— Roxy Migurdia —
It had been around half a year since we reached the Demon Continent, my homeland, and although we had visited every settlement on our way up north, we had yet to find any signs of Zenith or Lilia.
In fact, we hadn't found any signs of any Fittoans at all, not even a rumour about lost humans.
It seemed that Leon was pretty unlucky to be teleported here.
I wonder… from what I heard, he was transported along with his sisters and that young lady, so maybe the number of people dictated how far a group was teleported?
Maybe it was-
No… no, there I went again, rambling about unconfirmed hypotheses.
Such thinking would amount to nothing of importance.
Right now, we had to focus.
While we were fine with money, and I was confident that I could survive most of this continent, the same didn't go for Lilia and Zenith.
Elinalise and Talhand said that Zenith should be fine, as she was a former S-rank adventurer, but I had my doubts.
After all, she was a healer, and in combat played a supporting role… not that useful in front of the bloodthirsty monsters that roamed this land.
And most importantly, she didn't know any of the language or the customs.
Knowing how kind-hearted that woman was, I bet she would greet someone like Dead End with open arms, only to be slain a moment later.
Gah! The thought sent shivers down my spine.
I was always terrified of those stories.
Shaking my head, I then began heading up the inn's stairs, ready to get Elinalise up and ready to move to the next town.
"Ahn~! Y-Yesshh~! Ohh~!"
Hearing such erotic sounds, I immediately came to a stop.
Unfortunately, this was not a rare occurrence, but despite that, each time I heard the woman's moans, I couldn't stop the blush from spreading across my cheeks.
How r-ridiculous! And scandalous!
It was even worse how she made me cast detoxification magic on her after each 'encounter'!
Well, that was not necessarily a problem, but how she explained how each man, and sometimes woman, had their way with her while I was doing so very much was.
I was an innocent lady, and I intended to stay that way until I found the man for me!
My anger steeling my resolve, I walked up and banged my hand against the door.
"We're leaving! Come downstairs!"
"Hmm- Anh~! R-Roxy?" Elinalise hummed. "A-All right, just let these gentlemen finish- ungh! T-That's good, dear."
Not wanting to be in the presence of all… that any longer, I quickly made my way back downstairs.
Seriously, that woman.
It was odd how quickly she shifted from a mature person I could look to for advice, to such a shameless… well, as she would call herself, an 'enjoyer of men'.
However, at this point, her promiscuity was nothing surprising.
"I-I'm telling you! This is my domain, so there is no need for me to pay for a meal!"
"What are you talking about, kid? Are you trying to scam me? This has been a free city for over three centuries, so pay up!"
Hearing such an argument, I hastened my steps, turning the corner into the diner to see the owner of the establishment arguing with a… girl?
No, perhaps it wasn't a girl, although she looked like one.
I would know best that looks could be deceiving, especially on this continent.
"Excuse me, what seems to be the problem?" I asked, interrupting the two.
The man then turned to me. "Ah, you're heading out today, right? Don't mind this, it seems that this girl decided to eat without having the cash."
"W-What!? B-But it was truly delicious! I cannot leave such a meal untouched!" the girl complained.
"Then don't order it unless you have the money!" the man snapped back.
Haa… as I thought, I really did hate children.
Other than Rudeus and Leon, they were all so annoying to deal with.
Though, I bet that's probably what my old master thought of me, huh?
"I'll pay for it. It's only a few stone coins, right? Here you go," handing the innkeeper the money, I then turned to the girl.
She had purple hair and mismatched eyes, which even on this diverse continent led to a unique appearance.
But further from that, she seemed extremely troublesome.
"You shouldn't go eating without having the funds, you know?" I lectured her. "Doing such things will only get you into trouble, like right then."
Staring at me with glassy eyes, she quickly shook her head before smiling,
"Ahaha! I see! I will be sure to take your words into consideration, at least until I regain my realm!"
Her… realm?
She then puffed out her chest. "But as thanks, I shall reward you! Ask anything of me, the Great Demon Empress Kishirika Kishirisu, master of the Demon eyes, and it shall be done!"
…The Great Empress?
I had heard that she should have reincarnated recently, but to think she was so… small.
And bratty.
While I was by no means a proud member of the demon race, I couldn't help but feel a bit disillusioned.
"…Is that so? I don't think paying for a meal constitutes such gratitude, though," I said.
"Aha! But that's where you're wrong!" she said. "This was my first meal since getting food from that kid back in Wind Port! What was his name… Ah! Leon!"
My previously dulled eyes shot open at that.
"Leon? You met Leon Greyrat?" I asked.
