Chapter 8: Makoto Takatsuki Awakens
I stirred awake in my goddess’s space.
“Hiii☆ Good job, Mako.”
Eir was waving at me with a completely open smile.
“Thanks...Eir.”
Why was she speaking to me before my own goddess? She had a conflicted look on her face, and she stood with her arms crossed.
“Makoto...”
Kneeling on the ground before her, I said, “I stopped the revival without getting hurt. Thank you for the armor spell.”
However, her expression didn’t clear.
“I’m sorry,” she replied. “You were forced into fighting against a threat to Springrogue...and you even had to use your lifespan. You shouldn’t have needed to go that far.”
Maybe it was weighing on her mind.
“Well, it all turned out okay in the end,” I assured her. “My friends are safe, and Lucy’s home didn’t take any losses. Although, I did get petrified... Am I gonna be okay?”
Surely it meant I was dead...right?
“It won’t be a problem,” she told me. “Furiae’s lifting the curse from each of the fighters. The priests are helping, but as the Priestess of the Moon, she’s on another level. In fact, she’s already freed several dozen people.”
Huh. It’d definitely been the right call to leave her behind. Seriously, though, Setekh. Don’t you know the meaning of the word restraint?
My goddess, who was also in the room, spoke next. “On another note... Eir.” Noah’s neck pivoted so she could glare at the other deity.
“Oh, little old me?”
“Use your own hero already,” Noah complained, advancing on Eir. “You just keep pushing everything onto Makoto!”
“W-Weeeelll. I mean, I feel bad, but there are reasons...”
I quickly butted into the conversation before it could devolve further than Eir guiltily avoiding Noah’s gaze. “I had fun, so I don’t really mind.”
Both of them uttered noises of confusion and turned to me.
“F-Fun, Mako?”
“You’re incorrigible...”
I’d gotten to meet Springrogue’s hero and see Lucy’s mother absolutely wrecking shit up close. On top of that, I’d even spoken to the demon lord. Definitely a worthwhile adventure.
“Noah,” Eir said after a moment. “Mako’s a bit weird, isn’t he?”
“He’s got no sense of danger. What kind of deviant’s happy about meeting a demon lord?”
Hey, I didn’t put in all that work just to be called a deviant!
I decided to ignore her comment, and instead, I recalled the conversation with Bifrons. “Eir, you reincarnated that soul I offered you, right?” I asked. Creatures sacrificed to the gods through that “offering” technique were reincarnated by the Sacred Deities.
“Right!” Eir cheered cutely. “A strong demon makes a strong warrior☆ You can’t go wasting that. Sciulli’s now a wonderful hero.”
I sighed. “Well, I can appreciate Roses getting stronger out of the deal...”
Frankly, me being their strongest fighter put Roses in a pretty bad position. Did that mean Sciulli would end up as a colleague of mine in the future?
“Anyway, can a soul actually be purified so quickly between two extreme alignments?” Noah wondered.
Soul purification? How did that work?
“What do you mean, Noah?” I asked.
“Well, demon souls are stained with ‘unholy’ protection. Converting that into a hero’s soul with holy protection would probably lead to some instability.”
That’s my goddess, all right. She knows everything.
“Usually, souls are purified gradually...” she continued. “Making the change so quickly means the resulting hero will probably go mad fairly quickly.”
“What?” That hadn’t been what I’d expected to hear.
I looked at Eir in shock. She was smiling happily. “Hmm, well...” she remarked casually. “It is pretty likely.”
“That’s in poor taste,” said Noah.
“It’s not like there’s much of a choice. We don’t have a ton of fighting power... We’ve only got like a fifty percent chance of winning against the demons.”
Wha?
“Don’t be an idiot. You can’t leak the future in front of Makoto.”
“Don’t worry about it. Your barrier means the Sacred Deities can’t peep down here.” Eir let out a giggle. “It’s perfect for secret conversations.”
