9-30. The Voices
I can hear some small voices.
I feel sleepy… I can’t open my eyes…
But if I sleep, time will pass by in a flash.
When I wake up again, it will definitely be a comfortable season.
My instincts are telling me that.
Then, my body was shaken violently.
A soft hand.
It seems like a woman’s, but who could it be?
“──! ──!”
“────!!”
I can hear several voices.
It doesn’t seem like just one or two people, but I still can’t hear them very well.
It’s like they’re shouting in the water…
Am I underwater?
If so, how am I able to breathe?
Hmm, could this be because I’m dreaming of my past self?
Maybe it’s a trace of the time when I lived in the water with Ouren-Aniki.
Ah, thinking about it that way is nostalgic.
After parting ways with Aniki, I desperately ate monsters to evolve.
And when I finally emerged, I had to fight the monsters on the surface.
That was pretty tough.
I can’t even count how many times my shell was gnawed on.
But in the face of my defense, they were powerless!!
I was really weak, though!
The lack of attack means was fatal…
I had just evolved and my skills hadn’t caught up yet, so I had to rely on my fish skills.
That’s when I learned how important synthesis is.
Well, in my case, I’m stronger in my human form!
“……!! ……!!”
Hmm?
I still hear something… I said I’m sleepy, so please don’t bother me!
But, I feel like I forgot something… Oh, I remember now, I was sleeping at Prince Krais’s place!
“Aaaaaaahhhhh!! My promise with Prince Kreis!!”
“”””Uoaaahhh!!””””
“Huh?”
Realizing that I had been sleeping despite an important promise, I suddenly sat up, startling the four people who had been shaking me. Not understanding what was going on, I backed away defensively.
However, I quickly relaxed when I recognized one of the people there.
“It’s the voice of heaven! And… who are you guys?”
“I was surprised, but you finally woke up!”
“Wait, where am I?”
I felt relieved to see familiar faces, but as I looked around, I saw that they were in a spotlit location that I recognized from talking with the voice of heaven. However, Aniki and Houen were nowhere to be seen. Was I the only one who had been called here?
If that was the case, then I must still be asleep and dreaming.
Hmm, I still don’t feel like I can wake up yet… I’m so sleepy…
However, there were three people I didn’t know.
First was the voice of heaven. I knew who that was, so that was okay.
The second was an old man dressed like a priest, or maybe “middle-aged man” would be more accurate. He wore a blue outfit with touches of yellow, and it had a very unconventional design for a priest’s clothing.
The third was a woman wearing black, with various bands and belts wrapped around her clothes. Her outfit was like a coat, but white lines were scattered throughout, and it seemed to change color from time to time.
The woman’s hair was very long, reaching down to her knees and flaring out at the bottom. Her eyes were sharp, but she gave the impression of being stubborn.
The last person is a small girl wearing gray clothes, who happens to be a woman.
However, her face is expressionless to the extent that one might think she is suffering from some sort of mental illness.
She is wearing a fluffy hat, similar to a Russian military cap, and some of her transparent white hair is sticking out from underneath it.
Her clothes are also fluffy, but that is the only thing that seems feminine about her.
“I’m sorry to have called you suddenly, Reizen-kun! But it was an emergency!”
“What happened? Did something happen to Ouren-aniki?!”
“No, Ouren-kun and the others were able to fend off the devil without incident. But now you and Prince Kreis are in danger!”
“What do you mean!?”
“I’ll explain it to you now!”
Then, a voice of heaven appeared and displayed images on two screens.
The images showed me and Prince Kreis, who was tied up and unconscious.
There were several people in robes, attempting to kidnap us through the secret passage in Salatenna Castle.
The location was the waterway.
Although I still didn’t have the castle map in my head… I could break through that situation if it were me!
No matter how many people there were, it wouldn’t matter!
If I used the skill of substitution with Kreis, even if I were taken hostage, I could rampage without any problem!
“The kidnappers are the assassins of the ValpanKingdom. They’ll take Prince Kreis back to the Valpan Kingdom on a flying dragon tomorrow.”
“Then there’s no time to waste! If it’s a limited escape route like the waterway, I can easily tie up all the enemies!”
“That’s why I’m worried… why can’t you wake up yet!?”
“Why is that!?… Ah! Is it because I haven’t slept enough yet!?”
At those words, the voice of heaven nodded slightly.
How much more sleep did my body need!? I grabbed my hair and squatted down.
Even with the help of Aniki, I couldn’t do anything this time, and I couldn’t even save Prince Kreis.
I was the only one nearby…!!
If it’s something like this, I should have evolved.
I’ll definitely evolve so that this kind of thing won’t happen again.
I am already in a state where I can evolve.
Can I still do it now?!
No matter what, there is only one way for me, and that is to evolve.
If something is happening now, I want some changes to happen in my body!
“It’s impossible.”
“……”
“You can’t evolve with such a vague consciousness.”
“Who are you?”
“I am the voice of the earth.”
This person… is the voice of the earth, which is one of my special abilities.
The woman in black clothing, who is wrapping bands and belts around her clothes, spoke to me.
