Even so, Hecate’s preparations weren’t finished immediately, but it was only a few nights later that we seemed prepared to take off for the past. “Arf, arf… (This is lame… Here I thought I’d look pretty cool when I embarked. But after all that, I just played with the young lady as usual, and ate food, and lay around…)” “Meow! (But it’s good you made one last memory!)” “Woof, woof! (It’s not the last one! The memory making will continue! And anyway, it’ll take me a few seconds at most to take out that Demon Lord or what have you!)” “Squeak, squeak. (Indeed—I would expect nothing less from my beloved. I will be watching your success from the front row.)” “Mewl! (Aw, we should have brought candy!)” “Arwf? (Hey, uh, you two know what we’re going to be doing, right?)” You’re fighting alongside me. Why are you acting like I’ll be doing everything by myself? Once the battle starts, I am absolutely without a doubt getting you two wrapped up in it… My mind firmly made up, I wait until Lady Mary is fast asleep, then quietly slip out of bed. “Routa…” Her hands grope the air, searching for my warmth. I put a pillow there to stand in for it, and she hugs it, seeming relieved. “Arwf. (Anyway, let’s go.)” No need for any parting words here. Once I defeat the Demon Lord and come back, I’ll get right back into bed with you and we’ll go back to our normal life. “Heading out?” “Arwrwf?! (Hu-whaaa?!)” Suddenly a voice comes to me from behind—it’s Zenobia. “Arwf. (Geez, don’t surprise me like that.)” You made me make a weird sound. Zenobia is a master of hiding her presence, after all. She can even get behind Garo, who lives out in the wild. Plus, she’s superfast. In fact, she seems better suited to being a thief than a swordswoman. Actually, given her tragic sense of direction, that wouldn’t work… She’d get lost as soon as she went out on an expedition. “Leave Lady Mary and the others in the mansion to me. I’ll be sure to protect them while you’re gone.” “Arf, arf. (Well, with Hecate’s space-time magic, it’ll probably only seem like an instant to you before I get back.)” But I like your spirit. They’re in your hands, Zenobia. Do that private security guard job well, y’hear? It’s a great chance to return that NEET label to the store. Zenobia waves to me as we part ways, and I go outside the mansion. “Mew. (First things first—I’ll warp us to the place Lady Hecate told me about.)” The scenery shifts as Nahura teleports us. We land right next to a rocky cliffside with a big full moon in the distance. “Arwf. (I haven’t been here in a while.)” Feels like I’ve been visiting a lot of nostalgic places lately. This is where I met Garo and the other Fen Wolves, when I was so uneasy that I started howling. I was so surprised when it happened, I think I remember accidentally peeing myself. “Squeak. (I thought that was what happened when you met me.)” Actually, you’re wrong. That was when I completely pissed myself. A dog peeing himself is cute. But we’re talking full-stream here. “Squeak, squeak. (I was surprised, as I had never thought such a splendid male that would force his way into my nest and mark his territory could exist.)” You were just misunderstanding me, actually. Again, it was just an accident. “Squeak… (Come to think of it, that was the very moment I fell madly in love with you…)” Because I had a moment of incontinence? That’s why you fell in love with me? I cringe as Len puts a paw to her cheek in embarrassment and starts squealing and twisting. I push through the foliage and reach the overhang to find a big group of my forest friends there waiting for me. The Fen Wolves are foremost among them, but they’re joined by monsters I brought back from the Royal Capital, as well as the elves. “Grwl! (King Routa! If we can do naught else, please, allow us to see you off!)” “Grwl! Grwl! Grwl! (Our king! Our king! May you fare well!)” At Garo’s command, the Fen Wolves line up and divide, making a path for me. “Arwf… (You’re really embarrassing me with the heroic send-off…)” Considering I’m pretty asocial, I don’t do well with people who shower me with attention. I walk between the two lines of Fen Wolves, heading for the cliffside. “King Routa! Please be careful!” “Here, have this bread—everyone in the village helped make it!” “And here’s some soup!” “And some boiled wild vegetables!” “Also some dried fruits!” The elves push their way through and forcibly give me all sorts of souvenirs. “Arwf…! (Hey! Wait, I can’t hold that much…!)” “Meow? (It’s okay. I can use spatial magic to store them away once we