「The place where the Demon King’s castle once stood is now called Divine Will’s Broth. It consists of three regions: The Void Forest, Helheim Valley, and the Malignant Sea. The task of breaking the magic power crucible in The Void Forest was assigned to Athenak.」
No sooner had the meal ended than the briefing for Alice-san began. Everyone who had knowledge—including me—worked together to relay the current situation.
「But Athenak’s current condition is as I explained earlier.」
「I see. The ruins of the En-Mi-Ri Kingdom… It’s the Void Forest now, isn’t it? When we were deciding how to watch over that area, it was my suggestion that Watanuki take charge. The children agreed, of course… But I never imagined the entire region would become such a dense forest. It must have been hard to keep watch inside there.」
Alice-san listened, nodding, then gave her thoughts on the information. Hearing events from two thousand years ago spoken of so casually by someone who was there felt strangely surreal.
「Alice-sama, we truly have no excuse… To leave everything to Athenak was entirely due to our negligence. We lacked the consideration required.」
「Miyako, raise your head. I don’t want to blame you. Neither the progenitor—me—nor the descendants—you—are obligated to carry the weight of these two thousand years. It might sound irresponsible, but… we all acted according to what we believed, what we thought was right, during our own time. The outcomes are just the sum of those actions.」
「…Yes. Thank you for your kind words.」
「As for me, I just hope the children who left the forest are living happily. It seems Sui-kun and the others have worked hard and resolved the issues. But there’s one who was left behind… Dolce. I want to meet her. I want to apologize.」
Her words of not carrying the burden were betrayed by the regret in her voice. Dolce’s isolation had undeniably been caused by Athenak’s malice, and Alice-san, too, probably found it painful to hear about the uglier aspects of her descendants.
That’s why I smiled.
「Once everything’s settled, please meet her. She has no family, and your presence will surely be a comfort to her.」
「I see… I hope that’s true.」
「Moving on. In Helheim Valley, fairy dogs Cu Sith—Chocola’s kin—inhabit the region. As for the Malignant Sea, it’s guarded by the dragons. But since these areas belong to other countries, we don’t know much about their current state.」
「I’d like to meet Komachi and Fen’s descendants too. But… they’ve probably gone wild by now. Though, looking at Chocola, it’s hard to imagine.」
「Bark?」
「My dad picked him up as a pup… Even back in Japan, I just thought he was a regular dog.」
Honestly, I still think that now…
「Bark! Bark bark!」
「I know, I know. You’re strong and brave.」
I ruffled Chocola’s fur as he barked in protest, calming him down. Alice-san watched us with gentle eyes.
「Komachi originally belonged to the Higuchi—Toshiya’s family, Uncle and Auntie Higuchi. She ended up here in this world with us. It was sad for her, but we were all comforted by her. Just petting her was enough to heal our hearts.」
「…I understand. It was the same for me.」
Higuchi, huh.
You have the same surname as our neighbor, Four Seasons-san. That’s a funny coincidence. Though, it’d be wild if they really were their kids… No way.
As I scratched under Chocola’s chin, mother added,
「I’ve been to Helheim Valley before. About 21 or 22 years ago, when my husband picked up this little guy. It’s not a vast place, and there weren’t as many mutants there as in the Void Forest.」
「Bark… Kwuu…」
Ignoring Chocola melting under mother’s petting,
「That was where the Demon King’s castle in the Gadute Union stood. It wasn’t a huge fortress, so what Viole said makes sense. Compared to that, the En-Mi-Ri Kingdom’s castle was massive. That’s why we directly asked the kids to keep watch there.」
Alice-san’s insights were invaluable. The vague outlines of Divine Will’s Broth were finally taking shape.
「Well, the valley and forest seem fine for now. Especially with the forest—Sui-kun, your satellite? Or familiar? That’s seriously impressive.」
It was reassuring to know our approach had been the right one. Having her approval gave us confidence.
But at the same time—
「So the dragons are still guarding the Carigia Archipelago. The Yato Clan, huh… I wonder how they’re doing. I want to see them, but I don’t know if I have the face for it.」
When the conversation shifted to the Malignant Sea, a shadow fell over Alice-san’s expression.
「No, rather than the Malignant Sea, this is more about—」
「Did you know someone among the dragons?」
「Yeah. A friend. Or… someone who used to be a friend. I want to talk to everyone about that today.」
She closed her eyes for a moment. Straightening her back, adjusting her posture, and taking a deep breath. Finally—perhaps to steady herself—she glanced at Color-san’s face before speaking.
Alice-san began her story.
「Two thousand years ago, when we arrived in this world, we formed bonds with the dragons during our fight against the Demon King. I, in particular, became very close to one of them. She’d often let me ride on her back as we soared through the sky. It was… a lot of fun.」
Her voice was filled with nostalgia, yet tinged with sorrow.
What should have been a joyful memory seemed to weigh heavily on her.
「She was a female dragon of the Yato Clan. She later married a male dragon from the Fafnir Clan and had a child.」
「What…」
I couldn’t help but utter a sound.
Did she just say Fafnir?
That clan name… If I didn’t mishear it, then—
「I watched over them for about ten years. Eventually, their child left to find a home of their own. Around that time, our battles against the Demon King were intensifying, and we lost touch. We only met again two centuries later, after we thought peace had returned to the world.」
Alice-san’s voice grew tight. Her fist clenched. She spoke as though forcing the words out, each one laced with pain.
「That child was Ji Dia of the Fafnir Clan. My friend’s hatchling, who used to be so adorable… became a Demon King. He’d been captured in a hidden fortress we hadn’t discovered, enslaved by the remnants of some nation. That child… was the last Demon King, the one trapped with me in the Delayed Area.」
Hearing that name, a chill ran down my spine. A name that struck like a premonition.
I couldn’t shake the feeling—
That he, my friend Ji Liz, was connected to this somehow.
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