The Principle of a Philosopher by Eternal Fool “Asley”

“Devote yourself to your studies, boy.” Gramps said once again as he ‘smiled’ and faded away.

At the same time, I proceeded to pull Pochis cheeks to their new record horizontal length.

Although I hadn’t been able to get an answer out of him, the implications pointed toward my results being satisfactory. Rather than occupy myself with worry, I ought to be daring and charge onward.

When I decided so and willed my mind to return to my real dream, my cheeks were pulled to their new record horizontal length.

Huh? When did the situation reverse on me?

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

~~Nine O’clock in the Morning, Twenty-Sixth Day of the Third Month, Ninety-Fourth Year of the War Demon Calendar~~

“Gah… my face hurts…”

I woke up to the sight of Pochi’s normalized stomach, a stark contrast to how disgustingly inflated it had been last night.

For the record, there was a fair amount of space for all of us in this room. When did she even slip onto my bed?

What? Last night you insisted so much that I don’t get close to you, but it’s suddenly fine for YOU to get yourself close to ME after your stomach’s been deflated or what?

Oh, for the love of God…

While I was stuck being exasperated at her behavior despite her being my Familiar, Pochi opened her eyes, presumably because the heat of my head was no longer on her.

“Hwah…. hmm… Good morning, sir!”

“Good morning. Go wash your face and get ready. Looks like Betty’s already up.”

“Yes, sir!”

Well, there’s that and I’m hearing the inn staff cleaning up the room next to ours.

We had all agreed to meet up at half-past-nine. Betty, being a woman of discipline and all, would probably say that we had overslept.

…We’d better take care not to break any of the inn’s stuff too.

Pochi washed her face at the water tank, and I stood next to her, brushing my teeth. Such was one scene we had gotten QUITE – big fat QUITE – used to. So much that I’d get this unpleasant strike of déjà vu occasionally.

Would this mundane routine of ours be done away with once the Devil King enters his Fetal Stage …Hmm, I ought not to go off that tangent. If I keep up with this attitude, there’s no way in hell I’m winning against the Devil King, or the other Devils for that matter. I must put my heart and soul into it!

Once I psyched myself up by hitting my cheeks with my palms, Pochi asked me whether I’d like to use one of her nails. Now wait a second… I don’t remember ever being into that kind of dangerous stuff though?

After we were all ready, we went down to the inn’s front counter, paid what we owed, and left the place. Looks like Betty isn’t out yet. Pochi and I decided to sit around the side of the inn’s entrance to wait for her.

The city has already become quite active at this time of day, with the crowd flowing back and forth past us like an unstoppable river of people. The weather was nice with just the right brightness of sun rays, giving way to a fitting mood for our shopping day.

“So… when will we be going back, sir? I know it’ll only take a few seconds with the Teleportation spell, but considering ‘what we’ve heard,’ don’t you think we should hurry?”

Pochi showed quite a bit of consideration toward our situation as she talked, a rare occurrence coming from her. So rare indeed.

The current matter concerned the ‘place of my beginning’ that Warren and the Divine Messenger had referred to. I’ve had a Teleportation Spell Circle set to take us to Faltown, and from there, we could reach the place in question in even less than a day. However, we still have quite a lot of things that need to be done, especially some things I would like to get done as soon as possible.

“I know I’m done with the Rank-up Evaluation now, but it’ll still take a few days for it to be official. Until then, I’d like to do some things over here, and maybe go on some high-ranked quests with Betty. Since this is the Capital, I’m sure there are a lot of those going around. The plan is to return to Beilanea after five to seven days… and then go to ‘that place’ around the end of the Fourth Month.”

“That’s a big gap, sir.”

“It just means we’re so occupied with what’s on our hands now.”

Although we had lived in it, the place had originally been a Dungeon. There’s no telling what could be left undiscovered in it. It wasn’t as expansive nor as long as Labyrinths, as far as I remembered, but it should be repopulated with monsters by now.

-Suddenly, a sharp streak of murderous intent rushed at me.

“…?!”

Pochi and I stood right up where we sat and kept a vigilant watch on our surroundings.contemporary romance

Who the hell could be after us HERE, of all places?!

“Heyas! Long time no see, y’all!”

“Gah-! …Wait, huh?!”

I turned to the voice coming from behind us and was met with the first sight of a familiar face after a two months’ absence.

“Mel?! Hey, long time no see!”

“It’s been quite a while, Melchi!”

“Mm-hm. Y’all are looking swell as ever, I see. But it didn’t look too good when y’all got spooked by that killing intent, yeah? Not enough training, I say!”

“T-the sun just cast a restriction spell on me, that’s all!”

“That’s right! I got caught in its cheerful rays, that’s all!”

“Mm-hm, and using the same excuses as ever, I see! So what’re y’all doing around here? Begging for spare change and stuff?”

Melchi asked as she readjusted her wizard hat.

And so I explained to her how I had gone through the Rank-up Evaluation and the reason I am hanging around here today.

I sat back down while that went on, and Melchi followed suit as she kept listening to my story.

“I see, I see… Finding good titles, huh? … Hmm… That’s right! If that’s what you want, then I’ve got some good info to tell you!”

Melchi, as if she had recalled something, turned to me snappingly. Without otherwise breaking off her sitting posture, of course.

If Melchi – or I, for that matter – broke posture, it could lead the arbitrary beginning of another one of her punishment games, the rules of which she would arbitrarily decide. Although Melchi herself had never brought up such a thing, Pochi and I had gotten to know her personality quite well over the two years we had trained together.

Still, ‘good info,’ she said… Let’s just pray that her definition of ‘good’ this time wasn’t synonymous with my ‘bad’.

