Chapter 2: Makoto Takatsuki Aims for Springrogue
"We can travel together this time! I'm so happy!" the prince
cheered, squeezing me.
"I look forward to it as well," I replied. Despite saying that, I couldn't help but look confused. I hadn't heard anything about him coming to Springrogue with us.
"Leo, you're bothering him. Move away," said Princess Sophia. I
guess she was here too.
"That's right! You're Sophia's fiancé, which means you'll be my brother! I hope we can be closer!"
"R-Right." His breath in my ear made my heart speed up.
"Leo!"
"I'll see you later, then!"
At that, the prince scampered off. I met the princess's gaze and scratched my cheek. "Prince Leonardo's in a good mood."
"He's happy that he can go with you," she explained.
Yeah, I definitely hadn't known about that. "So, why's the prince coming with us?" I asked.
"Leo wants to see you on an adventure, it seems. He practiced in the capital but has no real combat experience, so I'm hesitant to send
him after monsters alone. If he's with you, then I can relax."
"It's an honor...but also a pretty heavy responsibility." I could feel it on my shoulders. Still, being trusted wasn't a bad feeling at all.
"Look after my brother, Hero Makoto," she commanded. "Got it."
After I said that, I moved to get out of bed and change clothes.
But...she hadn't left yet. Did she need anything else?
"Oh, right, did you speak with Eir?" I asked, since just keeping quiet
would be rude.
"I have. We discussed how best to protect the people of Roses with Iblis returning."
"Huh..." Apparently, she was more serious with Sophia than with Noah and me.
Her eyes narrowed. "I also heard that she has been in your dreams along with your own goddess. The two of you seem to be getting along very well."
"Nah, I just get ordered around by both of them."
Princess Sophia let out an exasperated sigh. "You have the opportunity to speak with two goddesses at once...and that's how you talk about it. Well, no matter. You have a guest, so come out once you've changed." At that, she left the room.
A guest?
A sharp-eyed knight was standing in the room when I arrived, clad in golden armor.
"It has been a while, Hero of Roses."
Uh... Who's this again? I think I met her in Highland.
"You're the commander of the Pegasus Knights, the Hero of Lightning's younger sister, right?" I asked.
"Please, use my name. I am Janet Ballantine."
Oh yeah, that was her name. I remembered now. But why was she in Macallan?
"I requested her," Princess Sophia explained. "I asked Princess Noelle
if we could borrow some support troops for your trip to
Springrogue."
"You should be grateful," said Janet haughtily. "We Pegasus Knights are best suited to crossing the Great Forest of Springrogue."
"Right... But can't we use the airship?" I asked. It wasn't fair to Janet after traveling so far, but the normal method of traveling in Fujiyan's airship would be much less awkward.
Suddenly, Fujiyan spoke up from the side of the room. "That is impossible, my friend."
"Oh, you're here too. Why can't we use the airship?"
Fujiyan and Nina proceeded to explain: there were several different types of dragons in the forest, and using the airship would make us a target. I guess Fujiyan had mentioned before that he'd set up some airship routes around dragon territory. Apparently, there were a lot of green dragons that called the forest home, and even Fujiyan's ship wouldn't stand up to them.
So there's no choice but the Pegasus Knights...and Janet...
We'd fought alongside each other in Highland, and I seemed to remember that the Pegasus Knights had a lot of...pretty intense personalities.
Suddenly, a knight—one of Janet's subordinates it seemed—burst
into the room. "C-Commander, it's an emergency! The town is under attack! We're fighting back, but nothing's working!"
"Oh." That guy was already here?! He sure was quick.
"It's awful, Makoto!" Lucy exclaimed as she burst into the room alongside Sasa. "There's a monster attacking the town!"
Everyone in the room was tense.
"Ah, don't worry. I called him."
At my declaration, everyone present wheeled around in shock to face me.
