The God Hachiman of Rhozgelia

by Ivanov117

From across time, space and our universe itself, something pulled Hachiman away from his world, something powerful that needed his help. He wakes up in an unfamiliar room, naked and with no memory. A woman enters, saying things such as Gods and Divines, a terrible war between factions, the Black Void, his alternate selves, his duty as a Patron God and that he is her God and Master.

14. Chapter 14

The God Hachiman of Rhozgelia

Chapter 14

---

The Goddess Eris watched from a visual projection of the Goddess Aqua partaking in a resurrection ritual to revive a Druukhari in a state of coma. She watched them curiously in her pocket dimension and listens to the low humming from the magic circles which they have summoned. The last few weeks have been very interesting, most of all was the new companions of Satou Kazuma and his group. Among them, there was one particular member in who she has taken an interest in.

The Druukhari was in the middle of a magic circle and flanked by Aqua, Shiranui Flare and the mysterious young man. Numerous incantations and runes floated in the air as if they were underwater, and the magical concentration in the small cave that they were in only made the pressure more condensed. Blue and white lights dazzled from the spells being cast. An unseen force from the centre ruffles their clothes and hair and she sees the magical cores of the two mages which were still on acceptable levels and turned her attention to the third member.

His face was stoic and cold and in concentration, eyes switching from red to gold to her curiosity. This third member was strange, she saw no magical core in his soul, and yet there was magic flowing from him.

Eris crosses her legs and scratches her head in bafflement. "What the… This is impossible. Am I seeing this right?" She asks out loud to herself. The spell is almost done, but she still had the Druukhari's soul within her control. Huffing out and looking to the side in thought, she taps her finger while she ponders on what she should do.

"Uuuuhhhh… I feel bad for the girl and Aqua-senpai if I don't help them out somehow, but I also know that I'll be in trouble." She shakes her head while thinking about the moral and spiritual consequences if she should go along with either choice. Eris truly wants to help them, but assisting them with someone who is not Satou Kazuma makes her feel reluctant and apprehensive.

She looks at the visual projection again before making her final decision.

And sees that the mysterious young man was looking directly at her. The hairs on her arms and upper body instantly stood up in alarm as his red and golden eyes seemed to stare directly into her soul. He looked at her as if she were an unpleasant rat that got caught by the chef in the kitchen. She instantly makes the visual projection disappear and chooses to listen to them instead.

Cold sweat forms all over her body as she suddenly struggles to breathe properly. "What the… What the heck was that…? Did he see me? No, that's impossible." She whispers out with a mix of shock and fear. From unknown sources around her, she hears that the young man is excusing himself for a moment and is replaced by the redhead Captain and the Knight with silver hair.

She summons the visual projection again to see that he is indeed gone and out of sight. Eris makes a relieved sigh as her mind drifts off-

And then she felt a presence.

The space on her far right seemed to warp and twist as if it were holding something back. Suddenly, a hand came out from the void and then the rest of the arm making its presence known. Eris was frozen with fear as she watched the hand grab at the sides, before gripping at the air. Cracking sounds were heard akin to a glacier breaking off massive chunks of itself. The hand grabs and pulls on the air as if tearing through a sheet of paper. Though terrified, Eris manages to summon her power and knit back the hole that had appeared. Whatever it was, it decided to retract its hand back wherever it came from until all was deathly quiet again. She gulps at the silence, her eyes darting around looking for a possible place where it may come from again.

She was about to lower her guard when she heard her barriers shatter, and all around her void black shadows circled what little light she still had left. Eris tries to banish them but for some reason, her powers refused to answer her. She felt her power being drained and weakened by whatever the thing was.

The shadows started coming together with some distance in front of her throne, condensing and beating like a heart. A pair of red eyes stared at her, and the shadows warped and moved like a snake around it until she saw a person appear before her eyes.

From the dark void emerged a figure, it was a girl. Intense red and golden glowing eyes stared down at the goddess, and the shadows earlier had formed to become the girl's immensely long hair which floated and moved as if she were underwater. Her skin was deathly pale as if she were a walking corpse or someone who hasn't seen the light of day in centuries. Her hands were thin and slender, except for her nails which had grown long and sharp and glinted with every move she made. A raiment red as blood floated and hovered around her waist and neck like a snake. She looked to be at the same age as Eris, perhaps older by a year or two. The appearance that she had was not unpleasant, Eris even thought that she looked beautiful. But the beauty that this stranger possessed felt, off. It was an inhuman sort of beauty, something alien and unfamiliar, not to mention unnerving. She was dressed in an elegant white and gold Yukata, with eight bands of red coming from a red sphere at the centre.

Like a rising sun.

Eris couldn't believe her eyes as she looked at the figure.

"…" The invader looks at the goddess with disinterest as if she were a lost child and contemplating if she should help her or not. She looks around her pocket dimension with a neutral expression, seemingly unimpressed.

Eris finally finds her voice and loudly exclaims at the unknown person. "W-W-WHO ARE YOU?! HOW DID YOU GET HERE?!"

The mysterious girl turns to her as if noticing her for the first time. The small grin that she made revealed sharp teeth behind her pale lips, and Eris gulped with fear and terror.

"How cheeky of you. You almost made me draw my sword." She starts giggling as her nails retract and go back to normal. The sound coming from her was eerie, and she feels a chill go up her spine. The unknown female looks around and gestures at the broken pieces of the barrier beside her bare feet. One jagged part is lodged between her bare toes but showed no sign of it piercing her skin. "Though I didn't need to use them, I just lightly blew on it like a dandelion and it just shattered on its own. At least you made an effort to push me back."

Eris repeats her earlier question, this time more forceful and shakes away the fear in her voice. The invader's eyes widen and shake her head while holding her cheek.

"Oh my, I haven't introduced myself, have I? I'm sorry that was very rude of me…" She goes silent and stares at the goddess with a small unnerving smile.

Eris waits for a few moments until the Divinity being directed at her almost makes her mind shatter from the pure force of it. She felt like her gut was punched and was unable to breathe. Her whole pocket dimension shook and cracks appeared all around them, streaks of light peeking at it from the outside. She felt as if she were on the foot of an impossibly tall mountain that seemed to go beyond the heavens themselves: while having the same feeling as on the edge of a black hole with an unseen bottom. Eris immediately goes to her knees and kneels with her forehead touching the floor.

"T-This Divinity! It's from a Primordial God!" She screams at herself in her mind. Eris couldn't see it, but she heard giggles coming from the girl before her.

"Ah, no need to state the obvious. I can read your mind you know? Now, raise your head, please. My neck will sore if I look down on you too much." The girl's voice was sweet as honey and cold as the kiss of winter, yet she didn't sound hostile. Reluctantly, Eris preferred to kneel yet avoided looking at her in the eyes.

The black-haired girl who was a Primordial Deity claps her hands together and smiles with delight. She goes down and pats the younger Goddess's head to the latter's surprise. "Don't be so scared. I was just messing with you, hehehehehe."

Though still very much intimidated and shocked, Eris still manages to make a curt reply. "Y-Yes…" Because her skin was so pale like a corpse's, she expected the hand to be cold. But in truth, they felt warm and pleasant to the touch. She pats her head and lightly caresses the girl's chin, treating her like a domesticated feline.

"Hmm~! Good girl. I wish the lesser Divinities in my time were more submissive and respectful like you. I recall having to 'discipline' some by ripping their cores from their bodies and consuming them. That was enough to keep them in line for a few centuries, hehehehe~."

Eris heard her loud and clear. The way she said her words held no menacing undertone in them, but the true meaning of it still terrified her. From the corner of her eyes, Eris swore she saw something behind the superior Divine but it disappeared before she could confirm it.

"Primordials like myself are at the top of the Divine Hierarchy, but I don't like bullying those below me. I hope you can do a favour for me..."

Eris replies immediately. "Y-Yes! Whatever you command, I will do it to the best of my ability!" She knew that the goddess in front of her can eradicate her from existence with just a twitch of a finger. Going on her bad side is a bad idea.

"How diligent! In any case, I truly wish that I can explain the current situation, but unfortunately, I can't. Therefore, I don't want you asking any questions after this." The Primordial Deity snaps her fingers, and the pocket dimension around them instantly repairs itself. The visual projection comes back and lights up the two goddesses and reveals that not much has happened in the outside world. Eris sees that the ritual is still going on and the mysterious young man had come back after switching with the two other girls from before. She doesn't know how long time had passed in the real world. It could have been mere moments, or perhaps even hours.

"You see that Druukhari?" Eris slowly nods at the other girl's question, surprised and curious at the same time. "I want you to be a dear give back her soul."

