The 18th day of the Light month.

On a warm, sunny afternoon, I was in the garden behind Lilia-san’s mansion. This garden, which is somewhat too large to be called a rear garden, is also the place where Lilia-san’s mansion’s guard force conducts their training.

[……Hmmm. Siegi is like that now huh…… It’s not like I’m doubting Kaito-senpai, but I just can’t imagine him being like that.]

[Well, putting aside if Mitsunaga-kun has changed, I’m just glad that he’s doing well. Thank you for telling us, Kaito-san.]

When I told Hina-chan and Aoi-chan about Mitsunaga-kun, who I’ve met in the Hydra Kingdom again, Hina-chan seemed to be doubting the change in Mitsunaga-kun, while Aoi-chan was honestly happy to see him safe. Well, Hina-chan was Mitsunaga-kun’s cousin sister, and since she knows Mitsunaga-kun’s well, she may be surprised by his change. As I think about this, I look at the two of them while drinking green tea. Hina-chan, dressed in trousers that look easy to move…… The same as she usually wears when she’s going for a run, and Aoi-chan, wearing a simple one-piece dress and a brown jacket. They seem to be doing their prepared exercises in their own ways, while I was sitting on the side, watching the two of them.

[……Alright, all set and ready. Aoi-senpai!]

[I’m also ready…… Well then, best regards.]

[Yes!]

[Kaito-san, please give us a signal.]

It looks like they’re ready to go, as Hina-chan and Aoi-chan stood around the center facing each other, keeping a reasonable distance. Then, Aoi-chan asked me for a signal, and slightly raising one hand, I waved it down with my call.

[Well then…… Start!]

With my signal, Aoi-chan quickly crouches down on the spot and places her hand on the ground to summon a magic circle.

""

[……Clay Golem!]

[Ohhh……]

Thereupon, the magic circle lets out a bright glow, and a large amount of dirt and mud flooded towards the magic circle…… gathering together and forming into a humanoid, mud giant of about 5 meters tall. When Hina-chan saw it, she lightly pulled her foot back and tightly clenched her fist.

[Fuuu! Let’s get serious now!]

At the same time as those words, Hina-chan powerfully kicks off the ground and heads straight for the golem at a terrific speed. Hina-chan’s speed was moving at a speed that makes me feel as if she’s moving through a fast-forwarded video, but the golem immediately responded to her movements, raising one arm to intercept Hina-chan. It’s a strike from a huge arm that could easily crush a human, but Hina-chan easily skips away, leaps onto the arm that had just been swung down on the ground and runs up to its shoulder.

[A- Awesome……]

[Hah!]

Then, running up the golem’s shoulder in an instant, HIna-chan twisted her body and with fluid motions, stomped the golem’s shoulder with a drop kick. It feels like that drop kick holds great power, as a loud sound is heard and a large crack is made on the golem’s shoulder.

[Kuhh, hard……]

[Fufufu, my golem won’t shatter so easily this time.]

[Ueehhhh…… Its reaction time had also increased, how much magic power did you put into it……]

Unable to shatter the golem with a single blow, Hina-chan looked troubled and took her distance, avoiding the golem’s hand that was about to swoop on its shoulder. Even so, the two of them were awesome…… Hina-chan is already able to move completely beyond human means, and I knew that Aoi-chan is learning how to cast genuine magic, but for her to make a golem that big…… I feel like I was left behind. As I was thinking about this, I watched the battle unfold. The reason why the two of them are fighting now is because Aoi-chan asked Hina-chan to help her test her new golem, which is something that is a rather common sight these days.

Incidentally, the last golem was about three meters tall and was crushed by Hina-chan with just one kick. I don’t know if Aoi-chan is being quite competitive or not, but the golem she summoned now is greatly strengthened compared to the last one, and even Hina-chan, who boasts of her overwhelming physical abilities, was unable to easily defeat it. Unnn, well, how should I say this…… The two of them got really strong……

After a while, it seems that the match has been settled. Hina-chan slumped down on the ground, while Aoi-chan clenched her fist and made a guts pose.

[Auuuu…… I lost. Having a regeneration ability is unfair.]

[Awesome…… Ah, no, thank you. Hina-chan.]

This time, Aoi-chan’s strategy seems to have clutched victory, as the golem that emphasizes endurance, adding a regenerating ability to that, the golem was able to withstand Hina-chan’s onslaught of attacks. Well, in a real battle, Hina-chan would just end the match by targeting Aoi-chan herself with her fast movements, but since the target of this match is to test out the capabilities of the golem, Aoi-chan would certainly be the winner.

[The two of you did great…… Well~~ Even so, both of you have become really strong. I don’t think I’d be a match for either of you.]

[Thank you. However, it can’t be helped since Kaito-san’s basic combat power is lower than ours. You’re also a different type of fighter.]

[A different type?]

As I was saying congratulatory words to the two of them, Aoi-chan reacted to my words and said that I’m a different type. When I tilted my head, not knowing what she was talking about, Aoi-chan continued while pointing at Hina-chan.

[If we were to compare it to an RPG, Hina-chan is a Warrior while I’m a Wizard.]

[Being a Warrior doesn’t sound very cute, so I feel like I’m losing out to Aoi-senpai as a girl, but I can certainly agree with how she described it.]

[Fumu…… Then, what about me?]

[ [ A Monster Tamer. ] ]

[……I see.]

[Kyuii?]

They answered my question in unison. Looking at Lynn who was laying on my lap and Bell who I was leaning my body against…… I was easily convinced why. It’s true that if I were to be likened to a Monster Tamer, I think it can’t be helped if my body’s fighting capabilities are low. Well, that’s actually the reason why I was also called to this place……

[Anyway, Kaito-san. I’ve finally defeated Hina-chan! At last, it’s now Bell-chan’s turn!]

[……Are you really sure you want to do this?]

[Please! I just want to see if my golem will work against the monsters of this world.]

[……U- Unnn. Well, if you’re going to go that far…… Bell.]

[Gaoo.]

Yes, the reason I’m being called to this place today is because Aoi-chan wanted to let her golem fight Bell as well. As for me, I was just worried about Bell’s fur getting dirty, but if she’s going this far, I guess it can’t be helped…… I’ll just bathe her again after they’re done. Bell’s fur is one of my pride and joy. I bathe her often and never miss a day of brushing her, so her fur is shiny and fluffy. Thanks to that, her fur feels as comfortable to touch as those high-class futons,so I often lean against Bell for a nap.

When I called out to her, Bell got up and slowly walked to the center of the garden, with an expression that seemed to say “It can’t be helped”.

[Bell…… Using your Breath is forbidden, okay?]

[Gaoo!]

And so, Aoi-chan, who wanted to confront Bell, also jogged towards the center and made a huge golem appear just like the one before. At first glance, the golem looks bigger than Bell…… It really consumes quite a considerable amount of magic power, but Aoi-chan has the most magic power among the three of us, so she can manage to make a golem of this caliber at least twice.

[Well then, Aoi-senpai, Bell-chan. Ready~~ Start!]

[Guruaahhh!]

[……Eh?]

[Gao……]

Hina-chan energetically started the match…… and it ended in an instant. It really just ended in an instant. As if she just found this battle troublesome, Bell waved her paw and the golem shattered by that one strike. As expected of a legendary magical beast…… She’s on a completely different level.

[J- Just one strike…… Bell-chan…… is really strong.]

Without seeming to be bothered by Aoi-chan’s slumped shoulders, Bell came back to me and slightly bowed her head, as if she’s asking me to praise her.

[Unnn. Thank you, Bell…… Good girl, you did really great.]

[Kuuu……]

Bell lets out a pleased purr as I pet her before she moves behind me again, returning back to the prone position she had before.

[Aoi-chan too, you did great……]

[U- Uuuu, as expected, I still couldn’t beat Bell-chan yet…… I still need some improvements.]

[I guess so.]

[Hmmm. What does this mean? Does that mean that Kaito-senpai is the strongest?]

[It’s not me you should be naming there, it’s Bell who’s stronger……. More importantly, Bell.]

[Guru?]

[Your right forepaw got dirty, you know? Show me that, I’m going to wipe it off, so hold out your paw.]

[Gaooo……]

For now, the most important thing at the moment is Bell’s paw, which got dirty after smacking the clay golem earlier. Dirt stains are troublesome to remove when they get dry, so I took out a large cloth from my magic box and wiped his paw.

[……Even so, I’m really tired.]

[Unnn, I also agree…… I’ve almost used up my magic power……]

[Well, let’s go take a break then. There’s still some tea that Lunamaria-san brought…… Unnn?]

I called out to Hina-chan and Aoi-chan, who looked like they were tired, while wiping Bell’s feet, when Lynn suddenly moved in front of me, flapping her wings around.

[Kyuu, kyukyuuii!]

[Eh? You want me to leave this to you?]

[Kyuii! Kyukuukyukyuuiii!]

[So, praise me later? U- Unnn?]

[……Aoi-senpai. It looks like Kaito-senpai has finally begun to understand the language of monsters almost completely.]

