Okay, we're done.

　I asked Mr. Colontude to heal my wounds.

　In his hand was a toy-like wand about 10 centimeters long with a small magic stone on the tip.
　Even so, my scarred body was completely restored to its original state. My right arm, which was torn apart by a nail, is now showing its beautiful skin.

(After all, is the arm that heals you differently?)

　Goo, par and right hand.

　Yeah, no discomfort.

"Oh, merle ... merle.

　chow (mahjong)

　Illtimina-san, as if the events of earlier had been very much endured, was holding me from behind while she cast a recovery spell. Her beauty was pressed against my hair, and her nose tickled a bit.
　Her voice was also a little like she was crying.

　Mr. Kilts gave Coloncude a hard look.

I'm glad to see you're okay, but what are you going to do if Merle really is dead?
...nothing.

　You sound as sleepy as ever.

"...as long as your head is still intact, I can bring you back to life within 13 seconds of your death.

　............

(Huh!)

　We're all four of us stunned.

　I want you to wait a minute.
　I've heard before that recovery magic is not that versatile. Just like medication and surgery, it has its limits, and that's why there can be aftereffects.

　That's what I hear.

"...the aftereffects?　That's just a bad arm.
..........
''That's just a vague use of recovery magic. .... nonsense.

　Mr. Coloncude says.

"....the structure of the human body. Blood vessels, nerves, bones, muscles, organs you have to know where it's located and how it's moving. ....Determine where the damage is and think about how to fix it. .... that's the most important thing.
..........
Just some vague image of a cure, but it's a weird cure. That's the worst part.

　The toy-like wand in his hand is placed against my forehead.
　His jade-colored eyes stare at me.

"....I scanned your structure before the fight. ........so I had confidence that I could fix it, right?

　So, that was it?

(Come to think of it, I remember Solstice saying before that 'the intensity of magic is determined by image')

Both Kilt-san and Illtimina-san were very surprised at the words of the 'Golden Seal Demonologist', whether it was knowledge they didn't know. Solstice, for example, clasps her hands together in front of her small chest and murmurs, "S, as expected of you, Colontude-sama......." and looks like she's about to start sobbing in tears of emotion.

　A sleepy eye looks around at us like that.
　Then I looked up at the sky.

''..........''

　Before I know it, the sky in the west is starting to turn red - it's already dusk.

(It'll be midnight before we reach King's Landing when we get home, right?)

　It's going to be a dimly lit trip through the woods.　
　A little, sigh.

　Mr. Colontude shakes his sleepy blonde hair and tilts his head.

'....Do you want to stay the night today?
What?
Do you want to...?

　The four of us looked at each other.
　Then Illtimina-san, with her chin on my head, looked down at me, who had just finished fighting, thought for a moment, and nodded.

''Shall we?''
Yes.

　We were going to stay at Daiki's house that day.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇.


　As we entered Daiki's house, Mr. Colontude suddenly began to rustle on his research desk.

'....Yes, drink this.

　Eventually, a test tube filled with an amber-colored liquid comes out.
　It is presented to me.

　...........
　Is it safe to drink the

What's this?
Curene nectar concentrated in a concentrated form.

　Ah.
　It's a potion for restoring magic power.

　Come to think of it, my whole body was a little sluggish, probably because I used the light bird's magic. My head is also a little woozy.

It's not a good idea to get rid of them.

　Yeah.

"Thank you, Mr. Columntude.
Hmmm.

　When she received the test tube, she nodded in satisfaction.

(Surprisingly, she's a sweetheart, isn't she?)

　He's not a good talker and seems to sleep all the time, but he's thoughtful about a lot of things and observes people very well. My desire to communicate with a spirit was a bit rough, but he got it right.

　It may be easily misunderstood in many ways, but I thought he was a nice guy.

　So I drink the contents.

　Gulp.

..........

　Two bitter!

　I felt like I was going to throw up.

　The curene nectar that Solstice gave me before was sweet and tasty, but this has an amazing bitterness to it. It's like my mouth is numb.......
　Is this what you mean by concentrated?

(But it does seem to work for you, doesn't it?)

　Good medicine, bitter to the mouth.
　Iltimina looked at me with concern, but I relented and swallowed it all down.

'That's nice, Merle.'

　Solstice, you look envious.
　...I should have given you a bite, shouldn't I?　.........phew.

　As an added bonus, I got some water and finally took a breath.

　While looking at me, Mr. Colontude suddenly said something like this.

