Chapter 3: Makoto Takatsuki Receives a Revelation
My eyes slowly opened.
Above me was a dimly lit ceiling. My body felt heavy, and I couldn’t really remember what had happened. I’d been fighting...we’d been in trouble, and...
“So you’re awake, Makoto Takatsuki.”
Someone called my name. I looked in the direction of the voice and saw a short girl with gray hair. That was the Priestess of Fate, which meant...
“Ira?”
“No, I’m Estelle right now.”
“Estelle?”
I peered closely at her face. Ira was always in the driver’s seat, so I’d never talked directly with Estelle.
“Now that I think about it, we haven’t spoken before,” she said. “I thank you for your efforts in fighting the demon lord.”
I flinched. Quickly, I tried to sit up. My body felt awfully heavy, though.
“Guh!”
“No. Stop trying to rush,” Estelle commanded. “You were stabbed and he cut off your arm.”
The memories were flooding back to me now. We’d gone to fight Bifrons. We’d picked the best time of day possible, but his spell had caused us some issues. Then...
Right, I did get a scythe through the heart. My arm was cut off too.
When I checked, I could feel my heart beating, and I had both arms. I breathed a sigh of relief. More questions started to bubble up in my mind.
“What happened after I passed out?” I asked her. “Where are we? Also, where is Ira?”
Estelle smiled at my rapid-fire questions. Her expression was rather soft. She really did act differently than Ira.
“I’ll answer those one at a time. First, thanks to your efforts and the return of the sunlight, Demon Lord Bifrons was defeated by the Hero of Light—just as history originally dictated. Your achievements have also granted you a hundred years of lifespan, so rest assured.”
I slowly turned the words over in my head. It took a moment to understand what she meant. The demon lord...was dead?
“I...see...”
I let out a deep sigh. We’d managed to accomplish our divine duty... Whew.
Though, I do wish I’d seen it...
I’d heard the story of the legendary savior defeating the demon lord over and over in the Water Temple. It was a shame I hadn’t gotten to witness it for myself. That would have made a good story to tell to Lucy and Sasa.
“You seem to be rather easygoing about all of this,” Estelle remarked. She sighed in exasperation. “Did you not realize? It’s been three days since you nearly died.”
“Three days?!”
It’d been that long? Well, at least that explained why I felt so lethargic.
“As for your next question—we are in the town of Labyrinthos. The ancient dragons led by Lady Helemmelk brought everyone back. The citizens are in the middle of celebrating the demon lord’s death.”
“Huh...”
Now that she mentioned it, I realized I could hear noise in the distance.
What...? Everyone was in the middle of a party while I’d been passed out? I felt kinda sad about that, but it would have been weirder if there wasn’t some sort of satisfaction. Maybe I should go have a look-see.
“As for your third question, the Goddess Ira is—”
There was a sudden crash, and I heard something break.
“S-Sir Makoto?”
“Makoto?”
Momo and Anna were standing in the doorway. It seemed like they’d gone to fetch some water. The crash had been the sound of shattering cups.
So the two of them have been looking after me.
“Anna, Momo, I’m sorry for wo—”
“Aah!”
“Makoto! I’m so glad you’re awake!”
They leaped at me before I could finish apologizing.
I still felt extremely weak, even more than usual, so an extra two people’s worth of body weight was intense. Still, I couldn’t really complain—I could tell from their expressions that they’d been worried the whole time I was asleep.
Still, being held by two attractive people made it rather difficult to relax. Both of their faces were so close...
I just decided to wait it out and let them hold on to me until they calmed down.
Anna let out a sigh. “I’m sorry, Makoto. I lost control. I’ll go get Lady Helemmelk and Johnnie. Everyone’s been worried.”
With that, Anna left the room. Momo was still latched on to me.
“I’m so happy,” she said tearily. “You’re alive...”
I stroked her hair.
Estelle gazed at us. “Makoto Takatsuki, we can always continue this later.”
“No need,” I replied. “What happened after I passed out?”
I wanted the details. However, before the conversation could go any further...
“Makoto!”
“Elementalist!”
“Sir Makoto!”
The locals were piling into the room one after another. Johnnie and Mel were there too.
“Everyone was worried,” Estelle insisted with a smile. “You should speak with them.”
I wasn’t steady on my feet, but I managed to follow them out. It’ll count as physio, I guess.
As I stepped outside, a cheer sprung up all around me.
“The hero awakens!”
“Savior!”
“Vanquisher of the demon lord!”
Uh, no, that wasn’t me...
I looked around and saw Anna smiling at me. I wasn’t even technically the hero here. It felt like I was cheating...but that was probably fine?
“You were instrumental in the battle,” Estelle whispered into my ear. “Everyone in the town feels that way.”
She must’ve read my mind.
“I just did what I could, though.”
“And yet your actions saved all of us.”
Apparently, everyone here was far more grateful than I thought.
People gathered gradually around me. I mentioned feeling kinda hungry since it’d been three days since I’d last eaten. Before long, what was essentially a mountain of food was piled in front of me.
Food was a precious resource for us...and they were even letting the alcohol flow free. By the time I had even started to process everything, I’d become the center of the party.
People were asking about the Fate Magic spell I’d used against the demon lord.
Well, it’s not like I can tell them that I used Synchro with Ira. They’d think I was nuts. Instead, I just talked around it. I knew that staying in one place would just get me bombarded with questions, so I circulated and talked to the others. The first person I came across was Johnnie, the chief of the town. He was surrounded by beautiful women of various races.
“Sir Makoto! The girls of the town are all crazy about you. You can have whichever of them you like as your bride.”
I laughed awkwardly.
For once, he was being rather talkative, and I couldn’t quite tell whether he was joking or being serious—hence why I laughed off his comment.
I found Mel next.
“Elementalist! What a man you are! I’ve never seen such excitement in all my years!”
“It’s an honor to hear it.”
She was eating with the other ancient dragons, and I could tell that she was also rather excited.
“You guys need to be more like him!” she told the other dragons at her table.
“Don’t ask for so much, mother...”
“That was divine rank magic...” another complained.
Maybe Mel was tipsy too.
The third stop on my tour of the party was the gathering of heroes. Momo was with them as well.
“Thanks to you, Sir Makoto, we fulfilled the promise we made to our comrade,” said Volf.
“I wish we could have celebrated it with her...” Julietta murmured.
The two of them seemed rather downtrodden.
“None of that, you two! We’re celebrating,” Anna said brightly.
This whole situation was the exact opposite of when we’d first met—Volf and Julietta were now glum, while Anna offered optimism.
