Chapter 4: Makoto Takatsuki Participates in a Strategy Meeting
“My...this is a rather nice ham,” Twi mused as he munched on it.
It was from room service. Unfortunately, fish wasn’t on the menu.
“It’s not too salty?” I was pretty sure it’d be a bit much for his small body. Well, he was a magic beast, so he’d probably be fine.
“That was quite delicious. Mine stomach is sated.”
He patted a paw on his stomach as he spoke. It was cute, but the dignified voice coming from him really didn’t fit.
“So? How’re you talking?” I asked.
“I hardly think that matters, Master of mine.”
“I disagree. Out with it.”
“You concern yourself too much with the details... Mine command of the language of man is thanks to the moon princess...”
Twi explained the whole thing. While I’d been in the past, Furiae had been looking after him. When she’d become a saint, she’d gained a new skill. It was generally called the Saint’s Miracle.
“So that skill lets you talk?”
“All magic beasts can speak eventually. Ordinarily, it would take over a decade to develop that ability. However, the moon princess shortened that span. Convenient, no?” he answered, grooming himself once again.
A skill to draw out latent potential? Laphroaig had grown enough to stand on an even playing field with the other six nations—that skill must have been part of it. There were a lot of very talented people in the country now.
“I guess my role as her guardian knight will be made redundant, huh?” There wouldn’t be any work left for me to do.
“Ah, yes, Master. That is why I am here.” Twi jumped onto my shoulder. He felt as light as a feather. “The moon princess regrets what happened today rather deeply. She was suppressing her delight at meeting you, but she despairs at the misunderstanding her actions caused.”
“It definitely didn’t look like that... Why was she so cold to me?”
Twi continued, apparently realizing the explanation he’d given wasn’t particularly convincing. “Is that not obvious? She doesn’t want you on the battlefield any longer.”
“Then why not just say that?” Did she need to go out of her way to be so harsh?
“Her lack of openness in such matters is one of her failings. She is doing her best to prevent your return to a position as a hero. If you lack that position, you will have no duty to fight.”
“Why’d she feel the need to go that far...?” Was that really why? Had she not just decided to break ties now that she was a queen? Nothing the cat said really seemed logical.
Twi’s and Noah’s voices suddenly overlapped.
“Hah, and this is why we call you dense, Master.”
Yup, typical Makoto...
What’s that all about, Noah? Actually, weren’t you the one going on about how our positions were different?
Couldn’t you tell from how she was actiiing?
“You have no insight into the mood...”
Both of them were acting exasperated at me.
Wait, I was worse at picking up on the mood than a cat?
The cat in question chuckled. “I shall lend you a paw, Master of mine. With this—Shadow Magic: Shadow Walk!”
“Oh?”
Many magic circles filled the air. Twi can cast such a complicated spell?!
A hole opened in the air. It was pitch-black and about two meters in diameter.
“Come then, Master.”
“H-Hang on, Twi.”
Twi didn’t even turn around—he just hopped into the hole. His tiny frame was quickly swallowed by the darkness.
I’m pretty sure that’s a high-class spell, right...?
It was a spell similar to Teleport that let you move through shadows. Unlike Teleport, it only allowed you to go to preprepared locations. Still, it was a rather useful spell.
And he can cast it! I thought he only had the ability to speak... Was he actually some ridiculously high-level familiar?
Where does it go? I wondered. He’d gone without saying anything about that. I eyed the black hole in the air.
It doesn’t seem dangerous, Noah said.
Well, I doubted Twi would take me somewhere I’d get hurt.
Right, in we go.
I jumped into the hole. My vision went black for a second.
Hm?
I soon realized that I was in someone’s room. The first thing I noticed was the light pink color. The carpet and curtains both had cute flower patterns across them—they were probably a favorite of whoever stayed in this room.
It almost seemed similar to Ira’s domain. But of course, this room wasn’t anywhere near as big.
“Bwuh?”
I couldn’t help the dumb-sounding noise that spilled from my lips. My eyes had fallen on a big painting—a portrait—on the wall. The problem...was who it depicted.
The person in that portrait...was me.
I looked around the rest of the room. There were a lot more portraits, all of me. They seemed almost too good—like they were photos or something.
“Uh, Twi...you know these pictures...”
