Chapter 1: Makoto Takatsuki Prepares to Travel
Noah's cheer had perked me up, so I turned to my breakfast. There
was a variety of food on the table:
White rice—cooked by Sasa in an earthenware pot.
Grilled fish—a cheap ingredient in Macallan. They'd been salted and
grilled over a charcoal fire.
Fried eggs—there were chickens in this world as well.
Miso soup with tofu and mushrooms—the flavor here was stronger than back in Japan.
Pickled vegetables.
The lineup made me almost forget that we were in another world. Raw ingredients and seasoning had all been sourced by the Fujiwara Firm. Fujiyan was exceptionally picky about Japanese-style food, and it showed in the products. Apparently, he was opening a new
restaurant soon. I'd need to pay it a visit.
"This soup tastes odd," Princess Sophia commented.
"My knight, these 'chopsticks' are just sticks. They're too hard to use."
"They're cutlery from the otherworld, Fuuri. We can just use forks and such," Lucy told her.
The table was certainly lively.
"I feel bad for making you cook breakfast every morning," I said to
Sasa.
"It's fine. That's what I'm here for."
I could only take my hat off to her. Incidentally, as far as the other
girls' cooking went:
Princess Sophia (naturally) had never done any cooking.
Furiae had never (according to herself) lifted anything heavier than a spoon.
Lucy could only grill things...and she burned them really easily.
As for me? Well, I had the Cooking skill...but I hadn't used it at all
since coming to this world. I was so glad we had Sasa.
"I'll make you miso every day♡" she gushed.
"Thanks, that's great." I didn't really remember getting to have miso soup every morning in my old world. Japanese food really is perfect for breakfast.
"Strange... I feel like I shouldn't let that comment pass," Princess Sophia murmured.
"I feel the same way," Lucy agreed. "Aya, what did you mean by that?"
"Hmm? Nothing really."
Ahhh, the soft sun, warm food, and pleasant conversation...
"It's so relaxing..." I commented.
"The threads of fate are twisting right in front of me, though..."
Furiae commented.
"Huh?" I looked over at her, confused. "What d'you mean, Princess?" "My congratulations..." Furiae just stared at me coldly.
What gives? You could at least tell me clearly...
Breakfast was drawing to a close. Lucy speared an egg with her fork, then asked, "Hey, Makoto? We're going to my home in Springrogue next, right?"
"Yeah." The goddesses had indeed given me a revelation, telling me to make Springrogue our next destination. "We can head out in a few days."
"Lu's home..." Sasa mused. She turned to Lucy. "What's it like?"
"It's called Canaan, and it's just a normal elf settlement. There aren't even a thousand people living there."
"Canaan?!" Princess Sophia exclaimed, clearly shocked. "As in, the
village that the Crimson Witch hails from? Do you know her?" "She's...my mother," Lucy answered.
"What?!" Sophia seemed even more surprised. "You're her
daughter?! We can get her help with the Northern Front Plan!" Her
eyes were sparkling. It was honestly kinda off-putting...
"But why do we need Lu's mom to help?" Sasa wondered. "There are other heroes and priestesses, right?"
Sasa was right—I thought our goal was just to strengthen our connections with the heroes and priestesses of the countries taking part in the Northern Front Plan.
"Do you not know of the Crimson Witch?!" Princess Sophia asked in disbelief. "She's the strongest fighter in Springrogue...and one of the top three mages on the continent!"
Sasa and I let out impressed noises.
"You should make sure you know these things, my knight," scolded Furiae. "Aren't you supposed to be a hero? Even I knew that." Considering the exasperated look on her face, pretty much everyone must've known already.
"I don't want to rain on your parade," Lucy began, "but she only turns up in the village once a year, so we won't necessarily be able to meet her."
In retrospect, I realized that I'd never really heard much about Lucy's
mother. I wonder what kind of person she is...
Princess Sophia looked disappointed. "I...see..."
