As I regained my senses, we found ourselves standing in front of the altar.
I blinked a few times, staring at the figure before me, when a strange voice echoed.
[So, a successor has finally appeared.]
“Am I the first?”
[Indeed.]
His voice was tinged with joy. Had he been waiting for someone to inherit his legacy?
The founder of the Quartz family spoke to me in a voice that dripped with satisfaction.
[As the one who inherits the legacy, you must battle the outsiders who invade this land. It will not be easy. I’ll give you one more chance to withdraw. Will you accept? Will you withdraw? Do not feel pressured; this world won’t end if you choose to.]
…I couldn’t trust him at all.
I had a strong feeling that if I turned my back, the world would go to hell.
The empire seemed stable with the Second Prince taking power and all the necessary tragedies being skipped over, but against those outsiders, they were merely fools and nothing more.
Rather than trusting those losers, I’d much rather tough it out and bring this to a solid conclusion.
There would be no guarantee that if I gave up, the outsiders wouldn’t assault me.
“I’ll accept.”
[Now, reach out your hand.]
I quietly extended my hand towards the altar. It was a simple action. But the energy pooling in my palm was anything but simple.
“What is this…”
[Swallow it. It is a crystal infused with my power.]
I followed his words and swallowed the crystal. Despite being a large chunk, the energy slipped down my throat as smoothly as water. My insides felt hot.
I had almost forgotten the sensation of heat after receiving the Phoenix’s Blessing.
It was a strange feeling indeed.
“It’s… hot.”
[It’s part of getting used to the power; don’t worry.]
The voice of the founder sounded softer than before. Whether it was because I had accepted the legacy or simply because he was in a good mood was hard to tell.
I couldn’t see his face, merely hearing his voice.
“Can I go back now?”
[Yes, go ahead.]
At his summoning, we turned our backs and walked out of the temple.
———————–
“Finally, a successor has emerged… what a touching moment.”
“Indeed.”
“Well done. I knew you could do it. I feel a weight lifting off my shoulders.”
Edmund shook my hand up and down with a face full of joy. It really seemed to mean a lot to him that someone had inherited the legacy.
After a moment, he finally noticed he was being a bit embarrassing and cleared his throat.
“Ahem, I’m just so happy! Such a celebratory occasion calls for a party…”
“That’s okay.”
A party is a bit much.
To be honest, I probably wouldn’t enjoy one. Having gone through hardship, I just wanted to see the kids’ faces.
“If you don’t want to, there’s no forcing it. Are you planning to head back immediately? Since your purpose here is done.”
“Yes, that’s what I’m thinking. I’m worried about the situation over there.”
“Hm, understood. I’ll take you back immediately. But don’t you have something to say, Maria?”
Why suddenly Grandma?
I turned to look at her. Grandma met my gaze, holding Teddy close to her. There was a look of longing in her eyes.
“…Grandson. You’ve worked hard.”
“Thank you, Grandma.”
So I’m leaving here now. Thinking that filled me with an inexplicable feeling of nostalgia. It had only been about a day, but the incidents felt like they had condensed an entire week.
“Take care of yourself. If it’s too hard, you can come back and rest. I’d be happy to see you again.”
“Yes. Grandma.”
“He also says he’s waiting for your return.”
Can… can he say that?
Ah, is it because Rue can communicate with him?
In any case, I bowed respectfully to my biological grandfather.
“Grandfather. I shall take my leave.”
At my farewell, the bear doll waved its hand.
“Hahaha! I’m looking forward to the day we meet again!”
“Take care.”
“Take care.”
“Next time, please prepare a more exciting puzzle.”
“Then go on.”
I followed Edmund down the corridor. The path back was surprisingly straightforward, allowing me to arrive at the entrance without any eerie occurrences.
“Now, when you open the door, you will awaken.”
“Then I shall take my leave.”
“Farewell. And… I hope you save this world. Even if I cannot go out… this place is our home too.”
As I approached the entrance, the door opened automatically. Beyond lay a thick fog. Without hesitation, I stepped into the mist.
————–
“…Hey, Johann!”
I felt a familiar weight on top of me. I placed my hand on the red hair, moving it up and down.
Soft hair. A familiar scent.
I’m back.
“…I’d appreciate it if you didn’t scream in my ear.”
