Full Clearing Another World under a Goddess with Zero Believers (LN) - Volume 10 - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Makoto Takatsuki Meets People

“You are Momo...right?”

I grabbed her arm. Her slender, cold arm.

“N-No! Get away!” she cried.

“Be careful, Makoto!” Abel warned. “She’s the demon lord’s thrall now!”

“You’re a vampire...yeah?”

“I am. I can act of my own accord, but Lord Bifrons’s voice is always whispering in my mind,” she mumbled. “If he orders me to attack you, I won’t be able to resist...”

“Makoto... Vampire sires and their offspring have strong connections in the threads of fate,” Abel explained. “Offspring cannot disobey their sires. Because Momo was turned by Bifrons...”

The Grandsage and Abel were both downcast, and their voices were morose.

Threads of fate... That was a familiar term. It was Furiae who’d told me about them. She was the Priestess of the Moon who used Fate Magic to detect the threads of fate.

So Bifrons can use them to control any vampire he turns...

“Momo, are you okay for now?”

“I am. I can hear him, but my body is under my control. I don’t think I can venture far from the castle, though...”

Right, that was an issue. We couldn’t escape together like this.

Suddenly, letters formed and arranged themselves in the air.

Will you abandon Momo?

Yes

▶No

Why would you even ask me that, RPG Player? There’s no way I’d leave her.

But how should I do it? What can I do about those threads? I couldn’t even see them.

Actually, though... Could I? Ira had given me Fate Magic as a skill. I’m still practically a novice at it, but maybe I can pull this off.

I hummed, pondering my options, then used RPG Player to change my viewpoint to look at Momo.

Fate Magic (Low Rank).

I pushed mana into my eyes and focused my gaze on her. At first, I couldn’t see anything...but gradually, I could pick out what looked like taut lines stretching out from her small frame. One of them was vivid, shining red, like blood.

This might just work. The red one must lead to Bifrons.

That thread was binding Momo. Because of it, she couldn’t disobey him. If I could just cut it...

I unsheathed Noah’s dagger.

“Makoto?!”

“S-Sir Makoto?! What’re you doing?!”

Whoops. Guess I didn’t warn them before pulling out my weapon.

“Momo, can you trust me and stay still?” I asked.

“Huh?” She looked at me for a long moment, confusion evident on her face, before nodding firmly. “I can. I trust you.”

“Thanks.”

I channeled the fate-aligned mana into Noah’s dagger, then slipped it through the bloodred thread in one clean stroke.

The girl twitched, letting out a sharp cry.

“Momo!” I exclaimed, hurrying to support her body.

Ragged gasps tore from her lips, and I waited for her to calm down.

“Momo, are you okay?!” Abel asked, coming close to us. Despite his initial hesitancy at her vampiric state, he must have been worried.

“S-Sir Makoto...”

“Can you still hear him, Momo?” I asked.

Abel stared at me strangely. “Makoto... What did you do?”

I didn’t answer him—I just waited for Momo to reply. After a while, she caught her breath. Her red eyes focused on me.

“I... I can’t!” she cried out joyously. “I can’t hear him anymore! That stifling feeling in my chest is gone too!”

Yesss! It worked! Noah’s dagger really was amazing. It could cut through anything.

“Makoto, what did you do?” Abel asked again.

“I cut the thread of fate.”

There was a long pause.

“What...? No... You can’t have...”

“You’re free now, right?” I asked Momo.

“I am... Whatever was binding me before, it’s gone now. Sir Makoto...you’re amazing.” Momo’s eyes were wide as she grabbed my sleeve.

It felt really weird seeing the Grandsage’s face make that expression.

“But that’s...something...only the gods can do...” Abel babbled, his expression dazed.

“It is?” I replied. Well, Noah’s dagger was a relic of the gods, so that made sense. It was the weapon that was impressive, though, not me. “Momo, Abel, let’s hurry up and get outta here,” I urged.

But it was too late. A mocking voice, carried by a gust of wind, reached our ears. The magic mist I’d conjured instantly dissipated.

“Foolish heroes... You think you can just come and go whenever you please?”

Now that the mist had cleared, I could see the horde of demons and monsters surrounding us—they were all staring.

So this is a trap...

One figure in particular drew my attention—a demon clad in red armor. He was over two meters tall, and I could sense that he had more mana than any of the others.

“Balam the Wonder...” I heard Abel mutter.