“Ah, they are called photos, Master. They were taken using a new magic item pioneered by the Fujiwara Trading Company—a camera.”
They are photos! This is Fujiyan’s fault!
When did they get taken, though? I didn’t remember any of this.
They’re pictures of the past taken using Fate Magic, Noah explained. Ira must have helped.
So Ira was involved too... This was practically a pervert’s dream—you could take photos without the person actually being there. What a terrifying invention.
That wasn’t the problem here, though.
“Hey, Twi. Whose room is this...?”
“Oh, you still haven’t realized?”
He looked blankly at me, all but saying that I should have gotten it by now. So this room belongs to someone I know? Someone I know who is close to Twi...
There was only one person I could think of. This was her room?
I looked around again—my eyes caught on the photos of me once more. This looked like the room of a stalker and kidnapper from an old movie I’d watched. It was a little scary. Actually, a lot scary. I really felt like I’d seen something I shouldn’t have. Like I’d looked into the abyss...
Click.
The sound of a turning doorknob came from behind me. The room’s owner was back.
“Huh?” I heard a confused woman say. It was a familiar voice—one I’d heard earlier today.
I slowly turned around.
There was Queen Furiae, looking like she’d come across some terrible monster in the middle of the night.
“Uh? Uh? Wai— No way. Uh? Uh? Wait... Uh?”
She sounded like a broken radio. No meaningful utterance left her lips.
I glared at Twi. What was he playing at? You needed to make sure a room’s owner was okay with you barging in. What if she’d been getting changed?
Do you not realize the situation you’re in? Noah interjected.
I know. I just sneaked into the queen of Laphroaig’s private room. I wasn’t exactly an authority on the laws of this world, but even I knew that this was the kind of thing someone could get banged up for.
“Hey, Princess. There’s a reason for this...” I said, walking toward her with a forced smile.
I was sure she was going to fly into a rage, but apparently, she hadn’t overcome the confusion yet.
“Uh? Huh... Is this a dream? It is, right? After all, this is my room... My knight wouldn’t be here...”
“Princess?”
“D-Definitely a dream! Yeah, I’ve been tired recently. Right! Right! Ahh, what a relief. Don’t scare me like that!” She laughed drily, apparently having decided she was dreaming. “Ohh, my knight. I’ll wake up as soon as I touch you anyway, right?”
She touched my cheek.
“O-Oh? Why...can I feel you...?” She started squishing and pulling at my face.
“Princess, that hurts.”
“N-No way...? You’re...real?”
“Twi brought me here.”
Furiae’s mouth was hanging open—it was definitely not the expression you’d expect from a beauty like her.
She looked at me, then the photos around the room, and then dragged her gaze back to me. Her face drained of color, then grew as bright red as a fresh apple. Her mouth opened and closed, but no words came out.
What should I say? Um, um...
“You’ve got a lot of portraits, huh?”
Are you an idiot?
No, Noah, I just couldn’t think of anything I could have said that would be sensible.
Surely there had to be something else.
You say that, but I couldn’t help but notice the photos.
“N-No...these are... It’s not...” Furiae sputtered. “There’s some kind of mistake...”
“C’mon, Princess, calm down,” I said, trying to soothe her. Then, the cat culprit jumped in.
“Master, the moon princess goes around and kisses these photos every day. Do you understand the depths of her feelings for you now?”
Both of us reeled at that. Twi, you’re definitely the one that has no sense if you’re willing to say that out loud.
Furiae had recovered some of her calm, but her face soon twisted again. Seeing someone so beautiful be so angry was definitely a sight. This wasn’t the time to be thinking about that, though. I couldn’t afford to stay here any longer.
“Right, I’ll excuse myself, then,” I said.
“Hmph, already leaving?” Twi asked. “You could relax here much longer. Only the two of you are here, Master of mine.”
“That’s the problem.” If she called her guards, I’d be arrested right away. Just as I was about to jump into the Shadow Walk hole, my arm was caught in a vice grip. Obviously, by Furiae.
Crap. With how low my stats were, I couldn’t shake her off.
“M-My knight...”
“Wh-What is it?”
She just looked down, still ruddy-cheeked.
“Princess?”
“I’m...sorry...for earlier.”
“Earlier?”
