It was originally a sad creature born from a failed attempt at carving a dog. Yet, through a bizarre chain of events, it had risen to the status of a literal Object of Worship of the Gunlock Dragons. Yes, it was a statue I had created.
Personally, I viewed it as a rather embarrassing piece of my black history. I’d given it to the Gunlock Dragon and felt a wave of relief just to have it out of my sight. I never imagined I’d encounter it again in a place like this.
And why on earth was it ranked second?! At its core, it was nothing more than a statue made by an amateur. How could that possibly be considered one of the world's top phantom items?
"Regarding this second-place statue, we must admit that our report consists mostly of blurred details and rumors. While we conducted as much research as possible, the sheer number of unknowns is staggering. Please keep that in mind while reading. It all began on the first day of the Six Kings Festival Held Only for Invited Guests. According to plausible reports, a single statue became the center of an incredible dispute. The Six Kings-sama, the Supreme Gods-sama, the Kings of the Three Nations of the Human Realm, and even the Creator God Shallow Vernal-sama and the God of an Otherworld were said to have fought over its ownership. That prize was the Statue of the Winged Gunlock Dragon."
Oh... well, I guess that was technically true. It was a rock-paper-scissors match, but people as prominent as Shiro-san and Machina-san really had been competing for it.
The general spectators were supposed to have been evacuated from the venue at the time. I suppose rumors must have leaked out, turning it into some kind of phantom treasure.
"The statue, which was eventually claimed by the Creator God Shallow Vernal-sama, is currently being strictly guarded within the Gunlock Dragon settlement. While it remains a mystery how the item passed from Shallow Vernal-sama to the dragons, many other strange details surround the piece. Primarily, the identity of its creator is unknown. The statue was carved by a challenger who engaged the War King Megiddo-sama in a Best-of-three Match. Although the venue was crowded that day, no amount of investigation has yielded details on the opponent. Some claim it was a man, others a woman. Some say a human, others a demon. We suspect the challenger utilized some form of Recognition Inhibition Magic or Information Manipulation."
Wow... Alice probably manipulated the information to protect me. I breathed a sigh of relief, glad that there was practically nothing identifying me as the culprit.
The crowd might have been large, but the festival was fundamentally restricted to invited guests and pre-registered companions. For someone like Alice, controlling that information must have been a breeze.
"Furthermore, there are stories that highlight the enigmatic nature of this statue. Though unconfirmed, anyone who attempts to investigate the Gunlock Dragon statue too deeply is reportedly met with a warning from the Phantasm King Faction. One hypothesis suggests that during the dispute over the piece, the Supreme Gods-sama and the Six Kings-sama forged some kind of pact, and these warnings are intended to prevent the details from surfacing. We leave it to the reader to imagine whether this very article was subject to warnings or censorship from the Phantasm King Faction."
That was a heavy way to put it. Because the truth was suppressed, the statue—and by extension, its creator—was being treated like some kind of urban legend-level taboo. It was a strange feeling.
Still, it would be a nightmare if I were outed as the creator. I was genuinely grateful that the information was being so thoroughly buried.
"Given these factors, one might argue this statue deserves the first-place spot. However, we have ranked it second due to the sheer lack of verifiable details. Why did the gods and the Six Kings-sama fight for it? How did it pass into the hands of Shallow Vernal-sama? Why is it now kept in the Gunlock Dragon settlement? And who was the challenger capable of creating such a masterpiece? The mysteries are endless, yet they lend the story an undeniable sense of romance."
I mean, if we assume the information about me from the festival was perfectly hidden, it would be impossible to guess why the statue ended up with the Gunlock Dragons.
Mystery piling on mystery... yeah. In reality, I’d just won it back as a result of a date promise with Shiro-san, then gave it away on a whim to the Gunlock Dragon who won the Dragon Carnival. There wasn't a single shred of romance in the actual reason, but... well, whatever.
Still, to think that sad creature of mine had become an object of worship and a legendary phantom item... Its rise to fame was so absurd I felt like looking up at the sky and groaning.
Serious-senpai: "Yep. Alice has definitely scrubbed and modified every other piece of info from the Six Kings Festival to keep Kaito completely hidden. Doing it all without saying a word to him... her devotion is as intense as ever."