Chapter 183: Silver x Purple
Just as I decided to save the elves by transporting them to Blue Ring, the Miasma Stone lit up, and Ao, El, Ashera, and my mother appeared.
There should have been two Miasma Stones inside my Storage. How did one fly out…
“Mother, how did you get here?”
“Let’s talk about that later. Explain the situation.”
“Understood. The current situation in the elven village is…”
I explained to my mother what had happened since we parted, keeping it as concise as possible and focusing only on the main points.
Meanwhile, the village chief remained on his knees, looking down as he muttered, “So many ‘familiars’… Please ward off this disaster… Spirit-sama…”
I kept it a secret that I wanted to point out that praying to spirits wasn’t of much use.
“Yes, I guess we don’t have one here either.”
“Here too?”
“I’ll explain later. For now, we’ll transport all the elves.”
“To Blue Ring… are you going to transfer them to the mansion?”
“Yes. In return, they’ll be prohibited from leaving the premises. I’m sorry for those who can’t accept that condition, but I’ll leave them behind.”
“…Yes.”
I spoke to the village chief, who was still kneeling on the ground.
“It’s just as you heard. We’re going to send all the elves to our base. We’ll also let them stay there until the safety of the elven village can be ensured. However, you must follow what we say at the base, and please keep everything you see and hear this time a secret. We’ll only help those who can abide by these conditions.”
“I-Is it safe there…?”
“We guarantee your safety. We’ll provide three meals a day, as long as you don’t expect anything too extravagant.”
“W-Well, in that case, please…”
“Then please make sure to confirm the conditions with each person one by one before bringing them here.”
“Understood.”
Saying that, the village chief, with a glimmer of hope in his eyes, hurried to the back where the children were evacuating.
Being frugal by nature, I asked Ao.
“Ao, can this Miasma Stone keep working?”
“Why?”
“This place will be temporarily abandoned. If we leave the Miasma Stone here, it might be destroyed.”
“I see. The Miasma Stone’s lifespan will be shortened, but it can still be operated.”
“I see. But it’ll shorten its lifespan?”
“That’s right. Is there anything in this world that can be done without paying a price?”
“No doubt… Ao, can you move it up to the ceiling?”
“Just 2 mede? That’s easy.”
Ao looked at the Miasma Stone, and it slowly rose.
“It may get destroyed no matter where it is… but at least it’ll be somewhere out of reach…”
“Well, monsters are afraid of the light of the territory. I think it’ll probably be okay, though.”
“Is that so?”
“Hmm? It’s not just monsters. Everyone except an Apostle is afraid of it, right?”
“I don’t know, but other people certainly say that.”
When I looked around, El, Ashera, and my mother were smiling wryly.
The elven village would be fine with this.
Next was the town of Sandra. I wondered what my mother was thinking.
“Mother, I think things will work out for the elven village. But what do you plan to do about the town of Sandra?”
“As soon as the elves have escaped, we’ll head to Sandra. There, let’s use the other Miasma Stone and wipe them out with Condense Ray.”
“The Miasma Stone…”
“Al, it’s just one stone wasted. It’s best to end this commotion quickly and get another one.”
“Yes… that’s right! It’s just a stone, after all.”
El and Ashera were also smiling when they saw how dejected I was.
“Then I’ll buy time for the elves to escape.”
When I was about to go out to clear the way through the Mantises, my mother stopped me.
“Al, you should sleep. When this is over, we’ll go to Sandra. Fatigue will dull your mind and body.”
“…Understood.”
“Sleep for at least two hours. You can use sleeping pills.”
“…Yes.”
I ended up being sent to bed… it couldn’t be helped.
Thinking about it, though, two hours ago I’d been so cornered that I couldn’t even have spared the time to think about any of this.
I fell asleep thanking El, Ashera, and my mother once again.
After Aldo fell asleep —————
Aldo fell asleep after being told to by my master.
As expected, my master’s judgment was amazing. Her moves were bold yet delicate… Looking at my master, I understood that people weren’t just about their individual strength.
But that approach didn’t suit me. I couldn’t rely on Ao to recover my mana like Aldo and the others.
That’s why I refined my own individual fighting power. I didn’t want to lose to anyone… not even Aldo and Elphas!
Now, thanks to the rest at Blue Ring, my mana was full.
When I went to ask Gar about the situation so I could thin out the enemies in Aldo’s place, I noticed an interesting girl.
She was a little younger than me, maybe a year or two younger than Aldo and the others.
Younger girls… I’d never forgotten what Aldo said a long time ago: “Younger girls are cute.”
When I asked Gar, to my surprise, the girl had used “air step”.
Using air step, purple hair… one or two years younger than Aldo… I landed in front of the girl with a strange feeling, a mixture of bad premonition and anticipation.
