"Shall we, God-Beast? Would you like some dried fruit?

It looks good. Give it to me.

Okay. Yes, sir.

　The exchange that takes place around the campfire is a strangely dumb scene in Aldis' eyes.

　A girl holds out dried fruit and a single beast unsuspectingly pours the food in its hand into its mouth.
　At first glance it looks like a large dog and its owner, but the reality is quite different.
　The girl is holding out her hand fearfully, while the beast is saying "yummy" and "sweet" in human language to the beast.

　In the first place, the beast itself, which speaks the language of humans, is an abnormal existence.
　There are some species and individuals among the demons that have something resembling intelligence, but no one has ever found one that can understand human language and even communicate with them.
　In the face of such an uncommon existence, Solte came to a conclusion in order to convince himself. That was the 'Divine Beast'.

''He has great power, controls human language, and punishes evil people.'' --This person must be a messenger of the Goddess!

No, he's just an animal.

Their beautiful golden fur is shining. Clear eyes as if they embody nobility. The way she stands with an air of dignity and grace. You can even feel a sense of godliness!

No, but you were scared when you saw me, weren't you?

　Aldis and Rona calmly tsked at the saintly candidate, who was high on excitement.

　For now, it was fortunate that Sorte wasn't afraid of Rona.
　It may be partly because Rona is someone Ardis knows, and partly because she is someone with whom he can have a conversation.
　In addition, it is also the person who saved me from a difficult situation.
　There may be a little bit of "horrible" feeling left in you when you see that power, but it may be that you are unconsciously trying to gain mental stability by deifying Rona.

　The fact that the conversation between Ardis and Rona, which was exchanged after the mock battle, was so natural, may have helped to calm Sorte's mind.



'Bilibili is a foul, Al. ...... I was just about to give you a special move...'

'A must-kill is ......, dude. Don't try to kill your old buddy in a mock fight.

Al wouldn't die from that, would he?　............ maybe.

'Maybe and don't use that thing lightly!　It would have been a close call if the strings weren't connected!

'Really?　Okay, next time I'll do it without strings.

That's not the point!

I haven't eaten yet, so I'm going to go hunting for a while. Be ready for the fire.

Hey, Rona!　I'm not done talking to you yet!



　It seems that Sorte's caution about Rona was blown away when she saw such an act.
　After that, I don't know what kind of path Sorte took to reach such a conclusion, but it seems that Rona was conveniently placed in the position of a "divine beast" that can defeat evil.
　This is the reason why the candidate for the saintly girl is fearfully offering her own preserved food after she has eaten the large herbivorous animal that Rona has hunted.

''There's still some time before dawn. Get some sleep while you can.''

　Aldis urged Sorte to rest.
　It's hard to argue with Solte, who was hesitant for a while, when she was told that if she didn't sleep it would be a hindrance to the next day's journey.
　After confirming that Sorte went into the tent, Aldis faced Rona again.

'Well, where do I start?

　There were a number of questions I wanted to ask.
　I was suddenly thrown into a strange world. A year and a half of searching for these clues.
　Various things flitting around in my head.
　The first thing that came out of my mouth while I was dizzy from all of this was the thing that had been bothering me more than anything else.

'What's happened to ...... since then?　Who survived?

　Rona shakes her golden-furred face from side to side.

'No one came back,'

'Yeah, or ......'

　The unacceptable word "annihilation" comes to Ardis' mind.
　Seeing the expression on her face, Rona hurriedly tries to cheer up her former partner.

''But, but!　Maybe they're still fighting, and there's a chance they're coming back.

'Don't be silly. It's been over a year now.　If you're coming back, it's long overdue: ......

　Rona reacted to Aldis' weak words.
　She tilted her head and asked the opposite question.

'More than a year?　What are you talking about, Al? It's only been two days since then.

What?　...... two days?　What are you talking about, man?　It's been a year and a half since we've seen each other, hasn't it?

　The golden beast rolled its eyes and blinked twice.

''It was only the day before yesterday that I rode into the outcast woman's castle, okay?　Al, are you okay?

　This time it was Ardis' turn to be surprised.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work.

Wait," he said. He leaned forward and asked with a quizzical expression on his face, "Wait, wait, wait, wait. What's the meaning of this?　Rona, are you saying that you met me the day before yesterday?

You're not surprised.

'No, it's not a surprise to me. It's been a year and a half since then.

...... What do you mean?

　With a question mark hovering over each other's heads, Aldis and Rona share information with each other.
　For Rona, it was about the two days since their separation, and for Ardis, it was about the year and a half they spent in Tria.

