Prologue: Reunion
“Ahh... Sir Makoto’s skin... It’s been so long... Haaah... Haaah...”
I was currently undergoing a medical exam on Momo’s estate...but for some reason, her breathing was pretty heavy.
“Um...Grandsage, did I really need to get undressed?” I asked.
She glared sharply at me. “When we’re alone, you’re forbidden from calling me that!”
Damn, I annoyed her. I was scared of calling her Momo in front of others, though. She was one of the highest-ranking people in Highland, so I couldn’t afford to be careless.
“Sure, sure...Momo. So, am I fine?”
“Hmm, well.”
Her cold hands patted around on my skin and I just let her carry on. It tickled, but that was no surprise—I’d been asleep for a thousand years. I’d probably need rehab at least.
“I can see no issues,” she said eventually.
“Right... My body feels kinda heavy, but I can move pretty normally.”
I was in a better position than I thought I’d be.
Of course you are. I guided you in the spell after all! Ira’s voice sounded in my head.
Cold Sleep was no normal spell. It also involved time magic that she’d taught me. In fact, it even stopped time itself... It was crazy.
“Morning, Ira. I’m safely awake again,” I greeted her with a bob of my head.
“Huh? Sir Makoto...are you talking with Lady Ira?” Momo asked, an odd look on her face.
What? Got a problem?
“Well, she taught me how to do the Cold Sleep spell.” I wouldn’t have been able to come back to this time period under my own power.
Momo’s expression still remained slightly puzzled. “I would have expected you to talk with that wicked deity you follow first,” she explained.
I jolted at that. Fuck. She was the first person I should have been greeting in this era.
“N-Noah!” I yelped, but there was no response. I took my dagger in both hands and knelt in prayer, but even so, I heard nothing from her. “Uh? Huh...”
Had she forgotten about me somehow? Maybe she was sulking? Both seemed possible.
I-It’s okay! I’m sure she’s just busy! Ira soothed.
“Sir Makoto! You needn’t look so sad...”
I’d worried both of them with the look on my face.
“Well, she’s always been kinda capricious,” I said. She’d be in my dreams in no time...probably. “So, Momo, I want to see how things are. How about we go eat while you tell me how history’s gone? I want to see whether things are different from what I expected.”
“Got it! But...are you sure you should be up and walking around already?”
You should rest for a while at least.
Momo and Ira seemed exasperated. Maybe it would be better to rest first. I was curious, though—I wanted to know how the world had changed in the past thousand years.
Also, I was absolutely starving. I really wanted some food.
So, I convinced Momo, and we walked out into the town.
“It hasn’t changed all that much...I think. The city, I mean.”
I was definitely not an authority on the country, but the bustling city of Symphonia matched my memories.
There was at least one difference, though.
“There are way more of the other races,” I commented.
Originally, there’d been a significant racial and class divide.
Humans stood at the top, with elves and beastmen clearly below them. That distinction seemed to have lessened. Of course, the relationship between the humans and cambions was still as bad as ever. The disdain toward Nevia was still alive and well.
Actually, that reminded me: Laphroaig was a country again now, right?
It is! The priestess you were guardian knight for is leading the cambions well. They were always a race predisposed toward spells, so they’ve grown into a major nation over the last year.
In a year?!
“Wow... That’s Princess for you.”
She must have been working her socks off.
As we walked, Momo kept telling me about the current situation.
“So it’s been a year since I went back to the past...”
The calculations should have allowed me to wake up right after the earlier version of myself traveled to the past.
I-I can’t help it! A year is basically a rounding error when you’ve got all of eternity!
Well, I couldn’t be too demanding. I was back home safe, and that was the most important thing.
There was one big thing on my mind, though.
“Momo, Iblis hasn’t been defeated yet, right?”
“That’s right.”
I looked up at the gray clouds covering the sky. “Those aren’t the Clouds of Darkness.”
“No... It seems that his power is not as much as it once was after his revival.”
“Or that he’s making us let our guard down...”
We couldn’t be too optimistic.
Suddenly, my eyes froze on something.
“Um... Is that...”
I was staring at the bronze statue right in the middle of the street, and I just couldn’t keep silent. Originally, the statue had been of Abel the Savior on his own. But now, it featured multiple people.
The Hero of Light, Abel.
The Saint, Anna.
The Grandsage, Momo.
The Spellbow, Johnnie.
The Holy Dragon with her wings spread, Mel.
All of that was well and good.
But there was another person...holding a dagger.
“Momo, who’s that supposed to be?” I wondered.
“Huh? Why would you even ask? That’s obviously...”
It’s you, obviously.
My cheek twitched. No way. That would mean I’d massively changed history...
That little is fine. It’s far better than Abel being killed and the Age of Darkness continuing.
“Well, yeah, but...” I guess I really had overdone it. I’d been frantic back in the past, though.
We wandered through the city while I thought about that. It was mealtime, so pleasant scents wafted from the restaurants.
“Shall we go in and get something, Momo?”
“Yes!”
She was currently wearing a robe, and she looked like a childish mage. Hardly anyone would think she was one of the most important people in the country. That was why I kept speaking to her normally.
The place we entered was a bustling bar. Momo and I sat side by side at the counter. Then, I realized...
“Oh... I don’t have any money.”
I didn’t have any modern coins on me, at least. I was wondering what to do when Momo took out several of her own.
“Bring out your best. Take the change as a tip,” she said.
“Of course! It’ll be right out!” the server said cheerily.
The food really did come out quickly. There was a colorful vegetable salad, some marinated chicken on the bone, and pasta with cheese and tomato sauce.
I picked up my fork and gingerly lifted a bite to my mouth. “So good...”
I savored the flavors. It’s been so long... Suddenly, I noticed Momo wasn’t moving.
“You’re not eating?” I asked.
