◇Hero Abel POV◇
“I will go to the Demon Lord Castle to save Momo.” (Makoto)
That person said straight.
In such a lighthearted manner as if he were saying he was going to have a short walk.
“Impossible! Going there alone is suicidal!” (Volkh)
“That’s right! We will go too!” (Julietta)
“You people would die. My mission would fail.” (Makoto)
““?!””
The words he said coldly made Vokh-san and Julietta-san fall silent.
(Ugh…!)
The man, who introduced himself as Makoto and said that he received an oracle from the Sun Goddess-sama, was looking straight at me.
Why is he looking at me…?
Me, a useless Hero…
—The Demon Lord Bifrons subjugation plan a few days ago.
The strongest team with the Fire Hero as the leader.
We were confident that this time for sure we would succeed in subjugating a Demon Lord.
But…
Before we reached the Demon Lord Castle, the assault of the Demon Lord Cain and Setekh of the Demonic Eye crushed us.
More than half of the Hero alliance team was killed by Cain, and the remaining were petrified and captured by Setekh.
At that time, the captain of the team and my master, the Fire Hero, died.
I couldn’t do anything.
I was recognized as a Hero with promise, but the confidence I had gained after defeating many demons and monsters had been crushed to pieces.
To think a Demon Lord would be…that fearsome…and how unreasonable of an existence they are…
It is impossible…
Even the Fire Hero that guided us was no match at all against Demon Lord Cain.
There’s no way we can win…
My heart broke, and even when help came, my emotions sunk like mud.
It seems like Volkh-san and Julietta-san haven’t given up, but I have already lost the energy to challenge the Demon Lord anymore.
That’s why even when attacked by the monsters that chased after us, I thought ‘whatever happens happens’.
But the result of that was…the little girl being kidnapped.
It was my fault…
At that moment, he prioritized saving me instead of Momo.
I don’t know why though…
“Then, I will go back. The 3 of you, please wait at Laberintos.” (Makoto)
He said this and was about to head through the path we came from.
All alone.
Is that okay?
Is it really okay to have him go alone?
“Please wait! I will…I will go too!” (Abel)
Those words unconsciously came out from me.
◇◇
“Uhm…are you angry, Makoto-san?” (Abel)
I nervously ask…Makoto-san.
We are currently heading back to the Demon Lord Castle.
When I said I would go with him, the indifferent expression of Makoto-san warped for the first time.
He had a clear displeased expression.
T-There’s no need to make such a face…
“I am happy for the offer, but I will go alone—” (Makoto)
Makoto-san refused without missing a beat.
“Wait wait, Makoto-kun! Volkh-san and I are vanguards, so we need our weapons and armor to get our full strength, but Abel is good at healing and support magic. I am sure he will be of use!” (Julietta)
Julietta-san followed up for me.
Volkh-san pushed the idea that all four of us should be going.
We argued for a while, but Makoto-san said ‘I want to chase after Momo fast’ and both Volkh-san and Julietta-san stepped back.
I didn’t fight much against the monsters before so I wasn’t that exhausted, and with the fact that I can use healing magic, it ended with me following Makoto-san as his support.
We went past the forest and the top of the Demon Lord Castle was now in view.
The night had passed and the view was clearer.
“Uhm, Makoto-san…” (Abel)
“…What?” (Makoto)
“No…” (Abel)
Makoto-san has been silent this whole time.
He really is angry…I think?
At that moment, a giant shadow passed by above.
“Stop.” (Makoto)
“Y-Yes!” (Abel)
Makoto-san and I hide in the shadow of a tree nearby.
The identity of the shadows in the sky were a pack of dragons.
Several tens of wyverns and a red dragon flapping its wings majestically.
That’s…
“The red dragon of Demon Lord Bifrons…” (Abel)
“The Demon Lord has returned, huh.” (Makoto)
My trembling voice was overwritten by the indifferent voice of Makoto-san.
This person doesn’t feel fear?
The pack of dragons grew smaller as they disappeared at the direction of the Demon Lord Castle.
“Let’s go.” (Makoto)
Makoto-san slowly began to walk forward.
“W-Wait please! The Demon Lord has returned. It is impossible. Saving her is already…” (Abel)
“Abel-san.” (Makoto)
Makoto-san turned around.
His eyes were clear.
No tension, anger, fear, not even a heart of justice; eyes that I couldn’t feel a single emotion from.
“You really should go back to Volkh-san and Julietta-san.” (Makoto)
“?!”
Did he think I got cold feet there?
But everyone is scared of Demon Lords no matter who they are!
Makoto-san continued walking to the Demon Lord Castle without saying a word.
I must go too.
He didn’t even look back.