get there, so why not just accept them for now?)” “Squeak. (Indeed. You must properly accept their consideration for you.)” I mean, I am grateful, but why are the two of you acting so self-important? The bread goes on top of my head, the soup-laden pot hangs out my mouth, and the various other items are fastened all over my body. “Arwf! (What the heck is this…? I’m like a Christmas tree, complete with decorations!)” Thanks to the full moon, I’m positively glowing—they all really do look like ornaments. “Good of you to come, Routa. And I’m glad you did… Pfft…” “Arwf… (Sure, laugh it up, Hecate.)” I must look so ridiculous right now. Damn it! I remember the first time I came to this cliff. I was a spectacle then, too, with all the sausages hanging around my neck. I’m even more opulent than I was that day. Everything’s so reflective. You could see me from miles away. And what, I’m supposed to be happy about it? Hecate isn’t the only one waiting for me at the edge of the cliff. “We’re getting up early again tomorrow, you know… You’d better take care of this quickly!” “Mircalla, for a being of the night, you sure have grown accustomed to a morning-centric lifestyle…” It’s Carmilla and Lich, formerly of the Five Demon Generals, now working at the mansion as servants. Of course, right now they’re Mircalla the maid and Richmond the butler. They’ve gotten way too used to their lives as servants at home—makes you doubt they were ever even generals of the Demon Lord’s army in the first place. “…So tired… Nothing matters…” “I swear. Today was my sharpening day, and that doesn’t come around very often—I was on cloud nine. What do you need from me?” The voices coming in as thoughts are from the stone statue that would have otherwise been adorning the mansion’s gate and the knife the old man has taken a shine to. These two are formerly demon generals as well, but they were sealed away in a stone statue and a knife. There’s nothing of their former selves left now. They both seem extremely satisfied with their current lives, though. Are you guys seriously okay with this setup? “Squeal, squeal. (It hath been some time, my lifelong companion.)” The last of the generals is Behemoth. She’s a weirdo—she willingly gave up her power to Hecate—but the reason, according to her, is that she has fallen madly in love with me. But I’m not a furry! I don’t care if I’m popular with animals! “Squeal, squeal? (Hast thou been lonely in mine absence?)” “Arwf. (Not at all.)” In fact, I almost forgot about you. “Squeal, squeal! (Thy cruel words tuggeth at mine heartstrings all the same!)” Keep your heartstrings to yourself. She’s too strong. I could say literally anything, and she’d take it as favorable. “Arf, arf. (She’s so strong she might steal your position, Len.)” “Squeak! (Hmph. Say what you will. For it is I who will be accompanying you on your journey! The lowly Nahura should sit quietly behind as well, in fact!)” “Meow! (Lowly Nahura? That’s rude of you in several ways! Lady Len, you’re awful!)” Oh, great. It looks like we’ll be the Four Stooges featuring Behemoth rather than the Three Stooges once we return. They’re snatching up the real estate on my back pretty quickly… “These five will be the support pillars for the magic circle,” says Hecate, gripping her staff. “Arwf? (What? You mean they’ll be sacrifices?)” Mircalla and the others cringe. I was mostly joking, but Mircalla must really think of Hecate as someone who might actually do that. “Well, that would have worked, too, but…” Please stop it—for them. Mircalla is crying now! “I used their mana to construct this magic circle, after all. I’m only using them as catalysts who happen to have higher compatibility. It won’t put too much of a burden on them.” Mircalla and Richmond are visibly relieved when they hear that. What on earth did Hecate even do to them? “Now, I’ll have you all go to the magic circle’s support pillars.” Hecate waves her staff, and a white light appears at the former generals’ feet. They’re probably being sent off to where the magic circle’s support pillars are, spread throughout the forest. Before warping away, Mircalla glares at me and says, “Err, well. What I want to say is, ever since we met you, we’ve had it pretty rough, but I kind of like my life now. I’m not going to thank you, but I won’t hold a grudge, either. Do your best not to let the Demon Lord kill you.” “Ho-ho-ho. I feel the same way as Mircalla. I still can’t remember much about the Demon Lord—fog clouds my memories—but I am currently a butler of the Faulks