Chapter 128: When you become famous, people will applaud you even when you take a dump (3)

The Guardian Deity of the Carcel Kingdom.

The Master of the Dark Sea.

The White Dragon, Orca, was nearly a 5,000-year-old White Dragon.

Her daily life consisted of lazing around in her lair, until one day, she spotted a ship passing near her waters.

There were dozens of human ships crossing the sea daily, so there was no particular reason to pay attention, but this ship, for some reason, caught her eye.

And with good reason—there was a creature on board that should not have been on the sea.

"...A Dwarf?"

Orca, thinking she might be mistaken, blinked and stared at the ship several times.

But sure enough, the ones rowing vigorously were the short and stout Dwarves.

"Why are the beings of the earth out at sea?"

Dwarves were the people of the earth, born on land and dying on land.

They never ventured to the sea because one cannot build forges on water.

Yet here they were, crossing the sea, rowing with all their might.

They even navigated the dangerous waters with uncanny precision, avoiding the areas where sea beasts dwelled.

Had the beings of the earth evolved into sea beings while she was asleep?

Curious, Orca decided to leave her territory for the first time in a while and flew toward the Dwarves' ship.

When Orca appeared, cutting through the clouds, the Dwarves looked up at the sky in unison.

[To enter my waters, you must be truly fearless.]

Kwaoooo...

The gale-force winds whipped up whirlpools, sending pillars of water surging skyward.

The once mild temperature plummeted to below freezing, and the water pillars crackled—frozen solid.

"Ugh, p-please spare us!"

"We took a wrong turn. If you forgive us, we'll leave immediately!"

The Dwarves, terrified by Orca's appearance, fell flat on the deck, trembling.

But even Orca, whom they begged for mercy, was equally bewildered.

'What is this?'

The darkened sky, the fierce wind, the rising water pillars—

They were all her doing, yes.

But the sudden drop in temperature and the freezing water pillars were not her doing.

In fact, Orca didn't even possess the ability to do such a thing.

As a White Dragon, a dragon that controlled wind, she couldn't wield cold.

Thud, thud.

"L-Lord O-Orca, please have mercy...!"

[...]

Even the hail that fell from the sky had nothing to do with Orca...

'Where have I seen this before?'

The strangely familiar scene made Orca tilt her head, and as a certain memory resurfaced, she shivered.

A traumatic memory of a persistent, gluttonous dragon that had chased her to the end of the sea over a single piece of food.

'No, but it couldn't be...'

As Orca's eyes darted around, her expression soured.

[You are...]

A white-haired girl with snow-white locks was gazing up at Orca.

Though appearing human, Orca knew exactly who she was.

'Why is that freeloader here?'

Iberkina.

A gluttonous dragon, with nothing but food on her mind, and the one Orca despised most.

Of course, it wasn't because Iberkina was weaker than Orca.

By dragon standards, the older the dragon, the greater the magic power, and at nearly 5,000 years old, Orca was technically stronger than Iberkina.

However, as a White Dragon who controlled wind, she was at a disadvantage against Iberkina, an Ice Dragon who could freeze even the air itself.

More importantly, they were quite far from Orca's own 'territory'.

Facing Iberkina in a place without her field buff was intimidating, even for Orca.

But to retreat immediately would damage her pride.

And so, Orca found herself stuck, unable to advance or retreat, floating awkwardly in the sky.

"Lord Orca must have come to guide us back, seeing that we lost our way."

[...That's right.]

"Just as the rumors say, you are truly benevolent."

The human's voice, which preserved her pride, made Orca look at him with gratitude.

Unlike the cowering Dwarves, the human mage stood tall, looking straight at her.

Orca's eyes narrowed as she asked:

[Who are you?]

"I am Yuri Grail."

Yuri bowed politely.

Orca's curiosity grew.

This human seemed different from the others.

And perhaps, just maybe—

There was more to this voyage than she had initially thought.

*

Yuri bowed his head respectfully.

While the Dwarves trembled in fear, I saw this unexpected appearance of the White Dragon as a golden opportunity.

Why was I going to Carcel Kingdom in the first place?