[……It seems like he’s completely become a Monster Tamer.]

I thought I heard some people saying rude things about me, but anyway, Lynn seemed to have something in her mind now, and she confidently told me to leave it to her. In the first place, I didn’t really understand what she was asking me to leave to her, but I nodded anyway, and then, Lynn turned to Aoi-chan and Hina-chan and took a deep breath.

[Kyuk~~ Kuuuu~~!]

[Eh? Wha!?]

[W- What is this? These glittery stuff!?]

Thereupon, Lynn released a glittering Breath burst forth like flowing wind, enveloping the both of them……

[Eh? Arehh? I somehow feel like my tiredness is disappearing……]

[I also feel like my magic power is recovering bit by bit? Could this be something like a “Recovery Breath”……]

Eh? Recovery Breath? Could Lynn, or rather, White Dragons release a Breath like that? Ohh, that’s awesome, and it’s something that would be really helpful. As I was admiring Lynn’s unexpected ability, I heard something fall behind me, and when I turned around…… Lilia-san’s trio were there, with their eyes and mouths wide open in astonishment.

[……Wha, w- w-…… what did she just……]

[……I’ve never heard of a Recovery Breath before but, is Lynn perhaps a Special Individual?]

[T- That’s not it! The Special Individuals of White Dragons have different wing shapes. Lynn is definitely a normal White Dragon.]

[As expected of Milady…… You really know a lot about Dragons.]

Arehh? What the heck does this mean? Somehow, I don’t know if I should say that I’m smelling the scent of trouble or not, but I feel like something ridiculous is happening. Quicker than my brain can catch up with the fact that Lynn has an ability that is inherently impossible for her to acquire, Lilia-san and the others began discussing it with serious expression on their faces. Incidentally, Aoi-chan and Hina-chan were very quick to tell me that they “had something they needed to do” and went somewhere…… Skillfully retreating like flowing water…… The two of them just raised their hands.

[……Come to think of it, isn’t Lynn’s magic power pretty big too?]

[Yes, Lynn-chan is in her “magic power growth period”, but even if she weren’t, I think that this amount of magic power is too big.]

[Miyama-sama, did you feed her anything strange?]

……Did I feed her anything strange…… Arehh? What should I do, there’s something that popped out of my mind.

[……Ahh.]

[……Kaito-san?]

Hearing the voice that reflexively leaked out of my mouth, Lilia-san questioningly looked back at me.

[……Ah, no, errr……]

[This is just a guess…… but could it be that you thought of something?]

[……E- Errr……]

[Kaito-san?]

[……I did think of something.]

The smile on Lilia-san looks like she’s about to burst. She’s smiling now but…… Her smile doesn’t reach her eyes at all, and looking closely, I could see her veins popping out of her forehead. Her whole body was filled with an aura that seemed to scream “You did something again?” which looked outrageously frightening.

[So? What did you feed her?]

When I honestly admitted that I did so, with that smile still on her face, Lilia-san approached me and put a hand on my shoulder…… Perhaps, this means that she wouldn’t get angry if I honestly told her…… Unnn. Let’s believe that’s the case. I kinda feel like I’ve been hearing a cracking sound from my shoulder for a while now, and my shoulder hurts like hell…… I- I guess that’s just my imagination, right? Feeling a chilling sensation ran through my innards, I timidly…… speak out the thing that I think was the cause of Lynn’s abilities.

[……Fru……]

[Fru?]

[Fruit…… of the World Tree……]

[………………..]

When Lilia-san heard my words, her knees lost strength and she immediately collapsed.

[Milady! P- Please pull yourself together……]

[……F- Fruit of…… t- the World Tree?]

Yes, as a matter of fact, when I was working on the music boxes, I was eating the Fruits of the World Tree while I was working, and Lynn happened to see while I was eating one, and she kept asking me to feed her a Fruit of the World Tree. I kept refusing her in the beginning, because there are lots of other foods that she can eat stocked, but Lynn is just too cute…… or rather, she was being persistent about it, so I had no choice but to feed her. Thereupon, she seems to like it a lot, as she started to beg me for it, and when she helps out, like the times when I’m bathing Bell, she would ask me to feed her that as a reward.

[Ummm, Sieg-san. That really was the cause, right?]

[I think it’s very possible. Monsters have two separate growth periods: One for their bodies and another for their magic power. Lynn-chan is currently in her magic power growth period……. There’s a common belief that if you give a monster food with magic power during its magic power growth period, its magic power will increase.]

[……………..]

[The Fruit of the World Tree is like a powerful mass of healing magic power, so I believe that its magic power mixed with Lynn-chan’s magic power during her growth phase, making her change…… No, I think it would be better to describe it as evolved.]

It was even more outrageous than I thought!? F- For me, it was just supposed to be a reward for my cute Lynn…… I- I never thought that her magic power would be affected by it and change her at all. As I was stunned by Sieg-san’s explanation…… Lilia-san slowly stood up.

[……Rather than that…… What the heck did you think you’re giving her!? Seriously, you!!!]

[Gueehhh!? L- Lilia-san…… It hurts……]

[Why are you feeding your pet the Fruit of the World Tree, which is so hard to even get one of, as if it was just a snack!?]

[I- I’m…… sor…… ry.]

Grabbing my collar, Lilia-san strongly rocks me back and forth, and as I felt my mind getting shook, I tried squeezing out an apology. Lilia-san started yelling at me for a while, before she let go of her grip and lets out a loud sigh.

[……Geez, you really are out of the norm……]

[Erhem…… I- I’m sorry I did it again.]

[……Haahhh…… I’ll ask just in case, but there’s no way that you went to visit World King-sama to ask her for Fruits of the World, just to feed your pet, right……?]

[……I- I’m sorry.]

[……You did huh……]

I bow my head again to Lilia-san, who astoundedly looked at me, while her shoulders slumped down. Yes, Lilia-san is right…… Actually, just a few days ago, I visited Lillywood-san and explained that Lynn liked the Fruit of the World Tree, and tried to negotiate with her to see if she could share some with me. Apparently, the effectiveness of the Fruits of the World Tree doesn’t lose over time, and Lillywood-san, who has restricted their distribution for may years, has enough Fruits of the World Tree that it was difficult for them to dispose of them, so she asked me to take as many as I wanted.

[……Ummm, I was only warned not to give them to others, so I got a lot.]

[……Is that so……]

Lilia-san looks as if her eyes were staring in the distance already, as if she’d given up on everything, while I was just earnestly apologizing to her…… That’s when Sieg-san, who had a wry smile on her face, helped me out.

[Lili, please forgive him for that already. It’s not like Kaito-san had any ill intentions either.]

[Sieg…… You’re spoiling Kaito-san too much.]

[Hmmm. Well, I had been watching Kaito-san take care of Bell-chan and Lynn-chan on a regular basis, so I knew that Kaito-san really cares about his pets. He’s fine with feeding Lynn-chan the Fruits of the World Tree because she’s so important to him.]

[T- That is, well…… That may be true but……]

As I thought, Sieg-san is an angel. No, she’s the messiah. I was relieved to hear Sieg-san as she calmly makes a follow up for me, to which, Lilia-san had an expression that seems to say that it can’t be helped. I was feeling relieved inside but…… It was shattered by a single word Lunamaria-san muttered.

[……I wouldn’t be surprised if Kaito-sama had given something to Bell-sama now……]

[………………….]

[Kaito-san? Why did you look away just now?]

[………………….]

No, stop that, Lunamaria-san…… If you make a tsukkomi at that time, I would feel troubled. Or rather, I’m going to get scolded again. However, it’s already too late to think about such matters, as Lilia-san was looking at me with that frightening smile on her face again, and I felt a large amount of sweat running down my back.

""

[……Kaito-san, please answer me honestly. What did you give to Bell?]

[……U- Ummm, Bell told me she wanted to get stronger…… So I “consulted with Magnawell-san”, and he told me to grind his scales into powder and mix it with her food…… That’s what I fed her……]

[……Please sit over there for a moment.]

[……Yes.]

Hearing the words I timidly said, I could clearly see Lilia-san’s veins pop out of her forehead just now, and with a tone of voice that seemed to say that she won’t let me talk back at all, I obeyed and sat down in a seiza.

[……You…… What the heck are you doing!? Are you trying to raise the most powerful monster that you can!!!?]

[Hyiiiihhh!?]

[Moreover, Dragon King-sama’s scales? How out of the norm can you be for you to feel comfortable using that in your pet’s food!? Even though I wanted some of Dragon King-sama’s scales too…… and you’re just feeding her those…… How much stronger do you want Bell to become!!!?]

[Milady, Milady? Your desires are kinda leaking out!]

Lilia-san loves Dragons…… I showed Lilia-san the Dragon King’s scales that I got before and she fainted in surprise, but she wanted some of them huh…… She should have just told me…… Magnawell-san would always give me some when I visit him, saying that it’s my allowance, so I had lots of them.

[……U- Ummm, Lilia-san? I could give you some…… Dragon King’s scales, I mean. I- I’ll also give you some fangs!]

