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Translator: Barnnn
Okay, so Warren said he’ll be coming up with a counter-plan, but man… he sounded PISSED.
The wrath of the man known as the Black Emperor sure was a terrifying force.
“What. Are. You. Nodding. To!? Master!?”
“Whoa, whoa whoa… What’s wrong, Pochi? Why the sad look?”
“What the… HOW!? I’ve completely concealed my presence and approached you silently, so how’d you notice me just now?!”
“Huh? Ah… I… uh, I dunno, got lucky, I guess!?”
“LUCKLY!? Is that all it takes to detect me!? I mean, I’m at the same level as you, you know!?”
She does have a point.
Lately, I’ve been focusing on improving my warrior fighting style, so maybe my reflexes have become sharper.
The same thing happened the other day, when monsters were approaching us. Looks like Minerva was right about the way I’m meant to be.
I still don’t plan to give up on the arcane arts, though. I’ll become a Philosopher — no, GRAND Philosopher — and take down the Devil King.
“Yeah. Train harder, Pochi!”
“Hmph! What’s with your attitude!? I was about to tell you something good, you know!”
“What’s that?”
“Master Tūs said that a powerful mass of arcane energy is heading this way from the south, but I won’t tell you, Master!!”
“Huh, let’s go check out the south gate, then.”
“H-how did you know that!?”
Well, I have a question, too: Why is she wagging her tail?
I’ve been finding it harder and harder to understand Pochi lately. Is this really the reigning champion of the Familiar Chalice tournament?
“Master! Master!”
Pochi kept jumping at me. I gently nudged her aside and headed to the south gate.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
“Hey, lookin’ pretty chill today, eh?”
Tūs, sitting cross-legged near the south gate, said as he noticed us approaching.
“Because I actually knew what to expect for once. Thanks to Pochi not panicking, that is.”
“Right, the arcane energy I sensed wasn’t evil. And by the way… Looks like you were the last guy Pochi went to call, huh?”
Tūs cracked a grin.
Oof, I think he’s right — Lina’s circle of friends and the rest of Team Silver are already here. Warren and Irene are here too, and I just split with them a few hours ago.
…Hmm?
“What is it, Master?”
“Are you REALLY my Familiar?”
“You do remember that we’ve been together for over 800 years, right?”
“Am I not the first guy you should go to when you have important news!?”
“It’s all right, sir! It hasn’t become important yet!”
“That’s not what I meant!”
“Ah, look, sir! I can see them!”
Just as Pochi pointed her right foreleg forward and shouted, a gust of wind blew at us.
I looked up and saw a gray, gigantic tiger. And then there’s Bull, carrying an out-of-breath Violet Phoenix on his back.
Everyone held their breaths at the sight of those three powerful beasts, while I couldn’t help but feel nostalgic.
“Hey, long time no–“
“–I am Haiko! Miss Shiro, you do remember me!?”
So I’m standing here, my face awkwardly locked into a smile because my greeting just got ignored, while the tiger — the legendary Haiko — turns all red.
“Yes, I do! Hello, hello!”
Pochi, being Pochi, seems totally oblivious to Haiko’s crush on her.
Man, she’s as dense as ever when it comes to her own relationships.
“Bah, I’m sick of this already…”
Tūs said, scratching his hair.
“Fwahahaha! Did you hear that, Shi’shichou!? Miss Shiro said she remembers me! And of course, I have not forgotten her for even a single moment, either! …Hmm? Ah, I did not see you there. It has been a long time, has it not, Wielder of a Thousand Tricks?”
Man, compared to when he’s with fellow beasts, he’s SUPER low energy whenever he interacts with a human, huh?
It’s like he puts on a Tiger Mask while in public. Heh.
“A message from Bull and Shi’shichou has already informed me of the matter at hand. So, the Devil King has risen again?”
The contrast is so great that I just… can’t take him seriously.
But Irene isn’t at all acquainted with him, so I can’t let her take over this conversation.
“Yeah. Could you lend us your strength again?”
“But of course; the mere passage of time is not enough to break our bonds. Kokki and Kohryu will also be arriving shortly. Any minute now…”
“Hmph, don’t be such a show-off. I’m willing to bet that you’re here only because the enemy found where you were. You and I may be Heavenly Beasts, but the only safe place for us now is here.”
