Chapter 272: A Secret Talk with the Sage, and a Request for a Report

It will help the story a lot! :]

And the final day.

"Lord Asahi, will you not keep me company a little?"

The meeting ended around eighteen o’clock earlier than usual, and when I tried to stand from the seat, a quite reserved voice called from Melchiorrea sitting beside me.

"Yes, fine."

I answered, excused myself to Freit, and followed behind Melchiorrea and left the room.

Of course my Dules and Melchiorrea’s companions together too.

Left the room, walked the corridor, and further left the assembly hall.

Then stopped at a place that became the shadow of trees where people seemed not to come much.

This was a situation that if the two alone would look like a rendezvous, but with my Dules and Melchiorrea’s companions several people it ruined that.

The place was not that conspicuous, but with this number, as for calling it a secret meeting it would be easily found from outside.

Simply they probably wanted to talk that they did not want other people to hear.

But Melchiorrea and I had first met on the first day of this meeting, and after that had not talked the two of us either.

What talk was there?

"Coming to such a place, I am sorry."

"No, fine. More than that, what business?"

"Actually... have you met God?"

"God?"

Melchiorrea suddenly brought out an unexpected thing, so I unintentionally asked back.

"Yes. God."

"No, I have not met... I think, but why did you ask me?"

In these three days had she asked other people too?

"I feel something like divine energy from Lord Asahi."

Melchiorrea said an unexpected thing.

"Divine energy?"

"Yes."

Melchiorrea nodded firmly.

Divine energy... God...

Speaking of God, priests.

I looked alternately at Rosina and Birga who were priests, but both shook their heads sideways.

They did not feel it, apparently.

I looked at Melchiorrea again.

"It is faint but I certainly feel it, so probably you met somewhere, I think, but how is it? Is there anything that comes to mind?"

Melchiorrea said that and brought her face closer to me, zui zui.

"N-no, I have not met..."

"Really!? Please think well!! Anything that comes to mind...!"

To me who backed away Melchiorrea approached even more as if clinging.

There Muriel and Rosina cut in.

""Lord Mel!""

At the same time Niagara and Froche held Melchiorrea back.

"! I-I am sorry."

Maybe having come to herself Melchiorrea stopped her feet, had Niagara and Froche step back, bowed her head to me and apologized.

"N-no, I was just a little surprised."

Because Melchiorrea apologized, I had Muriel and Rosina step back too.

Both were still wary of Melchiorrea, but they stepped back quietly.

"Then if you meet God, I would like you to inform me immediately, is it fine?"

Melchiorrea, not to the degree of when she pressed me, but still with impatience oozing, requested.

I had no plan to meet God, but...

Well, if she was feeling the thing called divine energy from me, did she think it was inevitable that I would meet God from now?

But Rosina and Birga who should be existences close to God did not feel divine energy from me.

No, maybe they did not feel the thing called divine energy in the first place.

Divine energy...??

"That is fine, but... what is divine energy?"

Well informing to that degree was probably no problem.

So I approved for now, and asked what I wanted to hear.

"The presence of God."

"The presence of God?"

"Yes. I have seen God only once. Far in the past, but I felt the same energy from you as at that time. Because it was finally the last chance I had been pursuing, I lost my composure. I am sorry."

Melchiorrea said that and bowed her head again.

Looking at Rosina and Birga, both had their eyes opened large in surprise.

Seeing God was that rare a thing, maybe.

Even so, pursuing God meant Melchiorrea was a believer of some cult, maybe?

But for that it sounded as if she was not paying much respect.

And there was a word that bothered me.

"The last chance?"

"Yes, my life is not long anymore..."

Melchiorrea spoke while bowing her head.

Had I heard something I should not have heard.

But that meant...

"Meeting God, and trying to live long..."

Something everyone thought.

If facing death soon even more so.

But the one who cut off my words there was Niagara.

"I will not allow insult to Lord Mel."

Quietly, but with plenty of pressure she entered between me and Niagara.

"This! Niagara! Cutting in in the middle of the talk, what is that!"

"Me-Lord Mel... but..."

"Niagara, let us endure a little more."

Froche pulled Niagara’s arm and took her away.

But Froche’s temples and cheeks were twitching, so Froche was angry too, probably.

"Over and over, I am sorry. ...Right, let me talk the reason I pursue God. ...I am not human. I am a homunculus."

""Lord Mel!""

"Fine. This is a person who holds such diverse Dules. There is no prejudice, probably. And to this person I have an obligation that I must talk."

Hearing Melchiorrea’s confession, Niagara and Froche tried to admonish, but Melchiorrea admonished the two.

But homunculus... somewhere I had heard it.

