Side Story: The Elementalist and the White Grandsage
“Hey, Momo.”
It was the day before we would leave for Fort Blackbarrel, the front line against the demon lords’ armies.
I’d come to Momo’s estate. The half vampire was lounging on a sofa, glaring at me like a cat. She gave no reply.
“I thought I’d come see you before I leave tomorrow morning,” I told her.
No response.
“Um... Momoooo?”
Again, no response. Huh? What was up? She seemed to be in a real mood today.
“W-Well, guess I’ll be going, then. I’ll bring you back a souvenir.”
“They’re not going to be selling souvenirs on the front line!” she exclaimed, finally breaking her silence.
Apparently, I’d managed to piss her off.
“You seem kinda angry,” I pointed out.
“Of course I am! I waited a thousand years, and you’re just constantly flirting with other women. It’s all flirt, flirt, flirt! I’ve seen it all with my magic!”
“You were watching...?”
I hadn’t known that before. Hm... So it wasn’t just the goddesses watching me.
“Waaaaah! You’re awful, Sir Makoto! Pay more attention to me, hug me more, flirt more with me!” She started smacking me lightly.
“I want to spend more time with you too,” I said. It wasn’t like I didn’t want to show my appreciation after she’d waited so long. She was the White Grandsage of Highland though, so she was someone even royalty had to be careful around. If I hugged her or patted her head around people and someone saw me, I didn’t even want to think about their response. Besides, with how important she was to the country, she constantly had people visiting her, so it wasn’t like we could be alone together for long.
She sighed. “So you’re heading for the northern continent after this?”
“That’s the plan. I promised Astaroth a rematch back in the past.”
“I want to go toooo.”
“I’d love for you to come,” I agreed.
I had asked Queen Noelle and Sakurai, but I’d been soundly rebuffed. The military leaders had apparently been in tears at the suggestion.
“Well, it’s not like Highland can just have their strongest combatants wandering off.”
The circumstances were different than they had been a thousand years ago. Momo knew that too, so she hadn’t been too forceful about it. We’d just have to bear with it until Iblis was defeated.
“You’re spending the night with me, right?” she asked.
“I’m heading out early in the morning, but that was what I was planning,” I said.
She giggled. “Very well, then.”
She finally seemed to be in a better mood—she approached me and squeezed me in a hug.
I softly returned it.
“This...kinda reminds me of the past,” I murmured. Back then, we’d slept in a single narrow bed, wrapped in each other’s arms.
“It’s a nice memory,” she replied.
“Well, the rooms in the Labyrinthos hideout were small.”
The two of us had been put in a single room back then. We’d apparently been seen as brother and sister.
“The Sun Temple was big, though,” I mused.
“It was. But that was only us, Anna, and Teacher Mel, after all.”
“I wonder what it’s like now.”
“You didn’t know? The temple is used for training future priestesses and heroes. Highland runs it. It’s also an emergency evacuation point, but that isn’t public knowledge.”
“Hmm, then it’s completely different. That’s a shame, I wanted to go train there again.” It was a place where I’d made a lot of memories with Mel, Anna, and Momo.
“But you spent less time training there and more time trying to beat a certain other temple, didn’t you?” Momo remarked drily.
I paused. “Did I?”
“You did! Anna and I felt like wives waiting for their husband to get back from a business trip!”
“That’s a bit precise for a metaphor.” But I understood what she meant, at least.
“On top of that, your whole goal was to see another woman, and you kept the fact that Cain was with you hidden the whole time. You’re a secretive person!”
“I couldn’t help it. Talking about a wicked deity or a demon lord back then...” I wonder what would have happened if I’d told them.
“You’re not hiding anything else, are you?”
“I’m not. At least, I don’t think so.”
But now that I thought about it, Noah had talked about overturning the world order before. She probably wouldn’t say anything like that now that she was the eighth goddess of the pantheon.
She wouldn’t, right?
“Hmph, then that’s fiiine.”
Momo laced her arms behind my head, leaning on me as she stretched with an “mmm” noise. She was like a cat. Then she buried her face in my chest and tightened her grip. I felt like a kitten had decided to trust me—gently, I stroked her white hair.