◇
There was a giant standing before us, gleaming in a kaleidoscope of colors. Well, at least he looked like the creature called a "giant," but the anima coming off him clearly differentiated him from other monsters.
Just seeing him was overwhelming. Everyone was holding their breath, but I just walked up to him.
"It's been a while," I said, offering my greetings. "It has indeed...boy."
The pressure from the anima was nothing like before. Is it because he's stabilized? I could hardly believe that I'd taken this guy on in a fight... I must've been reckless because I'd only just come to this world.
Incidentally, the knights on their knees behind him were apparently depressed that even their all-out attacks had done absolutely nothing.
It was hardly surprising, though. After all, he was a god.
"I would hear your desire," he said to me.
"I'd like you to strengthen the walls around Macallan." "Hmm, I see... I would be willing, but in what way?" "Huh? In, uh...a strong way?"
He looked awkward. "That is less than helpful..."
So I can't just ask him?
Just then, Fujiyan came jogging up. "I have blueprints!" he exclaimed. "Could you strengthen them like this?"
"When'd you get those?" I asked.
"I searched out architects when I heard your plan. Lady Chris
approved them, so they should cause no issues."
"Show me..." The giant took a long look at the plans. "Hm, very well." Phew! Fujiyan was a lifesaver. I'd thought that the giant could just
figure it out since he was a god.
"I am not an architect," replied the giant. Oops. Apparently he'd read
my mind and felt the need to retort.
"Ah, right. Sorry."
"If you would back away..." he instructed, kneeling and putting a hand on the ground. His body was already absolutely covered in anima, but suddenly, it was joined by a massive amount of mana.
It was more than even Undyne had summoned in Highland. The Pegasus Knights and Sophia's guards all lost whatever color was in their faces.
"Let it be," he proclaimed gravely.
The earth shook and almost seemed to rise up.
Actually, it didn't just seem to rise up—the whole town was gradually ascending and being surrounded by thick walls. Overall, it took about ten minutes, and then...
The town was completely overhauled.
Everyone—me included—was dumbstruck. Janet threw a leg over her pegasus and took to the sky. When she returned, she wore a stunned expression.
"Everyone...the town is now a fortress."
"Th-That was incredible magic," Princess Sophia stammered. "What in the world is that giant...?" asked Janet.
"One of Hero Makoto's acquaintances, apparently..." "He is my brother's rival..."
The two women both had looks of disbelief.
Could you stop treating me as your brother's rival?
"S-Say...my knight. That was divine rank magic..." Furiae said, her
voice sounding deeply shocked.
"Hmm, well, you know..." I hedged.
I mean, it was magic used by a god... So that makes sense. "I...have fulfilled my promise," rumbled the giant. "Farewell." "Thank you," I replied.
At that, he melted into the ground and vanished.
"Man, you could have taken it easy for a bit," I remarked.
"My esteemed Tackie, his power was as awe-inspiring as before."
"Yeah," I said, turning to Fujiyan. "By the way, I'm gonna want to buy a bunch of stuff for the trip to Springrogue."
"Leave it to me! I shall prepare a spread."
"Great. Are you girls coming as well?" I asked, directing my gaze to
Lucy, Sasa, and Furiae.
Now that we'd done everything we could to fortify Macallan, it was
time to get ready for the trip to Springrogue.
◇
"See you later," I called out to Fujiyan, Nina, and Chris. "Take care, my friend," Fujiyan said.
It was the day after the Pegasus Knights had arrived, and our group was ready to depart.
"Be careful, everyone," instructed Princess Sophia. "Leo, listen to
what Hero Makoto says." "I will! Goodbye!"
"You're going to the capital, right?" I asked her. "We'll drop by once we're back in Roses to give our report."
"I will be waiting." She looked a little lonely as we finished our
farewells.
"Say, my knight, what are we doing about this one?"
"Nrow!" Twi, the black cat that lived in my garden, was perched in Furiae's arms.