“When we met...in the park!”
“It didn’t really bother me.”
“It should have, a little at least.”
“Well, it seems like being a queen has been tough on you.”
“Being queen is nothing...compared to your burdens.”
“Is it?”
There was another long pause.
“Welcome home, my knight.”
“I’m back, Princess.”
I finally got to say it properly.
Furiae let go of my arm. Her grip had been tight enough that I was pretty sure it was going to bruise.
“I’ll come see you some other time,” I said.
“W-Wait! Forget about this room!”
“I’ll do my best,” I replied eventually.
“I know! I can take your memories with a curse and—”
“Oops, I need to be back for the others. Bye!”
“Wait! Stop right there!”
Leaving that scary comment behind, I backed away and jumped into the hole. I came out in the same room I’d been in earlier. When I looked back, I saw that the hole had already vanished. Twi must have closed it. I might have ended up getting kidnapped if he hadn’t, so I was grateful. Still, all of that was a huge shock...in more ways than one.
Furiae hadn’t actually changed. Well, she had...but she didn’t hate me, at least.
Honestly, you’re probably even worse for interpreting that as her “not hating you.”
Ah, it’s fine, Noah. She’s just a tsundere.
I don’t think so.
Yeah, I don’t either.
Either way, I’d cleared things up with her. I’d need to tell Lucy and Sasa about it too. I waited for them to get back while I trained. It was late at night by the time they returned, and they both looked pretty beat up.
I asked what kind of powerful enemy they’d run into and...
◇ What Lucy and Sasa Told Me ◇
“Lu! You need to be more accurate with your spells!”
“And you need to get some ranged attacks!”
“I’m the frontline fighter! Ranged is supposed to be your job, right?”
“Aya, we’re a two-person party, so we should both be able to do it!”
“But you’re trash at close range.”
“And the only ranged attack you’ve got is chucking huge rocks around.”
“I don’t know how to do anything else!”
“Then learn!”
“You should take your own advice! You do nothing but chuck Fireballs!”
“What was that, you musclehead?!”
“Now you’ve done it, butterfinger exhibitionist!”
“You what?!”
“What?”
“You wanna go?”
“Don’t come crying to me!”
◇ Back in the Present ◇
Apparently, they’d defeated the monsters quickly and then spent the rest of the day fighting. That was why they looked beat up. How bad must that fight have been?
“Lu, you’re so stubborn.”
“Right back at you.”
With that, they made up, went for a bath together, and then headed to bed. I guess that was how it went when you fought with those you were closest to.
They fell asleep in minutes, so I wasn’t able to talk about Furiae with them.
The next day, I was in a room on the top floor of Highland Castle with Princess Sophia. Waiting for us there was the highest-ranking person in the country.
“I am glad you are here, Sophia. It’s been a while, Sir Makoto.”
Princess Sophia dropped to one knee. “Thank you for your invitation, Lady Noelle.”
I mimicked the gesture and also took a knee. “It has, Pr—I mean, Queen Noelle.”
I’d been sure an audience with the queen would be in a throne room or something, but this wasn’t an official event, so we were in a private office.
“You needn’t be so formal, Sir Makoto. It is thanks to you that the world still stands.”
I looked up at that, watching her face. She really was the spitting image of Anna. And she was wearing an even more impressive dress than the last time I’d seen her. I guess it was her outfit as the queen?
Only the three of us were in the room. Two strong-looking knights stood on the outside of the door right behind us. It felt like a careless lapse in security, but it was probably a show of just how much she trusted us.
“My thanks,” I said. “I have somehow returned.”
“Word of you was passed down from our first queen, Lady Anna. We were to give you our thanks.” Queen Noelle bowed her head deeply.
“Umm...”
“Lady Noelle?!”
Both Princess Sophia and I panicked. I’d never expected the ruler of a country to bow to me! Maybe that was why no one else was here.
“I’m just happy Noah’s faith is recognized now,” I admitted.
“That’s right, Lady Noelle, please, lift your head!” Sophia insisted.
“I am fulfilling my duty as part of the Highland royal family,” Queen Noelle said with a kind smile. Her appearance was just the same as I remembered, but I was pretty sure she looked more tired. Well, ruling a big country like Highland must have been tough.
