Chapter 169

“Ya know, it’d be really nice if ya could sweeten the pot a little more before ya go. I did sell ya everything, after all.” “Fine.” Immediately, Seiya grabs a handful of my hair and rips it out. “Owww!” He then chucks it at the shopkeeper. “Here.” “Ooo! Thank ya very much, kind sir!” “Did you just use my hair as a tip?!” I scream at Seiya, but he nonchalantly retires from the shop then begins walking away. “Wh-where are you going now?!” “To Xul Luxu’s place.” “What?! But we already got what we wanted from her, right?” “There’s something I want to discuss with her. Her special move was pretty interesting.” “D-don’t tell me… Do you plan on turning into a demon, too?!” “I wouldn’t be able to even if I wanted to. I did have an idea, though, while I was watching both of you be humiliated.” Wh-what kind of idea could that have given him…? I’m curious, but just hearing the name “Xul Luxu” gives me anxiety. I don’t want to be forced into another handstand. Plus, Seiya is giving off his “How long do you plan on following me?” aura, so I decide to head back to Uno’s place alone. Another three days go by. “Cerceus, could you water the flowers over there next?” “Sure thing.” Cerceus was dismissed from his role the moment Seiya reached max level, so he started helping Due around the garden. He looks like a new man. He’s as happy as can be ever since he was freed from his training. Hm… Although there isn’t a single godlike thing about him anymore, he seems to enjoy cooking and doing chores. But all of a sudden, his once mirthful expression soon twists in fear. When I follow his gaze, I notice Seiya walking on his hands and coming this way! “S-Seiya?! What are you doing?!” “What does it look like? I’m walking on my hands.” “I can see that! I want to know why you’re walking on your hands!” But Seiya just focuses on a single point in his handstand and ignores my question. W-wait…! Don’t tell me he’s…! Seiya calmly states: “I’m perfectly prepared.” …?! That might have been cool if he weren’t doing a handstand! B-but he’s finally ready to go! “Yes!! Let’s go save warped Gaeabrande!” I shout. Cerceus, however, awkwardly scratches his head. “Oh, uh… About that… Should I stay here? I-I’m sure I’d just get in the way if I went with you anyway.” Both Seiya and I look at Cerceus in disgust, but he makes a fine point. He’d be pretty useless. I wouldn’t mind if he stayed behind, but… “You cannot stay here, Cerceus.” Uno, who had been listening to our conversation, suddenly spoke up with a smile. “Wh-why?!” “Because our Lord requested that you go along with them as well. He told me that it would benefit you in the long run.” “No… Seriously? Can things get any worse than this? I’d rather die than go back there!” Cerceus is on the verge of tears. I have no idea what Hathies is thinking, but it looks like Cerceus is coming with us whether we like it or not. Seiya deeply sighs. Yeah, I know how you feel! I really do! “You better not hold us back, Cerceus!” After scolding him, I turn around and smile at Seiya. “Right, Seiya?” “Dammit. As if one pain in the ass wasn’t enough…” “Yeah, I know what y—hey! That was a little harsh, don’t you think?!” “Rista, can you open a gate to a specified location?” “N-no, I can only open a gate that leads to the same place we went last time. I won’t be able to open a gate to any unknown locations anymore, either, since I can’t get permission from Ishtar…” “You’re even more useless to me now.” “Hey! This isn’t my fault!” “Just open the gate.” Seiya is trying to rush me, but Edona Village is overrun with bloodthirsty dragonewts. We’ve been in the underworld for a while, but since time flows more slowly here, surely not much time has passed in Gaeabrande. It’s highly possible that the dragonewts are still looking for us. Slightly nervous, I double-check with Seiya. “Are you sure about this, Seiya? I’m going to open the gate.” “Do it.” Immediately after chanting and opening a gate to warped Gaeabrande, Seiya briskly walks ahead of me. This is the beginning of a new adventure. Uno and Due smile as they bow and see us off. “Have a safe journey, everyone.” “Come back whenever you want. We’ll leave the guest rooms just the way you left them.” “Uno! Due! Thank you so much!” I wave good-bye. But while I was planning on leaving with a smile, I notice Seiya is still standing right in front of the gate. “Um… Seiya? Are you not going to go through?” Before long, he gently opens the door and sticks one hand through the gate. “Automatic Phoenix.” A fiery bird shoots out of his hand, flapping its wings as it goes to scout. The Hero’s magic and skills change depending on the parallel world. Last time in Ixphoria, Seiya mainly focused on earth magic, so he usually used golems to scout, but he can’t use earth magic in Gaeabrande. That’s probably why he used an Automatic Phoenix instead. Seiya vulnerably closes his eyes in front of the gate, leaving the door wide open. “Hm… There are approximately one hundred dragonewts. There don’t seem to be any humans in the town.” It sounds like he’s linking his eyes with the phoenix’s to get a bird’s-eye view of the area. This is exactly the amount of caution I expect from him. There is one thing that’s bothering me, though. Why did he leave the door to the gate wide open? Wouldn’t he be better off going through the gate even if it’s just to scout the area? Due and Uno watch over us until my one fear becomes reality. A dragonewt on the other side points in our direction! “Huh?! I found a gate!” “It must be them! The heretics are inside the gate!” Dragonewts rapidly gather on the other side of the gate. Cerceus screams: “Ahhh! They found us!!” “S-Seiya! This isn’t good! The dragonewts are coming!” W-we need to close the gate and—but I gasp before I can even finish my train of thought…because Seiya holds his hand up to the gate! “Stop panicking. I already have a clear shot.” “A-a clear what?!” A flood of dragonewts, all bearing weapons with Chain Destruction, rush the gate! Cerceus and I wilt before their bloodthirsty eyes, but Seiya remains calm and tightly clenches his fist aimed toward the gate. “Meteor Strike.” Right as Seiya is finishing chanting, he swings his body to the side, kicking the door to warped Gaeabrande shut! A brief silence passes, followed by a blast so powerful that the gate creaks and twists from the other side. “Whoa!” The quakes from the violent explosion knock me and Cerceus to the ground. After a few moments, Seiya finally places a hand on the warped door and slowly opens it. All we can see on the other side of the gate is a town reduced to ashes. Not a trace of the abandoned village remains. Smoke slowly rises out of a massive crater that looks like it was made by a comet. The buildings have been destroyed, and countless charred remains of dragonewts lie piled on top of one another. “Clear.” I watch Seiya mutter that to himself as my lips quiver. Wh-wh-who the hell attacks like this?! He just cleared out an entire horde of dragonewts in Edona without even leaving the underworld! “I-it looks like we’re safe now! I’m sure glad Seiya’s on our side!” Cerceus’s face is overcome with relief. And… “Hee-hee-hee! I would never have even thought of doing such a thing!” Unoporta coughs up a little blood in her excitement. Seiya lightly cracks his neck. “All right, then. Let’s go. It’s time we save warped Gaeabrande.” Seiya then marches forward and gallantly disappears into the gate. “S-Seiya?!” “W-wait!” “B-bye, Uno! We’re really leaving this time!” Cerceus and I follow after Seiya in a fluster, but on my way through the gate… “Heh-heh-heh. That’s Seiya for you.” “Yes. After all, he is our…” Huh? Due and Uno’s conversation catches me off guard, so I try to turn around and listen, but the door quietly closes behind me.