Published at 18th of October 2020 10:20:12 PM

224 Tribute

Its morning. I wake up and stretch my neck. After my partner ate the decaying monster corpses I lost my appetite and fell asleep.

As expected, having a roof over my head is the best. I was always exposed to the elements in the desert after all. Because I vaguely remembered the comforts of my previous life, I couldnt settle down there at all. It had been ages since Id last had a good nights sleep.

Gaa Gaa

Well, when one of us wakes up, the other is forced awake too.

I hear a clattering sound coming from deeper inside the shrine. The skeleton, or rather wight, must have noticed I woke up. Looming in the darkness, a skeleton missing a leg appears.

As expected, seeing it first thing in the morning is spooky. If I think about it too much, Ill get nightmares.

It looks like its leg fell off again.

GuoGuoh!

Hey partner, stick it back together.

Gaaa

She gives a sleepy, half-hearted answer. Even though her eyes are half-open, shes sleep talking. I open my mouth and aim at the egg sacs stuck to her forehead. Her eyes snap open and she pulls her head back.

Gaah! Gaah!

She cries out reproachfully. Its not like I was going to eat them, you know. Im not you. I could just imagine a swarm strange bugs swelling out of your mouth.

As my partner uses [Soul AppendmentFake Life], the wights leg is repaired. I wonder if theres anything I can do to stop it from breaking so easily. I have plenty of MP though, so its not particularly important. If its level raises, maybe itll stay together better.

Its level limit is low, so I dont think itll take much for it to evolve. But one mistake would be enough to kill it. Hmm? What would happen if the wight were to die?

I look at the wight. It makes a sound and tilts its head. W-well, Ill try to stop worrying about it too much. Theres no easy way to confirm after all.

I step out of the shrine. Searching around with [Presence Sense], I feel something approaching. I immediately raise my head and sharpen my senses.

Its a group of mask-wearing humans. Theyre Lithovars. Theres five well-built men, and two short girls..

Both of the girls have feather decorations in their hair, colorful cloth warped around their bodies, and canes in their hands. Are they Lithovar mages? No, are they shrine maidens?

The men are carrying animals on their backs. A fat pig, a long-necked bird, a basket of fish, a giant pot The giant pot was being carried between two of the men. The men lined up opposite from me.

I return to the shrine to watch.

Ah, that, is it ok if I accept it? Its ok, right? Thats the impression I get, but its ok, right?

As I hide in the shrine, the two girls come out in front of the lined up food. As I thought, theyre shrine maidens, right?

God of the Lithovar, dragon-god-sama! As the representative of our tribe, I would like to offer our prayers and gratefulness to the dragon-god-samas second coming! I pray that you would please watch over us forevermore and bless us with prosperity!

Sorry, youve completely got the wrong dragon. Ive never been here before. Far from blessings, all I can scatter around is curses. Living here forever would be a bit I have no such plans at the moment, I mean

The two shrine maidens then continue chanting a long prayer.

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Eh, should I perhaps come out? But theres the matter of timing. I should maybe wait for a gap in their prayers?

Gaa?

My partner tries to push her head past me out of the shrine. I quickly pull my body back, withdrawing into the depths of the shrine.

Calm down, calm down me This is a good opportunity to get used to interacting with humans from a safe distance. I cant waste it.

Ok, from today onward I am the Lithovars dragon-god. Im no longer an ouroboros.

I hit my head with my forefoot to get myself pumped up. I dont know what to do about my timing, but Ill just rely on the other side to respond skilfully. Itll be what itll be.

At the start, the dragon-god got too worried about the timing and didnt come out. If something like that was preached, I wouldnt know what to do. In this case, if I come out nervously, its my loss. I should make sure to come across as firm and dignified.

I shake my head to banish my hesitation. My partner looks at me questioningly. You should be firm, too, ok?

Our tribes honor, power, everything is thanks to the dragon-god-sama

GuoOOOOOh!

In front of the lined up shrine maidens, I suddenly appear. The two shrine maidens break off their prayer and stare up at me in mute amazement. Ah, the men lined up at the back had the same expressions.

I softly step back and sink back into the shrine. Then I bury my head against the floor.

I completely made a mistake in my timing. This is so embarrassing. I guess I should have waited until they were finished before coming out. Yeah, if you think about it normally, thats the way itd be. I somehow had gotten the feeling that the chanting wouldnt have ended until I came out. It might have been a mistake to show off by roaring.

The wight anxiously watches over me as I tremble on the floor.

After about ten minutes, I poke my head out of the shrine. The tributes are still there, lined up, but theres no sign of the Lithovars.

With this, Im not sure whether or not theyve figured out that Im not their dragon-god, but they left behind the tribute, so they seem to be still treating me like a god for the time being I wonder what the Lithovar people think of their god who suddenly appeared in the middle of their prayers with a howl and then retreated as if to run away.

I just wish one of them had stayed behind Coming out took all of my willpower, so this is