---

The spell finally ends as I return my hands to my sides. Aqua goes to the girl at the centre, inspecting her health to see if she is in good condition. I wait for her assessment, though with my eyes, I can see that she is fine. I feel a pull on my sleeve and look down to see Rushia with Chomusuke on top of her head.

"Nii, is it over? Is she okay?"

I give her a nod and pat her head. "Yup, she's at the peak of health." Just as I said that the Druukhari's eyes burst open. Her arms wildly scrambled at her sides and gasping for air as if she were drowning. She accidentally shoves Aqua and causes her to yelp and lose her balance and fall. Suu, who was right behind me, instinctively morphs and lurches forward to defend Rushia and me. The Druukhari's eyes were bright red and her long hair was white as snow. She looked defensive, crawling away and looking at each of us with a fierce expression. On the corner of her right eye, all the way down to her lower jaw was a thin scar. She holds out her hand and conjures a dagger from thin air. It glowed and shimmered with Warp energy, appearing to be burning with purple flames.

Her facial expression darkens upon seeing Shiranui Flare, before opening her mouth and directing a question to all of us.

"Who are you people?! Where am I?!"

Everyone else blinks for a moment before sporting a confused expression. Marine who was to my left, pokes my arm and goes on her tiptoes. "Hey, do you understand her? I'm not familiar with the Druukhari language."

I nod and raise my hand, and the Druukhari lays her eyes on me. She takes note of her current attire, realizing that it's similar to mine, Marines and Rushia's.

I give her the usual form of greeting in her native tongue. "Hail Sister. Blessings of the ancestors upon you." I say and give her a slight bow with my hand over my abdomen.

The girl is taken aback by my response and the dagger in her hand shimmers from existence. She sits up properly and straightens her back, her facial expression becoming neutral. "B-Blessings upon you as well..."

Shirogane Noel turns and arches her brow at me, looking impressed. "So, you're a linguist too huh…"

"I stayed for a little while in one of their enclaves here on the surface. I despise being underground." I shrug and turn my attention back to the Druukhari who was staring at us suspiciously. She opens her mouth and stops as if trying to say something but manages to say a few words.

"Where? I? You. Human?" She says slowly in the Common Tongue and points to me. I appreciate her effort, but I think it's better if we spoke in a language that we both understand.

"You are in Rhozgelian soil. Far away from the underground Druukhari kingdoms in the south."

The girl frowns and mutters something while looking at the ground. She looks up again but feels rather apprehensive at so many pairs of strangers' eyes staring at her. She gives me an unspoken request, and I nod and whisper to Marine who is at my side. "She wants some privacy. You can stay here since you're the Captain and all that."

She agrees, and after telling the others, they all walk outside the cave. Rushia wanted to stay but a few soft words from Darkness was enough to convince her. While I was gone, she was taking care of the little girl as well as playing and being friends with her. I have to admit, that woman would make a fine mother one day.

Now it was just the three of us with a small fire kindling at our centre. I decided to introduce myself first since she was still rather quiet and observing me.

"My name is Ha… People refer to me as 'Genji'." I say slowly, almost screwing up my introduction by revealing my True Name. I gesture to the redhead who was gazing at the other girl with a small patient smile. "This one here is Houshou Marine. She's the Captain of our group."

The Druukhari nods and observes us for a little while. "You two are very similar. Are you from the same clan or House?" She asks with curiosity and I realize her lingering gazes on our eyes.

"Oh no. We're not like that." I say and translate for Marine, and she makes an amused smile and winks at me. "Anyway, what is your name?"

She remains still and looks into the fire. The two white thin horns on her head were ringed with what appeared to be gold, as well as tiny inscriptions in the Druukhari writing. After some time, she sighs and shakes her head in defeat.

"I… I don't remember my name." The girl says in a small cracked voice and looked like she was about to cry. Before her tears could come out, she hides her face in her arms and propped her knees up. "I don't remember anything…"

I was at a loss when I heard her. I didn't take into account the possibility of memory loss after we resurrected her. The Divine part of myself didn't mention anything either. Maybe it's just me, but since I suffer the same thing, perhaps my mind doesn't subconsciously think about it.

Marine squeezes my arm and asks me what she said, and her eyes widen at my reply. "A-Ah, that's terrible…" She looks at the girl having a conflicted expression on her face, the reddish hue from the fire making her red hair even darker. When we drank together last night, she told me that she gets rather awkward and nervous in the presence of someone crying. She said something like, she doesn't know what to do or say, and it only ends up making the atmosphere even more awkward.

I told her to just stay still and let the girl cry by herself, and she purses her lips and nodded solemnly. To be honest, I don't know what to do as well. Even with the limited memories, I have of my other life, I'm sure that I wasn't a very empathetic person either.

On the other hand and even among the kindreds of the Elves, Druukhari women tend to be very emotional. When they get angry, their fury knows no bounds. When they are happy, their joy is one of the most wonderful things to witness. When sadness and despair overcome them, it's best to let them take their course rather than have them possibly lash out at you.

We sit in silence, listening to the occasional crackle of the fire and from the light sobs and sniffling of the girl before us. After some time, she finally composes herself and wipes away much of the tears that she shed. I see a resemblance of flushness on her pale greyish-blue skin, and her red pupils looked more intense from her tears.

"Apologies. That was unsightly of me." Her expression turns cold and stoic all of a sudden, and she gives me a slight bow. The speed with how her emotions changed made me inwardly raise a brow, even Marine didn't expect it. I feel unnerved and unconsciously feel guarded in her presence. She takes in a deep breath as if to shake away all other unnecessary emotions. "Please, I need to know what happened."

And for the next hour or so, we narrate to her all that had transpired these past two weeks: From when Rushia and I first arrived in Ludtz and met Kazuma and the others, to our mission, to the armed escort request with the Houshou crew. She listens intently when we retell how a sudden rift from the Warp opened. I deliberately omit the parts where I showed a small part of my true abilities which was followed by my companion. She listens intently, her eyes were focused and intense, and only rarely did she blink as she took in all of our words.

After we were done, she stays silent. Absentmindedly touching and caressing the soft garments that she wore. I start feeling impatient and decide to break the silence first.

"So, do you remember your name?" I ask her.

The Druukhari purses her lips and shakes her head, I see her long ears twitch and lightly droop. "Unfortunately, no…"

I shrug, thinking as much. "I see. Well, you can stay here with us until the ship is fixed and we can decide all other things until then." I take out a special amulet from the inner part of my robes that I made earlier. It had a simple silver chain and a crescent-shaped pendant with runes inscribed on them. Marine looks at it curiously as another girl receives it with two hands, surprised at my sudden act.

"Wear this so you'll understand the others. They don't understand your native tongue save for myself." She nods and puts it on, the pendant glows for a moment and a magic circle appears over her throat and head before shortly disappearing.

"Try saying something," I ask in Druukhari.

The girl clears her throat before doing so. "H-Hello…" For me, it was strange since I heard her in Druukhari, Rhozgelian and the Common Speech. Kind of like three speakers playing at the same time.

"Woah I can understand her!" Marine exclaims with amazement before turning to me. "I knew you were doing something suspicious when I saw you huddled in the corner earlier."

I shrug again. "Eh, it's nothing special. You can do a lot of things when you have mastery over rune magic. The Druukhari don't learn any other foreign language, so I made that special pendant just in case I was right. And I am, as expected. Fufufufufu!" I put my arms around my chest and chuckle smugly.

On the other hand, I'm somewhat surprised at their reactions. Before I disappeared one hundred and seventy-eight years ago, translator pendants were quite common, if a bit expensive. I guess the knowledge and expertise to make them must be gone or become rare.

Now that I took care of the language barrier, it was Marine's turn to talk with the girl. It took both of them some time to get used to it, but eventually, the tone of the conversation became more casual. I decided to excuse myself and go and tell the others of our progress. Most of them were already helping out the golems with the ongoing repair. Rushia was on the shoulders of her undead skeletal familiar, raising more of them with her catalysts and directing them to where they're most needed. I see Aqua making a scowl at the sight and moving away from them as far as possible.

On the other hand, Shirogane Noel was walking with a tree trunk on her shoulders. She had a strained expression on her face and makes a brief nod after passing me. The veins on her neck were visible which meant that the load must be a very heavy burden for the Knight. Her foot slips on a damp rock, and she loses her balance. Before the large tree trunk could crush her, I reach out with my mind and it harmlessly hovers over her.

"You should be careful next time." I frown and stomp my foot on the ground, raising a couple more golems to assist. They give me a bow and quickly take the lumber to the ship, ignoring the girl on the ground beside them. Shirogane Noel accepts my extended hand with a sheepish expression while rubbing her bum with her other hand.