"Mary, can you look after her?" I asked.
"Oh, you've got a pet? Sure, leave it to me." As far as the guild was concerned, Mary was officially responsible for dealing with the Hero of Roses, so she was looking after my home as well.
Though, with that said, the totality of my belongings consisted of about a rucksack's worth of stuff...so the rooms were pretty much empty.
"Is that not dangerous?" Furiae inquired. "She might be young, but she is a magic beast. I was sure you were going to make her your familiar."
"She is?!"
Mary looked curious at the declaration. And when I thought about it, Furiae was right—it was probably a bit too risky to ask a normal person to look after Twi.
"Guess you're coming along then..." I said, reaching a hand out.
Twi hissed at me, pulling back. Eh...why?
"Nrow, nrow," the cat meowed, cuddling up into Furiae. Furiae peered down at Twi. "He's your master, not me."
The cat seemed to sigh before coming over to me and curling up on my shoulder.
Hey, Twi, you're being a bit mean.
"Fuu stole Twi." "Poor Makoto..."
Sasa and Lucy stared pityingly at me. Guys, don't look at me like that!
"Just you wait, black cat. You're not even going to be able to live
without me when I'm done," I said. "Nrow, nrow."
Well, she didn't seem to care. The little so and so...
"Are you done?" Janet and the other knights were looking at us,
seeming exasperated.
Oops. Guess we'd kept them waiting.
"We're off, then," I waved at the people below as all the pegasi rose
up and took us into the sky.
Macallan gradually got farther away, and I turned to stare at the newly formed fortress town.
It now was surrounded by thick, tall walls of stone, with a moat circling the outer edge. Looking at it from afar, all I could see was a massive military installation, and it definitely looked up to the task of weathering tens of thousands of monsters. I doubted a stampede would just pass by, but defending against one would be much easier now.
Still...
Macallan was like my starter town.
After being whisked away to a world where I didn't know the language, and after a year of studying in the Water Temple, Macallan was the first town I'd arrived in. It had taken care of me since I was a level 2, and now, it'd changed a lot.
Isn't it a bit...over-the-top for a starter town? I was sure any future otherworlder that came here would be shocked when they saw it.
As I pondered that, Macallan shrank to a pinpoint on the horizon.
After we'd been flying for a while, I spoke up. "Janet, roughly how long will it take to arrive at Canaan?"
My arms were around her waist, and we were a few hundred meters into the air. There was nothing below us except an ocean of treetops. We were bypassing the Forest of Fiends since it was home to strong monsters, and we moved further into the Great Forest as a whole.
"You needn't be so formal, Hero of Roses. You're both older and more highly stationed than I."
I couldn't help but let out a slight sigh. Being all buddy-buddy with her felt a bit awkward since she was so intense.
"To answer your question, it will likely take around two days."
Two days? That feels really quick for traveling to a completely different country. Well, I suppose we could go "as the pegasus flies" so it was quicker. But still...
"It's Lucy's home, so would it be worth asking her to guide us?" I
asked.
"There is no need. The village is home to the country's strongest
fighter, Rosalie J. Walker, so we know where it is."
Well, that must be how things were. It wasn't that surprising, but apparently, Lucy's mom was a real big shot. Especially if she was the strongest fighter in the country. Although, according to Lucy, she apparently spent a lot of her time traveling—Lucy hadn't seen her in years. It was fairly unlikely she'd be in Canaan.
Our official goal—if Rosalie wasn't there—was to give our greetings to the Hero of Springrogue and their priestess. And also...to investigate the disturbance in the Forest of Fiends.
The Snake Sect was apparently up to no good—we had to reveal their plans and ruin them if they planned to harm Roses or Springrogue. That meant...we had a lot to do. Still, until we arrived in Canaan, we were free.
What to do... I was idly considering how to occupy my time when Janet yelled, "All units, change course!" This was about the tenth time it'd happened.
