Chapter: 298
After that, Arthur and I had a conversation about many things.
The events that transpired after my departure. The story following the stabilization of the Romanian Empire.
Not long after I left, Vivi quit her role as a Dragon Priestess, married a man, and built a family. She lived happily with her husband, had many children, and eventually passed away peacefully, as if drifting into a deep sleep.
Of course, I was already aware of this. I was the one who granted her permission when Vivi decided to step down from being the Dragon Priestess. Naturally, I couldn’t have helped but know.
By the way, Vivi is currently in paradise, enjoying a leisurely time. It seems her husband is a bit sad that he can’t be there, but what can be done? Even if the difficulty of the Underworld’s trial has been lowered, it’s not something that just anyone can easily overcome.
After that, Arthur continued his story.
He passed the throne of the Romanian Empire to Vivi’s son and began to live in quiet seclusion.
Once he saw that Vivi’s son Julius was ruling the empire well, he felt relieved and wandered off from Sirius.
Listening to Arthur unfold all of his experiences made me let out a small sigh.
This guy… was he always this talkative…? No, that can’t be right. He wasn’t this much of a chatterbox before.
Or maybe it’s simply because he has accumulated so many stories over time.
“So, speaking of which. In a small country northeast of Romania, they collect taxes in blood.”
“Blood?”
The stories I heard through Arthur were more than enough to spark my interest.
Tales of how the Elven ruling structure is gradually changing, how Dwarves are settling all over the mountain range, how the kings and queens of small countries that tax blood never seem to age, and how there are snowfields further up in the northern plains where no living creature can survive. There’s also the increase of Lizardmen settling around fairly large rivers.
Arthur’s storytelling was endless… resembling a child who had played outside for hours returning home to excitedly share tales with their parents.
This kid… maybe he was just feeling lonely.
“By the way, what on earth is that armor made of? It doesn’t appear to be metal.”
“Oh, you mean this? Um… Well, I think you might get angry when I tell you about it.”
Arthur glanced at me. What in the world could possibly trigger my anger?
“Tell me, I won’t get angry.”
“Are you sure you won’t get angry?”
“It’s just armor. What do I have to be angry about?”
Only after saying that did Arthur open his mouth.
He’s still keeping an eye on me though!
“Didn’t the Master leave his body as a statue when he left?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
When it was first created, it was a clumsy body formed by haphazardly gathering rocks, but after using it for a considerable time… I found I had grown a bit attached to it.
Leaving it as is felt a bit excessive, so I made it into a statue before departing.
“At that time, parts of the Master’s body fell off, aside from the pieces that remained as statues.”
“Yeah, they definitely fell off.”
Quite a lot fell off, actually! Cleaning it up must have been no small feat! They were all just rubble!
But why are we suddenly talking about this…?
“The parts that fell off… um. They were definitely rock, but they were extraordinarily hard for some reason.”
Well. Since it was a part of me that I had used as my body, if my magic seeped into it and changed its properties… it could become so hard that it would be incomparable to regular rock…
Wait, is it hard?
“This armor is made from gathering those pieces together.”
“What…?”
Now that I take a closer look at Arthur’s armor… it’s real.
I thought it was an armor made of some strange metal that had been buffed to shine, but upon further investigation… it turned out to be armor crafted from rock that had been altered by magic.
No, what in the world is this armor! It’s not odd for a rock to change properties after long exposure to my magic! But he’s actually wearing it as armor?!
“You little brat…! No, Tia, don’t yell at me all of a sudden! I get how you feel, but!!”
“Didn’t you say you weren’t angry?”
Arthur glances at me once again. At those words, I had to take a deep breath and swallow the comments that were nearly escaping my lips.
This kid… He’s made armor out of the Master’s body parts and is wearing it… What in the world is he thinking?!
Look! Encia is panicking too!! Her face is turning white!!
“I feel bad…”
He even said he felt bad!
“Ha, but there’s nothing I can do! Out of curiosity, I gave it to a dwarf I knew, and they freaked out!”
“It’s light, strong, and doesn’t leave a mark when scratched by metal, so I thought it would be perfect for armor!”
