Published: September 10, 2025
Satou here. I think only a few people can immediately draw their own face without looking at a mirror or photo. Surprisingly, we don’t really remember our own faces well.
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“Brother Ichiro, look at that!”
Hikaru pointed toward what seemed to be the wall behind the throne.
Carrying Arisa, who wanted to see, I flew up and looked up at what Hikaru was pointing at.
――A painting?
It depicted a black-haired young man holding a little girl with pink hair.
He looked Japanese, but somehow familiar. He had grown a beard like a sportsman, but it didn’t exactly suit him.
“Even though I’ve never met him, his face looks familiar somehow~”
“That’s true――”
Arisa tilted her head as she looked at the painting.
Not understanding why Hikaru was so surprised, I asked Hikaru who jumped next to me.
“What’s so special about this picture?”
“Huh? You really don’t get it? Look closely!”
With disbelief, Hikaru pulled my arm and pointed at the painting.
――I don’t see it.
“That’s your old appearance, Brother Ichiro!”
“I’ve never grown a beard like that.”
“Except for that, it’s basically the same.”
Hikaru said that, but does it really look that similar?
I don’t look that weird, do I?
“Kind of looks like a lolicon face.”
“That’s the face of a father doting on his child, right?”
Arisa’s critique was harsh.
Maybe because I was told it resembled me, I found myself defending the young man in the painting.
――Sense of danger detected.
Shadows began leaking from the gaps in the painting.
Finally, the guardian of this room seemed to reveal itself.
“Brother Ichiro, that shadow is dangerous. I have a really bad feeling about this.”
“I feel the same.”
I hugged Arisa and Hikaru, moved to the throne, and used “Magic Hand” to gather the two princesses, then retreated from the throne room.
If I used Flashstride normally, the two princesses would get seriously hurt, so I activated two spells, “Shock Absorb” and “Inershal Neutralizer,” to protect them.
We slipped through a hole made by a magical test shot and flew outside the castle.
“Phew, I thought I was going to die…”
Arisa, exhausted in my arms, muttered angrily.
“Brother Ichiro, it’s coming.”
“Looks like it.”
Leaving the two princesses and Arisa in Hikaru’s care, I turned back toward the castle.
The AR display showed the enemy’s info as――UNKNOWN.
It was the same display as the little girl that appeared when we fought the “Demon God’s Spawn” in the Royal Capital of Shiga Kingdom and the dog-headed demon king.
――Then, that must be a god.
Or at least a divine servant of a god.
“Hikaru, take the three of them and escape to the barrier wall.”
“Yeah, got it!”
“Master, don’t push yourself too hard,” said Arisa, sounding like a worried mother, as Hikaru flew off with them.
The shadow let out a suspicious roar from its crescent moon-shaped mouth.
The eerie sound alone was enough to make one’s mind unstable.
――LOWRWYEEE.
＞“Divine Era Language” skill acquired.
Was that strange roar a word?
I had prepared magic destruction thinking it was a spell chant, but it turned out to be useless.
Since this might avoid unnecessary fighting, I quickly activated the skill.
‘Impudent one who would steal the bride of the gods.’
‘You’re mistaken. That is the princess of Rumork Kingdom.’
‘Little one, no nonsense. Do you intend to steal the daughter with pink hair, the mark of the bride?’
Hmm, it seems that the myths of Rumork were based somewhat on fact.
But well, I have no intention of offering an innocent little girl as a sacrifice.
‘Are you a god? If so, state your name.’
‘I am not a god. I am an apostle guarding the god’s absence.’
‘Apostle, who is your lord god?’
Oh no, I caught the apostle’s wording and started speaking strangely myself.
Still, the “Dragon’s Talisman” I prepared against apostles seems completely useless.
‘Asking the name of the god is impertinent. The lord who rules this world is known throughout the world. You should worship and pray to the supreme one――’