Chapter 1 — Makoto Takatsuki Is Bored
◇ Princess Sophia’s Perspective ◇
“Let’s go out together,” Hero Makoto insisted, tugging me along.
“What? But—”
“Hurry, hurry.”
“R-Right.”
His hand gripped mine firmly, and my cheeks felt like they were on fire. I used Coldhearted to take the edge off. Where was he taking me? H-He wasn’t going to take me somewhere we could be alone and...have sex?!
W-We can’t! I’m a priestess! I have to stay pure! Although...Lady Eir had said otherwise: “You can go all the way with Mako and stay a priestess!” I wish she was a bit more dignified in her guidance... Still, I have her permission, so I wouldn’t mind if— Wait, Sophia, what are you thinking?! How could you be so obscene?! I-If he really insisted though...I’d...
“We’re here.”
“Huh?”
While I’d been lost in swirling thoughts, we’d reached our destination.
Before us, right next to Highland Castle, was a grand, magical house made of ice crystals. Its owner was perhaps the third most important person in Highland and the strongest mage on the continent.
This was the Grandsage’s estate... Why are we here?
“Let’s head in.”
“Wait a moment!” I protested.
“What’s up?”
That’s not what you should be asking! Why did you drag me here?! Shouldn’t we go somewhere more secluded to— Wait, that’s not what I meant!
“The Grandsage is a rather asocial person. Have you arranged to meet with her today?” Getting her permission for a visit was frankly rare because of her personality.
“Uh...nope?”
“What?”
He ignored my protests and opened the front door. “’Lo, Grandsage?”
“H-Hero Makoto?!”
He just said that he hadn’t scheduled an appointment! To think...barging in on one of the most influential people in Highland...! I’d heard of noble families who’d been utterly ruined due to rudeness like this!
“W-Wait,” I protested.
He didn’t stop, just tugged me along.
“Sophia?” he asked in surprise.
“Let’s head back! She’ll be angry!” I whisper-yelled while tugging at his arm.
“Why are things so noisy out here? Who in the— Oh, Elementalist?”
Hero Makoto let out a soft noise of surprise—I yelped.
Right in front of us, there was a doll wearing a maid outfit. Yet, the voice coming from her mouth was unmistakably the Grandsage’s.
“Do you have some free time?” he asked.
“I was sleeping... But fine. Come inside.”
“Thank you.”
I remained silent. He’d gotten permission (after the fact) so easily. Princess Noelle had mentioned it before, but the Grandsage really was soft on him... There were rumors that they were lovers, but gossip was unreliable. Those rumors were baseless...right?
This house was dark inside, with just the odd magic lantern giving off a dim glow. The doll—apparently, some sort of magical manipulation by the Grandsage—led the way. The farther we walked, the more nervous I got.
Back when I’d trained as a priestess, the Grandsage had been my magic teacher. However, it’d been pounded into my head from an early age that no one should ever try to go up against her. Frankly, she was terrifying... Even just talking to her scared me. I’d heard the same sentiment from Lady Noelle. Surely we shouldn’t be here so casually...
I felt myself growing tenser as we walked, and soon, we entered a room.
“So you’re here. Take a seat... Elementalist, you sit here.” The Grandsage pointed to her side.
“Sure.”
“Thank you for taking the time to see us, Grandsage,” I murmured.
“So, what did you want?” she asked, her eyes glowing unhappily. She rested a cheek on her hand.
Hero Makoto slipped into the seat next to her. “Well, you see, I have a bit of an issue.”
He’s sitting so close to her...
“Oh? You’ve certainly made a name for yourself by defeating the demon lord. I’ve heard constant talk of nobles asking for your hand. Poor Sophia.”
“N-Not at all...” I denied it verbally, but she was completely right about how I felt. Now that he’d shown everyone how valuable he was, swarms of nobles from Highland, Cameron, and Great Keith were after him. Though I was royalty, all of these families were far richer than mine—my stomach churned every time I considered what might happen if he had a change of heart.
“That was all Sakurai,” he replied. “I didn’t do anything to fight off Zagan.”
“You...” The Grandsage glared at him sharply. “Are you an idiot?”
I had to agree with her retort. Hero Makoto had brought the Hero of Light back from the brink of death, and he’d even saved the Grandsage from danger. If that wasn’t considered making a name for himself, then what was?
“I couldn’t fight off any of Zagan’s attacks. Honestly, I was more of a hindrance than anything.”
“Yet your spell restored the Hero of Light’s mana. That’s plenty to be proud of.”
“Well, whatever. That’s actually the problem: because you went on about my ‘exploits,’ I can’t even go outside!”
I felt all the color drain from my face. “Hero Makoto...what did you just say?!” I’d thought so in the past—he really didn’t shy away from talking back to powerful people. But this was taking things too far! I needed to stop things before the Grandsage got angry.
“Oh, you want to throw blame around?” The Grandsage scoffed. “What do you really want from me?”
“Can you just...use your influence or something so I can go outside? I can’t even leave the infirmary without permission.”
“Hmm. My ‘influence’ you say...”
