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Chapter 438: The Truth of Belzac’s Blood. [Release Version]
🕑 Added 2023-07-31 06:05:15 +0000 UTC<1821 human, beastman, elf, dwarf, half-elf, half-dwarf followers gained>
<Total follower count updated. Total followers of [Young Sunfang Dragon, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor]: 24333>
<Multiple proficiency requirements fulfilled. [Idol Lv. 7] [Tranquil Mind Lv. 6] [Royal Presence Lv. 6] gained>
“That’s a lot of people …” Staring down the walls of Inkoran-Tazul’s Hub, I gazed at the approaching caravan totaling around 151 wagons, if I remembered correctly.
“Aye, too many,” King Fugnarus agreed. “And this close to Origdiviel. This many people will require multiple trips.”
“Or, one, if I want to allow them into my subspace …”
“You should,” he insisted. “No country can handle the influx of this many refugees at once. Travelers, adventurers, merchants? At least they work, so they provide the city with something, but unless these beastmen are willing to help out, how are we supposed to feed them? There is a limit to kindness and generosity.”
Wolf howls could be heard from down there, as Saori’s fenrir pack stood still and announced their presence to everybody. Dwarven soldiers were slowly approaching them, but were stopped by the garrison captain upon King Fugnarus’s command. They stood at their station, probably uneasy at the number of people about to increase the city’s food demand.
“Did your sister not mention it?” Fugnarus continued. “You might not be able to ‘fast travel’ soldiers from one place to the other due to logistics and mana cost, but what if you let everybody inside through one portal and then simply transport that portal to the next destination and let everybody outside that way? King Elutis mentioned that, if we could solve your identification issue, you can solve our transport issue.”
“… As expected of an experienced mage like him. He thought of the problem from outside the box.”
People only had to pay mana if they entered and exit through two different portals, but what if I were to relocate the portal an army entered and have them exit through the same one, but at a different location? Boom, you just had thousands of people avoid marching. If I had to compare it, it would be like traveling by plane, as I would be the ideal “vehicle” for this method. Props to King Elutis, he made sure Hestia Airlines would remain in business.
Naturally, two issues with this plan would be the lack of reinforcements and that you had to rely on my [Room] subspace for nearly everything. I, or somebody else able to protect the [Room] stones, would need to go here and back for everything. The benefits outweigh the detriments, though, and probably would be the ideal transportation method aside from the train.
“Neill usually returns looking like she aged up 10 years. She talks about the important part, but leaves out most of the intensive talks you had. I presume you’ve been talking about more than just the possible war in my absence?”
Fugnarus chortled, scratching his beard in affirmation. “This is a summit, lass. We don’t just talk politics, we also talk about economics, technological advancement, training, and everything else you need to manage countries and our alliance. As members, we need to know what the other is capable of and how we can benefit from each other aside from protection. Estralia and Yeos, for example, need to be able to give us, the larger nations, something in exchange for a membership.”
That seems so cutthroat! Yeos barely had anything even prior to the siege … They are in debt.
“All of us made room in our busy schedule to speak with our equals; it is best we make good use out of it.”
I frowned. “The way you’re saying that makes it sound like you’re trying to put Yeos in a bad situation. You know the state of their land.”
“On the contrary, Champion Rhea has been pushing us! Yeos is not a rich country, as they barely have any natural resources we can make use of, aside from their aquatic boons. However, from a Loatryxian or Saelarian merchant’s standpoint, transporting their goods through our train to Estralia, then using the river ships to reach Yeos, and then have Elyonda’s harbor move the goods around is far faster than going far south to Artorias’s Port Annencia and then having them transport the goods through their merchant fleets that way,” he stated, confusing me slightly. “Naturally, this only matters when we aren’t at war with the Empire. But it does allow my artisans to spread their worth to other countries, right?”
“Oh, right! You want dwarven craftsmanship to spread! I remember you mentioning that.”
“Right! It’s all about spreading cultural dominance. If dwarven runesmiths and artificers move all the way down to Elyonda, that means their clans back here benefit financially from this. This supports our prestige … In any case, that is what we are talking about too, aside from what you did yesterday to further your idea.”
“Yeah.” I scratched the back of my head. “Sooo, what did all of you kings and leaders think about it?”
“Pleasant. Certainly a change from all the rock our bands have been focused on. Elutis and Drangleic especially loved it when you only played your geigler! The dancing coupled with the music really got to them, but I preferred it when you went more with the opera. Voices are more impactful.”