The revelations just hadn’t stopped coming. But, there was one thing that stuck out in my mind more than anything else.
“Eir, the other races are pretty likely to lose against the demons?” I asked.
“Yup. At least, according to Ira. The future isn’t fixed, though, so who knows what’ll happen.”
“That’s why you’re getting fighters ready...in case the war’s lost,” Noah concluded. “But, making powerful heroes now... There still isn’t enough time.”
“So, Mako, make sure you keep offering up strong demons☆ That way we can at least launch a counterattack if we lose. I can probably manage five or so usable heroes in time, but the rest’ll go mad and die.”
I was lost for words. Eir was blackhearted! Hell, she was closer to being the wicked deity than Noah.
“Sh-Should you really be treating lives so lightly?” It probably counted as disrespectful, but I felt my voice taking on an almost censuring tone.
Eir’s expression didn’t change. She wore an easygoing smile as she answered quietly, “It’s fine. After all, we rule this world.”
Her eyes were affectionate as she spoke—affectionate chips of ice. Her smile was how you might watch ants marching across the ground. That was the difference between humans and gods—it was a vast, impassable gulf between us.
“Tch...” Noah tutted, crossing her arms and scowling. “Makoto, you should wash your hands of Roses. After all, you’re only a State-Authorized Hero, so you can just run off.”
“Well, it’s not like I have anywhere else to go.” Strictly speaking, I could head for Highland and Sakurai, but the class divide was a bit much for me.
“Where’d you get that idea?” Noah demanded. “You just saved Springrogue. Freya, Maximilian, and Rosalie are all going to be on your side. You and the others should move there. You can break it off with Eir’s priestess at the same time.”
Noah was flitting from topic to topic... But besides that, wasn’t she the one that had told me to get close to Sophia in the first place?
“H-Hey, you can’t do that! Sophie’ll be beside herself!” Eir exclaimed, flustered and suddenly panicking.
“Hah! That’s what you get for using my Makoto!”
“M-Mako! I’ll work in good faith with you from now on, so at least don’t drop the betrothal...if that would be acceptable...”
She’d gone that far in the other direction...?! I scratched at my cheek and thought it over. The betrothal’s only a verbal agreement so far. Don’t I need to sign something...?
“I’ll keep working as a hero...and as for Princess Sophia—” I was about to say that the relationship wouldn’t change, but I suddenly stopped.
Eir seemed kind at first, but she has this wicked side too... Could her priestess be the same way?
“Wait, Mako! You’ve got it all wrong! Sophie’s actually pure, unlike me!”
Ah, she was reading my mind again. Also, she’d definitely said, “unlike me.”
“She’s not my disciple, so I can’t say for sure...but she’s probably fine,” Noah said. “Disciples don’t necessarily follow their goddesses in terms of poor personality. Eir’s facade is so perfect that even her followers are taken in.”
Eir gave a pout. “That’s mean. Makoto, you know she prays to me every night about you, right? She’s super cute, so you look after her, you hear?”
“Should you really be telling me that...?” I didn’t know how I’d look Sophia in the eyes the next time we met.
“I’ll keep supporting you behind the scenes. ’Kay?! I’m the goddess of water after all! We fit perfectly together.”
“Just don’t lie so much,” I told her. Not that I’d be able to really trust Eir again. Though, I suppose Noah had hidden her status as a wicked deity at first...so she’s just the same!
“Makoto?!” I ignored Noah’s searching look.
Suddenly, my vision began to blur, and I heard Eir say, “Oh. Furiae’s broken the curse on you. You should be waking up pretty soon.”
“Oh. I wanted to talk for a bit longer.” Particularly about the war. The heroes would be fighting no matter what, and I...wasn’t entirely happy battling in a war we’d probably lose.
My sight of the two goddesses got hazier as I considered that. I was almost awake.
