Chapter 7: Makoto Takatsuki Talks with a Hero
“You haven’t changed much, Mr. Hero.”
Olga walked closer. Her combat gear left as little to the imagination as ever, but she looked slightly more mature than I remembered.
There wasn’t a single sign of the naked hostility she’d had when we’d first met—that, of course, being when she’d ambushed us in the capital of Great Keith.
“Makoto stopped getting physically older,” Lucy explained.
“Not fair, is it?” Sasa chimed in.
“Huh?” Olga asked after a pause. “H-He stopped getting older? H-Hmm?”
You could practically see the question mark floating over her head. Maybe she thought they were joking.
“Because of Ira’s time travel magic, I’ve looked like this for about three years,” I explained. “It’s kind of a side effect of her miracle.”
“A side effect... Wait, three years?! That’s amazing!” Olga’s eyes were gleaming. “Tell me about it! You met the savior and fought Iblis, didn’t you?!”
“Oh right, you haven’t given us much detail,” Lucy pointed out.
Sasa nodded. “I guess we were just too happy to see him and didn’t ask.”
And so, I ended up talking to the three of them about what happened a thousand years ago.
◇
We moved to an unused conference room.
“Whoa! Bifrons is crazy! I’m impressed you won.”
“Oh, so that’s what my great-grandfather was like...”
“The Grandsage was like that?!”
“Wha...? My holy sword broke back then as well? But...”
“You were busier than I thought, Makoto.”
“I thought the savior would have been stronger, Takatsuki.”
Olga, Lucy, and Sasa were all getting excited as I relayed my tale—albeit slightly dramatized—of what had happened a thousand years ago. It’d been worth putting the effort into the retelling.
“By the way, can you tell me anything about Iblis’s movements lately?” I asked, changing the subject.
All three of them looked at me with slightly odd expressions.
“You haven’t explained to him?” Olga asked the others.
“We did a little...but we don’t know anything beyond the current plan.”
“Yup, we’ve pretty much only got Sophie and Fuu giving us info.”
“They’re the princess of Roses and the queen of Laphroaig. That should be more than enough,” Olga sighed tiredly before continuing with her answer. “Unfortunately, I have about the same information as you do. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help.”
She really did look sorry.
Man, she’s gotten super soft...
“Oh, okay. I thought you’d have more of the details about protecting Sakurai from a surprise attack from Iblis,” I said. The information I’d gotten from Ira last night just seemed to drop from my lips.
“H-How do you know that?!” Olga yelled. She thrashed and sent her chair clattering back.
“Huh? What’s that about?”
“Is that true, Takatsuki?”
Lucy and Sasa both acted like this was completely new information to them.
Olga’s eyes were wide. “O-Only some heroes and the upper levels of Highland know that... It’s top secret...”
Apparently, what I’d just said was pretty classified.
“Who told y— No, you wouldn’t say... Uh, but we can’t exactly pull a legendary hero up like that... Um...what do we do...?” Olga was all aflutter.
Suddenly, someone barged through the door and stalked inside. “Now, doesn’t this sound interesting...” This person had a hard glare, and he wore gleaming golden armor.
General Gerald Ballantine—the leader of this fort.
“Makoto Takatsuki, the Great Demon Lord’s attack and the strategies against it are classified at the highest level within Highland. You must inform us who told you...though I can already guess what you will say.”
Gerry’s eyes were the most serious I’d ever seen them. I wasn’t getting away without giving him the truth.
Well...it’s not like I’d intended to hide it, exactly.
“It was Ira,” I answered.
Gerry’s face twitched in shock. “Not Goddess Noah?” he asked doubtfully.
Oh, that makes sense. After all, I was Noah’s apostle.
“Noah doesn’t really give details like that. I hear most of the strategy stuff from Ira.”
“Hold on! You can talk with two goddesses?!” Lucy yelped with a shocked look. “Wow!”
“Eir is often with Noah, so I guess you could technically say that I can talk with three of them.”
Gerry, Olga, and Lucy all fell silent.
“Hey, hey,” Sasa chirped. “Is it that amazing?”
“Normally, I’d assume that anyone who said such things was touched in the head,” Olga said.
I’d learned just how divine hearing a goddess’s voice was while I was in the Water Temple. Of course they’d think someone claiming to talk to three of them was touched in the head. You’d wanna send him to the hospital.
They’re so quick to turn up in my dreams, though...
Plus Eir absolutely loved to chat. Ira would let important information slip to me. Noah...was just free-spirited.
“Very well. If Goddess Ira herself informed you, then we know the information has not leaked. Well, that’s a problem in itself...” Gerry pressed his fingers into his temples like he was holding off a headache.
Wow! Gerry’s become so hardworking!
“Makoto Takatsuki...” he grumbled. “I have a feeling you were thinking something rather rude.”
“That’s not true,” I said flatly.
That was close! Even Gerry’s beginning to learn how to read my expressions!
“So, how are we planning to defeat Iblis?” I asked. “Ira wouldn’t tell me the details about location or specific strategies.”
“That’s not happening! Legendary hero or not, we can’t tell you that!” Olga exclaimed, crossing her hands in front of her.
Well, I wasn’t finding out here.
Ah well. Guess I’ll just ask Eir when she’s talking pretty openly.
“Hold it... You seem to think you can find out,” Gerry said, stepping closer.
“Huh?” I looked away. Ack, it’s all over my face!
There was a pause.
“This stays between us,” he said eventually.
“Huh? You’re telling him?!” Olga yelped.
“Trying to hide things from someone with the ear of three goddesses is pointless. The worst-case scenario would be him acting carelessly based on vague information. Giving him the details is safer.”
And with that, Gerry started filling me in.
“Iblis...is going to show up in the capital of Highland?” I asked.
“Yes,” Gerry confirmed. “That was the oracle we received from Goddess Ira.”
“And so they’re constructing a massive barrier centered on Symphonia,” Olga added. “Well, they’ve already made it, and now they’re strengthening it. It’s a pseudo-divine barrier that will weaken all of the demons he leads. When it’s complete, it should protect the entire continent. Our little Saint Noelle is doing her best to build its strength up.”
Overall, it was really simple.
Iblis would go after the one being who could defeat him—the Hero of Light, Sakurai. Therefore, they would keep Sakurai within the safest place on the continent, the capital of Highland. On top of that, they had a lot of heroes and adventurers there providing protection for him.
I definitely remembered Maximillian and Prince Leonardo—both heroes—being in the capital. On top of that, Queen Noelle was lending her strength as a saint to the huge barrier. She could also use her saint skill Ballad of Victory to buff the barrier crafters. Maybe that was why she’d seemed so tired the last time I saw her.
Anyway, I understood the strategy now. We were laying a trap for Iblis.
“So why aren’t you in the capital?” I asked Gerry.
I’d have thought he’d want to fight Iblis.
“Ger doesn’t deal well with the ‘hurry up and wait’ strategy. Plus, he doesn’t want to be stuck with his ex.” Olga grinned as she clapped him on the shoulder.
Gerry had an incredibly sour look on his face as he gave his own answer. “Having too many heroes in the capital will make it look like a trap. We need to make sure Iblis follows Goddess Ira’s predictions and attacks the Hero of Light. Either way, we need manpower at the front lines. We also need to keep watch on Astaroth... This has nothing to do with Noelle.”
Oh, right, she and Gerry were engaged before, weren’t they? I guess if I’d waited in the capital, Iblis would have turned up... Maybe I should have stayed back there. Still, I had promised Astaroth a rematch.
Hmm, what to do...?
“I would like to commission you officially as a general of Highland,” Gerry said. “I ask that you keep this information between the three of you. You will be compensated for doing so, of course. Is there anything you want? If I can grant it myself, I am willing to accept most things.”
