Chapter 125: Epilogue (Fifth Arc)
I chased after Furiae-san.
I pass by the plaza in front of the guild where everyone is being noisy at, and arrive at the public graveyard of Makkaren.
Furiae-san seems to like graveyards…
Reminds me of the time I first met her.
Her light color one piece and long black hair was shining within the moonlight and it made for an illusory sight.
It is kinda hard to talk to her, so I was watching her state from the shadows of a tree.
“Tsui~. Urya, urya.” (Furiae)
“Naaa, naaa.”
Furiae-san was rubbing the chin of a familiar black cat and it purred in response.
Wait, the name of the black cat has been set, huh…
I was watching for a while, and she turned over here.
“Need something, My Knight?” (Furiae)
Oops, got noticed.
“You stealthily disappeared, so I was wondering what’s the matter.” (Makoto)
I came out from behind the tree while scratching my head.
Of course I would get noticed without using Stealth.
“…Today was rough, right? I heard you lowered your lifespan to defeat the Ancient Dragon?” (Furiae)
“There was no other method.” (Makoto)
The black cat, Tsui, comes over to me and rubs its face on my pants.
This little one is cute.
“That demonic beast seems to have taken a liking to you.” (Furiae)
“Yeah, it is a pretty amiable cat—demonic beast?!” (Makoto)
I quiver and look at the black cat.
Its round eyes were looking up at me.
It has chihuahua-like eyes.
This is a demonic beast? No way.
That’s a joke, right?
“You didn’t notice? Even your weak Charm Magic was effective, so it probably has water element mana. Maybe you synced with it unconsciously?” (Furiae)
“…Seriously? You were a magic cat?” (Makoto)
I rub the head of the black cat.
It nuzzles against me with its head lovingly.
You won’t be using water mid rank magic in the future, right?
If you do that, I will cry, you know?
“…By the way, it isn’t dangerous, right?” (Makoto)
“It is a monster larva, so it is weak. And in the first place, it has been Charmed, so it is okay.” (Furiae)
I see. If she says it is okay, fine.
Let’s finish the casual chat here.
“You seem to be in low spirits.” (Makoto)
The expression of Furiae-san darkens.
She doesn’t want to talk about it?
I don’t really want to force her into saying it…
“My Knight…” (Furiae)
Furiae-san looks straight at me.
“…The Snake Church was apparently the one behind the stampede of today.” (Furaie)
“Aah, did the people at the guild say that?” (Makoto)
It is still on the level of a rumor.
Once the investigation progresses, it should be made clear.
“The Snake Church is composed of demons. You know that, right?” (Furiae)
Furiae-san continues speaking with a dark expression.
“I do know that.” (Makoto)
What is she trying to get at?
“…I have demon blood… In other words, I am a devilkin.” (Furiae)
She says this with a fleeting voice and averted gaze.
“I see.” (Makoto)
I heard that most of the people that lived in Laphroaig were devilkin.
Furiae-san is from the Moon Country.
I feel like that’s not too surprising of a statement.
“Are you surprised? The Moon Oracle being a devilkin.” (Furiae)
“Not really…” (Makoto)
“You are lying!” (Furiae)
Eeeh…
“There was a time when I was invited to become an executive of the Snake Church. I obviously refused, but the attack this time might have been aiming for me…” (Furiae)
Furiae-san’s voice was sullen.
She was thinking that, huh.
I don’t know why Makkaren was attacked, but I don’t think the reason for attacking a whole city is because of Furiae-san.
“Being together with the Cursed Oracle that has demon blood won’t bring anything good. Hey, My Knight, it was for a short while, but I had fun. You must have continued being my Guardian Knight because Ryosuke asked you to, but I will undo the Guardian Knight pact h—” (Furiae)
“Wait, Furi!”
A shout echoed in the silent graveyard.
When I look back, Lucy and Sa-san were there.
Hm? Since when were they here?
“Lu-chan said ‘Takatsuki-kun and Fu-chan have sneaked out secretly together, so we have to chase them’.” (Aya)
Sa-san chuckles as she explains.
“Wa?! Aya! You don’t have to tell them that.” (Lucy)
They were worried about that?!
“In the first place, Takatsuki-kun wouldn’t do something like that… He already has 3 girlfriends…” (Aya)
S-Sa-san, your Intimidation is leaking!
My Detection is ringing alarms here.
Also, eyes devoid of light are scary.
The Intimidation of Sa-san was making my back shiver.
Tsui at my feet is grooming itself carefreely.
You seriously lack a sense of danger.
