Chapter 776 – When to Return to Daily Life

000

In the end, after Cleon and Laila returned to the Flamewatch Mansion, Amelia and Kuon, who were working together among the people who were in the middle of renovation work, were the first to look surprised.

Amelia let out a sigh of relief and smiled, and behind her, Kuon, who seemed to have an Asura-like ghostly expression on his face, was smiling just like Amelia, but he was making an expression that appeared to be a completely different kind of smile. .

In the end, as soon as the two returned, they knelt in front of Kuon and listened to him nagging for dozens of minutes before they were able to be released from Kuon’s nagging hell.

When I stood up while rubbing my numb leg and calf, I was able to see the children who were safe and Da Capo, who was also able to get out of bed and walk.

“… Anyway. I’m glad everyone ended up safely.”

Lila nods her head as if she agrees with Cleon’s words as if he were summarizing the situation.

There may be some inconveniences in many ways, as parts of the village are destroyed, resulting in economic loss and the inability to use the familiars that keep the village going for a while.

Even so, it was fortunate that none of the village residents were seriously injured or died.

Except for those who were three spirits: Petrus, Ventuna, and Aqua.

In the end, Petrus’ body was able to prevent hemiplegia by receiving the magic of the land of Fromme.

His body is no different from that of an ordinary human, and because all the magic nerves in his body are damaged, he is no longer able to use magic even if he uses his efforts. However, he reacts as if it doesn’t matter, and that he is Aqua. As a young man in the village, he was devoting himself to restoration work in order to pay for the sins he committed together.

For your information, as Lila told Fromme, she told the villagers about his identity and what he had been doing as a condition for not banishing him.

Unlike Fromme, where it was thought that there would be quite a few people opposed, most of the residents accepted Petrus as one of their own.

That may be because of Petrus’s usual sincere attitude and the trust that Fromme had built up as the acting chieftain.

Ventuna said that in order to obtain the materials needed for the village’s repair work, he had summoned all the merchants of the Gailgazer Merchant Marine who had left the village and was talking with them about the future of the merchant.

As she herself said, the merchants already knew Ventuna’s identity, so they did not seem to be very disturbed by this incident.

Rather, when Lila heard that this was an opportunity to bring new technology to the stagnant village, she just sighed as she thought, “It’s the merchants… After all.”

Nevertheless, without them, the restoration of Helix might take several days, and considering that they were able to find manpower and provide materials at low prices, they were indispensable to the village.

While three of the four major families, Flamewatch, Earthseeker, and Gale Gazer, were finding their place, the problem was the River Finder family, of which Aqua was the head.

In fact, Aqua, which does not trust humans as a family, had long ago expelled all the humans of the Riverfinder family from Helix, and communication with them was cut off.

Therefore, the family mansion was empty, and there was no wizard in the village who could take charge of the water element and protect it, so there was something to worry about, whether the village’s elemental balance would be broken.

“As for the new head of the Riverfinder family, I’ll have to think about it in many ways. The best thing would be to find the people from the family that Aqua kicked out and bring them back, but if you can’t find them, you should either appoint a representative for them… Or choose a new family to manage the water element.”

Lila nodded her head as she spoke with Fromme, who had come to her mansion after hearing the news of her return.

Fromme responded to Laila’s answer by stroking her own beard.

“It’s okay to take it slow, so don’t worry. The situation in the village is slowly returning to normal. Because we confirmed that the seal of the Magic Tower was stabilized again.”

“Yeah… Well, it will take some time to completely destroy the Magic Tower after that. We should stabilize the village at least until then.”

Lila herself has not yet been able to open the sealed door inside her mansion with the key she retrieved, but since she has to return to Asteris today, she has decided to postpone research that will take time.

She felt confident that if she opened the door now and found her grandfather’s research materials inside, she would be so focused on it that she wouldn’t be able to pay attention to anything else.

Now was the time for her to be patient, for she knew very well that she would not be able to care about anything else.

＂Anyway… I feel lucky to have you all. “It would be terrible to think that Aqua and Petrus went ahead with their plan when Lila or her companions were not around.”

“They probably got impatient because I told them I was going to leave Da Capo and the kids at our mansion. Originally, I was planning to find a way to break the seal and take over the mansion while I was gone.”

If there were two errors of judgment they committed, the first was that they were only wary of Laila and underestimated the power of the rest of her colleagues.