"Ouch… Thanks for that." She gives me an apologetic bow despite being taller than my current physical form. "I didn't see that rock since it was covered with leaves." She says and wipes some sweat from her brow. The Sun is high in the sky but the cool breeze keeps them from sweating too much. The Druukhari can't go out like this yet, the sunlight will burn her skin and hurt her eyes. I'll have to make some customized gear for our new companion.

I instruct Shirogane Noel to sit beside me after I raise a stone chair for her. She declines at first, saying that she still has to help out but relents after I say that my golems are much more efficient at their task in contrast to workers of flesh and blood who tire easily. We were overlooking the ongoing repairs of the ship and can see better since the trees around were cut down for lumber. On the side of Marine's vessel were the cannibalized parts of my ship which I brought out from my Gate in secret. But it's not a big problem, I just made an identical copy and placed it back in my Gate. I told them that it was junk that I found lying around, and they asked no further.

"That girl… How is she?" She asks without turning to me, her eyes trained on the distant figures of Shiranui Flare and Darkness hammering away at the hull.

I cross my legs and stretch my arms. "Good, if a bit confused. And don't worry about not understanding her, I did a little something. She's talking with Marine right now."

"Oh? That's great!" She exclaims, pleasantly surprised. "What did you do?"

"It's better if you see it for yourself." I grin smugly, "it'll ruin the surprise."

I then tell her a shortened version of the events that unfolded in the cave and she listens intently while throwing in a question or two. It was also the first time that we spoke by ourselves, so we decided now is the best time to know a little something from each other.

"I'm really curious about her, the Druukhari I mean. I've only seen her kind a handful of times before. One of my friends even went to their underground cities once. He said that it was dark and surprisingly cool. There were glowing mushrooms around, some that even grew from the ground to the cavern ceiling far above that served as the city's main light source." She says enthusiastically.

There was a large population of Druukhari within the borders of the empire who allied themselves with the Rhozgelians. The term "Demon" is a slur to their race since their horns, greyish skin, glowing eyes and fear of the Sun can be seen as scary and evil. They are the descendants from a portion of the High Elves or the Eldar, who, upon opening their eyes after their creation, were taken away by my malevolent kin and shards of the Old Gods who perverted and distorted them into their liking. A fierce war was waged by the Eldar Kings to save their brethren and was assisted by some of my Kin. After poking my memories for a bit, I didn't do much as I merely observed their clashes from afar. I didn't favour any side, though I did dislike the fact that a few of my kin corrupted Mother's creations. Many human lifetimes later, the Druukhari were free but the damage done to their soul and body was done. They were shunned by many and deemed untrustworthy for their appearance and retreated underground where they constructed their subterranean kingdoms far from the eyes of their Elven cousins and other mortal races.

"Ah, I don't like their cities very much. It's underground and I hate closed spaces. You Humans are a flexible bunch. There's a reason why your kind is the most numerous of all." I say without thinking and shrug.

My wording must have seemed strange since she looks at me with a strange expression. "You 'Humans'?" She asks with a raised brow and suspicion in her voice. I stare at her, blinking several times before I realize what I said. She takes another look at my ears, her eyes narrowing and processing every little detail.

"Now that I think about it, the things that you do are quite…spectacular. I've heard of the most skilled Human magus and sorcerers, but their mastery will never approach that of an Elven Warlock. Even our ancient Magus who fought in the First Unification Wars paled in comparison to the Elves." She says and scoots closer to me.

"You're not Human, aren't you?" She looks around and whispers into my ear. "Flare talks about you when we're alone but Marine seems to trust you. She says that you're a Blank – someone who can completely mask their magical energy emission at will. Add that to the fact that you were completely unaffected by The Warp during that skirmish… I've never heard of a Human who can fly and summon a small army's worth of golems like this. And if what she says is true, only a Warlock with at least three millennia of experience can achieve that.

So, it's either you're an Eldari…or a Flügel. Both are ageless and are the most powerful races in the world and can change their appearance."

I was about to scoff, but laughter erupts from my mouth. I laugh so much that I had to cover my mouth lest I accidentally cause a landslide. Her frown becomes a pout and she gently hits my shoulder to get my attention.

"H-Hey! I'm being serious here! Stop it!"

I calm myself down after a few moments. She was so close to guessing my true nature but limited herself to the races of flesh and blood. I was half-expecting her to call me a Divinity in disguise at the end!

"Sorry about that, no idea what came over me." I clear my throat before continuing. "I have to give you girls more credit, you're more observant than I thought." A little bird from overhead flies down and perches on top of my shoulder. I understand it perfectly, its twitting and chirps forming into understandable words in my mind. It tells me of the surrounding area and says that it saw some other ships flying southwest early in the morning.

"Hmm, I see." As thanks, I produce a loaf of bread from my sleeve. It takes the loaf with many thanks and flies off, though the sight was a bit funny since a little bird carrying a comically large loaf of bread in its claws is something you don't see every day.

"Where was I? Oh yes." I had accidentally ignored Shirogane Noel while I conversed with the bird. She also stayed silent with an expression of curiosity, surprise and amusement on her pretty face. I noticed her make a disappointed face when the bird flew off, perhaps she wanted to pet it. I think it's the first time that I used my ability to communicate with animals in front of someone other than Rushia.

"Well, to answer your question, who knows? Maybe I'll tell you one of these days." I grin and get up from my polished stone chair and look behind to the mountaintop covered in ice and hidden amongst the clouds. "I've got some stuff to do and I won't be back in a while. Two days at most, so take care of Rushia for me, I couldn't tell her since she'll throw a fit. Don't worry, you'll be rewarded and compensated most handsomely."

She gets up unsurprisingly with a shocked expression. "You what?! Where are you going anyway?! And you haven't even answered me!" I don't answer her but she follows my eyes up to the peak of the mountain.

"Don't follow me. It's dangerous and I can't promise that I'll be able to save you like earlier. Anyway, the food and water that I left behind in the cave should last a couple of weeks, just in case."

"Wha-?! Where'd you even find-?!" Her words die in her throat when she sees a small cloud break off from its parent and starts racing toward us. It slows down and stops right in front of me and I casually step onto it and sit on the fluffy cloud. Shirogane Noel's mind was at a loss and could only stare at me with her mouth agape.

"Do NOT follow me," I say again with more seriousness, and I momentarily had a mind to put a command spell inside her. "I know it's too sudden, Marine will probably get furious for different reasons because of my disappearance, but I trust you'll know what to say to them. My golems will do as they are told, but don't argue with them when it comes to repairing and refitting. Oh and don't say anything bad about me, they can get overzealous and will suffer no slight against their Master." The cloud starts to rise from the ground, and I see Kazuma's small figure yell out and point at me, also calling the attention of the others. He accidentally drops a box of tools right on his foot, and gives out another shriek of pain as Rushia points and laughs at him.

"I'll see you later Shirogane Noel! Do well to remember what I said!" I raise my voice and look down at her. All of my golems in the area stop what they were doing and wave at me with their stone arms and hands. Liz's massive tail was wagging while looking up at me, Suu and Lemonplume were also doing their own thing. Shirogane Noel finally finds her voice and her hands turn into fists, raising her right arm at me.

"Noel!" She yells in reply, her voice becoming smaller and smaller.

"WHAAAAAAT?!" I yell back.

"CALL! ME! NOEEEEEEL!" Through my enhanced vision, the expression on her face had turned into a grin. I can still sense the frustration in her voice, but it's been replaced with lighter and more amiable air. Perhaps she saw the futility in her actions and just decided to let the matter go in the meantime. She clutches her skirts and covers her eyes when a gust of wind passes by, something that I definitely didn't have a hand in.

Hoh, already on a first-name basis? I guess I might have gained another friend.

"OKAY!" With one last wave at her, I will the cloud to zoom up towards the peak of the mountain where I'll have to meditate and manually balance out my Divine and Mortal Cores. The ship and their tiny figures get smaller and smaller until the cloud makes a turn and the steep mountainside hides them from view. Seriously, I feel like a machine having to do this kind of thing when I use too much Divinity infusing magical energy. I must have had a small error in my output in the ritual earlier. If Mai were with me, I wouldn't have to do all this annoying stuff in the first place.

---

Great

Just bloody fucking great

First: I was plucked yet again and flung God knows how far away Earth is.

Second: I found out that the surface of my world was wiped clean by something.

Third: I'm back here, again. Only to find out that I've been gone for a week and a half! And to top it all off, I can't access my Divine powers. I can barely open my Gates and release my Familiars, only those lower levelled ones!