Her boyfriend ought to be supporting her in times like this especially, but...
“Sakurai’s not here?” I asked. I’d been sure he would be present.
“He’s...busy.” Queen Noelle’s expression was dark as she answered. Maybe something had happened?
“Having defeated two demon lords, it’s obvious that he’s the true return of the savior, Lady Noelle,” Princess Sophia said.
From the way she was talking, I could see that history had gone back to how it had been—Anna (Abel?) was considered to be the savior, and the new Hero of Light in this era was Sakurai. The fate of the world rested on his shoulders.
He may have more pressure on him than even the queen... Maybe he wasn’t in a position to be offering support. Either way, the couple was definitely going through a rough spot.
I looked at the Princess of Roses at my side. She had a firm expression as she talked politics with Queen Noelle.
Yeah, she’s pushing herself way too hard as well.
“What is it, Hero Makoto?” she asked, apparently noticing my look.
“You are also working way too much,” I told her.
“I’m fine,” she answered after a moment. She glanced away with a blush.
That prompted a giggle from Queen Noelle. “You have such a good relationship still,” she remarked. “I’m jealous.”
“L-Lady Noelle?!” Princess Sophia floundered before hurriedly changing the subject. “Now that I think about it, you said you wanted to hear about the past from Hero Makoto! Let’s ask him! I haven’t heard the details either.”
“Oh, that sounds perfect. I cannot think of anything better than to hear how you saved my ancestor.”
“It’ll take a while,” I warned. After all, I’d been there for three years, and our adventures had all been jam-packed with twists and turns.
“Yes, I want to hear it all.”
“Please, tell us.”
“Very well.”
I still wasn’t sure it was right to take so much of a royal’s valuable time, but I told them about everything in as much detail as I could. Princess Sophia gasped in shock and made all kinds of expressions as I spoke. Queen Noelle nodded along the entire time, her eyes sparkling.
They were particularly excited when they heard the stuff about Bifrons. Didn’t Momo tell them this? When I asked Momo later, it turned out she didn’t remember much of it outside of the conversations with me. Unlike me, she hadn’t slept for the last thousand years, so that made sense.
I wrapped up the story after a long time. The one thing I didn’t mention was my relationship with Anna.
It would be embarrassing to tell the queen since she was pretty much identical to Anna. Also, my fiancée was right next to me. How could I talk about that? I’d simply called us traveling companions, but...
“Hero Makoto. Were you...truly only companions with Saint Anna?” Princess Sophia asked.
“Of course,” I replied after a pause. “Is something about it bothering you?”
“No, not really.” She was looking at me doubtfully.
Wh-Why?!
A woman’s intuition is a scary thing, Noah remarked.
D-Did I slip up while I was talking?
Sophie’s just that sharp.
It looked like I wasn’t going to be able to hide it... I’d have to tell her the truth later. With the occasional cold trail of sweat running down my neck, I elaborated on some of the other events.
About an hour had passed since then.
“Oh, Lady Noelle, the meeting is soon, isn’t it?” Princess Sophia asked.
“Ah...it is nearly time, yes. My apologies, Sir Makoto. I will definitely continue this... Well, I want to, at least.”
“There is no getting around it—I can see your concern,” the princess commented.
Both of them let out big sighs.
“What’s happening?” I asked.
“A meeting about the Third Northern Front Plan,” Princess Sophia answered.
“There must have been a dozen of them so far, but we’ve yet to agree on a course to take...” Queen Noelle lamented. “Iblis is on the northern continent, and our defeat against Astaroth there has left its mark. Honestly, I doubt I am cut out to be queen...”
“That’s not true, Lady Noelle! You are doing so well!”
“Thank you, Sophia. I appreciate you saying that, but a lot of the nobility are saying that my brother would be more suited to the throne.”
The conversation had sapped all the energy from her voice. Of course, there wasn’t anything I could do to help the ruler of such a powerful nation with her worries, but...if there was...
“May I join that meeting?” I asked before I knew it.
I may not know a lot about politics, but I’ve met Iblis and Astaroth. Maybe I can be helpful.
“Hero Makoto, you are not yet a State-Authorized Hero again, so that will be difficult to—”
Queen Noelle cut off the princess’s apologetic denial. “No, Sophia, it may be easier than you think. Take this, Sir Makoto.”
