Prologue: Everyday Life on the Isle of Paramounts

My death was the result of overwork at my grueling office job—at least, that was what I had thought, but it was actually because of a god’s careless mistake, something even less likely than winning the lottery. From the perspective of an omnipotent being, a human is only one of the many life-forms out there as numerous as the stars, and their fate can be changed by the twitch of a finger. But unlike one of the gods you might see as final bosses in manga or video games, this one was kind and had even profusely apologized while prostrating herself before me. Because of her, I had ended up reincarnating in another world, and receiving a special reincarnation bonus.

When this god told me about reincarnating, I had been simply exhausted from all the stress of my job and my personal relationships—exhausted enough to hallucinate that I had died of overwork. So, I had wished to be given a healthy body and to be sent to a place without any people. My originally unhealthy thirty-year-old body turned into one that was around twenty, and I found myself reborn on an island without any humans.

It had now been two months since I’d first gazed up at this star-filled sky without any artificial light, and set my heart on living on this island alone, and—

“Yeah, people are just hopeless when they’re tired,” I said to myself as I lazily lounged in a hammock strung between two forest trees.

“What’s this all of a sudden?” Reina asked, lifting her face up from her book and looking at me curiously. As she sat nearby at an outdoor table, any stranger would have assumed she was an ordinary young woman enjoying camping. However, her real identity was as one of the Seven Celestial Archmages, the most powerful magicians on the continent.

“I was just thinking about how my mindset has changed a lot in the two months since I met you, Reina,” I said.

“Are you referring to how you talked about wanting to live alone in a place without anyone else?”

“You’re sharp.”

“Well, we have been spending every day together, Arata. I can pick up on what you’re thinking.”

Until reincarnating on this otherworld island, I had thought that I didn’t want to have anything to do with others. I had wished for a solitary life outdoors. However, after meeting Reina, who had washed up on this island, I gradually had a change of heart as we spent time together.

Getting out of my favorite hammock, I sat down across from Reina, and she smoothly poured me a cup of coffee. We had been given the slightly bitter coffee beans by a Divine Beastfolk friend of ours who was a native of the island, and the taste was quite addicting.

The breeze was calm; as I enjoyed this simple, blissful leisure time to the sound of the rustling forest trees, I sensed a powerful energy from far away.

“Now then,” I said, getting out of the chair and readying myself.

Reina chuckled, amused. “Hang in there.”

Both of us knew what was going to happen next.

“Mister Arataaa!”

“Daaarliiing!”

The two girls shouting from some distance away—the Divine Beastfolk Luna and the Ancient Dragonfolk Tailtiu—raced over to us, each vying to be first.

“All right, come at me!” I said, spreading my arms and waiting.

“Yaaay!”

“Hmph!”

The two of them arrived at the same time, each wrapping their arms around me. There was an intense crash, like the sound of two semitrucks colliding, and the once-still forest trees violently swayed from the shock of the impact as if battered by a hurricane. Both girls looked like regular children, but the power they contained within made them worthy of being called “paramounts,” stronger than any giant monster.

Luna and Tailtiu giggled. “Eheh heh heh!”

“Welcome, both of you,” Reina said.

They hugged me and nuzzled their heads up against me like puppies. It was adorable, but at the same time I felt that they were a bit too old to be acting so shamelessly. So, after they seemed to have their fill, I pulled them off of me. As I did, Reina was just setting out cookies on the table as a snack.

Before I know it, she’s always bringing something out.

Reina used a bit of water magic, then took out hand towels and gave them to us. “Arata, Luna, Tailtiu. Once you all wipe your hands, let’s have snacks.”

“Okaaay!” Luna said.

“Mhmm!” Tailtiu said.

“Aha ha!” I let out a laugh. They looked just like children as they obediently received their towels from Reina. I followed their lead and wiped my hands as well, then sat down around the table with everyone. Then, in what had become a ritual for them, Luna and Tailtiu let out shouts after digging in.

“De-lish!!!”

“Mhmm! It’s good!!!”

In sharp contrast with their appearances, the two girls were actually ultrapowerful beings whose mere presence struck fear into others. Their shouts alone were enough to radiate mana out into the surrounding area, making the entire forest tremble and frightening Calamity-class monsters.

“I want seconds!” Luna said.

“Me too!” Tailtiu chimed in.

“Yeah, yeah...” Reina said.

Be that as it may, they were our good friends.

“Hey, Arata! There’s still some left for me, right?!” Elga said. The great Divine Beastfolk warrior rushed over, probably because he had heard Luna’s and Tailtiu’s shouts. On his shoulders he was carrying an unconscious cow monster as a gift.

“If you’re fine with cookies, some of them are still—” I turned around, but all of the cookies that had been on the table were now gone. “Hey, Tailtiu?”

Though she usually behaved like a spoiled child with me, Tailtiu turned away, ignoring my voice.

“What about you, Luna?” I said.

She turned away too.

I grabbed both of them by the scruffs of their necks, lifted them up, and looked at their faces. Their cheeks were stuffed full to bursting with cookies. What are you, hamsters?

“Whoooa?! Are you kidding me?!” Elga shouted. At the same time, the two gulped down the cookies in their mouths, then tilted their heads in confusion as if nothing had happened at all.

“What is it?” they asked simultaneously.

“All right, it’s oooooon!”

Thus began a great war between the three paramounts.

“It sure is peaceful,” I remarked. However, one thing I couldn’t forget was to stand in front of Reina to protect her from the mana of the three, which was so powerful that it was harmful to her. Though of course, things had gotten much better compared to before, now that they adjusted their power and placed some distance between themselves and her.

As Elga and the two kids fought, Reina prepared the cow monster. She looked just like a professional chef as she briskly worked. Her gaze was sharp; there was nothing she couldn’t intimidate if it tried to get in the way of her cooking. In fact, she had driven Tailtiu to tears multiple times, and the paramounts were so afraid of her in this mode that none dared approach her. In a certain sense, she was really the strongest being on the island.

“And...done,” Reina said. “C’mon, you three! Finish up and come have food!”

Attracted by the savory scent of meat, the three scrambled over to sit at the table, then...

“Yeeeeeaaaaahhh!!!”

As always, they roared.

In normal society, this everyday scene would be a nuisance, but I liked it. Humans were different species from Divine Beastfolk and Ancient Dragonfolk, but even so, we all got along well.

◇

Two weeks had passed since I had gotten a sweeping view of the island from Suzaku’s back. The rest of the Divine Beastfolk must have gotten used to us, because others besides Luna and Elga were now also coming to visit our house to hang out. Though maybe “hang out” wasn’t quite accurate; the vast majority of them came because they had their eyes on Reina’s cooking. Elga and Luna had joined forces to prevent the others from coming (out of fear that their portions would be reduced), but some of the new guests broke through their defenses and came anyway. In all, they looked like they were having a lot of fun.

“There’s no need for them to waste their time fighting. We have plenty of Emperor Boar meat,” Reina said.

“Well, they look like they’re enjoying themselves, so it seems fine to me,” I said.

Reina often cooked outside instead of in the house, perhaps because she had learned how to cook out in nature. Apparently, it was also because she simply liked to use more heat. Meanwhile, I stood next to Reina and continued to sandwich seasoned slices of meat between pieces of white-colored bread—that was about all I could do. The food we were making was similar to a dish known as gua bao in my past life. The smell in the air was so savory that I wanted to take a bite as soon as I could.

“Just one can’t hurt...”

“Don’t, Arata.”

“O-Okay.” My appetite was severed cleanly in half by a sharp look from Reina.

“These are for the Divine Beastfolk, so control yourself for now,” she continued.

We were going to be bringing this food as a gift for them when we visited their village again tomorrow. Some, like Gaius—the warrior whose Ancestor was the Divine Beast Behemoth—could eat dozens all by themselves, so we had to make a large quantity of them.

As I endured the delicious smells and focused on sandwiching the meat, Reina seasoned the gua bao with liquid from a small container.

“Oh, we got that from the Divine Beastfolk a while back, didn’t we?” I said.

We had been interacting with them more lately, and part of that meant getting all sorts of condiments as gifts. According to Reina, they tasted completely different from those on the continent, but that also meant she could try out some new recipes, so she had been making various trades with the village.

“It sure was a happy accident that they had things like soy sauce and miso,” I said.

“Now that you mention it, you said that you had similar condiments where you’re from, right?” Reina said. “I haven’t decided how I’m going to use them yet, but if there are any recipes you know, could you tell me about them?”

“Of course. Well, I can only give you a vague outline, though...”

We could catch some fish and make sashimi, and I also wanted miso soup. However, it didn’t seem that there was any rice on the continent, so Reina didn’t have a very good grasp of that sort of cuisine.

“Next time I get the chance, I’ll have Livia teach me a few things,” she said.

This was Reina we were talking about. Whatever dish she made, it was sure to be magically delicious. And we’d be able to eat it while relaxing and being immersed in the abundant nature on this island.

“So incredibly indulgent...”

In my previous life, science had advanced to the point where it had seemed like the very concept of inconvenience was intolerable. There were some inconvenient aspects to my life here, of course, as I couldn’t rely on technology and had to do everything myself. But I had grown fond of this inconvenient life; it made me very conscious that things were different from before. No matter how convenient society may have been, I was much more fulfilled now compared to my life of feeling stressed every day.

“Is everyone really that stressed out where you’re from, Arata?” Reina asked.

“Well, not everyone. There wasn’t any war, and it’s a peaceful world with no monsters. It’s just...maybe things were too convenient, and that made it all the more difficult to relax.”

I had previously told Reina how I came to this world, but I hadn’t really mentioned much about my past life. But now, I was able to talk about it normally. That was no doubt because we had both come to want to learn more about each other.

“You called it a ‘phone’? It must be convenient to be able to talk to anyone, even when they’re far away.”

“But it can be surprisingly tough when things get too convenient. When you think about how anyone might contact you at any time, it’s impossible to relax.”

“You may be right. Yes, I think I’d go crazy from stress if my teacher could contact me anywhere.”

As we casually chatted, we headed to the beach where we had first met, thinking that we’d expand our usual area of activity. At times we went into the forest to pick vegetables or hunt magic beasts for their meat, but after talking about soy sauce I realized that I had hardly any opportunities to eat fish. The forest was rich in nature, and I could catch fish in the river there, of course, but when I thought about the future, I wanted to come up with ways to catch fish in the ocean, in part to increase the variety of the meals we ate.

And so, we arrived at the beach.

“Are those...people?” Reina asked.

We stumbled upon two people who looked to have washed up on the shore. When I hurriedly approached them, I saw that it was a man and a woman, both unconscious from having almost drowned in the ocean.

This is bad, I thought, and checked whether they were breathing. They weren’t, and both of them seemed to have inhaled water. They’ll die if I don’t give them artificial respiration right away!

“Reina, I’ll save this man, so you take the woman!”

“W-Will do!”

She appeared hesitant for some reason, but I didn’t have time to worry about that. I hurriedly began performing mouth-to-mouth. Pinching the man’s nose, I placed my lips over his and breathed air into his lungs. Then, I pressed on his abdomen and breathed air in again. When I did this with Reina, I had done it gingerly as it had been my first time, but as is often the case, success breeds confidence, and I performed everything quite smoothly.

“Ngaha!”

“All right!”

My swift action must have paid off, because the man quickly spat up water and began to gasp for air. He didn’t show any signs of regaining consciousness, but the crisis had been averted for now. Wondering how Reina was doing, I looked next to me, and—

“O lightning!”

The woman quietly groaned. “Ah... Ah...”

“All right, looking good. One more...”

Like beating a dead horse, Reina was shooting a lightning spell at the unconscious woman. Her hands crackled with electricity, and she looked eager to administer another shock.

“Wh-Wha?! Reina, what are you doing?!” I said.

“Huh? I’m just reviving her normally. Why do you ask?”

“You aren’t reviving her, you’re finishing her off!”

The woman quietly groaned again. Her body jerked and twitched, then went limp.

“Listen, Arata. When a magician loses consciousness, it’s standard to use lightning magic to revive them. It doesn’t work that often, but that’s just how it is. Everyone knows this.”

“Oh, reall— Wait a minute!”

I didn’t know what was common knowledge in this world, and for a moment, I almost agreed with her before shaking my head. If that was standard practice, then no one would ever be so stupid as to fall unconscious. It would be just awful if the moment you did, you were killed by one of your friends who was always by your side.

“But it’s the truth. Well, fine. I’ll take just a bit more, so don’t get in my way, okay?”

“No, that’s what I’m saying, don’t—”

“Hup!” Before I could stop her, Reina placed her sparking palm on the woman’s heart. Once again, her body twitched, and she let out a groan.

“Heenggh?!”

Though the word “twitch” sounded like nothing much, what Reina was doing was really quite brutal.

“Ah...” The woman let out another groan.

“Sh-She’s dead,” I said.

“Jeez, I’m telling you, she’s not dead!”

I was about to refute her, but suddenly the woman spat water out of her mouth. Though she was unconscious, she coughed several times, struggling to survive. By the looks of it, she had undeniably been restored to life.

“Hmph, look at that,” Reina said, smiling proudly.

I had no clue how to respond. Though I was absolutely certain she was doing something wrong, she had successfully revived the woman, so for now I just nodded.

“Well, actually, I wouldn’t have minded if she had just died,” Reina added.

“Huh? Is she an acquaintance?”

“She is. And not the sort of acquaintance I really want to see.”

As Reina spoke, the expression on her face was tinged with weariness.

◇

We couldn’t very well leave two unconscious people lying out on the beach, so we brought them back to our house.

“It’s a good thing we built those guest rooms,” I said.

“Yes, it is...”

After having almost drowned, it didn’t seem like they would be waking up anytime soon.

We got to work getting lunch ready, seeing as it was just about noon. The day had been a hectic one, so we just had a simple meal of bread and soup. Mysteriously, the food Reina made was delicious despite all that.

“You aren’t going to ask?” Reina said.

“I will if you want me to. But not if you don’t want to talk about it.”

“I see...”

For a while after that, we passed the time in silence. Then, Reina quietly spoke.

“About those two... They’re part of the Seven Celestial Archmages, like me.”

“Huh?”

“Number Six: Zelos Grinder, the Flame of Ruin. Then, Number Five: Merlyn Mareen, the Divine Water. They’re both magicians ranked above me.”

After that, Reina explained their backgrounds. They were all Celestial Archmages, but while Reina was the youngest person to ever earn the title, Zelos and Merlyn were stronger as they had held their positions for more than twenty years.

“Oh, but they don’t look that old,” I said.

“Magicians can retain their youth by controlling their mana. Both of them should be more than fifty years old.”

I paused. “Seriously?”

As far as I could tell, they looked to be only in their twenties. I couldn’t help but think that that was more magical than any spell I’d seen yet.

In addition to Reina being the youngest person ever to attain the title, she was also a newcomer, and the other Celestial Archmages hadn’t given her a very warm welcome. Although, they apparently didn’t have much of a sense of camaraderie in the first place, with each of them individually seeking to further elevate their status as magicians. Because of that, Reina hadn’t associated with them very much and had found dealing with them to be a struggle.

“Huh, so that’s how it was,” I said.

“Well, having said that, I never would’ve had to think like this if I were just stronger.”

Reina spoke in a self-deprecating manner with none of her usual radiance. That rubbed me the wrong way somehow. Maybe this was self-centered of me, but I wanted Reina to be a strong-willed, resilient person. So, out of a desire to cheer her up even a little, the words automatically came out of my mouth.

“But still, it’s not like that matters anymore, right?”

“Huh?” Reina raised her face, looking mystified.

“I mean, no one on this island knows a thing about the Seven Celestial Archmages. Here, you’re just Reina.”

“Oh... Huh. Yeah, you’re right.” She seemed to pick up on what I was getting at, and her expression regained its cheer. “Exactly. A title like that is basically meaningless here. After all, it’s given to the strongest magicians on the continent, but that strength doesn’t apply on this island.”

“Yeah, this place sure is absurd.”

“As if you aren’t the most absurd thing here.”

Her mood seemed to have improved enough to the point where she could casually tease me.

Yep, I knew it. Reina’s best when she’s her good old self, I thought, but as I did, I suddenly heard quiet noises coming from the adjacent room.

“Ngh...”

“Ah...”

I looked at Reina, and she nodded, a determined look in her eyes. I entered the guest room. There, the man and the woman had woken up and, still unable to comprehend the situation they were in, looked at me with a mix of both wariness and confusion. But then, when Reina came in behind me, their eyes widened.

“Reina?” the man said. “Why, you little...”

“Aren’t... Aren’t you supposed to be dead?” the woman said.

“It’s been a while, Zelos, Merlyn,” Reina said, greeting them somewhat stiffly.

I looked at her and wondered what to do next. Still, I knew that worrying wouldn’t solve anything in the end, so I decided to surrender myself to the natural course of events.

Chapter One: Fresh Castaways

The two people who had been unconscious on the beach were members of the Seven Celestial Archmages, just like Reina. Zelos had quite a wild air about him, with cropped hair that was a blend of scarlet and black. Merlyn had light blue, wavy hair that went down to her shoulders. Though both of them had sat up, they looked fatigued, probably because they weren’t yet back to full strength.

“Please, have some if you want,” I said, handing them cups of warm water.

Zelos stared at it with caution. Well, I guess that makes sense. This isn’t modern-day Japan, so I can see why he might be wary of a stranger. This body of mine could probably handle anything I was given to eat, but I shouldn’t assume it’s the same for them.

But then, despite what I thought, Merlyn drank the water without any hesitation.

“Hey, Merlyn! Do you get the situation we’re in?!” Zelos said. “What if there’s poison in there or something?!”

“It’s all right. There’s nothing suspicious in here; it’s just regular warm water.” Merlyn let out a breath; combined with her glamorous figure, she was quite alluring. And this was how she looked past fifty—she was on a whole different level from ageless beauty.

Zelos was looking at me with suspicion, but he must have been pretty thirsty. He gulped, then, bracing himself, took a drink. Unable to stop after a single sip, he quickly drained the cup, then held it out to me.

“Can I get more?”

“Of course,” I said. Then, I refilled their cups, and they seemed to finally settle down. “Now that that’s over with, I know about both of you from Reina, but could you introduce yourselves?”

“Yes. But, before that...” Merlyn suddenly bowed her head.

Zelos reacted with shock. “Huh?! Merlyn?!”

“You saved us, didn’t you? I’d like to thank you, first of all,” Merlyn said.

“Yeah. But Reina’s the one who saved you.”

“I see... Thanks, Reina.”

Reina paused. “No problem.”

From what I’d heard from Reina, she wasn’t on very friendly terms with them, so I was a bit surprised by how unexpectedly polite they were acting.

I think I’ll keep quiet about how Reina tried to finish Merlyn off with electricity...

According to Reina, that was how magicians resuscitated people, but I still didn’t believe her.

When I looked over to Zelos next to Merlyn, I saw that he had an awkward expression on his face. He seemed bothered by the fact that he had been so wary of the person who had saved him. It wasn’t like I had done it because I wanted thanks, so I was thinking about just moving on, but then Zelos turned to me and slowly lowered his head.

“Thanks. I’m in your debt.”

“Don’t mention it,” I said.

Now that I was talking with them, I felt like maybe they weren’t as bad as Reina had made them out to be. She had said that the Seven Celestial Archmages were willing to step on others to master their magic and become the strongest, but I didn’t really get that sort of impression from either of them.

Regardless, once the two had raised their heads, we all introduced ourselves.

“I’m Number Six of the Seven Celestial Archmages: Zelos Grinder, the Flame of Ruin.”

“I’m a Celestial Archmage too, and I’m Number Five: Merlyn Mareen, the Divine Water.”

Are they including the words “Celestial Archmage” in their introductions as if it’s only obvious because they take pride in it? I’d have no way of knowing what their title means if it weren’t for Reina’s stories, so it’s kind of hard to react when they emphasize it so much. Well, whatever.

“It’s nice to meet you,” I said. “My name’s Arata. I’m a human who lives on this island.”

“Are you really a human, Arata?” Reina asked.

“Hey, that’s harsh, don’t you think?”

“Why don’t you reflect on everything you’ve done until now?”

She knows that I can’t say anything against that, but she said it anyway... That’s just unfair... Anyway, fire must be Zelos’s specialty, while water must be Merlyn’s. Then what’s Reina’s specialty? She said she can use all sorts of spells and doesn’t really struggle with any kind of magic.

“I got lost and wound up here around two months ago,” I continued, “and I’ve been living here since then. You don’t need Reina to introduce herself, do you?”

“No... But I didn’t think you survived,” Zelos said, looking at Reina as if she were a ghost.

It seemed that on the continent, she was presumed dead. She plans to keep living here, so that doesn’t seem like a problem to me, but won’t it be annoying if she ever changes her mind? But when I thought about it, she could probably make it anywhere, even without any legal documentation.

“Now, Mr. Arata...” Merlyn began.

“Just Arata is fine. Also, feel free to talk however is most comfortable for you,” I said. Though we were similar in having a discrepancy between our actual age and how we appeared, she was still older than me.

“All right, I’ll do that. Now, Arata, just what sort of place is this island?” Merlyn asked cautiously.

I wondered how to respond. It didn’t at all seem like she’d understand, no matter what I told her. Also, I’m not very good at explaining things...

“You must have all sorts of questions, but I think I’ll leave the explanations up to Reina,” I said. “I’m sure you’ll believe her more than someone you don’t know.”

After all, this island was like a vestige of a mythical world. They were unlikely to trust anything that came from an unfamiliar person like me, but a fellow Celestial Archmage should be able to explain things well.

“I’ll take a walk around the area, so do you think you could explain things to them?” I asked Reina.

“Sure. Not that I think they’ll believe me.” She smiled somewhat awkwardly, probably because she knew that she wouldn’t believe it either if their positions were reversed.

Still, in the end, they would have to believe whether they liked it or not. I wanted to do what I could so that they could prepare themselves to accept it, and it seemed that the presence of someone from who-knows-where would only make them more nervous.

“Okay then, thanks for taking care of the rest,” I said, then left the house.

“All right, what do I do now?” I asked myself.

I had told Reina that I would go on a stroll, but we had just gone to the ocean this morning. Honestly, walking around here by myself would just be boring.

“Oh well. I guess I’ll look for some fruits or vegetables we can use for dinner.”

Though we still had plenty of Emperor Boar meat left, we were supplementing most of our other ingredients with what Reina had in stock. We had been getting more foodstuffs from the Divine Beastfolk since interacting more with their village, but that was only because Reina was giving them her cooking in return. That was by no means endless, however, so if there was food to be gotten, we had to get it ourselves.

“But that’s easier said than done...”

I remembered Elga telling me about what we could and couldn’t eat in this area. I wished I had the ability to tell them apart, but unfortunately Reina couldn’t cast appraisal spells, so I hadn’t been able to learn any.

“Hmm... I don’t need these mushrooms.”

I uprooted the dangerous mushrooms that intensified one’s sexual arousal—called horny mushrooms—before Reina could unwittingly pick them. Memorizing these had been my top priority, so I was confident I wouldn’t mistake them. I smelled something that made me feel incredibly euphoric...but my instincts told me that this wasn’t anything good, so I shook my head, and the scent dispersed.

“I get it now... If it was anyone besides me, that would have been bad.”

According to Elga, the mushrooms did at least taste good, but I couldn’t expose Reina to danger just for that.

Then suddenly, I heard a familiar noise coming from the sky.

“Darliiing!”

“Hm?” Looking up, I saw a massive black dragon with its wings spread as it rapidly plunged toward me. “Oh, it’s Tailtiu.”

“I have arrived!” she said.

I extended my arms and stood at the ready. The dragon shone with light, transforming into a pretty, black-haired girl who dove into my grasp.

“Oof,” I grunted. “Have you been well? Oh, who am I kidding? That’s a dumb question.”

Tailtiu nuzzled her face up against my chest and giggled. “I certainly have! I’m always well!”

This sort of exchange had once embarrassed me, but I’d gotten used to it. I found her open affection sweet. I couldn’t shake the impression that this was like being cuddled by a large dog, but thanks to that, it didn’t arouse any strange desires in me.

“Hrmm?” Tailtiu said.

“What is it?” I asked.

She must have been curious about something, because she started sniffing the air. Honestly, it made me feel a bit uneasy. I had just been handling the horny mushrooms; was she picking up on their scent?

“I can smell someone besides Reina and Luna on you, darling. You didn’t get a new woman, did you?”

“Don’t say it like that...”

Though it seemed that this didn’t have anything to do with the mushrooms, I was bewildered by her attitude. It was like she was questioning me about an affair. I somehow felt restless, even though I hadn’t done anything wrong. Regardless, I explained the whole situation to her, and she completely understood.

“But still, I’m impressed you can tell all that just by smell,” I said, detaching her from me. “That’s a descendant of the Ancient Dragons, I guess.”

“Of course! I’m the most powerful dragon species, and my Ancestor is the great Divine Dragon Bahamut after all!” she said with a proud smile. Her side ponytail shook, and her tail wagged along with it. It was a bit amusing, like a subconscious expression of how she was feeling. “Nevertheless... Visitors from the outside world, you say... Perhaps something is going on with the barrier.”

“The barrier... Oh yeah, that’s right, this island has one of those.”

A god had put up a barrier around the island, so visitors from outside were quite rare. Reina and I were already unprecedented examples, and it was apparently a first in the long history of the island for even more humans to arrive.

“It’s a divine power, and even we can’t leave it.”

The island we were on—Arcadia, the Isle of the Gods—had been created by a god in order to imprison beings that were too powerful. As far as I was aware, this god was different from the one who had reincarnated me. Still, they were strong enough to trap someone like Mina, so they had to be tremendously powerful. If there was something wrong with their barrier, then it was unlikely anyone would be able to fix it.

“Now that you mention it, would it be an issue if there actually was something wrong with the island’s barrier?”

“Hrmm...” Tailtiu was silent for a moment. “Actually, maybe not? I have no interest in the outside world, and not many islanders would want to run amok on the outside. Especially not after all this time.”

“So there are a few who would, then?”

“The Divine Beastfolk are mostly peaceful, but the Fierce Ogrefolk and young Ancient Dragonfolk can be quite hot-blooded,” she said. Then, she quietly grumbled, “They’re always fighting, but they still won’t include me...”

The light had gone from her eyes, and she looked as if she were casting a gloomy shadow. I felt like I had caught a glimpse of her darker side.

“Fierce Ogrefolk and Ancient Dragonfolk, huh?” I said.

I hadn’t met any of them besides Tailtiu. However, everyone I had met, including Mina and the Divine Beastfolk, were all good people once you got to know them. Even Gaius, who had seemed menacing at first, wasn’t really a bad guy; he was just childish.

“Well, if it’s only a few, it’ll be all right,” I said. In the unlikely event that they did run wild outside the island, I could stop them. After all, my god-given power was enough for me to do that. “Anyway, I guess there’s no point in worrying about the barrier for now. I think I’ll be going back soon, so would you like to join us for dinner?”

“An invitation from you, darling?! Of course I’ll go! And I’ll take meat!”

“Aha ha ha, I’ll put in your order with Reina, then.”

Tailtiu eagerly climbed onto my shoulders, and I gave her a piggyback ride through the forest, arriving home just as it was getting late. When I got back, I ran across Zelos and Merlyn as they were coming outside, presumably because they had just finished their conversation.

“Ah, are you done talking?” I asked Zelos.

“Oh, it’s just you,” Zelos said. “Well, I guess— Ah?!”

“Wha—?!”

The moment they looked at me, they put a large distance between us and adopted fighting stances. Zelos conjured flames in his hands, while Merlyn conjured water, and they stared at me as if I were a monster.

“Huh? What’s going on?” I said. I couldn’t help but feel confused by this abrupt turn of events. The two of them were scowling, but they appeared more afraid than hostile. As I wondered just what had spooked them so much, Tailtiu on my shoulders poked her face out.

“What’s their problem?” she asked me.

“I just told you about them. They’re Reina’s acquaintances, the ones who were unconscious on the beach.”

“Oho, so Reina knows them? I bet the food they get to eat tastes amazing!”

At Tailtiu’s words, Zelos’s and Merlyn’s expressions became even more dire.

“A-Are you gonna eat us?!” Zelos shouted.

How did he get that from our conversation just now? I wondered.

“Hey, you! What’s with that monster?!” Zelos yelled, stepping back in fear.

“It has so much mana! The Hellfire Dragon that took three of us to defeat is like a baby in comparison,” Merlyn said. “This could get dangerous...”

“Oh, I see,” I said. It seemed that Tailtiu was frightening them. Wanting to clear up their misunderstanding, I took her down from my back and stepped up to the two magicians. “Calm down, okay? She isn’t a bad girl... Hm?”

Just then, I sensed an unusual pressure coming from behind me.

“Tailtiu, what are you doing?” I said, turning around.

“Heh heh heh...”

Tailtiu had crossed her arms as if she were the leader of an evil organization, and she was giving off an undulating cloud of black mana. She spread her wings, which she usually didn’t show in her human form, and made herself look bigger like a wild animal intimidating an enemy. I could tell from her bared canines and delighted laugh that she was just teasing Zelos and Merlyn. However, she had released an extraordinary amount of mana.

“Ngh... Such ominous mana... There’s so much of it!” Merlyn said.

“Th-This monster’s ready to attack!” Zelos shouted.

I was silent. Practically nothing could make me feel afraid. Even on this island, the only living things I’d thought were a bit scary were Mina, who was a True Ancestor Vampire, and Suzaku, who still retained her Divine Beast powers. Everyone generally suppressed their power, which meant that even Reina could interact with them normally. To tell the truth, I’d become desensitized, and I hadn’t known just how powerful Tailtiu could be. So, seeing her flaunt her power to a third party made me keenly aware of how threatening she was.

“Mwa ha ha... I am having so much fun right now! Yes, now and then, we Ancient Dragonfolk must be feared and worshipped!”

Tailtiu’s black mana surged along with her heightened emotions. It was enough to make my back tingle, so it had to be quite powerful. When she took a step forward, Zelos and Merlyn fearfully backed up. Their reactions delighted her. However, I didn’t really like it when people got pleasure out of scaring others.

“Hey, Tailtiu...I don’t like girls who do that, you know,” I said, giving her a stern look.

She extinguished her mana with incredible speed, and in a complete about-face, she approached the two magicians while forcing a smile.

“My bad, new visitors! Welcome to our empty, boring island! I am glad to have you here!”

Zelos and Merlyn had frozen stiff, unable to keep up with this sudden change. Tailtiu grabbed their hands and jerked them up and down while repeatedly glancing at me. It seemed that she was trying to show me that they were all getting along well.

An awkward smile crept onto my face. This side of her sure is adorably sincere.

“Okay, darling... I’ll, umm, be nice to them,” Tailtiu said hesitantly.

“They’re Reina’s acquaintances, so please do.”

Tailtiu looked relieved, maybe because she saw that I wasn’t angry anymore. Meanwhile, Zelos and Merlyn looked pale, like prisoners standing at the scaffold. They were trapped here, after all.

“Such crazy strength!” Zelos said.

“Sh-She won’t let go!” Merlyn said.

“Anyway, I’ll say it again, but she isn’t a bad girl,” I said.

“O-Of course...”

“Yes, we understand! So...could you make her let go?” Merlyn said. “I feel like I’m dying...”

Tailtiu could crush their hands if she really wanted to, so I could understand where they were coming from.

“Come here, Tailtiu,” I said.

“Mhmm!”

She rushed up to me, seemingly already losing interest in those two. With a thump, she crashed into my stomach as usual.

“Darliiing,” she said, nuzzling her head up against me.

I stroked her hair. “Yeah, yeah.”

Reina would get angry at me whenever I did this, saying I was coddling her too much. But I was basically treating her like I would a neighborhood child. Besides, Reina was usually soft on her too.

“S-Seriously?” Zelos said.

“What an unbelievable sight...” Merlyn said. Both of them had dumbfounded looks on their faces. I had a feeling that, while they’d only had their eyes on Tailtiu until just moments ago, they were now looking at me with terror for some reason.

“Oh, that’s right,” I said to myself.

I suddenly remembered that Tailtiu had been an outsider, even among her fellow Ancient Dragonfolk, which had caused her to grow resentful. She didn’t actually like being alone, and she must have wanted to make friends. And now, there were two people here who didn’t yet know her very well. If I told them about her good sides while I still had the chance, maybe they would come to be friends with her.

“As you can see, she’s a sweet, friendly girl, so I hope you can get along well with her,” I said.

“Y-Yeah,” Zelos said. “But I’m pretty sure I’d die if she treated me like that...”

“I get it... So please, don’t kill me,” Merlyn said.

Both of them were trembling with fear. I could understand why, but I wanted to convey to them that there really wasn’t anything to fear from Tailtiu.

“C’mon, you two, didn’t I tell you?” Reina said, coming out of the house.

“Oh, Reina,” I said.

She must have heard the commotion. She appeared exasperated, probably because she had seen this coming. She passed by Zelos and Merlyn and came over to me and Tailtiu.

“I’m sorry,” Reina said. “I did try to tell them about the island, but they just wouldn’t believe me.”

“Who the hell would think you were serious?!” Zelos shouted.

“I was sure it was a lie too,” Merlyn said.

“I see,” I said.

Reina must have explained to them what the island was like while I was on my walk. But everything about this place was inconceivable on the continent where they lived. That was exactly why, as they had said, they hadn’t been able to believe Reina. I hadn’t expected them to believe it at first, so their reactions were only understandable, but it seemed like their views had greatly shifted now that they had met the Ancient Dragonfolk Tailtiu.

“Huh? But then why are they afraid of me too?” I asked Reina. “Didn’t you explain things to them?”

Reina silently turned her face away from me.

Just what sort of explanation did you give them?

“Well, whatever. By the way, what are you two thinking of doing after this?” I said.

“We were planning on checking out the place and making a base for ourselves...”

“But we can’t do anything reckless with things like that wandering around,” Merlyn said. The light had disappeared from both of their eyes, and they were producing an aura of resignation.

Is there nothing I can do? I wondered, looking at Reina. Her expression changed to one of slight uncertainty, then she let out a deep sigh.

“Hahh... You’re too kind, Arata.”

“Am I? I think it’s normal to help people who are in trouble...”

“That’s why I love you, darling!”

“Aha ha ha, thanks, Tailtiu.”

Then again, it was more often the case that my power alone wasn’t enough. Because of that, I often relied on Reina for help, and she would manage to somehow make things work out. Really, she was much more obliging than I was. Still, from what I’d heard, she hadn’t gotten along very well with Zelos or Merlyn, which meant that she didn’t seem to have any intention of letting them live in our house.

“Anyway, I have some spare tents, though they’re small. I’ll give them to you,” Reina said. “Neither of you can cast Storage, right?”

“Of course not,” Zelos said. “I can’t make heads or tails of that thing.”

“I hate to agree with this idiot, but most people can’t cast such a confusing spell,” Merlyn added.

“But there’s someone absurd who learned how just from watching,” Reina mumbled.

I was probably the only one who heard her. From the sound of it, Storage was a truly outrageous spell. Perhaps it really was unfair that I could cast it just because of a god’s cheat ability.

“Well, enough about that,” Reina went on. “Oh, also, neither of you have any food, right? I’ll give you a week’s worth, so make do with what you can after that.”

“Sorry...” Zelos said.

“Thanks, Reina,” Merlyn said.

“It’s nothing. I’d have trouble falling asleep at night if someone I knew died somewhere out in the middle of nowhere...that’s all.”

She sounds a little tsundere, I thought.

Reina shot me a scornful glare. “Do you have something to say, Arata?”

“I-It’s nothing.” I panicked, worrying that my thoughts had leaked out. Reina usually didn’t put up a front around us, so I had thought that this type of behavior was rare for her, that was all.

“If we had to sleep outdoors without anything on us... The thought makes me shiver,” Merlyn said.

“Seriously, you’re a lifesaver,” Zelos said.

Now that they had secured a place to sleep, the two of them seemed relieved. Still, it didn’t change the fact that the island ecosystem was dangerous for them. They would have to put their lives on the line just to obtain some food.

“Let us know if anything happens,” I said. “We’ve been living here for two months already, and we’ve got a lot more acquaintances now too.”

“You sure are a good guy,” Zelos said.

“All right, we’ll ask you if we need anything,” Merlyn said.

The admiration they showed made me feel a bit embarrassed. I was only saying what anyone else would have.

Zelos and Merlyn picked up the tents and food, then began to move to a spot away from our house. As I saw them off, their behavior struck me as a bit strange.

“Why won’t they live closer?” I wondered.

“Well, I’m a lower rank than them. They might find it hard to accept me taking pity on them,” Reina said.

“Huh... If only they could loosen up. I mean, they’ve come all this way to a place without anything from their old lives.”

