Ashes and Kingdoms

"Let me make a statue of Your Excellency!

A masonry man who intentionally made a fist grip and approached him not with a cheerful face.

Pushed by the momentum, Finn moaned and listened back as he lagged behind.

"Mine?

"Yes, no, my lord and Lord Tenryu's!! I found a great marble, the moment I saw it, I intuited that this was the only way to carve you two! Please! Forgive me!!

Masonry that shrinks vacant distances all the way. Finn wanted to escape even more, but gave up.

The middle-aged man with sparkling eyes is from the south, but came to Nanais a few years ago when he learned that the republic was investigating and protecting scattered old art. Since then, he has further brushed his arms as he learns from the delicacies of ancient art, and even Nanais has become a fingerfolding masonry.

"Ever since I first saw you look like Tenryu, I've always made up my mind one day! I brushed my arms day and night and started thinking it was time to try, meet at the stone cutting yard...... destiny, this is haha! So be sure!!

"Even if they say... you're not going to occupy the stone-cutting field, are you?

"Oh, no, no, no way. Such a huge statue... I'd like to build it if it's possible, because it's reckless on boulders. You will look shrunken, but if you can forgive me, I would like to place the finished product in the square with gratitude!

It is as exciting as if it can be done tomorrow. Finn answered vaguely, perplexed by the enthusiasm of the masonry.

"Well, I'm free to carve"

There is not a decision that dragons and dragon horses should not be used as painting sculptures. While it is forbidden to install dragons in boulders at the gates of their homes because they are the source of mistakes before disgraceful disrespect, the citizens of Nanais, familiar with Tenryu, incorporate dragon motifs into their lives in various ways.

Bread and confectionery shaped like dragons are already specialties, and senators, officials and military personnel all wear something empty embroidered with dragons. Toddlers are given dragon amulets, and the boys carve dragon signs on handmade wooden swords to inflate their future dreams, and the girls wish them the happiness of a day when they become brides with a needle stabbing dragons and moon stars in a white cloth.

- But it is not simply a question of permission or lack thereof that the masonry went all the way up to "please”.

Finn laughed bitterly, calculating in his head about the budget at his discretion, then nodded, yeah.

"Until we can, we can give you the minimum cost of living. If special materials or tools are used, do something about it. When it's done, we'll put it in the square, get the approval of the citizens, and then we'll pay the consideration. I'll get it out of the city's budget, so it won't go with extradition, but do you mind?

"Of course!

Oh, and the masonry face shines. Finn hastily pulled away a man who was already rushing back to work.

"Please wait. There's one condition."

"Yes, what is it?"

Without a pedestal.

"Huh?"

The masonry gets pompous on an order I never thought I would. Finn repeated with a serious face.

"Please don't build a pedestal. If you're going to put it in a square, don't look down from the top of a tall pedestal, but at the same height as a person."

"... but then"

"You can climb up or graffiti. It was a long time ago, but they told me to spare me just building a Dragon Marquis statue in the square. Every time I go by, I'm dressed up on a pedestal, and you say it's hard for me to get into my eyes."

Finn spilled a bitter laugh with his word butt. I no longer have the main sister of a reluctant and relentless statement, but I think I do too. That's why we've never built a statue of ourselves in the square of the capital, even though it's called the kingdom of Tenryu.

"So instead of being looked upon, think about what is normally seen from the front, and build it"

The masonry silently bowed his head to a calm but unyielding voice.

- A few months later.

In front of a stone statue that was clear and rested in the square, Finn was surrounded by citizens with Lena and looked like she was going to stink.

"Wow, that looks just like it -!

"It's weird on boulders, but it feels good."

"Lena, come on."

"This is so splendid, now I know the face of Dragon Hou too!

"Right. I told the tourists the other day that it was Dragon Hou, and they didn't believe me."

"Haha! You'll be fine from now on!

Citizens celebrate with a mouthful of delicacies, including various thoughts.