Momo let out a gusty sigh. “I still can’t believe it,” she said, sitting dazedly on her chair.
All her energy seemed to have vanished now that I’d woken up—it’d been replaced by relief.
I felt bad, so I sat down next to her.
“Makoto,” Anna whispered into my ear. “I want to speak with you later when you’ve got some time...”
“Sure.”
The look on her face was meaningful but otherwise utterly unreadable. I wonder what she wants to talk about. Maybe she wants to thank me for my help.
Now that I was finished visiting everyone, I felt kind of tired, so I stood up. The party around me was still in full swing.
I activated my Stealth skill and moved away. The lake was quieter than the festivities, so I slowly made my way toward the shore. When I got close, I heard a splash and a scream.
Huh? Someone fell in? Maybe they’d slipped thanks to all the alcohol. I turned to call for someone, but everyone was busy with the party. Not really a problem—I can save a drowning person.
I rushed over toward the lake, which was dark enough that I couldn’t really see.
“Dia,” I called out.
She appeared beside me instantly with a smile on her face. “Yes, my liege? I’m glad to see you awake again.”
“Someone fell in the lake! Find them quickly.”
“Of course!” she chirped before suddenly rocking back in confusion. “Huh? I can’t see anyone.”
Dia should be able to identify what’s going on in the whole lake at once. But I’m sure I heard something fall...
That was when someone came staggering into the area.
“Hrmm... I drank too muuuuch,” the elf sing-songed. If I was remembering right, this was Johnnie’s daughter. She looked like Lucy, and her behavior was similar too—Lucy often insisted on drinking a lot even though she couldn’t hold her booze.
I was a little worried about the girl, so I moved closer to speak to her. Suddenly, she slipped and yelped.
“Water Magic: Walk on Water!”
I cast my spell immediately, stopping her from falling into the lake. Once she was stable, I asked, “Are you okay?”
“Wha? H-Huh...Sir Makoto? Ah, this is so embarrassing...”
“You need to be careful around here.” I turned, shifting to go and investigate the rest of the lake. But I didn’t make it far.
“Sir Makoto...” she murmured, pressing herself—mainly her chest—into me. “Um...I’m a little tipsy... Would you take me back to my room?”
“Uh...”
Her large eyes peered up at me, and it felt like I was looking straight at Lucy. The suggestive sight seemed to affect me more than it usually did. Maybe I’m homesick... If Noah were around, she’d be ranting about how I shouldn’t turn down an invitation like this.
“Am I...not your type?” asked the girl.
I couldn’t stand being looked at like that. A denial slipped past my lips, and she blushed happily.
“Then, if you’ll come this way,” she said, tugging my arm.
“Makotooo.”
“Sir Makotooo.”
Anna and Momo were suddenly right next to me.
“O-Oh. Hero, Lady Momo. I-I was just...”
“She nearly slipped into the lake since she’s had a bit too much to drink. I was going to take her to her room,” I explained, making sure none of it was technically a lie.
“I’ll take her,” Anna said.
“Ah, I was going to go with Sir Ma—”
“No! He’s tired!”
And with that, they were gone.
“You go along with things rather easily, don’t you?” Momo asked with a side-eyed glare.
She must have overheard the conversation.
“There’s a bigger problem,” I said, changing the topic. “I think someone fell in the lake.”
“What?! That’s awful.”
I told her about the splash I’d heard, and as I was doing so, Dia appeared again.
“My liege, I searched the entire lake. There is no one there. I am sure of it.”
“Right. Thanks, Dia.”
No one had fallen in. So, what had I heard?
There was only one explanation I could think of; the elf girl would have fallen into the lake.
So... Fate Magic...Future Sight...
I’d heard about this from Furiae. She had talked about Future Sight activating without her trying to use it. But my Fate Magic was only low rank, so I shouldn’t have been able to use that spell at all.
What had happened?
“Um...Sir Makoto?”
“Momo,” I turned to her. “I’m tired now, so I’m going to rest in the room.”
“I’ll join you!”
The two of us headed back to our room. It had been so long since we’d been here. I intended to sleep on the floor like before, but Momo wouldn’t hear of it. Since I’d only just recovered, she insisted on me using the bed. I couldn’t make a girl sleep on the floor, though.
It was less of a bother to just share the small bed. Though it was a bit cramped, I soon fell asleep.
◇
I woke up.
No...I’m not awake. I’m...dreaming.
It wasn’t an ordinary dream, though. This also wasn’t Noah’s space. It was somewhere unfamiliar, an area where an expensive-looking carpet seemed to stretch out forever. Bizarrely, there were doors and bookshelves scattered around the area.
Loads of books littered the floor. It was far from what you’d call a “tidy” area.
Still, these things weren’t what most drew my attention—that honor went to the cute stuffed animals. There were bears, rabbits, cats, dogs, and so on, all moving and busily working. It was almost like they were alive.
I was watching them carry on vacantly when a white rabbit came over to me. It bowed, then gestured like it wanted me to follow. I considered for a moment but then decided to go along after it.
We passed by other plushies working away until finally, we stopped. Our destination was a fancy-looking desk and chair that must have belonged to this area’s ruler.
Sprawled out across this desk was a short girl.
She was breathing softly. Mountains of little bottles were scattered around her feet. I picked one up and peered at it. The label read “Yunker.”
So these were from Earth...and she’d drunk way too many. It made her look like a worker who’d been crunching overtime for ages.
The rabbit that had shown me here was gone, so with nothing else to do, I spoke to the sleeping girl.
“Um...Ira?”
She shot up suddenly, her eyes darting around the area. “Hwah?! No! I wasn’t sleeping! Don’t tell my sist— Oh, Makoto Takatsuki?” Once she saw my face, her expression calmed down. “S-So you’re finally here. You did well in the fight against the demon lord. I called you here to talk.”
She crossed her dainty legs, then floated up into the air to look down at me. Well, I was in front of a goddess, so I figured I should at least drop to one knee and bow my head.
I did need to talk, but first, there was something else I was concerned about.
Should I mention the trail of drool on her face?
“Forget the drool,” she snapped, wiping her face as her cheeks reddened.
Oh, right, she could read my mind—trying to be polite about it was pointless.
“So, what did you want to talk about?” I asked, remaining on one knee. I lifted my head and saw that her slender legs were right in front of me. Considering the angle, I should’ve been able to see right up her skirt, but unfortunately, her divine techniques meant I couldn’t. Apparently, she used the same power that Noah did.
“Where are you looking?!” she demanded. Her cheeks were cherry red now as she tugged her skirt down.