She didn’t show any sign of anger at his rudeness but simply folded her arms in thought. She’d been quick to punish insolence back during her days of teaching our class magic. Mainly Sir Gerald...
“Ah! What about this?” she asked, raising a finger. “Would you become my guardian knight?”
“Your guardian knight?” he parroted.
“What?” I asked while internally yelling the same. That had come as a real shock... She’d been alive for a thousand years, and I’d never heard anything about her taking a guardian knight. Her comrades had been Abel the Savior and Johnnie the Spellbow—no one could ever measure up to them. Her asking Hero Makoto was...an absurd honor.
“That’s not happening, Grandsage.”
“Hm? It’s not?”
“Wh-Why would you turn her down?!” I blurted out. He’d just casually dismissed something so prestigious!
“I mean, I’m technically the Priestess of the Moon’s guardian knight.”
“Oh, that’s right,” said the Grandsage. “It is possible for you to be a guardian knight for two people at once. However, the contracts must not clash. What type of contract do you have with the moon priestess?”
“Type of contract?” he asked quizzically.
“You— Do you not even know the particulars of the contracts you are part of?”
“Hero Makoto...that isn’t a good thing,” I mumbled.
The Grandsage held out her hand. “Show me your Soul Book.”
He sighed, handing it over. The Grandsage hummed as she inspected it.
“Hmm, a Spoken Contract. That is about what I expected.”
“What kind is that?” he asked me.
“A contract agreed upon verbally,” I answered. “It’s the most minor type.”
“Huh.”
Considering the almost manic amount he trained his water magic, why did he not know these basics?
“There are five types of contracts, Elementalist. You are currently bound by two of them. If you are to become my guardian knight, we can use one of the other three,” she explained. “No one will make a pass at you if you become my guardian knight.”
“Two?” he asked. “But I’m only contracted as Princess Furiae’s guardian knight.”
“Contracts aren’t limited to knighthood,” I told him. “You are bound by a contract as your goddess’s disciple, no?” Had his goddess not explained that to him?
“I’ve...got a contract with Noah?”
“The contract between a goddess and mortal is a Soul Contract. The mortal offers their faith, and the goddess offers her blessings. It’s common sense...though with you being an otherworlder, I suppose you might not know.”
He nodded along. “So there are three other types, right? What are they?”
I listed them off. “Blood, Body, and Spoken.”
At that point, the Grandsage cut in. “With me...a Blood Contract should suffice. Each party simply needs to drink a few drops of blood from the other.”
“So the same as usual,” he commented.
“Indeed. Hup.”
“What?!” I yelped.
She had hopped onto his lap and circled her arms around his neck. He supported her with his own arms around her back. It was clearly something he was used to.
She then latched on to his neck, bit down, and began lapping at his blood.
“I thought a mouthful would be fine?” he asked.
“No. You’re supposed to be my guardian knight, are you not? You need to satisfy me.”
“Right, right,” he said. One hand was on her back while the other carded through her hair. Her arms were tightly wrapped around him. They looked...almost like lovers.
What...?
I felt a looming sense of unease. Someone of the Grandsage’s stature would never interact with a commoner like this. At least, that’d been my assumption. Was there really...nothing between them?
You took so long to notice, I heard in my head.
L-Lady Eir?!
You can’t let your guard down. Mako’s a natural Casanova.
A-A Casanova? What did that mean? Wait, that wasn’t the important thing. Why was she speaking to me now? Was something urgent happening?
Hm? Nope, nothing urgent. I thought I’d just pull a Noah and chat☆.
U-Uh?
More importantly, are you going to let her take Mako?
I couldn’t even hear her after that. Lately, she’d been speaking to me much more casually. I was grateful for it, but it was also unnerving. It sounded like Hero Makoto’s goddess was always doing that kind of thing. Didn’t the nerves exhaust him?
“Now, lick my finger,” demanded the Grandsage. “That will establish the Blood Contract.”
“That feels kinda weird.”
Before I knew it, they were done.
I heard her chuckle. “Now you are my guardian knight. I’ll tell Noelle later and spread the word. I’ll wager that very few nobles will try to take advantage of you now.”
“Hooray!” he cheered. “I can go outside again!”
Right... Of course he didn’t care about the honor of his new position or anything else that had to do with prestige. Considering how easily he’d agreed to the Grandsage’s plan, did he even know the risks of making contracts? I sometimes worried about the basic knowledge that our hero seemed to be missing...
As these thoughts swirled around my mind, we thanked the Grandsage and left her estate.
Hero Makoto and I were walking back side by side, talking as we went.
“You really are an absurd person,” I remarked.
“I am?”
Honestly, it felt like my heart had been about to stop. Now that that guardian knight contract had been enacted, one could certainly consider Roses and Highland more closely linked. However...
“The Grandsage was kind to us, but what would you have done if you’d angered her? As a hero, you should be more aware—”
“Sophia,” he interrupted. “Do you fancy stopping somewhere to eat?”
“Listen to what I’m—” I paused, taking in his question. “Well...yes.” See! He was easily able to distract me.
“Okay then. What do you want?”
“Whatever you prefer is fine.”
“Great!” he said. “Let’s go to the place Fujiyan mentioned.”
