It was a breeze. I mean, it's a dragon

Skipping ahead a bit, Dea-kun somehow ended up entering the main Tamer tournament, the "Grand Familiar Cup" or whatever it was called, and won.

"… The champion is contestant Dea! The silver-haired princess who appeared like a shooting star!! The legendary Dragon Priestess!! Riding his dragon partner, he dominated the entire tournament with just one creature!!"

"U-um, thanks…"

"That was a piece of cake, Dea-kun-chan!"

That's right. It was a total breeze. I mean, it's a dragon, you know?

First of all, lumping all Tamers together with no weight classes is like, in boxing terms, throwing men and women from super heavyweight to flyweight into the same ring. It's like allowing bicycles and motorcycles in a foot race.

And a dragon in that kind of environment? It's like bringing in an Iron Golem or rolling up with a bullet train (with a running start allowed, no less). Total meta-breaking. Ridiculous.

Most opponents froze up after a single glare, a light breath attack would knock them flat, and once Arthur took to the skies, they couldn't lay a finger on him. There were some bird-type monsters, but a quick swat sent them tumbling right down.

A Thunder Dragon has no openings even in the air. And Dea-kun, who might have been the only weak point, has pretty nasty defensive capabilities now thanks to the Five Elders' Workshop Gothic Lolita Dress Ver. 2.01.

"Arthur, you really are invincible."

"Unless it's Anego, ain't nobody beatin' me!!"

"Hmm? Wait, if you think about it that way, isn't Onee-san way too strong?"

"Little late to be realizin' that, Dea-kun-chan!"

By the way, the betting odds for his winning were only 1.1x, and the max bet was capped at one gold coin. What a rip-off. But I guess that's fair. It's a dragon, after all.

The winning prize was apparently 20 gold coins, so Dea-kun's gotten rich… Oh wait, I made a ton of gold coins the other day too! Ehehe, we're both loaded!!

"Ahem, the magnificent champion, contestant Dea and Arthur-sama, have been enshrined in the Hall of Fame! Congratulations!"

"Hall of Fame?"

"Yes! It's a great honor! Congratulations!"

"… Thank you?"

Dea-kun nodded along with the announcer's pushy enthusiasm. Well, they call it the Hall of Fame, but it's basically being banned. It's a "please don't compete anymore because no one can beat you" kind of deal… I mean, it's a dragon.

Does being enshrined come with a pension? Oh, it does? So that's basically passive income then. Nice. Let's come collect it every year!!

"Um, I'm an elf, so is that okay?"

"I'm a dragon too, so I can keep goin' for a few hundred years, y'know?"

"… You two sure have long lifespans… I-it's fine!"

And so, Dea-kun achieved Hall of Fame status as a Tamer.

Alright, today calls for a celebration!

 

*

 

"Dragon Priestess-sama."

In the waiting room, Dea was stopped by a woman wearing a white robe.

By the way, Arthur had already shrunk down and was flying next to Dea-kun.

"… Are you talking to me?"

"Yes. Dragon Priestess-sama. I am most honored to be graced with your presence."

The woman placed both hands together in front of her face as if shielding her eyes, then bowed deeply.

"No, I'm not really a Dragon Priestess, so please don't worry about it. Now then."

"Please wait! Please hear me out, Priestess-sama!"

"Even if you say that to me, I'm not sure what I can do…"

Dea-kun tried to hurry out of the waiting room, but the woman cut him off and dropped to her knees. She then prostrated herself in a pleading posture.

"The ability to converse with a dragon is proof of being a priestess…! Please, please save us, Priestess Princess-sama!!"

Dea stopped in his tracks. He had been asked to save them.

If it were the person Dea admires and longs for — she wouldn't abandon someone who asked for help without even hearing them out.

Dea spoke to Arthur in a low voice.

"… Hey, Arthur? Does talking to you automatically make someone a priestess?"

"Huh, beats me? If anyone's a priestess, I'd say it's Anego."

"Hmm… Then could you hear her out, Arthur? If I'm the one listening, things will just get more complicated with all this priestess stuff…"

"Ehh. Well, if you're askin', Dea-kun-chan, I guess I got no choice."

By the way, Arthur had been communicating via word cards this entire time. He'd gotten quite used to it.

… But the other party was prostrated and not looking their way.

"Come on, please raise your head. Arthur will hear you out."

"Th-thank you, Priestess-sama! … Huh? The d-dragon-sama will!?"

As the woman looked up, Arthur opened his word cards and showed them to her.

"Go on, spit it out, lesser creature."

Note: Arthur was high-handed toward anyone not under Karina's protection.