Perhaps Gawain's answer had been too decisive, for even the two well-informed senior agent ladies fell into a daze for several seconds. Melita was the first to recover. She blinked and asked uncertainly, "You mean... 'not going'?"
"That's right, I'm not going," Gawain said casually. "Is there a problem with that answer?"
"...It's just a little unexpected," Melita said in a strange tone. "Your reaction was so unlike that of ordinary people that we didn't know how to respond for a moment."
That answer made Gawain curious instead. "Oh? And how should ordinary people react?"
"When faced with an invitation from a god, ordinary people should either be overjoyed or filled with reverence. Of course, you may possess a stronger will than ordinary people and be calmer—but your level of calm still far exceeded our expectations."
"That's because you personally told me—I could refuse," Gawain said with a smile, his tone relaxed and indifferent. "Frankly, I am indeed very curious about Tarlonnd, but as the ruler of this country, I cannot simply set off on a whim. The empire is getting on track, countless projects are awaiting my decisions, and I still have much to do. Meeting with a god is not part of my plans. Please convey my apologies to your god—at least for now, I cannot accept her invitation."
What Gawain said was not an excuse—but it was only one of the reasons.
To be honest, this unexpected invitation had truly startled him. He had imagined how he might advance relations with the dragons, but he had never imagined it would happen this way—Tarlonnd actually had a god residing in the mortal world, and it sounded as though that god had remained here for many years before the present era of civilization. Gawain did not know why such