“I’m—I’m sorry. I pushed you so much…” “Don’t apologize. I already said it wasn’t your fault.” Zenith uses the height gap created by the stairs to muss Allie’s hair. “Anyway. At first, I was just lazing around doing nothing…but I got bored.” You got bored? “So I decided to work.” So you decided to work?! That’s amazing! I’m never going to work another single day in my life. Right now, I get up and go to sleep whenever I want, and I can eat all the tasty food I can fit in my belly. I could never understand someone abandoning that and working. “Gee, sounds like you have it made…” Why, thank you. “Your lack of ability to understand sarcasm knows no bounds…” Heh-heh. Pretty great, right? “Graaaah! This conversation is getting nowhere!” Hoo-hee-hee. My bad. I’ve been accidentally letting my habit of interrupting people with quips get the better of me. People don’t normally understand what I say, so nobody ever reacts even if I say something inappropriate. “Where was I…? Oh, right. I was bored, so I decided to work. So I opened this shop.” Once we get up the stairs, the first things I see are flasks and drugs, lined up on shelves in large quantities. On a desk is a piece of parchment with a magic circle drawn on it, and on top of that is a series of gemstones, positioned along it evenly. “Heh-heh. Quite something, isn’t it?” Zenith takes a cape and a witch’s hat from the wall, then grabs a well-used staff. “Welcome, customers, to the atelier of Zenith the Alchemist.” Zenith bows theatrically. “Alchemist? Didn’t you specialize in attack magic when we were adventuring?” She’s right. Your clothes make you look more like a mage than an alchemist. “So what? I only realized it when I gave it a try, but I’m better suited for creating stuff, not fighting. Now that I call myself an alchemist, I mix magic potions and stuff, too, but my specialty is actually metallurgy.” Metallurgy? Is that where you heat up ore and get the metal out? “Oh? I’m surprised you know.” Heh-heh. That’s the first time my modern knowledge has come in handy. Still, this world is pretty advanced, so cheating with what I know appears impossible. “I refine metals. But I don’t use fire for it. I use magic to extract and fuse metals, and I can imbue what I make with mana. I can make it whatever shape I want, too. Swords included, of course. Basically, my staff and magic circles are like my hammer and anvils.” That’s incredible. You put blacksmiths to shame! “I guess. That’s why I’ve worn out my welcome with blacksmiths. There’s a few who will trade techniques with me, but I don’t want to cause any fights. Which is why I have a cozy little shop here instead of in the shopping district. I started it as a way to kill time anyway; the fewer customers the better.” Allie must be one of those few customers today, then. “I heard you mention you had Zenobia’s swords, right? They should make for good alchemic materials. She’s been an awful hoarder ever since she was an adventurer. She living on the streets now?” No, it’s okay—she and I are being taken care of at the mansion. Generally, she does one of three things: take care of her swords, practice swings with her swords, or test her swords on me. “And they all broke when she tried to cut you. Let’s take a look at ’em.” “Meow, meow! (Roger that!)” Nahura summons the swords once again. Broken swords scatter across the floor. Zenith picks them up, inspecting each in turn. “Huh. This is quite the collection of famous swords. But with this much raw material, I think I can make something close to the size of Alstera’s old greatsword.” Oh, that’s wonderful! We’ll finally be able to get her a sword. “O-okay. Thanks, Zenith.” “The issue is how…unique the steel is in each of them. They were all famous swords, after all. It’ll be a monumental task, harmonizing all their special properties and fusing them into a single blade. I’ve never done a job this intense. I don’t want to get your hopes up… There’s a good chance it’ll fail.” Hey, you don’t have to scare me like that. Worst case, I’ll just go challenge Zenobia again to get her to break some more. “You’re awful…” Zenith grins, then spreads a piece of parchment on the floor. On it is depicted a complex magic circle. “The swords go