Chapter 1: Makoto Takatsuki Trains...Even a Thousand Years Ago
“Makoto...please listen to me.”
Anna was close enough that I could practically feel her breath on me. Her expression was so desperate. This had to be something big, and I needed to listen. After all, my number one priority here was Hero Abel.
“What is it?” I asked. Had something happened? I’d assumed that the temple was a safe place to train, so I hadn’t been worried about any of us staying there.
I softly touched the necklace I was wearing.
Ira? Can you hear me?
I’m listening. It seems Hero Abel has some sort of problem.
Right. I’m going to talk it out, so give me advice, please.
Leave it to me.
She really was a goddess—I could rely on her.
As for the seemingly dire topic of conversation...
“If you’re going to the Seafloor Temple, you won’t be back for quite a while, will you?”
“I’ll come back every so often,” I replied. “Momo seems happier when she drinks my blood.”
“So...you’re coming back for her?”
“Huh?” What did that mean?
“You aren’t...worried about me?”
“Um...”
“You’ll be away while you’re at the Seafloor Temple, and you won’t be thinking about me...”
“I-I’ll be thinking about you too, Abel.”
“Anna.”
“I’ll be thinking about you too, Anna,” I corrected.
“Then take me with you!”
“I-I...can’t.” After all, I’d be with Demon Lord Cain. I definitely couldn’t take her with me.
“Why?! Do you not care?”
I was silent.
Ira, help! Mayday, mayday!
Okay, Makoto Takatsuki.
What do I say?! What do I do?!
Take her in your arms and kiss her.
I should...?
Huh... What?! Ira!
Annie’s looking a bit out of sorts, so you need to comfort her.
Um...but Hero Abel is a guy?
She’s a girl right now. Don’t sweat the little things.
I-Is this really a “little” thing? Also, she looks just like Princess Noelle, so I’d feel weird about that too. But I suppose it’s true that we need our hero in top form.
I returned my attention to the girl in front of me.
“Anna,” I said.
“Y-Yes?”
I took her hands in mine. “You should rest properly today. Tomorrow, we can train together. If you can get your Hero of Light skill working, a demon lord will be nothing.” After all, I had seen Sakurai take out Zagan with a single slash.
Anna peered up at me. “A-Are you sure?”
Makoto Takatsuki, said Ira. The Hero of Light skill in the future is an improved version of the one in this era. You can’t assume they’re the same.
Huh? Sakurai’s skill was stronger?
Well, the newest version’s always going to be the strongest.
O-Oh. So Hero Abel’s version was older...
My face twitched at that news, and Anna peered at me in concern.
“What’s wrong, Makoto?”
“Nothing. I was just thinking we should rest for tonight.”
“But I just woke up.”
“Let’s go, come on.”
“Uh, hey, Makoto. You, um, don’t need to push...”
Despite her protest, I pushed Anna into her bed and then collapsed into my own next to hers. I gazed up at the ceiling and tried to come up with a training regimen for tomorrow. I couldn’t think of anything decent.
The next day, Abel and I did indeed train together. Well, “training” might have been a generous word for it—I didn’t know much about the Hero of Light skill, so the practice was more like trial and error. All I had as a reference was what I’d seen of Sakurai’s skill in the future. And even though he was my childhood friend, we hadn’t fought together much. The first time had been against the blight dragons in Labyrinthos, and the second against the King of Beasts—Zagan. I thought back to those fights.
He took them both down with a single strike...
They weren’t particularly helpful memories. I only knew that sunlight was important. Being in caves or under the Clouds of Darkness limited the destructive and offensive power of the skill.
“Ab—”
“Anna.”
“Right, Anna.”
“Yup?!” With a smile, Hero-Saint Abel-Anna readied a sword.
“Can you turn the sunlight into mana?” I asked.
“Um...I’ll give it a try.”
She frowned, humming in thought as she gripped her sword tightly. An ominous noise grew around us as a huge amount of mana gathered in the sword. It began to glow.
“What’s going on?”
“An attack?!”
Momo and Mel came rushing over.
“What do you think, Makoto?!” Anna asked.
“Hmm...” I put a hand to my chin as she showed me her shining blade.
“That’s a lot of mana. Even an ancient dragon would die in a single hit.”
“Anna’s sword is scary...”
Judging by the expressions on Mel and Momo’s faces, the magic sword she was holding was fairly impressive. But...
