“Mokoyasu-kun, get a hold of yourself!”
When I came to, Father-in-law had bound my arms from behind.
Why is this? why am I being pinned down by Father-in-law?
“Listen here, you’re stronger than me, so it a real pain when you lose your marbles like that!”
Father-in-law has this very nostalgic, ill-humored look.
“Oh? why am I being pinned down, Father-in-law?”
“How about because you literally jumped after that Filorial that came? You made this strange shrieking voice like, Great Big Filorial-sama!, and then you went and started clinging onto it...”
“It seems I have erred. But, I simply, cannot help it”
“Haah...”
Though I’ve calmed down, Father-in-law now put a blindfold over my eyes.
My vision went pitch black entirely.
But I can still sense them around me, the Filorial, their presence, their magnificence...
“Father-in-law, why have you now blindfolded me?”
“Motoyasu-kun, you don’t remember do you? Just when we thought you’d calmed down last time, you jumped off towards the Great Big... The Legendary Filorial again”
“Goodness Kitamura-dono... please show some restraint. Well then, Yuki, can you tell us for what purpose this bunch has gathered before us?”
“It appears they’ve come requesting a match”
“I see... To test our strength is it? Kitamura-dono, do you happen to know anything about this?”
“I do happen remember hearing Father-in-law of the future talk about this. If the Great Big Filorial-sama acknowledges your strength, you may have the right to succeed her”
“Something like a ritual of inheritance?”
Exactly. The Great Big Filorial-sama is a Filorial amongst Filorial.
One could even say she stands at the peak of Filorial.
Since we call Firo-tan, Yuki-chan and the others as Queens, she would be a highest among those Queens.
Furthermore, being acknowledged by the Great Big Filorial-sama isn’t only about the rise in status.
“She also helps you do a special Class Up”
“What? Then we can expect an increase in our war potential. Doesn’t seem so bad an idea?”
“More importantly, Father-in-law, please remove these bindings quickly. I have a strong urge to embrace the Great Big Filorial-sama!”
“Yeah erm... Sorry about this Motoyasu-kun”
What’s this? Father-in-law is blocking off my ears too.
Can’t be helped it seems. I shall try picking up their faint voices.
“Thank you Iwatani-dono. Since you are keeping Kitamura-dono at bay, we avoided the Legendary Filorial running off again. Yuki, Kou, Sakura, try taking the challenge”
“Motoyasu-sama will be pleased if I become strong, so I accept”
“Looks fun! I’ll do it!”
“Sakura’s okay with just protecting everyone though...?”
“You can’t protect us if you’re not strong right? Looks like it’ll be a challenge to test your skill so have at it”
“Got’cha~”
Father-in-law seems to have persuaded Sakura-chan.
Yet, I cannot see, a single thing.
I, Motoyasu, want to release myself from rationale and dive lovingly into the Great Big Filorial-sama.
“Kay we’ll have you go in order. Yuki-chan, you good to go first?”
“Alright then”
After that, I couldn’t hear quite much.
At some point, there were a lot of sounds as if the air was exploding.
As it was Father-in-law’s request, I, Motoyasu bore through the impulse to watch with all my might while feeling time ticking for an eternity.
And then... just around the time I felt a bit drowsy, Father-in-law came and undid my bindings.
But the magnificent flock of Filorial were completely gone.
I looked all around and found Yuki-chan and our other two Filorial completely exhausted and on the ground.
“That sure was something”
“That it was, Yuki and them had a good fight. But that Legendary Filorial was simply too strong”
“Still, for it to run so desperately after seeing Motoyasu-kun, just who is that guy...”
“Don’t. It will be pointless thinking”
I will go see how they’re doing.
Doesn’t seem like we’ll need any recovery magic.
And there was a little crest on all three of their heads.[1]
(TN: Crest as in a feather. )
“So Sakura-chan interpreted this for us, looks like the Legendary Filorial, Fitoria-san was it? Well she approved all of them as successor candidates. If one of them shows good growth... the one with the most promise might one day succeed her, it looks like”
“Great Big Filorial-sama...”
“Motoyasu-kun, didn’t you say you loved that Firo girl? That’s bad you know. I could count it as cheating”
“But Firo-tan is beyond compare easily. Father-in-law of the future also said I should get along with ones other than Firo-tan”
“I gave you permission to cheat!?”
“I, Motoyasu, simply want to make all Filorial equally happy. I would never even consider an act of unfaithfulness. Firo-tan is my alpha and omega. Great Big Filorial-sama is a close runner up, and then comes all the other beautiful Filorial”
“And you say that is not unfaithful... No enough. Speaking with you is too tiresome. Yuki, be sure to polish your charms so Kitamura-dono will look your way”
“Yes... Eclaire-sama”
Yuki-chan nods in agreement as she unsteadily stands up.
“I’m suuper exhausted, but that was fun!”
Kou spoke with energy, while Sakura-chan looks to have fallen asleep.