Sure, they may have had to worry about things like their rank on the continent. They also had their positions as Celestial Archmages, which must have placed all sorts of demands on them. But they didn’t know anyone here, nor did anyone here care about their positions, so it seemed to me that they could stand to live more freely.

When I said that, Reina reacted with exasperation.

“I bet you’re the only person who could come to this island and afford to think about such things, Arata.”

“Really? But either way, are they really going to be all right?”

I didn’t know how strong the two of them were, but I got the feeling that it would be a bit dangerous for them to go into the forest. Some of the monsters there were quite ferocious.

“Well, I’m sure they’ll make it work. For all their faults, they’re battle-hardened magicians, and they must have a secret move or two up their sleeves.”

“A secret move...”

Am I some kind of chuunibyou or fantasy-obsessed kid at heart for thinking that sounds cool?

In the end, Zelos and Merlyn left and entered the forest. Seemingly out of consideration for Reina, they chose a spot that wasn’t immediately visible. At any rate, they probably wouldn’t end up going too far, so I decided to think of them as our new neighbors. I could just find out the type of people they were from now on.

“I’m kinda looking forward to it,” I said.

“You’re also the only one who could have an attitude like that with Celestial Archmages. Well, whatever. That title doesn’t really mean anything on this island,” Reina said, smiling.

I got the feeling that her expressions had greatly softened compared to when she had first come to the island. It was a dangerous place, but they say that anywhere can be home, and it seemed that she had gotten used to things here.

“Darling! What will we do today?! I think hunting’s a good idea!” Tailtiu said.

“Aha ha, oh yeah. That might be nice every once in a while.”

“Oh? Then, can you go find some good ingredients?” Reina said. “I’ll make something tasty for you.”

“Mhmm, you may leave it in our hands!” Tailtiu said.

“I’m expecting great things from you two.”

Reina’s teasing tone made me break into an awkward smile. It’ll be embarrassing if we can’t catch anything now. Firing myself up, I left to go hunting in the forest with Tailtiu.

◇

“So with that, we’re going hunting,” I said.

“Mhmm!” Tailtiu replied.

We were in the midst of a thick forest, but of course I was already used to these surroundings, so we went along at a quick pace. We had spotted some rabbits along the way, but they must have been sharing information among themselves, because the moment they saw me, they looked startled and sprinted away at top speed. I could have chased after them if I really wanted to, but they had looked so desperate that it made me hesitate.

“You know, darling, they’re treating you like a vicious animal,” Tailtiu remarked.

“Now that’s weird...”

When I had first arrived on the island, the forest monsters hadn’t really run away when they saw me, but at some point they had all begun behaving the same as those rabbits. And that wasn’t all. It seemed that they also understood Reina’s connection to me, so they ran away at the sight of her as well. This was something to be happy about, because it meant that she was less likely to be exposed to danger, but still...

“The monsters on this island are quite clever, so they must be able to tell that you’re bad news.”

“That’s a rather harsh way of putting it, don’t you think?”

Both Reina and Tailtiu had been describing me in pretty uncharitable ways lately. I may not seem like it, but I’m pretty sure I’m just an ordinary human. Just a little tough, is all...

“Oh!”

As we meandered around, Tailtiu let out a shout of joy. Wondering what she could possibly have spotted, I followed her gaze; there was a massive bird, at least ten feet tall. Its head was small, with a prominent crest that left a striking impression. It had a long, thin neck, with a feathered, somewhat rotund body, and its taloned feet at the end of its two skinny legs powerfully thudded against the earth as it lumbered along. Since I was on this island, I could tell that it was a monster, but to my eyes it looked like...

“An ostrich?” I wondered aloud.

“It’s a cassowary!” Tailtiu said. “They’re rare this deep in the forest!”

“Oh, I see. So that’s a cassowary.”

Actually, I think I’ve seen one on TV before. The look in its eyes sure is sharp.

I felt like the one on TV had had a blue face, but the cassowary here had a red one. And although it glared at me and Tailtiu, it showed no signs of fleeing.

“Huh? It isn’t running, even after it’s seen us,” I said.

“It’s because they’re pride personified. They’ll hide and wait for strong foes to pass by them, but if they’re found they’ll threaten them, like this one is doing now.”

“In other words?”

“It’s glaring at us and doing everything it can to suppress its desire to run.”

Just as she said, on closer inspection I saw that the cassowary had tears in its eyes, and its body was trembling. It seemed to have a firm grasp on the gap in our strengths. Only its instincts are keeping it from fleeing...

“Y’know, I kind of feel sorry for it.”

For a moment the cassowary’s eyes shone with hope, as if it could understand what I said.

“But darling, they’re delicious.”

“Oh, okay then. Let’s eat.”

It must have understood what I said again, because its eyes became steeped with despair.

“K-Krrrrehhh!” it roared. It energized its quaking body, then charged. As it ran, it strained its legs against the ground and jumped into a flying kick. Its sharp talons glinted as it tried to pierce my abdomen, but—

“Krehhhhh!” It let out a scream from its small beak, as if to say, How’s that?! Did I get him?! and at the same time it landed on the ground.

As I watched this, I moved my hands like I was dusting myself off.

“Yep, my body is still as invincible as ever.”

“Just so you know, a cassowary’s kicks are painful enough to make an Emperor Boar cry,” Tailtiu said.

“Oh, so they’re stronger than Emperor Boars? I sort of got that feeling from it.”

That was because the impact of its attack had been more powerful than the Emperor Boar’s charge.

The cassowary, which must have taken out all of its foes up until this point with a single blow, looked at me with disbelief and terror. Yet its refusal to budge an inch—or rather, its instincts which made it impossible—made me feel all the more guilty.

“All right, it’s our turn,” I said.

“Heh heh heh... I’m looking forward to this.”

“K-Krehh! Kreh, kreh...krehh...greh?!”

Though the cassowary squawked weakly, it didn’t give up resisting until the very end, and finally, we brought it down.

◇

It was dusk. When Tailtiu and I returned from hunting, Reina was already about to start cooking.

“We’re back,” I said.

“We have returned!” Tailtiu said.

Normally Reina acted like she couldn’t hear us at all if we spoke to her while she was cooking, but it seemed as though she had just reached a stopping point. She turned around in response to our greetings.

“Welcome back, you two. How’d it go?”

An upbeat Tailtiu looked at Reina as if she couldn’t contain her laughter. “Heh heh heh heh heh. We caught a pretty big one today!”

“Oh, that’s wonderful. Why don’t we take it apart when Elga and the others come by for a visit?”

Tailtiu grunted with displeasure. “Hrmm? Not today?”

“It’s already late, and I’m done getting ready to make dinner.”

Apparently, she had been planning to cook whatever kill we brought back with us, but our delayed return meant she’d decided to use the ingredients she had on hand. Preparing and cooking the cassowary now would definitely make our dinner run late, so this was the right choice.

“Hrmm... Then next time, I’ll boast about it to Luna and that closet-pervert wolf!”

Though Tailtiu seemed somewhat dissatisfied, one of her good points was that she was quick to cheer up.

Tailtiu often did things together with Luna when she came here for a visit. They were close, like sisters, perhaps because they were at a similar stage of life. Tailtiu had been called a loner in the past, but now that she had made a friend in Luna, she often talked about her. It was obvious that, deep down, she was glad to call Luna a friend, even if she was too shy to say so out loud. However, she held a grudge against Elga for having disparagingly called her a loner, and it seemed she had no intention of making friends with him.

“You know, Tailtiu, you’ll make Elga angry if you call him a closet pervert,” I said.

“But he’s the one who called me a loner first! So I’m going to call him a pervert until he apologizes!”

There isn’t really anything I can say when she puts it like that...

For his part, Elga was the one who had started it, so it didn’t seem like the gap between them was going to shrink anytime soon.

“Well, I guess it’s fine, as long as they aren’t seriously getting into a fight.”

If they did get into an all-out fight, they’d flatten the entire area. I would have to stop them before that happened, but I’d rather they not waste their time fighting in the first place.

“By the way, how far did Zelos and Merlyn go?” I asked. I hadn’t sensed either of them when we were out hunting. Still, they’d probably just gone to another area.

“Oh, they took the tents I gave them and went to the riverside,” Reina said.

“Huh, the river? Are they going to be all right?”

“I imagine they will. Merlyn’s there, for one.”

Back when Reina and I had chosen a place to set up camp, she had instructed me to get as far away from the river as we could. This was because the river could overflow its banks when it rained. That wouldn’t be much of an issue if we were awake, but it would be a serious problem if we were flooded in our sleep. But even though Reina had said all that, she didn’t seem particularly concerned.

“Is Merlyn really that amazing?” I asked.

“Yes. She’s the Divine Water, Number Five in the Seven Celestial Archmages. Everyone on the continent agrees she’s the best water magician.”

“Wow...”

Reina was the greatest magician from my point of view, so Merlyn had to be quite something for Reina to acknowledge her strength. And the same went for Zelos, who was just as powerful.

“They fully understand how dangerous this island can be, so they chose a spot where they can exert their power to its fullest. Honestly, I only know one magician who can beat Merlyn when she’s near water. Or rather...I used to only know one.”

The conflicted expression on her face as she corrected herself made it clear that she had seen all sorts of beings on this island that could beat Merlyn.

“W-Wait, why does it sound like you’re also referring to me?” I asked.

“Because you’re the exact person who shattered everything I thought I knew.”

“Oh... Let’s talk about something else.”

I’d be at too much of a disadvantage if this went on. I always tried to change the subject because of that, but for some reason we always looped back around to how abnormal I was.

“Hey, Reina?”

“Yes?”

“Don’t you think you’re being harsh?”

“No.”

“Oh...”

Merlyn Mareen, the Divine Water, and Zelos Grinder, the Flame of Ruin—they were specialists in water and fire magic, respectively. These magicians were powerful enough to make Reina admit that she would be at a disadvantage in a direct fight, and now they had come to the island. I felt ever so slightly nervous about how this would impact things, but at the same time I was a bit excited by this new encounter. I decided that my change of heart was a good thing; I wanted to get along with them, too, if possible.

“Now if only I could get you guys to treat me like a human...”

“That’s quite a tall order,” Reina said.

“I also think you’d better give up on that, darling,” Tailtiu said.

“Give up on being treated like an ordinary person?!”

As two of them nodded gravely, I simply hung my head.

◇

The sun set, and night fell. Many animals went to sleep at this hour, but for some, this was when they became active.

“Mwa ha ha! Now this is rather delightful again, isn’t it?”

One such creature was Wilhelmina Vermilion Vauheim, the True Ancestor Vampire who had lived on Arcadia since time immemorial. She looked down on me as she levitated in the night sky, the full moon complementing her witch’s hat and black dress. Her golden hair, gleaming in the moonlight, gave me the inescapable feeling that she was the true sovereign of the night.

“You’re visiting this late again, Mina?” I said. “Just so you know, I definitely won’t let you break down this wall.”

“You and Luna must be the only ones who can speak to me in such a casual tone,” she remarked.

I’d built the wall surrounding the house with Mina in mind. It was even tough enough to withstand a full-force tackle from Gaius; no matter how strong Mina was, I’d made sure to use enough strengthening magic to make it impossible for her to simply destroy. This wasn’t to keep her from entering the house—she could just go through the sky to get over the wall, as she was doing now. But she had a nasty habit of wanting to destroy the things we built just for fun. This wall was really just a display of my stubborn refusal to lose to her.

Mina tried to attack the wall with magic. When she saw that it didn’t break, she clicked her tongue in frustration. “Tch... How much mana did you pour into this thing?”

I win!

She irritably looked at my triumphant expression, then slowly descended to the ground. “Besides, I don’t recall ever letting you call me Mina.”

“Well, your name’s pretty long. I can call you Vivi instead.”

“...Mina is fine.”

I found “Wilhelmina” hard to pronounce, so I was glad she accepted it.

“So, what are you here for today?” I asked. Reina had just gone into the bath. Mina seemed to have really taken a liking to her, and this was how she came to mess with her. “You always come at the perfect times, don’t you? Did you install a bug in our house or something?”

“I don’t know of any insects that can tell me what you’re doing, but before coming here, I make sure to observe you with a spell of Farsight.”

“So you are watching us! I thought it was suspicious that you always come whenever Reina is taking a bath!”

“Of course I do. I come here to see Reina looking embarrassed.”

Her complete lack of shame made me feel like I was the one who was weird. But then I reconsidered. “No, no, no!”

She was obviously the one in the wrong for coming to peep on Reina. Also, Reina had classified Mina as an enemy and would use every spell in her arsenal against her if she spotted her while coming out of the bath. It was hard to calm her down in that state, so I kindly asked the vampire who was here to stir things up to leave.

“Hmph, you truly are insensitive,” Mina said.

“Is that so? People often say I’m quite thoughtful.”

“Good grief... This is exactly why I have no choice but to come here every time. Don’t you see that I’m doing you a favor?”

What she was saying was completely incoherent, and I was confused as to how to reply.

“Usually I’d be having fun destroying the wall of that bathroom right about now...”

“Do you think you could stop casually saying that you’re going to destroy my house?”

“No,” she instantly replied. She was awfully cruel. “But despite all I’ve said, today is different. I sensed some unfamiliar presences, and I’m here to see what they are. I’m not wrong to assume that this has something to do with you all?”

She’s sharp. Elga says her stronghold is on a small floating island at the northernmost point of the island, so how is she so sensitive to things all the way down here in the south?

“When I get too bored, I end up spending all day searching for things that look entertaining. Farsight magic is a good way to kill time,” she explained.

Somehow, she reminded me of myself in my past life, wasting time looking at various apps on my phone. Maybe she was using her magic to do something similar.

“There was an abnormality in the barrier when you came here too,” she continued. “I’m here because I sensed the same change, you see.”

“Well, yeah, there definitely was a lot that happened today...”

Wait, should I be telling all this to a vampire who has nothing but time on her hands? Then again, she’d probably figure it out whether I told her or not, so with no other choice, I got her a chair.

“Ha ha ha, how thoughtful. If you want to sleep soundly on this island, you’d better entertain me.”

“I’m pretty sure disturbing others’ sleep is just plain harassment.”

“Bothering someone is just the ticket for boredom. You’d be hard-pressed to find a vampire better at harassing people than me.”

Please don’t say something like that so proudly.

“So, what happened?” Mina began. She drew closer to me with a smirk on her face, as if to say, There’s no way you’re going to hold out on me, right? so I told her everything from the beginning.

I talked about how we had gotten tired of eating nothing but meat, and how we had gone to the beach because we wanted vegetables and fish. There, I said, we had found Zelos and Merlyn unconscious and shipwrecked. After that, I went into detail about Tailtiu’s entrance and everything that had happened then.

“Uh-huh... That sounds quite useful,” Mina said.

“Thinking about something strange?”

“No,” she said. Then, she added under her breath, “But I am thinking about something that could be interesting.”

My cheat body didn’t fail to catch what she said. However, I knew that she would never confess to it if I pressed her.

“Please don’t do anything to trouble others, okay?” I said.

“Hmm... That’s none of my concern.”

The way she said it so completely shamelessly left me at a loss. She must have really believed it, and it seemed to me that she didn’t think there was anything wrong with troubling others in the first place. Her sensibility in that area was probably completely different from ours.

“Well, maybe it’s just her personality...”

Mina chuckled. “Now you’re getting it. Indeed, our resemblance to each other is only surface level. True Ancestors, Ancient Dragons, Divine Beasts, Fierce Ogres, Great Spirits—we all live very different lives. You’re the one who’s wrong to get that confused, and to think that we can all come to a common understanding.”

“You’re right,” I said. Even among fellow humans, people’s beliefs greatly varied depending on their race, the place they lived, or any number of other characteristics. That was even more true for the residents of this island, all of whom were stubborn and far more individualistic than humans. “But that hardly means we can’t get along with each other.”

“Of course. We have language, after all. As long as we care about others, cherish them, and are able to accept them, we can indeed get along, even if we’re different species.”

That was quite the commendable statement, but Mina was nasty because she used that as a pretext to bother others.

“Well, enough about that,” Mina said. “Is it about time for Reina to come out?”

“I don’t know, is it?” I said.

A wicked expression suddenly appeared on Mina’s face. She looked at me and grinned like a child who had just come up with a prank.

“You know, you could easily sense what’s going on in there if you really wanted to. Just focus for a moment, and you should be able to clearly make out what she looks like while changing, as if you were watching her directly. Come now, you’re a man—you’ve got no choice but to try it.”

“I won’t do it.”

“But you didn’t say that you can’t, did you?”

I was silent. I had been set up...but I only grasped that because I realized Reina was standing behind me and looking at us. In front of me, Mina was covering her mouth with her hands and stifling her laughter. That really pissed me off.

“You can do that, Arata?” Reina asked.

I slowly turned around, facing her. It’s fine. I’m sure she’ll understand. Besides, I only did it once the very first time, and that was an act of god. And I haven’t done it at all since then.

“I-I can...but I don’t. Not even once!”

“Reeeally?” Mina said. “Can a man really listen to reason with a naked woman right there?”

“Just shut up, Mina!”

“Your embarrassment only makes you more suspicious, you know...”

I’ll give this vampire a beating if it’s the last thing I do! I thought, but by then she had already disappeared into the darkness. She was astonishingly quick at escaping.

“Hey, Arata?” Reina said. “Why don’t we have a long talk?”

“Okay...”

It didn’t look like I would be getting much sleep tonight.

I could easily picture in my mind the True Ancestor Vampire, Wilhelmina Vermilion Vauheim, cackling with the full moon at her back, but there was no longer anything I could do about that.

Chapter Two: The Alfr Girl

Last night, after I spoke with Reina honestly and sincerely, she forgave me. While it had only been for a single moment, that didn’t change the fact that I had indeed sensed her in the bath and envisioned her naked. We were living together, man and woman, and we were also in this closed space, so that type of behavior from me was unacceptable—all the more so because even though I had no intention of doing so, my overwhelming strength meant I was capable of forcing myself on her. That was exactly why I had felt it was necessary for us to truly acknowledge the situation we were in.

“Anyway, I’ll make sure to go somewhere far away whenever you take a bath,” I said.

“There’s no need to do all that,” Reina said. “Besides, if you wanted to do anything to me, you would’ve already done it a long time ago, right?”

“Well, I guess so...”

I was glad that she trusted me, but I wished she would look after herself more. Just recently, she went into the bath while wearing strangely light clothing. Shouldn’t she have a bit more of a sense of shame? She did at least get embarrassed and blush bright red when I saw her naked, but—

“Begone worldly desires!” I shouted. I had started to imagine her naked again, so I instantly punched my own face.

“Wha—” Reina exclaimed. “What are you thinking, hitting yourself in the face all of a sudden?!”

“Sorry for startling you. It’s fine; I’m not hurt or anything.”

I could launch an ultra-massive Emperor Boar far into the sky if I went all out, but even that wouldn’t be enough to actually hurt my invincible body. However, I did succeed in blasting away all my impure thoughts with the intense shock wave.

“Jeez, don’t scare me like that.”

“Fine...”

We had a house now, and I had built each of us rooms. Not to mention, she and I had originally slept in the same tent. Mina had made me feel self-conscious about it, but now that I really thought about it, I just had to act how I normally would. I decided that I would do my best to live up to Reina’s trust in me from now on.

As I thought that, Reina blushed slightly, then shyly spoke. “This might sound a bit pathetic, but...”

“Hm?”

“I’m not sure I’d be able to live on this island if we weren’t together. I put up a barrier at night, but it probably doesn’t work against the strong monsters here, so I’d probably never be able to sleep peacefully if I was alone.”

“Oh...”

“The monsters don’t come here because you’re with me, right? So, well...”

That made me finally understand. Basically, she was treating me less like a man and more like a mosquito coil. It was true that, unlike in the beginning, the monsters here stayed away from me. The word must have spread that something freakishly strong had come to the island, and it seemed like they’d all grown aware of my scent or something too. This meant that when I went hunting, they always instantly sensed me and ran away. Of course, there were hardly any monsters that could move faster than me, so by the time they entered my sight, it was already too late for them. Regardless, if my presence meant that Reina could sleep soundly, then I would gladly embrace the role of mosquito coil.

“Sure, if that’s how it is,” I said. “You’ve helped me out a bunch, so of course it’s all right.”

“Yeah. It’s good to hear you say that.”

She seemed happy yet relieved, and I was satisfied as well. I had been worried that she had come to hate me after last night.

“Anyway, I’m glad we had this talk, Reina. I hope we’ll be together for a long time yet.”

“I hope so too, Arata.”

◇

The morning’s conversation was over, and it was now just past noon. I was walking around the forest, making it clear to the island’s monsters that this was my territory, and to stay away. Then again, Tailtiu had said that the monsters already knew my scent and knew to keep their distance...

“This wasn’t what we talked about this morning, but still, I have to keep threats as far away as possible.”

If just going on walks could make things safer for Reina, then I would walk as long as my legs could carry me.

“Come to think of it, how are Zelos and Merlyn doing?”

I suddenly remembered the pair who had arrived on the island the day before. Seeing as I was already outside, I made my way to the river. I saw two tents set up side by side; while they weren’t as large as the military tent Reina and I had used, both of them were more than roomy enough to house a single person. Next to the river, Merlyn had created a massive dragon out of a whirl of water, while Zelos adopted a fighting stance with fearsome speed.

“Wha—” I exclaimed. I rushed out from the forest, wondering what was happening, when I saw Elga and Luna.

“’Sup, Arata,” Elga said.

“Oh, Mister Arata!” Luna said. “I’m here to play!”

“Uh, yeah... You’re as full of energy as ever, Luna. By the way...” I looked at Merlyn and Zelos, who were staring at Elga and Luna and getting ready to fight at a moment’s notice. Their faces were haggard, as if to say, Just give us a break already. In contrast, Luna was acting the same as always. She was probably witnessing the most powerful spells in the world, but she was completely unfazed.

“What’s going on here?” I asked Elga. He seemed like he would have the most reasonable grasp of the situation.

Elga roughly scratched his head, a troubled look on his face. “Oh, we were just going to visit you guys like usual, but...Luna noticed an unfamiliar scent and suddenly ran off, and then this happened.”

“I see...”

I looked at Luna. She had a blank expression on her face, like she had absolutely no clue why this was happening. This meant that as long as I could persuade Zelos and Merlyn, the situation would probably be resolved. Looking at them, I saw that they both seemed fiercely determined. And they were clearly afraid.

“Hmm... What should I do?” I said. They seemed to have noticed that I was here, but they showed no sign of letting their guard down. I wondered why this was, even though they had relaxed around me yesterday. Maybe instinct had something to do with it.

I put both hands in the air to show that I meant no harm, and raised my voice to call out to them while keeping my distance. “Zelos! Merlyn! It’s all right! These two don’t mean any harm!”

However, neither of them were willing to listen. Merlyn flinched, and Zelos shouted, “She’s releasing such a freakish amount of mana, and you’re telling me she isn’t dangerous?! You’ve gotta be joking!”

That made me realize that their gazes weren’t on me, but on Luna.

“Hey, it looks like they’re both wary of you. Did you do something?” I asked her.

“Whaaat? I’m not doing anything.”

“Huh...” I raised my voice again. “Did you hear that?! She says she hasn’t done anything!”

“And I’m saying she’s dangerous because she might do something at any moment!”

This was an issue. They weren’t lowering their guards at all. Zelos seemed like he had a wild disposition, which was only amplified by his roughness, but I had assumed that Merlyn would be willing to listen to what I had to say. However, she was still creating a whirling water dragon out of the river, just as tense as before.

“Hmm. I’m beat.”

I could now see that it was Luna they were wary of, though, so as long as I got her away from them, the situation would probably be resolved. Still, I was hesitant to drive away Luna when she wasn’t even doing anything wrong. As I racked my brains to try and come up with a solution, the ground suddenly darkened.

“Ah!”

“Oh?”

“Hm?”

Luna, Elga, then I—in that order—noticed the presence of an assailant coming from the sky. With large, outstretched wings, a monstrous, chicken-like bird was looking down on us. This was the first time I’d ever seen a monster like this on the island; including its wings, it was easily more than thirty feet wide. Noticing our gazes, Zelos and Merlyn looked up at the sky too. They were so shocked by the sight of the massive bird that it seemed like their eyes were going to bulge out of their sockets.

“Wh-What the hell is thaaaaat?!” Zelos shouted.

“Wh-Wh-Wha— Is this a joke?! Why do monsters more terrifying than the Hellfire Dragon keep showing up?!” Merlyn shouted.

“Hey, Luna, what is that?” I asked.

“It’s a Shantak! Yaaay!” she replied happily. Judging from her delighted tone of voice, the bird probably tasted delicious.

On this island, it was survival of the fittest. Noticing that Zelos’s and Merlyn’s voices were tinged with fear, the Shantak turned and rushed them, speeding through the air as fast as its wings could carry it. It seemed to have realized who the unfit ones in this situation were.

“Ngh... Who do you think I am? I’m Merlyn Mareen: the Divine Water, and Number Five of the Seven Celestial Archmageeees!”

“Graaaahh! I’m Zelos Grinder: the Flame of Ruin, and Number Six in the Seven Celestial Archmages! I don’t care what kind of monster you are, I’ll burn you completely to aaaaash!”

Does being a Celestial Archmage mean you’re required to introduce yourself? Reina did the same thing when she first encountered a monster on this island.

The two of them both released their mana at the same time, and a water dragon and a tempest of powerful flames assaulted the Shantak.

“Kuckwehhh!”

However, the bird let out a piercing screech and brilliantly contorted its body to dodge the flame spell. It advanced, skirting around the water dragon and assaulting the two magicians.

“No way!” Merlyn exclaimed.

“What movement!” Zelos shouted.

It sure is nimble for its size, I idly thought, but when I saw the approaching Shantak, I suddenly returned to my senses. “This is no time to be standing still!”

My sense of danger had become less pronounced, probably because my body couldn’t be harmed by most attacks, but there was no way any ordinary human would come out unscathed after sustaining an attack from such a massive foe. I broke into a run, but before I could get moving, a single waist-high figure rushed out ahead of me.

“Meeeeaaaat!”

“Kuckwehhhh?!”

Closing in on the Shantak in an instant, Luna leaped onto the bird. I didn’t know what she was doing to it, but it let out a pained screech. I could hear a dull sound, probably of her hitting it, but their bodies differed so much in size that I couldn’t make out what exactly was going on. However, the Shantak sounded hurt, so it was clear that it was helpless against her attacks. It continued to run wildly around, then soon collapsed to the ground and died. Luna emerged from beneath the large, fallen bird, grinning from ear to ear.

“Now it’s my meat!” she said, looking eager to be praised for her kill.

Meanwhile, Zelos and Merlyn watched all of this with dumbfounded expressions. However, the looks on their faces didn’t seem to be ones of fear.

“Huh... In any case, all’s well that ends well?” I said.

“I guess?” Elga replied. He was tilting his head to the side, unconvinced. I forced myself to think of this as just the way the world was.

◇

Though Luna was the one who had killed the Shantak, it was large and looked difficult to carry, so I held on to it for her in my Storage spell. It would retain its freshness while stored away, and I could just take it out at the Divine Beastfolk village.

This is a belated observation, but Storage magic is just so convenient. It’s practically required for living outdoors.

Luna was humming happily after scoring her first big kill in a while. “Hm hm hmm! I’ll brag about this to Tailtiu later.”

“That reminds me...”

When I had gone hunting with Tailtiu recently, I felt like she had said that she would boast about her kill to Luna. Them bragging to each other is definitely going to be a heartwarming sight, I thought.

Meanwhile, I turned to Zelos and Merlyn, who looked totally exhausted.

“Are you all right?” I asked.

“Y-Yeah...”

“Y... Yes. Thank you...”

Though they didn’t seem to be overwhelmed with fear, they looked a bit unwell. This was similar to the symptoms Reina had once exhibited. They were probably sick from exposure to Luna’s mana. Lately, I hadn’t seen Reina be too worried about sudden torrents of energy; she had probably gotten used to it after experiencing it many times on the island. I’d never been affected by excess mana, so I didn’t know how it felt, but judging from how magicians reacted, it seemed to be quite painful.

“I’ll stand guard here for now,” I said. “That’ll keep the monsters away. While I’m doing that, you two can rest.”

“You’re a lifesaver,” Merlyn said with a weak nod, and Zelos nodded too.

“It’s pathetic for a Celestial Archmage to need someone else’s help...but thanks,” he said.

Then, they returned to their own tents. Elga looked somewhat worried as he watched them go.

“Are you sure they’re gonna be all right?” he asked.

“Hmm... I mean, it looks like Reina’s gotten used to it, so I think they’ll be fine.”

“Well, we’ll just be as careful as we can. Don’t you think you’d better take them under your protection or something if they’re so weak?”

“Protection, huh... They are fifth and sixth in strength on the continent, so I‘m not sure...”

Still, no matter how strong they might have been on the outside, that strength didn’t apply on this island. For one, Reina always made sure to bring me or Luna with her when she went away from the house, so I knew that this place wasn’t safe, even for those with the title of Celestial Archmage.

“By the way, is that Shantak really dangerous?” I asked.

“Yeah, I guess so. Like the Emperor Boar, it’s pretty average here.”

“Huh...”

There were apparently even more dangerous monsters out there. That was worrying. Maybe it really was too risky to let Zelos and Merlyn live separately from us after all.

“Hmmm...”

To be honest, because of my body that never got hurt, I now lacked the usual sense humans have to sense threats. That deficiency wasn’t really a problem on my own, but it could cause big issues if I dragged someone else into danger.

Both Zelos and Merlyn probably had the same natural intuition despite their strength. It was no doubt incredibly stressful for them to live every day trapped on such a dangerous island. And stress itself was also dangerous; it might not lead to physical injury, but it could cause irreparable mental harm. I had only just met them, and we weren’t really even acquaintances, but we might get to know each other better in the future, and I wanted to work together with them on the things we could.

“I’ll try asking Reina for advice later,” I said.

“Good idea,” Elga said. “It’s no skin off my back whatever happens to them, but if you guys are going to feel all guilty about it, then I’ll help out.”

“Okay. Thanks, Elga.”

“Yeah.”

Elga wasn’t very talkative, but he always watched over us. That somehow made him feel like an older brother, and I felt myself wanting to rely on him. Still, I was an independent man; I had to be dependable myself, and not just ask others for help all the time.

“I’ll help too!” Luna chimed in.

“You too? Thanks, Luna,” I said, petting her soft fox ears.

“Ehe he he!”

If I had a younger sister or a daughter, would she be like Luna?

“Anyway, while they’re resting, why don’t we go fishing here?” I said.

“Hey, that sounds fun,” Elga said. “Just hold on.”

He surveyed the area with a sharp look in his eyes, then in a flash scooped up a clump of earth. Before I realized it, he was clutching a bunch of small, wormlike creatures in his hand. Luna was intently staring at it.

“This works for bait, right?” Elga said.

Luna was silent.

“Listen to me, Luna. This is fish bait, so you better not try to eat it.”

“I-I get it! Fish bait... It’s fish bait...”

“You don’t look like you get it at all... But, whatever. You can just use any old branch around here as a rod. The secret is to pick one with a lot of give.”

It seemed that we were going to start by making our own fishing rods. I would have been fine just taking the rod and bait that Reina had given me out of my Storage spell, but listening to Elga carefully explain all the steps was surprisingly entertaining, and I ended up choosing to make a fishing rod myself. I asked Elga, “How’s this? What about this?” as I showed him various branches, but I struggled to get a passing grade from him—every time, he’d tell me to find something better.

“Hey Elgaaa? How about this one?” Luna asked him. She was looking for a suitable branch along with me.

“Oh, that one’s pretty good. You’ll be able to hook a Sea Dragon with it, no problem!”

“Heh heh heh,” Luna chuckled, smugly looking over at me. It seemed that she had settled on a fishing rod.

“Hey, Elga,” I said. “I thought we were just going to catch smaller fish here at the river...”

“You’re so naive! If a troublemaker like you goes fishing, you’ll definitely catch something strange! You at least need to make a fishing rod that can handle it!”

“Hey... Don’t you think you’re being harsh?” It wasn’t like I wanted to cause problems...

“Mister Arata, Mister Arata.”

“Yeah? Are you going to console me, Luna?”

“I already found my fishing rod. Are you still looking?” She proudly showed off her branch again.

“Gah...”

With shoulders slumped, I searched for a branch that was strong enough to catch even a Sea Dragon. However, there was still one thing I wanted to say:

“What the heck kind of branch can possibly handle that?!”

I was just fine with catching some small fish!

◇

And so, after collecting dozens of branches, I finally received a passing grade from Elga. I was now sitting cross-legged on a rock, fishing. With his guidance, I had made everything by hand with only things from nature, including the pole, hook, and line. Though it was unbecoming of someone my age, I couldn’t help but feel excited to fish using a fishing rod I had made myself.

“Heh heh,” I chuckled.

I cast the line into the river, then closed my eyes and felt the nature around me. My previous life had been a busy one, which was maybe why listening to the swaying of trees and flowing of the river made me feel so calm. What a luxurious way to spend time...now this is supreme happiness.

“They aren’t bitiiing,” Luna whined.

“Yeah, they aren’t,” Elga said.

Unfortunately, it seemed that I was the only one who was enjoying myself in that way. The two Divine Beastfolk were already sounding a bit bored. I liked this sort of leisure time, so I was completely unbothered by it, but they seemed like they were starting to give up.

“This is exactly what makes fishing so fun,” I said to them.

“Really? I’d rather be hooking ’em one after another,” Elga said.

“Me too,” Luna said.

“Hmmm...”

To be honest, I could probably do it if I wanted to. If I really tried, I could accurately pinpoint the movements of the fish in the river, so if I found a spot with a lot of fish and cast my line there, they’d probably bite as soon as the bait hit the water. However, I had felt like that would be blasphemy against the art of fishing, so I purposefully hadn’t done so.

“C’mon, take it easy for a bit longer,” I said.

“Whaaat?” Already getting bored, Luna wore a dissatisfied expression. From her perspective, she had come all the way here to play with us, so it being boring must have been disappointing.

“All right, if there’s no other choice...”

I consciously strengthened my senses, perceiving the movements of all the creatures in the river. I discovered fish congregating in the shadow of a rock not too far from us.

“Try over there,” I said, pointing my finger. Without a word, Luna darted over and cast her line in the water. It instantly began to twitch—she had gotten a bite.

“Ah! I got it!” she said.

“Oh, is that a sweetfish?” Elga said. “Those are tasty when grilled.”

The fish looked similar to one from my previous life, and apparently it had the same name as well.

Luna looked thrilled by her first catch, and she happily came over to report it to me.

“That’s great, Luna,” I said.

“Yep! All right, I’m gonna catch a bunch now! Heh heh heh, I won’t lose to you, Elga!”

“Not if I have anything to say about it! Hey, Arata, I’m going fishing over there too!”

“Sure. I’ll be here, waiting until something bites.”

Spurred on by Luna’s taunting, Elga went over to the spot with more fish. I watched him go, then cast my line alone from the rocky shore. It didn’t seem like I was going to get any bites anytime soon, but this felt like a good way to enjoy fishing in its own right.

There’s an episode from Chinese history about a general named Jiang Ziya, who in his old age once sat fishing by a river without using bait or a hook, waiting for the fish to bite on their own. In Japan, another one of his names, Grand Duke Wang, is used to refer to someone who loves fishing. That was sort of how I felt right now.

“I feel just like a master strategist, ha ha... Oh?”

While I was enjoying my fantasies, my line was pulled taut. It looked like I had finally gotten a bite. The river was rather deep, so I couldn’t yet see any fish, but it was quite a big one.

“Hah hah hah! After this, I think I’ll brag to Luna.”

As far as I had been able to tell just a short while ago, Luna and Elga’s fishing spot had only smaller fish. In other words, if I reeled in this one, I’d get a fish that was bigger than any of theirs.

“Hmph!”

I didn’t really sense that it was struggling, but it felt quite large. This’ll make for a good story! I thought, yanking my rod. The fish made an arc above my head before falling to the ground behind me.

“Hnguh!”

“Hm?”

Are fish supposed to make that sound? I wondered, turning around. There I saw a woman with silver hair and ears longer than a human’s, lying on the ground unconscious.

“I didn’t catch a Sea Dragon... I caught someone who looks like an Elf...”

I suddenly remembered what Elga had said earlier: If a troublemaker like you goes fishing, you’ll definitely catch something strange!

“Who knows what he’ll say when he sees this? What should I do?” As a rule, fish that you caught but weren’t going to eat were returned to the river. So, if I released her...

“But I can’t do that.”

Whatever the circumstances may have been, I would be tormented by my conscience if I released something humanlike back into the river. Then, as I was wondering what to do...

“Just as I expected, Arata,” Elga said.

“You’re amazing, Mister Arata!” Luna said.