“Oh! Freya’s message!” Eir exclaimed, though I only faintly heard it. “She said thanks and that she’s grateful!”
My vision then went black, and I passed out.
◇
Something was scraping my face. I cracked my eyes open and saw Twi licking me. After a moment of orienting myself, I murmured, “Morning, Twi.”
I must’ve worried her.
“Oh, Mr. Statue Hero, you’re awake?”
No sooner had I opened my eyes than I was greeted by a gorgeous voice regaling me with decidedly less gorgeous sentiments. It belonged to a woman with glossy black hair, almost silken white skin, and the looks of a refined noble. Furiae.
“Princess... Good morning.”
“It took minutes to fix the elves and knights, but a whole week for you,” she complained, giving me a light slap. “Do you not understand what zero resistance means?”
“I can’t help it. My level goes up, but my stats don’t at all.” I tried to sit up and noticed that my body felt like lead. It was similar to when I’d had a cold and a 39-degree fever.
Wh-Wha?
“Just lie back. You’re not fully healed yet.” She pushed me down onto something soft.
Um? Actually, considering that she’s looking at me from above and to the side... The position we’re in...
I used RPG Player’s altered perspective to check and saw...that my head was in her lap.
Th-This is kinda embarrassing...
“Nah, I feel fine,” I insisted, heaving myself up.
“Oh, are you feeling shy, my knight? Well, I suppose anyone would be, seeing the most beautiful face in the world. Hurry up and fall for the charm,” she teased.
Most beautiful in the world, huh...
I cast my thoughts back to the two goddesses I’d just dreamed of. They were visions of beauty beyond humanity. Hmm, if you set them side by side with humans... Honestly, even Furiae seemed plain in comparison.
“What’s with that face?” she asked suspiciously.
“Just thinking that you always look beautiful,” I replied flatly.
“Hey! I don’t like your tone there!” She smacked me again, and Twi raced off somewhere as she raised her voice. “That sympathetic look is annoying me!”
“Ow! Hold on! Ouch! That hurts!” Considering my stats and the fact that she was a priestess (the pinnacle of humanity), those punches were painful!
She didn’t stop, though. “You’re not getting away with it! You took the mage and warrior but left me—and only me—behind. And then you had the gall to come back as a statue!”
“Well, you were worried, right? Thanks, Princess.”
“Shut up! Quiet! I’m coming with you next time!”
“Nah, that ain’t happening.” I could hardly take a priestess onto the battlefield.
I do feel bad for worrying her, though.
She kept hitting me, and I did my best to calm her down. At that moment, I made a promise to myself that I’d be less reckless from now on.
I’d also just woken up, so my mind wasn’t totally sharp yet. That was why I didn’t notice another person approaching.
“You seem to be enjoying yourself, Hero Makoto,” Princess Sophia stated, looking coldly down at me.
“What?” I asked in confusion. My head was currently in Furiae’s lap, and she was smacking me...which must have looked like I was having a fling with another girl right in front of my fiancée.
Unlike me, Furiae was as quick as lightning. The moment she saw the princess, she said, “I’ll leave you two be,” and then bolted, just like a cat.
And thus, Princess Sophia and I were left alone.
“You seem awfully close with that priestess,” she said.
“Uh, well...I guess?” What was going on? Her expression was the same as ever, but there was a chill running down my spine as a cold sweat gathered on my forehead.
“That reminds me—apparently, the third daughter of the Ballantine family wishes to wed Hero Makoto of Roses,” she intoned, her voice sterile. “How strange. I was under the impression that she rather disliked you.”
“Wah?” The third daughter? Janet? “Oh, right. I actually haven’t seen Janet...” In fact, none of the Pegasus Knights seemed to be around anymore.
“She has returned to Highland to report on the near revival of a demon lord in Springrogue.”
“Haaahh...I see.” There definitely was a lot to report concerning the Snake Sect and Zagan’s indirect involvement. Still, she must’ve really raced off. She could have at least said goodbye...