Gerry was both the Hero of Lightning and Commander of the North Cardinal Knights. He was also the next in line to the house of Ballantine. He probably could follow through on the promise of “most things.”
I looked at Lucy and Sasa.
“Not for me,” Lucy replied.
“You pick, Takatsuki.”
“I don’t have anything I want to ask for either,” I said. “I promise to keep quiet about this, though.”
Gerry and Olga exchanged glances.
“Just take it for free,” she said to him.
“How could I?!” Gerry exclaimed, rejecting Olga’s suggestion out of hand. “I...will contact Princess Sophia in her position as Ambassador of Roses later and offer a reduction in the cost of our assistance with their defense. Is that acceptable, Makoto Takatsuki?”
Oh, so it could be used in that kind of negotiation. But this strategy was just information Ira had let slip...
“That’s fine,” I answered. I hadn’t talked it over with Princess Sophia, but a reduction in costs had to be a good thing.
“Thank you,” Gerry replied. “Let’s go, Olga, it’s nearly time for the meeting.”
“Aww, but I wanted to hear more about that stuff. I wanted to talk to Aya and Lucy too.”
Gerry wasn’t having any of it. Olga called a farewell over her shoulder as she put her arm in his and left.
The three of us were left behind in the meeting room. There wasn’t much for us to do here, so we decided to head back to our rooms. I flopped down onto my bed.
“An attack from Iblis...” I mused, thinking over what Gerry had told us earlier. Of course, there wasn’t anything I could really do about it. I was here to challenge Astaroth, the strongest of the demon lords.
I shouldn’t be worrying about things I had no control over.
Still, I couldn’t stop my mind from rushing back to those I knew in Symphonia.
My thoughts were soon shattered by Lucy and Sasa.
“Hey, Makoto, what’re we doing now?”
“Have you got any plans, Takatsuki?”
The two of them were making themselves at home in my room.
“Not really,” I answered briefly.
The room was fairly big, but it was still only around the same size as a business hotel room, and just as simple. It had two beds and a closet—that was about it. It was still a bit cramped with the three of us.
The beds were only singles, but Lucy and Sasa had managed to neatly fit themselves in the one.
I looked over at them, wondering if they were feeling too packed in. Then, I noticed the teasing smile on Sasa’s face.
“Oh yeah, Takatsuki, about Olga.” Before I realized what she was doing, Sasa had slunk over to my bed.
She’s probably thinking about the conversation from earlier as well.
“What about her?” I asked.
“She’s all lovey-dovey with Gerald! I’m so jealous!”
That was an abrupt change of topic.
“Lovey-dovey?” I parroted.
“The two of them are together. Didn’t you know?”
“I didn’t,” I said after a pause. “They are?”
They had seemed fairly close to each other.
Hm? Now that I think about it like that...
Olga had been talking about Gerry’s “ex” while being his current partner. It felt like there was some deep meaning behind that, and it was mildly concerning... Maybe that was the reason Gerry’s expression had been a bit strained.
“Also, Olga gets to sleep together with Gerald every night. Doesn’t that sound great, Takatsuki?”
Before I knew what was going on, Sasa was crawling over me like a cat.
“Eh, don’t let it bother you, Aya. It’s not our business. It gets a bit annoying listening to her gushing every time, though.”
As she spoke, Lucy put a hand on my shirt buttons.
“Um... Sasa? Lucy?”
Sasa had me pinned down, and Lucy was starting to strip me. I was lying on the bed, and the two of them were looking at me with a hungry gleam in their eyes.
W-Was this...?!
Oh, you finally get to become a man, Makoto!
Drat, looks like Lucy and Aya got there first.
Noah and Eir’s commentary echoed in my head. The goddesses were watching pretty closely.
Isn’t it exciting, Eir? Makoto finally gets to climb the staircase of adulthood.
I was rooting for Sophie, but I can’t help wanting to cheer those two on. So determined!
Seriously, goddesses, can you both pipe down? The two on top of me started getting snippy because the goddess’s chattering had me distracted.
“Y’know, Makoto, you seem a bit too calm.”
“You’ve seemed a bit cold since you got back.”
“I-I have...?” Sorry, it’s the peeping goddesses’ fault.
Lucy looked at me for a second, then started to smile. “It doesn’t matter. After all, you’re here now!”
She crawled into my bed and wrapped her arms around me. I hadn’t even noticed her strip out of her top and reveal her underwear.
“That’s right... Now we can always be together...” Sasa murmured, resting herself against me.
She had her clothes open as well, so this was a pretty stimulating scene. My heart was pounding like a drum, and apparently, the two of them could hear that.
“Hey, Aya, his heart’s racing...”
“Yeah... I’m glad.”
I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the two of them as they looked at me with smoldering smiles. Lucy had been the first person to join me in this world. Sasa had been my friend since junior high, and we’d reunited in this world as well.
They were both precious to me, and they’d waited all this time...
“Hey, Makoto...”
“Takatsuki...”
“Lucy, Sasa...”
I embraced the two of them back, and they answered. Lucy was as warm as ever, but even Sasa’s usually low temperature felt like it had increased.
“This is okay, right...?”
“Takatsuki...let’s do it...”
Their voices murmured into both of my ears, clouding my mind.
Did Charm start working on me? No... This wasn’t Charm—it was the real “Magic of Love.”
My brain was being stupid, but the two of them were getting close to stripping me completely. At the same time, I...
Suddenly, I heard grunts and yells in the distance, mixed with some kind of siren. This was drowned out by heavy breathing from Lucy and Sasa, though. Maybe it was my breathing, actually. However noisy it was outside, it had no impact on the space within this room.
Or...it shouldn’t have, but suddenly, the door slammed open.
“Aya! Lucy! I knew this is where you would be! Come quick! The army’s att—”
Silence fell.
Olga had opened the door in a rush, and she now met our gazes—we were obviously half naked.
She looked away awkwardly. “Ah...sorry. I’ll go tell Ger that you’ll be about two hours,” she said, closing the door.
Hold it right there! She said the army’s attacking, right?
We hurriedly got our clothes back on and headed outside.
◇
“Huh? It’s already over?”
We’d just gotten outside—Olga was cutting through a dragon’s breath with her holy sword.
A huge number of dragons were circling in the sky above the fortress. Many knights on the backs of wyverns or pegasi were fighting them.
So these are Astaroth’s forces...
I focused on them.
“There aren’t as many as I expected,” I heard Lucy comment.
“Aww, we rushed out here for this?”
They had no sense of tension in their voices. Well, they were veterans, so it made sense...
“Hey, it hasn’t even been fifteen minutes. Are you a bit too quick, Mr. Hero?” Olga asked.
“And what do you mean by that?” I asked, sure she’d just implied something rather rude about me.
“That’s not it!” Lucy protested. “We heard the demon lord’s army was attacking so we came to help with the defense.”
“That’s right! Takatsuki’s not quick!” Sasa then paused. “Well, probably not.”
“Hmm? As you can see, this is pretty much just a scouting sortie. Most of the dragons are young, but there are some ancient dragons, so take care. Though I probably don’t need to tell you two that.”
So this wasn’t Astaroth’s main force. There were still a few hundred dragons. Most cities would be wiped out by that number. This was a stronghold at the front lines, though, so our soldiers could weather it.
“Hey, Lucy,” I said.
“What’s up?”
“How exactly do you tell which dragons are ancient again?”
Olga had just said some of them were the stronger ancient dragons.
“Huh? You should be good at that. Just use your Mana Sense to see which ones have more mana.”
“Hmm... Well, I am...”
I was looking around, but they all felt the same. Which ones were the ancient dragons?