At that, he grabbed my hand and started tugging me along.
W-Was he always this intense?
“Hero Makoto, you seem like you’re enjoying yourself.”
“’Course! It’s been ages since I’ve been free!”
“I see.” The forced stay in the infirmary must have been a source of stress.
I let him lead the way, and we soon arrived at a small bar in a back alley of the third district—the nobles’ district. I hadn’t known there was a place like this here. No other customers seemed to have arrived yet. Maybe it opens later in the day. Wooden tables and barrel-shaped chairs were set up around the space, lending it an atmosphere that would likely appeal to adventurers. Overall, it was completely different from the restaurants I usually frequented.
“I’ve never been to this kind of establishment,” I told him.
“He built it to evoke a commoners’ bar.”
“Built it?” Was the owner an acquaintance of his?
As soon as that thought crossed my mind, someone walked out.
“Sir, we aren’t yet open for— P-Princess Sophia’h?!”
“Oh,” I replied, looking at the rabbit-eared woman. I recalled that she was one of Hero Makoto’s old friends. “You are Lord Fujiwara’s wife, Nina, no?”
“Hey, Nina.”
“Mister Makoto’h! If you were going to bring someone like the princess, you should have told us first’h!”
“Ah, my bad. You aren’t open yet? We can come back later.”
“I’d be in trouble if I just sent a princess away with nothing’h!” she exclaimed. “Hang on—I’ll be just a moment’h!”
Soundlessly, she vanished into the building.
“Whoops,” Hero Makoto muttered.
“You are far too haphazard.”
He slumped over a bit. “Sorry.”
“Y-You don’t need to be so down,” I stammered, quickly trying to cheer him up. “Just be more careful next time.”
“My esteemed Tackie! Lady Sophia! Welcome!”
Hero Makoto’s face immediately brightened. “Oh, hey, Fujiyan.”
Was he just...pretending to be upset?
“This is a bar intended for the nobles of Highland—here, they can lighten the load of formality!” Lord Fujiwara announced excitedly. “Please, enjoy yourselves!”
“We’ll take whatever you recommend.”
“Leave it to me! However...in the future, please inform me of your visits ahead of time.”
Hero Makoto paused for a moment, then once again said, “Sorry.”
Even his friend had been unhappy with this spontaneous dropping in. Well, that makes perfect sense. Our meal ended up being a creative mix of cuisine from both Roses and Highland, and it was delicious. I also enjoyed the time I was able to spend talking to Hero Makoto. On the whole, I was satisfied.
Once we were done, we returned to the infirmary.
“You’re late,” Lucy griped. She was sitting on the bed braiding Aya’s hair. “We already ate.”
“Where’d you two go?” Aya asked.
Lucy and Aya really did seem to be close, though they clashed on occasion when it concerned Hero Makoto’s affections. I suppose that’s one facet of being such good friends—they can fight and still maintain a positive relationship. I had no such acquaintances, and honestly, I was somewhat jealous.
“To see the Grandsage,” he answered.
“Hero Makoto became the Grandsage’s guardian knight,” I added. “I could feel my life slipping away.”
Aya offered a considering “Hmmm” while Lucy exclaimed, “That’s amazing, Makoto!”
I sighed and began to explain what had happened. But then, I was interrupted by a voice from the door.
“What?”
A metal bowl fell to the floor with a clatter. I whipped my head around to stare at the source of the sound—the Priestess of the Moon was standing there wearing a dazed expression.
“Nrow!” Twi hissed as her food was scattered all over the floor. She still started gobbling it up though. Cute.
“Wh-Wh-What...did you just...say?” Her voice was shaking. She could barely get the words out.
It was the first time I’d seen her so flustered. However, Hero Makoto didn’t seem to notice. He spoke to her with the same expression as ever.
Not fair. He’s always so calm.
“I’m the Grandsage’s guardian knight now.”
“You traitor!” she yelled, grabbing him tightly.
◇ Furiae’s Perspective ◇
Ahhh, it’s so peaceful.
I exhaled a soft breath, looking out of the window and stroking Twi, who sat on my lap.
Things had been quiet since Makoto Takatsuki—my knight—had been admitted to the infirmary. The time leading up until now had been awful though. Zagan’s army had invaded from the demon continent. My knight and Ryousuke had worked together to defeat him. Of course, the biggest threat—Iblis, the Great Demon Lord—was still waiting in the wings. The world was still on the brink of ruin.
But something’s shifting... Recently, my Future Sight has been constantly wrong.
My Fate Magic had been of very little use since I had met my knight. Due to his influence, the rebellion in Highland’s capital had been gracefully averted. Demon lord Bifrons’s resurrection in Springrogue had never truly come to pass. Even the future I’d seen of us losing against the demons had been all wrong.
Again, all of this had been due to my knight’s interference.
At this rate, the future I’d witnessed—of Iblis’s return and the Hero of Light’s murder—might not come to pass either. I’d grown that optimistic.
In the past, I’d loathed the world and its oppression of cambions. I used to think it could all just be destroyed. But now...I’d started to consider that this world wasn’t so bad. I wonder when my thinking shifted... The answer to that was almost certain—that strange guardian knight had prompted my change of heart.