"Monsters again?" I asked.
"Indeed. There is a dragon ahead, so we are avoiding it."
I couldn't see it at all, and not even my Scout skill was reacting. Apparently, Janet's version of the skill could scout several kilometers ahead. It made sense—she'd have to be fairly impressive to lead the knights at her age.
After that, the journey continued the same way for another half a day, and we managed to avoid all monsters as we flew into Springrogue.
"Let's make camp here," Janet instructed, trying to get everyone settled before it grew too dark. A mage put up a barrier to ward off monsters while the others got supplies and food ready for cooking. Sasa set about helping with that.
What should I do?
"Is there anything I can help with?" I asked. "There is not. You can rest over there."
"R-Right..." I was just in the way! I crouched over in a corner and waited for the food to be ready.
"Makoto, well done on the journey." Prince Leonardo smiled and
came to sit next to me. "You looked rather relaxed, especially since it was your first time traveling on a pegasus."
"I was just sitting in the back, so it was a pretty easy trip." Honestly, I'd just spent my time either looking at the back of Janet's head or the forest below.
"That's incredible! Usually, people get tired when they ride pegasi or
wyverns because of the fear. I was terrified the first time. Lucy and
Fuuri both seem tired as well."
I looked over at them.
"The ground's so calming..." Lucy muttered. "The sky is scary."
"How unsightly. I can't even move from tiredness...after riding a pegasus of all things..."
The pair were slumped over. Like me, neither of them had ever traveled on a pegasus before.
Sasa, on the other hand...
"The plates are ready. I got the firewood prepared as well." "M-Miss Sasaki?! You don't even have an axe?!"
The knights were shocked. At least Sasa was energetic. Twi was on her shoulder, waiting for food.
"Otherworlders are incredible," the prince said, watching with
sparkling eyes.
It's probably a different reason for her than for me, though. Sasa was both an otherworlder and a lamia, so she had ridiculous stamina.
Half a day on a pegasus would be nothing for her.
What about me, then? I guess I was faring well in part because of Calm Mind. The rest was probably due to the perspective shift from RPG Player.
Being so high up without a lifeline for so long would normally make you more scared. However, the only feedback I had was that the
scenery'd been pretty.
I think I might be losing my sense of danger...
Not feeling excessive fear was useful, but like Noah had said, I needed to not deliberately jump into danger. I was going to the Forest of Fiends because of a revelation from Eir, so I should be careful.
"Makoto Takatsuki," Janet called. Her eyes were sharp and her hair still shone. It was probably due to commanding the Pegasus Knights, but she didn't look tired at all.
"Thanks for your work today," I told her.
"You seem accustomed to riding pegasi," she said.
"What? This was the first time. It was fun, though." It'd actually
gotten boring for the second half.
She paused for a moment, then said, "I see..." Her expression showed that she wanted to say something else as she looked down at me.
"Is...something wrong?" I asked.
"I heard you defeated the ancient dragon with a single strike, all
after defending Macallan from the monster stampede."
"Oh, that?" Had she heard about it from Princess Sophia? Or maybe someone from the guild? "Thanks to everyone from the guild, we managed to protect the town."
"Your accomplishments were reported to Highland. I suppose that
will raise your worth." Her tone was biting.
I sighed. Was she unhappy that I'd gotten kudos because she liked
her brother so much?
Apparently, though, that wasn't the case.
"My father and brother asked if I was willing to join our family with yours."
Prince Leonardo and I couldn't help but exchange looks. Join families as in...get married?
"No! Makoto is my sister's fiancé!" the prince exclaimed. He stood in
between us like he was protecting me.
Janet snorted at that. "Princess Sophia said the same thing. Well, I
don't have any intention of becoming your wi—"
"Takatsuki! I got these fruits in the forest! Here you go☆" Sasa hugged me from behind and pushed an apple-looking fruit to my mouth. The taste was a mix of sweet and sour. Apparently, even the fruits from the Great Forest were full of mana.
