Chapter 6 — Makoto Takatsuki Speaks with a Saint
Lucy and I had been busy raving about what we’d found in my Soul Book when Sasa came out to the garden and yelled for us to hurry up.
Guess we can properly look into the whole 999 mastery thing later.
Once we’d all gathered to eat, we offered a chorus of “Thank you!” and tucked in to breakfast. Sasa had made toast and a clear soup, along with a ham and egg salad. It was Western food, but in a style that you could expect to see on a Japanese dining table. I piled some ham and egg salad onto my toast and added a bit of mayonnaise on top—that particular condiment had come from Fujiyan’s store.
As I munched away on my makeshift sandwich, I shared the content of my dream with my friends.
“Althena’s actually a pretty good person. I feel sorry for Ira though.”
“Huh... So Ira is that kind of goddess?” Lucy asked. “It’s...kind of a shock.”
Furiae just vacantly listened to our conversation.
“Princess?” I asked.
“Wh-What is it?”
“You feeling all right?”
“Of course I am!”
If she says so... She wasn’t really eating much.
Either way, we finished breakfast and then poured ourselves cups of tea. But suddenly, I heard footsteps approaching. A lot of footsteps. Had we invited guests?
“Hero Makoto! Furiae! Are you there?!”
Princess Sophia and her guards barged in—Fujiyan was with them. And also...Estelle?
“Good morning, Princess Sophia. Is something the matter?”
“Good morning, Hero Makoto. I see Furiae is here as well.” She walked over to us, her expression severe.
“Wh-What is it?” Furiae asked, shifting.
“The cambions of Highland—no, of the whole continent—want to meet Saint Furiae.”
“Wha...?”
It wasn’t just Furiae who responded. Lucy, Sasa, and I were all dumbstruck too.
“What actually happened?” Furiae asked, clearly confused.
“It seems that the Goddess of Fortune appeared in the cambions’ dreams, foretelling that you would create a country for them!” Fujiyan explained. “Thus, the cambions have come to gather before you...”
“Ira did that?”
I glanced suspiciously at Estelle, who was hanging behind everyone else. She immediately looked away.
“Ira? Would you mind explaining?” I asked.
Everyone whipped around to stare at me, looking taken aback.
“Hero Makoto, what do you mean?” asked Princess Sophia. “This is Estelle...”
I kept my eyes trained on “Estelle” and said, “Iraaaa? Look me in the eye, would you? I’ll tell Althena.”
“Don’t!” Estelle shouted, jumping at me.
See, I knew it was Ira!
“So? What’d you mess up this time?”
“I messed up nothing! Now that Furiae is a saint, she will need a workforce to create this country, won’t she? So, I just let the cambions know about the plan...using their dreams! But now there’re loads of them gathering here.”
“You truly are Lady Ira?!” Princess Sophia asked. She and her guards’ faces all stiffened in shock. Well, yeah... A goddess descending to the mortal plane wasn’t usually treated so casually.
“Isn’t this a bit sudden, though? Shouldn’t we have been able to prepare first—”
Ira interrupted me. “How can you suggest such a slow reaction, Makoto Takatsuki? Iblis will return tomorrow! And when the state of emergency is announced, people will find it difficult to travel. This was the best timing.”
“Tomorrow?!” everyone shouted.
Ira, why didn’t you tell any of them something so important?!
“O-Oh? Did I not already say?”
Damn this useless goddess. Still, despite not knowing the exact timing, everyone had known that Iblis was going to be back within the next few days. Hopefully, we should all be ready to fight.
“Princess, you good?” I asked, turning to Furiae.
“Wha?! Uh... Yeah, I’m...fine...”
“But you look kinda red...?” I said, half asking and half observing. I peered at her flushed face. The barrage of information must have overheated her.
“I-I’m fine! It’s just...you’re kinda close.”
“Do you have a fever or something?”
I placed my hand on her forehead. She gave a little “eep.”
Yeah, she feels kind of warm.
“All right, Fuu. Time to calm down,” Sasa said, coming over and patting her shoulder.
“Makoto, you need to back off,” Lucy insisted. She grabbed me and forcibly yanked me away.
Hey! I was worried about her...
“Leave the cambions to Cameron!” Ira exclaimed. “We have a temporary housing area outside of Symphonia. Cameron will also provide meals.”
“Oh, so you’re ready for this,” I remarked.
Ira—in Estelle’s body—puffed out her meager chest. Turning to Furiae, she continued. “Check with those who’ve gathered and find the people you need to create this country. We will ensure there is somewhere you can interview them in turn.”
