Chapter 125

“That thing… If you chew it like that, your teeth won’t survive.”

*Crunch. Crunch.*

Roka was munching on the star candy His Holiness the Pope had given her earlier. She had been sniffling intermittently, but now she wrapped her tail around my leg, preventing me from going anywhere, and seemed somewhat relieved.

Then, as if she was feeling uneasy, she started chewing the star candy. It was supposed to be candy, but the horrifying sound of something breaking kept echoing. I glanced at His Holiness the Pope to ask what he had given her, but he just shook his head.

“Fundamentally, it’s a lump of sugar, but we used a secret technique from the Aldehir Church to make it as hard as steel. That way, you can roll it around in your mouth and enjoy it for a long time.”

“Ah…”

“It’s not meant to be chewed like that. You’re supposed to let it melt. Poor children don’t get to enjoy sweets often, so we made it so they could savor one piece for a long time.”

But Roka was crushing it with her powerful jaws and strong teeth. It really hit me then that she was a beastkin.

Out of curiosity, I tried one too, but after a slight bite, I gave up. It felt harder than a pig’s femur. In the end, I just rolled it around with my tongue, letting it melt slowly.

“It’s not as sweet as sugar, but it has a subtle sweetness.”

“It’s not made purely from sugar. We mixed in a few other ingredients.”

“At first, we made it with just sugar, but the priests who tested it ended up with severely decayed teeth. As you know, treating cavities is really painful.”

The Cardinal chimed in. Ah, so they had to pull out the teeth and regrow them to treat the cavities. It seemed like the priests had gone through quite the ordeal just to perfect this little candy.

Anyway, after many trials and errors, they finally perfected the star candy.

“So we focused on prevention, making sure it wouldn’t cause cavities even if you kept it in your mouth for a long time.”

“Even so, your teeth are really strong. If I tried that, I’d be wearing dentures in no time. Youth is something to envy.”

Ah, no, I don’t think that’s a youth problem…

Was it just my imagination, or did Roka look like a wolf gnawing on a bone, sucking out the marrow? She really resembled a wolf right now.

*Crunch! Crunch!*

In no time, she finished the entire bag of star candy. But didn’t she dislike sweet things? If you took away the sweetness, there’d be no flavor left…

“Do dogs even like sweets?”

“Wolves and foxes do too. I know it well. Those creatures even eat grapes, which are dangerous for dogs.”

“Canines generally like sweets. I was shocked when I saw a dog go crazy for honey.”

Everyone chimed in as they watched Roka, who had become serious about the sweetness. Hearing that, it made sense. Humans like sweetness, wolves like sweetness, so why wouldn’t Roka? Then why hadn’t she known about sweetness until now?

Roka, having finished the candy, stared at me intently.

“It’s delicious.”

“Is that so?”

“This is the first time I’ve tasted something like this.”

Hmm, had there been some flaw in her sense of taste that prevented her from sensing sweetness? If so, then Roka not liking sweets wasn’t her fault but a personal issue.

Assuming that issue was resolved when her body was reconstructed with the Firefly Meringue, it all made sense. In fact, it seemed like Roka now liked sweetness more than others. While most people experience sweetness from infancy, Roka was only now experiencing it.

Having lost half her life to this, it was understandable that she was now indulging in sweetness. From afar, the Chancellor approached with a sigh.

While everyone was resting, he had been running around busily. In fact, he had nearly fainted earlier on the airship.

He had wept upon seeing the completely charred Valles City. And without time to grieve, he had to rush around everywhere.

“Chancellor. How are things?”

“How are things? It’s all burned to a crisp. Even the doors burned well. It’s hard to find a single intact spot in the city. This is a disaster.”

“So, what will you do about the arsonists?”

“What can I do? Your Holiness, they’re my citizens. Our citizens. Should I lock them all up? In fact, starting over from scratch might not be so bad.”

Whether he had given up, accepted it, or reached enlightenment, it seemed he had come to terms with the city being completely burned down.

“The city burning like this means that the Citadel wanted to burn the country. This time, we’ll build a country that won’t burn.”

“Our Aldehir Church will stay and help with the reconstruction.”

“Hey, you! Why are you making that decision?”

“Hey, Your Holiness. We don’t have the Artabus Ship anymore, and we won’t have a ship for a while. Should we all go on a grand journey somewhere else? Walking together, building camaraderie, getting blisters on our feet—sounds great, doesn’t it?”

“Ah, I and Branch Manager Corinell will also stay and help with the reconstruction.”