That...sounded familiar. It was the name of one of Bifrons’s subordinates—Momo and the others had mentioned him.

“The heroes of Ground and Wood are not here, leaving just you, the Hero of Lightning, and...a weak human. What a shame.” Balam stroked his beard in disappointment. “My lord has instructed that all heroes besides the Hero of Light should be captured. I suppose I should remove your legs so you cannot escape again.”

Balam’s subordinates roared in response.

The Hero of Light, huh? They don’t know that it’s actually Abel...?

I glanced at the hero next to me. He remained unmoving, a nervous look on his face. He didn’t react to the name either. A lot about this situation was bothering me, but before I could figure anything out, we needed to get out of here.

I pulled Momo close to protect her. She tightened her grip on my clothes. She was shaking...but it wasn’t out of fear. No, she was glaring at the general with undisguised hatred. I’d never seen that look in her eyes before.

“Momo, what did he do?” I asked.

“He...ate my mother...”

My whole body jolted. “I see...”

When we’d first met, Momo had told me that her mother had died three days prior. Several days had passed since then, but the emotional wound was surely still raw and open. I could see it written on her face—Momo could clearly picture her mother being killed. I couldn’t understand what it must be like to have the person responsible for your parent’s death standing right in front of you.

“Makoto, we’re surrounded, but there aren’t that many of them,” Abel whispered into my ear. “We can break through if we focus on a single point. Let’s go before reinforcements arrive.”

With a regretful look on her face, Momo nodded. “Balam the Wonder is the eldest of Bifrons’s generals... He’s very strong.”

“That’s right,” said Abel. “We can’t fight him, so let’s run.”

Both of their voices were tight with nerves.

“Makoto?”

“Sir Makoto?”

I didn’t answer either of them. Instead, I just glanced around. Several hundred monsters and demons surrounded us. I could feel vast amounts of mana from Iblis’s blessings upon them. These soldiers were far stronger than the monsters from my era, a thousand years in the future. This situation was definitely what you’d call “dire straits.”

But for some reason...my thoughts were at peace. Only one word floated up in my mind: “inadequate.”

Is this my skill? Calm Mind...release.

Nothing changed. I still wasn’t disconcerted. Instead, my feelings were tranquil, like a placid ocean.

Well, I know exactly why...

Just the other day, I’d fought against the Hero of the Sun, Alexander, and that battle had redefined my perception of strength. So what about the general, the demons, and the monsters in front of me? They’re a rabble... No, not even that. Honestly, it just felt like there were a bunch of ants assembled. I wasn’t going to be scared off by the likes of them.

What would Noah say if she were here?

“Makoto! Hurry up and blast those weaklings away!”

“Right, Goddess,” I muttered to myself. I turned back to my companions. “Momo. As an apology for taking so long to find you, I’ll get your revenge.”

“Huh?”

Her eyes went wide. Abel’s mouth dropped open.

“I must be mistaken,” Balam rumbled, frowning wickedly. “I could have sworn I heard the foolish ramblings of livestock.”

He has good ears.

“Abel, can you look after Momo?” I asked, passing her over.

He stared at me wide-eyed. “W-Wait, Makoto!”

“Sir Makoto! We should run!”

The two of them panicked, but I turned back to Balam.

“Kill all but the hero,” the demon ordered bluntly.

There was a roar of acknowledgment from the demons and a general roar of enthusiasm from the monsters.

They leaped at us.

Abel grunted as he protected Momo.

“××××××××××. (Elementals, go nuts.)” I said in Elemanti.

Right!!!

They were in a good mood today.

Just before the mass of monsters reached us, I cast my spell.

Water Magic: Ice World.

Instantly, all the monsters froze. There were still plenty of enemy demons left, though. Balam let out an impressed murmur.

“Die!” A pitch-black demon suddenly lunged at me, wielding a huge sickle.

Momo screamed, and Abel shouted out, “It’s one of the bloodfiends!”

This monster seemed viciously strong, so I decided to call in the big guns. “××××××××××, (Undyne, stop him.)”

Yes, my liege!

Using Undyne’s mana, I cast a saint rank spell.

Water Magic: Holy Ice Barrier.

“Guuaaaah!” The bloodfiend collided with the barrier and instantly froze.

My attacks were getting a bit repetitive... Well, whatever—this was the most efficient way.

“Useless!” Balam growled. “All of you, get him!”