“Y-You want me to...?”
“You cannot build a country alone. Cameron will provide aid, so you must arrange for the personnel.”
“U-Understood. I’ll try to do so.” Despite her uneasiness, Furiae’s nod of agreement was strong and firm.
Well, I’d have to help too...somehow.
“Fujiyan, you mind backing her up too?” I asked.
“Hm? Ah, I see. Of course, my friend,” Fujiyan answered, immediately cottoning on to my idea. Everyone gathering around Furiae would have their own motives—Fujiyan would be able to use his Mind Reading to see who we could trust.
“Princess, do you mind if Fujiyan lends a hand?”
“I don’t...but what about you, my knight?”
“I’ll be helping too, of course.”
“I see. Then that’s fine.” Her expression gradually calmed down.
Princess Sophia nodded at our course of action. “As the situation continues to develop...I will also offer whatever aid I can.”
“I wonder if there’s anything we can do,” Lucy pondered aloud.
“There definitely will be,” Sasa replied. “Fuu, if you need anything at all, just let us know!”
And so, all together, we headed to where the cambions were gathered.
That evening, we convened in the living room.
“I am exhausted, my knight...”
Sasa sighed heavily. “Maybe we should order food tonight...”
“Good for you, Fuuri. You’re really popular...” Lucy mumbled.
All three of them were slumped over.
Princess Sophia looked at me worriedly. “Everyone seems dead on their feet.”
“Well, they were all so busy...”
Just today, we’d interviewed over a hundred cambion candidates. Lucy had checked the mages’ capabilities, and Sasa had sparred with the fighters. Fujiyan had done the final checks on their personalities, and finally, they’d been allowed to speak to Furiae.
Already, over a thousand cambions had put their names in the hat, and Furiae had only personally interviewed the particularly exceptional people—the average ones had been recorded and registered by Princess Sophia and Estelle’s subordinates. For now, the focus was on individuals with experience in either engineering or farming. Laphroaig was home to a lot of monsters, so fighters were important as well. Luckily, since cambions were often mages, there wouldn’t be too much concern in regard to defense.
Princess Sophia, Fujiyan, and the others had briskly solved all of those concerns. As for me? Well, I’d stayed by Furiae’s side, serving the candidates tea and such.
“Now that we’ve screened applicants, I have an appointment to see Princess Noelle,” Princess Sophia said. She held my hand longingly, and I squeezed it back.
“Thanks, Sophia.”
“If you truly think that, then show it a little more.” She pouted and pinched my cheek.
Uhh, what do I do here? I know! If in doubt, hug it out! She yelped adorably as I put my arms around her.
“You’re not fair,” she complained, but her expression softened. A hug had definitely been the right answer.
Not bad, Mako, Eir told me.
So she was watching... The ominous silence around me implied that so were Lucy, Sasa, and Furiae.
I tried to just avoid looking their way, but that was never going to work.
The hour grew late, and I was training in my room. Tomorrow...Iblis would finally return. It would be the most historic event since our arrival in this world—something we’d been told about over and over. In a way, it was actually rather exciting.
Now then, it was time to train! I had to be ready!
That’s just what you always do, Noah commented.
Well, that’s the most important thing, right? She and I chatted mentally for a while, but we were interrupted by a knock at the door. It was probably Lucy coming to train alongside me, or maybe Sasa coming to talk. Either way, I’d pretty much expected one of them.
“Come in,” I called.
“O-Okay...”
My expectations had been wrong. Instead of either Sasa or Lucy, it was Saint Furiae, in her bedclothes, who appeared in my doorway.
“Um, do you have a moment?” she asked.
She was wearing a purple...something. I think it’s called a negligee? Furiae stepped into my room, the erotic bed clothes swishing as she moved.
“Yeah, ’course,” I managed, despite being taken aback by the different impression she was giving off right now. I gestured to a chair, but she sat on my bed instead. Why there? Did she need to discuss something serious?
When Lucy or Sasa turned up, I usually kept training while we talked, but...in the end, I decided to stop my practice. I sat in a chair and faced her, ready for the conversation.
She didn’t say anything for a while.
“Princess?” I prompted. However, before I could ask what she wanted...
“Next to me!” she blurted out, patting the bed at her side.
“G-Got it.”
I moved as I spoke, sitting at her side and peering at her. She wouldn’t meet my gaze, but she definitely seemed like she was trying to work up the nerve to say something.