''........after all, you are a divine dog. ........Your magic power is low.
What?

　You're a god dog, so you have less magic?

　I - no, not just me, but the other three, too, scowling.
　Solstice, with a curious look on her face.

What's this all about?
"...just what it means, you know?　.........because magic is, by nature, a demonic power.......

　What?

The magic... demonic power?

　The Golden Mark Demonologist tells us in amazement.

　The source of magic power is magical elements in the atmosphere.
　Magnesium is one of the components of the magical air that flows into our world from the distortions of the world.

　The ancient Thanatos magic dynasty developed by using magical elements without knowing it.

　And in order to get more magical elements, they tried to expand the "world distortion". As a result, a large hole that led to the 'Demon World' was opened and even the demons were able to come, which led to the God-Devil War 400 years ago.

(...It's like a world from a previous life.

　The scientific civilization has become so advanced that it is causing damage to the global environment in which we live.
　It felt a bit like that.

　And then Mr. Columcude looked up sleepily at the ceiling.

That's why the gods don't have 'magic power'. ........What they have is 'divine energy'.

　I muttered.

(...divine?)

　In other words, a substitute for magic, the power of the gods?

　All eyes are on me, the god's family member - on "Maal".
　Solstice asks, "So, ragged........


I think...

　Mr. Colontude nodded his head.

''........Magic power, it's low. .... but there's a lot of divine energy. ........I guess?
You think?
I don't know much about that.

　I heard a surprising word.
　This guy seemed to know everything, and yet there were things he didn't know?

"...because the royals won't let me check...
Oh.

　It sounded like a teasing voice, Colonchudo-san.

　When I think about it, the only divine relatives of the gods in this world are the Shumurian royal family members who are said to be descendants of the goddess.
　As expected, it is impossible to study the bodies of the royal family. There's no way we can study them when we don't have the materials to do so. At best, we can only speculate.

　And even though she looks sleepy, she turns her hot eyes to me.

"...that's why I want to study you so much.
No.

　The person who answered was Mr. Illtimina.

　Gyuu.

　While hugging me tightly, I'm staring at the 'Golden Mark Demonologist' as if to check it out.

　Mr. Colontude is sullen, "..........Too bad.
　Haha.........

(But godd*mn it.)

　I look at my right hand.

　Does my body have that power inside of it?

　If that's the case.

''If you have divine energy, you'd be better off using magic ... with divine energy than with magical power, wouldn't you?　....because it's more powerful magic, that way you can use it.
..........

　Mr. Colontude is really observing people.

　He answered my questions before I even asked him.

　Mr. Quilt asks, "Can you do that?

"Is it possible for you to do such a thing?
I think...

　The same answer as before.

''And the 'Divine Armor' in the Arun Divine Kingdom could only activate its true power with divine Qi, supposedly.
"Huh?

　Kilt-san snorted in admiration.

　A 'divine armor' that activates power with divine energy.

　I see.
　It's probably the same as Kirt's 'Great Sword of Thunder' and Illtimina's 'White Winged Spear' that exerts tremendous power through the magical power of the two of them.

　Well, but...

(I'm not really sure what that 'divine spirit' is in the first place, though, am I?

　I chuckle a bit in my mind.

　Just like Solstice helped me to feel the 'magic power', will I be able to understand the 'divine energy' one day?　No, I guess I have to become one, don't I?
In order to fight the "Child of Darkness".

　With a renewed resolve, he clenched his fist tightly.

　Guh~.

(Huh?)

　As soon as I made up my mind, my stomach rumbled loudly. Ha, I'm so embarrassed~.

　Everyone looked at me as if they were dumbfounded.
　But Illtimina-san was the only one who laughed gently, rubbing her cheek against me.

It was hard work for Marle today, wasn't it?　No wonder you're so hungry.
Uh-huh.

　Ugh, thanks for the follow up, Illtimina.

　Mr. Kilt and Solstice giggle, too.

　Mr. Colontude looks at me sleepily, and then looks out the window.
　It was getting darker and darker outside.

Shall we have dinner now?

　She muttered, and slowly stood up.
　She dragged her long hair and walked hunched over to the back of the room where the kitchen must be located. Only half her face, looking back at us.

I'll send one person to help you, please.
Okay, I'll do it.

　My sister, who could do anything, quickly ran for office.
　She patted me on the head.

I'll go make it for you in a minute, okay?
Yes.

　With a gentle smile, a white hand left Mr. Illtimina's, and she followed Mr. Colontude.