She handed me a silver badge with the image of Althena on it. It was weighty in my hand, and obviously well-made.
“What is it?” I asked.
“The crest of my royal guards. I have a spare, so I offer it to you.”
Both Princess Sophia and I gasped. She’d handed it over like it was nothing...but wasn’t it a really big deal?! Surely the royal guard should be the elite of the elite.
“As my guard, you can participate in the meeting,” she said with a teasing smile, just like the Princess Noelle I remembered. This was a pretty reckless way of getting me in.
“If you’re okay with that,” Princess Sophia said with a rueful laugh.
I didn’t mind as long as I got to be part of the meeting.
“Let us be off, then,” Queen Noelle said. “We are convening downstairs.”
With that, I’d managed to get a seat in a strategy meeting against Iblis.
◇
The head of the Soleil Knights spoke, his voice echoing across the space. “Let us begin the discussions of the Third Northern Front Plan.”
Currently, we were in a big conference room in Highland Castle. And by “big,” I mean that it was hosting over a hundred people. Movers and shakers from all the countries were packed inside. There were lots of faces I recognized, and lots I didn’t. Momo’s was one I certainly knew. Of course, her face was actually pressed against the armrest of her big chair—she seemed to be sleeping.
There were several magic displays floating in the air near the center of the room. Apparently, it was called a “satellite system” and was connected to the military bases throughout the continent Because of this technology, there were several hundred people involved in the conference. I had a seat prepared for me right on the edges of the crowd.
“The blow we suffered from Astaroth was due to Highland’s failure. We should regain our honor.”
“Precisely, that is why all seven nations should combine their strength.”
“Our country has only just been founded. We lack the capacity to do so.”
“We have heard that Laphroaig has been training large groups of cambions at all hours.”
“Oh? And where did you hear that rumor? I do hope you aren’t sending spies into our lands while acting as an ally.”
“Prime Minister of Laphroaig, we would prefer that you not see Highland as an enemy...”
“General Talisker of Great Keith, you seem to be acting rather spineless.”
“Your remarks cross the boundaries of politeness. Retract them.”
“My apologies, Lady Dahlia.”
The atmosphere within the meeting was awful. The reason for it was obvious: the people of Highland rejected everything brought up by anyone from any place other than Highland.
“Representatives of Springrogue and Caol Ilan, do you have anything to add?” Estelle asked, trying to change the current topic.
“No, we have nothing.”
“Likewise...”
With that, they were back to square one. Those two representatives probably didn’t want to add anything, considering how terrible the current mood in the room was.
“Everyone’s on edge,” I murmured to Princess Sophia.
“It’s been like this constantly,” she replied disparagingly.
The general discussion went as follows: Highland would bring up a topic, then Laphroaig would argue against it.
Highland was a hierarchical country where humans stood at the top. Cambions in particular had been oppressed for years. Laphroaig, on the other hand, was a country made of a gathering of cambions. Naturally, their citizens had many years’ worth of grudges against Highland. Great Keith and Cameron would mediate between the two. Springrogue, Caol Ilan, and Roses—all being fairly weak in a military sense—barely spoke up.
A year ago, Highland would have been the strongest. However, their defeat against Astaroth had drastically weakened their position.
Additionally, the young queen—Noelle—had significant internal pushback from her older brother’s faction. I would’ve thought that, as queen, she could just kick the faction out, but apparently not. Princess Sophia had mentioned her kindness, but it seemed like it was being seen as naivety by the other nations. I was a bit surprised that the strongest country on the continent had changed so much in the short time I’d been away.
On the other hand, Laphroaig was unified behind its queen, Furiae. She was a saint, and her citizens viewed her almost like a goddess. From young to old, the people of Laphroaig all obeyed her words.
“Rather than just object, perhaps give your own thoughts!”
“We would rather evaluate the situation for a while.”
“Such indecisiveness!”
There was a deep fissure between the two nations.
Queen Noelle was listening to the exchange, but she didn’t offer any words of her own. I could see the exhaustion under her serious expression. Quickly, I turned to look at Furiae. She seemed to have no interest in the meeting—she just sat, stroking Twi’s back and yawning slightly.