“You can’t tell?”
“Unfortunately, no,” I answered after a minute.
“I’ll tell you how, then,” Sasa chirped, jumping in from the side as Lucy looked worriedly at me.
“Oh, right, you’re not a mage so you can’t use Mana Sense, right? How else do you tell?”
“Yup, listen close!” she grinned, “First, you glare at them! Any that look away are normal dragons, and the ones that glare back are ancient dragons!” She smiled smugly at me.
“Ah, well, that...”
Before I could finish my own retort, the other two spoke over me in unison.
“You’re the only one that can use that method!”
Sasa had a real sense for that kind of thing.
Actually, normal dragons look away from her? C’mon, dragons, try harder!
That was when I heard one of the pegasus knights yell as a dragon closed in.
“Oh no! Tele—”
Lucy went to cast, but it was probably too late.
“Water Magic: Ice Barrier.”
My spell separated the dragon and knight, and the dragon plowed into the huge wall of ice. The knight managed to recover in the meantime.
“That’s...a bit far for your spells,” Lucy commented.
“Sorry, should I have kept out of it?”
“Nah, you’re good,” Lucy replied. She looked slightly dazed—she still had her staff up from when she’d started to cast.
“Lu! Let’s go!”
“Right! But...Makoto...”
“I’ll give support from here,” I told them.
Those two were planning on joining in the fray up in the air. I couldn’t tell which dragons were the more dangerous ones, so long-range support was probably the better plan for me.
“I’ll head off first!” Olga yelled, flying back off with her magic.
“Me too!” Lucy added. “Teleport!” Small magic circles appeared around her, and she disappeared with a flash of light.
Wow, she can use it over short distances too.
“Sasa, can you fly?”
“Heh heh! Just watch! Hi-yah! Double Jump!”
She started jumping through the air.
How is that “double” anything...? I sniped mentally. That had to be one of Sasa’s Action Game Player skills, and it was a perfect compliment to her ridiculous strength.
“Ahhh!” I heard someone shriek.
Whoops, I needed to fight too.
“Water Magic: Ice Barrier.”
Some dragon was about to attack a woman, so I cast a barrier between the two.
“Graah!” the dragon growled, eyes spinning as it plummeted.
“Th-Thank you!” The knight waved. I waved back.
Who else is in trouble?
I made full use of Clairvoyance and my 360-degree viewpoint to survey the battlefield. Every time I saw someone who looked like they were in trouble, I used an ice barrier to help. It took some concentration...
“My liege,” said Dia, “if you count on me, we could blast them all away at once.” She brought my attention back, and I glanced her way. She stood at the ready.
I definitely could borrow her mana and finish things off quickly. But...
“I can’t. It would catch everyone else as well.”
“I see... Well, summon me if you have need of me,” she said before disappearing into the mist. She’s disappointed...
I spent a little while longer casting support magic from the back line. Then, someone addressed me from behind.
“What a surprise. I was sure you’d be going wild with elemental magic.”
He had blond hair and matching armor that shone. General Gerald.
“It looks like I can’t tell the regular dragons and ancient dragons apart, so I decided to focus on long-range support for safety,” I explained.
“I...see.” He looked like he wanted to say something, but he stopped himself.
“What about you, Gerry? Aren’t you going to fight?”
“I am the highest authority here. I can’t just rush in. Olga is in charge on the battlefield.”
“Huh...”
It was almost like he’d never been the berserker I’d once known. Of course, judging by how he was tapping at his legs every so often, he wasn’t exactly happy with the situation.
“Watch it! Maintain formation! Fall back if you need to! Don’t die here!”
Olga, the Hero of Incandescence, was flitting between the different squads and busily throwing out instructions. I found out later that she worked as commander of the allied forces against the demon lord.
“Having the Crimson Fangs here is a definite bonus,” Gerry mused.
“Lucy and Sasa?” I asked.
“Yeah. Look,” he gestured.
“Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha!”
Explosions were going off all around Lucy as she cackled—her body shone with a burning red light. Even the dragons couldn’t get near her.
Is that the same fire elemental dress that her mom wears?
She seemed even more excited than usual. Lucy was definitely Rosalie’s daughter...
“Teleport!”
She shot across the sky like a meteor and tackled a dragon. There was a pitiful roar as the dragon’s wings were burned, and it fell.
Lucy seemed to have decided that using herself as a projectile was a better bet than casting spells.
So, what about the other Crimson Fang?
“Hyah!” came a cute noise. That noise was quickly followed by a thud that sounded like a truck crashing, which was distinctly less cute.
Sasa had axe-kicked one of the airborne dragons. The dragon didn’t even cry out—it just fell to the ground.
Sasa started hopping through the air, chasing the dragons fleeing from her. The dragons were fleeing.
“The two of them are ridiculous.” Gerry sighed.
“Yup, they are.”
“They’re both your women.”
“Well, they weren’t this bad when we last met.”
“With how things are going, the dragons should be retreating soon,” he mused. He hummed, and then his expression changed from an easy look to a frown.
His sights were locked on a black and purple scaled dragon.
“What is it?” I asked.
“An ancient dragon of the poison variety. It’s wiped out multiple squads before. Its breath is an instant kill. The thing must have been hiding until now.”
As he spoke, the poison ancient dragon opened its maw wide.
“Tch! Caliburn!”
He drew the sword at his waist. At the same time, the entire length of its blade began to glow like lightning. He readied it.
This was Highland’s holy sword, Caliburn, held by the Hero of Lightning. It was said that a slash from it went faster than sound itself, but...
It looks like the dragon’s breath may be a bit faster. I used Fate Magic: Mental Acceleration and was certain of it.
I knew what I had to do.
“Dia.”
“Yes, my liege.”
Even if I couldn’t see her, I knew she was at my side. I grasped her cold but beautiful blue arm. In less than a second, I’d used Synchro with her. Then, I cast my next spell.
“Water and Fate Magic: Freeze, O Time.”
A wave of mana washed over the area.
The dragons, the knights fighting them, the noise, the wind... It all seemed to stop. But actually, the flow of time had slowed to almost nothing. Completely stopping time was divine rank magic, so I couldn’t use it.
“Makoto Takatsuki...what did you just do?” Gerry asked.
“I’ll explain later. Attack the dragon, if you would.”
“Very well,” he answered after a second.
The Hero of Lightning swung his sword.
“Lightning Spark!!!”
The arc of light from his blade reached the black and purple dragon after a second and split it in two.
“Phew...”
At the same time, I let go of the Water Fate Magic spell.
I’m glad that went well.
“It looks like they’re retreating,” I said.
“The poison ancient dragon must have been their trump card.”
The dragons vanished one after another.
“So, Makoto Takatsuki...what was that—?”
“That was amazing, Ger! That dragon was the one that’s been causing us so much trouble.”
“Wait a minute, Olga, I’m talking with him.”
“We had no casualties today! Hooray! Praise me!” Olga cheered, dropping from the sky to hug Gerald.
“Makoto! Did you cast some spell?” Lucy asked as she arrived.
“Yeah, it felt like my body got really heavy for a second,” Sasa said. “Right, Lu?”
“Huh? D-Did it? I just felt some weird mana around me for a second.”
“Hmm, I don’t know about mana, but the dragons suddenly stopped moving. I was gonna take advantage, but I felt really slow as well. It was a pain.”
Sasa...you can move in frozen time...?
I’d planned to use it against demon lords, but it looked like it wouldn’t work on people at that level. Well, there was still the possibility that Sasa was stronger than demon lords.
“There was some poison dragon, so I just used a spell to slow it down. Gerry defeated it a minute ago.”
“Huh. Will you tell me what kind of spell it was?”