The other thing is that even if new residents, including Da Capo, came to live in the mansion, they should have aimed to subdue Laila after she left.

It may also be because the situation with a competitor named Ventuna was a psychological burden on them.

And, after a moment of silence between the two, as if they had finished talking to each other, Fromme said ‘Hmm…’ In a voice that seemed to be thinking about something.

“You still look like you’re worried?”

“Joy. This face has been like this from the beginning. There’s just one thing… That bothers me. Lila, it’s about your future.”

＂Future?＂

When Lila blinks her eyes as if to say something, Fromme strokes her own beard.

＂After she graduates from the academy and her current adventure with her colleagues is over. Will I return to Helix… Or will I go somewhere else with that young man named Cleon?”

“Ah… If that’s the case, don’t worry. No matter what happens, I plan to definitely come back to this village. I would be grateful if Cleon came along… But as you can see, he is very popular.”

Lila shrugs her shoulders and leans back on her sofa.

“Is it because of the mission you inherited from your brother to destroy the Magic Tower?”

“Of course, there is that too. I usually like this town. The streets that only familiars walk are fascinating, and there are many things to research. I didn’t have time this time, so I didn’t go in, but there is a hot spring, right?”

＂… I guess so.＂

Upon hearing Lila’s answer, Fromme seemed somewhat relieved, but she also seemed worried that Lila might be being shackled to this village.

“What! Cleon and other colleagues. Unless you hate living here. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to raise a big family here, right? At that time, I will take over as village chief and add a rule allowing polygamy.”

＂What… Huh.＂

However, Promme also seemed to be tired of what Lila was saying and shook her head.

001

While Lila was talking with Fromme and getting the scoop on the situation in her village, Cleon stopped by her Dacapo and was looking at her demon sword with her.

She couldn’t really talk to her except when she went to rescue her, but perhaps because she was of the same dark horse clan, she felt quite close to her.

“Is this Da Capo’s magic sword… Antigone?”

“Yes, to put it lightly, it is the ability to extract elements from an object and inject them into another object.”

I thought it was her ability that suited her as an alchemist, and I watched her pull out the bottom of the handle of her Antigone like the cylinder of her syringe and then make a push-in motion.

And while she was watching the awakened demon sword of Da Capo, Antigone, with other children beside her looking curious, there was one woman who looked a little displeased with the situation. 〉

＂Cleon… I don’t think you should care so much about another demon sword when I’m here.＂

“… Are you jealous there too, Galatea?”

I tend to turn a blind eye to Cleon’s eyes on other women, but whether she’s a magic sword, a holy sword, or a famous sword.

When it comes to swords, Galatea tries to manage cheating quite strictly.

Perhaps it’s because Caliburn is somewhat aware that she is the child she gave birth to because her stomach hurt, but she is quite lenient about her, unlike her usual attitude.

“Ha… Ah, sorry. So, can I hear her reason for showing herself to me?”

When Galatea clings to his back and bothers him like a child, Cleon sighs as if he is a little embarrassed, but asks the reason why Da Capo suddenly asked him if he could look after the magic sword.

Da Capo looked back and forth between Cleon and Galatea, then adjusted his glasses and answered Cleon.

＂Well… I guess I should say that’s the part…”

＂That part?＂

“I originally knew that when the Demon Sword awakens, an ego is created within it… But I guess I have to say that I don’t know how to deal with it…”

As she said that, she lowered her head as if she was a little embarrassed.

Cleon then looked at Da Capo and silenced her for a moment, then glanced back at Galatea.

Then, without saying anything, she asks Da Capo again.

＂You say you have an incredibly bad personality?＂

“Wait a minute, Cleon. “Why did you just see me?”

Galatea had doubts whether Cleon’s gaze and explanation were referring to her, but Cleon shook his head and denied it.

“Oh, no! It’s not like that…”

Da Capo strongly denied Cleon’s question and looked down at Antigone.

“She’s been nagging me a lot about my life…”

＂…＂

Da Capo speaks as if he is somehow embarrassed and places his hand on Antigone’s sword.

Even now, Cleon may not be able to hear it, but the various words coming from Antigone towards Da Capo were nagging words poured out to her.

“At 10 o’clock, they tell you to turn off the lights and go to bed, or if you lower your head while reading, they suddenly appear behind you and pull your neck to make you look straight ahead… Since you don’t get enough exercise, you tell them to run a few laps around town every morning… ＂

“It’s true that I lack exercise, so let’s jog with me, sister!”

