Chapter 373 – Together

000

A loud explosion, enough to shake the windows, rang out from the side of the church.

Both Emma and Cassius managed to avoid falling by holding on to the walls and surrounding furniture to withstand the vibration transmitted from the aftermath of the explosion.

For a while, the earthquake-like vibration continued, and only after several tens of seconds had passed, the surroundings became quiet and the light pouring in from outside the window faded.

It was almost miraculous that this mansion hadn’t been blown up, but now it’s time to breathe a sigh of relief that it’s safe.

“That explosion… It was a lot of magic.”

While saying that, Cassius picks up the dropped newspaper in her hand.

But Emma gets her body up and stars out the window blankly for a moment, then she suddenly comes to her senses her and looks back at Cassius as she talks.

“I won.”

“…”

At Emma’s words, Cassius blinked for a moment, then opened his eyes wide when he understood the meaning.

“Really?”

“Yes… Should I say it’s the core of this realm that I felt until just now… I felt that the power of the Goddess was gone. And the vague memories…”

As her tears stream from one of her eyes her, Cassius’s gaze moves from her to the outside of her window.

Heading to the place where Cleon and Amelia are.

Then she grabbed the newspaper she was holding in her hand, crumpled it and rolled it up.

‘In order to have something that could be of help to them, I left the fight behind and came all the way here. …But I did it with the excuse that it was for the sake of the people…’

A lame self-justification, Cassius reopens the newspaper he crumpled in his hands, loathing himself.

As a result, his comrades could have won, but would he have been able to forgive himself had it been the other way around?

Somewhere, Cassius could only shake his head, thinking that he was becoming more like the vassals of a realm who sacrificed cattle for the cause he hated.

“…Miss Cassius? Did you find everything you were looking for?”

“Yes, thanks.”

As Cassius says that, he looks at the other papers piled on the desk, including the one he was holding.

The written dates are all about 2-3 years after the time when Cassius lived.

It was in the not-so-distant future.

Even so, as Cleon’s course of action changed, many things must have changed.

For example – Tensions between the kingdom and the academy began with an incident in which a hero belonging to a kingdom’s adventurer’s guild was kidnapped by the academy and died.

Also, the guild master in the rural town was actually a dragon, and one day, he suddenly disappeared and disappeared.

As an extension of the abduction case above, a saintess was killed by the academy’s unofficial operation unit, and the church dispatched a heretic inquisitor to the academy.

The situation of the kingdom and the surrounding continent was at the height of chaos.

‘If you think this is what would have happened if Mr. Cleon acted with Illenu… I feel sorry for her, but the world could be a little more peaceful thanks to that.’

Indeed, it is not an exaggeration to say that one small result created a divergence in the large world.

However, there were also events that clearly did not appear to have anything to do with Cleon.

‘This information is obviously helpful for the peace of the continent as well as the kingdom. ─Is there no choice but to think that way?’

Shaking his head away from his surging self-loathing his, Cassius turned his head towards Emma.

“Mr. Cleon will come this way too. Let’s join him.”

“…”

After hearing Cassius’ words, Emma was silent for a moment as she tried to nod her head, perhaps remembering something about her.

“The threat of vampires in this realm has disappeared… But at the same time, that means that the power of vampires, which can be said to be the power that maintained this realm, has disappeared…?”

Emma said so, and when she saw Cassius ‘inexpressible expression of his, she became saddened.

“Sorry for the trouble. I’ll have to think of a goodbye to Cleon.”

Saying so, Emma opens the door to her room her and she goes outside.

Cassius looked at Emma’s back her for a moment, then placed her newspaper on top of her mansion and followed her.

After a while as the door to the room was closed, the newspapers on the desk turned to ashes and disappeared.

001

After leaving the mansion, Cassius and Emma walk down the road to the cathedral.

If you go down this road, you will also meet Cleon.

However, what I see along the way is-

“…The realm is collapsing.”

Just as Cassius said, the realm of the goddess of death was disappearing starting with the smallest existence.

The cause is simple, because the core to maintain the territory has disappeared.

It was facing the same end as the realm absorbed by the Thunder Lord.

“I’m in a hurry. If the realm completely collapses, it will be difficult to escape.”

The moment Emma nodded her head at Cassius’s words-

“His Highness Cassius! Mrs. Emma!”

