/
Once the memorial service was done, the Marquis family returned to the mansion.
“Everyone, go and get some rest.”
The Marquis handed his robe to the maids and went in.
Sera took the hands of sleepy Sarah and spoke to Jamie.
“My son, go and get some rest. Don’t forget to bathe. Okay?”
“Don’t worry.”
“Who am I worrying about? I will head up.”
Jamie noticed Sears and Sarah heading to their rooms and stretched his hands.
Everything was done.
At least, the work in Apton was done.
It had been such a few days since he was here, but it felt like months.
‘I am a little hungry.’
He ate during the day, but the atmosphere around wasn’t good. And now he was feeling a bit nauseous.
Jamie went up to his room and asked the maid for bread and milk. And asked for them both to be sent to his room.
‘But, it seems like I forgot something.’
The empty feeling since yesterday.
But he couldn’t guess what it was.
Was it that trivial? But it felt pretty important to him.
“I don’t know.”
Jamie loosened his tie and brought it out.
He was a bit out of breath.
Lying on the bed he would rest till the bread and milk arrived. With that thought in mind, he turned the doorknob which he hadn’t opened for several days.
And then he was able to realize what he forgot.
“Ah. Venna.”
“Master!”
The pink squirrel.
The squirrel was so cutely decorated, but it looked angry with its hands on the waist.
The squirrel had a blue scarf around the neck, but when Jamie tried to feel the mana, he could guess that it was the hammer.
Venna immediately shouted.
“How could you abandon me!?”
“A-abandon what? I just left you for a while.”
“Forgetting me for over a day is called left me for a while?”
“That, hmm. But where were you?”
Jamie asked, scratching his cheeks.
Venna took a deep breath with her tired face.
“You're asking amazingly early.”
Looking at Jamie's face it was clear that he didn’t leave her for a while, but had forgotten about her.
How could he?
Venna felt that it was absurd and shook her head, not wanting to think more about it.
“The day master abandoned me.”
“Abandoned? Left you alone.”
“Left me alone, bullshit! Do you know how scared I was in the forest?”
The night in the forest was so dark that nothing ahead could be seen.
If it wasn’t for Philion, she wouldn’t have even moved from the place.
Jamie was stunned at that. Leaving behind a Valkyrie, a former dark magician, who was now saying she was afraid of the dark.
So, she wasn’t to be called a dark magician anymore according to him.
“Anyway, I didn’t know the way back, and it was impossible to find a direction in that forest. I thought I was going to die… ugh.”
Venna shrugged her shoulders.
Seeing the sullen face, Jamie felt a little guilty.
When she was out of Gremia, her coordinates couldn’t be guessed at all.
And how anxious she must have felt at the thought of being neglected in such a wide forest by the person she trusted, who didn’t come for her.
On the other hand, there were things he didn’t understand.
“But, you can fly.”
As Venna awakened her powers, she could use those fairy wings and fly.
And that would be enough for her to get out of the forest and find the Marquis’s mansion.
“I couldn’t transform.”
“… couldn’t transform?”
“Yes.”
Transform?
She did become a true Valkyrie, now what was this new transform term?
Why was she sounding like some magical girl?
Come to think of it, the reason the squirrel had pink hair was because Venna’s hair was pink.
And she, who was now a Valkyrie, should have red hair. Then the squirrel too… it was odd that it didn’t change.
“Turn back to your human form.”
“Why?”
“Just turn back.”
Venna tilted her head and turned to her human form.
Jamie narrowed his eyes.
“It is true?”
When she awakened as Valkyrie, she had a more mature appearance, but now she was back to her youthful form.
“Did you think I was lying to you?”
“Well.”
“Weren’t you fully awakened?”
He never heard of such a case.
It was when Jamie was speechless.
The scarf around Venna untied on its own and bang! Turned into a pink hammer.
[I will explain.]
Saying that, Philion went around Venna once.
[So… Venna is a case.]
He settled next to Venna and continued.
[She temporarily pulled out her awakening to save you.]
Normally, she should have awakened her powers naturally, but the thought of saving Jamie was what triggered it for Venna.
The problem is that the ability to maintain the power of Valkyrie was insufficient, so she was back to her original form.
In order to bring out the power of Valkyrie again, she would need training, severe training.
[Someday, she might be able to keep that shape permanently, but right now, she is too young. It needs time.]
Philion shook his body back and forth.
Jamie pointed to the hammer and asked Venna.
“What is that?”
“Huh?”
“What, huh? Yah. Why is your hammer doing a live show all of a sudden? Is it possessed by a ghost or something?”
It wasn’t wrong to say that an ego weapon was possessed by a ghost, but it was quite annoying for the hammer who heard it.
Philion shouted loudly.
[How dare you treat me as some ghost!]
Unfortunately, Jamie couldn't hear it.
“What is it?”
For him, it just looked like a moving thing.
It was then that Venna realized that Jamie couldn’t hear Philion.
Philion’s voice could only be heard by her.
And Philion seemed to have forgotten that.
Maybe that was why Jamie thought Philion was moving around.
“…embarrassing right?”
[…]
Even to Venna’s question, Philion didn’t answer.
Bang! He was back to his ring form.
“Hahahaha!”
Venna grabbed her stomach and laughed as she saw Philion hide in embarrassment.
Jamie only frowned as he looked at her.
And then soon took a pillow into his hand.
“Stop laughing!”
“Kuak!”
The pillow was pushed into Venna’s face.
“So, there is an ego?”
“… yes.”