The two of them looked over at me, impressed. I could sense a kind of trust in their eyes—in other words, they had been absolutely certain that I would cause some sort of incident.

“This isn’t what it looks like...”

I wanted to say that I hadn’t done it on purpose, but they didn’t believe me at all.

◇

After a while, we returned home when it seemed like Zelos and Merlyn would be feeling better. Luna and Elga were pleased by how many fish they’d caught. Luna was so happy to have caught her first fish that she had even given some of them names.

“I hope she doesn’t cry when it’s time to eat them,” I said.

“So do I,” Reina said. “By the way, can I ask you a question, Arata?”

“Y-Yes?”

Right now I was sitting on my knees on the floor and looking up at Reina, while the satisfied Elga and Luna were off to the side. She was looking at me with a beaming smile on her face. Yep, a beautiful woman’s smile is always a sight for sore eyes. I’m sure any man who sees her would fall for her at first sight. So...um, well...please forgive me.

“You only went out for a walk, so why did you bring back something that looks like trouble?” Reina asked.

“I’m telling you, it’s not my fault. I was just leisurely fishing, that’s all. And then...uhh...I sort of...got a bite,” I said, averting my eyes and telling only the truth.

I hope she understands why I got quieter as I went on. Because... I mean...her smile is scary.

“At least you seem to be aware that what you’re saying is strange.” Exasperated, she let out a quiet sigh, then looked at the girl sleeping in the bed.

Luckily, though the girl had almost drowned in the river, she was breathing normally, and there hadn’t been any need for me to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation for the third time since coming to this island. Even if it was to save a life, I wasn’t very eager to steal a kiss from an unconscious woman. Had it come to that, I probably would have asked Merlyn instead, but she’d been feeling under the weather from mana sickness, so it was a good thing the girl had been all right.

“You just went out for a short walk, and you brought back this... Well, maybe I should have expected it from you.”

I got the feeling that Reina had just bluntly said something quite harsh just now, but if that was what it took for her to be satisfied, then I wouldn’t dwell on it. Glancing up at the sky, I saw that the sun was starting to get redder. It wasn’t quite dusk yet, but night fell surprisingly early on this island. If we delayed any longer, it would be completely dark.

“Anyway, let’s get dinner started. I’ll put my all into helping you!” I said, raising my voice to change the subject. Reina shot me a withering look. However, it seemed like she was about ready to forgive me, and she returned to her usual self.

“All right then, you’d better work hard today. It looks like Luna and Elga are going to eat with us, so we’ll have to make a bit more than usual.”

As Reina added the two Divine Beastfolk into the count as if it were only natural, I smiled awkwardly and got up from the ground. However, I lacked the skills to help Reina out, especially where cooking was concerned. Once I was done getting the ingredients ready and doing whatever else she told me to do, I would probably be better off just setting the table and waiting quietly for her to finish. Also, Luna was here today, so I had to play with her. If I didn’t, she would instinctively try to snatch the food before it was time to eat, earning herself a scolding from Reina.

“Since you guys caught fish today, why don’t I use that for the main dish?” Reina said.

“Hey, that sounds good!” I said.

We had to keep consuming the rest of the Emperor Boar, which meant that Reina’s repertoire had been centered around meat dishes. It became more of a priority, especially because Luna and Tailtiu liked meat more than vegetables. Sure, meat was incredibly delicious, but as a former Japanese person, there were also times when I wanted to have fish.

“Oh, that reminds me,” I added, “I just got some new meat earlier...”

“New meat?” Reina asked.

“Yeah, it’s—”

“Nooo!”

The moment I was about to take the Shantak out of my Storage spell to show it to Reina, Luna rushed over while raising her voice in a panic.

“I haven’t shown it to Tailtiu yet, so you can’t eat it!” she said.

“Oh, that’s right. Sorry,” I said.

“Jeez! We’ll all eat it together after I show it to her!”

She looked quite cute as she raised both hands and sulkily puffed up her cheeks. I stayed silent, knowing that saying so would only make her pout more, but I could see Reina holding back laughter. It seemed that she found the sight of me being scolded by a child funny. Honestly, I probably would have felt the same if I wasn’t the one being scolded.

“Pfft, ha ha... All right then, I’ll get dinner started, so you go play, Luna,” Reina said.

“Are we gonna eat the fish I caught?” Luna asked.

“Yes, we will. You caught them for us, after all.”

“Ohhh... So we’re gonna eat them... Hawk, Falcon, Albatross...” Luna looked at her fish, enthralled. Inside the carved stone bucket, small fish that resembled sweetfish were briskly swimming around. After giving them curiously cool names, would she be too attached to eat them?

“Luna...”

Even if she did, that seemed all right to me, in its own way. She was still mentally like a kid, and this would also be a good opportunity for her to learn about the value of life, so—

Slurp.

“C-Can I wipe that drool off for you?” I said.

Apparently she’d been imagining how they tasted.

I’d like my emotions back, please. Also, after this, I’ll get her to tell me why she named her fish after birds.

◇

I more or less finished helping out Reina, so while she was getting done with the rest of the cooking, I went into the room to check on the sleeping Elf.

“Oh, hey, Arata,” Elga said.

“Hi, Elga. Sorry for making you watch over her.”

“This much is nothing, seeing as you’re feeding me some good food again after this.”

Since I didn’t know what kind of person the Elf girl I had fished up was, we needed someone to watch her. Then again, there was a chance she might panic from waking up to the sight of a stranger. While I had been wondering what to do, Elga volunteered to stand guard.

“Where’s Luna?” he asked.

“She said she’s going to watch Reina cook the fish.”

“What’s so exciting about that?”

“Beats me. You’d think she wouldn’t want to see the fish she named get skewered.”

I sat next to Elga and looked at the sleeping Elf. She had been drenched when I fished her out of the river, so I hadn’t really been able to tell what she looked like, but now I saw that she had symmetrical facial features, like a doll’s. Her hair was currently down, but it originally had been tied up into pigtails on either side of her head. She seemed to be around the same age as Reina, yet even thinner; Reina was already quite slender, so the Elf girl looked like she would shatter at the slightest touch. Her skin was a tanned brown, which was a bit different from how I would have pictured an Elf.

“She’s an Alfr,” Elga said.

“What’s that? Not an Elf?” I asked.

“They used to be the same, but now they live separately and go by different names. And as you can see, it’s normal for Alfar to have darker skin.”

I had assumed that “Elf” and “Alfr” were just two words that meant the same thing, but it seemed they referred to different people akin to High Elves and Dark Elves in typical fantasy terms. Though, considering I’d never actually seen an “Elf” in this world, it was strange for me to assume what they were like. Regardless, that was how they were referred to on this island, so I had better remember it.

“Generally speaking, it’s a distinction between where they live and which spirits they worship,” Elga continued. “Elves live in the forest, and Alfar live in the mountains.”

“What about the spirits?”

“Elves worship spirits of light, water, and wind; Alfar worship spirits of darkness, fire, and earth. Oh, but it’s not like the spirits are at odds with each other. The races aren’t exactly on bad terms, but...”

I tilted my head, confused why Elga was being evasive.

He roughly scratched his head and let out a sigh.

“What I’m saying is, we Divine Beastfolk get along with the Elves just fine, but not so much with the Alfar.”

“Really?”

“Yeah... You see, our elder is Phoenix, right? A while back, there was a dispute over whose flames were more divine: Phoenix, or the Great Spirit of Fire. They’ve had it in for us ever since.”

The Alfar must not have been able to stand the thought that there might be a being even greater than the one they thought was the best. Apparently, they and the Divine Beastfolk had ended up both deciding to not involve themselves in the other’s affairs, in part because their respective territories were far apart from each other. Even so, it would be a bit of a headache if the Alfar still held a grudge.

“But still, that was around a thousand years ago, so it’s old news,” Elga added.

“A thousand years...”

It was even longer ago than I had imagined. Enough time had gone by for even the famous enemies—the Taira and the Minamoto clans—to make up, shake hands, and dance together. Surely everything was fine now.

Everything is fine...right?

But the long-lived islanders had a scale of time that I simply couldn’t comprehend with my small perspective, so I really wasn’t sure.

“Mhmngh...”

“Ah.”

“Oh?”

As I was lost in my strange thoughts, the Alfr girl let out a groan. She slowly opened her eyes, then sat up and restlessly looked around the room. Her messy, waist-length hair shook slightly, almost resembling the swaying foliage of a large tree.

“Where am I?” she said. “No, more importantly...” She had just woken up, so her head must have been fuzzy.

She absentmindedly placed a hand on her stomach, then...

“I’m...hungry,” she said, looking at us with teary eyes.

She seemed so pitiful that I felt ready to do anything to protect her.

◇

Chomp chomp chomp!

“M-My fish... I-I won’t lose!”

Chomp chomp chomp chomp chomp chomp chomp chomp!

No sooner had the Alfr girl gobbled up a salted grilled sweetfish than she grabbed another and stuffed it into her mouth. She continued to devour more fish, speaking no words and sparing no thought to anything else, as if she’d achieved some ascended state of being in her single-minded feasting.

“She’s eating so quickly,” Reina said. “No matter how many fish I grill, it won’t be enough...”

“Luna’s eating almost as much as her, and even she can’t keep up,” I said.

The large quantity of sweetfish Luna had caught was steadily being consumed. There should have been some in there for me, Reina, and Elga too, but everything would be gone at this rate. Then again, it would be a bit immature of me if I joined in on this.

“And, what was her name again? Katima, right?” Reina asked.

“That’s right. She said she’s an Alfr who lives in the mountains a bit north of here,” I said.

“Why was a girl from up in the mountains carried here by the river?”

“That’s a long story, but...”

After a hungry Katima had woken up and looked at me with teary eyes, I asked her a few quick questions about what had happened to her. Her reason for being washed away by the river was simple: She had taken a dive for some fish because she had been hungry, and then she had gotten leg cramps.

It was a shorter story than I had expected.

Reina paused. “Is...is she stupid?”

“Well... It’s important to warm up before exercising,” I replied. I may have agreed with Reina on the inside, but I didn’t want to say it out loud.

After Katima had told me her story, she introduced herself, and now she was eating a meal. At first I had spoken with her formally, but she had bluntly said, “I’m just Katima, so you can call me that,” so now we were on more casual terms.

“Y’know, it looks like the sweetfish Luna caught are about to run out. Are you guys sure you don’t want any?” Elga asked.

“I think we might have to give up for today,” Reina said.

“Yeah... When I see them like that, I can’t bring myself to ask them to share,” I said. Watching Katima and Luna chow down on the grilled sweetfish was enough to make me feel full.

After a while, Katima finished eating all of the sweetfish, then lay down while rubbing her belly. “Phew... That was good.” Though her expression hadn’t changed much since waking up, she now looked vaguely content.

Luna lay down as well, imitating her.

“Hey, you two, it’s bad manners to lie down right after eating,” Reina said. Then, she made them sit up, and they let out tired groans.

“Hngh...”

“Ahhh...”

It was a bit entertaining, sort of like watching two sisters being scolded by their mother.

Although Luna and Katima sat up, they sleepily rubbed their eyes.

“Now that I’m full, I’m tired,” Katima said.

“Me toooo...” Luna said.

“It’s already getting late, so spend the night here, Katima,” I said. “Luna...”

“I’ll stay here toooo...”

She already sounded half asleep, so I looked at her guardian, Elga. He just shrugged, not saying anything, but it didn’t seem like it would be an issue.

“All right then, let’s go to your room, Luna,” I said.

“Okay...”

I took her hand, and she obediently stood up and began to walk unsteadily. I felt a slight tug at my clothes, and turned around to find a bleary-eyed Katima pinching my sleeve.

“Me too... I’ll sleep too.”

“Oh, okay,” I said.

It seemed like her consciousness was hazy, and although she was on her feet, she looked shaky. Will she be all right? I wondered. She had been completely unconscious until it was time to eat, so perhaps almost drowning in the river had depleted all of her strength.

Reina giggled. “You sure are popular, dad,” she said teasingly.

“Well, if I’m dad, then you’re mom,” I retorted.

We both fell silent.

Reina blushed slightly and averted her eyes. I had only said it as a joke, but it made me a bit self-conscious when she reacted like that, and I ended up at a loss for words.

“C’mon, enough of the husband-and-wife comedy duo. These two look like they’re about to collapse on the spot,” Elga said.

“Ah?!” I exclaimed, quickly looking down. Both Luna and Katima were practically about to fall over. I quickly picked them up in my arms, and with no other option, I carried them that way all the way to Luna’s room. There, I laid them down in bed, and as soon as I pulled the covers over them, they drifted off to dreamland.

“They sure are carefree,” I said.

But, I also thought that was a good thing. They worked a lot, played a lot, ate a lot, and slept a lot. Setting aside the question of whether that was how people ought to be, I had been reincarnated on this island in hopes of living that way.

When I got back to the others, Reina had resumed preparing dinner. The appetizing smell of butter wafted through the air from a hot fry pan, tickling my nostrils.

“I was going to make some salted sweetfish for dinner, but as I watched how quickly the girls ate, I ran out of time,” Reina said.

“Oh? But I thought they ate all of the sweetfish...”

“Heh, I thought something like this might happen. Take a look,” Elga said. He grinned and took out his bucket. It seemed that he had hidden his sweetfish before Luna and Katima devoured all of them. There weren’t nearly as many compared to the number they’d eaten, but it was still more than enough for three people.

“And so, we’ll have a dinner just for the adults,” Reina said.

The sweetfish being cooked with butter and soy sauce gave off a different scent compared to the ones that had been grilled with just salt. Laid out on a plate, they looked incredibly mouthwatering, and the garnish of herbs added some color and made them look all the more delicious.

“Whoa,” I said.

“Sweetfish sautéed in butter and pepper with herbs! Ha ha,” Reina said, pretending to sound like a chef.

Elga gulped. “This smell is intense.”

“Oh, and Elga? No shouting this time,” Reina warned him. “It’s already late, and Luna and Katima are sleeping.”

He looked uneasy. “Will I be able to hold myself back?”

“Don’t worry,” I said, clapping him on the shoulder and giving him a thumbs up. “If it comes to it, I’ll cover your mouth and throw you as far as I can.”

Elga paused. “I’ll do what I can to control myself.”

I sat down and looked again at the sautéed sweetfish. Meat had been the main dish of nearly every meal I’d eaten since coming to this island, so the fish before me now stimulated my instincts as a Japanese person and made it impossible for me to tear my eyes away. Hard to say if this body even is Japanese, but...

“You know... I could go for some wine with this,” I spontaneously mumbled.

“Jeez, all right,” Reina said, exasperated. She took out a bottle of white wine from her Storage spell.

“Huh?”

“What the—” Elga said.

I couldn’t look away from the white wine. This was the first time she’d ever taken out an alcoholic drink. I just assumed that she didn’t have any...

“I can’t believe you were hiding something like this,” I said.

“Saying I was ‘hiding’ it sounds like I was doing something wrong. There just isn’t much, so I was saving it for a rainy day, that’s all.”

Reina took out three wine glasses and poured wine into each of them. It was a nostalgic sound that moved me deeply.

“Now, to start our special, adults-only party: a toast.”

Following Reina’s lead, we touched our glasses together, producing a short, high-pitched clink. Then, I took a sip of the wine right away. It had a crisp taste and went down smoothly, and I could instantly tell that this was a luxury brand. I looked at Reina, who was swirling her glass, exposing the wine to the air. She looked stylish, and it really fit her, but when I tried to imitate it, I had trouble moving the glass like her.

“It’s surprisingly hard...”

Reina chuckled. “You’re so clumsy, Arata. Until you get used to it, you should keep the bottom of your glass on the table while you swirl it, like Elga.”

Elga had been spinning his glass on the table. His drink steadily swirled around inside his glass, incorporating oxygen into the wine.

“Heh,” he chuckled, looking at me smugly.

That roused my competitive spirit. It looked like it was time for me to show the true power of my copy ability. I watched how Reina swirled her glass in the air, then did the same myself.

I failed.

“You’re so clumsy. Just give it up and put it on the table,” Reina said.

“Fine...”

Unfortunately, it seemed that my divinely granted copy ability didn’t let me reproduce these sorts of everyday skills. Resigned, I placed my glass on the table like Elga, and it felt much more stable compared to before.

“Oh, I did it,” I said.

“There you go, that’s how it’s done,” Reina said. “Also, before you take a sip, try smelling it. One way to enjoy wine is feeling the difference between before and after aerating it.”

“Huh, I didn’t know that. Come to think of it, I hardly ever drank wine.” In my past life I had enjoyed beer and shochu, but now that I knew wine was this good, I wished I had drunk more of it.

I also helped myself to some of the sweetfish. The kick of the pepper combined with the soy sauce and butter flavor overwhelmed my taste buds. The sweetfish itself had a simple, understated taste, but the plentiful seasoning meant it paired wonderfully with the white wine.

“Hahh... This is good,” I said.

“Yeah... It’s wasted on Luna and Katima,” Elga agreed.

His body trembled as he spoke. Was it because he was holding back a shout? Honestly, I was feeling the urge to shout like them too, so I could definitely understand how he felt.

“The organs can be pretty bitter, and I think they’ll go well with some light-bodied red wine. Why don’t we try that next time?” Reina said.

Elga and I both widened our eyes. You’re saying it can still get even better than this?! We thought, our inner shouts syncing up.

Now that Reina had drunk some wine, she had a captivating aura to her that was different from usual. She let out a faint breath. “Hahh... Still, this wine was also a great choice.”

Her gesture made my heart momentarily skip a beat. I averted my eyes and focused on enjoying my wine and sweetfish.

Illuminated by light magic in the fantastical forest at night, I leisurely savored the white wine and butter sautéed sweetfish with my friends. As we enjoyed the somewhat atypical atmosphere, we felt like nothing else could be more luxurious than this.

Chapter Three: The Two Celestial Archmages

The next day, I left the house to take in the morning sun. There, I saw Katima standing stock-still in the forest. She had distinctive tan brown skin, and her silver hair gave off a dull glitter. Other than her long ears, she basically looked like a normal human. She had a somewhat absent-minded demeanor that made her feel more childish than she looked, but then again, exterior age wasn’t at all reliable when it came to the inhabitants of this island.

As I idly watched Katima, she noticed my presence and looked at me with her scarlet eyes.

“Oh, it’s you, Arata.”

“Good morning, Katima,” I said. “You sure woke up early.”

“Yeah, the sun filtering through the forest trees feels good. I like sunbathing in the morning.”

“Oh, really?”

Just as she said, the soft morning sunlight that shone between the gaps in the foliage was pleasant. Sunbathing to the sound of birds chirping and trees rustling seemed like an incredibly attractive idea.

“Sorry about yesterday,” Katima said.

“Hm? Oh, you mean me rescuing you? Don’t worry about that.”

“No, an Alfr never forgets their debts. And I had a lot of the fish you guys caught too.”

She apologetically lowered her shoulders, and I unconsciously smiled awkwardly. I didn’t think there was any need for her to apologize. Luna and Elga were the ones who had caught those fish; I hadn’t caught anything, unless you counted Katima herself.

“If that’s the case, then bring something for Luna next time. She’s the one who caught most of those fish.”

“Okay. I don’t forget my debts, and I pay them back plenty.” Clenching her fists, Katima fired herself up. While her expression didn’t change much, it was easy to tell what she was thinking. “But you saved me, so I’ll repay you for that. Is there anything you need help with?”

“Me? Umm, let me think...”

My invincible body meant I never got hurt or sick, and I was the epitome of good health. Also, all the islanders were friendly people, so I wasn’t having any trouble in my personal relationships either. The meals were delicious, and I ate fresh food every day. I was having a pleasant and enjoyable time, so I was hard-pressed to come up with anything bothering me. That said...

“Oh, that’s right. Hey, Katima, the Alfar live in the mountains, right?”

“Yeah. It’s because there’s a lot of fire, earth, and darkness spirits there. It’s a comfortable place for us.”

“Then, are there any local delicacies you can only get there?”

“‘Delicacies’?” She tilted her head, maybe because she didn’t quite understand what I meant.

“I mean, is there anything tasty where you live?”

“Ah, I see. There’s plenty. The mountains are the source of all life, after all.”

Katima proudly puffed out her chest, emphasizing the obvious curved outlines under her thin clothing. Her outfit was made of animal pelts; it looked rather tough, but it was divided into a top and a bottom like a swimsuit, and her stomach was completely uncovered. She didn’t seem to care at all, but as a guy, I had some trouble finding a place to rest my eyes.

“I recommend mushrooms,” Katima continued.

I paused. “Those mushrooms are safe to eat, right?”

“Why are you suspicious all of a sudden? They obviously aren’t going to be poisonous.”

I was suspicious because the mushrooms on this island couldn’t be trusted. Honestly, Elga’s story terrified me. Still, that didn’t mean all mushrooms were like that. And Katima saying they tasted good had piqued my interest.

“Well, when we go to the mountains next time, do you think I could have some?” I said.

“Sure, and I’ll tell the elders too. You guys saved me, so all of the Alfar are in your debt. I’m sure the Great Spirits will welcome you as well. Uh-huh,” she said, smiling.

I thought she was exaggerating, but it didn’t change the fact that I had saved her life. Since coming to this island, I had realized that the key to improving your relationships with others was to sincerely accept their gratitude and express your own.

“Mushrooms, huh...”

Even though we were in the middle of the forest, there actually weren’t very many different kinds of vegetables we could gather in the area around our house. And annoyingly enough, many of the plants here had troublesome features. On the other hand, we had an easy supply of meat, but that increased the risk of us eating an unbalanced diet, so I wanted to find a stable source of vegetables.

“All right then, I think I’ll stop by for a visit sometime,” I said.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Katima said.

As I spent time talking with her about the kinds of food that were out there, Reina woke up, as did Luna who had spent the night at our house. They seemed curious about what we had been talking about, and when I told them, they both showed interest. Luna was especially enthusiastic; as we spoke, she started to drool, eager to go to the mountains right away.

“Plenty of the food I brought with me is still left, but I was thinking that it would be good to have more vegetables,” Reina said.

“The mountains the Alfar live in are full of the bounty of nature. And, we’ve also made some things ourselves,” Katima said.

“If that’s the case, then do you have something like this?”

Reina began to ask Katima all sorts of questions, as if some sort of switch inside her had been turned on. I knew from experience that conversations could get rather lengthy when she was like this.

“Luna, I’m going to go wash my face in the river. What about you?” I asked.

“Ummm...” Luna thought for a moment, then said, “I’ll go too!”

Detained by Reina, Katima looked somewhat flustered by the rapid deluge of questions. It didn’t look like she was in any state to be paying attention to anything else. Luna must have thought that if I left her here alone, she wouldn’t be able to participate in the conversation and she would get bored.

“Okay then. Reina, Katima, we’ll be right back,” I said.

“Goodbyyye!” Luna said.

When we got to the river, someone else was already there. Zelos, a Celestial Archmage like Reina, was taking practice swings with a flame sword in hand, his torso bared.

“Good morning, Zelos,” I said.

“Huh? Oh, it’s you...”

Sweat was trickling off his toned body, and I could tell that he had been practicing for quite a long time. Is this how a magician trains? I wondered.

Zelos looked at Luna, and his expression stiffened somewhat.

“Umm, sir, why are you looking at me like that?” Luna asked him.

Zelos was acting a bit suspiciously, perhaps because he very much comprehended the sheer difference in power between him and Luna. Then again, she was suppressing her mana this time, so she shouldn’t have been giving off an oppressive aura. He must have picked up on this consideration from her and realized that he was being rude, because his expression changed to an awkward one. Then, he suddenly tilted his head.

“Do I look old enough to be called ‘sir’?” he asked.

I almost laughed, but I somehow managed to restrain myself.

“But you’re middle-aged, aren’t you?” Luna said.

“Well... Huh. Yeah, I guess I am.”

He actually looked to be in his mid-twenties—not old enough to be called “middle-aged”—but it seemed that Luna wasn’t basing her judgment on his appearance. Come to think of it, long-lived races were the standard on this island, and it was normal for them to have diverging ages and appearances. If I remembered correctly, Reina had said that Zelos was past fifty. If so, it was a bit strange that he was surprised, but more importantly, I had something I needed to confirm. After all, my age also differed from my appearance.

“Hey, Luna. I’m not middle-aged, am I?”

“Huh? No, you’re not that old yet.”

“You’re a good kid, Luna.”

It seemed that to her, thirty was still young. She had called Suzaku “grandma,” which meant that maybe there was a considerable leeway between the two terms.

I pet Luna’s head, and she looked very happy.

“Ehe he he...”

“Well, she’s definitely strong, but there’s no need to be afraid of a thing like her,” Zelos said.

“Hey, calling me a ‘thing’ is just mean. I have a name! It’s Luna!”

“Ah, my bad. Okay, Luna, it’s a bit belated, but nice to meet you.”

“Yeah! Nice to meet you!”

Thanks to this exchange, Zelos’s attitude toward Luna changed somewhat. This was fortunate, and it made me hope that they would go on to get to know each other better.

“Luna, Zelos isn’t used to this island yet, so be careful when you’re showing off your power, all right?” I said.

“I knooow.” She obediently nodded. This was one of her good points; if Tailtiu had been in the same situation, she would probably have amused herself by purposefully threatening him.

“Sorry for making you go through all this trouble,” Zelos said.

“Not at all,” I said. “ Someone has to while you’re still not familiar with things. But, if possible, I’d like for you to look at her like you would anyone else.”

“Sure...”

He and Merlyn were still afraid of the people of this island. Though the two probably understood logically that they meant no harm, there was surely some instinctual hesitation to accept it. As a fellow stranger who had washed up here, I hoped they could get along with everyone.

“Then again, both of them seem even more cautious than Reina,” I said to myself.

Or maybe it was Reina who was unusually flexible, though me being with her probably helped too. Regardless, I would be disappointed if Zelos and Merlyn stayed afraid of my friends forever. And, there was also the recent incident with the Shantak to think about. If I continued to leave them on their own, they might eventually crack under the stress of living here. I had only just met them, and I didn’t want that to happen.

“Do you have time after this, Zelos?” I asked.

“Huh? Well, I do, but...”

So, I would take drastic measures.

“Would you like to have breakfast together?” I asked.

Though Zelos grimaced somewhat at my proposal, he nodded along.

◇

“Hahh... My stomach hurts.”

“Just give it up already, Merlyn.”

“Zelos... It’s because you agree to things without asking me.”

“I didn’t do it because I wanted to!”

Together with Luna, I returned home from washing my face in the river, and Merlyn and Zelos followed behind us while bickering. I had only asked them over for breakfast casually, the same way you might invite a neighbor, but they wore expressions of despair, as if they were about to step foot into the first circle of hell.

“Hey, Mister Arata? Why do they look so depressed?” Luna asked.

“Hmm, what’s the best way to put it... I guess they’ve made a lot of wrong assumptions, that’s all.”

“Oh, really?”

A considerable number of days had passed since I had reincarnated on this island, and everyone I had met was a good person. But it wasn’t like we had been close friends from the start. We had built our relationships to where they were today by eating together, living together, and smiling together. So I was certain that once Zelos and Merlyn got a chance to eat together with us, they would start to smile too.

“Hey, Arata. The path around here is pretty smooth, don’t you think?” Zelos said.

“Yeah, I pave the paths we use often with earth magic,” I said.

“You did it? Are you a magician?”

Unlike Merlyn, who was still wary of me, Zelos joined me in conversation, maybe because he had gotten somewhat used to me. His voice was friendlier than before, perhaps because this was a field he was interested in.

“I’m not impressive enough to call myself a magician, but I am learning magic from Reina.”

“How about that... Well, she’s strong enough to have the epithet of ‘Omnimage,’ so she might be a good teacher.”

“Omnimage?” This was the first time I’d ever heard that word, and I tilted my head, confused.

“What, you didn’t know?” Zelos asked, tilting his head as well.

“There wasn’t any need for me to know. Actually, I didn’t even know magicians had epithets until you two came here.”

For example, Zelos’s epithet was “Flame of Ruin,” while Merlyn’s was “Divine Water.” It was easy to guess what sort of magicians they both were after hearing those names.

“What does ‘Omnimage’ mean?” I asked.

“Well—”

“Hold it right there. You aren’t about to leak information about another magician to him, are you?” Merlyn interrupted. “You’re letting your guard down too much.”

“So what? It’s not like he’s an enemy, so does it really matter?” Zelos said.

“It does. Think about it—Reina might have a reason for why she hasn’t told him.”

“Oh... Yeah, you may be right.” The look on Zelos’s face turned somewhat awkward. “Anyway, sorry, but if you want to know why, ask Reina herself,” he said to me.

“Ah, okay. I don’t mind.”

I hadn’t really been all that curious, so it wasn’t a big deal, but the possibility that Reina hadn’t told me on purpose made me feel a bit lonely. Of course, she may have simply not seen a need to mention it to me, as I didn’t know anything about magicians or the continent.

As I was thinking about this, Luna walking next to me tugged on the hem of my shirt.

“Mister Arata?”

“Yeah?”

“It’s all right. Miss Reina really loves you, after all.”

I may have had a dejected look on my face just then. But when Luna looked at me with her pure, innocent eyes and said something like that so plainly, I couldn’t help but smile.

“Yeah, you’re right. I like her too.”

That was as a friend, of course, and she’d told me the same herself. I thought the relationship Reina and I had built was a good one, where we each respected each other, and I realized that the loneliness I’d just felt was misdirected.

“Thanks, Luna.” I pet her fluffy fox ears, and she smiled cheerfully.

“If I only saw her like this, I might think she was nice to have around,” Zelos said.

Merlyn paused. “She...might be cute.”

The two walking behind us watched our exchange intently.

◇

We advanced down the forest path I had gotten used to taking every morning, and my house was already just ahead.

“Reina, we’re back!” I said.

“We’re baaack!” Luna echoed.

In response to our greetings, Reina came out of the house. She was wearing small reading glasses which made her seem even more intellectual than usual. She must have finished her barrage of questions for Katima, then had also gotten done making breakfast, and had been leisurely reading until we got back.

“Welcome back, you two... Why are they here?” she asked.

“As a matter of fact...”

I realized that out of everything that had happened yesterday, I had forgotten to tell her what was going on with Zelos and Merlyn. After I explained things to her, Reina thought for a moment, then let out a quiet sigh.

“Should I not have?” I asked.

I had hoped she would be able to leave the past in the past and move forward, but I could definitely understand that it wasn’t so easy. She had previously told me that she didn’t get along well with the other Celestial Archmages. I had simply assumed that it would be all right because they weren’t enemies, but maybe I had been too optimistic.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Reina said. “If that’s what you want to do, then I don’t mind. It’s just, I have my own thoughts on the matter.” She must have understood that I was uneasy, because her awkward expression changed to a smile.

“I want to get along with them, seeing as we both live here on this island,” I said.

“Yes, I can see where you’re coming from... This isn’t even the continent anymore, let alone the kingdom.” Reina turned back to Zelos and Merlyn. “Zelos, Merlyn... This island can be absurd, but after living here for some time, I think it’s a nice place. I’m sure both of you have your own reasons, but let’s forget about the past and get along with each other.”

Zelos and Merlyn looked slightly awkward and didn’t reply. There really must have been a wedge between them I didn’t know about. Still, as an outsider, it didn’t seem to be my place to question them about it. And I could tell from my conversations with them that they were by no means bad people. If anything, they were good people who had clear consideration for others, despite their confusion.

They hesitated over what to do about Reina’s outstretched hand, but then Zelos moved first. He roughly scratched his head, then stepped forward.

“Gah! Fine, I get it, I get it already! I’m sorry about everything, Reina! I hope we can get along!” He firmly grasped her hand.

“I hope so too, Zelos.”

Zelos turned around to look at his partner. “C’mon, get over it already.”

After some hesitation, Merlyn said, “All right, fine. Hahh, I never thought this would happen after I made it all the way to being one of the Seven Celestial Archmages.” Though she seemed weary, she took Reina’s hand. “Reina... I hope we can get along this time.”

“So do I,” Reina said.

The sight of these two beauties smiling next to each other was quite striking. Merlyn in particular had a mature allure to her that any man would be charmed by.

“Hey, just so you know, she’s really getting up there,” Zelos said to me.

“I don’t really think you should say that,” I replied. If he was heard, the monsters on this island would be the least of his worries; he’d probably make a sudden departure from this world at the hands of his own partner.

“Also, drop the formality already,” he said. “I’m in your debt, and I hate being so stiff.”

“Oh, okay.”

Reina and Merlyn were having a conversation some distance away from us men. Come to think of it, the only male friends I’d had on the island were Elga and Gaius. I felt unexpectedly happy to have made a new one.

Luna, who had been quiet up until now, came up to Zelos’s side.

“Hey, can I ask something?”

“Huh? What?” he replied.

She nervously looked up at him. “You’re not scared of me anymore, are you?”

It might have been quite the shock that they had been afraid of her. Zelos seemed to understand this; while he had an incredibly awkward expression on his face, he confidently looked at Luna.

“Sorry about that. And... No, not anymore. Oh, also, I forgot to say it then, but thanks for saving us yesterday.”

“Yeah!” Luna must have understood that his apology and thanks came from his heart. She smiled from ear to ear. “It’s nice to meet you, Uncle Zelos!”

“Y-Yeah.”

“Pfft!” Merlyn burst into laughter. “‘Uncle?’ Aha ha! Uncle Zelos!” Unable to control herself, she laughed out loud. Next to her, Reina was smiling slightly as well.

Zelos shot them a glare, but then, realizing something, he turned to Luna. “Hey, Luna, what do you call Reina?”

“Huh? Miss Reina is Miss Reina. Why?”

“I see...” Zelos smirked, then pointed at Merlyn. “All right then, what would you call Merlyn?”

“Huh? Umm...”

Merlyn flinched beneath her gaze. “Wh-Why are you staring at me so much?”

As for Luna, she quizzically tilted her head, looked at Zelos, then back to Merlyn.

“Aunt Merlyn!”

Seeing the astonished look on Merlyn’s face, Zelos laughed as hard as he could.

“Bwa ha ha!”

“Wha— ‘A-Aunt’?!” Merlyn exclaimed.

Looking at Reina, I saw that she couldn’t bring herself to laugh about the age of a fellow woman, as you might expect. But she knew how old Merlyn really was, so she couldn’t deny it either.

“Z-Zelos! You knew this would happen when you asked her, didn’t you?!”

“Gah ha ha! That’s what you get for laughing at me, Aunt Merlyn!”

“Agh!” With a vein bulging in her forehead, Merlyn smiled and made eye contact with Luna. “Hey, you said your name was Luna, right?”

“Yep! I’m Luna!”

“D-Do you think you could tell me why you called me Aunt Merlyn?”

“Huh? I mean...” Luna glanced at Reina, then at Zelos, then looked back at Merlyn. “Because you’re older than Uncle Zelos.”

Merlyn froze. She was still smiling, but sweat trickled down her forehead.

“Bwa ha! Heh heh heh... Nice one!” Zelos said. “It just goes to show, no matter how much you try to cover up your appearance, you can’t hide how mean you are inside!” He burst into loud laughter again, reveling in his complete triumph.

Merlyn tried as hard as she could to get Luna to call her “Miss Merlyn” instead, but Luna just looked confused, like it didn’t quite feel right. She didn’t show any intention of changing how she addressed her. This only amused Zelos more, causing him to roar with laughter again, while Merlyn looked like she was ready to cry.

“Well... I guess this means they’re getting along?” I said. Though Zelos and Merlyn had reacted to Luna with fear at first, they didn’t seem to mind now. They just looked like adults at the mercy of an innocent child; surely no one would believe that these people were actually the strongest magicians on the continent.

Then, as the atmosphere calmed down, Katima came out of the house.

“Hey, Arata, I’m getting hungry,” she said.

Hearing that, Reina and I unconsciously smiled. We realized that it was already quite late for breakfast.

“All right, why don’t we eat now?” Reina said. “I know! I’ll go all out today, as a welcome party for Merlyn and Zelos.”

“Yaaay!” Luna shouted.

“Hm... I’m excited,” Katima said. Both of them were emitting happiness from every pore.

As for me, I was relieved that Zelos and Merlyn had been able to accept the inhabitants of the island.

“Well then, I’m glad to meet you,” I said to them.

“Same here,” Zelos said.

“So am I,” Merlyn said.

I didn’t know what their lives on this island would be like going forward. They might do whatever it took to escape, coming up with all sorts of plans. I wouldn’t be against that, and I’d even help out if they asked me. This island was a free place. I could do the things I wanted to do, and live in a way that put a smile on my face. There were no doubt all sorts of new meetings in store for me in the future as well. And, all sorts of absurd things were definitely going to happen too. But I wanted to enjoy my life here to the best of my ability, taking everything as it came.

