Rudeus Greyrat's POV
The next day… In the library.
A day has passed since that... "unfortunate" incident. I call it that to be polite, but the truth is it was a total disaster. It's been hard for Ariel, and for Sylphie… honestly, for me too. Indirectly, Luke was the one who helped me solve my "problem" with that aphrodisiac he gave to Sylphie. Knowing that my teacher would have been in danger because of Luke's actions leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
But well, there isn't much to be done now.
"Good grief... just remembering the face he made yesterday gives me goosebumps."
Arthur's expression yesterday... it reminded me of Orsted. That same cold, overwhelming pressure that makes you feel like an insect about to be crushed. I couldn't help but tremble a bit in that moment.
"Note to self: Do not make Arthur angry under any circumstances. Ever."
I stopped in front of a bookshelf, scanning the spines with my gaze. I need to find something that works for the magic circles of the teleportation seal. As I reached for a thick, leather-bound volume, I glanced to the side.
Arthur was at a large table, practically buried under a mountain of books. Since yesterday's incident, he looks much more determined; his eyes scan the pages with a terrifying focus.
He seems hell-bent on finding a way to finish Hitogami as quickly as possible... and I don't blame him, I want to get rid of him too. I'm very grateful for what he did the last time, that spell to stop him from reading my mind, though it seems it also drove him away from me and he doesn't want to visit me anymore.
I'd like to see his face to see if he still has that mocking smirk...
And well, Roxy is here too.
It turns out she's about ten weeks pregnant. Ten weeks! My teacher is going to be a mother and my... well, Arthur is going to be a father.
"Arthur, please stop looking at me as if I were made of glass," Roxy said without looking up from her book, though a small smile played on her lips.
"I'm not looking at you," Arthur grunted, though it was obvious he was. "I'm just... monitoring. You should be resting in the room. It's drafty in this library."
"It's a library, not a battlefield," Roxy replied, finally closing the book to look him in the eye. "I've told you a dozen times: I'm pregnant, not incapacitated. Reading a book won't hurt the baby."
Arthur let out a sigh, a sound of pure defeat. It's rare to see him lose an argument, but Roxy has always been his weakness.
"Fine," he muttered. "But if you feel even a little bit tired, you're going back to the room."
"Yes, yes, my knight in shining armor," she joked, reaching out to give his hand a little pat.
I looked away, feeling like a third wheel in a room where there were only three people.
"I definitely need to find Sylphie soon," I thought with a sigh.
The others were doing as they pleased in the fortress. Ariel was currently having tea with Perugius; she felt obligated to apologize formally. After all, Luke was her primary bodyguard, and his betrayal was a stain that she, as the future queen, could not ignore before the Dragon King.
As for Nanahoshi… she looked much better yesterday, almost like when I first met her. I couldn't help but be happy for her. According to Arthur's explanation, Nanahoshi's body, possessing no mana of its own, absorbed magical energy directly from the air as if it were poison.
"How is that even possible?" I wondered, scratching my chin. If I think about it, it makes sense. She was summoned with her original body from the other world; upon entering an environment saturated with magic, her organism simply didn't know how to process it and collapsed.
As someone who comes from the same world as her, it relieves me to see her healthy... but I don't know if I can say the same for her emotional state. Nanahoshi is fragile; when her experiments fail, she falls apart completely.
I let out a long sigh, dropping my shoulders as I closed the book in my hands. The pressure of Hitogami, Ariel's destiny, and now Arthur's future child... it was a lot to think about.
"Are you okay, Rudy?"
Sylphie's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I turned and saw her there, standing by the bookshelf. She looked tired from accompanying Ariel in the audiences with Perugius, but she looked at me with that sweet concern that always managed to calm me down.
"Ah, Sylphie... Yes, I was just turning a lot of things over in my mind at once," I replied, forcing a smile as I approached her. "How did the talk with Perugius end? Is Ariel feeling calmer?"
Sylphie sighed and leaned lightly on my arm.
"It was very hard, Rudy. Perugius didn't hold back; he told Ariel that if she isn't capable of controlling her own men, she'll hardly be able to control a kingdom. But in the end... I think what Luke did served to harden her will even more. Now she's more determined than ever."
"Well, I guess it's not all bad after all," I murmured, thinking about how crises usually forge leaders.
Sylphie looked into my eyes with that determined expression she usually wears when we set formalities aside.
"Do you want me to help you look?"
"Please."
She already knew about the plan. I had no choice but to tell her everything last night; after the mention of Hitogami and Luke's confession about why he did what he did, Sylphie started asking questions I couldn't dodge. In the end, I felt relieved not to have to hide this weight from her anymore. Knowing she is aware of the war against that god takes a huge pressure off my shoulders.
"Sure, let's look for something related to high-level magic seals," I added, pointing to the section of the library we hadn't reviewed yet.
.. ...
Arthur's POV
A few hours later…
I closed the heavy book in front of me with a sharp thud. But I didn't find the answers I was looking for or anything that could serve against Hitogami.
"Okay, this isn't very useful..." I muttered to myself, feeling a sting of frustration.
I had spent hours trying to design the seal's schematic with the Great Sage's help. I had a basic idea in my head: something similar to what Perugius told me about how they sealed Laplace, but the variables were a mess.
"And so, Great Sage, what conclusion have you reached?"
"Analysis complete," the voice of the Great Sage resonated. "To finish the seal, we need three things we do not have: First, the magnitude of Hitogami's power, or someone similar or stronger than him to use as a scale. Second, an anchor point, or rather, being there physically. And third, precise real-time visual coordinates."
In short: I have to be at the location to create the seal. I have to be right in front of him.
