Whether You Call Me a Guardian Dragon or Not, I’m Going to Sleep - Chapter 175
People leave their names behind when they die…
And not just one or two. At a glance, there were more than a dozen of them, all in different shapes. It seemed like they were shrines to different gods.
“By the way… It’s fine that we left the village like this, but will the priest be okay?”
“At this point?”
Shouldn’t you have thought about that before we left the village?
“Oh, that… Well… When we left, my head was full of all sorts of thoughts. Thoughts about my mother, and thoughts about the outside world.”
“Hmm… Well, I suppose so.”
A young girl who had only ever lived in a small country village was suddenly forced to leave. It’s understandable that her head would be in a mess.
But still, she’s worrying about something she doesn’t need to worry about.
“Don’t worry about the priest. He’s quite capable for a human.”
“Really?”
I nodded slightly.
The priest was quite skilled for a human, so there was no need to worry about him.
And… When we left the village, I put up a barrier to prevent anyone with malicious intent from entering.
So there probably won’t be any problems.
“That’s a relief. I was a little worried.”
You should be worried about your sense of direction.
Well, I’ll probably be able to solve that problem later by making something. Like a compass that points to whatever you want.
Hmm… If I make something like that, will other humans find it and treasure it?
Nah, I don’t think so. Not every item I make will be a treasure.
Even though most of the items I’ve made so far have been…
“So, we’re headed to Armen?”
“Yes. If we go to the Temple of Life there, we might be able to find some clues about my mother.”
The Temple of Life… I’ve been automatically handling my duties as the Goddess of Life… but I’ve been neglecting the Temple of Life itself…
Well, I should at least visit it once.
“It’ll be easier to communicate if it’s the Temple of Life.”
“Yes. The priest is also affiliated with the Temple of Life, so he gave me a letter of introduction, but it would be much better if the Dragon Maiden spoke to them directly.”
Not as the Dragon Maiden, but as the Goddess of Life.
Anyway.
“Let’s rest for today and leave tomorrow.”
“Yes.”
And so, Mabel and I spent a night at the inn.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
The world 300 years in the future had changed a lot in many ways.
In the past, most buildings were made of wood or clay, but now they seemed to be building them with bricks.
They were using them for construction and also for paving roads like cobblestones. It gave the whole place a cleaner feel.
Well, compared to the primitive era before, it was a huge improvement!
The overall clothing style hadn’t changed much, but the fabric itself seemed to be much cleaner.
In the past, people wore mostly leather clothing, but now they seemed to be using cloth.
The overall economic situation seemed to have improved compared to before.
And another peculiar thing was… the small altars that I saw everywhere.
Also, another unique feature… could those be small altars that I see here and there?
“Well, I’ve never seen them before. But the inn is in good condition, so I recommend that you stay there.”
It’s not like there were only one or two of them. There were more than ten that I could see at a glance, and they were all different shapes. They seemed to be gods of different faiths.
Hmm… It seems like they’re trying hard to increase their following by imposing many restrictions on the gods here and there.
Well, as long as it’s within the range of not causing harm to humans. I don’t care what they do.
There were many different types of gods… but the most major ones were the god of the sky, Baal, and the mother of life… well, Narogu.
Other than that, the children were strong, and surprisingly, Sirius was there too.
There were other gods as well.
Hmm. It’s probably a good thing for humans to have many gods to pray to.
And so, Maybell and I continued our journey.
Along the way, we met monsters, humans, bandits, pilgrims, adventurers, and soldiers.
It was quite surprising that there were more humans than I expected and that monsters were rare.
Apparently, humans found out that the magic stones, leather, meat, and bones that came from monsters were useful materials, so the profession of monster-hunting adventurers became quite popular.
Well, it’s quite dangerous… but if you’re lucky enough to get a big magic stone from a monster, you’re set for life.
Similarly, there were many soldiers, but… well, soldiers. They generally seemed to be underpaid.