◇

The welcome breakfast for Zelos and Merlyn was over, and both of them had gotten to be much more comfortable around Luna. I knew it would only be a matter of time, thanks to her natural friendliness, but I was nonetheless relieved to see them getting along. However, the two magicians seemed to have struggled with Katima, who must not have been very good at holding a conversation.

Actually, I also thought Katima was a bit of an airhead. It didn’t seem like she was actively trying to get to know them—though on the other hand, she wasn’t treating them poorly either; she simply did things at her own pace, which made her harder to follow. She probably only spoke with me and Luna because I had saved her life, and because we gave her free food. Still, she wasn’t a bad girl, so I was sure that given the opportunity, she and the magicians would get closer from here on out.

“Even though it was so noisy, it sure feels lonely once they’re gone,” I said.

“It does, doesn’t it? Still, I’d get burnt out if it was like that all the time,” Reina said.

“Ha ha, you might be right.”

The two of us were cleaning up after breakfast once everyone had gone. Like Luna, Katima had returned to her home. Elga had said that the Alfr village was quite far away, so I’d wondered if it would be okay to let her leave by herself. But when I saw her absent-minded, aloof attitude, I got the feeling that she would be all right. Zelos and Merlyn had said that they wanted to accomplish what they could by themselves, and went back to their tents by the river, so now it was just me and Reina.

“When I was on the continent, I never thought they’d end up like this,” Reina said.

“You mean Zelos and Merlyn?”

“Right. We saw each other at meetings, but I hardly ever spoke with them.”

“Well, it’s impossible to know how or when our relationships with other people will change.”

Apparently, the two were going to discuss their future course of action. They had set up camp away from our home because of their pride as Celestial Archmages, and also because they hadn’t wanted to be near Reina, with whom they hadn’t gotten along very well. But they had already cleared up the bad feelings between them, so there was no need to be so particular about that. This meant that now, there shouldn’t be any problems with them living near us.

“It might be nice if they do end up living closer. It’ll be pretty convenient,” Reina said.

“Oh, really? Convenient how?”

“You know Zelos’s epithet, ‘Flame of Ruin,’ right?”

“Yeah... As a guy, I’ve gotta admit it sounds really cool.”

I was pretty sure I hadn’t had that type of chuunibyou mindset in my past life, but after being reborn in a fantasy world, I’d become somewhat drawn to that kind of thing. Then again, it’s not like I cared about it much compared to the rest of my slow life.

“He’s better than me at controlling fire. That ought to be helpful for cooking,” Reina explained.

“Hm?”

What’s she talking about? I thought. When I thought of the epithet “Flame of Ruin,” cooking was the last thing on my mind.

“Also, Merlyn is so good at water magic that she’s called ‘Divine Water,’ so if she does the laundry or the cleaning, that should improve our quality of life.”

I’m not too sure about that, I thought silently, but then I remembered what our life was like. Essentially, Reina could cast most simple spells, and she was letting me copy them. It was quite easy for me to fire off spells using loads of mana if I had to, but I was still bad at fine control. That meant Reina had to pick up the slack for me in a lot of day-to-day tasks and chores.

“If they end up living close to here, I think we could entrust those sorts of things to them. What do you think?”

I nodded with a smile at Reina’s confident proposal. “Sure, I think that’s a good idea.”

Unfortunately, titles like “Celestial Archmage” were meaningless on this island. Raising one’s overall standard of living was much more important. I definitely wasn’t trying to insulate myself from criticism by offering up the two of them as sacrifices, or anything of the sort.

If Zelos and Merlyn heard this conversation, they’d probably get mad at us for not taking the Seven Celestial Archmages seriously, but you know what they say: If you don’t work, you don’t eat. For the sake of bettering our lives, we’d have to get them to do everything from cooking to cleaning.

“Since they’re here, I’ll try to come up with things they can do,” I said.

“That’s the spirit!” Reina said.

As we talked together in the house, that day wore on, no different from any other.

Chapter Four: The True Ancestor Laughs

The sun was setting—that very same day, Zelos and Merlyn had come bringing their tents.

“Welcome, you two,” Reina said.

“Hey. Thanks for letting us stay with you guys,” Zelos said.

“Thank you, Reina, Arata,” Merlyn said.

They decided on a spot some distance away from our home but still within sight of us, then got to work setting up. Now that they’d gotten used to the island, their next step was to be together with us most of the time, except for when we slept.

With two men working, the tents didn’t take long to set up. We speedily finished up then all ate dinner together, and after that Reina and Merlyn took a bath. It was an open-air bath where you could see the night sky. It had been built with walls to keep anyone on the outside from seeing in, of course, but it would be an issue if they were attacked by monsters while vulnerable, so I was made to stand guard outside while Reina was bathing. Zelos was also accompanying me on my watch, so I took the opportunity then to bring up what I’d talked about with Reina that afternoon—about the uses of fire and water magic.

As we sat by a fire, Zelos looked at me with exasperation.

“Who do you think we are? The Seven Celestial Archmages can do more than just cooking and cleaning.”

“What am I supposed to think? I don’t know the first thing about you guys.”

Even so, he didn’t get angry, probably because he fully understood that his common sense didn’t apply on this island.

“Although...” I began.

“Huh? Why’re you staring at me?”

“I was just thinking, you sure look young.”

Apparently he was already more than fifty years old, but he appeared only a bit older than me. Magicians sure are amazing.

“Yeah, but Luna treated me like a middle-aged man.”

“Ha ha ha, that was pretty funny.”

“You’re only laughing because she calls you ‘mister.’ Let me tell you, it was pretty shocking.”

Now that I was talking with Zelos, he was surprisingly friendly and approachable. The constant tension and excitement after coming to the island must have seriously stressed him out.

“Anyway, if I’m being honest, I was worried about how I was going to live in this place. So I’ll be grateful for any role you give me, even if it’s only temporary.” He chuckled. “And even if it’s just managing the cooking fire.”

He may be a veteran magician, but this part of him is like any ordinary person.

“By the way, what would you have done if we hadn’t invited you to live near us?” I asked.

Reina and I had already decided to live on this island, so without thinking of leaving, we were always coming up with ways to make the best of our time. But for Zelos and Merlyn, who had only arrived here recently, escape must have been on their minds the whole time.

“We were just thinking about how to survive. But we’ll have to find some way to get back to the continent...”

“That’s what I thought. But Elga said that he doesn’t know how to leave.”

“Elga... He’s that wolf-looking Beastfolk, right?”

“Yeah. He’s a good guy, and always considerate. Oh, but he’s a Divine Beastfolk, so you probably shouldn’t call him ‘Beastfolk.’”

Elga hadn’t cared about the difference between Beastfolk and Divine Beastfolk when we had visited their village, but that hardly meant he would appreciate being called by the name of a different species.

“Oh, that’s right. I’ll be careful.”

“I don’t think he’ll get angry at you for something so minor, but I just thought I’d mention it.”

Zelos’s expression was somewhat stiff, which I assumed was because he had experienced Elga’s strength firsthand. Reina had also been quite tense around Elga in the beginning, so maybe magicians were sensitive to that sort of thing.

“You’re the weird one here,” Zelos said. “Any ordinary human would get the jitters around someone they know they could never beat.”

“I see.” Maybe my practically invincible cheat body was the reason I hadn’t felt fear toward anyone or anything I’d encountered on the island so far. “I did feel a bit apprehensive around Suzaku and Mina, though...”

“Uhh, I’m scared to even ask, but is there actually someone out there you’re afraid of?”

“Huh? Well, I wasn’t afraid exactly, but they did feel different from the others.”

“You’ve gotta be joking... I’ll make sure I stay far away from them.”

Now that I really thought about it, the two of them had truly felt exceptional, even compared to everyone else I’d met here. Though I guess it was only natural that an ancient True Ancestor and an original Divine Beast would be different from descendants like Elga or Tailtiu.

“But they aren’t bad people,” I said. “They just like to tease others a bit, I mean—”

“Oho... So that’s your opinion of me? I must not be past my prime yet, for a monster like you to rate me so highly.”

It was a voice as quiet as a whisper, yet it lingered strangely in my ears.

When I looked up, there was Mina, floating in the air and wearing her usual witch outfit. In her eyes she had the look of a child who had found a new plaything.

“Ah...ah...” Zelos was unable to hide his terror in the presence of a being shrouded in such powerful mana.

“Anyway, that’s Mina,” I said, briefly introducing her, even though he probably couldn’t hear me.

If I had to describe what kind of person Wilhelmina Vermilion Vauheim was, I would no doubt say that she was a bit of a nuisance. She’d randomly come to visit, then destroy something and leave, like some annoying character in a video game.

“Why do I get the sense that you are comparing me to something incredibly disagreeable?” she said.

“You’re just imagining things,” I said, getting to my feet and walking over to the bath.

“Hey, Arata? Why are you standing between me and the bath?”

“Because I really wouldn’t be able to take it if you destroyed the fence again.”

“Tch.” She clicked her tongue in frustration.

Unlike ordinary vampires, a True Ancestor like her could be active even in sunlight. Despite that, she made all sorts of excuses like being too tired when I asked her to come during the day, so this visit was without a doubt because she was here to pester us.

“I’ve already said this, but could you stop targeting Reina when she’s taking a bath already?”

“Hm? Surely you know that’s impossible.”

“It’s just incredible to me that you can look so confused by that.”

Mina had apparently taken a liking to Reina, and always came right when Reina was bathing to try and force a rom-com style scene between me and her. I’d succeeded in fending her off every day except the very first, but she had been changing up her methods lately, so it was becoming quite the headache. The previous time had been an especially awful experience. That was partially my fault, of course, but what was I supposed to do when she pulled such an underhanded tactic?

“Listen, Arata. You want to see Reina’s face go red with embarrassment too, don’t you? I’m not asking you to do anything yourself. You just have to get out of the way. Then you can blame everything on me, and enjoy the sight to your heart’s content.”

“You sound like a demon coming to me with a bargain, but what you’re saying is just awful.”

“I see, so that isn’t enough? Long ago, a hero resisted me, even after I offered to give him half the world...but he knelt before me once I said I’d show him the saint’s naked body. It seems that you’re more strong-willed than he was.”

“You really are horrible!”

Still, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to see a hero give in like that!

Regardless, Mina’s precise targeting of a man’s desires really did make her a nuisance. She’d also been quite well-known on the continent long ago, and obviously for less-than-savory reasons.

“Mwa ha ha...”

I mean, at this very moment she looked like she was absolutely delighted to watch my confusion.

“Good grief... I say this every time, but what’s wrong is wrong,” I said.

“You jerk.”

“I’m not a jerk.”

Mina had said herself that monsters who lived for a long time did everything in their power to distract themselves from their boredom. Suzaku, a Divine Beast, had said something similar, so this was probably a trait characteristic to all long-lived races.

I entered a defensive posture, getting ready to protect the bath in earnest. In response, Mina looked around for an opening, but eventually descended to the ground in resignation.

“Hmph, very well. Considering there are some surprising newcomers today,” she said, turning to Zelos.

“Ah...” He froze up, like a frog being stared down by a snake. He looked like he could sense the gap in their strengths even more clearly.

“I’ve come all this way, Arata, so introduce me,” Mina said.

“Sure, but don’t bully him.”

“No promises.”

As always, she instantly replied to my request.

“This is Zelos Grinder,” I said. “You said before that you sensed an unfamiliar presence, right? He’s one of the people who arrived on this island at that time.”

“Oh, yeah, now that you mention it, that did happen.”

It had been rather recent, but she acted as if she didn’t remember it at all. In some way, that made me feel relieved, since back then she’d mumbled something like, “Uh-huh... That sounds quite useful.” I’d been preparing myself for her to inevitably make a mess of things, so hearing that she’d forgotten about it felt like a weight being lifted from my shoulders.

“Now then, you there,” Mina said to Zelos. Despite her casual tone, he was still frozen with terror. When she saw this, an incredibly satisfied smile appeared on her face. “See that, Arata? That’s it. That’s exactly how you humans should be acting around me. But you, for some reason...”

“I don’t know what to say. I’m just not afraid of you.”

She really is a typical bully. I mean, she’s acting just like Tailtiu.

“You can be a bit of a nuisance sometimes, but I think of you as a friend I can be casual with,” I added.

When she heard my honest opinion, she looked taken aback, then irritably averted her eyes. “Well, it might not be bad to have someone like that around.”

“Are you a bit embarrassed, by any chance?”

“Don’t get cocky!”

She shot a small magic flame at me in anger, so I knocked it away. Such a weak fireball wouldn’t actually hurt me, but I just did it on reflex.

“Uh... Arata? You all right, man?” Zelos asked, concerned.

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m fine. This is pretty typical for her,” I replied. A fireball like that was nothing to worry about for me, and Mina hadn’t been serious about it. We were basically just goofing around.

“That had enough mana packed in it that you shouldn’t be fine...” Mina said.

“That’s typical?” Zelos said. “But I’ve never seen such dense flames before...”

He looked at me with disbelief, but really, he was worrying too much. The fireball Mina had lobbed had been small—only around the size of my fingertip. It was roughly equivalent to the flames Suzaku had shot at me for fun once before, so it really wasn’t any harm in it. Mina probably knew all of that. And in fact, while she had an exasperated look on her face, she wasn’t actually surprised.

“Well, he’s always been a freak of nature,” she said.

“Excuse me, Mina, don’t you think that’s rude?” I said.

“Nope.”

Another instant reply. How cruel.

“But unlike you, he has more of a proper attitude,” Mina went on. “This looks like it’s going to get pretty interesting.”

“You’re thinking about something suspicious again.”

“I am not.”

She definitely was. I mean, she was looking at Zelos with a nasty expression on her face.

“Hey, you...” she said.

Zelos flinched. “Wh-What do you want?”

“Why don’t we properly introduce ourselves? My name is Wilhelmina Vermilion Vauheim. I’m a True Ancestor Vampire, the sovereign of the murky night.”

“I-I’m Zelos Grinder... Number Six in the continent’s Seven Celestial Archmages,” Zelos said. His voice was weaker than when he spoke with me, but he managed to squeeze out his self-introduction.

As far as I could tell, I didn’t get the impression that Mina was trying to overwhelm him. He was simply afraid of how much stronger she was, so I couldn’t criticize her, at least not this time.

When Zelos finished speaking, Mina spread her arms while nodding. “All right then, welcome to this empty island, Zelos. I’m glad to receive all you strangers. Although today, I only came here to kill time, so I didn’t bring any special presents...” Then, she produced a single mushroom from thin air. “This is a delectable mushroom you can find on this island. And of course, you can eat it raw, so...I give this to—”

“Hooooold it!” I snatched the mushroom from the demon’s small hands as she approached Zelos with a wicked look on her face.

“Hey, Arata... Why are you getting in my way?” Mina glared unhappily at me.

“A-Arata?” Zelos, meanwhile, nervously eyeballed the mushroom. I was in such a rush to stop him from taking it, so he was probably thinking it was poisonous.

“Just so you know, it isn’t poisonous,” Mina said to me. “It’s not only delicious, it’s also chock-full of nutrients and gives you energy. It’s a welcome present for this man, as a sign of my good intentions! So give it back!”

“Oh, come on! This is a horny mushroom!”

The moment I spoke, she turned her face away. “Tch, how did you know?”

“Aha! Elga warned me about this!”

His gravely serious words about watching out for these mushrooms were still fresh in my mind. Up until then, Elga had generally had the air of a dependable older brother—except when we were eating—but at that time, it was like he had transformed into a completely different person. That was just how traumatic eating it must have been.

“So it was him... Good grief, that ungrateful man should be giving me a medal. It’s thanks to me that he has a happy family.”

“Don’t you think he’s angry because your meddling forced him to skip the entire process of attaining that happiness?”

Mina paused. “That’s quite a good one.”

“Why, thank you.”

Not that I was trying to make a pun on “medal” and “meddle.”

While Elga may have ended up happy, how he got there was important. He didn’t seem like he regretted it, but he had said that, as a man, he wished he’d been able to follow the proper order of things. I could really empathize with that feeling. I would no doubt regret it just as much if I skipped past all the various steps.

“Then again, it’s not like Elga’s completely innocent,” I said. “It was insensitive of him to not notice Livia’s feelings for so long.”

“You have some nerve to say that with a straight face,” Mina said.

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“Come on, I’m obviously talking about Rei—”

Mina’s voice cut off mid-sentence. At the same time, her body was sliced up by countless gusts of wind, and she dissolved into the darkness.

“Ahh!” Zelos exclaimed.

He widened his eyes in shock at this sudden turn of events. But this was an everyday occurrence for me, and I casually turned around to look in the direction from where the spell came. Standing there was Reina, fresh out of the bath and with her face flushed red like she had been in the hot water for too long.

“Jeez, why do you have to come every time at this exact moment and say such weird things?!” she said.

“It’s because the sight of you embarrassed is absolutely delicious!” Mina said, her voice emanating from midair.

“I’ll feed you something that tastes better than that, so just stop it already!”

“Your cooking certainly sounds good... But this is even better, so I can’t give it up!”

Mina’s voice gradually faded away as a frustrated Reina glared at the night sky. There, the expanse of stars stretched out above us.

“I’ll be back when it’s nighttime again, so look forward to that,” Mina said. “Ahh hah hah hah!”

Her loud cackle echoed throughout the surrounding area, then faded away completely.

“Hey, Arata?” Zelos said. “Do things like her show up all the time on this island?”

“Who knows? Mina seems to be an exception, but she said something once about there being plenty of others at her level.”

“Oh... I‘m not sure I’ll be able to live if I leave your side.”

I wasn’t exactly glad to hear this confession coming from a guy, but after everything that had just happened, maybe I just had to accept it. Regardless, Reina and Merlyn had come out of the bath, so it was our turn.

And so, it was another ordinary—but not that ordinary—night.

◇

After a few days of Zelos and Merlyn living nearby, I felt like we had really been able to break the ice with them. Of course, that didn’t mean we were eating meals together every day; they were doing their best to scrape by on their own. By now, they had gotten tired of living in tents and were building their own houses.

“How’s progress?” I asked.

“Oh, hey, Arata,” Zelos said. “It’s coming along, I guess.”

He had just chopped down a large tree and was cutting it into neat planks. He was shirtless and had a towel wrapped around his head, making him look less like a magician and more like a carpenter.

“Phew, the heat is killing me,” he said. As a magician, he could strengthen his body with mana, but he still looked somewhat worn out, and sweat was dripping from his face. He used his towel to wipe it off, then sat down on a nearby log.

“Oh, what about Merlyn?” I asked him.

“She said she was tired, and that she was going to the river. Seems Reina’s with her too.”

“Really? Those two sure are getting along lately.”

“Uhh, well, Merlyn, she’s...” Zelos trailed off.

“She’s what?”

I waited for Zelos to continue from where he had unnaturally stopped, but he looked at me and fell silent. His expression was hard to describe, as if he were unsure whether he should tell me. Finally, he opened his mouth.

“No, it’s not for me to say... Basically, it seems like she has some things on her mind about what happened recently. She’s giving a lot of advice to Reina, apparently.”

“Hmm?”

The recent event he was referring to was probably Mina’s incursion. But that confused me—what had happened that might have brought Reina and Merlyn closer to each other? As I tilted my head, Zelos looked at me with slight irritation.

“What’s with that look?” I said.

“Oh, nothing. I’m just thinking that Reina must have it rough too, that’s all.”

“I don’t really get it, but... Well, whatever. I’m free right now, so I’ll lend you a hand.”

“Hey, thanks. Then, can you go get together the trees I chopped down in that area?”

I went and picked up the logs one by one, gathering them under my arms. As I did, I used the wind magic I had learned when building our house to shave the surface of the logs, turning them into smooth, cylindrical pieces of wood that sparkled as if they had been polished. These were the same as the logs in the fence protecting the area around our house. I had done the same thing to dozens of logs when building it, so I was used to this sort of work.

“Sheesh, you did that like it was nothing,” Zelos said.

“It’s because Reina doesn’t tolerate anything less than this...”

“O-Oh... I see...”

If I cut corners, the perfectionist Reina would immediately point it out. She only brought it up because she knew I could do it, of course, but she was just as terrifying at those times as when she was cooking.

“A word of advice, Zelos...” I said solemnly.

He silently gulped.

“On this island, you can’t do anything to defy Reina. And if you make her angry when she’s cooking...”

I momentarily imagined what might happen if Reina stopped preparing food. First of all, Luna would get angry at whoever caused it. Then, Tailtiu, Elga, and Gaius would show up too, maybe even Suzaku if you were unlucky.

“It’ll really be awful, so just be careful,” I added.

“G-Got it...”

Zelos may have held a higher position than her on the continent, but that meant nothing on this island. If someone defied Reina here, I would suffer, of course, and so would Luna and Tailtiu. This was something I wanted to firmly impress upon Zelos—Reina was at the very top of this island’s ecosystem.

◇

Several days later, Zelos’s and Merlyn’s homes were finished without a hitch. The clearing wasn’t that big, so the three houses together almost made it look like a little village. The once empty forest had really changed.

“Hey, Reina, why don’t we hold a celebration now that their houses are done?” I asked.

“Good idea. I heard you helped out quite a lot near the end, too, so let’s make it a big party.”

While they built their homes, we had casually worked on organizing our own house. From her Storage spell, Reina had taken what seemed like an endless variety of food, tools, and other objects, and by the end the house was full of them. I was bad at simple, minute tasks, and it had taken a long time, but our home finally felt lived in.

“Still, there really was a lot of stuff in there,” I remarked.

“What else was I supposed to do? I had no idea what sort of irregular things were waiting for me on an exploration of the Furthermost Lonely Isle.”

Reina had come to this island by royal decree, but that fact now felt like ancient history. It hadn’t even been three months since we had met, but it felt like we had always been together.

“I never thought this would happen when I first set out,” she added.

“Me neither.”

I hadn’t wanted to meet anyone back then, but at some point I had changed, and now I only felt calm with someone nearby. Apparently, Reina hadn’t imagined that she would ever get closer with Zelos and Merlyn either. Different circumstances sure can change people, I thought, and as I did, I heard voices a short distance away.

“Whoa?! What’s with you guys?!”

“Just wait, what is this?!”

“It’s Zelos and Merlyn,” I said.

“What’s happening?” Reina said.

Outside, two wolves were playfully running in circles around Zelos’s and Merlyn’s legs. It was Grr and Garr, the wolf pups Luna had saved.

“Ah, good morning, Mister Arataaa!” Luna said.

“Good morning, Luna. By the way, what’s all this about?” I asked.

“We came here to play, but they noticed new smells and ran off...and now that.”

Just then, Grr suddenly leaped on Merlyn. However, she was a Celestial Archmage, one of the strongest magicians around. She may have been up against a monster of this island, but Grr was a newborn baby, and she reflexively captured him.

“Really, what is this?” Merlyn said.

Grr was dangling in her grasp by the scruff of his neck, but he must have thought she was playing with him, because he was happily wagging his tail. As for Merlyn, she was looking at the small wolf with a baffled expression on her face.

“Garr!”

“Huh?! Why are you coming here too?!” Merlyn said.

Garr probably thought she was playing with Grr too. He had been running in a circle next to Zelos, but now he rushed over to Merlyn.

“Zelos, aren’t you supposed to deal with this one?! What are you doing?!”

“When did we agree to that?! They clearly only like you!”

“It’s because you won’t play with it! I mean, I’m not playing either, but still!”

Grr swayed in Merlyn’s grasp, while Garr ran around her, as if to say, Me too! Luna laughed as she watched the two happy wolves, while Reina seemed jealous of the two magicians.

It was a scene that was different from usual.

◇

Soon after, Grr and Garr had had their fill of playing with Merlyn and fell asleep on Luna’s lap.

“So, what was all that?!” Merlyn asked.

“Huh? You’re asking that now?” I said.

“I’ve been asking it this whole time!”

Reina had stretched her hands out to the two sleeping wolves and was gently petting the small pups’ bellies. Her mouth was curved into an even wider smile than usual, and she mumbled, “So cute...” as the two ticklishly squirmed.

Yep, this is definitely a relaxing sight.

“Are you ignoring me on purpose?” Merlyn said.

“Not at all. It’s just...I’m not sure what to say.”

“They’re Grr and Garr,” Luna said.

“That’s right: Grr and Garr,” I said.

“I’m not asking their names...” Dejected, Merlyn slumped her shoulders and sat down on the spot in resignation. Grr and Garr had played with her until they dropped, and she looked quite worn out, with her shoulders heaving as she breathed.

“Hah, how pathetic,” Zelos said. “You make yourself look young, but at your age, you should know better.”

“Lecturing a woman about her age? Do you want to die, Zelos? Don’t forget, you’re essentially as old as I am.”

“It’s about discipline, I tell you, discipline.”

The two had begun to glare at each other, so I went over to Reina, who was delighted at having the opportunity to pet the wolf pups. An atmosphere of friendly calm was more fun than Zelos’s and Merlyn’s tense mood.

“Have they always been like that?” I asked.

“Yes. They’re longtime acquaintances, apparently, and they both see each other as rivals.”

“Huh...”

Merlyn and Zelos were Number Five and Six in the Seven Celestial Archmages. Their specialty elements—water and fire—were opposites, and apparently they were particularly competitive, even among the Celestial Archmages.

“Do you have an epithet like Zelos’s ‘Flame of Ruin’ or Merlyn’s ‘Divine Water,’ Reina?” I asked. In truth, I had already learned about hers from Zelos, but I wanted to hear it from her.

“Yes. I was called ‘Omnimage.’”

“Whoa, that sounds impressive.”

“There’s nothing impressive about it. I’m just a jack-of-all-trades, master of none, without any strong elements like those two.”

Despite what she said, I had experienced how impressive she was firsthand while living together with her, so to me it seemed like she was only being humble. On this island, at least, magic that improved one’s lifestyle was much more in demand than the power to defeat enemies. Zelos and Merlyn couldn’t cast Storage, for example, so I could see why Reina, who had mastered all sorts of magic, was called Omnimage.

“That’s why you’re impressive, Reina,” I said frankly.

“Th-Thanks...” Seemingly embarrassed, she blushed and twirled a strand of her long hair around her finger.

She somehow looked charming, and I smiled. Then, I realized Zelos and Merlyn were giving me strange looks.

“Yes, what is it?” I asked.

“Oh, well, how should I put it... Ahh, youth,” Zelos said.

“You’re so innocent, or rather... Yes, I really don’t want to admit it, but you remind me of back then,” Merlyn said.

“Hmmm?” I tilted my head, confused as to what they were talking about, but they just fell silent and grinned.

“Ah!” Reina exclaimed, noticing their looks. “I-I... There’s something I have to do, so I’m going back home!” She quickly stood up and went inside the house.

“Ahh, youth,” Zelos repeated.

“They really are so young,” Merlyn said.

Though they looked to be in their twenties, for some reason they seemed like they were acting their real ages just now.

Chapter Five: Blood Wine

At night, Luna returned home with the wolf pups, and Zelos and Merlyn each went back to their homes. That left Reina and I as the only ones still in the house.

“It sure is quiet at night, even though it was so noisy during the day,” Reina said.

“Yeah... We used to hear a lot of monsters at night too, but lately they don’t come near here,” I replied.

“It’s your fault— I mean, it’s thanks to you, Arata.”

“Don’t you think calling it my ‘fault’ is too harsh?”

“I corrected myself, didn’t I?”

I enjoyed these vague, unimportant exchanges. I had only met Reina after reincarnating on this island, so we hadn’t even known each other for that long yet. But the tempo and mood of our conversations just clicked, and I liked being with her.

“By the way, I haven’t seen Tailtiu lately. I wonder what she’s doing,” I said.

“Oh, now that you mention it, you’re right. Also... It seemed like Wilhelmina was coming to pester us what seemed like every night for a while, but I haven’t seen her either.”

We both fell silent. It had only been a few days, but once I realized that their near daily visits had completely stopped, I couldn’t help but get the feeling that something bad was going to happen. Reina seemed to feel the same, and her expression was somewhat tense.

It was one thing for Tailtiu, but Mina’s absence felt awfully sinister—she was definitely up to no good behind our backs.

“Do you think that maybe, they’re scheming something...” Reina’s voice trailed off.

“I-It’ll be all right, Reina. I’m pretty sure Tailtiu and Mina don’t even know each other.”

“Oh, yeah. That’s right.”

Mina was the queen of the night, and Tailtiu was the ruler of the sky. The latter was also a descendant of Bahamut, who was especially powerful even compared to other Ancient Dragons, which meant that she possessed a strength that was no less impressive than her fellow descendants. Both she and Mina were a cut above the other paramounts on this island. Even so, I was sure they didn’t have any opportunities to associate. The reason was simple:

“Tailtiu can’t stay up late,” I said.

“You’re right. She always seems drowsy by the time it gets dark, and she falls asleep before Wilhelmina comes here.”

“Yeah, so it should be all right...”

We each tried to dispel our uneasiness by repeating what the other was saying.

But then, as if to laugh at our efforts, Mina came the following day—and unlike usual, it was in broad daylight.

◇

“How’s it going, you two? Wonderful weather we’re having!”

“Hey, Arata? Could you just fling her away from here as hard as you can?”

“She’ll probably just come back like nothing happened.”

“I see... She’s as much of a nuisance as ever.” At a loss, Reina sighed. She must have really found Mina hard to deal with.

Of course, that only made Mina enjoy tormenting her all the more. Even now, she was coming over to us with a somewhat evil look on her face.

“Whoa there, I can hear you. You’re so cruel. I came all this way just to mess with you, you know.”

“I hope you realize that what you’re saying is already quite cruel.”

She didn’t say she was here to mess around with us, just to mess with us. That definitely hadn’t been a mistake—her nasty smirk made that clear.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” she said. “Besides, you’re the one who asked me to come during the day next time.”

“I guess I did say that...”

“So, as promised, here I am. You’re welcome.”

Actually, when I’d asked her to come during the day, she had instantly refused, so there was no promise or anything of the sort. She was a hopeless contrarian.

“I don’t think Luna or anyone else is going to come today,” I said.

“I know. That’s why I’m here.”

I paused. “Why?”

No, seriously, why?

I mean, it wasn’t like Luna and Mina were on bad terms or anything. Elga really hated her, but even so, I’d once heard that Livia felt indebted to her.

“Oh, I just thought that what I’m about to do might be a bit too stimulating for children’s eyes.”

The moment Mina finished speaking, I sensed a tremendous presence up in the sky, and I knew what it was.

“Umm, Arata?” Reina said. “Why did you pick me u—”

“Reina! I’m going to get away from here for a bit, so don’t accidentally bite your tongue!”

“Huh? Wha—”

While supporting Reina’s back and legs, I broke into a sprint while reducing the shock to her as much as possible. At the same time, I heard a roar coming from behind.

“GROOOAAAAR!”

“A-Arata... Is that Tailtiu?!”

“Yeah. I didn’t see her, but I can tell that it’s her. But, it doesn’t seem like she’s quite in her right mind.”

I moved a considerable distance away from the house before stopping for a moment and letting Reina down. Turning around, I saw Tailtiu in her black dragon form racing through the sky toward us.

“What do you think of that?” I asked.

“I think Wilhelmina did something she really shouldn’t have!”

“Tell me about it!”

Maybe it was all in good fun for Mina, but Tailtiu had clearly lost her senses. What in the world could have happened to make her like that?

“Anyway, I’ll stop her, so move away,” I said.

“Yes... I don’t think I need to worry about you, but still, don’t get hurt, okay?”

“Got it. I’m not sure what it’ll take to harm this body of mine, but I’ll be careful.”

Just as Reina made her escape, Tailtiu rapidly plunged to the ground. The gale produced by the explosive energy of her descent shook the surrounding trees.

On this island, I was often on the receiving end of a massive creature’s assault. At first it was a bit scary, but I had gotten used to it lately and no longer felt any fear.

“GROOOOAAAAR!”

“Hey, Tailtiu... I don’t know what happened, but let’s just calm down, okay?”

Tailtiu came closer. In response, I spread my arms and stood ready to receive her. Her jet black body glittered with light and she dove into my embrace in her usual, girl form.

“Groooar.”

“There, there, Tailtiu.”

Like always, she wrapped her arms around my waist and cutely nuzzled her head up against me.

“Groar...”

It seemed like she had lost some of her higher reasoning, but I couldn’t sense any intent to harm me. Her affection was just more intense than usual. Of course, I hadn’t felt any hostility from the start and knew she just wanted to hug me, so her attitude didn’t surprise me. I had only left the area because her flapping her wings could have damaged the house.

“Groooaar.”

“Huh... She may not be in her right mind, but she’s acting the same as always...”

She desperately tightened her grasp, like a child reluctant to part from its parents. Pretty much the only difference from usual was that she wasn’t happily saying, “Darliiing!”

What in the world did Mina do to make her like this? I thought.

I continued to pet Tailtiu’s head, and she soon calmed down considerably. She was cute like this, and it felt like playing with a big dog.

“Are you all right, Arata?” Reina asked.

“Yeah, I’m completely fine. It’s just that Tailtiu’s different from usual, so I can’t ask her what happened.”

“I’m guessing Wilhelmina did this?”

“I think you’re exactly right.”

As we had the same conversation as earlier, we each nodded with confidence.

I couldn’t just leave Tailtiu in this state forever. I picked her up under each of her arms and looked her in the face. She was wearing a satisfied smile.

“Gwaahh.”

“Mina’s got some explaining to do.”

“Still, Tailtiu somehow seems innocent, and even kind of cute like this,” Reina said.

“But Tailtiu’s always cute.”

“It’s a different genre of cuteness. Her haughty manner of speaking coupled with her appearance is definitely cute, but I also like the way she’s being so needy right now.”

Reina’s surprisingly fond of cute things. Does she not say this kind of thing to Tailtiu normally because she finds it embarrassing?

“Anyway, we can’t just leave her like this forever, so why don’t we head back?” I said.

“You’re right... Hey, Arata, do you think I can pet her?” Reina extended a hand, and Tailtiu huffily turned her head away.

“Groar.”

“It doesn’t look like it,” I said.

“Too bad.”

Well, this was weird, but it doesn’t look to be anything serious, so that’s good. Now, I’ll get Mina to tell me why this is happening. If her explanation is too mean, I think I’ll scold her for once. Not that she’s going to listen to a word of what I have to say, but still.

This was the beginning of a different, and somewhat unusual, day.

◇

When we returned home, Mina was in the middle of setting up a table and chairs she had gotten from who-knows-where.

“Oh, that was surprisingly fast,” she said.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Look, I was just thinking, since you guys always provide me with such good entertainment, I might as well treat you to something once in a while.”

“Then, would you mind not looking like you’re so delighted? It just makes me feel anxious.”

“Truly... Yes, truly.”

Reina looked incredibly suspicious of what Mina said. She had been the subject of her constant harassment, and she trusted her the least out of anyone on this island. However, I personally didn’t think she was a bad person—just annoying.

“Grooar,” Tailtiu grumbled threateningly at Mina.

“Oh, jeez, there, there,” I said.

She may not have been in her right mind, but she did seem to understand that Mina had done something to her. Even so, when I pet her, she instantly cheered up and made a happy sound.

“Hah hah hah, you’ve got her wrapped around your finger,” Mina said. “Even Bahamut is cute when she’s like this.”

“And whose fault is that?”

“Don’t care.”

After curtly dismissing me, Mina went on and continued briskly getting something ready.

As always, she never listens to anything she doesn’t want to hear.

“By the way, what are you doing, Wilhelmina?” Reina asked.

“I said it already, didn’t I? You guys are always entertaining me so much, so I’m going to treat you to something.”

Before I knew it, Mina was holding a pot. The moment she set it on the table, a rich aroma filled the air.

“I-Is this...”

“Heh heh heh.”

I wasn’t even hungry, but for some reason I suddenly had an appetite. The smell was borderline violent in the way it directly stimulated my instincts.

“It’s my special stew. Don’t worry, there’s nothing unhealthy in it,” Mina said.

Both Reina and I were silent.

Tailtiu let out a brief, “Groar.”

“What’s with those skeptical looks? As a rule, I never lie.”

“You may not lie, but you’re definitely trying to pull something by not telling the whole truth, aren’t you?”

“That’s debatable. Let me give you some good advice: What words mean depends on who hears them, not on who says them.”

I was about to call that logic ridiculous, but I suddenly remembered my office job in my past life. There, what something meant changed based on the different relationships between people. For example, it was totally normal for the same project to be accepted if the person who came up with it was seen as a capable employee, but rejected if they were seen as incapable. Then again, I got the feeling that Mina’s words were a bit different.

“But this is about how trustworthy your own word is, not how it can be taken, right?”

“You can also say that.”

“That’s the only thing you can say. To go even further, I’d say that we’re suspicious of you because of your constant bad behavior.”

Reina and Tailtiu nodded along.

“How impolite...” Even as she spoke, Mina didn’t stop stirring her pot. It gave off a tremendously appetizing smell, and it was no doubt delicious. But at the same time, it had a threatening aura.