[……Erhem. Well, I’m sure Kaito-san didn’t mean any harm, and I don’t really intend to scold you that harshly……]

[Milady? Why the heck did you let yourself get instantly caught……]

Lilia-san looked really frightening when she was wholeheartedly scolding me, but her reaction when I said that was so obvious that even I, the one who proposed that, was bewildered……. S- She really wanted them that much huh……

[Well, Kaito-san. It’s fine to adore your pets, and I won’t prohibit you from feeding them with your own belongings but…… Please report such things to me from now on. I’m having a hard time consuming enough stomach pills for all the troubles I’m facing now. I feel like I’ve already taken enough for a lifetime……]

[Y- Yes. I’m really sorry.]

Hearing Lilia-san’s very fervent, heartfelt outburst, I put my hands on the ground and deeply apologized.

＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊

The 19th day of the Light month.

After recalling about it back in the Hydra Kingdom, I would have my date with Alice tomorrow, which has to be done as soon as possible. It feels ticklish, calling it a date even though she’s almost always by my side as my guard, but the main event of this date will be the luxurious lunch and dinner with her. Since we’re supposed to have something luxurious, I guess we can’t just go eat yakiniku like usual huh…… However, I’m just a commoner who knows that French cuisines = high-class food, so even if she says that she wants to eat something luxurious, I couldn’t think of any restaurants. So, after returning to Symphonia Kingdom, I gave myself a few days to ask Lilia-san and the others about a possible restaurant I could go to, and because of that, I was able to safely find a spot for tomorrow, so I’m going out today for another errand.

[……Unnn, I guess that’s about right? Thank you, Miyama-kun.]

[Ahh, it’s already finished?]

Hearing Dr. Vier’s words, telling me that she finished drawing some of my blood, I rearranged my rolled up sleeves. I’m currently in Dr. Vier’s clinic to donate blood just as I promised to help treat Noir-san’s anemia. According to Dr. Vier, she said that she would only need to draw blood about once a month, on a day that was convenient for me, so I went to her clinic today when I didn’t have any plans. Incidentally, fresh blood seems to be better, so when I send a hummingbird to let Dr. Vier knew of my arrival, Dr. Vier would also let Noir-san know. Then, Dr. Vier put the blood she took from me into a container with another set of blood in it, and started mixing it.

[Ahh…… Y- You mixed it up with other blood huh?]

[Unnn. I don’t want it to turn just like last time. I’ll mix it up and dilute it a bit.]

[No way…… I’d like to have a taste of Miyama-san as he is but……]

[……Unnn. Noir-san. Can’t you just think of a better way of saying it?]

Noir-san protested when she saw that my blood is being diluted, but her expression, or rather, her tone of voice was being strangely erotic. Although she is small in stature, I don’t know if it’s because she’s a widow or not, but her flirtatious glances as her cheeks were blushing red looks very erotic and strangely makes my heart pounding. Moreover, she’s kind of more exposed than when we met before…… I don’t know why she’s wearing a skirt with a slit on the side, but as a healthy young man, I’m feeling really troubled on where to turn my eyes.

[A- Anyway, Noir-san and Miyama-kun’s blood are too compatible with each other, so no.]

[……Is being too compatible really no good?]

I’m somehow feeling unsettled, so in order to turn away this mood, I asked Dr. Vier about what she had just said. Why is it that having too much compatibility is no good? They did say that taking too much medication over what’s prescribed for you is bad for your body, so I wonder if it’s something like that?

[……Ah~~ Well, you see.]

[Unnn?]

I held no other thoughts when I asked that question, but for some reason, Dr. Vier had a troubled look on her face and her gaze was swimming about…… And after a few moments, she lets out a sigh before speaking.

[……Errr, for vampires, the act of bloodsucking is connected to “sexual arousal”.]

[……Ehh?]

[Noir-san is just a half-vampire, so she wouldn’t be like that unless she sucks the blood of someone she’s compatible with…… And Miyama-kun’s blood is too compatible with her so……]

[……I- I see……]

I understood what Dr. Vier was saying. I also understood why she was having a hard time saying it. In short, if she really takes it to the extreme…… My blood is like an aphrodisiac to Noir-san, and if she drinks my blood undiluted, she’ll lose herself again just like last time.

……Or rather, isn’t that something Noir-san is aware of? So that’s why she was looking at me so amorously!? Instead of turning away from this mood, I feel awkward because I’m being extraordinarily aware of it, and I can’t help but take some glances towards Noir-san as she drank the blood from a cup. Sometimes, when our eyes meet, Noir-san would gently smile at me, which strangely makes me feel embarrassed and look away.

[……Haahhh, Miyama-san’s stuff really is tasty. However, as expected, I like it deeper and wetter…… The taste of only Miyama-san.]

Why the heck does each of her words always sound misleading? Is it on purpose? Is she doing that on purpose?

[Ahh, that’s right, Miyama-kun…… Here, you can have this.]

[Eh?]

[It’s not much, but it’s your remuneration.]

[Eh? N- No, it’s fine if there’s no pay for it.]

Saying it was remuneration, Dr. Vier brought out a small bag that probably contained money, so I reflexively refused.

[No, no, you’re helping me with the treatment after all, so this is something that should be properly dealt with.]

""

[No, I’m just helping out for Noir-san, someone I’m acquainted with…… So, if I accept money, it would feel like I’m doing it for that……]

[I- I can understand your feelings. However, that doesn’t make me feel any better either……]

[N- No, it’s fine. Besides, in the world where I was in, donating blood was an act of goodwill, so it was basically done with no compensation.]

[B- Bringing up the custom of another world here is unfair!]

……Unfair, what exactly is unfair is that? W- Well, anyway, Dr. Vier somehow seems to want to give me the money, so I clung on any way I could to refuse her.

[A- Anyway, take it, Miyama-kun.]

[No, I’m going to have to decline here.]

[T- That’s right! I’ve given Miyama-kun some trouble before, and I haven’t been able to apologize for that yet……]

[I’ve already received your apology at that time, and since it was Lunamaria-san’s fault, Dr. Vier doesn’t have to feel responsible for it. Rather, I had a good rest at that time, so I’m grateful for it.]

[B- But, look, Miyama-kun is young and would need money, right?]

[I don’t have any expensive hobbies, so I’m really fine.]

[M- Mumumu…… Y- You’re quite the stubborn one……]

""

[I think it’s Dr. Vier who’s stubborn here……]

As the both of us won’t yield, as a result, the both of us continued to fight each other for quite a while…… In the end, we just agreed on having Dr. Vier share some of her delicious herbal tea as thanks. As the two of us were having that fight that can’t exactly be called a quarrel, Noir-san only looked at us with a smile on her face.

[……You have quite the similarities, don’t you?]

＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊

The 20th day of the Light month.

The day of my long-awaited date with Alice…… N- No, I really was looking forward to it. You may be thinking that I shouldn’t say that since I originally forgot about this date, but I’d like it if you pretend that it didn’t happen.

[Now then, let’s depart! The luxurious all-you-can-eat lunch and dinner is waiting for me!]

[……Oi, why the heck are you shamelessly trying to smoothly add that all-you-can-eat option?]

[So, Kaito-san. What kind of restaurant are we going to today?]

[……You f*cking woman.]

Skillfully ignoring me, as expected of the Phantasmal King, her evasion skills isn’t something half-hearted…… I really want to punch her. Incidentally, Alice seems to prioritize her appetite over her attire for our date, as she’s still dressed like usual, with her opera mask on her face. She looks as suspicious as ever. We would most probably be turned away if the restaurant we’re going to has a dress code, but if that happens, I’m sure that she’ll probably just do something that would make the staff let us in.

[I’ve been thinking about a few restaurants that we could go to, but Alice, do you like fish or meat better?]

[That’s obviously meat!]

[Thanks for the passionate and immediate answer…… By the way, did you drop your femininity somewhere? Should we look for it first?]

[That kind of thing doesn’t make me full.]

I see, those words carry a different weight when it comes from someone who usually suffers from hunger…… Well, in the first place, that hunger was completely her fault……

[Speaking of which, when I was looking for a place to eat, I found out that fish is a pretty expensive commodity here.]

[That’s because the royal capital isn’t facing the sea. Even if Teleportation Magic exists, only a limited number of merchant associations have high-performance magic tools that can move cart-loads of merchandise. There’s some people who use Flying Dragon Services, but most of the ingredients are still being imported by land.]

[Fumu……]

[It’s just a strategic point for business, but as a merchant association that can import fresh fish with Teleportation Magic, they would want to make money by taking advantage of having such a means of transporting their goods. As a result, fish are more expensive here than in the Hydra Kingdom.]

When I was checking out the shops here in Symphonia Kingdom, I found out that fishes were a bit more expensive here. When I first came to this world, I thought that the prices of stuff I bought here in the Hydra Kingdom was the average cost, but in the Hydra Kingdom, fish is much cheaper than in the Symphonia Kingdom, while fruits are much more expensive. It’s a bit interesting how each country has their own characteristics.

