3 bar menu

Chapter 391: Times Flows Differently for Everyone

「Let’s stop here for now. We want to recover first and ready our hearts too. 」
Khan held a hand in front of me as a gesture to stop while pinching his brows with eyes shut tightly.

「Right. There’s also a guy here who’s about to sink into the ground. 」
Retze glanced at Hauron and Dinosso.

Hauron was about to collapse — no, he already collapsed and Dinosso was supporting him by the arm so that he wouldn’t fall.

「Why are you so calm? 」
Dinosso was staring at Retze, seemingly dissatisfied for some reason.

「I already said this multiple times, but I can’t See and I don’t have an inkling how heavy their aura is. That’s precisely why I wanted to have an accurate grasp on the scope of Jean’s behavior. I have a gut feeling that something might suddenly end up coming to Canum to visit Jean. 」
Retze lightly shrugged his shoulders.

「Alright, gotcha. Retze, you just listen to him by yourself then. 」
Dinosso quipped.

「I can’t deal with the spirits on my own, you know that. 」
「You can do it, I know you can. 」
「I can’t!! I can’t See them, alright? 」
「Since things have come to this, then you can be an expert on the monsters that you can See. 」
「No way that’s okay! 」

They really get along well, huh. I drank my tsai while watching the two guys bicker.

The black tea was steeped with sugar, milk, ginger, cardamom, cloves, black pepper… The sweetness fills the mouth, and you can taste the spicness as it slides down your throat.. I enjoyed a small cup of the strong tea. The cardamom gave it a refreshing aftertaste.

「Khan and Hauyron seemed tired, so let’s go back and take a nap before we gather tonight? 」
It’s our last day in Es, so we had plans to enjoy a river cruise down Es in the evening.

「Whose fault is it that we’re like this, huh!? 」
Hauron shrieked.

「It’s because Es dropped by. 」
I didn’t call her.

「Can’t you at least be more, you know, elated, like you want to celebrate, or at least be more pompous!?」
「Nope. 」
Hauron had came up to me and was now squeezing my shoulders, so I answered.

「Give it a little bit more thought. 」
Retze sighed.

「 — Nope. 」
I thought a bit before answering.

「That’s way too fast!! 」
Dinosso.

「I already decided that I will stop feeling guilty and holding back. I’m going to do whatever I want to do, and I won’t do something that I don’t want to. Ah, but I can endure a bit if it’s for something that I want. 」

That’s how Sis held me down and tied me up, after all.

「Yeah. You’ve been just like even when we first met… Just fix your appearance for a bit. 」
Khan’s too dramatic, in my opinion. Ah, but it suits him.

‘Bring the person with the Bough here and we’ll talk!’ — the memory of Khan and Bayliss trying to pull me into the depths of the temple ruins and me following after them while ignoring there scheme is still fresh in my mind.

「Anyway, what are you gonna do with Asas? 」
「I’ll take him underground later on — the time of spirits flows differently from that of mortals. I assumed our flow of time is slow compared to Es’s eternal flow, but it seems I’m mistaken. I thought I’d take my time to get things ready and in order before thinking about what to do, but the way things are going, I don’t have that luxury; I need to move quickly. 」
I’m not really prepared for this — Khan seemed reluctant.

「Want to put him on a pedestal? I have one, it’s for the 『Spirit Bough』 that I got from X-Stick, though. 」
The one I have is far too majestic to put Haniwa on.

「Yeah, please. 」
Oh, come to think of it, I can probably put Khan on a pedestal too. He’s a 『King’s Bough』 after all — he’d probably look like a sculpture with his ripped body.

Why don’t I get more muscles, huh? Maybe this body created for me really doesn’t grow and change like normal humans do. My hair does grow, but it seems to do so at a snail-pace.

Alright, I’m going to ask the deities about the influence of their protection when I meet them, so let’s add that too. Back then, they said that I was able to receive all their protection because I still had plenty of lifespan leftover from my previous world, but what happens after? Is this body a special exception or something?

「Alrighty, let’s go back then. What about Doggy? 」
Will he come with us?

「Doggy will go home. Once that foolish brother of mine is settled down, I’ll drop by to see that stupid look on his face, so prepare a place for me to sleep! 」
So basically, you’re declaring that you’re gonna follow him, is that it?

「Got it. What sort of material do you want for your bed? 」
I asked Doggy while shooting a sidelong glance at Hauron since he was staring at me with half-lidded eyes.

「Mm, ebony would be best! 」
「Okay. 」

An ebony bed… So laying a plank and calling it a day probably won’t do, right?

「Alrighty, let’s return to the hotel. 」
「Yeah. 」
Retze answered, while the others nodded, as if it’s obviously what we should do.

「Oh, that’s so fast. Thanks. 」
The utensils and dishes had already been tidied up in a corner before I noticed it.

This must be the work of Daddy Dinosso and Retze, huh. Oh, maybe they’re wishing that I’d be as diligent as them!?

I stuffed the things they cleaned up into 【Storage】, bid Doggy goodbye and teleported back to the hotel. I’ll meet Doggy again soon, though!