here, the catalytic gems go here, and for the mana solution, I’ll splurge and use mystic waters number five and number six.” She aligns the broken swords and gemstones to form a circle, then sprinkles a liberal amount of faintly glittering water over them. “Take a step back, everyone. It’ll happen in an instant.” Zenith points the staff she holds in her right hand out horizontally, then opens her left hand and points it toward the magic circle. “Agua… Eivis… Mora…” As she murmurs an incantation I don’t comprehend, the magic circle begins to glow. “Deminu… Duro… Ahre…” The swords and gems start floating and the mana solution forms a sphere, the former spinning within the latter and beginning to change shape. “Kahse… Rekto… Skulo…” Beads of sweat begin to form on Zenith’s brow—this must require significant concentration—and she struggles to keep incanting the spell. The broken swords melt and try to combine, but they don’t form a specific shape. The metal is like slime, swarming and vacillating within the solution. “Gh…! Blast…!” Zenith falls to a knee. “Zenith!” Allie hastily tries to support her, but Zenith gives her a look that stops her. “Not yet. My spell is still intact. But I don’t have anywhere near enough mana. The passions of the blacksmiths who forged these swords are fighting each other. I’ll have to add an ingredient with a large amount of mana in it to quell them…” An ingredient with a lot of mana in it, huh…? “Arf? (And that’s all you’d need?)” “Yeah! But there’s no ingredient that has that much mana packed inside. The mana solution I just used is the best I have! And the spell won’t last much longer! Sorry, Alstera! I don’t think it’s gonna work!” Zenith’s face distorts in frustration. “Arf, arf! (Not so fast! It’s too early to give up!)” You just need an ingredient with mana in it, right? “Woof! (Nahura!)” “M-meow?! (Y-yes?!)” “Woof, woof? (You said you put anchors all over the mansion, right?)” “Mrrrow, mrrow. (Yes, I did indeed.)” “Woof, woof! (Then please bring me my brush!)” “Mrrrow! (Right away, sir!)” Nahura gives a cry, and a brush falls out of thin air. Fortunately, it’s the one I always use. “Arf! (Allie! I want you to do exactly what I say!)” I pass the brush to Allie and then lie on the floor. The women’s gazes dart around; they have no idea why I’m doing that. Ignoring them, I give a bark. “Woof! (Go ahead!)” “Wait… What?!” “Woof, woof! (Brush me all you like! Come on!)” I pop my hind legs open to lure Allie in. “What are you even doing?! Quit messing around! This is an emergency!” yells Zenith in anger, her veins about to burst in frustration. “Woof, woof! (I’m not messing around one bit!)” It doesn’t matter—just do what I say, Allie. “U-umm, like this?” As Allie was told, she starts brushing me. “Arwf, arwf! (Excellent, excellent! Faster! Harder!)” As my breathing becomes ragged from how good the brushing feels, I encourage Allie. “…Wait, what the heck are you doing?” Ignoring Zenith as she turns a cold stare on me, I confirm the results. Great. That should be enough brushing. “Arwf! (Fwa-ha-ha! You see, I had a secret plan all along!)” I didn’t ask for someone to brush me just because I was itchy. It was because I needed something. And when I get brushed, said something naturally gets stuck to that brush: the fur I shed. “Woof, woof? (Len said it before, but I have a ton of mana in my body, right? Wouldn’t that mean the fur I shed would be a good ingredient for you?)” “What…?! Well, yes, I do feel mana. Hesitation means failure anyway, I guess… No harm in trying! I’ll do it!” “O-okay!” Allie takes my fur out of the brush and throws it into the watery sphere in which the swords whirl. The very moment the silvery fur is absorbed into the bubble, it bursts with a brilliant light. “Arw, arw! (Whoa, that’s bright!)” A harsh wind blows around, sending paper into the air and shattering flasks. Static electricity swirls around the water bubble, speeding up its rotation. “How is that so much mana…?! That just might be enough…!” Through my hazy white vision, I can see Zenith giving an intrepid smile. And then the light and wind die down— “It worked…!” —and a single large sword is stuck in the floor. It’s close to the shape of Allie’s old holy sword, except