“Well, you were floating in the air, so the opportunity was right in front of me.” I’d thought she was doing it on purpose.
“I wouldn’t do that! Wait, I’ll make us somewhere to sit!”
She snapped her fingers. A massive thud shook the ground, and an enormous bed with a canopy fell from the sky.
“Whoa!” A-Amazing...
She sat on the bed and then patted the area next to her. “Come on, sit down!”
“Um...”
Was she doing this on purpose? Did she want me to sit next to her on the bed?
You know that if you ask for that, you’ll give a guy the wrong idea...
“What?!” exclaimed Ira. “Are you planning to make a move on me? If you try it, they’ll deal with you.”
“They?”
I looked up and saw a group of stuffed animals holding a huge pair of scissors. Their blank eyes were fixed on me.
S-Scary...
I wouldn’t have had the courage to try and make a move anyway, but I immediately sat down and made sure there was plenty of distance between Ira and me.
“Now then, Makoto Takatsuki.” she said with a smile that gave me chills. Her crystalline eyes peered at me. Now that I was seeing her up close, I couldn’t deny that Ira was inhumanly beautiful.
“Y-Yes, Ira?” I stammered.
“Well done defeating the demon lord.”
“There were a bunch of surprises...” I pointed out.
She gave a long pause, and a sour look passed over her face. “There were.”
“You can see the future, can’t you? Did you not see it coming?” If we’d known about Bifrons’s trick ahead of time, we could have come up with another plan.
“I-I’m sorry. But...that thing he used was strange. He shouldn’t have been capable of such a feat. Someone else is manipulating things behind the scenes.”
“A Daemon?” I asked. Iblis was apparently Typhon’s apostle, so it would make sense for him to borrow power to then lend to his subordinates.
“The Daemons don’t tend to play the long game using time manipulation to trap their opponents. They’re far more likely to just obliterate everything. This isn’t like them... It could be some other divinity.” Ira put a hand to her chin and trailed off into mutters for a moment. Then, she spoke up again. “When the day and night reversal happened, I checked thousands of futures. In every one of them, I could see the Hero of Light falling. I thought it was over...”
“It’s a good thing I used Synchro with you, then.”
“You just...” She held her head in her hands before continuing. “Do you know how dangerous that was? People like Estelle who can withstand being a goddess’s avatar are one in several million. An untrained human would lose their mind instantly if they tried it. That is partly why I brought you here today...”
Huh. Losing my mind didn’t sound like fun at all. “What do you mean?”
“The difference between a weak mortal and an immortal divinity with an eternal body is too extreme. Your body and sanity must have been affected, so I’m going to check.”
Without further ado, she started patting me down.
“Wh— Hey! That tickles,” I protested.
“Deal with it.”
Sh-She’s just... I’d mentioned it several times, but Ira was really beautiful. She was also right on top of me, touching me. Calm Mind. Calm Mind...
“Oh...?” She frowned.
“What is it?”
“This is strange. I can’t see anything different about you. Have you felt unwell or anything? Maybe you’ve lost some memories?”
“Hmm...”
I’d felt sluggish at first since I’d slept for three days, but other than that, nothing. My memories were all clear as well.
But then, I remembered something.
“Oh, actually...” I proceeded to explain how I’d “heard the future” near the lake in Labyrinthos.
“What? The future? The low rank version of Fate Magic I gave you shouldn’t let you do that.”
“Exactly. It was weird.”
“Hmm. You don’t have more mana than you did before, and your skills are just the same...” She trailed off there, pausing for a long time. Then, her eyes went wide. “Wha?”
“What is it, Ira?”
“You have...anima. Why? Wait, is this mine? No way, how...?” She didn’t answer my question, just inspected me with a harsh expression. “Here!” she exclaimed, suddenly grabbing my arm and hauling my sleeve up.
“Ow!”
There was a glowing blue crest on my arm. I’d gotten it in Great Keith when the comet had been falling.
“That’s...”
“The crest Noah drew?” Ira finished.
I nodded. “It is.”
When I’d failed to change my arm into an elemental, my magic had gone berserk. Noah had given me that crest to stop it from happening again.
“I know what you did in Great Keith. I am also aware of how Eir helped Noah temporarily manifest to stop her believer—you. But...this crest is multilayered. It’s also really well hidden.”
“Ira...what does it do?” I asked uneasily. Noah was always plotting away, but this was some weird spell she’d put on me.
Ira spoke slowly. “To assist...in using Synchro with the Goddess of Fate.”
Her words echoed in my head. It was to help Synchro with her... In other words, exactly what I’d just done. I’d thought I had managed to do it on my own, but apparently, my goddess had helped.
“Well, that’s Noah for you,” I said happily. The crest had been a literal lifesaver.
“What are you talking about?! It’s impossible! The whole thing was a sequence of anomalies! No one could have foreseen it.”
“Maybe Noah just thought it sounded like something I’d do.”
I’d spent a lot of time with my goddess, so it seemed fairly likely that she’d be able to guess what I’d do and help me out.
“Sure, experiencing how you act in real time—that seems possible. But then why hide this power in the crest? Did she somehow see what would happen today? That’s not...”
Ira once again trailed off into incoherent mumbling. Only one feeling filled my heart.
“Noah...thank you.” I wasn’t her believer right now, but I still held the dagger in front of my chest and offered her a prayer.
“This is my temple, and you’re praying to another goddess?”
“Ah... Sorry.”
Ira sighed. “Well, whatever. I don’t like relying on her for help, but we dealt with the demon lord using that Synchro. In terms of results, everything went well. Now, we need to discuss our next plans.”
“Right, Ira.” I straightened.
“Bad news first. I’ve been forbidden from descending to my priestess.”
“Oh...”
I’d been surprised that Estelle had been there when I’d awoken. Apparently, that was because Ira herself was now forbidden from coming down here.
“That’s...my fault, isn’t it?” I asked.
“The time magic you cast...was against divine law,” she said, her tone surprisingly light. “A mortal should’ve never been allowed to cast it. This is the penalty for that.”
“Sorry,” I apologized again.
“Don’t worry about it. The alternative would have meant me missing chances to manipulate time...and that could have led to the Hero of Light’s death. And as far as punishments go, this one is mild—I could’ve lost my title instead. Being stuck up here is nothing compared to having to start over as an apprentice.”
That was a surprise. So she wasn’t that angry about losing her ability to descend to the mortal realm. However, she could have lost her rank as a goddess? Things were complicated no matter what world you were in, apparently.
“Besides, I gave you that communication necklace,” said Ira. “We can continue to talk through that, just as we have so far.”