Fourth, my Divinity has been shrunk to the size of an atom. Not literally, it's just tiny right now. It will take some time before it returns to the way it was before. I can't even speak to the two Gods within me and also lost my Divine connection to Mai. Since Mai is essentially a Divine Spirit tied to me, I know that she felt it as well. Knowing how crafty she is, I'm sure she has found some way to make do in the meantime. Perhaps binding herself to Mother, or becoming an independent Divine Spirit altogether.

If Mother was the one who sent me out, I wish she'd give me a heads up at least mentally prepare myself! Not that she's ever spoken to me or anything. She's been silent ever since I arrived here in this world. Or it's some Eldritch entity out there then I want to meet them face to face and give them a piece of my mind.

Oh yeah, did I mention that we're currently flying away from the mountain that we crashed on, which is spewing magma and violently erupting with dark clouds and lighting blasting near the crater?

You see, when I was rudely and forcefully brought back here, I was slammed at who knows how fast on the summit. The entire mountain shook from the force of it as well as the accidental release of pure Divine energy on my part. A chain reaction must have happened deep within the mountain, awakening the dormant volcano and causing it to erupt violently. It was a good thing that I can still fly, albeit not as fast as before. Since if I couldn't I would have possibly been caught in the initial blast and my current state, I'd rather not take any chances.

When I arrived where the others were, the ship was repaired and upgraded by my Golems who have returned to the soil and their temporary magical cores were being reabsorbed by me. Everyone was in a panic since the mountain was erupting and they were deciding whether or not to wait for me. Without even announcing my presence, I hurriedly grabbed each of them, except Rushia, and threw them onto the ship as burning rocks fell from the sky and the ground began to shake. Suu, Lemonplume and Liz all returned inside me after we pushed the large vessel off the cliff that it rested on to make it at least glide away from imminent danger. Marine was smart enough to immediately go at maximum power while the rest of them scrambled to the controls. One of the two engines on the second wing on the left side of the ship explodes from the sudden stress, but we still managed to getaway. Just barely.

I had to go to the topmasts and swat away burning debris that might hit the ship for an hour before we were finally at a safe enough distance. I wasn't as tired as I thought I would be, but I still feel something akin to it.

This brings me to my current predicament…

"If you need to know…" I say while numerous pairs of eyes surrounded me, demanding to know where I was and what I was doing for the past few days. "I was…meditating."

Marine, who was fuming, arches her brow and puts a hand on her hip. I didn't expect her to get this mad. "You were meditating?"

"Yes."

"For nearly a week and a half?"

"Yes."

"Did you really need to climb to the top of a freaking mountain to do it?" Noel asks while patting the ash and dust off her chest and sleeves, while doing the same to Rushia who's sitting obediently on her lap. Most of them were filthy with the same thing stuck to their hair and clothes. "I know meditating needs peace, not to mention solitude. But still…"

"Come on guys, why don't we just calm down. What's important is that he's safe and sound, right? If a bit late… My ears are still ringing from that massive blast, why don't we relax for now." Kazuma comes to my defence which was echoed by Shiranui and Usada. The Half-Elven gives me a knowing look and also speaks out.

"Controlling that many high-levelled golems and releasing costly spells must have taken a toll on his Core, I can't blame him for doing it. Even I feel a little dizzy after casting more than I can handle." She says and I see the heads of Megumin and Aqua nod in agreement. Only pure spellcasters can relate to such a feeling. "I don't want to sound rude, but it's not something that non-mages can understand."

I explain that I was doing just that, meditating and replenishing my reserves and saying that the magicule density at the peak was the most condensed in the area. I don't understand why they're so worked up for such a little thing, perhaps it's because I've lost something that makes me think like a normal human being.

Usada interjects and says that she's going to prepare food since it's already midday and most of them go with her to assist. Shiranui closes the door behind her, and all that was left was Marine, Rushia and Noel. I sigh and get up, eager to go out to get some fresh air but my hand stops me before I get too far.

"Noel, Rushia-chan, can you give us some privacy? I just need a few more words with him." The Captain says in a neutral tone. Noel was about to speak out but I shake my head at her. She reluctantly goes out with Rushia in tow after I reassured the Necromancer that I'll be with her shortly. The room that we were in was her private quarters, now fully repaired and even larger than before. She dragged me by the neck earlier after the ship was stabilized and demanded an explanation for my disappearance. She said nothing when the others stepped in one by one, also curious about my whereabouts.

"Captain, what is it?" I ask since her stare was enough to bore holes onto my body, "I've said all that I needed to say. I haven't withheld any information from you. Do you want to cast a spell to see if I am telling the truth?" I hold out my hand and runes start to form and take the shape of a balancing scale. If I say anything false, the left side will drop indicating that I had said a lie.

To my surprise, she starts tearing up and her lips become crooked as she desperately tries to hold back her voice. Her hands ball into fists and I see them start to shake.

"W-Where were you… You were gone for so l-long… I-I was so worried-!" She exclaims and tackles me, her arms going around my neck in a tight embrace. Because I was forced to sit at her bedside chair, we both fall onto the bed from her sudden act. She starts sobbing, wet and warm tears falling onto my neck as her voice cracks and hiccups jolt her body.

I feel rather awkward and out of place, but decide that the decent thing to do is to at least hold and return her embrace. I'm not sure what to say so but I rub her head with my hand to console her. I get taken by surprise once more when she leans in for what I assume to be a kiss, and I instinctively avoid her by moving away just in time.

She looked pained and hurt when I did so, I can see it in her red and puffy eyes. I can already hear her heart twist in pain from my act. I felt somewhat guilty, so I gently put my hand on the side of her face and wipe some of her tears away.

"Sorry, you surprised me." Her warm lips were soft and she kissed me slowly. She breaks away after a little while and slowly starts wiping away the tears with her sleeve.

She tries to speak but hiccups interrupt her every time she does so. I see the wine bottle, now filled with water and the cup that I gave her the last time I was here. It floats to my hand and refills the cup before going back to its place on the desk. She thanks me and drinks it slowly, trying to catch her breath and calm herself down.

"I-I thought you were dead… When the mountain top erupted in a red explosion and the burning rocks started falling from the sky…" She says shakily, taking my hand and rubbing it against the side of her face.

"I got out just in time. Thanks for waiting for me until the very last second." I smile gratefully and pat her head. I stop when I take a closer look at her face and see some things that I didn't notice before; her complexion was pale and sickly, her eyes were more sullen and deep, her lips were less full, her hair was unruly and unkempt and the soft and supple skin on her cheek was thinner and lithe. "Hey, you look…" My words trail off as she gives me a sad smile.

"Terrible?" She laughs without mirth in her voice, "Yeah… I couldn't sleep and I've barely eaten since you were gone… I just couldn't force myself to…"

Ah, now I feel even more guilty that I'm the reason that she's in this sorry state. I shouldn't have gone, I got too impatient and left everyone else so suddenly. Rushia trusts me and was the least worried among them, knowing full well that I'll come back and keep my promise. But for the others…

I couldn't help but pull her in for an embrace, now that the consequences of my actions are dawning upon me. "Sorry, I really am. I won't run off again on my own from now on."

She mumbles something against my chest before looking up. "You better not, or else I'm kicking you out." Despite her unhealthy appearance she smiles and giggles like the maiden that she is. "Ah, but knowing you, you'll just leap up the masts and sit at the top where we can't reach you."

I grin and chuckle. She's right, that's something I'd definitely do. The air around us wasn't as gloomy as before now that we were both smiling and laughing. "Say, why don't you rest here. I bet Usada would love my help, she was especially delighted when I had chopped, peeled and minced all the ingredients together with a snap of my fingers and without even using any of the tools. I bet she felt threatened by a rival chef on the ship."

Marine smiles and yawns tiredly at the suggestion. "Y-Yeah, I-I'm sure…" Her eyelids struggle to keep themselves open and I can hear her heartbeat go to a more relaxed and slow pace. She almost nods off twice before forcibly shaking her head to keep herself awake.

"H-Hey…"

"Hmm?"

"R-Remember that hot spring that…y-you carried me to? Y-You know…the place where we last…" A small cheeky smile forms on her lips, the memory of what we did resurfacing. I must have blushed a bit without my knowing since a giggle escapes from her.

"Yeah…what about it?"

"Why don't we go back there…s-sometime… That place was beautiful..."

I was going to say that it's probably in ruins from the eruption, but I decided against it. Denying her that little hope would be far too cruel even for my standards.

"Okay, once all of this is over."

"T-That…That w-would be…grea-" Her eyes become too heavy, and she goes limp in my arms. I carefully place her on the bed and put the covers over her. The sleeping spell that I cast would give her truly peaceful dreams full of bliss. When she wakes up in a few hours, she'll feel well-rested and invigorated like never before.