(What kind of food will be served?)

　I waited for the delicious food to arrive, holding my noisy belly in anticipation.



　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇.


　Forty minutes later, the food was laid out on the cleared table.

'...................'
..........
..........

　The three of us who were waiting for our food were silent.

　Ms. Illtimina herself, who had cooked for us, had a sensitive look on her face.

　The only person who looked satisfied was Ms. Colontude.

　There were two kinds of dishes on the table.

　The first was the chicken dish.
　The chicken was bone-in, with a crispy skin, hot and juicy inside. The spices sprinkled on top deepened the flavor with the perfect amount of stimulation.

　Another vegetable salad with sliced nuts and mushrooms, also combined with chicken and melted cheese.
　Fried rice with chicken and sauce.

　They are all excellent.

　And the other is a dish that uses the ingredients as they are.

　Lots of caterpillars.
　Lots of insects.
　A snake wrapped in a mawashi wrapper.

　All of them in a wooden bowl.

　They are all curiosities.

(.............)

　I look at Miss Illtimina.
　She looks at me.

'Don't worry, I know exactly which one of us made the other, okay?　Yeah, don't worry about it...
"...thank you, Merle.

　A conversation like that, with just a glance.

　Even that gluttonous girl, Solstice, has a twitching face at the homemade food of her beloved Colonchudo Resta-sama. And even that brave Kirt-san is losing her battle spirit at this rare dish, and she's completely dismissing her gaze.



　Mr. Columbudo is a bit proud of himself, hunched over.

　Guhguh.

(Shut up, Merle.)

　I slap myself on the stomach.

'.....then eat up...'

　The smiling "Golden Seal Demonologist" has finally handed down his death sentence.

''Yes, I'll take it.''
Thank you for this.
Don't mind if I do.
Yes, let's have it...

　And so we gulped down our non-appetizing spit and started eating the food on the table.
　.........stomach pills, I wonder if they're here?


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇.


　Sorry.
　Mr. Colontude's food was very good, despite what it looks like.

(...sounds like a lie)

　I'll never forget the shock I felt when I got up the courage to take a bite of it.
　The four of us couldn't help but look at each other.

　But it looked so good that Mr. Quilt took a bite and retired as fast as he could.

　I didn't leave any food behind - I once swore to the furball rabbit that I wouldn't leave any food behind - so I did my best to finish it, meditating. Iltimina, too, did her best to swallow it all together, as I did my best.

　Solstice ate not only her own portion for the sake of her beloved, but also the portion left by Kilt-san.
　Really, I admire you.........

　Mr. Colontude also looked a bit happy to have everyone eat all of his food.

If you have the opportunity........to make it again, okay?

　........................
　We didn't answer, we just smiled vaguely.

　And so, after the meal.

　We were lounging around, drinking the red liquid in the beaker - tea.

　Clinking.

　Mr. Colontude takes the bones of the bird he's finished eating and arranges them on a plate in the shape of the original bird.

(What's he doing?)

　Peeking in a bit.

　She noticed.

Say something. I gotta tell them you're staying the night, okay?

　Huh?
　Me, who is scowling.

　And Iltimina and Kilt give me a huff of remembrance.

''That's right. We need to contact the guild.''
The kingdom has placed a restriction on the activities of the warriors. They asked for permission to go back today for a day trip. Oh, shit.

　Oh, right.

(But it's too late for that, right?)

　It's dark outside the window.
　You're trying to get back to King's Landing now, but the date has changed. They won't arrive until dawn.

　The two of them are in a hurry.
　By the way, Solstice can't move because she's eaten too much.

　But that sleepy Colonteur looks like he's about to get his hands on a toy stick.
　He holds it up to the bones of the birds he's laying out.

And that's it.

　Poof, like a flashlight, the magic stone glows.
　Instantly.

　coloran

　On the plate, the 'bone bird' rose up. ........What?

　In front of us in amazement, Mr. Colontude rolls up the letter he's been writing for some time, stuffs it into a bamboo-like tube, and ties it tightly to his bone leg.

''........eh?　"Gekko Gekko no Kaze"?

　Frogs?
　Mr. Kilt frowned.

'It's "Moonlight Wind".'
Hmmm.

　Mr. Colontude held the pale, glowing "Bone Bird" in his hands and tossed it toward the open window with a pop.

　Kashkash.

　Flapping its bone wings, the 'Bone Bird' flew out into the night sky.

(.....................How can it fly even though it's a bone wing?