“About that stew...”

“You aren’t really going to refuse to eat this food I made myself, are you?” Mina smiled brightly. She didn’t look like she was going to take no for an answer.

“Could you at least tell me what you did to Tailtiu first?” I asked.

“Oh, it’s nothing much. I just placed her under suggestion and made her behave more like herself, that’s all.”

“Suggestion?”

“Yeah, with these mystic eyes.”

The moment Mina said those words, her eyes shone with a golden light. I was looking right at her, and for a second I felt a shock, as if someone had wrapped my heart in an iron grip, but...

“Huh?” I exclaimed.

“Hmph, as always, you’re no fun.” Mina looked fed up that nothing had happened. It seemed that she had tried to use those special eyes on me, but they hadn’t worked. “There are all sorts, but the one I tried to use on you now stimulates your base instincts. I’m just playing around, basically.”

“Just playing around...”

But that was the reason Tailtiu was like this, so I hoped she would feel sorry. Not that she ever would, of course.

“I really am just playing around, you know. If I used my mystic eyes on Reina, for example, she would only be a bit more honest with herself. I had no idea that Tailtiu would become so much like a wild animal, honest.”

She looked at Tailtiu, exasperated. It didn’t seem that she was lying.

“Grah.”

“Oh, there, there,” I said. “That’s only because Tailtiu is already true to herself.”

“Grah!”

As we talked without her, Tailtiu squirmed in my arms, as if to say, Pay more attention to me. She wasn’t that heavy, so it wasn’t a big deal, but I felt at a loss as to how to respond.

“She really is sort of cute,” Reina remarked.

“Are you enjoying this a little, Reina?” I asked.

“No, not at all. Also, Wilhelmina? How long will it be until she gets better?”

“Who knows?”

She’s so infuriating...

Reina and I were thinking the same thing.

Even after we gave her irritated looks, Mina still nonchalantly stirred her pot. Then, she flashed a smile, as if she had just come up with a good idea. “Oh, I know. She might get better if you feed her this.”

“That’s definitely a lie!” Reina and I retorted in unison. The vampire girl had said just moments ago that she didn’t tell lies. But, she just went and dished out the contents of the pot into multiple bowls, as if she weren’t listening to a word we said.

We aren’t going to get anywhere at this rate, I thought, and I tried to set Tailtiu down so I could take a seat at the table.

“Grah!”

However, Tailtiu was in absolutely no mood to leave my arms, so with no other choice, I continued to hold her.

“Hey, Tailtiu, can you get down already?” I asked.

“Grah.”

“You’ll be embarrassed if Luna sees you like this.”

“Grah.” Tailtiu turned her face away in a huff.

She isn’t listening to me at all...

Mina must have found my confusion funny, because she had a nasty grin on her face. “Mwa ha ha, now isn’t this nice?”

“You sure know how to make the most of other people’s troubles.”

“Oh, don’t praise me.”

I’m not praising you. I’m being sarcastic.

Of course, if she could understand sarcasm, she wouldn’t have been such a nuisance, which was why I didn’t voice those thoughts.

“Now, now, don’t be so touchy, and eat up. Here,” Mina said.

“Do you think that casually passing me that totally suspicious dish is going to make me any more likely to eat it?”

“If you won’t, then I’ll force Reina to eat it.”

“Now you’re just getting desperate.”

“Not at all.”

Regardless, I looked at the small bowl she had given me. It was full of vegetables, and the soup vaguely reminded me of some miso soup I’d had in the past. It smelled good, too, and it was probably delicious. But that didn’t make it any less dangerous.

“Could you step away for now, Reina?” I asked.

“G-Got it... Um, be careful, Arata...”

Despite what she said, there was nothing I could be careful of—I had no other choice but to eat it.

“You all are way too cautious. Can’t you accept someone else’s kindness?”

“Hey, Tailtiu, it’s dangerous, so step away.”

“Gwaahh...”

I gave her to Reina. She was reluctant to leave me at first, but when I looked her in the eyes and earnestly tried to win her over, she reluctantly clung to Reina.

“All right,” I said.

Psyching myself up, I looked at Hazardous Substance X. Everything about it whetted my appetite. It was like a man-eating flower with a beautiful exterior that devoured any prey that came near.

“You know, it’s actually kind of a shock that you’re this wary of me...”

“Don’t you think that’s your fault for always doing things that make me wary of you?”

I slowly took a sip of the soup. The next moment, I tasted herbs, and a slight saltiness that excited my taste buds. It was the flavor of nature itself, but for some reason, it was vaguely warm, and nostalgic...

I instantly swallowed what was in my mouth, then unconsciously let out a breath.

“Hah, I can tell from the look on your face that you enjoyed it,” Mina said.

I paused. “It was delicious.”

“I made it, so of course it is.”

“Also, it doesn’t seem like there’s anything strange in it.”

“I only said that countless times...”

The stew really seemed like it didn’t have anything suspicious in it at all. It just made my body feel pleasantly warm and comfortable.

“Are you okay, Arata?” Reina asked.

“Yeah... I can’t believe it, but it really doesn’t seem like there’s anything wrong with it.”

“I see...”

Even so, Reina looked suspiciously at Mina, but seeing as I was fine, she sat down next to me. At the same time, Tailtiu crawled onto my lap.

“Want some?” I asked Reina.

“Sure... Wilhelmina spent time making this for us, so if you say there’s nothing strange in there, then I’ll trust her...right?”

“Like I’ve already said countless times, you guys are always entertaining me, so to show my thanks, I’m treating you to some of my cooking, and that’s all.”

I still couldn’t believe it, but the fact of the matter was that I was fine. And I was pretty sure that I’d notice if there was anything poisonous in the soup.

“All right... I’ll have some,” Reina said.

“Grah.”

Reina and Tailtiu got a serving of the contents of Mina’s pot, then ate a mouthful.

“Hahh...”

“Grah...”

They both partially closed their eyes, and the expressions on their faces were ones of relieved nostalgia. I could definitely understand how they were feeling. Somehow, the flavor reminded one of home.

“All right, all right, so you’ve finally eaten it. Oh, there are seconds, so have as much as you please.”

“You aren’t having any, Mina?” I asked.

“I’ve already had my fill. And, I have to leave enough room for dessert...”

I looked at her quizzically.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s not your business,” she said bluntly.

With a sidelong glance at Mina, we ate another helping—and none of us noticed the suspicious glint in her eyes...

◇

After eating lunch, we spent a while doing nothing in particular like always. Though we had built a house, we were often outside during the day. Right now, Reina was reading a book, while I was idly laying in a hammock hung up in the trees.

“Gwaahh...”

Tailtiu was pleasantly relaxing in the sunlight spilling through the trees, the forest all around her. I had assumed she would return to normal before long, but she still showed no signs of recovering. Still, Mina had said that she would get better on her own eventually.

Meanwhile, Mina was watching all of us with boredom.

“Say, can’t you do anything interesting?” she said.

“Uh, I don’t know what to tell you...” I said.

“You’re a young man and a woman living alone together, aren’t you? There must be more, well, stuff you could be doing, right? Like letting out some energy during the day, or any number of things adults do to have fun.”

“I’m telling you, there’s nothing.”

I already possessed enormous strength. If my mind went in that direction, even if only a little, and I lost control... No, I won’t even imagine it.

Regardless, I was being as careful as I could to not have any impure thoughts about Reina. So I really wished she would stop trying to purposefully break my resolve.

“Well, you won’t be saying that for long,” Mina said.

“What in the world did—” You do?

But just as I was about to question Mina, something abruptly climbed onto my back. This lightness...

“Tailtiu? What is it?” I asked.

“Graaahhh, Graahh...”

“Hm?”

This was different from her cheerful mood earlier. She was letting out a somewhat high growl, and rubbing up against my back with her entire body.

“Is something wrong, Tailtiu? If you’re tired, then you can sleep.”

“Graaahhh.”

She was letting out a needy whine with all her might, almost like a baby. Hearing it, I suddenly started to feel like I was willing to listen to whatever she had to say. But before that, I have to see how she’s doing, I thought, and I moved Tailtiu in front of me. She seemed different from usual.

“Mina? Did you do something?”

“Nothing at all. I just gave her some of my cooking.”

“And was there anything—”

Then, just as I was once again about to question the one behind all this, I suddenly felt something warm and soft on my back. Tailtiu’s already in front of me, so what’s this? I wondered, and as I did—

“Mm-hmm heh heh heh, Arataaa.”

“Wha, huh?! R-Reina?!”

“You’re so waaarm.”

“J-Just hold on! If you press your whole body up against me like that, I’ll—”

Unlike Luna or Tailtiu, Reina’s body was quite soft, and various parts of it were more developed. When she hugged me as hard as she could, needless to say, I could feel her chest touching my body.

“D-Don’t do that...”

“Aaraataa. Ehe heh heh,” Reina giggled, drawing out each syllable of my name.

“Seriously, what did you do, Minaaa?!”

“Mwa ha ha ha ha! You don’t need to be so loud! I can hear you!”

“If you can hear me, then please answer me!”

“Again, as I’ve already said countless times, I just made food and fed it to them. I didn’t put any poison in, and no suspicious ingredients either.” As she spoke, she took out a container shaped like a wine bottle from out of nowhere. I’d learned how to read and write the language in this world when I reincarnated here, so I could read the word that Mina was pointing to: alcohol.

“See? No poison or anything suspicious. I just used regular alcohol, the kind anyone might use when cooking.”

I was silent.

“Aaraataa.”

“Graahh.”

Reina and Tailtiu both affectionately pressed their bodies against me. So cute... It was indeed cute, but at this rate I might end up giving in to that cuteness.

“Hmmm... So even this doesn’t work on you?” Mina said. “And I thought after everything, I’d be able to see something more entertaining. Too bad.”

“That’s the one silver lining! But still...”

Reina looked up at me with teary eyes, her face bright red from the alcohol; it would have been impossible to imagine from her usual self-assured demeanor that she could look this adorable.

“Graahh...” Tailtiu let out a sweet voice, as if to say, Don’t just stare at Reina! Look at me too! She seemed even more desperate than normal.

“Ngh,” I grunted.

“But then again, a boy being cornered by two drunk girls isn’t a bad scenario either,” Mina said.

“You sure are enjoying this, aren’t you, Mina?!”

“Indeed I am! Your embarrassment while being the only one sober is extremely entertaining, especially compared to your usual overconfidence!”

Well, it seemed she really hadn’t lied. There was no poison. She had simply used alcohol to cook the food.

However, judging from how Reina and Tailtiu were acting, I was certain that she had used a rather shady variety of alcohol.

“I’m asking just in case, but you used normal alcohol, right?”

“Of course. But it is blood wine, which has plenty of my own mana inside.”

I paused. “And what happens when someone drinks it?”

“If they really guzzle it down, they’ll lose control, enough to turn into one of my underlings. But if it’s just the small amount you’d use for cooking, most people will just get pleasantly drunk.” Mina cackled, showing her canines. She looked childishly lively, but what she was saying wasn’t very innocent.

We’d had some drinks before at the Divine Beastfolk village, and while Reina’s face had gotten redder, she hadn’t seemed intoxicated. The same was true of when we had drunk wine together recently; she could hold her drink quite well. But now...

“Mm-hmm heh heh heh. Arataaa, Arataaa.”

“Oh, enough already! I’m right here, so you don’t have to keep saying my name!”

This was how she was acting with only a small amount? Just how much alcohol did this vampire put in there...

“Your body’s sooo waaarm, Arata. Pet my heeaaad.”

“Uhhh...”

“Graahh...”

“You toooo, Tailtiu?”

I did as they asked and petted their heads. They both closed their eyes, satisfied.

“Ehe heh heh.”

“Grahh.”

“I mean, this is a bit much.”

This was the usual for Tailtiu, more or less, and it was adorable by anyone’s standards. But with Reina, things were different. She was always dignified and pretty, yet somewhat cool, but as she needily asked me to pet her head, she was incredibly lovely.

“Aaraataa.”

That’s it, I can’t handle any more of this.

“Mina?”

“Mm-hmm? What is it?”

“For now, please protect them and make sure they don’t get in any danger! I’ll get angry if you let them get hurt!”

Then, I detached the two of them from me and leaped into a tree.

“Oh, Arata!”

“Graahh!”

“Guh!” I grunted. They looked so forlorn, staring up at me as they watched me go. But I knew I couldn’t give in. I left the area without stopping, jumping from tree to tree in an effort to get as far away from their voices as I could.

Chapter Six: A Summoning

I continued to leap through the trees, only stopping once I’d put a good distance between me and my house. The river stretched out before me, making a quiet, gentle trickle as it flowed.

“Phew...”

I slowly walked up to the river and sat down on a nearby boulder. Suddenly, the memory of Reina’s soft body and needy voice resurfaced.

“No, no.”

I have to think about something else, I thought.

I washed my face with river water. The island had a warm climate, but the water was pleasantly frigid. I scooped up water again and again, splashing it onto my face to dispel my worldly desires. When I raised my head, I saw large, white clouds sluggishly drifting across the vast sky. Closing my eyes, I could hear the wind blowing, the water running, and the trees rustling. The fact that I was here, all alone in nature, struck me as something absolutely incredible.

“Whew.”

I had finally calmed down. Then again, Mina was probably still messing with Reina and Tailtiu. She was unlikely to pull anything else as long as I didn’t return, so my only option for now was to kill some time.

“Come to think of it, how long has it been since I’ve had time to myself like this?”

I lived together in the same house with Reina, almost like we were family. Even when I left, I was usually with Luna or Tailtiu, who often came by to visit and spend time with us. If not, I was frequently with Elga or my new friend Zelos, hanging out together as guys. When I really looked back on everything that had happened on this island, I was somewhat surprised to find that since coming here, I had hardly ever done anything alone.

I had gotten a job at a company that anyone would have described as exploitative, and I’d spent my time there indecisively, unable to work up the courage to leave, before I was finally reincarnated by a god.

“And at first, I just wanted to live on my own, without having anything to do with anyone else...”

But now, I actually felt out of place if I wasn’t with someone. People sure can totally change, I thought, strolling along the river.

“Hahh... That feels good.”

This island wasn’t typically a place where one could leisurely walk around like this, but it was impossible for anyone to harm my god-given body. Even Mina, who was the strongest person on this island, treated me like a monster, so I knew it had to be pretty tough.

I continued to walk in silence.

I had been looking for a slow life on this island, almost as if I were retiring to spend the rest of my years here. But in reality, practically every day was a lively one. Yet I enjoyed that too, and it wasn’t a bad thing.

“I thought I’d be able to relax today, but it’s another chaotic day thanks to Mina...”

As I walked with those sorts of thoughts in my mind, a gold-colored magic circle suddenly appeared at my feet.

“Huh?”

Then, the magic circle emitted a blinding light—and the scenery before my eyes was transformed.

“GGGHAAAAAAAAAHH!!!”

“Huh?”

I was greeted by the sight of a vast wasteland and a giant, crimson dragon. The sky was cloudy, and the rumbling of thunder resounded everywhere. Nearby was what looked like a large force of soldiers and warriors sprawled on the ground, and only a few people were left standing. Even those few appeared to be on death’s door, seeming like it was all they could do to remain on their feet.

“What’s going on?”

I was positive that I had been leisurely walking on the island just moments ago, not taking a stroll through what looked like the scene right before the final battle in a video game or manga.

As I wondered what this place was, I realized someone had taken notice of me.

What’s with him? He sort of looks like a hero.

“Wha?! Where did you— No, this isn’t the time for that!” he said. “You have to get away from—”

“GGGHAAAAAHH!”

The crimson dragon glared menacingly at me. Looking up at it, it seemed quite ferocious, and twice as large as Tailtiu. However, it didn’t intimidate me like Suzaku or Mina. I got the feeling that it was maybe a bit weaker than an Emperor Boar. Regardless, it didn’t seem like a threat to me.

As I unworriedly looked up at the dragon, one of the people still standing—a girl with silvery blue, waist-length hair who was wearing what looked like white holy vestments—dropped a staff tipped with a large gemstone onto the ground and broke down crying.

“Aaah... I’m sorry,” she said to me.

“U-Umm... What for?” I asked.

Though her expression was stained with tears, I could tell she was incredibly beautiful. I’d never seen a guy as handsome as the blond young man next to her, either, and the magician girl with black pigtails was a beauty as well.

They seem pretty exceptional in all sorts of ways.

“I dragged you into this hopeless hell! My secret divine art—opening the door to another world and summoning a supremely powerful Divine Beast—was a failure!”

“Ceres, how could you?! You’re a saint!” the man shouted.

“I’m sorry! But I couldn’t think of any other way to defeat Walpurgis, the Dragon of the Apocalypse...”

“Dammit! I’m a failure of a Hero! If only I were stronger, this never would have happened...”

“Hey, come on, Ark! And you too, Ceres!” the black-haired girl said. “You know this isn’t the time to be talking like that! If I... If only I was more powerful... Gah, some Witch of Destruction I am! I can’t even destroy anything!”

I was able to gather a lot from this exchange. First of all, the blond man was undoubtedly the Hero. The silvery-blue-haired girl was a saint, and the black-haired girl called herself the Witch of Destruction. They were probably all members of the Hero’s party, tasked with defeating a Demon Lord or something.

“GGGHAAAAAHH! GGGHAAAHH! G-G... GGGHAAAAAHH?!”

And the monster that had been looking at me and continually roaring for a while now was the Dragon of the Apocalypse. I somehow felt like it was slowly backing up as it stared at me, but it was probably a strong dragon, so I must have just been imagining things.

I looked around at all the people on the ground. The thought that some among them were dead made me feel a bit depressed.

“Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve seen someone dead since coming to this world,” I said. I’d never experienced the death of anyone else in my past life, either, but I was less mentally affected than I would have expected in a moment like this.

It’s like I’m becoming less and less ordinary every time I have one of these kinds of experiences.

“Now then...”

I understood the situation and why I was here. The question now was whether I’d be able to return to Arcadia...

“GHAH?! GHAAAAHHH!!! GHAAAAHHH!!!”

The dragon in front of me continued to roar with all its might. Meanwhile, behind me, the members of the Hero’s party standing off against the dragon sounded like they were getting ready to meet their end.

“Ngh?! Walpurgis, you monster! What pressure!” Ark shouted.

“S-So this is the Dragon of the Apocalypse... This is the great, calamitous rage that brings the world to its destruction, written in the chronicles of the Church! Ohh, how terrifying...”

“Hahh... Jeez, I won’t be able to call myself the Witch of Destruction again after this. Not that that matters, I guess, seeing as we won’t make it out of this alive... But I’ll give everything I’ve got if I can just save him!”

And I was stuck in the middle of it all, standing there with nothing to say. I really did feel like some average Joe who had wandered into some big climactic battle. It was incredibly awkward.

“O God, please find it in your heart to at least save this unfortunate soul who’s only here because of me,” Ceres said.

“You, stranger, get behind us,” Ark said to me. “Then run away as fast as you can. And no matter what, don’t turn around.”

“Good grief, I don’t know who you are, but this is just a disaster,” the black-haired girl said. “We’ll buy you time... So survive, okay?”

However, I thought the three of them were wonderful people. They had seemingly summoned me for their final battle as a trump card or to bring about a miracle, only for an ordinary human to come out. They would have been well within their rights to hurl abuse at me, just as much as if they had spent tons of money on a mobile game only to pull nothing but garbage characters, but that just wasn’t the kind of people they were.

“Well, I can think about all that later,” I mumbled to myself.

First, I turned my back to them and stepped forward—in the direction of the dragon they called Walpurgis.

“H-Hey?!” Ark said. “Where are you going?! It’s dangerous over there!”

“You can’t! You have to run away!” Ceres said.

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

As the three called out to me in a panic, I approached the dragon.

“GHAH?! GHAAAHH! GHAAAHH!”

Walpurgis threatened me again and again. But it did nothing to try and harm me; it just roared as hard as it could while inching slowly backward. Meanwhile, I walked up to it, getting closer. The three heroes were shouting something from behind me, sounding flustered.

“Yep, this is no problem,” I said.

Even when I looked up at the dragon from this close, I didn’t sense anything like that certain, indescribable quality that was in Mina or Suzaku.

“G-Grr... GRAAAHHH!” The dragon belched a massive flame from its mouth, as if to say, Stay back!

This reminded me of when I’d first met Tailtiu. I had been on the receiving end of her flames in a similar fashion, and just like then, I felt hardly anything at all.

“Ah... Ahhhh... I-It’s all my fault,” Ceres said.

“No, it’s mine, for not being able to save him,” Ark said.

“You idiots, there’s no use blaming yourselves! We have to avenge— Wait, huh?”

At the end, I could hear the confused voice of the girl they called the Witch of Destruction. The flames had slowly subsided, and it must have been enough for her to be able to make out that I was still standing.

“Hold on... Is he alive?!” she continued.

“What are you talking about, Ellie?” Ark said. “You can feel the mana in those flames, can’t you? There’s no way he could survive a direct hit from something so— Hm?”

“He’s right, Ellie... In the history of the Church, those horrible flames are infamous for destroying a great many countries, and— Hweh?”

Walpurgis must have grown tired of breathing fire, because the flames gradually weakened. And as for me, I was unscathed, of course.

“GRAH?!”

“Huh?!” the three exclaimed in surprise.

Still, I had largely gotten used to this kind of baffled response. First Reina, then Zelos and Merlyn—they had all reacted in a similar fashion, so it was too late for me to be complaining about it now. Though I’d rather they gave it a rest on the recent trend of handwaving everything away with a “Well, that’s just Arata for you.”

“I’m still human, after all...”

It’s too cruel to act like I’m my own strange species!

All that aside, this Walpurgis seemed like an enemy of humanity, so it was probably fine to treat it like an Emperor Boar or any other monster. But I’d be a bit hesitant if, like Tailtiu, it could transform into a person. Then again, it attacked me first...

“It’s my turn now, right?” I said.

Walpurgis almost looked as if it were vehemently shaking its head, but it probably couldn’t understand what I was saying. Surely I was just imagining things.

I tensed up my leg just a little, then took a single step. At the same time, I thrust my fist forward, puncturing the dragon’s abdomen in one hit and sending the monster flying high into the sky.

“Huh?!” the three exclaimed again.

Then, after a few dozen seconds, Walpurgis’s massive body hit the ground with a tremendous crash. I must have killed it in a single blow, as it showed no signs of stirring. The Emperor Boar had survived a punch of similar force, but it seemed that the dragon hadn’t been as sturdy.

“So, is this good enough?” I said, turning around with a smile.

Behind me, the three stood there with mouths agape in disbelief. Their extraordinarily good looks made those expressions a bit comical, and I unconsciously let out a laugh.

“Anyway, I took down that noisy dragon, so would it be possible for you to return me to where I’m from?” I asked the saint.

“Huh? Oh... Huh?”

I had asked her because she seemed like she would know the most about what was going on, but she was still bewildered, like she hadn’t quite returned to reality yet. Oh well, I guess I’ll wait until she composes herself. Come to think of it, does dragon taste any good?

“Should I take it back with me?” I wondered out loud. I could bring the dragon home with Storage magic... But Tailtiu, for instance, might not like that, so I passed up on it. I decided that the next time I had the chance, I’d ask someone else whether dragons tasted good.

Just then, the ground at my feet shone with a golden light, exactly as when I’d come here.

“Oh?”

“U-Um! Are you God?!” the saint hurriedly asked, as if she had just rebooted.

Was it because the magic circle had appeared? I’d met a god in person, and I knew full well that I wasn’t one. So, I shook my head.

“No, I’m a human.”

The two standing behind the saint didn’t seem to believe me, but it was the truth...probably. Lately, even I had come to doubt it somewhat, but then I admonished myself: if I didn’t believe myself, then nobody else would!

As I was thinking this, the magic circle at my feet rapidly grew brighter. My duty was seemingly over, because it felt like it was telling me to go home already.

“Now then, it looks like I’ll be able to return home, so I’m going now.”

“No way... But I haven’t even been able to thank you yet!” the saint said.

“Oh, it’s all right. It’s not like I did anything too important.”

Actually, the monsters I hunted on the island were all stronger and faster. Monsters that didn’t run or hide, like that dragon, were nothing more than easy prey.

“If that’s the case, then...please, at least tell me your name!”

I paused. “It’s Arata.”

Just telling her my name should be fine. It’s not like it’ll do any harm, I thought.

Then, Saint Ceres smiled happily.

“Lord Arata... I understand! I, Saint Ceres, shall tell the Church of your great deed, and your glory will go down in history forever!”

“Huh? Oh, wait, I—” Don’t want you to do anything so embarrassing! I thought. I reached out a hand, and at that moment, the light of the magic circle reached its brightest point.

“I won’t let you down! I’ll take on the duty of spreading far and wide the tale of the divine envoy...no, the demigod Lord Arata!”

“I’m telling you to wait a moment and calm—”

“Thank you, Lord Arata, our messiah...”

The moment I was about to stop her, the scenery changed once more. I found myself in the middle of a familiar-looking forest. Time must have passed at some point, because it was a dark night.

“What was all that?” I said to myself. It must have been a dream or something. If it wasn’t, I’d be made out to be something absurd, like a messiah, or a divine envoy, or the incarnation of a god.

“Have Reina and Tailtiu settled down by now?” I wondered.

Regardless, I wouldn’t be leaving this island again, so there was no need for me to worry about it. Besides, no one would ever believe a crazy story about a single human bringing down a dragon that could defeat those three hero-looking people.

With those thoughts occupying me, I returned home.

“Oh, Arata! Umm, I...”

As soon as she saw me, Reina turned bright red with embarrassment. It seemed that she could vividly recall what had happened earlier in the day. When she acted like that, I couldn’t help but feel conscious of her too...

“Mwa ha ha! Welcome home, Arata,” Mina said.

“You sure seem like you’re having fun,” I replied.

“Actually, it was fun!”

She was relaxing in my house. It seemed that she had kept her promise, at least. That in itself was fine, but there was this...aura about her that I couldn’t accept, like she was going to tease me with everything she had.

“Darliiing! Wel-come-home!” Tailtiu said, emphasizing each syllable.

“Oof...”

After I withstood an impact from her that was impossibly strong compared to her appearance, Tailtiu looked up at me happily, her usual self. It seemed that she had returned to normal...though there hadn’t really been much of a difference.

“Hey, I’m back,” I said.

“Mhmph.”

Tailtiu nuzzled up against me, so I patted her head, and as I did I went up to Reina.

“Hey, Reina.”

Reina paused. “Hello. Welcome back, Arata.”

Though her face was still red, she smiled at me. Seeing that was a relief, somehow. It seemed that, more than I’d thought, I was—

“All right then, Arata, now that you’re back, I think it’s about time I take my leave,” Mina said.

“You can stay the night here if you want, you know,” I said.

“Hmph. I won’t do anything so tactless. Hey, Bahamut, you’re going home too.”

“No! I am going to sleep next to my darling tonight!”

“Oh, come on, that won’t be entertaining, now will it?”

“Hrm?! Wh-What are you doing?!”

“I’ll play with you again, so we’re leaving.”

“N-Nooo! Tonight my darling is going to treat me— Mmph!”

While casting shadow magic on the struggling Tailtiu, Mina managed to capture her and cover her mouth. She then headed outside, ignoring Tailtiu’s muffled shouts.

“Now then... Arata! Reina! Your fun night has only just begun!”

With that, the two of them disappeared into the darkness of the night. The only ones left were Reina and I.

“Umm... Okay, Arata? About earlier, well...”

Reina sounded like she wanted to say something, but to me, it didn’t seem quite right to expect anything to progress right now. So, I interrupted her.

“All sorts of things happened today, but for now, let’s rest. We’ll go back to normal tomorrow.”

“Yeah. You’re right,” Reina said after a pause. “But you know, Arata... That doesn’t mean we have to go back to normal yet today, does it?”

“Huh?”

As I was feeling bewildered by what she said, she hugged me tightly.

“Because, what happened earlier wasn’t just because of the alcohol.”

“Reina...”

“Just for today,” she whispered. “I’ll go back to my normal self starting tomorrow, so just for today, could you indulge me?”

Her whisper was such a shock that it was enough to blast apart any of the reason I possessed. Then, as if I were touching a precious gemstone, I slowly and gently wrapped my arms around Reina’s slender, yet soft body. And I realized anew that right now, this was where I belonged.

Interlude: The Saint, the Hero, and the Witch of Destruction

Saint Ceres, who had been the one to summon Arata, was being backed up against the wall.

“A Church-recognized saint, summoning a demon?! What’s the meaning of this?! No, you’re no longer a saint! You’ve been possessed by a demon... You sinful witch!”

“N-No way?!”

The Holy Church was the most influential organization on the continent. Their religion worshipped a single god, though it recognized the existence of others.

Ceres had originally been just an ordinary village girl, but after receiving a divine revelation, she was designated a saint by the Church. She was a much more devout believer than others, so for her, the title carried great weight and responsibility. But she had Ark the Hero, who was her childhood friend. She also had Ellie the Witch of Destruction, who was famous for her magical ability, rumored to rival the Seven Celestial Archmages, a group that was dominant in a faraway land. Together, the three of them had fought to protect people from the threat of great magic beasts called Calamities.

However, what awaited them after the fight with Walpurgis, the Dragon of the Apocalypse, was not praise, but relentless denunciation. This was a result of a certain rumor having circulated throughout the Church: The saint sold her soul to a demon. It was a totally baseless accusation, but it had spread as if it were the truth. Now, the three of them had come to the Church headquarters and were receiving words of condemnation.

“You think Ceres would sell her soul to a demon?!” Ark said. “You know she’d never do anything like that! She believes in God more than anyone, and she’s spent her life protecting others!”

“Silence, silence, silence! You, chosen by that sinful witch, are no Hero! And the Witch of Destruction is just as guilty! Understand that your lives are over!”

“Wha?!”

And then, Paladins surrounded them. They were the Church’s strongest executioners, each said to be as powerful as a legion of soldiers. If this had been an even fight, Ark, Ellie, and Ceres might have had the upper hand. But Paladins were experts at group combat, and professionals at fighting against humans.

“Aha ha ha ha! You have nowhere to run!”

“Ngh, ahhhh... O God... Lord Arata...” Shaken, Saint Ceres had broken down in tears.

“Dammit...” Ark the Hero was confused by this sudden turn of events and had no idea what to do.

Both of them held total conviction in their actions. That was why, although the journey had been a harsh one, they’d been able to save others with a smile on their face. They never thought that this was how everything would end.

“Tch... They set us up.” In the midst of all this, the only one who had an accurate grasp of the situation was Ellie, the Witch of Destruction.

To the Church, Saint Ceres was a paragon of virtue. But when the light of goodness becomes too bright, the shadow it casts grows deeper and denser. A light as brilliant as Ceres was just a nuisance to the factions struggling for power within the Church.

“And here I was, glad that we made it out of there alive. What awful luck,” Ellie continued. The rumors had spread unnaturally quickly. She understood that someone had planned this. And she also understood that, for that reason, there was nothing they could do. “But that doesn’t mean I’m planning on giving up and making it easy for them.”

Hated by all because of her power, the Witch of Destruction had lived in the depths of the Forest of Destruction. Her all-too-kind companions had extended a hand to someone like her, and brought her along with them into the outside world. For that, she had always believed it was her duty to protect them.

“Ark... Take Ceres and run,” she said.

Ark widened his eyes in shock. “Ellie?! What about you?!”

“I’ll take as many of these villains down with me as I can,” Ellie said, Then, she stepped forward, protectively standing in front of the sobbing Ceres. “Go. Unlike me, you two are loved by God, so I’m sure you’ll be saved.”

“Ellie!” Ceres shouted. “You can’t! If you’re going to fight, then let me fight with—”

“Just hurry up and go already!”

The Paladins closed in as if to prevent them from escaping. They were intimidating enough to even make a battle-hardened witch like her feel threatened. But oddly enough, she also realized that she believed everything would be all right.

“I’ll show you the true power of Destruction.”

Though it was said that her power could destroy the world, she would use it to protect others. Because that was surely something great.

“Ellie! You won’t survive if you use that power!” Ceres said.

“It’s all right. I mean, I’m using it to protect my friends. I’m sure mother will forgive me.”

The entire area was enveloped in an ominous mana. This was the Spell of Destruction, which Ellie could cast just once—at the cost of her own life.

“...that,” came Ceres’s voice as she looked up at Ellie with tears in her eyes.

“Ceres?” Ellie asked.

“I absolutely won’t let you do thaaaaat!”

A great volume of white mana instantly swelled, covering up the black mana that had poured out of Ellie.

“No way! My Destruction mana?!”

“I won’t let anyone get huuuuurt!”

White and black mixed together, producing an abnormal vortex of mana inside the cathedral. This overwhelming mana was like the power of the divine—and Ellie and Ark recognized it.

“C-Ceres! This is just like back then!” Ark said.

“God! I don’t care what happens to me, so please, stop this fighting! I’m begging you!”

It was the same phenomenon that had occurred during the battle with Walpurgis, the Dragon of the Apocalypse, when Ceres had summoned the demigod Arata. Every time Ceres shouted to the heavens, the intense mana drove the Paladins back.

“Ngh, what are you all doing?! Kill that damnable witch immediately!” shouted one of the cardinals in a panic. He couldn’t hide his terror at this unexplainable event.

“Please! Please! Please!!! I don’t care what happens to me! So... So please!”

I shall grant your wish.

“Huh?” Ceres exclaimed.

At that moment, time stopped. Or rather, there was such an abrupt silence that it seemed like it had.

“Heh heh heh! I thought I was sensing the power of the divine for the first time in a long while. Now, isn’t this awfully entertaining?”

Standing in the middle of everything was a girl like the personification of the night, whose mere presence gave off an overpowering aura. She had golden hair and deep crimson eyes like blood. Though she appeared to be about ten years old, everyone there could tell that she was not as she seemed.

“Uh... Ah...”

“I never thought I’d leave that island, but... Ah, I see. It’s because you formed a connection with Arata, isn’t it?” the girl said.

“Arata...” Ceres paused. “You mean Lord Arata? Was it he who sent you here?”

“Huh? Well, you could say that.” As the girl spoke, she glanced around her.

“Wh-What are you?!” the cardinal said. He looked at the girl, his face tense with fear. He knew as well as anyone else there that she was a terribly extraordinary being.

“Me? If you’re asking, I guess I might as well introduce myself. I am Wilhelmina Vermilion Vauheim!”

“W-Wilhelmina?! That name appears in myths from more than ten thousand years ago... But this mana... No, you’re really her?!”

“Oh, that’s right. In your terms, I suppose I should introduce myself like this: the Godslayer Demon Lord.”

And then, the desecration began.

◇

When it was all over, the only ones left standing besides Wilhelmina were Ceres, Ark, and Ellie. Surrounding them were the piled-up bodies of Paladins and Church officials. Finally, Wilhelmina was stomping on the head of the fallen cardinal and laughing.

“Umm...” Ceres began.

“Huh? I did just as you wished. No one’s hurt, right?” Wilhelmina said.

“Th-Thank you very much! By the way, why did you—”

“Aha ha ha, I’m just killing some time. It seems that I had some divine mana left over, and a few scraps of Arata’s ridiculous power too.”

“Lord Arata...” Ceres said. Then, she mumbled, “So it really was you who sent her to us.”

Wilhelmina laughed. “Indeed it was. It seems like he can’t help but feel worried about you, and when he sensed that you all were in a spot of trouble in this faraway place, he deployed me.”

“Oh, what a compassionate man...”

Ceres sounded deeply moved. Next to her, Ark the Hero seemed excited, while Ellie looked at Wilhelmina with some suspicion. The vampire’s instincts told her this: These three are going to be interesting.

“Now then, it looks like the mana for the summoning is going to run out soon, so I’ll be going back now,” Wilhelmina said.

“Huh?!” Ceres exclaimed. “But I haven’t given you my thanks yet...”

“Hey, you’ve already established a connection. If you really want to meet Arata, I’m sure you’ll be able to reach the place where we are.”

“A connection?” Ceres tilted her head, puzzled.

Wilhelmina nodded, a mysterious look on her face.

“That’s right. Oh, and if you really want to thank me, all you have to do is entertain me the next time we meet.”

“U-Understood! We’ll definitely go to meet all of you!”

“Mwa ha ha, I’m looking forward to it. If you truly desire it, I’m sure you’ll be able to make it... To the island where the gods live: Arcadia, that is!”

Then, a golden summoning circle appeared, and Wilhelmina vanished.

“I’ll definitely find you, Lord Arata and Lady Wilhelmina...” Ceres, who had believed in them until the end, closed her eyes as if in prayer.

“Let’s go, Ceres. We can’t stay here any longer,” Ark said.

“He’s right,” Ellie said. “After this, we’ll be wanted criminals for the rest of our lives. Well, not that I care. People have never liked me anyway.”