“Hero Makoto, I have a message from Janet Ballantine for you,” the princess told me.
“A message?” Oh, so she did say goodbye.
“The...woman...had the gall to leave word that she would train to fight alongside you during the Northern Front Plan. She also said that the next time you meet...she’d like to have a meal alone with you.”
Sophia’s anger was palpable when reciting the latter half of that message. If I remembered correctly, the Ballantine family was on about the same class level as the royal families of some countries...including Roses.
“I’ve taken my eyes off my fiancé for such a short period...and girls are falling over themselves for you.”
“Um...that’s not true,” I protested awkwardly. She placed her hand on my cheek, and it was terrifyingly cold. Was it due to her ice magic? We just looked at each other for a while.
But then, her expression smoothed out, and her hand warmed on my skin. “Well, no matter. At least you are safe. I was shocked to learn that you had been petrified...” She paused for a moment, and her tone turned more sympathetic. “Well done. Your only duty in Springrogue was to bring my regards to the hero and priestess of this country, and yet, you defeated a demon lord...”
“Yeah,” I said. “A lot happened... A lot more than I expected.”
Suddenly a large person lumbered through the door. “Oh! Hero Makoto! You’re awake. I’m glad you’re safe!” Maximilian’s voice was as loud in the quiet room.
“Glad you’re safe too,” I replied. The last time I’d seen him was after he’d turned to stone. He’d apparently been freed safely.
“That was truly embarrassing... I spent the period of greatest peril as nothing but a statue,” he complained, clenching a fist in shame. “Once you’re recovered, I’d love to train with you! I’d love to test myself against someone of your stature!”
I let out a confused noise as I looked at the dragonoid’s towering figure. With my stats, he’d send me flying with a flick.
Maximilian didn’t say anything more, just wandered off with a merry laugh.
“You appear to have made ties with the hero of Springrogue as well,” Princess Sophia remarked seriously.
“Well, we fought together against the demon lord.”
Right, the whole point was to meet him. I’d forgotten. Well! Mission accomplished.
“Oh, you’re awake!” exclaimed an elf woman. She rushed into the room and suddenly grabbed my hand. “Lucy was worried. You’ve been sleeping for the past week!”
Right, this was Freya’s priestess...I think. Her name was...
“Sorry for worrying you, Florna.”
“Thank goodness...my pitiful curse breaking was no help at all. That Fuuri you brought along was incredible.”
“Well...yeah...” After all, Furiae was an expert.
Also, Florna was holding my hand tightly...and Sophia’s expression was getting scary.
“I’ll go call Lucy and Aya. They were both worried as well.” Florna turned to leave, giving the princess a casual wave. “Farewell, Lady Sophia.”
There was silence for a moment in her wake, and then, almost inaudibly, Princess Sophia muttered, “Womanizer...”
“Just so you know, she’s engaged and is Lucy’s sister-in-law,” I pointed out.
“Hmph.”
Apparently, that wasn’t the problem. I guess Sophia wasn’t going to be in a good mood for a while. As a State-Authorized Hero, it would probably serve me well to make sure my boss was happy.
I was thinking about what to say when a blonde elf appeared—literally out of thin air—and wrapped her arms around me.
“Yay! Mr. Boyfriend!”
“Wah?!” I managed to blurt before getting my bearings a bit. “R-Rosalie?!”
“The Crimson Witch?”
My statement prompted a surprised question from the princess. Had Sophia not met Rosalie yet?
“Ah, it’s none other than the hero of the hour who triumphed against the demon lord! You’re finally awake!” Rosalie cheered. “Hm? Who’s this prickly-looking beauty next to you? Is this an affair? I can’t approve of that.”
“Morning, Rosalie,” I said, finally greeting the teleporting woman properly. “Are you OK? Setekh’s curse was lifted?” Last time I saw her, one of her arms had been petrified.