“Ah... Sakura-chan. You’ll hurt your neck if you sleep like that”
Father-in-law goes along to gently shake her awake.
It was terribly unfortunate in the past when I, Motoyasu, encountered the Great Big Filorial-sama with Kuu and the gang. The results this time were luckily different.
Yuki-chan’s group looks to have powered up on this occasion.
“Ah, Motoyasu-kun. Fitoria-san gave us a little something as a souvenir”
Father-in-law received crests from the Great Big Filorial-sama as well.
And without the slightest hesitation, I commence the sniffing.
“No... Not for that, it’s for putting it into our weapons, releases the Filorial Series or something”
“Splendid!”
Father-in-law of the Future hadn’t taught me this, the method to unlock the Filorial Series I mean.
But this is indeed tragic.
If I put this in my spear, there’s no telling if I can happen upon such an illustrious treasure a 2nd time.
Certainly I really might receive that chance if these loops were to continue... but I, Motoyasu, can’t and shan’t put this feather into my spear.
“... Not gonna use it?”
“I will treasure it forever”
Getting one more good sniff in, I place it between the shaft and blade... I ornament my spear with the feather, fixing it at the base of the bladepiece.
Now I can always enjoy the pleasure of fighting alongside the glorious Filorial.
It’s the feather granted by the Great Big Filorial-sama after all.
I’m sure it will become strength for me, for Father-in-law, and for everyone else too.
And since Father-in-law is already using his for the Series, there is no longer any need for myself to do the same.
It should add to Yuki-chan and the others’ growth correction with them being with us.
“Motoyasu-kun, you’re pretty amazing... in various meanings of the word. I think this a bit everyday but today, the feeling’s much deeper”
“That’s for sure”
“Indeed”
Eclaire and the Silt Welt envoy agrees with Father-in-law.
I wonder if I’ve done something strange?
They all ended it with a rather impressive sigh.
And with the by-chance powered up Yuki-chan team pulling our carriage, we went forth once more towards Silt Welt.
Around these parts, I could see monsters that I have yet to put in my spear.
“My if it isn’t the Heroes of the Shield and Spear”
There came a large crowd of people greeting us at a town we stopped by.
“We have come from Silt Welt to welcome the honorable heroes and their compatriots. It must have been a perilous journey here. Come come, let us guide you to our country post haste”
It turned out we would be taken along by these dozens of demi-humans, the beastkin.
From inside the carriage, Father-in-law is peering restlessly at the Silt Welt troops marching along.
“Iwatani-dono, I understand how you feel, but please calm yourself”
“Y-yeah well, I’m trying. But like, what if we get attacked by this bunch... y’know?”
“A valid thought, we’ve certainly faced many attacks during this whole journey. Envoy, can we truly trust them?”
“Yes. Not to worry. However, it is somewhat unsettling that we haven’t had any more contact with Schildfrieden...”
Caution is key.
But we can’t accomplish anything if worrying is all we do.
“If anything happens, I, Motoyasu, can simply blow them away”
In this manner, we rendezvoused with the Silt Welt army, and attained a path of safe entry into their country.
“That reminds me, when’s the Wave coming?”
“The Wave in Melromarc—... should be in another week perhaps?”
“Huh—... Aren’t we cutting it a bit close there? We’re supposed to be summoned to the location right?”
That certainly is cutting it close.
“There was a place in a country we passed by. If we go by Kitamura-dono’s story, you could’ve made a registration there”
“There was? Then we could’ve had Yuki-chan and others have their Class Up there right?”
“Taking detours would have posed all sorts of risks. It wasn’t like the assassins would simply go away, and they could’ve even prepared a trap there”
“F-fair point”
“And we mustn’t forget that the Dragon’s Era Hourglass has a Lv Reset function as well. Attempting Class Ups in unfamiliar territory would be like asking for such dangers.”
“Uh-huh... So, Silt Welt also has one of those right?”
“From what I’ve heard, yes. I do not have the exact details. They speak a different language after all, I can only manage daily conversation if need be...”
This reminds me, the Heroes’ weapons happen to have a translation function built in.
I hadn’t learned the Silt Welt language from Father-in-law so I can’t read it at all.
Everyday language is a can do, but communication via writing would be problematic.
I make a quick glance outside the carriage.
Humm... I can see thick forestry with China-style buildings intermingled.
It’s a very wild-like country, would be my first impression.
Looks like there’s flying demi-humans too. Compared to Melromarc, it looks different in many ways.
“Then how about here? When’s the Silt Welt Wave?“
“I’ve been informed that the previous Wave came 2 weeks after the one in Melromarc”
The Silt Welt envoy explained.
“Which means that these guys had the Wave right around when we were summoned huh”
The envoy began speaking to the people outside.
Having finished, he then turned back towards Father-in-law.
“We suspect that the next Wave in Silt Welt will hit in three weeks time”
“So we got 3 weeks—... The real challenge will be how we much stronger we can get in that time”
“While that is indeed important, Iwatani-dono, I expect you will need to show your face in various places from now, no?”