Several days later, Zelos’s and Merlyn’s homes were finished without a hitch. The clearing wasn’t that big, so the three houses together almost made it look like a little village. The once empty forest had really changed.
“Hey, Reina, why don’t we hold a celebration now that their houses are done?” I asked.
“Good idea. I heard you helped out quite a lot near the end, too, so let’s make it a big party.”
While they built their homes, we had casually worked on organizing our own house. From her Storage spell, Reina had taken what seemed like an endless variety of food, tools, and other objects, and by the end the house was full of them. I was bad at simple, minute tasks, and it had taken a long time, but our home finally felt lived in.
“Still, there really was a lot of stuff in there,” I remarked.
“What else was I supposed to do? I had no idea what sort of irregular things were waiting for me on an exploration of the Furthermost Lonely Isle.”
Reina had come to this island by royal decree, but that fact now felt like ancient history. It hadn’t even been three months since we had met, but it felt like we had always been together.
“I never thought this would happen when I first set out,” she added.
“Me neither.”
I hadn’t wanted to meet anyone back then, but at some point I had changed, and now I only felt calm with someone nearby. Apparently, Reina hadn’t imagined that she would ever get closer with Zelos and Merlyn either. Different circumstances sure can change people, I thought, and as I did, I heard voices a short distance away.
“Whoa?! What’s with you guys?!”
“Just wait, what is this?!”
“It’s Zelos and Merlyn,” I said.
“What’s happening?” Reina said.
Outside, two wolves were playfully running in circles around Zelos’s and Merlyn’s legs. It was Grr and Garr, the wolf pups Luna had saved.
“Ah, good morning, Mister Arataaa!” Luna said.
“Good morning, Luna. By the way, what’s all this about?” I asked.
“We came here to play, but they noticed new smells and ran off...and now that.”
Just then, Grr suddenly leaped on Merlyn. However, she was a Celestial Archmage, one of the strongest magicians around. She may have been up against a monster of this island, but Grr was a newborn baby, and she reflexively captured him.
“Really, what is this?” Merlyn said.
Grr was dangling in her grasp by the scruff of his neck, but he must have thought she was playing with him, because he was happily wagging his tail. As for Merlyn, she was looking at the small wolf with a baffled expression on her face.
“Garr!”
“Huh?! Why are you coming here too?!” Merlyn said.
Garr probably thought she was playing with Grr too. He had been running in a circle next to Zelos, but now he rushed over to Merlyn.
“Zelos, aren’t you supposed to deal with this one?! What are you doing?!”
“When did we agree to that?! They clearly only like you!”
“It’s because you won’t play with it! I mean, I’m not playing either, but still!”
Grr swayed in Merlyn’s grasp, while Garr ran around her, as if to say, Me too! Luna laughed as she watched the two happy wolves, while Reina seemed jealous of the two magicians.
It was a scene that was different from usual.
✦ ✦ ✦
Soon after, Grr and Garr had had their fill of playing with Merlyn and fell asleep on Luna’s lap.
“So, what was all that?!” Merlyn asked.
“Huh? You’re asking that now?” I said.
“I’ve been asking it this whole time!”
Reina had stretched her hands out to the two sleeping wolves and was gently petting the small pups’ bellies. Her mouth was curved into an even wider smile than usual, and she mumbled, “So cute...” as the two ticklishly squirmed.
Yep, this is definitely a relaxing sight.
“Are you ignoring me on purpose?” Merlyn said.
“Not at all. It’s just...I’m not sure what to say.”
“They’re Grr and Garr,” Luna said.
“That’s right: Grr and Garr,” I said.
“I’m not asking their names...” Dejected, Merlyn slumped her shoulders and sat down on the spot in resignation. Grr and Garr had played with her until they dropped, and she looked quite worn out, with her shoulders heaving as she breathed.
“Hah, how pathetic,” Zelos said. “You make yourself look young, but at your age, you should know better.”
“Lecturing a woman about her age? Do you want to die, Zelos? Don’t forget, you’re essentially as old as I am.”
“It’s about discipline, I tell you, discipline.”
The two had begun to glare at each other, so I went over to Reina, who was delighted at having the opportunity to pet the wolf pups. An atmosphere of friendly calm was more fun than Zelos’s and Merlyn’s tense mood.
“Have they always been like that?” I asked.
“Yes. They’re longtime acquaintances, apparently, and they both see each other as rivals.”
“Huh...”
Merlyn and Zelos were Number Five and Six in the Seven Celestial Archmages. Their specialty elements—water and fire—were opposites, and apparently they were particularly competitive, even among the Celestial Archmages.
“Do you have an epithet like Zelos’s ‘Flame of Ruin’ or Merlyn’s ‘Divine Water,’ Reina?” I asked. In truth, I had already learned about hers from Zelos, but I wanted to hear it from her.
“Yes. I was called ‘Omnimage.’”
“Whoa, that sounds impressive.”
“There’s nothing impressive about it. I’m just a jack-of-all-trades, master of none, without any strong elements like those two.”
Despite what she said, I had experienced how impressive she was firsthand while living together with her, so to me it seemed like she was only being humble. On this island, at least, magic that improved one’s lifestyle was much more in demand than the power to defeat enemies. Zelos and Merlyn couldn’t cast Storage, for example, so I could see why Reina, who had mastered all sorts of magic, was called Omnimage.
“That’s why you’re impressive, Reina,” I said frankly.
“Th-Thanks...” Seemingly embarrassed, she blushed and twirled a strand of her long hair around her finger.