Momo, incidentally, was still sound asleep. I was honestly impressed that she could sleep with all the noise.
None of them seemed to have noticed I was here. But considering how slowly things were going, there might not have been any point in me joining in anyway.
“How come the people from Laphroaig are acting so high and mighty?” I asked Princess Sophia quietly, since there was nothing better for me to be doing.
Was this really a country that had only just been revived?
“There’s not much to be done about it. Their mages were the deciding factor in the defeat of Forneus,” she told me.
“Wasn’t it Sakurai who actually finished it, though?”
“Forneus usually lurks deep out at sea. Laphroaig’s mages forced the confrontation to happen on land. They also temporarily broke the Clouds of Darkness.”
“Ah, I get it.”
Sakurai’s Hero of Light skill made him pretty much unmatchable, but he weakened a lot when he wasn’t in direct sunlight.
Clouds of Darkness was a powerful spell that the demon lords’ armies used. Apparently, only Laphroaig’s mages could open them up. I could see how they had such a strong voice now.
The argument was still raging in the meeting at large.
“The other heroes combined can at least buy time against Astaroth. Meanwhile, we of Laphroaig will eliminate Iblis alongside the Hero of Light.”
“What foolishness!”
“Only our mages can break through the Clouds of Darkness. Besides, our Saint Furiae can see the future. With both her and the Hero of Light, Iblis is nothing to fear.”
“I trust you haven’t forgotten that Lady Noelle also holds the title of saint...”
“There are rumors among our people that Lady Furiae is the true saint.”
“Rumors not worth the air used to speak them.”
“Are you so sure? If Lady Furiae’s visions of the future save the world, then it will be her name that goes down in history.”
“Such a future will never come to pass!”
“Will you be able to say the same once Iblis is defeated? Lady Furiae and Sir Sakurai will bring about a Millennium of Light!”
“Absurd!”
Things had gotten way off-topic.
“What’s going on...?” What happened to the Northern Front Plan? I poked Princess Sophia in the shoulder for an explanation.
“Since Forneus’s defeat, the people of Laphroaig have been clamoring for a union between their queen and the Hero of Light. Of course, he is Lady Noelle’s fiancé, so it will never happen, but...”
I could see how a marriage between a saint and the alleged reincarnation of the Hero of Light could get people so worked up. Surely bringing that up in front of Queen Noelle was a bit beyond rudeness, though...?
I glanced at her and could see tension on her face. I would have thought that she’d respond, but maybe there was some reason she couldn’t.
Then, the guy everyone was talking about leaned in and whispered something into Queen Noelle’s ear. He must have been giving her some support.
Nice one, Sakurai.
Now then, Furiae...was still stroking Twi’s back. But when I looked her way...our eyes met.
Man, she’s really staring. She’d just now noticed I was here, it seemed. Her eyes shot open at first, but they soon narrowed in a mighty glare.
“Why are you here?!” She didn’t actually say the words, but her lips formed them—that was for sure.
“Just sitting in,” I mouthed back.
“Really?” She sent me another doubtful glare.
It made me wonder if I’d said something weird. Of course, I didn’t have any right to actually contribute to the conversation. I was a former hero, after all. All I could do was listen. I’d been warned ahead of time that if I did have something to say, I had to do it through the commander of the Soleil Knights or someone higher.
“Watch what you say, you filthy cambion!”
“And so your true colors appear, you fraud of an elite!”
Things were really heating up now. It was more of a fight than a debate at this point.
This is...pointless...
The meeting was far from a collection of allies talking. If not for their common enemy, Iblis, I was pretty sure Highland and Laphroaig would be at war.
How’d this happen...? What was Ira playing at?
Hello, you there? Ira, politics on the continent are getting pretty crazy.
Despite directing my thoughts up to Ira, I received no response. She hadn’t spoken to me in the past few days. Maybe she was busy?
Hey, why are you talking to her rather than me? Are you forgetting whose apostle you are? Noah responded instead, but she sounded like she was sulking a bit.
Of course I know I’m your apostle. But it makes more sense to ask Ira about history, right?
I don’t need to be Ira to answer those questions. Are you listening? The gods can’t directly interfere in mortal affairs by divine regulation. You do know that, yeah? You’re a mortal, so you can, but Ira couldn’t warp history to something more convenient. So even if she knew things would end up like this, she couldn’t stop it.