"Florna the priestess lives there, though," Lucy said, "so visiting won't be a total waste."
Princess Sophia and I uttered noises of confusion.
"Lucy...you know the Priestess of Wood?" I asked.
"Yeah, she's going to be my sister-in-law. My brother's her fiancé, and they live in Canaan."
"You have quite the family, mage," Furiae said, sounding surprised. "Do you know the hero as well?" Sasa asked.
"Come on, Sasa. She's not going to know everyo—"
"The Hero of Springrogue?" interrupted Lucy. "Yeah, I do. They were my senior in school."
Seriously?! Who didn't Lucy know?!
"To think that there was someone so well-connected nearby..." Princess Sophia murmured, obviously still shaken. I was pretty surprised too. Still, this was a huge boon.
"Guide us around Springrogue, then?" I asked Lucy.
"I mean, I don't mind. I'm introducing you to my family, though, so you need to look sharp. My grandpa's the village chief."
"I just need to get another outfit or something, right?"
"That might work. I don't think I could put you in elf clothes,
though..."
"He's just meeting your family, though," Sasa pointed out. "It's not
that big of a dea—"
Lucy cut her off quickly. "How could you say that? Family is really important to elves. I'm introducing my future husband, so of course it all needs to be perfect."
A chorus of confusion, shock, and disbelief came from myself, Sasa, and Princess Sophia.
"Takatsuki, when'd you start the Lu route?!" Sasa exclaimed.
"C-Calm down," I said, trying to soothe her as she rounded on me.
"That's right. I need to introduce you as well, Aya," Lucy snarked. "'This is his ex-girlfriend' should do it."
"Hey! You've finally shown your true colors! I won't let you get away with that!"
"I-It's a joke, Aya. Just put the knife down... Scary."
"Hmmm, are you sure you're not trying to get ahead?"
"But..." Princess Sophia interjected quietly. "I haven't even introduced him to my own parents."
"Things are getting rather tense in our party...my knight," Furiae spat
with a glare. I looked away.
Right... I guess there're a lot of things I need to do if we're gonna visit Lucy's home.
So you finally noticed.
Don't get stabbed, Mako!
Noah and Eir sounded pretty amused.
Guh. It was a divine edict, so I could hardly avoid it... While I considered that, Princess Sophia started tugging at my sleeve. She wore an unhappy expression.
"Hero Makoto, Leo will be back in the next few days. Please do not leave before then."
"R-Right."
Prince Leonardo—the boy I'd fought the ancient dragon alongside
the other day—had gone back to Roses's capital for a while. "You will also need to meet His Majesty soon."
I let the silence hang in the air for several moments.
"Right."
That was an unavoidable event triggered if I'd ever heard one. I felt like the peaceful breakfast had ended up with me standing on a minefield.
This...was not a pleasant morning.
"We need to talk, Lu. Come on!" exclaimed Sasa.
"Wh-What?!" Lucy stammered back. "Hey, I don't like that look! Where are we even going?"
"The hot springs! We can have a nice long chat."
"I don't like soaking in the bath for too long, though..."
Lucy's voice got quieter as Sasa dragged her off. Princess Sophia and Furiae were the only others left in the room now. I cast around for a topic before I thought of something.
"Princess Sophia, did you manage to get any information out of that Snake Sect member we captured? Specifically, anything about the monster stampede?"
"No... We are questioning her, but she hasn't revealed anything." She bowed her head regretfully. If something was going to happen in Springrogue, it was probably also related to the Snake Sect. I wanted to get whatever information I could.
I turned to Furiae. "Princess, mind coming out with me?" She balked slightly. "What? Me?"
"Don't worry about it," I said, pulling her by the hand. "Sophia, where is the prisoner being held?"
"In the dungeon of the church. That space is under the goddess Eir's protection, so they are unable to escape."
"Right then, let's go!" I declared. "Don't pull so hard, my knight."
"Wait a moment," Princess Sophia interrupted. "I will accompany you."
