After that, the barrier did not seem to crack again.
I prayed one more time in my heart for Leticia and Lily's safety and left the place.
I activated [Auto Mapping] and searched for Iris's location.
It seemed that she had already left Aunen and was heading for the royal capital.
I activated "Divine Speed Blessing EX" and accelerated at once.
As I flew across the ocean, I saw Iris in the distance.
I deactivated "Divine Speed Blessing EX" for the time being and waved my hand toward Iris.
She came this way immediately.
"Kou, how did it go?"
"Actually…"
I told her that there was a crack in the barrier and that Leticia and Lily had gone inside of Zogral.
"Okay, I understand. …Somehow, I'm sorry."
Iris muttered with her eyes downcast.
"Since we're putting the burden on the two of them, we should do our best, too."
"Yeah, that's right. …For now, let's go back to the royal capital."
"Yes, you're right."
We nodded to each other and took a course toward the royal capital.
Then, when I was about to activate "Divine Speed Blessing EX"──
A telepathic message arrived from the lazy dragon.
He wants you to stop by Mahoros Island.
The voice of [Full Assist] echoed in my mind.
It seems that the lazy dragon… Tidal has contacted me.
I mean, he could use telepathy or something, huh?
It seems that a line of thought was constructed between Kou Kousaka and the lazy dragon by the previous summons.
I see.
But still, what is he doing there?
"Iris, can we stop by for a bit?"
"Yes, of course."
Iris nodded and continued speaking further.
"Since it's Kou, it's not just a side trip but something necessary, right?"
"Yeah. I'll explain the situation on the way."
And then I activated "Divine Speed Blessing EX" and was about to go to… when it suddenly occurred to me.
"Kou, what's wrong?"
"The [Space-Time Domination] also has the ability to warp. Can I use it for a while?"
"Yes. You are going to test the function for tomorrow, right?"
"That's right."
So once again, I activate [Space-Time Domination].
A bird's eye view of myself from above floated in my head.
I specified a point 100 meters away from here, and I thought of myself and Iris at warp speed.
Immediately afterward, the surrounding scenery changed with a floating sensation.
It seemed that the warp had succeeded.
"It's a strange sensation, isn't it?"
Iris said as she looked around.
"I don't really feel like I've moved."
"Me neither."
The movement stops for a few tenths of a second before and after the warp, and we are distracted by the destination.
I wonder if I can get used to this and cover it.
For the time being, let's try to move to Mahoros Island by repeating the warp.
After repeating the warp several times, we reached the sky above Mahoros Island.
As expected, I was getting used to warping, and the back-and-forth time loss was disappearing.
I looked down and saw Tidal.
This time he was in human form, waving at us with a friendly smile on his face.
We slowly lowered altitude and landed.
"Oh, Kou-dono, Iris-dono. Thank you for coming."
"Thank you for lending a hand yesterday."
"By the way, Tidal was fighting with us, wasn't he?"
"Umu, I borrowed Kou-dono's magic power and took on my dragon form. …Well."
Tidal coughed and looked at me.
"My unique ability is "Thousand Miles Sleep"; I can grasp anything that happens while I'm sleeping. …I never thought that Zogral had a will and wanted to destroy itself."
"Yeah, I was surprised too."
"It may be Zogral's will that Miss Leticia and I were born into this world not as a great calamity but as a human being imbued with the power of a great calamity."
"It is possible."
"In fact, we are working to overthrow Zogral in this way. I'm sure it's all for the best."
Tidal nodded and continued.
"I learned from "Thousand Miles Sleep" that Kou-dono seems to be collecting items that are filled with emotion. Let me help you with that."
Tidal then offered a pendant in the shape of a reindeer.
"It was a memento of my late wife. I want you to use it as well."
"Are you sure?"
"It's better if it's filled with emotion. If the world is destroyed, there will be no memento of her."
Besides, Tidal continued.
"The city of Fort Port itself is a memento of my wife. I am content with what remains of the city."
Tidal is originally a human being, and Fort Port's branch manager, Jess, is a descendant of him. That is why he wants to protect the city.
"And this will come in handy, too."
Tidal pulled out a piece of animal fur.
"What's this?"
"It's a Sleeping Sheep pelt. The battle is coming. You may be too nervous to sleep. There is a legend that if you wear this around your neck, you will sleep better."
I see.
It is true that I slept well yesterday because I was tired, but I am not sure what will happen today.
I can't go into the battle without a good night's sleep.
"I understand. I'll accept it gratefully."
I answered, received the fur, and put it in my [Item Box].
"I'm sorry for troubling you."
"It's all right. Well, if it's not too much to ask, will you stay here for a while and listen to my story?"
"I don't mind. How about Iris?"
"I'm fine, too. All we have to do now is wait for the memorabilia to come together."
"All right. We'll talk as we walk."
Tidal said and started walking.
We followed him.
