Chapter 96: Triumphal return and report
"I'm home..."
When we returned to the temple, Marlene jumped into my pocket. When he accepts it, he looks up with a happy expression on his face, and then buries his face into his chest.
Does that mean he was praying in front of the stone monument at the labyrinth entrance?
Indeed, we had agreed that if we were to be cornered and escape when the demon attacked, we would have to escape into the labyrinth... It may be reasonable to offer prayers here. He was probably escorting Marlene. Mercedia is smiling bitterly.
If you jump from the stone monument and escape into the labyrinth, the other person will not be able to determine where you went. After escaping the disaster, all you have to do is meet up at the agreed upon location.
"I'm glad you're safe."
As I was stroking Marlene's hair, Knight Commander Mildred and Guild Vice-Commander Oswald... then another person approached me. The ears are pointed. ...She's an elf woman.
It's the first time we've met, but... Isn't it Auria, the guild leader of the Term Wills Adventurer's Guild?
Apparently she was originally a famous adventurer. Her appearance is exactly as I imagined from the image of an elf. Therefore, she is very popular among adventurers.
She takes a more cautious stance than Oswald, who tends to act recklessly, so she seems well-balanced.
She might be the perfect person to be the head of the Termwills adventurer's guild, where various different races gather. Or rather, she was probably chosen with that in mind.
"This is how it turned out. The attacking demon was repelled."
When he shows him the jewel, Mildred rolls his eyes for a moment, then nods.
"I think it would be best if we hand those over to His Majesty directly from the Ambassador's Palace."
Well...that's my job.
You shouldn't leave the handing over to someone else.
"You've stored up an incredible amount of spirit power."
Auria says while folding her arms.
Despite her appearance, her tone is quite dignified. It's probably because she has a long lifespan only for an elf.
"Ah. I'm late in introducing myself. I'm Auria, the guild leader."
She introduces herself.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Theodor Gartner."
"Please take care of me. I'm Lisa's son."
After nodding, Auria said that.
"Do you know her mother?"
"Hmm. It's going to be an old story, so I'll have to take my time."
Auria laughs cheerfully. According to Rosetta's story, her mother also used to be an adventurer in the Term Wills. It wouldn't be strange if she knew someone in the adventurer's guild... but I didn't know that the guild leader knew her.
But, right now, rather than talking about personal matters, we should probably talk about demons and jewels.
"I understand. Has anything unusual happened outside the labyrinth? The demon might be planning something."
"nothing……"
Mildred's expression is tense.
"I'll tell you about the enemy's appearance later. If you use that information to find out if he's been seen anywhere, you might be able to find out something."
"Nothing special has happened here, but...I see. If that's the case, let's have a thorough investigation."
Mildred nods. Caduceus remembers Leselliage's appearance. If she were to be recreated by Caduceus and molded using earth magic, it would be possible to make something similar to her bust.
"I'm glad you're safe."
Penelope came and bowed.
"home"
There is one more thing that concerns me about this case. ...If I ask Penelope, will she know anything?
"Penelope-san. May I ask you about the appearance of the goddess Sures?"
“Is it Mr. Shuas’s?”
"That's right. You're talking about her hair color and eye color, which you can't tell from the goddess statue on the altar."
Although things about Shuasu's personality are talked about, the details of her physical appearance are not talked about. If she were to talk about her appearance, she would be associated with the statue of the goddess on the altar of the temple.
...In short, I suspect that the labyrinth management side has something to do with the moon goddess Shuas.
The movement of the moon is also closely related to the labyrinth. It's said that the Moon Temple was built as an afterthought...but what if that's because Shuas was involved from the beginning?
“Lord Shuas is like the waxing and waning of the moon. I have heard that he hates showing his appearance in public. There are various theories about his exact appearance, so I cannot say anything for sure... I'm telling you to dress like a beautiful, young woman."
Penelope seemed to be smiling somehow, perhaps because she was talking about Sures.
HM. As expected, isn't there a line in which Claudia herself is sure? If I were to just look at her, Claudia was around the same age as me.
It seems like she had some restrictions on her actions. So, for example... Claudia is a servant of Sures, or her subordinate. I think that such a possibility is possible.
"There is no doubt that she has long hair. Many of the shrine maidens of the Moon Temple also have long hair. It is said that she is as beautiful as the brightness of the moon."
...The brightness of the moon. Again, it's an ambiguous expression. Can we call those golden eyes the shine of the moon?