“It’s not rainbow colored...” I muttered. When Abel had injured Demon Lord Cain, the sword had glowed with all seven colors of the rainbow. I was pretty sure it’d looked the same when Sakurai had killed Zagan.
“Elementalist, that would mean it possessed all of the alignments,” Mel explained. “And that is the domain of the gods.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I know. The Hero of Light skill makes it possible.”
“Um...” Anna trailed off. “I don’t even know that, so how do you know so much about it?”
I waved it off, using the excuse that Althena had told me while I’d been lost in thought. What did Sakurai do exactly? To make strikes like that, he...
“Anna, can you summon an angel?” I asked.
Right—Sakurai borrowed power from an angel when he defeated Zagan. Maybe that’s a good place to start?
But my suggestion garnered only three blank looks and exclamations of confusion. I didn’t think I’d said anything really weird. Surely channeling an angel was simpler than borrowing power from a goddess? After all...
“For example, I can technically summon angely with Eir’s help.” I pulled out my dagger and started the activation.
“Fool! Stop, Elementalist!” shouted Mel. “How can you use such sacrilegious magic so lightly?! What will you do if these angely attack us?!”
“Uh... I was just going to sacrifice one of the sheep around here. It’ll be fine.”
“You’ll be damned! Literally!”
Whoops, I’d made her angry. I’d only wanted to show Ab—Anna the real thing.
“You can summon angels?!” Anna asked in shock.
Mel shook her head. “No, Hero. What he was trying to do was use sacrificial magic—pay the price with someone else’s life in order to fulfill one’s own greed. Normally, without both a divine relic and technique, you need to pay for strong magic with your own lifespan.”
“Well, a goddess made this dagger, and Eir gave me the technique,” I pointed out.
Mel stared at me in shock. “Why are you wandering around with a treasure from the divine age?!”
Jeez. Apparently, using sacrificial magic whenever you feel like it is abnormal. I guess it’s a trump card Eir gave me, so I probably shouldn’t be using it so casually.
What should I do now?
Pray, said Ira. Anna is a priestess, so her prayers will definitely reach my sister.
But she’s been doing that. She doesn’t get an answer.
Well, that’s a problem... Althena’s probably busy with other things. After all, she’s responsible for the whole solar system.
Th-That’s huge! What about you?
I’m responsible for...this continent.
That’s a completely different scale! Apparently, there were differences in power, even between goddesses. Noah was on par with Althena, right? She must be pretty impressive.
I told you—I’m no match for Noah. You make sure to pay proper attention to Annie.
Right, got it.
I turned my focus back to Anna. “Keep up with that magic sword technique, and keep praying to Althena. I’m sure she can hear you.”
“But, Makoto...” She sighed, then nodded obediently. “Okay, I will.”
Now that I think about it, this feels quite a bit like training with Lucy in Macallan. Her skill was powerful, but she couldn’t use it at first. Unlike Lucy, who’d constantly slipped up with her magic, Anna was much more proficient.
Slow and steady, I guess? I decided we wouldn’t rush—we just needed to keep training.
The next few days were spent practicing with Anna and checking on Momo’s progress. Then, finally, it was time to leave—I’d promised to meet up with Cain tomorrow. Mel had agreed to take me there.
“Well, I’m off,” I said.
“Come back soon, Sir Makoto.”
“Take care, Makoto.”
Momo and Anna saw me off as I departed for one of the last dungeons.
◇
“This the place?”
“Yup, I’m sure of it.”
Cain was standing uneasily at my side. He’d taken the helm off—I’d told him it was hard to speak with him when it was on—so I could now see his expression. Without all that metal in the way, his handsome face was on display. Seriously, Cain was really attractive. If he changed his outfit, he’d probably look like a model or something.
The thing we were riding atop, however, was not so pleasant to look at: Cain’s blight dragon. It was just as off-putting as ever, with its countless eyes and mouths, but...I could now see some charm to it. At least, if you peered closely.
Ira gagged. You can’t mean that. Do your eyes not work?
That’s harsh, Ira. Can’t you see the avant-garde appeal it has?
Not at all.
Well...nor could I, really.
With a final warning to be wary of the demon lord, Ira cut off communication.
Incidentally, I’d gotten Mel to bring me to the rendezvous point a day early—I hadn’t wanted her and Cain to bump into each other. After waiting overnight, Cain had arrived, and we’d safely embarked. We were headed to the Habhain Islands, which were close to the dungeon. Luckily, I had the location recorded with my Mapping skill.