the blade isn’t white, but a deep silver, and its mottled temper pattern is beautiful. “Arf, arf. (Go on, Allie—pick it up.)” I prod Allie in the back with my head. Cautiously, she touches the silver sword, gripping its hilt. “So this is my new sword…” The greatsword she pulls out has a decent heft to it, but Allie holds it as though it were a part of her own body. “I can feel Zenobia’s and Routa’s power… This sword is incredible…!” “Arf, arf! (Fwa-ha-ha! It is, isn’t it? Much better than that stupid holy sword!)” “Hey, I was the one who made it… Though it was your fur that made it all work.” Thanks a million, Zenith! Now Allie’s got her sword back. “Ahh, I’m exhausted…and hungry. Let’s go grab some lunch. I just remembered I haven’t eaten at all since yesterday.” “W-well then, let me treat you!” Allie sheathes the greatsword and raises a hand. “Oh? Sounds great!” It does! “In that case, why don’t we go to the nearby restaurant on the water?” suggests Tania. “I heard they hired a new chef recently, and they are supposedly very good. It’s a little early for lunch, so it should be mostly empty at this hour.” In that case, we’ve gotta go. We leave the atelier, and after Zenith makes sure she’s locked the door, we set off. “This recommendation of yours—it better be good. You’ve got me excited.” “It is my first time going as well, so I cannot say for certain. However, I would think you would find anything delicious right now, Zenith.” “You’re not wrong! Ahh, I’m so hungry! Allie, hurry up already!” “I—I will! I’ll be along in a second!” says Allie, slowing down so she’s next to me. “Routa, thanks for today.” “Arwf? (Huh? That was sudden.)” “If you hadn’t brought me here, I wouldn’t have even been able to see those two, much less make up with them. I got a sword, and I’m friends with them again—and it’s all thanks to you. Thank you, everyone.” “Arwf, arwf. (Heh, you’re very welcome.)” “Squeak. (Well, I didn’t do much at all.)” “Meow, meow. (Routa did come up with the idea of using his shed fur because you said something, Lady Len. I think you contributed, too.)” Yeah, that’s right. Without those words, you really would have been a good-for-nothing dragon who slept the day away. “Squeak! (That certainly doesn’t feel like praise!)” Len, angry, starts batting at Nahura with her front legs. “Meooow! (Nahura praised you, though! This isn’t fair!)” Allie smiles as she watches us banter, then grips the sword on her back. “…With this sword, I’m sure I’ll be able to…” “Arwf!! (Whoa! This is freakin’ amazing!!)” This is just as good as the old man’s cooking! The shop’s interior is nice and bright, and what with us pretending to be familiars, they let us all in to eat together, which is great. The kitchen is set up so that the patrons can see into it; the open-concept design makes a great first impression. As I’m looking at them making the food, my eyes meet the chef’s. He smiles and bows a little. Huh? Have we met somewhere before? I don’t remember his face, so it must just be my imagination. The chef doesn’t seem to have any business with me, either, so he returns his gaze to the frying pan he’s holding in his hand. Anyway, this is good. Len and Nahura are eating their hearts out, too. Given that the restaurant is right next to the sea, the dishes mainly feature fresh seafood, served in heaping portions. It’s the best. Pilchard fries and shrimp sauteed in garlic. Marinated octopus and dried oysters in garlic sauce. And, as if that all weren’t already enough, a paella packed with as much seafood as it can hold. Myriad colorful dishes come to the table, one after another. “This is great! It’s as good as you said, Tania!” “All of it is simply delectable.” The three of them have huge appetites, maybe since they used to be adventurers. Emptied plates keep piling up, and food keeps disappearing into their thin bodies. Graaah, I won’t lose to you! “Yeah, it’s really good… I never thought it would make me so happy to be able to taste things…,” says Allie profoundly. She wasn’t able to taste food under the holy sword’s control, and she probably never even thought it was strange. She slowly savors each and every bite, having regained her lost sense of taste. “I’m really glad… Slurp…” “Let’s