Full Clearing Another World under a Goddess with Zero Believers (LN) - Volume 11 - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Makoto Takatsuki’s Reunion

◇ Grandsage Momo’s Perspective ◇

I let out a wide yawn. I was in my estate in the capital of Highland, Symphonia.

Lately, my sleep pattern had been two days awake and five asleep. Because I was a half-vampire, I gathered more mana when I was sleeping. Drinking people’s blood would help me regain mana faster, but... I didn’t feel like actively going after blood. Not unless it was his.

It had been a long time since Iblis’s initial defeat. Anna had been part human, so obviously, she wasn’t still here, but even a long-lived elf like Johnnie was gone now. There were very few creatures that could live for a thousand years. The undead like me, along with ancient dragons like Teacher Mel, were probably the only beings who could.

Now that I thought about it, it had been around three hundred years since I’d last seen her. She’d aided me until I’d become a full mage. Back then, I’d only been able to stand around uselessly, but now I felt much stronger.

Well, people did call me the strongest mage on the continent.

When she’d recognized me as a fully-fledged mage, Teacher Mel had said, “There is nothing more I can teach you now. Call yourself the White Grandsage from now on.”

The “white” part of the title was apparently because I’d been her apprentice. When an apprentice graduated, it was customary to derive their title from their teacher’s name.

In the last thousand years, Teacher Mel had become a legend on this continent called the Holy Dragon.

And yet, she was a demon lord’s daughter...

Naturally, Sir Makoto wasn’t around either. He was busy traveling to the future. Once Iblis had been defeated, he’d visited every area and chased the remaining demon lords out. He’d even tried periodically to conquer the Seafloor Temple.

What had driven him to keep going without pause? Of course, the expeditions to the Seafloor Temple hadn’t gone well—he’d always come back in a mood. Cain had joined him but had vanished at the same time as Sir Makoto.

“Bye, Momo. I’ll see you in the future.”

I could still remember his voice. He’d said those words while stroking my hair.

It had been nearly a thousand years since then.

I want you to say my name again...

Recently, I’d been dreaming a lot about back then—about the era of darkness, full of demons and monsters. Dreaming about the terrifying times...but also the times spent traveling with Sir Makoto.

I missed it. I wanted to be alongside him again. I wanted to speak to him. I wanted to hear him. But...I couldn’t.

I felt the weight settle on my heart.

Deciding to go get some air, I left the estate.

I sighed. It was the middle of winter, and if I’d been human, the cold would’ve felt like knives cutting into my skin. Fortunately (or unfortunately), being undead meant I felt nothing. The moon was full. People called that an ill omen, thanks to Nevia back in the past.

They called her the Witch of Calamity now. She was planning on reincarnating in this era alongside Iblis.

It was a real bother. She’d caused so much trouble back in the past.

I felt indignant as I wandered through the castle gardens.

“Grandsage?” I heard from behind me.

I hadn’t been expecting anyone to be around at this time of night. Her blonde hair shone in the moonlight. I gazed into her clear blue eyes.

“Noelle,” I said.

This was the beautiful second princess of Highland.

They look so alike...

She was the Priestess of the Sun, and also Anna’s spitting image. I could definitely understand the rumors of her being the saint’s reincarnation.

“What are you doing up?” I asked.

She fixed me with an uneasy stare. “I couldn’t sleep, so I was praying at the cathedral. I wanted to ask...will Iblis really be back in the next few years? And...what should I do then?”

The priestesses of every country had simultaneously been told of Iblis’s return.

Since then they had been concocting a secret plan—mainly focused on Highland—to combat the threat. This strategy had been dubbed the Northern Front Plan. Though there had been a lot of dissent between the countries, we were now all on the same page for Iblis’s return.

With that said...

“That’ll come in the future. Don’t think about it too hard right now,” I advised.

“Right...” Noelle’s head slumped.

She must be uneasy. Saint Anna from the savior’s party had been the founding hero of Highland. Noelle had the weight of being considered her reincarnation. It was too much pressure for a girl in her teens to bear.

“Um...would you tell me about how the savior fought?” Noelle asked.

I sighed. “Again?”

As far as the public was concerned, I simply had the powers and memories of the first Grandsage. In truth, though, I was an immortal vampire who was actually the original Grandsage.

Only the royal family and some of the nobility knew that.

