Chapter 6: Makoto Takatsuki in Laphroaig
“So that’s the capital...”
I was staring at the first large human settlement I’d seen since arriving in this era. The walls weren’t all that high, so it didn’t look particularly protected.
“Let’s go, then.”
“Wait,” Abel—currently in his male form—grabbed my hand.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Have you forgotten what Julietta said? Our comrades who ventured to Cornet never came back. We should find out what the situation is first.”
“Ah, yeah.”
He was right—observing was one of the basics of adventuring. You needed to investigate a place before delving in.
Dia suddenly appeared before us. “It’s fiiine, my liege! If anything happens, I’ll deal with it.”
“No, Dia,” Abel protested. “I know how strong you are, but violence doesn’t solve everything.”
“Oh, are you lecturing me, human? Considering you couldn’t even stand the side effects from— Ah! Don’t look at me like that, my liege! I was kidding!”
I rebuked her for being so rude, then turned back to Abel. “Sorry about her.”
Honestly, I thought she had a point—with her power on our side, it would all work out. Still, I couldn’t ignore what Abel had said. Besides all that...wasn’t it my style to be cautious and take things slow? When had I gotten so flighty?
Ah, but...
“Makoto, you always act so rashly!” was the admonishment I always received from Noah, wasn’t it? Well, I couldn’t hear her guiding me anymore.
I’ll be careful, I apologized mentally.
“Thanks for pointing that out, Abel,” I said. “Let’s observe the town first.”
We set up our positions and watched people as they entered Cornet. I was using Clairvoyance, but Mel and the Grandsage could see without the aid of a skill—their eyes were just that impressive. Asking them had probably been a good idea.
“Mel, Momo, what do you think?” I asked.
“People entering the city are barely scrutinized by the guards,” Mel replied. “Most just pass right through.”
“The only thing is...” Momo paused hesitantly. “Some of those people look almost human, but they aren’t. What are they?”
“Probably cambions—a race consisting of mixed blood between humans and demons.” Mel glanced at the people once more, and her eyes narrowed. “There are a lot of them, though...”
Yeah. Figures there’d be a ton in Laphroaig.
“Cam...bi...ons...” Abel sounded out, clearly unfamiliar with the word.
“What do you think, Elementalist?” Mel asked.
“Well...”
Despite the question, I actually understood what we were seeing. Back in this time period, Laphroaig had a policy of peace between the races. The idea was that if everyone in the region was a cambion, there would be peace. That was why it wasn’t much of a surprise to see so many cambions here.
Unions between demons and humans—who would normally be at each other’s throats—were formed due to the Witch of Calamity’s Charm skill. Her skill could make even the unwilling fall in love, and many “false” couples had birthed cambion babies, flooding the city with them. However, the other three had no idea about any of that, so they were probably confused by it.
Well, nothing ventured... We’d spent roughly half a day watching, so I figured we had enough intel now. We should be able to slip inside without a problem.
“To find anything out, we’ll need to venture inside the city,” I said.
Mel nodded. “I suppose so... If the need arises, I can get you all out.”
That was definitely reassuring.
“Then let’s go.” I turned to Dia. “You stay hidden until I call.”
“Fiiine.” She pouted.
And so, we all headed toward the gates of Cornet.
I considered using Transform, but they were letting humans and cambions alike pass. Getting caught in disguise would definitely look worse than just trying to walk in. We didn’t try to conceal our identities and just stepped up to the gate.
“Next,” the guard called. “Hm? Haven’t seen you before. A tall woman, two young men, and a girl... What ties you four together? What’re you coming to the town for?”
The questioning sounded more interested than suspicious. I gave the story we’d come up with.
“Al, Momo, and I are siblings. This is our mother. Our father died from an illness, so we came looking for work. May we enter the town?”
Abel was a hero, and potentially known, so we’d given him a false name. The rest of us likely didn’t need to worry.
The guard’s face twisted in sympathy as he gazed at Mel. “I see. That’s awful. Raising three children alone must be difficult. I hope you find work. Thanks to our queen’s protection, Cornet is safe.” He then turned to speak to Abel, Momo, and me. “You three be good for your mother. Here, have some candy.”
