"Now then, I'll make my report," Yumina began to speak. The grand
duchesses of Brunhild were gathered for a tea party under the Babylon garden's
gazebo.
All nine of the Brunhild brides sat around the table. Each of them had a cup of
tea in front of them, as well as a little plate with some cake.
"So far, two of our children from the future have arrived. Yae's daughter,
Yakumo, and Leen's daughter, Quun. We only know Quun's location, however.
Yakumo's currently out questing around the world."
"Have we had any contact with her since the last time?"
"No... She does not realize how much her mother worries, she does not..."
Yae angrily said as she munched on the cake in front of her. Unlike the others,
she was eating an entire one rather than just a slice. She also had a second and
third cake waiting in reserve. She was clearly eating more than usual due to
stress, and she was already the kind of person who ate obscene amounts to
begin with.
"Did we learn anything new from Quun?" Linze turned to Leen and asked. All
the wives except Yumina leaned in with rapt curiosity.
"Not much, really. Unlike Allis, she's rather tight-lipped."
"We did hear a few...concerning things from her, though," Hilde muttered,
prompting Elze to nod along with her.
"That's right! She said my kid's a good kid, but then when I asked about me,
she just giggled to herself! Isn't that ominous?! What does it mean?!"
"I'm sure she did that on purpose. When I asked, she said my daughter, Frei,
isn't quite like me...but she refused to elaborate! It bothered me so much that I
could barely focus on my training."
Upon hearing out Elze and Hilde, Leen sighed and folded her arms.
"I must apologize for her behavior. She's apparently having fun teasing us
with what she knows. But she's not lying, I know that much...so please just bear
with her for now," Leen said as she heaved a heavy sigh. There was no doubt
that Quun was enjoying the reactions to the limited information she provided.
"She's got such a terrible character... She must take after our darling, no?"
The prevalent thought at the table was that she took after her mother, but
none of them admitted it. After all, they knew better than to speak ill of one
another.
As if to clear the air, Lu suddenly spoke up with a smile, saying, "S-So, what's
Quun up to right now?"
"She's currently visiting Allis. Or rather, I made her go visit Allis. When I left
her to her own devices, she simply stayed up here on Babylon. Not exactly
healthy for her development."
Quun spent most of her time in Babylon, so she hadn't really interacted with
many people other than Leen and Touya.
"Has Allis let anything new slip?"
"I heard something from Mr. Mittens..."
Sue voiced a question, prompting Sakura to mutter a reply. D'Artagnan, also
known as Mr. Mittens, was Sakura's summoned beast. He was in charge of all
the cats in the castle town. Thus, Sakura was privy to a lot of the gossip and
secrets from around the area.
Not every secret, though. Mr. Mittens categorized his information in one of
three ways. Things to tell Sakura, things to tell the grand duke, and things to tell
Tsubaki and the intelligence corps. Everything pertaining to Allis fell under the
Sakura umbrella.
"Allis is with Quun at the moment. I'm having Mr. Mittens secretly record
them."
The other eight girls stood up and gathered around Sakura's phone. The
screen displayed the interior of a coffee shop. It was Parent, one of the most
popular locations in town.
Mr. Mittens and his closest allies had their own mass-produced smartphones,
which explained how he was currently sending a live feed to Sakura's phone.
The shot was definitely inside the cafe, but it looked as if the phone and its
holder were underneath a table, given the darkness and the low angle of the
shot. It was probably the best a cat could do.
Two girls were seated at a table within the frame. Both had silver-white hair,
but one had it cut short, while the other had it tied up. They were, of course,
Allis and Quun.
Mecha-Paula, or Parla, was sitting next to Quun.
"Mmm, this is yummy!"
"I'm glad this place's food is just as delicious as it is in our time. Though, the
menu selection is certainly less varied."
Their voices were faint, but still audible. At the very least, there were no
issues with the audio. Apparently, the future Brunhild still had this same cafe.
Allis was eating a strawberry parfait, while Quun gorged on a huge stack of
pancakes with whipped cream and fruits.