I was glad to hear the alliance members decided to enjoy the performance instead of just analyzing what I was doing. Sure, it was obvious to everybody, but all that mattered to me the moment I stood on my brilliant stage was to entertain people. In the Obsidian Orchestra I was the star and it was all about the show.
Adding some purely instrumental performances this time just for a change of pace was nice.
Still, speaking about my ulterior agenda for the show, I did show to all the alliance members that, while I had little political power, I had the influence of a celebrity. The dragonewts and Artoriand, especially, were on my side … Speaking of …
“Let’s go.” Fugnarus directed my attention to the stairs. I followed along him downstairs to—
“Princess Hestia! Princess Hestia! The Dwarven Merchant Union wishes to buy your recipe! Please, consider our offer! We’re bringing it to you later this morning!”
“The Ankoran Inn Association would offer you more! Please, don’t sell it to the merchant. Sell the recipes directly to the inns!”
“The Baker’s guild insists you sell us the recipes! There is an ecosystem we have to uphold, and that starts with the bakers baking bread and pastries for every other association!”
Yeah, uhh, speaking of, my performance hadn’t just brought me more fans, but also attracted people wishing to profit from me. There was the noble-commoner distance between me and my fans from Artorias and Elyonda, and while it wasn’t as apparently in Estralia, where the rich ruled, and it was literally not even a thing in Ankor-Nazta, as dwarven merchants didn’t care of which birth you were, so long as you benefited them.
This morning, after she calculated everything from yesterday’s concert, Amelia informed me we were in the green for all the concert preparations; in fact, there was enough for me to pay off my debt to Reajaen and some to King Artorias. The fact the entire orchestra was filled up, including the super expensive seats on the Black Star Citadel, meant that we made a ton of money through tickets and food sales. My merchandise also sold out, so that was extra money for everything.
However, merchants were merchants for a reason, and anybody with eyes could see how many people were buying stuff during the concert, especially if they tasted my pastries. I already experienced annoying merchants in Estralia’s capital, but the dwarves were even worse with how shameless they were about it. It didn’t matter that I was a known dragon princess, they came running at me like sharks smelling blood in the water.
“Away!”
Oh jeez …
That … wasn’t all. Not only did I have groups of merchants trying to obtain my pastry recipes, but my concert had also placed me right front and center of all the dragonewts in the city. The first concert I gave during the Binding festival had already attracted a ton of dragonewt fans, but I also went right into the dungeon afterward, unable to fully feel the consequences of my actions.
Now, though, the number of my dragonewt fans had grown even further and they were now acting like my bodyguards, blocking the merchants from coming towards me, or even random fans who wanted to thank me for the concert. What a duality; I didn’t know if I should be happy about this or not.
[“My Princess.”] Shay, as dutiful as ever, bowed right next to me with his sister and Tasianna. All three were back to their usual duties as my retainers now.
[“We are ready to receive them. Are you?”] Tasianna asked, to which I nodded.
Fugnarus took this as the signal and called for his people to open the gates. The air rumbling with heavy metallic sounds, the two giant metal door slabs slowly opened up. There was no one but the beastman’s caravan waiting outside, as the morning drove of travelers had already entered the city early this morning. It was currently lunchtime, and people had been avoiding the city exit with all these beastmen refugees around.
With my retainers and King Fugnarus, we walked through the gate as the caravan came to a halt before us. Uno, Song, Sarasa, and Quatre walked in front of the first wagon, howling as they took their position on the road’s side, before two large virgacugas appeared from the shadows, roaring like tigers, only for the white-dark one to snap his head to me, smacking his tail happily on the ground. He was about to break formation, only for the green, leaner one to growl at him, forcing him to roar again.
Oh, Rajah, haha, I miss you too, boy! My mouth curved into a smile. But you can’t disobey your mom. Speaking of moms …
Jumping out of the wagon, a wolfkin with white-black hair appeared alongside a garm leaping from Saori’s own shadow. Both of them walked forward, heralded by the shadow pack, before they stopped before us. The former kneeled.
“Saori Segawa has returned, my princess. These are the 1357 formerly enslaved beastmen I have told you about.”
“And I, Hestia, welcome you back, my lead retainer. You have done well.” I then turned my attention to the bulky, but fuzzy, garm standing beside her, head bowed before me. Considering how the both of us first came to know each other, this felt surreal. “And Vidia, I would like to extend the courtesy to you, too. Welcome back.”