“My liege...be careful.”
Dia was behind me, watching the demon lord warily. I didn’t think she needed to worry so much, though.
“We’re nearly there,” I said. “First things first—we need to decide where we’ll set up camp!”
“Right...” Despite my excitement, the demon lord’s voice was quiet.
“What’s up, Cainhart?”
“Enough with that name!” he griped. “Actually... It doesn’t matter. Noah said I could believe you. I will follow her words.”
Whoa. Apparently, Noah had given him the go-ahead—we were clear to take a crack at the Seafloor Temple. Also, she’d easily figured out who I was.
“Makoto Takatsuki. You are her believer, but from a thousand years in the future.”
I nodded. “Pretty much.”
“So all of my proselytizing for her has been in vain?”
“As hard as it is to say...yes.”
Cain’s technique was more threatening than proselytizing. Either way, divine rules meant Noah couldn’t have more than one believer. And, a thousand years from now, she was seen as a wicked deity. That revelation had come as a shock to Cain.
“Well, it doesn’t matter!” I said. “If we can get her out, that’s that.”
“R-Right...”
I kept speaking brightly—Cain’s expression remained dark. We continued to discuss Noah until we landed at our destination.
The Habhain Islands were—in the future—a destination resort containing villas for nobles and royals of all countries. In this era, the islands were uninhabited. And though they were few in number, there were monsters living here. We would need to keep watch while here, so we found an easily defensible area and set up a simple camp.
“Let’s go!” I exclaimed.
“Right now?!” Cain asked in shock.
This expedition was going to last for two weeks. I was worried about leaving Momo and Abel for too long, so I didn’t want to waste any time.
“Well, the sun’s still up,” I pointed out.
“B-But isn’t it too soon?”
Well, he had piloted the dragon all the way here, so maybe he was tired. I shrugged. “Guess I’ll go on my own, then.”
“On your own?!”
“I’ll come back.”
“No, wait... I’ll come with you.”
And so, we both headed for the ocean. We left his dragon to guard camp. When we reached the shore, we leaped into the water with a splash. The sea around these islands was pleasantly warm. Colorful reefs lined the seabed, and fish of all hues darted around. It was peaceful here.
After getting our bearings, the two of us swam off slowly in the direction of the temple. Suddenly, I realized something—I turned to my side.
Cain was still wearing all of his armor. While underwater.
“Are you gonna be okay swimming in that?” I asked.
I was using Water Talk to make sure he could hear me...but there was no response.
“Helloooo?”
He opened and closed his mouth, but I couldn’t hear anything. With no other option, I grabbed his arm and cast the spell on him as well.
“Can you hear me?”
“Yeah...” he grumbled. “How’re you talking underwater?”
“Well, if we’re gonna attempt the dungeon, we’ll need to communicate”
“I know of spells for enhanced swimming and breathing water...but I’ve never heard of anything that lets you talk underwater.”
“Uh-huh. So, is that armor going to get in the way down here?”
“You needn’t worry. This armor is a divine relic gifted to me by Noah. It will never burden me.”
“I see.”
Well, that armor was his greatest strength, both offensively and defensively. Taking it off would, at best, halve his effectiveness. It was good that he wouldn’t sink or anything, but the armor did cause one little problem...
Cain swam too slowly. I wanted to reach Deep Scar today at the very least.
“I’m speeding us up,” I announced. I kept my hand on his arm and used Water Magic: Flow to propel us forward.
“H-Hey!”
“Don’t bite your tongue!” I warned.
“Wait—”
The fish swimming alongside us seemed to suddenly reverse, but a scant second later, we jetted away, leaving every other living thing behind.
“Wh-What’s with this speed?! You can move faster underwater than with flight magic?”
His voice sounded weak, and Dia sighed in exasperation. “Pathetic. This speed is hardly anything.”
Hmm. I honestly hadn’t thought it’d faze him either. We had far more difficult obstacles waiting for us.
“Sorry, Cain. I’ll go slower next time.”
“Y-Yes... Please do.”
He was Noah’s believer, and my single ally in this, so I was kinder to him than Dia had been. Still, we were going deeper. We slowly descended into the darkness. The temperature dropped, and I used magic to keep us warm. Before long, we were deep enough that the sunlight could no longer reach us.