[Well, there are some ingredients that are expensive regardless of which country it is though~~ For example, dragon meat.]

[If I remember correctly, you said that they don’t appear in the market that often, right?]

[Yes, because Dragons are considered as a powerful enemy for generally all Humans.]

Yes, it’s easy for me to forget since there are many people around me who can easily take down a dragon, but Dragons are powerful monsters, so their meat would obviously be precious and expensive.

[Well, unfortunately, the restaurant we’re going to today doesn’t serve dragon meat, but rather, the meat of a bird called Emerald Bird……]

[Ohhhh, Emerald Bird huh, that’s quite the high quality meat we’re having! Well~~ I’m looking forward to it! Ahh, I’m also free to get refills!? Thank yo…… Fugyaaahhh!?]

[Cut that out.]

As I dropped my fist on Alice’s head, who tried to keep adding the all-you-can-eat option at every opportunity that she could, I chuckled at her usual goofiness. As I thought, for some reason, being with Alice is fun and carefree. Could that be why? The reason why I feel like today’s date is going to be fun. Right as I was walking forward with that thought in mind…… In the next moment, the landscape dramatically changed.

[……Eh?]

It was clearly an unusual situation. Everything around us instantly and abruptly changed, as if the channel on the TV had been switched. We suddenly found ourselves in a pure white space where one couldn’t find its end. Whether it’s the ground or the sky, everything was white. And floating in the air were gears of various sizes, clearly signifying we’re in a different place.

[The time has come.]

[ ! ? ]

I was stunned by the unusual scene around me, when I heard the voice that sounded like a machine, and instantly felt a chill run down my back. Immediately afterward, a presence suddenly appeared out of the corner of my eye. It was a frighteningly beautiful being with ten pairs of white wings on its back, with a divine ring behind them, dressed in white clothing that I remembered seeing in Greek Mythology books, flowing diagonally from her shoulders. Short blonde hair that even seems to glow and eyes that held the color of rainbow…… No, would it be better to describe it as being richly-colored? Anyway, her eyes seem like they hold a combination of many colors.

Would it be appropriate to describe her like those angels depicted in the Bible? It was hard to tell at a glance whether this being was a man or a woman, but the being in front of me looks so beautiful that I can’t take my eyes off her…… But at the same time, I can’t help but feel like this being was eerie. She should have been right in front of me, but it didn’t seem as if she were real. Just by holding her within my field of vision, I could feel her overwhelming presence and tremendous power…… but somehow, I feel as if I’m looking at an existence not of this place, but of a distant world. If I were to use a metaphor…… Yes, It’s as if my instincts have understood that “the being in front of me is of another plane of existence”……

[Kaito-san! Please step back!!]

[ ! ? ]

Just as I was feeling overwhelmed by her appearance in front of me, Alice moved her body in front of me, screaming in a tense voice that I’ve never heard before. However, this unknown something in front of us…… is more than Alice could handle……

[Hindrance.]

[Dange—!?]

[Alice!?]

Just one word…… The moment that being said that one word, Alice’s body was engulfed in light…… and disappeared. What the heck is this being? Why the heck is this happening…… I felt as if my heart was frozen to the core and I screamed, forgetting the pressure I should have felt earlier.

[What…… did you do to Alice!?]

[……!?]

Rage…… Yes, it’s a searing feeling of rage. I know that the entity in front of me is so powerful that she won’t even pay attention to me even if I try hurting her. I shouted, but in the end, my existence may be erased without a trace…… Still, I couldn’t help but shout. Hearing my shout, the mysterious being, after her eyebrows slightly moved, tells me in a matter-of-factly tone.

[There’s nothing to worry about. She was a hindrance to my purpose, so I only had her leave this space. I didn’t harm her in any way. I just teleported her to a different place…… about “10,000 km” away from here.]

[ ! ? ]

I understood that Alice was safe and that she had just been forcibly teleported out of this space. However, I can’t help but feel relieved, and at the same time, astonished. Needless to say, Alice is one of the most powerful beings in this world. The fact that this being has the power to unilaterally expel such an Alice, even though Alice may not have expected it, and the fact that this being has the power to say that as if it was nothing……

[……I don’t understand.]

[……Eh?]

The mysterious being, who was silent in front of the astonished me for a moment, for some reason, shook her head, then began saying something incomprehensible.

[Looking at you like this, I can’t feel anything special about you. I can only see you as a normal human that can be seen anywhere.]

[…………………..]

[The ability I sense from you is mediocre, your magic power is below average, and your appearance isn’t particularly outstanding…… I just couldn’t understand why she’s so fixated on you.]

[…………………..]

I don’t understand. I really don’t understand. Why am I being insulted by an unknown being that just appeared out of nowhere?

[Fumu, let me take a little more closely……]

[ ! ? ]

As the mysterious being nonchalantly announced, reaching out one hand towards me, trying to touch my body…… for some reason, she stopped midway through and removed her gaze from me.

[How surprising. Even if she could return to her original location in a short time, I thought “she doesn’t have enough power to invade this space”…… I guess I misjudged her ability.]

[……Eh?]

Immediately after the being muttered those words that should mean that she had misjudged someone’s ability while staring not at me but somewhere else, in the direction the being was staring in…… a large crack appeared in the space. And from that crack…… Alice emerged.

[Alice!]

[My heart, spin, become my armor——– My heart, spin, turn into my blade——– My heart, spin, sprout my wings——-]

[ ! ? ]

The words that came out of Alice’s mouth as she returned, came out of her mouth with such clarity and power that they seem to echo throughout the entire space. And with those words, Alice puts her hand on the mask on her face, removes it and throws it away, and stares at the angel with eyes that are filled with tremendous rage.

[——-Blade of my heart, burst forth! ——–Weave my bonds! ——– <Hekatonkheires>!!!]

With those words that seem to give out a command, at that moment, this strange space was filled with numerous lights.



＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊

It’s a torrent of stars repeatedly glittering…… The light circulated around Alice, just like meteor showers shooting around her, manifesting with an enormous amount of magic power that makes the atmosphere shake. That magic isn’t something that exists in this world, a magic that once existed in the world Alice was born and raised in…… “A magic that turns the strength of the heart into a weapon”…… That is her trump card.

Alice, clad in numerous lights, moved in front of Kaito in an instant and held her blade towards the absolute being who holds reign of this space, the God from another world———- Earth God.

[Alice……]

It’s not that he was conscious of anything, but the atmosphere around her is clearly different…… Seeing Alice expose her emotions for the first time and seeing her unusual state, Kaito reflexively called out her name. However, his voice didn’t reach Alice as she was right now…… That’s because her mind was filled with only one thought: That is to protect and defend Kaito.

[……Still…… not enough……]

While looking at Alice, who was raging like a storm with her enormous magic power, Earth God didn’t show any particular movement, but just quietly stared at Alice. She had the posture of someone waiting for the other, the posture of someone who holds absolute power. A response supported by a definite self-confidence that she would be able to deal with whatever attack Alice makes. That is a fact, and Alice herself was aware of that. Even after Alice uses all her power, Earth God in front of her is still far superior…… But then, for her…… No, even back then, this wasn’t anything unusual for her to do but……

[Return…… Return…… to the me of those times…… to the time when I was “weak”……]

[Alice……?]

Muttering to herself, Alice lowered her body and prepared her stance.

[The enemies I had fought against were far more powerful to me…… Even so! I want to return…… to the time when “I protected everyone until the end”!!!]

[ ! ? ]

At that moment, Alice unleashed it. Her “true self” that she has sealed away…… Just like a dead person, herself that had only been something of the far, distant past…… Immediately afterwards, Alice’s magic power, which had been gushing out like a storm, quieted down like an ocean without a single wave, enveloping herself in silence. Alice doesn’t look intimidating anymore…… And seeing this, for the first time, Earth God “turned her gaze to Alice”. As she spread out her wings to intercept her opponent, Earth God’s body was blown away across the white space.

[Now this is astonishing. You’re more powerful than I had expected…… It can’t be helped. I’m going to deal with you a little bit.]

Still muttering that with her matter-of-fact tone, after stopping in mid-air in movements that defy the law of physics, Earth God’s body is enveloped in light, and disappearing from the scene, she teleported to the far reaches of the infinite space. About “100 million years away” from where she was originally, in order to keep her promise to Shallow Vernal…… not to harm Kaito, she decided that she needed to be that far away to fight while keeping such a distance away from him.

Yes, it really is for that simple reason. From here on out was a battle having a speed that “not even light can keep up with”. Thereupon, with her pure white wings floating beside her, a few of them emitted light at its tip and dazzling flashes of light about the size of a basketball were released towards Alice…… who was about to reach her spot within one second. They’re just magic bullets, but it’s an attack from a God…… normal beings would have been obliterated, unable to even perceive the light at such overwhelming speed. However, Alice, while maintaining her maximum speed, avoided the light bullets with minimal movement and approached Earth God with super speed.

[That wasn’t enough huh…… Well then, let’s increase it.]