"Tasty?" she asked. "Yeah, it is."
"Then I'll have some too!"
"Hey!" What am I, a poison tester?
She looked teasingly at me as she crunched through the same place I'd bitten... She didn't need to do that. I couldn't help but be slightly embarrassed.
"Makotooooo."
"C-Come on, Lucy." She'd been lying down because of the air
sickness but had pushed herself over to me. I'd already told her to
take it easy.
"I want some water," she said, looking up at me pitifully. "Right, right."
Ah well. As I spoke, I pulled out my canteen and poured some into a cup.
"Mouth-to-mouth would have been nice," she complained. "What?" Seriously, what was she thinking?
"Lu, that sounded like something silly to me," Sasa said.
"Makoto, Hero of Roses," came a cold voice. Janet was looking at me like I was something on the bottom of her shoe. "You have a fiancée
but are playing around with other women like this...quite daring, I
must say."
"Ah, well, you see..."
"Who in the world would marry someone like you...?" She didn't
listen to anything I had to say and quickly stalked off.
"That was close," Lucy said. "He almost got another fiancée." "Sophie was right. Takatsuki does stuff like that super quick."
"What's with you two?" I asked. What exactly were they going on about?
The two high-fived and gave a cheer, though even Prince Leonardo looked unhappy.
Is it because I didn't properly turn her down since I'm marrying his
sister? Was I in the wrong? No, I wasn't trying to get more fiancées... After all that, we ate dinner and retired to our tents. The prince and I
were sharing one, and I couldn't really sleep since he was holding on
to me.
We continued flying through the sky the next day, and eventually, we arrived at a small settlement. At a glance, it just looked like more of the same thickly growing trees that made up the rest of the forest.
However, I could see thatched roofing peeking through the canopy every so often.
This was one of hundreds and hundreds of villages where elves and beastmen lived, and those many villages were collectively referred to as Springrogue—this meant that there was no central town that could be referred to as a capital. Instead, the people of Springrogue formed small communities, living alongside the forest. It also seemed like there was a barrier around the settlement itself that repelled attention, making it hard to actually notice until you were nearby.
The pegasi landed close to our destination and we headed toward
the village's entrance.
"It's been so long!" Lucy exclaimed, rushing toward the settlement.
There was a simple gate blocking the entrance, and someone was on guard duty. That elf looked at Lucy in shock.
"I'm back!" she cheered.
"Lucy?!" the guard replied. "Welcome home! You doing good?"
Those two must know each other. After exchanging greetings with Lucy, the guard looked toward the rest of us. "So, who are these people?" he asked.
"They're my party members—I teamed up with them in Roses. Oh, and also some knights from Highland. We came to see mama."
"Actually...mom hasn't been back for a year," the other elf explained
with a slightly awkward look. Hang on... Mom?
But the guy continued talking before I could start unpacking that. "You made friends abroad though! Lucy, you haven't been too pushy, have you?"
"Hey!" Lucy griped. "Just because you're the older brother doesn't mean you can treat me like a kid!"
Say what?! I thought they just knew each other, but they're
actually siblings?!
He laughed. "We were worried about you, though. At least you look
like you're doing well."
"Yeah." Lucy nodded. "Anyway, see you later." "Make sure you go see grandpa first!" he called out. "I know already!" Lucy yelled as she passed him.
"H-Hey, Lucy?" I stammered. "Shouldn't I say hi as well?" If they were family, shouldn't I be properly introducing myself? I hadn't even given my name.
"Hmmm...later. Grandpa's the village chief, so we should talk to him first. Prince Leonardo, Janet, is that okay with you?"
"I do not mind," the prince answered.
"I have no objections," Janet replied. "After all, he is Johnnie Walker's son, a hero of Springrogue."
"Then I'll show you the way." With that, Lucy picked up the pace a bit. Since it was an elf village, the people we came across were all elves. I did find something a bit odd, though...