I nodded. “Got it.”
“Okay, next.” She folded her arms and looked at me meaningfully.
“What is it?” I asked.
She seemed to hesitate. More bad news.
“That...depends on how you take it. It is related to you, though.” I straightened again, waiting for her to continue. “Hero Abel— No, Saint Anna, I suppose...has fallen for you.”
It took me a few moments to respond, and even then it was with a flat “What?”
Did Ira really want to talk romance? No, this conversation had to be about something more important. I waited to see what she’d say next.
“In the original timeline, Hero Abel’s awakening was due to the Hero of Fire’s death. Just before Olga died while fighting Bifrons, she told him to live and be strong, and that she was proud of him. That was what made him awaken as the Hero of Light”
“I...know that.”
This was a famous legend, but right now...
“However, in this timeline, the Hero of Fire was cut down by Cain before she could give him those words. Thus, the opportunity for Abel’s awakening was lost. Recently, though, he has awoken to that strength. Do you know why?”
“Well...”
I knew what she wanted to say.
“I am sure you have already realized, but you are the hero’s emotional support now.”
I couldn’t really deny it. It was an honor, but this was the savior of the world we were talking about...
“And,” Ira continued, “Anna said she wanted to talk to you later, didn’t she?”
“She did... But how do you know?”
“I saw her future. I won’t give you specifics, but you should respond to her feelings as best as you can.”
“What do you even mean best as—”
Ira cut me off. “She’s going to confess to you.”
“Wha?” I thought you weren’t supposed to say that kind of thing out loud?! “Ira...”
“What’s with that look? It’s far better for you to know in advance than for the information to come out of left field. All right, make sure you don’t reject her.”
I couldn’t hide my unease. “B-But I...”
“I know. You have partners waiting for you in the future, and you won’t stay in this era. It doesn’t need to be true...but do answer her feelings. At least until the Great Demon Lord is defeated.”
I fell silent.
The entire reason I was here in the past was to save the world. I didn’t have the luxury of being picky with my methods...but could I trick Anna like that? Was that something that could even be allowed within a party? I would be playing with her heart...
“Makoto Takatsuki.” She looked seriously at me, taking my hands in her much smaller pair. “I understand your discomfort...but only you can do this.”
“That’s not fair.” I sighed, then started to plan. How to be as honest as possible—how to avoid hurting her.
“Thank you,” she said in relief.
I had to admit though, Ira was serious. Noah or Eir would be egging me on—they’d be calling me a lucky bastard right about now for having someone like Anna fall for me.
As soon as I thought that, Ira made a strangled noise. She had an odd look on her face. “I suppose I might be too serious. My sisters were always telling me to relax, even before I became a goddess...”
“Did you hear it that often...?”
That was pretty much how she’d acted while she’d been staying with us mortals. Though Ira was flighty, she was also reliable.
“Hey! Don’t say that! I’m doing my best.”
“I do rely on you, don’t I? So, what’s next?”
We’d gotten a bit off-topic, so I pulled us back. There was still lots to do before we could defeat the Great Demon Lord himself, and I’d never even seen hide nor hair of him.
There was silence.
“Ira?”
She didn’t immediately answer—just looked away. She had something on her mind to talk about...but was it really that difficult to say? I really didn’t want to deal with anything heavier than the conversation about Anna...
“Um... Will you hear me out, even after my mistake with Bifrons?” she asked, looking up at me.
“I will. About anything.”
“Really?”
Her face broke into a smile. That was just unfairly cute. Her cuteness...no, it was her reliability that made me somehow trust her. After all, we’d defeated the demon lord thanks to Ira’s advice. I wanted to work with her to overcome the situation here in the past.
I didn’t say any of this aloud, but that’s what I’d decided in my heart.
Ira seemed to make up her mind—she opened her mouth to speak.
“Makoto Takatsuki... Will you go and defeat Iblis?”
That...was the last thing I expected her to say.
“Defeat Iblis?” I asked. “But we struggled enough with just a demon lord...”
When I’d first arrived in the past, I’d been prepared to set my sights on Iblis as soon as I had the party together. Indeed, I’d been desperate to finish my mission and search for a method to return to my present.
But now...I honestly wasn’t so confident. Bifrons had been a truly horrifying opponent, and Iblis had nine other demon lords as his retainers. As things currently stood, I doubted we could win.
Ira must have read my mind because she offered me a soft smile. “I understand how you feel. However, what you’re thinking isn’t the case right now. Things are as good as they could be.”
“I don’t get what—”
Before I could finish off with “you mean,” Ira put her hand on my cheek. Her skin was warm against mine.
Fate Miracle: Resonance.
I heard a beautiful voice, and Ira’s body—and mine—started to glow in all colors of the rainbow. What was this?
“Only those with anima can react to that spell,” she explained. “In other words, you currently possess the power of the gods.”
“What?!”
I had anima?! I hadn’t realized that at all.
“I told you. Using Synchro with a goddess would normally make you lose your sanity. It should’ve put you in a vegetative state, and at the very least, it would have interfered with your mind and body. And yet, you have shown no sign of that.”
“Because of Noah’s crest, right?”
“Indeed. And along with her miracle comes the side effect of possessing anima.”
“Is that...going to cause a problem?” The whole “vegetative state” thing didn’t sound good in any way, shape, or form.
Ira shook her head. “No. You’ll be fine. I hate to admit it, but it’s just what I’d expect from her skill. The anima is contained to prevent any negative influence on you.”
I gave a mental hum. So Noah had thought of that too...
“All right,” I said. “So I get that I have anima. Will that be enough to help us defeat Iblis?”
“Anima” sounded strong as a concept, but I doubted I was like Sakurai or Anna.
Ira let out an exasperated sigh and then shook her head. “Think of it this way—having anima means you have infinite life and an invulnerable body.”
Infinite and invulnerable. It certainly sounded impressive, but...
“I don’t quite get it.”
“It’s like you’ve got that Super Star skill your friend has, except it’s constantly active. As things stand, you’d make a good match for Alec, the Hero of the Sun.”
I gawked at her. “But that’s ridiculous!” Sasa had used her skill to knock out the Hero of Incandescence in a single hit. And Alexander had blasted away Sakurai, the Hero of Light.
I had that kind of power?!
“I’m not surprised that you can’t believe it. You can’t even feel the anima.” Ira frowned, then started muttering again. “Why would Noah do this? To hide it from us and the Daemons, maybe? But then, surely no one would have realized... So did she make sure that I would notice? That’s impossible.”