Murmuring, her ten pairs of wings fully spread out, and the same light bullets as before were released “tens of thousands of times.  It doesn’t look as simple as a mere attack, as it looks like a rain of destruction, crashing down at the speed of light. Seeing this, Alice immediately changed her course and evaded them, as if she were slipping between the rain of light. However, even as she tries to evade them, the rain of light still incessantly falls. Earth God suspends herself in mid air, and just like a turret, she continues releasing light bullets.

The size of these light bullets isn’t that large, but they’re still the attacks of a God who’s the pinnacle of her world…… Each shot is filled with such power that it can “wipe out an entire island”, and if even one of them hits her, it would instantly decide the outcome of this battle.

She was constantly releasing those light bullets, making it impossible to escape…… However, even so, not a single bullet reached Alice at all. As if she could see the path she needed to take, Alice changed her course, but not slowing down at all, she slipped through the rain of light, drawing near Earth God, she brandished her knife.

[……How wonderful.]

As she held out one arm in front of her like a shield to catch the brandished knife, making a slight cut on her arm, Earth God looked genuinely impressed.  Then, when she was about to fire light bullets at Alice again, Alice seemed to have read that and immediately distanced herself from Earth God. Without following Alice as she moved away, Earth God lightly clapped her hands.

[Your combat skills may as well be called an art form now.]

As she continued to release a vast number of light bullets, continuing her battle with Alice, the emotion that boiled up in Earth God’s heart…… were unsparing praise. This might be something that had been said already, but Earth God was far superior in terms of basic abilities. Hence, the rain of light just now would have defeated Alice if she had been hit by even one bullet. However, Alice was able to handle all of them and dealt a blow to Earth God. Her combat abilities were even impressive for Earth God. How vast could the number of battles the girl in front of her went through? How many deaths have she overturned for her to exist until now? If the angle at which the light bullets she deflected had been off by even a few millimeters, the bullet would have hit her. If she had made even one mistake in handling the thousands and thousands of light bullets, all of her efforts would have been for naught. If her mind had wandered for even a few tenths of a second, she would be swallowed up by the rain of light.

In Earth God’s view, there wasn’t even a 1% chance that Alice would be able to reach her. However, she didn’t commit a single mistake at all and grabbed the miracle all too easily. Yes, the girl in front of her is like the embodiment of a miracle, and her way of fighting is nothing short of amazing. Deflecting attacks that can be deflected and avoid attacks that can be avoided…… This feat may be something easy to say, but it was difficult to do and show to someone who has far more basic skills than you do…… It’s as if her mind has been fully focused on the battle.

[I would like to see more of this. I want to see more of your capabilities…… Shall I change things up a little bit?.]

[ ! ? ]

As Earth God announced this, a vast number of feathers began to burst forth into the sky from her twenty wings. At the sight of what could be called a storm of feathers, Alice’s gaze wanders for a moment, before it quickly returns to Earth God.

(Scattering feathers over a wide area, I don’t feel strong power from them…… which means, this isn’t an Offensive ability. That said, there are too few of them to serve as some sort of distraction for a fight of this level.)

Alice continued to to think at a speed that leaves could leave even the overwhelming speed of the battle she’s engaged in. She…… Alice is a “being who has risen from the weak to the strong”. Therefore, she understands more than anyone else how to fight opponents superior to her. She knows that to stop thinking in the face of an opponent who outperforms you in basic ability means death……

Her greatest weapon in battle is her vast experience in combat and her thinking ability…… both of which she has honed to the utmost limit, and her ability to respond to situations that could even be described as within the realm of precognition. When Earth God held out her hand toward the dancing feathers, Alice had already finished predicting her next attack.

(Based on the movement of her gaze, the angle of her hand, the flow of magic power, and all the patterns, the most likely scenario…… is a diffused reflection of a beam strike, originating from those feathers!)

A flash of light shot out from Earth God’s hand, reflecting off the feathers that danced about at a tremendous speed, surging towards Alice from all angles. They were like a web of light, but the attack wasn’t able to catch Alice. As if she could read where all the rays would reflect, Alice tried to approach Earth God again, evading all of it with minimal movement.

[This move also doesn’t work huh…… Well then, let’s try to increase the numbers.]

Seeing Alice evade the flashes of light, Earth God created a number of light bullets on her wings…… “several hundred times” as many as before, and released them at Alice. She understood that if Alice could see through even the slightest possibility, she would precily grab that possibility. Then, what about a strike that opened up no possibility?

The difference between 1% and 0% is too big.

Earth God’s new “several hundreds of millions” of light bullets, unlike the previous ones, aren’t aimed at Alice in a straight line, but instead, they are tightly packed around Alice to the point that not even a single insect can pass through, before they began simultaneously converging towards Alice. It’s now impossible for her to evade, impossible to defend, and the two knives she held in hand are completely insufficient to deflect these numbers.

Now then, what will she do now? And with that thought in mind, as Earth God looked at Alice through the light bullets, one of the many lights Alice was surrounded in was sucked into her body, and Alice’s appearance changed. “Her hair had become a reddish-purple twintail” and “her golden eyes” glared at the surrounding light bullets……

[ “Deviate!” ]

[Hoohh, Law of Causality Derivation, that’s a domain equivalent to a God’s power…… Truly interesting.]

What if there isn’t even the slightest possibility that she could take advantage of? In response to Earth God’s attack as she asked such a question, Alice responded with the answer of “creating the possibility itself”…… by transforming herself to the “God of Fate, Fate”. Watching the approaching light bullets be deflected away as if they were being guided by something, Earth God spread her wings wide…… And this time, she won’t just make use of quantity, but quality instead, as she unleashes a bombardment that fills the view. Thereupon, another light is sucked into Alice’s body, and her appearance changes again…… This time, to a “woman with green leaves as hair”…… And soon after, huge trees appeared from the empty space and blocked the incoming bombardment.

Amidst the scene filled with huge explosions…… This time, Alice appears, holding a huge staff of several meters long, and Alice, who has transformed into a girl with two shades of gray and black hair, appeared and held up her staff. Thereupon, Alice’s magic power explosively increased and began converging on the tip of her wand.

[Devour, Tyrannical Beast——— Apocalypse!]

[ ! ? ]

As if to say that it was revenge from her attack earlier, a huge jet-black magical bombardment burst towards Earth God. Watching it quietly, Earth God moved one of her hands, and flicked the bombardment to the side.

[What a mysterious ability. Not only your appearance, your very being in itself seems to have changed into a different person. It doesn’t seem like a simple transformation ability.]

[……How long can you afford to be that carefree? I don’t know which God you are, but this wouldn’t be the first time…… that I will kill a God!]

Hearing Alice’s words, which had returned to her “former tone of voice”, announced with menacing, piercing eyes, Earth God slightly smiled…… and clapped her hands. As the sound of dry clapping echoed through the space, Alice dubiously looked at her.

[……What is it?]

[No, I’m just giving you my honest praise. It was indeed a magnificent performance. The fact that you are able to attack and defend in such a way, despite our difference in strength, is proof that you are an excellent fighter. You should be proud of yourself. The God that I am admits…… In terms of technicalities in battle, you are definitely superior to me.]

Although her speed isn’t faster than hers, Alice continues to evade her attacks. In the eyes of Earth God, Alice seemed to be one of the most powerful beings in this world. Normally, if one had such overwhelming power, one’s fighting style would be crude…… but Alice’s combat skills were the result of refining “her weapons as a weakling” to the maximum. The basis of Alice’s strength…… is her ability to perceive and respond to crises so keenly. The speed at which she senses danger approaching to her and attacks that could harm her is frighteningly fast, and she responds by accurately drawing from the vast array of cards she had in hand. It was a power that she must have gained from a vast combat experience, so Earth God assumed that the girl in front of her was accustomed to fighting against opponents far superior to her.

But then, one question remains…… As mentioned earlier, from Earth God’s point of view, Alice is supposed to be one of the most powerful beings in this world…… So why is it that she was so accustomed to fighting with more powerful opponents? She has overwhelming experience in dealing with attacks that she has never seen before, angles that she had never seen before, and she knows how to fight against opponents who are more capable than she is. This proves that Alice isn’t one that is born strong…… but a being who “became strong from being weak”. It’s for this reason that Earth God’s heart is overflowing with admiration for her.

For her to refine her blade to the point where she could fight her, the Earth God wondered how many times she had bared her fangs in the face of death……

She found Alice’s fighting style interesting, as “even though she had been holding back”, she was able to fight her thus far ……. but she can’t waste any more time. Earth God doesn’t have any problems even if this fight is prolonged. The girl in front of her will also be able to handle such a prolonged fight without any problem…… However, there was some anxiety in the Earth God’s heart.

She will be fine, so will the girl in front of her. However, what about that human? Humans, unlike beings such as the two of them, can’t generate inexhaustible amounts of energy. If this fight goes on for days, months or years, that human will die…… No, even if the human doesn’t die from getting caught up by their attacks, if that human suffers from hunger…… Wouldn’t that mean that the human is harmed? If that’s the case, at that moment, the half-body of that God will intervene, turning the situation for the worst. She wouldn’t be able to determine the true value of that human, nor will she be able to fulfill her “true purpose”.

