“…It’s back to normal.”
When I looked into the mirror, my left eye had returned to the crimson eye of the Demon King, neither a void nor an Evil Eye.
Really, I wish they would stop transplanting things with bare hands. What kind of mindset does it take to execute such a seriously insane surgical method?
Oh, I did that too, huh… But you know, it was an emergency, so it couldn’t be helped, right?
“Well, at least I can see, so I should be grateful that it’s healed.”
My left eye had completely returned to its original state, and there was no discomfort in my vision at all. Now that I’ve already completed the trial, it serves no purpose as a navigator, so it’s just an eyeball now. I should be grateful for that.
“Is it thanks to Lily, or should I say it’s an ancient device… my body’s wounds are healed too.”
The wounds I suffered in my battle with Lily had turned my hands and knees into a honeycomb from the light arrows, my abdomen had a large hole from a massive hit, and I had even gouged out my own heart—quite something. Normally, I would have ended up in a dull recuperation period like after the Chaosgrim Battle, but it’s amazing that all my wounds have healed in such a short time. Could it be that the Sixth Blessing, ‘Demon Lord of the Sea,’ is unnecessary now…?
“But why is it that this scar doesn’t go away?”
On my chest, where I had gouged out my heart, a large scar remained. Though the wound itself was closed, the remnants of the tears were still there. Surely, it won’t heal any more neatly than this.
Thinking back, this was the first time I had a scar that would seem to last a lifetime. During the experimental days, they healed any wound beautifully, and both Lily and Nel in Pandora Temple could heal any wound properly with healing magic.
Even so, the fact that such a clear scar remains suggests there might be some influence at play. Perhaps a curse or something.
“That might be a good thing.”
This scar is likely a reminder I impose on myself.
When I touch it, I feel the heartbeat thumping. The heart of the magical beast, which has already become mine, seems to resonate with a somewhat eerie sound.
Hey, this thing isn’t going to suddenly run wild and turn me into a monster, is it?
Feeling a tinge of anxiety, I quickly put on my clothes.
This room is the one with the medical ether pod. It’s separate from the basement of the castle where Fiona and the others were captured. It feels quite cramped, which means it’s inside the Sky Battleship.
Next to the large mirror where I checked my appearance, my clothes were prepared. A new set of underwear, along with the outfit I had originally worn. And the ‘Devil’s Embrace’, which looks surprisingly clean as if it hasn’t been through severe battles.
As I put this on, both my body and mind felt tightened.
“Still… what happened?”
After having a rough farewell with Mia, I woke up. Perhaps treatment was already complete, as there was no longer that red ether liquid in the pod, just my body lying on the bed.
Lily wasn’t beside me, and for now, I checked my body in the mirror before putting on clothes…
“Good morning, Chrono. How do you feel?”
As if she had been waiting for the right moment, the door to the room opened, and Lily appeared.
Her tone was adult, but her appearance was still the calming form of a young girl. After a long time, I saw her again, dressed in her white puffy robe.
Her usual black dress… Oh right, I had shattered it to pieces. When I get back, I need to find a replacement and give it to her right away.
“Yeah, I’m completely healed. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
She responded with a pure smile, saying it was nothing special.
“Is Lily okay?”
“As I showed you earlier, there isn’t a single scar left… Hehe, do you want to see it again?”
Please stop making that inviting expression with that young face. How should I put it? It’s bad for my heart.
I laughed it off and then brought up the next thing I needed to ask.
“So, um, how is everyone else doing?”
“The seriously injured are being treated in the pod. The others are allowed to rest for now.”
Well, we are right in the middle of a dungeon after all. Even though the battle is over, it’s not a place where we can just say we’re leaving and break up freely.
“This Destiny Land is still the Fairy Queen’s temple, so the Imperial Knights won’t attack.”
“That’s good to hear. It’s reassuring to know it’s safe.”