I used half an ear to listen to her as I looked at my hands. I certainly didn’t feel strong—especially not ridiculously strong. Curious, I quickly whipped out my Soul Book.
Wh-What the?!
All of my stats just said “Unknown.”
“A Soul Book is used to measure a mortal’s power. It can’t calculate anything with anima,” Ira explained.
R-Right... So my body really had changed.
“In that case...”
Could I truly defeat Iblis now? Thank you, Noah!
“There are things you need to be aware of, of course,” Ira said, pulling me back down to reality. “You won’t remain like this forever. A human having anima is an anomaly, so the power will gradually weaken.”
“I see. And if I wanted to resupply...”
“You would need to leave the mortal realm.”
“I understand.” Knowing all this, it made sense why this would be the best time to fight Iblis. “Can we win?” I asked.
“You aren’t to go racing off alone. At least take Anna with you.”
“Ah. So that’s why you brought up Anna earlier, huh?”
The reason she’d said I couldn’t reject Anna was that we needed her to fight Iblis.
Ira pointed a finger at me. “You have reclaimed the holy sword Balamung from Bifrons’s castle. It used to be the Hero of Fire’s weapon—have the Hero of Light wield it. That, combined with you and your anima... Well, I’m sure you can win!”
Huh. I hadn’t known about the sword until now. Balamung...
“That’s the sword Sasa broke, right?” I remembered the tournament in Great Keith. It hadn’t seemed all that strong to me.
“Y-Your friends are just weird! What’s with that Super Star?!”
“Well, I’ve gotta agree with that...”
“Anyway! You happen to have anima now, so we need to make good use of it!”
“I see...” I felt like I understood the strategy Ira was going for. Then, suddenly, an idea sparked in my mind. “If I went in like this...do you think I could challenge the Seafloor Temple?”
“Huh?” Ira’s eyes went wide.
“What do you think, Ira?”
“W-Well, with anima, there’s certainly the possibility, but— Wait! Was that Noah’s plan?!”
This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Even when I’d taken Cain, we hadn’t made any progress. However, with Anna now awakened...
“S-Say...Makoto Takatsuki... Are you serious? Are you not going to fight Iblis? If we fail here...” She tugged at my sleeve with teary eyes.
A girl with—literally—otherworldly beauty was crying in front of me. That wasn’t fair. I had to decide whether to go to Noah...or to fight Iblis.
What will you do?
Challenge the Seafloor Temple
Challenge Iblis
A screen floated in the air, just out of Ira’s eyeline. RPG Player. Every time it showed up, I was faced with really difficult decisions.
Ira was staring at me like she was an abandoned puppy. That’s a dangerous look.
After thinking it over, I picked “Challenge Iblis.”
“I wouldn’t have even known about the anima if you hadn’t told me,” I said firmly. “So I’ll follow the mission and fight Iblis. I can take my time with the temple.”
I couldn’t prioritize my own wants here. The fate of the world was at stake.
I thought Ira would be happy about the decision, but she just looked confused. “What did you just do?”
That was a weird question.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Uh... Huh? Nothing. I thought I just saw the future warp, but...I guess I was imagining things. Okay! You’ll fight Iblis! Thank goodness...”
Her expression shifted to relief. She put her hand on my shoulder and leaned into me. A pleasant scent wafted into my nose—something floral, perhaps?
She really doesn’t have any sense of personal space, huh?
Ira must have read my thoughts because her eyes darted to mine. “Are you that desperate for a woman? You’ve got so many cuties making moves on you.”
“I’m the serious type when it comes to relationships.”
“And yet I can feel you staring at my chest.”
“That flat thing?”
There was a heavy silence.
“What?” I asked.
The stuffed animals near the bed all suddenly stared at me, eyes glinting, and I could hear the snip of the scissors opening and closing.
Whoops... Touched a nerve.
“That was a lie,” I said quickly. “I was just entranced by your beauty.”
“Very well.”
Ira hummed happily, puffing her chest out. She was pretty self-conscious... Actually, maybe that was normal for goddesses. Noah was always talking about being the cutest and such.
While we’d been bantering, my surroundings had started to grow distant. I’ll be waking up soon. This conversation had been a lot to take in, so I’d need to get it all straight in my head.
“I’m counting on you, Makoto Takatsuki.”
“I won’t let you down, Ira.”
With that, I accepted her request.
◇
Momo wasn’t there when I woke up.
It was hard to tell the time in Labyrinthos, but it was probably past noon.
“I overslept...” I muttered to myself.
I got out of bed and then headed to the lake to wash up. Some people offered me a meal as I was walking there, but I declined, deciding to catch some fish myself as a bit of rehab. I wanted to test out the stuff Ira had told me about anima. For these tests, I needed to be mostly out of sight, so I headed behind one of the huge waterfalls that poured into the lake.
The roar of the water was the only noise around me—there were no signs of people. However, there were plenty of elementals. I glanced around and saw them all playing.
Just as I was thinking of what spell to cast, I heard someone call my name.
It was a familiar voice—Anna’s. Ira’s words about the confession ran through my head.
Yeah... There was no getting around a prophecy from a goddess.
Are you listening, Makoto Takatsuki?! You need to agree! Ira called out in my head.
Back again, Ira? Weren’t we just talking?
Also...Ira would be watching this. That just made it harder.
Goddess, you said that you were counting on me...so stop peeping!
I-I’m nervous about whether it’ll go well!
Apparently, she felt the need to micromanage everything.
Ira, you know you need to learn how to delegate properly, right?
Sh-Shut up! Just focus on Anna!
Haaah, fine.
Anna quickly approached me. Her cheeks were rosy, which made her look cute... I couldn’t help but see Princess Noelle, though.
“I-I wanted to talk to you!” she exclaimed.
And here it was—she was just about to confess to me, apparently.
“S-Sure...” I answered nervously.
Now, Hero Makoto Takatsuki! Win her heart!
Keep it down in there! I can’t concentrate!
And so, with Ira watching closely, the confession event began.
◇ Anna’s Perspective ◇
Several years ago, my mother’s birth village on the floating continent was attacked by the demon lord’s army. I was now spending my time in my father’s small village. Both of my parents had already passed away, and my mother’s friend was taking care of me—the Hero of Fire, Teacher Olga.
She had a fairly sturdy build for a woman.
“Ease up on the training, Abel,” she said to me, her voice concerned. “You look tired.”
I was swaying on my feet as I practiced my sword swings. She was training alongside me, but she hadn’t even broken a sweat.
“I can’t. If I’m going to avenge my parents, I need to become a strong hero like you!” I insisted. “I need to train more.”
“You’re so earnest, Abel. Just like your mother.”
