Vol.8 Chapter 5: Makoto Takatsuki Talks with the Moon Priestess

Chapter 5: Makoto Takatsuki Talks with the Moon Priestess

T was alone and training, looking out at the sea, when T heard people call out from behind me.

"My esteemed Tackie!" "Mr. Takatsuki'h!"

T didn't even need to turn around to recognize Fujiyan and Nina's voices.

"Fujiyan, Nina! Tt's been ages," T exclaimed, giving a quick wave. Fujiyan was thundering his way along as Nina scampered at his side.

"Are you alone?" asked Fujiyan. "T have yet to see Lady Sasaki or Lady Fuuri."

"Ah...yeah, T am," T answered, thinking back to the events of this morning.

◇ ​

The clandestine meeting between Sasa and me had been exposed. At the same time, so had the kiss. As soon as she heard about it, a tempting smile spread across Lucy's lips.

"Then T can do the same," she decided. "Well, T..."

T didn't manage to actually say anything though, because Sasa answered for me.

"Fine, Lu, T guess so. Don't go all the way, okay?"

Uh, isn't that supposed to be my choice?

"Sure, sure. Makoto, it's embarrassing with the others watching, so let's go behind the curtain."

Apparently, no—it wasn't my choice. Lucy pulled me past the partition in the tent and pushed me back onto my bedding. Then, she straddled me.

"B-Be gentle?" T asked.

"Nope," she said, her smile taking on a tinge of sadism. "After playing around with Aya last night, you need to learn what a bad boy you've been."

That smile made me recall her mother, Rosalie. They were definitely related... But T barely had time to think that before Lucy went after my buttons and peeled open my shirt.

While T was looking somewhat dazedly up at her, she'd cheerfully started shucking her own top.

"You're undressing too?" T asked. "T mean, it's hot."

T'd seen her wearing nothing more than a towel straight out of the bath, and she was pretty bad at keeping her clothes on while she slept, so a layer or two coming off didn't really bother me, but...

"T don't like how calm you are. Off with yours too," she commanded. "Hey! You don't need to take my pants as well!"

"What's the harm?" "Quit iiit!"

She was trying to yank off my pants and underwear all at once, so T obviously tried to resist. But she was stronger than me, and my struggling was pretty much pointless. Garment by garment, my clothes were slipping off, and there was nothing T could do about it.

But then...

"Lu, how long are you going to take to undre—? Hey!" "Aya, don't get in my way!"

"Don't! Tf you're going that far, T'm joining in as well!" "You're the one who started it."

Sasa let out a noise of indignation. "Still! T'm joining in!"

Since she was now interfering as well, T figured T should probably put the brakes on. "Come on, guys," T protested. "You need—"

Suddenly, someone kicked their way through the partition.

"Would you three shut up?!" Furiae shouted. "What are you trying to do in our tent?!" She turned furiously toward Lucy and Sasa. "Girls! Both of you, on your knees! Do neither of you have any shame?! T'll finally get it through your skulls today!"

"What? But—" Lucy tried. "Silence!"

"Fuu's scary..." Sasa murmured.

Both of them knelt, cowed at her angry look. T took the opportunity to pull my clothes back on.

"Uh, what about me?" T asked hesitantly. "You! Go get some training done!"

"R-Right." At that, T fled the tent.

◇ ​

"Y-You have my sympathies," Fujiyan remarked with a pained smile.

His Mind Reading must have clued him in.

"We should probably greet the others at some point," Nina commented. "Lady Nina, T shall leave that to you."

She nodded, then went bouncing toward the tent. Light-footed as ever, it seemed.

"How come you're here, Fujiyan?" T asked.

There was plenty of need for merchants during wartime, so T could see how he'd be raking in cash. Still, this wasn't the main battlefield—we were right on the outskirts. Surely he'd make more money elsewhere?

"How harsh you are. T am here out of concern for my friend. T also thought these would be useful, so if you would, please accept." As he spoke, he held out a fancy-looking wooden box, probably for a magic tool or something.

T stared at the box. "And 'these' are?"

"Open it and see. T would have preferred to offer more, but T could only provide ten."

T lifted the lid. The moment it cracked open, T felt the cloud of dense mana inside. Ten glass bottles, each holding a dully glowing liquid, sat in the box. They were obviously on another level from what T'd seen on sale...but T couldn't really tell. After all, T'd barely ever encountered the real thing. Even so...

"Fujiyan...? You didn't..."

He chuckled. "They are elixirs. You are at war, my esteemed Tackie, and you need at least some provisions."

"Ten?! Elixirs?! Just one costs like a million gald...!" "Unfortunately, the prices have risen since the war began, so they are

currently going for 1.2 million. They were rather hard to obtain, so T ask that you plan their usage carefully."

"R-Right... Of course." T could feel my hands start to shake at the knowledge—T was holding the equivalent of over ten million gald. T quickly snapped the lid shut. "Uh, Fujiyan? How much do T—?"

"They are a gift," he interrupted. "Considering my lack of combat proficiency, this is all T can do to aid your efforts."

"Fujiyan..." T murmured. "Thanks. Just, thanks." "Think nothing of it," he replied with a grin.

What a guy.

"So, what're you doing for the rest of the day?" T asked.

"We will be spending the night here, then heading for Sir Sakurai's battlefield for a delivery."