keep in touch from now on. We’re no longer in the same party, but we’re still companions to this day—and friends.” “Yeah… Thank you, both of you. I’ll do my best.” Zenith has tears in her eyes, and Tania smiles gently. Allie swears to them that she’ll work hard. “I’ll do my best… My very best…” But for some reason, her eyes don’t seem to have much energy in them. Maybe it’s just my imagination. “Man, I’m stuffed. Never thought breaking a daylong fast would taste so great. Plus I got to make up with Alstera. This day’s just been full of good things.” “If you still have time, why don’t we take a walk a little nearer the harbor? The sea breeze in that area is quite pleasant.” “Sounds good to me. My shop is just a hobby anyway.” “I have time, too. Although I will need to make an appearance at the guild again.” “Arf, arf. (We’re free, too.)” A pet’s schedule is basically meaningless, but I do kind of want to go back while the old man’s lunch is still warm. “Squeak? (You plan to eat again? There are gluttons, and then there is you…)” “Mewl… (Even Nahura can’t fit any more inside… Routa, your stomach is beyond bottomless…)” We continue walking, I with two round-bellied animals on my back, and eventually, we see the ocean. The area beneath the high walls acting as embankments seems to have been made into a harbor for unloading goods. Large boats are tied to the piers, and tons of wooden crates are being brought on and off them. Strong-looking bare-chested men with towels draped over their shoulders are carrying the crates back and forth between the boats and the harbor. “Arwf! (Thanks for all your hard work!)” Being a pet with no connection to physical labor, all I do is watch over them in a carefree way. The voices of the freight handlers working up a sweat, their skin burning red in the sun, carries over the sea breeze to me. “Hey, we still not selling that freight? It’s been sitting here for days.” “Nothing we can do about it. Deal doesn’t have a set date. And it’s a little too big to stow in a warehouse.” “It’s so heavy we had to borrow a flotation magic user from the guild to get it off the boat. Wonder what could possibly be in that thing.” “Nothin’ dangerous, I hope. It’d be pretty awful if it suddenly exploded on us.” “It’s not for us to worry about—we’re just common freight handlers. Let’s try and get this one boat’s stuff unloaded before lunchtime.” “““Right.””” Apparently, the freight in the dead center of the docks is getting in their way. With a crate that big, the handlers would definitely have to take some detours. The three women sit out on the embankments, seeming to be talking about the good old days. Now that I’ve eaten, I’m pretty sleepy. Maybe I’ll take a quick nap and treat myself. “Gwaaaar…” I give a big yawn and lie sprawled on the edge. As I stare at the freight handlers at work, using my front legs as a pillow, I spot someone acting strangely. “Arwf? (Who’s that?)” It’s a short old man. Wearing red-and-white-striped clothing, he’s moving through the docks as though trying to hide from those around him. His destination seems to be the big wooden crate the freight handlers were just talking about. “Arwf… (I could swear I’ve seen him somewhere before…)” As I’m trying to grasp at the threads of my unreliable memory, Len murmurs from on top of me. “Squeak? (What? Isn’t that the scoundrel who tried to unleash monsters on the city? Saying something about wanting to overthrow the monarchy? You know, the one the women were talking about in the city.)” “Arwf! (Oh— Ohhh! That guy!)” He’s the one who sold Drills a monster claiming it was a rare animal, and the one who tried to get those people in chains to rise up and throw the city into chaos. Zenobia sent him flying, and though he was sent to the prison island, I heard he escaped—but what would he be doing here? “Meow? (That crate is suspicious, huh? Maybe we’d better stop him.)” Allie and the others don’t know the circumstances, and the guy could run away while I explained. “Arwf… (I really don’t think this is supposed to be my job, but…)” Nevertheless, I cannot let this stand. I jump down from the embankment. The height poses no issue for my Fenrir body. I land with assuredness and bolt toward the