And then, the three of them left the cathedral and embarked on their journey.

“God and Lord Arata are with us. So we’ll definitely be all right,” Ceres said.

“Yeah, I believe so too,” Ark said. “After all, I saw a miracle twice over.”

“Well, it’s not like I have anything else I want to do besides go with you two, so I’ll tag along. As far as you take me,” Ellie said.

Though they were now notorious insurgents against the Church, their step was by no means gloomy. Their goal was Arcadia, the island where the gods lived. The journey of the saint, the Hero, and the Witch of Destruction would continue.

Chapter Seven: Development

They were right to say that anywhere can be home; my life on the island had settled down somewhat, and every day was fulfilling. But at the same time, when people get used to a routine, they have the tendency to seek further comfort.

“With that, I think we should make a road to the Divine Beastfolk village,” I said.

“What do you mean ‘With that’?” Reina asked, confused by my sudden suggestion.

“Oh, I mean, I recently had this feeling when I went to the village searching for Luna... The path there is sort of lacking, don’t you think?”

“Well, this was originally an untouched forest, after all.”

“Exactly. But now we’re here, and we often go to the village to trade for various goods, so...”

It wasn’t too much of a hassle for me and Reina because we could use Storage magic, but Zelos and Merlyn used the game trail for all sorts of errands, which had to be extremely inconvenient. Because of this, they hadn’t yet been able to go to the village to pay their respects, though they had struck up individual connections with Luna and Elga. The biggest factor in this was simply that the timing hadn’t worked out, but in addition to that, I also thought that being hard to get there was an issue itself.

“I hope that by making travel more convenient, we’ll all be able to meet each other more easily,” I added.

“Hmm... Well, why not? If there’s a road, it’ll be easier for me to go there too. But, are you really sure it’s all right?”

“Huh? Why wouldn’t it be?”

“This area was originally Divine Beastfolk territory, wasn’t it? Right now they’re letting us use it, but what if they don’t look kindly on us clearing space for a road?”

“Oh...” I hadn’t considered that until she mentioned it. I had simply thought we’d be able to deepen our relationship once there was a road to the village, and nothing else. “What should I do?”

“First of all, try asking Suzaku. If she says it’s all right, then we can build the road. If it isn’t, we’ll come up with something else.”

As we spoke while heading to the Divine Beastfolk village, we came across Elga, but when we explained the situation to him, he said that Suzaku had disappeared somewhere.

“She’s gone?” I asked.

“Yeah, she left for Wilhelmina’s place yesterday and hasn’t come back,” Elga replied.

Apparently she had left in an unusual hurry, and this was the first time Elga had seen her like that.

“Will she be all right?” I asked.

“Well, she can just revive if she dies, so I’m not sweating it or anything, but a lot of the Beastfolk are really worried after seeing our elder in such a rush. Ugh, I’m beat...”

Elga put it in a way that was very much like himself; he always spoke roughly, but he was a caring person. He had probably been giving advice to all the anxious Beastfolk. Perhaps that was why he appeared more worn out than usual and seemed to lack his usual intensity.

“So, what were you going to talk about with our elder?” he asked.

“Oh, actually...”

I went on to bring up what I had been discussing with Reina. Building a road would make trade smoother, and above all I wanted to make it possible to deepen our relationship with the Divine Beastfolk. Also—though I hadn’t mentioned this to Reina—after returning from being briefly summoned to some faraway place, I had realized something: I cherish this island as if I were born here. That was exactly why I wanted to learn more about this place, and why I especially wanted to talk to the people of the various other races that lived here. The first step would be to make it even easier to reach the Divine Beastfolk we’d already formed a connection with.

“What, that’s it? We’d welcome a road too, so it’s no big deal,” Elga said.

“Huh? Is it really okay?” I said.

“For sure. We Divine Beastfolk can travel that path without any issues, but the Beastfolk have no clue when a monster might show up. If the road has your scent on it, the monsters won’t dare to come near, so you’d actually be doing us a favor by making it safer.” Then, he made a welcome offer. “Heck, I’ll even help you out.”

“Then today, I think I’ll draw up some plans. I’ll start work on the road tomorrow,” I said.

“By the way, Arata, how are you planning on building it?” Reina asked.

“Huh? I mean, I’m going to chop down the trees with magic, then use earth magic like always to flatten out the ground,” I replied. I assumed I could simply build the road the same way I did the one to the river, but Reina let out an exasperated sigh.

“You know, Arata, mana isn’t endless. It’s a long way to this village, and you’ll run out before you can finish... Wait, have you ever run out of mana?”

“Not yet, I don’t think.”

The moment I said that, Reina looked at me with shock, as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. As of late she had been handwaving away whatever absurd things I said with a brief response of, “Well, that’s just Arata for you,” but I hadn’t seen such a dumbfounded expression from her in a while.

“I can’t believe it... Can you actually pull it off? But then, that would mean your mana capacity...” Her voice trailed off.

“Oh, but I’m not sure either, okay? It could just be that I’ve never used all my mana. I might actually have a pretty small amount.”

“That’s definitely not it, not when you can use Storage magic that much.”

Now that she mentioned it, I felt like she had said a while ago that Storage magic scaled in proportion with one’s mana capacity. Considering I hadn’t yet seen the bottom of my Storage spell, perhaps my mana capacity was, like everything else about me, abnormal.

“Hahh...” Reina sighed again. “Well, whatever. I’ll get a headache if I think about this any more... That aside, there’s something else.”

“What’s that?”

“What are you planning on doing with the trees you cut down? They should all fit in your Storage spell, but...”

“Oh... That’s right.”

I could just put the wood into Storage, but that wasn’t the issue. Building such a long road through the forest would require felling a large number of trees. And trees were living things too. I didn’t know how important nature was to the islanders, but they’d definitely lose their trust in a human who haphazardly destroyed it.

“If that’s what you’re worried about, just give us the wood,” Elga said. “Then, the Beastfolk will make something else out of it.”

“I don’t know... We’re talking about a pretty huge amount,” I said.

“Maybe we can build a workshop. We’ll store as much of it as we can there first, then leave the rest to your Storage for the time being.”

This probably came from a mindset of reducing waste as much as possible. Sure enough, putting the wood in my Storage spell meant it wouldn’t rot, and if it was too much for me to handle, we could find other ways to work with it.

“Okay then, let’s go with that,” I said. “I’ll start with building the road for the next few days, so can you explain everything to the village?”

“You got it,” Elga said. “If you guys can gather the wood, then we’ll be able to put our labor toward something else. That’ll be a real help.”

“Then in return for the wood, give me something else, all right?”

“Just let me know what you want.”

The concept of money didn’t exist on this island, so barter was the norm. Additionally, it was generally assumed that the one proposing a trade was supposed to make an offer that was favorable for the other party. I thought this created an environment where it was easy for people to ask for things from others without worrying about imposing on anyone.

“All right, I guess I’ll get to work, then,” I said.

“I’ll help too,” Reina said.

We returned home and spent the entire day getting ready, then we began to move along, cutting down trees as we went.

◇

Opening up new land on the island turned out to be a lot more work than I had expected. Clearing out space for the road was easy with magic, and I had plenty of physical stamina too. But, it was simply a long way to go. A distance that took me or Elga thirty minutes to run was, in terms of my previous life, like constructing a highway.

“With this, I think we’re around a tenth of the way there,” I said.

“Phew... That’s just cutting down trees? This is going to take a while,” Reina said.

It had already been three days of work, and this was the result. I casually cut down the trees with magic, and I left the more detailed work to Reina. We were prioritizing clearing land first before getting started on paving the ground. It looked like this all would take a significant amount of time.

“Yeah, you can say that again,” I said. “Even in my past life, building roads wasn’t easy, even with lots of people and heavy machinery.”

“Machinery?”

“They’re like tools that move on their own, basically.”

“Huh... Are they like artifacts or magic items?”

Those words were inundated with a sense of fantasy. To be honest, I was a bit curious, but right now I wanted to prioritize building the road.

“How are Zelos and Merlyn?” I asked.

“They ran out of mana a long time ago. Honestly, it might be getting rough for me too.”

“I see... Then, let’s call it a day here.”

Glancing at the forest, it was still overgrown, and forging ahead would be tough. I would be fine pushing further further, but it would no doubt be difficult on the others, both physically and magically. However, it had gotten much easier to walk on the part of the road we had already finished clearing. After all this, we would start work on flattening out the bumpy road, but considering the rate things were going already, that would be impossible for some time.

“I got a lot of dirt on me, so I really want to take a bath,” Reina said.

“Good idea. You must be sweaty too, right? I’ll get the bath started, so you can go get ready.”

“Really? I suppose I’ll take you up on your offer, then.”

The sun was still high in the sky, but it was nice to have a day like this every once in a while. This world wasn’t a place where we had specific daily tasks we needed to complete. Every day, we woke up, had fun, worked, and slept as we pleased, because that was something we could do here.

To be honest, I could probably complete this development at a faster pace if I was working alone. I doubted there was any limit to my mana, and my body never got fatigued either. If I just sped along to the end and finished the whole thing, it would definitely be quite fast. But I didn’t do that, simply because it wouldn’t be fun to do everything by myself. I wanted to enjoy a casual everyday life, whether that meant doing something together with Reina, or getting to know Zelos and Merlyn better.

“I mean, I reincarnated here. It’s fine for me to use this opportunity to be just a bit selfish.”

I quietly whispered to myself as I stared at the back of the beautiful girl walking ahead of me.

◇

“Mister Arata! We’re heeere.”

I’d gotten bored while Reina was taking a bath, but then Luna came for a visit.

“Hey, Luna, and...”

“Grr!”

“Garr!”

The two Bloody Wolves, Grr and Garr, happily ran around in circles at my feet. These pups, who were still at the age when they were always up to play, saw me as someone who was above them, so they had really taken to me.

“And welcome, you two,” I said. I picked up one of them, and the other scratched at my legs, not wanting to be left out. With no other choice, I wrapped my arms around both of them. But then it was Luna’s turn to look up at me. “All right, fine.”

“Yay!”

I picked up and held all three of them in my arms. Luna happily giggled, which made me feel at ease. We were so close with each other that we were practically family.

With them still in my arms, I jumped toward the forest trees.

“Whoaaa!” Luna exclaimed. “Grr, Garr, we’re so high up!”

“Grrrr!”

“Garrrr!”

In the beginning I hadn’t known my own strength, and I had frequently done outrageous things, but lately I had gotten much better at controlling myself.

I leaped from tree to tree, occasionally raising my speed or suddenly jumping high into the sky like a roller coaster. Shouts of joy came from the three in my arms. I must have been moving with quite a lot of momentum, but they weren’t scared; on the contrary, they seemed delighted.

“Should I go even faster?” I asked.

“Yeah!” Luna said.

Although she was a kid, she was one of the Divine Beastfolk—she showed no indication that she felt intimidated, despite how fast I was going. Grr and Garr seemed totally calm too. That meant I didn’t need to hold back, so I instantly sped up.

“Eeek! This is sooo fuuun!”

“Grrrr!”

“Garrrr!”

And so, I went all around the island with Luna, Grr, and Garr in my arms. The monsters I encountered tried to run away, but I wasn’t hunting them today, so I hoped they wouldn’t feel too spooked.

“All right, to finish things up, I’m going to the river, so try not to fall off!”

“Yeah!”

The water we always drew from the river was chock-full of minerals from the island’s soil, very pure, and tasted wonderful. When we arrived there, we sat down close together, drank water, and smiled at each other.

“Mm-hmm, it’s cold and tasty!” Luna said.

“Yeah, the water here is great, as always.”

Ever since getting this body, the word “fatigue” meant nothing to me, but even so, I vaguely felt thirsty after running around everywhere. So, when I drank some delicious water, a smile automatically crept onto my face.

“Reina’s going to make food after this, but what will you guys do?” I asked.

“We’ll eat!” Luna replied.

“Grrrr!”

“Garrrr!”

“I’m glad to see you guys so lively. You made sure to tell Elga and Livia before coming, right?”

Luna paused. “Oh...”

She had seemingly left without permission again. Still, Elga and Livia had come to assume lately that if Luna wasn’t at their house, she was visiting us, so it wasn’t like I was too worried.

“But it’ll be an issue if Livia is making food, so from now on, make sure you tell them, okay?” I said.

“Okay...” Luna seemed a bit remorseful. This ability of hers to sincerely recognize when she had done something wrong was one of her good points.

“In that case, why don’t I ask Reina to make some takeout?”

“Takeout?”

“Some food for you, Elga, and Livia. Then, you’ll all be able to eat together tonight, right?”

“Grrrr.”

“Oh, my bad. I’ll get some for you two also.”

The two wolves started to frolic around the river, as if to say, All right! The sight of them was heartwarming, like watching puppies.

“Are you sure?” Luna asked.

“Yeah. We got some new ingredients again recently, though I’ll have to ask Reina first.”

Still, Reina liked to cook, so she would probably be all right with it. Also, she had previously remarked that it was easier and more fun to make food for many people than just two.

“In exchange, give us a portion of something tasty you Divine Beastfolk have next time,” I said.

“Okay! Miss Livia’s food is really good, so I’ll bring some of that.”

“Aha ha ha.”

It’s very much like her to not say that she’ll make it herself, I thought, and as I did, I turned to bring them back to our house.

“Mister Arata, something’s coming down the river,” Luna suddenly said.

“Hm?”

Spurred on by her voice, I looked upstream, where I caught sight of a familiar, dark-skinned girl floating our way. I met her gaze—it was Katima, the Alfr. She looked to be clutching a log as the current swept her along, so she wasn’t drowning like last time. She gave me an imploring look that said, Arata... Save me... so I uprooted a nearby tree and brought it closer to her. There, she placed a hand on the outstretched tree and moved onto it, and I hauled her up out of the river.

“Thanks, Arata,” she said.

“Yeah... By the way, why were you being washed away by—”

I broke off there when I noticed the rather dangerous state of Katima’s outfit. Her people worshipped nature, which meant that her usual outfit covered as little as possible, and you could see her belly button. And now, she was soaked with water; as a result, her top was slipping off, and her modest chest was almost visible.

“What is it, Arata?”

“Oh, it’s nothing... For now, wear this.” Averting my eyes, I handed her my coat.

“Hm? But I’m not cold.”

“Just put it on.”

She must not have had much of a sense of shame, because she didn’t seem to mind being so exposed. I knew from Elga and Livia that at least some people here got into relationships, but maybe this sort of thing was due to variation between different races. Regardless, Katima obediently listened to my request and put on my coat, so I finally turned back toward her. Incidentally, Luna, Grr, and Garr were quietly observing us from afar, maybe because they were reluctant to get wet.

“Why were you adrift in the river again?” I asked Katima.

“Actually... There’s something I need to see you about.”

“Me?”

I mean, I don’t really see a connection between needing to talk to me and being swept away by the river in the first place, but okay.

“I’m clever, so I had an idea,” Katima said. “The mountain where I live and your home are surprisingly far apart. But, I thought it would be faster and easier to get there if I went down the river.”

I paused. “In other words?”

“When I was going down the river, I got a cramp in my leg and I couldn’t get back onto the shore.”

“Okay, I think it’s best that you don’t go near water for the time being.”

You’d hope a girl as clever as she claimed to be would learn a few things the first time around.

“But it’s an amazing coincidence that you’re here... No, this must be the providence of the Great Spirits.”

She seemed just a bit moved, but it really was just a coincidence, which made saying anything awkward. My only thought was that she could just come to see me normally, without that sort of providence.

“By the way, you said you need to see me about something?” I said.

“Oh, that’s right. Alfar never forget what others have done for them. So, I was thinking I’d welcome you all to the village where I live.”

It was an invitation that would allow me to open up my life on the island to a fresh setting.

◇

First of all, I thought it necessary to discuss this with Reina, so I brought Katima back home with me. Reina, who had already finished making lunch, looked at Katima and then to me.

“Arata, I won’t get angry, so answer me honestly. What did you do this time?”

“Just hold on, okay?” I said. “I don’t think it’s right for you to start off by being suspicious of me.”

“But, I mean...”

Sure, problems generally followed me wherever I went. But this wasn’t a problem... At least, it shouldn’t be! Even supposing that after this, some sort of incident occurred at the Alfr village, it still wouldn’t be my fault... At least, it shouldn’t be!

“That looks tasty!” Luna said.

“Grrrr!”

“Garrrr!”

“Oh, that’s right, I was done making lunch,” Reina said. “Anyway, I made pizza today, which means one more person shouldn’t be an issue. So, Katima...”

She fell silent, probably remembering the gusto with which Katima had eaten the last time she was here.

“Can I eat too?” Katima asked.

Reina paused. “Sure. And, you all can eat first. I’ll bake another pizza,” she said, yielding the pizza with some resignation. She must have already predicted that there wouldn’t be anything left for her. Luna and Katima shouted with joy.

“I’ll help out,” I said.

“Okay. Thanks.”

I probably wouldn’t be able to do anything important, but I still thought that there was a meaning to us baking it together.

Because of all the trades we had made with the Divine Beastfolk, the Emperor Boar meat looked like it was going to run out before long. But we still had the meat from the Shantak Luna had hunted, and the prey that Tailtiu and I had killed together. We wouldn’t have any issues with food for a while yet.

“By the way, what did Katima come here for anyway?” Reina asked.

“It sounds like she’s inviting us to the Alfr village. They’re going to hold a welcome party, apparently.”

“Oh, really? I’m curious how Elves—I mean, Alfar live. On the continent, they stayed in the forest, and you’d hardly ever see them.”

I had heard from Elga that Alfar and Elves had originally belonged to the same race, but had split on account of the different Great Spirits they worshipped. Apparently, there were no paranormal beings like Great Spirits on the continent in the first place, and among the Elves there were no Alfar. Perhaps in that sense, they were both the same from Reina’s perspective.

“Well anyway, I don’t mind,” Reina said. “But we also have to worry about building the road to the Divine Beastfolk village...”

“Ah, that’s right.”

According to Katima, it was half a day’s walk from here to the mountains where the Alfr village was. If we went there today, we wouldn’t reach it until the dead of night.

“If that’s the case, should we get Katima to draw us a map or something, then head there later?” I said.

“But if they’re planning on holding a party for us, they’ll need to get things ready for us.”

“Oh...”

That means we’ll have to postpone building the road... But I don’t like that either. It’ll feel like we’re leaving things unfinished.

“There’s no need to worry about that.”

“Katima?” I said. With bits of cheese still on her lips, Katima was watching us as we made pizza and— No she’s definitely just here for the freshly baked pizza. I mean, her gaze is totally fixed on it.

“I was sure you guys would have stuff you need to do first, so the plan is for me to get in touch with the village once you’re ready. You can take as long as you need,” Katima said.

“Oh, really?” I said. “Still, I don’t want to keep you waiting forever...”

“Alfar are very patient. You could probably not come for fifty years and they’d still be fine with it.”

“I see...”

In that case, I don’t need to worry.

Since coming to this island, I had encountered many attitudes that differed from a typical human’s, and it seemed to me that the trick to living here was to not get too hung up over them. Reina had already adapted herself to them, or rather, she hardly cared at all. She was so unconcerned that right now, she was probably thinking about whether there would be enough pizza for her to eat.

“If so, what will you do while you’re waiting?” I asked.

“Hm? It’s not like there’s anything for me to do at home, so I was just going to live in your house. What about it?” Katima asked as if it were only natural. That almost made me feel like I was the weird one here.

Also, Katima, I’m pretty sure it’s not like you have nothing to do. Don’t they say that if you don’t work, you don’t eat?

Personally, I didn’t have a problem with it, so I looked to Reina; she didn’t seem to have any complaints either.

“I’m an expert, after all,” Katima said. “I’ll help out with anything.”

“Yeah, sure thing,” I replied.

We welcomed our new, temporary lodger. But as we did, we both thought, Experts don’t get swept away in the river twice.

Chapter Eight: A Quarrel

It had been a week since Katima came to see us. During that time, I thought that our development of the forest had made a lot of progress.

“How’s that? I’m pretty amazing, huh?” Katima said.

“Yes... You really are,” Reina replied.

“Hmm hmm.” Getting Reina’s agreement, Katima chuckled happily, though her face was expressionless.

“I mean, this really is amazing,” I said.

My eyes were turned to the extreme state of the forest, which looked as if a localized, supermassive typhoon had just passed through. Katima had gotten a huge stone axe from who-knows-where and started mowing down trees one after another, and this was the result. There was only one word that could describe the sight of her small body sending trees flying like they were in a storm: stunning.

“I can hunt an Emperor Boar on my own too!” she said.

“Seriously, the people here can be so...” Exasperated, Reina looked up at the sky. I unconsciously followed her gaze.

The trees around here were quite tall, which must have originally made it hard for sunlight to get through, but thanks to Katima it was now pleasantly clear. Up until now, I had been responsible for both cutting down the trees and collecting them, but doing two types of work at once was unexpectedly tiresome. With Katima’s backup, the work had instantly started to progress faster.

“I’ll go pick up the large fallen trees, so can you tidy up the road, Reina?” I said.

“Okay,” she replied.

“What should I do?” Katima asked me.

“For now... Why don’t we go on ahead?”

“Got it!”

She made a couple practice swings with her giant stone axe like it was a baseball bat. The power contained in her small body was unimaginable, but pretty much everyone who lived here was absurdly strong, so this was nothing new.

“Let me know if you get tired, Reina,” I said.

“All right. Though if it’s only this much, I still have plenty of energy. Or rather, I’d be a disgrace to the name of the Seven Celestial Archmages if I was the only one to quit so easily.”

“I guess so, but the other two have already thrown in the towel.”

Reina paused. “Look, they can’t help it. They have a lot on their plates.”

Zelos and Merlyn had joined the construction, but they were specialists in fire and water. They weren’t as good at the earth elemental magic that was needed right now, so they were quitting rather early.

“Heeey! If you don’t come quickly, I’ll leave you behiiind!” Katima shouted.

“Anyway, let’s get to work so she doesn’t beat us,” I said.

“I’ll probably call it quits midway through, so take care of the rest for me,” Reina said.

“Of course.”

It was incredible that an ordinary human like Reina could keep up with us this much. With that thought in my mind, we went on clearing land, following the rapidly advancing Katima along the way.

◇

After work, it was time to eat. And yet...

“What do we do, Arata? There’s no food...” Katima looked at me with desperation.

“You’re right, there isn’t.” I just solemnly nodded.

Of course, this didn’t mean that all our ingredients had disappeared. After all, I had packed a large quantity of them inside my Storage spell which far surpassed the amount Reina had brought with her in the beginning. However, just because you have the ingredients doesn’t mean food will make itself. You need someone who possesses tremendous skill: a cook.

“If only...I was stronger,” Reina said.

“It isn’t your fault, Reina. So don’t push yourself, and go rest inside,” I said.

“Ahh... I’m sorry.”

I laid her down in her bed, then headed to Katima waiting outside.

“Now, Katima, you know Reina doesn’t have enough mana and is down for the count.”

“Yeah.”

“That means we’re the last ones left.”

Aside from Reina, the only people around were Katima and I, plus Zelos and Merlyn. However, the latter pair had also already used too much of their mana and were bedridden. Normally, Reina would have made sure not to surpass her own limits, but Katima had gone all out on the road today, which had apparently messed up her usual flow.

“It’ll be fine,” Katima said. “The elders always say that I can do anything if I put my mind to it.”

“Uh-huh...” I had a feeling they’d told her that to try and get her to contribute when she otherwise didn’t usually do much. But those words were motivating her now, so I didn’t contradict her. “Also, I’m often next to Reina and watch her as she cooks,” I added.

“Oooh, then that’s perfect.”

Katima looked at me with a hopeful sparkle in her eyes. I hoped to answer her expectations, but unfortunately Reina pretty much never entrusted me with anything important while cooking. I’d really done nothing more than watch her. In other words, there was no way I could make anything approaching a meal. Sadly, my copy cheat didn’t seem to apply to cooking.

“At this point, we have two options,” I said.

“Okay?”

“One is roasting.”

“I see.”

“The other is boiling.”

Katima paused, then asked, “What’s the difference?”

When pressed, it was unexpectedly difficult to put into words. I had an intuition or maybe a mental image of both actions, of course, but I didn’t have the firsthand experience to properly explain it.

“Anyway, those are our only two remaining options,” I said. “I’ll leave the choice up to you.”

“Easier said than done...”

Katima seemed confused. However, this was all we could do. Reina had cooked for me ever since I’d come to this island. That meant I had no useful experience with making my own food.

“If I hadn’t met Reina, and I’d just wandered around the forest alone, I might’ve starved to death...”

I had asked to be reincarnated on an island without any people, but thinking back on it now, that wish might have been something totally absurd. I realized anew how indebted I was to Reina, and to that god too.

“I made up my mind, Arata! I choose roasting!”

“All right, then let’s roast.”

First, I took some meat out of my Storage spell. The Emperor Boar meat looked like it was going to run out soon.

“Hey, Arata? I’d really prefer bird meat.”

“That’s Luna’s, so I can’t use it without her permission. Oh, I know.” That reminded me of something I had forgotten to ask. “Hey, Katima. Does dragon meat taste any good?”

“Dragon? Yeah, it’s the best. Strong dragons are really powerful, after all. Even we hardly ever get a chance to eat their steak.”

“Oh, really? What a waste...”

I really should have just brought that calamity dragon or whatever back with me. Besides, I had only needed to ask Tailtiu, and if she seemed against it, I could have just eaten it in secret.

“Now that you mention it, there are lingering signs of a strong dragon here,” Katima said.

“You can tell?”

“It’s because I’m an expert. Also, as a rule, Alfar don’t fight back against anyone who’s strong, so we’ve got good instincts sniffing out that kind of thing.”

“I see.”

“Oh, but we’ll fight strong foes if it’s for the Great Spirits!” she hurriedly added.

I smiled awkwardly. I was reminded of Elga explaining that the Divine Beastfolk didn’t get along with the Alfar and had gotten into a dispute in the past.

“You see, I was thinking of eating a strong dragon recently,” I explained. “In the end, I didn’t do it, but now I’m thinking that I wasted my chance.”

“I see... Well, that dragon is pretty strong, so it should be perfect.”

“Hm?”

Katima pointed her finger in the direction of Tailtiu, who had transformed into her human form and was already looking at us with tears in her eyes.

“Oh...” I said.

“A-Are you going to eat me, darling? I-Is that how you see me?”

It seemed she had been listening to our conversation just now, and had totally misunderstood what I was saying. I wondered how to reply, but...

“I-It’s not what it sounds—”

“Darling, you... You idiooooooot!” She ran off straight into the forest.

“Ah, Tailtiu!”

“Oh, I know this. This is what they call a lovers’ quarrel.”

I ignored Katima and hurried into the forest to chase after Tailtiu.

◇

I ran after the fleeing Tailtiu, but the gap between us wasn’t getting any narrower. I might have had a bit more of an advantage if we were on the game trails that we had used to get through the forest up until now, but because the road was paved, we raced along faster than usual.

“Tailtiuuu!” I shouted. “I’m telling you, it’s a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding!”

“A-As if!” she replied. “I heard it all with my own ears! You said you want to eat a dragon! While pointing at me!”

“It wasn’t me who was pointing, for one!”

As you might expect from a paramount, especially one who possessed power approaching her Ancestor, she remained persistently ahead of me even though I was sprinting as fast as I could. Then again, we were still on the paved part of the road. If we kept going, we would enter the dense forest, where she wouldn’t be able to get away or hide from me if I sharpened my senses.

At least, that was what I thought.

“Hyah!” Tailtiu exclaimed.

“Ahh?!”

With a bright flash, Tailtiu suddenly turned into her black dragon form and started to take flight. For a moment I was overcome with surprise at how she was moving, like a plane speeding down a runway, but I knew that if she got away, she would sulk and cry by herself. I had been treated with kindness by all sorts of people coming to this island, including Tailtiu, so I couldn’t just stand by and watch her go.

“H-How about that?! I bet you can’t chase after me now! Give up already, darling!” she shouted, looking back at me. She sounded a bit lonely. As she flew, she flapped her huge wings many times, shaking the thick forest trees.

“Hiyah!” I exclaimed.

“Huh?” Tailtiu let out an astonished voice, maybe because I had come flying through the sky after her. “H-How are you flying?!”

“I learned from watching Mina fly a while back!”

“Th-That isn’t something you can just learn so easily! This is why everyone says, ‘Sometimes I can’t stand you,’ darling!”

I wished they wouldn’t say it. Lately, whether it was Reina or someone else, everyone had been treating me like I was some strange other species called “Arata,” and it made me pretty sad to hear it.

Regardless, our game of tag had left the ground, but...

“Gah, just as I thought... I can’t get used to this,” I said to myself.

In fact, I had practiced this Floating magic once before, but it was quite difficult. Staying balanced in midair was tough, and even now I was doing everything I could to not fall. This was no doubt the result of my lack of practice; I had thought about practicing in secret and then surprising everyone with it, but that was now coming back to bite me.

“If I’d known this was going to happen, I should’ve just practiced without trying to keep it a secret.”

Tailtiu soared through the sky unimaginably quickly for her huge body. I was using all my power to chase after her, but I wasn’t getting any closer; on the contrary, she was actually pulling ahead.

“T-Tailtiuuu!” I shouted her name.

She didn’t reply, but somehow I got the feeling that her speed had decreased a little. She was also repeatedly glancing back at me, as if to make sure that I was keeping up with her.

“Is she worried about me?”

To be sure, I wasn’t skilled with Floating magic. If I messed up my control just for a moment, I would probably plunge all the way to the ground headfirst. Still, I knew that I would have died long ago if that could hurt me. Tailtiu should have known that too, but...

“Actually, what if... Does she just want me to pay attention to her?”

That might have been why she was looking at me from time to time. After everything she had been through, she was the type of person who easily got lonely. Though she had been swept away by her emotions and flown away, if no one had followed after her, she would have no doubt cried to herself alone while hugging her knees again.

“Heeey! Can you forgive me already?!”

“H-Hmph! I don’t care about someone who says they’re going to eat me!”

I didn’t sense any anger or sadness in her voice. She seemed to have realized during our chase that she had gotten the wrong idea. First, I felt relieved. It was way more fun to have a lively time with everyone than it was to get into fights. A part of me thought that even this chase was a bit entertaining.

“Now then, before anything else, I have to catch her.”

I’d probably never reach Tailtiu with this unfamiliar Floating magic if she seriously tried to escape. But, the fact that she wasn’t letting herself get too far away from me meant she was flying just barely fast enough for me to keep up.

“If that’s how it’s going to be...”

I remembered a wind spell Reina had used before. If I can just use wind magic to give myself a boost while flying!

Turning around, I held up both hands and released a burst of mana with an exclamation of, “Hah!” That moment, an intense gale sprung forth, and just as I predicted, I caught up to Tailtiu with tremendous momentum—

“Ah...”

“Huh?”

But right after that, I overtook her.

“D-Darliiing! Hold on, where are you goiiing?!”

“I-I didn’t think about how I would stop myseeelf!”

I rapidly flew farther and farther away from her. Unused to Floating magic, I couldn’t use it to counteract the momentum of my full-power wind spell. As I broke through the surrounding clouds, I could see Tailtiu in the distance, trying her hardest to chase after me. Darn, I’ve completely reversed things.

“A-Anyway, if I just use wind magic in the opposite direction...”

I changed the orientation of my body once more, only to find a huge scarlet dragon waiting with its mouth open.

“Huuuh?!”

Surprised, I reflexively fired off a wind spell, accidentally blasting the dragon in the face. That seemed to be just enough to let me precisely halt my momentum, but then the dragon swooped down on me with obvious anger, probably because its supposed prey had suddenly attacked it.

“Wh-What do I do?!”

In video games and manga, dragons were the strongest species. However, there were any number of more powerful beings on this island. Besides, I’d defeated a dragon when I was summoned outside the island recently, and this one seemed to be about as strong, so beating it would be simple. But if this dragon just so happened to be one of Tailtiu’s acquaintances...

“Darliiing, that dragon’s steak is delicious, so you absolutely cannot let it get awaaay!”

“Got it!”

It seemed that Tailtiu regarded dragons as food.

I glared at the approaching dragon. It stopped, then let out a terrified “Gyaaah!” before turning tail and fleeing. It had seemingly understood who the predator was, but it was already too late.

“O wind!” I said. I held up my hand and produced the same blade of wind that Reina had used before, and it lopped off the dragon’s head. Unable to even cry out as it died, it slowly plummeted to the ground. Letting it go would be a waste, however, so I grabbed the falling dragon’s wings.

“Phew...”

It was rather hefty, but my body was strong enough to hold it up with no issues.

“D-Darliiing!”

“Oh, Tailtiu.”

“Don’t, ‘Oh, Tailtiu,’ me! H-How did you overtake me! It’s, i-i-i-it’s not right!”

Her breathing was quite heavy after having flown as hard as she could in her dragon form to get here. Every time she flapped her wings, a violent gale blew, swaying the scarlet dragon in my hands from side to side.

“Sorry, my bad. I’m just not that good with fine control yet.”

Tailtiu let out an exasperated sigh, returning to her usual human form. “Hahh. This is why I can’t stand you sometimes, darling.” The only change from her normal look was that she kept the dragon wings on her back and was using them to fly.

“Oh, so you can do that too?” I asked.

“Hmph. It’s because I can’t fly if I don’t keep my wings.”

“Wow...” I unconsciously let out an amazed reply. There was a certain, picturesque quality to a beautiful girl with black wings floating in the sky.

Then, I glanced down at the dragon I was holding. The massive creature was missing its head, expelling a gushing waterfall of blood. To any onlooker, it would have looked like something out of a horror movie. The blood was drifting in the wind and turning into a cloud of fine droplets, but on the ground it probably looked like it was raining blood.

“By the way, darling...”

“Yeah?”

“Are you going to take that dragon home and eat it?”

For a moment I worried what her intent gaze could mean, but then I remembered what she had said earlier: That dragon’s steak is delicious, so you absolutely cannot let it get awaaay!

“Say, Tailtiu...”

“Hm?”

“You don’t have any aversion to eating dragons?”

“Of course not, why would I? They’re so delicious.”

“I see.”

It wasn’t like I had been expecting her to say something along the lines of, “I could never eat my own kind!” but I also wasn’t quite sure I was comfortable with her actual reaction.

“Darling? By any chance, do you see me and that dragon as the same?”

“What? No, I mean, not the same, of course, but you’re an Ancient Dragonfolk, so I thought that maybe you’re both similar species or something,” I said, sounding like I was making excuses.

Tailtiu looked exasperated.

“Darling, it’s the same as Luna or that pervert wolf eating an Emperor Boar, you know.”

“Huh? Oh, I see.”

From my perspective, Ancient Dragonfolk in their dragon form resembled dragon monsters pretty closely, but apparently they were completely different. That meant that Tailtiu’s “They’re so delicious” definitely didn’t entail cannibalism.

Slurp.

Tailtiu had clearly turned her gaze to the dragon and was greedily drooling. There was only one way I was going to use it.

“Okay, let’s cook it after this.”

Tailtiu nodded, overjoyed. I had obviously made the correct choice.

“All right, why don’t we go back?” I said.

“Mm-hmm!”

Thus, the chase that had begun from Tailtiu’s misunderstanding signaled its end, and we returned home.

◇

Tailtiu’s misunderstanding was cleared, and we had a barbecue party like usual.

The dragon meat was of outstanding quality, even when compared to everything I’d eaten up until now. Personally, I thought it was better than the Emperor Boar. I unconsciously moaned when I took a bite, but others were shouting louder than me, so I wasn’t embarrassed. According to Katima, dragons were rare, so it was rather difficult to catch one. Because of that, Reina and I agreed to save most of the dragon meat for another special occasion.

“Ahhh...”

“Hrmmm...”

Although Luna and Tailtiu whined, sounding like they wanted to eat more, I chided them, saying that truly tasty foods were best kept in reserve as a reward. They did eventually understand, but their eyes were on the meat until the very end. And they were drooling the entire time.

Then, yet another week passed after that.

“It’s finally over...”

After about a month, the road from our house to the Divine Beastfolk village was all but complete. Katima and Reina had cleared the land, and as I went along I had put the trees they felled into my Storage spell. Then, while walking, I used earth magic to flatten out the game trail to the point that there was now a surface smooth enough for a carriage to travel along without shaking.

“Yep, it’s perfect,” I said, looking anew at the finished road.

“It is. To be honest, even the continent doesn’t have any roads as smooth as this. You really are absurd, Arata,” Reina said.

“Oh, not at all. I mean, I think everyone was amazing.”

In fact, we had only finished this quickly because everyone had each taken on a part of the work to which they were best suited. This was only an example, but say someone like me who was still unskilled at magic control had cleared the land for the road. In that case, we might have finished earlier, but I would have been rushing the whole way, and the width of the road would end up totally uneven. We had only been able to make a civilized road because of Katima cutting down the trees with her axe and Reina using her precise magic.