family. I will at least pray for your safety.” After Mircalla, Richmond poses like he’s praying, and the two of them disappear. “You allowed me to sleep for eternity… You have my thanks…” “I very much appreciate your preparing the greatest user I have ever had!” Gigas and Belgor also thank me before vanishing. “Squeal, squeal! (I shall await thee forever. Promise me thou shalt return safely, my lifelong companion!)” I’m not your lifelong companion, but thanks. I feel like I could probably be friends with you—but only friends. A few moments after Behemoth, the last one, disappears, pillars of light erupt from all over the forest. “All right, Routa. Are you mentally prepared?” “Arwf, arwf. (I was never mentally prepared, but anyway, let’s go.)” “And since I can’t go with you, please ask Nahura to be your guide.” “Arwf?! (Huh?! Wait, you never told me that!)” You didn’t think you could have given me any more warning?! If even you aren’t coming, that means you’re leaving the fate of the world in the hands of the Three Stooges over here! Seriously? Are you okay with that?! Not to brag, but I’m a first-class blunderer! We’re totally useless, and now the world will be destroyed! We’re all doomed! “I’m sorry. I don’t know what would happen if my present self were to meet my past self, and I’d like to eliminate as many fears as possible.” You don’t feel like sending us by ourselves is an even bigger fear?! Now that I know our guardian Hecate won’t be coming with us, I immediately get anxious. What’s that? The only companions I can rely on are a mouse and a cat? There’s almost nobody here to keep me safe! “Squeak! (I am not a mouse! I am the ancient blue dragon Lenowyrm!)” “Meow! (And I’m Nahura the homunculus, product of alchemical arts!)” Oh, yeah, that’s right. It’s just that you guys almost never use your abilities. Nahura’s spatial magic is good to have on hand, but from there it’s just burgling the kitchen. Which doesn’t have anything to do with combat abilities. And Len literally does nothing but eat and sleep. “Squeak! (Because I am not on a battlefield! Pray keep your eyes peeled and watch me at work!)” “Meow! (And Lady Hecate told me everything about the past! You can trust me to lead us where we need to go!” Whoa, this doesn’t happen often—these two are positively brimming with enthusiasm. “Woof, woof! (All right. If you insist, then show me the two of you actually helping for once!)” And let me hide behind you so I can travel in safety! “Routa, everything you think really does show on your face, doesn’t it?” Huh? Wait, my ulterior motives are leaking again? Aw, shucks. Nah, even I’m going to join in this time. Ha-ha-ha. I wasn’t just musing on the hope that Len and Nahura defeat the Demon Lord for me. Ha-ha-ha. “……” Okay, I was. I’m sorry. Just as I start to feel the pain of Hecate’s wordless pressure, it strikes me that she wasn’t thinking about that. Her eyes are focused on my collar. “Routa, no matter what you have to do, make sure you don’t lose that collar.” “Arf? (The collar? Well, you gave it to me as a gift, so I’ll certainly treat it well, but why?)” Hecate had gone through the trouble of making this for me because I wanted to masquerade as a dog. It’s an excellent item, really—it freely retracts and expands without breaking, no matter how big I get. Oh, but I do take it off and have it cleaned when I take a bath, so it’s not smelly or anything, got it? “It’s a tool for absorbing your mana and storing it up. After almost half a year, it’s almost filled up completely.” “Squeak. (So that is what it is? I knew it was some manner of magical item.)” Come to think of it, Len was suspicious of Hecate’s collar. I never really minded it—but it was absorbing my mana, huh? I had no idea. “That’s because you have an abnormal amount of mana. It absorbs little by little, but it’s absorbed so much now that it would have drained any monster completely dry.” That’s terrifying! It makes sense Len would sense something and be cautious about it. “You’ll need that mana to return to this time. The mana buildup, plus the mana from the Five Demon Generals, will send you to the past, but it’s highly likely you won’t have access to it coming back.” Hecate’s right. Still, will my mana alone be enough? “An enormous amount of mana is needed to send you from the future to the past, and sending you three back a millennium is all I could muster. But it should take less to come back from the past to the future, since you won’t be going against the flow of time.” I see. I don’t really understand