crate. “Woof, woof! (Sorry, sorry! Coming through!)” The freight handlers give a start upon seeing me. “Whoa! What’s that?!” A dog. “A monster?!” A dog. “Call the guards! No, wait—the adventurers! Contact the guild, damn it! There’s a monster here!!” I’m a dog! A! Dog! The freight handlers all scatter like baby spiders. I think it’s good that they ran away in advance. I won’t cry because they were scared of me. Sniffle. And obviously things will blow up if it turns out there’s a whole bunch of monsters in that crate again. “Squeak. (Not to worry. One roar from you, milord, and they would all surrender.)” “Meow! (Nobody can stand up to the Fen Wolf King himself, after all!)” Their faith in me runs deep. I can hear it in their voices: They seriously believe that things will work out as long as I’m here. But I don’t need that kind of loyalty! I want to be the one other people protect! Why do I always get mixed up in trouble? We approach the target crate. The man is right near it, too. “What?! You—I know you! Why are you here?!” That’s what I’d like to know. What are the odds? This goes well beyond a spell of bad luck. If you surrender, you won’t have to suffer any pain. Allie and the others should have noticed the ruckus by now, too. They’ll surround you and beat you to a pulp. And I’ll stand by and watch. “Gah! But unfortunately for you, I was faster!” The man dives behind the crate. “Woof! (There’s no point hiding!)” I chase him, but when I look behind the box, he’s not there. “Arwf?! (What?! Where’d he go?!)” “Damn, an obstacle! The plan has already gone awry, and now there’s another hindrance… Am I cursed?!” I hear his voice, but can’t see him. Did he go into this huge wooden crate? My ears, which are unreasonably good, can barely hear his muffled voice. “I was going to use a berserk monster rampage to stir mistrust toward the monarchy, then use my team of golems to topple the monarchy in one fell swoop… But my last failure sent the odds of that plan succeeding straight into the privy…” I just heard the word golem. Golem? Like those golems? Giants made of stone, filled with power, with a penchant for meditating—those golems? “But there’s no going back for me now. I must overthrow the monarchy, no matter what sacrifices I have to make. Thankfully, I’ve gotten people to control the golems. Any idiot criminal can throw a hissy fit. I’ll stir up chaos, use it to go for the castle, and then put all the royals to death.” That’s some incredibly dangerous stuff you’re thinking about. “Awaken, my golem! Show them all the power of next-generation magical weaponry!” I hear some booming and groaning, and the next thing I know, the crate explodes. “A-arf?! (Wh-what the hell?!)” A giant with metallic skin appears from the crate. Thick limbs and a round head. Its short and stout figure looks less like a golem and more like an Acguy. It would probably be good for amphibious operations and such. I see the man from before riding its round head, protected by glass. “Heh-heh-heh! This golem is a magical weapon for military use. In its combat evaluation test, it even defeated monsters of such high rank they have nicknames! You cannot stand against it, no matter how powerful a monster you are!” “Arwf! (Yikes!)” I jump back out of the way right before being stomped on. Its movements don’t seem very quick, but it looks hard and heavy. If this thing got loose in the city streets, it would cause pandemonium. I could handle things with my beam, but there are still people on the docks. I’d have to wait for them to evacuate before I fire it. “Hey, stop!” That was Allie’s voice putting a sharp warning to the man. “I heard everything! You’re trying to rebel against the state!” She pulls out the greatsword we just had made and thrusts its tip toward the golem, her cape fluttering in the wind all the while. “Arwwrr! (Eeee! Allie, that’s so cool!!)” “Those clothes… No! Are you the SS-Rank adventurer Alstera? The Hero?! What are you doing in a place like this?! What’s happening?! Why do people get in the way whenever I try to do something?!” Probably just because most of the stuff you try to do is bad. Allie is invincible now that she has her sword back. Hope you’re ready to be sliced and diced. “Arwf. (Easy