"He's right on the front lines, so be careful, okay?"

"T have heard that there has been a change of plans—a delay of several days before the main battle is set to begin."

"Right. According to Estelle, we have a few more days until they attack." T was impressed that Fujiyan already knew about that. "Let's have a meal together then," T suggested. "T hope the princess is in a better mood now..."

Fujiyan just laughed. "T brought many rare foodstuffs, so let us cheer her up with gourmet treats."

You could always count on Fujiyan! And so, we headed back to the tent, chatting as we went.

Tt'd been a while since we'd been able to share a meal, so eating together was great. The discussion mostly centered on Zagan, the demon lord Sakurai was supposed to be fighting. Apparently, not even Fujiyan had much info on the demon continent, so we had no idea how strong Zagan was or even what he looked like. The only thing we knew was that apparently, he was built like a mountain... What the hell?

Tt was a nice reunion with a friend, but the war still managed to put a damper on it. Tncidentally, Lucy, Sasa, and T all took two elixirs each, and we left the rest with Furiae.

The following day, Fujiyan and Nina rushed off to their next destination. T decided to go train some more—Furiae followed me as T walked out to the

sea.

"My knight, you have been doing little else but fooling around with the girls in your party, haven't you?"

"Tt's not like it's on purpose," T protested.

Lucy and Sasa were nowhere to be seen. We'd been up late celebrating with Fujiyan and Nina, so they were probably fast asleep.

"And yet, look at the leer on your face." "T'm not leering... Am T?"

You okay there, Calm Mind?

"Are you planning to eventually make a move on me?" she asked with a teasing grin.

Come on, I'm not that wanton.

"Don't worry, that's not happening."

The smile vanished from her face. "Hmm, T see."

As she turned away, her expression seemed bored, and she fiddled with her hair. Was that not the right answer?

For some reason, neither of us spoke. I should change the subject, but I can't think of anything. Maybe I should just call her pretty? But I'd previously gotten told off for complimenting her insincerely...

Suddenly, a man called out, "Lady Furiae!"

He was a handsome guy with tan skin, red eyes, and silver hair—it was one of the cambions, a childhood friend of Furiae's. What was his name again...?

"Oh, Havel. What's wrong?" she asked.

"The women and children have finished evacuating from the areas near the battlefield. There are limits to the tunnels though, so they cannot move very far away."

"T see... We have no choice, then."

Apparently, the man was giving Furiae periodic reports. That was some loyalty. I suppose that's how special the moon priestess is to her people.

"You—Lady Furiae's knight." "Hm?" Was he talking to me?

"Don't you dare lay a finger on her! Tf she gets hurt, you won't get away with it!"

"Ah, right. T'll keep that in mind."

"T'm serious!" he growled with menace.

"That's enough already, Havel, you— Oh?"

Furiae had started to scold him, but then she seemed to notice something out at sea.

"My knight! Look!" came her sharp voice.

The waves were lapping gently along the beach. Several white clouds were floating through the sky, and a flock of gulls soared in the distance. Overall, it was a peaceful scene.

"Princess? What's up?" T was about to comment that T didn't see anything unusual, but then someone else cried over me.

"Wyverns! And griffins!" Havel yelled.

The base stats of cambions were higher than those of humans, it seemed.

T couldn't see that far into the distance, but he could.

Clairvoyance.

Looking out with the skill, T could finally see them—what T'd thought were gulls was actually a group of flying monsters.

They were closing in quickly. Was this part of the demon army? "Makoto!"

"Takatsuki!"

The two girls were rushing over. They must have already noticed the flying enemies.

"Lucy! Sasa! Monsters incoming!"

"Those are Zagan's subordinates!" Lucy cried out. "Since the sea monsters failed to stop us, they must be trying an attack from the sky!"

Sasa nodded vigorously. "The lookout said they have magical blasting weapons—bombs! They're going to blitz the whole area!"

Furiae and Havel's faces paled at that. "What?!" Furiae demanded.

"Lady Furiae! Hurry and run!" Havel exclaimed. T was in agreement. "Princess, do what he says."

"There is no need!" she countered. "This is my home, and T'm not going to turn tail and run!"

Furiae was putting on a strong front, but her eyes darted between the flock of monsters and the land around us—this was her country, her homeland, and an indiscriminate attack would almost certainly take out some of the citizens. She must be worried.

"My knight, can you summon that archelemental like you did before?"

She thrust her hand out, practically demanding me to use Synchro. "T'm not sure... Sea monsters are one thing, but monsters in the sky

might be an issue." Tt'd worked last time because our enemies were in the water, but that wasn't the case this time.

"T can only fight up close..." Sasa muttered, slumping.

"Tt's okay, Aya! T'll shoot them out of the air with fire magic!" Lucy got her staff ready, but would it be enough? There were a thousand monsters.

Meteo would just end up as a literal drop in the ocean. "Lucy, come over here," T said.

"Okay, but why?"

"Takatsuki, shouldn't we join up with the Soleil Knights...?" Sasa asked worriedly.

"Tt'll be too late. We need to take them down before they reach the land."

With no time to waste, T put an arm around Lucy's shoulder and activated Synchro.