"I'm glad you're here, Quun. I didn't bring much money..."
"My own finances are tied up in the future guild, so I didn't bring any with me
either."
"Huh?! B-But what about the bill?! I-I already started eating!" Allis panicked
and put down her spoon in response to Quun's words. Half of her strawberry
parfait was already gone.
Seeing the fear on Allis's face, Quun couldn't help but laugh.
"Don't worry about it. I don't have money, but... Parla?" Quun gave a nod of
her head as she said that, prompting the bear Gollem to dispense a few silver
coins. The machine was, in effect, a piggy bank.
"Man, sis! You tease people way too much! I was worried!"
"Hee hee hee... I'll take that as a compliment."
"...I do not think that is a compliment, I do not," Yae, who was keenly
watching the screen, muttered to herself. The audio was one-way, so none of
the girls were worried about being heard.
"My daughter really does seem to be a problem child."
"Leen-dono, have you not made fun of us in many similar situations in the
past, have you not?"
"...Not that I recall, no," Leen replied as she shifted her eyes away from Yae's
accusatory gaze. The girls had learned an idiom during their visit to Earth. It
went something like, "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree." Everyone other
than Leen was thinking of it in that moment...though none dared say it.
"So, how come the others aren't here? Why does Big Sis Yakumo have to train
all the time?"
"I'm sure they'll all gather here soon enough... Linne and Yoshino will
probably get hungry before long, if they're not already eating. Come to think of
it, do they even have money?"
The nine brides all stared at each other in response to Quun's words. Yoshino.
That was a name none of them had heard before, but it had to be one of their
children.
"Uhhhm... Yae's daughter is Yakumo, Hilde's daughter is Frei...and Leen has
Quun... My sister's daughter is Elna, and m-my d-daughter is Linne...right?"
Linze listed off every child they knew about so far. Thus, Yoshino had to be
either Yumina's, Sue's, Sakura's, or Lu's.
"That name sounds like one from Touya's original world."
"I-It is possible, it is. But there are many similarities between our husband's
Japan and my own Eashen, there are. Yoshino may come from the Yoshino
cherry."
"Yoshino cherry?"
"It is a type of cherry blossom, it is, that is also known as Yoshino Sakura..."
Yae's words made the girls turn to face the demonkin in their midst. Sakura
stared quietly at the screen, a faint smile forming on her face. Eventually, she
muttered the name to herself.
"That's a nice name. Hope she's a good girl..."
"It might be a bit too soon to declare she's your child, Sakura-dono..."
"She's mine. I'm sure of it..."
Undeterred by Yae's trepidation, Sakura gave a firm nod.
"My name comes from the Yaezakura, it does. It is a kind of cherry blossom as
well, it is. She might be my second chil—"
"Yae, don't be mean. Don't forget your own daughter's on the run."
"She is not on the run, she is not!" Yae exclaimed. She certainly hoped not, at
least, but she did have a childhood memory of running away from her parents
for a while. She wasn't as devoted to the sword as her brother back then, and
she found the training too harsh for her liking.
Yae sincerely hoped she wouldn't end up pushing her child in a similar
manner. Sakura's words were almost like a slap in the face, but they served as a
solemn reminder of the parenting style she wanted to avoid.
"I'm sure my siblings can make money somehow. Besides, Yoshino has
[Teleport], so she can just do whatever."
Quun's words made Sakura look away from the smartphone screen in order
to cast a smug grin Yae's way. Though Null spells weren't normally inherited,
Quun had [Program] just like her mother. It stood to reason that Yoshino might
have inherited [Teleport] from Sakura.
"I kind of thought Arcia would come straight here, though."
"Huh?! Arcia?! I-Is that maybe my child?! My name's Lucia, right?! S-So,
Arcia?! Lucia?! Arcia?! Y-Yumina, don't you agree?!"
"Y-Yeah... That might be it..." Yumina smiled stiffly.
Everyone sort of leaned away from Lu, who was in the middle of a freak-out.
They understood how she felt, though.
