeting with the princess take that long?"

"No, I got dragged off by White Mask to deal with the Dragon Slayer."

"I see… Wait, what? You dealt with what? Tanton, hold on!"

I wasn’t in the mood to listen to the branch manager right now.

I felt like I’d fall apart if I didn’t get to my mattress right this instant.

As soon as I reached my room, I locked the door and practically dove onto the bed, not even bothering to think about washing up.

The bed might get dirty.

I’ll just wash it tomorrow.

Leah crawled out of my pocket, holding the flower pot, and headed toward the window.

It made me think that since it was a gift from the Gardener, the dandelion was growing at an unbelievable rate.

When I first planted it, all the petals had fallen off, leaving only the calyx.

Now, buds were hanging, ready to bloom again.

It’s grown so much, I’m really curious about what’s going to happen.

"Anyway… goodnight, everyone…."

Even though no one answered, I didn’t feel lonely because I knew there were others listening.