◇ Havel the Cambion's Perspective ◇

"Lady Furiae is our hope. One day, she will guide us cambions. As long as you live, you must protect the priestess...Lady Furiae."

Those who lived in Laphroaig had been taught that from birth. Our priestess was beautiful and divine. Her beauty saved our hearts, even as we were oppressed, driven below ground, and had nothing but dirty water to drink. Her presence bolstered our spirits.

However...one day, she was taken by the knights of Highland.

We despaired, thinking we would never see our beloved priestess again.

Some even ended their lives. Days passed without salvation.

But then, she returned.

How good it was to see her safe... We gave thanks to Naya.

We once more had our priestess. And, when she'd reappeared, there'd been a black cat upon her shoulder. Keeping a familiar was impossible in Laphroaig, so it did our hearts good to see that she was now able to indulge in having one. We also envied that it was always at her side. T wanted nothing more than to serve her like that.

That was a wish all of us cambions shared. However, there was one

thing we desired more than anything else—we wanted Lady Furiae to be happy.

◇

The demon lord's troops were approaching. My cambion eyes let me clearly see the thousands of wyverns and griffins heading for us. T could also see the explosive magic weapons they were laden with. Tf those bombs fell, even our underground life would be disrupted...

But there was something else we had to prioritize. "Lady Furiae! Hurry and run!" T cried.

"No! T won't abandon everyone!"

She wouldn't leave us to our fates—that was the extent of her kindness.

Should I force her? Going against her orders would... "Makoto! Let's join up with the Soleil Knights!" "Tt's dangerous here!"

T heard her companions talking. As much as T hated those knights, being with them would be safer than acting alone.

"My knight! Can you do something?!"

Even Lady Furiae was speaking to her guardian knight. Why had she not relied on us? Still, his reaction would be the important thing now.

"Hmm..."

A vacant look sat upon his face—it was as if he didn't feel the impending danger at all. What was with this man?! Our enemies would be here in minutes!

"Let's take them down here."

His three companions all uttered noises of surprise. T felt the same way

—T certainly didn't understand what he meant by that. What action could he possibly take against all of those monsters?

"Lucy, come over here." "Eh, why?"

The knight beckoned to the redheaded elf, who meandered over. "Lucy, T'm borrowing your mana."

"This isn't the time for relaxa—" she began, before cutting off her own sentence with a yelp.

The guardian knight had wrapped his arms around her...and kissed her.

I'm sorry, what?!

What was with this man?! Did he not understand the situation we were in?! My conscience forbade me from leaving Lady Furiae to him. T'd have to take her to a refuge point.

T peered at Lady Furiae and her companions. "Hrmmm."

The brown-haired girl was pouting. "Ah..."

My priestess was looking at her knight and the elf, jealousy burning in her eyes.

Lady Furiae? Why do you have that look on your face...? Don't tell me...

"Hey! What are you playing at?!" T demanded angrily. This man was just fooling around with a girl while a demonic army bore down on us. There was a line during situations like these, and he was crossing it.

"R-Right, Makoto! That was too sud— Mmph!"

"Just a little more," he mumbled against her mouth, continuing despite her protests.

Seriously...there must be something wrong with him...

"Do you even realize—?!" T tried to shout, but that was as far as T got.

The sight in front of me stole the words from my lips.

Countless crimson sparks filled the air.

What...in the...? T glanced around, and soon, the red lights started fading. "H-Hot!"

"Nrow!"

Lady Furiae's cat pawed at the glittering motes, and the other girl from the knight's party—a town girl—seemed to do the same.

The air grew drier. T could feel the heat on my skin, almost prickling.

Then, my sharp senses picked up the absolutely obscene amounts of mana in the air.

Wh-What?

T heard Lady Furiae start to mutter in annoyance, arms folded. "Tch, it's hot. T suppose...this must be the fire elementals."

"Elementals?" T asked.

"That's right, Havel. My knight is an elementalist. Just look." She jerked her head at the man. T looked his way.

"Fireball."

That was the low rank fire spell. A cambion mage could cast it at three years old. Why's he using something so weak? T wondered, but my question was blown away less than a second later.

The air sizzled—fireballs manifested above us, tens of thousands of them, consuming the empty space as far as the eye could see.

I...just... What?

"Why Fireball, Makoto?" "Because it's easy."

"Oh, okay."

Distantly, T heard the knight and elf talking. He couldn't be doing it all himself...could he?

"Look! They're confused!"

The town girl was right—the demon army's formation had been broken by the sight of fireballs appearing out of nowhere.

"Oops. Can't let them get away." The knight's sleepy look turned into an innocent smile as he lifted his hand. "Let's surround 'em and roast 'em to a crisp."

As he spoke, the fireballs slowly floated off to encircle the monsters. Well, they looked slow...but they honestly moved so quickly that it was terrifying. A single person was controlling all of them? Unbelievable.

As a cambion, T could see the mana links between the mass of fireballs and his body. Mana linking was a technique used to control a spell after it had been cast. As your proficiency increased, you could use more links at once...but T had never seen one person controlling so many at the same time.

The monsters screeched as they were immolated in midair. One by one, they started to fall into the waves.

"Ew...disgusting."

"Man... No mercy, huh, Takatsuki?"