When Cleon’s voice was heard, Cleon was leading his comrades and approaching Cassius.

Her tattered appearance her caught my eye, but the goddess of death—no, she was just Illenu now—had a particularly grim face, wearing something like a blanket.

Everyone looked exhausted, but seemed to have enough stamina to walk somehow, and only Amelia was asleep on Cleon’s back.

“I’m glad you’re safe.”

As soon as they met again, that was the first word, so Cassius burst out laughing without realizing it.

“I think that’s what this side should say, but… I’m sorry, Mr. Cleon. I couldn’t help you.”

“It was the right thing to take Emma and get out of there. The fight continued after that-“

Kugoong…!

As Cleon continued to speak, the vibration suddenly rang again.

It wasn’t the same vibration as when the magic fell, but the same vibration as when an earthquake really happened.

“Cleon.”

When Freya called Cleon quietly, Cleon nodded his head.

“Ah. Yes. Right now, I think getting out of here faster than talking. Freya, through the portal.”

“Now, wait. Cleon.”

When Freya heard Cleon’s words and was about to open the portal to return to the realm of Yggdrasil, Emma stopped Cleon.

“What’s wrong, Mr. Emma?”

“…Goodbye…”

At Emma’s words her, Cleon stars blankly at her.

Lyla, Beatrix, and Ile Nu all heard Emma’s words and said ‘Ah’, let out her voice her and looked away.

“…Although, Cleon is not the Cleon we knew and traveled with… Thanks to Cleon, everyone was saved.”

Saying that, Emma approached Cleon and took his hand her.

“…As expected, Cleon is Cleon no matter what world it is.”

Hearing her voice her choking her throat, Cleon closed her mouth and could not answer her words her.

“In Cleon’s world, we must have been walking different paths. If we meet again, can we become friends?”

“…Miss Emma.”

Emma heard Cleon calling her and smiled as if to hide her tears-

Raising her arms her, she reached for his face her.

She brought her face her lightly and kissed her lightly on the lips.

“Wow! I did it again!”

Moose’s shocked voice, and the rest of the party with similarly shocked expressions on their faces.

“…—I’m kidding. Cleon has Cleon’s adventures.”

Then, seeing Emma’s sad face her as she quickly fell, Cleon called her name her once more.

“Emma, ​​hold on-“

“…Come on! That’s it! If it’s too wet, it’ll become an unpleasant memory!”

After saying that, Cleon looked at Emma as she turned away, then turned her head to Freyja.

Then, Freya nodded and opened the portal to Yggdrasil.

Like the portals opened in the realm of the thunder lord, the tree’s leaves, flowers, and circles of stems slowly grew.

Beyond that stretched the green realm of Yggdrasil – the home of Freya.

Once again, a coo-goo-goo was heard and the ground vibrated.

Emma didn’t turn her head, even when she sensed the opening of the portal.

The farewell with Cleon has already ended.

All that was left was to wait for this realm to disappear completely along with Illenuna, Lyla, and Beatrix.

“—Emma.”

And when Illenu hears her voice, Emma looks at her silently.

“What are you doing? You leave me behind?”

Saying so, Illenu grabbed Emma’s wrist hers.

“…Huh…?”

Emma puts on an expression that Ile doesn’t know what someone is saying, then she looks in Cleon’s direction.

“Ah- actually, I talked to Freyja on the way here… I think it’s okay to stay in the realm of Yggdrasil.”

“In the end, it’s a story of ‘with Yggdrasil-sama’s permission’.”

Freya says so, but it must be troubling for her to leave them here too.

“So. Should we say that there is no need to say goodbye right now… Should we say goodbye a little later.”

When Lila said that, her Emma’s face her turned bright red.

“…Are Banshee swords with blush?”

Upon hearing Gray’s question, Peru Luca shook her head in disbelief.

“Well, I must be a little embarrassed~”

After hearing Sif’s words, Emma turns her head once more towards Illenu.

“…Cancellation of the previous one…”

“Ah-ni. You can’t cancel it. Whoa. I’ve memorized everything. If I cancel it, I have to do it again later when we really break up, right?”

“…”

Emma shook off Illenu’s hand that was holding her, and she continued to sprint through her portal at full speed.

“My hometown will be noisy…”

Freyja sighed, and he only shook her head, wondering if he had made the right decision.

002

“Welcome!”

