Published: March 21, 2026
"Both of you, sheathe your weapons."
Suddenly Amelia's voice rang from above. In an instant so precise that even we couldn't stop ourselves—where a single beat later would mean blades piercing each other's vitals—our bodies came to a dead stop. We couldn't even move our eyes.
I had felt this before in the Brute Labyrinth. It was the same sensation as when magic takes control of your body and it's no longer under your command. The stretched-out feeling tricked me into thinking time had stopped.
"Oh? Couldn't you hear? I'm telling you to sheathe your weapons."
Compelled by those words, my body moved on its own and "Night Blade God" was returned to its scabbard. Darion did the same, sliding his twin swords behind his waist. Judging by his expression, he didn't seem to understand the situation either.
The moment I sheathed "Night Blade God," control of my body came back. Glancing up at the same time as Darion, I saw Amelia standing in midair between us—where nothing should have been. She seemed to be standing on something in the air rather than flying.
"Who are you?"
There was no mistaking the voice or appearance; it was Amelia. Even without using the World Eye, I couldn't confuse her for anyone else. Yet her tone, expression, and mannerisms were entirely different. I remembered the time in the labyrinth when Mahiro's magic circle forced Amelia's body to move, but this felt different. It was as if another being were borrowing Amelia's body and mouth.
After what happened in the Brute Labyrinth, that must be traumatic for Amelia. If her body was being taken over again, she'd be devastated.
"I am Aitel. The one and only god Aitel. The previous divine child recently passed away, so I came to give the oracle to the next divine child, only to find a slaughter in progress."
Amelia's eyes narrowed sharply. She fixed me with a look she'd never given me before, and my shoulders involuntarily tensed. I certainly didn't want to be looked at like that again for the rest of my life.
I felt something I'd never felt—like the world had turned its back on me. The closest comparison was the look of disappointment from a mother scolding her child.
"Divine child" was just the name of Amelia's vocation. I didn't know exactly what that entailed, but it sounded similar to "miko"—a shrine maiden who serves a god. The rough idea matched.
"I had said I dislike conflict, didn't I?"
I had heard from Commander Saran that the one and only god Aitel was weary of gods who kept fighting and was disappointed in humans who did the same. That seemed to be true. The abandoned feeling that had struck me was likely the emotion the god Aitel directed at us.
Darion looked puzzled by the sensation too; he seemed somewhat dazed.
"Well then. I came only to hand things over to this girl. I'll give the oracle another time."
If you start fighting again next time I'm present, you'll understand, she said—and with that Amelia vanished in an instant.
More pressing was whether she'd return Amelia's body properly. I wanted to check right away, but Darion's presence prevented even that.
"...Why would Aitel come? I thought he never left Yamato Country."
Startled by the vacant voice beside me, I reached for the "Night Blade God" I'd just sheathed.
Aitel's interruption had made me forget—we had been in the middle of fighting.
"You'd better not. I don't know when or how far Aitel's authority reaches. At least until we get off this ship, don't fight. I'll tell the demonic beasts the same, so don't worry."
Noticing my movement, Darion waved both hands and said that.
It seemed Darion no longer wanted to fight. Moreover, the wyverns that had been attacking us would stop as well. Perhaps Aitel's definition of "conflict" included monsters too. Darion's eyes didn't look like he was lying, so maybe I could believe him.
I didn't want to let Darion go, but we couldn't let this ship be destroyed by combat. If Aitel hadn't intervened and we'd continued clashing, the ship wouldn't have remained safe.
"Until my wyvern comes to take me back... want to talk a bit?"