win today, huh? Looks like I won’t have to fight anymore from now on.)” I feel like a little kid watching a battle between a giant robot and an epic hero as I wait for further developments in the plot. “Damn! If you get in my way, I’ll just crush you, too!” The golem pulls its arm behind it, then drives it up from below at Allie, plowing up the ground in the process. If you think a slow attack like that is going to take Allie down, you’ve got another thing coming. Beautifully dodging and brilliantly cutting down the golem…is what Allie is unable to do. Instead, she gets launched away. “Ahhhh!!” What?! Allie?! She blocked it with her greatsword in the instant it hit, but she bounced away like a rubber ball, flying up and over the high dock walls. “Alstera?!” “Are you all right?! I’ll cast a healing spell!” Zenith and Tania, still near the wall, run over to her. “Heh… Heh-heh… Well, that wasn’t anything special! It looks like the rumors of SS-Rank adventurers rivaling a thousand troops were embellished!” “Agh…” “Woof, woof?! (Allie, are you okay?!)” She doesn’t seem to have any notable wounds. But what happened? That attack certainly wasn’t impossible to dodge. “Alstera, can you stand?! You have to get up before the next attack comes!” “……” Still buried under the rubble from the wooden crate, Allie doesn’t try to get up. “Alstera…?” “I’m… I’m scared…,” she manages to squeeze out. “I’m scared… I’m scared, okay? I’m scared of fighting…” Allie is trembling. “And nothing changed even though I pretended to be the Hero after getting a new sword… My body starts to shake, my head goes blank, and then I can’t do anything… I’m scared…” The other two are struck speechless upon seeing Allie’s weakness for the first time. “Hmph. Hero? You’re just a coward. If you don’t want any of this, then go away and curl up into a ball.” The man riding the golem seems to have realized Allie isn’t a threat and decided he’ll ignore her and leave the harbor. The golem is probably headed for the royal castle, like he mentioned before. I can see a tall fortress to the north of here. It’s pretty far away, but with how long the golem’s strides are, it’s basically right next door. The tall wall separating the harbor from the city is only a step up for it. If we let it go, it’ll destroy houses and cause a lot of damage in the Royal Capital. Leaving Allie, trembling in fear, behind, the golem begins its advance. “Hey, wait!” Having stood to block that golem is Zenith, squaring her shoulders. “Has another insect come to be crushed? I am very busy, mind you.” “Oh really? You won’t get past me! You’re not getting off easy for hurting my friends! I’m a former SS-Rank adventurer myself! My explosion magic will wipe you and your golem off the face of the—” “Wait, Zenith! Your staff—your staff! You don’t have your staff! You left it back at the shop!” “I—” Zenith searches her empty hand, then looks up at the golem, and her face pales. “If you’re finished talking, I shall make you into a splatter on the ground.” The golem lifts its leg. A thick shadow looms over Zenith’s face. “Wa-wait…!” Allie raises a hoarse voice. “No. You can watch your friend be crushed from right there.” With all the weight of the metal behind it, the golem’s leg comes down on Zenith. “Zenith!” Tania lets out a scream. “Arwf! (Crap!)” Meaning to save Zenith, I start to run, but then I see a figure moving quicker than me. A loud impact. The golem’s leg gives off a heavy, metallic noise and stops. “D-don’t…you dare…h-hurt Zenith…” Allie has stopped the giant golem’s leg in its path. With trembling arms, with quivering legs, she endures the weight of the golem. “Zenith is my friend… She’s important to me… That’s why I have to save her… Even if I’m scared…even if it hurts…I will save her…” “Fwa-ha-ha! Big talk for such a pathetic worm! You can both die together!” The golem pulls its leg back, and instead swings its arms around to punch Allie and Zenith. Several heavy impacts scatter sparks, and as Allie repels the attacks with her greatsword, her face twists in anguish. “Alstera! I’m fine! Run away!” Zenith can’t move from her spot under this vicious assault. If she takes so much as a step away from Allie, the storm of steel will swallow her in an