Chapter 10

Unlike the time when I evoked the old dragons wings while I was already in the air. I was actually able to fly this time. He did say that I needed to jump first, I suppose he meant that literally and not figuratively.

I felt the old dragon’s wings burn away at my demonic energy, but I needed to get to an area free of too many people, if I really wanted to help Alessia. She had finally passed out, but I could still sense Tiamat’s power flowing erratically within her and Alessia was showing a look of discomfort. Just what was she thinking by using a power like that...

“*sob* Big bro, I can’t stop, I-I can’t stop hurting Alessia-chan!”

“Wahahahaha, don’t worry little Tiamat. If there’s two things I know about this foolish boy, it’s that he never abandons a damsel in distress and he has a particular taste for noblewomen.”

“Q-quiet old man! I’m trying to think.”

“Wahahaha, see?”

I ignored the old dragon’s ramblings and was finally clear of the summit’s vicinity. I spotted a forest and landed in the heart of it. I took off my overcoat and placed it so that I could set Alessia’s body down. After doing so, I realised how feminine her body really was. I suppose it was more noticeable when she wasn’t pointing a Tiamat infused sword at you. I sat crossed legged and got to work.

“Birdbrain, how bad is it?”

“Kukuhkuh, at this rate, my mistress will perish within hours…”

“Good, then we have some time. Morgana! Get out here, there are no people around.”

Morgana sheepishly evoked herself in shadow form.

“M-master, y-you should have called me earlier!”

“W-what!? I was trying to evoke you throughout that battle, you were just refusing to come out! I even tried to forcibly evoke you, but backed off when...Urgh, this slash on my chest is gonna leave a scar.”

“*whistle, *whistle, *whistle.”

“Don’t just stand there trying to act inconspicuous while whistling to yourself!”

“D-don’t worry master. Chicks dig guys with scars! *thumbs up* I’ll brew something for your…”

“No, forget about me for now, what can you do for Alessia? Is there a way that we could use what’s left of my demonic energy and somehow give it to the birdbrain, so he can repair her body?”

“Hmmm? Nope, she’s as good as dead, teehee.”

“T-this is no laughing matter Morgana!”

“Well, I suppose if we used Shiko as a passthrough, but she’s asleep in my...”

I stopped listening after she mentioned Shiko’s name. I was taken aback for a few seconds, for the first time ever, I was genuinely angry at Morgana.

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W-wait, did she say…

“M-morgana! What did you just say?”

“Oh? That we could use Shiko as a passthrough?”

“No, no, after that!”

“Ummm, she’s asleep in my cottage?”

I was shocked. I replayed the moment of when Shiko shattered after crumbling under Alessia’s demonic energy, there was no mistake. What’s going on?

“Wahahahaha, we thought it’d be better if we didn’t tell you foolish boy.”

“J-just what the hell old man! D-do you have any idea how much pain and despair I felt after that…”

“Wahaha, think about it foolish boy, if you never experienced those feelings, would you have been able to defeat this foolish girl?”

“...No, I suppose I not.”

I hate to admit it, but the old man was right. Only through Shiko’s sacrifice, was I able to realise what I lacked and break through my own limits. If it wasn’t for the feelings of complete hopelessness and defeat that I experienced then, I’d be the one in Alessia’s position, maybe even worse off. I suppose it could also be argued that Alessia wouldn’t be in this state if Shiko remained intact either...

I continued to ponder the situation, when I was hit by a piercing white light. I went temporarily blind and felt something wrap around the lower half of my body. Whatever it was, seemed to be rubbing itself against my midriff.

When I finally regained my vision and looked down. I saw an innocent childish face smiling up at me with closed eyes. She had shiny wavy shoulder length black hair, with a glossy red ribbon tied at the back. Her skin was milky white and she had rosy red cheeks. She was wearing a pure white haori combined with red hakama. Going by her looks, she was probably a grade/elementary schooler at the most.

“Shiko has waited a long time to meet you masuta!”

Her smile gave me strength, although her hair was starting to tickle my abdomen. As if sensing this, Shiko let go and went over to Alessia. She squatted next to Alessia and stared at her curiously. I finally got a chance to see Shiko’s eyes, despite being big and full of life, they were hazel. Hazel like…

“Hey, big sis Morgana, is this the big sis that gave Shiko the demonic energy Shiko needed?”

“Oh? Shiko-chan, you’re so cute! Yes, it was thanks to her giving you the other half, as well as our master providing the initial half, that your soul was able to emerge and you were able to materialise in this world.”

“Hooray!”

Shiko was now dancing and skipping around us. I had no idea what was going on, so looked at Morgana with an inquisitive expression. Morgana met my eye and made a mischievous grin. She revealed a party popper from lord knows where and pulled it.

“*bang* Congratulation master! It’s a g...”

“S-stop playing around Morgana and explain what the hell’s going on here!?”

“Teehee! OK, OK, well I suppose it is something akin to that. When I first met Shiko, in our love nest…”

“Be serious!”

“Teehee, in the realm of your familiars, I knew there was something weird about her. Like I said back then, she was sentient. That’s not uncommon for weapons, but I could sense a trapped soul within that blade.”

Pondering this information, made me remember what Seir said, when he gave Shiko to me. He said that Shiko was a weapon infused with the soul of a pure miko. looking at Shiko, she fit that description perfectly.

“You see, the reason that Shiko-chan stopped consuming your demonic energy master, was because she had already filled half of her quota. If she wanted to free herself from that blade, she needed to get the other half from someone else.”

“B-but that doesn’t make any sense, Shiko was sipping away at my demonic energy for ages, you mean to tell me that it took that long for Shiko to fill up half her quota from me? But she managed to fill the other half from Alessia in one go?”

“Teehee, just be glad that the battle against this Belith girl, didn’t become one of attrition. If our Shiko-chan didn’t consume that much of her demonic energy, you’d have lost master.”

I was once again reminded of how strong Alessia was. Shiko ran to me and gave me a bright smile. Now that I had some time to process everything, I could feel Shiko's demonic energy and it was indeed like mine and Alessia's. 

“Kukuhkuh, I apologise for interrupting, but my mistress is dying here...”

“R-right, sorry, Morgana, what do we need to do?”

“Hmmmm, well you will just need to give Shiko your demonic energy, she will be able to convert it into something that matches Alessia’s. Then she will be able to enter Alessia’s realm of familiars and let Feng handle the rest.”

“W-what? Shiko can enter Alessia’s realm?”

“Well duh, Shiko isn’t bound to you and she pretty much is half Alessia anyways teehee.”

“O-OK, Shiko, you know what to do right?”

“Mhm, Shiko will do her best!”

Shiko made a fist, pumped it into the air cutely and showed a determined look.