Chapter 189:
Disaster Turns into Peace (2)
The day after her first report, it was clear that Phoebe's body was gradually shrinking when compared to her morning size.
'Phoebe is returning to her original state.'
It was said that it would take a week, but even that wait was not easy.
Rumors spread that a dragon lived in front of the Silence Tower, and spectators flocked from all over.
There was no distinction in types.
Adventurers pretending to pass by, nobles visiting to see useless items they had no interest in, commoners risking their lives for a lifetime of drinking stories, and curious children.
Phoebe refused the idea of setting up a no-access magic barrier.
- If you make it so strict, it seems like I'm in danger...
"That does seem likely."
Her size grew, and her appearance became threatening, but deep down, she was an innocent child.
Respecting her wishes, they left her alone, and Phoebe ignored anyone who approached.
Even without any sanctions, ordinary people just briefly glanced before returning home, so no worrisome situations occurred.
'Can't I do something for her?'
Although she claimed to be fine, Reed couldn't help but feel uneasy.
She had been prepared to sacrifice herself for Rosaria and chose to suffer.
However, there seemed to be nothing they could do for her immediately.
The place where they had imprisoned Astrophe could no longer be used and was buried, and they didn't want her to be alone there.
Phoebe really enjoyed guarding the tower's side.
'But if I make a doghouse for her...'
It would look ridiculous, and she would only get ridiculed.
As he was thinking about what to do for her, Phoebe spoke up.
-Tower Master...
"Hm?"
Phoebe stammered, seemingly embarrassed.
-I think I'm getting hungry...
"Are you?"
- Uh... With this body, I'll undoubtedly have to eat a lot... Won't that cause trouble?
"It might."
-Really???
"No, I meant don't worry about it."
He accidentally let his true feelings slip.
Fortunately, Phoebe didn't hear it properly, and they could brush it off.
'In fact, just one meal would be enormous.'
When Phoebe was human, the amount of food she ate in one meal was equivalent to what three people would eat in a day.
When she first came to the Silence Tower, there was a conspiracy that Reed, the tower master, was trying to collapse the tower by taking out 10% of the budget for food expenses.
Although it was a joke, there were quite a few people who actually believed it.
Anyway, since she had become a dragon, she would need food for three dragons.
Roughly calculating based on her size, she needed a day's worth of food for the tower.
And that was just for one meal.
'There's no problem, but...'
Something felt missing.
What she really enjoyed was eating.
"Sis, are you hungry?"
-Yeah... I think my stomach is growling.
"It sounds like your stomach is sinking!"
-With this body, could I sink in the ocean?
Phoebe and Rosaria laughed while joking around.
Then, as if something came to mind, Rosaria exclaimed, "Ah!"
"I wish you could really eat a lot, sis."
-Why is that?
"There's so much I want to eat! I can eat a lot of cake, a lot of snacks, isn't that right? It would be so happy."
Reed suddenly had a brilliant idea thanks to Rosaria's words.
"Rosaria."
"Huh?"
Reed grabbed Rosaria's shoulder and praised her.
"Thanks to you, I came up with a great idea."
"Is it because of Rosaria?"
"Yes."
"Ahem!"
Rosaria felt proud because she was credited.
Reed asked her, just in case.
"Phoebe."
-Yes?
"Do you have any preferences?"
-Preferences? Um... I eat everything well, except for a few things I don't like. Oh, are you talking about something else?
"No, that's what I meant."
Phoebe blinked.
She couldn't understand the intention behind the question.
-Why do you ask?
"We're going to have a festival centered around you."
-A festival...?
Phoebe's huge head tilted.
Reed chuckled and asked her.
"Are you curious about what kind of festival it is?"
-Yes, very much!
"I'll keep it a secret."
-Aww...
Phoebe sighed, laying her head on the ground like a deflated puppy.
Feeling guilty for her disappointed look, Reed asked once more.
"Can't you bear it or don't like it...?"
-Oh, no! If you don't know about the gift, you can be surprised, right? If the Tower Master wants to surprise me, I'll bear it.
"Alright."
-...Still, it would be nice if you could give me a little hint...
"..."
She tried to create a tiny gap with her fingernail, which was as big as her head.
It's hard to know what she's expecting.
"Not knowing will be more fun. I guarantee it."
-Grr... Alright then...
Phoebe nodded her head.
-Just don't overdo it, please.
While she spoke cautiously, it wasn't something to worry about.
'I don't even need to push myself.'
All Reed had to do was light the fuse. People would move on their own, burning and exploding like a fire.
Since it was an event that everyone would undoubtedly enjoy.
***
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***
Reed carefully wrote and sent letters to each person.
The great threat that had swept the continent had been overcome.
And the dragon, which had once been a manifestation of disaster, was no longer a disaster.
It was a festival to announce that it would become a symbol of protecting this continent.
There were suitable ways to prove it.
A childish story that in order to protect us, the dragon, once an evil deity, must be served with delicious food.
It was a text that was both fit for a fairy tale and shamelessly filled with personal desires.
-Show off the delicacies of each region and win the dragon's favor. Those who please the Black Dragon will receive its blessings directly.
Whether they believe it or not, people will gather.
Everyone knew how meaningful this festival was, as the disaster that had made them tremble in fear had receded.
It was significant that immediately after this event, people from all over the continent would come together.
Considering that everyone on the continent would gather for one of the rare opportunities to see a dragon with their own eyes.
Reed foresaw that people would gather and had the surroundings under construction for two days.
