The next day, we leave the house in the morning and go to the high elves’ village as planned.
I tell Brynhildr why we’re here, and she gladly gives us permission to climb Yggdrasil.
“It really is big…”
Says Reina while looking up after getting close.
“Ah, that’s right. You weren’t here last time.”
It was Edinburgh instead.
That means she hasn’t been here since that trouble with Yggdrasil.
“Snow, we have business up there today, so can we fly?”
“Why are you asking that?”
Because you insisted on climbing it last time, of course.
I guess she doesn’t remember, but there’s no need to stir that hornet’s nest, so let’s just fly.
I can hold Reina, and Tiltue can hold Snow.
Is what I’m thinking, when Tiltue turns into her dragon form.
“I can carry everyone.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. You, Reina, and Snow are all family!”
“…Thanks.”
Everyone gets on her back, and Tiltue shoots up.
She’s so fast that I wonder if Reina and Snow are okay, but it looks like she’s using wind magic to protect them.
We push through the fog that suddenly appears, and find ourselves in the land of white clouds I saw before.
“Wah!”
“Wai! That’s dangerous!”
I guess Snow remembers playing here last time, because she immediately jumps off Tiltue’s back.
Well, the clouds will cushion her fall, but I reflexively catch her anyway.
“Eh… Why?”
Snow isn’t happy about that.
She’s fidgeting trying to escape, so I tickle her.
“Hahahahaha!”
“We’re going to see my mother, so you can play after that.”
“Yes.”
I hold Snow as she settles down, and look at Reina.
She has her eyes wide open, and then sighs.
“Ahh… That scared me.”
“Well, she’d be fine even if I didn’t catch her.”
“I heard about it, but it’s still hard to believe that’s true when I actually see it. Still…”
She looks at this divine sight from Tiltue’s back, and lets out a sigh of admiration.
“It’s incredible. It’s like the world of a fairy-tale.”
I thought the same thing the first time I came here.
Being surrounded by white clouds, the blue sky, and the sunlight falling on it all gives that impression.
I understand why people used to think this sort of nature was a representation of god.
“Darling, can we keep going to the top?”
“Please do… Ah.”
Tiltue flies while going around the tree slowly out of consideration for us, when Miss Miriel and Miss Phi fall from the top.
They’re great spirits, but when I see them like this, they really look like angels dispatched by god.
“Yaho! What brings you here?”
“You could have told us you were coming to visit! We couldn’t even get ready to welcome you!”
Neither falls on Tiltue’s back, instead flying next to us while they talk.
“Actually, yesterday my mother… Yggdrasil spoke to me.”
“Eh? Miss Yggdrasil did?”
“Ah, so you do know about her.”
That makes sense.
Great spirits protect the tree that supports this world, so of course they would know.
“She said I’m her son, so I figured I’d bring my wives here to say hello. Can you take us to her?”
“…Hm…”
Miss Miriel looks a little troubled. And Miss Phi has a similar expression.
“What is it?”
“Miss Yggdrasil…”
“It’s fine! They can see for themselves!”
They get in front of Tiltue, and we fly to the top of Yggdrasil.
◇ ◇ ◇
When we get there, I see a place that’s just like what I saw in my dream.
There’s a vast grassy field, even though we’re on top of a tree, with a tree in the middle.
“This… Feels strange.”
Whispers Reina, as she holds her hair fluttering in the wind. I agree.
This isn’t a dream, but there’s a purity to it that doesn’t feel real either.
“…”
Snow hasn’t said a word since we got here. She’s just staring at the tree.
“You’ve made it.”
“Mister Dine…”
We approach him, and Phi gets on top of him and Miss Miriel stands next to him.
“We will wait here, you can go.”
“Yes… Let’s go.”
I pick up Snow and sit her on my shoulders, and she puts her hands on my head so she doesn’t fall.
Reina holds my right hand, and Tiltue my left, and the great spirits see us off as we walk forward as a family.
◇ ◇ ◇
When we approach the tree, I notice something different from the dream.
“Darling, this…”
“A crystal? There’s someone inside…”
Tiltue and Reina both sound surprised, and I look at it silently.
My mother, who I saw in the dream, is sleeping in the crystal.
“So you really can’t move… Mom.”
