Chapter 14 - Talk about the future

       ….after Light Emperor became fine dust.

“I"ve cause troubles for you. I"m fine now.” (Maurice)

“Thank you…. My magical power has recovered quite a lot….” (Colon)

“You have really taken care of us, Ash-kun.” (Phillip)

       Master, Colon-san, and Princ.i.p.al Phillip who had been weakened by Light Emperor"s magic, were gradually regaining their strength. I stroked my chest in relief.

“Thanks goodness. Then, I will prepare dinner right away!” (Ash)

“That"s not necessary…. If it"s about our dinner, I will make it later….” (Colon)

“You have cla.s.s tomorrow, right? You better to go back early so you can take a rest to relieve today"s fatigue.” (Maurice)

Five hours have pa.s.sed since the battle with Light Emperor. Even if I leave now, I will arrive at the academy at dawn, and I can only sleep for one or two hours at most. I want to use that time to talk with Master instead.

“I"m fine. I"m not tired.” (Ash)

“You practically just fought a demon lord, though….” (Phillip)

Princ.i.p.al Phillip seems to have a complicated feeling, but I also feel the same way. I"ve never thought that I could defeat a demon lord without moving a step. Of course I won"t feel tired.

“Let"s put that aside for now. There is something important that we want to discuss with you, Ash.” (Maurice)

“….something important?” (Ash)

“Yes. The Day of End , that"s how we call it. Listen….” (Maurice)

       Master had a serious expression as he explained it to me.

In summary, there is a high possibility the other demon lords will appear in the near future, and according to Princ.i.p.al Phillip, there are four more demon lords left.

The Day of End is a great piece of information for me. Well, since the other demon lords will appear anyway, it will save me the trouble if they all appear at once.

The problem is "when" and "where". Until now, I"ve always encountered them by chance. Hoping the same situation will keep repeating is just a wishful thinking.

“Therefore, I want Ash to meet Colon"s and Phillip"s disciple.” (Maurice)

“The three of you should decide which area you will be in charge of.” (Phillip)

In other words, we will decide the area in charge in advance so that we can deal with the appearance of demon lords anytime and anywhere.  In that case, I would like to be in charge of Erstadt Kingdom. I wonder where are those two live….

"Where are your disciples now?" (Ash)

"My disciple Sharm…. is in the Rhine Kingdom now…." (Colom)

The Rhine Kingdom is our neighboring country, right? From this forest, it will take about half a day by running.

“My disciple Keul is currently touring the ruins. I don"t know where she is now.” (Phillip)

“Do you mean the ruins located in the east, west, north, and south ends of the continent?” (Ash)

I"ve read about them in the books. The occurrence rate of Distortion of Time and s.p.a.ce (Abyss Gate) in those location seems to be as high as this forest, so not many archeological investigations have been carried out.

Oh well, since we"re talking about Princ.i.p.al Phillip"s disciple, I"m sure monsters from the Abyss Gate won"t be a threat.

“You are well-informed, Ash-kun. For better or worse, Keul has always been full of curiosity. She has been obsessed with ruins for the past few years.” (Phillip)

“I see. Does it mean I have to go to the ruins in order to meet Keul-san?” (Ash)

       Princ.i.p.al Phillip shook his head.

"Keul can use teleportation. If you tell her the meeting date and time in advance, she will come from the other side with teleportation." (Phillip)

"I see. How about Sharm-san? Is she currently doing some kind of work too?" (Ash)

       For some reason, Colon-san flinched when I threw that question at her.

“No, she is not working…. I mean, she is staying at home every day to make a plan to realize her grand dream…. I think she is busy right now, but…. I"m sure she will come running if I call her….” (Colon)

I wonder what is Sharm-san"s grand dream. I can"t imagine it. However, since we"re talking about Colon-san"s disciple, maybe it"s something like spreading her medicine throughout the world so that no more people suffer because of diseases.

I"m sure I can learn various things from Keul-san and Sharm-san. I"m looking forward to meet them.

"Because Sharm can"t use teleportation…. including the preparation period…. I think it will take 10 days to reach Erstania…." (Colon)

“In that case, I will tell Keul to come to the princ.i.p.al"s office in two weeks. I have to inform Aina about this matter, too.” (Phillip)

Does it mean Princ.i.p.al Phillip wants those two to meet Ai-chan first? That would be a great help since I don"t know their face.

"By the way, when will Princ.i.p.al Phillip return to the academy?" (Ash)

"The three of us have decided to go on an adventurer trip for a while." (Maurice)

"…. adventurer trip?" (Ash)

“Yes. We will be visiting various places around the world in order to look for materials to make a magic wand that won"t break for you.” (Phillip)

Is he talking about the reward for defeating Earth Emperor? I"ve never thought the talk back then would turn into such a big deal.

“I will show you my magic when you return!” (Ash)

Everyone"s willing to go that far for me. I will show them that I can make my dream comes true.

“You are really a hard worker. I"m sure you will be able to use magic someday.” (Phillip)

“Yes! By the way, I have a question for Princ.i.p.al Phillip.” (Ash)

“What is it?” (Ash)

“How"s Lingland-san doing?” (Ash)

       I suspected Lingland-san has erased Noire-san"s memory of previous life.

“He is still thinking of pebbles as golems.” (Phillip)

Nothing has changed since the last time I met him, huh.

“Well, it seems the number of pebbles played has decreased recently, I think he will back to normal soon. He is in jail, but if you have a business with him, you can visit him anytime. I will inform the guards later.” (Phillip)

“Understood.” (Ash)

       I had a late dinner with everyone afterwards, and I left the Demon Forest while feeling reluctant.