“Thanks, mister,” Momo said, grabbing it from him.
This guard sure is a great guy.
“M-Mm-hmm...” Mel’s cheek was twitching. She didn’t seem to be happy about being treated as a mother. Since the dragons had called her “mother” in Labyrinthos, I’d figured she had plenty of kids...but it turns out she wasn’t even married or anything. I’d asked this a while back, and she’d shot me a murderous glare. It had been...scary. I was never going to ask her again.
Regardless, the four of us got past the gate easily enough.
“So many massive buildings!” Abel exclaimed. “And look at all the food that’s on sale, Makoto!”
Momo’s eyes grew wide. “Wow! All these stores are amazing, Teacher!”
They were both looking every which way. You guys know you’re showing your bumpkin sides, right? They could learn a thing or two from Mel about how to stay cool and collected.
“Oh! What are these products? I have never seen the like!” Mel exclaimed, looking at the stalls with shining eyes.
Right...she had mentioned how she hadn’t been up on the surface for centuries. I let out a sigh at their excitement as we strolled through the town. We needed to find lodging before anything else, so we looked around for an inn.
Soon enough, we found one, but had no money for a deposit. The innkeeper asked if we had anything we could exchange, and Mel handed over some magicite.
“That’s damn pure!” boomed the innkeeper. “Wait just a minute!” With that, he vanished into the back. Before long, he came back with a huge amount of coins.
“Are you sure?” Mel asked, taken aback.
“Of course. I’ve even upgraded your room, on the house.”
After that, he showed us to a really nice room. The innkeeper also seemed to be a good man. We stored our luggage in the room and then decided to head back into the town.
Before we left, the innkeeper called out to us.
“You seem new to the town, so I’ll let you know—the queen is holding a speech tomorrow morning, so come to the palace courtyard. It’s a necessary duty for all who live in Cornet.”
“Got it. Thank you for letting us know.”
Then, we left.
“Hey there, little lady, fancy a look at our wares?”
“We’ve got stuff for you too, handsome.”
“Madam, would you like to see a dress that would fit you well?”
All of us were getting calls from nearby sellers, but Mel snapped at the person who spoke to her.
“Who’re you calling ‘madam’?!”
Uh, did you forget our cover story?
All of us were a little excited, but we managed to explore the town. There was a liveliness in the air. Momo and Abel both seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Our main reason for coming here was to find information on a holy sword, but that could wait until we visited the bars tonight. I bought food—some skewers—from a nearby stall and sat on a bench to eat them. As I ate, I did some people watching. The biggest demographic was definitely cambions. They all had features that marked them as nonhuman—some had horns, others had odd skin colors, and several even had three eyes.
Everyone seemed friendly, though. There were a lot of children and the elderly. When I asked someone passing by how to get to the castle (just to gauge their reception to interaction with a stranger) they happily answered.
The diversity here felt similar to Roses.
Suddenly, Mel sat herself down next to me.
“I’ll take that,” she said, pulling one of the skewers from my hand. She was the one who’d given us the money to buy them, so I wasn’t going to complain. I’d actually been thinking I’d bought too many anyway.
She bit into the skewer and chewed. “This is good. What meat is it?”
“Wild bison, apparently.”
“Hm... I’ll have to hunt one at some point.”
“This place uses a secret sauce—it won’t taste the same if you make them yourself.”
“I see. A shame.”
This was a meaningless conversation—we needed to make sure no one thought anything of our chatter.
Mel lowered her voice to a whisper. “Have you noticed the curse?”
“I have,” I murmured back. “Charm, right?”
“Indeed. I sense the presence of demons as well. None should be living with humans, and yet they have formed families. The curse envelops the town as a whole... It’s rather impressive.”
“It’s the Priestess of the Moon—this country’s queen.” Also called the Witch of Calamity, she ruled over Laphroaig.
“You know her?” Mel asked.
I shook my head. “Hardly. That comes later.”
“Your words are as confusing as ever... Just who are you? You are hiding your allegiance to the old gods, but...”