Rosalie broke down into guffaws. “No worries, no worries! I forced it off.”
“You healed it by yourself?!” Seriously, what was this woman?
Princess Sophia, on the other hand, couldn’t get a full sentence out through her panic. “U-Umm, I-I am—”
“Hmm, you go for noble-looking girls like this? Lucy’s more down to earth like me. She’ll be just as wild in bed, though.”
“Can you get your mind out of the gutter until I’ve woken up at least?” I griped. Also, that’s your daughter you’re talking about.
She laughed again. “So, what gets you going? These girls all look diligent, but you know what they say: it’s always the quiet ones.”
“What?!” the princess demanded angrily.
Man, this was going to end up as a diplomatic incident...
“This is Princess Sophia of Roses,” I said.
“Guh?!” Rosalie suddenly put both hands in the air and jolted away from me. “Awawawa! Royalty?! Seriously?! Am I gonna end up on the chopping block?!”
“Sophia, you planning on executing her?” I asked.
“H-How could I?! She’s a hero of Springrogue!”
“There you go,” I told Rosalie.
“For real? Well, I’ll stop third-wheeling then. Make sure you show me that dagger some time—I want to see the Godslayer!”
And just like that, once Rosalie had finished her sentence, she teleported away.
Sophia and I fell silent.
That woman really was like a storm...
I glanced over at the princess to find her staring fixedly at me.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“You... You really built relationships with the movers and shakers in this country... My previous messengers didn’t manage anything...” Her expression darkened considerably.
“Ah, well, they’re all involved with Lucy,” I explained. Heroes and priestesses sounded like lofty titles...but the ones in Springrogue were Lucy’s classmate, sister-in-law, and mother. Honestly, bringing Lucy along had been a cheat code.
Sophia let out a sigh before looking back at me. “Hero Makoto.”
“Y-Yes?” I asked.
“You have been summoned by the king of Highland.”
“What?” Highland again? I’d only just left the place.
“Why do you look so confused? You did defeat the demon lord, didn’t you?”
“Uh... Yes, I did.” Well, kinda. I’d had a conversation with the demon in question when he could already feel himself fading away... I guess that counted. The Bifrons I’d beaten had already been weakened by Rosalie beforehand, and had mostly been defeated through Eir’s technique anyway.
What had I actually done?
“Rosalie was the one to pull the most weight,” I asserted.
“Was she? By her words, you were the most helpful, and all the credit should go to you...at least, that’s what the village chief told me.”
I fell silent.
Rosalie! You’re just foisting off the annoying crap onto me! Where’d she go? I’m going to give her a piece of my mind!
“However,” Sophia continued, “Princess Noel has sent a secret messenger. She says that it would be best for you not to come.”
“What does that mean?” I asked, confused. The king was her father, so why would she try to stop his summons?
“It’s simple,” the princess offered dully. “The Highland nobility has certainly been working on the royal family. They wish to greet a hero capable of defeating a demon lord...and to join that hero to their own families. I wager that if you go to Highland, you won’t be able to leave again. You’ll have your pick of the nobility as wives and concubines. Good for you.”
Wait, seriously? Was I being put on the same route as Sakurai? With twenty wives?
“What will you do?” she asked with upturned eyes.
Suddenly, an RPG Player choice flashed in my mind.
Will you take the harem end in Highland?
Yes
▶No
Phrasing! My skill was bullying me!
“I’m not going to Highland,” I told her. That made her eyes widen in surprise.
“If you marry into the Highland royal or noble families...your life will be made,” Sophia pointed out. “They aren’t a weak country like Roses. They’re the strongest on the continent.”
Yeah, but still...
I remembered the discussion with Noah and Eir. Our chances of winning this war were perilously low.
This ain’t the time to be playing around with the nobility. I have to train.
“I’ll deal with all that stuff after we defeat Iblis,” I declared. “We need to make Roses stronger first. According to Eir, we need another ten heroes.”