“Sure.”
“Let’s get back inside first,” Sasa interrupted. “It’s cold out here.”
“You say that, but you really just want to carry on from earlier, don’t you?” Lucy pointed out.
“Not like that’s a problem, is it? You come too!”
“Well, that works.”
We all just chatted casually. Honestly, I’d been pretty nervous when I’d heard that Astaroth’s army was attacking, but it had ended pretty easily. I guess they were just scouting, I thought.
Suddenly, Gerry called me to a halt.
“Makoto Takatsuki.”
“What’s up?” I asked, turning around. I saw that he had a severe expression on his face.
“That battle...you were holding back, weren’t you?”
Lucy and Sasa responded before I could.
“What?! How could you say that?!”
“Takatsuki wouldn’t do something like that!”
“H-Hold on. I saw him save a lot of knights who were in trouble,” Olga said in confusion.
“So?” Gerald asked, ignoring all of them to focus on me.
“Well, it’s kinda hard to use my full strength,” I answered honestly.
“It is?” Lucy asked.
“If I use elemental magic, it’ll hit everyone else as well.”
Dia had offered, but I’d turned her down. With her help, I probably could have defeated those dragons, but I would’ve likely caught the knights in my attacks. That was why I hadn’t cast a single offensive spell.
“You said you couldn’t tell the difference between dragons and ancient dragons, right?” asked Gerry. “The thing is, that means that you don’t need to be able to tell the difference. They’re both just bugs as far as you’re concerned.”
Lucy, Sasa, and Olga all cried out in shock.
Well...I hadn’t exactly thought of it like that. It was true that all of the dragons I’d looked at had seemed to possess relatively weak mana, even that poison ancient dragon Gerry had killed. It hadn’t seemed all that different from any of the others.
He seemed to take my silence as agreement, and he continued to speak gravely. “I have a request for you. I want you to cross to the north continent and fight Astaroth’s forces. I’d like to go with you...but I would probably just slow you down,” he said with a self-deprecating snort.
“Takatsuki, what are we gonna do?” Sasa asked, looking up at me. She probably already knew my answer.
“Sure,” I told Gerry. “I’ll go.”
That was why I was here, after all.
“Thanks. I’ll have my knights search for Astaroth’s hiding spot. They move periodically, so we don’t know it yet. We need to have an exact idea of the location before we send you in, though. We’ll find the place within a few days and—”
“Nah, I’ll head out now,” I said.
“What?”
“You can’t do that, Mr. Hero. You don’t even know where he is.”
Gerry looked doubtful while Olga just looked confused.
Heh, I’ve got just the ally for this.
“Iraaaa, are you watching?” I spoke to the heavens, pouring mana into my necklace.
“What is it, Makoto Takatsuki?” came the grumpy response.
Lucy and Sasa started to yell.
“Wha?!”
“Ahh! There’s a voice coming from the sky!”
Huh? Why could they all hear her?
“Oh...it must be because of strengthening the mana link. My voice comes through too strongly.”
Wasn’t that a problem?
“Hurry up! What do you want? Out with it!”
“I want to know where Astaroth is! You should know, right?” I spoke quickly before she got angrier. She was probably still in the middle of overtime and sleep deprivation.
“Oh, I see. Astaroth’s location... Do you have a map and pen?”
“Gerry, got them?”
“Someone bring them!”
Gerry’s yell soon had a map and pen prepared.
“Makoto Takatsuki, I’ll be piloting your body for a second, so keep it down.”
I let out a sigh, which quickly changed into a yelp. My whole body shuddered.
“Wha?”
My right hand was moving without me doing anything. It drew a cross on the map of the north continent—Ira had marked a specific spot.
“That is Astaroth’s current location. He will move within the week, so get there before then.”
“Don’t worry. We’re heading out now.”
“You... Well, whatever. Make sure you prepare well, okay? Take enough food and restoratives that you’ll have spares. If things get dangerous, retreat right away, okay?”
“I know,” I answered.
She replied with a sigh.
“Be careful, then. I’m getting back to work—”
“U-Um, Goddess Ira!” Olga called, stopping Ira as her voice got quieter.
“What is it, Hero of Incandescence?”
“If you could find Astaroth so easily, you could have told us earlier...” There was an unhappy note in her voice, and it made sense.
Why hadn’t Ira said anything?
“It is because Makoto Takatsuki is both connected to my mana and near to the northern continent. On top of that, you just fought with a group of dragons, no? That strengthens the connections of fate with Astaroth’s forces, so using his eyes to channel my Future Sight made it possible. It would be impossible if I were to use the priestess Estelle in Highland.”
“I-I see...” Olga nodded, apparently accepting that explanation.
So I’d picked the perfect moment to ask.
“Makoto...you’re connected to Goddess Ira?”
“Takatsuki...are you close to her?”
Now it was Lucy and Sasa’s turn to look suspicious.
“I wouldn’t say close...she helps me, though.” What was going on? It’s not like there was anything dodgy happening.
“Bye then, Makoto Takatsuki. I’ll see you later.”
The connection was cut, and now I couldn’t hear her anymore.
“Later?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?!”
Lucy and Sasa closed in on me.
“S-Sometimes they show up in my dreams. I’ve told you about it before, right?”
I was sure I’d told them about Noah doing that. I explained again, but it was hard getting them on board.
Finally, I took a breath and looked at the map. The mark was right in the middle of the continent.
There’s a tall mountain range there. It would definitely be hard to find them if we didn’t know where to look.
“Lucy, can you teleport that far?” I asked.
“I can... But you’re going to be explaining your relationship with that goddess later!”
Apparently, I was in for another inquisition.
“Hey, Olga,” Sasa said. “The northern continent’s cold, right? Do you have a jacket?”
“Wait a bit, and I’ll get you one. Make sure you take elixirs too.”
“Yep! Thanks!”
The two of them started checking over their equipment. We’d be able to leave in around thirty minutes from now.
“We’ll be heading off, then,” I said to Gerald, who’d remained silent so far.
He didn’t answer me. Instead, he just stared at me like I was some odd creature.
“Gerry?”
Eventually, he spoke. “I called the Crimson Fangs ridiculous earlier. Allow me to correct myself. You are even more absurd.”
He sighed deeply.
◇ Lucy’s Perspective ◇
“Makoto Takatsuki. Take this with you.”
“What is it?” Makoto asked General Gerald.
“A communicator. It can slip through even strong barriers. If you have the opportunity, give us information. We can send reinforcements if needed.”
“Thank you,” he replied. “I’ll be sure to call.”
“Right. Don’t push yourself too hard. And if things seem dicey, escape right away.”
“I’ll be careful.”
Both of them had serious expressions as they spoke.
“Yayyy! It’s so soft and warm!”
“Uh, Aya, that jacket’s going to get in your way,” Olga said.
“Don’t worry—the cold would slow me down even more.”
“Ah... Yeah, your body is like that,” Olga conceded. “Either way, the jacket has enchantments against the cold, but it isn’t any more physically protective than it looks, so be careful.”
“Gotcha!”
“You seem awfully relaxed. Aren’t you about to fight Astaroth?”
“Well, Takatsuki’s with us, so it’s all good.”
“You mustn’t let your guard down. Here are all the things you need to take,” Olga said, handing over some gear and items.
“Lady Lucy! Your final checks on the destination, please!”
Blackbarrel’s scouting team surrounded me. Since Goddess Ira had told us where Astaroth was hiding out, the plan was to estimate the force’s distribution and sneak in from the least-defended position.
I glared at the map. Maybe...there? It wasn’t like I’d ever been to the place before.
“Plus my Teleport ends up missing a lot...” I whispered to myself as I scratched my cheek.
