After that, Arthur and I exchanged various stories.
The story of what happened after I left. The story after stabilizing the Romania Empire.
Not long after I left, the story of Vivi quitting as the Dragon Priestess and marrying some man to start a family. And the story of her living happily with her husband, birthing many children, and peacefully passing away in her sleep.
Of course, I already knew about that. After all, it was me who granted Vivi permission to quit being the Dragon Priestess—there’s no way I wouldn’t have known.
By the way, Vivi is currently relaxing in Paradise. Her husband seems regretful for not being able to join her, but what can you do? Even though the trials of the Underworld have become easier, it’s not like just anyone can pass through.
Afterward, Arthur continued his endless storytelling.
The tale of how the throne of the Romania Empire was passed to Vivi’s son, and after ensuring things were stable, he quietly went into seclusion.
After seeing Julius, Vivi’s child, govern the empire well, Arthur reassured himself and began wandering the world, leaving Sirius behind.
As Arthur recounted these experiences, I let out a small sigh.
This guy… Was he always this talkative? No, that’s not right—he wasn’t this much of a chatterbox before.
Maybe it’s because he’s had so many stories to share over the years.
“So, apparently there’s a small country in the northeast of Romania that collects blood as taxes.”
“Blood?”
The tales Arthur shared about the world were enough to pique my interest.
Stories about how the structure of the elves is gradually changing, dwarves establishing themselves throughout the mountains, the king and queen of the small nation collecting blood never aging, the barren snowy fields beyond the northern plains where no creatures can survive, lizardmen settlements growing around large rivers… It went on endlessly.
Arthur’s animated storytelling reminded me of a child returning home after playing all day, excitedly sharing their adventures with their parents.
This kid… Maybe he was just lonely, huh?
“By the way, what exactly is that armor made of? It doesn’t look metallic.”
“Oh, this one? Hmm… Well, I think you might get angry if I tell you.”
Arthur glancing at me nervously. What could possibly make me mad?
“I won’t get angry, so tell me.”
“Are you sure you won’t be upset?”
“It’s just an armor. What’s there to get mad about?”
With those words, Arthur finally spoke.
Still checking my reaction!
“That statue you left behind when you turned your body into one, remember?”
“Yeah, I did that.”
At first, it was just a clumsy rock body cobbled together, but after using it for so long, I grew somewhat attached to it. Leaving it behind felt a bit strange, so I turned it into a statue before departing.
“There were parts of your body that fell off and weren’t part of the statue, right?”
“Yeah, they fell off.”
A lot of pieces fell off! Cleaning them up was quite the task since they were all rock fragments. Why bring this up now?
“Well, those pieces… Though clearly rocks, they were strangely durable materials.”
Hmm. Since those were parts of my body imbued with magical power, it makes sense they’d change properties and become far stronger than ordinary rocks…
Wait, stronger?
“These pieces were collected and used to create this armor.”
“What… did you say…?”
Looking closely at Arthur’s armor now, it was true. I had mistaken its polished surface for some mysterious metal, but upon closer inspection, it was indeed armor crafted from the magically altered rock.
What the heck?! Sure, rocks exposed to my magic for so long changing properties isn’t surprising, but actually making armor out of them?! Are you serious?!
“You fool! I mean, Tia! Don’t yell suddenly! I understand your feelings, but still!!”
“But you said you wouldn’t get angry!”
Arthur glanced at me again cautiously. Suppressing the words bubbling to the surface, I forced them back down.
You idiot… Using fragments of your master’s body to craft armor?! What kind of nonsense is this?!
Look! Even Encia is shocked!! Her face has gone pale!
“This makes me feel sick…”
And he even admitted it made him feel bad!
“Still, what could we do?! When I gave one piece to a dwarf out of curiosity, they went crazy!
They said it was light, incredibly durable, and couldn’t be scratched by metal, perfect for crafting armor!”