"Oh, you're back, Lucy," said an elf as we passed. She looked like a
more grown-up version of Lucy.
"Sure am, sis. Is grandpa in?"
"He is, yes. We were all worried about you! You could at least have written."
"Whatever."
"Yo, Lucy," gruffed a burly elf who was swinging a sword. "You brought guests?"
"Yup."
At one point, a dandy-looking elf came up to Janet. "Oh, you're a beauty, miss knight. Want me to show you around the village?" In response, Janet leveled him with a glare.
"Hey!" Lucy said in a chastising tone. "You're supposed to be my big brother, so act like it! She's a noble from Highland—no hitting on
her!"
The next target was Prince Leonardo. An elf wearing even more revealing clothes than Lucy came up to him and said, "What a cutie. Want to come and play with big sister over here?"
"That's the prince of Roses!" exclaimed Lucy. "No seducing him!"
"Oh! Are you Lucy's friend?" another elf, who was about Lucy's age, asked Sasa. "You have an impressive aura."
"Yes, I'm Lu's best friend, Aya Sasaki."
"Oh my! An otherworlder as well, perhaps? I'm her big sister, nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too," Sasa replied.
A few moments later, another elf struck up a conversation, this time, with Furiae. "What beauty I behold. What would your name be, my lovely princess?"
"And who are you supposed to be?" Furiae asked.
"Oooh, that cold tone is just as wonderful! Would you like to eat dinner with me tonight?"
"What?"
"No!" Lucy squawked in protest.
Just how many flirts did this village have?!
On another note...
"Say, Sasa?" I asked.
"She already told me," Sasa replied, cutting me off.
Time to switch targets. "Hey, Lucy?" "Yeah...I know what you want to say..."
Guess I'll ask anyway.
"You have quite a few siblings, don't you?" Pretty much everyone
we'd passed had been an older sibling of hers, and we'd already seen about a dozen people. "How many do you have?"
There was a long pause.
"I'm the fiftieth," she replied, looking away. "Uh? Wha?"
"My mother's got a big case of wanderlust, so she ends up getting married on her journeys, along with getting divorced and having kids. Then she brings her children back to the village... Though I guess I'm one of them anyway," she said with a slight laugh.
"I'd heard that the Crimson Witch had many children, but..." Janet
murmured.
"Th-That's amazing..." Prince Leonardo sputtered.
Both of them were seriously surprised, so it must have been
something that only Lucy's immediate family knew.
"And I thought four brothers was a lot back in my old world," Sasa
remarked.
"I was an only child," I added, exchanging a glance with her. Lucy's
family was just...on another level.
"Also..." Sasa continued, her expression darkening. "All my siblings in this world died..."
"Sasa..." I didn't know what else to say to her. Talking about family had obviously brought back some painful memories.
"Aya!" Lucy cried, hugging her. "Makoto and I are with you! We're your family!"
"Lu... You're right! We need to make sure it's a nice family as well!"
Sasa replied, returning the hug before turning to look at me.
"Takatsuki, I want five children."
"What?! You want that many?" Lucy asked. "Then I want six!"
Aren't we getting a bit ahead of ourselves here?
"Everyone...let's carry on," the prince said, lightly scolding us. We all chorused an agreement. This honestly wasn't the kind of
conversation to be having in front of a nine-year-old anyway.
"The big roots you can see over there make up the village chief's house," Lucy said, pointing. My eyes followed her finger and I soon spotted a huge wooden mansion.
As I looked on, an elf woman stepped out of the house.
"It's been a while, Lucy," she remarked. "Florna! Yes, it's been too long!"
This must have been another of her sisters. Florna had beautiful silver hair and green eyes, along with a gentle smile.
"I'll introduce you, Makoto," Lucy said. "This is our priestess."
Whoa... Springrogue's priestess just walked out right in front of
us.