Oh... What about Naya? Maybe she could help? I’d never met her, but she was the seventh of the goddesses. Now that Laphroaig was a country again, maybe she’d help?
Well...who knows...
Judging from that, it probably wasn’t a great bet. I guess mortal conflicts will need to be solved by the mortals.
“How long is this waste of time going to carry on?”
“If Highland had defeated Astaroth, it wouldn’t be a problem. That was the plan to begin with.”
“Can you not understand that this is exactly why we are holding this meeting?!”
“I could say the same to you. You shouldn’t make demands of other countries for something you are incapable of yourself!”
“It isn’t a demand! It is a petition!”
“Then we refuse.”
“If Iblis regains his power, the world will end!”
“Things are different than how they were a millennium ago. There is only one demon lord remaining. There will be no attack.”
They were just talking past each other.
Highland wanted to defeat Astaroth and Iblis soon. They wanted their place on the weaker western continent back, and finishing things quickly would further that cause.
Laphroaig hated Highland and therefore didn’t want them to lead the continent anymore. However, they were a young country that wasn’t strong enough to lead the continent themselves—hence wanting to buy time and strengthen themselves. On top of that, only their mages were capable of breaking through the Clouds of Darkness spell that the demon lords’ armies used. That gave them a strong say, and maintaining the current state of things was perfect for them.
So overall, neither would compromise. Despite that, though...the main part of their conversation drew my attention.
Astaroth.
The demon lord was the strongest factor in all of this. As long as Astaroth was on the northern continent, we couldn’t do anything against Iblis.
My memories of the fight in the past came back. He hadn’t fallen, even to what was practically divine magic—Cocytus.
Astaroth was the strongest of the demon lords, the king of dragons, and the blood of the dragon god flowed through his veins. He was also Mel’s dad.
I’d been so tense when I’d gone along with her to visit him at his castle. But while I was there...he’d offered a contest and the title of dragon king if I won.
I definitely remembered that. How had I answered? I was pretty sure I’d agreed and said I would fight him eventually.
That’s right, RPG Player activated and offered me the choice of accepting, and I selected “Yes.” I wonder if he remembers.
It’d been a thousand years since then, so he could definitely have forgotten.
I hadn’t ended up seeing him again in the past. He’d spent the entire time on the northern continent, so while we’d been traveling around the southern and eastern continents, we hadn’t had the chance to fight again. Anna and I hadn’t gone too hard after the demon continent.
After that, I’d been sleeping for a thousand years, so I hadn’t been able to keep the promise. There hadn’t been any need to force myself, and maybe I could have just ignored it forever. But...
Facing the strongest demon lord for the title of dragon king... Maybe I should give it a shot? But if I was a State-Authorized Hero, I couldn’t just go off and fight. Heroes and their combat abilities were a strategic asset, so I’d definitely be part of the plans.
Right now though, I was a former hero. I had no real obligation to hold back for anyone. As an adventurer, I could go traipsing off to the northern continent if I felt like it.
Oh, you’re gonna pick a fight with Astaroth? I heard Noah ask in surprise.
Is that a problem?
I’d follow whatever she picked. Would she be against it? I was pretty sure Ira would be. She’d probably yell something like “Are you an idiot?! Work with everyone else!”
Noah, though...
Mmm, why not? Just be careful.
Noah wasn’t against it. She was pretty loose with restrictions. I had my goddess’s agreement now.
I’d obviously need to explain to Lucy, Sasa, and Princess Sophia. I should probably tell someone from Highland as well.
Momo was the person connected to Highland who I was closest to. Unfortunately, she was sleeping. Sakurai was probably next, but he was sitting beside Queen Noelle—pretty much right in the middle of the room. That would draw way too much attention, so I couldn’t really inform him.
I guess the other person I could talk to was... Yeah...
“Where are you going?” Princess Sophia asked as I rose from my seat and made to leave.
“I was just going to chat with Commander Ortho.”
He was the commander of the Soleil Knights that I’d fought alongside in the campaign for Laphroaig. He was understanding, and above all else, he’d been in the cathedral when I’d left for the past, so he knew the details.
