Key
It has been a month since the night battles with my fiancées, and the day of Filia’s sudden attack and so forth.
I met with Sieg, who came back to Runwalker March, and talked about Filia after that. If Filia’s mind didn’t change by the time she graduates from the academy, I’d take her as my wife.
Sieg, of course, ended up having a headache, but he agreed, saying, ‘I guess it’s better than handing her over to someone from who knows where’. I ended up receiving one good punch, but I guess that’s inevitable as well.
If I really really think about it, I can’t treat it as somebody else’s business either. I haven’t thought about it before until now, but there’s no guarantee that my children born in the future won’t do the same thing as me. ‘I wonder if I’ll be in the same position as Sieg when that time comes as welll’, I think and get worried arbitrarily.
I had an evening drink with Sieg for the first time that day. It’s an evening drink that I didn’t manage to have even in my previous life. I was talking to Sieg slightly nervously, but the drunk Sieg, he just grumbled about various things to me.
But, majority of that were matters related to me like; how he’s worried because I rarely ever show myself, how he’s worried whether I’m able to accompany everybody properly since I’m increasing my fiancées a ton. ……I’d been worrying him that much huh.
He’d even occasionally talked about things that Eris would scold if she heard it and stories you wouldn’t let your son hear; how her number of wrinkles increased, how she slightly gained weight, how although she’s usually prim and proper, she’s very spoiled in bed.
I suppose that’s how much of a good mood he was in. He ended up sleeping like a log after that. I was also glad I got to have a relaxing talk for the first time in a long while.
Now, a month after such days has gone by, I’m sitting in the domain’s mansion’s office. While staring at the thing that I’m holding in my hand.
“It’s about time, I have to check it out”
What I’m rolling in my hand is, a key about 15 cm. It seems like an ordinary key from just the sound of this, but the radiated light emits a solemn atmosphere, and it overpowers the vicinity just by being there.
It’s to the extent that the moment I took this out, Eclat and Krondine, who were rolling around, got surprised, left the room and didn’t come back. The other maids also stopped coming into the room. The ones who can probably withstand this
“Nii-sa〜n, I’m here〜”
“Lei, I’m coming in”
just right showed up. The door opened, and the ones who entered were, Caro and Kana who possess the blessing from Goddess Astell like me. Although these two are spooked as well, they come into the room. And then, they look at the key I hold in my hand, and their face crumples, going, ‘Uu‘.
“……that key is the cause huh. The reason Eclat and Krondine showed up with teary eyes”
“Both Eclat and Kron-chan clung to Mei-chan and wouldn’t let go, you know. Saying Nii-san is holding something scary”
It’s to that extent huh, this. It only felt like ‘there sure is a bit of something coming out〜’ to me though. I wonder if it’s because I myself possess several Goddess’ Blessings?
“I think that would probably be right. The fiancées besides us, they were unwilling to get close to this place. It’s probably because we possess the Goddess’ Blessing, that we can withstand it as well”
“Chrona was saying that she can’t get close to Nii-san even though she wants to while breathing heavily……make sure to make it up to her, alright”
……I guess I’ll keep it before Chrona awakens to a weird fetish. I keep the key in the Item Ring. This will probably do. When I look at Caro and Kana, the two of them also exhale deeply and are taking deep breaths.
After that, in less than a few minutes, the corridor becomes rowdy with footsteps, and the door opens. The first one who came in was Eclat. She aimed for my face and flew over straight. After that, Alexia and the others come in as well.
After patting Eclat until she calms down, I talk to everybody about the key. Previously, I’d talk about having received a key from Goddess Astell, but it seems they didn’t think that it was an object that gives out such energy.
“Then, from now on”
“Aah, according to Goddess Astell, it seems I’ll know if I ask a Dragon Ruler. She was saying that she doesn’t know whether they’ll tell me though; that’s why I’m going to go and meet them from no……”
“No need for that”
As I’m talking with everybody, there’s a voice from the entrance’s direction. When I looked in that direction, Levine-san and Anima-san were standing there. This is……
“Adultery?”
“Idi-, what are you saying!?”