The monsters and demons crashed upon us like waves. I used huge amounts of mana from the elementals (both the normal ones and Undyne) to push them back. Luckily, elementals had infinite mana. I had to be careful though—the last time I got carried away with mana, I lost control and the Grandsage scolded me...

But this time, for some reason, I wasn’t tiring from magic usage. Maybe it was because my mastery was now 999?

I glanced back at Momo and Abel. Both were gaping at me, slack-jawed. When Momo’s eyes met mine, they began to sparkle. “You’re amazing, Sir Makoto!” She still looked like the Grandsage, so there was a real dissonance between her current beaming expression and the cooler one I’d come to recognize.

“Pay attention!” shouted Abel as he pointed at an incoming foe.

Whoops, that demon’s headed straight for me. Must’ve pissed him off.

“Water Magic: Ice World.”

Man...they really only have numbers going for them, huh?

◇ The Demon Lord’s General’s Perspective ◇

I, Balam the Wonder, have served Lord Bifrons for over five hundred years, slaughtering countless fools who dared to target my liege. In recent days, Setekh the Magic Eye had caught a group of heroes attempting to infiltrate the castle. Our orders were to execute them. However, the foolish gargoyles let them slip away.

Then, one of them reappeared.

Lord Iblis’s orders were to find and kill the Hero of Light. If we succeeded, demonkind would rule for over a thousand years. As a warrior myself, I was interested in testing my mettle against this Hero of Light, should they turn out to be a formidable opponent—I had no expectations of that, though. Very few had the nerve to stand up against the demons, and I had yet to meet a warrior worthy of the name. Until today, that is.

My subordinates were being frozen, one after another.

“Interesting...”

This opponent had some promise. It would still be an affront to bring him before Lord Bifrons...but he was far more to look at than the Hero of Lightning, who was trembling nearby.

“I am Balam the Wonder!” I proclaimed, drawing my sword. “The first of Lord Bifrons’s trusted!”

I had never felt the need to offer my name to a human before. The mage glanced in my direction but made no reply.

“Answer in kind!” I demanded.

He just stared quizzically at me.

At this point, I lost my cool. He’s nothing but a lowly human! And he can’t even offer his name before a fight. In that case, a single slash was all he deserved.

“Wondrous Sword: Darkness Cutter.” A wave of jet-black miasma flew from my blade.

“×××××××,” the human said. I couldn’t parse the language, but his words caused a huge barrier to appear.

He blocked my slash.

An ice barrier? Impressive, but your mana is not without end. Once you have exhausted your reserves, this fight is over.

I launched another slash.

So, human, how long can you last?

◇

“Impossible, impossible, impossible...”

Every slash, thrust, and spell—he warded them all off with his magic. Before I knew it, my subordinates had been completely wiped out. How did this human still have mana? What’s more, he hadn’t moved... Not a single step. It made no sense, and the human looked completely unbothered. He. Just. Keeps. Casting. Where was all this mana coming from?

“×××××××? ×××...”

Those words, spoken in a language I’d never heard before, spilled from his lips, directed at a patch of empty space.

Wait...could that be the elemental language Lord Cain uses sometimes...? The human is...an elementalist? Even so...

His eyes, utterly unreadable, turned to face me. Slowly, he took a step forward.

“C-Come on, then!” I readied my sword once again, pouring all of my mana into it. “Ahhhhhhh!”

This was my last resort—I would throw everything I had into this attack. My spellsword strike would mince whoever it met, flaying them with ninety-nine slashes.

But...

“Water Magic: Holy Ice Barrier.”

My last resort, my opus... He warded it off emotionlessly with a barrier of ice. My blade stopped before it could touch him.

“Guh...” With all my energy depleted, I fell to my knees. White hoarfrost crept across the ground beneath me, the chill slowly encroaching.

And...he encroached as well. Why would a mage, who excelled at long-range attacks, close the distance? Still, it was an opportunity.

M-My true last resort. As cowardly and dishonorable as this is...

“No, Makoto! Balam the Wonder has the magic Eyes of Fear!” shouted the Hero of Lightning. “If you meet his gaze, you’ll be stricken with terror and unable to move!”

It was too late, though.

“It’s over!” I declared, activating my eyes and flicking them up to meet his gaze. The mage stopped...or, he should have.

I felt a sudden reversal—for the first time in my life, I was afraid to meet another’s eyes. I couldn’t muster a proper word, just grunts from my throat.