After fixing her hair, I scoot closer to her and move the kimono around her neck. I can still clearly see the two puncture marks that I had given to her when I took a bit of her mana. It had long since healed but it's still there. I guess the scar is permanent when it comes to stuff like this.

I open a Gate and a diamond-tipped golden dagger floats into my hand. I remember this as an offering from a Dwarven Kingdom centuries ago. I have to wonder where is the current incarnation of Durin The First right now. I prick my thumb with it until I see a drop's worth of my blood. The wound instantly heals and I hold it over her partially open mouth where it drops and leaves glitters and sparkling in the air before disappearing inside her palate.

"There, that should be enough." I stare at her sleeping form for a little while before getting up and phasing out from existence. My consciousness spreads everywhere and I experience every little sensation as I travel through the walls and reform back in front of my room somewhere inside the ship. I knock first, before opening it and see the Druukhari girl reading a book on the table with only a small candle for illumination.

"My Lord." She attempts to get up and bow but I stop her with a slight twitch from my hand, a common thing among High-born. And I'm surprised that she of all people knows of it. In contrast to Marine, she looks fit and healthier. Her body must have rejuvenated by itself while I was gone for a week and a half.

"They're cooking up some food," I walk past her and collapse onto my bed, "it should be ready in a little while," I say in her native tongue. This room was big enough for three separate beds, Rushia's bed was beside mine and I can see all of her stuff cluttered right on top of it. There was also a small window but it was covered up, sunlight isn't that great for a Druukhari's eyes and skin. Any kind of light is fine except for sunlight.

I can see her fidget and rub her arm from the corner of my eye. "Don't worry about the small stuff. I'll bring it to you later."

She nods respectfully at my words. "My thanks… If I may ask, where were you? You were gone for several days…?"

I give her the short version of what happened earlier. She stays quiet and only nods until I was done. The girl touches the translator pendant that is visible on her bosom. "Thank you for saving me. I am forever in your debt."

I was going to tell her off for being too uptight, but this is just how the Druukhari repays people to whom they are greatly indebted. "Do you remember your name?"

Her expression becomes downcast and she sadly shakes her head.

"I see… Well, I should call you something. Try thinking of a nice name for now." I suggest. She blinks for several moments and looks up while putting a finger to her lips. I take a good look at her; Noel must have lent her some clothes since they look alike. Instead of wearing the Knight gloves, vambrace and single pauldron and armoured boots, her arms were free and she wore simple leather legwear. Clasped onto the leather belt of Noel's outfit and completely separate from her skirt were a long waist cape and a rectangular cloth on her front, and it appears that the Druukhari also removed them. She also wore Rushia's black and green butterfly hairband which kept her right bangs from covering her eyes. The tips of her small and thin horns were shiny gold, either they were gold-coloured or the precious metal type. She had braided much of her long silvery-white hair into three main bundles but left some of it slightly curled and tinted with red at the ends. Her bright crimson eyes contrasted her light greyish skin and white hair, making them appear striking and intense.

Her current attire left much of her thighs exposed as well as her upper chest, revealing her smooth light greyish skin and the glowing translator pendant resting on her ample bosom. She must not be as large as the Knight, perhaps being the same size as Marine.

Hmm, she looks rather beautiful, as with all Elven women. Her small horns and a thin scar that ran from the corner of her right down to her lower jaw did little to dispel her beauty. I think it enhances her overall appearance. It's a good thing that I didn't take away that scar, but I don't think she even remembers having it in the first place.

After a little while, she sighs and shakes her head. "I'm sorry. I can't think of one at the moment. Since you are my benefactor, why not you decide for me? If you wish to, of course."

I turn to her, surprised at her suggestion and she respectfully looks down to avoid my gaze. "Are you sure? You are aware that giving you a name would…" My words trail off before I could finish. If I'm right about what she's suggesting, then I have to give this matter some serious thought.

She smiles for the first time but remains looking down. "I am quite aware. I have nowhere else to go, I don't remember anything from my past save for my speech. You saved me and purified my body and soul from the vile effects of The Warp. The Earth Mother must have willed this to happen and I wish to be of service to repay you. Truly, I do."

Mother huh… I don't think she has a hand in this. She hasn't spoken to me since I arrived in this world.

"Alright then, give me a little time to think of one." She bows in thanks and stays quiet again and I realize that she was waiting for me to continue. I sit up on the bed, the empty and dark room is illuminated by a single candle. My eyes automatically adjust to the low light as I start taking off my Haori and Kimono. She offers her assistance and I get up and stretch my hands to the sides.

"Thanks, this thing can get a bit stuffy," I say as her slender hands untie the knot behind me after getting the Haori and Nagagi and neatly folding it beside the bed. Next, I lean down and remove my Hakama until I was only wearing a Hanjuban and thin white pants made of cotton.

"Ahhh… That feels much better." She regards my clothes with curious eyes and asks permission to speak.

"These garments are foreign… I have never seen them before." She says and touches the smooth cloth with her fingertips.

"Yeah, they are. Where's the one that I gave you? The one that you woke up in. I specifically made it for you."

She points to the small chest at the foot of her bed. "It's there, thank you. It fits me perfectly."

I make a sigh of relief and lie back down on the bed. She sits on the chair but remains facing me, awaiting further orders most likely. "Really? I'm glad. I wasn't sure how you'd like it since I took your size while you were still in a coma and all that."

Her long ears twitch from my words, and despite the low light provided by the candle, I saw a faint blush on her pale greyish cheeks. "A-Ah… Thank you. Umm… A-Are you a tailor by trade?" She quickly changes the topic and I can't blame her.

"No, but I'm good at making clothes."

I can't say that when I make them, I disappear into my pocket dimension and imagine them, using a bit of my magical energy and voila, it materializes inside my Gate and I bring it out into the physical world. Not to mention that I had to bring her body inside it. Calling me a tailor is a bit far off, not that I can think of anything else anyway. Creating things from nothing but my imagination is one of the few things that recently happened.

"My Lord is very talented despite your age… May I ask what other skills you possess?" She asks politely, and I know that she just wants to get to know me better.

I cross my legs and look up at the ceiling. "Hmm… I'm a linguist, I guess. And I also like collecting stuff."

"Collecting… What do you collect?"

I shrug. "Anything really, whatever piques my interest. Books and tomes, weapons and armour, vehicles and all other trinkets."

She nods slowly, trying to make sense of what I'm saying. "Lady Rushia said that you are currently teaching her alchemy and that you are also extremely proficient in the magical arts."

That damn little brat-! I hope she didn't say too much about me while I was gone-!

"Yeah… She must have exaggerated a bit. You know how children are, their imagination is wide. A-Ahahahaha…" I laugh nervously which came out rather too goofy for my liking.

The Druukhari continues seemingly unbothered by my strange reaction, she touches the green and black butterfly shaped hairpin on her head. "Is she your daughter?"

I shake my head since I saw that question coming. "No, I'm her guardian." She seems satisfied enough with the answer and doesn't ask further which I'm thankful for. We talk for a bit more, and she asks trivial stuff like my hobbies, my likes and dislikes and also my educational background and other harmless topics. She doesn't ask about my sensitive family matters, nor the void metallic bracers on my arms and legs. But she did ask me if I know where my family is, and I said that I've been gone from home for a while and I don't know where they are right now.

A knock comes from the door, and I tell whoever it is to come in. A little figure clad in black robes shuffles inside. It was Suu, who gives me a bow before transforming into a little slime ball and hopping onto my chest. She leaves the robes on the floor and we see bubbles form inside her, an indicator that she is feeling quite happy.

I hear Suu's voice in my head. "Young Master, the food will be ready in a little while. Lady Usada asks what would you two like to eat?"

"Apple pie with milk, grilled marinated venison and mushrooms, lightly salted vegetables, sausages, salted fish dipped in fruit puree, cold noodle soup, chicken meat pie, half-cooked freshwater squid and shrimp, a wintermelon, a large milktank steak and four scrambled eggs with cheese, please. The girl too. Oh and three loaves of bread." I reply telepathically and gesture towards the Druukhari with my head who was looking at us with an amused expression.

"So much! Young Master must be feeling very hungry! I'll have to ask Lady Usada to hurry up! Pardon me for asking Young Master, but did something happen to your current body? Your previous body doesn't need nutrients like a living life form and you only ate to keep up appearances." She asks and a Rhozgelian character for a question mark forms over her head.

I chuckle and pat the slime's cool and moist body. "Yeah, but it's not a big deal. You guys aren't affected by it so don't worry. Now go on, help the chef out and keep Rushia from getting into trouble. Make clones of yourself to speed things up." She makes a nodding motion and after giving us a bow, transforms into her earlier form, picks up and wears the robe again and goes out the door.