I nodded, and the three of us headed to the church.
When we arrived, we spoke with the guards and got them to let us in. The stairs down to the dungeon were gloomy and only barely illuminated with magic candles. It was damp and I honestly didn't want to spend too long there.
"Should we really be all together down here?" I asked Princess
Sophia.
"If you're here to collect information on the Snake Sect, I should be present as well," she answered.
"I'd really rather not be present," muttered Furiae.
Soon, we reached the cell. The woman from the Snake Sect was inside, guarded by a jailer.
"Can we talk with her?" I asked the guard.
"Hero... She won't say anything. Don't get too close," he warned.
I moved toward the bars.
"So, you're the Hero of Roses," said the cambion.
"Yup. I wanted to ask you some things."
She was silent for a moment, glaring hatefully at me, and then she
spoke. "I've got nothing to say to you."
I'd tried, but apparently, she was determined to stay quiet. Time for our secret weapon.
"Princess, if you would?"
"Sure, sure." Furiae sighed, approaching the cell. She tilted her head
up, locking eyes with the prisoner.
"Wait, that's dangerous..." Princess Sophia tried to stop her, but I
just waited quietly.
"Hey, you," Furiae murmured. Her voice was alluring.
There was a beat.
"Who...are yo—"
"Good girl." Furiae stretched out a hand, grazing the woman with a finger. When Furiae made just the slightest contact, the woman immediately jolted.
Furiae smiled. "I want to know your secrets."
The change in the cambion was instant and dramatic.
"Of course! I'll tell you whatever you want, mommy!"
Well...that was the moon priestess's Charm for you. Knocked it out of the park in one try.
Princess Sophia and the guard both had their mouths agape. Later, I would find out that they'd tried all kinds of magic in their interrogation but had gotten nowhere.
"What next, my knight?" Furiae asked.
I turned to the cambion, getting right to the point. "Why did you attack Macallan with the monsters?"
"Who do you think you are?!" she yelled back. "I'm not talking to anyone but my mommy! You can fuck off and die!"
Well, that was some abuse. How sad... Especially because I technically had Charm as well... Come on, Furiae, don't laugh at me.
"Would you tell me?" Furiae asked her.
"Of course! I'm so happy you'll talk to me! I'll tell you everything! Archbishop Isaac gave the order! He told me to kill the Hero of Roses! Makoto Takatsuki and his friends caused the operations in Horn and Symphonia to fail, so they needed to die! The battle itself was under the black dragon's command! I was a messenger and was supposed to notify the Snake Sect when Macallan fell!"
Her explanation came out in one big babble.
"It seems like they're after you, my knight," Furiae murmured. "Seems so."
I'd...kind of seen that coming. After all, just by being in Macallan, I'd
made the population increase.
Archbishop Isaac, though... That's him.
He'd been the one responsible for the blight giant in Horn, the suicide bombing in Symphonia, and the massive horde of monsters. He sure was stubborn. I could almost understand since he'd spent a decade on a plan that had fallen apart. Still, being a target of terrorists was far from pleasant.
"Sophia, you can use that information for planning now." "I-Indeed... I had not thought she would break so easily."
Guess Sophia was still surprised. Furiae just hummed in amusement.
"I'll make a record of what she said!" the guard declared, hurriedly pulling out a notebook. We asked the prisoner a few other questions, but she didn't know anything more specific.
She did, however, confirm that there was a plan for Springrogue.
Having secured the information we'd come for, the two princesses
and I left the dungeon.
"Well, my job's done," Furiae said, giving a large stretch. She peeled
away, leaving Princess Sophia and me behind.
"Where are you going?" I called after her.
"Hm. For a walk. The mage is with the warrior after all." Did Furiae want to join them in the hot springs? "Enjoy your time with the princess, my knight." She gave one last wave, then took off.
Princess Sophia and I just looked at each other.
"Shall we get going?" I asked. "Yes, let's."