I used Night Vision and Scouting to keep watch of our surroundings. A lot of mana flowed in the sea, which meant that many monsters were present.
“My liege. There is something ahead. Take care.”
“That’s...a whale, isn’t it?” I asked. “Well, a whale the size of a boat.”
“There’s also a megalodon watching us.”
“It’s far enough away—we should be fine. We’ll keep an eye on it, though.”
Cain looked between us, confused. “You two can see?”
“You can’t?” I asked.
“I could...if I was wearing my helmet,” he said awkwardly.
So he didn’t have Night Vision.
“Put it on.”
“Right...got it.”
Huh. He relies more on his equipment than I thought.
After slipping his helmet on, he immediately started thrashing, panicking.
“Wha—? The monsters down here are that big?!” He then asked a stream of questions about the danger all around us. However, he quieted down when I told him they were all wary of Dia.
An hour later, we arrived at the abyss. But of course, this wasn’t our destination—just the starting line.
“Temple’s this way.” I pointed to the gash in the seabed. It was several meters wide and around a dozen kilometers long. According to legend, it was a scar on the planet, a lingering fallout from Titanomachy.
The common name for it was Deep Scar.
Within the crevice, it was like a whole different world. Deep Scar was part of a leyline, and it overflowed with power from the planet. The monsters inside were all strengthened to a whole other level. And at the deepest point—the Seafloor Temple.
“Let’s take a look, Cain.”
“W-Wait! You said we were just scouting today!”
“Yeah, that’s why we should peek inside.”
“That’s not what you said!”
“We haven’t even been attacked yet.”
“W-Well...I suppose so...”
I pumped a fist. “So let’s head in! Dia, keep an eye out for us.”
“Of course, my liege!” Dia answered immediately. Her enthusiasm was heartening.
Slowly, we dropped down into the gash. The monsters in the area must have been wary of Dia’s mana because none of them attacked us.
We’re being watched, though...
I felt the eyes of hundreds of sea monsters, all surveying the visitors—us. Scouting informed me that they were sea dragons. This must be the Nest of Dragons.
Cain’s grip on my arm tightened. “Makoto Takatsuki. There are a lot of monsters here...”
“Well, it’s the Nest of Dragons.”
“The Nest of Dragons?!” he yelped. “We should attack first!”
“We don’t need to fight unless they attack us.”
“But then it will be too late!”
“Don’t worry. It’s fine.”
Sense Danger wasn’t reacting at all. Dia yawned at my side, then actually addressed Cain for once.
“You’re supposed to be a demon lord. Surely you don’t need to be so timid.”
“But these are natural monsters,” Cain argued. “They have no connection to the demon army, so my presence is no deterrence.”
“Sure, but with that sword and armor, you don’t need to be scared of monsters, do you?”
Cain didn’t respond. Was he actually scared?
We sunk farther and farther into Deep Scar. Yet despite the depth, it started to grow brighter. This wasn’t sunlight—there was magicite in the walls, glowing.
This was all mana.
The glimmer started out as faint points of light, but they gradually grew in number. It was like looking up into the night sky full of stars. The amount of mana in the water seemed to increase in proportion to the light. This definitely feels like another world.
“Pretty,” I murmured.
“Indeed, my liege. It is a pleasant place for elementals.”
I saw plenty of water elementals around. Dia’s mana seemed to be growing as well. At this rate, there was very little chance that any monster would come to mess with us. Dia and I happily looked out at the scenery.
“Say...how far are we going?” asked Cain. “Is this not far enough for today?”
It seems that the demon lord is not much of a fan. But the place is so pretty...
Still, the question was valid.
“Hmm. Yeah. Let’s head back up,” I decided.
Cain nodded vigorously. “Yes! Let’s!”
“Aww, but I wanted to stay here longer,” Dia said, pouting.
She wasn’t happy, but I thought we’d gotten plenty far for the first day.
And so, the three of us headed back to camp.
When we arrived, I cooked some dinner—fish I’d caught on the way back. Cain started the fire.
“Today was a warm-up, but tomorrow we can really go for it. We should go to bed early tonight,” I suggested.
Cain looked puzzled. “You...seem to be enjoying yourself.”
“I do?”
“Yes. I have never done such a thing before. I did not think it would be so tiring.”
As he spoke, he lay down, still wearing his armor.
“Hey, Cainhart, surely it’s hard to sleep like that.”