(Does he not mind whether I am there or not…?)
“If you are coming with me, don’t get too far away from me.” (Makoto)
“?! …Yes!” (Abel)
Even though he is not looking here.
What a mysterious person.
Even though he shows no emotions and has a cold voice, I could tell that he was worrying about me.
Different from my master and Volkh-san, his back is by no means big.
And yet, for some reason, I felt safe looking at that back.
I chased after the back of Makoto-san.
◇◇
“Let’s rest in shifts till night.” (Makoto)
“O-Okay…” (Abel)
A space of shrubs in a thicket that was dense enough for 2 people to lie down close to the Demon Lord Castle.
I thought for sure that we would jump into the Demon Lord Castle immediately, but Makoto-san said we would be waiting for night to come.
“Sleep first please.” (Makoto)
“N-No, you are tired too, right, Makoto-san? I will stay up as a lookout.” (Abel)
“…Is that so. Please tell me when 1 hour passes.” (Makoto)
Saying this, I heard his rhythmic breathing a few seconds after.
He must have been quite tired.
It is past noon now.
It certainly is way too bad of a time to infiltrate.
I watched the Demon Lord Castle spaced out, and suddenly something passed in front of me.
(Eh?!)
It was a blue butterfly.
It had glossy transparent-like wings and was flying around Makoto-san.
“Is this…a living being made from water magic?” (Abel)
I could feel slight mana from it.
But…who?
Makoto-san should be asleep.
And then, I noticed…
Makoto-san is using magic while sleeping.
Chills ran down my back.
Wasn’t he supposed to be resting?
No, he is unconsciously doing it.
He is always training even while sleeping.
“You…just who in the world are you?” (Abel)
He easily saved us who were captured at the Demon Lord Castle, and was trying to return all on his own to save the little girl that was captured by the Demon Lord.
He said that it was an oracle from the Sun Goddess Althena-sama.
But Althena-sama doesn’t say anything to me.
Even though the Lightning Hero Skill was something that Althena-sama granted me…
When we were on our way, I asked ‘what Hero Skill do you have?’ to Makoto-san.
Then, he gave the bizarre answer of ‘I don’t have any Hero Skill. I only have 3 elementary ranked Skills’.
That’s impossible.
No way.
I have the [Appraisal: Saint Rank] Skill.
I stealthily confirmed the Skills of Makoto-san…and it was true.
[Water Magic], [Sun Magic], [Destiny Magic] all elementary rank Skills, and also [Spirit User].
Those were all of his Battle Skills.
There’s also [Clear Mind] and…just what in the world is [RPG Player]?
It was also shocking that his physical ability is terribly low.
Also, most of all…
(He is not a believer of Althena-sama?!)
Even though he is not a believer, he received an oracle…?!
My head couldn’t keep up.
What’s with this person?
I look at his profile face that was peacefully sleeping despite being close to the Demon Lord Castle.
Just what kind of nerves is he made of…?
I gave up on understanding him.
◇Takatsuki Makoto POV◇
“Then, let’s go.” (Makoto)
“It is still evening though… Is it okay?” (Abel)
Hero Abel asked worriedly.
It is true that it would be better if we were to infiltrate late in the night just like yesterday.
But…
“I am worried about Momo.” (Makoto)
“…Yeah.” (Abel)
There were no objections to my words.
“You can wait here if you want, Abel-san.” (Makoto)
“D-Don’t give me that after coming all the way here! I will go too.” (Abel)
“Got it.” (Makoto)
It would trouble me if Hero Abel were to die, so I am fine with him just staying back though…
Even so, I managed to sleep well for the first time in a while after coming to the past.
When I first arrived here, I couldn’t relax until I could confirm the safety of Hero Abel. I didn’t sleep for more than 24 hours till before saving them.
…Lacking sleep is not good.
I ended up messing up and had Momo kidnapped.
{Spirit-sans, are you there?} (Makoto)
((((Yes~))))
(Yes, Our King.)
The usual Water Spirits and the Great Water Spirit Undine answered.
Alright, preparations made.
“[Mist].” (Makoto)
It all happened yesterday, so of course they are on alert.
There’s a lot of monsters keeping watch.
I use Detection to search for places with the least amount of guards.
On top of that, I use Stealth to erase my presence.
It is one-patterned, but it is the safest method.
Hero Abel also had the same Skills.
Well, it must be necessary in these times.
We slowly closed the distance from the back of the Demon Lord Castle.
There’s obviously guards in the back gate too.
Is there no place to sneak in…?
The Demon Lord Castle is big and the monsters are gigantic too.
It would be nice to have an opening somewhere that a human could slip into though…
(There’s a lot of monsters and demons though…) (Makoto)
The reactions from Detection are incomparable to yesterday’s.