[“It is a pleasure, Dragon Princess Hestia.”] Saori’s mom’s voice entered my head, causing some of my unpleasant memories with her to resurface.
“It really feels awkward for me if you speak like that … But, since we are already here, I think the time is right. I hoped you had the chance to talk to Saori. I would like to extend the same respect I am granting her to you and the rest of the shadow pack. Will you accept me as your leader?”
[“Yes, the shadow pack accepts you as the leader of our Alpha,”] Vidia answered for the other fenrirs as they gave their responses with loud, calming howls. Shoyi, Saori’s slime, also appeared from the shadow, and wiggled around, signaling the shadow pack finally overcoming their pride of only accepting Saori as their leader.
<[Seething Shadow Fenrir, Uno] [Lunaghost Fenrir, Song] [Shadowfist Wererir, Sarasa] [Deathcharger Fenrir, Quatre] [Shadow Garm, Vidia] [Minor Shadow Waster Slime, Shoyi] have received the title [Hestia’s Retainer]>
<6 fenrir, garm, and slime followers gained>
<Total follower count updated. Total followers of [Young Sunfang Dragon, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor]: 24339>
This was a show of power.
I slightly angled my head to the side, eyeing King Fugnarus and some of the dragonewts behind me. I wasn’t focused on the former, as he already knew who Saori was, but I had to make sure the dragonewts knew exactly who Saori was to me, as I still remembered how I gave her my blood to allow her current evolution. That meant she was a minor dragonkin now and exuded the same dragonkin pheromones.
As dragonewts despised people other than true dragonkins from using true dragonkin blood in anything, I had to make sure none of them thought she was an enemy. Considering how they would jump on wyvernslayers or potential dragonslayers to kill them, this had to be done so they wouldn’t mistake Saori for one. They had to know she was my vice-leader and somebody I trusted deeply.
I could see both Maelexus and Midirn standing behind all the crowd, eyeing Saori and me. They could smell her.
Well, Saori played along well enough and it gave me the chance to finally give the fenrirs access to the SP system. Those four had been so prideful up until this point, it was good that they finally decided to prioritize strength. Unlike Saori, Rajah, and me, these four weren’t restricted by the rank B level gain reduction since they were already adults, so just like Neill, they should be leveling fast and gain SP.
“I am King Fugnarus. Welcome to the capital of the Ankor-Nazta, Inkoran-Tazul. It’s good to see you healthy, Segawa-san—if I’m allowed to call you that,” he took over now that I was done. “May your wellspring of life be ever filled with joy on this fine WaterDay. The train is ready for the first trip; how will we be doing this? We have enough buildings ready for everybody, so long as these refugees are willing to share houses and rooms, and aren’t fussy about the lack of decorations and amenities.”
Saori stood up and bowed. “Thank you, it would be an honor, Fugnarus-Ou. Hmm, although that sounds a bit weird. I will stick with Ankoran King Fugnarus.”
“Mwahaha! True, calling me by Japanese honorifics would make it weird. My bodyguards wouldn’t know, so they’d probably take it as an offense.”
As both shook hands, Saori called out for somebody from the wagon, prompting a … loopabit? No, wait, the beastmen name for rabbit people was “loopridae.” Saori called for a loopridae woman to jump out of the wagon, followed by three larger beastmen, only to be stopped by the former. She shouted at them, shutting down a leonid’s, pantheon’s, and a rhinoncerum’s attempt to cause some trouble, sending them back on the wagon.
The rabbit woman came closer, allowing me to notice the large gash scar on the left side of her face, where she also was missing one of her two rabbit ears. She had two sharp canines protruding from her mouth like a vampire while her eyes pierced right through me, catching my attention the moment I stared into them.
“Hmm,” King Fugnarus let out an inquisitive sound.
This woman was about as short as I was, but she sure had a more imposing aura. I couldn’t let this go, right?
The moment I activated [Draconic Aura] and [Royal Presence], I noticed she raised one of her brows for a second, before she composed herself. She had the same stoic look Saori currently had, but unlike the latter, there was no sign of friendliness. This prompted Tasianna, Shay, and Beth to step up, noticing the lack of respect.
We weren’t friends. I got it.
“Enough with the silence! You heard my greeting, so introduce yourself,” Saori chastised the brown-furred loopridae, causing her to wince.
She lowered her head slightly as a greeting. “Shizar. I am the representative of the beastmen caravan under the command of Belzac’s Successor. We greet the Dragon Princess of Kargryx.”
“Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor, daughter of Dragon Emperor Eltharion and Sixth Empress Melloxtressa, third princess of the Dragon Empire Kargryx, leader of Aurora, and Champion of Aurena,” I introduced myself. “You are a Carmanian, correct? You heard it from Saori already, but we met the lizardmen who fled from the grimgarian in the Belzac forest. I am not the sort of person to show-off my strength on our first meeting, but do remember me being nice to rude people has its limits. Even if I am the Champion of a god you despise, I hope we can remain civil.”
Her eyes darted to the left for a moment, probably realizing the dragonewts behind me, some fully armored people, were probably staring daggers at her. She nodded. “Thank you for your kindness. Thank you too, Ankoran King Fugnarus.”
“Aye, lass. I’ve heard your story from Saori-san, already. I’m doing this favor for an ally, so I expect you not to blemish the trust I have in her.”
Making sure any disrespect her people showed to Fugnarus and his nation would give Saori and me trouble was a pretty smart way to assure there would be tangible consequences aside from getting in trouble with the local law. Saori did tell me Shizar respected her due to how Carmaniate viewed Belzac.
Once he saw Shizar nod, Fugnarus continued, “Good. Now, what is your decision? Head directly to the train, or would you want to stay here for a while? Rest?”
“Belzac’s Successor requires us to return to Carmaniate as soon as possible, but I have to make sure my people has a place to stay over there. I would like to ride on the train first with a few of my people, then we would return afterwards.”
Got it. I’ll try out the technique later.
I told Fugnarus and Saori through telepathy that I wanted to accompany Shizar to the far eastern dwarven hold and hold a concert there, due to the number of additional fans I could gain. I didn’t trust the random beastmen just yet, so I would try to do what King Elutis suggested after Shizar was happy.
Since I could just teleport around freely with the nexus, it didn’t matter that I was far away, as long as I had a [Room] portal to teleport to. The students would remain in Inkoran-Tazul for now to train, while Saori, Tasianna, my wyvern guards, and I would go with Shizar. Since Grimnir and Ellaine still had a ton of things to do concerning our equipment, and Neill was needed here as my representative, the group was settled.
Also, I want to see Saori’s unique Job, so I gotta go!
With that decided, Shizar picked out a few people she needed for a trip and we all boarded the train. Surprisingly, Master and Asaka joined us. Master wanted to continue our training while getting a chance to see the far east, while Asaka had to speak with Shizar a bit.
Oh, but before we could go, there was something I had to do first.
“Rajah!”
[“Master!”]
I jumped and embraced my giant kitten, snuggled his head and giant paws. It has been so, so looooong. It has been far too long since I last cuddled with Rajah! Ahhhhhh!
… I will bring him with me.
After the train began its journey, Saori, Tasianna, and I moved to my royal cabin. Sadly, Rajah couldn’t get out of my shadow here, since his evolution as he was larger than a car now. Still he could listen, so it was all good as the three of us had the chance to finally get some answers from a very specific person.
“Wow, this is the first time in a long while, huh?”
However, there was something that the three of us had to first talk about.
“If you are speaking about the fact that we three original Aurora are mostly alone on a quasi-adventure, then sure. It had been, hmm, since Ellaine joined us, no?” Saori brought it up, which I agreed with. It had been nearly over a year since Ellaine joined our party.
How nostalgic.
“Hiehie, I still remember how Miss Saori and I worried every day on how to become stronger, in the case you were ever to go on a rampage, my lady,” Tasianna stated, prompting all of us to nod. Those were the times.
I smiled. “The fact you think you can beat me is funny, though, haha!”
“Oh?” Saori tilted her head, not amused. “You might be getting close to your max level and have lost your darkness weakness, but that does not mean you can just overlook us like back then. I can assure you, this time, we can fight without you holding back.”
“I have proven that I can extinguish your flames, Lady Hestia,” Tasianna said with a confident smile.
“As if!” I snapped my fingers, causing a small spark to appear. “You just got [Tyrant’s Aura] and, even with Master’s help, you haven’t created your Territory yet. That means my [Magmakammer] will always overpower you, even if you use [Tor Eiclere’s Finulaflei]. That is how Territories work.”