"She's so attached to Dad that she might cause trouble when she gets here... I
hope she doesn't fight her Mom, Lucia, in this era too..."
"Uh, what?"
Quun capped off her concerning sentence with a sigh. Lu's expression
stiffened in response.
"Wh-What did she mean just now?!"
"Seems like you and that Arcia girl don't get along, Lu. Maybe she's all over
Touya and thinks you're a pest, even if you're her mom?"
"E-E-Elze?! D-Don't say that! Th-That can't be right! No way!"
"A-Ah ha ha... S-Sorry. I-It was just a joke! I was just kidding!"
"That wasn't funny!"
Linze jabbed Elze with her elbow, as if to chastise her sister. Lu's high spirits
were now gone, thoroughly replaced with anxiety.
"It'll be fiiiiiine! Arcia loves her mom! I'll ask her to make some treats when
she shows up."
Lu couldn't help but sigh in relief in response to what Allis said. Apparently,
her relationship with her child wasn't all hostile.
"Meowha?!"
"Huh?"
Mr. Mittens suddenly let out a strange noise, prompting all the girls watching
the screen to raise their brows in confusion.
The camera suddenly shifted away from the two girls at the table, panning
over to a closeup of Parla's metallic face.
"Oh, we got caught..."
Right after Sakura said that, the video feed began violently shaking. Mr.
Mittens dropped his phone. The camera now only showed the dark underside
of the table. However, there was still audio.
"Meoooooow! Get outta here, Gollem! I'll— Gyaaah!"
Lots of rattling and sparking sounds came through the feed, as well as the
occasional flash of white light.
Eventually, the feed switched to something visible again. Someone had
grabbed Mr. Mittens's phone.
The recording was switched to selfie mode, and the person visible on the
screen was none other than Quun, who was grinning wide.
"Hello, mothers. Quite rude of you to peek, don't you think? Shouldn't you
give your daughter the right to privacy?" Quun said that, then giggled once
more before winking and cutting the feed off.
"Hrm... She has a point," Sakura sighed as she took her phone back from the
table and switched it off. The girls all agreed that Quun was right. They
shouldn't have tried to invade her personal space. They'd just gotten a little too
worked up in their search for information.
"Guess she taught us a lesson this time, eh?" Leen clicked her tongue and
muttered. The other eight girls sighed quietly. Though they'd been excited, the
experience was sobering enough to snap them back to their senses.
◇ ◇ ◇
"My, what a fuss... Parla, take this little kitty back where he belongs."
Mr. Mittens had been downed by Parla's lightning blast, and now the little
Gollem was hauling him off. Unlike Paula, Parla was capable of offensive tactics.
She was limited to pacification, however. None of her abilities were lethal.
She toddled out of the cafe, carrying the unconscious feline atop her head.
"Jeez, we got filmed? I didn't say anything bad, did I?"
"It should be fine. Nothing we said would annoy Granny Tokie. The fact that
she didn't stop us is proof enough."
"Mmm... Guess that's fine, then. I wasn't really listening when she explained
stuff."
"Sounds just like you..."
Allis let out a small laugh in response. Quun was briefly concerned about her
friend's lack of attentiveness, but she quickly reminded herself that the
situation was fine.
"Do you think I'll be able to see the jersey thread, though?"
"Hm? Oh...it's a good thing you didn't mention that while the camera was still
recording, Allis... Good grief, you're that set on my brother, are you?"
"H-Huh?! It's not like that! Besides, he always compliments me by saying that
I'm carefree and stuff!"
Quun wondered if that actually was a compliment, but she dared not speak
her mind. Her brother was fairly blunt and honest, after all.
Allis was certainly carefree enough to not pay any heed to Granny Tokie's
warnings, that much was certain. Still, the fact that she'd brought up the jersey
thread, of all things, surprised Quun, who could only marvel at how her friend's
mind worked. To prioritize something like that after absentmindedly tumbling
back through time was something special indeed.
"Let's try to avoid any unnecessary chatter for now, okay? Especially with
your own father and mothers. I don't want them leaking information to my
father."