She gently ran a hand through my hair. Though the weight was a reassuring presence on my head, I also felt unhappy about being treated like a child. I looked down at my arms. Unlike hers, they were spindly. Unreliable.
“Don’t get too caught up in that thinking,” she told me. “You descend from a race composed solely of women. I’ve got beastman blood, so I’m bigger and stronger. It’s just a difference in our races.”
“But...”
“Just keep at it. I’m sure you’ll be special.”
The reason she said “special” was almost certainly because of the powers inside of me—I possessed the skills of both a hero and a priestess. Apparently, there had never been another person like me, and because of my uniqueness, she had high expectations for my potential.
“I’ll get strong enough that I can protect you!”
She chuckled sadly. “You will? You’ll protect me? Well, that’s good to hear.”
My own mood dropped at the sad look on her face. She’d lost her partner to the demon lord’s armies. Apparently, the fatal blow had come in the heat of combat, and it had been meant for her. Ever since then, she’d been alone. She no longer teamed up with the other heroes—preferring to fight on her own.
She’d taken me on because she’d known my mother and because I was an orphan. Some day, I wanted to be able to fight alongside her. That was my goal.
I didn’t rest, just continued swinging my sword.
“I’ve spent all this time alone...but I hope you have comrades you can eventually let into your heart. And maybe, someday, even a lover of your own.”
Her murmur seemed to come out of nowhere.
I snorted. “That last bit’s never going to happen. Just look at my body.”
I was in the strange position of being both an avian (so, a woman) and a human (but male). Perhaps my body image played a role in this, but I’d never felt romantic affection for someone, and I was sure I never would. If I had to say, the only person I felt close to was Teacher Olga. That was more familial than anything, though.
“Are you sure? Your mother was so passionate that she crossed the boundaries of race to marry your father. And that was despite the avians being against interracial marriage. You carry her blood within you, so I’m sure you’ll meet your fated one.”
I let out a listless sigh and a meaningless acknowledgment, then directed my attention back to my sword.
“So, what traits would you want in a marriage partner?” she asked teasingly.
She was actually fond of this kind of conversation.
Marriage, though...
I couldn’t even imagine it.
“Well, first off, they’d need to be stronger than you.”
“That’ll be difficult.” She chuckled. “If you ever do find someone like that, make sure you tell them how you feel, okay? With the world how it is, who knows when you’ll ever see them again.”
“If they’re stronger than you, then no one can beat them.”
But even Teacher Olga, with all her strength...couldn’t beat a demon lord.
So I...
◇
“U-Um...” I stammered, forcing the words out of my throat.
“Y-Yeah? What is it, Anna?”
He was usually so calm, but he seemed oddly flustered now. I took a mental breath.
Calm down. Just tell him how you feel...
“Makoto...I...well...have...f...fee...”
“Anna?”
I couldn’t say it. They were five simple words—why couldn’t I spit them out?!
As he looked at me, I felt my body heat up. What was I talking about?! I’d never felt romantic affection for a person, right? And yet my heart was racing.
Calm down. He has his “precious person” waiting for him back in...well, wherever he’s from.
He won’t reciprocate.
I’d heard about them from Momo. Remembering that calmed me down.
Right. I knew what his answer would be. Regardless of the outcome, all I needed to do was tell him how I felt.
Right, let’s go!
“P-Please marry me!”
“Wha?”
The look on his face was the most surprised I’d ever seen him.
“Oh.”
That was when I realized the stupidity of what had just left my mouth.
What was that?! No! That wasn’t what I wanted to say!
It was all because I’d been thinking about that conversation with Teacher Olga. I’d blurted out something ridiculous.
“Marriage...marriage...” He trailed off for a moment. “That wasn’t what I was expecting... Hmm...”
H-Huh? He was actually thinking about it? D-Did I have a chance?
“Shut up a second, Ira... I’m thinking.”
“Makoto?”
I stepped toward him as he muttered to himself. He looked up at me again.
“Anna.”
“Yes?!”
I put a hand on my heart as it pounded away, waiting to see what he’d say next.
“I...have someone waiting for me to go back home. So I can’t marry you.”
I felt my chest constrict.
“Oh...”
He already had a “special someone.” I’d known this. There was no way he’d...tie himself down to me. Why had I gotten my hopes up?
“Ira, c’mon. Seriously, quiet down... I’m hanging up.”
I was a bit out of sorts thanks to my feelings being unrequited, so I didn’t really process what he said. Even so...
Teacher...I did it. But being rejected hurts. I think I might cry...
“Anna,” he said, putting his hand on my shoulder.
“Y-Yes?”
The person I liked was right in front of me.
“You are important to me too, though.”
“Huh?”
My heart sped up again.
“So...I’ll protect you, from any enemy you might face.”
I felt...so happy. No one had ever said anything like that to me before.
“Makoto...”
Before I knew what I was doing, my arms were wrapped around the back of his neck. He looked surprised, but he soon smiled back at me.
C-Could I really do it? Slowly, I brought my face closer to his...
“Hold it, Anna! What are you doing?!” came a sudden yell.
“Huh?”
“Wah?!”
Makoto had vanished from where he’d been right in front of me. That was Momo’s Teleport.
“Anna, you were trying to get ahead! You didn’t say anything about doing that!”
“M-Momo...you were watching?!”
She was furious, almost spitting like a cat. However, she soon slumped.
“Ah...” Momo sighed. “I thought Sir Makoto wouldn’t reciprocate my feelings since he has his lover back home... But why’s he answering yours? I suppose I’m the problem...”
“N-No,” Makoto stuttered. “You’re just as important!”
“Really?” She looked between us doubtfully. “Just as important?”
Were we? It felt like he was just about to let me kiss him... That is certainly more than most friends do. Were his morals really that loose? No, no, that couldn’t be it. He was a serious person.
My head was spinning, and while I was trying to recover, Momo cornered him.
“So, what kind of person is your partner?” she asked. “I was too scared to ask before.”
“My partner? Uh, well...”
“I’m interested too!” I exclaimed.
“Anna?!”
Of course I was. What kind of person were they? They had to be just as amazing as him.
“Well...” he mumbled, awkwardly stalling his answer.
“Sir Makoto!”
“Makoto!”
Momo was as forceful as ever, and for once, I was following her example.
He sighed in resignation and then opened his mouth.
◇ Makoto Takatsuki’s Perspective ◇
Things had gotten out of hand. Thanks to Ira’s warning, I’d expected and been ready for Anna’s confession. However, I hadn’t expected Momo to interrupt, and I also hadn’t anticipated that they might ask about the girls I was with.