Was the topic hard for her to bring up? Maybe she wanted to leave the party so she could found the country as its saint. If she wanted to focus on that, then I was going to help her.
Oh, but I’d also made a promise to Sakurai—I was going to help him fight Iblis. In that case, Furiae and I might end up parting ways. Also, I personally wanted to be part of the final battle. I was thinking over how I’d deal with everything as I waited for her to start speaking.
I could faintly hear the noise of the city in the distance. Symphonia was an active city, right into the night. Yet things were quiet in my room.
“U-Um, my knight!” Furiae finally broke the silence, grabbing my hand and turning to face me.
“Yup?”
She looked so serious... What on earth could she want to talk about?
“Um...when you saved me from the Hero of the Sun...I really appreciated that.”
“Huh? Ah...you’re welcome.” She wanted to talk about that? I was sure she’d wanted to talk about the future.
“I...was so happy. My Charm Magic doesn’t work on you...but you still risked your life for me...”
“I didn’t expect to actually die though...” I sighed, remembering Noah’s harsh scolding.
“Say, my knight?”
“Y-Yeah?” I asked, shaking off my regrets and facing her again.
“You have done so much for me. You saved me from Highland, you’ve taken me to so many different countries, you rescued me from the Hero of the Sun, and you even helped me become a saint.”
“Hmm...yeah.” That last point was more because of Althena, but I decided not to say anything. “I got the Charm skill from becoming your guardian knight, so we’re even, right?”
“That’s not enough—it doesn’t make us even at all. But I don’t know how to tell you how I feel, or what would make you happy, or what to give you in return...”
I was about to tell her she didn’t need to worry about that kind of thing, but the tears gathering in her eyes were enough to make me swallow the words. Before I knew it, she leaned against me, her breath tickling across my neck.
Her obsidian eyes met mine.
“Makoto...” she murmured. As far as I could remember, she hadn’t ever called me by my name, not since I’d become her guardian knight. “Don’t keep pushing yourself so hard.”
“Princess...”
Her eyes seemed to pierce right through mine, and I couldn’t move. I had Calm Mind going, didn’t I? My heart was pounding in my ears.
Furiae said nothing more. She closed her eyes.
Slowly, so slowly, she leaned in, and as her beautiful features came in close, I felt the brush of her lips against mine. The moment I felt her kiss, I thought I could smell something floral. I was torn about whether I should slide my arms around her shoulders.
But then—
“Makoto! Let’s train!”
“Takatsuki! I made snacks!”
—the door slammed open. Lucy might have been talking about training, but she had a bottle of wine in hand. Sasa had a plate full of food.
Silence consumed the room as we all exchanged glances. After recovering from a beat of shock, Furiae darted away from me.
“I-It’s not what you think!” she yelled.
The other two ignored that statement and walked over.
Lucy sighed. “Just take a drink of this,” she insisted, pouring a very full glass of wine.
“Here’s some food to keep your energy up for the night,” Sasa cheered, setting an overflowing plate down next to us.
But...I never really ate much at night...
“U-Um... Lucy? Aya?” Furiae asked, her voice shaking.
There was something bothering me, so I asked the question.
“Did you hear us talking?”
“Of course we did.”
“Loud and clear.”
“Wha?!” Furiae reeled.
Lucy was an elf, so she had sharp ears in more ways than one, while being a lamia meant that Sasa could pick up the slightest vibrations. As far as both of them were concerned, people speaking in the same building might as well be right next to them.
“We didn’t think she’d actually go for the kiss though,” Lucy said.
“Right, Fuu’s pretty bold.”
“W-Wait right there! You heard all of it?!” Furiae demanded in a panic.
I wasn’t exactly calm either. That kiss had really startled me.
Lucy nodded enthusiastically. “Come on, Fuuri! Admit how you feel about Makoto.”
“You’re not getting out of it anymore,” Sasa cajoled.
Furiae gasped. “Wait, you let it happen on purpose?!”
“Well, not exactly...”
“We just got excited finally hearing you go for it.”
“Ugh... I can’t believe you overheard...”
The three girls were really getting into the swing of things. Guys, this is my room...
Lucy soon beckoned to me. “Come on, Makoto, join in.”
“What about training?” I asked.
“You can do it while you drink!”
She was being way more forceful than usual.
“You made a move on Fuu,” Sasa said.
“S-Sasa?!”
The look in her eyes was terrifying. Furiae had gone red before she’d even started drinking.
Ultimately, the four of us ended up having a bit of a party.
“So? Are you and Fuuri going out?” Lucy asked.