"Okaaaay!" Allis smiled as she replied. Quun wasn't so sure she could be
trusted, but there was nothing to really do about it.
Granny Tokie had told them that the future wasn't going to change, but when
divinity came into play, it wasn't a guarantee that the past would stay the same.
Throwing a pail of water into a river wasn't going to change it, since the water
flowed in a predetermined path downstream. But if it rained heavily upstream,
the water levels could rise, flooding the area.
Even if the possibility of such an abrupt upheaval was small, it was one they
couldn't afford to overlook.
"...Whether or not it shows up doesn't matter much to me," Quun mumbled
as she stuffed another piece of pancake into her mouth.
◇ ◇ ◇
"Touya, any idea what a jersey thread is?"
"...A jersey what?" Ende looked away from his fishing rod and asked me a
question.
He and I were out on the dungeon islands, taking a little fishing trip in my
sovereign territory.
Jersey thread? Do you knit jerseys? Those are like, clothes, right? I think Linze
mentioned something like that once. Maybe he's asking about materials like
wool or polyester?
"If you don't know, then whatever. Melle just heard something about it from
Allis, so I got curious."
"Really? Man, I wonder what jerseys have to do with the future."
"Beats me. Oh, I got a bite."
Maybe sportswear gets real popular in the future? Guess Zanac could end up
selling jerseys to adventurers or something. Kinda weird imagining an
adventurer dressed up like that, though. Maybe it's good for ease of movement?
But, uh... Hm, I dunno. If that's future fashion, then I'm not feeling it.
"Hup. Got one!" I exclaimed as I reeled in the fish using the rod we'd made in
the workshop. A fish resembling a mackerel broke through the water. I
unhooked it around the mouth and tossed the flopping fish into a nearby
bucket. That was my third catch of the day. I proposed using magic to catch a
ton of fish, but Ende said that was boring. So, in the end, we just decided to
have a traditional fishing contest.
For some reason, my wives and kid decided to leave me out of whatever they
were doing, so this was my big distraction. At least I wasn't alone. Ende must
have gotten kicked out by his family as well...probably.
"By the way, Touya..."
"What's up?"
Ende clicked his tongue as he cast his rod back out into the water. I took the
chance to peek into Ende's bucket. He also had three fish. I didn't want to lose
to him...
"I heard from the guild that there was a Dragon attack in Lestia recently."
"You don't say?"
Dragons didn't normally come to human settlements. After all, I had Luli on
my side, and she'd issued a decree stopping them from targeting humans.
They were still allowed to fight in self-defense, but arbitrary attacks shouldn't
have been possible. Well, there were outcast Dragons who weren't beholden to
their kind, and there were also orphaned or juvenile Dragons who didn't
respect senior authority.
"From what I heard, it was a relatively young Spike Dragon. Probably an
outcast."
Spike Dragon? Guess he's...big and covered in spikes? Probably bigger than
Luli. If I had to guess, I'd call it a silver-rank tier enemy.
"So, are you gonna go take it out?"
Ende had been taking on lots of missions in order to reach gold rank. If he
stood still, he'd end up stuck on the same level as his daughter. His pride as a
parent drove him onward.
"I was going to, but someone beat me to the punch. And here's the thing...
Apparently, it wasn't killed by anyone registered with the guild. Plus, the
Dragon's body just got left behind. No reports, no nothing. The person left it
with the nearest town and said to use the proceeds to rebuild."
"Hoho... That's kinda interesting. Definitely a generous choice."
Dragons were just about worth their weight in gold, since almost every part of
them was useful. I wondered what kind of person would just casually give away
such a large Dragon corpse.
Back when I fought the Black Dragon in Mismede, I couldn't carry its remains,
so I ended up just leaving it be. When I later learned how valuable it was, I
really kicked myself. That sure was a long time ago.
I took a sip from my water bottle as I reminisced on the past.
"So, according to eyewitness statements, a kid killed the Dragon. Or more
precisely, a girl with black hair and a katana strapped to her waist..."
"PFFFFFFHHHFH!"