At first, I’d been sure he would dissolve the contract immediately. After all, no one would want to be the guardian knight of the cursed priestess for long. But I didn’t feel that way anymore. Everyone in his party was a good person, and despite my curse, they didn’t avoid me. My knight seemed completely uninterested too...though I might’ve wished for him to acknowledge it a little.
“Nrow, nrow,” mewled Twi from my lap as she batted at my arms. Apparently, she was hungry.
“What a greedy beastie you are. Wait a moment—I’ll get you some food.”
I hadn’t even noticed it happening, but I was the one taking care of her now. Wasn’t she my knight’s familiar? She didn’t act like it at all. Hadn’t he accused me of stealing her? It made me laugh slightly to remember that.
I dug around in our belongings and retrieved the cat food the merchant Fujiwara had provided, then tipped some into a silver bowl.
Look at the luxuries you get. This is all thanks to his efforts, you know. You should at least show him some affection.
“Nrow, nrow, nrow!” Twi pawed at my legs, trying to get me to hurry up.
Honestly, what a gluttonous cat. I walked back toward the main room. My knight and the princess of Roses were talking. Oh, they’re back.
Suddenly, I overheard something that made me freeze.
“Hero Makoto became the Grandsage’s guardian knight.”
What...? Ridiculous. H-Hold on! That’s not true, right?! He didn’t say anything to me! I must have misheard. I must have!
My hands were shaking. Was I being thrown away?
Distantly, I realized that Twi’s bowl had fallen to the floor. My mind couldn’t have been further from it.
In a daze, I searched out Makoto Takatsuki.
“M-My knight?”
His voice seemed wholly unconcerned when he said, “I’m the Grandsage’s guardian knight now.”
This impudent fool!
All at once, I felt heat flare in my mind.
“You traitor!”
I leaped at him, straddling his torso, digging my fingers into his skin, and (apparently) trying to wring his neck. The mage and warrior grabbed me and hauled me off. The event was hazy in my memory, and I didn’t really remember exactly what’d happened.
A while later, I calmed down.
“What?” I asked. “You’re still my guardian knight as well?” I suppose there had been no need for the shock...
“See, no problem,” my knight proclaimed, cool as a cucumber. Just how bad can he be?
“The problem is that I didn’t know anything about it...” l said after a moment, pouting at him.
“Why would you just become someone’s guardian knight so easily, Makoto?”
“Takatsuki, you should have talked to Fuu first.”
“Hero Makoto, internal conflict isn’t good for a party.”
The mage, warrior, and princess were on my side. My knight looked awkwardly away.
That’s what you get.
“I will go and tell Lady Noelle about this.” The princess sighed, then took her leave.
“Since we’re in Symphonia, I want to head to the church in the ninth district,” said the warrior.
“Oh! That’s where Emily was raised!” exclaimed the mage. “I’ll go too.”
The two of them also proceeded out the door.
“Wait!” my knight called out. “What about adventuring?”
The warrior shook her head. “No way, Takatsuki.”
“You should rest,” added the mage.
He deflated at their refusal. Maybe they were irritated about the guardian knight situation as well—not nearly as angry as me though.
Before long, only my knight and I were left in the room.
“Maybe I’ll go walking ’round the town,” he mumbled to himself.
Hmph, so he’s going right back out.
“Want to come with?”
“Why does that sound like such an afterthought?” I demanded.
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
“I didn’t say that.” You’ll need to take responsibility for the shock earlier!
And so, the two of us headed out into Symphonia.
“What...is this place?” I asked.
The shining gold building in front of us was enormous—it was certainly eye-catching.
“The Grand Highland Casino. Shall we head in?”
“A casino...?” I asked. “Do you gamble?”
The woman who’d raised me when I was young had always warned me that men who liked to gamble were trash. She’d apparently been taken in by someone like that in the past.
My knight didn’t answer and just headed for the entrance.
“’Lo,” he greeted the guard there.
“Hey, mister, we’re a casino! If you want in, you’re gonna need to bring some money to—” He stopped, staring wide-eyed for a moment. “S-Sir Makoto?!”
The man had been intimidating at first, but he’d suddenly changed his tune.
“Can we head in?” my knight asked. “Um, I’ve got Peter’s badge here.”
“O-Of course! Please, go on in!”
“Is Peter here?”
“I’ll send for him!”
The staff near the entrance rushed around. My knight seemed rather well-known here. Hmm, so he does like to gamble? That’s a hidden side to him. I worried slightly, remembering my old caretaker’s words. He’s not scum, right?
“Let’s gooo, Princess,” he said, setting off.
“Wait, I’m coming!”
I hurried after him, and we passed through the thick doors into the building.
“Wow...what a place...” I breathed out slowly, looking at the lavish interior.
“Is this your first time in a casino?”
“It is.”
I couldn’t help but look around at everything. Crowds of people walked across the bright red carpet, all wearing expensive-looking clothes. Coins clattered out of slots—I could hear winners cheering from the gallery alongside groans from losers. It was...a noisy place.