The golden marble was carved into a young man standing close to a winged dragon. Ignoring the actual ratio, the youth's head is built to come around the dragon's chest. In addition to the gold of his eyes, the dragon remained the skin of marble, but the dragon marquis was coloured and firmly reproduced to the scar of his cheek. The expression looks exactly like that moment when a smile comes to mind, much calmer and gentler than the person thinks.

Finn did not see his statue properly and pretended to be seen by the finely finished dragon wings and wool.

"When you look away, you don't realize it's marble enough. This is great."

"The real thing is, it's not like this"

Masonry is not pleased with the praise either, it becomes a bitter expression. Finn and Lena aligned themselves and glanced for a while, the masonry placed his hand on the wing and shook his head.

"Is there still a limit in stone statues...... ugh! Um, white and shimmering fluffy too fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu I don't mean it, I'm so sorry!!

"Um... uh"

"If this stone! He said it was possible!! A miracle must happen. Take it, I expected it!! My arm was just immature. No, no!!!

"No. Um, I think it's good enough."

Finn comforts himself vaguely as he wanders. Citizens watching around also praised the masonry head and back with laughter.

"That's right, that's enough! By and large, it's hard to make a statue of a real dragon."

"It's a stone statue, so it's natural not to be fluffy. Don't let that get you down!

"Lena's cute!

"Look, we're not celebrating, come here!

Pulled by the ladies who prepared the cup, the masonry still receives the cup while continuing the method of denial. A glass of barley liquor was also pressed into Finn's hand.

As the liquor cup reaches into the hands of everyone gathered, the man who happens to be closest to Finn on the spot looks around with him, nods alright and raises the cup.

"To Heavenly Dragon and Dragon Marquis!

"Kanpai!

With the pronunciation of the celebration, the square was filled with cheerful and happy laughter.

In the long months since, exposed to severe wind and snow in the north, the stone statue continued to be present with the people in the square.

As Finn wished, no steps or enclosure could be set up, everyone was effortlessly brought, his hands touched and the toddler climbed to the back of the dragon. Someone wipes the statue every day, even if they don't decide, and decorates it with flowers and colour cloths during festivals and events.

Instead of dragons and dragon marquises, which tend to be absent with age, the stone statues continued to be familiar to the people.

And so...

"Don't take this long either."

Finn smiled nostalgically with a slightly more masculine face than the stone engraved youth.

"When it was done, it was definitely not fluffy, and the person who built it moaned... but I think it's softer."

"True."

Lena, who looked like a young woman, laughs with joy as she flickers. Cold stone skin stained with warm honey as it touched the back of the dragon with a glowing hand.

"It's completely round. You're so loved and happy."

Hehe, he laughs and strokes the slippery stone statue.

The figure of the dragon, touched by many, was fluffy and round throughout. That's to the illusion that it's really soft.

Lena stroked herself lovingly for a while, but slightly, she glanced at the statue of a young man - smiling bitterly.

"Finn hasn't gotten much rounded, has he?"

"... yeah, well, I can't help it"

The colour completely peeled off, and the scars on the cheeks, which had been carved shallow from the beginning, could no longer be discerned, leaving no sharply carved horns on the wrinkles of clothes, the decoration of the divine sword, etc. However, compared to the dragon part, it is obvious that the polishing condition is different.

Finn nodded towards Lena as he gently slammed his head to comfort his split.

The sound of wings echoes, and the wind strikes the square.

The cleaning husband, who came out of the city hall with a bucket in his hand, covered his eyes, and then looked around with a face saying, oh. A colleague who came out late asks a slight partner.

"What's up?

"No, something... I felt like someone was here. The..."

The cleaning husband says, unconsciously looking up into the sky. In the clear blue of the early morning, a white bird flied away with a flickering arc.

"... it's my fault,"

Yeah, he snaps like he tells himself, and he goes straight across the square. As usual, line up with your partner in front of the stone statue and make a light meeting.

"Good morning, Dragon Hou"

"I hope this is a good day"

After worshipping him, he started cleaning his routine.

The sun rises, the shadow of the building moves, and a light shines on the stone statue. People still go before the softly smiling dragon and dragon marquis today.

Laugh, run, sit and relax, cry sometimes - all the way from distant days, without change.

(Final)