“Ah ah!” Saori wagged her finger. “She does not need it as long as I can protect her with mine. In a Territory clash, mana is not the only factor. My [Yomi] is flexible and can mold itself, while yours affects everything around your aura. I might not have fought with Tasianna side-by-side in a long time, sure, but that does not mean the synergy we worked on had dulled too much. You’re the one that won’t win, Hestia.”
“Oh, is that a challenge, girlfriend? You two think you can handle me after I use [Symphonie des Feuergottes], go into overdrive with [Solar Beam], summon [Hydra], and have [Sun, Consume All] support me constantly, all while I can further boost myself and nerf you through my spell songs? And this isn’t even talking about my Territory, my dragon form, and [Battle Frenzy (Minor)]. You think you can take me on?”
Saori and Tasianna went silent, looking at each other before they returned their looks, still unfettered. “We would not know until we tried it.”
I twirled my hair, looking at both of them slightly flabbergasted. “You two … certainly have some confidence in yourselves now, even if I still outlevel you.”
Saori shrugged. “Maybe you will change your mind after I am finished here. Who knows what Belzac is planning on teaching me.”
“Haha, true enough! Maybe it’ll be something that will counter everything I have, 100%.”
Still … even if I was being sarcastic, I was overjoyed that my two best friends felt confident in themselves. Considering how much they wanted to catch up with me about a year ago, to assure me that I wouldn’t be a threat to them when I went berserk, this calmed my heart the best. I knew I could trust them. I knew I didn’t have to fight against the Prince of Envy alone.
Maybe their confidence in beating me was misplaced, but that didn’t matter. I was happy to hear them speaking like this.
“Speaking of Belzac.” Tasianna drew our attention to Saori’s amulet, or to be more specific, the person inside there, patiently waiting for us to finish talking. “Maybe we should ask?”
“Right, I guess knowing more about me and my bloodline would be for the best.” Saori sighed, looking slightly nervous. “Mother can hear us speak from my shadow. Belzac, you’re up.”
[“It took you long enough,”] a low, grouchy voice entered my head. He growled, sounding tired of our chatting. [“But, yes, I did offer to explain things to you. I will keep it short though. The reason why Saori is able to consume and use your blood for your evolution was due to my rank A evolution—[Bloodborne Fenrir].”]
“… That is a pretty rough name,” I said.
[“How so?”] He sounded genuinely confused. [“Bah, it doesn’t matter. The point is that I chose a blood-related evolution when I ranked up to A, and was then offered the [Bloodscorched Fenrir] for my rank S, but decided against it for my [Three-Eyed Fenrir] choice to distance myself from what I had to do.”]
“That is why he is able to give Tatsuya the [Druidification] skill. Belzac was essentially the first druid of the world and, through this acquisition, created the skill for the System and allowed people to become druids, like those kobolds we met in the past,” Saori continued. “In Belzac's case, the skill was a unique skill by the name of [Bloodborne] and he was able to use the blood he drank to transform his body parts. One of them was an elf.”
“Ooooh,” Tasianna and I let out.
[“[Elvenize], essentially,”] Belzac confirmed for us. [“Saelariel had always accepted the borders of the Belzac forest due to the apex predator back then, never intervening in it. The higher your rank, the more likely you are to grow some intelligence. If you didn’t, you died. It was the same for me when I nearly died against the creature that allowed me to evolve. I earnestly wished to become as shrewd as it was when I evolved, as I only won that day due to gaining my sentience and developing a single plan the monster had not anticipated. I gained the ability to adapt.”]
“Wait, don’t tell me this is leading to something with an elf!” I widened my eyes, already anticipating the ending of this story.
Saori nodded and Belzac continued, [“To gain intelligence, what is there to be sought? The ability to reason, I say, but back then, all I could think about was how to become even stronger. I thought intelligence was the ability to think well. Simple. Nothing else. So I witnessed elves able to do so much, to the point they can form an entire society! If I could drink their blood, maybe I can be like them? And so I did …”]
Suspense. Unneeded, honestly, so I urged him to just say it so we wouldn’t misunderstand.
[“I … witnessed an elf being hunted down by a group of monsters. I did not intervene, I just watched. I saw them ripping him apart as he returned the favor by slaying them, and when it ended, it turned into a feast for the scavengers. I did not hesitate.”] There was no guilt in his voice. [“With blood from the various monsters, I could grow my claws and have sturdier fangs. I could grow my mana if I consumed the blood of casters. I grew my bloodline through this evolution, and so I thought, if I drank an elf’s blood, maybe I could become as smart as the monsters that nearly killed me.”]