“Do you come here often, my knight?”
“Nah, this is the second time. And the first time I’ve come for fun.”
“So you’re a beginner too.”
I’d almost convinced myself that he was a regular here, but apparently not. So he’s not scum. Phew.
“How do we have fun here?” I asked excitedly. The atmosphere of the place might have been getting to me.
“Hm, I don’t really know. Let’s take a look around.”
“Got it! Although...do you have money?” You couldn’t play in a casino without any, right?
“Don’t worry—I got some from the Grandsage!”
“R-Right.”
Despite the cheery response...it wasn’t his money. He already received a stipend from the princess of Roses since he was their State-Authorized Hero, and now he was getting money from the Grandsage in Highland. It almost seemed like he was collecting...sugar mommas. And he was gambling with the money...
Maybe he is scum.
Suddenly, he started tugging me along by my hand. “Come on, Princess.”
“Hey!” I protested. “Why the hand?” I felt myself warming up from the heat coming through his skin.
His expression was as blank as usual. “There’re a lot of people here. We don’t want to get separated.”
Guh...he’s always so calm.
Despite the internal complaint, I returned the grip like it didn’t bother me and followed him. We passed poker and blackjack tables, games of roulette and baccarat, slot machines...and all sorts of other things. This might have been my first time in a casino, but so far, it had been pretty fun. I didn’t know the rules for these games, but it was enjoyable to watch others play.
Every so often, we watched some of the show that was taking place on the big stage in the middle of the casino. Women dressed in flamboyant clothes were dancing, and occasionally, people would do other types of performances. The customers cheered and jeered—if they liked what they saw, they’d toss money in the form of chips onto the stage. I sat down at a table a little ways away from the show to take a break. My knight had gone up to a bunny girl serving drinks.
“What’s that cocktail?” he asked her.
“This is a gimlet.”
“Are they good?”
“They are. They have a very refreshing flavor, so many people enjoy them.”
“I’ll take two.” A moment later, he headed back with two glasses. “Here you go.”
“Thanks...”
Oh, so he could be thoughtful. We toasted and I put the glass to my lips. It certainly was refreshing. Not bad, my knight.
“Whoa! That’s strong!” he exclaimed, sputtering a bit and puckering his face.
You’d look so much cooler if you didn’t make that expression, I thought.
“Well, whatever.” Suddenly, he downed the entire drink.
“Are you okay?” I asked. “Aren’t you a lightweight?”
“Don’t worry about it. I didn’t win anything gambling, so it’ll cheer me up.”
“Ah...right...”
We had indeed lost money at essentially everything we’d tried. I’m sure we’d made poor bets. We had started out with small amounts, but as soon as we’d gotten the hang of it, we had started betting more and more. We’d lost. All of our chips had vanished.
Makoto Takatsuki had apparently never used money for betting, so he’d quickly given up and called the pastime “not for him.” I also hadn’t gambled much in Laphroaig—I felt lost when I thought about how much money was shifting in this place.
“So you never used the money you got from your believers to play around?” he asked.
“Of course I didn’t!” How could he say that?! Was that what he thought of me?! Maybe it’s why he brought me here.
“What now?” he asked. “Shall we head somewhere else?”
That suggestion at least made sense—he had no skill at gambling.
“Hmm, well—”
“Brother! You came!”
I let out a yelp as a youthful beastman suddenly slung an arm around my knight’s shoulder. However young he might’ve been, he was well-groomed and wearing high-class clothes.
“Oh, and who is this? Hmm... Oh! The princess.”
“I-Indeed...and you are?” He was acting awfully familiar with me, but it was oddly inoffensive.
“Ah, my bad. I’m Peter Castor. My family runs the place. Please enjoy yourselves!”
“R-Right...thank you,” I replied vaguely, making sure not to say anything about my status as a cursed priestess.
“And thanks for the help with the ‘disturbance’ a while back!” he continued. “There’re a lot of beastmen in the family, so we really appreciate it. I’ll give thanks on behalf of my father and brothers too.” The man bowed deeply.
Oh. Apparently, he knows about me... He doesn’t seem concerned about it though.
“We didn’t do anything extreme,” I replied. “And half of our success was due to my knight.”
The “disturbance” had actually been a planned rebellion of beastmen and demihumans. It’d been a false uprising though, brought about by a curse the Snake Sect had placed on a drug they’d distributed called weed. I’d channeled my curse removal magic into rain, dousing the rebellion, breaking the spell, and avoiding a large-scale catastrophe.
“It definitely was extreme...to our family at least.” This Peter Castor looked awfully sincere. “The two of you can ask for whatever you like today.”
“Hmm, well, it seems that neither of us are good gamblers,” my knight said, relaying our string of losses.
“Then I’ll show you around our best establishments! No charge, of course!”
“We couldn’t poss—”
The man insistently interrupted. “It’s our thanks for saving the city. Come on, Brother, let me do this!”
“Well, if you’re going that far... You okay with that, Princess?”
“I have no complaints.” The casino had been fun, but the noise was starting to get to me.
Peter of the Castor family showed us around the city. Apparently, an introduction from the mafia could unlock a lot of doors...