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
I wondered how long we stared at each other… There were traces of Laila in her, but she looked so different in age from the last time I’d seen her that I couldn’t be sure.
Laila probably couldn’t recognize me either…
Come to think of it, I’d also forgotten that I was wearing a mask, just like Aldo and the others.
I slowly removed my mask.
The girl showed a surprised expression for just a moment and then smiled.
“I can’t believe I’d meet the first wife in a place like this…”
So it was Laila after all. Judging from her appearance, it seemed she’d obtained the “rejuvenation elixir” safely.
Laila slowly took a small bottle out of her pocket.
The small bottle was about one-third full of liquid.
“The promised ‘rejuvenation elixir.'”
Saying that, Laila handed me the small bottle.
“With this, I’ll be able to smooth things over with Aldo-kun…”
When I saw Laila saying that with a mysterious smile, I felt like I’d made a big mistake.
However, I remembered Aldo’s words, “Younger girls are cute,” and I couldn’t bring myself to return the “rejuvenation elixir.”
Laila looked at me with satisfaction as I slowly nodded, and then told me how to use the “rejuvenation elixir” and what its effects were.
Once the explanation was complete, she looked around and opened her mouth.
“If you’re here, does that mean Aldo’s here too?”
Laila had appeared in front of me, keeping the promise she’d made five years ago.
This time, it was my turn to keep my promise. I was honest and told her about Aldo.
“Aldo’s been fighting here since yesterday. Right now he’s resting to prepare for a counterattack.”
After looking thoughtful for a moment, Laila began to sweat, a surprised look on her face.
“What’s wrong?”
“C-Could it be that Aldo-kun is wearing that mask too?”
“This is Royal Shadows equipment, so Aldo should be wearing one too.”
“…”
Laila froze and her eyes began to roll, just like El when he’s glared at by a snake.
“So that was… Aldo-kyun☆…”
Leaving the frozen Laila behind, I quietly left the place so as not to get dragged into any trouble.
Actually, I was pretty anxious after parting with Laila.
Laila was cute… The rejuvenated Laila combined the fragility of a girl with the elegance of an adult woman.
I envied the slight haughtiness of a mature woman she still carried.
Aldo would never abandon me. I was sure of that. However, I might not be number one…
I thought, “I don’t want to lose!”
The “rejuvenation elixir” Laila had told me about… I didn’t hesitate to decide to use it right away.
However, we were in the middle of a battle. I told my master the truth and consulted her.
“…That’s why I want to use the ‘rejuvenation elixir’ right away!”
Although my master looked shocked, she patted my head and muttered just one thing.
“Okay, Ashera. But when you wake up, you’ll help me get mine too, okay? Good.”
All I could do was nod at the mysterious pressure coming from my master.
Aldo was sleeping wrapped in a blanket in a storeroom on the third floor, which the village chief had provided.
He’d taken off his armor and mask and was sleeping comfortably.
I looked at Aldo’s sleeping face and stroked his cheek.
Aldo rubbed his cheek against my hand, grinning a little.
I vowed once again to be Aldo’s number one and drank all of the “rejuvenation elixir.”
This amount should make me about three years younger.
However, although Laila apparently had no problems, she’d also said it might not work for everyone.
Laila had also said, “I don’t think you’ll die?” but the fact that it was phrased as a question made me feel a little uneasy.
I crawled into Aldo’s blanket and, before I knew it, buried my face in his strong chest and fell asleep.
After Ashera fell asleep————
When I woke up, Ashera had snuck into my blanket.
For some reason she felt smaller than the usual Ashera, but it was the familiar Ashera scent.
Even though something felt a little off, I slowly got up.
While I was stroking Ashera’s head and feeling my love for her, I realized it…
I was in despair…
I sensed a “world without abundance” and screamed with all my soul!
“Despair.” My heart had been repainted in that color, and I felt like I could run around the royal capital naked wearing the mask the king gave me.
My mother and the purple-haired girl heard my soul’s cry and burst into the room, wondering what was going on.
I fully understood that even I wasn’t calm… but… Ashera…
“Ashera… Ashera…”
She must have realized, seeing me in front of Ashera, that I was truly in despair.
Mom slowly approached Ashera and me and gently touched Ashera, who was lying next to me…
My mother’s eyes widened in surprise, and a look of astonishment was plastered on her face.
No wonder my mother was surprised.
That’s right… my Ashera was missing…
Ashera had been lost…
As if I’d lost the will to live, I kept crying while staring at the “thing” that was supposed to be Ashera.
My scream must have been too loud. Ashera suddenly woke up and stared at me with a suspicious look on her face.
“Ashera… Ashera’s…”
Ashera stared at me with an even more suspicious face…
“Ashera’s breasts are gone!!! They’re so flat!!”
My screams echoed throughout the elven village.