Chapter 144: Epilogue of Chapter Four
The largest plaza in the southwestern city of the Etha Kingdom.
There, hundreds, no, thousands of people, young and old, had gathered without distinction.
“Now then, to celebrate our victory!”
“Cheers!!”
On the lavish stage at the center, a man with a thin mustache, who I heard was the town mayor, took the lead.
Responding to his voice, a thunderous cheer erupted from the entire plaza.
People were eating and drinking from the stalls, the unique percussion and stringed instruments of the Etha Kingdom were ringing out from here and there, and everyone was walking through the plaza and main streets with smiles.
In a corner of such a lively plaza, there was a monument.
It was a sphere about the same diameter as an adult, with a Space Expansion bag perched on top like a hat.
As a result of the townspeople decorating it with illuminated Artifacts, colorful lights of red, blue, green, and yellow were flashing on the lemon-colored surface of its body.
As usual, it was me.
I was asked to stay here because moving around freely could cause a panic.
Actually, in the early part of the opening ceremony, people had gathered around me and were doing various things.
In addition to having defeated the Earth Serpent, there was also the aspect of gratitude for providing the Earth Serpent meat, which I couldn’t eat all by myself.
By the way, the Space Expansion bag is on my head to save space.
“Oh… you are the one who defeated the Earth God…”
“Ah, yes. That’s right, old lady.”
Perhaps it was because I was wearing a headband that said “Today’s Star,” or perhaps it was because my appearance had spread throughout the town.
The old woman with a cane spoke to that party-like object without hesitation.
“Ohhh… thank you, thank you for avenging my daughter. I don’t know how to thank you enough…”
“No, no, just the thought is enough.”
Even though I answered that, the old woman kept muttering “thank you, thank you” like a mantra, shaking her head up and down each time.
After a while, a middle-aged man who seemed to be her family came and, after bowing deeply once, took the old woman away.
After that, many people appeared to express their gratitude to me.
Their figures, fervently conveying their thanks, also seemed to be suppressing some kind of sorrow.
It can’t be so easy to simply accept that it was necessary for the sake of the world.
Hearing that I had defeated the Earth God, they must have been unable to stay still.
“(A festival of mourning, huh?)”
Middle and high school-aged children were performing a solemn dance on the stage.
I heard it was a traditional dance dedicated to those who had been called to duty.
Surely, these kinds of things are necessary for the sake of those left behind.
“Kouya, this was delicious.”
“Oh, thanks.”
Just as the visitors had stopped coming, Fiss appeared, weaving through the crowd.
What she gave me was a candy-coated apple-like treat with fruit trapped inside.
When I ate it, the candy was sweet, and the fruit inside had a mysteriously pleasant salty taste, and I finished the whole thing in no time.
“The food with high Mana, how should I put it, is it like a violence of flavor? It’s delicious just like that, but these kinds of sweets that have been devised with seasonings and cooking methods to make them delicious are also good.”
“Yeah, it’s flavorful.”
As I was asking about her impressions of the candy and the interesting stalls, Fiss suddenly blurted out.
“Thank you for defeating the Earth Serpent. I couldn’t do anything.”
“That’s not true. Fiss was on standby in case the Area Isolation was broken, right?”
“But if Kouya had lost, I probably wouldn’t have been able to do anything. I understand the difference in our strength.”
She said that while looking somewhere far away. And then she continued.
“That’s why I’m going on a journey of training.”
“Huh?”
“I couldn’t save Klyssa, nor could I stand by Kouya’s side. I don’t want to be unable to protect my friends anymore.”
“So, you’re going on a warrior’s journey, huh?”
“Yeah, we’ll be apart for a while.”
My Level and Fiss’s are too different, so I guess that’s how it has to be.
In this world without phones, I don’t know when we’ll meet again.
…I’m going to be lonely.
“I’m also returning the equipment I borrowed.”
“You can have it. Look, with this body, I can’t use human weapons.”
“No, I want to test how far my own strength will go.”