instant and tear her to shreds. “No… No! I won’t…run…!” “Alstera…” “I was no hero… I was just a foolish child…! I hurt all of you, caused you so much trouble…! But I don’t want to lose my friends anymore…!” Her knees knock together violently, and her face is a mess of tears and snot. But Allie doesn’t back down. She stands firm to protect her companions, no matter how afraid she is. “Come! Regular old Alstera will defeat you!” The sword she holds ready is wobbling, too, and she has no chance to wipe away her tears—and yet she still roars. Looking exactly like a brave warrior should. “Impudence! I’ll crush you!” The golem crosses its arms, then slams them down from above. “Well said.” And then a voice comes from a spot somewhere above the golem. “Your words ring true in my heart, ‘regular old Alstera.’” A swordswoman descends, red hair fluttering, sword held aloft. “Arwf?! (Zenobia?! How are you here?!)” Zenobia’s single slash takes off the golem’s arms. “Wh-whaaaaaaaaaaaaat?! But this adamantium armor can even repel cannon shots!!” Zenobia lands in front of the dazed Allie, then turns back to face the golem and says this, without explaining any of the details: “With me, Alstera!” “…! Right!” With only that, Allie readies her sword, having understood what Zenobia meant. ““Haaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!”” The two dash at the same time, slashing with their black and white greatswords. Their strikes carve an X shape into the golem as they both run past it and behind. Allie sheathes her sword, and Zenobia flicks hers to get the dirt off. And after a moment’s silence, fractures appear in the golem’s torso. Its body breaks into four pieces and crumbles loudly to the ground. “A-arwww… (They… They stole my part…)” I really was planning on using my beam to provide support. They took away all the good chances, though. “No… Impossible… How could my plans have…?” The man tumbles out of the seat, from which smoke is rising. “No, not yet…! This isn’t over…!” “This guy’s stubborn!” Zenith starts kicking the man in the gut, but he ignores her and shouts toward the docks. “Hey, criminals! I’m giving you those golems! Rampage to your hearts’ content!” In response to his cry, wooden crates all over the docks start breaking, one after another, and more golems of the same type appear from within. “There’s more than one…?!” “Argh. That many may pose a problem…” “Heh-heh-heh! If you think you can stop them, go ahead and try! Those golem riders are criminals, every last one. I bet they’ll scatter in every direction and start pillaging and destroying. Are the two of you enough alone?!” “Bastard…!” “Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!” The man, looking at the seemingly frustrated two, laughs, proud of his victory. I, on the other hand, am relieved. “Arwf. (Oh, how lucky. I won’t have to waste any bullets.)” The beam, having lost its target, is waiting inside my mouth to fire. “Woof, woof! (It’s the first public reveal in the nation! You’re about to witness my new secret move!)” I fire the pent-up beam bit by bit. “Grwl grwl grwl grwl grwl grwl grwl grwl gra-wooo!! (Reduced-Power-for-a-Rapid-Fire Beeeeam!!)” Spouts of beams angle upward from below, piercing the golems’ chests and flying into the distant sky. And thus was the risen army of golems silenced before it could do anything. “Arf, arf. (Good, good. They were all so big I could angle the beams to prevent collateral damage to the city.)” “…What? Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!” Seeing the now-heartless golems falling to their knees one after another, the man, baffled, shouts. “Be quiet already.” And once again, Zenobia gives him a good hit and knocks him out. “Sheesh. That was enough force to make our efforts look stupid. You did save us again, though. I give you my thanks, Routa.” “Arwf. (You’re welcome.)” “We made a lot of noise. The guards will be along shortly,” says Zenobia as she pets my head. I’m glad you’re petting me, but why are you here? Also, how did you fall out of the sky like that? “I’m a very busy person, you know. It isn’t fair for Routa to have all the praise.” Floating down slowly from the sky on her staff is Hecate. “Ma’am!” says Zenobia. “We couldn’t