Suddenly, there was a tug at the hem of my shirt. I turned and saw Katima, looking up at me with a blank expression that was nevertheless brimming with confidence.

“Arata, I think I did a really amazing job,” she said, singing her own praises.

“I think so too. It turns out you can do anything if you put your mind to it.”

“Heh heh heh...” She smiled happily.

And of course, all of this wasn’t just due to Reina’s or Katima’s efforts. They weren’t here now, but Zelos’s and Merlyn’s participation had been essential to the road’s completion. In fact, they were so skilled at manipulating magic that it would be wrong to even compare them to someone like me. This was no doubt the difference between me, who could only use magic because I’d copied it, and those who had undergone enough consistent training to be called Celestial Archmages.

Maybe I should get some serious magic lessons from Reina next time.

“Well, at any rate, now it’ll be easier to travel to the Divine Beastfolk village,” I said. I looked at the newly smoothed road, but there was still a cause for concern. “After all the time we spent on it, I just hope it doesn’t get damaged by magic beasts or something...”

“There’s no need to worry about that,” Katima said.

“Really? Why not?”

“It’s because this road is full of your mana. Pretty much all of the beasts should stay away because it’s scary to them.”

“I see. Well, that’s a relief.”

“You’re a scary guy, after all.”

“I could do without you putting it like that, though...”

I had been hearing for a while about how the magic beasts on this island were sensitive to the presence of powerful individuals. It was a survival skill unique to those who lived on an island full of staggeringly powerful beings like Divine Beastfolk and Ancient Dragonfolk. My existence was apparently already known far and wide among the island’s beasts, and they hardly ever got near. The only ones who did were idiots who either had a great deal of confidence in their strength or lacked a sense of caution. I really had to be grateful to the god that had given me this power, as it was because of her that Reina and the other Celestial Archmages would be quite safe when walking down the road alone.

“With this, I’ll be able to casually visit the Divine Beastfolk village,” Reina said. “I always got you to come along with me.”

“I didn’t mind, though,” I said.

“But I did.”

I had accompanied Reina, Zelos, or Merlyn each time they went to the Divine Beastfolk village to trade for foodstuffs, but from now on they would be fine alone. Of course, I hadn’t disliked going with them, and I wished they wouldn’t be so hesitant to rely on me, but perhaps it was stressful having me always be around even during their private time.

“Well, at any rate, it looks good,” I said.

Up until now, the tall trees had blocked all but a trickle of sunlight on the game trail. Now, the ground was brightly illuminated and almost appeared to be sparkling.

I had done all sorts of things since coming to this island, whether it was constructing a house or building a road to the river, but this was the first development on such a large scale. Its completion marked an end to a period in my life here. Now, there was only one thing for us to do.

◇

After going back home, we each set about getting things ready. The Emperor Boar’s attack had leveled the area, turning it into a rather large clearing. There was also more than enough space for Luna, Tailtiu, Grr, and Garr to run around and play.

“All right, before the kids make themselves hungry from playing, why don’t we finish setting up?” I said.

“Yeah. We have plenty of ingredients, after all,” Reina said.

We had finished putting in the road from here to the Divine Beastfolk village. Now, we were working on a party to celebrate its completion. Zelos and Merlyn had gone to draw water; Katima was with them as an escort, but the road to the river was also maintained, so it was unlikely they were in any danger. As for Reina and I, we were getting ready to receive all the Divine Beastfolk who would soon be arriving. That said, Reina was taking care of the cooking, so I was mainly doing other things like setting up the venue.

Last time, the Divine Beastfolk had set up the feast at their village, so today it was on us to work hard. Elga had said that he didn’t mind, but I knew that with things like this, it was necessary that we all show respect to each other by not making any compromises.

“Well, there was no way we could make something for everyone, but still...”

The villagers had talked things out among themselves, and this time the Divine Beastfolk were the only ones coming. The ordinary Beastfolk had declined to come, and this was the one thing I couldn’t do anything about.

They had always treated us amicably, and with this, the distance between us would no doubt shrink. Once that happened, we could have a lot to learn from each other, including my knowledge of Earth. At any rate, more people brought more obligations, but in exchange there were also more things one could do.

“I’m looking forward to it,” I said.

Actually, I had used my spare time between working on the road to get Elga to teach me things, like how to make furniture out of wood. I still wasn’t any good at making clean cuts, but the piece I had made was stable, and I thought it had turned out well. It had a simple design, but next time I was hoping to make something with more style. And maybe it would be fun to try out something like drawing too.

It felt like in the beginning, I had been completely occupied with coming up with ways to improve my living conditions, but lately I was thinking of nothing but how to have more fun.

“Are you done, Arata?” Reina asked.

“Yeah, everything’s perfect.”

We looked at the finished venue and smiled, satisfied. A short distance away, Zelos and Merlyn were working hard as well.

“All right, let’s make this a fun party,” I said.

“Yes, definitely!”

And so, we lit the bonfire in the center and prepared to make merry late into the night.

◇

The party to celebrate connecting our dwellings with the Divine Beastfolk village began. There were tables set up around the bonfire in the center, and everyone was full of boisterous revelry.

“Sup! I mean, my thanks for inviting us today!”

“Oh, hello, Suzaku. You’re back,” I said.

“Yeah. For some reason, the island’s barrier has been loose recently, and I was out putting the screws on a suspicious character.”

“Suspicious character? Didn’t you go to Mina’s place?”

“She’s always suspicious, isn’t she?”

I can’t deny that.

As I wasn’t saying anything, Suzaku laughed loudly. “Well, she claims it isn’t her, but there was a moment when she completely disappeared from the island, though it was only for a single instant...”

“Is that...” ...really okay to ignore?

As you might expect, by now I understood just how absurd the people on this island were. Mina in particular was one of the few beings even I felt a bit nervous around, so I had a feeling that it would be a big issue if someone like her left the island.

“Eh, I doubt she feels like wrecking things anymore, so you don’t have to worry,” Suzaku said. “Besides, it looked like she’s gotten hooked on messing with you guys.”

“That’s not exactly good news...”

Regardless, I was relieved to see that Suzaku was all right. She could survive anything, even death, but I still didn’t want anything bad to happen to someone I knew.

“Well, see ya, I’m going to have my fill of the food.”

With that, Suzaku went over to where the Divine Beastfolk were.

“She sure is a free spirit...”

Looking out over the venue, there seemed to be no differences between anyone, human or Divine Beastfolk. And although I was grouping all the Divine Beastfolk together, I could tell that there were actually many different races with their own distinct features. For example, Elga’s Ancestor was Fenrir, which meant he had a wolflike air to him, while Livia’s was Leviathan, so she had a tail peeking out from beneath her kimono. Luna had fox ears, and Gaius had two thick horns. They all looked very different, with each of them inheriting traits from their Ancestors. Watching them all was fun.

“Whooooaaahhh! This is great!” Elga shouted. Echoing him, Suzaku and the other Divine Beastfolk started shouting as well.

They were seemingly digging into the main dish—dragon steak—and to be sure, it was delicious.

“Your cooking is as popular as ever, Reina,” I said.

“I know this happens every time, but such exaggerated shouting makes me feel more embarrassed than happy,” she replied.

Everywhere, the Divine Beastfolk were shouting at the sky. I thought the food we had eaten at their village last time had been good too, so was there really that much of a difference? The way Reina seasoned her cooking was certainly more to my liking. It was the style of camping, or rather, my body appreciated the somewhat richer flavor, as I was always moving.

“Still, it looks like they’re enjoying it, so isn’t it all right?” I said.

“I guess so... Yeah, you’re right.”

Zelos was drinking together with one of the Divine Beastfolk, and Merlyn was at another spot, surrounded by Grr and Garr and looking like she was at a loss. Then, Luna and some of the other Divine Beastfolk started watching her and laughing. In the beginning, the two magicians had been afraid of the mighty power of the Divine Beastfolk, but that fear must have faded away, as they spent the feast drinking together.

Humans and Divine Beastfolk—it made me feel just a bit happy to watch them approach each other as friends.

“Hey, Reina, don’t you think this is an amazing sight?” I asked.

“Yes, I really do.”

I sort of got the sense that by building the road, the emotional distance between us had shortened as well. For that reason, I felt a powerful new desire: I wanted to get to know the other races besides the Divine Beastfolk too.

“The Ancient Dragonfolk, the Fierce Ogrefolk, the Spirits and the Elves... There are all sorts of races on this island we haven’t even seen yet.”

“You’re right. But you know, there’s no telling whether they’ll be friendly like Elga and the others.”

“Even so, we won’t know until we meet them.”

In response, Reina nodded, smiling slightly.

“Even Elga was wary of us at first,” I went on. “But as we talked to each other, ate meals together, and had all sorts of experiences, we became friends. I’m sure we’ll be able to get along with everyone else too.”

That was why I hoped to be able to use this as an opportunity. I wanted to see every race on this island, not just us, getting along with and caring about each other.

I had come here in the beginning without any goals. After that, I had thought it would be nice to just live comfortably, with no particular purpose. But now, seeing the scene before me, for the first time in my second life I felt like I had gained something I could call a dream.

“All right, it’s a plan. I’m going to hold a feast with all the races on this island!”

“Heh heh...” Reina giggled.

“You’re laughing?”

“It’s just, you have such a serious look on your face. But what you’re saying is... A feast, I mean, heh heh heh.” She must have found it awfully funny, because she kept chuckling, unable to control herself.

How cruel... But I’m serious.

“Oh, don’t look so miserable. I’m sorry for laughing... Sorry, heh heh.”

“You’re apologizing, but you’re still laughing.”

Well, it was fine. I knew that her laughter wasn’t ridiculing me at all.

“It would be wonderful to see something like that,” Reina said.

The sparks from the bonfire drifted in the wind and glittered brightly. In the midst of that, she smiled, looking incredibly pretty, and I was unconsciously transfixed.

“Arata?” she said.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” I replied after a pause. “I’m sure it’ll be way, way more fun if that happens, so I’ll have to work hard.”

“Yes, let’s do our best.”

“Darling! Reinaaa!”

As we chatted, I heard the voices of Tailtiu and Luna calling us from far away. We exchanged smiles, then headed over to them.

“What is it, Tailtiu?” I asked.

“You sure sound happy,” Reina remarked.

“Indeed, because I am very happy right now!”

Tailtiu held meat in both hands, and her face was tinged faintly red, perhaps from excitement. She usually played with Luna, but today she was getting to know the other Divine Beastfolk. The adults seemingly saw the way she looked with her small cheeks stuffed with meat as charming, and they were really doting on her. That wasn’t all—just earlier she had taken on Gaius in a match of Divine Beast Sumo, where she had put on a comparable display of strength. That had gotten the venue even more energized, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that she had become the center of the party.

“I was watching. You were really amazing,” Reina said to her.

“Someone sure is popular, surrounded by everyone,” I said.

“Heh heh heh... I am the most powerful Ancient Dragon, Bahamut, after all! This much is...nothing...”

Tailtiu had been eating tasty food, playing a lot, and smiling around everyone, and she should’ve been enjoying the party to her heart’s content. But despite all that, her expression gradually darkened.

“Tailtiu?” I said.

“It is truly fun...it is... Yet...” The joy rapidly faded from her voice. There were faint tears in her eyes, and she seemed to be remembering something. “This is the first time I have eaten with so many people like this... And the other Ancient Dragonfolk always left me out of everything, so...”

“I see...”

That reminded me of something Elga had once said. Tailtiu was especially strong, even among her fellows, and she was always alone because the others her age ostracized her. I hadn’t noticed it then, but as I looked at Tailtiu now, I realized that her loneliness might have been quite deep-seated.

“It’s strange,” Tailtiu continued. “I’m happy, I’m having fun, but somehow I feel just a bit sad...”

“Tailtiu...” Reina gently hugged her, and the girl buried her face in her chest.

As I watched Tailtiu sob quietly in Reina’s arms, I thought that perhaps right now, everyone’s kindness was something painful, because it made her remember her past with the Ancient Dragonfolk.

“A feast with all the races on the island, huh?” I said to myself. This was a goal I had decided on just a short while ago. But looking at Tailtiu now made me think that maybe this was a more serious matter than I’d thought—as serious as someone like her being ostracized by her own species.

For a while we stood there silently, illuminated by the bonfire’s flames.

“Hm? What’re you guys doing?” Katima asked, looking at us curiously. Her expression looked sleepy, maybe because she had eaten a lot of food. “Seems kinda depressing over here. Seeing as we’re having this fun feast, I think you should enjoy yourselves more.”

“You’re right...”

Despite what I said, I couldn’t get in the partying mood while Tailtiu was crying. This was a matter of her feelings, though, so maybe there was nothing I could do.

“Come to think of it, weren’t the Alfar supposed to be on bad terms with the Divine Beastfolk, Katima?” I asked.

“Yep.”

“Such a direct answer... But you were just eating and drinking with them.”

“What are you talking about, Arata?”

“Huh?”

“It’s a feast, isn’t it? So what if we’re on bad terms? You gotta have fun eating and drinking at a feast.”

I was somewhat taken aback by Katima’s matter-of-fact attitude, and I was at a loss for words. Tailtiu must have been surprised as well, because she raised her face and looked at her.

“I don’t really get why you’re so shocked,” Katima said. “But wouldn’t you rather have fun? I think that if we could all have fun, no one would care about whatever problems we have with each other.”

I paused, then said, “Yeah, you’re right.”

Somehow, I started to suspect that I had been overthinking things. To be sure, the other Ancient Dragonfolk might have been excluding Tailtiu. But if so, I could just hold a feast like this and invite them. If they ate, drank, and laughed enough to where they could no longer do something as ridiculous as keep Tailtiu at a distance because of her strength, then they would certainly understand how small their worries were. Heck, why don’t I invite the Fierce Ogrefolk they’re on bad terms with too?

“Tailtiu!” I said.

“Hnuh?!”

“First off, let’s eat! Then, let’s enjoy the feast!”

“Mm-hmm... Mm-hmm...”

“Then next time, let’s invite those poor Ancient Dragonfolk who couldn’t come today. After all, it isn’t fun to be left out!”

Yes, right now, Tailtiu wasn’t the one being left out—it was the other Ancient Dragonfolk.

“That’s right!” Tailtiu said. “Because right now, I’m not alone!”

“There you go, Tailtiu,” Reina said. “You’re our family, and we’re friends.”

“Reina...”

“Also, those two say they want to get to know you better.” Reina pointed at Zelos and Merlyn, who were coming our way.

They had seemingly been looking for Tailtiu, and they began to talk together about all sorts of things. Although the two were supposed to have had their pride as Celestial Archmages torn to shreds on this island, I honestly thought it was impressive that they were still trying to build a relationship with Tailtiu despite that.

After a while, Luna came over after noticing that we had all gathered together, and the conversation surrounding Tailtiu got more lively. That must have been fun for her, because there was now a smile on her face. It was hard to imagine that she had been crying just a bit ago. As I watched them from a distance, I somehow found myself feeling incredibly happy.

“Thanks, Katima,” I said.

“Hm? What for?” She looked totally mystified, as if she really didn’t know what I was talking about.

Thanks to her, Tailtiu had regained her smile. So...

“I’m saying that you might actually be a genius.”

“What, you only just figured that out? You’re so slow, Arata.”

“Ha ha, no one’s going to think a girl who got swept away in a river twice is a genius.”

Still, she must have really been one, seeing how she maintained her placid demeanor even after being seen in such a state.

“Now then, why don’t I enjoy the rest of this fun feast?” I said.

Right now, the only ones here were the humans, the Divine Beastfolk, Tailtiu, and Katima.

It was a night that made me want to keep doing the best I could, and work harder to make the next feast an even bigger one.

Chapter Nine: Ancient Dragonfolk and Fierce Ogrefolk

In life, you need to have a goal.

That was something my boss at my last job had told me, but...

“I just didn’t have the capacity for a goal in life when I was working for an exploitative company...”

My life had been one of constant pressure, dealing with the loads of tasks and responsibilities foisted upon me. I had always thought, You’re one to talk, when you’re the cause of all this!

“I was supposed to be living in leisure here alone, without having to care about anyone else, but now I’ve totally changed.”

The feast with the Divine Beastfolk was over. I averted my eyes from the disaster before me—heaps of dead-drunk bodies all around—and basked in the morning sun. My past livelihood had been an unhealthy one of idly playing music and sleeping in bed. Now, I was getting sunlight while listening to the rustling of the trees.

“I’m too healthy.”

And I felt unreasonably light. It went without saying that this was because of my god-given cheat body, but that wasn’t all. One’s body could be invincible, but one’s heart was another story, and my current pleasant mood was no doubt thanks to the different life I’d led since coming here.

“‘You need to have a goal,’ huh?”

Only now did I fully understand the meaning of those words. After talking with Reina, Tailtiu, and everyone else recently, there was something inside of me that had clearly changed: I wanted to get to know the islanders better and become friends with them.

“And then I’ll have one big feast with the whole island...”

It was terribly unrealistic, on a completely different scale from organizing a company party. But a god had given me these cheat skills and a chance to redo my life—surely it was all right to dream big.

“Ancient Dragonfolk, Fierce Ogrefolk, Great Spirits...and Mina.”

Her and Elga don’t get along, so that might be tough, I thought, growing timid. But relationships between people—though for them, it might be stretching the definition of the word—could change at the drop of a hat. The Divine Beastfolk and the Alfar were supposed to be on bad terms, but Katima hadn’t seemed to mind. It was possible that some day, the two of them would be able to share a drink together like friends.

“You sure woke up early, Arata.”

“Oh, hey, Reina. Yeah, this body quickly gets rid of anything bad for it, including alcohol.”

“Really? I’m jealous...”

Reina was lightly massaging her temples, probably because she was hungover. She could hold her drink unexpectedly well, but last night she’d had quite a lot, so I supposed it made sense that she felt bad. If anything, I had been the type of person who didn’t get what was so good about the taste of alcohol, so in my past life I had disliked drinking parties. But since coming to this island, I had come to find enjoyment in those sorts of lively feasts.

“It’ll be a lot of work to clean all this up,” Reina said.

“Oh... Yeah, definitely.”

The Divine Beastfolk were complete party animals, which meant that the area around the bonfire was a huge mess.

“How about I put it all in my Storage spell?” I said.

“You can’t be that lazy.”

“Hey, it was a joke.”

But my Storage spell seems practically endless, so it wasn’t totally a joke...

“Clean up your own messes yourself. That’s just common sense.”

I was silent.

“What is it?”

“It’s just, you seem like you’d be a good mother... Ha ha.”

The moment I said that, Reina’s face reddened slightly.

“Jeez! If you have time to make jokes like that, I’m going to wake up everyone and start cleaning!”

She briskly turned her back to me, then started to wake up Tailtiu, Luna, and the others who were sleeping on the ground.

“It might be becoming less of a joke lately...” I could feel my face grow warmer as I remembered what I had said.

This is bad. This is seriously bad, I thought. Trying to do whatever I could to distract myself, I caught Suzaku, who was trying to run away from cleanup duty.

◇

After we cleaned up the venue, the party broke up and everyone went their respective ways. That said, Luna and Tailtiu were going to come to our house to play after this, and Zelos and Merlyn were our neighbors. The others went back together on the smoothly paved road, returning while enjoying conversation.

“Even so...”

Right when I arrived home, I looked at my surroundings with a fresh perspective. There was the Divine Beastfolk Luna, the Ancient Dragonfolk Tailtiu, and us four humans. Perhaps, in a sense, it was a miracle that we could all be together like this, without regard for species. Even Zelos, who had been frightened of Luna and Tailtiu at first, had gotten much more used to the island, and there were apparently even times when they went hunting together. Merlyn still seemed a bit reluctant, but it was probably only a matter of time before she opened up too.

“I hope we can get along with all the other races, just like this.”

With that, I quietly and leisurely passed the time, but then I was suddenly interrupted.

“Darling! Me or Luna? You have to choose one!”

“That’s right, Mister Arata! Just pick already!”

I was silent. They yanked on my arms, each demanding I choose them over the other. It was like I was a two-timing man, and the gazes of the three Celestial Archmages were painful to bear.

“Hey, Reina, is Arata actually a loli—” Merlyn trailed off.

“I’ve suspected it for a while now, but...” Reina paused. “There’s really something with him and little girls...”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Zelos chimed in. “He does sorta strike me as one of them...”

They were whispering quietly, but with my hearing, I could make out even the trickling of a faraway river. So even if they were trying to keep it down, I wished they’d stop it with this “lolicon” business.

“Wait... You’re all saying that because you know I can hear, aren’t you?!” I shouted.

“Pff, heh heh heh. I mean... Arata, you look so confused! Heh heh heh.”

“Hey, you should be glad you’re so popular. As a guy, it’s a mark of pride to be surrounded by women while you’re still so young.”

“Don’t act like you’re not a part of this, you two...” I said.

Reina and Zelos didn’t even try to hide their laughter. As for Merlyn, she alone was looking at me with a serious expression.

“So? Which will you choose?” she asked.

“Please, don’t say it like there’s some double meaning behind it! I’m just choosing which one of their kills we’re going to eat for lunch!”

“It isn’t just about that, Mister Arata!”

“Exactly, darling! This is a crusade with women and seed at stake!”

“Mina taught you those weird words, didn’t she?!”

Next time she comes by, I’ll definitely make her regret it!

Suddenly, the two released my arms. I saw that Merlyn was behind Tailtiu, and Reina was behind Luna.

“You’ve shown your spirit wonderfully, Tailtiu,” Merlyn said.

“Hrmm?” Tailtiu sounded confused.

“As a fellow woman, I’ll be your ally. Let’s teach this imbecile of a man a thing or two about women.”

“I don’t really get it, but...basically, you want to be my friend?”

“Yes, that’s right. From now on, we’ll be girlfriends.”

“I-I see... So we’re friends! Heh heh heh, ‘girlfriends’ has a rather nice ring to it.” Tailtiu smiled happily from ear to ear.

I thought they had already become friends at the feast, but Tailtiu seemed to be happy to have it put clearly into words. She had been ostracized by the other young Ancient Dragonfolk who were afraid of her extreme potential ability. Being all alone had given her a complex, so she was sensitive to the word “friend.” Seeing her look so happy put a smile on my face too, but...

“Tee hee hee! I’ll be able to mold this pure, innocent girl to my liking... This is going to be quite fun.”

When I saw the wicked grin on Merlyn’s face, my expression stiffened. I had heard from Zelos that the captivating Merlyn was, well, insatiable. I hoped that her being friends with the simple Tailtiu wouldn’t lead to any negative influence.

“Hey, Zelos, is this going to be all right?” I asked.

He didn’t reply.

“Would you mind not silently averting your eyes?”

Mina had already been meddling with Tailtiu lately. I got the feeling that nothing good would come of this if I let Merlyn into the mix as well. I’ve got to have a word with Merlyn next time, I thought.

“Listen closely, Luna,” Reina said. “Merlyn and Tailtiu are planning to use their femininity as a weapon. But you shouldn’t go for the same approach.”

Luna was tilting her head to the side, as if she couldn’t quite understand what Reina was saying. I mean, I didn’t get it either. Why was she saying stuff like that now?

“There’s no need for you to challenge your opponent directly in the same arena,” Reina went on. “Your weapon is your pure and innocent nature, so be as needy as you can, as if he’s a kind older brother.”

“That’s all I have to do?” Luna said.

“Yes. Ugh, Arata is soft on you, so he’ll fall right away without any resistance.”

“Okay! Then I’ll be as needy with him as I can!”

How is that any different from usual? And besides, Reina’s just as soft on Luna... Well, whatever.

Zelos had completely averted his gaze away from me. As it would be dangerous to get involved in this, he appeared to be planning on escaping himself while leaving me behind as a sacrifice.

I’ll definitely drag him back in after this.

We men were outnumbered, so we had to at least stick together. Of course, I was also planning on calling Elga, as the older-brother-type. It might worsen the situation if Livia came along with him, but three people was better than one.

“Hey, Arata, you’ve got a scary look in your eyes,” Zelos said.

“Oh, you’re just imagining things,” I said, lazily waving him off. As I did, I wondered what to do about the two pairs in front of me. They had each separated into teams, the kids listening to their master’s words with serious looks on their faces. At any rate, it seemed like they would take a bit longer.

“For now, why don’t I go on a walk or something?”

“I’ll come with you,” Zelos said. “I get the feeling it’ll be dangerous for me to stay here.”

I looked at Team Tailtiu and Team Luna. I did admittedly feel like I was just putting off the problem, but I decided that there was nothing I could do here now. So, the two of us went into the forest and randomly wandered around.

“Still, I can’t believe they can make so much fuss over just a lunch,” Zelos said.

“Zelos... You know, those two would tackle you if they heard that.”

He paused. “Pretend I didn’t say anything.”

With my invincible body, I’d be fine, but it would definitely be lethal for an ordinary person. Even Zelos, one of the continent’s strongest magicians, would likely be annihilated.

“Well, both of them have learned to restrain their power now, so I think you’ll be fine,” I said.

“But I was sent soaring by that ‘restrained’ power...”

“You were?”

“Yeah, when I was out hunting with Luna the other day.”

“Huh...”

That reminded me that he and Merlyn had lately started to do various things in order to live on this island, including hunting. I accompanied them at times, and Luna would also tag along if she was visiting.

“I’m glad to hear you’re all getting along,” I said.

“Are you even listening? I was sent flying by that tackle of hers.”

“It sounds like you should be tackled by Tailtiu next, then. She’s a shy girl, so if she doesn’t know you well, she’ll just watch you from far away.”

“Your point?”

“Tackling is how they say they want to be friends.”

“If we really do become friends and they stop restraining themselves around me, I might just die.”

We strolled through the forest and made idle chatter, when suddenly I sensed a power I’d never felt before. It was coming from somewhere quite far away from our houses, but that distance meant nothing to a resident of this island.

“Whoa, whoa... Is this place just full of crazy strong monsters?” Zelos said.

“Are they new ones? For monsters, these feel decently strong...”

“You’re the real monster, to call that ‘decently’ strong.”

Zelos’s expression was stiff, probably because he could pick up on the gap in strength between himself and what we were sensing. He might have been one of the most powerful magicians on the continent, but all of this island’s inhabitants were Calamity-level beings who were strong enough to go down in history. I had no intention of boasting about my god-given cheats, but it was enough to make me want to use this power for others.

“Their strength is getting out of control. The damage might reach us at this rate. I should go see what’s going on.”

“We’re going to where all those monsters are?” Zelos paused. “Well, I guess we’ll be all right with you around.”

There appeared to be not just one source of power, but several, and they were fighting among themselves.

Zelos and I kicked off the ground, breaking into a sprint through the forest. After a while, we came out of the trees and arrived at a spot resembling a wasteland.

“Hey, you bastards! We don’t got time to be lying around, so pull yourselves together and get back on your goddamn feet! We’re gonna knock those asshole ogres away!”

“The detestable Ancient Dragonfolk riffraff are getting full of themselves! Today shall be the day we show them which of us is stronger!”

“YEEAAHHH!!!”

Around ten people were brawling in the wasteland while spewing dirty words. It was like a scene from a manga about punks, but their power was far beyond anything a human could wield, and their struggle was whipping up a natural disaster.

“Whoa, whoa... This is serious,” Zelos said.

“Yeah, this is definitely going to bother everyone else in the neighborhood...”

There seemed to be two opposing sides, and one of them had an air about them that vaguely resembled Tailtiu’s. Their clothes were black like hers too, so I guessed that they were Ancient Dragonfolk. The group they were clashing with was a bunch of men with dark red skin.

“If they’re fighting with the Ancient Dragonfolk, does that mean they’re Fierce Ogrefolk?” I wondered.

With horns sprouting from their foreheads and wearing outfits that resembled karate gi, they did battle against the Ancient Dragonfolk without retreating a single inch. Luna and Elga had told me before about the different races living on this island; the young Ancient Dragonfolk and Fierce Ogrefolk disliked each other and were always fighting.

“This is the first time I’ve seen them since coming here. They’re way stronger than monsters,” I remarked.

“How can you be so relaxed right now?! At this rate, they’ll send the whole area sky-high!”

“Ah, yeah...”

Just as he said, both the Ancient Dragonfolk and Fierce Ogrefolk were using all their power to defeat their opponents. They generally fought in their human forms, but every now and then some of them turned into dragons and fired beams of light.

“But those ogre people sure are tough,” I said.

“This is insane... Those beams are powerful enough to blow away a fortress city in a single shot.”

“Well, we are on this island, after all...”

Zelos’s eyes were wide with shock at their amazing resilience, but I thought it was pointless to demand common sense from this place.

The Fierce Ogrefolk appeared to sustain little damage despite taking those beams of light head-on, and they wasted no time trying to punch right back. Their attacks must have been pretty intense, because each strike was accompanied by a sound like a crash of lighting. Of course, the Ancient Dragonfolk weren’t just helplessly taking it either; neither side was giving in, and they appeared evenly matched in strength.

At any rate, they didn’t show any hostility toward us, so there didn’t seem to be any need to intervene.

“I guess this means we’ll just spectate for now,” I said.

“Yeah, it’s not like I can do anything anyway,” Zelos said. “I’d die the second I stepped foot into that mess.”

“Also, we’re pretty far from our houses, so I don’t think there will be any damage, and it does seem like they made sure to choose a proper location, so there’s no need to get involved.”

We sat down on the spot and observed the two groups clashing for a while. If this had been the forest or somewhere else close by, I would have instantly stepped in and stopped them, but here it seemed like it would be all right to let them fight as long as they wished.

But then, I sensed a familiar presence in the sky over the forest.

“Oh, it’s Tailtiu,” I said.

“Huh? What’s she doing?” Zelos said.

Tailtiu stopped in midair above where the two groups were fighting and stared down at them in her black dragon form.

Is she here to back up the Ancient Dragonfolk? I wondered, but she just restlessly flitted about the sky. Every now and then she got a bit closer, seeming to look for an opening to join the fight, but she’d withdraw a moment later. She repeated this many times, but in the end she retreated high into the sky to observe from a distance. She seemed almost like a child trying and failing to join a circle of friends.

“Hey, Arata... By any chance, could she be trying to get them to let her join in?”

“You think so too, Zelos?”

“That’s the only thing it could possibly be. But for all that, she’s getting cold feet and running away. She stands out way too much with her huge body.”

The Ancient Dragonfolk and Fierce Ogrefolk continued to fight while shouting. Tailtiu just looked down on them with jealousy.

“Y’know, I sort of wonder,” Zelos said.

“Huh? About what?”

“Those guys who are fighting. Both sides have to have noticed she’s there. It’s like they’re ignoring her on purpose.”

“Definitely.”

I hadn’t realized it until then, but both her enemies and her presumed friends seemed to be treating her as if she weren’t there. Tailtiu was rather large in her dragon form, and the mana cloaking her body was far and away the strongest here. Even if they were completely absorbed in the fight, there was no way they wouldn’t notice her.

“What if they actually are ignoring her?” I said.

“Well... That’s definitely not a nice thought.”

“Yeah, it isn’t.”

I remembered Tailtiu crying at the feast venue yesterday. Even though she really had just wanted to be included, it still hadn’t turned out as she hoped.

Tailtiu attempted to join once again, only to instantly retreat. The fight was growing even more intense, approaching its climax. It would be over before long.

“You can do it,” I said.

“You won’t solve anything if you don’t take that first step,” Zelos said.

We cheered Tailtiu on; this probably wasn’t the sort of issue that could be fixed with someone else’s help.

“Oh, there she goes!” Zelos said.

“Yeah, and now...”

Unlike before, Tailtiu quickly plunged down. With how fast she was descending, there was no stopping her now!

“Go! Take advantage of the confusion and get them to let you in!” Zelos said.

“Go, Tailtiu!” I said.

“Ngh, uh... Nghaaahhh!” she shouted.

Then, in the middle of her rapid descent, Tailtiu opened her mouth and expelled flames charged with a ridiculous amount of mana, enveloping both the Ancient Dragonfolk and the Fierce Ogrefolk on the ground.

“Gaaaaahhh?!” they screamed.

“H-Hey! She hit her side too!” Zelos said.

“Aww, you can’t do that, Tailtiu.”

Her flames seemingly contained more power than the beams of light from earlier, as both sides were scattering in a panic. She must have been upset, but her flames were just making things worse.

“Dammiiit!”

Some of the Ancient Dragonfolk turned into their dragon forms and tried to attack Tailtiu in order to stop her.

“Why youuu!”

At the same time, the Fierce Ogrefolk leaped at Tailtiu as well, but there was a clear gap in strength between her and the rest. She slammed each of them to the ground with her tail and claws, dropping them one after another.

“Ah... Th-This isn’t...”

As she took down her attacking opponents, I could hear her speaking in a confused voice. It seemed that her head had finally cooled off, and she could now comprehend what she was doing. But it was already too late. Around half of the entire field was down for the count, and the rest were looking at her with anger.

“Tailtiu! So it’s you again! You’re an Ancient Dragonfolk like us, so why the hell’re you screwing around?!”

“Loner dragon over there! Must you always flaunt how much stronger you are?!”

There was a steady stream of abuse coming from the ground. This of course included the Fierce Ogrefolk, but even the Ancient Dragonfolk—presumably her peers—were being quite harsh.

“This isn’t what it looks like!” she protested. “Today...it really isn’t—”

“Get heeeerrrrr!”

Paying no heed to what Tailtiu was saying, they began a new fight on the spur of the moment. The difference between Ancient Dragonfolk and Fierce Ogrefolk no longer mattered as the situation devolved into a free-for-all. It was a fierce struggle, like the final battle at Armageddon. And Tailtiu, fighting all alone, was dominating.

“Hmm... When you look at it like this, there are some pretty big differences in strength even among the same race,” I said.

“You’re feeling impressed at a time like this?” Zelos said.

“No, I mean, I’ve never seen any of the people on this island fight except when they’re hunting, so it just came out.”

Mina and Suzaku were the ones who I considered the strongest out of everyone I’d seen here. Below them were Elga and Tailtiu, and Luna was maybe just a bit weaker still. Both the Ancient Dragonfolk and Fierce Ogrefolk appeared to be somewhat lacking compared to everyone I’d seen at the Divine Beastfolk village, probably because they were still young.

“Hey, Arata,” Zelos said. “Do you think that maybe she doesn’t have any friends because she’s always doing stuff like that?”

“I don’t think she’s doing it on purpose, but...”

Be that as it may, it was probably her way of trying to join the group. She was so awkward that it almost brought tears to my eyes.

“Wh-Why?” Tailtiu shouted. “I simply wanted you to let me join in!”

Perhaps on instinct, she countered every attack coming her way, knocking down Ancient Dragonfolk and Fierce Ogrefolk alike. She let out a small voice every time, somehow seeming incredibly sad. But, as if they couldn’t hear her, everyone just attacked again, even more fiercely this time.

“There’s no other choice,” I said.

At this rate, Tailtiu would lose control and both sides would be wiped out. I had no obligation to help out either of them, but my goal was to hold a feast with all the races of the island. A future where the Ancient Dragonfolk and Fierce Ogrefolk, at least, could come together and laugh seemed impossible, judging from the current situation, and above all—

“You just don’t like to see Tailtiu like that, do you?” Zelos said.

“Yeah, for sure.”

Tailtiu was looking down from the sky at the two races, anxiously trying to do something to fix things. But a stranger would think she was picking on those weaker than her. It wasn’t a pleasant sight.

“Well then, I’ll be right back,” I said.

“I bet you’re the only guy in the world who could talk like he’s just going on a stroll while heading toward that apocalyptic fight.”

“I can’t be the only one. I’m sure there are others on this island.”

I nonchalantly walked in the direction of the wasteland. The Ancient Dragonfolk and Fierce Ogrefolk didn’t notice me, as they were completely focused on Tailtiu. She was also engrossed in the fight and didn’t see me either. They only first became aware of me when I stood in the middle of all three of them.

“Ah!” Tailtiu exclaimed.

“Huh?”

“What are you...”

All at once, they stopped and looked at me, perhaps because I’d arrived there so casually.

I ignored the two groups for the moment and looked up at Tailtiu.

“A-A-Ah... Th-This isn’t what it looks like, darling! It’s, um...”

She was flustered, probably because she didn’t want me to think she was fighting again. She must have been remembering the time I got angry at her when she messed with Zelos. But I had only gotten angry at her then because she had been intentionally intimidating him, whereas this time I knew it was different, as I had been watching the whole thing.

“It’s all right. I don’t think you were picking on people weaker than you or anything, okay?”

She looked surprised but then said, “Okay.” She nodded, somewhat sadly, yet firmly. She had completely calmed down, probably because she had lost any desire to further attack them after noticing me.