That’s what she told me to call her, so I’m talking to her like I would my real mother.
Wil has never met her, there was the great spirits’ reaction to me wanting to see her, and she appeared to me in a dream.
She was sulking about me not saying hello when I was here before, but I thought she could have come to see me herself.
The fact that she didn’t made me imagine she couldn’t move.
“…Ahh.”
I take a deep breath and calm down.
My mother in the crystal has her eyes closed, and her hands together in front of her chest like she’s praying.
She looks like a saint who sacrificed herself to god.
“She’s beautiful…”
“Yes…”
They sound less bewildered and more impressed.
They can’t take their eyes off her, like they’re looking at an incredibly beautiful piece of art.
I keep holding their hands, and take a step forward.
“This is Reina Mistral, the greatest mage on the continent.”
“Ah…”
“And this is Tiltue, an ancestral dragon with Bahamut as her ancestor.”
“Hm…”
Both hold my hands tighter, like they know what I’m doing.
They bow lightly, and put their arms around me.
“And up here is Snow. Do you know her, mom? She is the youngest great spirit.”
“Uu?”
I guess Snow has no idea what I’m doing, because she sounds confused.
I can’t see her, but I imagine she’s tilting her head.
I don’t know if mom is conscious or if she can even hear me. But since she knew in my dream that we came here, I’m sure she can understand.
Then we talk about ourselves.
“These three are my dear family.”
The moment I say that… I feel like she smiles in the crystal.
Is she watching? Then the time is now.
I let go of them and put Snow on the ground.
Then I take the rings out of the Storage Magic and show them to them.
““!?””
They look surprised. I guess they know what this means.
I’m nervous… But I want to say at least this much.
“I, Arata Todo, promise to protect you, Reina Mistral and Tiltue, for the rest of my life.”
I say while looking straight at them.
Both of their faces are bright red, and there’s some tears welling up in their eyes.
“Put out your hands.”
“Yes…”
“Hm…”
I put the rings on their ring fingers.
There’s no marriage ceremony, just a rite where I tell them how I feel, but I think that’s fine.
“I, Reina Mistral… No, Reina Todo, will always love you.”
“We’ll stay together forever.”
Both look very happy.
◇ ◇ ◇
“That’sh sho nice!”
I hear that yell behind me, and turn around to see Miss Miriel bawling.
“Ah, enough already! You’re spoiling the romantic mood!”
“But…”
She’s crying like it’s happening to her, and we look at each other and smile awkwardly.
It’s not like this is bad. Seeing someone so emotional over us couldn’t be.
And… She’s one of the people that’s been looking after mom.
“Thank you, Miss Miriel.”
“Uu… You’re a good boy, Arata.”
“Hahaha…”
I hand her a handkerchief, as she can’t stop her tears.
It doesn’t feel like she’ll calm down any time soon, so we wait. And then Mister Dine speaks to us.
“I heard from Arc and the others that humans have marriage ceremonies.”
“Yes…”
There was that banquet when I proposed to Tiltue.
That wasn’t really a marriage ceremony, but… There’s something else that’s been on my mind.
It might be just my ego, but…
“Arata, you don’t have to worry about me.”
“Reina?”
“We can have that marriage ceremony when you have your island wide banquet.”
There’s a knowing smile on her face.
“You said we would walk together, and I’m responding to that. Your dream is my dream now.”
Says Reina, and Tiltue laughs.
“A banquet uh? The more people, the more fun! I know that already! You’re the one who taught me!”
“You too, Tiltue…”
I still don’t know the whole island.
In fact, I just learned about my mother and the demons.
And when I think about there being races out there I don’t even know about, I wonder when exactly we’ll have this marriage ceremony.
“Are you two okay with that?”
““Of course!””
Both say with smiles while showing their rings.
My wives are too good for me. But I won’t let anyone else have them.
“Okay!”
I pledged it before, but I’ll do it for myself again.
I’ll treasure these two for as long as I live.
“Wah!”
I hold Snow, who doesn’t know what we’re talking about, and raise my arm.
“Let’s do our best to have the whole island celebrate our marriage!”
“““Oou!”””
High above the clouds, on top of the tree that supports the whole world, we yell and laugh.
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