"Welp. That about confirms it," Ende nodded and said that as I spat out a
stream of water into the briny deep ahead of us. The spray of liquid created a
little rainbow on its way down.
Wait, that's gotta be Yakumo, right?! My girl?! N-not just anyone could kill a
Dragon, right?! Why'd she fight a Dragon?! You dumbass! But I mean...you
helped people, so that's great! I'm your dad, so yeah! It's a good thing!
"Even if I warped us to Lestia now, she'd probably be long gone..."
"Probably, yeah. I heard the guild was looking for more details, but they
couldn't find anything. She was gone in a flash."
She'd most likely used [Gate] to make her escape. Trying to deal with
someone who had that spell was a real pain in the ass. Wait, maybe that's how
other people see me...
"Bah... Oh, got another bite... Hup... Ah, caught it," I sighed softly and said
that as I reeled in another fish. News of my daughter, who I'd still yet to meet,
sent my mind into a frenzy.
Still, I really couldn't help but wonder what the hell a jersey thread was
supposed to be.
"Hm? Quun and Allis?"
"Oh, hey, Dad! Hey, Your Highness."
"Hello, father."
On our way back from the dungeon islands, we bumped into Quun and Allis.
The two of them had been at a local cafe, it seemed.
"Wait, Allis. How'd you pay?"
"Quun covered me!"
Ende seemed concerned, but his inquiry was met with a blunt answer.
"Maybe I should give her an allowance..."
"Eh, it's fine. You can just buy her what she needs when she asks, right?" I
said that and shrugged at Ende's comment. So long as she didn't demand
anything crazy, it'd be fine.
Ende was a silver-rank adventurer, so it wasn't like he was hurting for money.
He had three big eaters at home, which meant he spent a lot on groceries, but
he still had more than enough left over for personal expenses.
I didn't want him giving his daughter endless pocket money and running
himself ragged.
"Hey, Allis. Is there anything you want right now?"
"Uhhhm... I don't think so...? Maybe..." Allis tilted her head and trailed off as
she pondered to herself. I wondered if she'd end up asking for something rare
or expensive.
"Oh yeah, I could use some gauntlets. I left my usual ones back in the future."
"Gauntlets? You mean the kind brawlers use?"
"Yep."
Those were usually sold in weapon shops. Maybe she needed a special pair or
something, though.
"Uhm... My pair is made out of Goliath leather and phrasium plating."
"...Phrasium? Were they custom-made?"
"Yeah, they're special. Her gauntlets were a special birthday present from
you, father," Quun answered my question.
...Gauntlets for a child? What was I thinking? As I pondered my motivation,
Ende suddenly put a hand on my shoulder.
"Hey, Touya... How about making your best friend's kid a gift?"
"I don't remember us being best friends..." I mumbled as I swatted Ende's
hand away. Allis suddenly slumped her shoulders, making a very dejected pout.
Wait, I never said I wouldn't do it!
Ende noticed his daughter about to cry, which prompted him to turn to grab
me by the scruff of my collar.
"You want money?! Is that it?! You greedy bastard! Fine! Take everything I
have! I'll do anything for my little girl!"
"Get off me, dumbass! It's not like I can't make them, but we don't have all
the materials!" I yelled at the moron in front of me and broke free from his grip.
Goliaths were giant monsters that looked like a fusion of a rhinoceros and a
buffalo. They could get as big as Dragons, or even bigger, but they were rather
rare. I'd certainly never seen one before. Oh, and they had a bad reputation.
They were known as calamitous beasts because when they start rampaging,
they go wildly out of control. I'd heard stories of them leveling entire towns.
"Can you find one, Father?"
"I mean, I could...but why are you looking so excited by the prospect?"
I could understand Allis being interested, but why was Quun looking up at me
with sparkles in her eyes? That felt pretty sus.
"Goliaths can be used to make Gollem parts. Their horns and bones make for
fine armor, while their blood makes a good conduit for ether lines. We can also
use the fat and oils from their bodies as industrial lubricant."