　There must be a magical reason for this.
　Whatever it was, I couldn't go into it because I felt that our common sense would no longer be worthless in the hands of this Golden Seal Demonologist.



　Nodding at us, Mr. Columcude.

(Yes, I knew he was nice.)

　He even grasped our situation, which we had forgotten, and took immediate action.

　I'm so proud of you.
　I'm really upset with him.

　However, I feel bad for the bird for treating us to meat and flying us to our bones like a carrier pigeon.

　And when that bird of a bone appears out of the guild's window.

(I'm sure Mr. Mumpa would be surprised.)

　Imagining the pure white beastman's reaction at that moment, I looked up at the window where the pale 'bone bird' had disappeared, smiling a little bitterly.


　◇ ◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇


　At night, the four of us were led by Mr. Columcude to a room about three floors above the big tree.

　The bed looked like it was made up of several tangled tree roots.
　The bedding is down.

(But it's a bit thin, isn't it?)

　That's the impression I get when I sit down.

　Mr. Colontude watches us sitting on such a bed.
　And.

Well, good night.

　I say in a sleepy voice.
　I boldly call out to his back, dragging his blonde hair behind me as he turns to leave.

'Um, Mr. Colonnade?　Would you like to join us tomorrow, Mr. Columcude?
..........

　She stopped in her tracks.
　Illtimina and the other three looked surprised.

　But I was very serious.

　Right now, this world is being attacked by the calamity known as the 'Child of Darkness'.
　In order to resist it, I thought, we need as many friends as possible. In particular, I thought it would be a shame to overlook the tremendous power of this 'Golden Mark Demonologist' for the time being.

　Receiving my straight gaze, Colontude-san slowly turned around.

''........No, I'm not going.''

　I say no.
　I still ask.

"Why?
I'd like to be able to do some research here.

　At her words, Mr. Kirt looked puzzled.

If you don't do something about it, the world may end.　Do you understand?
Hmmm.

　Mr. Columbudo nodded.

''Well if I'm going to perish, I want to study it until then.
..........
"If it's the only way to die, so be it. ....you'll get to know the afterlife. I'm going to enjoy it.

　He chuckles.

''You know ...?　....the souls of good people go to the demon realm. And the souls of the bad guys go to the demon world. But some say they're nothing. And others say that they reincarnate into another existence.

　I was thrilled to hear that story.

(Come to think of it, I'm reincarnated, right?)

　I try to warn her about the experience, which she seems to enjoy.

'But if you die, you might lose your memories too, right?
..........
All the knowledge we've accumulated so far, we might forget it. ........but still?

　Mr. Columbudo tilted his head at an angle.
　And.

Yes.

　He nodded easily.

　I was a bit surprised.
　The three of us were also surprised.

　Mr. Colantude said to us in a soft voice, as if he were singing.

"........I like the 'feeling of knowing what I don't know'. ........If I forget everything, then I can enjoy it all over again, from the beginning. ........that's enough. .... my life is just that good.
..........

　Unlike his usual sleepy eyes, they had a strong light in them.

　I meant it.
　I knew that.

　The person called Colontude Resta wasn't a 'person who seeks knowledge', he was just a 'person who loves the 'sense of knowing'.

(Ah, I see.)

　While pursuing that 'sense of knowing', I noticed that the people around me had taken the title of 'Golden Seal Demonologist' without permission.
　That's all she was.

　That was Ms. Colon-Tudo.

　It would surely be impossible for her to abandon her senses in order to protect people and save the world.

'I see. I'm sorry. It was selfish of me to say that.
I'm not sure.

　When she lowered her head, she smiled a little apologetically.

　...Yeah, he's really nice.

　And then Ms. Colontude looks around at us again and says

''Well then, everyone ... good night.''
Yes.
Yes, sir.
...hmmm.
Oh, good night!

　She nodded at our voice and left the room, dragging her blonde hair behind her.
　The door closes.

　..........

　A strange silence flows between the four of us.

　And then, Kirt-san muttered.

''I really can't understand that guy's thoughts, good morning to a straw man.....................

　Really?
　Yeah, I guess so.

　I'm not sure about that, either.
　But...

I'd like to have more conversations with Mr. Columcude if I had the time.

　Mr. Kilt looked at me in a complicated way.
　Solstice nodded, 'Yeah, yeah,' and Ms. Illtimina laughed gently.

　Eventually, the lights in the room go down.

　And so I spent the night in the "House of the Great Tree" where this mysterious wizard lives while being hugged by Illtimina-san.