“What?!” Sophia exclaimed. “We can’t get heroes that easily! Also...according to Eir? What are you—”
The sudden change in topic had made the princess lose her composure entirely.
“We need to consider strategies for if we lose,” I continued. “We should also make sure the forts are maintained as refuges.”
“Wait, prepare for losing? The goddesses would be shocked to hear that!”
As a matter of fact...I’d heard about our potential loss from a goddess. How much was Eir keeping from her priestess? Was it because the truth would unnerve Sophia?
Also, does Sakurai know about this future? He had a blessing from Althena, the daughter of the pantheon head. He should be fine even against Iblis, I’d thought. However, the conversation with Eir had made me much more nervous.
“Sophia, I need to ask you to pass something along to Princess Noelle.”
“Just...wait a moment,” she said, sounding utterly bewildered. “I haven’t been following this conversation...”
But then, our discussion was derailed by Lucy and Sasa calling my name. They both leaped into the room and wrapped their arms around me. The force of their affection sent me flying back down onto the bed.
“Are you okay now?” Lucy said through teary eyes. “The curse wouldn’t dissipate, even after all that time...”
“I was so worried,” Sasa murmured through her own tears. Neither of them showed any sign of backing off. Their hands were shaking.
Well...I was petrified for a whole week. It was hardly a surprise that they’d been fretting.
“Sorry I made you both worry,” I apologized.
“We’re just glad you’re okay,” Sasa said. “Right, Lu?”
“Y-Yeah, that’s right. Can you move now?”
“Mhm, though my body still feels heavy.” I thought that I should be able to walk at least. However, the next thing they had to say was way beyond what I expected...
“See! Go on, Lu! Go for it!” Sasa cheered.
“What?! I’m the one saying it?” Lucy complained. “Urgh... All right, Makoto. Heroing is a pretty dangerous job, right? And you don’t know when you might die...? And, uh...considering what happened this time, uh...” she was fidgeting as she spoke, and eventually, she moved next to my ear to whisper the last sentence. “S-So can we act more like lovers?”
A shudder ran down my back, and I felt my body temperature shoot up.
“You’re bright red, Takatsuki,” Sasa remarked.
“S-Sasa?”
Before I knew it, her face was right next to mine. Wait, wait! Something’s strange here. It was happening so fast...
There must have been someone pulling the strings.
I looked around, activated my Listen skill, and then I heard Rosalie’s voice urging them on. Seriously?! What was with her?
“Womanizer,” Sophia muttered once again.
What?! Crap! The princess is still right next to me!
“You shouldn’t worry your companions so much,” Sophia said with a slightly sulky look. Her voice sounded like she was chiding a child.
She...wasn’t angry?
“Hey, you didn’t leave his side for the past three days,” Sasa pointed out.
“Yeah, the princess had knights stationed around the clock until he woke up,” Lucy said.
“H-Hey!” Sophia sputtered. “You said you wouldn’t tell him!”
“‘Alas, if only I could have been with you, Hero Makoto...’” Sasa quoted.
Was that supposed to be an imitation of the princess?
“S-Stop that at once!” Sophia demanded, grabbing Sasa’s shoulder and shaking her.
At her touch, Sasa yelped and started to shiver.
“Princess! Your ice magic!” Lucy exclaimed, panicking. Lamiae couldn’t deal with low temperatures at all, and apparently, Princess Sophia was being a bit lax with her mana.
I watched the three girls giggling for a while, and then Furiae returned with Twi on her shoulder.
“What’re you all doing?” she asked. Maybe she’d heard the commotion and felt left out.
Phew, everyone’s safe.
It had been really hard, but we’d all overcome the danger. I leaned back, still groggy, and closed my eyes. Another nap sounds perfect, I decided, letting my friends’ voices lull me to sleep.
And thus, my adventure in Springrogue came to an end.
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