That’s Intimidation that made even dragons run away, you know…
This little one might be bigger than we think.
“What did you come here to do, Mage-san?” (Furiae)
Furaie-san’s tone was tough.
“What, you say? You plan on leaving the party of Makoto, Furi?” (Lucy)
Straight to the point. That’s Lucy.
“Yeah. A problematic girl like me will only bring trouble to you people.” (Furiae)
“That’s…not true. Right, Takatsuki-kun?” (Aya)
Sa-san looks at me as if asking for help.
“A girl travelling alone is dangerous.” (Makoto)
“I will be okay. I will make a number of undead knights from this graveyard and have them protect me.” (Furiae)
Looks like she has properly thought about it.
But I can’t just go ‘fine then’.
(Hmm, this must be that…) (Makoto)
I remembered the conversation I had with Sakurai-kun.
◇◇
The conversation I had with him when he was teaching me Sword Magic.
“Furiae doesn’t call you and Sasaki-san by your names, right?” (Sakurai)
“Aah, that’s true. I wonder why.” (Makoto)
She calls me ‘My Knight’.
Lucy ‘Mage-san’.
Sa-san ‘Warrior-san’.
She calls them by their job names.
Only Sakurai-kun is called by his name.
I didn’t pay it much mind though.
“That’s apparently because the people close to Furiae-san in the past all died.” (Sakurai)
“……”
“The people who raised her, her friends, the people who worshipped the Moon Oracle; they all died. That’s why, when she calls people by their name, she would get sad when they die and are separated from her, so she doesn’t call people by their names.” (Sakurai)
“…That’s heavy.” (Makoto)
Seriously?
That was the reason?
“By the way, I am the Light Hero, so she said ‘you won’t be dying no matter what happens, so I will call you by your name’.” (Sakurai)
“I-I see…” (Makoto)
I thought for sure she was a tsundere that only called the person she liked by his name.
“Why are you telling me this?” (Makoto)
“I thought that maybe you would be able to open the heart of Furiae.” (Sakurai)
“Eeeh~.” (Makoto)
I have communication anxiety though.
“You have been the kind of person that weird people get attracted to since way before, right?” (Sakurai)
“…That’s not true.” (Makoto)
“Our english teacher in middle school, Takahashi-sensei, had taken a liking to you, right? Even though she was strict to all the other students, she was kind only to you, Takatsuki-kun.” (Sakurai)
Sakurai-kun grins with a mischievous look.
“Please forget that story…” (Makoto)
That’s a dark past of mine.
I ended up calling the english female teacher, Takahashi-sensei (30 years, unmarried), when she was relieving her stress in the game center, and competed with her then.
She ended up taking quite a liking to me since then…
We exchanged contact information.
Long mails began to come.
Calls would be made every single night to my cell phone.
That was scary…
“Well, I will do my best in opening the heart of Furiae-san.” (Makoto)
“Yeah, I know it will be okay if it is you, Takatsuki-kun.” (Sakurai)
Leaving aside the talk of the past, I tell Sakurai-kun that I would do what I can.
I remember that conversation.
◇◇
(Looks like I couldn’t make her open her heart, Sakurai-kun.) (Makoto)
Furiae-san is trying to leave on her own.
But well, I feel like it should be okay to speak out openly for a bit before that.
“Hey, you are bothered by the fact that you have demon blood, right?!” (Lucy)
That Lucy, she used Eavesdrop, didn’t she.
“…That’s right. It is obvious that no one would want to get along with a devilkin—” (Furiae)
“By the way, my father is a demon! In other words, I am half-demon! What do you think about that, Furi?” (Lucy)
“Heh?” (Furiae)
Ooh, that’s rare.
The cool beauty Furiae-san is shocked.
Now that I think about it, we haven’t told her about our backgrounds.
“Eh? Aren’t you an elf? Ah, but your hair is red… But, half…demon?” (Furiae)
“That’s right! But Makoto didn’t mind that! You look completely like a human, so your demon blood should be even thinner than mine, right?” (Lucy)
Lucy is showing a face of ‘how’s that?!’.
Furiae-san was looking over here with an expression as if saying she doesn’t know what to do.
“U-Uhm, does My Knight and the Warrior-san…not mind?” (Furiae)
Sa-san and I look at each other.
“That’s…to tell you the truth, I am like this.” (Aya)
Sa-san undid the Change.
The Lamia Sa-san appears.
It has been a while since I have seen that form~.
“Kya! M-Monster!” (Furiae)
Furiae-san screams.
