Solomon had not taken the name Romani Archaman.
The new body he had received in this other world was not the ordinary human the original Solomon had wished to become, but a "god" wearing human skin.
Doctor Roman. Romani Archaman. That name was a turning point of the world itself, a revelation granted only when Solomon fully realized that he had become human.
Manmayer Solomon, a Celestial Dragon, was never the result of the wish cherished by the King of Magecraft, the one who had been meant to become Romani Archaman.
To keep the promise he had made when he decided to inherit everything Solomon had left behind, back when he had been nothing more than an ordinary man—
Manmayer Solomon, who had not yet become an ordinary human, refused to inherit Romani Archaman, Solomon's wish and legacy.
If the day ever came when he truly became human in the fullest sense,
then, and only then, would he be able to call himself Romani Archaman and walk the earth. Not now.
Perhaps because of that, Solomon did not like flaunting the authority of the Celestial Dragons any more than necessary, even though he was one of the highest-ranking Celestial Dragons, treated on par with the Five Elders themselves.
It was not as though he went around openly making dreamy declarations in the society of the World Nobles, like certain oddballs from the Donquixote family, saying that Celestial Dragons should become no different from the people below. But he did openly make it known, in his own subtle way, that he disliked excessive displays of reverence toward him.
The World Nobles, a group tightly bound by their own sense of solidarity, did not see Solomon's behavior as dangerous the way they had the Donquixote family's ideas. Since all he seemed to want was a touch of modesty, they accepted it as merely one of his personal quirks. A thoroughly petty bunch, perhaps, but when it came to herd mentality, the Celestial Dragons were second to none.
Solomon's way of conducting himself within the society of the World Nobles had worked well enough, and those who knew him had learned to respect his preferences on their own.
But most people still looked at Solomon as a "god," and nothing else.
That was the common sense of this world, a prejudice even Bartholomew Kuma carried despite having once spent his childhood as a slave of the World Nobles.
Bartholomew Kuma found the current situation moving, but at the same time impossible to understand.
In all his common sense, a Celestial Dragon sitting at a table with a teacup, chatting casually with someone from below, was something that simply could not exist. It was a miracle sent down from heaven.
"Speak comfortably, Bartholomew Kuma. Right now, you're practically a guest I invited because I was bored, so there's no need to sit there all tense with your hands folded so neatly."
"H-huh? R-right. I'll do that."
"...I said comfortably."
"Then I will."
"At least be polite, you pirate!"
Seeing Kuma finally drop the stiffness in his speech, Guernica, who had been standing nearby on guard in case anything happened, immediately cut in.
"That's enough. Leave it, Guernica."
"But, my lord!"
"Guernica."
Solomon spoke softly, almost soothingly, to the CP0 agent who, like all Celestial Dragons' loyal attendants, served him with absolute devotion.
"You say you serve me as a god, and yet you make your god repeat himself."
"Ah!"
It was only the faintest trace of displeasure, but Guernica was instantly overwhelmed by Solomon's presence and dropped to the floor to beg forgiveness.
"Go outside and calm yourself for a while."
"But your protection—"
"Guernica."
Hadn't he just said not to make him repeat himself?
The dignity of a god.
That was how Guernica saw Solomon. To those who treated him as divine, Solomon showed, without mercy, the bearing expected of a god. He was gentle, but not soft.
Thinking he had nearly committed the same offense again after being corrected by his god, Guernica hurriedly withdrew from the cabin without another word.
"Sorry about that, Kuma. Or should I call you Mr. Kuma? You look old enough for that. In any case, my attendant was rude."
"Call me whatever's comfortable. I'm not exactly young. I've got a precious daughter, after all. Wouldn't be strange to call me a middle-aged man."
Kuma, true to his nature as a simple man from a fishing village, awkwardly scratched the back of his large head.
"Both sound awkward, so I'll just call you Kuma. That's easier for you too, right?"
"Yeah. Sure. Do whatever you want, Solomon."
Ha ha. Solomon laughed sincerely for the first time in a long while.
It had been ages since he had met someone rare enough to actually change his attitude this quickly and treat him like a neighborhood friend just because he had been told to relax.
"The sea breeze feels especially nice today, doesn't it?"
"It does."
"Now I remember. Bartholomew Kuma. Former king of the Sorbet Kingdom, and a pirate who's made quite a name for himself lately. Judging by the ugly rumors and that epithet of 'Tyrant,' I expected a violent brute who couldn't tell right from wrong. But you're surprisingly kind."
"Heh. I've never done bad things on purpose. I ended up becoming a pirate somehow, but I never really liked that title. I'd throw it away anytime if I could."
"Unfortunately, by the standards of the lower world, the crimes you committed are not the sort that can be easily brushed aside. From the standpoint of a Celestial Dragon who rules the world, it's hard to casually pardon piracy committed with that level of resolve."