Looking behind, the Dules were uniformly surprised.

"Homunculus is... but that long is not..."

Sophia was muttering to herself grumble grumble.

"Sophia, what is a homunculus?"

"Eh? Ah, a kind of magic creature. Unlike other magic creatures it can be given will, but it cannot live that long. At most about three or four years, maybe. It hosts mana in the body, but there is a limit. But Melchiorrea is..."

Yes, Freit had said she lived quite long.

After all, Freit had been told hero tales when he was a child, I was told.

"I am a magic creature homunculus made in the magic kingdom era. I have lived about twelve hundred years."

"That long..."

At Melchiorrea’s words Sophia was speechless.

"Humans of the magic kingdom era held much mana too, and there were devices that stored mana, so when making me quite an amount of mana was probably used. But that too is almost lost already, and my lifespan is slight."

Melchiorrea said that while baring the clothes she wore.

Breasts about the same size as Muriel were exposed, but that skin was finely cracked from around the neck.

"If I use a little more mana, my body will probably become powder."

I see, so when Melchiorrea said she would use strategy magic, Niagara and Froche stopped her.

Because using powerful magic consumed much mana.

But then...

"Do not worry. To the degree of the magic used this time, there is not that much problem."

I was told.

"If so, is there no method to replenish mana?"

"Yes, I have tried various things, but... it was no good."

Melchiorrea answered somewhat bowing her head.

Well, I see.

No need for me to say.

"That means you will rely on God for replenishing mana?"

"No... I want a soul..."

"A soul?"

Again an unexpected answer came back.

"Yes. A homunculus is a creature artificially produced by magic, so it does not have the soul that creatures made by God have. I have lived together with humans, and felt the warmth of the thing called soul. Therefore... even if the lifespan does not extend fine. Before breaking, once I want to have a soul."

"..."

Uum, somehow a earnest wish.

And heavy.

Even being confided such a heavy thing...

Why me? Because I would meet God, maybe.

"Understood. If I meet God I will inform you."

"Thank you."

Melchiorrea bowed her head deeply.

Behind Froche bowed her head the same, and Niagara was having her head held by Froche and made to bow.

"Then this."

What Melchiorrea handed me was a transparent crystal about the size of a little finger with a small chain attached.

"Grip this and call my name. If I respond, telepathy will become possible."

Melchiorrea showed me an identical thing too.

An enchanted item, maybe.

The two were paired, and probably a thing that the two holding them could talk.

"Understood."

"If you need my assistance, fine to call using this. Most composition magic can be used, and I am confident the knowledge is abundant too."

Melchiorrea said that and smiled.

I see, with this a give and take relationship.

A one-sided talk from Melchiorrea, but well fine.

"Understood."

"Then with this, excuse me."

When Melchiorrea said that and bowed her head, the three passed the gate and went outside.

"Master, is it fine?"

Maybe having become worried, the moment the three disappeared Muriel asked me.

"Well, fine. Not that this side will be troubled."

"But if God says not to tell anyone, what will you do?"

Rosina voiced a doubt too.

"At that time let us think."

I tapped Rosina’s shoulder and started walking.

Everyone, while floating an atmosphere of seeming to want to say something, started walking following me.

"Hey, Lord Hiroyuki! A rendezvous, maybe?"

There Giacomo appeared.

Apparently he had been watching me and Melchiorrea talking.

"Hahaha, a joke. Such a conspicuous rendezvous, I have never heard of it!"

When I smiled wryly Giacomo tapped my shoulder and laughed.

As usual an energetic person.

For form he seemed to have a major injury, but.

"Lord Giacomo, is the arm all right?"

I asked while looking at Giacomo’s right arm hanging from the neck.

"Ah, this. It was cut off on the battlefield, but a subordinate brought it back. When I went to the church they cast magic. Thanks to that it stuck safely like this. It does not move yet, though."

Cut off...

Being able to stick it with that, magic was amazing.

Well, my right arm Sheena regenerated too.

We started walking outside while talking.

Freit seemed to remain at the assembly hall today too, so we would walk back to Freit’s mansion.

"It was a fierce battle."

"No no, just foolish. Such a battle, natural to lose. There was obligation so I followed, but with that the comrades who died cannot rest... ah, sorry. It became a damp talk."

Giacomo talked grimacing his face uncharacteristically.

"Well, I was fine just that my life was spared. I can do a memorial battle for everyone! Gahaha! Oops, we are this way. Then excuse me!"

Giacomo laughed large at the end, and walked a different path from us with his subordinates.

"He is forcing himself."

"Ah, that much it was tough."

To Rosina’s muttering-like words I nodded, saw off Giacomo and them returning a little, and we returned to Freit’s mansion.