Aster looked back and forth between the spear and the shield.
He didn’t know whether they’d been discarded or forgotten.
It seemed impossible to forget armaments that large, but the opponent was Renzo.
“...I have to return them.”
Aster didn’t know where Renzo was headed.
But just a moment ago he had stopped him from going to Frondier and fought him over it.
“...Let’s go. To the western continent.”
Aster decided to head for Agoris.
He suppressed his trembling legs and took deep breaths.
He recalled what Dierre, who had acted alongside him, had said.
—If there’s something that can only be noticed from here, then us going to Agoris isn’t a good choice.
'That guy Dierre really isn’t ordinary. Frondier would like him.'
Dierre had noticed it. That Marco, deep down, was hoping Aster would head to Agoris.
Therefore, Dierre had guessed that even if the war broke out in Agoris, there was something that could only be seen on the continent of Falind.
That “something” was precisely this—those with Divine Power being possessed and thus entering the fray.
Thanks to Dierre catching on, Aster had been able to remain in the Empire; the Zodiac Ludovic was beaten back, and Renzo’s strength was half-crippled.
“Right, Ludovic.”
Remembering, Aster turned his head.
Ludovic had taken a hit from Renzo and been sent flying into a rock. He couldn’t actually be dead, could he?
Trudging over, Aster found Ludovic collapsed.
He tensed for a moment, but up close, he could see Ludovic was breathing evenly.
'Looks like the bleeding’s stopped, too—just unconscious?'
As expected of a Zodiac. He doesn’t die from just that.
On top of that, there were traces of healing. That was probably the work of the god Apollo.
“I really can’t understand gods.”
Whether they like humans or hate them.
Whether they want to be hated, or want to be loved.
'I wondered why he’d passed out even though he was possessed—but he didn’t pass out; the possession was released.'
When Apollo possessed Ludovic, Ludovic’s consciousness had likely gone to sleep.
So when Apollo left the body, Ludovic remained as he had been—asleep.
'Gods are using human bodies anyway, so they don’t want to possess beyond the body’s limits.'
At any rate, it was good to know.
Possession doesn’t mean they intend to turn the body into rags.
Whether this is what all gods think, or if it’s only Apollo—he didn’t know.
“I can’t stop every Zodiac who’s been possessed. Most of them have probably already headed west.”
Even with that in mind, Aster, too, ought to head for Agoris.
It would be better to leave the Empire’s situation to others. Those with Divine Power aren’t only Zodiacs, so the Empire must already be quite chaotic.
The damage to his body remained, but he could move now.
Aster happened to glance down at Excalibur.
The reason he could move again so soon owed a lot to Excalibur’s help.
The lake fairy Nimue had told him:
—Excalibur will make the user’s mana close to infinite, but it doesn’t fill stamina or mental strength. Because of the unending mana, it’s easy to mistake that your condition is at its best, but your body has already been worked to the limit. If you let go of Excalibur now, the recoil of your exhausted body will hit all at once.
Aster, thanks to his innate talent, had good self-healing power, and together with that, Excalibur’s replenished mana raised his condition.
But recovering the damage was ultimately his own job. He had to be careful not to fool himself.
“Right, I’ll be careful. I won’t overdo it.”
Aster spoke to Excalibur, which would not answer.
“Let’s go.”
Aster lightly launched his body.
On the way, he didn’t forget to pick up the spear and shield.
***
Frondier issued instructions to everyone through Gregory.
From now on, wear masks.
This time, the order did not distinguish between male and female.
'Charon will already know that the plan to kill us failed. Who knows what he’ll try next—there’s no harm in being cautious.'
Tap.
Frondier arrived near the hospital. Disliking needless commotion, he landed where there were no people.
He already knew Carla wasn’t here, but he had to check on the remaining Pielot and Vasileo.
Nothing had seemed amiss to Gregory, but he had only seen through a crow’s eyes; he couldn’t check mana or various conditions.
[From what I hear, a vote will open soon in the capital.]
As he walked toward the hospital, Gregory spoke.