The information we'd gotten out of the prisoner was still on both of our minds, so we decided to stop at a café and discuss our next moves.
The owner greeted me with a customer service smile when we
walked in. "Welcome, Sir Hero and...P-Princess Sophia?!" Her cheery expression turned nervous when she saw the princess, and she took down our order with shaking hands.
After that, I turned to Sophia. "Will you be coming to Springrogue with us?"
"No... I would love to, but the stampede left more of an impact than I
expected. For now, I cannot leave the country." "I see..."
"Incidentally, I heard that you met Lady Noelle in Cameron. Is she well?"
"Yeah," I replied. "She and Sakurai are doing fine. I was surprised
that she came with us to investigate the ghost ship, though." "Oh my!" exclaimed Princess Sophia. "She did?"
I nodded, then recounted what'd happened in Cameron.
When I finished, Princess Sophia sighed. "That truly is a relief. I have
heard that Lady Estelle can be hard to please."
"She's definitely something, all right," I mused, thinking back to the
youthful priestess in the Temple of Time.
"Defending Macallan against both a stampede and an ancient dragon has certainly done wonders for your renown as the State-Authorized Hero of Roses," said Princess Sophia. "I am personally proud of you as well..."
As she spoke, she wrapped both of her hands around mine and gave a smile.
Suddenly, my Listen skill picked up on something.
"Kyah!" exclaimed one of the waitresses. "The princess is so bold!" "She's so close with the hero!" another waitress replied.
Seems like we're drawing attention...
I turned my focus back to Sophia, returning to our conversation. "It's an honor to receive your praise," I replied, nodding.
Her expression turned more serious, and her voice grew somewhat
softer. "I...heard something rather interesting in regards to the
stampede." Her hands tightened around mine, and she gripped me
hard enough that it actually hurt a little.
I have a bad feeling about this...
"Sophia?"
"Apparently...when you synchronized with Lucy to stop the
stampede, you k-kissed her." "Where'd you hear that?"
"It is a rumor going around the adventurer's guild." They're the ones gossiping?!
"So, Hero Makoto..." she was still smiling as she held my hands even
tighter. "You only hold hands when you synchronize with me, and yet you kiss Lucy? I hardly think that is fair."
You're not allowed to make Sophie cry, Mako! exclaimed Eir in my mind.
I'm the one on the verge of tears here, goddess. "Uhm..." I said, fumbling. "Well, you see..."
I proceeded to explain the situation to the angry princess.
"Hm," she murmured after I'd finished. "So you kiss her to use the Contract. This enables you to channel her Fire Magic skill, even though you only have Water Magic. I can see the logic at least..."
She...didn't seem wholly convinced.
But then, she seemed to get an idea. A grin spread across her face. "Hero Makoto. Every time you use Synchro with me in the future, you will do so in the same manner as you synchronize with Lucy."
She's telling me to kiss her every time?!
"U-Understood," I mumbled.
Her grin didn't falter. "It was a joke, you know?" "What?"
A-A joke?! The princess had been a lot more playful lately.
She glanced around us, then turned back to me. "We are starting to draw attention. Perhaps we should be going soon."
The customers certainly seemed more interested in us—or at least, in Sophia—than their own drinks. But we're not the only thing drawing attention, I thought, looking behind us.
A group of Roses knights was standing outside the café, and they
stuck out like sore thumbs. I appreciated everyone's concern, but the gazes felt heavy on my back. The knights were guarding a princess, though, so the attention was pretty much inevitable.
"Hero Makoto, would you accompany me somewhere else?" asked
Princess Sophia.
"Sure, I don't mind." I did hope I wasn't getting in the way of her
work, though.
Sophia and I walked for a while and ended up in front of an estate with a large gate.
This is...
"The Macallan residence?" I asked.
"Indeed. I thought it would be prudent to share the information we obtained."
"I see. It should be fine to stop by." Chris was the next in line for the title of Macallan's lord, and I knew her personally. Plus, her husband was my best friend.