the logic behind it, but if Hecate says so, then that must be how it works. “For the return spell, seek my past self out. I was still inexperienced back then, but only because I lacked the knowledge. I imbued my research results in Nahura, so my past self should be able to read them from her.” I get it. We’re gonna have the young Hecate use time magic for us, then? “…Are you saying I’m not currently young?” “Arwf?! (I didn’t say anything like that! And I’m sure that didn’t come out of my mouth!)” Am I really that easy to read? Still, this all means we’ll be able to come back here after slaying the Demon Lord. “But without that collar with all the accumulated mana in it, it will be almost impossible to activate the spell.” Sounds scary. We could put in all the work to bring the Demon Lord down, and then not be able to come back to this time? Wrong priorities, if you ask me. I’m going to the past to protect Lady Mary and my happy pet life. “Then don’t lose it, under any circumstances. This plan will only be successful once you’re all back.” “Arwf! (Gotcha! I’ll keep it in mind, ma’am!)” I answer, straightening up my back. Hecate nods and sticks her staff into the earth. Then she begins her incantation. “Yala…feo…osel…ken…isu…eo!” A complicated pattern begins extending in midair from Hecate’s outstretched arms. “Squeak?! (A three-dimensional magic circle…! How many years must one need to construct something like this…?!)” Even as Len, on my head, is acting all surprised, the magic circle grows more and more complex. Layers stack upon layers as it morphs from a circle into a sphere, and its light grows even stronger. There is a deep rumbling, as though the earth is quaking, and then a hole opens up in the magic circle. “Go, Routa. That hole is linked to one thousand years ago.” Down the cliff from where we are, the hole waits for us to pass through it. “Woof! (All right! Thanks for everything, Hecate! I’ll take down the Demon Lord and change the past, and then I’ll be back!)” I’ll do my best in my own way to make sure your friends don’t die, and to make those long years of struggle for you into something more enjoyable. “Squeak! (Now, let us be off, beloved!)” “Meow! (Leave the in-flight controls to me!)” With Len and Nahura holding tightly on to my back, I run toward the cliff. “Arwf! (Yikes! This is so scary!)” Jumping down from a high cliff a fairly terrifying prospect. I’m basically bungee jumping without a cord. I leap toward the passageway, and not a moment later, Nahura covers us all with flotation magic. With that, we safely pass through. The moment we do, I look behind me and see everyone watching us go, as well as Hecate, sweating as she uses her temporal magic and yet smiling at me anyway, praying for my safety. And so, the darkness inside the hole engulfs us, and my vision completely blacks out. We float in a darkness that seems both long and short at the same time, unable to see anything at all. Does the world of one thousand years ago really await us at the end of it? Part of me is scared, but part of me is also a little excited. I wonder what this place looked like a millennium ago. “Meow! (We’ll be arriving soon!)” says Nahura as a white point becomes visible past the darkness. “Squeak. (That must be the exit.)” The white dot rapidly grows. It eventually gets too bright for my eyes—which have grown accustomed to the dark—and I shut them in spite of myself. And beyond that is… “Meow! (We’ve arrived! Please watch your step!)” says Nahura, acting like a bus tour guide, as I feel the soles of my feet on the ground. I cautiously open my eyes against the brightness—and there I see a forest. “Arwf? (Huh? Doesn’t seem like all that much has changed to me…)” Why, this is the same old forest as always. The Demon Lord is nearby, right? I figured there would be more devastation, and more monster running rampant, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. “Arf. (Oh—but that cliff is gone.)” I turn around and see that the sheer cliff we jumped down from isn’t here. “Meow. (It looks like our position got shifted a little. But it looks like we came out at just the right spot.)” “Arwf? (Really?)” Unlike Nahura, Hecate didn’t tell me much about the past, so I don’t know whether this is a good place for us to be. “Squeak. (It seems we should assume the Demon Lord is in this forest.)” Len is on her guard—her hair is standing up—so she must have sensed something. “Squeak, squeak. (The miasma is far, far thicker than anything one millennium from now. It feels like we’ve gone