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“Oh, so you’ve come. You were slow.”
“Huh, Mr. Arnitta? And everyone else too?”
“W-we were summoned by the king as well… right, Stell?”
“Mm… we were waiting for you two.”

Inside the chamber the king had guided us to, Mr. Arnitta and the others were already gathered.

In the middle of the table they surrounded sat a large box draped in black cloth. Was that the thing the king wanted to show us?

“What kind of gathering is this? Even Stell has been called?”
“Everyone who witnessed the death of my friend has been summoned. I thought they had the right to know.”
“Which means what’s inside that box is the keepsake of the Scorchflame Dragon?”
“Yes, I shall show you now.”

The king lifted the black cloth, revealing beneath it something… red encased in a glass container.

I couldn’t tell what it was. It looked like the stripped bark of a pine tree, magnified in size. If you ate it, it seemed like it would taste fiery hot.

But it probably wasn’t food. From deep within that red something, a faint glow seeped out like burning charcoal.

“You’re thinking something foolish again, aren’t you, Momo… So, is this a dragon’s scale?”
“It is. In fact, it is a reverse scale. Valka left us this ultimate material at the moment of his death.”
““A r-reverse scale!?””

Mr. Arnitta and Mr. Mintark leapt to their feet in unison.

Reverse scale… if I remembered right, it was a phrase for the point that provokes someone’s wrath. In my master’s case, taking away sweets would probably count as striking her reverse scale.

“The body of a dragon is a treasure trove of materials, with nothing going to waste. I thought this time everything had been burned away with its passing from old age… but there was a remnant left behind I see.”
“Yes. After transporting you, White One, I searched. I could not believe that dragon would die without leaving something behind!”

“Um, so… what exactly is a reverse scale?”
“It’s the most valuable part of a dragon’s scales. The quality and strength of the lingering magic power are in a league of their own. Just one of these could buy you a castle…”
“I see… this case is processed to block magic power… ohh, and even so, the pulse radiating from it is unmistakable…!”
“Mr. Arnitta and Mr. Mintark’s eyes have changed color.”
“To a craftsman, it’s something to drool over. Most would never encounter one in their entire lifetime, even if they devoted themselves to the craft. But you mustn’t end up like that, Stell.”

The old men, ignoring our stares, pressed their faces right up against the case to examine it more closely.

Would they ever notice the cold glare Stell was shooting from her seat in the back? They were supposed to be important people of Rigel, after all.

“Now then, this reverse scale is my gift. Will you accept it, White One?”
“I refuse. It’s far too terrifying a thing to accept for free.”
“Ms. Hoshikawa, is this scale really that amazing?”
“Well, it’s my first time seeing one too… but even with a little tinkering, you could make something incredible. Like, say… a bomb strong enough to blow this whole country away.”
“Eek…”

If it was an item that even Ms. Hoshikawa could come up with evil schemes for, who knew what kind of horrifying thing might be created if Mr. Arnitta and Mr. Mintark got their hands on it.

Stell, though, seemed disinterested from the start. She no longer spared the glass-encased scale even a glance.

Which meant the best choice would be to entrust it to Master, who understood its value but was less likely than the old men to misuse it…

“W-wait a second. Your Majesty, you don’t want it? Even though it’s Mr. Valka’s keepsake?”
“I already received those ruins. The covenant has been fulfilled. Besides… somehow, I feel this reverse scale was not meant for me.”
“But still…”

“If you don’t want it, then I’ll take it! I’d regret it to my dying day if I let an opportunity like this slip by!”
“Hold it! How could we entrust something like that to a dangerous man like you!? Lady Laika is a teacher at our academy—if she won’t take it, then I’ll assume responsibility for keeping it safe!”

“Master, I think you should just accept it. The idea of handing it over to those two is kind of scary.”
“You have a point… but this is far beyond what we can handle. I’m interested in the reverse scale, but it’s like carrying around solid gold in plain sight.”
“Mm, that really would be nerve-racking…”

The scale was large enough to fill up a basket that could hold four basketballs. It would be a nuisance to lug around while traveling alone with Master.

Even so, leaving it unused felt like a slight to Mr. Valka’s memory. Since the king was willing to part with it, I wanted to find some way to make use of it.

“U-um… in that case, I have a suggestion…”

While everyone else stood around the scale groaning in indecision, Ms. Hoshikawa timidly raised her hand.

“What is it, glasses girl? Do you want the reverse scale too?”
“N-no, I’ll pass on that… but the two of you do want to try working this scale, don’t you?”
““Indeed.””
“And Laika, you’re scared of carrying it around bare like this, right?”
“That’s true. If only it were easier to carry… ah, I see what you’re getting at.”
“Exactly. So I was thinking, why not have Laika commission the two of them to process it?”
“Ohh. If it’s like that, then we could be satisfied as well.”
“I see, that does make sense. Perfect, then. Momo, come here.”
“Huh?”

Summoned with a beckon, I stepped to her side. Master took my hand, glancing back and forth between the glass-encased scale and my fingers.

After comparing them several times, seemingly convinced, she slipped the precious ring off my finger and tucked it into her pocket.

“Yes. This staff is no longer needed. Momo, let’s have them make you a new one.”
“…Huh? Ehh—!?”