"Is it okay to do this construction even if people might not come?"
"You talk too much."
"I'm sorry!"
If the Tower Master says to do it, they must.
Such doubts subsided the next day.
Although they were long-winded, the letters contained replies that they would attend the festival, all summarized in one line.
The letters filled the first-floor hall, and those who doubted could only admire Reed's foresight.
If the construction had started later, there would have been a severe shortage of space.
They prepared a large area for the two-day festival, and people began to gather.
As soon as the morning of the promised day dawned, half of the prepared parking lot was filled in just three hours.
The guests were kings and high-ranking nobles from various countries.
"Greetings, Tower Master of Silence."
"Welcome, Your Majesty King Clen."
"Not only did you clean up the chaos, but you also held this festival. We are truly grateful. We will dedicate our skills to this festival."
"I look forward to it."
The formal greetings were simple, lasting about a minute.
However, it was simple for those who greeted, but Reed could not leave the spot.
Reed exchanged greetings with the nobles while standing there, and it still wasn't over before nightfall.
The nobles all gathered in one place as if on a sightseeing tour.
It was right next to the Silence Tower where Phoebe was.
There was no particular line, but everyone maintained a certain distance while observing the Black Dragon.
Their reactions were consistent.
"My goodness..."
"I never thought I'd see a dragon in my lifetime."
Of course, not only adults attended the festival.
High-ranking noble children also gathered to see the dragon.
Phoebe sat still in that spot, looking down at them.
"Is it really safe?"
"Of course. She promised not to harm humans, so there's no need to worry."
"What if she suddenly shoots a breath..."
"I'll be able to block it, so don't worry."
"Hmm! I'm sorry for doubting the Tower Master of Silence, who has some reputation."
As the leaders responsible for each country, many were particularly concerned about safety.
Such concerns were for the stiff-minded adults, not the children.
"Mom, it's a dragon! An evil dragon!"
The atmosphere turned cold in an instant with the blunt words.
The child's mother covered his mouth and repeatedly apologized.
"Kid, you shouldn't say that carelessly! I'm sorry. He's still a thoughtless child..."
The queen, who adored her rude son without any discipline, turned serious and apologized to Phoebe.
Seeing her apologize, Phoebe blinked once.
It wasn't easy to show a smile in the form of a dragon, so that was her way of showing that it was alright.
However, most people felt that it was a gesture to let it go just once, so even talking about it was difficult.
-Tower Master...
Phoebe sent a message to Reed.
Even in the message, her trembling voice felt disheartened.
"Why do you feel down?"
-Should I just close my eyes and pretend to sleep?
"Why? It's not your fault."
-Um...
"You can be confident. I'll see what I can do."
Feeling that there was some truth in Reed's words, Phoebe tried to become more confident.
No matter how many times she spoke like a speech that she was not dangerous, trust did not seem to open so easily.
What could she do to ease the vigilance in the eyes looking at Phoebe?
The answer to that question was thrown by Rosaria.
Rosaria, who was mixed with her peers, looked up at Phoebe with the children.
"Wow, a dragon!"
"Cool, right? She's our sister!"
"A dragon is your sister?"
"Yes!"
In Rosaria's brief explanation, the children seemed to think that she was definitely amazing, looking at her with eyes of admiration.
"I even slid down her tail like a slide!"
"Wow, that sounds fun."
"Have you touched the tail when you slid down?"
"Of course!"
Rosaria nodded her head at the children's questions.
"Do you want to touch?"
Then the children hesitated for a moment.
"But mom said it's dangerous."
"They say dragons are evil."
"It's not dangerous! And it's not evil!"
Rosaria seemed determined and took the children's hands and stepped forward.
As someone stepped forward in the circle, attention naturally focused.
"Oh my!"
"Isn't that little child the young lady of the Adeleheights family?"
The frightened adults began to whisper, holding their breath.
The children who followed her hesitantly, but as the big dragon's head approached, they started to get scared.
"Now, you can touch, right?"
Rosaria placed the sobbing child's hand on Phoebe's cheek.
The fear of the giant being disappeared through that touch.
"Right?"
"Look, look, it's not scary!"
The child, who had been cautiously touching with one hand, began to touch without hesitation.
The children who were watching from a little distance behind asked the child.
"Is it okay?"
"Yeah! It's like a lizard!"
"I want to touch it too."
Thanks to Rosaria's boldness, the children gradually let go of their guard towards Phoebe and approached her.
Soon, they began to touch her as if she was a big, friendly dog rather than a scary dragon.
"It seems like it's not really dangerous, huh?"
"That's right. She's staying still even when the children touch her like that..."
"Mom, I want to touch it too."
"Well, shall we go together with mom?"
"Yes!"
As the children closed the distance, the adults naturally closed the gap with Phoebe as well.
However, instead of touching her boldly, they examined Phoebe's body as if looking at a well-made piece of art.
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While the nobles were admiring her, the attendants who accompanied them busily set up the equipment for the festival in the open space.
The main day of the festival was tomorrow.
The eve of the festival was held in a commoner style with street vendors and festival-goers.
There were some who said it was a lowly commoner's way, but in their world, it was an exotic festival, so they participated despite the inconvenience.
It was also an opportunity to get to know each other while experiencing the hard-to-reach foreign foods in a simple way.
That's why the festival focused on food and entertainment, which could showcase their kingdoms.
"Oh, the Black Dragon is drooling!"
"Hey! No matter what, you shouldn't be rude!"
Phoebe swallowed her saliva and watched them.