A small smile graces the lips of the Druukhari. "Your Familiar?"

"Yup. Her name is Suu."

"Oh my," She says and slowly places a hand over her mouth in surprise, "you gave it a Name? That must be why is gained sentience and intelligence."

"Yeah." I yawn and stretch my arms and legs and make myself comfortable on the bed. "Anyway, you can go back to reading, the food will come when it's done. I'll just take a little nap and don't hesitate to wake me if you need anything." She nods and fixes her skirt and turns away from me, eager to return to the book that I gave her directly from my Gate.

The Fallen Eldar and their history: Their Beginnings Volume I

That's a good book. I read it while I was cooped up in my pocket dimension. I hope it might trigger some of her memories to come back. It's an unpleasant feeling that I know all too well.

---

Hmm, the two moons are full and beautiful tonight. They are taking up two-quarters of the night sky and I can faintly see traces of their rings. There were tiny shimmering celestial bodies within the rings, the celestial prisons of the Old Gods. I can remember helping Mother create those prisons along with my Kin. I wonder how it feels, floating in the coldness of space for aeons with nothing to do but sleep. Rodan, Mothra and many others were wise enough to surrender and willingly let their Divinity be stripped away. While they were still imprisoned, some of them were released after some time and free to roam the Earth. I would have offered Rodan freedom if he would just wake up, but he seems to be more comfortable just sleeping.

I close my eyes and feel the night air against my face. I'm sitting on the ship's figurehead – the head of the great golden phoenix with its beak open and fierce blazing eyes looking forward. It is one of my Divine appearances aside from being a Human. When the Divine part of myself finally regenerates enough energy to form consciousness in our shared psyche, I'll have to ask him how to turn into one. It looks really cool.

I hear footsteps amid the wind in my ears and turn to see that it was the Druukhari. She was clutching her skirt and covering her eyes while slowly walking toward me. She gives out a shout when she sees me stand up, completely unaffected by the wind and unafraid of falling from our current high altitude.

"M-My Lord-! That is too dangerous! P-Please, come down!" I hear legitimate fear and worry in her voice and step back down on the deck to prevent giving her a heart attack. She makes a sigh of relief, my eyes focus on the pendant on her chest when it catches and reflects some of the moonlight.

"Oh? Why are you here? You should join the others to drink, eat and make merry with them." Just as I was done, I hear Aqua's boisterous laughter from the inside, followed by Kazuma and Usada and the sound of all kinds of food being prepared in the kitchen. Dinner was being served on the cabins above deck and was quite convenient since the kitchen was connected with it further behind. The pleasant and delicious smell of would have made my stomach growl if I had one.

"Yes, well Lady Noel and Darkness have called for you."

My brow arches at her words. "Oh? What do they want?"

She looks down and rubs her arm, her long ears twitching for a bit. "They…insist having a contest of strength of arms with you…again. I believe they are placing bets…"

I roll my eyes at such a trivial reason. "I have beaten them in arm wrestling many times before, why would they try again now?" The girl looks unsure of what to say and pauses for a bit to choose her words.

"Umm… I believe the alcohol has dulled their senses and reasoning, leading them to become brash and emboldened to challenge you once again… Even Lady Shiranui is already sprawled on the floor…"

I had sneakily gone out earlier after having my fill to get some time by myself. Shiranui had challenged me to a drinking contest and lost pitifully, as well as Marine and Aqua. I was genuinely enjoying myself - laughing, eating and drinking with them, but something nagged at me from the inside. I don't think I'm used to these kinds of things, so I went away to seek my lonesome and contemplate what the strange feeling was.

"Fine. Tell them that I'll be there in a little while."

I expected her to bow and turn around, but she remains standing still. I see her pursing her lips and making motions on the inside of her mouth. I sigh and open a telepathic link to her mind. She yelps when we both hear a pinging sound, meaning that our minds are connected.

"You don't have to be so afraid, just tell me what you want to say." She looks at me with a surprised expression and bows in apology, her silvery-white hair swaying with the movement. After mustering her courage, she takes in a deep breath and opens her mouth.

"Y-Yes… If I may ask, has My Lord decided on a name for me?" She asks with a meek expression before continuing, "I am fine with any name you may bestow upon my humble self…"

I take a good look at her and step forward. She looks down until I can't see her face anymore.

"Raise your head, I want to look at your face." The Druukhari follows my command with slight difficulty, her bright red orbs focusing on anything except my eyes. She gulps when I instruct her to meet my gaze and does so albeit agonizingly slow. She flinches and quickly closes her eyes when I raise my hand and I internally frown at her instantaneous reaction. I push away my thoughts to the side and put my hand on her head, lightly patting and petting it. She shivers and a small squeak escapes her lips when I gently caress the side of her face, some strands of her silvery-white hair making contact with my fingers. Her soft skin was pleasant to the touch and I wonder how she feels my fingers. I'm glad that I managed to completely reverse The Warp's effects on her.

I do this to all of my Familiars before Naming them. I have to get a good feel from them and not just think of one on the spot. I usually name them based on a particular trait that they have, like Lemonplume for example. Her feathers were of a similar hue to a lemon's, so I called her Lemonplume. If I can't think of one from their appearance, I give them a proper name like what I did to my winged serpents. Liz because she's a huge lizard, and Suu was on the suggestion of Rushia since it sounded 'cute'.

After giving her face a good look, I gaze down at her ample bosom and the crescent-shaped pendant resting on it. She stiffens a bit when my fingers brush against her chest and I take the thing with my finger and the cold silver pendant glows in response to my touch. I don't know why I crafted it with that appearance in mind, it literally popped up in my head and I just went along with it without thinking too much.

Hmm… Crescent… Moon… Luna…

I look behind to the two moons high in the sky, they looked like a pair of eyes gazing upon us and silently observing our exchange. A memory from my past life sparked just now and it has something to do with the moon. My former homeworld only had a single moon orbiting it, but why did I get reminded of it now of all times?

I stare at them for a little while until I finally managed to dig it up from within my mind.

"Oh! I remember! Ahaha! I remember it now!" I exclaim with a loud and pleased voice. I couldn't help but grab the girl, who yelps with surprise, by the waist and spin her around and around in my mirth.

"My Looooord?! Aaaaaahhh!" We levitate a few metres off the deck and I start seeing scribbles of dizziness in her eyes while she was screaming. She instinctively wraps her arms around me and holds me tight. Even her legs do the same and wrap my tightly as well.

I realize what I was doing and immediately stop. Her head was shaky and her sense of balance was off until I lightly flicked at her forehead and made the dizziness instantly go away. "Oh crap. Sorry about that. Are you alright?"

She holds onto my arm, still reeling from the sudden sensations. "Y-Yes… I think I am…"

"I thought of a nice name!" I say excitedly with a wide childlike smile. She returns me with one, a small yet pleasant smile after almost looking away in reflex. Though it disappears just as quick when she catches herself unconsciously doing it. I give her a little bit more time to compose herself and I point at the two moons dominating the night sky and her crimson eyes look up at them.

"Tsuki. It means 'Moon' in my mother tongue."

What I remembered was the tale of Princess Kaguya, a famous story in my country that I know by heart. So this is the reason why I always found myself transfixed upon the moon even back in The Capital when Mai was still with me. I thought that perhaps it was because this world had two large ringed moons, unlike my former home, that's why I was so amazed at the sight. It turns out I must have been subconsciously trying to remember it since even right now my memories are still broken and fractured. Most of the words that I think about and use in speech are either in Rhozgelian or in the Common Speech.

The Druukhari maintains looking at the two moons, repeating the word several times and feeling it roll off her tongue. "Tsu-ki… Tsuki… Tsuki… Tsuki…" She is almost in a trance, and I patiently wait while gazing upon her beautiful figure under the moonlight. My eyes go to her Elven ears, I think she'll look even prettier with earrings on. I'll snoop around my Gate to see if I have one that will suit her. "Tsuki… Tsuki… Hmm…"

She turns to me and instantly blushes at the closeness of our faces. Despite that, she gives me a small smile and nods and takes both of my hands. Hers were soft and delicate, not to mention very warm.

"I think it is beautiful. Thank you." She straightens herself up and I can genuinely feel that she is pleased with the name. "Shall we initiate and seal the pact right away?"

I shake my head. "No, let's do it some other time. In the meantime, let's go back." I feel her loosen her hold on my hand but I go forward regardless. Her ears twitch as she looks down and sees that I'm still holding her hand.

"My Lord…? Your…hand…" She says in a small voice barely audible. I roll my eyes and shake her head.

