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**“Woof woof wooon!”**
“Daigorou! I’m so glad—you’re okay!”
“What, did you think I’d be careless with my golem?”

After once again (and more destructively than necessary) bursting through the ceiling, I followed Master outside. There on the rooftop, Daigorou was sitting patiently—only to leap at me the moment he saw me.

I’d been worried that Master might have been overworking him, but since we’d left Rigel, he hadn’t changed a bit—if anything, he looked even cleaner than before.

“Oh? Looks like someone’s been giving you good oil.”
“Hey, you built this thing. Once it gets a taste of the good stuff, it starts expecting it. Can’t you do something about that?”
“Gahaha! That’s the tricky part of training, isn’t it? …Now then, where did that king disappear to?”

Mr. Arnitta’s booming laughter vanished in an instant as his expression turned grim. He began scanning for the missing king.

If it really had been that king who set the raptors on us, then for Arnitta, this was practically a personal vendetta. I couldn’t blame him.

“No need to panic. I’ll know exactly where that fool is soon enough. I’ve already memorized that imbecile’s magical signature.”
“But Lady Laika, searching for one person’s magic across all this land…”
“It’s fine. If anything stirs up trouble in this city, that’s where he’ll be.”
“Trouble, sure, but will we really be able to hear it from here?”
“Even if the sound doesn’t reach us, I can still sense the surge of magical energy. …And wouldn’t you know—it’s already started. Over there.”

Master had sensed something I couldn’t feel at all. She looked in the opposite direction from the gate we’d entered through, already preparing to leap off on Daigorou’s back.

“If you want to know more about the raptors, you’d best come along. That king holds the answers.”
“Master, what about Ms. Hoshikawa!?”
“Leave her, or carry her yourself. I’d prefer to stay uninvolved.”
“Hey, Mintark! You think you can carry me and fly?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Arnitta! I can barely keep myself under control as it is!”
“I can manage one person. If we hit a wall, don’t complain.”

✦✧✦✧✦

“Someone! Someone help—we don’t have enough hands!”
“Damn it! We’ve got all this water, so why won’t the fire go out!?”
“F-Fire, Master!”
“Yes, I can see that.”

When we finally caught up with Master and reached our destination, one of the homes lining the canal was engulfed in massive flames.

People were forming a bucket brigade, scooping up water from the canal and passing it along, but the fire wasn’t letting up at all. The blaze was simply too intense.

“What in the world, doesn’t Regulus have any fire-fighting equipment!? Tch—there’s water, so all we’d need are a few pumps and hoses…”
“Wait, wait. If we butt in now, we’ll just get in the way. Look over there.”
“―――Haaaahahaha! Sorry to keep you waiting, my beloved citizens!!”

The king’s booming laughter rang out, easily rising above the panic of the people trying to battle the fire.

Everyone instinctively turned toward the source of the voice. Hovering in the air was the king himself, holding aloft a massive sphere of water large enough to swallow the entire building.

“Forgive me! It took time to gather a sufficient volume of water! Stand back now—unless you want to be soaked!”
“M-My lord! Wait! My child is still inside that house!”
“Hmm! I nearly drowned the whole thing, didn’t I? But fear not!”

The king hoisted the massive water sphere back up and, with his now free hand, let out a sharp whistle.

Summoned by that unique sound, dozens of familiar lizards emerged—some from alleyways, others from the waterway.

“Ah! Aren’t those the mini-dinosaurs!?”
“That’s right. They say the fool king is the one commanding them. Do you realize what that implies?”
“…You mean the attack on my workshop was ordered by the king?”
“That’s the most likely explanation. It’s why I came to this city in the first place—following the dead man’s final words and the faint magical residue left on the raptor. Once I saw him face to face, it all lined up. His magical signature matched perfectly.”

As Master and Mr. Arnitta continued their conversation, the mini-dinosaurs sprang into action with flawless coordination, charging straight into the burning house.

Thanks to their thick, scaly hides, they seemed completely unbothered by the heat—showing no signs of fear.

We watched, holding our breath, as one of the creatures burst through a window moments later, a young boy dangling by the collar from its jaws.

“Wow, it succeeded! They got saved, Master!”
“Yes, yes, I get it. Now stop shaking me—if you keep tossing me around with that strength of yours, I’ll snap my neck.”
“Well done, raptor! Is anyone else still inside!?”
“No… No! Thank you, my king! That was my only child!!”
“Then move away, quickly! Precision is not my strong suit!”

This time, the king swung his arm down, and the massive water sphere began to slowly descend, engulfing the burning house completely.

Even submerged, the flames continued to burn for a while—but eventually, the fire’s intensity dwindled, and at last, it was fully extinguished.

The moment it was done, the spent water sphere burst like a soap bubble, spraying water in every direction.

“…Would it kill you to finish things a little more quietly? Now I’m soaked head to toe.”
“W-Well, with weather this warm, we’ll dry off in no time! More importantly, Master—we need to talk to the king!”
“Indeed! I too have countless things I must speak to you about!”
“Wahhh! He’s suddenly right in front of me!”

The king, who had been floating above the burning house just moments ago, had somehow instantaneously appeared before me.

It was probably the same unique magecraft he’d shown at the castle, but I had no idea how it worked.

“So then, White One—what did you think of my magecraft?”
“The absurd amount of magic and raw power is impressive, but your control and finesse need serious work. You’re far too rough.”
“Ha ha ha! Quite the harsh critique! Now then… What do you make of the fire?”
“It felt the same as one from that pink idiot over there.”
“Huh?”

Caught off guard as Master pointed directly at me, I let out a dumb little noise.

She felt something in that fire that was similar to me… which meant—

“That flame came from a dragon’s breath. Was this the first such fire?”
“No, it was the fifth. And in this city, we hardly use any building materials that are flammable to begin with.”
“It reeks of arson… and one more thing.”
“Yes. The one who set this fire is likely the same person who stole my raptors—and sent it to Rigel.”