◇ Makoto Takatsuki’s Perspective ◇
“Honestly, you drank far too much.”
“Thanks, Princess.”
Peter had taken us to all kinds of fancy places, and now I was staggering along...with Furiae’s help. He’d escorted us around, recommending this place and that, so getting the timing right to slip away had been pretty difficult. Incidentally, a lot of the establishments had been staffed with beautiful women to “entertain” the patrons—as soon as we’d walked in, there’d been women coming up and pouring me drinks.
But—
“Oh, you want to ignore me and get close to my knight?”
—Furiae had threatened everyone, resulting in all the women quickly scattering.
I suppose that’s what happens when you’re accompanied by the most beautiful mortal alive—even the gorgeous hostesses shy away from her. Peter had just given reluctant grins. Still, I would’ve been exhausted if I’d had to keep up a conversation with women I didn’t know, so I was pretty grateful for the result of Furiae’s demeanor. We’d gone to a fair few places, and this pattern had repeated at each one. By the end of the night, I was pretty drunk.
“We’re here.”
“Thanks...Princess,” I managed.
She’d brought me back to my room. I’d told her that I would be fine as soon as we got back to the inn, but she’d insisted on helping me all the way up to my room. She sure was kind.
“Ugh, I feel awful. What’ll I do for training today...” I wondered.
“You...” She trailed off in disbelief. “You think you’re going to do some training after this?”
I fell down on the bed. Furiae stared at me like I was insane.
Ah, so soft... I wanted to sleep, but I hadn’t practiced much today. Two hours should do it...
“Do you want me to cast a spell to sober you up?” she asked.
“Huh? You can do that?” I hadn’t known she could use healing magic. But since she was offering...
“Go on, Princess.”
“Look this way.”
“Mm,” I grunted, rolling to look up. Furiae’s beautiful face appeared above me, staring down. We held each other’s gaze for a while before, slowly, her face drew closer to mine.
Uh, hang on?
Her long hair brushed against my face, and her perfect features were so close to me. Before I could react or say anything, her lips lightly brushed against my forehead.
“Wha?”
“The Curse of Slumber. Sleep already,” she murmured, smiling down at me.
My eyelids were rapidly growing heavier... She’d lied about the sobering magic.
“N’fair...Pr...incess...”
“Rest well, my knight.”
Those words were the last thing I heard before I fell asleep.
◇
When I awoke in an empty space—my goddess’s space—I was panicking a bit.
“The princess...kissed me?”
What’d brought that on all of a sudden? It had just been my forehead... That was normal in America, right? (At least, according to the internet.) But I wasn’t American.
Hmm...
“You’re thinking stupid things, Makoto.”
“Oh, Noah!”
I hurriedly knelt and offered a greeting. Come on! I need to distract myself. Calm Mind... Calm Mind...
“Going for another girl, Mako?”
“That’s not—” I turned to Eir to protest, but then I noticed the small girl behind her. She was rather adorable but looked somewhat unhappy.
“Adorable? Of course I am, Makoto Takatsuki.”
She’d read my mind. She was inhumanly cute. She had gorgeous pink hair.
That was Ira, all right.
She was a patron goddess of Cameron, which was known as the land of business. Believing in the Goddess of Fate was a somewhat surprising notion for a country of realist merchants, but Cameron had plenty of faithful believers. Though, I’d also heard that their faith took a slightly weird form... Let’s just ignore that for now.
I looked her over. It’d only been a few days since we’d last met... Maybe she just had some free time?
“I have no such thing!”
“Sorry.” Whoops, I’d pissed her off. The small goddess was now glaring at me.
“You are a strange one...for being able to keep your sanity while viewing a goddess directly.”
I just stared at her quizzically. Eir had once said the same thing. As a goddess, she was inhumanly beautiful, and there was an otherworldly echo to her voice.
“I told you, that’s my disciple, so of course he can!”
“He surprised you too, didn’t he?” Eir asked Ira. “He’s a real weirdo.”
Ira could never measure up to Eir’s seemingly endless affection or Noah’s allure that could tempt anything.
The small goddess must have read my mind again because she frowned slightly. “Don’t call me inferior to Noah.”
“Calm down, Irrie! It’s just preference,” Eir said.
“Hmph.”
Yep... She still seemed unhappy.
“What a cutie!” Noah giggled, ruffling Ira’s hair.
“Ack, Noah?!”
My goddess’s mood was as good as Ira’s was sour. Despite this being a dream, I could smell a sweet scent.
Anyway, why was Ira here?
“It’s nothing important. I was just talking with Eir about the next phase of the Northern Front Plan.”
“The second phase...already?” We’d only just defeated Zagan a few days ago. She sure was rushing.
“I’m with Mako,” Eir said. “We should rest more.”
“No, we should keep up the momentum and target Astaroth! If we can accomplish that before Iblis returns, we’ve all but won!” Ira clenched her fist tightly.
“Are you suuure?” Noah drawled, propping her chin on her hand. “You’ll mess it up right away.”
“Not this time! It’s a foolproof strategy utilizing my Future Sight!”
“Uh-huh...” Noah looked unconvinced. “You’re just going to rely on Makoto, right?”