"...I heard piracy can't be pardoned at all. Are you saying Celestial Dragons can even do something like that?"
"That's the part that surprises you? An ordinary Celestial Dragon couldn't, of course. But I can. I am one of the core figures among the World Nobles, in a position far higher than you imagine."
At Solomon's calm manner of tossing out information about himself that sounded like a state secret among the World Nobles, Kuma found it impossible to keep smiling so easily.
He'd thought Solomon was just a somewhat famous Celestial Dragon with a flashy title, but one of the core figures among the World Nobles? What in the world was this man? He was saying, without hesitation, something so terrifying it sounded as if he stood openly above even the other Celestial Dragons.
"Anyway, Kuma, you amused me. I'm grateful for that. To be honest, I only boarded this ship because life in Mary Geoise was so unbearably dull that I came out for a little walk. Guernica, who was assigned to guard me and keep me company, was hopeless as conversation. Then you appeared. I don't know what your purpose was, but you weren't hostile, were you? So right now, I'm in a very good mood."
Now that Bartholomew Kuma had realized Solomon was far more exalted than he had imagined, he was having trouble keeping his wits about him enough to even properly listen to Solomon's lazy small talk.
"...So then. What do I look like to you?"
At that moment, as if he had seen straight through Kuma's inner turmoil, Solomon asked a question that drove the point home, and Kuma's thoughts froze.
What was he supposed to say? He wasn't cut out for philosophical topics like this. What do I look like? What kind of answer wouldn't offend Solomon?
Solomon saw the sweat pouring from Kuma's temples. He did not rush him. He simply waited in silence.
To hell with it. I don't know.
From the look of it, Solomon didn't like throwing around the authority of a Celestial Dragon. In that case, overpraising him would probably make him uncomfortable instead.
Kuma, a simple man with little connection to scholarship, finally decided to trust his instincts.
"A man who's a little higher up than me, maybe... but still human like me?"
A piece of blasphemy so outrageous that any other Celestial Dragon would have fainted on the spot came right out of Kuma's mouth.
Crash. At that exact moment, a maid bringing refreshments heard the shocking words, her legs gave out, and she collapsed where she stood.
How dare some pirate from the lower world commit such insolence toward a god among gods, one whom even the Holy Knights and the Five Elders could not treat carelessly!
The maid thought it would only be proper to shoot Kuma dead on the spot for his slip of the tongue, but since the god who had been insulted was not doing anything, she knew it would be presumptuous for a mere maid like her to interfere, and barely managed to suppress her fury.
As for Solomon—
The corner of his mouth twisted faintly.
Bartholomew Kuma.
You have chosen to see me as human.
Then I will deal with you not as the King of Magecraft, but as Solomon.
"That's right. I'm human. Definitely human. A human who laughs and cries and feels deeply, just like you. Though my status isn't merely a little high. Even the Five Elders can't do much to me. Not even the one pulling the strings behind them."
Solomon deliberately swallowed the last part of that sentence. Unfortunately, Bartholomew Kuma could not hear the words referring to [Im].
"That's incredible."
Bartholomew Kuma decided there was no point trying to measure just how much more exalted Solomon might be now, and simply offered broad praise instead.
"It is. I never expected to be called the Mage King even in another world."
"Can you really use Magecraft? Wouldn't it be more accurate to call it magic?"
"Of course I can. I am the founder of human Magecraft. True Magic is a slightly different concept. Ordinary people have trouble telling them apart, but 'mage' is usually more correct than 'wizard.'"
As he said that, Solomon showed Kuma a few simple spells.
"Whoa!"
At first, Kuma thought Magecraft was the power of a Devil Fruit Solomon had eaten, but when Solomon said he could swim, Kuma immediately fell into a panic.
Magecraft.
Wasn't that an absurd kind of power? After escaping God Valley, he had happened to read fairy tales where fairies used magical power to save heroes trapped in hardship. He had even read a few similar stories to Bonney.
Solomon found himself deeply fond of Kuma, who still possessed a childlike innocence despite being well into middle age.
More than anything, even after his past experiences, Kuma had looked at him and seen a human being right away.
Only after quite some time had passed did Kuma cautiously tell Solomon why he had sought him out.
His daughter had a terminal illness, and he was chasing every possible chance to cure it. Seeking out Solomon, the Mage King, was part of that effort.
Solomon's expression stiffened slightly.
At that blunt, cold reaction, Kuma was just about to slump into disappointment, thinking, So it really won't work...
Then Solomon smiled, beautifully enough to make Kuma's worries seem foolish.
"That's good news, then. When I become human, I want to be a doctor, so I've been studying medicine. If Magecraft-assisted treatment is involved, I should be able to cure most illnesses. But prescribing without seeing the patient would be a sin. I want to meet your daughter in person."
"Ah!"
The sticky darkness that had filled Kuma's heart was driven back in an instant by the light that poured in.
"Of course! Come with me!"
Kuma nodded vigorously.
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