"...Ugh."

"Count, are you awake?"

"Huk! W-what is this... did I lose consciousness?"

"Haha, yes. I used sleep magic... I'm sorry."

As the fallen Count and knights woke up, Aman took the blame for that as well.

"Ah, is that so... even so, I'm very sorry."

"Not at all. There were more of them than I thought... more importantly, are you injured anywhere?"

The Count and knights, who had checked their bodies here and there at Aman's words, laughed awkwardly.

"Yes... there's no way I'm injured. Hoho... this is..."

He had followed Aman, who had stepped up to deal with the incident that had occurred in his territory, and had ended up just sleeping.

"Ah, I've dealt with all the werewolves, but..."

"..."

"I couldn't retrieve any hides or by-products..."

"That's... even more regrettable. You said you needed the ingredients for your research."

"Ah! Haha, right. But it's okay. I can just get them from somewhere else."

Aman, who had momentarily forgotten the excuse of needing the ingredients for his research, quickly shook his head.

"Then are all the werewolves dealt with?"

"Yes, you don't have to worry anymore."

"I don't know how to thank you..."

"Not at all. Please think of it as a reward for trusting me and sending Lucas-gun to the academy."

Aman showed a friendly smile.

"Thank you... thank you so much."

He couldn't think of a way to solve it, but thanks to Aman who had suddenly appeared, everything was resolved smoothly.

But no matter how much he expressed his gratitude for this, he had to show some sincerity.

'I have nothing... to give...'

The downfall of the once-prosperous capital noble was happening so quickly that he couldn't even show a small token of gratitude to the benefactor.

***

"Professor Aman!"

"Professor. Did you defeat all the werewolves?"

As Aman and his party entered the entrance of the county estate, children could be seen running from afar.

A smile naturally formed on his face as he saw the children welcoming them as if they were a returning expedition that had subjugated a dragon.

"Haha, yes."

"Professor! Are werewolves really huge?"

"Of course, they're huge."

"Professor. Then weren't you scared?"

"Of course! I wasn't scared at all."

"Wow... professor, you're so cool."

The children had already stuck close to Aman's side and were pouring out a barrage of questions.

"Rookie! The professor and the Count are back!"

Pola shouted to Lucas, who was far away.

"They say there are no more werewolves!"

Lucas smiled slightly as he looked at Pola who was running excitedly.

"Right. I heard too."

"That's a real relief! Right?"

Pola's eyes sparkled as she clapped her hands.

'Right... it's a relief...'

The plan to catch the werewolves and take their hides or hearts to help the territory had gone up in smoke, but in any case, he thought it was a relief that he had eased one of the Count's worries.

"Thank you so much, professor."

Blaine, who had heard the children's cries, also rushed over and expressed her gratitude to Aman.

"Dinner is ready."

"Yes. I'll go back to my room, quickly dust myself off, and come."

"Yes. Please take your time and come."

A corner of Lucas's heart began to feel uncomfortable again at the news that dinner was ready.

It was obvious how much they had overdone it to express their gratitude in their already poor household.

'Phew... to think the day would come when I would worry about the family's finances.'

"Lucas? Please guide the professor to the guest room."

"...Yes."

Lucas, who let out a small sigh, followed Aman.

***

"Haa..."

Lucas's sighs did not cease as he followed Aman from behind.

Because of Blaine, who had asked him to guide Aman to the guest room, he was following him, sighing heavily.

"No, will the ground collapse if you sigh like that?"

"Haa... you don't know."

"What do you mean?"

Aman, who had entered the room, lightly dusted off his body with magic and began to change his clothes.

"Do you know what a poor life is..."

"Pfft!"

"Don't laugh... I'm serious."

"What can I do when it's funny every time I hear it? How did you end up like that?"

"...The angels must have a grudge against me."

Lucas pouted his lips and kicked the innocent carpet on the floor with his foot.

"Ah, more importantly, there's something I couldn't ask properly because I was angry earlier."

"What is it?"

"That... what do you mean by committing suicide and becoming a god?"

He had made a mistake. Just because he knew his identity didn't mean he knew that he would become a god after this life.

"Pardon? What do you mean by that?"

"T-that's... it's not that you become a god if you commit suicide... so..."

"Is it true that a dragon is an apprentice stage of a god?"

"N-no!? That's not it! After I die and go to the celestial realm, I'll ask the angels or something..."

Aman's eyebrow twitched.

"Do you think I'm a fool? I've lived for quite a while, you know?"

"...You've only lived for about five hundred years, haven't you?"

"Ha! I'll be about seven hundred years old the day after tomorrow!?"

"..."

"No, do you think I'm a fool and will believe such a strange excuse?"

He had underestimated Aman. No matter how lacking the child seemed, he was a dragon in name.

"Wow... a god. Then you'll live for tens of thousands of years, no, much longer than that, right?"

"..."

"Wow... I want to be a god too. The breath we shoot will be nothing, right!?"

The cheerful and cheerful dragon's cheeks began to flush with anticipation.

"I told you it's not like that."

"Wow... look at you keep lying. Do you know that the Lord is really bad?"

"What's so bad about me?"

"Aren't you saying that because you're worried I'll tell someone? I'm not a dragon with a light mouth, you know?"

A sigh began to rise from the tips of his toes as he looked at Aman, who had puffed out his cheeks.