That’s why…… “She has decided to end it”.

[……But, well…… “That’s all there is to it”.]

[Wha!? Tsk!]

Immediately after, without any preliminary movements, Earth God moved in front of Alice. Alice neither failed to be alert, nor had she ever relaxed her guard. It was simply that Earth God moved so fast that even Alice could not react. Despite her astonishment, Alice reacted instantly and swung her knife. That knife was blocked by a single wing, but twisting her body, Alice slammed a kick with all her might into Earth God’s face. The thunderous roar that echoed with it gave the kick a tremendous sense of power…… but Earth God didn’t even flinch as she directly received her kick and swung her fist at Alice.

Alice also reacted instantly and crossed her two knives to defend herself, but the power of her fist was far beyond Alice’s expectations, as she was blown away, shattering a number of gears floating in the sky. Far away in the distance, Earth God instantly moved again in front of the rubble where the huge gears had collapsed, and spun her words in a solemn tone.

[Unfortunately, there is too much difference in basic abilities between you and me. No matter how good of a functionality your shape had, no matter how beautiful your color is…… “Pebbles will never be able to shatter a planet”. That’s all there is to it.]

Alice certainly has great combat skills. With her vast combat experience, she is able to fully utilize her power…… No, there’s no doubt that she can exert power more than what she should be capable of. But even if that’s so, Earth God’s power is of a different dimension. Moreover, the difference between them is so despairingly large that a battle between them normally wouldn’t be possible.

[Once again, allow me to commend you. You did splendidly well. As a reward, I will disregard the disrespect you showed to me by pointing your blade at me. Close your eyes and recuperate. When my purpose is complete, I will heal you.]

After praising Alice for fighting so hard despite the overwhelming odds against her, Earth God turned her back and was about to go back to Kaito for her original purpose. Immediately after that though, the debris of gears behind Earth God blew up like an explosion. There was needless to think about who had done this. However, it’s for this reason why Earth God has a dubious expression on her face.

[……How incomprehensible. I certainly may have moderated my strikes. However, I should have struck you with enough force that you could not stand up in a short time……]

[……F- Fufufu…… Hahaha……]

Alice stood up from the rubble, wiping the blood from her mouth with her hand, and for some reason, she was smiling. It was a smile that was somewhat happy, somewhat self-deprecating…… and somewhat nostalgic……

Thereupon, a change came over her body. The lights that had been circling around her like meters grew brighter and were absorbed into Alice’s body one after another.

[Since “I’ve lost everyone”, I’ve always, always felt incomplete, as if I’m using incompatible parts in place of my insufficiency.]

[This is…… Your magic power’s rising rapidly?]

[There’s an enemy in front of me that I need to defeat, and behind me is an important person that I want to protect…… Ahhh, this is it…… This is the real me…… Finally, I’m finally “catching up to my old self”……]

As the radiance that Alice was clad in became stronger, her tremendous magic power pulsates through the space. Alice then turns her eyes, which are filled with even stronger will than before, towards Earth God and loudly exclaimed.

[I see! It’s true that I may not be able to beat you now! However, what does it matter!!! Such a situation is nothing unusual for me!]

As Earth God predicted, Alice is a being who has risen from the weak to the strong. Therefore, she has experienced many battles against those who are superior to her. And she has surpassed all them…… and is now standing here.

[Nothing’s going to change now. If “the me right now” can’t win! I will just grow in this battle to become “a me that can win”!!!]

[This…… power……]

As if in response to Alice’s will, her Hekatonkheires shines brighter, and numerous meteors began raining incessantly on Alice’s body.

[Here—— At this moment—— The farthest my heart had reached—— Exceed my limits—— And now, weave the world! ——Hekatonkheires!!!]

With a shout, Alice’s magic power and her body begin to glow with a shimmering light. Although Alice is supposed to be alone in front of Earth God, Alice’s presence feels overwhelming, as if a vast number of warriors are forming an army, and a smile appears on Alice’s lips.

[Iris, Noel…… Everyone, lend me your strength. I won’t let anyone steal Kaito-san, I don’t want to be parted with Kaito-san……. and I will not be defeated by anyone! Come…… Let’s begin! Let’s kill a God for the second time!]

[……]

The light was strong, but it isn’t that bright and instead, feels warm. Seemingly admiring such an Alice, Earth God squinted his eyes slightly, but she didn’t say anything and resumed the battle. Earth God quickly approaches. She is the absolute one here, and there’s no need for her to evade attacks like Alice. As was the case in their previous exchange, she would crush her opponent with their difference in physical ability. With such thoughts in mind, Alice unleashed a sharp kick to the face of Earth God who approached without raising her guard. It was like a rehash of the previous scene, with Earth God receiving her attack without raising her guard and launching her counter attack against her.

But immediately after that, Earth God’s vision slightly shook…… No, it veered off. The reason is simple. It was simply because Earth God’s face, which had not moved a single bit, moved slightly, but surely after receiving Alice’s kick. Alice was slightly surprised, and as if to take advantage of that opening, she slid her palm away from Earth God’s fist and used its momentum to deliver a counter punch. Taking only one step backward from the impact, Earth God spoke with a dubious expression on her face.

[……You’re clearly stronger than before. Fumu, I see…… This is quite interesting.]

The fact that she’s speaking with such a close range shows the big gap between them, but it can also be seen as a sign of Earth God’s composure. It’s true that Alice’s physical and magical abilities have improved, but she’s still far from Earth God…… Yes, at this point, that is. In the next instant, feathers began scattering from Earth God’s wings, and each one transformed into a spear-like form and rushed toward Alice. Alice doesn’t even look at the feather spears that come at her from all directions, but looks only at Earth God and swings the knife that appears in her hand. Seemingly not expecting the feather spears, she didn’t look surprised as she brushed the incoming knife away with her hand and moved backward in a movement that defies the laws of physics rather than counterattack.

[It seems that you want to “fight” me no matter what. If that is the case…… Let me test you if you are qualified for that……]

With that declaration, the scenery around them changes in an instant. From an all-white space to a vast outer space, which looks like an incomparably large night sky.

[This is…… Space-Ti…… No, World Creation——— Guhhh!?]

In an instant…… Earth God created a new world just to attack Alice, and right after Alice involuntarily muttered that, her body was pulled in with tremendous strength. Their destination was the center of that world…… where numerous stars were sucked in by the dazzling Light of Destruction.

[If you are going to challenge me, at least endure this “World Collapse Strike”.]

The moment Earth God put one hand in front of her and clenched it tightly———– The world collapsed with a huge explosion. The world, enveloped in the Light of Destruction, returns to the original state of being a white space. If it were an ordinary opponent…… No, even strong opponents would have died with this one strike. A strike that destroys the world she had created. If Alice can withstand this and return to this space on her own……

[———-Pierce Hope!]

[ ! ? ]

A knife, surrounded by a strong light, tears through the space and flies towards her. Unlike the Light of Destruction that wiped out the world a moment ago, it was a dazzling, shimmering, yet somehow warm light…… It was as if that light was the manifestation of the concept “Hope”. The knife struck the left hand Earth God stretched out to guard herself, and “obliterated half of Earth God’s body and wings”.

[…………………]

As if she felt no pain, Alice cut through the space and returned before the Earth God, who blankly looked at the erased left part of her body. As the left half of her body, which should have been obliterated, at some point, has been restored……. or rather, created anew, Earth God slowly moved her gaze to Alice.

(She’s so strong…… Moreover, “no matter how many times I see it”, her magic power really is beautiful. Hmmm, I’ve “achieved my main goal”, so I could end things here……. but I’m starting to have a bit of fun. Speaking of which, I guess this would be the first time I’ve fought ●●●●●● like this? Since this is a good opportunity…… I think I’ll continue playing along for a little while later.)

With this in mind, Earth God smiled as she spoke.

[Let’s move away from this place a little bit.]

With those words, Earth God disappears, moving from the place where she was fighting with Alice earlier to a place that is too far away to be described in numbers. Then, staring at Alice, who had reached the same place in a few seconds, she calmly spoke to her.

[———–I take back what I said earlier when I said that pebbles will never be able to shatter a planet.]

As if in response to her words, the winged halo floating behind her head moved to Earth God’s back.

[And I admit. You are indeed powerful enough to stand on the same stage with me and fight with me.]

Her voice wasn’t that loud, but it was overwhelmingly intimidating, as if each of her words were shaking the entire space. Feeling this, Alice’s magic power surges even more.

[……From here on out, I guess it would be time to go serious.]

[Yes, that’s right.]