inside the belly of a giant monster.)” Does it? I don’t feel anything at all. I try sniffing around, but the smells are pretty much the same as usual. “Squeak. (Only you would not mind a pressure of this magnitude.)” “Mew. (I think it’s just that he’s dull-witted.)” Shut up. Why are you giving such high-difficulty tests like “sense the miasma, now” to a cute little pet for? “Arf, arf. (Anyway, what do we do now? Should we just go defeat the Demon Lord right away?)” That would be the quickest way. As long as we take him down, the destiny of Lady Mary’s family and the seal is sure to change. “Meow. (I think if we change the past too much, even Lady Hecate won’t be able to fix it for us. We should meet Lady Hecate in this time period first and tell her what’s happening.)” Ahh, right. We need Hecate’s help to fix things—after we defeat the Demon Lord, she’ll need to remove the discrepancies with the time we were in to make it so the young lady still gets born. Hecate’s the only one who was alive a thousand years ago, after all. I guess it wouldn’t make sense to just slay the Demon Lord without meeting her. “Meow. (Thankfully, we just alighted right by where Lady Hecate and the others are.)” Wait, seriously? Feed me that information sooner next time, will ya? “Arwf? (Which way? Nahura, can you guide us there?)” “Mew! (Of course!)” With Nahura guiding me, I run through the forest. Now that I’m thinking about it, this forest does feel kind of different than it does a thousand years from now. And I can sense the presence of monsters in the distance. Although they don’t appear to want to approach us—maybe they’re scoping us out because they don’t know who we are. “Squeak. (We are still monsters, after all. If humans were to enter this forest, they would likely attack them without wasting breath, but they won’t be aggressive and hostile right away toward other monsters.)” I see, I get it. Who are you calling a monster? “Mew! (You, Routa!)” Yeah, I know. I just don’t want to admit it. As we proceed farther, the forest quickly starts getting noisier. “Arwf? (What’s that sound?)” I can hear something howling along with steel clashing against steel, like someone’s fighting. “Squeak. (It seems as though someone is being attacked.)” Monsters might not jump at the chance to war with other monsters, but they’ll attack any humans around without question. That’s what Len just said. “Arwf?! (Wouldn’t that mean Hecate is being attacked ahead of here?!)” Crap. We’ve got to hurry. I increase my running pace and sprint toward the source of the noise. The battle was hopeless. The group of knights protecting Saint Eilene were wounded, half of them already unable to fight. Even now, their casualties were increasing as they struggled against monsters which weren’t even generals of the Demon Lord’s forces. Having gotten so close to the Demon Lord’s base, the monsters living in the area boasted a completely new level of strength. “Fall back for now! Rear line, advance! Block their attacks with your shields! Buy me time to cast my magic!” That shout came from the young high elf sorceress, Hecate Luluarus. The captain who had originally been leading the knights had left the battle lines in a much earlier skirmish. It was only natural that Hecate, the only one who could defeat the monsters in the Demon Lord’s territory, would take command. They were currently under attack from a two-headed wyvern called Amphisbaena. Though it wasn’t a true dragon, it had absorbed much of the miasma supplied from the Demon Lord. Now many times its normal strength, it knocked over entire lines of knights. One strike from its tail shattered their shields, sending the knights flying away helplessly. “GORURURURURU…” Amphisbaena was looking her way. “Ugh! My spell isn’t complete yet…!” It would take another few seconds to cast the high-level spell that would defeat the two-headed wyvern. If she could dodge one of its attacks, it would give her enough time. They couldn’t afford to withdraw now. Behind her was the horse-drawn carriage carrying Saint Eilene. It was their mission to do whatever it took to deliver her to the Demon Lord. But at this rate, it would all be over. They had one card too few to take down this wyvern. She only needed the tiniest bit of time. Wasn’t there anyone who could buy it for her? Keeping her head still, she scanned her surroundings with her eyes, but there appeared to be nobody who could do it. The knights were all injured and exhausted—their defenses didn’t seem enough. But Hecate didn’t stop her