WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ My Girlfriend Returned as a Dragon ◈

Chapter 76: Of Course, for a Benefactor.

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Elysium, a meeting room in the Central Hall.

The three elders leading Elysium, Adil, who had been taken hostage by an assailant while recovering Bellium’s Tear, and Araben, attending as a witness, sat with serious expressions.

The first to speak after the meeting began was Renon, a dwarf and one of Elysium’s three elders.

“Before we begin in earnest, we must first hear exactly what happened. Adil, start from the beginning.”

“After recovering Bellium’s Tear, I contacted Araben to inform them that Bellium’s Tear had been recovered. While I was waiting for the escort detail to arrive, an assailant kidnapped me. I do not remember much about what happened before or after the abduction.”

Adil added that the assailant had likely used a curse.

At first, recalling that time seemed painful enough to make him frown. But Adil soon calmly recounted everything he had seen and experienced without leaving anything out.

After listening to Adil and thinking for a while, Renon asked him a question.

“What happened to the necromancer’s body?”

“We recovered it. It is currently being kept temporarily in an unused underground storage room.”

Araben answered in Adil’s place.

“Then that matter is settled. But what about Bellium’s Tear? Is what Adil said really true?”

“I saw it clearly with my own eyes.”

“Araben, is there any indication that he deliberately absorbed Bellium’s Tear?”

This time, Heset, another elder and an elf, asked the question.

“None at all. Sir Minjun is very flustered as well.”

After hesitating briefly, Araben added one more thing.

“And since Sir Minjun is human yet knows how to handle a dragon’s power, it may not be impossible that Bellium’s Tear chose, of its own will, to be absorbed by Sir Minjun.”

The extraction had failed, but Bellium’s Tear contained a concentrated, high-purity dragon aura presumed to have belonged to Bellium.

It was possible to suspect that Minjun had absorbed it using his own power. But the reverse was not impossible either.

“Then what grounds do you have for believing that Bellium’s Tear chose to be absorbed by him of its own will?”

“This is only a hypothesis, but perhaps it was the result of feeling an extreme aversion to the necromancer’s distinctive aura.”

“Circumstances, hypotheses... There is not a single certainty here.”

Looking frustrated, Heset covered her face with both hands.

If there had been even one similar precedent, they might have been able to use it as a reference.

But neither the historian who had devoted his entire life to studying the history of Bellium and Elysium nor the experienced mages had ever encountered anything like this before, leaving them with no clear solution.

In principle, they should have held the necromancer responsible for this situation. But the necromancer was already dead.

It was also difficult to summon Minjun, who had absorbed Bellium’s Tear, and interrogate him thoroughly.

According to Adil and Araben, Minjun himself would not know anything either.

And although the exact circumstances were unclear, it did not seem to have been deliberate in the first place.

“This situation... is complicated.”

Asking Minjun to return Bellium’s Tear was difficult, since he himself did not know how to do so. Moreover, he had shown selfless devotion to Elysium’s citizens twice, yesterday and today, so it was not easy to even bring up such a request.

But they could not simply leave Bellium’s Tear with Minjun either.

Aside from the one Minjun had absorbed, only two of these precious sacred relics remained.

Clutching their heads and groaning in distress, they put their heads together to find an answer.

A few opinions were offered from time to time, but none was something everyone could accept.

As the meeting dragged on and silence continued.

Adil carefully raised his hand.

“I do not know what everyone here will think, but I believe we should simply accept reality.”

“Accept reality?”

Renon asked.

“I heard that Elysium already owes Sir Minjun a great debt. Now that it has been absorbed by him, there is no way to reclaim it. And considering the circumstances, Sir Minjun has more than earned the right to possess it.”

Yesterday, Minjun’s unparalleled efforts had reduced casualties during Elysium’s large-scale monster invasion.

However.

Everyone agreed that Minjun’s achievements had been outstanding, but when judged coolly, handing over Bellium’s Tear as a reward for those achievements alone would be excessive.

That was why Adil offered one more reason.

“Above all, if not for Sir Minjun, Bellium’s Tear would already have fallen into that necromancer’s hands.”

If not for Minjun’s efforts, the subject of today’s meeting might have been, “How can we recover Bellium’s Tear after it was stolen?”

If that had happened, they would not only have had an even worse headache, but would have spent the whole meeting fuming with rage.

Taking Minjun’s contributions and the overall situation into account, it was not entirely unreasonable to leave Bellium’s Tear with him.

“Come to think of it, we were overlooking something important.”

In a situation like this, trying to take back Bellium’s Tear might be like killing the goose that lays golden eggs.

“There is no other option. Let us do as Adil says.”

“We should think of it as a gift of thanks to Elysium’s guardian from afar.”

The three elders agreed to follow Adil’s proposal.

“And we should also consider that the worst possible outcome was narrowly avoided. Bellium’s remains nearly could have been taken outside Elysium.”

Araben added.

What the necromancer had wanted in exchange for Adil and Bellium’s Tear was Bellium’s remains.

Bellium’s Tear was an important relic, but Bellium’s remains were an artifact of such importance to Elysium’s history that they could not even be compared.

“Now that you put it that way, the answer is even clearer.”

“Separate from leaving Bellium’s Tear with him, we should consider offering an additional token of gratitude.”

“Then it is decided.”

* * *

Time passed, and before I knew it, evening had come.

Perhaps the meeting was still not over, because Adil had not come yet.

The last thing Adil had told me was, “It may take a while,” so I should probably resign myself to waiting.