Mama or the Grandsage would have definitely been able to get it down to the millimeter. I was feeling a bit uneasy.
“It’s okay, Lu!”
“Yup, we can just run away if it comes down to it.”
Aya and Takatsuki must have heard me. Both of them were looking at me reassuringly and telling me not to worry about it. I could always rely on Aya, and Makoto had always been relaxed.
Right, it’s the three of us!
“Let’s go!” I cheered.
I grabbed both of their arms.
“Yup.”
“Yeah!”
Both of them gripped mine back.
“Godspeed.”
“Don’t push too hard!”
“Take care!”
General Gerald, Olga, and all the soldiers gathered in the area wished us well.
I teleported to Astaroth’s hideout on the northern continent.
◇
“Is this...the place?” I heard Makoto ask. He was looking all around.
“Uwaaa, it’s so cold...” Aya grumbled.
Harsh mountains surrounded us. Craggy ground seemed to continue in all directions. This landscape matched the description I’d heard from the soldiers.
This should be the place...roughly.
“Let’s look for a hiding spot,” I suggested.
The continent was the demon lords’ territory. We were way too visible here. I was just thinking we’d be spotted right away when a massive rock started to move.
That’s no rock!
“A monster?” Makoto asked.
“It’s a rock ancient dragon!” Aya yelled.
“Guh! This is bad. We’ve already been spotted!” I exclaimed. We needed to shut it up before it called friends.
Aya must have thought the same thing—she’d already started moving. But then, Makoto stopped us.
“Wait, Lucy, Sasa. It looks like we’re in a barrier.”
Aya and I both said, “Huh?” and stopped moving.
The air shook with a roar. I thought it was the dragon in front of us, but it wasn’t.
I heard a flapping noise, and when I looked up, I saw...
“No way...”
Dragons were covering the sky.
“Takatsuki, Lu... These are all ancient dragons...”
Aya’s voice sounded like it was coming from a long way away. I felt dizzy.
“A trap...” Makoto mused. “That rock dragon must have been keeping watch, and there’s a barrier over the whole mountain range. The dragons can just wait for an invader and attack en masse. It’s a pretty organized response.”
His commentary brought me right back to the present.
“W-We need to run! We can’t do anything against this many!”
Our strategy to attack where there were the fewest enemies had already failed.
“Right. Hurry up and Teleport, Lu!”
I chanted the spell as Aya hurried me along.
H-Huh...?
I couldn’t focus.
I couldn’t feel my mana gathering at a single point like it usually did.
“What are you doing?!” Aya shouted.
“Wait! Don’t rush me!” I yelled back.
Then, I felt a hand on my shoulder.
“Lucy, look at the sky.”
I glanced up. The sky above us was colorless.
“What the...?”
“It’s a barrier that seals magic. It makes mana control worse, so you can’t cast detailed spells. I can’t do things with a lot of precision either.”
My vision seemed to darken. That was because...
Several breath attacks converged on us from the dragons. Fire, lightning, and even rocks and wind were headed straight for us.
N-No!
We needed to defend or run. And then...it happened.
“Dia, a barrier if you would.”
“Yes, my liege.”
Makoto and Dia both sounded calm. Several layers of thick ice formed around us. The powerful breath attacks stopped at the barriers he cast.
Ah! But his barriers are falling one after another! I need to help too! But I can’t get my mana to cooperate!
“Why?! Why can’t I cast anything?!” I yelled, flustered.
I knew why, though. Makoto was right—it was the barrier’s fault. I couldn’t cast spells like normal.
I was still trying to force some kind of spell out when I felt a tap on my shoulder.
“Lu, Lu!” Aya called out.
“Aya! What do we do?! At this rate...”
“Lu... Look at his face, would you?”
I did, and then I realized...
“Huh?”
I’d been in a complete panic with the ancient dragons surrounding us, so it had taken this long for me to notice. His expression was...
◇ Aya Sasaki’s Perspective ◇
Takatsuki looks like he’s having fun.
I’d seen that expression on his face a lot in junior high. He always looked like that when he was gaming or when he’d thought up some prank.
That look tells me that he’s definitely scheming.
“Pitiful,” Dia said. “These lizards’ attacks barely leave a scratch.”
“Shall we respond?” Takatsuki asked, sounding for all the world like he was discussing the weather. “Water and Fate Magic: Blizzard of Slumber.”
Snow billowed up, and a thick mist filled the air.
“Wha...?” I heard Lu say dazedly.
It happened in an instant. In the blink of an eye, the barren mountains had been transformed into a wonderland of snow.
“C-Cold!” I yelped, leaping to wrap my arms around Lu.
You should tell me if you’re going to cast spells like that! I complained mentally.
“Oh... Sorry, Sasa.” Takatsuki shot an apologetic look my way, as if he’d heard my thoughts. “Undyne, come.” His voice made a young, blue girl appear. “Protect Sasa and Lucy so they don’t freeze.”
“Of course, my liege!”
“Thanks,” Takatsuki replied. He turned to face the ancient dragons once more. Of course, they’d been trying to attack him this whole time, but they hadn’t even gotten close to him.
The small blue girl was standing by our side, smiling.
“N-Nice to meet you,” I greeted hesitantly. “You’re Undyne...right?”
“You’re not the same as that Dia woman who’s always with him, are you?” Lu asked.
“Nope, I’m always near everyone. We’re the embodiments of all water, after all.”
“R-Right...”
I wasn’t exactly an expert on elemental magic, so that didn’t really help me.
“B-But, shouldn’t you be helping Makoto?” Lu asked. She seemed worried about being protected by an Undyne.
“It’s fine. My liege has my sisters with him.”
I turned to look and saw that Takatsuki was suddenly surrounded by throngs of beautiful blue-skinned women.
“There are so many of them!”
“W-Wow...”
Lu was a mage, so she knew about this stuff and was understandably shocked, but even I knew how crazy the sight was, and I wasn’t exactly great with magic.
Suddenly, I realized that the ancient dragons’ attacks were gradually tapering off.
The snow had kept falling, but around us—and only around us—it wasn’t super cold thanks to the barrier the Undyne girl had set up. I felt like I’d be an icicle in seconds if I stepped out of it.
The dragons were gradually getting slower. But it was...weird. Ancient dragons had ridiculous constitutions and vitality. A blizzard shouldn’t have this much of an impact on them.
It seemed like Lu had heard my thoughts because she opened her mouth to speak. “There’s some nasty mana coming off the snow he’s made. It feels like...a curse?”
“Wha?!”
Suddenly, what had seemed like a winter wonderland looked a whole lot less inviting.
Cursed snow?
The Undyne woman explained it to us. “My liege enjoys this spell—it’s a union of Water, Fate, and Moon Magic. It’s a simple spell, and all it does is make you sleepy when you touch the snow.”
It seemed like she was trying to downplay how advanced this spell was, but Lu’s expression clued me in—it was a huge deal.
Lu was rambling away, her head in her hands. “How...? We’re inside that magic barrier. He cast a union spell so big that I can’t even see it all at once...and just how much mana did it require?”
I looked toward the ancient dragons that were still trying to break through Takatsuki’s ice barriers.
Now that I was looking for it, they definitely seemed like they were staggering with exhaustion rather than in response to an attack.
“It looks like we might get out of this,” I remarked.
“Of course. My liege has nothing to fear from a bunch of liz— Oh?”
Suddenly, the woman’s smile vanished. A bestial roar shook us to our very bones, and the snow stopped completely.
Whatever this was, it was enough to forcibly stop Takatsuki’s spell.
The air itself was trembling, and the ground had started to shake in response.
