51. Departure

The three stayed at Shiro’s house for several days, achieving a decent improvement in their magic through training. Equipment was now ready too—now it was finally time to head toward the town where Shestia and the others lived.

Shiro put on the traveling clothes the goddess had prepared for him. A black coat, fantasy-inspired, or perhaps more steampunk than anything else.

Meanwhile, Mitoka was in battle gear mode.

Incidentally, Shestia and the others happened to be wearing black-toned outfits too—whether by coincidence or not, nobody knew.

“Shiro, you look good,” Shestia said the moment she saw him.

“Yeah, thanks. Kinda embarrassing, though. This outfit’s a little much,” Shiro said, blushing.

“Anyway, we’re heading west along the river, then to the grasslands, right?” Shiro asked.

“Yes, that’s right,” Aria said.

“Then let’s go. Everyone ready?” Shiro asked. In response,

“Yes, fine,” Aria said. “By the way, Shiro, what about your luggage?” she added.

“Luggage? I’ve got it. Oh—should I take this house too?” Shiro said, then instantly stored the entire house into his inventory.

The three stared, stunned, as the house vanished in an instant.

“Wait—what?! You just took the whole house?! What kind of magic bag is that?! And Shiro, you’re carrying nothing at all!”

Aria shouted. Lately, she’d been shouting every time Shiro did something unusual.

—Oh no, crap!—Shiro thought, suddenly remembering the backpack in his library, and pulled it out.

“No, see, here’s the backpack,” Shiro said.

“No, you just pulled it out,” Aria retorted.

“Aria-sister, lately, have you changed your personality?” Shestia asked.

“…No, it’s just that lately, things have gotten so unreasonable, I can’t help but point it out…” Aria muttered, her face tinged slightly red. Then, “I mean, don’t you two feel anything at all?” she asked.

“Everything Shiro does is incredible, but that’s expected,” Shestia said.

“I’ve just accepted it,” Albert said.

“…I suppose. I was the fool for hearing it,” Aria said, resigned.

“By the way, Aria, I didn’t know you were like this. Where did your usual sharpness go—always cutting people down without hesitation?” Albert said. “…Still, it’s not bad,” he added, barely audible.

“…” Aria remained silent.

“Anyway, since we’re heading back to town, let’s just run.”

Shiro suggested.

“““Run?!”””

All three stared back, stunned.

“Yeah. I’ll activate body enhancement via Vitality Mantle and Mana Mantle. Though, Shestia and Aria probably can’t handle it, so me and Albert will carry you. Mitoka should be fine.”

Shiro said.

“Shiro… Well, okay,” Mitoka replied, sounding slightly annoyed.

“Then, let’s go,” Shiro said, immediately lifting Shestia—literally princess-carrying—and dashing off.

Mitoka followed behind.

““Eh?!””

Albert and Aria, left behind, stood frozen in shock.

“Eh, wait—” Aria’s mind blanked, but Albert snapped to attention, hesitated for just a second, then called out, “Let’s go,” and hoisted Aria into a princess carry, sprinting after Shiro.

“Eh? Wait—wait—wait—!” Aria’s voice echoed through the sanctuary.

The road running east from the sanctuary, about fifty kilometers long, ran alongside a river and was relatively flat—easy enough to sprint along without issue. After roughly an hour and a half, Shiro stopped just before entering the forest.

About thirty minutes later, Albert caught up, carrying Aria in his arms.

“Hey, Shiro. Can’t go much further,” Albert said, his face pale as if on the verge of death.

Aria, exhausted, collapsed onto the ground.

“Ah, this method’s done,” Shiro said.

Meanwhile, Shestia remained asleep, cradled in Shiro’s arms.

Aria lifted her head and stared, bewildered. “Shestia… how the hell does she even sleep like that…?”

Shiro had really wanted to keep running, but ahead lay the forest. Albert looked strained—too much for him to handle. So Shiro decided to reconsider their approach.

“Shiro, why were you so eager to run?” Mitoka asked, puzzled.

“Huh… why indeed?” Shiro paused, thinking. A sense of urgency, a vague anxiety—like something urgent needed doing. But even he couldn’t explain it.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something glowing.

“What’s that?” he murmured, pointing.

Mitoka and Albert turned. A shimmering swarm was moving across the riverside plain.

“Ah, that’s a Silver Firefly swarm. Unusual to see one here. Looks beautiful at night,” Albert said.

“Silver Fireflies…” Shiro muttered.

“Shiro, what are they?”

“Don’t know… I’ll check it out,” Shiro replied.

“Let me come too,” Mitoka said.

Shiro set Shestia down on the ground and headed toward the riverside.

Shestia stirred awake after Shiro set her down, approaching Shiro and the others alongside Aria and Albert.

“Mmm… what’s up with the Silver Fireflies?” Shestia asked, rubbing her eyes.

“Nah, just… something’s bugging me. They’re kinda big, aren’t they? Forty centimeters or so? That light’s weird, though. What’s that color?”

Silver Fireflies—commonly known as a type of glowbug that emits a silvery, reflective glow. Technically a magical beast, they’re harmless, and their shimmering swarms at night are so beautiful that they’ve been accepted as part of daily life. Unusual, for a magical creature.

Shiro suddenly remembered the skill he’d acquired: 【Electromagnetic Spectrum Vision】. He took a look.

“Light biased toward the ultraviolet spectrum… wavelength’s skewed sharply short.”

He thought that, but nothing else came to mind. He just watched for a while.

After a time, the Firefly swarm drifted off somewhere.

Shiro watched them go, then returned to the open area that served as a plaza. “Ah, break time,” he said, pulling out his home.

If you found this interesting, please consider rating, bookmarking, or leaving a comment—it really helps!