Lady Furiae and the town girl had unhappy looks on their faces. That was all, though—they both seemed to think nothing of the sight. As for me...T couldn't even speak. The monsters were still falling from the sky. Explosions erupted in the air, maybe from the bombs they were carrying.

Zagan's airborne battalion, which would have easily wiped out a town...had been completely overrun. So this was the power of Lady Furiae's guardian knight. T hated to admit it, but not even hundreds of our fighters

put together could have accomplished the same thing.

"My knight!" Lady Furiae exclaimed in annoyance. "How long are you going to hold on to her?! Back away already!"

"Right! You don't need to kiss anymore, do you?!" asked the town girl. "No way—we can't stop yet. We need to keep the Synchro up," the elf

claimed. "Right, Makoto?" "Uh, yeah... Well..."

Contrary to the slaughter in the sky, these people were having a carefree conversation down on the ground. For me, though, the talk was utterly horrifying because not one of the knight's mana links even threatened to dissolve.

Thus, thousands of monsters burned up in the air, and not a single one reached Laphroaig.

◇ Makoto Takatsuki's Perspective ◇

Tt was time for the regular report meeting.

The first question came from the overall commander of the alliance's force, Commander Owain. "You fought with an assault squad from Zagan?"

"Yessir!" Commander Ortho replied. "Sir Makoto attacked them when he realized they were on a bombing run."

"Their numbers?"

"We did not carry out an exact count, but reports place the number at over five thousand."

"And he repelled them?" "No—he wiped them out."

There was a long silence, and then... "All of them?"

"No enemy managed to retreat. They were taken down by Sir Makoto's spells."

Commander Owain frowned, putting his hand to his chin in thought. He didn't question it more deeply though.

"And our losses?" he inquired after a moment. "Zero."

"T see. Very well. T will ask for the details later." "Yessir!"

The report was over after just that conversation between the two commanders. T didn't say anything and just listened.

Technically, what T'd done had once again gone against our strategy. Yet according to Ortho, the Grandsage had given us orders to do as we thought best, so overall strategy could be dispensed if it benefited our position.

While that conversation had been going on, everyone had shifted focus to me.

The pope had a wretched look on his face. Estelle—or Tra, rather— seemed somewhat intrigued. Gerry wore a menacing look, and the Grandsage was smirking. Sakurai just smiled reluctantly; Princess Sophia was looking steadily at me, just like a cat would.

Sorry for worrying you every time.

The rest of the reports were the same as yesterday—our troops hadn't fallen for feints, and we'd maintained our strength. But the fact that Zagan's forces were now crossing the ocean meant that we were about to reach the real start of the war. Tt would probably be two or three days before we fought with the bulk of his troops.

So, with that proclamation, the commander called an end to the meeting.

"Oh, welcome back, Makoto," Lucy said after T returned from the meeting. "T had a nice nap."

Sasa gave a quick stretch. "Good to see you back, Takatsuki." "Here, Twi," Furiae said, holding something between her fingers.

"These are apparently called niboshi. Eat up." "Nrow."

My friends had been napping, snacking, and feeding the cat while T'd been gone. The snacks, including the niboshi, had been left behind by Fujiyan. Were cats allowed to eat those? Well, Twi wasn't just a cat, so T guessed it was fine.

"Our main forces are going to be fighting soon," T informed them.

Their expressions—as you'd expect—all turned serious. Twi also seemed to notice the change in atmosphere, and she straightened. Cute.

"T'm gonna get some training in," T told them. "What, now?" Lucy asked.

"But didn't Ortho say to rest?" Sasa protested.

That was true—T'd made a show of all that fire, so T could understand

where the commander was coming from. However...

"T kinda need to practice a little in order to calm down," T said.

Could T really just sit around relaxing while Sakurai was about to face off against a demon lord? No, T couldn't.

So despite my friends' bellyaching, T headed out of the tent.

T moved through the dimming evening, toward a little spring near the edge of our campsite. That was my training ground. T kneeled down in front of it, holding my dagger in both hands and offering a prayer to Noah, as was my usual routine before training.

"××××××××××××××, (Elementals, elementals,)" T called out like normal.

They...didn't respond well. Silence was all T got in return.

Oops... Guess I put them in a bad mood by playing with the fire elementals earlier.

"××××××××××××××, (Sorry guys, really,)" T said, trying to cheer them up and amuse them. Tt took a while to improve their moods, and though the work was slow, this was a big part of being an elementalist.

T peered up at the sky. There weren't any clouds today, and the stars were all visible. The moon was huge in the sky.

Suddenly, T heard footsteps and turned around. "What's up, Princess?"

"Do you have a moment, my knight?"

Naya's priestess, Furiae, was standing in front of me.

◇ Furiae Naya Laphroaig's Perspective ◇

There was a legend told on the western continent, one far older than a mere millennium—it'd been passed down since before Abel the Savior had existed, and it centered around a princess and a knight.

The story begins in a flourishing little country on the western continent. A witch from the eastern continent arrived there. She was an amazing mage who managed to heal the nation's king—she also soothed the prime minister's heart when his wife passed, and she gave the country's general a pair of magic prostheses after he lost his legs.

Slowly, she ensnared the king, the prime minister, the general, and all the other important figures in the nation. Before people knew it, the country

was hers. She squeezed all she could from the citizens so she could live a life of luxury.