He glared harshly at me. “You want to get me in my sleep while I’m defenseless?! I will not hand them over to anyone!”
“No, that’s not what I’m going for at all... We’re going farther into the scar tomorrow, so you should get as much rest as possible. If you’re sleeping first, I’ll keep watch. G’night.”
I turned away and started practicing my water magic.
“You...aren’t going to sleep?”
“Later,” I answered as I conjured butterflies of water. We were camping at the seaside, so there were plenty of water elementals. Maybe it also had something to do with the Seafloor Temple.
I looked up. The stars were so pretty. I trained for a while longer, and then...
“Makoto Takatsuki.”
“What is it, Cainhart?”
He paused for a moment. “It’s nothing. Until tomorrow.”
“Yeah. We’ll go even deeper.”
Silence. Eventually, his breathing transitioned, becoming soft and slow as he drifted off. It was the first night of the journey, so I didn’t sleep much at all. By the time I did get some rest, it was close to dawn.
And thus, the first day of our adventure came to a close.
◇ Momo’s Perspective ◇
Sir Makoto had gone away. He was off training in the “Seafloor Temple” or whatever. It was safe here at the Temple of the Sun, but I suppose too safe for Sir Makoto—he was harsh on himself, so he must have wanted to train under more difficult conditions.
“Haah... Makoto...”
Anna was a little ways away heaving erotic sighs. She was obviously smitten with him, but she’d never admit it.
My distracted demeanor soon caught the gaze of Teacher Mel. “Little one, is your head in the clouds?”
“N-No!” I exclaimed. “I’m practicing!” Immediately, I started chanting a spell. “Wood Magic: Ivy Prison!”
Roots burst from the ground and wrapped around the scarecrow we’d set up as a makeshift enemy. Even though it was rather basic magic, this spell could capture even a dragon.
“I did it!” I cheered.
“Hmm. Your Sage skill is showing its worth yet again. You learn quickly.”
“Yay! But... How come I’m not learning attack spells?”
I was confused. Sir Makoto was aiming for us to fight Demon Lord Bifrons. The demon lord was a terrifying opponent, and also the one who’d turned me into a vampire. Surely I should be learning stronger, offensive spells?
“Many of Bifrons’s subordinates are undead,” Mel explained. “Usually, holy-aligned spells like Sun Magic would be the best counter, but...those types of magic aren’t suitable for you as a half-vampire. Controlling the battlefield will be more useful than just flinging attack magic.”
“Oh, I see...”
I sighed.
“Besides,” she continued. “We have a strategic mage on our side. We can leave the offense to him.”
“A strategic mage?” I asked, taken aback at the unfamiliar term.
“Elementalists used to be called as such. I suppose the name isn’t used anymore.”
Perhaps Anna’s ears had perked up at our conversation because she came over to join us. “You mean Makoto?” she asked.
I wondered the same thing. “Teacher Mel, what’s strategic magic?”
“Magic that focuses on destroying towns or entire countries...” Mel murmured. “It was also known as indiscriminate massacring magic.”
“Huh?!”
Anna and I looked at each other, shocked. That power sounded awful.
“Strategic magic destroys all, young or old,” Mel said solemnly.
“M-Makoto wouldn’t do that!” Anna protested.
“Right!” I nodded vigorously. “Sir Makoto is a kind person!”
Teacher Mel just sighed at our rebuttal. “It is not a matter of strategic magic being able to destroy on a massive scale. Rather, the issue is that a strategic mage is unable to avoid that outcome. Elemental magic is difficult to apply with any precision. It is a final resort that engulfs all, be they ally or foe. That is the core of elemental magic.”
“But Makoto hasn’t caught us in any bad spells—” Anna cut herself off, and her eyes widened. “Oh...”
“Did you forget Labyrinthos, Hero? You nearly died because of that Undyne, did you not?”
Anna paused for a moment, then mumbled, “I did...”
“But he’s been really careful about that kind of thing ever since!” I protested.
Mel offered a small nod. “Indeed he has. He manages to use elemental magic in ways that don’t affect us...though that should be impossible.”
“I knew he was amazing!” I cheered.
Teacher Mel did not match my enthusiasm. She wore a conflicted expression. “The magic we manipulate is, fundamentally, an imitation of the gods’ miracles. Given how much power he possesses, he must have some kind of blessing.”
“But he said he didn’t believe in a god, right?” Anna asked, her tone stern.