If it’s still safe, then it’s likely the Fairy Queen hasn’t abandoned Lily even after my defeat. She seems like a god with extreme thoughts who would make my eternal confinement a condition of the trial… but she must be gentle toward Lily.
“You don’t need to rush. Since we have time, let me guide you around while moving.”
“Alright, thank you.”
With a smile, Lily rushed over and took my hand.
“Hehe, welcome to the Sky Battleship Shangri-La.”
Holding hands with Lily, we decided to take a light tour inside Shangri-La.
When I stepped out of the room where I had awakened, I was startled to find a Homunculus Soldier standing with a rifle.
“This is an area where the pods and medical equipment are gathered, so we have security just in case.”
For us, having them around makes us feel less at ease.
“Don’t worry, the hostility settings have been properly released. They’re all good kids, okay?”
Smiling as she said this, Lily already exuded the presence of a ruler. She didn’t control her army of over a hundred Homunculi without reason.
“In this pod room, there are still two people inside.”
We were led to a nearby room. Inside, several pods were lined up, each containing familiar figures.
“Kai, Falkius…”
The two lay inside, eyes closed, as if they were asleep, floating in the pods filled with ether.
“The wounds are closed, but it still only looks that way on the surface. It will take about two more days for complete healing,” Lily said flatly.
The ones who severely injured the two were none other than Lily herself… But I have no right to blame her for that, and I doubt they feel that way either.
“I see, I’m glad they’ll recover safely.”
Then, after they heal, I would express my gratitude and pay them the quest reward. Apologizing for getting them involved in this would be akin to insulting their fight.
Wishing for their swift recovery, we left that place.
“Now, let’s go to the next one.”
As if to change the mood, Lily pulled my hand enthusiastically as we ran through the corridors of the battleship.
After that, it felt like she was revealing the secrets of her formidable combat capabilities that we fought against.
We entered the heart of Shangri-La, which housed a massive magic power engine that operated various magical devices like pods and teleportation magic.
“This is the ‘Ether Reactor’.”
Its appearance was reminiscent of a giant tower. The pitch-black walls were lined with glowing red lines running vertically and horizontally, not in ancient script or magic circles, but in some kind of mechanical patterns.
Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were turbines inside. What kind of structure could the interior of such an advanced magic power engine have? I was curious, but I couldn’t start breaking it apart to investigate.
The current operating rate was 0.2%, yet it still supplied an astonishingly huge amount of magic power in modern times.
By the way, I wonder what this engine is using as its power source.
“It absorbs magic power from the earth veins and converts it into ether.”
“What’s ether?”
“Something that transforms magic power into a more usable form, I suppose. Most ancient devices are built to operate using ether as their power source.”
So it’s somewhat like refining crude oil into petroleum.
The magic power flowing through the earth veins mixes various primary colored magic in different ratios depending on the region, and it converts that into the uniform quality known as ether.
However, in modern times, not only is ether technology not replicated, but it hasn’t even been discovered, so to catch up with ancient magical technology, we have to start from scratch.
“More importantly, isn’t that a groundbreaking discovery…?”
“It’s nothing special. You can’t convert it into ether without using something like this, and it seems challenging to put it into practical use right away.”
How could someone who is already able to use it say such a thing?
In any case, the ancient magical devices powered by ether are limited to those still functioning inside this Shangri-La, so it doesn’t mean they can be immediately applied to all modern magical tools.
“You’ll be able to use it soon, once you get used to it.”
“Me? I still can’t read incantations or magic circles.”
“Ether is also referred to as black magic power.”
“Is that so?”
“Black magic power and white magic power. These two are the same type of magic power, yet why are they treated differently from primary colored magic… Knowing the meaning of ether finally allowed me to understand.”
In other words, ether and primary colored magic are similar but qualitatively different, which is why they were classified into different categories.