“I don’t need your disciple! The heroes and priestesses of the six goddesses will be enough!”
“Hey, Mako,” Eir said. “If she messes up, do you mind helping? Ira will probably do anything you ask her to. Actually, you’re the reason we defeated Zagan, so why not ask for something now?”
“Eir?!”
Both Noah and Eir had shown little faith in Ira’s abilities—she deflated, seeming like the wind had been knocked out of her sails. The expression on her face was funny, but I was more interested in the “anything” Eir had mentioned.
“So does that mean you can free Noah if I ask?” I mean, Eir had said anything.
Ira’s face twisted into a grimace. “No! Of course not!”
“Aww.”
Guess she couldn’t. But why? I glanced at Eir and Noah. Eir wore an awkward smile, and Noah was just shrugging.
“Mako, Noah’s here as a punishment handed down by the Sacred Deities. Think of it like a prison. Defeating a demon lord hasn’t given you enough sway to request her freedom.”
“That makes me sound bad,” Noah protested. “You act like I’m some criminal.”
“Like a criminal?” Eir gave her a knowing look. “You got up to all sorts of things in the divine realm...”
“Eh, what’s the problem? All I did was swipe a relic from the Godking’s vault.”
“Of course that’s a problem! Papa’s relics can destroy planets!”
Noah and Eir had launched into an argument.
The Godking’s relics...destroying planets... There were all sorts of things to worry about in that exchange. Man, the goddesses’ conversations really are on another level. Either way, my request wasn’t going to happen.
After squabbling for a while, Eir turned back to me. “There’s only one way to free her, Mako. One of her believers has to get to the Seafloor Temple and meet her directly.”
“So that’s the only way...” Well, that was what Noah had told me.
“It’s not like I’d complain if Ira could free me,” Noah said with a rueful chuckle.
I guess that would be too good to be true. I’ll just have to clear the dungeon myself.
“Mako, is there anything else you’d like to ask for?”
Well...hmm...
“How about reclassifying Noah? Change her title. Instead of one of the wicked deities, could she be known as an eighth Sacred Deity?”
“I-I can’t do that!” Ira cried. “Althena would never allow it!”
That idea was no good either? I looked at the other two goddesses—both of them stared back, and their eyes told me to pick something else.
“I-Is there anything else?” Ira asked.
Hmm, what would help Noah...?
“Well, you could...make it so Noah can have more than just me as a disciple.” Ira should be able to do that at least.
But her expression was bleak. A long silence ensued.
“I-I can’t.”
Wait? Really? What can you do?!
Ira was gritting her teeth and looking down, obviously frustrated. The feeling was mutual. I just wanted to do something for my goddess...
“Uh, Mako,” Eir began. “Everything you’ve said so far touches on the divine agreements that have stood since the end of the war.”
Noah picked up the explanation. “Only the Godking—or Althena acting in his place—can overturn them. I’m grateful you’d try and help me, but Ira’s the youngest, so she can’t possibly go against them.”
“I see... Then I suppose there’s nothing I’d like to ask for,” I decided, convinced by their explanations.
But Ira had turned toward me, and she was now glaring. Rejecting her offer must have hurt her pride.
“I’m the goddess of Cameron, so I could give you loads of money for— Um, well, I guess the princess and the Grandsage are taking care of money for you. I could offer you women...though with your title, they are already throwing themselves at you. Maybe a legendary weapon or some armor... What?! You can’t even use them?!”
Her whole speech was impressive—she didn’t even wait for my answers because she could read the future and see how I’d respond.
“I can’t use a weapon bigger than a dagger,” I admitted.
My expression must have looked pretty pathetic. Even Lucy’s staff was too heavy for me... I was training though.
Ira slumped over. “I-I don’t have anything to give...”
Noah and Eir were watching with grins. Yeah, they aren’t going to help. Hmm, what could I ask for? Something relatively minor...
“How about a skill or something?” She must be able to offer one I could use.
“Huh?”
“Ira, I used Gift to give him Elemental Magic,” explained Noah.
“Ugh...Gift would...” She didn’t look entirely happy.
“Ira?” I asked.
“I mentioned before, Mako, but that can only be used on your believers,” Eir told me. “You’d have to convert to Ira’s faith.”
Convert...
“I won’t do that. And even if I did, it would be to you,” I said, glancing at Eir, “rather than Ira.” Eir had promised me Water Magic (Saint Rank) if I ever converted—that’d be great. Still, this was all purely hypothetical anyway since I wasn’t going to abandon Noah.
Eir giggled, then said in a singsong voice, “You’ll always be welcome!”
“I thought you’d given up on trying to poach him,” Noah grumbled, glaring at her.
“The match is still on as long as I don’t.”
“Just call it off!”
The two of them got along really well. Also...were they paraphrasing manga from my old world? How’d they know about it...? I guess ’cause they’re goddesses.
Suddenly, Eir clapped her hands together. “What about this? You temporarily convert to Irrie, she uses Gift, and then you go back to Noah. That way, you’ll retain the skill.”
“Th-That’s it! Thank you, Eir! Let’s do it!” Ira cheered. “Noah?”