"It's fine, don't sweat the small stuff." She gulps and nods dutifully as we both walk back towards the cabin, the voices and laughter getting louder with each step that we take. The wind had died down to a gentle breeze on our cheeks, like a mother's kiss on her infant.

"Tsuki." She turns when I call her name and from the corner of my eye she has a slightly embarrassed expression on her face. I can sense the nervousness just from holding her hand. Her hold was very loose, yet with each step I feel it slowly but surely getting tighter.

"Y-Yes?"

I chuckle and meet her gaze. She stops halfway to avoid looking at me, but wills herself against it. She's looking at my face but isn't looking at me in the eye. Hmm, at least it's progress.

"Oh, nothing." I grin, "It's a beautiful name isn't it?"

Her lips form into a small smile and look like she does so with some difficulty. I have a feeling that she isn't used to smiling very much, not that I'm in any way different.

"Yes, I think it is." Tsuki replies with a glad and content tone in her voice. "I think it is a very beautiful name."

---

"You're an idiot Kazuma. You shouldn't have drank too much." I say, looking at the young man with slight disdain. All I received were drunken groans and gibberish as Suu carried him on top of her slime body.

"Young Master, this one has soiled your clothes after he expelled the contents of his stomach on your person. Should I kill him?" I get surprised at the cold and menacing tone in Suu's voice. Despite sounding like a little girl, it makes her more ominous and unsettling.

"Your loyalty and desire to mend such an insult is understandable Suu, but no. You don't need to go that far. Still, I don't like being puked on." I say and white flames envelop my entire body, leaving my clothes unharmed and burning away all the impurities that may still linger. It doesn't burn any of the surroundings despite licking the walls and ceiling with its embers.

I stop in front of his room as Suu opens the door with her slime tentacle. I hear an "oof" and something heavy being thrown on the bed and she comes right back out and hops onto my shoulder.

"Is Rushia already sleeping?"

The slime makes a nodding motion. "Lady Rushia is fast asleep after having such a large dinner. Lady Tsuki is in a similar state."

"Hmm, I see."

After dinner, I cleaned everything with a snap of my fingers while Suu created clones of herself and helped put away the leftovers in the chilled room behind the kitchen. I was the last man standing as everyone else – minus Rushia, Tsuki and Megumin since they didn't drink- had passed out everywhere from drinking too much. Our chef and the Master of the kitchen – Usada, was the first to fall so she couldn't help us out.

I think I shouldn't have brought out that super special dwarven liquor from my Gate. The label saying "One drink and you'll pass out!" really wasn't kidding. I made a spell to become immune to the effects of alcohol, but I didn't expect it to knock out the others with one shot.

"That makes him the last right?"

"That is correct Young Master. We have all placed the bodies of your companions back in their respective rooms."

"'Bodies'… You're making it sound like a crime scene…"

"Would you be retiring to your quarters as well?"

I shake my head as I make a turn in the hallway, my footstep echoing in the silence. "There's no one else to commandeer the vessel so I'll be staying on the bridge tonight. But before that, I'm going to take a bath."

"Would you like some company, Young Master? May I help you wash your back?"

"I'll be fine thanks for the offer." After that, Suu hops off my shoulder and excuses herself to go back to our room. She slithers silently like a snake on the floor before going around the corner. A few moments later, I open the door to the bathroom and close the door behind me. The lights above automatically activate and reveal a spacious room with a large bathtub in the middle. The tiles were white and new, and the walls were designed with intricate vents and a few indoor plants for aesthetics. I have to admit, I'm very impressed with my Command Golem. It put the engineering and interior and exterior design books that I installed into its core to maximum use.

My clothes and sandals glow and turn to dust which is then absorbed by a Gate that I opened. A large amount of steam is over the water, quite thick and I can't see beyond my arm's length. Someone must have forgotten to turn it off. I dismiss it and stride towards it. I don't need a pre-bath since my body is naturally clean and immaculate and free of all impurities. Not to mention that I already purified myself with white fire mere moments ago. The warm water feels nice as I lower myself until only my head remained over it. A thick towel cushions my head against the hard surface of the floor tiles and I find myself finally relaxing after what feels like years.

"Hmm, this feels nice. I should do this more often." I say out loud and close my eyes. I open them a few moments later, and what I saw almost literally made my non-existent heart erupt from my chest.

I see that a floating head with red hair was right between my legs.

I scream with a high-pitched voice, almost like that of a woman's. A hand jumps out of the water and covers my mouth before I could wake everyone up. Marine puts a finger over her lips, hushing me to keep quiet. Her hair was dripping wet and a transparent bubble was around her head. It glows for a moment before popping and releasing some magic into the air.

So that's why I didn't see her! The thick steam and the fact that she stayed underwater with that breathing bubble hid her from my senses!

She removes her hand from my mouth as I frowned at her. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?! THIS ISN'T FUNNY YOU STUPID WOMAN!" I splash water directly onto her face in annoyance. I am legitimately pissed at this little prank of hers. So much so that I had a mind to get up and stomp back to my room.

"H-Hey! Wait let me explain! And don't call me stupid-!" I didn't let her finish and just splashed at her until she raised her arms in surrender, her bright red hair partially covering her bare breasts. She makes a startled scream when I fire a tiny bolt of electricity directly at her chest where her Core is. I've learned from past experience that blasting her with this immediately gets her in line.

I cross my arms across my chest, a nerve ticking and throbbing on my upper right forehead. It's a miracle that I haven't bonked her on the head yet. "Why in Mother's name are you here?! I thought you were asleep!"

The redhead laughs coyly in an exaggerated manner with her hands on her waist after rubbing her chest and sending me a dirty look. "Hohohoho! I accidentally spilt that dangerous liquor and by the time I was looking around for another glass, you already stowed it away. I did fall asleep yes, but only for a few minutes!"

I sigh with exasperation and shake my head. "Unbelievable…"

She continues and laughs even louder when she sees the expression that I'm making. "That's right! I heard you muttering that after moving everyone back to their rooms you'll take a bath by yourself! So after waiting a few minutes when you went away, I sneakily got out and waited here until you arrived!"

Damn, I have to admit that she got me with my pants down, or lack thereof.

Seeing as the situation is futile, I make a defeated sigh and go back down on the water. "Fufufufu, my gamble paid off~!" She coos teasingly and sits down beside me. I feel her breast teasingly rub against me when she puts har arm around mine. "I would have waited for another hour underwater, but thankfully you arrived not a minute too soon!"

"I should have thought something was up when I saw this much steam around..." It clears from us with a wave of my hand and most of it gets sucked in by the vents above. She leans her head on my shoulder while humming a song and relaxes her feet down onto the bottom of the tiled bathtub.

"Hey hey, can I get something to drink? I'd like the one that we had on our first night~." I accept her request as a small golden portal opens beside her. Out comes the High Elven wine that she likes and two glasses that remain suspended in midair. I already confided to her on the secret of my Gates, though only to a certain extent so now I don't need to hide it when in her presence. She had already asked for a chest's worth of precious jewels, a new hat and some other trivial stuff that already passed from my memory.

She looks a lot better now unlike earlier today. Her cheeks and lips were fuller, and the dark lines under her eyes have decreased somewhat. Her skin was also healthier looking and her eyes weren't as tired and bloodshot as before. Drinking a bit of my blood did wonder to her health. Though she's not to her old self just yet, I wager she'll be good as new tomorrow or on the day after.

"Why're you here anyway?" I ask after she takes a small sip from the goblet.

"Huh? Do I need to tell you every little detail of what I'm doing while I'm on my ship?" She says with a hint of authority in her voice and narrows her eyes at me.

Hoh, so she's playing this game huh… Time to pop her bubble…

"Haaah? Your ship was ruined and split in half when it broke upon the mountainside, completely unrepairable. This vessel is made from the combined parts of two ships that I own which I improved upon. I only copied the general layout of your ship and used a handful of still usable components.

As far as I'm aware, this ship is mine."

Her strong facade instantly breaks and she gets up from the water and splashes water onto my face in the act. She had anxiety and fear written on her face as she points at me with her finger. She must have been thinking the same thing ever since the construction started.

"O-Oi! I'm glad for your help but that's going too far!"

My grin widens when she squirms from my gaze. "Oh? Are you sure? But I am the one who currently has the keys to every room? Doesn't that make me the Master of this ship?" A gate opens and a fistful of silver keys varying in size drops onto my open palm. She tries snatching it but I was faster and she loses her balance and falls face-first into the water.

She gets back up immediately and resumes her earlier stance in all of her naked glory. "T-That's not enough-!"