I thought briefly, considering my goal and the fact that I’d come from the future. Maybe I can tell Mel about it? She’s definitely discreet.
“Well, Mel, I—”
“Wait, not here.”
I looked at her questioningly.
“I do not personally mind whether I hear your secret, but I think you should tell the others. We are a team, are we not? An imbalance in the team will create strife, will it not?”
I fell silent at her warning. She’s right, though...
“What I most want to know,” she continued, “is if this team can defeat Iblis. Do you think it can?”
“I guarantee it.”
“Hm. I wonder why you are so certain. Well...no matter. I am looking forward to it.”
“Right.”
The conversation had made me think of Noah again.
After playing in—that is exploring—the town, Abel and Momo came back. We went back to the inn for a while and then headed out to the bars to hunt for information.
Almost everything we heard was about how nice it was to live in Cornet, how wonderful the queen was, and how safe everyone felt here. Well, the whole town was charmed—they probably wouldn’t know much useful information.
Suddenly, I heard a voice call out to me.
“Sir Makoto Takatsuki.”
I jolted. My full name! I hadn’t uttered “Takatsuki” since I’d arrived here.
Whipping around, I looked for the person who’d called to me. There—someone with their head covered. I didn’t recognize them.
“Would you come this way? My...lady is waiting.”
Mel and I exchanged looks...and then followed.
“This way, Sir Makoto Takatsuki and party,” the hooded person said, leading us farther into the town.
“Are you sure you can trust them?” Abel murmured.
“And are you sure it isn’t a trap?” asked Momo.
“It’s probably fine,” I assured them.
I had some idea what this was about. There was a crest on the back of this person’s hand. Not Naya’s crest—she was the goddess of Laphroaig. Instead...
“Say, Elementalist. Is ‘Takatsuki’ supposed to refer to you?” Mel asked.
“It’s my surname.”
“Oh...you have a surname. Then perhaps you are a noble from the eastern continent?”
“Sorry, ’fraid not.”
“Hm...so that guess is wrong.”
We’d been talking about who I really was, so I suppose my identity was on her mind.
Momo then broke into the conversation. “Why did you hide your surname?”
“Well, there are a lot of reasons. Just keep calling me the same as usual.”
“F-Fine... Ugh, you’re so mysterious.”
I thought I heard Abel mutter, “Another thing he hid that I didn’t know.”
“What was that, Abel?” I asked to make sure.
“N-Nothing!”
Eventually, we arrived at a dingy-looking corner. It felt like we were getting to the slums of the city. The capital near the inn had all seemed bright, but I guess that wasn’t the case everywhere.
The building we’d been shown to was almost falling apart. That was just the outside, though—once we stepped inside, it was all neat and tidy. Lit candles were spaced out, lighting up the area. We proceeded down a corridor, which terminated at a large door.
“She is waiting through here,” the robed woman said before suddenly vanishing.
Anna and Momo looked nervous. Mel looked the same as normal.
I slowly opened the door.
“Hero and party. I have been waiting.”
The inside looked almost like a chapel, and in the farthest spot from the door, a woman was standing on a dais. She looked to be in her late teens. Her frame was petite, but she was good-looking and her features seemed almost doll-like. Her eyes were cold as they stared down at us. Though this was the first time we’d met, she still seemed familiar.
“I’m Makoto Takatsuki,” I said, slowly stepping closer.
“Yes, I know. I have heard of you from Ira. I am the Priestess of Fate, Estelle.”
Abel and Momo looked shocked.
“I thought as much,” Mel remarked.
The Priestess of Fate...Estelle. Even her name was the same. Maybe it was passed down with the title through the generations?
“Please, take a seat.”
I followed the request and sat in the pew closest to the front. Momo sat next to me, but she was stiff with nerves.
Now that we’d finally managed to meet, I had so much to ask her.
“Ah... I’d like to speak to Ira, so—”
“Wait a moment,” Estelle said, cutting me off. “The hero comes first.” She walked over to Abel. “Hero Abel. It has been a hard journey. I am glad to see you here safe.”
“Th-Thanks... Makoto helped me when we were in danger.”
“Hold out your hand.”