incantation. She glared at Amphisbaena—she wouldn’t give up, even at the very final moment. “GORURUGAAAAA!” Amphisbaena opened its jaws wide before lunging at Hecate, intent on tearing her apart with its fangs. Her spell wouldn’t make it in time. She flinched, thinking that the inside of this sickeningly colored wyvern’s mouth would be the last thing she’d ever see. But that wasn’t to be her final sight. From the corner of her vision came a silvery-white flash of light. “Arwf! (Alley-oop!)” The silvery-white clump jumped out with a stupid-sounding voice, crashing into the wyvern and sending it careening back. What incredible charging force—to knock away the mass of a wyvern so large it was higher than the roofs of houses. Hecate was curious about who it was, but for now defeating the enemy in front of her took priority. “Sylpheed Saber!” A swarm of wind slashes carved through Amphisbaena. “GORURURUAAAAA?!” Purple blood spurted from all over the wyvern’s body as it collapsed to the ground. “Haah… haah…” Hecate, on the other side of her predicament now, fell to a knee, her breath ragged. “Not… Not yet…” Hecate looked up. She’d taken down Amphisbaena, but she didn’t know what that silvery-white creature was that had intruded. Using her staff for support, she managed to get herself to her feet, then fixed a glare on the intruder. “Arf?” In response to her firm gaze, it stared back at her blankly. It was a giant wolf with a silvery-white coat of fur. It didn’t seem to bear any hostility—considering it was wagging its tail—but would that mean it had just saved her? No, she couldn’t let her guard down. Monsters were hostile toward humans. Some more than others. But any monster within the Demon Lord’s miasma became more vicious. This wolf didn’t seem to have the red eyes—the hallmark of monsters that had lost their sanity—but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t attack her. “That long string of attack spells has worn me out, but even still…!” Hecate lifted her staff and put together a spell. “A-arwf! (H-hey—wait, stop!)” said the silvery-white wolf to her in a panicked voice. The ability to communicate in human language was the hallmark of a powerful, high-rank monster. She would need to take the initiative and kill it in one hit. The tip of Hecate’s staff glowed with magic. The silvery-white wolf was in a fluster. “Cease this at once!” The one who stopped both of them, however, was the beautiful girl who had just appeared from inside the carriage. “A-arwf! (H-hey—wait, stop!)” Why are you treating me like an enemy when I just saved you?! Isn’t this when you’re supposed to start squealing and saying how wonderful I am and asking nicely if you can pet me?! After hurrying through the forest, we came across a group being attacked by a giant monster. I figured I’d ram into it to save them and buy them time, but now the sorcerer who defeated the monster is ready to kill me, too. They’re wearing a big baggy robe and have their hood pulled pretty far down, so it’s hard to discern their gender, but their murderous gaze is unmistakable. But I saved you! They call this repaying kindness with ingratitude! I do my best to exhibit my harmlessness to convince them that I’m not hostile, but it has zero effect. How coldhearted do you have to be not to be fooled by these big old puppy eyes and how much I’m wagging my tail? I bet this person doesn’t even have a heart. “Arwf! (I’m against violence toward animals!)” But my desperate cries ring empty, and the sorcerer casts their attack spell. “Cease this at once!!” Whoa. That gave me a start. The sorcerer is surprised at the sudden voice ringing out, too, and stops moving. The voice wasn’t that loud, but it was a pretty voice that carried well. I could really feel the charisma in it. And I also feel like I’ve heard it somewhere before. I think it came from inside the carriage behind the sorcerer. “Eilene…” says the sorcerer. Huh? After calming down a bit, I recognize this sorcerer’s voice. I have even more questions now, as the carriage door opens and a person comes out. A girl with beautiful hair like flowing gold dust, blue eyes deep as the sea, and a kind smile that seems to gently wrap itself around everything stands there. “Arw, arw, arw… (Huh? Wait, aren’t you…?)” I’ve seen the person who just came out of the carriage. Oh, I’ve seen her, that’s for certain. I mean, she’s… “Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrwwwwwwwwwwwf?! (Lady Maryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?!)”
Chapter 119
25 min read