“Ahh, so Fuu’s part of it too now.”
“Mmm...”
Lucy and Sasa just wouldn’t stop asking questions.
“Hold it right there!” Furiae interrupted. “That’s not what this is!”
“Hmm? You still won’t admit it? Even after kissing him?” Lucy asked.
Sasa shook her head. “Looks like you still haven’t had enough to drink.”
“You drink up too!” Lucy demanded, turning to me.
“Why do I have to...?”
At their insistence, I ended up sinking quite a bit of drink. Furiae did too. Even as it got really late, Lucy and Sasa wouldn’t let things go.
“I’m sleeping here tonight!” Furiae declared, falling back onto my bed.
Come on...
“Me too,” said Lucy.
“I’ll go get pillows,” Sasa declared.
Why...?
The three of them seemed really into it, so I didn’t think I’d be able to convince them otherwise. I lay down on the far edge of the mattress and eventually found myself drifting off to sleep.
The next morning, I woke up later than usual.
I rolled to my side and saw Furiae sleeping there. The strap of her negligee had slipped off her shoulder, so I gently pulled it back into place. Sasa and Lucy were wrapped around each other on the other side of the bed. They were definitely getting along well. Though honestly, the population density of this bed was kinda crazy.
I sat up suddenly. Iblis will be back today. It felt like tension was consuming the entire town.
Okay! Time to get ready to go out! I decided, moving to stand up. However, the door slammed open before I could move any farther.
“Hero Makoto, Iblis has returned! Make your way to the cathedral and—”
Princess Sophia.
We stared silently at each other. Her eyes then fell on Furiae, then to Lucy and Sasa. Finally, they snapped back to me.
I looked away.
She stalked toward me, and I felt a cold sweat spring up on my back. Then, she—very—forcefully pinched my face and yanked it around so I was looking directly at her. I was met by a kind smile...and a pulsing vein in her temple.
“It seems you had a rather enjoyable night.”
“I-It’s not what you think!” I sputtered.
After a while, I managed to cheer her up again.
“All right, let us be off,” she said, taking my arm and steering me toward the cathedral.
The whole point of this meeting was to discuss strategy for everyone involved in the fight against Iblis. Why the cathedral, though? The last time, before the battle against Zagan, we’d met in Highland Castle...
There was also one other thing I was wondering about.
“U-Um...Sophia? You don’t need to hold on to my arm so tightly.”
“I certainly do. If I don’t, you’ll find yourself with another woman right away.”
“Ah, I wouldn’t...”
It seemed she was still angry. I glanced behind us.
Lucy was whistling while Sasa offered an apologetic gesture and a rueful smile. Furiae wouldn’t even meet my gaze—she just looked away with red cheeks.
Damn them. Was no one gonna help me out? Well...I’d been the one in the wrong, I guess...
“Sophiaaaa.”
She looked pointedly away from me. Maybe I should give her more time...
As we walked, I glanced around. The sky was cloudy and gloomy, and it felt like there were fewer people out and about. Iblis’s resurrection hadn’t yet been made public, but there was a clear lack of liveliness on everyone’s faces.
From the streets, I noticed a gray statue of Abel the Savior standing at the entrance to the capital.
Something was wrong.
I couldn’t put it into words...but I felt awful.
“Sophia?”
“What is it? I am not angry with—”
“Um, what color is that statue?”
She looked questioningly at me.
“Ah...of course. You mean the one of Hero Abel, right?”
“Huh?”
For a second, I didn’t believe my ears. Unlike Sasa and I who had come from another world, Lucy and Princess Sophia had always called him “Abel the Savior” due to the clear distinction between Abel and normal heroes. The savior’s name was absolute to the people of this world. A priestess of the church would surely never use it incorrectly...
“Let us hurry, Hero Makoto. Lady Noelle is waiting.”
“R-Right.”
We never got to discuss my misgivings or what the princess had actually said—quickly, we hurried to the cathedral.
It was already packed with people. I spied royals from each country, nobles, heroes, priestesses, knights that had made a name for themselves...and so on.
There were people I knew, but also those I’d never seen before.
In the front of the room, a statue of Althena sat on a raised platform. Princess Noelle and Estelle were standing on the same platform.
“Lady Noelle is currently acting as the pope,” Princess Sophia explained in a whisper. So the last pope has already been removed... That was all good as far as I was concerned—I didn’t want to see him anyway.
“Makoto Takatsuki!”
“Janet?” A knight clad in golden armor raced over to me, and I turned my gaze toward her.