Why did Anna’s words sound like a rebuke? I don’t really believe in any god either.
“Being a nonbeliever is one thing,” said Mel, “but that isn’t all. The goddesses that rule the divine realm hate elemental magic.”
Anna tilted her head, eyes brimming with curiosity. “They...do?”
I was just as curious. What did she mean by “hate”?
“Using elemental magic causes too much destruction to the environment. It’s like purposefully calling up a natural disaster. As time has passed, those with the ability have decreased in number, and the goddesses have stopped giving out the skill.”
“But Makoto was given his duty by Althena,” I pointed out.
“He certainly said so.” There was a frown on Teacher Mel’s face. She put a hand to her chin in thought, and several long moments passed. Eventually, she spoke again. “I believe he may not be of this world.”
“Not of this world?” Anna repeated.
“Wh-What do you mean?”
“I draw this conclusion based on a few observations,” Mel explained. “After speaking with him, I’ve realized that he seems somehow lacking in knowledge about the ways of our world. He also wields a form of elemental magic that seems almost mutated. These characteristics match perfectly with those of the otherworlders that appear every few hundred years.”
Anna gasped. “Makoto is—”
“An otherworlder?” I finished.
It wasn’t a word I’d ever even imagined hearing. I was struggling to keep up.
“This is just my assumption,” Mel reiterated. “I could well be wrong. If you are curious, then you should ask him yourself.”
“Aren’t you curious?” I wondered.
“I am. But if he decides not to say anything, perhaps it is better to let things remain hidden.”
“Hrm...”
I wanted to know. I wanted to know everything about him. Okay! I’ll ask him about it all when he gets back.
Oh yeah—he still hadn’t finished that book he’d been reading so often when we’d first met. In between bouts of training, I’d started to learn how to read. Maybe he’ll let me borrow it someday.
The following days were spent training and waiting for Sir Makoto to return.
“You seem forlorn, Anna,” I said.
“Ye— Gah! No...I just...”
“Just admit it already. You love him.”
“N-No! I respect him, but it’s nothing like that!”
“You were talking about him in your sleep.”
“Wha?! I-I wasn’t! I wasn’t, right? Momo!”
“Who knows?” I snickered. Honestly, all she’d done was let his name slip while she’d been dreaming. It was funny to watch her panic though, so I didn’t elaborate.
Finally, the day came when Sir Makoto was scheduled to return. Teacher Mel had gone out to fetch him. As I waited for them to get back, I fidgeted anxiously.
Then, I heard a noise.
He’s back! Anna and I rushed out to meet him, but the sight that greeted us was...unexpected.
His face was dark—his eyes were hollow. Anna and I were completely lost for words. I’ve never seen him like this before... His clothes, which usually looked so nice, were ragged. He meandered toward the temple, dragging his feet.
“Um...Sir Makoto?” I called out hesitantly. He didn’t reply at all. Instead, he collapsed into his bed.
What happened?!
◇ Anna’s Perspective ◇
“Mmmm... Yeah, that ain’t happening. I’m not gonna be able to beat that,” Makoto grumbled.
He was still in his bed. It’d been a whole two days since he’d gotten back, and he’d been like this the whole time.
“Sir Makoto...are you thirsty?” Momo asked, her voice full of devotion. She held out a cup. “Here, have some water.”
“Mm. Thanks, Momo.” He took a sip and let her fawn over him.
Momo giggled. “Was it good? I’ll make breakfast this morning.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
“No problem! After all, you’ve been pushing yourself this whole time. There, there.” She stroked his hair, cooing at him.
My, Momo is starting to dote on a man... Is this a good thing?
From behind us, an exasperated voice spoke up. “What’s gotten into you, Elementalist?”
“Lady Helemmelk,” I said, turning to her.
“This is supposed to be the man who will battle Demon Lord Bifrons a year hence! Pathetic...”
“Well, he’s like this because he had a terrifying experience at the Seafloor Temple—”
Mel cut off my defense. “I know, but he needs to get over it.”
She approached him, and before I could register what was happening, she delivered a swift kick. Makoto rolled off his bed and fell to the floor.
“Ow.” He was grumbling, but it didn’t look like she’d hurt him all that much.
“Teacher Mel! What are you doing?!” Momo demanded angrily.
“Enough spinelessness! Are you the man that forced me to follow you or not?!”