Abel did as he was told, and Estelle put her hand in his for several seconds. What’s she doing?
“Hm, I see.”
“Um, Priestess?” he asked quizzically. Estelle ignored him and turned to Momo.
“Next, little sage. You have suffered much as well.”
“I-I have...but I was with Sir Makoto!”
“I see. That is good to hear.” She smiled. “You have a good teacher.” She lightly touched Momo on the head.
“Finally, White Dragon Helemmelk.”
“Yes, Priestess.”
Mel seemed oddly nervous. Actually, what does she mean by “finally”? What about me?!
“Ira has aided me once before,” said Mel.
“Indeed, she remembers it well. She is overjoyed to see the young dragon become so wonderful.”
“I thank you for your words...” Mel murmured, her voice quavering slightly.
Oh, so she knew Ira. I was glad we were talking about her, then. Estelle held Mel’s hand for a second like she had Abel’s, then stepped back up onto the dais. She didn’t approach me at all.
“Um, Lady Estelle?”
“Just wait calmly,” she snapped.
I let out a sigh. Pissed her off, I guess. Still, she didn’t need to sound so harsh. Although, was she...?
“Now, I am sure you are all hesitant about your equipment in regards to facing the demon lords. I have prepared replacements for you. Take what you like.”
At that, several robed people appeared and started laying out weapons, shields, and armor. Oh wow...this is definitely a turning point. The equipment gleamed in front of us. Is that mythril?
“Whoa...”
“Wow! Teacher Mel, your eyes are shining!”
“Now these...”
Abel, Momo, and Mel’s eyes were all wide. That was nice—maybe I could pick something too.
I started to wander over to them, but a tugging at my sleeve stopped me.
“Lady Estelle?”
“Makoto Takatsuki...I have other business with you. Come this way.”
“Just me?” I asked.
“Yes, just you. Hurry.” At that, she disappeared into another room.
“Wow! This cloak has protection from four elements!” Abel exclaimed.
“It is woven from the mane of the Heaven Lion. It is a legendary item. Take it, Hero,” Mel insisted.
“I-It’s what?!”
“Teacher Mel, this staff has so much mana...”
“It is made from the world tree. Those who possess little mana couldn’t cope with its power, but you might be fine with your Sage skill.”
“Th-The world tree in the legends?!” Abel asked in shock.
“Indeed. There is a sapling on the floating continent. Surely it is not that shocking? I’m honestly impressed. This staff must have taken much effort to craft.”
“You know everything!”
“Not everything.”
The three of them sounded so happy. Mel was explaining all the items. She sure knew a lot, if not everything. I wanted to see the weapons and armor, but...
“This way, Sir Makoto Takatsuki. The priestess is waiting.”
“Understood,” I answered the robed person, giving up and moving through the door.
This room was small and had no windows. The priestess was standing with her back to the entrance.
“Close it,” she ordered.
“Of course,” the robed person said, closing the heavy door.
It thudded shut. The room was completely private now. This is pretty intense. It’s not a trap...right? I was a bit nervous now.
“Um... Priestess? What did you—”
“Makoto Takatsukiiiii!”
I didn’t manage to finish before being engulfed in a hug by the Priestess of Fate.
The priestess might have been fairly petite, but the force behind her leap carried me to the floor.
“I’m so glad you’re safe! I was worried!” She sat on top of me, running her small hands through my hair.
“Ummm, Prie— Actually, you’re Ira, aren’t you?”
She giggled. “That’s right! It’s been a while, Makoto Takatsuki. Oh, perhaps my presence has not quite hit home in this form.”
Estelle snapped her fingers. Instantly, she was enveloped in light, and when it faded, Estelle’s body had been replaced with the form of a beautiful goddess with sparkling pink hair. There was no mistaking her—this was Ira.
Meeting someone from my own time period filled me with unexpected relief. I relaxed slightly, and without even thinking about it, a complaint flew from my lips.
“What was the deal with that frosty reception?”
“Huh? Weeeell, I was just so happy! I was trying super hard not to smile.”
You were holding in a smile?! And here I was, worried I’d pissed her off.