"And do you think he would let me do something like that in that moment?" I thought, resting my hand on my chin as I analyzed the situation.
Hitogami is a coward, but he's not stupid. He wouldn't stand still while I touched his face.
"Probability of the target cooperating: 0%,» the Great Sage added with an almost mocking tone. «Unless he loses the capacity to resist."
I sketched a small, cold smile. Well, I wasn't planning on just sealing him.
"...after leaving him thoroughly beaten, I'm sure it can be done," I murmured to myself, though it seems I said it loud enough to be heard.
"Arthur... your face is a bit scary right now," Rudeus's voice snapped me out of my trance.
I blinked and focused my vision. Rudeus and Sylphie, who had been concentrated on their own books, were looking at me with a drop of sweat running down their foreheads while letting out a nervous chuckle.
"I think the dragon blood also makes my emotions more intense," I thought.
Quickly, I relaxed my facial muscles and went back to being myself.
"Sorry, I just can't help it. Thinking about Hitogami makes me a bit upset," I said, scratching the back of my neck in an apologetic gesture.
"I understand perfectly," Rudeus replied, catching his breath. "That guy has that effect on people. But, have you made any progress?"
"By the way, I've got it," I announced, pointing to the diagrams the Great Sage had helped me perfect.
"What? So fast?" Rudeus's eyes widened, impressed.
"Well, let's say I already have a part of the necessary theoretical information. It's just that... there's a problem with the other part. To finish the creation of the seal, I have to be at the location face to face."
Rudeus remained thoughtful, observing the incomplete magic circle spread out on the table.
"We need Orsted…" he murmured, "but he hasn't shown up anywhere."
I sighed and took out the ring, placing it on the table with a light clink.
"Yeah, that's also a problem," I admitted, looking up at the ceiling.
Suddenly, Roxy, who had been listening in silence, seemed to remember something important.
"I know who can help us," she said confidently.
The three of us—Sylphie, Rudeus, and I—turned toward her in unison.
"A few years ago, when I was trying to find clues about Rudeus and his family after the teleportation incident..." Roxy began, "I ran into a strange-looking girl with pink hair who claimed to be called Kishirika Kishirisu, the Demon Empress. Obviously, at that time I didn't quite believe her."
"I ran into her too!" Rudeus exclaimed quickly, his eyes wide. "I remember her. She was very hungry and I gave her some of the food I was carrying; in exchange, as a gift, she gave me this Demon Eye of Foresight."
Rudeus pointed to his right eye, the one that allowed him to see a few seconds into the future.
"I gave her food too," Roxy continued, "and in exchange, I asked to see where Rudeus and his parents were. She was able to locate them in an instant, regardless of the distance or the continent."
I straightened up in my chair, feeling the pieces starting to fit together.
"It's true... how did I not think of it before!" Rudeus exclaimed, slamming his fist on the table with excitement. "Kishirika has eyes that can see everything. With her, we could know exactly where Orsted is at this moment and, above all, we'll know why on earth he hasn't arrived yet."
"Then it's decided," I added, crossing my arms. "We'll have to go to the Demon Continent."
I was already preparing to tell the old man to help us with his teleportation circles, but then Roxy cleared her throat slightly, catching my attention. She looked at me with a mix of shyness and determination.
"If we go there... after finding the Empress, could we go to a particular place?" Roxy asked me, fiddling a bit with the hem of her robe.
"Where to?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Well... to my village. The Migurd Village."
I stood blinking for a few moments in silence while processing the request. I looked at Roxy, then at Rudeus, and finally back at her.
"Good grief... I think I know exactly where this is going," I thought, feeling a different kind of pressure in my chest. "She wants to introduce me to her parents. As the man who got her pregnant. As her... husband? Partner? I'm definitely going to meet my demon in-laws.
Rudeus also seemed to understand the magnitude of the situation instantly. He looked at me with a mocking smile.
"The Migurd Village, huh?" Rudeus said, trying to hold back his laughter. "It's a very... quiet place. And Roxy's parents are very direct people, Arthur. I wish you the best of luck."
I felt an invisible drop of sweat run down the back of my neck.
"Thanks... for the encouragement," I replied, shooting Rudeus a dry look.
I looked at Roxy. She was still watching me with those bright eyes, waiting for an answer. Her family was important to her, and after everything we had been through—and what was to come—it was the least I could do. Besides, if we were going to form our own family, I needed to understand her roots.
"Alright, Roxy. We'll go to the Migurd Village," I said finally, softening my expression. I took her hand over the table and gave it a soft squeeze. "After all, I want to meet the people who raised you."
Roxy let out a sigh of relief, as if a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders, and gave me a smile so radiant it lit up her entire face.
Sylphie let out a tender "Aww," while Rudeus smiled.
After that brief moment of calm, the group split up. Roxy, Sylphie, and Rudeus went to tell the rest to see who was going and who was staying.
Meanwhile, I went to talk to the old man to ask for his help with his transport circles.
I reached the round table, where Perugius was sitting, observing some ancient maps.
"If you've come to see me, it's because you've finished it, right?" he asked without looking up, though I noticed a spark of curiosity in his voice.
"Yes, it's actually finished," I replied, stopping in front of him. "Only a few final adjustments are needed when I am face to face with him."
Perugius put down the maps and looked directly at me, interlacing his fingers on the table.
"I see. You've progressed faster than I expected, Arthur. So, what is the next step?"
"I need to go to the Demon Continent."
"To the Demon Continent?" he asked, raising an eyebrow with evident skepticism. "What are you going to do there?"
"I plan to meet with the Great Demon Empress, Kishirika Kishirisu..."
End of Chapter