Makoto was silent for a moment, then said, “I’ll be up in a minute.” He stretched with a grunt and stood. Compared to his pallid complexion from a couple of days ago, his face had much more color now.
“Um...Makoto?” I asked cautiously. “What in the world happened?” He hadn’t actually given all that many specifics.
“Ah, well, about that...” He scratched his cheek before launching into an absolutely ridiculous explanation.
“You...ran into the Divine Beast Leviathan...” Lady Helemmelk’s jaw hung open in shock.
“Is a divine beast that horrifying?” I asked.
“Well, it was pretty tough,” said Makoto, “but there was a bigger problem...”
“What?”
“I apologize, my liege...” Dia the Undyne materialized next to him. Her usual haughtiness was completely gone. She almost seemed smaller.
“There was...a barrier that blocked all elemental magic,” Makoto explained.
“Huh?!” Momo exclaimed. “Then what happened to her?!”
Dia reluctantly answered. “I couldn’t get close. The barrier was constructed by Neptus, and it refuses all elementals! Those damned Olympians! When our leader is back—”
“Okay, Dia, that’s enough!” Makoto exclaimed. He shoved his hands over her mouth and seemed to be panicking slightly.
Neptus was one of the higher gods—Althena’s uncle. He had put up a barrier against elementals?
“Um, well, since Dia can’t help, are you giving up on beating the temple?” Momo asked.
Dia screeched an inarticulate protest and lunged for Momo.
“Hey! It’s just the truth!” Momo argued.
Makoto sighed heavily. “Don’t fight, you two. I’m still going to try. I just can’t come up with any way around this. Not having elemental magic is too extreme.”
I noticed that his tone of voice seemed practically back to normal. Maybe he was fully recovered.
That was when Lady Helemmelk broke in. “Waitwaitwaitwait! E-Elementalist! Do you know what you’re doing?! That’s the Divine Beast Leviathan! A weapon used by the gods in the interstellar war! You can’t measure up!”
Momo and I stared blankly at her. I’d never heard of an “interstellar” war before. Was she talking about the Titanomachy fairy tale?
“I know. Ir—a goddess told me.” His face twisted in disgust. “Apparently, Leviathan has the capability to alter the sea level of the entire planet. It was one of the three main offensive powers used in that war. I didn’t think I’d be able to fight it. Just, y’know, slip past or something.”
“‘Think’ my tail!” Mel said angrily. “That thing fought even the Titans and outer gods! A demon lord would be nothing in comparison!”
“And unfortunately, I found that out firsthand...” Makoto mumbled. “Well, I’ll do my best not to cause you any issues.”
“Enraging it would destroy the world! What were you thinking?”
“Don’t worry, I won’t go picking a fight.”
“Really?” Mel looked at him suspiciously. “Fine, then.”
I couldn’t follow their conversation entirely, but I could at least understand one thing—Makoto had faced an extremely powerful adversary, and yet he still hadn’t given up on his goal.
Makoto straightened and turned to Momo. “Let’s get some training in, shall we?”
“Aww, let me pamper you more,” she whined. “Look, you can lie in my lap.”
“I can’t sleep any more. I’ve already had at least a week’s worth.”
Momo smiled. “Awww, you’re really back now”
“How were things while I was gone?” Makoto asked.
“Hee hee hee. Just you wait. It’s been going perfectly—you’ll be surprised!”
The two of them kept talking as they walked off.
“For the love of...” Lady Helemmelk sighed in relief as she sank down in a chair and started brewing herself some tea.
I hesitated, not knowing what to do, but I eventually decided to follow Makoto and Momo to their training spot. I could hear their voices coming from outside. However, once they came into view, I was immediately taken aback.
“Uh?”
“Clone! And...Teleport!”
Momo split into seven copies of herself and then proceeded to break the laws of physics over her knee. That is, she teleported. Over and over, the clones attacked Makoto.
I can only barely follow what’s going on! When did Momo get so good with her magic?!
What came next was even more incredible.
“Water Magic: Water Gaol,” Makoto cast. He showed not a single hint of concern about Momo’s onslaught. Water rapidly rushed around him and caught all seven of the Momos.
“Gyah! All of them?! I attacked from your blind spot, though! How?!”
“That was close—pretty good offense, Momo.”
“It wasn’t close at all! How’d you do that?!”
“Well, I used my 360-degree vision and Mind Accel. Also, I can deploy my water spells quickly.”