“I’m relieved too,” I admitted. “I don’t know anyone in this era.”
“I have...placed a heavy burden on you.” Her arms tightened around me, and the hug pressed my face further into her chest. Unlike Noah or Eir, there’s no padding...
“I will even overlook that disrespectful thought.”
I paused for a moment, then flatly said, “Pardon me.” It’s been a while since anyone’s read my mind. “Still, I’m impressed you knew I was here.”
“I didn’t,” she said simply.
“Huh?”
“Well, you aren’t a believer of the Sacred Deities, are you? So we can’t see your future. Hero Abel is another matter, though—they are the hero of the Sun Goddess and her priestess. So, I could use my Future Sight and determine that they would be in Laphroaig. And in the original history, Hero Abel traveled to Laphroaig much later, so I could assume that you were involved in this change of plans.”
I see...but...
I couldn’t keep my complaints bottled up. “Then you could have contacted me sooner.”
“Could you be less absurd? Barely anyone believes in the Sacred Deities during this period, so we have hardly any power. Even so, once I knew Hero Abel was coming, I hid myself and waited. Creating this hideout was such a huge risk.”
“Well...thanks...” I murmured sheepishly. Hearing that, I felt a bit embarrassed about my demands. She was right—we were smack-dab in the middle of enemy territory. I ought to be grateful that she waited here for us.
Ira nodded. “As long as you understand.”
“I do. So...” I squirmed a little. She was still on top of me. “Could you let me up?” I dreaded to even think what Momo would say if she saw us like this.
“Ah, I suppose,” she said, as if she’d just noticed how close we were.
I faced her again. There’s so much I want to talk with her about—where should I start? “Ira...you have your memories of the future, right?”
“I do. I know that you were Noah’s believer, and that you were the Hero of Roses.”
That was good to hear. Something else was confusing me, though.
“When did we first meet? Did you already know me before we spoke in Highland?”
I remembered talking to Estelle—with Ira in the driver’s seat—for the first time in Highland Castle. Back then, she certainly hadn’t acted like she knew me.
“Ah... Are you worried about time paradoxes? That’s not how it works. We first met a thousand years later in Highland—that is how you should understand it. I have both my memories of the future and the past, but only glimpse the countless possibilities of the future. Now that you have been sent to the past, there is a mix of original history and altered history. Even among the goddesses, only I can observe all of it. Infinite futures lie before us, and the past is not fixed. The flow of time is convoluted.”
“I-I understand.”
I didn’t understand at all.
“Hey, I already told you! You don’t need to think about it. That’s my job.”
At least I could understand that. All I need to worry about is saving the world with Abel.
Suddenly, Ira seemed to notice something. She peered curiously at my face. “Makoto Takatsuki...there are issues with your stats’ display.”
“My stats?”
“There are things I cannot read... Perhaps due to my use of time travel.”
“Is this...going to influence me physically?” I immediately checked my Soul Book. Nothing’s really looking weird on my end.
“I am unsure whether even Appraisal can identify your stat information correctly. It will appear as if the reading has been obstructed.”
“Well, that’s not a problem.” I could always check my Soul Book, after all. Although, I hadn’t really looked at anything but my proficiency lately.
Wait. Actually, something didn’t add up.
“Um...? Mel and Abel both used Appraisal to pry the other day...”
“Pry?”
“Yeah, uh...about my experience and such...”
The embarrassment was mere days old and it returned full force.
Ira snorted at that. “That information still appears—loud and clear. It plainly states ‘zero people,’ virgin.”
“Did you have to actually say it?!”
“What are you even playing at? You’ve got so many lovers in the future, and you still haven’t sealed the deal. That’s not a good look, even in your old world, is it?”
Well...I’d been focused entirely on training. I’d missed the chance. It’s not like I ever expected to end up a thousand years in the past!
Ira must have read those thoughts, since her expression softened. “That Momo seems to have taken a liking to you.”
“I’m not a pedo.”
“You obsess over the smallest of things.”
“Age is important!” What were we even talking about? “Back on topic. What should we do now?”