“Aah, it hurts a bit when you scream like that.” (Aya)
“S-Sorry, Warrior-san.” (Furaie)
“Oh well, that’s fine~.” (Aya)
Sa-san returns to her human form while laughing.
“Weren’t you an otherworlder, Warrior-san…?” (Furiae)
“Yeah, from the same world as Takatsuki-kun. But I reincarnated…apparently -as a Lamia in Laberintos.” (Aya)
“…T-That can happen?” (Furiae)
She looks at both Lucy and Sa-san.
Furiae-san then looks over here.
“Hey, My Knight, what about you?” (Furiae)
“What ‘what’?” (Makoto)
“You actually reincarnated as a demon or a monster?” (Furiae)
“No, I am a pure otherworlder.” (Makoto)
“I-I see.” (Furiae)
Furiae-san sighs in relief.
“Well, I am the Apostle of an Evil God though.” (Makoto)
“Huh?!” (Furiae)
The loudest voice she has let out today.
“You are the Hero of Rozes, right?! Don’t say made-up stuff! I won’t be fooled!” (Furiae)
Even if you tell me that…
“It is true. It may be vexing, but Hero Makoto is an Apostle of an Old God.”
A clear voice suddenly resounds.
“Sofia?” (Makoto)
Princess Sofia in priestess clothes.
Why is she here?
“Princess Sofia, you are the Water Oracle, right?! There’s no way the Water Goddess would designate the Apostle of an Evil God as a Hero!” (Furiae)
“…I have received permission personally from her.” (Sofia)
Princess Sofia speaks in a slightly defeated tone.
“…There’s no way…such a ridiculous thing is…” (Furiae)
Leaving aside Furiae-san who is frozen stiff in shock…
“Sofia, why are you at a place like this?” (Makoto)
This is a graveyard, you know?
“Eir-sama told me that Hero Makoto is here.” (Sofia)
Eir-sama…you are pretty frank in your conversations, huh.
The same as Noah-sama.
“…E-Even if that’s true! It is said that I am the reincarnation of the avatar of calamity from 1,000 years ago! You will be hated no matter where you go! If you are together with me, you people will definitely face misfortune! I am a troublesome existence that doesn’t fit in any country!” (Furiae)
Furaie-san continues to belittle herself.
“Hey, Princess.” (Makoto)
I take a step and grab her hand.
“““……”””
The gazes of Lucy, Sa-san, and Princess Sofia get more severe.
No, I won’t be doing anything weird, okay?
“Shall I tell you my objective as an Apostle?” (Makoto)
“…What’s that, so sudden.” (Furiae)
“Defeat the Great Demon Lord, take away the authority the Holy Gods have in this world, and restore the family of Noah-sama.” (Makoto)
““?!””
Ah!
Not only Furiae-san, even Princess Sofia stiffened.
Right, I don’t think I have told her that yet.
“E-Eir-sama! You knew the objective of Hero Makoto? …Eh? You did? I-I see… Haah, you say there’s no problem? …Are you sure?” (Sofia)
That’s a relief. Eir-sama covered for me.
I should properly explain it to her later.
Furiae-san is still frozen.
“Ooi, Princess.” (Makoto)
“……Is My Knight an idiot?” (Furiae)
Hmm, it is true that my objective is slightly grandiose, but there’s one thing I can say for sure.
“No matter if you are here or not, I am an Apostle of an Evil God, and the enemy of the world.” (Makoto)
I pause for a second and…
“That’s why, turn around the world together with me!” (Makoto)
(Nailed it.) (Makoto)
Perfect communication skills, negotiation 100.
I thought that was pretty good but…
“““……”””
Lucy, Sa-san, and Princess Sofia were showing dubious reactions.
The important Furiae-san is making a hard to describe expression.
I don’t know what she is thinking.
But she said one thing.
“…I will put the matter of undoing the pact on hold.” (Furiae)
She mutters.
We succeeded in stopping her!
We did it, Sakurai-kun!
You three, stop making those apathetic expressions!
◇◇
We returned to the guild together.
Ah, Princess Sofia is together with her bodyguards.
The surroundings of the guild are filled with drunkards as always.
One of them approaches us.
“Hey~, Makoto-kuun. I have something to talk with you about.” (Emily)
“Emily? It is rare to see you drunk.” (Makoto)
Emily had a red face as she dragged me and Lucy to their drinking party.
Oi, Jean, do something about this girl.
She is your fiance, right? Watch over her properly.
Is what I was thinking, but he is sprawled on the floor sleeping.
