Chapter 8 — Makoto Takatsuki Steps Back a Millennium
As I passed through the gate, it felt like my skull split open.
I pressed my hands against my head, and the next thing I knew, I’d been absorbed by pitch-black darkness. This was a weird space—I couldn’t tell what was forward, back, left, right, up, or down. I couldn’t see anything; I couldn’t hear anything. It felt like all my senses had been taken from me.
Were my eyes open or closed?
Was I breathing or not?
Was I alive or dead?
I didn’t know any of that... My mind grew hazy.
How much time had passed? Perhaps an instant...or perhaps ages. I didn’t even notice myself slip into unconsciousness.
When I woke up, I was in an unfamiliar place. A kaleidoscope of colors formed a barrier around me.
Is this...something Ira cast?
Lightly, I pressed a finger against the barrier, and it vanished without a sound. Huh. Guess it’d been made so I could get out as soon as I woke up.
I glanced around, and all I could see were plains. There wasn’t enough grass to call them grassy and not enough trees to call anything a forest. This was just unmaintained wilderness...and not anywhere I recognized.
So, was I actually in the past?
I looked up. The sky was covered in dark black clouds. No sunlight was able to shine through, and it was like the whole world was covered in ashen gray.
This is Iblis’s spell, Clouds of Darkness...
I remembered learning about the “dark ages” in the Water Temple. Evidence of that era was spread out around me.
I was definitely in the past.
Noah, I called mentally, but there was no response. When I’d last opened my Soul Book, all mention of my faith had been stricken, however, the Elementalist skill she had given me was still there. I’d also kept her dagger, which was still strapped to my waist. Those small signs were the only indicators that I had ever followed her.
I don’t know anyone here...
This moment brought back memories of leaving the Water Temple and setting out alone on a journey. Actually, back then, I could have returned to the temple if things had gone wrong. I’d also known that Fujiyan was in Macallan. Now, I had nowhere to return to. Upon realizing this, I felt a persistent sense of unease. I activated Calm Mind, and after a while, I managed to relax myself a bit.
“Guess I have to look for Abel the Savior...”
It’s time to head out and stop thinking about every little thing. I’ll be fine. I’ll manage.
“There’s no one around...”
Now that I’d been walking for hours, I was talking to myself a lot. So far, I’d seen plenty of wild animals, but no people. It was getting depressing.
Actually, where are the towns and villages? Where am I?
Ira had said I should land around modern-day Roses...but I wasn’t seeing anything familiar. If I could at least spot the massive lake—Lake Chimay—in the center of the country, then I’d be able to figure out where I was, but...
Suddenly, my thoughts were cut off—I heard a conversation in the distance.
People! I lurched, ready to run toward them, but then I changed my mind. These were the dark ages—Iblis ruled the world. The ones speaking could be demons. Actually...that was pretty likely.
Stealth.
I made my way over to the voices, concealing myself. The foliage was high around me, so I could hide completely if I crouched. I used Listen to pick up what they were actually saying.
“Geh heh, this is my prey! I found it!”
“Don’t be a bitch. You can gimme half.”
“Ah... He...lp...”
Yeah, I couldn’t even pretend that sounded friendly. Something was wrong.
Clairvoyance.
Three figures. One was a young girl, shaking with fear. The other two...were monsters. One was a chimera, and the other was a griffin. They looked like ordinary monsters, but they were speaking fluently.
So the monsters from a thousand years ago can talk?
“Fine. Then I’m taking the top half.”
“No fair. You know the bottom’s harder to eat.”
It sounded like they were debating how to split up the girl, who stood frozen like a deer in headlights. Suddenly, letters floated up in front of me.
Save the girl?
▶ Yes
No
I remembered heading out of the Water Temple and fighting goblins for the first time. Unlike back then, I didn’t hesitate to make a choice.
“××××××××××××. (Elementals, elementals, lend me a hand.)”
Sure!!! cheered a massive chorus of water elementals. It felt like they’d been just waiting for me to ask. Immediately, I felt a huge pool of mana swirling around me.
The air shook—the ground shuddered under my feet. This...was way more mana than I’d expected.
“What kinda thing are you?!”
“A human thinks he can stand against us?”
Just as I’d expected, the monsters noticed me, and they charged. I’d wanted to pull off an ambush...but oh well.
“Water Magic: Ice World.”
“Pitiful. Water magic?”
“I’ll eat your head fir—”
Those were the last words they ever said.
The air itself froze, crystallizing the monsters into two statues. That wasn’t all—the ice froze the surrounding grass and trees. Hmm, my spell was more effective than I’d expected. I’ll have to watch my output. Still, the details could wait.
I ran up to the girl.
“U-Um...”
“Let’s get out of here,” I said.
If we stayed here, other monsters would probably come along. I grabbed the girl’s hand and pulled her away from the scene.
We ran for a while and finally stopped in a thicket of trees large enough to hide us.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
The girl nodded. She looked around ten or twelve, had unkempt black hair, and wore grubby clothes. Still, when you looked past all that, she was a cute kid.
“Um...why...did you save me?” she mumbled in a shaking voice.
I didn’t really have a reason...
While I hesitated over how to answer, she continued. “The monsters you defeated are part of the army. Their comrades will notice soon. They’ll look for who did it. If that happens...we’ll die...”
Her face was pale. Right, so those monsters were elites of the army.
“Got it. Are the other monsters stronger, by the way?” I asked.
“Apart from the commanders, they should all be about the same, but each squad has more than twenty soldiers. If they attack all at once, we humans can’t hold out...”
“Twenty of those... That should be fine.”
“Huh?” she asked, looking blankly at me. “Um...what do you mean...?”
“Twenty or thirty of those monsters won’t be a problem. I can freeze them all at once.” I spoke as softly as possible, trying not to worry her.
Well, to be honest, we’d probably be fine even against more than a hundred. Noah said that elemental magic was really fierce on the battlefield, and I knew from experience that it excelled against multiple opponents.
“Sir, are you...a hero?” she asked. Her face wasn’t devoid of life like it had been—some light had returned to her eyes. Her cheeks were slightly flushed as well.
Hmm, I must have given her the wrong impression...
“No, I’m not... I’m looking for one, though.”
“So you’re one of their comrades!” the girl exclaimed.
“By the way, I don’t really know the area... Do you know where we are?”
“Huh?” the girl looked up at me doubtfully. She was obviously confused about why I would even ask that. Guess it was a really weird question...
“W-Well, I was actually attacked by a really strong monster before I got here,” I explained. “I hit my head, so I don’t remember much.”
It was a painful excuse, but...she let out a sigh. I didn’t know whether she believed me, but she didn’t ask any more questions. After all, she did owe me her life.
“This is Demon Lord Bifrons’s human farm.”
That was...a lot to unpack. Suddenly, Ira’s comments came flooding back to me. I was supposed to land someplace significant to me. A demon lord... I’d struck the final blow against him in my time, but what’s more, I’d spoken to him. That was definitely significant.
It seemed like I’d ended up in the Undead King’s territory.
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