“No matter what, that’s unacceptable! Would you wear armor made from your master’s body?!”
“Well… At first, I hesitated, but this full-body armor is surprisingly lightweight and sturdy…
Plus, wearing it gives me a strange feeling… Like Master is still here… beside me…”
“Eww! Pervert!”
That wasn’t me talking—it was Encia shouting.
“I’m disappointed! I thought you were a good person, but you’re such a pervert!!”
「Sia. Calm down.」
“Tia is also at fault! Just because it was your abandoned body doesn’t mean you should process it into armor! That’s impossible for a normal person to comprehend! Pervert! A once-in-a-lifetime pervert!!
Such a pervert needs proper punishment!!!”
I couldn’t deny Encia’s words. Even I thought this was a bit extreme.
“I’m sorry.”
“Do you plan to destroy that armor now?”
“Well… I’ve grown so accustomed to it that I feel uneasy without it.”
“This is unacceptable. We need to fix this somehow….”
That was me speaking.
How did you turn into such a pervert? Did I teach you wrong? Or was it a mistake leaving so suddenly without listening to your thoughts?
I don’t know. For a moment, I even considered rewinding time.
But when I thought about repeating everything I’ve done so far, I quickly gave up.
Instead…
“Arthur.”
“Yes, Master.”
“That armor… I won’t tell you to destroy it… Tia?! Are you serious?! This is such a perverted armor!”
「Sia. Stop inserting your own thoughts while relaying mine. You’re confusing Arthur.」
“No, this is ridiculous!”
「It was merely my body at one point, and I’ve already discarded it. Arthur gathering the fragments and using them however he pleases is none of my concern.」
It does feel a bit weird, but what can you do? In some monster-hunting games, players craft armor and weapons from defeated monsters, so this is kinda similar.
Though I never imagined my body would become such material.
“Honestly… Tia, sometimes you need to be stricter. Being too gentle isn’t always the best approach.”
「I’ve raised more children than you, Sia!」
Well, not all of them turned out perfectly… But I’ve raised quite a few!
Actually, they mostly grew up on their own while I just taught them bits and pieces.
“Ah, that’s right. Tia is the Goddess of Life, so she must have tons of kids!”
“Cough!!!”
At Encia’s comment, Arthur started coughing as if struck by sudden chills.
“A, a child?!”
“What’s so surprising? You’re the Goddess of Life, aren’t you?”
“No, that’s….”
“How could the Goddess of Life, who brings life into this world, not have children?”
Uh… I haven’t.
Sure, mythologically speaking, gods associated with life usually have children, but not me!
“However, according to the scriptures of the Church of Life….”
“Think logically. Tia is the Goddess of Life and Mother of All Earth, right? Doesn’t this imply that Tia metaphorically birthed all life on earth?
Did Tia roughly sculpt clay figures and breathe life into them? Or carve humans from wood?
Isn’t it logical to consider Tia as having given birth to all life on earth?”
No, I haven’t had any children! I’ve never been with anyone! What are you even saying?
「Sia.」
“Tia? What is it?”
「It never happened.」
“Huh? What do you mean?”
「It NEVER HAPPENED! I’VE NEVER HAD CHILDREN!!! I’VE NEVER BEEN WITH ANYONE!!! I’VE BEEN SINGLE MY WHOLE LIFE!!! I NEVER EVEN CONSIDERED IT!!! AND NEVER WILL!!!!!」
“Huh? Uh, well, that is….”
Encia stopped mid-sentence, glancing briefly at Arthur before looking up at the ceiling and muttering softly.
“Yeah. Sorry, that was a bit too personal.”
“Master? What did you say?”
“No, nothing. Just Tia scolding me a little.”
Encia chose not to reveal my words to Arthur.
“Ahem. Anyway, let’s move past this topic. It seems sensitive for Tia.”
“Something feels off…”
Arthur simply stared suspiciously at Encia.