“Tell me later,” she said. She apparently had an idea of what was happening, but she didn’t ask for the details.
“It’s nearly time to conclude the meeting for today.”
“And we still haven’t yet agreed upon a policy.”
So the conference is nearly over, I thought as I moved to the commander’s seat.
I spoke quietly near his ear. “Commander Ortho, I’d like to talk to you for a moment.”
“Sir Makoto? Very well. The conference is nearly over, so I can make some time for you afterward.”
“That’s fine. I was just coming to let you know that I was thinking of heading to the northern continent.”
He frowned and gave a short hum. “Sir Makoto, a hero cannot just— No,” he said, cutting himself off as he noticed the mistake in his words.
“I’m not a hero right now, so I was going to go as an adventurer.”
“I see. Unfortunately, in that case, we cannot offer you any assistance.”
“That’s fine. You don’t need to worry.”
“You can say not to worry, but...”
He seemed to be searching for something to actually say in response. But then, Momo popped up out of nowhere to stand next to me. Wasn’t she supposed to be sleeping in her chair? Did she hear our conversation?
“An interesting suggestion, Elementalist!” she exclaimed, drawing literally everyone’s attention in our direction.
Hey! Don’t do that.
“Momo...”
“This is payback for not coming to visit,” she said, poking her tongue out cutely.
“Oh, if that isn’t the former hero of Roses,” someone said.
“I heard he had retired from service due to his injuries.”
“I suppose Roses is just as short of strength as ever, if they’re pulling retired heroes back into the fight.”
“Surely this isn’t the place! He should not be speaking here.”
For some reason, neither Highland nor Laphroaig were happy with me. I found out later that apparently both those against Queen Noelle in Highland, and those who treated Furiae like a goddess in Laphroaig, had a rather dim view of me.
“I ask that you refrain from slandering Sir Takatsuki!”
“Our country owes him a great debt, and we will not stand for this!”
General Talisker from Great Keith, and Florna, the Priestess of Wood, spoke up in my defense. I appreciated it, but their remarks just added to the tension filling the room.
What should I even do in this situation? The fraught atmosphere didn’t seem to bother the Grandsage. She’d gotten really bold.
“Go on, then—say it so everyone can hear.”
I let out a sigh and reluctantly did so. “I’m going to go see Astaroth.”
“Is Roses trying to get ahead and challenge Astaroth?” someone asked.
“No, I was going to go on my own...” I replied.
A chorus of confusion swept through the room.
“That’s suicide!”
“Is he an idiot?!”
“The Hero of Roses is definitely touched in the head.”
“He’s not even a hero!”
That was why I’d been trying to keep it quiet.
“Sir Takatsuki! Are you sane?!”
“Makoto, come back to reality!”
Even though they’d just defended me, both General Talisker and Florna thought I’d lost my mind as well.
Despite how it seemed like the uproar would never die down, Momo—the one responsible for it getting so out of hand in the first place—calmed things.
“The elementalist has actually fought in secret against Astaroth before. It ended...in a draw, I believe.”
Silence fell over the room.
“I-I never heard anything about that,” I heard someone whisper.
No one looked entirely convinced. They probably wanted to argue, but with Momo claiming it as the truth, they couldn’t really do anything.
“It is true. Goddess Ira has told me as much, and I swear it in her name.”
With Estelle’s support, the people refuting the claim backed down.
My success in combat against Astaroth had technically been due to Ira’s mana though—could I really call it a draw?
Either way, this was becoming a really big deal.
“You’re not sneaking off that easily,” Momo whispered into my ear.
“I’ll be fine, surely.”
“You will not! You’ll hide and vanish!”
She knew me all too well.
“T-Takatsuki...”
“A-Are you serious...?”
Despite both Sakurai and Queen Noelle remaining silent so far, even they stood up and spoke. I smiled back at them and nodded.
Then, I glanced over at Furiae. She was shaking with anger and had a real glare pointed my way.
“What part of this is ‘just sitting in’?!” she mouthed.
I smiled back, and her glare just got even stronger.
“Sir Takatsuki, Highland will put in an official request, so...” the head of the Soleil Knights, Owain, said heavily.
I’d been intending to just go as an adventurer, but apparently, the formalities were needed.
Either way, I was heading to the northern continent now.
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