He was dumbfounded to see Aman, who was saying 'a dragon with a light mouth' with his own mouth.

If he were to talk about that dragon, not long after he was born, he had stolen his father's artifact and twisted time, and then blamed another dragon for it.

When that was discovered and he was called to him, and when he was urged to say where and how he had obtained the artifact, he had told him, the Lord, everything without even breathing.

Where it was, how it was, and whose it was. And even that his father had told him the use of the artifact, and where his father had obtained it, and that he should never tell anyone about it!

To hear the words 'not having a light mouth' flow so smoothly from the mouth of such a dragon was just absurd.

"..."

"W-what! I don't have a light mouth!"

"Right... I'm sure you don't."

"Tsk, anyway, don't worry, I won't tell, right? Because another reason why I have to help the Lord until the end of his life has been added."

"What reason?"

"No, anyway, you're going to die within a hundred years, so that means you'll be a god in a hundred years, right? Then wouldn't you throw me a holy relic or something..."

"Crazy..."

"Hahaha! There's a small and humble wish of this dragon~ that's what it is!"

"Shut up and hurry up and change your clothes."

Lucas didn't want to see Aman, who was standing there and talking for a long time while changing his pants.

"Ah, sorry!"

***

When he went to the dining table, a feast was prepared as expected.

"Wow! There are more delicious things than yesterday!"

Pola, who was excited, sat down and quickly scanned the food on the table.

'In this poor household...'

He had never been so worried looking at a human's dining table. And because of money.

As soon as Aman had also sat down, the meal began in earnest.

"There's not much, but please eat a lot. Thank you so much for helping our territory."

"Not at all. I'm glad I could help."

Aman also responded with humility to Blaine's words of gratitude.

"If the professor hadn't helped us, it would have been a very difficult subjugation. Thank you again."

"Haha, I will help whenever I can."

As the Count also expressed his gratitude again, Aman showed an awkward smile.

"Thank you for preparing a wonderful feast. I will eat well."

"I will eat well!"

Pola and Skir also expressed their gratitude to the Count and Countess.

And so, a cheerful dining atmosphere continued for a long time.

Except for Lucas, who was uncomfortable even looking at the feast, the rest were busy tasting various foods.

"Haa..."

A small sigh escaped Lucas's mouth without him realizing it.

"Ah, more importantly, I have something to tell you."

Aman, who saw that, quickly opened his mouth as if he had thought of something.

"Yes. Please say anything."

Count Cibie thought that what was to come had finally come. And for good reason, the amount mercenaries charged for subjugating even one werewolf was quite large.

But to have subjugated a whole pack of werewolves alone and not want anything was absurd.

"As I was subjugating the werewolves earlier, I felt that... there seems to be a mine nearby."

"Pardon? A mine? There is one, but it's not a very good mine."

The mine in Citata was a small and shabby mine. It was helping the lives of the people of the territory, but it was a mine that did not improve their livelihood.

"Yes. Besides that, there seems to be another mine. There might be mana stones."

"Mana... stones? That can't be..."

"Yes. Mana stones."

Everyone's eyes, including the Count's, widened at his words.

Mana stones, regardless of their size, boasted a high price. Of course, the price varied depending on the quality, but a mine meant that there would also be high-quality mana stones among them.

But no one coveted Citata for the sole reason that it was barren. That's why the Rodrigo County had been driven out to this distant land of Citata.

If there had been a mana stone mine here, anyone would have coveted it.

"But the story that there are mana stones here... no one..."

"No, there are. Definitely."

Lucas would have definitely noticed if there had been a mana stone mine.

'What mana stone mine...'

If it were a mine, not just a small mana stone, he would have known even if he didn't want to.

"I-is that really true?"

The Count's expression began to flush as he asked Aman back.

If Aman's words were true, there would be no more poverty in Citata, not to mention the county.

"Yes. Would you like to go and find it with me tomorrow?"

"Of course!"

As Lucas looked at him with a suspicious gaze, Aman winked slightly.

'Is he crazy?'

***

"A mana stone mine?"

Lucas, who had entered Aman's room after the meal, asked.

"There is. A mana stone mine."

"If there was, I would have known."

"Ha! You seem to keep forgetting, but the Lord is a human now, and I am a dragon."

"What does that have to do with..."

Lucas, who was about to argue what that had to do with anything, shut his mouth without finishing his words.

It was the energy of a mana stone. To be precise, the existence of a vast amount of mana suddenly began to be felt.

"Do you see?"

One corner of Aman's mouth curled up slyly.

"W-what is this..."

"I hid it, you see. It would be troublesome if the human bastards coveted this land too much."

"...Ha!"

"I can't give you all of it! A corner of the edge... well."

"You bastard..."

Lucas felt like he was about to cry with emotion.

He was so proud of the troublemaker, who had been a pathetic hatchling, growing up like this and repaying him.

His heart had been heavy whenever the county became poor, but to be able to build wealth in such a natural way, he felt like he could now sleep with his feet stretched out.

"Well, at times like this, the Lord could also give a corner of the warehouse..."

"T-thank you! Then have a good night."

Lucas, who quickly turned around in case any other words might come out, felt his heart begin to beat fast.

'No. Not yet, absolutely not...'

(End of Chapter)