“Fine, let’s get back on track. Thanks to you, Hero Abel still lives. We’ve avoided falling down the dark route of history where humanity is completely subjugated by Iblis. All that’s left is picking the opportune moment for your party to strike. However, history has already changed quite a bit, so the original sequence of events no longer holds.”
“It doesn’t?” I pulled out the picture book and flipped through it again. “Uh, you’re talking about when Bifrons was defeated, right?”
Ira nodded. “That’s right. Originally, he would have already been defeated by now.”
“I noticed that. That’s why I was trying to end him as quickly as I could.”
“And your comrades stopped you, no? I saw Abel’s memories. That was the right choice, though.”
“It was?” I asked.
“Look.” Ira pointed at the book. “How was Bifrons defeated in the original timeline?”
At her question, I read the passage aloud.
Abel the Savior joined forces with many heroes and defeated the Undead King. However, the cost was by no means small. The Hero of Wood, the Hero of Iron, and Hero Abel’s mentor, Olga the Hero of Fire, never returned. Many other courageous warriors of the forest perished as well.
Hero Abel, the White Grandsage, and Spellbow Johnnie survived the fight against Bifrons and retreated into the depths of Labyrinthos to evade Black Knight Cain.
In its depths, the legendary holy dragon—
“It doesn’t really say exactly,” I summed up. “There isn’t anything specific in the book.”
Ira scoffed. “Are you even paying attention? It’s there in black-and-white.”
“It is?”
I tilted my head. The biggest difference was that Bifrons still lived, and the heroes were still around—except Olga, who had already died. I figured I’d kinda taken her place.
“Are you listening? Originally, all of the heroes except Abel—and all of the warriors from Labyrinthos except Johnnie—were wiped out by Cain.”
“Huh?”
“That’s not all,” Ira continued. “Every ancient dragon in Labyrinthos aside from the white dragon was killed by Cain as well. That is how history originally went.”
I fell silent. Memories of my time in Labyrinthos’s dungeon town floated through my mind. All those heroes, and that elf girl, who looked so much like Lucy... In the original timeline, they would’ve all...been dead by now?
They’re still here, I reminded myself. History definitely had changed quite a bit. Even so...
“The situation is better...right?” I asked.
The heroes were obviously strong, and the beastmen and elves that Johnnie led were fierce fighters as well. The ancient dragons were nothing to sneeze at either. We were definitely in a better position with them all still alive. So, the situation had to be better in this timeline than in the original one.
However, when I asked my question, Ira’s expression became awkward. What’s with that look?
“Um, well... The reason Abel, little Grandsage, Johnnie, and the white dragon defeated Iblis was...they sought revenge for the deaths of their families.”
“Revenge?!” I couldn’t help but shout. That was what had motivated the legendary party?
“Indeed. Revenge and hatred. Abel’s hatred at witnessing the death of the hero who’d raised them. The Grandsage’s hatred after watching her mother devoured before her eyes. Johnnie and the white dragon’s hatred over the slaughter of their kin. That was what connected them. Hatred fueled them to defeat Iblis.”
Ira glanced my way.
“So I...shouldn’t...have helped them?” I asked.
“No!” she exclaimed. “I prefer that everyone survives! But...I checked their memories when I touched them, and...”
“And?”
“They are all less interested in defeating Iblis than they should be. They lack morale.”
“Is that...going to be a problem?”
“N-No! I have an idea—leave it to me!” Ira straightened up and threw her shoulders back.
Now I’m feeling even more concerned.
“Why?!” she demanded.
“Well, leaving things to you hasn’t exactly gone well before...”
“Ugh! I haven’t failed yet!”
“Any ‘love children’ from the godking in this time period?” At this point, I’d even take the Hero of the Sun...if he’d help.
“Well, I did look. But no, not in this era.”
There wasn’t one? That was a shame. At least she’d looked.
“So, to sum up, you mostly wanted to tell me about how history had changed, right?” I asked.
“Indeed. I can’t tell anyone but you, after all.”
Well, of course.
“Ira, I should be keeping it a secret from the other three, right? I have been so far.”