Now I understood why he hadn’t responded to me, why he’d ignored my repeated attempts to exchange names on the battlefield. I had looked down on him as livestock incapable of understanding the code of honorable combat; I had dismissed him as some barbarous fighter, not a true warrior. However, that was not the case.

His gaze... That pair of unaffected eyes... This human stared at me with the air of someone glancing at an insect crawling along the ground. Someone I’d seen as an enemy...saw me as nothing more than a pebble in his path. He had been uninterested in our fight. He...hadn’t seen me as a threat.

I couldn’t move. My flesh was being frozen by water magic. However, my body was undying, sustained by the blood provided to me by Lord Bifrons. None could kill me. It should’ve been impossible.

Still, my body was shaking.

I’m about to die. The absolute surety of that fear was wracking me. Suddenly, the man drew a dagger from his waist and lifted it to the sky.

“Eir... I offer this life to you.”

The name he’d called was that of the Goddess of Water. But Lord Cain had killed her hero. Had the Hero of Water been reborn? This was far too soon!

Besides, the Hero of Water was always the weakest—the first to die.

So, you can’t be the Hero of Water... Who...or rather, what are you?

My mind was spinning. I couldn’t move at all. The small dagger pricked my huge frame. Immediately afterward, a dim light filled the area.

Out of nowhere, a horde of babbling babies appeared, small wings sprouting from their backs. They erupted in loathsome giggles, baring their teeth, and then...

They began to eat me.

“Graaaah!”

My scream was part pain, part fear. I was being eaten alive. My instincts were screaming too, and I knew—my soul was being devoured. It was over. Regardless of the blood from Lord Bifrons, I could not revive if my soul had been consumed.

“Momo, Abel, I’m done,” the man announced. He turned back to his comrades and began to leave.

“W-WaIT!” I mustered the last of my strength to ask the question, and my voice came out halting and uneven. “WhO... WhaT ARe you?!”

“Oh? You can still talk?”

“Y...YeS...” Yet I knew that actual, meaningful words could not leave my throat.

This...was no hero. The heroes I’d faced had all been spurred on by strong emotions—a sense of justice, hatred for oppression, or maybe revenge for a lost loved one. This man was different. There was no justice. No hatred. No seeking revenge. He had...nothing. It was almost as if he felt like this whole situation was natural, like killing demons was no different from breathing.

He was a reaper...a reaper of demons.

Ah... Take care, My Lord. The damned goddesses have sent forth a dread assassin. Please, forgive me for falling here.

And there I fell, eaten at the hands of magic from a human I’d seen as nothing more than livestock.

◇ Makoto Takatsuki’s Perspective ◇

“Graaahaahhhgh!”

The demon’s last gasp echoed around the area.

Ugh, I want a blessing right about now. Actually, I thought this the last time I used your technique, but... Hey, Eir? Don’t you think this is kinda gross? A lot gross?

I half expected to hear her answer me, but there was no reply. Did her technique actually work?

The sight of the cherubs tearing the demon apart wasn’t something I particularly wanted to watch, so I’d looked away...but then, I felt my gaze pulled back. There was no trace of him left.

Yeah, he’s gone now. I brought my hands together. Rest in peace. That wasn’t a custom in this world, but still.

“Sir Makoto!”

The Grandsa— Well, Momo latched on to me.

“Momo, I got your revenge.”

“Th-That was incredible! Sir Makoto...I...I...” She squeezed me tighter and tighter. Now that she was a vampire, the Grandsage was really strong. I was struggling a bit to breathe.

“Makoto!” Abel’s flustered voice called out. “We can’t stay for long. Let’s get out of here!”

Right, Bifrons was in the castle, and we couldn’t risk getting caught by Setekh. We’d be turned to stone in an instant and that’d be curtains for us.

So, I spread out the mist again and used Stealth to sneak away. We came across a few groups pursuing us, but I used elemental magic to fight them all off.

Once again, we’d successfully escaped Bifrons’s human farm.

◇ Hero Abel’s Perspective ◇

We kept running for the entire day. Things were different than last time, though. Now that Momo had been turned into a monster, she had far more stamina and didn’t seem to struggle with the prolonged travel.

“G-Gimme a break...”

Makoto was the first to run out of energy. I...hadn’t expected that. After all, he’d defeated the Demon Lord’s right hand with such ease.