The beast was bigger than the other ancient dragons, covered in jet black scales, and it had scarlet eyes. Miasma billowed off its entire body.
This was the first time I’d ever seen this dragon, but I’d heard those descriptors over and over. People warned that if you met it, you had to flee, not fight.
“Lu! Look at that dragon!”
“Is that...?”
I gulped.
It was the ancient dragon king, Astaroth.
For comparison, strong adventurers like Lu and I would struggle in one-on-one matches against the leaders of the Soleil Knights, and when these leaders had attacked Astaroth together, they’d been unable to even scratch him. Even Sakurai, with his Hero of Light skill, had been told that fighting him head-on was dangerous. Astaroth was the strongest demon lord, after all.
Goose bumps popped up along my skin. This dragon was bad news. Could he even defeat something as strong as Superstar...?
Meanwhile, Makoto was strolling toward Astaroth.
“Makoto! That’s the demon lord!”
“Be careful, Takatsuki!”
Despite both of our worried yells, Takatsuki didn’t even falter.
What were his nerves made of?
“Hey, Lucy, is that really Astaroth?” Takatsuki asked.
“Of course it is!” Lu exclaimed. “Why are you even questioning it?! Can’t you tell?!”
“You think so too, Sasa?”
I nodded vigorously. “Yeah! I mean, that dragon’s different from the others. It’s gotta be the demon lord!”
“Hmm... I guess?”
Takatsuki didn’t seem entirely convinced. He cocked his head.
“What’s wrong?” Lu asked.
“He seems different from when we last met...”
“Well, that was a thousand years ago, right?”
Takatsuki must have been talking about when he’d fought Astaroth alongside the savior. It had apparently ended in a draw back then. I was honestly just impressed that they’d survived it.
“Well, whatever. I can just ask him myself.”
Lu and I were both overwhelmed by Astaroth, but Takatsuki seemed fine.
“Lucy, can you use an amplification spell?” he asked.
That’s a weird request...
“Normally I could, but...I might not be able to with the barrier up...”
“Oh yeah. Hmm, that’s a problem.”
Takatsuki wants to talk to Astaroth? Why?
“Hey, Takatsuki, if you want to say something loud, why don’t I do it?” I suggested.
“You?” he asked, looking blankly at me.
I was a lamia queen, after all. Though it kinda hurt to say, I was a calamity-class monster. My physical abilities were way higher than either Takatsuki’s or Lu’s. I should be able to yell loud enough that the ancient dragons can hear me from far away.
He thought for a moment and then said, “I’ll take you up on that.” However, what he wanted me to tell Astaroth was a bit odd.
I listened to Takatsuki, then opened my mouth wide. “Heeeeyyyyy!!!” I bellowed from the bottom of my stomach.
I’d already told the other two to cover their ears—my voice might’ve ruptured their eardrums if they hadn’t.
“Astaroth!!! Makoto Takatsuki is here to fulfill his promise from a thousand years ago!!!!”
Takatsuki must have promised him a rematch. Honestly, I was pretty exasperated.
Takatsuki excitedly waited for an answer. But the black ancient dragon didn’t respond. It just glared menacingly at us with the other dragons.
“H-Huh?” Takatsuki muttered after a while.
“Has he forgotten you?” Lu wondered.
“Well, it’s been a thousand years. That’s not much of a surprise,” I said.
“B-But...” Takatsuki drooped in shock.
“H-He’s coming!”
“Makoto, what do we do?!”
Astaroth was leading the other dragons toward us. Lu and I screamed, but Takatsuki’s expression was inscrutable.
“Okay, let’s make him remember. Dia, it’s time.”
“Very well, my liege. Let us pay back the indignity visited upon us a thousand years ago.”
Takatsuki lifted his right arm. It turned blue—as blue as the open ocean.
“Ack?!”
“Wha?!”
Lu clutched at her throat like she couldn’t breathe. For a second, I also felt like I was drowning at the bottom of the ocean.
A sea of mana?
The mana was dense enough in the air that even I could feel it, despite not being a mage.
Hundreds of magic circles glowed around Takatsuki. Then, they burst outward like fireworks.
What the hell kind of spell was he planning on using?
“Right Hand of the Elemental: Comet Drop.”
Lu and I both gasped, feeling confused.
C-Comet? Isn’t that the spell that nearly destroyed Great Keith’s capital?
Everything suddenly got darker. I looked up unconsciously.
The sky was broken.
No, it was falling.
The snow clouds that had brought the blizzard were breaking apart as something filled the sky.
“Wai—!!! Makoto! Why?!”
“T-T-T-Takatsuki! You’ll crush us!”
Both of us were panicking.
The Undyne girl laughed at us. “Ha ha ha! You two are funny. You’ll be fine. You are with me, so you have nothing to worry about.”
I exchanged glances with Lucy. In unison, we looked back up at the sky.
A comet absolutely filled our vision. The apocalyptic scene was gradually getting closer.
The Undyne said this was “nothing to worry about,” but... N-No way... I can’t believe it.
The ancient dragons were panicking even more than us, which made sense—at this rate, their whole home would be wiped off the face of the planet. Even Astaroth had lost his cool.
Th-This is crazy...
“Hey, Makoto...” said Lu. “Can I ask you something?”
“What is it?” He turned around, and his expression was almost disgustingly normal.
“What’s your water magic proficiency now?” Lu asked.
Her question had me curious as well. The attack on Great Keith had taken the life force of many slaves, but now Takatsuki was doing that on his own.
“Here,” he said, passing us a piece of paper.
“Your Soul Book...?”
The paper had his stats and skills written on it. It was pretty much an identification card in this world.
I—being a lamia queen—had high stats. My strength and agility were easily over a hundred. That was on the same level as Olga, and she was a hero. I couldn’t use magic, but with my Action Game Player skill, I’d gotten the rank of orichalcum adventurer.
In comparison, Takatsuki’s stats were low overall. His strength and agility were only three and four, respectively. Plus, even though he was a mage, his mana was only four.
And yet, his water magic proficiency was far, far higher, and that, coupled with his elemental magic, had enabled him to become a hero.
The last I heard, his magic proficiency was 999.
According to Lu, you couldn’t find mages of that level anywhere on the continent. He was probably even stronger now than when he’d left for the past.
Just how accomplished with water magic had he become?
His Soul Book crinkled as Lu crushed it in her hand. She was aghast.
I peered at the paper too...and then I saw the number.
Water Magic Proficiency: 5,096
What...the...?
I thought I might have misread it, so I looked for a third time.
I’m not mistaken.
Though I wasn’t massively familiar with magic, even I knew this wasn’t normal.
I-It’s over five thousand?
How the hell had he gotten such a stupidly high number?
Meanwhile, Lu was still blue-screening. It must have been even more of a shock to a mage. She’d worked so hard to catch up with him, even just a little bit, and she was actually one of the best mages on the continent, but her mastery was nothing compared to his.
“Um, Takatsuki?” I asked.
“What’s up, Sasa?” He stared at me with a relaxed gaze.
The words I had for this adorable but unreadable man were as follows: “Your stats are bugged to hell!!!”
◇ Makoto Takatsuki’s Flashback — One Thousand Years Ago ◇
My eyes drifted open.
Soft, holy light illuminated the area. I looked around dazedly.
“Huh...?”
The sight of Anna’s and Momo’s teary faces as they’d seen me off was still fresh in my mind. I’d thought that my next awakening would be in the present. I was supposed to be sleeping the entire time in that black coffin, but...
“Hm?”
A beautiful girl was looking at me. She seemed unhappy.
“Ira?”
“Well...if it isn’t Makoto Takatsuki? What’s wrong?” Ira was sleepily scratching her head at her desk.
“Uh, well, I’m not exactly here for business...”