What’re you going to do? Ira asked. You can just be stupid honest, but at least say that Anna’s cuter than them.
I can’t do that!
Still, Anna was definitely a real beauty—cute too.
Momo and Anna were staring silently at me. They weren’t going to let me get out of this.
“Umm, well, she’s a red-haired elf. A mage...”
I continued telling them about Lucy—about the monster attack, and fighting the griffin and the blight monsters with her. Since my experiences were from a thousand years in the future, there were probably hundreds of discrepancies, but neither of them seemed to notice.
“An elf mage...”
“You seem to enjoy talking about her...”
The two of them had slumped. Ack, I said too much! Should’ve cut it short. But they’d just continued asking questions and I’d kept answering. T-Time to move on.
“And, well, the second—”
“Wha?!”
“Th-There’s a second?!”
What?! Makoto Takatsuki! Are you an idiot?!
Ira, it’s not fair if I only tell them about Lucy.
And so, I told them all about Sasa.
“A friend...from your school?”
“Sir Makoto...where are you actually from?”
See, and because you mentioned your old world they’re even more confused!
“And the third one...” I continued.
“What.”
“Um...Makoto?”
I carried on, describing Princess Sophia. The girls started looking at me doubtfully. I wonder why. It’s not like I was lying.
“Finally, the fourth person...”
It was hard to explain Furiae, so I paused to think.
“Sir Makoto, you don’t need to say anything else.”
“Makoto, I can’t listen to any more.”
I tilted my head. “Oh. You don’t want to hear about her?” That was helpful, but I kinda wanted to finish up since I’d come this far.
Were you...always this much of an idiot? Ira’s exasperated voice echoed in my head.
That was rude.
“Making things up isn’t good, Sir Makoto.”
“Four people is just too much. You should have just left it at two.”
Momo and Anna were both looking at me sympathetically.
“Hey! I’m not lying!” I protested.
Momo sighed. “You’re so cute. You made up a girlfriend in your homeland.”
“That’s a relief,” said Anna. “Don’t worry, we really have f-feelings for you.”
“Ah! You took advantage of the confusion to confess! Well, I love Sir Makoto too!”
“L-Love?! You’re going all in, aren’t you?”
“I don’t want to hear that from you! Especially since you tried to steal a kiss!”
The two of them had just started chattering away.
“Wait, why do you both think I’m lying?!” I yelled over them.
They turned to look at me blankly.
“Well, you’re a virgin, aren’t you?”
“You haven’t had any experience with a woman, have you?”
I fell silent. Right. They’d found out about that.
Ga ha ha ha ha ha!!!
While I was reeling, Ira’s cackling resounded in my mind.
Shut it, you.
“No one with four partners is going to be a virgin.”
“Ah, Momo, wait...”
I couldn’t even argue! It definitely made sense!
“Don’t say that, Momo. I’m sure Makoto has a reason. Right? Makoto?”
“Anna!” I exclaimed. “Please stop looking at me so...kindly!” I didn’t want that saintly look directed at me! Even if she was actually a saint!
Good for you, Makoto Takatsuki. Your lovers are being classed as delusions. Anna is in a much better mood because of that. Well done.
Damn it! I’m not letting this go!
I kept trying to explain, but neither of them actually believed me. In the end, they made their own choices about my love life.
“Anna and I will be your lovers from now on,” declared Momo.
Anna smiled. “If you ask, I’ll be happy to...”
“You’re pretty wanton like that, Anna...”
“What?! I’m not the one that slept in the same bed as him last night!”
“You looked into our room?!”
“A single wall means nothing to my eyes.”
“That’s scary!”
Somehow, the two of them had ended up as my lovers...
Ah ha ha ha ha! All’s well that ends well, Makoto Takatsuki! Owww, my stomach hurts from all this laughing.
She’d spent the entire time busting a gut. Still, now my “bonds” with the Hero of Light were deeper, so at least one problem in regards to facing the Great Demon Lord had been solved.
“So the Hero of Light and the little one are the elementalist’s lovers now?” Mel asked.
“That’s right. My liege suddenly awoke to romance, it seems...”
“Well, what’s the harm?” Johnnie asked. “There are sayings about great men and romance for a reason. He was instrumental in defeating the demon lord, so he can have his pick. Maybe he could take one of my daughters while he’s at it.”
“He doesn’t need any more, elf chief!”
I’d gone to talk to Mel and Johnnie about fighting Iblis, and Dia had been with them for some reason. The three were apparently drinking—a few empty bottles were already strewn across the ground.
Elementals could drink?
Mel noticed me first when I walked in, and she teasingly said, “Well, if it isn’t the man of the hour.”
“My lieeege, I’m lonely...”
In contrast with the grin on Mel’s face, Dia looked sulky.
“’Scuse me,” I said, sitting near them.
“I’m glad you’re here!” Johnnie exclaimed. He was the first to speak up once I’d sat down. “Let’s drink together!”
There was no sign of his usual reserved demeanor. He pressed a drink into my hand, and while we shared some booze, he did his best to convince me to take one of his daughters as a bride. He’d been a great help so far, but I dreaded to think what Anna and Momo would say if I agreed to his proposition, so I just turned him down politely.
He looked disappointed but didn’t try to press the issue.
“My lieeege, pay attention to me too...” Dia complained, leaning against me.
“Sorry, sorry,” I said, stroking her beautiful blue hair. She’d saved me so many times. I probably wouldn’t still be alive if not for her. I couldn’t be sure, but it felt like Dia might have been the one to help me in Highland against the stampeding monsters.
It wasn’t like I could ask her now, though. Elementals didn’t really have a concept of age. Maybe I’d ask her when I was back in the future.
Eventually, the drink was too much for Dia and she fell asleep in my lap.
“It’s unthinkable—treating one of the embodiments of disaster like that...” Mel was looking at us like she’d seen something horrifying. “My eyes didn’t deceive me, then. You were capable of defeating the demon lord.”
“It wasn’t me that did it,” I countered.
“I’m impressed you can keep a straight face while saying that. You used divine rank time magic. Bifrons was utterly terrified of you.”
“He was?”
My memories of the whole thing were kind of vague. Maybe because I’d had Calm Mind set to 100%.
We kept talking for a while, and then the reason for my visit finally came up.
“You came to speak to us, didn’t you?” Johnnie asked, draining the rest of his drink.
I had a drink as well, but it was a spirit similar to sake, so I couldn’t gulp it all down at once like that. Johnnie sure could hold his booze.
“Did you?” Mel asked.
“Well...yeah.”
