Re:Zero: Starting from the Great Transformation

"Four hundred years ago, the first Northern God, Kalman, married the Undead Demon King, Atofi. The then Dragon God, Urpe, specially took this wine from the clan's treasury and gave one bottle to the two of them. The rest was kept by Lord Pergius."

"I-I see..."

Rudius couldn't help but click his tongue when he heard the astonishing origin of this bottle of wine.

Ron raised his head:

"So, Lord Pergius wants me to offer this wine to Atofi in exchange for the Socas grass?"

"Yes."

Pergius nodded slightly.

"This wine is priceless. Exchanging it for just a few stalks of Socas grass is a completely unequal transaction. However, if the lives of the Seven Stars were placed on the scales, it would be a different matter."

"Having said that, Ron, you should understand it very well, right?"

"Yes, I know."

Holding the bottle of wine tightly in his arms, Ron nodded.

Exchanging priceless wine for Socas grass sounds like a perfectly acceptable thing to do.

However, this is based on the premise of being able to communicate smoothly with Atofi.

From the perspective of common sense, there seems to be no possibility of refusal.

But that was Atofi.

The most terrifying demon king in the Demon Continent.

He is also the dumbest and most stupid person, and is considered uncommunicable by both Chisilica and Pergius.

The so-called best solution is just the strategy that can be adopted under the best circumstances.

"It's a pity that I can't help directly."

Pergius muttered from the throne.

"Four hundred years ago, humans and demons signed a truce. If I don't abide by it, the worst-case scenario will be an all-out war. Before Laplace is resurrected, I can't use my power on such a matter."

"So... Ron, you're on your own."

"Yes, that's what I planned from the very beginning. I'm flattered that Lord Pergius has been able to provide assistance to this extent."

"And I'm here, Ron, you're not alone."

Rudeus stepped forward and said.

Ron smiled at Rudeus, then slowly bowed and said:

"One more thing. I would like to ask Lord Pergius for help in constructing a magic circle that can transport us to the vicinity of Necros Fortress."

"Well, no problem. You can just rest in the castle while I finish the preparations."

Pergius readily agreed.

……

After the audience.

Ron and Rudeus separated in the corridor.

"Just to be on the safe side, don't try to sneak off to the Demon Continent while I'm not paying attention. We agreed to go together."

Rudeus still warned with some concern.

Ron shrugged with a wry smile.

"Even if I wanted to go, I can't go at all since the transfer magic circle isn't ready yet, right?"

"As long as you know what's going on."

Rudeus patted Ron on the shoulder and turned away.

The bottle of Dragon God Orb Wine, a treasured treasure of the Dragon Clan, was temporarily entrusted to Rudius for safekeeping to prevent Ron from secretly escaping to the Demon Continent. Rudius, as a magician, was more suited to carrying luggage than Ron, who needed to be more agile.

After watching Rudeus leave, Ron sighed.

Will everything go smoothly next?

Just a little thought will tell you that it won't be smooth sailing.

Even now, the feeling of unease has not dissipated.

Because of this, Ron wanted to abandon Rudeus and go to the Demon Continent alone. If Rudeus died in the Demon Continent, he would not be able to explain to Roxy and Sylphy.

But at this point, there is nothing more to say.

No matter what.

All we have to do now is wait for Perkius's transfer magic circle to be ready, and then head to the Gasro region...

Until then, take a good rest...

……

Just as Ron was thinking this.

Crisp and familiar footsteps came from the corner of the corridor.

Then, a girl with long black hair like a waterfall came into view from the end of the corridor. The moment their eyes met, a look of surprise involuntarily appeared on the girl's face.

"Ron?"

"...Long time no see, Nanahoshi."

Chapter 116: Starting Again

After not seeing each other for so many days, Qixing looked much more haggard...

That is of course impossible.

While the Aerial Fortress was a bit more formal than the Lanoa Magic University, with familiars serving at their side, it wasn't too tiring. Furthermore, with the research on transfer magic now well on track, Nanaho no longer had to grope her way through it alone, so she naturally looked radiant.

Qixing was extremely surprised to suddenly see Ron appear in the aerial fortress.

But she quickly suppressed her thoughts and pretended to be calm.

"What brings you to the Sky Fortress?"

"Can't I come and see you?"

"what?"

"Didn't I tell you that I would come to see you occasionally?"

Seeing Qixing's reaction, Ron knew that she didn't know what he had been doing recently, and he immediately felt relieved.

He walked forward and looked Qixing up and down.

Slightly hesitantly said:

"Have you... gained a little weight?"

"?"

Qixing's face darkened at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Do you think I won't get angry no matter what you say?"

"S-Sorry, I was just kidding."

Ron laughed dryly and quickly changed the subject.

"By the way, you've been in the Aerial Fortress for a while now. How's your research on transfer magic going?"

"It's okay, quite some progress."

Speaking of the topic of diversion magic, Qixing suddenly became interested.

She raised the corners of her mouth and smiled:

"Lord Pergius has kept his promise and fully shared his knowledge of transfer and summoning with me, even teaching me personally. Judging by our current progress, perhaps in another year or two, I'll be able to fully master the magic of transferring to another world."

“Is that so…”

Hearing this good news, Ron didn't know what he felt.

In short, it is extremely complicated.

Although he had known that this day would come, at this point he could not allow himself to remain a bystander.

"Ron."

"Ok?"

"Have you ever thought about...what you're going to do when you get back?"

Qixing smoothed the hair on her forehead.

"As for me, even though I don't know how much time has passed by the time I return, as long as I can be reunited with my family, it's all worth it. What do you think? What are your plans after you return?"

"I'm planning to……"

Ron hesitated and was speechless for a moment.

go back?

He hadn't thought about going back for a long time.

It would be better to say that he has given up the idea of ​​returning to that world. Compared to that world without any worries, this world has Sarah waiting for him to fulfill his promise and looking forward to proposing to her when they meet next time.

Ron had no reason to go back, but he had reasons to stay here.

This is something he has made up his mind about.

Therefore, he decided to tell Qixing the truth about this matter.

However, now...

When Ron really stood in front of Qixing, he found that he couldn't open his mouth.

A strong sense of guilt and betrayal surged out, almost drowning him. Wasn't that the truth? Qixing had always been looking forward to the day when they could return home together, but he had left her behind without a word.

At this point, anything more to say seems redundant.

"Ron?"

Nanahoshi's voice sounded slightly doubtful.

Bringing Ron's thoughts back to the present.

Looking at Qixing's slightly hesitant eyes, Ron pulled the corners of his mouth and forced a smile:

"As for what happens after I go back, I haven't really thought about it. After all, as you know, I don't have any ties in that world. I can basically be said to be alone."

"That's it."

Qixing smoothed the ends of her hair and smiled.

"But it doesn't matter. I'm still here, right? Even if we return to that world, we can still keep in touch. We can agree on a contact method and contact each other immediately after returning. What do you think?"

"Oh, that's alright."

Ron forced a smile and nodded.

Then Qixing continued to talk about what would happen after returning, and Ron felt very uncomfortable. He racked his brains to think of how to tell himself that he planned to stay in this world, but no matter how he thought about it, it seemed that there was no perfect solution.

In the end, Qixing remembered that he had things to do in the laboratory and left in a hurry.

Ron watched Qixing's figure walk away.

For some reason, I felt a sharp pain in my chest.

"No, that's not the problem!"

Ron clutched his chest and forced himself to calm down.

Although Qixing said that the transfer magic circle was about to be completed, Ron, as a time traveler, knew very well that her mission was not over yet and it was impossible for her to successfully return to that world.