“Oh, maybe your tie to me as the Goddess of Fate was too strong—your spirit must’ve come here. You should head back sooner or later.”
I sighed. “So, roughly, how long has passed since I started sleeping?”
“Hm, about ten minutes?”
That was no time at all! I’d only just nodded off!
“Are you free right now?” she asked, scooting closer.
“W-Well...yeah, I guess. I’m just going to be sleeping for a thousand years.”
“Then help me check these documents! You just need to look at this bit! This is... And this means... Also, there’s this, which you should...”
“H-Hold up! Let me take notes!” I quickly started writing down everything Ira was jabbering on about.
“Here! Take this and this! Can you do it? If there’s anything you don’t understand, ask me!”
“I’ll try...” I couldn’t refuse—Ira’s menacing look was overwhelming.
So, I looked over the documents she’d handed me. I’d never seen the writing system before, but I could understand it somehow. Maybe Ira’s office had some special magic cast on it?
This thing...has descriptions written about skills for people who are going to be born... Is this where Soul Books come from?
They said that it was Ira who gave people skills in this world. Apparently, I was going to be checking that there wasn’t anything missing from the documents listing those skills—the Soul Books.
Hang on! Isn’t this a super important job?!
I’d struggled so much with weak skills right after I’d arrived in this world, and I acutely understood just how tragic that could be. I...couldn’t afford to make a mistake.
I used Calm Mind and focused as I set about the work. Incidentally...there were two people with missing skills.
“Um, Ira...what happens if someone does have a missing skill?”
“Well, they can visit my temple, and I’ll append them.”
“Ah...I see.”
Whew. There wouldn’t be any poor people burdened with a life of having no skills.
“But then, the skills I can give them are kinda like leftovers, so they’re weak...”
“I won’t miss a single one!” I exclaimed.
And so, I focused super hard and checked over the documents. It was tiring.
Around half a day later, Ira spoke up. “Whew... We finished early, thanks to your help. I should be able to sleep a little today.”
“You haven’t been sleeping?” I asked.
“Hmm, I think I last slept around half a year ago,” she said casually.
That was far longer than I’d imagined. I felt embarrassed for boasting to Fujiyan about pulling three all-nighters. Plus, that’d just been to play games. Ira’s lifestyle had me really worried.
“You should head back to your cold sleep,” Ira said. “I’ll send you back.”
She went to put a finger on my head, but I grabbed her hand first. “I’ll help you for a while,” I offered. “It’s not like I’ve got anything better to do.”
There was a pause. “Are you sure? It’s not like I can give you anything as thanks. Divine rules mean that we cannot interfere excessively with mortals. I’m particularly restrained with that...” Her voice sounded apologetic, but it was tinged with hope.
“Don’t worry about it. Is there any work I can do while you’re sleeping?”
“Well...can I ask you to sort these documents?”
“Got it.”
That was how I started helping Ira with her duties.
Several days had passed since then.
“Ira, I’ve finished checking these. They’re arranged by urgency now.”
“Thank you, Makoto Takatsuki. Can you look at these next?”
“Sure.”
I was just a human, so I couldn’t do a goddess’s main work. Instead, I was doing various little bits of organization, and apparently, that was helpful for Ira too.
Oh, and Ira’s animated plushies were still busily working away, but they were just going to and fro with documents Ira was done with or things she needed to look at. They were pretty much just there for transport, and they apparently couldn’t do the same as me.
“By the way...” I began. I did not stop working as I spoke.
“What is it?” she asked.
“I heard from Eir that most goddesses have angels do their work. Don’t you have any?” I’d found that out when I’d asked Eir if constantly visiting Noah would interfere with her work. Surely Ira could just delegate to her subordinates.
“I used to, but they all quit...”
“I-I see...”
Maybe I shouldn’t have asked.
“Those spineless angels! So what if they hadn’t had a break in a week?! They should learn from me!”
“Way too exploitative...”
That’s the boss’s fault.
“It’s my fault?!”
“Please follow labor laws.” Of course, I didn’t know if the divine realm even had labor laws.
“But you’re working nonstop.”
“Huh?”
I hadn’t realized until then. Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t eaten or slept in days. I hadn’t felt hungry or sleepy.
“That’s because this is my domain. My miracles keep people from needing food and rest.”
“That’s...helpful, but a bit scary.”
I guess the gods really can do anything. Thanks to my Calm Mind skill, I hadn’t run out of concentration. Ira was still glaring at her complicated-looking files. Maybe I should make some coffee...
Over the past few days, I’d learned where things were. I figured that having the odd break would probably make things more efficient.
With that in mind, I stood up.
Several more days later, Ira spoke up.
“Say, Makoto Takatsuki.”
“What is it?”
I was sipping some now-cold black coffee while I read a document. It tasted awful. I’d make some more when I was finished reading.
“You’re...using water magic while you’re checking those documents. Are you sure you’re not making mistakes?”
“It’s fine—I’ve got the hang of it now.”
What I was doing was repetitive, so I’d decided to train my magic while I worked. Obviously, I couldn’t use elemental magic in a Sacred Deity’s domain, but straight water magic wasn’t a problem.
“You’re a talented man.”
“I don’t want to hear that from you,” I replied. “You keep working while you’re asleep.”
Even though I’d told her to rest during her free time, she’d somehow kept working while fast asleep. She was a damn workaholic.
“Well, it never ends.”
“You should hire more angels.”
“I’m advertising, but no one applies!”
That’s probably because they all know how awful you are to work for...
“I can’t help it! The world is currently at war with the demon lords, so the Goddess of Fate is the busiest position! That’s how things work in the divine realm!”
“Well...that makes sense.”
Wars happened frequently, and that was where history changed. I could understand Ira being so busy.
“I’ll brew some more coffee,” I said.
“Strong. Yes, yes—just one for me,” Ira said.
“Sure, sure,” I replied. Apparently, the “yes, yes” referred to having both milk and sugar. Was that knowledge ever going to come in handy in this world?
Half a year later...
“I’m definitely getting tired of this.”
I was well and truly used to working with Ira, but there were 999 years left before I would wake up. I was so drained that I probably couldn’t cope, even with Calm Mind.
Ira heard my muttering and whirled around suddenly. “Sorry. Since you’re a human, your mind won’t cope with a thousand years. I’ll teach you Fate Magic: Amnesia.”
“Amnesia?”
That definitely didn’t sound good. Why would she teach me that?
“This is a dream as far as you’re concerned, and there’s no point in remembering your dreams forever, is there? It would put a strain on your mind. So, you can use this spell on yourself and remove some of your memories.”
“But...that’d waste all my water magic training, wouldn’t it?”
“You don’t need to worry about that. Even if you erase your memories, the results of the training will remain. The experience will still be there, and your mastery will go up.”
“I see. Then please teach me the spell... By the way, couldn’t you erase my memories for me?”
“I can’t. That would be interfering with mortals.”
“I’m fairly sure that my helping you with your work is pretty similar.”
“Th-There’s no rule about mortals interfering with the gods, so it’s fine...”
I sighed. “I guess...”
I had a feeling that she was fine with our arrangement, mostly because of how convenient it was for her, but at least there wasn’t a problem.
Ira taught me the Fate Magic: Amnesia spell. It was a really big deal to have the Goddess of Fate personally teach me Fate Magic. Of course, I was also helping her with her work, so it was a proper give and take.
I kept up my practice while helping her with her duties.
Sometimes I combined Water Magic with Fate Magic, or added the low rank Sun Magic Althena had given me. Periodically, I’d erase my own memories and then repeat the cycle.
That was how my thousand years of sleep passed—with me dreaming in Ira’s domain.