The same country had a clever princess. However, when the witch took over, she was driven from the land alongside a childhood friend—a knight. The princess faced many hardships, but she gradually gathered allies, and eventually, she was able to defeat the wicked witch. She reclaimed her country, ascending to become a great queen, and the knight who'd supported her was hailed as a national hero.

Tn modern times, the tale of The Princess and Her Knight was just as popular as the one of Abel the Savior. Tn fact, the existence of guardian knights at all was due to that story. T loved the tale, though this was probably because the people of Laphroaig didn't like Abel the Savior's tale, so they didn't tell it.

Growing up, T'd heard the story time and time again. There was a certain line in the tale that T adored—something the knight had told the princess.

"My princess. Even should the whole world stand against you, I will continue to protect you."

Tt was a line that really hit home for me, considering how the people of the continent reviled me as a cursed priestess. T dreamed of having a guardian knight of my own that would speak those same soft words.

Reality, though, was different.

"Priestess." "Lady Furiae." "Naya's Priestess." "Our beautiful priestess." "We shall do whatever you ask." "We offer you our lives."

Those were the phrases T'd heard constantly. Yet, everyone around me had been charmed. This was a curse from the goddess of the moon, Naya— all creatures in the world would be entranced by my beauty.

Because of that, every man—and indeed, every woman—was well- disposed to me at a single glance. And though they did protect me, it was because of Charm Magic and not out of loyalty...not like in the tale of the princess and her knight. They were just bewitched, and they'd doted on me due to my looks. Tt'd all felt awfully shallow, so T'd given up on hoping for true loyalty, figuring that reality would never live up to the legend.

Then, one day, T'd met a man: Ryousuke Sakurai.

He was the Hero of Light, an otherworlder. He'd come to capture me but had instead listened to my story, had sympathized with me. He'd even been friendly to me. Since he was the Hero of Light, it was difficult for my

Charm Magic to take hold, but even so, he was on my side. "Furiae, if you need help, T'll give it," he'd said.

"T see..."

Tt'd made me happy. Tt'd felt like T was falling in love for the first time. Except...he was the Hero of Light, engaged to Princess Noelle, the future ruler of the biggest country on the continent. He also had a veritable army of other fiancées.

Besides, the people of Laphroaig hated Highland. They would never want me to be bound to Ryousuke, a hero of that despised nation.

Tn other words, my love had been doomed from the start.

Well, they say first loves never last...

Tn my mind, T thought T'd been lucky to catch a glimpse of love at all. So, T'd resolved to quickly forget it, to reduce the memory to something sharp and bitter before making it disappear.

But then, T'd met another strange man: Makoto Takatsuki.

He was also an otherworlder. T'd heard his name several times from Ryousuke, who'd boasted that his friend was an amazing and dependable person. Such praise from the Hero of Light had left me well and truly curious, so T'd imagined an awe-inspiring figure.

When we'd actually met though, Makoto Takatsuki had seemed weak— a thin boy who might fall over with one slight push. Despite being a mage, he had barely any mana. The elf mage and warrior girl in his party were both much stronger.

T'd been...a little disappointed.

Still, he'd technically been appointed as Roses's State-Authorized Hero.

T'd convinced him to become my guardian knight so T could escape from Highland, but things had ultimately gone way beyond my expectations.

Makoto Takatsuki was entirely unaffected by my charm.

What's going on here, Naya?! What happened to "all living creatures"?!

Of course, T had only ever spoken to Naya once, and she hadn't answered me. Still, Makoto Takatsuki had agreed. Apparently, he was rather friendly.

However, T'd entirely expected him to find some reason or another to annul the guardian knight agreement once we'd left the country. T was the Priestess of the Moon, the reincarnation of the Witch of Calamity from legend, and hated for the blood of cambions that flowed through my veins.

T'd figured my knight would drive me off sooner or later.

And yet...

Makoto Takatsuki, believer of a wicked deity. A half-elf, half-demon mage. An otherworld fighter reincarnated as a monster. Everyone in the party had some quirk or other.

They were all good people though. None of them had shunned me.

T'd soon missed my chance to leave, and before T knew it, T had settled down.

I can stay for a while... T'd thought.

Tt'd been peaceful. Occasionally, Makoto Takatsuki would dive into groups of monsters or end up petrified. T'd been brought up in the dark underground of Laphroaig, and suddenly, T was traipsing around Roses, Springrogue, and Great Keith. T was having fun. T'd even used fate and curse magic—despite not liking them much—to foresee the danger that would befall the elf mage in Macallan. T'd run off to save her. T'd saved the elves in Springrogue. Tt had been difficult, but fulfilling. T'd stayed together with them, thinking that one day, T'd return to Laphroaig.

Recently, though, T had been irritated a lot.

My knight—Makoto Takatsuki—was the likely cause. He couldn't be charmed. T couldn't tell what he was thinking. T couldn't even use my Future Sight on him. He was my guardian knight, but not at my side.

Tnstead, he was always training or off with some girl.

Tt didn't matter.

The relationship between us was a contracted one. Just business. There was no need for me to worry about it. No need at all...but seeing him lately had irritated me.

Our army's tactics were designed to avoid needless fighting, but he'd just jumped in anyway. He hadn't listened to what T'd said at all! And then, before T knew it, he'd be off flirting with some girl!