Venna rubbed her nose with her hand and answered in a ruff voice.
“So it is an ego ring.”
Jamie looked at the ring curiously.
When he found it in the warehouse of Gremia, he thought it was unusual, but he never expected it to have an ego.
“The ego ring which kept moving in the air even though I couldn’t hear a single thing, get it?”
“Why are you saying that again?”
“Well. Because it would be more embarrassing.”
The ring trembled.
Perhaps, Philion was angry.
As he looked at Venna, she nodded and said.
“Aren’t you just insulting yourself who thought I was a ghost?”
“Insulting? Bullshit.”
Jamie tossed the ring like a coin to the floor.
“Ah! Why throw it!’
“Shut it. Seems like an annoying one.”
“He only said it because you taunted him.”
“Shut it! Get out of my way, I am tired.”
Jamie roughly pushed Venna away with his feet and lay down on the bed.
Venna groaned and put Philion back on her finger.
[That naughty little boy! That kid!]
“Be patient.”
[There will be a day when I'll treat you like this! I am angry!]
Even if he was angry, nothing could be done.
Because Venna was his owner.
As he laid down, Jamie asked.
“Anyway, according to the ring one.”
“It is Philion.”
“I don’t need the name, to awaken the Valkyrie powers, you need to practice?”
“Yes.”
“Haa- I thought you would be useful now.”
He thought that he could use her since she had the power to withstand the Baron demon.
But in a day, she was back to the starting point.
“Useful? I always am.”
“Right. You are back to what you were, doesn’t that mean you are the past version?”
“Rude speaking one…”
“Where did you learn that word?”
“The maids here use it.”
Such strange words…
Jamie looked at Venna and smiled.
“W-what?”
Venna gulped feeling something bad.
“I am meditating.”
Saying that, he remembered the conversation he had with Beryl.
Now that he decided to learn the sword, he was also one who needed the training like Venna.
‘It isn’t like I haven’t used a sword.’
But it was roughly to the level of swinging a blade. Or moving a sword crafted with magic.
And those things couldn’t be called swordsmanship.
He had been too immersed in magic all his life.
He never even thought about learning the sword.
Because he never felt the need to.
He did see a lot of people who reached amazing heights with a sword, but the one stronger than them was always him.
Learning such weak skills seemed like a waste of time.
‘But in the end, even magic has its limits.’
Even the black magic he created for the sake of killing gods, God Kill mana, couldn’t overpower the 12 Gods.
And he knew that magic wasn’t the problem.
There were many more complex reasons, but the power he used in battle was magic.
And magic failed.
‘I still don’t know if mastering a sword is a good choice.’
He couldn’t predict what it would turn out to be.
What will happen in the future? And if he could really defeat the 12 Gods in this lifetime?
Or, would he not even reach that level and die in vain?
But, coming to Apton he realized one thing.
‘The old way is not right anymore.’
Acting like a solitary general, the concentration he had on magic in his past life and insisting on magic alone.
He had no intention of repeating the failure this time.
Even if the new way is wrong, he would choose a different way.
‘This body still has a lot of time. And things are different from back then.’
After the division of 12 Gods, the situation was definitely not good for them.
And this is the time Jamie could do most.
As soon as he returned home, he would ask his father to teach him the sword.
Blood of Welton, which produced great swordsmen from generation to generation, flowing in Jamie’s body and the orb of life made his body stronger.
As Beryl said, it could be that his body was made to learn sword.
“Exciting.”
He had no new lessons.
After ten of thousands of years, his heart began to pound again.
Jamie looked at the ceiling and began to laugh.
“Master…?”
And Venna only looked at him with scared eyes.
She was worried he lost it.
Next day.
From early morning, the bodies of the Archbishop and the others who were killed were departed to the main place.
Jamie opened his mouth seeing the people move.
“They have been working since morning.”
“It is because the procession is heading towards the Grand Church.”
Ricky was next to him.
“When do you leave?”
“Pretty soon.”
“Apostle! We are ready!”
As soon as he said that, Lars called for Ricky.
“Wow. Look at the timing.”
“Now is the time for me to go.”
Ricky turned to Jamie with a sad face.
Looking at him, Jamie asked.
“What?”
“You jerk! You have nothing to say to your friend who is leaving and going so far away?”
“It isn’t like I won’t see you all my life.”
Jamie wasn’t the kind to say cringy things, so even in the new body he wasn’t going to do such things.
Knowing Jamie’s personality, Ricky laughed.
Seeing Ricky, who couldn’t say a word, Jamie said.
“Let’s meet again.”
At that, Ricky looked a bit startled and smiled.
“Right. I don’t know when it will be, but let’s meet again.”
“When I see you next time, don’t be as weak as you are now.”
“I will catch up with you.”
“You will have to try for a million years. Will you be able to do that?”
“Arrogant jerk!”
“You only realized that now?”
“Huhu. I’ve known that for long.”
Ricky said that and moved.
Jamie looked at Ricky’s walking figure without a word.
When they arrived at Apton, Ricky wept a lot, saying he didn’t want to leave Jamie.
But now, he was walking ahead boldly for his own path.
‘Boldly, bullshit.’
Jamie smiled.
Ricky, walking forward pretending to be strong, must be biting his lip to avoid crying.
He was that soft-hearted guy.
The problem is that the Apostle of the Goddess is too soft, and he hoped the next time he would meet Ricky, he would be a bit firm.
“Be safe.”
Ricky waved his hand at Jamie one last time.
The journey that began from Haiss ended here.