“Mrrghm, I thought I’d manage to surprise you!”
“You did.”
“No, I didn’t, not even close! You watched my ultimate move without even blinking!”
“That’s fine,” Makoto assured her. “Not even the gods can break my Calm Mind.”
“Considering how down in the dumps you were after a little setback in the sea, I doubt that!” Momo said petulantly.
“Don’t be like that!”
As they spoke, Momo launched off a Thunderbolt.
She cast that so quickly!
“Not good enough, little one,” Dia said, appearing at Makoto’s side to brush the lightning away.
That was supposed to be an ultra rank skill! But Dia brushed it aside like it was just some falling leaf!
Momo’s attacks continued to grow in breadth—Makoto casually sidestepped each one. He was smiling, obviously pleased by her growth.
H-Huh. Momo got really strong...
Makoto was obviously the strongest, but Lady Helemmelk was an accomplished spellcaster and had the power of an ancient dragon. W-Was I the weakest in the party?
I shouldn’t have been worrying about him! At this rate, I’ll just be a burden!
After that, I spent a lot of time training with my magic sword.
“Aren’t you sleeping?” I asked.
Despite the late hour, Makoto was still training his water magic.
“I slept yesterday. I’ll be fine.”
“U-Uh...okay?” Was he kidding? It didn’t sound like it, and that made it all the scarier.
“Phwaaahhh...” Dia yawned. “I’m heading to sleep, my liege.”
“Sure. Night, Dia.”
See, even she was sleeping! Momo had long since passed out as well. A vampire being early to bed and early to rise didn’t seem quite right... Lady Helemmelk had a proper sleep schedule too. Makoto was the one with the most inhuman sleep patterns.
“How is your training going, Ab—Anna?”
I gulped at the question. I was still thinking of how to answer as I sat down by his side.
“Anna?” He sounded confused. I leaned slightly into his shoulder.
“Honestly, I’m at a loss,” I admitted weakly, resting my head on him. I wondered if he might put an arm around my shoulders, but he didn’t. He did, however, stop his casting and look down at me.
“I heard you can use Sword of Light now.”
I let a few seconds of silence pass, then murmured, “I can. Only for a few seconds, though.”
That was the one attack that had worked on Demon Lord Cain in Labyrinthos. When I was in the sun, I could muster up just enough for a single strike. After that, I had to wait a while before I could use it again. It honestly seemed like the skill would be all but useless in a real battle.
Makoto seemed to think differently, though. A wicked, scheming grin spread across his face. “That’s enough.”
“Enough?” I didn’t understand. Surely a few seconds of Sword of Light would be of little use.
“Johnnie and the others will deal with the demon lord’s subordinates. As for his aides, Setekh and Sciulli, well...Mel and I will deal with them. So the only real issue is Bifrons. I could borrow power from Dia and her sisters. Lower my lifespan again.”
“Um, Makoto?”
“Look, you just need to be ready to use the Sword of Light. I’ll make sure the demon lord can’t dodge.”
I was silent. Was he being serious?
The words “You’re kidding, right?” nearly passed my lips, but the look on his face stopped them in my throat. There was no hint of levity in his eyes, nor any eagerness. This whole situation just...wasn’t a big deal to him. That’s what his gaze was telling me.
What in the world was he? He was different from anyone I’d ever met. It felt like he—and he alone—saw this demon-infested world in a different light.
My heart pounded.
I’d been thinking about him the entire time he’d been away. And after he’d returned, I hadn’t been able to keep my eyes off him.
Since the death of my mentor, I’d been crying myself to sleep every night. But...that hadn’t been the case recently. Instead, I thought of him and felt myself calm down.
Momo had teased me, and I’d denied it. I...might not be able to keep that up, though. If we win...I’ll say it...but...
For now, I’d focus on my duty. I would master Sword of Light, the technique that no one else could use. With that, I’d fulfill the dearest wish of the woman who had raised me: hand this continent back over to the humans.
If that happens, I’ll tell Makoto how I feel.
◇
In the year that followed, Momo and I trained as much as we could.
Lady Helemmelk taught us magic. I used memories of the Hero of Fire to bolster my swordplay, and I prayed to Althena. Momo got stronger and stronger. Makoto helped Momo with her training and offered me advice. Occasionally, he ventured to the Seafloor Temple.
The days passed until it was finally time...
Time to bring the fight to the demon lord.
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