“No, no matter what! Do you want to wear what used to be your Master’s body as armor?!”
“Well, I was a bit hesitant at first… but it’s strangely light and sturdy, considering it’s full-body armor…
And besides, while I was wearing this armor, it strangely felt like the Master was… Ahem… right by my side…”
“Yikes! Pervert!”
Those words weren’t mine. It was Encia letting that one fly.
“I’m seriously disappointed! I thought he was a decent person, but turns out he’s such a pervert!!”
“Shia. Calm down.”
“Tia, you too! No matter how empty the body is, using what was once Tia’s body to make armor is incomprehensible for any normal person! Pervert! A pervert that only comes once in a lifetime!!
That kind of pervert needs a thorough punishing!!!”
I couldn’t bring myself to refute Encia’s words. I thought I was a bit shocked too.
“I-I’m sorry.”
“Are you thinking of getting rid of that armor even now?”
“I regret to say… I’m completely used to it now… I feel uneasy without it.”
“This just won’t do. This guy. If we don’t figure something out….”
That was what I said.
Seriously, how did he turn out like this? Did I teach him something incorrectly? Or was it wrong for me to leave after hearing his feelings right away?
I don’t know. For a moment, I thought, “Should I turn back time?”
I quickly dismissed it, thinking it would mean repeating everything I’d done so far.
Instead.
“Arthur.”
“Yes, Master.”
“That armor… I didn’t say to throw it away… Tia?! Are you serious?! That armor is kind of twisted?!”
“Shia. Don’t start shouting about your thoughts while talking. Arthur is becoming confused.”
“No, no matter what!”
“It’s merely a remnant of what was once my body. It was already discarded and left behind. Even if Arthur collects the fragments and uses them, it’s not my place to interfere.”
It feels a little peculiar, but… Well, what’s the harm? In some games where you hunt monsters, you make armor or weapons from the monsters you slay, so I think it’s sorta similar.
I never dreamed my body could become part of that material.
“Seriously… Tia. Sometimes you have to be firm. Being gentle isn’t always the solution.”
“Sia, I have more experience raising children than you do?!”
Of course, I can’t claim they all turned out perfectly… But still, I’ve raised quite a few well!!
No, to be honest, those kids grew up on their own; I merely taught them a few things here and there.
“Oh, right. Tia is the goddess of life. You must have tons of children!”
“Cough, cough!!”
Arthur suddenly started coughing as if he had swallowed something wrong at Encia’s words.
“Oh, a child?!”
“Why are you so shocked? Isn’t she the goddess of life?”
“No, that’s….”
“She is the goddess of life who created life in this world, so it’s impossible for her not to have given birth to a child.”
Uh… I’ve never done that.
No, certainly, in mythology, a god who governs life would typically give birth!
But I haven’t done that!
“That, that… But in the Bible of the Church of Life, there are topics about this….”
“Think logically. Tia is the goddess of life and the mother of all on earth, right? Doesn’t that mean she metaphorically gave birth to all earthly life and children?
How could Tia, the goddess of life, create life on this earth in the first place?
Would she make a clay doll and breathe life into it? Or carve a person out of wood?
It would make way more sense to conclude that Tia gave birth to it, don’t you think?”
No, I’m saying I’ve never given birth! I’ve never even gone out with anyone! What in the world are you talking about?!
“Sia.”
“Tia? Why?”
“I’ve never done that.”
“Huh? What did you just say?”
“I’ve never done that! I’ve never given birth! I’ve never even dated anyone!!! I’ve been single my whole life!!! I’ve never even thought about dating!!! And I won’t in the future!!!”
“What? No, that’s, um….”
Encia was about to say something but glanced at Arthur, lifted her head to the ceiling, and muttered softly.
“Yeah. I’m sorry. I think what I said was a bit delicate.”
“Master? What did you just say?”
“Oh, never mind. Tia just gave me a gentle reprimanding.”
It was Encia who chose not to relay what I’d said to Arthur.
“Ahem. Anyway, let’s skip this topic for now. It seems to be sensitive for Tia too.”
“Something feels off.”
Arthur merely stared at Encia with suspicious eyes.
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