Foreigner’s Mistake

　The cabin of Yamato, an airship flying in the air.

　The evening is deep, and even in this world, with the sun setting in the west, the landscape ahead is dark. The land is almost pitch black as well since there are no races that live culturally in the Middle Sea and the surrounding hundreds of miles.

　Leia, who is sitting in the pilot's seat controlling the Yamato, glances occasionally at Satoru, who is standing beside her and looking haughty ahead.

　It is about one hour (40 minutes) after parting with Minerva and setting out again. Satoru has not spoken a word since he instructed Leia to go east. He just stares ahead with a frightened expression on his face. His demeanor is so grave that no one can speak to him.

　Leia thinks that he is probably coming to terms with the situation.

　Satoru is not a man of dexterity.

　Although he intends it to be temporary, the separation from Minerva must have had a deep impact on this man.

　Satoru, who wished to return to his original world as soon as he was summoned to this world by the hand of none other than Leia, has formed many bonds in this world.

　It became difficult to separate.

　That is why he asked the Holy Dragon, Feather Dragon if it was possible to summon Satoru's beloved sister, Alice, to this world. He could not summon her selfishly, so he would have to consider many things, but in his mind, reuniting with Alice would be the first and second priority in his life in this world.

　However, if the conditions are not met and the only way to see Alice is to return to his original world.

　Satoru will probably choose to return to his original world.

　However, how much of a shock would that be to his heart?

　Satoru is aware of this possibility and is thinking about it. The parting with Minerva must have reminded him of this.

　Rico, Liz, Isolde, and Solor are all concerned about Satoru, and even though it is past the time when they usually go to sleep, they continue to watch his back as he stands in the pilot's seat.

　Satoru must also be aware that he is worrying his slaves.

　But right now, he just can't come to terms with it yet.

「......I'm screwed.」

　At last, Satoru mutters a few words. Leia glances at Satoru.

「...... what is?」

「For Minerva.....to lie」

　The hurt in Leia's heart ached. That's what Satoru meant when he said it would be all right. But there is a secret inside Leia that she had shared with Minerva.

　She knew that Satoru was crying inside when he was holding Sheryl.

　When Liz's body was examined by the 【Diagnostic】 art, Leia hid something from Satoru.

　As far as Minerva is concerned, there are those two secrets.

　Neither of them can be told to Satoru. They are gentle lies that she keeps from Satoru because he would be severely hurt if she were to tell him. Despite the bitterness in her heart, Leia turns forward and chooses her words.

「......Minerva wants my Lord to look forward, and that's why she lied.」

「Yeah. You're right. You're ...... right.」

　Satoru muttered with a pensive thought.

　If Minerva's only consideration was that she had to stay with the Feather Dragon until the birth of the baby, then she could have Satoru stay with the Feather Dragon until the baby was born.

　But Minerva did not say that. Minerva knew that Satoru had left his beloved sister in the other world and wanted to see her. Minerva put Satoru's convenience first, not her own, and lied to keep Satoru from worrying about her.

　This is the best proof that Minerva has truly come to care about others.

「We will meet again. There's no doubt about that, right?」

「Yeah.」

「I don't know if Minerva will have given birth to a child by then. Isn't it the least my Lord can do to show Minerva, and her unborn child, that you are worthy of their presence?」

「...... I guess.」

　Satoru grunted as if chewing.

　His own father committed suicide because he could not bear the death of his wife. His father was physically strong and open-minded, but his spirit was not always strong. Satoru still wishes he had thought about the children he would have left behind, but it is clear that he loved his wife ― Satoru and Alice's mother ― very much, and even as a child he often thought of his parents as a couple of idiots.

　There was a considerable interval between the birth of Satoru and the birth of Alice because their mother's body was not strong enough. When she found out she was pregnant, she chose to have the baby despite the doctor's recommendation that she have an abortion for her own sake. Satoru's father respected her decision, supported her, and lost her.

　His father, unable to bear the loss, ran away.

　―I will not be like that.

　Satoru takes a deep breath in and lets it out in a short exhale.

「Leave the Middle Sea for now. Go to a place where you can settle down and descend there.」

「Understood」

　Satoru's voice had a bit of tension in it, and Leia let out a sigh of relief.

　The Middle Sea and its surroundings are a paradise for monsters and beasts. There is no guarantee that they will not be attacked at any time.

「I'm sorry, but we won't do it again tonight. Just tonight, give me some time.」

　Satoru's magical slaves were looking at Satoru's back as if they were peeking at him, and Satoru turned back to them and declared. The magical slaves showed their own hesitation but still nodded. The women could tell that Satoru was feeling a strong sense of sadness and confusion and that the man needed time to switch.

「Sorry, I'm weak man.」

　Satoru muttered to himself and looked forward again.

　―What is weak about this man?

　Leia looked into his strong eyes and muttered to herself.

　If he were really a weak man, he would surely have long given up on reuniting with his sister. He would have been so furious over the death of Liz's mother, Reine, that he would have literally blown away a quarter of this world, not to mention Ares. He would not take responsibility for destroying the Holy Sword Clan, the guardians of the human race in this world.

　He could have forced the women who flocked to him to obey him with his excessive strength, but he did not because he has a strong spirit and is a man of kindness.

　Leia glanced back and nodded her head. Isolde has a strong mentality, and aside from herself and Solor, who never sleeps, Rico and Liz must be suitably fatigued. Liz, in particular, had never dived into such a cave or labyrinth before. Even though there was no battle-like battle, she was definitely exhausted.

　Satoru did not sleep at all that day.

　Leia, seeing the man looking forward with strong eyes and continuing to think, decides once again that she will stay by his side until the end.

　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊

　The next morning.