Dark primary colored magic and black magic power; light primary colored magic and white magic power. There are no mages today who thoroughly explain these differences. However, people understand that they are somewhat different, so classification had been done. Even Lily, the fairy born with a natural aptitude for magic, had no information within her given knowledge to clarify this difference.
Thus, by touching the Shangri-La, which is a collection of ether technology, I came to know a part of it.
“As for ether technology, that’s for research later… let’s move on.”
Having casually stated such a significant resolution, Lily pulled my hand again and departed the engine room.
“This is the facility for creating artificial humans.”
It resembled the medical ether pods, but numerous thick metal pipes connected to it, giving it a more massive mechanical impression. Various glowing devices were set up in different parts of the room, likely for operating and controlling the equipment. I was a bit worried about accidentally touching something and causing a malfunction.
In the visible area, several completed male and female figures were inside the pods, clothed in black full-body suits.
The male looked like a soldier I had seen before, but I hadn’t seen the female.
“There was a female type too?”
“Yes, it wouldn’t do to have a man taking care of Fiona and the others, would it?”
Despite being a person I should despise to the point of wanting to kill, I wondered what kind of consideration that was. I was hesitant to ask about Lily’s mysterious kindness.
Well, if Lily herself also prefers a female servant for private matters, then it would be more convenient than a man. Nevertheless, it seems that the differences in gender don’t affect individuality and combat ability among homunculi.
“So, they were mass-producing them here.”
“Since it’s a small facility onboard, we can only create a few at a time.”
I see, so they gradually produced them day by day to gather such a large number. And then, due to my ‘Dark Temple of the Requiem’, they self-destructed.
Even though these are artificial lives, is it really okay to toy with them so easily, creating them and destroying them at will? Ethical dilemmas arise.
The infantry equipped with rifles have a self-sufficiency performance slightly better than ordinary ones, but the initial nine ‘living corpses’ are different. Only they can exhibit behaviors very close to genuine humans. According to Lily, it’s not that they have developed a sense of self, but rather they have merely acquired advanced acting skills… but I couldn’t distinguish whether it’s their true self or an act.
Additionally, it seems that the bodies of the homunculi produced here have also been used as spare bodies for the nine. When I sent all nine against Nel, they were easily wiped out, but that was because I was using the spare ones.
The main body is safe.
Spare bodies can be prepared as much as needed, but it seems they cannot be operated simultaneously by a single will like a doppelganger. Therefore, they are used only during operations that involve using them as disposable pawns.
By the way, the nine that were controlled when Fiona was finally taken down were all the main body.
“Are you still making them?”
“Well, sort of. They might be useful for something in the future. Even if I don’t bring them back, leaving them here should be fine for now.”
It seems that Lily has no intention of relinquishing this Shangri-La and Destiny Land base, even when she returns to Spada. She is incredibly resilient.
I wonder if it’s okay to occupy the Avalon dungeon like this. Well, it’s fine; no one is likely to come here anyway.
“Over here is the armory. There were several infantry weapon lockers on the ship, but this is the only one that still has contents.”
Locked behind a much thicker door than the others, this armory is located right next to the homunculus factory.
“Oh, this is amazing…”
Why does the sight of an armory excite a man’s heart so much?
Homunculus Soldier railgun rifles are neatly stored on a metallic rack. There’s also a rack that seems to hold sub-weapons, like handguns and knives. Those palm-sized, egg-shaped items are likely grenades packed in boxes.
Additionally, there are several firearms of different shapes and sizes from those used by the homunculus soldiers, as well as a shelf that likely holds optional parts.
However, what stands out the most among these is the power suit, an armor that looks like a hybrid between armor and a robot. Judging by the booster-like unit on the back, it likely has functions similar to my “Tyrant’s Armor.”
“I understood the general usage of the weapons thanks to listening to Chrono, like rifles, handguns, and grenades, but many of them couldn’t be operated. That ancient armor seemed like it would take an enormous effort to activate, so I left it alone.”
“So, it can move if you put in the effort?”