"Huh? Yeah! He gave me tasty skewers that I thought would last until I met Badi, but it seems that my gluttony is overwhelming in this era! Hahahaha!" she laughed.
…What an odd character.
But to have met Leon… was she actually the Great Empress of the Demon eyes?
"Miss Great Demon Empress, you said you would give me a reward, right?" I asked hesitantly.
"Of course! Ask away!" she responded.
"Then… could you tell me where Leon is right now? Oh, and his mother as well, please," I asked.
Nodding her head, she then opened her eye as it rolled into the back of her head, switching to a pale red colour.
Wow… so she was actually the real thing.
"Let's see… Leon is currently in the Great Forest, doing some swordsmanship training," she said.
Yep, that sounds like Leon.
He loved the sword, after all.
"Although… he's also doing magic as well? How odd. To think one could use spells like that…"
It seems Leon's skills amazed even a Great Empress.
Another thing to praise him for upon our reunion.
"And as for his mother… yep, she's still to the north of the Labyrinth City of Rapan in the Begaritt Continent along with that other one, Lilia," she nodded to herself before switching her eyes back to normal.
"The Begaritt Continent?" I said, surprised. "And what do you mean by 'still'?"
"Hm? When I met Leon, he also asked about their locations, and it seems like they haven't moved," she shrugged.
"H-Haven't moved? Are they… dead?" I asked, swallowing my sadness.
"Nope," she shook her head. "As long as one is alive, I can see them, so they must be alive since I could find them. Maybe they got lost in a labyrinth."
"Alright… thank you, Your Majesty," I said, bowing deeply.
Kishirika widened her eyes at this. "Aha! Finally! Someone who shows me the proper respect! Even Leon didn't do such a thing!"
Happily rubbing her upper lip, she then pointed to me once again.
"You! I shall permit you to ask for a demon eye of your choosing!"
…What?
A Demon eye?
To me?
I hadn't met many to bear such a thing, but nearly every time, they needed to wear an eye patch in order to curb the effects, some even deciding to carve out their eye if it was too difficult to bear.
But I also knew that demon eyes required control of one's own mana to properly use.
So knowing that… I couldn't help but think of this as a challenge.
A challenge to overcome.
After all, Leon had gone so far ahead as to create his own combat style, morphing swordsmanship and chantless magic in a beautiful form, so to call myself his teacher and his future wi- no… to call myself his teacher, I should at least be able to do this much.
"…Which Demon eye can Your Majesty grant me?" I asked.
"Haha! That's the spirit! Let's see… first, there's the Eye of Foresight, which-"
She then went on to explain the name and effect of every eye she could grant me.
Some, like the Eye of Magic Power, I had heard of before, while others were completely foreign, but they were all interesting and seemingly useful, save for the Eye of Absorption.
If I could master any of these, my overall strength and usefulness would rise astronomically.
But as a magician… the choice was quite obvious.
"I'll take the Eye of Magic Power, if you please," I said.
"Hahaha! A good choice! Now come here, and let this great one bestow upon you the finest of rewards!"
And so, like that, the search for Zenith and Lilia came to an end, as our group's focus turned to rescuing the two women from the Begaritt Continent after meeting up with Paul.
Oh, and I also became the possessor of a Demon eye.
— Rudeus Greyrat —
It had been a little over a year since the Displacement Incident, and after much time on the road, I had finally made it back to my homeland, the Fittoa Region of the Asura Kingdom.
The only problem… was that everything was gone.
I already knew this, of course, as Paul had given me a rundown of what he understood of the situation, but it was still very different to see it in person.
Luckily, while the city itself was gone, there was now a refugee camp where the Citadel of Roa used to be, started by my old coworker, Alphonse, who had decided to take up this undertaking as Sauros was dealing with the political fallout in the capital, and Philip was assisting a country in the Strife Zone.
Speaking of coworkers… I was still worried about Leon and my sisters.
At first, Paul was an anxious mess, but after I told him that Leon and our sisters were touching at the time the light reached us, he calmed down considerably.
Apparently, people who were touching teleported together, and when he realized that Leon was with my sisters, he seemed to trust that they would be okay, as my brother was already a Sword Saint and could use magic as easily as me.
I thought that he should be a bit more concerned about his children, but I suppose he simply trusted my brother quite a bit, much like I did.
He was still a kid though, so I was still a bit worried…
Anyway, with Pursena and Linia heading up north toward the University of Magic, I decided to stay at the refugee camp and help out with some work as my magic was quite useful for many things.