“You seem well. Where will you be posted? If it hasn’t been decided, then I can convince the commander to—”
Princess Sophia interrupted her. “He will likely be with the same forces as the Hero of Light. Lady Noelle has said as much.”
“I will?” I actually hadn’t heard that.
“Indeed. The Hero of Light requested it himself, apparently.”
“The same... Then that means you will be with Commander Owain’s forces. It should be simple then.” She giggled, giving me a meaningful smile. “We will fight together, Hero Makoto.”
“I trust you will take care of him,” Princess Sophia said.
“Oh?” Janet seemed surprised. “I thought you were against me being near him.”
“I am... But I cannot be on the battlefield, so I need you to ensure that he does not go too far.”
“Got it. I’ll do my best to make sure it doesn’t end the same way as last time!” she said cheerily.
Janet wore a reliable-looking expression, and Princess Sophia smiled back. Then, she gave me a meaningful look.
“Incidentally, all of the women in the party have been with Hero Makoto, so I think you will find it difficult to make a place for yourself.”
Janet looked at me in shock.
“Y-You...made a move on the Priestess of the Moon? She’s a saint now!”
“The norms of that ilk have no hold on my fiancé,” Princess Sophia lamented. “I personally saw them sharing a bed this morning.”
“What an awful man... Sophia, you do not have it easy.”
“Janet...this, too, is part of my royal duties...”
“I am on your side,” the knight told her.
It felt kinda like they were using me and becoming friends at my expense.
“Silence, everyone!” a Temple Knight called loudly. The huge doors to the cathedral shut with a thud.
“Everyone involved is now assembled.” Princess Noelle’s voice carried across the hall. The cathedral had enough seats for hundreds of people, but nearly all of them were filled. There were also lines of knights—likely bodyguards—stationed along the walls. Formations of Temple Knights stood outside as well. All in all, I was pretty sure this was currently the most important place on the continent.
Our party took seats at the back of the room. Janet’s armor clanked slightly as she sat nearby. Shouldn’t she be with the rest of the Ballantines?
“The goddess has important news about Iblis’s return,” Princess Noelle said, giving Estelle—no, Ira—a look. Immediately, her body began to glow, and immense amounts of mana filled the air. Several wings of light sprouted from her back and literally everyone in the cathedral bowed their heads.
She’s acting like she only just descended...but she’s been there the whole time, hasn’t she?
Even as I followed suit, bowing my head, I glanced at her face. Oops, she was glaring at me. She must have heard my thoughts. But...she looked really tired.
“Raise your heads,” she said solemnly. Then, she cast her gaze over everyone present. “I have news for you all. I believe you may have already heard, but today marks a thousand years since Iblis was defeated. This is also the day of his return.”
The room began to stir.
“However, he does not have his full power. Only two of the demon lords remain on the demon continent, so the situation has changed drastically in the past thousand years. We have the forces to fight back. A direct attack could very well end in victory.”
Well, that’s the outcome we’d been preparing for over the past several years. A murmur of relief swept the crowd. Various nobles and military personnel around us were muttering.
“So the time has come...”
“True peace will reign after Iblis is defeated...”
“I am ready...”
They certainly sounded motivated.
However, the dark expression on Princess Noelle’s face was bothering me. She was probably worried for Sakurai. I looked around and spied him right at the front, next to Owain.
“The countries stand together in a powerful alliance. The demon lords have decreased in number, and Iblis is not at full power. If we were to attack, now would be the time. Or...it should be.”
There was a questioning silence. It felt like things were getting off track. The cathedral began to stir once again, and if you looked closely, you could see the graveness of Ira’s expression.
“Iblis was not without a plan for his resurrection,” Ira said. “His weaker armies have taken cowardly actions. We have already felt that influence here...no, across the whole continent. The wicked strength of the Great Demon Lord threatens our very lives.”
Whoa, hold on there, Ira! Where’d all that morale go?!
Everyone else also seemed lost at those words.
“I shall speak plainly. As things stand, we cannot win against Iblis. Things can only end in defeat.”
“Wh-What do you mean?!” a noble of Highland demanded.
“I will explain... However, there is someone I will call on first.”
Ira lifted a hand, and a huge magic circle appeared in the air. It shone in a familiar rainbow of colors—a summoning circle. However, familiar or not, a human could never use a spell that powerful. Only the strength of Ira’s anima enabled its activation. The person who came from it was also familiar: a tall, beautiful goddess.
Should she be descending so freely? I wondered.
This was Althena, who I had met only the other day.
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