After a while of that peaceful contact, Momo suddenly spoke up. “By the way, how is Sir Makoto Junior?”
“Junior?” I asked.
“I’ve made advances like this, but you haven’t ever made a single move back.”
“These are advances...?” It all felt pretty normal to me.
She sighed. “You’re so dense. I suppose I’ll start things, then.☆”
I didn’t quite understand, but she’d soon latched on to my neck. I felt a slight throbbing pain, but there was also a sense of pleasure spreading through my body.
I could hear the quiet noises of her swallowing as I just let her suck my blood.
After a few moments, she broke off with a gasp. While I felt a slight sense of lethargy, there was also a bizarre feeling of satisfaction. This always felt the same way.
“Haaah! ♡” She sighed once more. “Your blood is just the best.”
Her rapt expression and pink cheeks gave her an oddly sensual air.
“Oh, right... You look kinda hot after you drink my blood,” I told her.
There was a long pause before she managed to ask “What?” Her eyes had gone wide, and her face was starting to get even redder.
How could an undead like her blush? Was it because she was only a half vampire?
“D-D-D-Did you always think that?!” she stammered.
“Not always,” I replied.
I’d actually asked Mel once why Momo always looked so sexual after taking my blood, and she’d just called me an idiot.
“Welllll, so you’ll do it now?”
She might have been trying to hide her embarrassment because she pushed me down with an impressive amount of force, her cheeks still red.
I couldn’t do anything, and I let her straddle me and strip my shirt off.
“Sir Makoto...♡”
She had a molten look in her eyes as she got closer, and her lips soon pressed against mine. I held her body in my arms. She had a small frame, and she still looked as young as when we’d first met.
Her small tongue parted my lips, exploring the inside of my mouth. I tasted the tang of iron.
“Hey, Momo,” I murmured as she kept kissing me.
“This is hardly the time for talking, Sir Makoto.”
“I can taste blood so strongly.”
“Of course you can, I’ve just drunk yours.”
“I really don’t like the taste of my own blood,” I told her. Obviously, to me, it didn’t taste as sweet as Momo described.
“Deal with it, Sir Makoto.” She didn’t let my protest bother her, and she assaulted me with more kisses. That wasn’t all—her delicate fingers were running all over my body.
Guh... She’s way better than how she looks like she should be. Where’d she learn this...?
“Hey, Momo?”
“What is it?”
“You seem really used to this,” I said, my tone questioning.
She giggled. “I haven’t lived a thousand years without getting something out of it. I know lots of things.”
Oh, right. I guess that’d be what they call “book smart.”
I let her continue doing what she wanted for a while, but suddenly, she froze. Her joyous expression had pulled an about-face, and she looked like she was on the verge of tears.
“Momo? What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I...can’t really be with you since I’m undead.”
“You...can’t?”
“Indeed. The undead can’t have children with the living. Things would be different if you were undead too, though.” Her expression was resigned as she spoke.
The undead and the living...
Was there really nothing that could be done? If anyone would know...
“Iraaaa, you there?”
“Sir Makoto?”
Momo looked oddly at me. There was no response from Ira. I spoke again, though.
“You’re watching, aren’t you, Ira?”
I am! Problem?! came an angry voice in my head.
“I knew it.”
“Someone was watching?!”
Momo’s face was bright red again. Even redder than before.
You’re awful, Makoto Takatsuki! You were so intense with...such a small girl... You aren’t even wearing your clothes... How disgraceful!
“The kissing and the clothes weren’t started by me,” I pointed out.
Letting such a small girl take the lead is pathetic!
“I...don’t have any rebuttal for that,” I admitted.
“Don’t just talk! What’s the goddess saying?!” Momo demanded, shaking me as she was unable to hear Ira.
Right, if I wanted her to hear...
Fate Magic: Synchro.
I wrapped my arms around Momo and activated Synchro.
“Wha?! Sir Makoto?!”
“Ira, could you say something?”
Momo, you’re getting tricked by a bad man, came Ira’s response.
“Ah! I heard her!” Momo exclaimed with a shocked expression. I’d thought it might work, since Momo was already good with Fate Magic.
“I have something to ask you, Ira.”
What, Pedo-hero?
