Chapter 8:
Rest
THREE DAYS HAD PASSED since the battle. The wounded were healed, and peace had returned to the Superd Village. During those three days, we’d rested but also stayed on guard against any further enemies. We weren’t doing nothing, but nothing notable happened.
Those were truly peaceful, uneventful days. Zanoba was so worn out that he slept more than half the time. I was worried he’d been badly wounded, but the doctors said it was just ordinary muscle pain. He said it was the first muscle pain he’d experienced in his life and went on reciting his would-be last words: “It feels like my body’s going to fall apart… Julie, I’m going to die soon, I’ve taught you all I can. Stay strong when I am gone.”
Julie wept but nodded with determination in her eyes. It was kinda funny.
I even found myself running over, gripping his hand, and saying, “Zanoba, I’ll complete the autonomous doll, I promise. I swear to god! Leave it to me. Let this divine power be as satisfying nourishment, giving one who has lost their strength the strength to rise again. Healing.”
After that, Zanoba stood up, looking miraculously healthy, and got to work on repairing the Version One. Julie gaped—poor thing.
Once in the village, Atofe was relatively subdued. Before I knew it, she’d had the villagers build her a wooden throne and was initiating the warriors into the ways of battle. It wasn’t anything serious. Even Eris joined in.
Sandor seemed a bit embarrassed at Atofe’s antics, but every now and then, a shadow fell across his face. Of course, he’d be thinking about Alec. I’d asked him if I ought to give him back the King Dragon Blade, but he dismissed it as a tool of war and told me to do with it as I wished.
Well, after talk like that, I didn’t exactly feel like just picking it up. I was one to talk, totally dependent on the Magic Armor as I was, but I felt like using this sword too much would be bad for me—besides, I wasn’t a swordsman. I’d struggle to wield it effectively. I had Orsted look after it for the time being. I could lend it out to people when I needed to.
Ruijerd spent all day every day with Norn. Or more like, everywhere Ruijerd went, Norn followed him like a duckling. Seeing Ruijerd teaching her all sorts of things reminded me of Eris and me, back in the day.
Norn was a diligent student.
…I could call this diligence, right? I just didn’t think I’d ever seen a look like that on Norn’s face before. It was like how she looked at people she admired, but not quite the same… I mean, not that it mattered. She could look at him how she liked.
Dohga was a big hit with the women and children. When we’d first arrived in the village, they’d feared him, but they seemed to have gotten over that barrier. I guessed it was because of how he’d devoted himself to helping them during the plague.
Lately, he’d been whittling things like wooden dolls and playing with the kids. He looked the picture of innocence the whole time.
The kids had stopped pelting Orsted with balls, so he seemed a little lonely. The medical team said the Superd were progressing well, so they moved on to researching the plague. They went through the village’s food, looking for a cause…well, it was more like they were collecting samples. They’d probably take them back to the Asura Kingdom and store them for reference.
Cliff, Elinalise, and Ginger set off for the Second City of Irelil at my request. They were going to repeat my demands to the king as a condition for the release of our prisoners.
I needed someone who could receive the king’s response. I sent two Superd warriors, both with shaven heads, along to serve as their guards…but if Geese hadn’t called off his plan, he might try to pick us off one by one. I couldn’t relax.
I held a review meeting after the battle. There was no end of things to go over. In particular, the bit where I’d gotten myself thrown into the ravine was like, yowzers. And why had I thought Geese wouldn’t use Magical Implements? I’d have to be ready for that likelihood next time. Getting surprised the first time a trick was pulled on me was human, but that trick wouldn’t work on me again.
Oh yeah, the Atofe Hand went back to Atofe, and a healing magic scroll returned my right arm to its original form. Without thinking, I reached out with my new hand and gave Eris’s breasts a good squeeze. She got a good uppercut in, right on my chin, and there was half a day wasted.
Then there was that spell. The spell I’d used at the end of my fight with Alec. I thought it was probably gravity magic, but I wanted another clue. That fight had driven home to me just how powerful gravity magic was.
I had a lot to consider with the teleportation circles too. If I went on setting them up all over the place like this time, our opponent would use them too. I’d have to take precautions against that in future.
Even after three days passed, the teleportation circles still hadn’t recovered. On the second day, I called Arumanfi, and he told me my family were all safe…but even so, the recovery of the magic circles was slower than I’d anticipated.
Maybe there was a problem with something unrelated to the Man-God. That was concerning. Worrying too much wouldn’t help, though, so I had to occupy myself by doing what I could.
On the fourth day, Eris and I went on a date… Okay, we went on a walk around the village. Eris had—unusually for her—spent the whole day after the battle sleeping like a log. At least, recently it was unusual. Her lifestyle these days was regimented to a degree unimaginable when she was little. I hardly ever even saw her take a nap. Once she’d joined in when Linia took a nap, but that was about it. I thought about lying down with them that time, but when Linia was there too that’d mean sharing a bed with her. It felt like a form of cheating, so after some genuine agonizing, I’d decided against it.
Anyway. When Eris was a kid, she’d napped in the stable all the time. Back then, she’d run with her engine open at full throttle 24/7, but she was still small and not done growing yet, so she ran her tank dry. Now, she had a tank with many times the capacity of those days, with a cutting-edge eco-friendly engine. She didn’t run dry anymore. And yet, she’d slept for a full day. That was just how intense the battle had been.