“Perhaps you should rest for a while first? You did only just defeat the demon lord.” She sounded a bit exasperated with me, though she was still savoring her drink—something that looked like red wine. Honestly, you could have painted a portrait of her in that pose.
So...where to start?
I’d already told Anna and Momo about going after Iblis. Neither had looked happy, but they’d agreed.
Johnnie and Mel were the only two I still needed to ask...but I honestly felt bad. They’d just fought a demon lord, and it felt wrong to request that they put themselves in danger again. Of course, I’d gotten the revelation—read: impossible demand to eliminate Iblis—from Althena, so that’s why I was back in the past to begin with.
“You’re planning on going after the Great Demon Lord next, aren’t you?” Johnnie asked while refilling his drink. “I’ll join you.”
“Huh?”
“What?”
Mel and I both spoke in unison. Mel was the first one to actually respond with words, though.
“That’s ridiculous! We should gather our forces on the continent first. With the demon lord defeated, the warriors hidden across the regions will gather here. There are other demon lords as well! Iblis should come after that!”
Her protest made perfect sense. In fact, that’d been my plan before I’d talked to Ira.
“Momentum is everything in war. In terms of strength, they will win. We need to follow through.” Johnnie finished his refilled drink in another single slug... Was he drinking too much?
“For the love of— You are far too quick-tempered, Sir Johnnie. Elementalist, you convince him.”
Mel turned the conversation back to me, clearly expecting me to be against it. I felt kind of bad now.
“Ira said we should go straight for Iblis,” I told her.
“What...the...?”
“Of course the Goddess of Fate understands war,” Johnnie said cheerily.
Conversely, Mel seemed uneasy.
“Mel...if you’re against it, then—”
“It’s fine. I will lend you my strength. I promised, after all.”
“Are you sure?”
“Don’t make me say it again.”
“Thank you.” I bowed to them both.
“Mmmh... My liege’s...invincible...” I heard Dia murmur in her sleep.
I’d have to request that she keep helping out as well. With that conversation over with, I threw back the drink Johnnie had poured me, choking on it slightly.
So I got them all to agree...
And thus, I had everyone on board with the plan to challenge Iblis.
◇ Early Morning of the Next Day ◇
“So we’re already leaving...” Mel said. Her face looked somewhat weary.
“Sorry, Mel. Ira kept rushing me in my dreams last night. I didn’t get much sleep because of it...and I made sure to let her know how I felt about that.”
Mel sighed. “You are certainly...free with your responses to the goddess.”
“So it’s finally time to take the general’s head. My arm is singing for the chance.” Johnnie, for his part, had a fierce smile on his face and his sword at his waist. He was using some very Japanese phrases as well... Had he reincarnated from another world too? No way.
“Are you sure you don’t want to say goodbye to the townspeople?” I asked. “Won’t they miss you if you just leave without saying anything?” It certainly seemed like he intended to leave on the sly.
“It doesn’t matter. I’ve left messages. For a long time, my mind has been solely focused on making sure my race doesn’t die out, but the town will survive without me. Once we defeat Iblis, I want to travel the world.”
“I...see.”
That followed the stories I’d read of the past—it was how history should be. After the Great Demon Lord’s defeat, Johnnie had traveled the world, leaving children practically everywhere he visited. Knowing that, his words just now made sense—he’d previously refrained from doing what he really wanted in order to give his people a chance to survive.
His general laissez-faire attitude definitely made it obvious that Rosalie was his descendant.
“Sir Makoto...” Momo seemed just as uneasy as ever.
“Don’t worry, Momo.”
“R-Right.”
I would’ve honestly preferred not to drag her into the fighting, but telling her to stay behind probably wouldn’t work. I’d just have to protect her.
“W-We’re really going...aren’t we?”
Anna’s voice shook—Balamung hung at her waist. We’d need her strength to defeat Iblis.
Still...
I looked over the party again.
The Legendary Holy Dragon.
The Guardian of Highland since its founding, the Grandsage.
The Hero of Springrogue, Johnnie.
And finally, the savior, the Hero of Light, Anna.
The legendary party’s all together...
Of course, I hadn’t expected Abel and Anna to be the same person.
Was it really okay for me to be part of this?
None of it’ll happen without you!!! Ira’s voice yelled in my head.
Her voice was beautiful...but I really wished she’d use it more gently.
I’m busy being rushed off my feet for breaking the divine laws!
This time, it wasn’t just her voice—an image of her with dark bags under her eyes floated into my mind. Apparently, she was putting in overtime pretty much 24/7. Working as a goddess was like working for some really shady company... Still, I kinda felt like part of the problem was with how she worked.
Listen up! You’ll definitely win...because if you don’t, I’ll lose my position...
Her voice sounded way too serious.
I knew it’d be chaos if the townspeople saw us before we left, so we worked quickly to depart before they did. Just as we were getting ready to leave, I heard footsteps.
“I came to see you all off,” came the gentle voice of Estelle. I’d been all but certain that she was going to come with us, but she’d insisted that she wasn’t adept at combat and that she’d just slow us down.
“We’ll see you later, Estelle,” I said.
“Indeed. Take care. However, before you leave, I wish to pray for your victory.” She put her hands together and bowed her head slightly.
Fate Magic: Blessing of the Goddess.
Her body was enveloped in light. Then, she stepped up to Anna and took her hand, placing a kiss on its back. The place her lips touched glowed slightly.
“What was that?” Anna asked.
The priestess smiled. “It was a spell that grants luck. Ranged attacks like arrows or spells should miss you now.”
Wow! A buff from a priestess! That sounded great. I waited excitedly as she went to Momo and Johnnie, but then...she ignored me.
U-Uh?
“Um, Estelle?”
She giggled. “You already have anima from my goddess. My measly little spell is unnecessary for you. If anything, it would interfere.”
Aww, but I wanted my buff...
You already have the best luck you can get! Ira complained.
Really...? It’d been a real struggle ever since I’d arrived, though.
“Well, it might not mean much, but I can give you a kiss for victory...” Estelle smiled as she spoke, stepping closer.
Hm? Why were her hands going behind my head rather than for my hand?
“Sir Makoto! Let’s go!”
“Thank you for the blessing, Estelle!”
Momo and Anna bodily pulled me by the collar of my shirt.
Guh, my throat!
Estelle just waved placidly. She was teasing them, then.
“Honestly... Let’s go,” Mel said as she reverted to her dragon form. We all climbed onto her back, and she soared out of the dungeon town, flying into the dark clouds that covered the sky.
We were finally, finally heading for the fateful final battle with Iblis.
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