GalaxyTL
It seems we’ve finally completed everything we can do on the human continent. Father-sama, Dad, and the emperor will continue to exchange letters, but…
Dad’s apparently going to ask Mikolasch-san to develop a communication device when we get back to the guild, so they can communicate more smoothly. A communication device that can transmit across continents… is that even possible!? There are issues like magic power consumption and other things, but… I feel like Mikolasch-san might be able to do it. If they can develop it, the system reform should progress quickly. Yeah, I’m cheering for you.
“Hmm, this feels… anticlimactic.”
“What’s wrong, Kei? Were you expecting to come here for a war?”
“I guess I kind of was. But it’s only natural, right? Everyone was giving me those serious looks when they asked me to come.”
As we were walking from the castle, Kei-san grumbled about this. They’re responding to Dad’s joking question seriously, and I shuddered. Wait, you were joking, right, Dad? Right?
“I-I wonder what they asked of you…”
“Licht, don’t ask. Just imagine the worst and then go a few steps beyond that…”
Licht muttered this with a strained smile, so I quickly stopped him. There are a lot of things that are better left unsaid in this guild! Mainly for my mental well-being!
“I still can’t believe he refused to let us take off from the castle… The emperor worries about strange things.”
“Well, yeah. But it’s not like it’s our first time.”
It’s probably because it’s not your first time! You probably did it without any warning! Of course they’d be shocked! It’s bad for the heart! Emperor, it wasn’t your fault!
I mean, Dad, you’re losing your sense of what’s normal for a human, aren’t you? I guess it happens when you spend hundreds of years on the Demon Continent. I wonder if I’ll also become like that someday. It’s terrifying how quickly you get used to things.
“Well, he did listen to our demands, so it’s fine.”
“That’s right, Don. It works out perfectly because I wanted to go on a date on the way back. Right, Meg-chan?”
Ah, that’s right! When I looked up at him, I heard Dad’s low voice muttering, “A date, huh?” Why are you overreacting?
“…I’m the escort, so I’ll be going too.”
“We’re the ones being escorted, so we’re coming too.”
“I’ll also go.”
Gil-san, Licht, and Ronny all said the same thing, as before. “It can’t be helped, I guess”, Kei-san sighed, and then whispered in my ear,
“Well then, how about we go on a date, just the two of us, when we get back to Ortus?”
“Fueh~!?”
I unintentionally blushed. I’ve never been whispered such handsome words in my ear, not even in my past life! Sorry for being such a dried-up woman!!
“What did you say, Kei? Hey?”
“It doesn’t concern you, Don. It’s uncool to butt into someone’s attempt to woo a lady.”
Kei-san smoothly brushed Dad aside, saying, “Good grief.” Father-sama, seeing that, seemed unable to voice his own objection. Yeah, he’d probably also be shut down.
“…And the escort for that date will be?”
“You were listening? Gilnandio. Stop being so nosy. …I’m counting on you, from the shadows.”
“Understood.”
And another work contract was formed! Geez, just do whatever you want…
We ended up walking around the city for a bit. I think we stood out quite a bit, because there were a lot of us, and everyone’s a good-looking person. And my hair color stands out too!
But, well, I get reckless when I think about how this might be our last chance to do this! I thoroughly enjoyed eating all kinds of things and sightseeing! The people at the shops were all so kind and gave us extra service. I was so happy with that delicious charcoal-grilled yakitori!
After enjoying ourselves for about an hour, we headed outside the city. We’ll be taking off from around where Gil-san landed when we arrived, to head back to the mine.
The plan was to have Gil-san carry us again, but… Father-sama insisted that we ride on his back with Dad, since it’s our last chance before we part ways when we get back to the Demon Continent! Gil-san looked dissatisfied, but reluctantly agreed to the powerful combination of Dad and Father-sama.
I’d kind of wanted to ride on a dragon, so I was a bit excited, sorry, Gil-san!
The journey through the sky, on the back of a dragon, was… on Dad’s lap. It felt less secure than the basket, but it was incredibly reassuring. I was confident he wouldn’t drop me. Ah, the feel of the dragon scales and mane was even nicer than I’d imagined. It made Father-sama let out a joyous roar.
“Hey, Dad.”
“Hmm?”
After a while, I asked something that was bothering me. Since it’s just the three of us, Dad, Father-sama, and me.
“Why didn’t you think the castle people were lying? All you had was hearsay, and you didn’t know if the emperor and the others were telling the truth, right?”
This is something that had been bothering me since I heard the explanation from Dad’s side. We’d been running from the castle people all this time. There’s no way they could have known who the real culprits were, just from one side’s story.
And yet, Dad and the others, without hesitation, believed the emperor. I found that strange.
“Well, I was skeptical at first. And then after hearing the story, I was about seventy percent convinced. But there was no deciding factor.”
“Then why?”
“Hah? It’s simple. Because there was a deciding factor.”
He even asked if I wasn’t listening. Eh? What? As I tilted my head, Dad grinned and answered.
“Your spirit showed itself, even in front of the emperor and the others.”
“Shou-chan did?”
Apparently, Shou-chan appeared not only in front of Dad and the others, but also in front of everyone else in that room, including the emperor, when I asked it to go call for help.
Spirits seem a bit naive, but they’re actually very cautious. They usually won’t appear in front of people they’ve never met.
And they’re especially sensitive to good and evil, they’ll never appear before those with a strong evil heart. It’s an exception if, like Schelmelhorn, they become corrupted after being contracted… but in the first place, spirits are rarely seen by anyone who can’t use nature magic.
And yet, it appeared in front of humans who don’t have magic power. It was an emergency, and even if it considered it to be conserving magic power, it’s still unusual. I see, so that was the deciding factor. That’s how they were able to determine that the country was innocent.
“So in a way, that’s your achievement.”
Dad said this and then ruffled my hair roughly. My hair’s a mess! And I used the butterfly barrette too!
And the one who deserves credit isn’t me, it’s Shou-chan. But I’m sure it wasn’t thinking that far ahead. I’ll give it more magic power when we get back to the Demon Continent. But what if it ruthlessly drains it again! …I’ll mentally prepare for it.