“Fine, I’ll tell you about Bifrons’s defeat,” I conceded.

“Right!” Her eyes were sparkling as she looked at me.

But all I actually did was watch while Sir Makoto and Anna beat him...

It pained me slightly. Still, I’d talk about it as much as Noelle wanted if it would make her feel better.

I added some dramatization as I spoke of what happened. Time continued to pass.

Eventually, news that we had visitors from another world came to us. The second Hero of Light was one of them. There were others as well, each with strong skills.

Yet none of those who came to Highland were Sir Makoto.

That was okay, though. I was still considering—considering how I would meet him again.

◇

“Um, you are personally heading for Labyrinthos?”

“I am. Is there a problem with that?”

I rarely left my estate, so when I went to the castle and informed the king and prime minister of my plans, both of them had tense looks on their faces.

“No! Not at all! It just seems that, blight dragon or not, this is not something we should bother you with, and—”

I cut them off. “I’ve made my decision. If you are against it, you are welcome to try and stop me.”

I looked around the room, meeting royal and noble gazes alike. Everyone here knew that I’d been part of the legendary party.

Normally, I would never use the prestige of my title like that, but I did so on occasion.

“I-I look forward to working with you, Grandsage.”

That had come from the current Hero of Light, Ryousuke Sakurai.

A hero from another world.

He’s strong... I could tell by the aura around him—he had far more latent potential than Anna’d had. He had only just arrived in this world though, so he had no idea how to use any of his power.

“It’s your first fight,” I told him. “If there are issues, I will assist.”

“Thank you.”

He was a polite young man.

“Grandsage...are you really going to Labyrinthos?” a noble asked.

“You are our strongest asset. Please, recons—”

“This conversation is over,” I said flatly. I would be joining the Hero of Light on the campaign to wipe out the blight dragon.

“Momo and I first met when the Hero of Light went to Labyrinthos,” Makoto had said. There was no way I was letting that future change.

Finally... I can finally meet him again...

It felt almost like I could feel my heart pounding, even though it didn’t beat at all.

Ultimately, the Hero of Light defeated the blight dragons handily. There had been some close calls, but he had done well on his first test.

And... I had seen him.

◇

“Excuuuse us...”

Dark hair, dark eyes, and a petite frame. The adventurer who entered my tent seemed almost unreliable.

Ah... I felt almost on the verge of tears. It was all I could do to keep it inside.

Finally... I finally get to meet you again...

I had gotten the Hero of Light to summon his friend, the otherworlder called Makoto Takatsuki. He was the one said to have the lowest stats and least skills out of any of the otherworlders. That was why Highland hadn’t asked for him. Not only that, but none of the other countries had wanted him to fight for them either.

He’d been forgotten in the Water Temple.

By the time I learned about any of this, he’d been in this world for quite some time. Frankly, when I’d first heard the reports, I’d doubted it was really him.

But...

It is him...

There was no doubt about it. He looked just as I remembered.

“Come this way. Talking like this is difficult.”

I did my best to stop my voice from shaking. The Sir Makoto I remembered had been bolder—this version of him seemed nervous and lacking in confidence.

Right...he doesn’t know me yet...

Remembering that helped me calm down somewhat. Then, I noticed the two cute girls behind him.

Aah, he has girls with him again...

It irritated me slightly. I used Appraisal to see just what kind of girls they were—one was a half-demon and the other was a lamia. The half-demon was even Johnnie’s descendant!

Knowing that, I couldn’t just turn them away...

I gave the redhead a gift to help with her mana control, and I advised the lamia on how to better use the Transform skill she was clearly struggling with.

That’s me sending salt to my enemies...

This was a saying I’d heard from the otherworlders. It’d come from Sir Makoto’s homeland, and it meant that one should help their enemies rather than taking advantage of their weaknesses.

Despite all that, seeing him after a millennium was the best feeling in the world. Now I just wanted to talk to him more.

◇

After that, I took advantage of every chance I could to see him. That said, I was the Grandsage, so making time for him was rather difficult.

Every time I saw him, he was stronger.

Before I knew it, he had an Undyne at his side and was traveling to country after country, saving people.

Then, he defeated a demon lord. He was becoming the man I knew.

Eventually...he set off for the past.

He’d saved me back when I was a human. I’d fallen in love with him.

And I’d kept that love...over each one of these thousand years. Each and every one. Forever and ever and ever.