Since it was dinner time, I was starting to get hungry, so I returned to the inn to eat.

The inn also ran a small restaurant, which was quite convenient.

On top of that, Estelle had told me that the citizens would cover about a month’s worth of lodging and meals, so I wouldn’t have to worry about food or a place to sleep for the time being.

Still, rather than thinking about staying here for over a month, I needed to return to Earth as quickly as possible.

I’d think about that after hearing from Adil. For now, I should eat first.

As soon as I sat down in the restaurant, the woman running it brought out food. Then little kids came rushing over from somewhere.

“Hero! Hero! We heard you punished another bad guy today!”

“Can you tell us about it too?”

“That’s right! Please tell us how you beat him!”

Perhaps word had already spread. Children from various races gathered around me in small groups, pestering me to tell them about what happened today.

“Kids! Sir Minjun is eating, isn’t he? He must be very hungry, so don’t bother him.”

“Aw...”

“Just a little! Can’t you tell us just a little? Please?”

A staff member who looked to be in their late teens noticed the scene while serving tables and stopped the children.

I guess life was the same everywhere, even in another dimension.

“I’m sorry. They’re my younger sibling and their friends. I told them not to bother you while you were eating, but they wouldn’t listen.”

“It’s all right. Kids, I’ll tell you after I finish eating. Can you wait just a little?”

“Yeees!”

“Promise! You promised us!”

Looking disappointed, the children followed the staff member to a table in the corner.

Thanks to that, I was able to enjoy the rest of my meal in peace.

Just as I was nearly finished.

“Sir Minjun!”

The door opened, and I heard Adil calling for me.

“Is the meeting finally over?”

“Yes! It just ended, and I came straight here.”

“So, what happened?”

“I think it would be better to discuss this in your room, somewhere we can speak privately.”

It was important, so that was probably better than discussing it in a restaurant like this.

“Right now?”

“Yes. Wouldn’t it be better for you to hear it now as well?”

“That’s true, but... Aren’t you hungry, Sir Adil?”

He had been taken hostage, then spent several hours in a meeting before coming here. He had to be tired and hungry.

I wanted to be considerate, so I deliberately tried to give him some time.

“Yes. I don’t have much of an appetite either. I think I’ll go home, skip dinner, and go straight to sleep.”

“Then let’s do that.”

As I stood up, the children who had been listening in on our conversation rushed over.

“Sir Minjun! You said you would tell us about today after you finished eating!”

“That’s so unfair...”

“I’m sorry. Once I finish talking with Sir Adil, I’ll come back down and tell you then. I really am sorry.”

After apologizing to the children, I headed to my room with Adil.

The moment we entered, Adil sat in an empty chair and immediately began speaking.

“To give you the conclusion first, it has been decided that your ownership of Bellium’s Tear will be officially recognized, Sir Minjun.”

“Really?”

I had been worried things might become complicated, but it seemed to have worked out well.

Adil went on to explain in detail what had been discussed at the meeting and why they had reached that decision.

He even told me there would be a separate reward.

“However, one of the elders has one small request for you, Sir Minjun.”

“A small request?”

“They asked whether you could give us a few items from the world you came from, even if they are not worth much.”

Since I had come from another world, they were probably curious about its culture and technology.

“They didn’t specify any particular items?”

“No.”

They said there was value simply in receiving things from another world, so a few odds and ends would probably be enough.

“I can do that much.”

“Good.”

Adil bowed his head.

“Then, Sir Minjun, how are you feeling now? Could you tell me what has changed since you absorbed Bellium’s Tear?”

“My dragon aura definitely feels stronger than before. I can clearly feel that I’ve grown. If this weren’t a precious relic but an expensive medicinal elixir, I would probably have emptied my entire savings to buy it.”

That part was a little disappointing.

If there were medicinal elixirs or artifacts with similar effects, I would buy them immediately.

“I see. Then this time, please tell me what you are curious about. I heard that you needed my help, but I have yet to hear what it was.”

“I would like to know about Bellium’s statue in the center of the plaza, the one you manage.”

“The statue? It wouldn’t be difficult to tell you about it, but it is a little unexpected. May I ask why?”

I explained my reasons to Adil.

That there seemed to be some kind of connection between me and that statue, and that it might be the key to returning to my original world.

I also told him about the unusual experiences I had gone through yesterday and today.

After hearing my story, Adil slowly nodded.

“All right. I could explain it right now, but rather than discussing unhelpful gossip, it would be better to give you only the information you need. I think it would be best for me to rest tonight, get up early tomorrow, organize the materials, and visit you again then.”

One look at Adil’s face showed how exhausted he was.

I didn’t think we could have a long conversation in his current state anyway, so he should get some sleep first.

“Let’s do that. Thank you. Go and get some good rest.”

“I should be the one thanking you. You saved my life. Thank you once again.”

Adil bowed deeply and headed for the door.

“Oh, right. I forgot to tell you something.”

“What is it?”

Adil smiled warmly, then spoke in a quiet whisper, as though it was something no one else should hear.

“Beneath the statue is a secret space personally built by Bellium. Let us go there together tomorrow.”

“A secret space?”

It was a suggestion I had never expected.

Maybe I could uncover more than I thought.

“Outsiders are forbidden from entering as a rule, but you have helped Elysium, Sir Minjun. I have also received permission from the three elders, and... there is another reason. I will explain that in greater detail tomorrow.”

I thought at least some of my questions would be answered, but Adil only left me with even greater questions before departing.

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