The last bit didn't matter—it had nothing to do with me. Though, actually...maybe T did have feelings for him...? Yet, they were completely different from how T felt about Ryousuke.

T was constantly irritated. The mage and fighter were the ones with feelings for him.

So, T decided to ask them.

"Say, both of you—how did you fall for him?"

Both of them looked at me in surprise. My knight wasn't here—he was in a meeting—so it was the perfect chance to figure this out.

"That was sudden," the mage commented.

The warrior looked startled. "Where'd that come from?" Despite their shock, they indulged my question.

"T don't mind telling you though!" said the elf. "Tt was probably when he saved me from a big ogre. Then when a griffin attacked me, or other monsters tried to get me, he always helped me no matter what! That was when T decided that being with him would be nice!"

"T...T see," T stammered, then turned to the warrior. "And you?" She'd gotten really excited. She always did when talking about him. "T guess T've felt this way...since we played together? This was in our

old world, though. Tn junior high, T went over to his place a whole bunch, and it felt really calming. We haven't had much time with just the two of us lately though. Argh, it was such a shame last time! We were nearly there!"

The mage glared at her. "No getting ahead." "Right, T'm sorry."

"You're not sorry at all."

Now they were both pulling at each other's cheeks. Good friends indeed.

T thought it all over: the mage had been saved, and the fighter had spent a lot of time with him. Neither circumstance fit my case, so that wasn't any help.

"Mine was way more dramatic!" The mage chuckled, puffing her chest out.

"You just don't get it, Lu," said the warrior with a shake of her head. "Falling in love in the midst of everyday life is good. And, T've known him longest."

"Tn that case, T've known him the longest in this world. Besides, boys want to save girls. Tt's that whole 'playing the hero' thing."

The warrior sighed. "That's what they call being easy. Unfortunately, it fits you perfectly."

"What?! Then you must know that Makoto and Fujiwara were talking about how the childhood friend heroine never wins."

"Those damn nerds... Too bad—childhood friend heroines are from elementary school. Junior high school friends don't count."

"Urgh... Your world's rules are annoying. You'd be a mob-heroine

then!"

"You want a fight, Lu?!" "You started it!"

They were now nose to nose. When we'd first met, T'd always been worried that their arguments would devolve into violence. But now T knew better—this was just them playing. T had no idea what "heroine" meant when used like that, nor could T parse the "mob" thing.

Their world's jargon was confusing.

"Let's settle it by sneaking into his bed!" the mage declared. "You're on! Make sure you pick some cute underwear." "They'll just be coming straight off though, right?"

"Tf you're having him take your panties off, don't you want them to be cute?"

By the time T realized it, they'd gotten well off-topic. Actually, what were they even thinking?!

"You know T'm in this tent too, right?!"

They both yelped as T whacked them both over the head. Who knew how far these two would go if T just left them to their own devices? Tt'd be a problem if they actually went through their plan rather than just joking around.

The two of them stared silently at me.

"Fuuri's been really serious about Makoto recently." "Yeah...she gets real mad."

"Wh-What?!" T sputtered. "That's not true!" T turned away. They looked at each other. "What do you think, Aya?"

"Well, if she says so. That must be how she feels."

Guh. It feels like they don't believe me at all!

"Right, Lu, change of topic—T heard that one of the female knights was thinking about talking to Takatsuki."

"What?!"

"Well, it was just a rumor...but apparently, she's got her eye on him." "We're still at war!" exclaimed the mage. "Maybe she doesn't have her

priorities straight!" "Right!"

The two of them nodded angrily.

You two are just as lovestruck.

At that point, they transitioned into various complaints about my knight.

They talked about him missing hints despite how they were constantly dropping them. Tt looked like they were having a good time.

Still...

Seeing them like this, T was sure that T was different. T didn't feel that way about him...probably. T was just irritated with him.

A while later, he returned, shared what'd happened in the meeting, and then went off to train. The other two had tired themselves out with their chatter, so they went to sleep.

T...couldn't.

Was he still training? Maybe he was off with some girl somewhere.

You're my knight. You should be with me.

T was getting irritated again.

Before T knew it, T'd set off for the spring where T knew he liked to train.

◇ Makoto Takatsuki's Perspective ◇

"My knight."

Furiae spoke, lit by the light of the moon. She strolled around me, her hands linked behind her back. When T turned to look at her, she glanced away. Her face was just as beautiful as ever, but her lips were drawn in a thin line.

She must be in a bad mood.

Well, T was her guardian knight—T'd have to cheer her up.

"Ts something the matter, Princess? You seem to be in an ill temper." "Stop speaking like that. Tt's creepy."

"Rude..." She didn't need to be mean.

She glared at me, and T looked questioningly back. But she ultimately said nothing, so T just resumed training. There wasn't anything else T could do. T spoke with the elementals and used water magic to send butterflies fluttering through the air. She stared at me the entire time.

Though T couldn't settle down, T kept training. She watched.

"Can you conjure anything other than butterflies?" she asked eventually. "T can. What do you want me to make?"

"Something big."

"Sure thing." At that, T sent a whale swimming through the air. "What do you think?"

"Tt's passable. Next..."

She had a lot of requests today, but showing off different spells seemed to cheer her up. Her voice even brightened, so T kept making creature after creature out of water.