“A vote to decide who the most beautiful woman is?”
[Oh, you’re quite informed.]
The crow nodded. Frondier’s face turned complicated.
It certainly resembled the Golden Apple story Frondier knew.
'We can’t brush this off as mere coincidence anymore. Is this one of the scenarios that appear in the game, too?'
Frondier had not cleared the game “Etius” to the end.
In other words, there was a strong possibility that the story continued even after the war with Manggot.
If this Golden Apple was a story originally arranged within the game, then it wouldn’t be strange for the developers to have borrowed part of Greek mythology.
'If this scenario really has the Golden Apple as its motif, that vote will announce the start of a war.'
It would have been better if it had not been decided at all, but since it had been decided, the Golden Apple became the trigger for war.
As it is the beginning of the great tale called the Trojan War, it would not be strange for it to be adapted as a scenario.
Thinking as he walked, he arrived in front of the hospital.
Frondier already knew the location, so he went straight to find Pielot.
Pielot lay quietly on a bed in a hospital room.
On seeing Frondier, he brightened and sat up.
“Senior!”
“Pielot!”
Frondier strode over and checked Pielot over.
Head, eyes, cheeks, ears, neck, shoulders, arms, legs, and so on—everything he could check, he checked.
“I’m fine. Aside from being hit by the arrow, there aren’t any major wounds.”
“That arrow was the problem. You weren’t poisoned, were you?”
“I was hit by something like that, but I’m okay now.”
'Something like that, huh.'
While Frondier was feeling that question, Pielot suddenly lifted his head as if he’d remembered.
“Right! Because of that, there’s something I had to tell you, Senior!”
“What?”
“After I got hit by the arrow, I had a dream, and it was...”
Pielot started to say it, then scowled.
“...Huh, I can’t remember...”
Pielot tilted his head. Frondier tilted his to match.
“Since it was a dream, maybe you just forgot with time?”
“No, that wasn’t an ordinary dream. The arrow contained mana from the Demon Realm, so I think it was the effect of absorbing that...”
Frondier’s expression hardened.
Mana of the Demon Realm.
Considering that the Heukcheon he currently possessed had originally been mana from Helheim, he was concerned about Pielot’s condition after taking that into his body.
“Are you really okay?”
“My body’s fine. Of course at the time I really thought, ‘Am I going to die like this.’”
Even as he joked, Pielot turned his head as if trying to recall the dream.
“...What is this? Strange...”
Pielot found it hard to accept that he had forgotten the dream’s contents.
Frondier lowered his eyes and looked at the crow quietly beside him.
'Atena’s doing?'
The meaning his gaze conveyed was obvious, and the crow nodded in agreement.
For now, Frondier softened his expression.
“It might also be the aftereffects of the fight. If you rest, you’ll remember.”
“Mm, will I?”
“Speaking of which, what about Vasileo? I heard he was at this hospital with you.”
“I heard that too, but I haven’t met him yet. Even when I try to take a short walk, the nurses passing by get super mad, saying I need absolute rest.”
Of course. Pielot’s body had been pierced by an arrow. If he tried to walk around now, they’d think he was crazy.
“Right. I’ll try to find him. Get some rest.”
Frondier lightly patted Pielot’s shoulder and rose.
It bothered him that Atena had erased Pielot’s memory, but aside from that, nothing seemed wrong. That was enough. Frondier could be at ease.
“Senior.”
As Frondier was about to go, Pielot asked from behind him.
“Was I helpful?”
At that question, Frondier stopped and looked at Pielot.
With a face like, What on earth is this kid saying now.
Pielot averted his gaze with an awkward expression.
“Or, um, was I a nuisance after all? I passed out in a place like that and had to be carried all the way here...”
Pielot muttered as if he meant to reflect on it.
Frondier just looked at him for a moment, unable to say anything.
Is this a joke now? Am I supposed to play along?
It’s too difficult a joke to play along with...
“Next time I’ll do it more properly—”
Thud.
Frondier stepped back up to Pielot, who seemed to be making some resolve, and laid a hand on his shoulder.