With that settled, the pair of us proceeded through the gate.
Chris greeted us in a panic.
"L-Lady Sophia! It is good to see you!"
Maybe we should've made an appointment...
The current Lord Macallan (Chris's father) was apparently unwell, so Chris was carrying out his duties as a proxy. Fujiyan and Nina were at
the estate as well. We were shown to a big reception room, and
Sophia's guards waited a little ways away.
"I have information to share with the leader of Macallan," declared Princess Sophia. She explained to everyone in detail about the day's events and the information we'd extracted from the prisoner.
"Would we even be able to stand up to another stampede of that extent'h...?" Nina wondered.
"We need to strengthen the walls immediately," Chris stated. Both of
them sounded grave.
I couldn't deny that I was involved as well. After all, I was the reason why the Snake Sect had targeted Macallan. It was all because a hero (me) was living here.
"I should be able to assign some more soldiers to Macallan," offered
Princess Sophia.
"No, Your Highness!" exclaimed Chris. "That would weaken the capital! I could never..."
The debate was heating up. Just then, my mind latched onto something.
"Do you perhaps have any ideas, my friend?" Fujiyan asked me, using his Mind Reading skill and giving me the opening I needed. That's my buddy.
"Well, actually..."
"I-Is that possible?!" Chris demanded when I'd finished explaining. "That would let us resist that horde'h!"
"You always think of the most interesting things," Fujiyan remarked
with a reluctant smile.
"Lady Eir may not be willing to permit— What? It's acceptable?" Princess Sophia's face had been reluctant at first, but apparently, Eir had backed me up.
"Thank you, Eir," I murmured toward the ceiling, not sure if she could hear.
"U-Um! Why does she call you Mako?!" Princess Sophia exclaimed. "The two of you seem rather close! When did that happen?!"
"Ah, um... You're imagining it."
"Really?" Sophia just stared silently at me.
Eir, could you be a bit more serious with her?
Yeah, the princess was definitely suspicious. She kept up her intense gaze for a while, but eventually gave up with a sigh and turned back to Chris.
"Christina, there is something else I wish to speak with you about.
Would you indulge me?" "O-Of course!"
The two of them quickly moved to another room, leaving me, Fujiyan, and Nina behind.
"Chris has it tough'h," Nina said. "I can't help with politics'h." Her
ears drooped regretfully.
Fujiyan's laugh was booming. "You misunderstand. The discussion has little to do with politics." He and I exchanged a look. "Her
Highness wishes to discuss how Lady Chris interacts with her fiancé's fiancée."
"Uh... What?" I asked flatly. "Ah, I see'h."
What was that about? I hadn't understood, but Nina had.
"Your situations are pretty similar actually'h," Nina said after a
moment. "I think Mister Takatsuki may have it harder, though'h."
She looked meaningfully at me. Fujiyan would have the next leader of Macallan and a gold rank adventurer as his wives. The combination of nobility and adventurer certainly was close to Princess Sophia and Lucy, and Sasa.
Things seem to be going well for Fujiyan at least... Unlike when they first met, Chris and Nina are getting along really well. On my end, Princess Sophia, Lucy, and Sasa are temporarily living together and there aren't any problems yet...I think.
"Good luck'h," Nina offered.
"We can go for a drink when you get tired," Fujiyan said. Both of
them patted me on the shoulder.
Seriously, guys. What are you two on about?
"Incidentally, my esteemed Tackie—if you have the time, why not
visit the restaurant I will be opening?"
"Your new place?" That might be interesting. "What's it like?" "You will find out when you visit. In fact, it is lunchtime, so why not
go now?"
"I'll come along as protection, then'h."
And so, we left behind a message for the two still in their meeting, then took our leave from the Macallan estate.
Fujiyan and Nina led me to the shopping district.
"This is the place!" Fujiyan announced.
"O-Oh my... Is it...?"