The still-unnamed mage, standing next to Branch Manager Corinell of the Valles City branch of the Magic Tower, spoke. He pointed to the only intact gate on the charred land.

“The gate is still inactive, so even if we wanted to escape, we can’t. We have no choice. We made a lot of money in the Citadel, so it’s time to give back.”

Branch Manager Corinell also smiled readily.

“If the demon race invades now, it would be dangerous, but fortunately, intelligence from abroad suggests they’re focused on something else. It seems they’re mobilizing a large army to search the forests, as if trying to surround and annihilate something.”

“Wait, that still exists?”

“A rich family lasts three generations even after ruin. Do you think a once-wealthy nation like ours wouldn’t have such insurance?”

After scolding Sir Robert, the Chancellor continued.

“So, if we mobilize all our assets abroad, rebuilding the Citadel is entirely possible. Rewards and honors will have to wait until after that.”

“I’m sorry, everyone. You are heroes, but right now, we can’t even hold a festival to honor you, let alone give rewards.”

Everyone nodded. Just looking at the state of the city made it clear that such a situation was impossible.

I wanted to stay and help with the recovery, but there was something more important. The meaning of the cycle. The Lord’s warning. I still had the mission to uncover that.

“And, Priest. I don’t know if I should say this, but your decision to come here to help us seems truly inspired.”

“What do you mean…?”

Roka, her voice still hoarse, asked quietly. The Chancellor hesitated, scratching his head.

“Well… It’s not confirmed intelligence, but it seems like there’s chaos on that side. The world is going crazy lately. Big, uncontrollable events are popping off left and right.”

“Chaos?”

“The Capital, Grantera. The temple and the empire’s strong forces are gathering there. By now, the two major powers might already be clashing. But whether these fools are too focused on each other to notice or deliberately ignoring it, I don’t know…”

“Don’t know what?”

“Grimudo!”

At the Chancellor’s words, the atmosphere turned icy. Even the kind-faced His Holiness the Pope stiffened, and those from the Republic who had suffered directly from this incident turned cold. Sir Robert shouted.

“What? What do you mean? Grimudo, all of a sudden?”

“Intelligence came in that Grimudo attacked and devastated Elvenheim. I don’t know. The spy was in such a hurry that the information was brief. But it said the Primal Demon King appeared. And he… somehow bypassed the World Tree’s barrier and destroyed Elvenheim.”

“Wait, is the Demon King really trying to take over the world?!”

“How should I know? Only the Primal Demon King himself knows.”

The Demon King… destroyed Elvenheim?

Rowena’s words flashed through my mind.

“Grimudo has always targeted our Elvenheim. As if we elves were beings who deserved to die, he tried time and time again to burn Elvenheim. Even though there’s nothing to gain from it.”

I couldn’t help but close my eyes tightly. They say failure is the mother of success. The Demon King, after swallowing many failures, had finally achieved success.

It might be too late, but I needed to meet Rowena again.

“It seems we need to go back. I’m sorry we can’t stay until the end.”

“After saving us from danger, you’re throwing yourself into another threat. What can I say to that? I’m the one who should be sorry.”

The Chancellor clicked his tongue as he replied.

“I couldn’t even offer you proper hospitality or hold a single banquet. Sending you off like this, my heart isn’t at ease.”

“But how will you return? The Artabus Ship is gone.”

His Holiness the Pope asked with a worried expression. I nodded.

“We have the Beacon of the Sanctuary left in the Capital.”

If we create a beacon here in Valles City, the two beacons can connect. Then, despite the great distance, we can go straight to the Imperial Palace.

“Then, take care. If you two ever marry, come here for your honeymoon. By then, we’ll have restored the city to its former glory.”

…What?

“Yes!”

…Roka?

“We’ll attend as guests.”

“I’ll officiate the ceremony myself.”

Sir Thomas? His Holiness the Pope?

“We won’t tax the wedding gifts.”

“Let’s build a banquet hall while rebuilding the city.”

Sir Robert and the Cardinal too?

Before I could open my mouth to say anything, something filled my vision. Flushed cheeks, wide blue eyes glowing with excitement, and long hair tickling my arms.

Roka hugged me tightly. The taste of star candy lingered in her mouth.

“Youth is truly something.”

Seeing the reactions of the people around me, I realized what was happening. Well, it wasn’t so much what I was doing as what was being done to me…

“Ah, young love.”

“We were like that once.”

It took a while before Roka let go, satisfied.