It seemed like soldiers were kept as a standing army with the concept of public safety management. The soldiers themselves were in danger, they were mobilized for war, and their pay was low, so they were full of complaints.
Well, it’s not like I’m going to be doing any part-time jobs even if there’s a military rebellion.
Anyway, Maybell and I arrived in Armen.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
“This place… is quite large.”
“Hmm. It’s pretty big.”
It was about the same size as Sirius before it fell asleep. It was a large city-state.
It’s a little Extremely emotionalto see how much it’s developed in 300 years.
“It seems like this is your first time in our city.”
As I was admiring it, a well-dressed guard approached us and spoke to us.
“Hmm. It’s my first time here.”
“It’s my first time in a city this large.”
“Haha. Everyone says that. Armen is larger than other city-states.”
The guard, who had a pleasant laugh, began to tell us about different places in the city.
“That tavern sells good beer, but it looks like you’re still young, so I recommend that you don’t drink. But the food is delicious, so it’s a good place to go for a meal.”
“Hoo… That’s helpful information. I’ll keep it in mind.”
“As for an inn, there’s a place over there with a sign of a horse. The inn there is pretty good. I heard that they get their furniture from a dwarf they’re connected to.”
“A dwarf… I’ve only read about them in books, but there’s one in this city!”
“Well, I’ve never seen it before. But it looks like there is one in this city!”
That’s how we were able to arrive at Armen’s Temple of Life.
“Well, I’ve never seen it before. But it looks like there is one in this city!”
That’s how we were able to arrive at Armen’s Temple of Life.
“Oh! You’re here to find the Temple of Life! Are you pilgrims?”
“Not quite pilgrims.”
Mabel let out a small laugh at my words.
From Mabel’s point of view, it must have been funny for the Dragon Maiden to be mistaken for a pilgrim of the Temple of Life.
“If it’s the Temple of Life, you’ll see it as soon as you go to the central square. It’s bigger than the other temples, so you’ll be able to spot it right away.”
Hmm. The central square, huh? Is it fashionable to make such a thing?
“Thank you. Then, this is it.”
“Yes! A cleaner city than any other city! Have a good time in Armen!”
“Clean?”
“Yes. A special facility unique to Armen. The waterworks and sewers keep Armen clean. It’s much cleaner compared to other cities.”
Hmm? Waterworks and sewers? That’s new.
“It seems that other cities maintain cleanliness with slimes that eat away at filth, but that doesn’t do anything about the smell that comes before the slimes can clean it up. Instead, Armen supplies clean water through waterworks and sewers, and flushes away the filth with the water. That’s how they’re able to maintain a clean environment.”
Ooh… To build waterworks and sewers in this era. That’s quite something.
Well, they did build it during the Roman era on Earth. Thinking about it that way… Hmm. Still, there’s no denying that it feels fast.
“Thanks to the clean water supplied through the waterworks, Armen’s bathing culture has also developed considerably. If you’re not opposed to bathing with others, it would be a good experience to visit the bathhouse.”
Hmm. A bathhouse, huh?
Come to think of it… I don’t remember the last time I took a proper bath.
Well, I didn’t need to bathe because I could instantly become clean with magic.
“Bathing…!”
But unlike me, who wasn’t particularly interested, Mabel’s eyes sparkled.
“Would you like to go if it’s okay?”
“Hmm. Bathing, huh…”
Honestly, I don’t feel hot even if I soak my body in boiling lava. What’s the point of bathing?
Well, I guess it doesn’t really matter.
“Let’s go to the Temple of Life first. I’ll think about it after we finish things up.”
“Yes!”
And so, we parted ways with the guards and headed for the central square.
During that time, Mabel tried to go down a different path a few times. Hmm…
We just need to head towards the place with the most people, so why does she keep trying to go down a different path?
It was something I couldn’t understand at all.
“We’re here.”
“That’s right. It would have been faster if someone hadn’t tried to go down a different path several times.”
That’s how we were able to arrive at the Temple of Life in Armen.