“Mmm, I’m fine with it as long as he comes back.”
Should I be using loopholes like that? I’d learned in the Water Temple that doing this kind of thing was shameful and would see you punished... But, if the goddesses themselves were suggesting it, it shouldn’t be a problem.
“Now! Temporarily become my disciple and I can use Gift! Fate Magic is the strongest! You can even use Teleport or time spells if you train enough!”
Ira had apparently gotten her confidence back—she was grinning. Well...people who could use Fate Magic were certainly rare and strong. That skill would be a lot of help for future adventuring.
I turned the idea over in my mind. But, ultimately...my answer was obvious from the beginning.
“Ira... Thank you, but I’ll pass.”
“Uh...” She seemed stunned into silence for a long moment. “What?!”
“Mako, why?”
“You should take what you can, Makoto.”
All of them were confused. Come on, you three... I thought you could read my mind.
“Temporarily converting and coming back? Can you really call that following your faith?”
The truth was plain to see—I was all-in for Noah.
The three goddesses went silent at my words. It looked like they all understood.
Eir sighed. “Noah...you always get the zealots.”
“He’s such a cutie, isn’t he? C’mere.” Noah smiled, pulling me close and running her hand over my head.
Goddess, that tickles.
“Guh... Then there’s nothing I can do...” Ira really seemed depressed. “Ugh! Forget it! If you think of something, come and see Estelle.”
With those parting words, Ira vanished.
“Aww, she’s sulking,” said Eir.
Noah smiled. “She’s always been short-tempered.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t have done that...” I muttered. Ira might’ve been a bit sharp, but she’d offered a gift out of the kindness of her heart. If I thought of something, I’d go see her. “She can see the future, though, can’t she? Surely, she would’ve already known what I’d ask for.”
“Mmm, she probably can’t see your future,” Noah said. “That’s why she came to ask you.”
Huh. Wonder why.
“We just saw exactly why,” Eir pointed out. “You’re a crazed zealot for Miss Wicked Deity here. As much as the Snake Sect are of their own...”
“Hey! Don’t call me that!”
“Ow, don’t hit me.”
As soon as the comment passed Eir’s lips, Noah started smacking her over and over.
That made sense—I’d heard that it was harder to see someone’s fate if they’d placed strong faith in another type of deity.
“Actually, zealotry is what screwed Ira over,” Eir said thoughtfully. “The Snake Sect came up with the demons’ battle plan, and their faith in Typhon is absurd. Demons in general don’t have that strong faith, so Ira hadn’t thought it would be an issue. The Snake Sect is a real problem.”
Noah nodded. “But she’s correcting the mistake now, right? She said she had an idea earlier.”
“She did?” I asked. I’d like nothing more than for someone to deal with the Snake Sect. They really were irritating.
“More importantly, Mako, think of something to ask her for. She is really grateful to you.”
“That’s right. She’s usually such a brat,” Noah added, giggling. “I’ve got days’ worth of material to tease her with now.”
Eir shook her head. “Come on, Noah. She might put on a strong front, but you know how she is.”
Eir was right—Ira had seemed to put on a show of being tough, but in reality...she seemed pretty weak to people blaming her.
Suddenly, my vision started to blur. My time was up.
“Bye then, Noah, Eir.”
Noah slipped in close as I said goodbye.
“Makoto,” she said seriously, putting a hand on my cheek.
“Y-Yeah?”
“You really have done well. I’m proud of you.”
“Thank you,” I replied after a pause. Her words had come out sounding rather emotional.
She spoke again, her beautiful face mere inches from mine. “But...don’t push yourself too hard.” Her murmur in my ear was the last thing I heard before I lost consciousness.
◇
When I woke up, I was in my bed.
“Don’t push myself too hard?” I muttered.
Lucy and Sasa had said the same thing recently. Maybe I should ask the two of them to just hang out sometime...
I tried to push myself up, but something was in the way.
“Mm?” Lucy mumbled in her sleep.
Whaaaat?!
I tried to scoot back, but there was something soft on my other side as well.
“S-Sasa?!”
I was sandwiched between the two of them as they breathed softly. How did this happen? What went on last night?
Then I remembered...Furiae cursing me to sleep...
As I considered that, I heard heavy footsteps rushing up to the door.
“My esteemed Tackie!” Fujiyan exclaimed, bursting into the room. “Big news! The—” There was a long pause as he took in the scene. “Ah, my apologies. Enjoy yourselves.” He quickly turned around and shut the door softly.
“Hey! Wait!” I called after him.
My raised voice seemed to rouse my bedmates.
“Mmm, that was a nice rest. I always sleep well next to Makoto,” Lucy remarked.
“Takatsuki’s bed is the best,” Sasa agreed.
“Guys, you know this is my room, right?” Why were they using it without my permission?
The two of them excused themselves to wash up. They’d be back soon enough. In the meantime, I’d hear what Fujiyan had to say.
I strode out of my room, catching up with my friend.
“So, Fujiyan, what’s this big news?”
“Indeed!” he responded, turning serious. “The Snake Sect has been destroyed!”
What...?
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