Levine-san who starts panicking at my random words. And then, the one who reacts to that is of course
“Gyuruuu”
“Wa-, wait-, Eclat-chan. What the lad said is wrong! I only ran into her coincidentally! Hey, Granny, don’t just keep quiet and say something as well!”
Anima-san, who had something like that said to her, looks alternatingly at the panicking Levine-san and us and makes a devilish smirk. And then
“That’s right〜, Levine was coming onto me passionatelyy〜”
“Gra-, Granny! Why are you telling such a lie! Eclat-chan, it’s a lie! I won’t do something like thatt! Unlike that unchaste over there, I’m faithful to only Hilde, alright!”
How rude to call me unchaste. I love everybody, you know. However, Levine-san’s pleas don’t reach Eclat either and
“Gyurararaah!”
Eclat materialises a sphere of light. It’s then fired towards Levine-san. It made a loud, ‘Dogoon!‘, sound, and the door was blown away……I’d like it if you didn’t destroy the house.
◇◇◇
“Here it is”
2 hours after the ruckus in the mansion. I rode on Anima-san’s back and arrived at a small island that’s outside the continent. Levine-san is still in the middle of explaining to Eclat at the mansion.
My other fiancées were saying that they want to come as well, but because Anima-san says she can’t bring them since it seems it’ll endanger their life if someone who can’t withstand the key’s pressure gets close, I had everybody stay behind.
I survey the small island but
“There are no living creatures huh”
that’s right, there isn’t the presence of living creatures on this island. Humans and monsters are a given; even birds and bugs don’t exist. There are only the beige-coloured mountains; not even plants are growing.
“Even if it’s just leaking out faintly, the divine might isn’t something normal living creatures can withstand. However, if it’s a living thing, then there’s one, you know”
“Eh?”
Just as I thought, ‘Is somebody living here?’
“What a rare guest this is. Furthermore, it sure has been a long while. Anima”
“Aah, Domon”
An old man with his brown hair tied at his back appeared before my eyes. His appearance is that of an old man, but he has chiselled muscles, along with a sharp glint in his eyes. This person is……
“This fellow is Domon. He’s the Earth Dragon Ruler that guards the Dragon God’s Gate that’s here”
“Nice to meet you, Domon-san. My name is Leivelt”
“Kakka, nice meeting you, Leivelt. I heard about it from the Dragon God-sama, but you are the one who possesses the key huh”
“Is the key the thing I received from Goddess Astell? If so, then it is me, but what is the ‘Dragon God’s Gate’?”
“Hmm, that would be correct. Well then, I guess I shall explain it, while we are walking. Follow along”
Domon-san who says and walks in front. Anima-san and I follow behind Domon-san.
The ‘Dragon God’ refers to a Dragon that appears in not just simply fairy-tales, but legends. I remember that when I researched about the Dragon species previously, just the name alone came up.
“It’s that Dragon God. That individual does exist. It’s just that, because it ends up killing living creatures just by being around, it’s on this island by its own will. I am that individual’s gatekeeper, but if I had to say, I would say I am the chatting companion of that individual who cannot go outside”
It seems what the Dragon God is, is the Goddess Astell splitting about a third of her God’s power and manifesting into this world. One can say that the Dragon God is Goddess Astell and simultaneously the Dragon God itself.
I don’t know the details, but according to Domon-san, it possesses the same memories as Goddess Astell, but it seems its consciousness is the Dragon God.
“Here, this is the place”
And then the place we were led and brought to by Domon-san was, a gigantic gate that has about a total of 10 meters in height. But, there’s indeed a ridiculous sense of pressure. Domon-san seems used to it, but even Anima-san’s complexion is terrible.
“Not even I know what lies beyond this gate. Since only the key that you possess can open this”
Over in the direction Domon-san says and points, there was a small keyhole that doesn’t match this gigantic gate. Looks like it’ll open if I push here. I take a deep breath
“Well then, I will be off”
I stick the key into the keyhole. My field of vision changed in that instant. The gigantic gate that was before my eyes vanished, and the entire vicinity turned into a pure white world. And then over there was
“Welcome, Leivelt・Runwalker”
, the figure of a smiling Goddess Astell.
