"We've got news on Sakura and the others."
With the flutter of wings, a jade-green raven familiar landed in Shiomi's hands, snapping Scáthach out of her quiet, solitary reverie.
She turned just in time to see him draw out the message the raven carried. With a soft chuckle, he continued as if speaking to himself.
"Looks like things are going smoothly. Olympus didn't notice them because we drew all the attention. They've already made contact with the advance team of the Servants of Proper Human History…"
But the brightness in his voice faded almost at once, dropping low enough that Scáthach was caught off guard.
"What is it? Did something happen to them?"
"They're fine. They've already settled in the underground factory beneath the Interstellar City." Shiomi shook his head. "It's just… like we suspected. The advance team of the Servants of Proper Human History has been wiped out."
"…They were up against the gods of Olympus. If you can't win on raw power or compatibility, this kind of outcome is hard to avoid." Scáthach shook her head. "Which is why we have to resolve this Lostbelt next. We can't let their sacrifice be for nothing."
"Mm." Shiomi nodded. He fed the raven new information, then released it again.
The raven flew to a thick branch in the forest canopy and met up with another raven. Like ordinary birds, they brushed their heads together in greeting, then split off and flew in opposite directions.
One headed for the Godbreaker Alliance base.
The other flew back to Storm Border, carrying the latest progress to the people in the rear.
The forest west of the Interstellar City was the area where Storm Border's signals disappeared. After Demeter was shot down, more than half a day had passed without any trace of Shiomi and the others. Naturally, attention would swing back to searching that region.
The only question was how quickly Olympus would react, and when they would finally stop searching for Shiomi, who had vanished without a trace.
It was a game of nerves. The gods led by Zeus, or Kirschtaria himself, could choose to abandon the search at any time, but neither side could be sure what Shiomi would do next.
"Are we moving?" Scáthach asked.
"After nightfall." Shiomi glanced up at the sky.
"Fine." Scáthach gave a small nod, then lowered her head again and leaned against his shoulder, looking relaxed.
Noticing the subtle shift in her expression, Shiomi looked down at Morgan, asleep with her head resting on his lap, and asked softly, "Something on your mind, Master?"
"What makes you say that?" Scáthach shot back.
"You weren't dozing off. You were just resting your eyes, like you were thinking." Shiomi said quietly. "I thought spending some time with you might help you feel a little lighter."
"I already do." Scáthach smiled. "After a bloody battle, having time to relax with my beloved disciple matters more than any supplies."
"Then—"
"I was just reminded of the past," Scáthach said. "The time after you completed your training… up until you left the Land of Shadows."
Shiomi blinked, then laughed softly as well.
It really had been an incomparably happy stretch of time.
There had been nothing to worry about, nothing to plan for. Just a man and a woman, hearts in sync, savoring each other's warmth as fully as they could.
"Is it because we're in this forest that you remembered those days, Master?" Shiomi asked, curiosity getting the better of him.
"Mm…" Scáthach drew her legs in, wrapped her arms around them, and rested her cheek on her knees as she looked at him. "No particular reason. It just came to me."
"Fair enough." Shiomi realized he'd asked out of nowhere.
People could feel nostalgic without any clear cause. Not because they were unhappy with the present, but because a moment like this could overlap with some moment in the past, and the feeling would rise on its own.
So Shiomi quietly took his master's hand, threading their fingers together and pressing their palms firmly against each other.
For a brief second, Scáthach seemed to freeze.
Then her gaze softened even further, and her smile turned all the more alluring.
"Mmm…"
Morgan let out a soft, drowsy murmur and slowly opened her eyes.
"You're awake?" Shiomi reached out and gently touched her cheek. "Did we wake you up by talking?"
"What were you two talking about?" Morgan rubbed her eyes as she sat up. "Discussing how to deal with the gods of Olympus next… haha~"
She let out a huge yawn as she spoke, looking completely relaxed and at ease. It was obvious she'd had a very good nap.
"Not really. Just chatting about some old memories," Shiomi said, lifting a hand to tidy up Morgan's slightly messy hair from sleeping.
"Oh, just idle talk then." Morgan kept one eye closed, giving Scáthach a teasing look. "I thought I felt a fluctuation of Mana earlier and assumed it might be some kind of Olympus scouting familiar."
Shiomi couldn't help but smile wryly. "It wasn't Olympus. It was my familiar."
"I see." Morgan nodded, satisfied.
"To be able to nap so carelessly… what if we were really ambushed by an enemy?" Scáthach shot back without missing a beat. "What would you do then?"
"If that happened, the barrier I set up would react first," Morgan replied casually. "And you've set up a barrier as well. If someone could slip through both of our defenses without a sound, then even if the two of us were on full alert, it would still be more effective for my husband to deal with it."
"That logic is twisted, but not entirely wrong," Scáthach snorted with a shake of her head.
Shiomi rubbed his cheek awkwardly. "Um… is it really necessary to start bickering the moment you wake up…?"
"My husband doesn't need to worry," Morgan said with a deep smile, looking straight at him. "This is just a bit of post-nap warm-up. Honestly, what I'm more curious about now is what you two were talking about earlier."
"Ah… just some old stories from our time in the Land of Shadows," Shiomi thought for a moment before answering.
He and his master hadn't actually exchanged many words. Most of what they wanted to convey didn't really need to be spoken.
"That's hardly anything new." Morgan didn't press further, having already heard everything in detail before. "It's already close to evening. Does my husband plan to camp here until morning before moving out?"
"Wait until nightfall," Scáthach said. "The citizens of the Interstellar City should rest at night as well. If we deliberately act then, we can force the gods of Olympus to respond quickly."
"So far, we've shot down Artemis, Poseidon, and Demeter." Shiomi counted on his fingers. "That leaves, aside from Zeus, only Aphrodite, who appeared before, and—"
"Hera, the queen of the gods," Scáthach added. "Assuming Demeter wasn't lying to you back then."
"Whether she was lying or not, we'll find out once all the gods besides Zeus are gone."
As Shiomi said that, he looked toward the twilight sky beyond the forest.
And then he noticed it.
In a sky already swallowed by night, a single star shone with extraordinary brilliance.