As Earth God quietly announced, bending down just slightly, a single bead of sweat ran down Alice’s cheek. Alice understands exactly what is going on. The battle from this point on will be of a different dimension than before…… because now, for the first time, “Earth God has prepared for battle”. In other words, it was the best proof that the God in front of her had finally recognized her as an enemy. Their gazes crossing with each other, the sound disappeared from their surroundings for just a few seconds——– before the two collided, shaking the space like a wave. Earth God swung her fist, and Alice deflected it. Just like that, the space screamed and the gears floating around it disappeared like dust.

(What is this stupidly strong dynamic power…… Each strike feels as powerful as Kuro-san’s full power. If I were to receive that, even when I’m in a defensive stance, one hit is enough to knock me out.)

Alice responded with precise movements to the tremendous powerful blows coming at her at an overwhelming speed.

(Hmmm. This really feels strange. Hekatonkheires’ ability should be to use the power of the people with whom she has formed a bond with…… but ●●●●●●’s current state seems different from that. I wonder what I should do? If I use my Omniscience, I can immediately find out, but since I’m fighting ●●●●●●, let’s try to find out without changing.)

Clashing at super-high speed, the wings behind Earth God moved, and a huge number of feathers scattered around her. Then, each of those feathers transformed into a weapon of different shapes, and they simultaneously rushed toward Alice. Alice, who was doing her best to fend off Earth God’s attacks, saw that she didn’t have the strength to respond to the multi-direction attack, unleashed a strike, but immediately afterward, Alice’s magic power became sinister.

[“Die”.]

""

[“Forced Death Affliction”…… That is also power within the realm of Gods…… How tricky.]

Spilling out words of admiration and fluttering her wings, Earth God moved away from Alice with tremendous speed and opening one hand, she pointed it towards Alice. In an instant, an extraordinary amount of magic power gathered in her hand and was released in a flash that filled her field of vision, but at about the same time, Alice had a huge wand appear in her hand and held it ready.

[Devour! Tyrannical Beast——— Apocalypse!!!]

The black flash from Alice’s staff and the white flash unleashed by Earth God collided, causing a huge explosion that engulfs the surrounding area. Thereupon, Alice approached Earth God, tearing through the flames of explosion. As her knife and Earth God’s fist collided, the impact extinguished the surrounding flames.

(No sign of exhaustion, so just like a God is, she has inexhaustible energy…… This is going to be a long battle huh.)

(……I see, she can still use Hekatonkheires’ original power, but additional factors have been added to it huh. ●●●●●●’s current state…… I think I’m starting to understand it.)

Not even a second has passed in the world’s time since the two first clashed. In such an extremely compressed time, they continued to exchange blows at a dizzying pace.

(I can’t make a counterattack! In addition to her basic attacks, she will try to “alter the past” or “overwrite reality” whenever she has the chance. If I make even the slightest mistake in my responses, all of her previous attacks will be “established” to have struck me.)

(I can’t deal a proper attack huh. Although I’m still ahead in terms of basic specs, the gap between us is no longer as large as it was in the beginning. Even if I try to attack aggressively, she still covers it. And even though it can’t be helped, this body is slow to react. I can’t move like I want to.)

With each other in mind, they strike each other at super-speed. When Earth God lightly moves her finger, numerous holes opened up in the space, and flashes of light shot out from them to attack Alice. However, with a flick of Alice’s knives, the flashes changed direction and rushed towards Earth God. As Earth God horizontally swung her arm, obliterating all of the flashes of light, before one knew it, Alice’s body, charging towards her with her two daggers in hand, disappeared into small particles of light before reassembling behind Earth God’s back.

(Body Decomposition and Reconstruction…… is that the twin daggers’ ability? It seems that her power transitions are getting smoother and smoother, making this more difficult.)

The wings behind her back moved to repel the brandished daggers, and Alice used the impact to turn her body around and unleashed a spinning kick towards Earth God’s neck, but it dealt no damage to Earth God.

(Ahhh, geez! What is this d*mned toughness!? Almost no damage even when I successfully made a clean strike…… I feel like I only dealt 1 HP damage to an enemy with more than 10 billion HP…… Moreover, it has Hyper Regeneration, the ability to erase and recreate damaged parts, infinite energy reserves, and a whole bunch of other abilities. I guess I would have to separate and seal each of her powers one by one.)

(Though she only managed to slightly wound me…… She’s starting to be able to see through my defenses without using a technique and with just her body enhanced with magic power. If her physical ability has increased this much, will the difference in our skill start to show? Hmmm, this is troubling…… “It’s getting a lot more fun”.)

Quickly regaining her stance and swinging her fist, a small smile appeared in the corners of Earth God’s lips. With her outstanding combat skills, she her ever-increasing abilities and countless cards she had in hand…… Alice is undoubtedly a formidable opponent, and one that can’t be easily defeated with her current body that just overwhelmed her in basic specs. However, Earth God seemed somewhat pleased. She continued to fight with a faint smile on her face…… as if to say that she was happy…… that Alice was clearly a strong opponent.

Fists and knives repeatedly clashed, tearing the white space here and there, and flashes that were constantly emitted from the wings enveloped the surroundings. The intense battle continued, in which several worlds would have already disappeared if not for this space, and little by little, the damage Earth God received began to increase. A number of wings on her back were cut off, and cuts on her body were increasing. Of course, those wounds were far from fatal. Although they were left alone, especially since it doesn’t hinder the continuation of their battle, it’s possible for Earth God to instantly heal her wounds or even recreate the wounded body parts if she were so inclined.

However, the battle situation was tilting slightly in Alice’s favor. The large gap in physical ability they had earlier was beginning to be buried, and Alice, with her superior skills and combat experience, was beginning to push the battle to her side. Although it would take a long time before the battle was settled, Alice’s blade certainly was reaching God. Nevertheless, this is partly because Earth God is “honestly accepting a head-on fight” with her……

In the midst of such a battle though, Earth God was quietly thinking.

(……I’d like to continue this battle, but I guess I’m running out of time huh. It’s getting to the point where I can no longer fool around, and this battle will definitely be noticed by Shallow Vernal and her half-body. I don’t know about Shallow Vernal, but that half-body…… Kuromueina was her name, right? When she notices this battle, she will definitely come rushing here, so I think I better end this battle soon.)

With this in mind, Earth God converges her tremendous magic power in one arm and directs it at Alice. The attack was something she had shown several times in the battle up to this point, a technique that emitted a huge flash of light. The power of this technique was tremendous, but its delivery was easy to tell, so the current Alice should have been able to easily evade it.

[!? Tsk……]

However, Alice’s eyebrows moved for just a moment…… before she stepped in and rapidly approached a time when she should have been avoiding the situation earlier. Alice’s movement clearly shows a sense of urgency that she didn’t have before. However, Earth God didn’t overlook her movements…… and “pulling away the hand pointed at her opponent”, she received Alice’s fist and was blown away.

[……Eh?]

Seeing her fist strike her face too cleanly, Alice’s eyes widened in surprise, stopping her movements and looked like she started thinking. Then, after seeing Earth God regain her stance, she moved a long distance in an instant and returned back to Kaito’s side.

[Eh? A- Alice!? W- What the heck is going on……]

As a human, Kaito couldn’t possibly see the battle between  Earth God and Alice, as he could only see some things glowing in the distance and didn’t understand the situation at all. That’s why he was surprised at the sudden appearance of Alice and asked her what was going on. However, Alice didn’t answer his question, and still remaining alert of Earth God, she spoke.

[……Kaito-san, apparently, that woman…… It doesn’t seem to have any intention of hurting Kaito-san.]

[……Eh?]

[For a moment, the place where Kaito-san and I are located is perfectly aligned in a straight line from her point of view…… Well, even if she had shot me like that, I had a plan to deal with it, but for her…… That should have been the perfect chance to attack. However, she interrupted her attack.]

Yes, the reason as to why Alice’s eyebrows twitched just now was because a great chance for Earth God to strike Alice appeared. Alice was stranding around as much as possible so that the attack wouldn’t be directed in the direction where Kaito was, but she couldn’t completely seal off the movements of an opponent as powerful as the Earth God, and she was prepared to take some damage in that situation. However, the Earth God didn’t shoot.

[……Perhaps, that woman stopped attacking me to avoid the possibility of hitting Kaito-san. This is just a guess…… but It seems that she has circumstances that prevent her from hurting Kaito-san.]

[………………]

[In that case, what do you think we should do? It seems like there’s a chance we could end this situation peacefully, you know?]

[………………]

There was a good chance that the Earth God would not and could not hurt Kaito. Recognizing this, Alice’s slightly hotblooded mind cooled down and she decided to ask for Kaito’s judgment. Surprised by Alice’s sudden question, as Kaito kept his silence in response…… The “unscathed” Earth God approached the two of them.

＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊

""

Moving her glowing wings, the angel slowly approached Alice and I. When she finally arrived a few meters away from where we were, Alice raised one hand to urge her to stop, and the angel obeyed and stayed where she was.

[Oya? Is the battle over already?]

[I’m still thinking if it’s over or not…… but first, answer us. What was your purpose in approaching Kaito-san?]

Hearing Alice’s question while maintaining strong vigilance, the angel composedly answered in a calm voice.

