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Chapter 392: Pedestal

I 【Teleport】 our group near Es’s city, then we went back to our inn.

There’s still some time left before twilight, so we took a nap — not. We took Asas with us and went out.

「Clear the room. We’ll be taking a nap, so don’t let anyone come close here. 」
Khan ordered the servants in the room to go out.

「O Deity of Bountiful Harvest, grant us the privilege of conveying you from your temporary abode to your eternal throne. 」
We waited for a while after the servants left, before Khan gruffly announced his intention towards the burlap sack displayed on the sideboard.

There’s a chance that the servants awaiting orders beyond the door might hear us, but at any rate, Khan already sent the other servants out of the room and the door is locked. There’s a sense of freedom from the terrace since there’s no door barring it, but it’s fine, since nobody can enter. Uh I think, yup, even if it’s wide open, yes.

Khan took a step back and Hauron drew closer to the jute sack. Oh, so Hauron will be carrying him, huh.

「Alright, let’s go. 【Teleport】. 」
I saw Hauron clutching the burlap sack with both hands, so I immediately whisked us away.

「…Heartless. 」
Hauron muttered, the sack still in his arms, when the scenery around us changed.

I 【Teleport】our group to the open space where I first met Khan. Back when I first came here, this place had been so tranquil that you could hear the gentle rustling sound of flowing sand, but it’s totally different now.

Ah, if you strain your ears really hard, you can still detect the sand grains gently flowing down, but the ambience was no longer as peaceful as it was back then. Actually, maybe it’s because I recall the memories we made with the kids and I’m also here now with friends that the impression feels different from before. It’s more like a habitable place than a cold empty space.

「What do you mean? 」
What’s heartless?

「You’re too casual in using my clan’s secret technique!」
Hauron’s eyes were swimming in tears.

「I won’t advise you to do some sort of preps like draw magic circles or prepare a catalyst! Yes, that’s right, I won’t tell you that, but you could’ve considered your travel companions? You could’ve confirmed if they’ve prepared their hearts! You could have chosen to【Teleport】only those who agreed…!! Argh, so frustrating! 」

Please refrain from pressing on me while holding Asas, will you.

「But I also have my limitations, you know? 」
「Who’d believe you! 」
Hauron gritted his teeth.

「I can’t 【Teleport】 to places with strangers. 」
「But that’s more like a calculation error, you can just make sure that no one discovers you! 」
He has a point.

At first, I could only 【Teleport】to open areas with no people around, but now I can also 【Teleport】to deserted places that I already memorized, like the room in the island tower.

「Calm down. Bicker about that after we’re done transporting Asas-sama to the place where he should settle. 」
Khan rebuked Hauron.

「Give it some more thought, okay? 」
Dinosso commented deplorably.

「Well, you should confirm if it’s okay to move first and not just whisk people like that with a single word. You had to go on a round trip if we accidentally left something behind. Only a dunce would go round and round for something so trivial like that.」
Retze commented.

「You’re right. I’ll double check next time. 」
It’s easy for me to return, but it would seem like I don’t have my presence of mind, so it’d be too uncool.

「Eh, is that the problem? 」
Dinosso looked dumbfounded

「I’m giving him solutions, okay. In Jean’s perspective, that should be the problem. 」
「Huh…? 」
Dinosso had a subtle expression plastered on his face after listening to Retze’s explanation.

「Where are you going to install Asas? 」
「Don’t say ‘install’, I beg you. 」
Hauron’s eyes were still wet.

But he’s a pillar, for crying out loud.

「I initially thought of placing him in the room where Shahira had been kept, but that place is tainted with the grudges and bitterness of those under my command. This throne room should suffice. I’ll relocate Asas-sama above ground once the city has been established. 」

Oh, right, I remember being attacked by people that looked like priests. Khan stopped all of them, though.

「Oh, okay, so should I take the pedestal out here? 」
「Wait a sec, at the very least, let’s sweep the sand over the installation spot first. 」

Alright, Retze also mentioned ‘install’!

「I was talking about the pedestal, alright? 」
I made a tiny victory pose, but Retze stopped me while saying that a bit exasperatedly. Please stop reading my mind. Retze, are you a psychic*?

We swept the sand away and tidied the place.

「Heh, it’s beautiful. 」

A delicate mosaic emerged right smack on the center of the hall after the sand had been swept off.

Cream-colored tiles with hints of white and yellow and a deep navy blue that was almost as dark as black made up the geometric pattern of the mosaic, depicting flowers, stars and the moon.

「The center of that flower should do. Water will also pour here if River Es really changes its course and water returns to this land. It might not be as gorgeous as how it once was, but it would be quite the sight to behold. 」
Khan grabbed a handful of sand from the floor while showing unbridled glee, which is very rare for him.

His fingers bent at an angle that would be an impossible feat if the floor was flat, so perhaps there’s a groove there where water can pass through.

Even if this place transformed into a picturesque location, we would still have to relocate Asas above ground. Still, it’s quite romantic picturing an underground temple and an underground throne. I get why he wanted to beautify this place.

「Alright, then the pedestal. 」
「Ou. 」
Dinosso nodded; he was standing right at the center of the hall.

「Heave-ho. 」
I took the masterpiece crafted by the stonemasons of the island out of the【Storage】.

The pedestal was one size bigger than Khan. Two winged whales with twisted bodies looking like they leaped out of the ocean supported the flat centerpiece where the Spirit Bough was to be placed. A roof with a sleeping wolf on top stood above it.

It’s the pedestal where Haniwa was supposed to stand.

It symbolized the bountiful blessings and the strength of the sea surrounding the island, and the lazily sleeping wolf on top symbolized me as the fief lord.

「What a dynamic piece. 」
Retze commented.

Yup. It’s too dynamic to have Haniwa sitting on it…