As soon as the party set foot in Yggdrasil’s realm, what they saw was Yggdrasil sitting on a chair enjoying tea-

“Uh, huh? It’s a sword that the Frost Queen also has.”

“Are you back? …You are more of a multinational army than I thought.”

The Frost Queen, wearing an ornament of flowers and leaves on her head that had never been seen before, looked at her party with an expressionless expression.

Her gaze her scans the entire party and then stops at Amelia, who was carrying Cleon behind her.

“Did he fall asleep because he was exhausted? Yes, he’s at that age.”

“…You are the Frost Queen…”

When she made eye contact with Cleon, who was carrying her naturally, Cleon awkwardly greeted her.

The Frost Queen then shakes her head and replies.

“There was no need to force yourself to use honorifics. You and I are equal.”

“…I see. I’m more comfortable that way too.”

Cleon nodded at the Frost Queen’s words and immediately loosened her honorifics and spoke comfortably.

“I heard you helped Amelia and Gray. …Thank you.”

“I didn’t do it to hear your thanks. First of all, I’ll accept it. And you guys can get out of here safely with this. Congratulations.”

Gray and Cleon nodded at the Frost Queen’s words, but Freyja made a slightly uncomfortable face and spoke to Yggdrasil.

“I’m sorry, Yggdrasil. I brought the former Goddess of Death and her companions with me on my own.”

“It’s okay. This area is wide.”

Yggdrasil spoke as if she didn’t care, and Freyja let out a sigh of relief.

“Hey… Can I ask you something? Queen?”

Then Gray raises her hand and asks a question.

“What?”

“…What is that flower on your head? I don’t think it was there the last time I saw you…”

The Frost Queen listens to her, shuts her mouth for a moment, then turns her gaze towards Yggdrasil.

“…Not really. Nothing. She just said she was bored and played with my hair while she waited for you guys to come back.”

“Oh, a blue tiara would look good too, but I just thought that accessories using natural objects would look good on a girl.”

Hearing what they said, Cleon stretched her shoulders as if feeling a bit weak, then she corrected her posture with Amelia on her back.

“—So. Now, the only thing left is to return to the original world.”

When Freya says that, turning her face to Cleon, Cleon nods her head.

However, Yggdrasil walks lightly and grabs Cleon’s hand her.

“I think it’s better to take a little break before going. If you’re in this area, you’ll recover quickly. You’re going through a fairly long distance. If you don’t recover properly, you could get into trouble again on the way.”

“…Is it real?”

At Gray’s words, the Frost Queen sipped her tea and didn’t answer properly.

Then Cassius, who was standing behind her, quietly stepped forward and opened her mouth.

“Mr. Cleon. Do what she says. I have something to say to Mr. Cleon before I leave here.”

“… Ah. I see.”

[Well? If it’s a story, do it here-]

“Now, Utgart. Take Amelia to the place where you rested yesterday and come~”

Stopping Utgart from acting ignorantly, Sif takes Amelia off Cleon’s back her and puts her on Utgart’s back her.

“Please. Utgart.”

[Oh oh. If Cleon-nim asks for it.]

Then, watching Utgart flying up, the party sighed, and Illenu was talking to Yggdrasil.

“I don’t know how long it will last, but I’ll take good care of you, Mr. World Tree.”

“Uh, such a rude attitude towards Yggdrasil.”

Freya looked at her as if taken aback by Illenu’s words her, but Yggdrasil only smiled.

“It’s okay to stay forever. Of course, the others too.”

The Frost Queen listened to Yggdrasil’s words, and she expressed no opinion.

Cleon was a little worried that something might happen in the situation where the rulers of the three realms met.

More than I thought, it was a sigh of relief at the relationship between the three, which seemed to have no problems on the outside.

Just today, how many times have you sighed?

“…Then, Your Highness Cassius. A story.”

“Ah – would it be better for us not to?”

When Sif talked to the two of them once more, Cassius laughed and shook his head.

“Let us move.”

“Yes. You can’t tell a lot of people to move.”

Saying that, Cleon walked along with Cassius to an uninhabited forest.

Moose looked behind the two and covered his head as if realizing something.

“—Could it be that black-haired guy!? With a guy too!?”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Cleon…”

Peruluca sighed and followed Cleon with her eyes.

Now, the parting with him she had been trying so hard to ignore was right in front of her.