Chapter 40 _ Golden Pride, and the Peak Where the Divine Bird Dwells
The nightmare of being accused of regicide finally came to an end.
Before we could even catch our breath,
we decided to return once more to the God Wolf’s domain.
…But before that,
there was one last thing I absolutely had to do.
As dusk dyed the city in shades of amber,
I ran toward a place filled with a smell I knew all too well.
“Arabes-san!”
There he was—
a gaunt man in his fifties, wiping sweat from his brow after finishing his work.
Arabes, the foreman of the waste collectors.
“Arabes-san… I’m sorry.
I’ve been taking so many days off lately…”
I bowed so deeply my forehead nearly touched the ground.
“Ahahaha! Don’t worry about it, Mario!”
He laughed heartily and slapped my shoulder with his large, rough hand.
“More importantly, I’ve heard the rumors.
They say you’ve made quite a name for yourself as an adventurer.
That you even persuaded the God Wolf blocking the trade route.”
“Ah—no.
That wasn’t my doing alone. It was my companions—”
He cut me off with a gentle look.
“That’s enough.
You did well.”
“This job,” he continued,
“is one people avert their eyes from.
They pinch their noses and call it disgraceful.”
“But you never talked back.
You never complained.
You waded through filth day after day and kept going.”
Arabes straightened his back proudly.
“And now, people talk about you like a hero.
…Mario, you’re my pride.”
My vision blurred instantly.
Thrown into another world with no power, no knowledge—
this man was the one who gave me a way to survive.
Half a year of facing filth,
of changing myself one step at a time,
flashed through my mind like a montage.
“…I promise I’ll save Frey,” I said hoarsely.
“…Thank you. For everything.”
I bowed deeply once more.
Arabes didn’t say a word.
He simply watched quietly as I walked away into the sunset.
Hans teleported us back to the God Wolf’s den,
where the silver sovereign greeted us calmly.
“God Wolf! Something terrible has happened—
someone impersonating me attempted an assassination—”
“I know,” she said.
“…But first, rest.
We will speak after the sun rises.”
Just as she said,
we slept beneath the warmth of the divine beast’s massive body.
The next morning,
I explained everything about the incident involving my double.
“…I observed it with my far-sight,” the God Wolf said slowly.
“But I do not watch every corner of the world at all times.
I cannot yet discern the impostor’s true identity.”
Her golden eyes turned to Frey.
“However, one who governs barriers and time as you do
should be able to trace the stagnation of the past.”
“Ah! That’s right!” I blurted out.
“Frey, why didn’t you say so earlier!?”
“…Hmph.”
The cat beside me turned her head away dramatically.
“…Wait.
You’ve been silent this whole time because… you were sulking?”
“Obviously, you fool!” she snapped.
“You ran to Mother first!
What am I to you—mere decoration!?
A potted plant!?
A convenient exposition device!?”
“I’m sorry!
Frey-chan is cute today too.
Please lend me the power of a genius magical girl.
Without your genius, this problem is impossible—”
I praised her in the flattest tone imaginable.
“Idiot! I won’t forgive you this time!”
“Not being able to talk to Frey-chan is hell itself—!”
After relentless begging,
she finally glanced at me and allowed a small smile.
“…Ohoho!
Very well.
Were you lonely without me, Mario? Hmm?”
“…Ah—yes. I was lonely (monotone).”
“That delivery is terrible!
You fool! …But fine.
Time is short. I’ll take a look.”
Frey closed her eyes.
The air crackled, charged with static.
“…How foul.”
“Foul?”
“Not a physical stench.
An evil one—like stagnant sludge.
I remember it now, Mario.
This is the Demon King’s presence.”
My heart skipped.
So the impostor was an agent sent by the Demon King.
“You are inconvenient to him,” Frey continued.
“He possesses foresight.
All the great heroes of history were defeated
because their actions were predicted.”
“Then how did you manage to seal him two hundred years ago?”
“Me?” she laughed.
“I fought while thinking,
‘If I win, I’ll be first in the popularity poll,’
changing my finishing poses constantly.”
“…No wonder he lost.
Even with foresight, all he could see
were endlessly shifting victory poses.”
“Ohoho!
This was a highly advanced tactical victory!”
She laughed jokingly—
but the truth remained heavy.
The Demon King had gone out of his way
to frame me.
Was he afraid of me meeting the hero Seidu Muamba?
“God Wolf!
Is there any lead on Seidu Muamba?”
“…He was close with the Divine Bird,” she replied.
“Unlike us, whose lives are finite,
the Divine Bird is an Immortal.”
“Its dwelling lies one month’s journey north—
on the seventh ridge of Mount Iapetus,
the highest mountain in this world.”
She gazed toward the rugged northern sky.
“The journey will be harsh.
…Even so, will you go, Mario?”
“Yes.”
There was no hesitation.
To save Frey,
I would challenge the realm of the Divine Bird above the clouds.
Fear of heights could wait.
By my side were
the world’s cutest (and slightly troublesome) master—
and my irreplaceable companions.