We walked for a while before finding a cave where we could take a break.

Makoto immediately flopped down to rest and Momo took up watch. In the meantime, I gathered some water and caught four fish.

When I returned, Momo eyed the fish and exclaimed, “Leave the cooking to me!”

I’d expected her to build a campfire, but instead, she used fire magic to heat up a stone, and she roasted the fish on top of it.

Huh... That made for less smoke than an actual fire. It’s a good method. The pleasant aroma of cooking fish filled the cave, and I offered up some of the salt I had on me so Momo could season our meal.

“It’s done, Abel. Sir Makoto, wake up.”

“Thanks, Momo,” I said.

Makoto stirred. Around a yawn, he mumbled, “Morning...Momo, Abel.”

He and I quickly tucked into the fish. Delicious. I was able to savor the flavor all the more knowing that we’d actually survived. He had defeated Balam the Wonder...

As I was gazing at Makoto, I finally noticed what Momo was doing by his side.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” I asked. She hadn’t taken a single bite out of the meal that she herself had cooked.

“Um... I’m not hungry right now...” Momo answered weakly, her face pale.

Surely that wasn’t right? She’d been moving around so much—it didn’t make sense.

“Oh, I get it,” Makoto said, looking at her and immediately seeming to have a realization. “Here, you can drink my blood.”

Momo and I jumped at that.

O-Oh yeah! Momo’s a vampire, so she takes blood as her food.

“S-Sir Makoto! No, I can’t!” Momo’s face was even paler than before, and she was shaking her head.

Vampires couldn’t survive without blood. That’s just what it meant to be a demon. To the demons and monsters of the army, humans were food, which was why their kind and ours couldn’t coexist.

“I won’t drink blood! I won’t! So please...don’t throw me away...”

She was crying, utterly frantic. I felt a lump in my throat. I hadn’t realized how much she’d been worrying...

But Makoto didn’t seem bothered in the slightest.

“Don’t stress about it—just drink.” Makoto guided her mouth to his neck.

Whoa! That’s way bolder than I expected from you!

Momo let out a mewl. “Uh?! Sir Makoto?! You don’t mind me drinking blood?”

“Don’t let it bother you. You’ll collapse if you don’t get enough.”

“O-Okay... Uh, excuse me, then.”

Momo hesitantly allowed herself to draw closer, placing her arms over his shoulders. Her small lips met his neck, and Makoto let out a slight grunt. Her grip tightened suddenly, and her throat began to bob.

After a while, she pulled back with a sigh of contentment. She looked much less pallid now—her cheeks were slightly pink, and a look of ecstasy was plastered on her face.

“Sir Makoto...”

She remained close, straddling him, the rapturous look on her face. Her cute lips were reddened with blood, giving her young face an oddly alluring look.

Then, she moved those reddened lips toward Makoto’s...

Wait, what?!

I heard the soft sound of skin on skin, and then...

“Ow.”

Makoto flicked Momo on the forehead. She looked up at him in confusion, then flushed bright red.

“Wh-What did I just do?!” she blurted out.

“Ah, sorry, Momo. I still had Charm going.”

At that realization, Momo and I both gasped in shock.

“I need it for elemental magic,” Makoto explained. “But I’ve stopped now, so it should be fine.”

I sighed deeply.

“I’ve rested,” he continued, “so now it’s your turn, Momo. Once we get our strength back, we can keep going.”

“S-Sure... Um, Sir Makoto, are you sure I can stay with you? Even though I’m a vampire...?”

“Of course. Doesn’t bother me.” He glanced my way.

“I-I’m okay with it too, if Makoto is!” I was honestly a little scared of Momo now, but I could hardly tell her no.

“I’m so happy... Even though I’m like this now...” With a look of utter relief on her face, Momo soon fell asleep.

Guess she was actually really tired. More stamina or not, she’s still a child. I hadn’t even realized...

I glanced at Makoto, who was stroking her white hair. Just how relaxed was he?

“Don’t you need to rest, Abel?”

I shook my head. “I’m fine.”

“I see.”

Honestly, I hadn’t done anything. I’d expected to be able to help in some way, but ultimately, I’d been useless.

The two of us sat in silence. With nothing to do, Makoto used water magic to conjure several creatures, and he started to control them. Shoals of glittering fish swam in front of us. It was...incredible. Each and every tiny fish was moving as if it were alive. Their scales gleamed and their fins fluttered. Even their eyes moved.

