“About the future schedule… ah, right. I don’t even know where to take this child.”
Evia’s words reminded me of what I had completely forgotten due to being too focused on the battle.
As a result of my attitude, my head was lightly tapped.
“Did you forget?”
Evia scolded me with a deadpan stare.
“Hahahaha, my apologies.”
“Gahahaha!!! I understand how you feel, Jiro!! After fun things, you feel refreshed and think it’s already over!!”
“I agree with that feeling.”
“You always get scolded by the sister afterward, don’t you?”
The fight with Feri had been so satisfying that I thought my work was done.
However, the true purpose was to bring Feri back.
I heard that Evia would arrange the place for that.
“Are they really preparing that huge magic stone?”
I changed the subject, shocked that I shared the same feeling as the instructor and the battle-maniac girl, especially the latter.
Sometimes, ancient mosquitoes embedded in amber are discovered.
The divine beast I saw in the instructor’s dungeon seemed to be sleeping, encased in a giant magic stone.
“What are you talking about?”
I thought I was asking something obvious, as I didn’t know how to seal a divine beast within a magic stone.
However, my question seemed to be misguided, and Saml laughed at me scornfully.
I felt a bit annoyed, but I held back.
It would be more problematic if we got stuck in an argument here and didn’t progress.
“Adult’s response, adult’s response,” I told myself, and without asking Saml.
I waited for Evia, who had been asked the question, to answer.
“As Saml said, we are not preparing that giant magic stone. The Dungeon Core you saw in Raidou’s dungeon is the inherent ability of the divine beast.”
“Inherent ability, does that mean it can envelop itself in a magic stone?”
“That’s right. Divine beasts are said to have extremely high concentrations of magic power, almost like direct descendants of gods. Therefore, they can envelop themselves in this high-density magic power, solidify it, and become a Dungeon Core. They can freely deactivate it if it’s their own magic power, allowing them to prepare for an attack when necessary.”
“That’s it!! Well, it’s common knowledge, but I knew that.”
“I didn’t know!!”
“Well, in Raidou-san’s case, it’s special, or rather, sort of…”
“Saml, if you keep arguing like that, you’ll get lectured by the sister later. Just be quiet now.”
Understanding that, and ignoring Saml’s predetermined future, I, who now knew how to create a Dungeon Core, quietly looked at Feri.
Visually, it was a complete giant toy poodle.
But its combat power was top-notch, and it was still in its larval stage.
I wondered how much combat power it would possess when it matured, feeling both fear and anticipation.
“However, my Dungeon is that, right? The floating island plan to connect Tokyo and the continent. I don’t think my Dungeon has been created yet…”
Dungeon creation methods are top-secret information within the highest echelons of national secrets.
As a newly appointed general, I had not yet been privy to this information.
Moreover, only temple officials possess the technology to create dungeons.
While the army can handle some of the maintenance and operation, the temple, which creates the crucial Dungeon Cores, holds the information, so it’s natural that I wouldn’t know that part.
“That’s part of the plan from here on out. First, a meeting between you and the divine beast is necessary. If you don’t form a contract with the divine beast, nothing can be discussed.”
“A contract? Like a Spirit Contract?”
“Something like that. The divine beast’s magic power is inexhaustible, but you, as the master of the dungeon, will decide how to use that magic power. What kind of relationship you form is up to you.”
“For reference, what kind of relationship do you and the instructor have?”
“Bickering friends!!”
“Do you think there’s any relationship other than master and subordinate?”
Then, with the mention of a contract with the divine beast, it’s natural to ask when told that any relationship is acceptable.
Both answers were fitting.
The words that came back were exactly as I imagined.
“Ah, I see.”
It settled comfortably in my heart. In fact, I would have been surprised if it were any other kind of relationship.
Well, in the instructor’s case, it’s more like two battle junkies rather than bickering friends. As for Evia, there’s no need to ask who is the master and who is the subordinate.
“What about you? You technically won the battle. I think you can form a contract with some advantage.”
“Let me see.”
The fact that Saml and Yaml, who are temple officials, are here means that they will likely be involved in the contract process.
I quietly stood up and looked up at Feri, who met my gaze as if asking what I intended to do.
“You have beautiful eyes. I didn’t notice until now because you were glaring at me just now, as if you wanted to tear me apart.”
“Woof”
I sent my honest words to those blue eyes, and I could tell it smiled happily, as if agreeing.
Hmm, I gently reached out and scratched its lower jaw.
“Grrr”
It let out a contented sound.
Ah, somehow, I felt like I understood what kind of relationship we should have.
“Do you like children?”
“?”
Having found my answer, I began with this question to convey my intention.
Feri tilted one eye towards me and stared, as if wondering what I was saying.
“I have a lot of family, you know. Evia, who is over there, is one of them, and there’s also Smilasta the Dark Elf, Memoria the Vampire, and Himik the Fallen Angel.”
I listed the names of the women with me, as if explaining to Feri.
“And then there are Suella’s and my precious children, Yukiera and Sachiera.”
Finally, I mentioned my twin daughters.