“Let me think... You can probably tell them that you came from a thousand years in the future, but stay quiet about the fact that you follow the same goddess as Cain. Cain killed Abel’s mother figure in Noah’s name, so that wouldn’t go down well.”
“I’ll keep it to myself.” I had a good connection with Abel right now. There was no point in purposefully damaging that relationship.
“I wanted to praise you as well. You’ve done a superb job.” Ira smiled radiantly, almost like a goddess— Well, she was a goddess, so that made sense.
“I’ll do my best to keep it up.”
“Don’t push yourself too far. Your comrades are worried. Incidentally, is there anything you want?”
“Anything I want?”
“Right. I’m weak right now, so it can’t be too much, but I’m forcing burdens on you. I’ll do anything I can to make up for it.”
“Anything?” She did say anything, right? Right?
“W-Well,” she sputtered. “I’m the youngest...and weak right now, okay? Don’t ask for anything too big.”
Seems like she backtracked because of my thoughts. Anything extreme was a no-go, then. Hmm...what to ask for?
I covered my mouth with my hand, thinking deeply. Then, I came up with an idea.
“Can I...see Noah?” It all came out in a tumble before I could fully process what I’d said. Ever since arriving in this era, I’d felt alone. Even a glimpse of her would—
“I figured you might ask that.” Ira gazed at me sympathetically.
I had no idea whether this request would be too much for Ira, but judging from what I’d seen Eir do, the goddesses could get in and out of Noah’s prison pretty easily.
“Makoto Takatsuki, your wish...” Ira folded her arms, a conflicted look on her face.
What was she about to say? I waited, heart thumping in my chest.
“It’s just...she’s sooo scary right now.”
“Huh?” I hadn’t expected that. Noah, the kindest woman I could think of, was scary?
“She’s only kind to you because you’re her believer,” Ira said. “Also, she’s practically a teddy bear in the future, and Eir can drop in as she likes. In this era, though, I won’t go to the Seafloor Temple unless I have to. I have gotten dragged along before...”
“Oh, right. You don’t get along with Noah, do you?” I’d heard something like that from Eir. My question prompted another awkward look from Ira.
“You...are rather upfront. But you are correct. I don’t get along with her.” Ira paused, then began muttering at a rapid pace. “I’m the youngest of Olympus, and everyone dotes on me, but when Noah is there, they all flock to her... Even though she’s only got her looks and is an awful person...”
“Ummmm, Ira?” I said, interrupting her quiet tirade.
“I was talking to myself. Forget about it,” she ordered.
I let out a sigh.
“And,” Ira continued, “whether we like each other or not is of no consequence. We have different levels of divinity. Noah and Althena are on the same level, so I have nothing on her.”
Another sigh.
“I...get it?”
Not really. But is she saying that Noah is higher-ranking than she is?
“Right. In this time period, Noah is still part of the Wicked Deities. If I mess up, she could send Cain to wipe us out.”
I let that sink in for a moment. “Well, I’d rather pass on that.”
“If you do want to talk to Noah, you should probably go through her believer,” suggested Ira. “Though I’m not sure your hero will let you get away with that...”
“Well, that’s a dilemma.”
Guess I wasn’t going to be able to speak with Noah—at least not easily. Maybe I could just head to the Seafloor Temple on my own?
I slumped in resignation, and Ira stepped in close. Gently, she stroked my cheek.
“Makoto Takatsuki...if you wish, I can bestow upon you the title of my hero. That isn’t all—if you are my believer, I will love you with my whole soul.”
“I-Ira...?”
I was taken aback by the change in her tone. I tried to step away, but she wrapped her arms around my waist and pulled me toward her again. Her warm breath ghosted against my ear.
“You’re lonely in this era, huh? I’m the only one here who can understand you, aren’t I?”
“Well...”
She might be right. I wasn’t part of this time period—I was an unknown from a thousand years in the future, an era of peace. Even my value system was different. I could say that we’d defeat Iblis, but barely anyone took me seriously. That was part of why I always felt so alone.
“You’ve done so well on your own. But you’ll reach your limits soon, won’t you? Maybe you should rely on someone?”
“I...”