How much concentration must it take to keep such a detailed spell active?

I looked at his face. He didn’t gaze back but was instead staring at Momo with an expression of almost brotherly concern.

I’ll never measure up. He’s just too incredible.

Honestly, I’d thought that rescuing her from the castle would be impossible. I’d assumed that Makoto was being reckless. Now that it was over though, it was like he’d just strolled off to save her and had coincidentally put the demon lord’s subordinate in the ground. He was like a hero.

That’s it—Makoto is the very image of a hero that my teacher always tried to instill.

“Makoto...how can you do all of this?” I found myself asking.

“Huh?”

“I’m...a worthless hero. Althena granted me the Hero of Lightning skill, but I’ve been no use at all. I’m the weakest out of all of the heroes in Labyrinthos. Even my mentor was killed by Cain...killed instead of me...”

I realized that tears were trickling down my cheeks. How pathetic could I be?

“I shouldn’t be alive... My mentor...the Hero of Fire...should have survived instead.” I hated my weakness all the more in the face of Makoto’s accomplishments. Tears and complaints were the only things I could muster.

For the entire time I wept, Makoto didn’t say anything. When I looked up, I found him gazing steadily back at me. It...didn’t look like he was disappointed to hear such unheroic words coming from me. However, I couldn’t tell what was going through his mind behind the blank look on his face. If I had to guess, I’d say he seemed almost surprised.

I hunched over in embarrassment. “Makoto, pardon me for saying all of that. You should join Volf and Julietta’s party when we get back to Labyrinthos. Honestly, I’m not cut out to be a hero. I’ll just drag you down.”

“Abel, that isn’t true at all,” he said, trying to console me.

That didn’t mean anything, though.

“It’s fine,” I insisted. “I could never fight against the demon lords—”

He quickly cut me off. “Abel...I should tell you exactly what my mission was.”

That was an odd statement. I was sure he’d already told me. I even remembered his words.

“Your mission...was to save the heroes, right?” I asked. “That’s why you risked your life at the castle—to save Volf and Julietta.”

His answer came, simple and direct. “No.”

I’m wrong? What in the world is his mission?

“The goddess sent me to help you.”

“Wha...?”

I couldn’t understand. What did he just say?

“The mission Althena gave me was to ‘save Hero Abel.’ That’s why I’m here—to help you.”

My mind went completely blank. He continued to hold my gaze.

◇ Makoto Takatsuki’s Perspective ◇

There was a long silence.

“Wha? How...? Me?”

Though Abel’s mouth was open for a good ten seconds, no words came out. So, I spoke first. “That’s how it is. I look forward to working with you.”

The silence dragged on for a while. Eventually, he gave a clumsy nod. “R-Right. Likewise.”

Great, at least I have his agreement. I’m in his party now!

I glanced down at the Grandsage—Momo—as she slept in my lap. She was one of Abel’s real companions, so she should stay with us. Other than that, there was the saint, Anna, along with Johnnie Walker, Lucy’s great-grandfather.

Just then, I had a sudden thought. How long can I stay with him?

“Sir...Makoto...” I heard Momo mumble in her sleep.

Well, I wasn’t going to leave her behind, so at least for the time being, I’d stay with them.

Oh, actually...I almost forgot about Ira. The goddess had told me to seek her out in this era. Maybe she could give me some advice. After all, she could see the future. Though, I still wasn’t entirely sure. Her predictions were sometimes kinda...eh.

I looked over at Abel and found him resting against the wall—he’d dozed off. Must have been more tired than he’d let on.

Calm Mind.

My skill shook off any traces of tiredness as I kept watch. Fortunately, no one showed up while the others were asleep.

◇

After seven days of travel, we reached Labyrinthos.

Whew...it’s so far away. Though last time, I guess we had used Fujiyan’s airship. In this era, though, walking was the main method of transportation.

Abel was a hero, and he had the strength to go with it. Momo had become a vampire, so she had the stamina. It was all I could do to keep up with them.

“Makoto, we’ll be at the entrance soon,” Abel announced.

“Sir Makoto...are you okay?” asked Momo. “Shall I carry you?”

I didn’t have the energy to respond. In the distance, I could see the entrance to the dungeon.

Labyrinthos. It hasn’t changed...