　After finally passing through the Middle Sea and seeing that the number of beasts and monsters had visibly decreased, Leia brought Yamato down to the earth. The area was almost untouched by human hands, and although not as deep as the Deep Green Forest, the trees were deep and the morning mist was thick because of this.

　After making sure the Yamato landed on the ground, Satoru, who had been standing next to Leia the whole time and looking ahead without saying a word, turned around and patted Leia on the shoulder in consideration.

　He must be going out for some fresh air. Leia sighed softly as she watched his big back off.

「Leia.」

　Rico and Isolde, who must have been awakened by the sign of the descent, peeked out from the loft area and fluttered down.

「He's not sleeping.」

「I knew it ......」

　Rico groaned at Leia, who answered before she was asked. Isolde looks worried too, both of them in their underwear because they've just woken up, but in Yamato, Satoru has no complaints.

「I think we should leave our Lord alone for now. What is important is that we will support our Lord no matter what the situation. That's the will.」

　Leia reminded Rico, crossing her arms and stretching. She knew that showing her concern for Satoru would not be good for him.

　Rico also understands the subtleties of the situation. However, Isolde, who has only been traveling with him for a short time, objected.

「Of course, it is natural to support Milord. But it's not right not to sleep. Unlike Leia-dono and Solor-dono, Milord is a human being. Humans are beings who must sleep.」

「Even my Lord understands that much. He just didn't want to sleep last night. Isolde, don't talk unnecessary things to our Lord.」

「Muh.....No, but...」

「It's all right. Our Lord will recover.」

　At the sound of Leia's confident voice, Isolde relaxed her shoulders a little. It was the first time Isolde had seen Satoru, who was so powerful, in a depressed state. She wanted to do something to support him, but the first magical slave told her to leave him alone.

「There are times when you want to be alone. Let our Lord be alone for now.」

　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊

　Satoru was walking aimlessly through the deep forest in the morning mist, putting aside the concerns of the women.

　Normally, it would be dangerous to wander in a forest where one is unfamiliar with the geography, but in Satoru's case, he is able to know the locations of his slaves through sorcery, so there is no danger of being unable to return. The weapon he carries at his waist is his spare weapon, the Levatein. It would be a bit much to carry even a Giant Killer for a short walk.

　Satoru himself was aware that Leia and others would be attentive to him.

　The fact that they left him alone without saying a word was a sign of that. They may have had many things they wanted to say, but they were willing to swallow it all in one piece. Satoru thinks that these women are too good for him.

　Satoru found a mossy rock and sat down on it. The rocks were wet from the morning mist, and his pants were a little damp, but Satoru breathed in deeply without worrying. He breathed in the cool morning air of the forest, filling his chest with it. It feels like doing so makes his head feel clearer.

「Ahh ......」

　Throwing his legs out, he closes his eyes and enjoys the forest with senses other than sight.

　Stimulating his nostrils are the cool, refreshing negative ions of the forest. From far away, he can hear the chirping of birds and insects. If you listen carefully, you can also hear the sound of running water, so there is probably a river nearby.

　Satoru faces his effeminacy head-on.

　And he was beaten to a pulp.

「What am I going to do now with all this ......」

　He blurted out.

　As a result of questioning the Holy Dragon Feather Dragon, Satoru learned that it is possible to create art to call Alice here. However, it is only possible, and he has not yet determined whether he can really call her or not.

　The fact that Feather Dragon said that only those who believe in the existence of other worlds can be summoned here is also troubling. Satoru doesn't know about the flow of the moon and stars, either.

　Of course, he's going to look for a way to get there until the last minute. But if he can meet with Yarth and obtain the repatriation art, and the art to bring Alice here would take decades to complete.

　――I will have to return to my original world.

　Even the temporary separation from Minerva was such a shock. He wonders how much determination it will take to say goodbye to the other magical slaves with whom he has bonded, the people he has come to know, and the various things he has gained in this world.

「Alice......」

　Still, when he thinks of his sister who was left alone in the original world, he cannot make the decision selfishly not to return.

　Even after all this time, Satoru felt he understood the anguish of his own father who committed suicide. He must have suffered the loss of his beloved wife. After much agonizing, he chose to go with his wife.

　His father left a will in which he referred to his property and other things but left only a few words for Satoru and Alice.

『I'm sorry.』

　Satoru wonders how much anguish was contained in those short words.

　Now that Satoru has grown up to a certain degree, he can understand his father's feelings. But at the same time, it is hard to forgive him.

　Satoru suddenly felt something touch his fingertip and looked down. A small squirrel-like creature was sniffing Satoru's finger, and Satoru's face broke into a little smile. It noticed Satoru's gaze and twitched its whiskers, then scurried away like a hare.

「I'm not going to take it and eat it」

　With a small wry smile, Satoru relaxed his shoulders.

　The first and foremost thing that is necessary is to meet Leia's mentor, Yarth. He has perfected the art of 【Otherworldly Repatriation】 and has probably helped Leia to unravel the art of 【Otherworldly Summoning】. If he cooperates with Satoru, he may be able to create a summoning art that identifies the individual Alice surprisingly quickly.

　Everything would start then. In the meantime, all Satoru had to do was make up his mind.

　The wind blew and blew away some of the morning mist. Satoru woke up to the smell of a beast mixed with the scent of wet greenery.

　It was a bear.

　It was about one major (9 meters) away, growling low and staring at him. The bear was at least two times larger than Satoru. A human wandering alone in a forest like this is good bait ― usually.

　Satoru stands up with a shout and pulls out the Levatein from his waist to face the bear. Compared to the Giant Killer, the Levatein has a shorter reach and is too light for Satoru to worry about, but that's not a problem if you're dealing with a bear.

「If you want to fight, come on. I'm just a little irritated. I'll show no mercy, got that?」

　The bear roared and rushed toward Satoru as if its pride had been stimulated.