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“Mr. Valkaaa! Sorry we’re late!!”

*——No, if anything, you’re early. Humans always seem to rush through life, don’t they?*

Just like yesterday, Mr. Valka slowly raised his head from the burning pit.

He was still enormous—his head alone stood far taller than I was. And he was still just as hot; even from this distance, the inside of Kyodaigorou felt like a sauna.

“V-a-a…”
“V-o-o…”
“Momoooo! Stell and Laika are melting!”
“Keep them cool—they’ll solidify! Wait, Master, aren’t you wearing the heat cloak!?”
“She is wearing it, but it’s still like this!”
“So weak!!”
“Haha! So even White One has a weakness! Well then, I suppose I’d better make this quick.”

After amusing himself with the sight of the thoroughly melted girls, the king opened the hatch of Kyodaigorou and leapt out.

As expected of someone who had lived in this desert for years—he was completely unfazed by the blazing heat.

“My friend, it is I! Cor Leonis! I have come to fulfill our promise!!”
*——Ah, stubborn Lion King… Forgive me. It seems I will be the one to die first.*
“I see. That is a shame. But I shall witness the full span of a dragon’s life.”
*——But before that, there’s something you want to ask, isn’t there?*
“……Then let me ask you plainly. Was it you who attacked my Regulus?”

After a short pause, the king’s smile vanished as he asked in a low voice. There was a pressure in his gaze that made it feel like answering “yes” would get you killed without a moment’s hesitation.

But Valka showed no concern at all. He slowly blinked and let out a breath laced with sparks.

**——…You say little. I haven’t left this hole in some time. I couldn’t have attacked the Lion King’s den.**

“Around a few dozen of my raptors were stolen, and Rigel was raided. On top of that, there are five reported arson cases in Regulus—fires not caused by anything ordinary, but by dragon breath.”

**——Ah, I see. That is… not good.**

From what I could tell, Valka’s narrowed eyes as he listened to the king’s explanation didn’t seem like he was feigning ignorance.

It wasn’t something he had done himself—but clearly, he had some idea what it might be, and that troubled him.

“Um, Mr. Valka. If you know anything, please cooperate. I want to believe you didn’t do anything wrong!”

**——Little one… That golem you ride—how many humans are aboard, including the king?**

“Eh? Uh, let’s see… Master, Stell, Mr. Mintark… Six people, I think?”
“Momo… you forgot to count yourself… That makes seven…”
“Ah, right! My bad. Seven people!”

**——That is a lot. Well, no matter. We’re short on time. Lion King—I have something to give you.**

“Oho! I’ve long awaited this moment! So, what is this treasure of yours?”

**——Wait a moment. Stay exactly where you are.**

Valka’s head disappeared back into the hole, and as he did, the flames roaring from within weakened slightly.

Thanks to the drop in heat, the temperature inside Kyodaigorou fell just enough for Master—who’d been out cold—to slowly sit up.

“…The idiot king aside, I didn’t know you could communicate with dragons. I tried to intercept the conversation, but I couldn’t catch a word.”
“Ha ha ha! Valka’s a cautious one—even the prodigious White One has trouble eavesdropping, huh?”
“Stop calling me that. It’s just white hair. So—what’s going on?”
“Turns out Valka wasn’t the culprit, and now he’s going to give the king something. Maybe sorting through his personal effects?”
“Let me guess, another dragon gem? Just don’t swallow it this time, Momo.”
“Do you think I’m some kind of baby who puts everything in her mouth—wah!?”

Just as I was laughing and bantering with Master’s rare sarcasm, Kyodaigorou suddenly shook hard.

But it didn’t feel like an earthquake—the shaking was strange. It wasn’t so much the ground trembling… as it was sinking… steadily…

“Arnitta! What is this shaking!? What’s going on!?”
“Quit shouting! I’m checking the external sensors now—wait, we’re sinking!?”
“Whaaat!? Is that… okay!?”
“Of course it’s not okay, that’s why I’m panicking!! Did we get caught in quicksand!? Ugh, initiating lift—lift, I say!!”
“Momo, close the hatch! Sand is getting in!”
“Ah, right! …Wait, now’s not the time to stay calm, Master!!”
“It’s fine. The dragon’s just calling us. I only just noticed it—but there’s a massive open space directly below. Just focus on sticking the landing.”
“Eh? Wh—why didn’t you say that sooner!?”

Inside Kyodaigorou, Master and the King skillfully floated up. The shaking stopped for just a moment——and then our whole bodies were hit with that stomach-churning sensation of freefall.

“Whaaaaaa!? Is that fire-dragon trying to kill us!?”
“Aaaahh, Mr. Arnitta, don’t you have some kind of emergency equipment for this kind of thing!?”
“Of course not—wait, I do! Emergency boosters, activate!!”
“You do!?”

Arnitta slammed down a switch covered in a suspicious-looking glass casing.
Flames burst from the front and rear boosters of Kyodaigorou, canceling out the force of the fall.

“Oho! So it had that kind of feature as well! Excellent—I want one! Would you let me try piloting it!?”
“Hold it, hold it! I need my full concentration right now—don’t talk to me!!”

Thanks to Mr. Arnitta’s expert piloting, Kyodaigorou managed to land safely. The monitor in the cockpit showed nothing but pitch black outside.

Just as Master had said—if this was an underground space, there wouldn’t be any natural light.

“W-What the hell was that all about…? Is everyone okay?”
“S-Safe… I managed to protect Stell and Laika…!”
“You just clung to me the whole time. Let go already.”
“What about the rest? …Alright, everyone’s safe. But seriously, what is this place?”

Mr. Arnitta switched on the lights embedded in Kyodaigorou’s eyes, casting illumination across the landscape.

What lay buried beneath the desert wasn’t just some ancient ruin—it looked more like a massive research facility.