The Pegasus, carrying Shinji and his
friends, flies through the sky toward the Hateyama branch. The most noticeable
among them is the pegasus ridden by Alvin. This is because he has tied the
horns of the dragon he has cut off with a rope and hung them up. Although they
would have liked to collect the dragon's tusks, blood, flesh, and other
valuables, <Running Wolves> preferred to hurry back to the Hateyama
branch.
And eventually, the Hateyama branch
came into view.
There are many traces of battles
around the branch, indicating that there had been a fierce battle. However,
there is no serious damage to the Gate which needs to be protected, and it is
clear at a glance that the adventurers are able to protect the branch.
「Thank goodness! Looks like the
Hateyama branch is safe!」
Alvin's cheerful voice brought a sigh
of relief to Milis and the others. Shinji, who had heard that Miko Arian had
been able to protect the Hateyama branch from the monsters, is just as relieved
as Alvin and the others.
**a
A few moments later, an adventurer
outside the Hateyama branch noticed Pegasus' appearance and waved to Alvin and
the others. After some of them go inside to call for their friends, a lot of
adventurers appear in the courtyard. And when they see the magnificent dragon
horn hanging from Alvin's pegasus, they begin to fuss.
Some distance away from the noisy
adventurers, Mizer, Iren, and the rest of the branch staff appear happy, and
finally Miko Arian appears.
Alvin and the others descend to the
center of the circle of people and dismount from the Pegasus. They walked up to
Miko Arian and kneeled down in front of her.
Alvin, the leader of the party, takes
the lead and begins to report, so as not to make it public that Shinji is an
apostle.
「Miko-sama, I'm back! We've
successfully defeated the dragon and the succubus!」
「Thank you for your hard work....
Thank you <Running Wolves> for fulfilling the role as the Goddess Sword
so well...」
Behind Alvin and the others who are
reporting, Flair lifts up the dragon's horn, a proof of defeat, which was tied
to the celestial horse so that the people around can see it clearly.
The big horn reminds people of the
dragon's huge body, and at the same time, it is enough to remind people of the
bravery of <Running Wolves> who face the dragon head-on.
But in reality, they attacked the
dragon by surprise and hunted it without letting it show its true strength, but
the adventurers who don't understand this look at Alvin and the others with a
mixture of fear and confidence.
（... It seems that Alvin-san has
surpassed his parents）
In the midst of all this, Iren gazes
at Alvin as if she sees something dazzling. She is deeply moved by Alvin's
accomplishment of defeating the dragon, which her parents had failed to do,
even without her realizing it.
The reason why she could be moved so
honestly is that she herself used her magic power, even if only temporarily,
and fought to protect the Hateyama branch. Even though it only lasted a short
time, Iren was able to fight like the adventurer she once aimed to be and
protect her friends. This experience helped her to lose the dark feelings of
jealousy.
（I guess this is the end. But how long
can I use my magic...?）
The only thing Iren regrets is that
she won't be able to use her magic again. While Iren was thinking this, Alvin
responded to Miko Arian's words with a formal bow.
「I am honored! Miko-sama, what should
I do next?」
「<Running Wolves> have done
their job well enough... The Branch Leader will take care of the rest...」
With that, Mizer stepped forward as
Miko Arian called him.
「Right after this, I will report the
defeat of the dragon and the succubus to the kingdom. I've already requested
the dispatch of an order of knights to deal with the surrounding villages in
the event of a disturbance. So, the adventurers and staff of the Hateyama
branch, including <Running Wolves>, should rest. In the meantime, we will
examine the information and decide on a plan for the next morning」
No one disagreed with Mizer's words.
Everyone is exhausted and wanted to rest if they could. And Mizer smiles at
them.
「I can't serve you alcohol yet, but I
can prepare a delicious meal for you. Take your time and rest when you can」
The adventurers cheer at Mizer's
concern. Alvin is delighted and smiled brightly. Emily does the same, and
Shinji and the others thanked Mizer, feeling that they are like brother and
sister after all.
Afterwards, Alvin and the others
enjoyed talking and eating a delicious meal, surrounded by many adventurers.
Thus ended an incident that greatly
disrupted Hateyama and its surroundings. The incident, which is later called
"The Overflow of Hateyama", is resolved.
**b
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
In the Divine Realm where gods live,
the fight between Goddess Arian and Goddess Satin had been going on since
before the beginning of "The Overflow of Hateyama".
Goddess Satin is focused on
preventing Goddess Arian's magic from gaining momentum, and is buying time at
any cost. On the other hand, Goddess Arian, wanting to return to the temple as
soon as possible, continued to unleash her magic in an attempt to defeat
Goddess Satin. And because of this, the situation had become stalemated, and
Goddess Satin's goals seemed to have been met.
However, Goddess Satin is disturbed
by the sudden loss of her connection to the succubus who had given her her
power. This meant that the succubus had been defeated. And with her subordinate
defeated so quickly, Goddess Satin decides to retreat, cursing the succubus in
her mind as useless. Now that the operation had failed, there is no reason to
hold Goddess Arian back anymore.
「Hihi... see you next time」
After muttering a few words, Goddess
Satin makes her escape without hesitation. With her opponent suddenly changing
her movements, Goddess Arian wonders if she should pursueーー
「...Let's not do that. First, I need
to understand the situation」
Goddess Arian decided to check the
anomalies in the world she controlled. She decided to prioritize her duties as
a Goddess over her personal desire to chase rather than capture the Goddess
Satin. Nevertheless, she does not intend to leave things as they are.
（Useless Goddess... one day, I'll get
my revenge...）
Vowing to do so, Goddess Arian
hurried back to her temple. Then, she understood what was going on and decided
to go to...
She decides to summon Shinji.