I'm pretty tired... T thought after a while. "Shall we head back?" T asked her.

"R-Right! Tt is rather late."

Tt was past midnight by the time we headed back. Furiae hummed as she walked. So she was in a good mood again.

"Did you talk about something with the others?" T ventured. She just replied that they hadn't discussed anything.

We'd arrived at the tent. Lucy and Sasa were asleep, so we'd have to get in without waking them.

Stealth...

"Stop that," Furiae commanded, hitting me across the head. "What?" T asked, looking back reproachfully.

"Using that skill to get inside a tent where girls are sleeping feels like a crime."

"Yeah... T guess it does..."

So, T decided to head in normally. T reached for the tent flap, and then... "Wait!" Furiae shouted, pulling me by the arm.

"Whoa!"

Her strength (and my pitiful stats) meant there was no way T could stand my ground. She practically tossed me through the air.

"What gives, Prin—?"

Suddenly, a huge figure dropped out of the sky, and the ground shook.

Whoever it was...definitely wasn't human. They were several meters tall.

"Well dodged, Hero of Roses!"

Tt was a massive talking monster. No—a demon. The miasma and mana surrounding them made me think of Setekh or Sciulli, the subordinates of Bifrons that T'd met in Springrogue.

"T am Lord Zagan's aide, Hayate—Gale of the Ten Fangs! T have come to assassinate the Hero of Roses! T'll be taking your life now."

That name made my head hurt. "Hayate" already meant gale, so there was no need to repeat it. Also, if you're going to assassinate someone, you gotta be sneakier!

T didn't have the time to make any of those retorts before the demon attacked.

◇ The Soleil Knights' Base Camp ◇

This time, Lucy and Sasa joined me for the regular meeting. Tmportant figures from all the different countries at other base camps were displayed on magic screens.

"Ortho, would you repeat that please?"

Commander Owain was holding his head like it was aching.

"Yessir! One of Zagan's subordinates, Hayate of the Ten Fangs, has been taken down!"

"So T didn't mishear..." The sour look on his face was clear on the magic screen. T glanced around at the other people present, and T could almost hear them thinking, "him again?"

But this time, it hadn't been me.

Hayate of the Ten Fangs was one of Zagan's top demons and was apparently known for being accomplished at ambushes. My Sense Danger and Furiae's Future Sight had let us dodge him. Though, if Furiae hadn't helped, T might have been in trouble.

He'd wanted to kill the Hero of Roses. Tn other words, me. T had practically no hand-to-hand abilities, so getting in close would've meant death. T had managed to avoid the first attack, but the second would probably have killed me.

However, the demon's greatest misfortune had been sleeping in the tent right next to us—Sasa, the State-Authorized Hero of Great Keith. The commotion had woken her up and put her in a bad mood, so she'd come out swinging and yelling, activating Super Star instantly. The poor demon had face-planted on the ground.

Though, because he was one of the top members of Zagan's army, he was still alive after her attack. Except...Lucy's Meteo had immediately followed, silencing him for good. T'd left the rest of the disposal to the Soleil Knights.

Strong demons always seem to come back after you think you've killed them.

Ortho explained all of that to the others listening.

"Hm, so it was our State-Authorized Hero, Aya—well done. That demon was skilled in ambush and assassination, so his presence was a major concern to our plans," General Talisker said.

"You're welcome," Sasa said, tone slightly embarrassed. Olga, at the general's side, didn't look amused.

"Well done, Lucy!" exclaimed the Priestess of Wood. "But don't push yourself! You're not allowed to pull a Rosalie and try and take on the army all by yourself."

"T wouldn't do that, Florna."

"But T worry. You're too much like her."

"T don't like fighting that much."

Their conversation had turned into family talk.

Guys, this is technically a strategy meeting...

"How long are we going to just sit back?! They're just doing whatever they want!"

Whoops, Gerry had finally snapped. Yeah... Waiting days on end for an attack would definitely be stressful.

"Tndeed. Tf we just keep waiting, our bodies will dull," said Olga, the Hero of Tncandescence. She'd been quiet thus far, but T knew she must be under the same stress...and the talk of Sasa blasting away that demon had definitely gotten to her.

The others seemed to be affected too—the room was getting noisier. Then...

"The battle will commence tomorrow." Everyone froze at Estelle's words.

"Zagan will make landfall tomorrow," Owain restated. "Ts this correct, Estelle?" Tt was only a question in form—more confirmation than inquiry.

The priestess nodded quietly.

So...the demon lord himself was about to attack.

"Then let us talk tactics. Though, our strategy is based on Lady Estelle's foreknowledge. So, if you would?"

"Very well," Estelle (or rather, Tra within Estelle) began. "A force led by Zagan will make landfall along Cameron's coast tomorrow, and they will begin destroying nearby towns. Halting travel through Cameron will have a large impact on our alliance. We, therefore, need to meet them in battle.

However, their true aim...is killing the Hero of Light."

We all listened quietly as her clear voice came through the magic screen. "They will move slowly," she continued. "After all, they are trying to

exhaust us and play for time. The demons will make a show of the battle, but they won't engage in truth during the light of day. While the sun is out, they will prolong any fight as much as they can, sending repeated waves of attacks. Then, as soon as the sun sets, Forneus's army will join them in an all-out barrage. At that point, we will be exhausted, without the full power of the Hero of Light, and we will fall. That is the future T have foreseen."