“I see… but at least take the armor with you. I’d be sad if you died.”
“Okay. …Hehe, Kouya is really kind.”
Fiss’s mouth, as she turned to look at me, was slightly relaxed.
I realized belatedly that she was smiling.
“Even though I knew you were a Demon Beast, I was scared at first, but Kouya is Kouya.”
And then she went back into the hustle and bustle of the festival.
The next to come were a pair of Wardens, Klyssa and Xanthos, father and daughter.
“Are you enjoying the victory celebration?”
“As you can see, I’m having a blast.”
I showed them by shaking my body covered in lights.
Klyssa, seeing that, gave a wry smile and took out a dumpling-like food from her bag.
“I bought this thinking that Kouya-san might not be able to move. I owe Kouya-san a debt I can’t repay.”
“I’ve said it many times after defeating the Earth Serpent, but you don’t have to worry about it. I just wanted to fight an Calamity Beast.”
“That’s not how it is. As a father and as a Warden, I will not forget my debt to you.”
He said it in an uncompromising tone.
“Well then, excuse us, we’ll get back to work. The more festive it is, the more trouble there is, so stay sharp.”
“I know, Dad.”
And then the two of them left, and some time passed.
The performances on the stage were over, and the number of people had decreased as it was time for the children to go to bed.
It was probably okay for me to move freely now.
Whether I had gained their trust in this past month, or whether they had decided that surveillance was meaningless against an Calamity Beast, there didn’t seem to be any escorts around.
“(Levitation, then.)”
I poured Mana into the Artifacts that made up my body and floated up.
And then I headed towards the center of the city, the Sage Tower.
Passing over the city walls, I could see a large research facility brightly lit.
Despite the festival day, the scholars, including Thanasis, were engrossed in experiments on the Earth Serpent and the sealing device.
Well, I’ll get the results of the experiments later, so it’s a blessing for me.
While glancing at that, I landed on the balcony of the top floor of the Sage Tower.
I knew that the person I was looking for was there, thanks to the effect of [U (Update)].
“I’ll intrude.”
“Please don’t enter before I give permission.”
While being scolded by the Sage, I entered what seemed to be a laboratory.
I called out to her, who was looking down at the festival lights from the window without doing anything.
“Was it okay for you not to go to the festival?”
“I do not have the right to stand there.”
“Guilt, huh?”
“Among the Calamity-Class Pseudo-Golem Machines, I was raised to cultivate a spirit closest to that of a human.”
I thought she should participate all the more, but I kept my mouth shut.
There was no guarantee that there wouldn’t be any bereaved families directing their anger at her, and more than anything, it wasn’t something that a random outsider like me should interfere with.
“Since you’re here, let me thank you again. Thank you for saving so many people.”
“Today is a day when I’m being bowed to a lot.”
I tried to say that jokingly.
“That’s only natural. You are the savior of this country. I will repay your kindness over the next few hundred years. That’s right, when the world is about to end in the near future, you should take refuge in this country. If it’s your request, others will accept it as much as possible.”
“…The end of the world?”
I couldn’t help but ask back, hearing some ominous words.
“Yes. It’s a prophecy from the Star God. It says that a great destruction is approaching, and the earth will become a cauldron of chaos.”
“Not again! The gods of this country are all too dangerous! What kind of Demon Beast is it this time? I’ll blow it away again.”
“No, the Star God is not a deified disaster like the Earth God. It’s a provisional name for the root of Mana that is the foundation of the world and fills the heavens and the earth… it would be faster to show you than to explain it.”
Saying that, she headed towards an Artifact in the back of the room.
It had a display and buttons for operation, and it was close to being described as a large computer.
After analyzing it, it seemed to be able to exchange information with distant places.
Just as the Sage was about to touch it, the Artifact started up on its own.
“I praise you, traveler from another world. To reach the Grand Fifth tier in less than a year since awakening. You are the unprecedented hope to save Gaia.”
What I heard was a mechanical sound.
On the Artifact’s display, the figure of something that had been half eaten was projected.