It was another tiring day of watering fields, creating walls and sewer systems with earth magic, and finally healing some sick people before I eventually headed to bed.
But that night, I received an annoyingly familiar visitor.
"It's been quite a while, Rudeus."
A blurry, faceless man looked down at me, and while I couldn't see any expressions, I could instinctively tell he was smiling at me.
And not the kind type of smile that Zenith liked to give, but rather, one of entertainment.
The kind of smile one would use when looking at a monkey at the zoo.
It felt horrible, but that wasn't the reason for my great discomfort.
God dammit. What is it this time? I hate being here… in this disgusting body, so hurry it up!
Looking down at the fat, greasy form of my past life, I couldn't help but grit my teeth in anger.
How disgusting.
It felt like everything I did in this world to better myself had been turned to naught.
"Now, now, don't be like that. I have a bit of advice for you, is all!"
And why the hell should I trust you? You do know how shady you are, right? Appearing in my dreams like some kind of ghost… maybe I should get myself exorcised?
"Haha! Oh, how you distrust me so! But… didn't my advice work out so far? Thanks to me, you were able to easily meet the beastfolk, and even earned yourself some money for taking their princesses along!"
Unfortunately, he was right.
When I was first teleported, I wouldn't have known what to do, and knowing me, I probably would have ended up starving myself or eating something poisonous, or worse.
But when he told me to head east and wait there for a day, I was able to meet one of the beastfolk warriors, Gyes, and after explaining my situation, everything was resolved quite smoothly.
After the rainy season passed, I offered to take along Linia and Pursena as I ventured back to my homeland following this Man-God's advice.
While I did get smacked around a lot for touching them, they did respect my strength, and even offered to become my wives once they graduated.
So I couldn't help but be thankful there.
"And what about Shirone, hmm?" Hitogami continued.
What do you mean, 'what about Shirone?'. You lied to me! You told me to head there to meet Roxy, but all I received when I got there was a prince complaining about my brother and a family rescue mission! Speaking of family… where the hell are they!?
"Ah, come on, haven't I told you? I'm not omnipotent, but every piece of advice I offer you will definitely bring you closer to reuniting with your family," he said. "And as for 'lying to you', I did nothing of the sort! I told you to stop by Shirone, and you will have a fateful encounter. You assumed it was your old teacher all on your own."
Tsk.
Annoying as it was to admit it, he was… right.
And what exactly is this 'fateful encounter' you preach so highly?
"Well, Prince Zanoba, of course! You got yourself an admirer with political power who will surely help out in the future!" he said boastfully. "So come on, can't you trust me? Eh?"
Ha. As if. Especially when I always end up looking like this when we talk. I hate it.
"Oho? But don't you know? I already told you that it's just-"
A reflection of how I see myself, I know.
"Then what's there to complain about then?" he smirked.
Again, I couldn't actually tell if he was smirking, but it sure felt like it.
Condescending bastard.
Anyway, I'm never going to completely trust a shady guy like you, no matter what you do. But… I'll take your advice into consideration, I suppose.
"Well, that's all I ask. It is more entertaining that way, after all," he said before changing to a serious tone. "Hear me, Rudeus Greyrat. In a week from now, an adventuring party called 'Counter Arrow' will stop by the refugee camp. Join their party, and then head out together to the northern territories and eventually the Ranoa University of Magic. Like this, you will eventually find out where your mother and family are."
Like I said before, give me some more information, you bastard!
"Bye-bye now~!"
And with an annoying white, blurry hand waving me away, I woke up.
Shooting to my feet, I quickly moved my hands across my body, feeling the soft, thin, and young physique I had grown used to.
Haa… thank god.
I really hated that place, wherever it was, that I found myself in whenever Hitogami decided to talk to me.
It was an ugly reminder of my past self.
Looking out the window, it seemed that it was still dark out, but with the sky glowing orange past the crest of the horizon, it wasn't long before morning would arrive.
I should get started with my day then.
But… 'Counter Arrow', huh?
On my travels across the Millis Continent and Central Continent, I had found myself as a B-rank adventurer, which, while not being particularly impressive, considering my age and the fact I didn't have a party, was enough to earn me respect amongst my peers.
I just hoped that respect was enough to make joining this 'Counter Arrow' easy.
Now, I wasn't gullible enough to follow every word that shady guy said, but he was right in the fact that his advice had helped me so far, and I was planning to head up north soon anyway.
I just hoped there was a nice girl around my age in the party… things had been pretty lonely ever since I separated from the beastfolk princesses, after all.
Well, I guess it's time to get up.
— End of Arc 2 - Demon Continent —