“Ngh–!? Watch your mouth, Shi’shichou! Miss Shiro is not meant to hear about that!”
So he’s fine with everyone else hearing that, then?
“Ugh… Anyway, it seems our fighting forces are finally in order.”
“They better be — I’ve been waiting sooo long — well, not as long as that guy, I guess.”
Tūs is looking at… something.
Upon a closer look, it’s a yellow creature with an elongated body, slithering toward our location. Damn, they’re all here; if I didn’t know any better, I’d think they’d made an appointment beforehand.
Beasts do operate on their own unique sensibilities, so maybe it’s by instinct that the Heavenly Beasts felt compelled to head here at around the same time.
“Well, well… what a coincidence.”
The way the Yellow Dragon — Kohryu — speaks feels… kinda off.
“Hey. Long time no see, Kohryu.”
Maybe he’s gotten to interact with humans after the war 5,000 years ago. That would explain the difference in his disposition. In fact, seeing that he seems to be acquainted with Tūs, maybe it was Tūs himself who influenced that change.
Now I’m reminded of that thing God said about me leaving a trail… or something. Well, it looks like all the things of my past are gathering around right now.
“My capabilities may not be much, but I would like to take part in the decisive battle against the Devil King.”
“Asley, don’t take his words at face value. He means to say this — It’s scary to go alone! Take me with you!”
The ‘translation’ Shi’shichou gave me… might not be incorrect, actually.
“Hmph. You are as insensitive as ever.”
“Heh, looks like you guys have gotten a fair bit closer over these past 5,000 years.”
“Not quite — Shi’shichou has visited our locations on many occasions to challenge us, so we have had many opportunities to see one another.”
Yeah, that’s what ‘getting closer’ means.
One after another, the legends are coming here. Everyone around me can only watch on with tense looks on their faces.
With so many individuals as strong as Tūs gathering in one place, no one can blame them for being intimidated by the sheer difference in power…
“Look, Lina! The turtle is flying!”
“Actually, he’s a tortoise, Tifa!”
Wow, my students sure are fearless, just like someone around here…
“I wanna fly, too!”
Right… a Heavenly Beast is supposed to know how to levitate.
At least that doesn’t mean it’s always the best way to move — I mean, their type of flight does look impressive and intimidating, but it’s not that fast. Kohryu goes faster when he slithers like a snake, and similarly, Haiko is at his fastest when he runs. As far as I’ve seen, Kokki is the only one who seems to always benefit from his ability to fly.
Even if Pochi learns how to do it, I can see her being bored of it very quickly.
Kokki, the Black Tortoise, landed softly in front of the south gate and looked at me.
“Youngling.”
“Hello, sir.”
No-nonsense as always.
Well, maybe he just doesn’t really want to interact with anyone more than he needs to — totally would fit his character.
Hmm, looks like my guess is on point; Kokki and Shi’shichou aren’t saying anything to each other, either.
“Ah, if it isn’t Tūs… I didn’t expect you to still be alive.”
“‘Kay, everyone’s here… Irene, give them a rundown on the situation.”
Tūs’ just gonna ignore Kokki as well, huh?
Maybe they’re on bad terms with each other?
While I wondered what their story could be, Shi’shichou flew over to me and whispered,
“They got into a major quarrel once, you see, and Tūs — much younger than he is now — was narrowly beaten. Since then, Tūs became stronger, but then Kokki started refusing all of his demands for a rematch.”
I see. The old Tortoise is a sharp one, quitting while he was still ahead like that.
If they fight now, Tūs will definitely come out on top… but his defeat in the past will be a permanent mark on his track record.
As for Kokki, he can keep acting high and mighty around Tūs as long as he keeps dodging the challenges.
Is this what people call ‘with experience comes wisdom’? Looks like this grandpa tortoise is more suited to strategic approaches than facing his chances head-on.
“Uh, guys? The townspeople are gathering around to see these Beasts too, you know?”
“The crowd is only going to expand…”
Shi’shichou says bluntly, prompting me to heave a sigh.
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