Since I’d arrived in this time period, all sorts of things had been different, but Labyrinthos looked just the same as it had when I’d last visited. Honestly, I was feeling a little emotional about it. It was identical, though there was no town of adventurers and no roads.

Pushing through the greenery, we soon arrived at our destination.

“Wait here a bit,” Abel said. “You can’t see from here, but there are guards on duty. I’ll go ahead and tell them about you first.”

With that, Abel headed for the entrance. Momo and I were left alone.

“Sir Makoto... I’m a demon now, so can I really stay with you?”

“It’s fine, all good. Just act like you belong and no one will notice. Abel said that, remember?”

The hidden home in Labyrinthos was host to more than just humans. There were elves, dwarves, and beastmen too. No vampires, though. But, because all sorts of different races were represented here, I figured that no one would look too closely.

Momo and I waited for a few minutes, and eventually, Abel returned.

“Makoto, Momo, I’ll lead the way.”

“Wow... It’s amazing.” Momo marveled.

You couldn’t tell from the outside, but there was a town set up around the paths through the upper layer. It’d probably been built with magic, but the stone buildings stood regardless. There were a lot of people living here. Humans, elves, beastmen, and other races I’d never seen before. The common feature among them was that everyone was armed. The whole town could fight, it seemed.

“Makoto! Momo!” an elf woman shouted, running up and hugging us. She was wearing green armor and looked almost completely different from the last time we’d met...but I still recognized her.

“Julietta, I’m glad you got here safely,” I said.

“I was so worried. Oh, hang on. Momo, you...”

Huh, she noticed Momo’s changes right away.

“Julietta, how about we talk over here?” I suggested.

Once we’d moved away from the crowd, I explained what’d happened.

“What?!” Julietta was wide-eyed, her hand pressed over her gaping mouth. “So the demon lord sired you...but Makoto cut the thread of fate?!”

“I can still hardly believe it...and I watched it happen,” Abel said. “Makoto is just beyond normality.”

“Who are you, Makoto?” asked Julietta.

“Just a normal person given a mission by Althena,” I explained. Neither of them seemed convinced. It’s not like I’m lying, though.

“Well, whatever. We should tell Volf. We can hide Momo being a vampire from everyone else. By the way, Makoto, what are the two of you planning now?”

“Well, I want to rest for a while...” My legs were killing me.

Momo agreed, apparently. “I’m staying with Sir Makoto.”

“Got it. Abel, the room next to yours is free. Think we can put them up there?” She paused for a moment. “Wait, sorry. We don’t have much space, so you two will have to share a room...”

So both Momo and I will have to use the same room.

“You good with that, Momo?”

“Of course! Couldn’t ask for better!”

I stared at her oddly. “Okay, then.” At least she doesn’t have a problem with it.

“I’ll show you the way,” Abel said, taking the lead.

Before long, we reached a simple stone housing complex.

“No one is using this room now,” he told us. “Make yourselves at home.”

He left Momo and I alone. The space was small, with only a plain bed and table.

“Momo, you use the bed,” I offered.

I looked around, trying to decide where to sleep, and spotted a small hand mirror on the floor. I picked it up and turned it over. “Olga” was engraved on the back. It was a familiar name.

I opened up The Legend of Hero Abel.

Abel’s mentor had been the Hero of Fire, Olga. She was famous. This must be the namesake of General Talisker’s daughter.

And yet, just recently, she’d passed away. I could understand why Abel had looked so depressed earlier.

So this was his mentor’s room... I felt bad for taking it.

“Sir Makoto?” Momo asked, looking worried about how I’d suddenly fallen silent.

“Sorry, my bad. You can go to sleep first.”

“Um... I feel bad taking the bed all to myself, so...” She smiled hesitantly. “Would you like to share it?”

The bed was rather small for two people.

“It’s fine,” I said. “I’m used to sleeping on the floor.”

“B-But if you hold me, we can sleep in it together!”

“Some other time.”

I wanted to fall asleep quickly, so I just lay down on the floor. Momo got into the bed.

“O-Okay.”

This was the first time I’d been indoors for a long while, and as a result, I got a decent night’s sleep.

“Sir Makoto, Lady Momo! You are both safe!”

“We don’t have much, but we owe you our lives, so eat your fill!”

Julietta had woken us up that morning and brought us to the cafeteria.