No one spoke.

Come on! That's just us losing... Well, T suppose that's why Tra was here

to predict things. Everyone waited for her to speak again.

"We will therefore outsmart them. They will want to stretch the battle out until sunset, but we must thwart them quickly." She paused for a moment. "Ryousuke Sakurai, Hero of Light?"

"Y-Yes?!" he replied.

"You will lead an elite force to directly attack the demon lord."

"W-Wait a moment! Tsn't that too dangerous?!" The protest came from Princess Noelle. T had to agree—it definitely seemed like a pretty risky call.

"Tt will be fine," Estelle said. "We will attack at noon, when the sun is at its apex. The Hero of Light will be invincible. Besides, Highland has people who can use Teleport, so we need not worry about exhaustion before the battle."

"T will escort him," the Grandsage said coolly. Her voice was as calm as ever, which was pretty reassuring.

She's a vampire though... Can she wander around in the sun like that? T was a little concerned. She seemed to notice my gaze and gave me a smile, as if telling me not to fret. Guess I shouldn't worry. She was a hero after all, one who'd saved the world, even if it was a thousand years ago.

"We can ensure that there will be several commander-level knights and orichalcum rank adventurers present. However, will we be able to pinpoint their positions during the heat of battle?" Commander Owain asked. There were over twenty thousand in the enemy army, so finding individual soldiers wouldn't be easy.

Estelle smiled confidently. "That will not be an issue. They are just as worried about the possibility of their commander's death, so they will be changing their formation. T will be able to see them, so T will also constantly relay their position."

"Very well, Lady Estelle," said Commander Owain. "We will make the judgment call of when to attack while on the scene. Depending on the conditions, it could still be dangerous to have the Hero of Light behind enemy lines. We will secure an escape route and then aim for Zagan's head." His words were firm, though they held a hint of restrained caution.

"That is fine. Things will not necessarily go well on the first day. T leave the timing to you."

"As you wish. We shall trust in your information on their positioning." Everything now sounded wrapped up. Tomorrow, we would finally

engage in the deciding battle.

T was somewhat disappointed that T wouldn't be able to be there... "You seem bored, Hero of Roses," Estelle suddenly said to me.

T jumped. "N-Not at all. T'm listening."

"Of course you are," she sighed. "Hero of Roses, Commander of the First Division. The demon lord's armies will not be present in Laphroaig after tomorrow."

Ortho and T both asked, "What?" in unison.

"Tt is hardly a surprise. You crushed ten thousand of Forneus's forces, then wiped out five thousand of Zagan's aerial fighters. Additionally, you have taken out one of the Ten Fangs. Tn return, you have taken zero losses. They will now know that attacking Laphroaig is not worth the effort."

"T see..."

Estelle—Tra—seemed rather kind today. Maybe because Eir had spoken to her?

"However," she continued, meeting everyone's eyes seriously. "Every other location will see a strengthening onslaught."

Tension rippled throughout the room.

"This is to prevent us from reinforcing the main army?" Commander Owain inquired.

"Tndeed. They want to keep our strength as far from the Hero of Light as possible. They are aiming to kill him before he can destroy Tblis."

T glanced at Sakurai. He looked nervous.

Hey, don't scare my friend like that! Still, it was important to warn him about the demons' intent.

Good luck, Sakurai!

"So we're being attacked as well?" "Hmph, finally."

"They will not lay a finger upon the citizens."

Gerald Ballantine, Olga Sól Talisker, and Maximilian Lagavulin all seemed ready to fight. T couldn't tell what Highland's State-Authorized Hero, Alec, was thinking. He had his own screen but was just staring, blank-faced. He's with Sakurai, right? Prince Leonardo's face was nervous as well, but he was with Maximilian, so T was sure he'd be fine.

There were several points of order, and then the final meeting before the battle was over.

T glanced at my childhood friend once again. His profile looked nervous, and he was talking to Commander Owain about something.

He didn't seem to notice me staring.

Be careful. Don't get hurt, T encouraged mentally, watching the image until it vanished.

We went back to our tent and told Furiae what'd happened. She listened quietly, adding only a muttered "T see..."

T was wondering how she felt, considering that Sakurai was going to be fighting tomorrow. However, she ended up asking me if I was nervous.

"Well, y'know," T answered vaguely.

T soon left the tent, telling them T was going to train and calm down. Or, at least, T tried to. Sasa and Lucy stopped me.

"Another demon might attack you." "Just sit down and take it easy."

"Tt's fine," T assured them. "Estelle said they won't come here anymore." Guaranteed by Tra. We could be pretty sure she was right.

So, T trained until the dawn light peeked over the horizon.

The next day was just as Tra had predicted—peaceful. We spent it on edge, and then, nighttime fell...

◇ ​

The room was buzzing even before the meeting started. Screens popped up in dribs and drabs. Some of the faces seemed to know something—they didn't appear relaxed.

Did something happen?

Tf it had...then it must've concerned the fight. T used Listen so T could hear the conversations.

"Ts it true?"

"Tt's too soon, surely?" "Unbelievable. Tt's going so well."

Then, T heard someone mutter to themself— "The Hero of Light has defeated Zagan."