A fair bit of time passed before I noticed that my water magic proficiency was way over a thousand.
◇
And now, back to the present.
There was a massive comet, big enough to cover the sky. It was the same scene that had engendered despair in Great Keith.
But now I watched it peacefully. After all, I was the one who had cast the spell this time. Well, strictly speaking, it was a massive chunk of ice, so maybe I couldn’t technically call it a comet.
Ultimately, my spell was a bluff—a bluff that had taken me a thousand years of training to develop.
I’d decided to go for a dramatic spell as a debut. I wonder if I managed to show off for Lucy and Sasa. When I turned around, both of them were staring at me. They seemed completely taken aback.
“Ma...ko... You...”
“Takatsuki...that’s...”
Their expressions certainly didn’t look like anything I’d call enraptured. It was more like...they were looking at me like one would look at a crazy person.
Just as I was thinking that, we were interrupted.
“Hey! Elementalist!”
That was a voice I hadn’t heard in a long time. An incredible-looking woman was floating in the air, wearing a white dress.
“Mel! It’s been a while!”
This was one of my allies from the past, the White Ancient Dragon Helemmelk—or Mel, for short.
“It’s good to see that you are all right. Well, I would say that, but who just casts Comet Fall out of nowhere?” she grumbled. “Actually, wiping out a demon lord’s home with extremely destructive magic is just like you.”
“So I shouldn’t have done it?” I asked.
“Of course not!”
“Then I’ll stop it for now.”
I made the falling comet halt in midair. The huge chunk of ice covered the sky.
“Well now, you stopped that rather easily,” Mel said.
“It’s just water magic,” I explained.
She sighed deeply. “You’re so impudent...”
I’ve missed these kinds of conversations.
“Makoto! Why are you being so friendly with an enemy! She’s one of the ancient dragons!”
“Takatsuki, who’s that woman? She looks like a model!”
Lucy and Sasa had arrived at my side.
“This is Mel,” I said. “She was a lot of help back in the past. In this era, maybe I should call her the holy dragon.”
The two of them yelled out in surprise.
“You mean...the ally of the savior?!”
“She defected to the demon lords?”
Nah, that wasn’t what had happened... I thought about how to explain it.
But before I could, Mel interjected, and she was suddenly much closer. “Rude little girls. Who are you accusing of defecting?”
Lucy and Sasa both reeled in shock. Mel had teleported to a spot right next to us.
“I joined the heroes because I lost to the elementalist. With him gone, I had no obligation to remain an ally of humanity.” She huffed.
I grinned. “You say that, but you kept up Momo’s training, didn’t you?”
“Well...after a fashion. I made sure she was relatively strong. She was my apprentice, after all.”
If by “relatively strong,” she means the strongest mage on the continent, then...Mel must have a slightly biased view.
“Helemmelk! Why are you just standing there chatting?! You were the one who said we could easily win against the apostle of the old god!”
The black dragon had finally spoken, and his tone seemed off. This was the being that even Cocytus had been ineffective against—that spell was insanely strong, even if it was only pseudo divine rank. Astaroth shouldn’t have been shaken by magic of this level. And yet...
The huge black dragon—who was by all accounts the leader of these ancient dragons—seemed uneasy about my Comet Fall.
“Brother, I certainly think you could win against the elementalist of a thousand years ago, but the present man is not the same one I once knew.”
I jolted and turned to look at Mel. “Brother? That’s not your father?”
“Hm? No. This is my elder brother, a potential demon lord.”
“Ah, that makes sense.”
I knew it wasn’t the same guy!
“Th-That’s impossible!” Lucy exclaimed. “He matches everything we know about Astaroth.”
“Right! That black dragon wiped out the Soleil Knights!” Sasa agreed.
Mel cocked her head. “Hm? My father has barely shown himself in front of humans. You just assumed.”
Lucy and Sasa looked at Mel in shock. I was surprised as well. Everyone on the western continent had mistaken someone else for Astaroth, and it wasn’t Astaroth who had defeated the Soleil Knights.
“Where’s the real Astaroth, then?” I asked Mel.
“The only people who can meet my father are heroes who defeat my brother...”
I looked back at the huge black dragon.
“I see... In that case.”
I activated Right Hand of the Elemental. The comet I’d stopped slowly began to move again.
“W-Wait!” the black dragon yelled. “If that falls, it will flatten the entire region! Helemmelk! If you want to call yourself an ancient dragon, then take one of his allies hostage or kill them!”
“Wha?!”
“Guh!”
Lucy and Sasa both hurriedly readied themselves. Of course, Mel herself just guffawed.
“Why are you laughing?!”
“Look closer, brother. Look at the Undyne around me.”
The Undyne—starting with Dia—revealed themselves from the snow.
“It has been a while,” Dia said to Mel. “I do hope you aren’t planning to betray my liege.”
There was a brief pause before Mel spoke. “Of course not. Brother! As you can see, if I were to even begin to act, the Undyne would kill me.”
The black dragon—Mel’s brother—groaned in annoyance. Of course, if Mel actually tried to attack, it could be pretty dangerous.
I glanced at her face and she sent a slight smile my way.
“My thanks for stopping the comet... I do ask that you don’t drop it though, okay?” she murmured.
“I’ll stop it just before it hits,” I promised.
At that moment, a gale began to blow. The snow covering the mountains flashed into steam as the ground let off heat.
“Huh...?” I heard Lucy breathing quietly.
A massive pillar of light cut from the ground up to the sky.
My faux comet was blasted apart. There wasn’t even dust left.
At the same time, a black mist—miasma—covered the area. Finally, my Sense Danger skill started going off. It’d been a while since I’d heard it.
“T-Takatsuki...is this miasma...?”
Sasa was shaking. Her resolve usually never faltered, not even against calamity-level monsters.
“It seems the commotion has reached my father, Elementalist.”
I nodded slightly at Mel’s statement—the memories flooded back. This was the pressure I’d felt inside Cocytus, and it was on a completely different level to the other demon lords.
The ground cracked, and an explosion rent the air. The mountains around us erupted—magma gushed forth. A pitch-black dragon appeared from among it all, The other ancient dragons slowly backed away, seemingly paying their respects at their king’s arrival. Or maybe they just didn’t want to get involved.
Maybe we should follow suit.
“Lucy, Sasa, get some distance.”
If I seriously started using elemental magic, I was worried about my impact on the area.
“Elementalist, worry not. I will take care of your allies,” Mel offered.
That was a real relief, but...
“Are you sure?” I asked. “You’re technically on their side.”
I didn’t think Mel would take hostages, but should she blatantly act like she was on our side?
“My father has been waiting every one of these thousand years to fulfill his promise to you. Please use your full strength to meet him.”
I hunched over a bit. “He was waiting?”
“You were told that the ancient dragons kept their promises, were you not?”
That was right. So he’d been waiting faithfully for me.
“Lucy, take this,” I said, passing over the communication device Gerry had given me.
“S-Sure. Makoto! You’ll...be okay, right?”
“Good luck, Takatsuki...”
Lucy and Sasa were looking at me nervously.
I waved. “Yeah, I’ll be fine.”
I turned to face the advancing dragon—a creature the size of a small mountain. He faced me directly and looked down to meet my gaze. This was the strongest demon lord—Astaroth.
I hadn’t measured up a thousand years ago, and unlike then, I currently didn’t have Ira’s mana to help. Instead, I had the fruits of my training in Ira’s domain.
“You have kept me waiting for quite some time,” came a deep voice. Even those few words were enough to buffet me with blasts of wind.
“I apologize for that,” I said, lifting my transparent blue arm toward him. “Let us have a fair fight.”
And thus, our fated rematch, a millennium in the making, had begun.
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