The Aftermath of War

And so we left the battlefield and returned to the capital of Soul Soleil. This meant separating from Yamata, Beowulf and the others for now. While they had fought with us during the battle, it would cause too much of a commotion to suddenly bring them into the city. That being said, it was me and not Rachel who opened the door for them to return home.
It was easy enough.

“See you later then.”
“Yes, stay safe.”
“…We also have long lives. So let us know if you ever need our help.”

Yunagi said before leaving. It made me really happy to hear that. Both she and Yamato knew that I was from another world. And I had told Beowulf about it as well. All three of them looked at me with mixed emotions, but Beowulf finally let out a long sigh and laughed.

“Humans die so quickly. If my comrade can live a long life, then I see nothing wrong with that.”

That was all he said. And then he took his thralls and headed to the north.

I firmly shook hands with the remaining ogres and then opened a door with dimension magic. And so they were all able to return to their underground town of Yakshashtat.

After dealing with all of that, we arrived in the capital and were taken to a meeting room. It was filled with all of the bigwigs who governed this republic. The king was also sitting towards the back of the room. And so I, Daniela, Manager, Matsumoto, and Rachel were led to our seats.

“Now… I believe you have much to tell us?”

Said an old man with a large scar on his face. His voice was surprisingly gentle as it cut through the silence in the room.

“Very well. I think I should start by explaining to you my origins.”

There were three breaks in between the very long meeting. I started by re-establishing the fact that this wasn’t the only world that existed, and there were others. They were quite aware of this, due to Matsumoto.
And then I went on to explain why these people were being summoned from other worlds and how we had set out to put an end to it. The war against the Automatas in order to destroy the Nova. And then the god that appeared at the end.

When I finished explaining this, everyone seemed to sink into a sea of their own thoughts.

“…This world is now being observed by an evil god. The goddess, Flenche, is relatively friendly towards us. And she said that while she will not be able to manifest herself here in person, she will sometimes communicate with her voice. As for the god of destruction, he will try to attack once the dragon vein’s magic has been restored. This is supposed to take about a hundred years.”
“Hmm…while we will all be dead by then, we must still consider all of this for the sake of those who will take our place.”

The man with the scar muttered as he glared at the ceiling.

“That being said, we cannot do anything against a god. At least not now.”
“Perhaps we should find ways to prepare?”
“Indeed… And what about the northern country?”

The northern country…

“Ah, Erediares.”

It was on the tip of my tongue, but Daniela beat me to it.

“How are they related?”
“Did you know that they are a religious state?”

I nodded at the old man’s question.

“Yes, I’ve heard about that.”
“In fact, they worship a goddess.”
“A goddess…”

He explained further. The northern country had been known to worship this goddess for many years. It was one of the reasons that they became independent. It was said that the elves likely had a hidden influence on that development.
However, the country’s history wasn’t that long. The place that we had visited was closer to a large town.

From what he said, it seemed like they had never actually seen this goddess… But I suppose things would start to change.

“If word of this sighting spreads…things will become more heated.”
“It might even lead to war…”
“Should we hide it, or publicize it…”

The elders began to mutter amongst themselves. We also thought about it… But I had no ideas.

It seemed that no one agreed with anyone else, and the meeting was not likely to end any time soon.
Without thinking, I took out the ring that she had given me and twirled it in my hand. This ring was the reason that I became a God Wolf. And I could feel immense power from it.

“…Ah.”
“What is it? Asagi?”

Daniela turned to me in surprise. I had just thought of something. But I wasn’t sure… Daniela might get angry.

“Look, hear me out before you get mad.”
“What?”
“This ring… What if I offered it to Erediare with certain conditions? It might prevent any fighting. It’s a ring that the goddess herself made. See, if you look at it with the Appraisal Glasses…”

I took them out of the hollow bracelet and inspected the ring. ‘Ring of Favor. A ring created by the goddess Flenche Nerdorie’ was displayed.

“While it’s our wedding ring, we could help both countries by using it during negotiations…was what I was thinking. What do you think?”

Daniela stared at the ring that was on her own finger. While it was a terrible time, it had taken a lot of courage to confess. And the ring was the result. In a short amount of time, it had become something that was meaningful. And so even Daniela didn’t make a decision immediately.

Of course, she didn’t. I felt the same. But I was from another world. My arrival here had resulted in this. So at least some of the blame could be put on me. And so I wanted to do what I could… Such were the emotions that swirled in my head.

“Indeed… I do not mind. The ring is from that woman after all, and not from you. I am sure you will provide a replacement?”
“Of course.”

I had always planned to prepare a ring. It didn’t really look good to get married any other way.

“Here.”
“Thanks, Daniela.”

I accepted the ring from her. Then I took my own ring off of my left hand and stood up. This attracted attention and all eyes were turned towards me.

“Everyone. I have here two rings that were given to us directly by the goddess herself. I believe that Erediares will want them. So why not use them during negotiations?”

I put the rings on the table. They looked quite plain, but those who were knowledgeable would notice it right away. And I could let the others use the Appraisal Glasses. But it was unlikely considering those who were present.

“If you are willing to offer such a thing, we must give you something in return.”
“I see… Well, uh…”

I hadn’t really thought of that. I intended to give them up for free… Hmm. What to do?

“In that case, I do have a suggestion.”

Daniela said. Yes, that settled things. What a relief. Now that the attention was off of me, I picked up my cup and sipped the lukewarm tea.

“Asagi and I are now immortal and no longer humans. But we would prefer to avoid being categorized as monsters.”
“Bbbb–fff!!”

I had purposely obscured that bit of information, but Daniela just exposed us. Worse, I had spat tea all over the table.

“Daniela, I don’t think…”
“There is no use in hiding it. It is best to get it out in the open as soon as possible.”
“But…”
“You are going to look the same ten years later. It will not mean as much to me, but it is different for you.”

That was true. We were immortal. I couldn’t just tell people I had a strict skincare routine.

“Right… I had been considering changing our names and using disguises. But I suppose making it official would be safer.”

In Lambrusen, anyway.

“Ahh, in that case, count me in as well.”

Rachel said as she raised her hand. What a mess this was becoming…

□　　　□　　　□　　　□

While this discussion became heated, we were not taken advantage of, and they eventually accepted Daniela’s condition. And so the rings were passed on to Lambrusen. From here they would plan to begin talks with Erediares.

The rest was up to the two countries. It had nothing to do with us.

And so I, Daniela, Manager, Lemon, Matsumo, Rachel, Gardo, and Ness decided to celebrate our victory together.