Well...that certainly explains your vested interest. Guess I have no issue with
hunting one. Lemme just check my map...
A few pins dropped down around the projection.
"Oh... This one's closer than I thought it'd be."
I was a little surprised by the results. There was one of these monsters in
Belfast. It wasn't near any major areas, but it wasn't too far from a village
either. Honestly, it was a little worrying.
"Hm... This could be pretty bad. I better go kill it."
"I'll go with you, then."
"Ah! If Quun's going, then I'm coming too!"
"No can do, Allis. Your moms are expecting us home for dinner," Ende said,
stopping his daughter from following after me. He was swinging the bucket of
fish in his hand. If he arrived late, then they wouldn't have a main course.
"Awh! But..."
"I'll have your gauntlets ready by tomorrow. Don't worry."
"Okay..." Allis murmured. She reluctantly gave up, much to her father's relief.
If he got home late, he'd probably end up getting in trouble with the girls. No
doubt I'd get in trouble for enabling him as well...and I certainly didn't want to
make enemies of another man's wives.
"Let's get going, father."
"We'll speak later, Allis," I said that, then grabbed Quun's hand and used
[Teleport] to head to Belfast.
I figured I should let the king of Belfast know what I was up to, so I shot him a
text message explaining the situation. He sent one back pretty quickly, granting
me permission to hunt it. Moments later, he sent another message asking to
buy any excess materials after I was done. No surprise there. The man was
shrewd as ever.
I'd never been to the village it was near, so we took a nearby road. Reginleif
hadn't been used in a while, so I took the chance to bust it out.
I used [Storage] and pulled it out. Reginleif's cockpit wasn't that big, but there
was enough room for me and a child. Just as I was about to board it, however,
Quun nervously stopped me.
"Uhm, father...can I ask you something?"
I wondered what she wanted. Usually, your daughter asking for something
should be nice, but I had a strange, sinking feeling at the back of my mind.
"...What is it?"
"Can I please pilot your Reginleif?! I want to defeat the Goliath!"
Of course... I mean, I guess she can, but...should she?
"Have you ever piloted before? Not just a Frame Gear, I mean Reginleif
specifically."
"I've piloted Neo Reginleif before, but not this older model. That's why I'd like
to give it a shot."
...Huh? I'm gonna remodel Reginleif at some point?
I tried to dig for more information, but got sparse details. Apparently it wasn't
major, just more like a transition from manual cars to automatic.
"You wanna try, then?"
"Thanks, father!" Quun exclaimed as she hugged me. That felt pretty good. I
was glad Leen wasn't around to see it, though. I felt like seeing that might make
her fuss at me. I'd never say that to her face, of course.
I clambered up to the cockpit and slid the seat forward to accommodate
Quun. Then, I made a little space in the back and sat there. It was a tighter
squeeze than I'd have liked, but still good enough.
Quun set her phone in the middle of the dashboard and activated Reginleif.
"Off we go!"
Reginleif triggered [Fly], rising into the air at incredible speed. It was faster
than I'd expected, which resulted in me bonking my head off one of the
cockpit's walls.
"H-Hold on! Ease up on the output!"
"R-Right! Sorry, I used more power than I expected..." she said as the cockpit
trembled.
Oh, whoops. The shock absorber isn't turned on... That explains it.
Quun must have noticed too, given that she swiped her fingers over to quickly
amend that problem.
Reginleif stabilized, ending any and all turbulence. Any external impacts
would be absorbed, preventing unwanted jostling in the cockpit.
"Hm... There we go. Now, where's this Goliath?"
"Three o'clock from our current position. About 120 kilometers out," I replied
casually, pointing out the position on my projected map.
Reginleif began to soar through the air. It was a little shaky at first, but it
wasn't long before it sped up and stabilized.
"I've never flown before... I've ridden in Mother Linze's Helmwige, but I never
got to actually pilot it."
"No surprise, really. I doubt she'd want to risk you crashing. Even if we have
automatic evacuation measures in place, nobody would want to chance that...
Oh! There it is."