"By the way, you've grown up a lot, Kou-dono."
"What are you talking about?"
"You sent Miss Lily and Miss Leticia ahead to confront Zogral. The old Kou-dono would have been absolutely against it."
"That's true, isn't it?"
Iris nodded next to me.
"He had a habit of concentrating the burden on himself."
"…I won't deny that."
"I think that by traveling together, you have developed a sense of trust in your companions. …Kou-dono, there are many others who are willing to help you in this battle. I, of course, want to help, too. Do not forget that."
After that, we left Tidal and returned to the royal capital.
Once again, we landed on the deck of the Blaznir.
When I entered the ship and looked at the clock on the wall, I saw that it was around 7:00 p.m.
"It took us quite a while to finish, didn't it?"
"Yeah. Let's have dinner for now."
While we were talking, Milia and Surara came from across the corridor inside the ship.
"Oh, Kou-san, Iris-san! Just in time!"
"The message from all the Helper Slimes! Dinner's ready! …Huh, where's Leticia-oneesan and Lily-oneechan?"
"Oh, that's──"
I told them that the greedy dragon's barrier was breaking and that Lily and Leticia had gone inside Zogral first to suppress it.
"I didn't know that was happening…"
"I see…"
Surara mumbled a little sadly, then smiled and said.
"Then we'll have to eat a lot of food and welcome them back as soon as possible!"
"I guess so."
I kneeled down on the spot and patted Surara on the head.
"Anyway, let's go eat. Where should we go?"
"The ship's restaurant! There are plenty of treats!"
"Master-san, Iris-oneesan, Milia-oneesan, welcome!"
"Enjoy your dinner!"
"Make sure you have plenty of energy for tomorrow!"
When we stepped into the ship's restaurant, we were greeted by a large number of Helper Slimes.
The menu was a truly sumptuous buffet of meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, and everything in between.
We took our picks and sat down at our table.
"Delicious. …I wish Lily and Leticia could have eaten with us."
'That's after the battle is over, isn't it? We will make sure they are well-fed!"
"After we defeat Zogral, we'll have a party! I'll prepare a more sumptuous meal!"
"I'm looking forward to it."
Iris said this with a smile, but there was a somewhat dark shadow on her face.
Since Lily and Leticia were both not here, it's not surprising.
However, being depressed at this point would not guarantee the safety of the two.
I should put my feelings to rest and make sure I'm well nourished.
After lunch, I went out of Blaznir to see Milia off.
"What are you going to do after this?"
"I'm going back to the Adventurers' Guild headquarters. I still have a little business to attend to."
"Do you want me to give you a ride over?"
"No, that's okay. The knights are supposed to pick me up."
While we are talking like that, several knights come this way.
"Are you Milia-sama? We have come to pick you up by the order of King Octo."
"It is wonderful that knights come to pick you up."
"It is the consideration of the king, isn't it?"
"Yes."
One of the knights nodded at Milia's words.
"If something happens to Milia-sama, Kou-sama's heart will not be at peace. If that is the case, it will affect the battle with Zogral… so we have been asked to take Milia-sama to and from."
I see…
As I was convinced, Milia looked up at the sky ── at Zogral wrapped in barriers.
"Lily-san and Leticia-san are doing their best, you know. Since I can't fight, I'm going to do my best here! Kou-san and Iris-san, please take a good rest today!"
"Yeah. I'll do that."
"Yes, of course."
"It doesn't look like you two are going to get much rest…"
Well, that's for sure.
No matter how much I try to change my mind, the thought of whether or not it's okay to continue like this keeps coming back to haunt me.
"It's all right!"
The one who raised a cheerful voice was Surara.
"We slimes will take good care of Master-san and Iris-san so that they can get a proper rest!"
"Fufu, that's a relief, isn't it?"
Milia smiled and patted Surara's head.
"Then, I'll take my leave. Good night, both of you."
"Good night."
"See you later, Milia."
After I said that to Milia, she left Blaznir with the knights.
We watched them go and returned inside.
"Oh, we're free to go from here."
"Yes, let's do that. We can take the same room as before."
"Right. Well, I'll see you later."
"Yeah, see you later."
"I'll go help clean up the restaurant."
And so, Iris, Surara, and I split up.
I headed for my private room on board the Blaznir.
This is the room I used to use when going from Fort Port to the royal capital.
…Well, there is talk of returning to the guest house, but in case of an emergency, it is easier to deal with the situation if I stay on board the Blaznir.
Besides, I have a delicate feeling about going back to the guest house now because of the grand send-off I received.
After entering the private room, I took a shower and sat down on the sofa in the room.
I looked at my watch and saw that it was around ten o'clock in the evening.
Tomorrow, around noon, I am supposed to go around the city and collect the memorabilia.
What I can do until then is… Right.
Let's take a bit of time to look at [Creation] for the first time in a while.