Let's see, so you're saying that the battle that was the day before yesterday for me was a year and a half ago for Al?

Yes.

I don't know what's going on.

I don't know.

　We already understand that we are both old acquaintances.
　But that's why I can't accept the gap in time we've spent until today without being confused.

Speaking of which, I don't know. Why do you look like a child?

'I don't know. A year and a half ago, this is what I looked like when I found out.

　I'm still not sure why I'm turning into the age at which I'm called a boy.
　I've gotten used to being in this form, but that doesn't mean I'm unconditionally convinced of that.

'Hmmm ....... I have no idea what that means. By the way, Al. Have you noticed that you're getting weaker?

............ aware.

　Aldis replies with a sour look on his face.

'I wonder if it has anything to do with being a child: ......

　Oh well, Rona looked up at the sky in a light tone.
　The pitch-black night sky was reflected in her amber eyes.

'This is a different world than the one we were in. ...... That's right, you can see it in that night sky.

　Rona's gaze lingers on a jet blackness that extends to the horizon.
　And as if part of it has been cut off, it is a circular, bright area.
　The night has been spared from turning into complete darkness thanks to the countless glittering grains of sand in this area.

That's good to know that the madwoman is a goddess ....... It's not a very funny joke,

Yeah, I agree with that.

So, Grace is an evil god?　That's kind of an interesting story.

I'm sorry, but that's not funny to me.

Well, I guess that's true for Al.

　These are words that could make Ardis furious if uttered by others, but the air between them remains calm.
　It was a light-hearted remark that was only allowed because it was Rona.

''So, what are you going to do now Al?''

'Yes, ....... We didn't even have a good clue so far, but Rona's here now. So there's a good chance that she's here.

Well, maybe ...... does.

Well, you owe me for that. I can't just let him die. I want everything he's ever had to go through.

Al.

　Rona interrupted Aldis's words.
　When I looked at Ardis with a serious look on my face, I strengthened my tone as if it was a nail in the coffin.

I know how you feel. You can't beat that outcast woman by yourself, right?　And even more so with Al now.

............ I know that.

　Looking at Aldis, who replies bitterly, Rona softens her expression.

'That's all right. I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this. I'll be there to help you in your fight.

...... Yeah, sorry about that.

Don't worry about it. Lou was a very good friend of mine, too. So, Al--

　Instantly, the color of fiery vengeance invades Rona's eyes.

''--I'll give you the rest of it, so just let me gouge out that thing's eyes and bite it down, okay?

　It was undoubtedly the eyes of someone with the same determination as Aldis.

'Aye. I'll give you that much.

Thanks.

　Restoring her expression, Rona utters her thanks in a light tone.

''However, I guess we'll start by finding out if that woman is in this world right now.

　Aldis, calmed down by Rona, lies down with his hands behind his head.
　Only the swarm of lights squeezed into a corner of the night sky is scarcely bright.

　If it was me a year and a half ago, I would have immediately decided to travel around the world to find out where the goddess was without hesitation.
　But now, things are different.

　In the forest near the royal capital, there are people waiting for Ardis.
　The self-styled squire would have no problem leaving them alone, but the twin sisters would not be able to do so.

　There was no way they could throw the blame away now, once they had been offered a helping hand.
　At the very least, Aldis was going to take care of the twins until they learned the ability to live on their own.

　For a while, he would be a mercenary, gathering information as he completed his requests.
　He wasn't sure he could restrain himself if the goddess appeared in front of him, but he wasn't going to throw the twins out of his care for someone who wasn't even sure if they were still there or not.

'Where's Rona?　What are you going to do now?

Hmm. Now that I've met Al, I think I'll follow him for a while instead of leaving.　Isn't that nice?

'Okay. I don't mind that. ......

　Ardis jumps up, almost replying without a second thought.

'Hey Rona. Did you just say 'don't leave'?

You said it.

　The golden beast nodded.

'What do you mean?　Then you're making it sound like you can go back over there any time you want.

　Overhearing Aldis's question, Rona, on the contrary, asks curiously.

'Heh?　Can't Al go home?

You're leaving ......, how!

　Aldis closes in on Rona.
　Rona, who rolls her eyes in surprise, tries to tell him with a look of confusion mixed in--.

''How do you say ......, like this, like sponging a hole in space with your magic power and goofing off?''

What the f*ck is that?

　Such an explanation was not likely to be understood by Aldis, as expected.
　In the end, although he spent the night and tried to say everything he could, the sentient Rona's explanation did not get through to Ardis.
　Whether this is because of a difference in senses due to our different race or because Rona's explanations are poor, there was no one here who could make a decision.