[The reason for my appearance…… was to have a dialogue with the young man over there, Miyama Kaito.]

[Are you saying that your only purpose is only to have a dialogue with him, and that you don’t have any intention of harming Kaito-san?]

[Yes, that’s right. As long as you don’t turn your blade towards me, no harm will come to you.]

The angel said she wanted to talk to me, and she had no intention of harming me. I was vaguely convinced by that. In fact, if this angel intended to harm me…… She would have done it immediately after teleporting Alice…… but this angel didn’t do it. I wondered if Alice noticed that, but she’s clearly not like usual earlier…… I could feel her fury with my Sympathy Magic. It’s hard to imagine from how Alice usually acts, but blood may have rushed on her head. After Alice heard the angel’s word, she quietly nodded, but still on guard with daggers held in her hands, she asked me without taking her gaze off the angel.

[……Kaito-san, what do you want to do? Do you accept talking with her? Or do you want me to eliminate her?]

[Eliminate…… Alice, ummm, errr…… If that’s the case, can you win?]

I can’t clearly understand how much power the angel in front of me has. But even so, I can tell that she possesses tremendous power. That’s why I wanted to ask that before answering Alice’s question.

[……I can win. No, I will win…… but it will take me lots of time.]

[………………]

[Without a doubt, she’s a prominent God or a being equivalent to that. This kind of opponent is basically immortal. In order to defeat her, I will have to rip off the authorities she was clad in and seal them up one by one. So, it will probably take me quite a bit of time.]

[……I see.]

I don’t think Alice’s words about winning are a lie. However, the fact that it isn’t an easy victory was also painfully obvious to me. I’m silent for a bit, then I move my gaze towards Alice, who is holding her daggers, and slowly spoke to her.

[Then, Alice…… This is an order.]

[Yes! Anytime.]

[If that angel shows any intention to attack me…… “Take me with you and run”.]

[Leave it to——–Eh? Run? N- Not defeat her?]

When Alice heard the words I told her, she was about to vigorously nod…… before listlessly asking back again. Yes, the choice I picked now…… is to accept this conversation for the time being. However, if it looks like it will be dangerous, we will run away……

[Unnn. Run…… Alice did say that you can win against her, but you probably wouldn’t be unscathed, right?]

[T- That is……]

[In that case, I don’t want Alice to get hurt, so let’s run away…… Then, let’s ask Kuro and Shiro-san to help us.]

[……M- Mnggh…… I feel like it’s a mistake to do that within this tension, but that’s certainly the most reliable way. I’m sure that Kuro-san and Shallow Vernal-sama would be aware of this situation, and if Kaito-san calls them, they’ll come to you…… Roger that.]

It’s one thing to talk openly in front of the person we’re trying to flee from, but this is a suggestion I can make because I trust in Alice’s power. I believe that even against this angel, Alice would be able to escape with me. But well, the fact that her eyebrow didn’t even twitch even when contriving in front of her should mean that this angel’s words aren’t a lie. With that thought in mind, I turned to the angel and slowly spoke.

[……I don’t know why you want to talk to me, but I’m open to dialogue…… But before we do, I have one request.]

[……?]

[Not only me, but you shouldn’t harm Alice as well…… If you promise to do that, I will be open to conversation.]

[K- Kaito-san?]

[…………………]

I just wanted her to promise me this. I know that she isn’t going to do me any harm. However, considering the fact that she just fought with Alice, she is probably not considered a target whom she shouldn’t harm. I don’t know what this angel is thinking. It may just be for a temporary peace of mind, but I wanted a word of assurance for Alice’s safety.

[……You sure are a disrespectful one.]

[ ! ? ]

At that moment, the atmosphere around the angel became sharp, as if it wanted to pierce through my body.

[You, a mere mortal, dare restrict my actions? You’re a rather conceited one.]

It’s as painful and intimidating as if my whole body was being stabbed to death by invisible needles…… It’s as if the atmosphere around her was asking me if I am aware of my own position to make such a demand. However, as I restrained Alice who was about to jump in front of me with my hand, I glared at the angel who was threatening me.

Let me make it clear at this point. I’m angry right now.

When this woman forcibly teleported Alice earlier……. I thought my blood would freeze. While Alice was fighting her, I felt my heart tightening up. Honestly, this angel is terrifying…… I don’t know what she’s thinking and she’s so powerful that it’s impossible for me to go against her…… However, even if that’s so…… That doesn’t mean I will allow her to hurt Alice.

[To you, I may just be some random bug. Saying this might be disrespectful for you. However, no matter how much you threaten me, it will be useless. If you won’t say that you’re not going to hurt Alice…… Even if I’m killed on this spot, I will not give in to any of your demands!]

[……Kaito……-san.]

[……………….]

Even when I’m exposed to her hostility that seems to burn my skin, scolding my trembling legs, I clearly said those words to the angel. Those words could be an equivalent of asking for a fight. The negotiations could have broken down…… The angel could have immediately pulled back her previous statement and swooped down on us. This might be idiotic of me, making a foolish move like this…… However, even for me, there are just some things I can’t forgive. And there are some things that no one could ever negotiate with me……

The angel looked at me with her cold, richly-colored eyes…… and not long after though, the intimidation that seemed to crush me disappeared.

[……F- Fufufu. I retract my previous statement.]

[……Eh?]

[I rated you as mediocre earlier, but it seems like my eyes were clouded. In the face of my existence, under the pressure of my presence…… You dared bare your fangs at me.]

[……E- Errr……]

As I was puzzled by the fact that the atmosphere around her had softened a bit, the angel calmly spoke.

————“Found you”.

No voices were spoken out of her mouth. However, I feel like I heard those words clearly in my ears, and immediately afterwards, the angel smiled deeply and a chill ran down my back.

T- T- The f*ck is that…… That’s scary! W- What the heck is that!? It’s a smile that gives me goosebumps, as if a predator has found its prey! The smile on the angel’s face was so frightening that the words I heard before, “smiles were originally an aggressive expression”, come to my mind. N- No, her face is still as beautiful as before but…… S- Somehow, it’s as if someone who isn’t used to smiling, trying to force a smile, making the smile on her face very distorted…… Honestly, that’s seriously scary.

[Ahh, this is wonderful. What a wonderful day it is today…… I never thought I would meet someone such as you here. Truly wonderful, you’re a being who holds the potential to be my beloved child. I don’t think I can measure your value with just this one meeting. I need to know more…… I need…… to know deeper.]

[Eh? Huh? Errr……]

[Your name is Miyama Kaito, isn’t it? I memorized it perfectly. From now on, even if everything in the world is erased, I will never forget your name.]

[……Eh?]

Could you please give me a moment? Seriously, I can’t catch up with what she’s saying, you know? I only got the part where she would remember my name, but things she said before that…… I think she said something about being her beloved child, but what does she mean by that?

[With the way you call Kaito-san your child, I suppose you are a God from the other world…… the God of the world Kaito-san lived in, or probably a being equivalent to that……]

[Yes, you’re not mistaken to think of me as such.]

I think I heard some words I can’t ignore just now. The God of the world I was in? Eh? Does that mean she’s the God of the world I was in before? Ah, no, the “being equivalent” from Alice’s words could mean she could be a God’s subordinate or something like that but…..

Confused by this surprising revelation, the angel, with that smile still on her face, turned to me and spoke.

[The difference in ability between you and me, between man and God, is obvious, and you yourself must have sensed it strongly. You bared your fangs at me with the understanding of that. Not because you have the power to resist me like that girl over there, but you did it even though you understand that you do not have the power to resist…… That could be described as foolhardiness. Your actions could be described as blasphemy to God.]

In a voice that sounds almost gentle, the winged God spun her words. Seemingly having fun, she told me how my actions were reckless and disrespectful……

[However, it’s for this reason that your soul…… is irrepressibly “beautiful and lovely”.]

[……Yes?]

[I praise your foolish courage. I forgive your foolish blasphemy. I forgive you for all your disrespect to me…… I strongly hope that when we meet again, you will stand before me as you are right now.]

After saying this in a voice that was supposed to be calm, but seemed to be filled with a lot of passion, the angel, or rather, God turned her back on me and Alice. Errr, so…… What does that even mean!? None of that makes any sense to me!!!  O- Or rather, is our conversation over with that? Eh? Could it be…… Is it because she’s coming back another day? The heck is that, that’s scary. The God slowly walked away from us, and after moving about 10 meters away from us, she turned around. Then, looking at me, who was confused and wasn’t able to catch up with the situation, she looked as if she remembered something as she spoke.

[My name is “Eden”…… Until we meet again, my beloved child.]

[ ! ? ]

With those words, the space that looks like a cybernetic world cracked open, and the scenery around us returned to the middle of the street we were in earlier. And the God…… Eden-san disappeared before I knew it, as if she had never existed right from the start. She was a mysterious person.  Even when we exchanged words, I couldn’t read her true motives at all…… It’s just that, even if it’s just one thing…… There’s just this one thing I wanted to shout from the bottom of my heart.

Seriously, what the heck are you even here for!?