Whether You Call Me a Guardian Dragon or Not, I'm Going to Sleep

"But... even if I've left the village like this, will the priest be alright?"

"At this point?"

Isn't that the kind of thought you should have had before leaving the village?

"Ah, well... when we were about to leave, my mind was just full of all sorts of thoughts. Thoughts about Mom, and thoughts about the outside world."

"Hmm... Well, I suppose that's understandable."

A young girl who has only grown up in a small rural village, suddenly leaving the village. It's natural for her mind to be in turmoil.

But well, she's worrying unnecessarily.

"That priest has decent enough abilities, so don't worry about it."

"Is that so?"

I nodded slightly.

Since the priest had abilities that were quite decent for a human, there's no need to worry at all.

And... when we left the village, I briefly set up a barrier to prevent anyone with hostile intent from entering the village.

So there probably won't be any particular problems.

"Then I'm relieved to hear that. I was a little worried."

The thing you should be worrying about is your sense of direction.

Well, that can be solved later by making something like a compass that points you in the right direction.

Hmm... If I make such an item and then later a different human picks it up and treasures it as a valuable... No, that couldn't happen, right?

Nah, it's impossible that every single thing I make would turn into a treasure.

Though a good number of the things I've made so far have been that way...

"So, the plan is to head to Armen, then?"

"Yes. If I go to the Temple of Life there, I might be able to find a clue about my mother."

The Temple of Life, huh... I've been somewhat neglecting my duties as the Goddess of Life, but I should probably visit there at least once.

"The Temple of Life, huh? That should make things a bit easier for you to get your message across."

"Yes. The priest also wrote me a letter of introduction since he's affiliated with the Temple of Life, but I'm sure it will be even better if you, the Dragon's Priestess, speak directly."

Not the Dragon's Priestess, but the Goddess of Life, but whatever.

Anyway.

"Then let's rest up well today, and set out tomorrow."

"Okay."

And so, Maybelle and I spent the night at the inn.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The world 300 years later had changed in many ways.

Previously, most buildings were made using wood or clay, but now it seems they are constructing buildings using bricks.

They're using bricks for construction, and even laying them out like paving blocks on the main roads. It gives an overall sense of cleanliness.

Well, compared to the primitive era, this is a tremendous advancement!

The overall clothing style hasn't changed much, but the fabrics themselves seem much cleaner.

In the past, it was mostly leather-based clothing, but now they seem to be using more cloth

The overall economic situation also seems to have improved compared to before.

And another interesting point is... the small shrines I see here and there.

Not just one or two, but I've seen at least fifteen or so, and they all have different shapes, housing different deities.

Hmm... It seems they've put a lot of effort into expanding their religious beliefs, now that they've restricted the deities.

Well, as long as it doesn't harm humans, I don't mind what they do.

The variety of deities diverse, but the major ones seem to be the Sky God Baal and the Mother of Life... that would be me.

Besides that, children's deities are popular, and surprisingly, Sirius is also there.

There are some other deities as well.

Hmm. Having many "hills" of deities to explore is probably a good thing for humans.

And so, Maybelle and I continued our journey.

Along the way, we encountered monsters, humans, thieves, pilgrims, adventurers, and soldiers.

It was quite surprising to see so many humans, and the rare appearance of monsters.

According to what I've heard, it seems that humans have come to realize that the magic stones, monster hides, meat, and bones from monsters can be useful materials. As a result, the profession of adventurer, who hunts monsters, has become quite popular.

Well, the risk involved is certainly high, but they say that if you're lucky enough to obtain a large magic stone from a monster, that alone can make your life easier.

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In a similar vein, the number of soldiers has also increased. However, the soldiers seem to be generally underpaid.

They are maintained as a concept of security forces and standing army. The soldiers themselves are in a dangerous position, being deployed to wars, and with meager wages, leaving them full of discontent.

But well, military rebellion is not my concern.

Anyway, Maybelle and I arrived in Armen.

"This place... is quite large."

"Yes, it's quite sizable."

It's about the same size as Sirius City, before he fell asleep. It's a substantial city-state that has developed significantly in the past 300 years.

As I was marveling at the changes, a well-dressed guard approached us.

"It seems this is your first time visiting our city."

"Yes, this is my first time in a city of this scale."

"Haha, that's what most visitors say. Armen is larger in scale compared to other city-states."

The friendly guard began to provide information about various places in the city.

"That tavern sells good beer, but since you both seem young, it's best not to touch the alcohol. However, the food there is delicious, so you could try the restaurant."

"Un, that's helpful information. I'll keep it in mind." freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

"As for accommodations, there's a place with a horse-shaped sign over there. I've heard that the lodgings there are quite decent, and they apparently get their furniture supplied by a dwarf."

"Dwarves, huh... I've only read about them in books, but it seems they are present in this city as well!"

"Well, I haven't seen them myself, but the accommodations are said to be good, so you could consider staying there."

Hmm, I wonder if he's being entirely truthful or just trying to direct us there.

"Anyway, I need to go to the Temple of Life first. Do you know where it is?"

"Ah, so you've come to visit the Temple of Life! Are you perhaps pilgrims?"

"Not quite pilgrims."

At my response, Maybelle let out a small laugh. From her perspective, it must have been quite amusing for a Dragon's Priestess to be mistaken as a pilgrim.

"The Temple of Life is located right in the central square. It's larger than the other temples, so you can't miss it."

Hmm, a central square, huh. Seems like creating such a thing is a trend.

"Thank you. We'll be on our way then."

"Yes! Armen is a cleaner city compared to others! I hope you have a pleasant stay!"

"Cleaner?"

"Yes, Armen has its own unique facilities. The water supply and sewage system help maintain the city's cleanliness, making it much more tidy than other cities."

Hmm? Water supply and sewage system? That's quite remarkable.

"Other cities rely on slimes to consume the waste, but that means they have to endure the stench until the slimes can clean it up. Armen, on the other hand, uses the water supply and sewage system to provide clean water and flush away the waste. That's how they maintain a clean environment."

Impressive, to have built water supply and sewage systems in this era. It's quite advanced, even though such systems were already present in ancient Rome.

"Thanks to the clean water supply, Armen has also developed a bathing culture. If you don't mind bathing with others, visiting the public baths could be an interesting experience."

Bathing, huh.

Now that I think about it, I don't have much memory of properly bathing.

Well, I could get clean instantly with magic, so bathing wasn't really a concern.

"Bath...!"

Unlike me, Maybelle's eyes were sparkling with excitement.

"If it's alright, would you like to try visiting the bathhouse?"

"Hmm, a bathhouse..."

Honestly, even if I were to immerse my body in boiling lava, I wouldn't feel the heat. So I wonder what the point of bathing is.

Well, it doesn't really matter.

"First, we should go to the Temple of Life. We can think about it after we've taken care of our business."

"Okay!"

And so, we parted ways with the guard and headed towards the central square.

During that time, Maybelle showed signs of trying to go down a different path a few times. Hmm...

It should be fine to just go where there are a lot of people, so why does she keep veering off to a different path?

I just can't seem to understand it.

"W-We've arrived."

"Indeed. If someone hadn't tried to go a different way a few times, we would have gotten here faster."

And so, we were able to reach the Temple of Life in Armen.