Painting was a life skill.
People took up painting for all sorts of reasons, each with their own motivations and goals.
Self-expression, relaxation, challenging themselves, pursuing beauty.
Any of those could be the reason.
For Naohara, however, painting was simply another way to enrich his long life as a dragon.
It allowed him to try things he had never been able to do before, even things that had once been beyond him entirely.
Making progress along an unfamiliar path brought with it a quiet sense of satisfaction.
In a way, it also made up for certain regrets from the past.
After all, who had never indulged in a few impossible fantasies?
Atop the Dragon Tower in the Sorcerer Kingdom, within the hanging gardens.
Naohara stood before an easel, brush in hand, moving it lightly across the canvas.
He first sketched out the general outline from memory, then began mixing his paints.
A floating palette beside him was covered in colors: vivid reds, bright yellows, deep blues, and fresh greens.
"I didn't expect you to be so talented at painting."
The petite Vampire loli beside him looked over curiously.
Keno did not actually know anything about painting, nor could she tell how skilled he really was, but that did not stop her from praising Naohara.
He was her beloved, after all. Whether the painting was good or bad, the filter in her eyes meant she would like it either way.
According to Renner, there was always a capable wife quietly supporting every successful man from behind.
"It's only because strength makes things easier, but I like hearing that. Please, keep going."
Naohara divided his attention between painting and answering her.
Growing stronger did not merely improve one's ability in battle. The benefits extended into all sorts of other fields as well.
To give an example, an ordinary person learning how to fight would have to look up at the subject from below. Someone in the Realm of Heroes could approach it on equal footing, while someone at the mythical level would be looking down from above.
In a sense, that could also be considered a kind of talent.
It was simply a talent acquired later in life as one's strength increased, something unique to the truly powerful.
"All right, all right, my great inventor. You're the best, happy now?"
Keno was lavish with her praise.
As far as she was concerned, praising Naohara was no different from praising herself.
The more impressive he was, the more impressive that made her choice of partner look. She shared in the glory.
Thinking that, a hint of smugness appeared on Keno's face as well.
And so the two continued, one becoming more enthusiastic with every compliment, while the other's smile grew wider and wider.
Renner, who had come to deliver a report, could not help looking puzzled when she saw them.
Was this part of some strange play between them?
Had she come at a bad time?
Despite those thoughts, Renner maintained her usual smile.
Noticing someone had arrived, Keno finally stopped, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed.
Still, since she and Renner were close friends, it was within a tolerable range.
"Is something the matter?"
Naohara spoke first.
Three years had left no trace on the girl standing before him. It was as though all change had stopped the moment she consumed human blood.
Barring any accidents, Renner would probably remain in this youthful form until the day she died.
Of course, that assumed she could actually die.
There was an intangible bond between the Apostles and Naohara. The clearest manifestation of it was that whenever he grew stronger, they would receive a small share of the benefits as well.
"Fluder sent a message just now. He would like an audience with you, and he has brought a special guest along."
Renner parted her lips and reported the matter truthfully.
Under normal circumstances, she would not actively contact the other two Supreme Ones. Whenever she had something to report, Naohara-sama was her first choice, followed by Momonga-sama, with Herohero-sama last.
There was no hidden motive behind that ordering. It was simply based on their actual behavior.
She had been keeping records for the past three years.
Naohara-sama had visited the Sorcerer Kingdom twelve times. Momonga-sama had come ten times. Herohero-sama had managed a pitiful four visits.
Three of those had been for the Sorcerer Kingdom's annual celebrations, while the fourth had only happened in response to a request to meet a Forest Elf with an exceptional Talent.
Not to mention that Herohero-sama was nominally the honorary principal of the Magic Academy. That alone made it obvious how little concern he had for the Sorcerer Kingdom.
The Sorcerer Kingdom probably held some weight in Momonga-sama's heart. It was not insignificant, but it certainly was not all that important either.
As for Naohara-sama, he was simply the best option available.
Renner had already figured it out. None of the Three Supreme Beings took the Sorcerer Kingdom particularly seriously. Rather than building the nation to conquer the world, it seemed more like they had created it for entertainment.