have done it without your help, of course, Lady Hecate!” “Then will you pet me on the head, too?” “I… I could never do something so disrespectful…” Zenobia must have fallen out of the sky by using Hecate’s teleportation to jump here. “…I had this feeling I saw Alstera last night,” explains Zenobia. “And then, this morning, you were nowhere to be found, either. My gut told me something bad was happening. Lady Hecate had just arrived to check up on Lady Mary, so I asked her if she knew anything.” “My silly cat sent me an image other than food for once. I teleported here in a hurry, though, so my destination was a little off.” Oh, I see. Hecate shares a connection with Nahura, so she knows what was going on. And that’s why she delivered Zenobia all the way here for us. Even so, that timing was far too perfect. Dropping out of the sky and cleaving something in two with a greatsword? That was an extremely cool entrance. For Zenobia, that’s pretty unexpected. Actually, the black greatsword—didn’t it get shattered in the last battle? “What, are you curious about the sword? If it breaks, it restores itself if left alone. It is the family treasure passed down for a thousand years by my ancestor Georg.” What? That’s terrifying! It’s like a demon sword, and it’s way more suspicious than Alstera’s holy sword. “““Zenobiaaa!””” Allie and the others rush over. The three seem basically unharmed. “Zenobia, thanks for helping us. If it hadn’t been for you, we might have been goners.” “What are you saying? Everyone is safe and sound because you protected them. You did well.” Zenobia claps a hand down on Allie’s shoulder. “Seriously. I think you’re miles better than when you were obsessed with being the Hero. Also, you should see your face right now. It’s all crusted over.” Zenith, who is leaning against her with an elbow on her shoulder, takes one look at Allie’s face and bursts out laughing. “Huh? It is?” “I’ll wipe it off for you, so please sit still a moment,” says Tania, stopping Allie before she can wipe it off with her sleeve. “This is the first time I’ve ever wiped something off you that wasn’t the blood of your enemies. I’m so glad the day has come that we can do this. And it makes me happier than anything that the four of us are together again.” After their party dispersed, everyone left on her own path, but nobody forgot about the others. This is probably what the four of them were like before they had their issues. Time has restored their old bonds with one another. “Oh, since we’re all together for the first time in a long time, want to go out for drinks?” suggests Zenith. “We’re gonna have to go for witness interviews tomorrow anyway. We’ll all be free until then, right?” “Hmm. Yes, that should be fine,” says Zenobia. “Great! I know a place open during the day. The rest of you are coming, too! Zenobia says she’s treating us all to celebrating Alstera’s return!” “We split the bill. I will not accept anything else. We split it impartially to one decimal point. I’ve been short on cash lately.” “…Why? Did you buy another sword?” “Zenobia never changes, does she?” says Tania. “That’s right, and Routa and the others are included…,” says Allie. “Wait. Routa…?” Allie looks back behind her, but I’m not there. “Are you sure about this? I doubt anyone would blame you for at least saying hello,” notes Hecate after she’s carried me into the air. “Arwf. (Worming my way into that would be barbaric. I can see them whenever I want. Anyway, I have a very important duty waiting for me.)” “Oh? And what might that be?” Hecate smiles mischievously at my assertion. “Woof! (The old man’s lunch! If I go back now, I can eat it while it’s still hot!)” “Squeak… (You never think about anything but food…)” “Meow? (Routa will always be Routa, won’t he?)” Please—we all know you two are joining me to eat. Well, I’m not sharing. “In that case, let’s return.” Hecate activates her spatial magic, and then white begins to blanket my vision. The last thing I see while looking down is Allie and the others walking and having a grand time. “Woof! (Good work, Allie! You should be fine now!)” My woof causes Allie to look into the air. At the last moment, our eyes meet, and in return, she smiles.
Chapter 107
31 min read