I approached the dark coffin in my estate.

“When...will you wake up...?” I muttered listlessly.

I opened the coffin, revealing Sir Makoto sleeping in his ice magic. The ice was protected by an Undyne—I wouldn’t be able to melt it.

“It’s...already been a thousand years...”

I touched the ice. It was hard, lacking any of the warmth of light.

“When will you wake up?”

There was no response.

Or rather, there shouldn’t have been.

“Little one? Are you crying?”

I jolted. Suddenly, a beautiful woman—one who looked almost like a blue-skinned doll—appeared in front of me.

I recognized her, of course.

“Dia...?”

“Look at you,” she said teasingly, gesturing to the Grandsage’s clothes. “Barely any time has passed, and you’re wearing a really fancy outfit.”

“What part of it is barely?!” I demanded. It’d been a thousand years! Elementals really had no sense of time!

But right now, none of that mattered.

If Dia is here, then...

I quickly looked back at the coffin.

“A-Ah...”

The almost-eternal ice had vanished without a trace.

I could hear the thump of his heart in his chest.

Slowly...ever so slowly...his eyes opened.

◇ Makoto Takatsuki’s Perspective (One Thousand Years Ago) ◇

Makoto Takatsuki, order the Undyne to freeze you. You’ll be able to wake up in the future.

Ira’s instructions weren’t exactly the most precise.

“Cryosleep...”

It wasn’t that I’d never thought of it. But was that really the only option?

The scariest thing was that I’d be defenseless while I was sleeping.

Would I even be able to wake up in the future?

Don’t worry! Just have Momo keep watch while you’re sleeping.

“Have Momo keep watch?” I repeated.

The girl shot me an uneasy glance. “What do you want me to do...?”

“Momo, I’m in your hands!”

“Uh, r-right! I don’t know what’s happening, but I’ll do it!” she replied firmly.

She was a good girl. I’d need to explain the plan to her properly at a later time.

“So how am I waking up?” I asked.

You’ll need to get the Undyne to wake you, said Ira.

“Momo can’t do it?”

She won’t be able to break the Undyne’s spell. You’ll either need to wake up yourself or have the Undyne do it.

I see.

“Dia, can you wake me up in a thousand years?”

“I don’t know whether I have a great grasp on time... A thousand years is about how long it’s been since Titanomachy, right?”

That was fifteen million years ago.

Silence.

Elementals really didn’t have any sense of time. Fifteen million years in the past—that was considered to be a time of legend. If she took that long to wake me, it wouldn’t even be funny.

Fine, I’ll teach you some Fate Magic. You can put a timer on the spell.

“There’s a spell that does that?” Dia asked.

Not yet. I’m making one just for you.

“Thank you for your efforts.”

Ira giggled. You’d better appreciate it!

She personally taught me the spell, and then...

The day came.

Johnnie and Mel were obviously here, but so were Volf, Julietta, and the others from the dungeon town. Momo was crying continuously, so I felt really bad. And Anna...was angry.

“We could have been together for longer,” she’d pouted. But, I’d told her ahead of time, and she’d agreed. In the end, she sent me off with a smile.

“I’ll be going,” I said to them.

This was farewell to everyone in the past.

“Makoto...you remember your promise, don’t you?” Anna asked.

“I do.”

“If you forget, I won’t let you get away with it!”

She planted a long farewell kiss on my lips.

Her sad smile and Momo’s crying face were the last things I remembered seeing before I drifted off into a thousand-year sleep.

◇

I slowly opened my eyes. There was an orange light, and a dimly lit ceiling filled my field of view.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see candle flames flickering.

Right next to me, someone was crying.

“Sir...Ma...koto...”

It was a small, white-haired girl.

Momo? This wasn’t the Momo I remembered, though. This was the Grandsage who’d seen me off from the cathedral in Highland.

But the way she was pressing her face into my chest and crying...that was all Momo. She’d been waiting for me this whole time.

My body felt heavy—it was a trial to even open my mouth. I’d been sleeping for a thousand years, so that only made sense.

I needed to tell her though—I needed to thank her.

“Momo...” I sounded hoarse. “I’m back...”

“I’ve been waiting...so long...” Momo’s voice sounded strangled.

“Thank you,” I said, moving my heavy arm to stroke her hair softly.

I was back in the present now.