I put a hand under my chin and feign to be deep in thought. "Hmm, but the magical energy reactors that power this ship are directly based on my magical circuits? You can even say that this ship flows with my blood and DNA. In a strange way, this ship is my child."

Marine's mind was struggling to make a reasonable comeback but was failing pitifully at it. She tries saying something but it ends up becoming incomprehensible stuttering and gibberish. I feel sadistic pleasure watching her writhe and squirm like this, and I decided one last thing to nail the coffin.

"If you open the seals with the proper security command protocols, you'll see my handprint and signature directly on the smooth surface of the magical energy matrix," I say smugly. "Oh, but if you do, please don't forget to put on the correct protective gear. I don't want to see your beautiful skin melt and slide off the muscle and bone underneath. I doubt any of you can make protective spells like myself anyway."

That was the critical hit since she looks up holding her head and makes a dramatic wail of despair. She quickly sits on my lap and starts harshly shaking my shoulders to my amusement.

"Waaaahhh! You can't do this to meeeee! I trusted you! Don't betray me like this!" She exclaims as tears start falling from the corners of her eyes and her nose starts getting red and stuffy. My sadistic laughter only fuels her despair. "Stop laughing you sadist! I'll be the first in my entire lineage to lose a ship in such a humiliating way! Don't take away my ship! It's all I have! (I can probably buy another one if I sell the stuff you gave me, but I really like this ship! My room is really pretty!) She whispers the last part in between overdramatic cries of anguish.

I laugh even harder when I realize that she looks just like Aqua earlier. She lost a bet to Noel during dinner and begged me to tears with snot dripping from her nose to lend her some money even though she already owes me so much. She was exactly like this and was making a mess spilling drinking and knocking over food off the table which annoyed Usada very much. Her funny expression gave me a good laugh so I relented and gave her what she asked, much to the dismay of Kazuma and Darkness who both berate me that she'll just place it on terrible bets again and lose.

She finally stops being such a drama queen when I put a hand on her head. "I'm just kidding. You can have it. Half of it, to be precise."

A smile was about to form in the first half but it immediately drops. "Huh? What do you mean?"

I roll my eyes at her and she pinches my side for it. "Do I have to spell everything out for you? Shared ownership is what I mean." She stares blankly at me while processing my words and making sense of it.

"So… It's still mine?"

"Ours."

She was about to protest but thinks and looks to the side. Her brows were furrowed in concentration, she must be thinking about the implications of what I said, as well as weighing in the pros and cons.

"I think it's a nice deal," I say and move some strands of her wet hair behind her ear, "as long as I'm around, you don't have to pay for insurance and whatnot. My golems can repair anything and take materials directly from my Gates. You can also relax for a bit now that you have someone who can share the responsibilities with. I can take care of the port fees, taxes and tariffs too: As well as the ammunition costs, maintenance, upgrades and retrofits and living expenses. I'm sure that I can talk to the right people and convince them to give you a higher status in the merchant guilds. Oh and we can't forget about your crewmates, I've already considered them and planned their salaries, benefits and employee bonuses."

Marine clicks her tongue and looks at me with a pout. "Y-You really thought this one through huh… You're starting to sound like a bigshot tycoon… Did you practice all of that in front of a mirror?"

My grin widens when she gives me a small smile. "I'm a frequent overthinker so planning and laying out this kind of stuff is just your everyday thing. Think of it as signing a contract to a business deal."

"Hmm, well your deal sounds too good to be true…~" She coos sweetly and leans forward to plant a chaste kiss on my lips. I only returned her intimacy halfheartedly since I'm not in the mood. If she noticed it, she makes no mention of it. "I'll tell Noel and the others what they think."

"Great. Now on to the bigger question." I say and she cutely tilts her head to the side when I put my hands on her shoulders and lightly push her away from me. "Why did you have to go to such lengths to seek me out? Couldn't you have waited until morning? Is it something really important?" I ask her in all honesty.

She looks at me as if I had said something strange and starts giggling. She doesn't stop even as I pull both of her cheeks with my hands. "Oi oi oi, spill the beans already. You should be getting some rest."

I let go, and the smile she has only widened as she leans forward to whisper directly into my ear.

"Why do you think~?"

My eyes go wide and I freeze from her words. More sweet giggles come from her when she sees the expression on my face. She bats her eyelashes at me sultrily as a pinkish hue spreads over her cheeks. Her left hand gently caresses my chest while she uses the other to make a V-shape and spreads her mouth and sticks out her hot and wet tongue erotically.

"I've been feeling so lonely every since you went away~… It was so agonizingly hard for me to sleep every night and I wished that morning would come sooner~..." She whispers lowly and licks the side of my face. She takes my hand from under the water and places it over her firm and supple breast.

"I need some mana transfer~. I think you know what that means~." Her red eyes glint from an unseen light and the grin on her face widens.

Oh no…

How could I be so stupid as to forget that I switched something on inside this girl during our first night… Something that should really have stayed off!

She playfully nibbles on my earlobes before hungrily taking my lips and shoving her tongue inside me. She makes a groan of approval when I match my pace with hers and she also takes my other hand and leads it to her nether region. Despite the heat of the water, I can feel and distinguish the hotness between her legs when my fingers brush past them. She puts her other hand behind my head, effectively holding me in place and preventing my means of escape.

"Hey, can we do this some other time?" I say when she finally pulls away for air. "I don't feel like doing it tonight…"

Or ever again, for that matter…

She immediately comes back and starts kissing and sucking on my neck.

"Why? We have the whole night and room to ourselves…" She replies breathlessly and kisses me hard again. She's getting more and more riled and aroused with each passing second. It won't be long until she makes a move for the main act. I try to reason with her every time she pulls away, but it's like her mind is elsewhere and there's only one thing that she desires right now.

"You say that you don't want it, and yet…" She grins and looks down at something under the water and makes a delighted sound and licks her lips hungrily. The amulet she has around her neck glints when it captures the light, and my eyes can't help but focus on her bosom and her pink nipples. I remember how she loved it when I would take them into my mouth and twirl and tease it using my tongue. "You're not being honest, but your body sure is~! Ohohoho~! Someone's happy to see me~! Hellooooo~! I've missed you too~!"

"It's just a normal biological reaction." I deadpan and she wraps her soft hand around me. I can't deny that it feels good and having it done while underwater is a relatively new experience. Her grin widens when she feels me twitch and get bigger, before leaning forward and whispering sweet nothings to my ear. Her eyes never leave me as she strokes me at varying speeds and tests out how I like it.

"You know you want it, come on~…" Her voice was shaky and I can feel her heartbeat through her breasts. It must be taking everything that she has to hold herself back. Her voice was steamy and her body was incredibly hot to the touch. She proceeds to sit on my lap and rubs her chest against mine. "I'll tell you what, I'm willing to think about your offer if you do it with me~."

I arch my brow just as she makes rubbing motions on my lap. I can feel her slit pleasuring itself by rubbing against my thigh as she's breathing heavily from arousal and excitement. "That leaves a lot to be desired. And I have no guarantees. I feel like you're blackmailing me, Captain."

"Tehee~!" She makes a silly yet endearing expression by closing one eye and lightly sticking out her tongue and softly hitting the side of her head with her knuckle. It looked so stupid that I felt like I lost some of my IQ just by witnessing it. "Big talk from you! Take it or leave it, as I always say~!"

The ship is already on a steady course and the weather seems fine tonight. The others are out cold and won't be up until tomorrow morning anyway… And I think I need to teach this girl a lesson for teasing me too much, my patience had already run out the moment she startled the heck out of me earlier!

…

…

…

Screw this! I don't care anymore!

She yelps when I get up and carry her bridal style, our bodies still wet and dripping from the water. Without another word, I run out of the room while opening the door with my mind. My footsteps were loud as I ran around the empty hallways while carrying her in our birthday suits and leaving droplets of water in our wake.

"Kyaaaah~! Hehehehehe~! Careful now, I don't want us to slip and fall~!" She says giddily and holds my arm and neck for balance.

My eye twitches at how carefree she is despite feeling excitement at our escapade. My only concern at the moment is to get to her room as fast as possible. "You better get ready, I'm gonna pound some proper manners into you and wipe that smug and annoying grin off your face!"

"Oh my~! I can't wait~! And while you're at it…" She leans up and whispers the next part directly to my ear. "Be sure to discipline me properly~! And give me lots of your virile mana, okay~? I've missed how hot and good it feels inside me~. It's quite…addictive. Hehehehehe…" She coos and plants a soft kiss on my cheek before heartily laughing at the silly and ridiculous circumstances that we find ourselves.

Ugh, I'm such a pushover when it comes to this sort of thing… Tonight is going to be a long night for sure…