“I was worried you wouldn’t wake up!”
“I was only gone for a day—”
“A day? More like a whole month!”
What?
A month?
The flow of time is so different? I wiped the swollen eyes of Millia with my finger as I asked.
“Has anything happened while I was gone? Karina? And the others?”
“Nothing major, but everyone seems so down…”
Nothing major, huh? Why does everyone look so somber then? Millia looked at me as if to ask why I was curious and then spoke.
“Well, it’s because you’ve been lying down for a month, we were all worried. We took turns looking after you and we were really stressed out.”
“I never thought a month would pass.”
“…Neither did I. I was so sad seeing you with your eyes closed. I thought you might leave us forever…”
“Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere without you.”
“Really? Okay, let’s make a promise.”
I hooked my pinky with Millia.
“Hehe.”
“Then we should go see the others too.”
I gently set Millia down and got up. And then my clothes…
My clothes?
“…Looks like someone changed my clothes while I was sleeping for a month.”
“…Hehe. We took turns changing and cleaning you while you were asleep.”
I glanced down at the underwear peeking from my pants.
…Did they see this too?
It seemed like my undies were a different color too.
“Ah, but we didn’t change your underwear, so that’s fine!”
…Should I be grateful that the kids still have some innocence left regarding this?
No, more importantly, who changed me? When I asked Millia, she avoided my gaze and replied.
“That was Rue. She said she wanted to do it…”
A guy changed by tentacles, huh.
Suddenly, I wanted to sleep for another month.
“…Stop. I don’t want to hear any more. I’ll go wash up, so wait for me a bit?”
“Should I help you?”
“No, it’s alright.”
That’s a bit much.
I opened the drawer and pulled out some underwear and clothes, heading for the bathroom. After tossing my clothes aside and placing the new ones on the shelf, I checked the mirror and saw I was sporting a bushy beard.
“Almost like I was on a deserted island.”
I had looked like this while struggling to survive on a deserted island.
I ignited a flame from my fingertip and burned off the beard.
Now this is comfortable. I’ll have to tidy things up once I get the chance…
Shaving and washing my entire body, I put on the clothes and left the shower room. Millia was rolling on my bed, and as soon as she spotted me, she jumped into my arms.
“Johann!”
“You shouldn’t jump on people like that.”
“I only do this to you!”
Is that so.
“If other students see you doing this, they’d faint.”
“Hehe, it’s fine since it’s just you! Besides, everyone already knows… But what will you do now, Johann?”
“I suppose I should greet everyone. It’s our reunion after a month.”
For me, it had barely been a day, but for everyone else, it meant seeing each other again after a month, so I needed to mentally prepare. I made my way to the lounge with Millia in tow.
Opening the door to the lounge, it was quiet. Where could everyone be?
“Millia, could you call the others?”
“Of course! I’ll be right back!”
With Millia rushing out the door, I sank into the sofa, quietly pressing my eyelids.
A month, huh.
Spending just half a month in the Quartz family felt like an entire year had flipped by.
I felt a bit dizzy. If I had been lagging behind over there…
A chill ran down my spine at the worst scenarios.
If anything happened in a world without me, who would step in to stop it? Worrying about that led only to negative conclusions.
Right now, even the high elves, who were relatively strong in this regard, couldn’t handle things on their own without me stepping in.
So I needed to acclimate to my power quickly and deal with those outsiders…
“Johann!”
“Karina. Isn’t it dangerous?”
I wrapped my arms around Karina, who had leapt into my embrace.
“I was worried.”
“I never thought a day on your side would turn into a month. I’ll try to return as quickly as I can next time.”
“I’m okay because you came back.”
“I’m not so sure it’s really okay. Look at how puffy my eyes are. I could call you the crybaby saint.”
I gently caressed the area around Karina’s eyes with my fingers. Karina blushed and leaned into my touch.
“It’s because of you, Johann. You need to take responsibility.”
“Of course. I’ll take responsibility until you become a grandmother.”
“…Thank you for coming back.”
“Thank you for waiting.”
“Johann!”
“Uncle!”
News of my return caused lovers to trickle into the lounge one by one. By the time everyone gathered, I looked around and spoke.
“Coming back after a month and everyone looks like they’ve been crying. Did you really miss me that much?”
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