The monitor showed a large monster ahead of us. It was bigger than I'd
expected. About two times bigger than Reginleif, in fact... I couldn't even begin
to believe this was supposed to be some normal monster.
Its massive body was rolling around the forest, but once it heard us
approaching, it looked up at the sky. It had buffalo-like horns on the side of its
head, a rhinoceros horn on its nose, and several spiny protrusions along its
back. Its body was entirely hairless, clad in a jet-black hide that resembled
armor.
"We don't want to kill it in a way that damages the material, right? Let's go
with a slow and precise approach."
"Of course. I'll employ two Fragarachs. Any more would be overkill."
Fragarachs were Reginleif's primary weapons. They were a remote weapon
that could change form and adapt to the situation as and when it was needed.
I couldn't be sure that Quun had enough magic to use them properly, and I
was honestly a little worried it might overwhelm her.
"Let's see here... Fragarachs... Sword Mode."
Two slabs of phrasium detached from Reginleif's back before transforming
into sword shapes. It was a little slow, but that was no real surprise.
"Here we go!"
Two crystal blades jutted out and roared toward the Goliath. But they ended
up losing their trajectory mid-flight, completely missing their mark and crashing
into the ground.
"Oof."
"Why won't it fly straight?!" Quun yelled out of surprise. It was her first time,
so that was no big shock.
The more Fragarachs you had, the harder they were to control. There was a
system that allowed the Frame Gears themselves to take over the bulk of the
control, but that wasn't installed on Reginleif, since I preferred the freedom.
Quun repeatedly tried to launch attacks at the Goliath, but it simply shrugged
each blow off and dodged nearly everything that came at it.
"You might be better at just charging the thing."
"Guh... I guess so..."
If we wasted any more time, it'd end up getting pretty late. Once the sun
went down, it'd be even harder to hit our enemy...so wrapping this up sooner
seemed better for everyone.
Quun called the crystal weapons back, holding one in each hand and charging
at the enemy.
"GROAAARGH!"
The Goliath was understandably irritated after swatting away all those
attacks. It roared at us as we descended.
"GRAAARGH!"
It began running forward, causing the earth to tremble in its wake. Quun
ducked and avoided the attack, but her swing didn't hit the Goliath. It was
faster than she'd expected.
The Goliath made a U-turn and charged back at us.
"Ack. Mode change... Longsword!"
The two swords merged into one long blade. Then, Reginleif brandished the
sword with both hands and swung forward, moving to trade blows with the
beast.
The blade bit through the Goliath's shoulder, cutting deep and causing the
monster to fall forward.
"Got it!"
"Don't count it out yet. It'll be up again in a minute."
The Goliath stumbled back up to its feet, shrugging off the bleeding wound.
"GRAAARGH!"
It then charged toward us, even angrier than before. Quun raised Reginleif's
blade again, but as she did, the Goliath's horn shone with a blinding light.
"Eek!"
"Agh!"
The bright light from the monitor feeds caused me to close my eyes. Then, we
felt a heavy tremor from outside that sent Reginleif flying backward. The shock
absorbers prevented us from sustaining any damage in the cockpit, but it was
still a serious blow. Reginleif destroyed trees beneath it as it tumbled across the
ground.
"Quun, it's charging us again!"
"I-I know!"
We could see on the monitors that the Goliath was almost upon us again. And
to make matters worse, we were backed up against a cliff face.
"RAAARGH!"
At the last possible second, Reginleif rocketed skyward, moving out of the
way and causing the monster to smash face-first into the wall.
"That was close..."
"Want me to take over now?"
Quun shook her head in response to my proposal.
"It'll be fine. I can beat this thing," Quun said as she calmly landed Reginleif
back down.
The Goliath turned itself around to face us. It then charged toward us again,
keen to finish the job. I wondered what Quun was planning this time... Reginleif
brandished its blade again, and the Goliath's horn shone as it had earlier.
"Now! Mode Change! Aspis!"
A mighty impact rang through Reginleif as we were struck again. But this time,
we weren't blown away. Reginleif had taken the impact head-on with a round
shield. The Goliath was still strong enough to push us back...but even that didn't
last long. For some reason, it stopped pushing us and fell down on the spot.