“Probably, but whether it will be useful or if there are skilled users for it is another question.”
If everything here can be used, should Simon, who has been diligently working on crafting guns from scratch, be joyful or cry?
“Could it be that weapons can be manufactured on the ship?”
“I can repair them, but I can’t create them. At a glance, it seems there isn’t that kind of equipment here.”
Good, if mass production of railguns were possible, Simon’s gun factory would have become pointless.
“The current production equipment available in Shangri-La is mainly from the homunculus, plus some food-related equipment and a few magical tools.”
“I see, so that’s why you’ve been able to stay here for so long.”
“Not really, food isn’t very good here, so most of the time, I had Ain and the others go shopping.”
“…Shopping?”
“Teleportation is really a convenient magic.”
Before I knew it, the “Meteor Striker” was glowing in the little hands of Young Girl Lily.
In the next moment, a large mirror appeared before us.
It’s my first time seeing it in person, but this is definitely the mirror that Lily uses to teleport. According to Vivian’s records, when Lily came to Fiona waiting on the deck of Shangri-La, she emerged from this mirror.
“Is this also ancient magic?”
“Half correct. This ‘Meteor Striker’ has an advanced control circuit embedded in it, and only with that can you use the Power of Blessing. This teleportation magic, named ‘Mirror Gate,’ allows you to teleport freely within the domain of the Fairy Queen Iris.”
“So it can’t be used in other places?”
“Yeah, from the bridge, I’ve used the teleportation function of ‘The End of History’ to fly to the Capital Avalon.”
I see, that would make the return trip easy. I was mentally preparing to go through the God Destruction Domain and play tag with the Imperial Knights.
“Hey, if Chrono desires it, you can go back once.”
Beyond the mirror, ‘The End of History’ seemingly appears as the return path to Avalon.
If I go through this mirror and the stone tablet, I can return immediately. If I wanted to, I might even be able to teleport to Spada’s ‘The End of History.’
Having finished the battle, I would like to go back to my mansion, my home, and rest…
“No, before going back, we have to talk.”
“I see… you are resolute, aren’t you?”
“Rather, I’m eager to see your face again.”
Saying this, I smile. It’s not a wry smile; I’m serious about it.
“Okay, understood. Then let’s go; Fiona is waiting.”
The guidance to Shangri-La must have been Lily’s consideration. She probably thought I would be troubled.
It would be a lie to say that I feel completely fine.
However, I had long since made up my mind.
“Alright, let’s go.”
Lily certainly acquired it by force.
But whether Fiona would agree to it is—sigh, if I become a blackened, half-dead mess, Lily will just put me back in the Aether pod.
—
Along with Lily, I arrived at the White Castle of Destiny Land, where a fierce battle took place. Its formal name seems to be ‘Destiny Palace.’ Indeed, for Lily and me, it is a castle of fate.
I didn’t notice it during the battle, but this pretty large castle is not just a spectacle; it also serves as a lodging facility. There are a few hotels elsewhere in the park, but according to Lily, the Palace Hotel is the most popular. Well, who wouldn’t want to stay in such a castle?
And now, it’s exclusively for us. Since staying on the cramped ship is not a good idea, all the members who don’t need treatment are using this place.
Fiona is waiting in a suite set up on the same top floor as the throne room.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Fiona.”
“No, not at all.”
Watching the two of them exchange words as if it were natural stirs up feelings somewhat reminiscent of nostalgia within my chest.
However, the daily life of the ‘Element Master’ that existed before the Galahad War will never return. Time never rewinds, and people’s feelings and positions change.
Still, we should be able to create something similar. The three of us, and if we include Sariel, it will be four; together we can live a peaceful life again. Having pushed through with strength to make that happen with Lily, I must do the same with Fiona and Sariel.
Steeling myself, I finally reunited with Fiona.
“Fiona… are you okay now, with your injuries?”
“Yes. How about you, Chrono?”