“Hey, hold it right there! Who are you callin’ weak?!”

“I do not know who you are, sudden interloper, but your manner of speech is quite arrogant!”

The problem now was the crowd of Ancient Dragonfolk and Fierce Ogrefolk standing on either side of me. Two individuals who each appeared to be the groups’ young leaders turned their hostility toward me at the same time.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! You look like you know Tailtiu, but don’t screw with uuuussss!”

The first one to try something was the Ancient Dragonfolk man. He let loose a punch faster than the speed of sound. As his fist collided with my face, a tremendous crash resounded throughout the entire area.

“Heh, a weakling who can’t even dodge a punch like that has no business— Hmmm?” He must have thought it strange that I hadn’t budged at all, because he slowly moved his fist out of the way to look at me. “Wha— You aren’t hurt?!”

“Pretty weak compared to Gaius’s charges...” I said. I remembered my Divine Beastfolk friend, and I realized that the difference in strength between the adults and the youths must have been rather large. There was just that much of a gap between the punch I had sustained just now and Gaius’s power.

That means Tailtiu must really be out of the ordinary, to be on even footing with someone like him.

“Move aside! Hngggh!”

Then, interrupting my thoughts, the Fierce Ogrefolk man kicked my back with a leg as thick as a tree trunk. Just like before, there was a tremendous crash, but I didn’t move an inch.

“I-Impossible...”

He was dumbfounded, but no attack could harm my invincible cheat body, and it was unaffected by any negative statuses as well. It wasn’t something I could be proud of, as I hadn’t achieved it through hard work, so I had no desire to use it for fighting, but it was perfect for mediating disputes.

“Well then, are you two satisfied now?” I said, giving them a friendly smile. For some reason, they both looked at me with terror.

Hold on, it’s not like I’m trying to threaten you or anything.

Then, Tailtiu in her human form slowly came down from the sky.

“Darling... Umm, I...”

“Hey, you didn’t run away today.”

“I-If I did, you’d just come after me as fast as you could again, wouldn’t you?!”

“Of course. Then it’d be another chase. And I definitely wouldn’t let you get away.”

She shrunk back slightly at my straightforward reply. She appeared to be embarrassed that I had seen her earlier behavior. Perhaps because she was conscious about her usual solitude, she glared at the other two to try and hide her embarrassment, and they flinched.

“See, you’re threatening them. You won’t be able to make friends like that,” I said. I grabbed her and lifted her up by the scruff of her neck, and she returned to her usual peaceful self.

“Waaa... Darling...”

“So, why did you attack them?”

“Well...”

I had been watching for a while, so I pretty much understood why. But it would be good for her to think about this and come up with an answer herself, rather than me simply telling her. So, I waited.

“They always leave me out of the group...”

“Okay...”

“Even though I just want to fight together with them...”

“Okay.”

First, setting aside the fact that she wanted to fight, it was clear that, in her own way, all she wanted was to be included with everyone else.

“Hmm...”

Judging from what I had just seen, what was the reason they were excluding her? After all, based on their earlier conversation...

“Tailtiu! So it’s you again! You’re an Ancient Dragonfolk like us, so why the hell’re you screwing around?!”

“Loner dragon over there! Must you always flaunt how much stronger you are?!”

Tailtiu butting in whenever the Ancient Dragonfolk and Fierce Ogrefolk fought must have been a regular occurrence. However, I couldn’t think of a reason they would only exclude her.

“I’ll ask more about that later... Hey, you two!”

The leaders each had nervous expressions, perhaps because they could sense the gap in strength between us.

“Wh-What do you want?” the Ancient Dragonfolk man asked.

“You can call it a day here, can’t you?” I said.

“Huh?! Why do I gotta take this crap from some outsider who came outta nowhere?!”

“It is galling to be of the same opinion as this brute, but I concur. I do not know who you are, but you have no right to interfere in our contest with the Ancient Dragonfolk!”

The members of each group behind their leaders raised their voices too, as if to say, Yeah, that’s right!

“So that won’t satisfy you, huh?” I said.

“H-Hey, you all!” Tailtiu said. “You should quit while my darling is still being kind—”

“Actually, Tailtiu! It isn’t even a fair fight if someone like you is there, so stop butting in!”

“Ngh... But, I’m an Ancient Dragonfolk too...”

“It vexes me to say it, but you are exceptional... If you truly intend to eradicate us, we will have to put our lives on the line to stop it.”

“So that’s how it is...” I said.

Although the Ancient Dragonfolk and Fierce Ogrefolk disliked each other and had a fractious relationship, they did seem to have a point where they drew the line. And Tailtiu was someone on the outside, who didn’t belong. However, they had drawn that line with quite a narrow-minded perspective. I had actually been planning to persuade Tailtiu and then try to make them all get along, but this changed things.

“You know, you guys are actually pretty lame,” I said.

“What?!”

“Do you mean to mock us?!”

“I mean, it’s the truth, isn’t it?”

For all their spirited fighting, they ganged up together to cast someone out for being too strong. Tailtiu’s efforts to join in were forceful, but if she hadn’t tried, then they would have no doubt pretended she didn’t even exist. Of course, that didn’t make it right for her to lose her temper and attack them. But if that was the conclusion she had come to after trying desperately to think of a solution, then it was the duty of an adult to accept that. So, I wanted to reward Tailtiu for her perseverance.

“You really shouldn’t be surprised when someone calls you lame, seeing as you don’t want to fight with anyone stronger than yourselves.” I took a step forward, consciously pointing hostility toward them.

“Wha—”

“S-Such power...”

“So, if someone even stronger shows up, will you let Tailtiu in then?” I clenched my fist and punched the ground as hard as I could. The earth cracked, debris flew into the air, and everyone there was similarly sent soaring.

“Wh-Whoooaaaa?!” they all shouted.

Still, while they may have been young, as you might expect from paramounts, they were instantly ready to fight despite how sudden everything had been. The Ancient Dragonfolk spread their wings and the Fierce Ogrefolk stood on rocks suspended in the air, all glaring at me like they were facing a monster. In contrast, I levitated in midair and spread my arms, looking down on them like the final boss of a video game while making my hostility felt.

“Now then, why don’t we go for a round?!” I said.

“G-Get hiiiim!”

“He’s dangerous! Everyone, attack all at once!”

My words were the cue for the two races to leap into action. The first ones to move were the Ancient Dragonfolk.

“GROOOAAARRR!”

They each transformed into dragons and fired their signature laser beams at me. But even Tailtiu’s flames couldn’t hurt me, so their attacks were entirely meaningless. I purposely let myself get hit without blocking, showing off the fact that I was unscathed.

“Now! Let us attack!”

I was blinded due to the beams of light. But I didn’t need eyesight to sense that the Fierce Ogrefolk were approaching.

“Hraaaahhh!”

They leaped from one floating boulder to another, closing in at high speed and using the physiques they were so proud of as weapons. These were tough, fierce attacks. I hadn’t studied any combat sports in my past life, but I could clearly tell that they were highly trained in some sort of martial art. That must have been why, when I fended them off with just my staggeringly superior physical ability, they all looked at me with astonishment.

“One, two, three...”

I floored them with kicks in turns, purposely not using my hands.

“Wh-Why youuuu!”

“You seem like you’re the strongest of the Fierce Ogrefolk... But you’re all the same to me.”

“Guhah?!”

I blocked the Fierce Ogrefolk leader’s fist with my knee, then sent him sprawling like the rest of them. I was using wind magic to make cushions beneath them before they crashed into the ground, so they probably weren’t very hurt. If they came at me again, I would just have to make them feel a bit more pain next time.

“Now that that’s over with, only the Ancient Dragonfolk are left.”

“D-Don’t group us in with those ogres!”

I was once again blasted with a volley of beams. They felt a bit warm, but as always, I was undamaged.

“Wh-What are you?!”

“If that’s all you’ve got, then just like the Fierce Ogrefolk, should I...” bring you down?

A minute later, all of the Ancient Dragonfolk and Fierce Ogrefolk that were in the sky went falling down to earth together.

Epilogue: The First Step Toward a Dream

All of the young Ancient Dragonfolk and Fierce Ogrefolk were lined up, sitting on their knees on the ground. They had each displayed resistance at first, but after being defeated many times, they seemed to have realized the gap in our strengths, and now they were quite docile.

“I-I’m not...done yet...”

“I as well...can still...fight...”

That is, excluding their respective leaders.

“Like hell a proud Ancient Dragonfolk like me...is gonna lose to this...nobody...”

“O great Fierce Ogre Ancestors... Lend me your strength...”

The two of them should have been pretty badly hurt, but them lying on the ground and glaring at me made for a rather intense sight. Despite the state they were in, I thought they seemed just a bit scary.

“Hey, Tailtiu, do you know their names?” I asked.

“This is Gram, and that’s Gyes,” she replied.

“I see, so the Ancient Dragonfolk Gram and the Fierce Ogrefolk Gyes.”

Although it didn’t seem like they would be getting up anytime soon, with how much power they possessed, it made sense that they were the leaders of their respective groups. They must have been still developing, but they’d probably end up as strong as Elga one day.

“By the way, why were you two fighting?” I asked.

Still lying on the ground, they silently glared at each other for a moment before averting their eyes. Apparently they weren’t in the mood to answer me. I wondered whether I should ask the others, but then Tailtiu tugged at the hem of my shirt.

“The Ancient Dragonfolk and Fierce Ogrefolk adults both tell them to fight to get stronger,” she said.

“I see...”

I heard from Elga that they were on bad terms, but they originally started fighting because the adults told them to?

“Let me guess: When they actually started fighting, they genuinely started to dislike each other?”

“Indeed...”

“Hey! Tailtiu, you traitor!” Gram interjected.

“T-Traitor?! You guys won’t even let me fight together!”

“You already know your Ancestor, so this has nothing to do with you!”

“T-True, but... I still want to join in...” Dejected, Tailtiu hung her head.

The fact she wasn’t talking back seemed to imply that there was some reason for why they were excluding her. I had assumed that it was just because she was too strong and made the fights unfair, but apparently that wasn’t all.

“Hey, what does he mean, you ‘know your Ancestor’?” I asked.

“You know that I’m an Ancient Dragonfolk whose Ancestor is Bahamut, right, darling?”

“Yeah, you’re always saying it, after all.”

When we had first met, she had said something like, “My name is Tailtiu! My Ancestor is the Divine Dragon Bahamut, and I am the mightiest Ancient Dragon on this island!” The residents of this island generally mentioned whose descendant they were when they introduced themselves.

“As for the Divine Beastfolk, Elga’s Ancestor is Fenrir, Livia’s is Leviathan, and Gaius’s is Behemoth, right?” I said.

“Indeed... You may not know this because you mostly meet adults, but those who haven’t awoken to their powers yet don’t actually know whose descendant they are.”

“Oh, I see. So that’s why Luna doesn’t say who her Ancestor is.” With my video game knowledge, I’d just assumed hers was the nine-tailed fox or something similar, but apparently she didn’t know who it was in the first place.

“Ancient Dragonfolk and Fierce Ogrefolk especially value power, so it’s tradition for them to repeatedly fight like this to get stronger and inherit the name of their Ancestor, but...”

“That’s why it’s not right for you to butt into our fights, because you awoke and inherited your Ancestor’s name before us!” Gram said.

“Aye. We are not simply battling to amuse ourselves,” Gyes said.

“Hmm...” I said.

Regardless, I now understood the situation. They were fighting in order to awaken and learn the names of their Ancestors, so the presence of Tailtiu, who had already awoken, definitely didn’t sit well with them. They weren’t just fighting for the fun of it. There had actually been a legitimate reason for excluding Tailtiu beyond her simply being too strong.

“But you want to join in, don’t you, Tailtiu?” I said.

“Yes... I don’t like being excluded by everyone and being called a loner...”

I squatted, so as to make my line of sight level with the two groveling on the ground.

“You heard her, so how about you let her in?”

“Were you even listening?! I’m saying this isn’t her business!”

“If we did let her in, it would simply end with her crushing all of us. Awakening to and inheriting one’s Ancestor’s name is too significant...”

“Huh? But, you know...” I lowered my voice quiet enough as to be inaudible to Tailtiu and the others sitting nearby, and whispered, “Don’t you two already know your Ancestors’ names?”

Gram and Gyes looked up at me with stiff expressions, so shocked that they were at a loss for words. I beamed at them.

“I don’t know your reasons, but are you really sure what you’re doing is all right?”

“Ah, uh, wha...”

“Ngh, hng...”

“See, I’m Tailtiu’s friend, so I want to see her with a smile on her face.”

She was like an adorable little sister, attached to me since the first time we had met. She insisted she was my wife, but well, that wasn’t important right now. Seeing her always so bright and full of energy made me happy too. So, I didn’t want to let her feel alone.

“Darling?” Tailtiu said.

“The three of us are going to have a talk, so hold on a moment, okay? Oh, and the rest of you can sit at ease.”

I seized Gram and Gyes by their shoulders, then picked them up in order to move them away from everyone else. The island’s residents had all sorts of incredible abilities, so I dashed over to a place where I was positive we wouldn’t be overheard.

“Now then, why don’t you tell me what’s really going on?”

“Ngh?!” they grunted in unison.

“I’m going to get this out of the way first: No lying, all right? If I sense that you’re hiding something... I’ll tell everyone your secret.”

“I-I get it! I get it already!” Gram said.

“Don’t tell them, I beg of you!” Gyes said.

Then, when I pressed them, it turned out to be no big deal at all. Apparently, they had seen how the others treated Tailtiu, but they had still wanted to fight and were afraid that they’d be cast out as well if they were found out.

“So that’s how it is...”

The adults knew how great their power was, so they made sure not to wield it recklessly. The children, on the other hand, would kick the two of them out for being different.

Gram and Gyes had power in abundance and they wanted to keep on using it, but they had been unwilling to lose that opportunity forever. In the end, they were still just children.

“So, you kept it quiet that you awoke, and you suppressed your powers while fighting together with the others, then?”

They were silent.

I could understand how they felt, if only a little. If a student suddenly became a working adult the next day, it wouldn’t be easy for them to give up everything they had enjoyed up until then. The two of them must have been unable to simply accept having to leave their friends.

“But when you cover up lies with even more lies, you’ll lose sight of your true self,” I said.

Gram eventually said, “I know already.”

“Yes... And we are aware that things cannot go on like this forever,” Gyes added.

They both nodded solemnly.

They definitely couldn’t have imagined that how they treated Tailtiu would come back to bite them. That was precisely why they were so conflicted now. But judging from how remorseful they seemed, I could tell that, like her, they hadn’t meant any harm.

“All right! Gram, Gyes, let’s do this!”

◇

It was several days later. Light flashed, the earth split, and the sky trembled. Awakening to the power of one’s Ancestor meant being in a class of one’s own, above all the other Calamity-level beings on this island.

“My name is Gram, and my Ancestor is Fafnir! Take thaaaaat!”

Gram in his dragon form shot a beam of light, which sped toward me as I floated in the sky. Its power was on a completely different level compared to the other beams I’d been hit with previously; I thought it might even hurt a bit if I did nothing and took it head-on. So I put my hand out in front of me and caught it, and my arm was pushed back slightly.

“Oh? It isn’t as strong as Gaius, but I guess it’s still pretty intense?” I said.

“That’s what I’m saying! Why can you stop it just by raising your hand?! You’re crazy strong, bro!”

“Well, this is me we’re talking about...”

Unfortunately, I was starting to see why everyone had been saying, “Well, it’s Arata, after all,” lately. It was a pretty handy phrase.

“Hnnnoooaahhhh! The name of my great Ancestor is Hecatoncheir! You may burn into your memory the might of the Hundred-Armed Giant!” Gyes roared, loud enough to make the sky echo.

Gyes was in his gigantified form, which was incomparably larger than he had been the other day, and countless arms now sprouted from his back. He was winding up to throw massive hunks of rock my way.

“Though, really, those may as well be mountains,” I said.

They were ultra-enormous masses of stone, seemingly conjured by magic. As he threw dozens of them at me, I caught one.

“How can you catch those so easily, brother?!”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. Here, right back at you!” I threw the rock back at Gyes on the ground. He managed to catch it, even as he let out a scream.

“Hnwaaaahhh?! You monsteeeeerrr!”

“‘Monster’ is just cruel...”

Still, maybe it was understandable, looking at the current destruction. All of the Ancient Dragonfolk and Fierce Ogrefolk besides Gram and Gyes were already crumpled on the ground and down for the count. Even the remaining two hadn’t yet managed to deal me any damage. In their eyes, I was a monster, through and through.

“But still...”

“Darling!” Tailtiu shouted. “Take thaaaat!”

“I’m glad you’re feeling better, Tailtiu.”

In her dragon form, Tailtiu was charging some sphere of black energy in her mouth. It was incomparably more powerful than anything from Gram or the other Ancient Dragonfolk, and in it I sensed the same threat as I did from Mina or Suzaku.

“Should I dodge it?” I asked myself.

But if I do, she might get all teary-eyed and say something like, “Why is mine the only one you won’t catch?”

As I was thinking that, Tailtiu seemingly finished charging, and the bright sky was swallowed up by a flash of black light. My vision turned completely dark as well, and my skin tingled; this was a power I had never felt until now.

“Well, after all that, I’m unscathed.”

“Darling, you just aren’t faaaiiirrr!”

I instantly closed in on Tailtiu, who was finished firing her beam, then grabbed her tail and flung her to the ground with a one-armed shoulder throw.

◇

Ten minutes later, I retrieved Gram and Gyes, who I had buried in the ground with my attacks, and we had a debriefing.

“What is with this guy?!”

“D’you think he might be stronger than the elders?!”

“Was it really necessary to bury me in the ground?!”

“Yeah, my darling’s amazing!”

“Amazing? More like abnormal. There is something wrong with his head, not to mention his body...”

I got the feeling that more of them were expressing their anger at how absurd I was than doing any debriefing, but well, that wasn’t actually important. Both Ancient Dragonfolk and Fierce Ogrefolk were putting aside their differences and coming together, analyzing how to fight an unfair opponent—me—in the future. Tailtiu was in the circle too, and watching her actively give her opinions made me feel like a parent watching his child in class.

“It all went surprisingly well, huh?”

Tailtiu had been excluded by the others because she was too strong, having already awoken to her powers. Gram and Gyes had then hidden their power because they hadn’t wanted to end up like her. My suggestion to them had been: Just fight someone who’s even stronger.

“It’d be a waste if I didn’t use this body for something, after all.”

They had originally been fighting in order to awaken their Ancestors’ powers and become adults. That meant there was no particular need for their opponents to be Ancient Dragonfolk or Fierce Ogrefolk specifically. Luckily, a god had given me this seemingly invulnerable body, so they could use their power on me as much as they pleased.

At first, both groups had been hesitant to go all out on someone who wasn’t even their rival, but after letting them attack me enough times, they started to understand: Oh, no matter how much we hit him, we still can’t do anything... Even then, none of them had given up, and they had kept on coming up with ways to fight me. I assumed that was some special racial trait of theirs. But once they understood how preposterous I was, they had all started to work together to fight against me. Meanwhile, Gram and Gyes pretended to have awoken during all the confusion.

“And those kids couldn’t do it by themselves, so Tailtiu joined the fighting too...”

Even with her on their side, they still couldn’t bring me down, but it seemed that all the bad feelings between them had faded away. She looked happy as she loudly chimed in with everyone; I couldn’t imagine anyone calling her a loner anymore.

Reina and Luna then came out from the depths of the forest. I’d made Reina leave to avoid getting mana sickness during the big fight.

“Are you guys done yet, Arata?” Reina asked.

“Yeah. They’re in a meeting right now,” I replied.

She paused, then said, “It sounds less like a meeting and more like everyone complaining about how ridiculous you are.”

“Do they hate you?” Luna asked.

“No, they’re just having a constructive conversation together about how to defeat a powerful foe.”

I’d rather you not say such hurtful things. My body might be invincible, but my heart is made of glass.

But when I repeated that out loud, the two of them looked exasperated.

“It doesn’t seem that breakable to me,” Reina said.

“Yeah, you’re pretty shameless, Mister Arata,” Luna said.

I paused. “That’s odd...”

Perhaps another meeting with them was in order. On the agenda would be clarifying what exactly the definition of “Well, it’s Arata, after all,” was.

“Anyway, all that unimportant stuff aside,” Reina said.

“Unimportant?!”

“Let’s eat already. The others over there must be hungry too. Can you get them, Luna?”

“Okaaay.”

Completely ignoring me, Reina started to take out various tools and utensils from her Storage spell. As she set up what in my past life would have been called a barbecue grill, she looked like nothing other than a college student having a good time outdoors.

“Umm, there are eleven of them, and there’s me, Arata, Luna, and Elga... And Merlyn and Zelos are probably coming too, so...” Counting the number of people on her fingers, she briskly got everything ready, then suddenly turned to me as if she had just remembered something.

“Get the meat ready, Arata,”

“Ah, got it.”

One must not disobey Reina while cooking. I did as she said, opening my Storage spell and taking out the monsters Luna and Tailtiu had hunted, then I prepared them to make them easier for her to cook.

“I’ve really gotten used to this, haven’t I?” I remarked to myself.

Simply skinning animals had been a chore at first, but after learning a lot from everyone, I could now take them apart with ease. This, too, is growth, I thought. At the same time, Luna brought everyone over.

“Sup, Arata,” Elga said. “Looks like you guys really went all out again.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty good exercise,” I replied.

“Heh heh heh,” Elga chuckled as he looked at the desolate earth. “They’re still kids, but they are Ancient Dragonfolk and Fierce Ogrefolk. You’re probably the only guy who could play with them and not get hurt.”

To a great Divine Beastfolk warrior like him, their fights were no doubt just child’s play.

“But I hear you were a rascal like them once too,” I said.

He paused. “Who told you that?”

“Suzaku.”

“That meddling hag! She’s going around spreading embarrassing stories behind my back?!”

It would probably be for the best if I didn’t mention that she had gleefully revealed everything. As his foster mother, she had been eager to tell me all kinds of stories about his past, including the beginning of his love with Livia.

It must be awful for your parent to know so much about what you did with your partner...

The rural information network was a frightful thing.

“Okay, with this, we’re done getting ready,” I said.

Including her tents, Reina’s things were intended for an army to use, meaning there was enough to accommodate everyone. Under the grill grate I could see red charcoal which gave off a pleasant smell that was totally at odds with the wasteland around us. Any meat you put on there would definitely taste good.

Reina lifted up a ladle and frying pan and clanged them together. “Everyone! It’s time to eat!”

“Yeeeaaahhhh!” Ancient Dragonfolk and Fierce Ogrefolk alike stood up and came over, shouting. They were acting almost like a high school baseball team, hungry after practice. Luna also rushed over with them.

With an unconscious sheepish grin, I stood next to Reina.

“The meat’s over here!” Reina said. “Cook your own portions yourself, and no fighting! If you can’t follow these rules, you won’t have any! Got it?”

“You got it, sis!” Gram said.

“Certainly, sister!” Gyes said.

“All right... Then, eat up!”

“Yeeeaaaaaahhhhh!” they all shouted again.

Out of respect, the Ancient Dragonfolk called me “bro,” almost like I was a yakuza superior, while the Fierce Ogrefolk used the antiquated “brother,” like they were samurai. And they referred to Reina as they just did. They had started calling me that after I showed them the gap in our strengths, whereas for Reina, it was entirely because she fed them tasty food.

“Mister Arata, this is the Shantak I hunted,” Luna said, pointing at her plate to show off her kill. Perhaps this was a natural behavior of hers.

It was a delicious-looking piece of evenly grilled chicken, and according to Luna, it was high-quality meat. I took a piece and ate it.

“Mmmm.”

It was seasoned with plenty of salt and pepper, and the second I took a bite, a violent thrill spread through my mouth. The skin was crisp while the inside was firm and chewy, and the fat burst inside my mouth. Was I afraid of my face getting dirty? No, I didn’t have time to worry about any of that! It was better than any chicken I’d eaten in Japan, and I instinctively reached to take a large swig of my drink.

“Mmmm!”

“Aha ha ha, there’s bits of skin all around your mouth!” Luna said. Her mouth was probably just as messy as mine, so we laughed at each other.

“C’mon, you two are so sloppy,” Reina said.

“Mhmm.”

She wiped off Luna’s mouth just like a mother would. Now clean, Luna left in pursuit of her next piece of meat, squeezing in next to Gram, Gyes, and the others. They seemed to accept her, maybe because she was still a child, or maybe because they were disarmed by her innocent appearance.

“What a sweet sight,” I said. It’s really great to see a kid like her crossing barriers to make friends, I thought.

Reina tried to dab my face with a towel, saying, “You too, Arata.”

“I-I can do it myself!”

“Can you?”

As you might expect, it would be way too embarrassing to have a woman her age wipe my mouth for me. I cleaned myself off with the towel Reina gave me, then looked back to everyone having a grand time.

“When you look at it like this, the difference in species just doesn’t matter at all...”

“Yeah,” Reina said.

We’d held feasts with the Divine Beastfolk before, and although Tailtiu had joined too, I had hardly ever seen such a large number of different species eating and drinking together. But now...

“Divine Beastfolk, Ancient Dragonfolk, Fierce Ogrefolk... And us humans too, I guess,” I said.

“This might be because Luna’s still only a child, but when I see her having so much fun, it makes me think that your dream might just come true after all,” Reina said.

“Yeah...” Since reincarnating here, it had become both my dream and my goal to hold a feast with all the races on this island. “I hear that some of them don’t really like each other, though...”

The Divine Beastfolk and the Alfar were one example, and the Ancient Dragonfolk and Fierce Ogrefolk now were another. But all that would surely resolve itself once they got to know each other better.

“Anyway, it looks like my portion is going to disappear at this rate, so I’ll go get some,” Reina said.

“Right. Maybe I’ll get—” A bit more too, I thought, but Reina motioned for me to stop.

“You should look after her, Arata.”

“Huh?”

“Darliiing! I have arrived!”

“Oof.”

It was a full-power tackle, on par with Gaius’s strength. If I’d been one of the Ancient Dragonfolk, I definitely would have been sent flying.

“Darling, darling, darliiing!” She squeezed me around my waist as hard as she could and nuzzled her head against me. Prying her off would have been simple, but she would probably cry, so lately I had been letting her do as she pleased. “You really are amazing, darling!”

“Yeah, thanks. But, why’s that?”

“Look over there!”

Tailtiu pointed at the spot I had been watching for a while now, where everyone was eating meat. She had just been in the same circle as them.

“I am having so much fun right now!” She grinned, showing off her canines, which had small bits of skin stuck to them. “I mean, no one calls me a loner and leaves me out anymore!”

“I see.”

Having been born on this island, she had obtained power that far surpassed that of others her age. But she was still mentally a kid, so she wanted friends and companions more than strength.

“This is all thanks to you, darling!” she said.

“Not at all, Tailtiu. It’s because of your hard work.”

She looked confused. “I didn’t do anything, though.”

She doesn’t know it herself, huh? I just patted her head, and she looked happy.

“You know, Tailtiu, you make sure to suppress your power when you’re with the magicians, right?” I said.

“Hrm? But isn’t that only natural? Weaklings like Zelos will throw up if I don’t.”

“Aha ha ha... Speaking of Zelos, you’ve started to tackle him too, haven’t you?”

Perhaps because we said his name, Zelos was looking at us from a short distance away as he ate. But he seemingly prioritized his meal in the end, because he didn’t come over.

“You can be together with everyone now because you learned to be considerate to people like Zelos,” I explained.

“I don’t really get it.”

“Well, maybe that’s fine for now.”

She suppressed her power so they didn’t get sick from her mana, and she held back enough when she tackled them so they wouldn’t get hurt. She always used all her power with me, but she had grown to where she could now make accommodations for others.

“So, all this was just an opportunity,” I said.

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, it is. Everyone accepted you because you grew enough to make the most of that chance.”

Tailtiu paused. “Even so...”

“Yeah?”

“You’re the one who gave me that opportunity! So...I love you, darling!” She leaped up and kissed my cheek.

I was silent.

“Th-This is a bit embarrassing...” she said. Though her face was a bit red, she smiled softly at me. I just looked at her, dumbfounded. “I-I’m going to get more meat!”

I wasn’t saying anything, so she went away to everyone around the barbecue grill.

“She kissed me...”

“Hey, lady’s man.”

Someone firmly put their arm around my shoulder—it was Zelos, who had been binging on meat just moments ago.

“Oh, hi, Zelos,” I said.

“Just watch out that your popularity doesn’t get you stabbed out of jealousy one of these days,” he said.

“Don’t say something so ominous!”

“Merlyn’s been giving her some ideas, so she might start trying some tricks on you.”

With that, Zelos left to eat more meat.

“That’s not much better than what you said before...”

Left there alone, I looked at Reina as she gave a lecture to the kids who had seemingly gotten into a fight over some meat. Luna was in another spot, playing with the Fierce Ogrefolk. And Tailtiu was laughing together with the other Ancient Dragonfolk. This was exactly the sight I had hoped for.

A little ways off, Elga and Livia were watching as well, perhaps acting as guardians. Zelos and Merlyn maintained the perfect distance from the kids, probably because they’d die if they carelessly got close.

I wanted to expand this circle even further and hold a big feast with everyone someday, regardless of species, age, gender, or anything else. Looking up at the sky lit up by the bright sun, I asked a question to the god who had let me reincarnate in this world.

God, what’s next in store for my life on this island?

Of course, there wasn’t even a hint of a reply, but...

I’ll be looking forward to it.

I felt as if I heard a pleasant, cheerful voice.

Interlude: Another Round-Table Conference of the Seven Celestial Archmages

Gathered at a certain location on the continent, four magicians encircled a round table. An elderly magician spoke with a gloomy voice.

“For Zelos, the Flame of Ruin, and Merlyn, the Divine Water, to have died as well... I can scarcely believe it.”

Reina had been young and inexperienced, but the other two certainly were not. Although their ranks were on the low end, becoming Celestial Archmages in the first place meant they stood far above all others in magical prowess.

“The round table sure has gotten less crowded,” said a blonde woman in an upbeat voice.

The person she was talking to—a taciturn, green-haired knight—didn’t reply.

“You’re as quiet as always... Tee hee hee.”

These two were ranked third and fourth in the Seven Celestial Archmages, and more skilled than Merlyn, Zelos, and Reina. The old magician was fretting over whether to deploy them, but his train of thought was interrupted.

“We received a request from the kingdom.”

It was the final person in attendance. They were wearing a hood that obscured their face, but had the stature of a child. However, everyone present knew that this child was the strongest of the Seven Celestial Archmages, and the very finest magician on the continent.

“What for?” the old magician asked.

“To bring the hammer down on the saint who made a contract with an ancient archdemon. And not just her, but also the Witch of Destruction and that fool who claims to be a Hero.”

“My goodness,” the old magician said. “Does the kingdom think we don’t have an information network of our own?”

“Who knows? It doesn’t matter either way.”

How far had the kingdom’s corruption spread? The old magician knew that, at the very least, both the saint and the Hero were genuine. The Holy Church may hold influence across the continent, but the kingdom should have had the option to refuse. Naturally, they also should have known the truth about the saint and the Hero. This request to the Seven Celestial Archmages in spite of that could only mean one thing.

“So, the kingdom has chosen greed over God...” As a citizen of the kingdom and a believer himself, the old magician’s voice carried a hint of disappointment. From his point of view, it was the Church and the kingdom that had truly turned away from God, not the saint.

“Then, what do you intend to do?” he asked.

“There’s no need for us to concern ourselves with the kingdom anymore... But it’s also true that they may still be of value to us,” the hooded child said.

“So, shall we prioritize that request?”

When the old magician saw them nod, he looked at the remaining two.

“Carla Margueritte, Seti Baldur... Both of you were listening, yes? You’ll be chasing after the saint’s party.”

“Oh, a saint?” Carla paused, then laughed. “Ha! Sounds fun, doesn’t it?” she asked, looking to Seti.

“Seti, you’re interested in the Hero’s strength as well, aren’t you?” the old magician asked.

Seti, whose appearance was uncharacteristic of a magician, nodded wordlessly.

“As for the Witch of Destruction...” the old magician went on. “She’s said to be as adept with magic as us. Ascertain her strength first, and depending on the situation...”

“Convince her to join us?” Carla said. “We did just lose three of our members, after all, so she might be a good substitute.”

“Exactly. However, if she fails to live up to the rumors... I’ll leave it to your judgment.”

“Eheh, you got it.”

Seti remained silent, and took his leave with Carla.

Only the old magician and the child ranked first remained. They had been associates for a long time, but the former could never tell what the latter was thinking. However, when he saw the current sorry state of the round table, he felt a touch of regret.

“Zephyr,” called the child.

“Yes!” the old magician replied.

“The times are changing.”

“Huh?”

“I still have much work for you to do. Look forward to it.”

They’re still planning on making me work? the old magician thought. His role was to coordinate the uncooperative Celestial Archmages, which meant that he spent his days under constant stress.

He resolved to use the next chance he had to take some time off to go on vacation.

Afterword

Thank you very much for picking up volume 2 of The Isle of Paramounts: Reborn into a Slow Life Among the Strongest in the World! Everything, including the release of this sequel, and above all, the second print run of the first volume, is thanks to all my readers who purchased volume 1!

Like volume 1, volume 2 is a revised and rewritten version of the online edition of the novel, but...to tell the truth, I’d already made various changes in volume 1, so this volume’s contents also differ greatly. Specifically, Arata and Reina’s house was already built in volume 1, but at that point in the online version, they still lived in a tent. Additionally, Grr and Garr didn’t exist at the point equivalent to the beginning of volume 2, so their appearance led to quite a few changes.

Besides that, I wanted to center volume 2’s story around Tailtiu, so every plot point ended up focused on her... And this led to me inserting a large amount of new episodes in order to revise the sections that had changed from the original online version. But anyway, I think I was able to turn the book into something both those who have and haven’t read the online version can enjoy, so all’s well that ends well!

At any rate, Noy’s illustrations are wonderful, just like in volume 1! I received incredible responses from so many people when the illustrations for the first volume of Isle of Paramounts were made public, and volume 2’s also exceeded expectations! Various fellow authors also gave me all sorts of compliments, like, “Those illustrations are really great,” so even though I didn’t draw them myself, I can’t help but brag about it sometimes (lol).

As a matter of fact, I imagine almost everyone who purchased volume 1 were those who saw the illustrations and thought, “This looks interesting!” This resulted in a “Second Edition of the Smash Hit!” so I really can’t thank Noy enough, can I? I’ll have to continue writing an entertaining story so I can keep on getting them to draw for me...

That’s the thought I have in my mind whenever I occasionally look up reactions and other responses to my books on various sites (while also wondering, Do they really think it’s entertaining?). Once, I saw someone say, “I like how they’re actually living a slow life,” and I laughed a bit, like, “The story has Reborn into a Slow Life in the title, so why do they seem so surprised?”

Then again, in these types of stories, a traditional pattern is that the protagonist and the people around them get wrapped up in all sorts of incidents, which keeps them from being able to actually live a slow life (I love that type of story as well), so I can see why some people would have that reaction. Although Reborn on the Isle of Paramounts does occasionally have some battle scenes, my aim for the story is, “We might be members of different species, but let’s all be friends and have a loud, fun time together!” so I’m going to keep going like that all the way until the end.

Plenty of new characters showed up in volume 2 as well, didn’t they? There’s Zelos and Merlyn of the Seven Celestial Archmages; the Alfr girl, Katima; Ark the Hero, Saint Ceres, and Ellie the Witch of Destruction; Gram, the leader of the young Ancient Dragonfolk and Gyes, the leader of the young Fierce Ogrefolk; and finally, three names out of the remaining Seven Celestial Archmages were introduced. How will their relationships develop? That’ll have to wait until after the book sells well and a sequel is set!

With that said, if you enjoyed this book, then I would be incredibly grateful if you could recommend it anywhere, whether it’s on social media or a review site!

While I make this appeal, I would also like to mention that, as the wrapper on volume 2 says, the manga version will be starting soon! The author, Yamaura, has made something with an amazingly cute and tender atmosphere, so please, give it a shot as well! As I write this afterword, I’ve already seen the storyboard, and it was wonderful. I never imagined that anything I wrote would become a manga, but it’s a pretty good feeling (lol). I’ve also written a new, exclusive side story for the official website, so if you’re interested, by all means check it out.

Last year, I made my authorial debut with Raitei no Kiseki [The Trails of the Lightning Emperor], which makes The Isle of Paramounts my second series. I will be publishing a new series as early as next month under another imprint, and I’m also taking on various other jobs. All of that is because of the popularity of this story, and that’s thanks to all of my readers. Once again, thank you all very much!

As before, I’m going to do my best so I can keep writing about a fun, bright island life that brings a smile to many people’s faces, so I would be grateful for your continued support!

Heiseiowari