“You did well. The fact everyone’s safe now is thanks to you. Thank you.”
“...Yes.”
Pielot answered blankly.
Probably the first time Frondier had praised him. And thanked him.
Frondier spoke again.
“Please don’t get hurt. That’s all I ask of you.”
“...Understood.”
Pielot nodded.
Confirming that, Frondier finally left the room.
Pielot, alone again.
He clenched both fists tight and nodded.
'The next assignment is to take down the enemy without a single injury! As expected of Senior!'
He was burning with new resolve.
***
Frondier wandered, looking for Vasileo.
But whether he checked the lounge, the bathroom, or the corridors, he couldn’t see Vasileo anywhere.
There were many people, making it hard to pinpoint mana.
'I’m worried.'
Vasileo had been feeling his own responsibility for this incident far too heavily.
A sudden surprise attack by the enemy—far too great a burden for Vasileo, who was not yet prepared.
Frondier had not wanted him to face a situation like this. It was only natural that Vasileo hadn’t been able to cope.
'I thought confirming that Pielot was safe would make Vasileo feel better, but I guess not.'
If only he could cast off his guilt over Pielot.
[Frondier, he’s nowhere to be found even after I checked everywhere.]
A crow flew in and told Frondier.
[Looks like he moved locations. I don’t know where.]
“No. He’s probably in this hospital.”
[I said I checked everywhere.]
“But you’re a crow.”
[What?]
Gregory’s voice rose. Frondier shook his head.
“No, I mean, you can only see with a crow’s eyes. That punk Vasileo’s probably hiding ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) with concealment magic or something.”
When you feel your sense of responsibility too heavily.
Anyone wants to hide.
If Frondier had known how to use such magic, he would have used it dozens of times already.
[Oh, so that’s what you meant. Say it clearly. It sounded like you were saying a crow is stupid.]
“But you are a crow.”
[What?]
Exchanging light jabs with Gregory, Frondier went up the stairs.
There is a place people tend to go at times like this—the rooftop.
Creak.
He opened the rooftop door and walked, looking out at the view.
But as Gregory had said, there was no one.
Nothing visible to the eyes.
'...Impressive—even my intuition barely senses him.'
Barely—but still.
In the very center of the empty rooftop, he sensed someone’s presence.
Frondier stopped and stood in front of it.
After a short pause, Frondier spoke.
“Mind if I intrude?”
“...Teacher.”
A voice came out of empty air.
Vasileo’s voice.
“I’m sorry.”
“...You don’t need to worry about Pielot. His injuries aren’t a problem, and it looks like he’ll make a full recovery. So there’s no need for you to feel responsible. No one was able to respond. You or me—same thing.”
Frondier spoke with all sincerity.
Vasileo was not at fault. He made sure that simple fact was conveyed fully.
But after a short silence, Vasileo said,
“...That’s not it.”
“Hm?”
While Frondier was asking back, the concealment magic vanished.
And Vasileo appeared before his eyes.
“I’m actually really busy right now.”
“...!”
The instant the concealment vanished, he felt it—a tremendous flow of mana, spell formulas piled thick around Vasileo.
Each of those arrays pointed in dozens of different directions, waiting for the moment of manifestation.
'Reservations...!'
Frondier swallowed his breath and took in the scene.
Even with Frondier’s eyes, it was a situation whose nature he couldn’t grasp. He couldn’t tell what Vasileo intended to do, or what he was preparing for.
But there was one thing he knew for certain.
Vasileo wasn’t avoiding things under the weight of his responsibility.
If anything, the opposite.
“...I’ll go when I’m needed. This time, without fail.”
A cold gleam in his eyes. A breath sunk deep.
Frondier smiled, slightly chilled.
“...I’ll go ahead and wait.”
“Yes.”
At that reply, Vasileo hid himself in the air again. Even the signs of mana vanished completely.
'‘Teacher,’ huh.'
A title he’d been hearing ever since he came from Agoris—Teacher.
Recalling the way Vasileo had just looked, Frondier finally shook his head.