That’s dumb logic … but I ate a rock thinking I needed rocks in my diet for my scale-dust, so who was I to judge?
[“Alas, it wasn’t so. Laughable, if I think about it now, but back then I was a pup when it came to proper thinking. This is how monsters spawned from mana would act. Our mental age would always be younger than our bodies, as we develop the former far later in our lifespan.”] For the first time, Belzac’s voice cracked a bit. [“The elf’s allies saw me ‘feasting’ on his body, and so my presence became known for the first time to the world outside the forest. The greatest shame was the fact they branded me a scavenger wolf.”]
“You were more affected by how they perceived you?” Tasianna asked.
[“Of course! I survived in that hellish place all by myself without anybody to take care of me, and they dared twist everything I did because of a moment of weakness? I lived to become a rank A, unlike so many, but they called me a scavenger? Without sentience, I wouldn’t have cared, but because I could think and had my own pride that I understood the issue with this.”]
Unsurprisingly, I could fully sympathize with him. If somebody were to make light of what I had to do to survive in the Belzac forest, I would probably punch that guy. I mean, back in Firwood, I nearly did that to that random brat adventurer with the roosterhead haircut.
How ironic that in an attempt to make himself smarter, he was caught on 4k doing something idiotic. That really must burn.
[“And so they hunted me, so I could not understand why my name was treated so well in today’s age. Why do elves think so highly of me? It doesn’t make sense.”] He was probably referencing how Belzac was considered a pretty important name amongst monsters. [“So those hunters became my challengers, which led to more coming at me to kill me. I leveled up and used their blood to grow and eventually reach rank S.”]
All of this coincides with what we learned.
[“When I got the choice, I denied my [Bloodscorched Fenrir] choice for this exact reason. The shame of being called a scavenger drove me to become the [Three-Eyed Fenrir] and to awaken my third unique skill—[Umbral Chaos]. This will be the base for Saori’s unique skill—[Abyssal Sacrilege],”] he explained. [“From then on, I had decided to make a family, as my desire to reproduce grew with the knoweldge I was the strongest being in the forest. For the first time ever, I felt safe. Through this, my bloodline inherited my unique skills. My first when I became a rank C—[Shadow Garb]—by becoming proficient in using dark magic, which eventually mutated into Saori’s [Shadow Armament]. Then [Bloodborne] was passed down through our ability to evolve into mutated wolves, which gave Saori’s her ability to evolve into a lesser dragonkin. Sadly, none until now have learned [Umbral Chaos], but that is why I need Saori to inherit it. She is the last Belzac now.”]
“What about Vidia or the other garms? Aren’t they Belzac wolves?” I asked.
Saori nodded. “They are, as their bodies are descendants of Belzac. However, the four fenrirs were members from another pack of Belzac wolves, not the main one where I was born into. Still, their evolution drastically changed their bodies, right? It should work with Mother, too.”
[“However, they are categorically all dead, as they are onnikai. They cannot inherit my powers any longer, as they belong to Ilsaphone. Due to my bond during my life, I was related to Marsven and Edna, as I worshipped them to become stronger in dark magic. This is how I ended up fighting against the demon.”]
“And also how he died.” Saori sighed. “Which is frustrating for me, as I Belzac wants me to kill an elf—one of the people who led to his death. He thinks this person is still alive in Saelariel.”
[“And you will. This is my last wish, my descendant. After that, I can finally rest in peace, as my rage as an onnikai will finally end after so long. You will then pick up where I, the [Harbinger of Grim], ended and become the next Belzac. This is your destiny.”]
“Destiny, westerny, whatever-ry, uuuurgh!” Saori shook her head. “In any case, that was the story. So, how about we enjoy something fun, Hestia? Tasianna? I mean, this is the first time we are traveling together again, so we better make good use of it before we have to return to business!”
“Wooo, you still remember your dream! Ahaha, traveling the world!” I cheered.
“Oooh, then let us make sure we enjoy the fruits! We are in the far east, we need to make sure to sample various things!” Tasianna stated, and I couldn’t help but agree.
[“… You will fulfill my wish, Saori,”] Belzac tried to insist, but Saori remained unfazed in the presence of this old man.
“And I told you to finally embrace the outside world. This is why we left, so try to keep an open mind! Mother, let’s have fun!”
[“Hehe …”] Vidia laughed, making me jealous as I wished my Mom was here, too.
Regardless, it was a long trip until we reached the far east, so I better prepare for anything!