The first thing I noticed was the smell. It was the heady scent...of boiling tonkotsu stock.
At first, there only seemed to be a counter, and I couldn't actually see a kitchen. However, I soon located it when I noticed steam rising from a huge stockpot. That pot was likely the source of the smell too.
The name "Fujiwara House" was written on a large yellow sign.
It is...
Fujiyan beckoned me. "Come, come."
I cautiously pushed the curtain aside and sat down. Fujiyan followed suit behind me.
"I'll keep watch'h," Nina said. "Enjoy yourselves'h." I guess she wasn't going to come inside.
"She cannot deal with the scent," Fujiyan explained. Tonkotsu
certainly was an acquired...smell. A lot of people weren't fond of it.
"What can I do you for?" asked a man who seemed to be running the
place.
Could it be? Would the order go through? "I-I'll have hard, standard, and standard." "Got it."
It did?! That was the same order I would've used in Japan...and it
worked!
"I will have hard, strong, and large," said Fujiyan. "Also, a portion of rice."
"Got it."
"That's three steps closer to the grave, Fujiyan," I joked. He chuckled. "And yet I cannot quit."
"You always did like it."
It was just like when we'd drop by the ramen place on the way home from school. Before long, a steaming bowl was sitting in front of me. I gulped heavily before lifting the wooden ramen spoon and scooping up some of the soup.
Hot!
But...
It tastes great!
The rich flavor of tonkotsu and soy sauce spread across my tongue. The soup had been topped with grated (almost) garlic, which had been mixed with the broth. Everything wrapped around the noodles as I slurped them up. That was the taste!
I focused solely on eating the meal, and in no time, the bowl was empty.
Incredible...
"Fujiyan, when's this place opening?!"
I'll be coming here a ton!
"Well...I would like to open immediately, but there is a problem." "Huh?" But...the ramen was so delicious. There certainly couldn't be
any problems with the taste...
"He wants to sell these noodles for a ridiculously low price'h," Nina
interjected, poking her head through the curtain.
"Ramen is the food of the masses!" argued Fujiyan. "There is no point if I cannot sell it cheaply!"
"It'll put us more and more in the red, though'h!"
Fujiyan slumped over.
"It'd be sold at a loss...?" I asked. I guess reproducing the flavors of Japan in a completely different world couldn't be easy.
"The ingredients are too expensive'h," Nina confirmed.
"The taste will be wrong if we compromise on the ingredients,
though!" countered Fujiyan.
"You just want to sell it too cheaply'h!"
"W-We can make up for the loss with sides and drinks..."
"That will just lower the turnover'h... You're the one that taught me this'h."
"Ugghhhh..."
She'd won the argument. It was probably going to be a long time before this shop opened...
When it does though, I should invite Sasa. I pondered this while listening to those two debate a while longer. Afterward, I parted ways with them and headed home.
"Oh? What did you get?" Sasa asked immediately when she saw me. "It smells familiar."
Once I told her about the ramen shop, she instantly said she'd visit it too. I'd definitely been on the money.
Princess Sophia and Lucy were both looking unhappily my way, so I invited them too, and they both agreed. Bringing Lucy to a ramen place was one thing, but was it really somewhere to invite a princess?
◇
That night, I dreamed. I found myself in an empty place with nothing else around—my goddess's space.
I'd been hoping to come here tonight. There were things I needed to talk to her about.
"Oh, Makoto, you're here," Noah said in greeting. She looked completely unsurprised, but...there was definitely something different about her.
"Um...Noah?" I asked after a moment. "What's with that outfit?" "It's cute, right?"
For whatever reason, she was wearing a school uniform. On top of that, it was the uniform from my old school.
"You got all hot and bothered over Lucy wearing this in your dream,
so I wanted to try it out as well. Aren't you happy? I'm cute, right? Tell me I'm cute."
"Uh... Yes, it's a treat for the eyes." Noah is cute, that's for sure,
but this is all just...kinda intense.