As always, the Three Supreme Beings only needed to give orders from Nazarick. She, as Prime Minister, had far more things to worry about~
"If that's what this is about, I already know. I'll go see them once I finish what I'm doing here."
"By the way, how is the follow-up work in the Roble Holy Kingdom progressing?"
Naohara continued moving his brush as he casually asked.
Keno pricked up her ears as well.
As for what had happened to the Roble Holy Kingdom...
According to what he and Surshana had agreed upon, the official story was that a True Dragon Lord had attacked the Roble Holy Kingdom, contaminating the land and sky and leaving them no choice but to seal the entire region behind a Barrier.
In the end, the blame had been dumped on the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord.
The public only needed an explanation they could accept. As an added bonus, the incident had also helped them harvest more faith, so the result was not bad.
After some time had passed, they could simply cut off the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord's head and put it on display in the Sorcerer Kingdom.
That would provide a proper conclusion to the whole affair.
"The humans and Demihumans of the Roble Holy Kingdom, numbering tens of millions of Souls in total, have all been properly settled. The modification of their memories is also proceeding steadily."
"Publicly, we claim that the Theocracy and the Sorcerer Kingdom are cooperating on the matter. We are currently maintaining a rate of roughly one hundred resurrections per day, with debt contracts being signed each time."
"Caspond, the Holy Queen's elder brother and the only surviving member of the Roble Holy Kingdom's royal family, has been completely overwhelmed lately."
"Not only does he have to reassure the resurrected citizens and make sure they have food, clothing, and shelter, he also has to figure out how to repay the ever-growing Resurrection loans. On top of that, the Holy Queen and the Custodio sisters are still missing. I heard the stress has made him lose a considerable amount of hair."
"By contrast, the Demihumans were much more decisive. They simply chose to become dogs of the Sorcerer Kingdom, paid the price for the privilege, became citizens of the Sorcerer Kingdom, and are hoping to have part of their debt forgiven that way."
As she spoke, a cunning smile appeared on Renner's face.
Everything that had happened in the Roble Holy Kingdom had been far too sudden.
To tell the truth, Renner had originally been planning to wage an economic and trade war against them. She had never expected the entire nation to be destroyed in the blink of an eye.
She did not know the exact reason either. If Naohara-sama chose not to speak of it, people like her and the Bloody Emperor were not about to recklessly ask.
Even so, it left her with a certain sense of wonder.
Life... really was fragile~
"As long as there aren't any problems, handle it however you see fit. I trust your abilities."
Of course you do. You're not the one doing all the work.
Renner could not help complaining inwardly.
"By the way, what has my Thought Body been doing lately?"
"Naraku-sama?"
"Much the same as usual. He has merely waived the Resurrection fees for several people, which has added quite a bit to this humble servant's workload."
Renner shook her head as she spoke.
She still had a favorable impression of Naraku-sama.
After all, he fundamentally carried a part of her within himself.
Back then, she had risked losing her class entirely by tearing apart her own Soul and extracting the fragment that represented the [Genius] class.
"Keep a closer eye on him. There's no telling when he might cause some kind of trouble."
Naohara understood himself quite well.
Though even if he had not said anything, it would have been fine. Renner would undoubtedly make the necessary arrangements.
After all, this young woman had managed to acquire the [Genius] class a second time through her own efforts after losing it.
One could even say that the [Genius] class had not made Renner.
Renner had made the [Genius] class.
In a certain sense, she was probably unique even in the New World.
"As you command."
Renner bowed slightly. After waiting a moment and realizing there was nothing else, she obediently stood off to the side.
Some time passed.
"Done. That's a wrap."
With the final stroke completed, Naohara clapped his hands and brought the painting session to an end.
"It's finished? Let me see."
Keno looked over.
The canvas was filled with all sorts of delicacies, buildings, equipment, and clothing from Nazarick.
"It's pretty good. What's this painting called?"
"The Platinum Dragon Lord's Devotion."
Naohara looked at his masterpiece with considerable satisfaction as he answered.
"Then where's the Platinum Dragon Lord?"
"He's devoting."
Keno: ?
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