I thought they would be going out to search for the Heroes, but…I was wrong.
I see.
They have Momo as a hostage.
Of course they would be wary here as well…
This is troubling.
It was at that moment…
“Makoto-sama…?”
While I was searching the surroundings of the Demon Lord Castle, my name was called.
“?!”
There’s only 4 people in this world who know my name.
That’s why I know the owner of that voice.
I desperately search for the owner of that voice.
There.
Momo.
“Wa?!”
Seeing that figure of hers, I was at a loss for words from the shock.
Her attire is different from the last time I saw her.
It is like she is a servant, or more like, she is wearing maid clothes, but that’s certainly Momo.
But her attire is of no importance right now.
“Makoto! D-Don’t. We couldn’t make it in time. This girl is already…” (Abel)
The words of Hero Abel didn’t reach my ears.
I approached Momo with unsteady feet.
“…Makoto-sama. Don’t. You must not come here…” (Momo)
“Momo…” (Makoto)
That’s right.
I must apologize.
Even though it was for my mission, I didn’t protect Momo who I promised to, and prioritized Hero Abel.
But my thoughts were in disarray.
“Makoto-san, please…get away from her! That girl…has become a vampire!” (Abel)
Hero Abel shouted.
The face of Momo warped in sadness.
Vampire…?
“I have become the familiar of Demon Lord Bifrons. I have become your enemy…” (Momo)
Momo hung her head down and said this with a shrivelled up voice.
Momo’s hair was pure white.
Her black eyes had turned crimson.
Her small lips had fangs peeking out.
But what surprised me wasn’t that.
The face of Momo was familiar.
A person I am very familiar with.
A person that has helped me out many times.
Why didn’t I notice?
Because her way of speaking was different?
Because her eyes were different?
That person was always overflowing with confidence.
(You said that I didn’t meet you…) (Makoto)
Liar.
No matter how I look at her, Momo is…the Great Sage-sama.
—Author Comment:
It was very obvious, but the name of the Great Sage-sama has been revealed.
I have left her name unknown all this time.
It wasn’t foreshadowing, but since ‘Chapter 56: Takatsuki Makoto speaks to the Great Sage-sama’, I have been writing the Great Sage-sama with the premise that she has memories of Makoto.
> “You sit here.”
> For some reason my seat was made to be at the side of the Great Sage.
It was around here.
Since the 2nd Arc, writing the scene of the Great Sage-sama and Makoto meeting 1,000 years in the past was one of the number one scenes I wanted to write. I am personally really satisfied having been able to write it.
TLN: Sorry for the delay! Real life got me for an instant >< Enjoy! ------…
Previous Chapter l Next Chapter There was feedback. I could feel the head of Zahava…
Previous Chapter l Next Chapter “Hahaha, as expected of the favorite of the Purple Demon…
Previous Chapter l Next Chapter TLN: Hey guys, Reigokai here! Just wanted to say the…
Previous Chapter l Next Chapter The people who have inherited the mana of the Demon…
“Eh?! Claude-kun is?” “You are going to be participating in the 2nd party?” When I…
View Comments
Thanks for the chapters! So Momo did turn out to be someone significant, and an even better 'someone' than I would have guessed. Gotta say I'm loving this arc more and more!
You can just feel the depression from Abel's POV. And it's confirmed that Setekh was indeed with Cain during the attack. Considering that Cain is technically also a Demon Lord, yeah. Imagine a walking into one boss only to be ambushed by another, it's kinda like that. Also, more than half was killed? Considering how there's three survivor, that puts the number of team members at at least seven, is that really an all-hero team? Because that'd necessitate a Moon Hero on top of all the heroes being gathered. Or that there's more than one of at least one type of hero, which is also unlikely, hmm.
A nice look at Makoto from an outside perspective there. Not only does Clear Mind make him seem unemotional (though actually more like unexpressive), it also makes him sound cold and indifferent. He's also already making an impression on Abel, between his casually returning to Bifrons' castle, that training habit, and not being actually a hero, he's really conspicuous, though only if seen directly. And then Abel is peeping, bad Abel!
So yeah, sleep deprivation is bad for you. Even when playing games you mess up more often. I wonder how many sleepless days it has taken him while rescuing Abel? I don't think it was mentioned in specific. Also, our king, is this because of the earlier incident with Alex? Maybe it's possible for spirits to recognize someone with the potential of becoming Spirit King? Or do they just recognize signs that Makoto has actually became one before? And now we're two-for-two for the Light Hero having sneaky skills.