"I understand. Thank you."
"No. Please feel free to ask me anytime."
I bow my head to Penelope.
Now. After this, I will have to deliver the jewel to the royal castle and report to King Melvin.
"--Dancing sword Leselliage... that's what you said?"
It was quite late at night, so I asked everyone to go home first, and I headed to the royal castle.
It seems that King Melvin was waiting for us to return at the King's Tower, wearing his battle clothes.
While entrusting the jewel and reporting on the outcome, King Melvin seemed to be confused by the demon's name.
"Do you know her? She's a female demon who shoots golden swords at you."
"Hmm. His name will appear in the history books. The flame heat, the dancing sword, and so on... Only the big ones pop out. At all... our country was also noticed by an incredible opponent."
King Melvin puts his hand on his forehead and frowns. It seems like there was no idea from the beginning that I was making a false report to take credit.
I'll also tell you that the demon was doing something behind the scenes and that I talked to Mildred.
"And one more thing. It's the black-haired girl I reported before."
"Hmm"
"We talked for a while at the Spirit Hall. I only know her name and appearance, so the rest is probably just my guess."
“Let me hear it.”
King Melvin leans forward. He talks about Claudia, including the story with Penelope from earlier.
“…Goddess Shuas, huh?”
"It's a baseless story. It's just a far-fetched story based on the relationship between the phases of the moon and the labyrinth."
"No. There were a lot of mysteries about that girl, but that's enough to get us started. It would be interesting to have her investigated along those lines."
King Melvin was nodding in admiration.
“Do you see any connections between these points in the procedures of the National Guard Ceremony?”
"No, I'll let you know if there's anything. I can't reveal the details, but I'll prove that my bloodline is right and I'll take an oath to rule the country. That's what I'm going to do. I don't see any relationship with the goddess in the wording.''
"I see"
...I thought it would be a given if there was some language praising the goddess in the ritual.
Well, it's just a thought at the moment. There's also a good chance that I'm mistaken.
"Also...it doesn't have much to do with this incident."
"HM"
"We'll talk about it a little later, but I'd like you to lend me your dragon cage."
"Huh. I don't mind that. Does that mean you're leaving Term Wills?"
"Yes. Her mother's death anniversary is coming soon."
King Melvin's doubts were valid, so when I explained my business plainly, he nodded with a serious look on his face.
"I see. That must be an important matter. The jewel incident has settled down for the time being. I'll take care of the report. I'll take care of the dragon cage, so don't hesitate. You should go.”
"thank you"
I had done what I needed to report, so after making a bust of Leselliage, I resigned from the royal castle and headed home.
"...Haa. I guess I'll have to get a new coat."
I had everyone go home by horse-drawn carriage, so I was walking.
The draft is a little cold. Large holes have been made in his arms and shoulders by Leselliage.
Put your hand on the hole. ...There were some scars left on my arms and shoulders.
Ashley was stroking me, but I wonder if she cared. Well, if she can't fix it, then neither can anyone else. As long as it doesn't leave me with any pain, I don't want anything more.
"I'm home"
"welcome home"
When I opened the door to the house, Grace and the others greeted me with smiles.
"I'll prepare a hot drink for you now."
"thank you"
It was quite late at night, but everyone seemed to be awake and waiting.
As usual, I settled down on the chaise lounge. The sound of firewood crackling in the fireplace is indescribably soothing.
Since it's night, it's not tea, but warm milk.
Everyone came in after emptying their cups and calming down.
Ashley and Grace are next to me. ...So, I held Marlene on my lap hesitantly.
Shaped like sitting sideways. It's almost like holding a princess. Marlene's body is very light.
"We were together in the labyrinth."
Ashley, who was sitting next to her, smiled slightly and put his head on her shoulder.
“I was also able to relieve some of the backlash.”
Grace, who was sitting on the opposite side, hugged my arm and pressed our bodies together.
Yeah. Does that mean I want you to make time with Marlene? I understand that though.
Being in close contact with everyone...my body, which had gotten cold from walking outside, warmed up from the inside and out.
It's very warm, but the situation is such. I feel like my head is dizzy. Marlene seems a little sleepy, and she rubs under her eyes from time to time, but she still doesn't want to sleep, and when we meet her gaze, she smiles.
Yeah. Until I fell asleep. It's about being patient until I fall asleep. I'm tired from the battle today. Let's move her to the bedroom as soon as possible.
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