"Personally, I think it's a little embarrassing," Eir trilled, suddenly
appearing behind Noah.
"Wha— You're joining in as well?!" I sputtered.
Her facial expression was in line with her evaluation of the outfit— slightly embarrassed. Since Eir had that older sister vibe, her wearing it looked more like cosplay than anything.
"You meanieeee," Eir whined. "Didn't you have a request for me?" And, of course, she'd been reading my mind... "R-Right, I do," I
confirmed.
"Seriously, Eir," Noah griped, "could you stop butting in on our alone time?"
Eir had an elegant smile on her lips, while Noah was pouting slightly. I actually needed to talk with them both this time.
"Noah, I have a request." "Go ahead," she replied.
"Can you summon that giant geez—uh, guy we met from the
Titanea? I want to get him to build walls to protect Macallan."
This was an idea I'd had after talking with Fujiyan today. That giant had been great at ground magic, so just building walls to protect the town should be simple for him. He'd promised to assist me—albeit only once—and I'd use that favor here.
"Hmmm, I'd like to help..." she said. "Can't you?"
Noah looked meaningfully at her side. "Well, we have a spy here, don't we?"
"My, no need to be so rude!" Eir countered. "We're friends, aren't we?"
"Oh, then I can go ahead and call him up?"
In response, Eir started humming in thought. Princess Sophia had
told me that it should be fine during the day. Finally, Eir spoke. "If
one of the gods uses their powers down there...I'll have to come up with some excuse for Althena."
"For Althena...?" I murmured. Althena was the name of the goddess with the largest number of believers. She ruled over justice and victory and was lauded as a goddess that one must never defy.
"Don't worry about that—she's just a stubborn stick in the mud,"
Noah said, folding her arms in boredom.
"I'm the one she'll get mad at though," Eir protested. "Well...I suppose it would be fine."
"Really?!"
"Sure. You're helping me out in Springrogue, aren't you? It's gonna be tough, Mako, but I'm counting on youuu☆"
Her smile gave me a bad feeling. It was kinda scary...
"If you're going to put my Makoto in danger, at least tell me first," said Noah. "Ira should know."
"Actually, not even she knows," explained Eir. "That's why we need to investigate down on the ground. Besides, she hates you, so why would she tell us anything?"
"You don't get along with Ira?" I asked Noah. This was the first I was hearing of it. It seemed odd, considering that she and Eir were so friendly with each other.
"It's not that I get along with Eir," Noah told me, reading my
thoughts. "She's just overfamiliar. Ira, though, is the youngest, so she
ended up spoiled. Even a lot of the Sacred Deities are fans of me
since I'm a goddess of beauty, so Ira's jealous." Noah brushed a hand
through her silver hair with a smug hum.
So, even among the goddesses, there were all sorts of personalities.
"Yeah, even Jupiter's after you!" Eir exclaimed. "And Ira's a real daddy's girl."
"Blegh. I really don't wanna think about that," Noah replied with a
sour look.
"J-Jupiter wants—?"
I couldn't even describe the shock. Jupiter was the god-king of the Sacred Deities—a god among the gods that ruled the world. And...a god that powerful wanted Noah? S-Seriously... Noah was the (self- proclaimed) most beautiful of the goddesses, but the scale was still overwhelming. Hearing about Jupiter, though...made me feel
strange. I wasn't sure what this emotion was...
"Eir, don't say it like that! You'll give Makoto weird ideas. Makoto, he's a real womanizer, just trash—he already has over a thousand wives but is still searching for more! I'd never marry someone like that!" She ended her declaration with a hmph.
A-A thousand?! That was over an order of magnitude higher than a certain hero.
I let out a shaky sigh.
"And then there's the temple telling us all that he's a wonderful god
and that he's an example to all the others," I commented.
I did remember being taught that in my lessons at the Water Temple when I'd first come to this world. Apparently...that perspective was pretty far off the mark.