“I am an outsider, not a pure native of the continent. However, I want to have a good relationship with everyone in the Demon Lord’s Army as much as possible.”
A man in his thirties earnestly talking to a toy poodle.
It would probably be a comical sight, but its intelligence is on par with a human, and it’s smarter than many adults.
That’s why I teach it my circumstances as an equal, rather than looking down on it.
“To protect my family, I think this is the best way. Simply charging forward aggressively would just create enemies around me. It also requires a certain amount of patience and effort.”
In reality, the path here has been like that.
While getting caught up in various troubles, I somehow ended up with the general position.
“However, I’m not going to accept everything. I’ll knock down those who irritate me, and I’ll retaliate against those who look down on me.”
I tried to do everything I could with all my might, but I was still met with animosity, so I had to counterattack and retaliate accordingly.
My path was by no means smooth.
Feri, listening intently to my words, continued to stare at me as if urging me to speak.
“That’s all because I decided it, and as a man, it’s natural to see it through once I’ve decided.”
I removed my hand from its lower jaw and gently stroked its mouth with my hand instead.
The soft fur transmitted through my palm felt so different from the slashing attacks it had just been defending against.
“In the end, it’s then that I realize that what I can do is limited.”
My power, in this world, is still quite small.
I have more magic power than others, and I can fight better than others.
I can handle work better than average, but I am still just an individual.
What one person can do is limited.
There’s a limit to how strong one can become alone.
“My precious family, Suella, Memoria, Evia, Himik, Yukiera, Sachiera. I have gained many other family members.”
These include work companions like Kaido, Minami, Kitamiya, Katsu, Amelia, and Keiri-san, as well as Suella and Memoria’s families like Muil-san, Mait-san, Smilasta-san, Gray-san, and Miruru-san.
Perhaps I am too fond of my own kin.
I want to protect those around me.
“What I wish for you is to join that circle. That’s all.”
When asked about my relationship with Feri, family was the first thing that came to mind.
Perhaps this is a deviation from the norm for the Demon Lord’s Army.
Becoming family with a divine beast.
Such an idea might not occur to anyone.
However, I felt I couldn’t form a relationship of master and subordinate or bickering friends.
What would the other party think of me saying that?
“…”
Feri, who had been staring at me, slowly moved away from me after a while.
I thought it was no.
But then its body began to glow, and its once giant form rapidly shrank.
And there stood a toy poodle of the size I knew.
Feri, the toy poodle, walked with a tinkling sound and then…
“Woof!”
It sat in front of me.
“Will you be my family?”
“Woof!”
I picked up its now small body.
Even with my increased stats, I couldn’t possibly lift a body over ten meters tall with ease.
It was as if it had hidden its weight somewhere in its body, because Feri was easily lifted.
As I held it, Feri rubbed its cheek against mine with satisfaction. I stroked its lower jaw, and it whined happily.
“It seems we can form a contract without issue, Saml.”
“Understood. Well, it’s better than having a strange relationship, I suppose.”
It seemed that a certain relationship was necessary for a contract with a divine beast.
My choice to become family with Feri was apparently a passing grade for Saml, and although he couldn’t hide his reluctant attitude, he seemed ready to prepare for the contract.
“Then, after leaving Feri here for a moment, please enter the magic circle.”
Though his words were harsh, his work was swift.
He drew a magic circle on the floor with practiced movements, and then instructed me and Feri to stand in the center after he and Yaml took their positions on the outer circumference.
Complying, I placed Feri on the ground, and we entered the magic circle together.
And then we faced each other.
“Here I go, Yaml.”
“Yes, Saml.”
At that timing, the magic circle activated.
“I offer myself to my Overgod and pray, my name is Samluriara.”
“My name is Yamlmia.”
A pale blue-tinged platinum light ran through the magic circle, and the moment it filled, snow-like light overflowed from the magic circle.
“The name of the Chosen One is Jiro Tanaka. Grant him the contract with the divine beast.”
“If it is permissible, bestow your blessings upon the relationship with the divine beast.”
The light gradually grew larger.
And for a moment, we were enveloped in a brilliant light.
“What do you desire from your relationship with the divine beast?”
In a realm of time that felt both momentary and eternal, I heard a divine voice, though the words were different from the one I had heard before.
Solemn words that allowed no falsehoods.
“A bond as family.”
“Is there no lie in those words?”
“None.”
Therefore, I answered without averting my gaze, facing the direction of the voice.
“I acknowledge your contract. You shall form a contract with the divine beast through that bond.”
Hearing those words, I felt a connection to someone through the divine voice, a different sensation from when I was connected to Valse-san.
“Be mindful. When the contract ends, it will not only be when your heart changes.”
And with that final warning, the god departed.
The moment that felt like an instant ended, and we returned to the spacious area.
“Woof!”
And I felt the connection of having completed the contract with the divine beast, who now only appeared as a toy poodle before me.
“…Please treat me favorably.”
“One!”
I had imagined Fenrir to be a wolf, but its appearance had become quite cute.
Perhaps this is also good, I thought with a smile, and gently knelt down, stroking the head of this now cute divine beast.
Today’s Word: Schedule adjustments are important.
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