＂Shhh!＂

In response to Shitaka’s words, Dacapo covers his mouth with his index finger and tells him to be quiet, then speaks to Cleon.

“… This probably means that I was not recognized as Antigone’s owner, right?”

＂Umm…＂

After hearing Da Capo’s words, Cleon was worried about a moment, or should I say he was worried about Da Capo’s immaturity.

She seemed to think that she was being treated like her own child, that the things she had done for so many years in caring for her children were being reversed.

Just as Cleon was wondering what to say to resolve the misunderstanding, Galatea spoke to Da Capo.

“Something like that. Since you are the owner, it is natural for you to speak.”

Galatea talks to Da Capo as if she is worried about something unbecoming, and Da Capo looks back at Galatea.

＂We are the magic swords. Master – No, you, our partners, think of the magic swordsman first and act accordingly. It may seem like obsession, but we are splits from the same soul.”

Saying that, Galatea clings to Cleon, rubbing her face against his.

“Therefore. Nagging like that. To express affection like this. I do it because it is no different from family. “Aren’t you really thinking of that child as a tool that can speak?”

Dacapo makes an expression as if he feels something at Galatea’s words.

“She is what she says. For us, the magic sword is not just a tool, but a family that we will spend our whole lives with. It’s better to face them sincerely. “I guess this is all the advice I can give.”

＂…＂

After hearing the two people’s words, Da Capo is blank for a moment and looks at Cleon, who stands up from his seat.

“And. One more thing.”

Cleon decided to leave the rest to her, and as he was about to leave her room, he turned his head and spoke to her as if he had suddenly remembered her.

＂Now, there is no need to be on edge all the time like you used to in the land of the empire. It seems like your younger siblings have already adapted, but you haven’t yet.”

＂… Well, that is… ＂

As if Cleon’s words were correct, Da Capo looked a little embarrassed and adjusted his glasses.

In order to protect his younger siblings, he, the oldest, must always be present, and in a way, it is natural since he has lived like that for ten years.

“This place is safe. Because there are a lot of adults around. You’ve worked hard enough, and it’s okay for you to live a normal life here.”

With those last words, Da Capo looked quietly at Cleon as he left the room, and for a moment he placed his hand on his chest and stroked Antigone.

And now she had taken the first step in accepting her Antigone not simply as her own demonic sword, but as a member of her family – like an older sister who could nag her.

Cleon and Da Capo, the two people didn’t know yet.

The relationship created by this long turmoil that began in the territory of the empire will later become an important variable in the fight against the great evil called Adam.

002

In Asteris, in the garden of the mansion where Cleon’s party was staying, a portal for transfer suddenly opened.

Of course, it was Lila who opened it.

Contrary to expectations, he returned after three days, but fortunately, Kuon was able to use the communication talisman with the shrine maidens to relay the situation to her great shrine maiden, Tokoyo, and prevent a big commotion from happening to find Cleon.

＂It’s been 3 days since I got home~!＂

When Sasha, who came through the transference door, runs straight from the garden into the living room, she is followed by González, who changes into his human form.

“It’s only for one day for us.”

After Laila relaxedly stretched out her hand and closed the dimension door after confirming that everyone else had passed, the sounds of the city outside the mansion were not much different from the everyday atmosphere they knew. Br〉

In other words, fortunately nothing happened while they were away.

“This is not the time to be like this. First, prepare for the Five Elements Festival, which starts tomorrow…”

However, as if Kuon had not forgotten what he had to do, he hurriedly tried to move his feet to get to the temple of Asteris.

She went into the living room and saw Sasha coming back.

Sasha raised her arm and pointed to the living room with a slightly puzzled expression and spoke.

＂Um, over there… There’s a stranger in the living room…”

＂Who doesn’t know?＂

Cleon tilts her head at Sasha’s words.

Did someone trespass illegally?

Or, does Herti provide staff to take care of the mansion while she is away?

Then, Cleon would take the lead, come out of the garden, go up to the living room, and face the ‘unknown person’ that Sasha had mentioned, who was waiting there.

Brown hair, big eyes.

And she, wearing a cleanly washed and wrinkle-free maid uniform, smiled as she looked at Cleon who came into the living room.

“Oh. You’re back, Cleon.”

＂Eh, Emma…?＂

That was Emma, ​​Illenu’s partner, who had been cursed to take the form of a child.