Apparently, this was the only place to eat in the whole town. Volf was wearing armor and there was a massive battle-axe resting against his chair. So that’s his primary weapon. The room was packed with other fighters as well. It felt kinda similar to the bar in the Macallan guild. After venturing a thousand years into the past, I’d finally found somewhere exciting.

“By the way, Momo.” Julietta cocked her head. “You have a lot more mana now than when we first met. Have you gotten Abel to use Appraisal on you?”

“No. We haven’t had the time.”

“I see. You should investigate, I think.”

“Um...” Momo mumbled. “But I don’t have any impressive skills.”

“Momo, a human becoming a vampire is similar to being reincarnated—you get stronger and can acquire different skills.”

Makes sense. Momo is the Grandsage, after all.

“Okay then,” Abel said. “Look into my eyes, please.”

“S-Sure.” Nervously, she met his gaze.

“Your race...is half vampire. I guess you weren’t turned completely. Your stats are amazing. Well, it was the demon lord who turned you. As for skills... Huh?”

“What’s up, Abel?” Julietta asked.

“What is it?”

Abel had just stopped partway through reading off the appraisal.

“Momo...has the Sage skill.”

“Wha?!” Julietta and Volf exclaimed in unison.

“Is that a good thing?” Momo asked.

“It is! Apparently, only one in a million have that skill!”

Julietta shook her head in awe. “I’ve never seen it before...”

“Makoto, you don’t seem surprised,” Abel pointed out.

As other heroes were raving, I was just sipping at my ale. Crap. I already knew, but not being surprised looks dodgy.

“Man, that’s amazing, Momo!” I purposefully exclaimed. “Good for you!”

“Um... Sir Makoto? Does having the Sage skill mean I can help you?”

“Hm?” I didn’t expect that as a response to my blatant acting. Well...to be honest, I kinda wanted her to use it for Abel rather than me.

“So, what’re the two of you doing next?” Julietta asked me. “If you like, you can st—”

A sudden bellow cut her off.

“The chief is back!”

“The great warriors have returned from the depths of Labyrinthos!”

“Greet them!”

“Looks like their hunt was plentiful!”

All the exclamations were coming from the crowd around us, a gathering of elves and beastmen. What was going on?

“Oh, he’s back.” Julietta scowled.

Volf snorted at her. “You don’t need to pull that face.”

“He doesn’t show any interest in defeating the demon lords, even with all of his strength. If he’d helped, Olga might not have—”

“Enough, Julietta. Regrets of the past help no one.”

“That’s right, Julietta. He’s not a hero, so...”

No one looked happy. Momo and I exchanged glances.

Abel hurriedly spoke to us. “Sorry, Makoto. We shouldn’t have brought that up...”

“It’s fine. Would you mind telling me what’s going on, though?” After all, if I was going to be living here, I wanted to know what I was getting into.

“There are several factions in this town,” Abel explained. “We make up one of them—our faction was centered on the Hero of Fire. Opposing us, there’s the faction led by the Hero of Iron. Their goal is survival rather than defeating the demon lords. In other words, they won’t fight them at all.”

“They won’t fight the demon lords...even though they’re heroes?”

“Well, strictly speaking, they gave up after previous attempts. Currently, the Hero of Iron’s faction has more members than ours...”

So the majority had given up.

Julietta continued the explanation. “There is one last faction...” she pointed to the crowd of elves and beastmen, and the “chief” who’d just returned. “The ones who built this town. It’s the largest faction, and they’re mainly made up of demi-humans. Elves like me, dwarves, and beastmen. They’ve lived here the whole time.” She drained her ale with gusto.

“They sheltered human heroes like us here,” Volf added.

“I see.”

At least now I understood the dynamics at play. I hadn’t realized Abel would be part of the smallest faction. Frankly, I’d expected everyone in this hideout to be on the same page...but apparently not. Things aren’t going to be easy... Keeping Abel safe had been a huge relief, but there was still a long way to go.

A tall man slipped from the throngs of people. The rest followed after. So he’s the leader, the chief of the demi-human faction. The man had brown hair tied roughly into a ponytail and a long sword strapped to his back. The people around him tried to strike up a conversation, but he didn’t seem interested at all and just kept on walking. His face looked like it was carved from stone, and his expression communicated that everything was just a bore to him.

“That’s him. The elf warrior, Johnnie. He’s the person who united all of the demi-humans.”

“Wha?!”

That was Johnnie?

I’d found Lucy’s great-granddad.