"Besides, the six goddesses are all his daughters, but none of them share a mother! Would you call that wonderful? Don't make me laugh."
"N-Noah, isn't that a bit far?" I asked. After all, one of those
daughters was right next to her.
"Well, he's a powerful god, but as a father...not so good," Eir remarked with a troubled smile. Huh. So he even made his daughters feel awkward. "Anyway, we've gotten off track. Good luck in
Springrogue, Mako!"
"Eir, Makoto used up almost all his lifespan in the fight against the
ancient dragon. Don't push him too hard."
"Oh, right! I saw that!" Eir exclaimed. "Mako used suicide magic forbidden by the church!"
Geh. She saw that? Guess there's no pulling the wool over a goddess's eyes.
"Was that...bad?" I asked.
"For your lifespan? Yes, it was. What's it at now?" Eir asked. "Hmm, let's take a look," mused Noah.
"Noah, when did you—?" Before I even knew what was going on, she'd taken my Soul Book.
"Oof... Only five years?" said Eir.
"Makoto..." Noah trailed off for a moment. "That's even shorter than
when we first met."
"Well, you were the one that used it!" I pointed out. Even though it'd been "offered up" as a sacrifice, Noah had said that she couldn't control it precisely. Suicide magic was definitely scary... Incidentally, my lifespan had been up to about thirty years before, and now it was lower than when I'd first gotten here.
"Guess there's no choice," Eir said with a meaningful smile. "I'll teach you the secret to lengthening it."
"You...can do that?" I asked.
She giggled.
"It's something only the Sacred Deities that rule the world can do.
Lend me that dagger of Noah's?" she asked.
I glanced at Noah for confirmation.
"Eh, go ahead," she replied lightly. "Eir won't do any harm." "Well, here," I said, hesitantly handing it over.
"Right, so if I do this..."
Eir lifted her finger and began scribbling some complex symbols into the air, which were written in trails of light that shifted through the hues of the rainbow. Suddenly, the dagger absorbed the symbols, swallowing them up. It began to glow ominously.
"There, it's done," she said, handing it back to me.
In my hand, the dagger felt warm and alive. There were faint magic symbols now etched in a design across the surface of the blade.
However, they were too complex for me to have a chance at reading them.
"What did you do?" I asked.
"Well, you see..." Eir started with a chuckle before launching into an
explanation.
I shuddered as I listened.
"—and that's how you use it," she finished off.
"I-Is that really possible?" I asked, utterly shocked. It was absurd now
that she'd modified it.
"Do your best to build up your lifespan!" Eir cheered.
"Why are you giving my believer that much power?" Noah asked, glaring suspiciously. "What are you planning?"
"Nothing, really. Now the Sacred Deities are contributing too, so Alte
can't complain."
"Thank you, Eir," I said. With that detour complete, I remembered the main thing I wanted to ask for. "So, we'll be asking the giant for help, right?"
"Yeah, that's fine," Eir replied. "Nothing other than strengthening
Macallan's defenses though, okay?"
"Understood. Noah, let him know, please."
"I already have. He should be there within the day."
That was fast! He'd said he'd travel the world...but he could be back that quick?! If that were the case, I'd need to head back to Macallan as well.
"Goodbye then, Noah, Eir."
"Take care, okay? Call me if you need anything," Noah told me. "Good luck, Mako!"
I bowed, and then the area was swallowed in light and the two of them faded away.
◇
When I opened my eyes, I was met with the light blue hair of Princess Sophia.
"Sophia? Good morning." Before, I'd grabbed her in a hug while half
asleep, so I had to be careful not to mess up like that again.
Just then, I realized that the owner of this head of blue hair was a fair bit smaller than the princess.
"Makoto!"
This time, I was the one being pulled into a hug. It wasn't the
princess—the arms were much daintier.
"Prince Leonardo, it's been a while." "It has! I missed you!"
The prince of Roses was smiling back at me.