“There’s something I want more,” she said with a grin, her little canines glinting as she looked closely at me.
“Later,” I said after a moment.
“Surrre! ☆”
After all, I could hardly let her start drinking from me in the middle of the restaurant. She’d waited a thousand years for me, so she could have however much she wanted.
I looked around the room as I ate the spiced chicken. As I did, I noticed a picture on the wall. It depicted seven goddesses. Whenever I’d seen it before, there had always been six. Apparently, history had changed even more than I’d thought.
Casually, I looked at the figures.
Althena, the Goddess of the Sun.
Sól, the Goddess of Fire.
Eir, the Goddess of Water.
Freya, the Goddess of Wood.
Ceres, the Goddess of Ground.
Ira, the Goddess of Fate.
Last up was the Goddess of the Moo—
Uh?
“Huh?”
I couldn’t help but stand and stare.
The picture wasn’t quite right, but that was definitely...
“Noah?”
Without a doubt, that was my goddess.
“Oh, are you a follower of Goddess Noah as well? She’s been popular lately. She is the Goddess of Beauty, after all.”
Once the friendly server had finished speaking, they left with a smile.
“Uh... P-Popular?!”
Your contributions had her installed as the eighth goddess of the western continent. Did you forget? Ira asked.
Right, Althena had promised that before I’d left. So Noah being the eighth goddess meant...
I never thought I’d see a picture of her up and out in the open... Especially since she used to be treated as a wicked deity. And following her is popular?
“Momo, does Noah have a lot of believers?”
“It irks me that this is what has gotten the biggest smile out of you since your reawakening... But to answer your question, she is a new goddess, so she has the fewest believers, but that number has been increasing rapidly of late. In particular, she seems to have many believers in Roses. There are rumors that she and the Goddess of Water are on good terms, and Lady Eir apparently agreed with them.”
“Wow...”
She had lots of believers in Roses. When I first got to this world, I had been her only one.
I could feel my chest churn with emotion.
“Sir Makoto, if you’ve finished eating, shall we leave?” Momo asked, tugging at my sleeve as I soaked in my feelings.
“Yeah...”
My stomach was full, and I mostly understood the situation in the present. The next thing on the agenda was to figure out how to get in contact with my friends, who were waiting for me.
There weren’t any phones in this world, after all... Maybe I should go to Macallan? Lucy and Sasa might be there.
Actually, maybe Laphroaig, since Furiae’s there.
I was pulled from my thoughts by a yell.
“My esteemed Tackie!”
The call was followed up by someone thundering into sight. Considering the rabbit-eared woman at his side, it was definitely him.
“Fujiyan!”
I rushed over to them. This was my best friend—the one I’d come to this world with.
“You have returned! Thank goodness... I’m so glad!”
“Yeah, I just got back. Good to see you, Fujiyan.”
“Mister Takatsuki’h! I’m glad you seem well’h!”
“You too, Nina.” I said to his wife. “I’m surprised you knew I was here.”
“I have been speaking frequently with Lady Estelle.”
Oh, Estelle... That meant that behind the scenes...
Is me! Exclaimed Ira. I’ve made sure your friends know you’re back.
Thanks, Ira. I really do appreciate that consideration.
“Hey, isn’t that the boss of the Fujiwara Company?”
“Who’s that he’s talking to? I’ve never seen that man before.”
“Maybe he’s some naive noble?”
“The girl with him was the one who paid.”
“Man, it’s gotta be good to be rich.”
My Listen skill was picking up some nearby conversations about us. Apparently, Fujiyan was famous in the nation now.
“Shall we go elsewhere? We’re drawing attention here,” Momo said. Her voice was now lower than it’d been when she was speaking only with me. The weight behind her words showed that she’d gone into full Grandsage mode.
Fujiyan cleared his throat. “My, I forgot to introduce myself. I am an acquaintance of—”
“What’s wron— Huh’h?”
Both Fujiyan’s and Nina’s eyes grew as wide as saucers. They must not have realized who I was with until now.
“We have already paid,” said Momo. “I will teleport us away. Where would you prefer? The castle?”
“W-We have a guest room ready in our offices. Perhaps there?” Fujiyan said, keeping his cool despite the panic.
“Very well. I believe that was in the third district.”
As she spoke, our vision went blurry.
◇
Momo and I were now sitting on a plush, expensive-feeling sofa, snacking on expensive-looking cookies, and drinking expensive-tasting tea.
Fujiyan and Nina had explained a fair bit. Business was apparently booming. Still, I could tell that we hadn’t hit the main topic yet.
“Are we waiting for someone, Fujiyan?”
“They should be here shortly.”
He wouldn’t tell me who we were waiting for, but I had a pretty good idea. Fujiyan’s connections ran deep, and they’d started in Macallan. He ought to be able to get and give information with a fair bit of speed.
I knew him well, and so I knew that he would tell certain people about my return before anyone else.
A bright light suddenly filled the room. I realized quickly that it was someone teleporting, and then, in a flash, they were in the room.
“Makoto...?”
“Takatsuki...?”
I haven’t heard their voices in so long...
“Lu—”
Before I could say either of their names, the two girls had knocked me to the floor.
One was a red-haired elf. The heat from her body was something I hadn’t felt in a long time, but it was just as warm as I remembered. Her hair was shorter than I remembered, and it was glowing red.
The other girl had dark brown hair. Originally, her hair had been down to her shoulders, but it was longer now. She looked more grown up...kinda.
Their expressions held more of my attention than the changes in their appearances, though. The girls’ faces were red and blotchy, and hot tears poured from their eyes.
“Lucy, Sasa, I’m back now.”
“Idiot! We’ve been waiting so long for you!”
“Welcome home, Takatsuki!”
Finally, I’d reunited with my friends.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login