“I’m fine. Thanks to Lily.”
We both sustained injuries, and it’s partly because of Lily, but I won’t bring it up.
For now, I’m relieved to see Fiona, who is safe, wearing her usual expression in her usual witch robe. I was worried since she was shot up close by Lily during the battle, but it seems she recovered while in the pod.
“Chrono, I… well, no, I suppose it’s not the right time for an apology.”
“You don’t need to apologize. I have no intention of apologizing either.”
I’ve long since passed the stage of getting angry at her for her reckless actions.
Fiona must also understand that, but still, she continued speaking.
“I deceived you and sent you back to Spada.”
“That’s right. At that time, I was crying and screaming pathetically in the carriage.”
I never want to feel that sense of panic, fear, and despair again, realizing that everything had become too late.
“The reason I gave was to protect you, but that was simply a pretext. My true feeling was that I wanted to kill you because Lily was in the way.”
“That’s a sentiment we both share. You, Lily… and me as well.”
It’s easy enough to say pretty words.
Yet ultimately, the motivation moving oneself is one’s own desires. I can no longer afford to blame that simple fact now.
“In the end, I lost. I couldn’t stop Lily, left everything to you, and was merely saved.”
“Well, we both made it out unscathed, didn’t we? That’s good enough. Besides, the information you provided was incredibly helpful.”
I managed to lose nothing.
Whether it should be called miraculous or if it was the inevitable chosen by Lily’s will.
“Can you forgive me for having caused you nothing but frustration and ultimately being unable to do anything?”
“I’ll forgive you, because I love you.”
I was able to hug Fiona naturally, likely thanks to having continued a somewhat romantic relationship. After a long time, holding her again felt more fragile and delicate than ever, as if she might break.
“That’s why I won’t let go. I won’t ask you to forgive me. I came here intending to acquire both you and Lily.”
Even if Fiona acknowledges the wrongdoing of her actions, I don’t want to say that it must come with a price. I’m just going to follow through with my own ego.
“…pfft.”
“Wh-why are you laughing?”
“It’s strange to hear you say something so forceful, Chrono.”
I suddenly feel embarrassed, as if my forced nature was revealed.
“Don’t laugh. Do you have any idea how much I struggled to come to this resolve?”
“You are still worrying even now, and I’m sure you will continue to worry about various things in the future, Chrono.”
That’s a painfully accurate statement.
Certainly, if it’s about being surrounded by two or three girls and one day acting all cool about it, I feel like that will be impossible for me for life.
But I’m already stressing enough; I wish you wouldn’t say anything that might shake me further.
“Because you’re such a Chrono, it’s fine. I am yours.”
Fiona’s delicate arms hugged me tightly in return.
“… If you accept it that easily, it’s rather anticlimactic.”
“Should I have cried, gotten angry, and cursed at you instead?”
“No, I’d prefer you don’t do that. Thank you, Fiona.”
“It’s alright. I did my best to fight. I have no regrets.”
Despite her words, which would seem to carry great weight, she said it with a blank expression, so I couldn’t tell how much was genuine.
But for now, I’ll trust those words. Even if they are a lie, it should be the best for both me and Fiona.
“So, I’m still your boyfriend, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Lily will become the fiancée, but should I propose to Fiona as well? No, it doesn’t feel like something to say at this moment… If I were to do it, it should be in a more romantic setting…
“I’m fine with it. For a while, I can remain your girlfriend. I won’t ask for more than that right now.”
As if reading my trivial struggle, Fiona said.
“…Are you sure?”
I shamefully returned her unexpected words like that.
“Yes, this is good—”
And then I was kissed.
Oh no, this was something I should have initiated.
A regret immediately came to mind—am I being too sentimental?
“So, have you already… been intimate with Lily?”
“Uh, well, I’m not really ready to talk about that right now…”
I’m flustered by Fiona’s straightforward question; yep, I’m definitely the most sentimental one here.