I glanced over and noticed that the fallen Goliath had a massive hole bored
into its head. Quun had created a spiked shield at the last moment, and the
beast had impaled itself on it.
A Goliath's hide was insanely tough. Had this been an ordinary shield, it might
not have worked. But phrasium was an obscenely tough material if infused with
enough magic, so not even the great monster could contend with that.
"I did it!"
"So you did. Good work."
The Goliath's skull was so badly mangled that it severely devalued the total
worth of the carcass, but I kept that comment to myself.
Now that we'd killed it, we had to dissect it. I usually left that to the guild, but
this thing was so insanely big that I didn't think Brunhild had the staff for it.
That was why I figured enlisting Belfast's branch of the guild was probably the
best bet. We'd be selling most of it to Belfast anyway, since I only needed
enough materials for Allis, as well as whatever Quun wanted.
I tossed the Goliath into [Storage] and told the king of Belfast that I'd drop it
off outside the castle town. I could hardly bring something of its size into the
capital, at any rate.
I had Quun pilot Reginleif to the outskirts of the royal capital, and then I let
the Goliath's corpse fall to the ground in a nearby clearing.
After a short while, a guild representative showed up. He'd already been
briefed by the king, and there was a team on their way to harvest it properly.
That was certainly a load off my mind.
Now then...I'll grab the parts for Allis's gauntlets. Quun can get her stuff later.
Usually, tanning and treating hide until it became leather was a lengthy
process, but the alchemy lab up on Babylon shortened the time needed
significantly. I'd be able to finish the gauntlets that night.
The sun was down by the time everyone set to work on harvesting the
Goliath. They used torches to guide their way. Better to take what they could
before it started to rot, after all. Honestly, I couldn't help but feel bad for
fighting this thing so late in the day.
"Shall we head home, then?"
"Yeah. I had a lot of fun today, father," Quun said that and smiled at me
without a care in the world. It wasn't exactly meant to be a fun experience...but
I was glad she enjoyed it.
I took Quun's hand and opened up a [Gate] back to the living room of
Brunhild Castle. We passed through together...only to be greeted by a frowning
Leen.
Wh-What'd I do this time?
"...Don't you think you should tell us if you're going to be late?"
"Oh... I mean...I-I was out with my kid, right? So...I thought it was fine?"
"Oh...? And are you her only parent? Do I not have a voice here?"
"W-Wait, that's not what I meant!"
Crap. She's mad. I got so caught up in the fighting that I forgot to text you. I'm
sorry!
I started to sweat nervously when Quun suddenly laughed. I didn't see
anything funny about our situation, personally.
"It's okay, father. Mother here's just sulking because she wanted to go with
us."
"...I'm not sulking," Leen said as she quietly pouted and glanced to the side.
Hm? Really now?
"She's probably been steeping in this for a while, father... You'd do well to
butter her up. Why not take her out on a date tomorrow?"
"I haven't been steeping in anything! Agh... Whatever. Being angry about such
a trivial thing would be absurd," Leen stated as she let out a small sigh and
shook her head.
Wait, did Leen just forgive me? Seems like Quun's good at handling us.
"Hrm... They have had a parental spat, they have..."
"I'm a little jealous..."
"Same... Sure wish I could have that kind of argument..."
Yae, Linze, and Sue stared at us from across the room.
...Why, exactly, do you want to have a specific type of argument with me?
Well, if I looked parental...that's good, I guess. I'm not used to it, but I'm getting
there.
"Hee hee hee... Now, Mother, shall we eat? All that fighting made me work
up an appetite."
"...All that fighting? Just what have you two been up to?"
Quun took her mother's hand, talking to her as they walked off to the kitchen.
Honestly, the two of them looked more like sisters than mother and daughter.
It was an amusing sight.
All right, I better make Allis those gauntlets. Her dad won't shut up about it if I
don't.
I clicked my tongue before opening up another [Gate] to the alchemy lab.