Well, that was harsh. Still, Momo looked pretty young, and what we’d been up to was kinda questionable.
“How can I make it so we can be together?” I asked instead of protesting.
“S-Sir Makoto?!” Momo sputtered.
Hmm...let me think... Ira’s mental voice sounded contemplative.
“Is there a good option?” I asked.
There was no response.
“Of course there isn’t...” Momo said bleakly. If not even a goddess knew how to do something, then it was probably not gonna happen.
There are...technically several ways.
“There are?!” we asked in unison.
There are multiple examples of offspring between living and undead people in the past. Such children are somewhat against the natural order, so bringing them up wouldn’t be easy. They’re something between, after all.
Momo and I exchanged wordless looks. I’d heard inter-race marriages were tough, and apparently, that went double for a human and a vampire. I didn’t want to force hardship on a child.
Momo’s right—it’d be better if you were the same race. You need to both be one or the other, undead or living.
“Things would be easy if that were possible,” I replied.
“But if Sir Makoto becomes undead, he won’t be able to use elemental magic anymore...” Momo lamented.
And then I’d be the weakest vampire ever—a vampire with super low physical stats and not much mana.
Ira just replied nonchalantly. It doesn’t have to be that way. The Grandsage can just become human again.
The sheer lack of fanfare to that outrageous statement made it hard to follow her logic.
“Th-That’s possible?!” Momo’s voice was shaking.
Restoring the dead isn’t a particularly difficult spell. Well, I suppose it would be for a human.
“Please then, Ira.”
“Please, Goddess Ira!”
Calm down, you two. Just going ahead and doing so would be against the divine laws. I need to get permission first.
“Permission?”
“From who?”
Momo’s and my questions came out at the same time.
The Godking of Hades, Uncle Pluto.
That sounded like a god right out of myth and legend.
“How do you get permission?” I asked.
He is my uncle, so I know him... He was always kind when I was small, but he’s been pretty harsh since I became the Goddess of Fate. He says stuff like “You’re a proper goddess now, so I can’t be spoiling you.” What do the two of you think?
“Ira, you...”
“You’re definitely an incredible goddess.”
She spoke about knowing the godking of the underworld like it was nothing. Hell, they were related.
Of course! She giggled.
I could hear the smugness in her voice. “So it’ll be hard for even you to get permission, right?” She’d just said he wasn’t so soft on her anymore.
It won’t be simple, but I should be able to negotiate some conditions for it.
“Conditions?” Momo asked.
Maybe something like...the person I am asking on behalf of is saving the world from danger and he wishes for it.
Momo and I exchanged looks.
“So...”
“If I want to be human again...”
Defeat Iblis and save the world, Ira instructed.
Figures. Of course that was how it would end up.
“Not everything is so simple,” Momo said.
“Yeah, at least it’s easy to understand.”
It could all happen after defeating Iblis and bringing peace to the world.
“I suppose you will keep at it, then, Sir Makoto.”
“That’s right, White Grandsage.”
“I told you to call me Momo when we’re alone!” She lightly smacked me again.
You two are close, Ira remarked. Goodbye, then.
With that, she cut off the telepathy. Well, she was still probably watching me, as always.
The room fell silent as Momo and I looked at each other.
“Will you stay with me until morning?” Momo asked. It was the same question she’d asked earlier.
“Yeah. I’m leaving early though, so I can’t stay too late.”
“No. As soon as you go, you’ll be gone for ages.” She tightened her hug and started kissing me again. I held her back with some force. Her undead body was cold. She was still just as adorable as she’d always been, though.
“We’ll defeat Iblis and you can be a human again, Momo.”
“Astaroth is still out there too. Will you be okay?”
“Well, I’m stronger than I was back then...”
“But he’s Teacher Mel’s father.”
“That might make things a bit harder.”
“Taking it so lightly will just end up with you dead.”
“I know. He is the strongest demon lord.”
The conversation had turned completely—we were once again a hero and the Grandsage. It was still a pleasant exchange, though.
Momo and I chatted for a while, and before I knew it, we’d fallen asleep in the same bed. As I slept, I dreamed of our travels with Anna, Mel, and Johnnie a thousand years ago.
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