The Water Magician

When Ryo and Abel arrived, everyone was seated in front of the entrance to the ruins.

The Elder in Formal Attire was sitting in a chair, while the others were on the ground...

By the way, only Explorer No. 3 was standing, appearing to be lectured in front of the Elder in Formal Attire.

However, since his expression didn’t change and he wasn’t looking down, he looked somewhat defiant.

In reality, the Elder in Formal Attire was just observing.

"It seems you have arrived."

"We apologize for the wait."

Hearing the Elder's words, Ryo replied as he dismounted from his horse.

He approached the Elder in Formal Attire and Explorer No. 3, asking,

"Is it alright to put that child... Explorer No. 3 away?"

"Put it away? Explorer No. 3? What a peculiar name."

The Elder in Formal Attire muttered.

Ryo used alchemy to make Explorer No. 3 vanish.

Finally, he could take a breath.

The fear of being destroyed by the Elder in Formal Attire was gone.

It would have been sad if that had happened...

"Now, white robe... what should I call you?"

"My name is Ryo."

"I see, Ryo. Does one not get punished for entering another's dwelling without permission?"

"…Yes, they do."

With a strong stance, the Elder in Formal Attire asserted a logical argument, suddenly taking control of the conversation.

It was a bold move by someone in a position of power, without any probing or strategizing.

"We did not know that this was your residence."

"Didn’t you send one back who came in first? That person should have relayed a message."

"That person had their memory wiped... Was there a message?"

"They should have been told to not come."

"Ah..."

Ryo and Abel nodded in unison.

The daimyo had said that something terrifying had happened, and indeed, the one who returned had repeatedly shouted "Don’t come!" during treatment...

Such is the difficulty of the telephone game.

"That person certainly seemed to be mumbling, 'Don’t come, don’t come' during treatment."

"Indeed?"

"They were so desperate and kept shouting that it was judged they must have had a terrifying experience, and those memories were resurfacing repeatedly."

"What?"

"There was a misunderstanding."

Ryo answered honestly.

In this situation, lying was absolutely not an option.

The opponent was that formidable.

"You... you said Ryo, but you seem to know who I am."

"The Dragon King of the West, or perhaps the White Dragon King? The Wind Dragon King?"

"Hmm, well, that recognition is not wrong."

The Elder in Formal Attire... the Dragon King nodded.

Abel was surprised, but of course, he did not interrupt.

The others present must have heard their conversation, yet there was no reaction.

It seemed beyond their understanding.

Despite this situation, it shouldn’t be the case, but perhaps their minds were interpreting it as a joke.

Ryo was also aware of the patterns.

The red Dragon King in the south, located in the Forest of Rondo.

The blue Dragon King in the east, in the Eastern Nations... for some reason, they appeared as human pairs.

The golden Dragon King, who could be said to be in the center... currently in the process of reincarnation.

And now, this time.

In the five elements, the east being blue, the south red, and the center gold, then the west would be white.

Likewise, the blue of the east would be water, the red of the south would be fire, and the white of the west would be wind.

So I thought it could be the White Dragon King or the Wind Dragon King.

I had hoped to ask for a name as well, but the one who spoke first was the White Dragon King.

"Red, blue, and even gold... to have marks from three Dragon Kings... did they recognize you as 'that'?"

"…Excuse me?"

Ryo tilted his head, completely confused by the meaning.

At the same time, he had missed the opportunity to hear the name.

"You have met those Dragon Kings, haven’t you?"

"Yes. Lord Ruin is my neighbor. I met Lord Nours in the Golden City. I fought against Lau and Fan on their ghost ship."

"…What did you just say?"

"Lord Ruin..."

"Not that."

"Lord Nours..."