So author confirms that Great Sage Momo really does have memories of Makoto. That means this time travel plot has been planned well in advance. I still wonder just how much she remembered, and whether or not her memories are jumbled with the memories of the original timeline. How much of her "stories of the past" were tweaked to obscure Makoto's presence? If she really does remember this timeline, then at least her being "rescued by Abel from nearly getting eaten" was untrue with regards to the rescuer. And it certainly does explain why she acted so familiar with Makoto, she probably couldn't help herself.
If it is all a timeloop and in the future they were just experiencing a temporal uncertainty due to the possibility of Makoto choosing NOT to go into the past; then it could ve that a lot of the feats credited to Abel may actually have been Makoto and Makoto would have just shoved the credit to him(?) in order to avoid troublesome stuff. Heck even the story Princess Noel told Makoto about the 'savior/hero' disappearing after saying that he had someone waiting for him could actually be about Makoto too. I can definitely see him just vamoosing and figuring out a way to either jump to the future or freeze himself in time since he promised Lucy that he'd come back.
Certainly one possibility, the Stable Time Loop. Especially since the Savior apparently share a lot of similarities with Makoto, yet Abel is pretty unlike Makoto. And the two people who does have past memories (Bifrons and Great Sage) both seem to remember Makoto (and confirmed in the case of Great Sage Momo).
Yep, My guess is also "It's all happening because of [RPG Player] skill"
That skill probably hold more secrets.
Now that you mentioned it, maybe [RPG Player] has a time skip function?
I don't think the Great Sage and Bifrons retains the memory of the past. They lived that past and are the only ones still alive to remember... except the goddesses, who maybe don't know about Makoto 1000years ago because of the pitch black clouds? Only reason I could think of..
So Makoto is the real Hero Abel
i totally did not expect this plot twist wow
So, Makoto recognized as king by water spirit, i wonder what will happen when he does recognized by destiny and sun spirit as king too..
So, in the end Momo become Great Sage, huh.
So far the past stay consistent with exception Did Abel Get caught and Did his best friend got killed is actually part of original past.
sun oracle is the last one. then all set.
Before Momo becames a vampire, i have her imagine as Nancy in MomoLand.
As she was a vampire now, i can imagine her now as Ciri in The Witcher 3.
There's so many sexy characters floating in my brain. I just need a perfect illustration in this time for Momo...
Hopefully the other heroes make it back in one piece. Splitting up here is a horror movie survival 101 error.
Anyhow, time to stuff momo in the fridge so she isn't a/in danger. Hm. Would you be able to kill a vampire and resurrect it as a human?
Fortunately it's not a horror movie then. Splitting the party is warranted when bringing The One Ring to Mount Doom, just as it is warranted here. Underequipped vanguards are a liability when infiltrating enemy stronghold, but they should be able to get past regular patrols on the way back to hideout. It's certainly going to be safer with Makoto if they were to meet Setekh or the likes on the way, but at that point, the mission is a bust either way. And it's more likely that Setekh is deployed closer to the stronghold since there's less ground to cover, and expecting heroes to come to rescue a powerless girl is rational.
The one ring was a "the enemy gate is down" situation. This is more like taking your own side's weak-point to Mount Doom, and then dancing around over the caldera with it. Momo is just one of many people the heroes already failed to rescue, and expecting the heroes to be irrational is not entirely rational. If the heroes were rational then they'd have made all speed together back to base with Makoto providing a mist cover and the demons would have cordoned off the farm with flying scouts. But that's not the kind of story this is either. This is the kind of story where Makoto kicks all the ass and rescues all the princesses.
Ah, but the heroes' irrationality is why they were heroes in the first place. The "Heart of Justice" Abel mentioned in his monologue? That's a hero's irrationality. The thing keeping them fighting against impossible odds. The thing motivating them to get up when others stay down. The thing that pushed Volkh and Julietta to want to save Momo despite maybe having failed in easier tasks countless times before. And savvy villains make use of that. And really, seeing one taken in front of their eyes is a near surefire way to get heroes suicidally motivated.
Not gonna argue against the analogy, assuming you're referring to Abel coming along. That's not optimal. But Makoto should be used to escort missions, and at least Abel is meek right now, so he can be expected to stay out of the fighting for the most part. And Makoto is in top shape too, which won't happen if Abel didn't come along allowing him to rest, so..., silver linings?
Ugh, another stupid ass time loop with no starting point. Let's just ignore that and go on for the sake of cheap twists, yay.
Welp, my prediction is right,
Maybe my second prediction that is, makoto is the one who will train the hero party is also right, look at what hero abel being treated, he's a support before awakening of sun magic,
Thanks for the update.
But Abel always has Sun Magic. Lightning Hero has always been associated with Althena, and thus Sun Magic. What we're waiting for is for him to awaken to Light Hero.