I signaled with my face for her to keep talking, then waited for an answer.

“So y’all go north from Regalia, then when it starts to get stormy on the highway, turn west. That’ll get y’all to this place called the Regalia Ravine. There’ve been some eyewitness reports of an ancient Sacred Beast there.”

“By Sacred Beast, you mean Haiko the Ashen Tiger, Kohryu the Yellow Dragon, Kokki the Black Turtle, or Shi’shichou the Violet Phoenix… the ones alternatively called the Tenjuu, or in our language, the Heavenly Beasts… is that it?”

“Right~~ But actually, there was ANOTHER sacred beast called Seki’teigyu – Crimson King Bull – so technically there were five of them, but word has it that one of the old Holy Warriors had gone and made it their Familiar, so now there’s only four of them left.”

“Whoa, wait a second. You’re not telling me to go and fight it, are you?”

“What? Shouldn’t that be obvious enough? You kill one of them, and you’re sure to get an awesome title that’s totally worth your time and effort.”

Melchi declared, facial expression as normal as ever – a sight that I could only facepalm to.

…The Heavenly Beasts…

They were not monsters, but ‘Beasts’. Beasts that took to the sky and shed their brilliance in the darkness, earning them the name ‘Heavenly Beasts’ among the people. Legend has it that they were eccentric creatures capable of human speech, and that in the ages of Devil Kings, they had fought against his armies of monsters. One I’d heard of in particular – the Kohryu, although called a ‘Dragon,’ was said to take the form of a serpentine creature instead.

But really? Me, defeating one of THOSE?

It could be a good test of our abilities, sure, but without Limit Breakthrough, are we even capable of actually doing it?

“May you find success, Master! I’ll go have fun with Fuyu today!”

Pochi put her front paws together in a religious prayer pose.

“Hey, hold it right there! If I’m going, then you’re going, too!”

“No way, sir! Those Beasts blow the Rank SS monsters out of the water, so there’s no way I’m fighting them!”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought!”

“Of course, because it’s you we’re talking about, sir!”

“So anyway… which of the Heavenly Beasts was seen at the Regalia Ravine?”

“The Shi’shichou.”

The Violet Phoenix, the blood of which was said to erase any and all disease from the bodies of those who drink it.

Many adventurers of time long past had challenged for its blood, and as equally as many had died to it as a result…

“Nope, not going there.”

“Nahahahaha! Good to see that you’re being honest! But it’s a good opportunity since you’re already here and all, so why not just go take a look? The Heavenly Beasts don’t attack those who don’t threaten them, you know.”

True… it might be worth to get myself a look at it.

“Pretty interesting stuff you’re talking about there, Asley. Who’s she?”

A voice called out to me from the inn’s entrance. Looks like Betty’s finally done getting ready. That reminds me, this IS the first time she’s ever seen Melchi – in fact, I think only Bruce got to see her before I had left town and all.

“Took you long enough, Betty… And she’s Melchi, the senior apprentice under Tūs.”

“And my instructor!”

“A woman’s got many things to take care of, you know. Oh, I’m Betty. Nice to meet you.”

“Melchi here! I’d prefer that y’all call me Mel, yeah? …So, Ash? You had fun last night? Huhu, uhuhuhuhuhu….”

“H-hey, cut it out! I thought I explained myself clearly enough!”

“Hohohohoho! It’s a habit to twist the words without it turning into a lie, my man! And this is me we’re talking about… huhuhuhuhuhu…”

While I felt my body temperature concentrate on my face, Melchi proceeded to scratch her head through the top of her wizard hat.

It might just be my imagination, but Betty might have reddened up briefly as well. “Me, with Asley~~? No way in hell,” she said.

“Hey, watch how much you’re drooling. You’ll end up dehydrated again!”

“Keep it coming, baby!”

Melchi stuck her thumbs straight up.

And Betty’s not at all fazed by those antics… now that’s what I’d expect from her.

“You’re an… interesting girl, Mel. We have plans to go shopping after this with Fuyu, another friend of ours, so… you want to come with us?”

Betty said, perhaps in an attempt to establish a good friendship.

But then Melchi suddenly facepalmed and produced an apologetic expression.

“Ah – sorry! Just remembered I need to do stuff, so that’ll have to wait! Ash, you’re still here tonight, right?”

“Huh? Well, yeah. Why?”

“I’mma do the night crawl into your room t’night, and we’ll talk then! All right – Ash, Pochi, and Betty! I’ll see y’all later!”

“Hey, would it hurt for you to say something less suggestive?!”

Just like my question fading in the wind, Melchi zipped away like a tempest.

Yes, her extreme speed had made her movement undetectable by the average eyes.

Really, she never ceases to amaze me with her speed. She might even be faster than what Argent of the Silver General had shown me, now that I’ve thought it over.

The three of us saw Melchi off, albeit without knowing in whichever direction we should be seeing her off.

After a while, Betty broke the silence.

“So what’re you two still sitting around here for?”

We were scared of the punishment game, that’s what.

“W-well, nothing in particular. Really, we’re fine.”

“Anyway, that Mel girl… She’s quite incredible. Looks like your status as the ‘strongest’ was meant to last only a day, Asley.”

One day the best, the second best on the next… huh.

Well, Gaston did base his statement on those he knew at the time, so I suppose this was inevitable.

I heaved a deep sigh, and in response, Pochi and Betty patted my back as they chuckled.

“C’mon, Fuyu’s waiting for us. Let’s hurry to the Adventurers’ Guild.”

“I can’t wait, sir!”

All right, it’s about time we got down to the shopping.

done.co