Their request had been for me to create a processed food that could evoke the image of the White Dragon.

And now, a White Dragon had appeared right before me.

Moreover, Orca seemed to be wary of Iberkina.

This presented numerous possibilities.

"Lady Iberkina, please calm down. Lord Orca means no harm."

Iberkina had adopted the stance of a cat with its fur bristled, ready to pounce.

She wasn't in a state where mere words could calm her.

Thankfully, I had come prepared.

I took out some chocolates and gently fed them to Iberkina, one by one.

"Nom, nom."

Even while glaring at Orca, Iberkina's mouth opened automatically, accepting the chocolates.

"Lilith, could you help feed her as well?"

"Understood."

Lilith took over, unwrapping chocolates and popping them into Iberkina's mouth.

The freezing temperature around us gradually returned to a cool, comfortable breeze.

With Iberkina calmed down, I turned my attention back to Orca.

"Lord Orca, I have brought a beverage just for you."

[...A beverage for me?]

"Yes. I was on my way to deliver it to Carcel Kingdom, where they requested a product that evokes you."

At my signal, Aria quickly retrieved the Milkis from the ship's hold.

"It's called Milkis. It took three years to perfect."

Of course, Milkis was never intended for Orca.

It was a beverage that the Gold Tower had been researching, which I helped complete.

I merely retrofitted its purpose to suit Carcel Kingdom's request.

[Hmm…]

Unaware of the truth, Orca interpreted my words as if the drink had been developed over three years specifically for her.

The white-haired girl who now stood on the deck was Orca in human form.

She looked younger than Iberkina, with an elegant appearance, but her movements were hesitant, showing she was still wary of Iberkina.

Meanwhile—

"Nom, nom."

Iberkina, still watching Orca closely, continued to automatically eat the chocolates that Lilith offered.

She resembled a cat, still hissing, yet unable to resist the lure of a treat.

"So, this drink is supposed to remind people of me?"

"Exactly."

Orca tilted her head, clearly uncertain how Milkis had anything to do with her.

Honestly, I didn't know either.

"Would you mind holding this cup?"

"Hmm, sure."

With curiosity in her eyes, Orca accepted the cup.

I poured the Milkis, and the milky white drink filled the glass.

"The white color represents your species, the White Dragons."

"But it's not exactly pure white, is it?"

"Ah, well, that's because… it represents the wind."

"The wind?"

"Yes. At first glance, it appears white, but within, it embodies the transparency and freedom of the wind."

I kept a serious expression, and Orca seemed moved, even if she didn't fully understand.

Of course, even I didn't fully understand what I was saying.

But words were malleable.

A nose ring when hung on the nose, an earring when hung on the ear.

The trick lay in assigning meaning to meaninglessness and pushing forward with confidence.

That was the essence of modern art.

"I-I see. I don't fully understand human philosophy, but it's… impressive."

Orca's confusion turned into a look of awe, likely swayed by my serious demeanor.

She probably had no clue what I was saying, but the idea that I had spent three years creating a beverage just for her clearly pleased her.

She closed her eyes, savoring the Milkis, and asked:

When Milkis touched her lips, she nodded approvingly.

"Human, is there something you want?"

"If you could spread the word about Milkis in Carcel Kingdom, that would be more than enough."

"You are truly a good human."

Orca nodded with a moved expression.

"Very well, I'll do that."

Her expression said she would absolutely keep her promise.

After saying she would visit me again someday, she vanished.

As soon as Orca left—

The dark clouds parted, and the fierce wind died down, as if the storm had been nothing but a lie.

The Dwarves, who had been cowering, finally stood up and started steering the ship.

"…I can't believe that actually worked."

Aria looked at me with an incredulous expression, but I didn't respond.

To be honest, I hadn't been entirely sure it would work either.

Thankfully, Orca turned out to be a gullible dragon.

And so, by the time we reached Carcel Kingdom, the locals welcomed us:

"...Indeed! This smoothness and fizzy carbonation! It embodies the spirit of the White Dragon!"

My experiment with modern art had succeeded, even in this fantastical otherworld.

***

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