“You were kissing Lucy when we were fighting the stampede, right? Even though everyone was desperately fighting… That’s unbelievable~.” (Emily)
“Y-You were watching, Emily?!” (Lucy)
“No…that was to use Spirit Magic…” (Makoto)
Lucy and I flusteredly explain.
“Aah! I heard that too, Makoto-kun! Even if you are a Hero, doing lewd stuff with a girl in the middle of battle is not good! And so, me too~.” (Mary)
Even Mary-san joined!
Wait, don’t come kissing me so casually!
Don’t push me down!
My lifespan was reduced and I don’t have any stamina right now!
The adventurers were going ‘woo!’ and others were clicking their tongues.
The usual Adventurer Guild of Makkaren.
“Oh, the one being attacked seems to be my fiance.”
A cold voice blows by.
Princess Sofia looks down at us with a freezing gaze.
Yeah, we were together after all.
I had been pushed down to the ground by Mary-san.
“…So…fia…-sama?” (Mary)
Ooh, Mary-san went past sobriety and was now pale white.
“Oi, did you hear that? Fiance.” “Eeeeh?!” “No way, Sofia-sama?!” “Oh mai Gad!”
I heard screams from everywhere.
As popular as ever, Princess Sofia.
“Hero Makoto, it is good that you are acting like a ‘Hero’ here, but keep it in moderation.” (Sofia)
She looks at me as if watching a pig as she passes by.
The Guardian Knight Old Man and the bodyguards were following her at her back.
Princess Sofia whispers something to the Guardian Knight Old Man.
“We apologize for dampening the mood of today’s celebration! Celebrate to your heart’s content! Everything will be paid by the Rozes royal family today!”
When the old man announces this, the adventurers go ‘UOOOOOOH!!’ and cause a ruckus.
Princess Sofia speaks at that moment.
“However, that Hero Makoto there is my fiance, so, from now on, whenever you want to get close to him, you have to pass by me first.” (Sofia)
She declares flatly.
From now on, huh.
“Looks like there’s no problem, Mary-san.” (Makoto)
“E-Eh? Really? I won’t be fired from my job as a receptionist?” (Mary)
“I think you will be fine.” (Makoto)
Not sure though.
After that, Princess Sofia and the Water Templar were placed at a special table deep at the guild.
I spoke to Princess Sofia for a while, and was made to drink by the Guardian Knight Old Man.
After that, I was made to drink in a whole lot of tables.
(This is bad. It has been a while since I have drunk this much…) (Makoto)
I was sitting at a random part of the floor and was drinking water.
The noise at the Guild was not showing any signs of stopping.
I wanted to hear the conversations of the people around, so I used Eavesdrop and…
—These are the conversations I heard.
“Man, that’s impressive, ain’t it? Our Hero-sama of Makkaren.”
“Yeah yeah. I got shivers when he drove off the horde of monsters. I even thought ‘please embrace me!’ after all!”
“Aah, I should have joined his party with Lucy when he was a Bronze Rank.”
T-They are talking about me.
“Stop that. You are going to get glared at by Princess Sofia.”
“Right right, the current Makoto is the brother-in-law of the coming King.”
“Moreover, he is in a romantic relationship with Lucy-chan and Aya-chan, right?”
“Tch! That damn harem bastard.”
The one saying extreme stuff is the man that screamed at the betrothal announcement of Princess Sofia.
He probably liked Princess Sofia.
“Alright! Let’s decide on a nickname for Makoto! Three-Way Hero?”
“No, from what I can see, that Makoto bastard must have put his hands on Mary-san and Furi-san already.”
“…Seriously? Doing whatever he wishes to 5 girls?”
“Shameless Pole Hero.”
“Shameless Pole Hero it is! The birth of the Shameless Pole Hero Makoto of Makkaren!”
“Alright! We are spreading that nickname!”
“““““Yeaaaah!”””””
“You guys! Don’t screw around!” (Makoto)
I am a virgin!
I obviously couldn’t condone that and raided that table.
“W-Wait, Makoto?!” (Lucy)
“Takatsuki-kun, calm down!” (Aya)
Sa-san and Lucy immediately held me back.
L-Let me go!
I am gonna hit them with Water Balls (0 damage)!
I flail around, but being held by Sa-san, I couldn’t budge an inch!
“This is the first time I see My Knight so uncomposed.” (Furiae)
“Aah, he is simply drunk. Makoto-kun is weak to alcohol after all.” (Mary)
“Haah…I don’t think I will be able to speak alone with Hero Makoto today.” (Sofia)
Those voices reached my ears.
The celebration continued till morning…apparently.
I lost consciousness in the middle of it.
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