You can leave Snow with us.
Said Mister Dine, so I’m doing just that, and Edinburgh and I are going back home.
Snow looks a little unsure, but accepts because Tiltue is staying too, and the other great spirits say they’ll play with her.
“I hope she doesn’t cry again…”
“Tiltue is staying with her, and the darkness great spirit will be there if needed.”
Miss Miriel and the others bragged that Snow was visiting Yggdrasil. Mister Guen and Mister Giarth wanted to go too, but Miss Sheryl stopped them.
Those three haven’t been near Yggdrasil all this time, but I think it will be fine if Snow needs them.
Well, great spirits are beings that protect Yggdrasil, so they might want to go there anyway, and use Snow as a pretext.
I think Miss Miriel had that in mind too when she said Snow is there.
But does she even have the capacity to scheme like that… Oh well, it worked out in the end.
Apparently they also said that since the others went to the north last time, they’re repaying the favor now.
I think they could just visit each other and not worry about any of that, but the great spirits all have their circumstances.
“Miss Sheryl is the one who dotes on her the most.”
And as long as she’s there, it’ll be fine even if Snow does cry.
It’s been decided that the great spirits won’t all be there, but they’ll take turns visiting, so she won’t get bored.
I hope she makes some nice memories.
It’s like visiting grandma during the summer. She can’t go out alone yet, but it’s nice that she gets to spend some time away from home.
“But what about this demon Orobas in the depths of the dungeon?”
I’ve met plenty of races on this island, but I’ve never heard of demons.
My goal is to get them all together in a banquet, but I didn’t even know about all of them…
◇ ◇ ◇
The next day, we go to the dungeon Miss Miriel told us about.
And since the place where ancient dragons and demon gods fight is near the path to the dungeon, we go see how Reina is doing.
She’s not where she was meditating before, so I look for her presence, and feel her fighting someone pretty far away.
Is this magic energy…”
“I’ll go have a look.”
“All right, I will wait here.”
I leave Edinburgh, and head west.
This place is pretty rocky with few trees, so I have a clear view if I go up a tall mountain.
Once here, I see mages fighting.
“Yes… It’s Wil… And…”
Come to think of it, Xellos, Merlin, and the others weren’t home yesterday.
They said they had plans to train, so I thought they went to the divine beast people’s village, but apparently they’re with Reina.
“Or did Wil drag them into this?”
Reina is fighting one on one, but the others of the seven great mages and Arc and the others are just resting.
Cara must’ve had a lot taken out of her, because she’s lying face down on the ground.
They’re among the strongest humans, so it stands to reason that they’ve been fighting Wil, the strongest mage on this island.
She’s fighting Reina now, effortlessly battling her with magic.
“Wil looks like she’s having so much fun that I can almost hear her laughing.”
She does like to torment the weak. But I’m sure this is what they wanted.
She raised Edinburgh, and is a treasure trove of magic knowledge. There’s no better training partner for a supposedly great mage.
“It’s quite the luxury, if you think about it…”
Maybe I’ll ask later too.
But then, Wil notices me.
I told you before, we’re not putting on a show. Go away.
She mouths, and her eyes go back to Reina.
I feel kind of left out… But I decided not to intervene, so I can’t feel this way.
“Good luck, Reina.”
I look at her again as she does her best to keep up with Wil, and go down the rocky mountain.
Edinburgh is waiting for me, with her usual calm demeanor.
“Was mother having fun?”
“Yes, I guess you knew.”
“It’s the quality of the magic energy.”
That’s impressive considering the distance. I couldn’t really tell.
When I tell her Wil roped in other members of the seven great mages and the hero’s party, she smiles.
“I see… It seems mother really is training her to beat me.”
She starts walking again in a good mood, and I follow.
Reina is doing her best to beat Edinburgh, which I thought would give her mixed feelings, but I guess not.
“Don’t you have a problem with it?”
“I don’t. I’m actually a little excited.”
I don’t know why she feels that way, but if she accepts it, that’s fine.
But before they can face off, she needs her memories back.
“What is a demon like?”
“Maybe I knew before… But I guess it’s something big enough to ostracize Ceres and the others. At the very least, it’s not a being humans see in a good light.”
Come to think of it, people thought of me as a demon on the continent.
Then again, I’ve never met them, and they were spurred on by Wil.
We continue talking, until we reach the place Miss Miriel told us about.
“I guess it’s here.”
It’s a cave carved into a mountain, that’s a little further east from where the ancient dragons live.
Unlike a man-made tunnel, this one isn’t very convenient for people to use to get in.
The ground is all rugged, and needless to say, there’s no lights and it’s dark.
“I heard something weird.”
“That’s water running. And you can think of it as the wind.”
We had caves like this in Japan, but I never entered one.
I pictured a dungeon like one in games and manga, but that’s fiction.
Even someone like me with an invincible body can’t help but be nervous here.
I’ve never been too good with tests of courage…
That’s what crosses my mind as we walk through the darkness.
I thought I lost most of my sense of fear when I got this body, but I guess this doesn’t count.
“Let’s go.”
Edinburgh is a seasoned mage. Maybe she’s used to dungeons, because she quickly creates a ball of light and keeps walking.
“Ah, that’s right. Watch your magic inside a dungeon…”
“…I’ll light it up too.”
As I go after Edinburgh, I copy the light she just used…
“!?”
“Ah!”
I miscalculate how much I need to hold back, and an incredibly bright flash lights up the cave.
And it hits Edinburgh directly, because she just happens to be looking at me.
“Father… Did I do something bad…?”
“S-sorry! It wasn’t on purpose!”
It’s like she was hit with a stun grenade. She might not believe it, but it was most definitely not on purpose.
Edinburgh lets out a sad voice with her eyes closed, and I offer my most sincere apology.
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Thanks for the treat.