Until now, I’d had Noah. I’d had Lucy and Sasa. I’d had all my friends to help and support me. Now...I was all by myself, and I felt it, just a bit.
She whispered into my ear, her words sweet like honey. “Come on, Makoto Takatsuki...why not convert to me?” Suddenly, a panic-stricken voice cut through the air.
“Y-You can’t, my liege!”
The sudden invader was Dia.
“Oh, Undyne, so you were around here,” Ira remarked.
“L-Let him go, Goddess! M-My liege...y-you aren’t planning on abandoning us and—”
“I’m not. Ira is just teasing me.”
At my words, Ira turned me loose and took a step back. “You could at least hesitate to refuse me,” she scolded. “I really went to great lengths with that pitch.”
“Unfortunately, Noah is the only one for me.”
“Meanie.”
I’d been right—Ira was just joking. Still, Dia was being oddly reserved, especially compared to her usual self-importance.
Reading my mind, Ira spoke up.
“It’s her memories from Titanomachia. The elementals are uneasy around us Sacred Deities.”
“Huh.”
“I-I’m not scared! My liege, don’t listen to her smooth talk!”
With that, Dia vanished. Guess she really was uneasy around Ira.
“Don’t be too mean to her,” I said to Ira.
“I won’t. Well, things would have been easier if you’d decided to convert, but instead, take this with you.”
She handed over a silver necklace. I peered at it closely and could see something like a charm in the shape of a clock. Scratch that—it actually was a clock.
“What’s this?” I asked. “It’s not going to stop time when I wear it or something, right?”
“Sadly, that’s not going to happen. That necklace is a communication device. A direct line to me.”
“A communication device?” That didn’t sound like something from a fantasy world like this. Still, communication, huh? “So I can talk to you whenever I like if I’m wearing this?”
“That’s right. I can’t come with you, so use this to ask me for advice when you need it.”
“Wow!” That was a definite relief. After all, Ira could see the future. “I look forward to working with you, Ira.”
“Same here, Makoto Takatsuki. Now, you should return to your comrades.”
“Got it.”
The two of us retraced our steps to the chapel where the others were waiting.
“Sir Makotoooo! Look at this.”
“Momo?” She trotted up to me wearing some kind of thick, robe-looking garment. It jangled when she moved.
“That’ll probably be a bit hard to move in, won’t it?”
“Will it?” she asked, shoulders slumping.
“Looks good on you, though.” She looked cute in her disappointment, so I ruffled her hair.
“Are you done talking, Makoto?” Abel asked.
“You took your time, Elementalist.”
The other two had come up while Momo and I chatted. They both had new equipment of their own, but with less excessive ornamentation.
“We are. Did you find a good holy sword?” I asked Abel.
That’d been our objective, after all, so it was a natural question.
“Well...”
And yet, he didn’t give a proper answer. Uh? But Ira had offered up so many magic weapons.
“Elementalist,” Mel said. “The magic weapons here are all superb, but none of them are holy swords.”
“This mythril magic sword is what I’ve picked.” Abel gestured to the sword he was carrying. “It’s much better than what I have, but according to the Lady Dragon, it is not a holy sword.”
“I...see...”
I peered at the sword in question. As far as I was concerned, it looked like a really strong magic sword... So not even this is a holy sword? Well, now we were stuck.
Luckily, we had a reassuring ally on our side.
“What shall we do?” I asked.
“Hmph, leave it to me.” Estelle—possessed by Ira—puffed her chest up proudly. “Head for Ascareus Sanctus. There exists the sun temple closest to the heavens. You should be able to hear my big sis—ahem, Lady Althena’s voice there, and you will be able to gain the power to defeat the demon lord.”
Her voice was grave. Abel, Mel, and Momo all listened seriously. I was slightly concerned, though. Ira, didn’t you almost mention your “big sister” just now? You’re letting yourself slip. I sent these thoughts toward her with a lidded look.
The look—or glare—she returned seemed to indicate that I should ignore it. I guess it’d be fine? Even though she’s an airhead goddess, I trust her words.
I exhaled a small sigh of lament. At least now I felt far better than when I’d been cast adrift on my own in this era.
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