At the foot of the Areopagus, Samael stopped and cast a cool glance at the lovely figure clinging to his left arm and shyly leaning against his shoulder. He casually pulled his arm free and raised a brow in annoyance.
"That's enough. Since you don't want to stay with Holo and the others, head up to the Areopagus first. Find the patrolling Valkyries and have them help you find an empty house. Settle in there for now. I've got things to do."
With that, the Ancient Serpent tossed Tamamo-no-Mae a Gorgon Goddess emblem for easier passage, clearly intent on keeping his distance from this source of trouble.
Tch. Was it really that hard for fox spirits to find employment these days?
Left behind on the mountain path, Tamamo-no-Mae felt a sudden wave of frustration. But as she watched Samael's golden eyes disappear into the night, they gleamed faintly in the dark. Her dainty fists clenched, and determination returned to her lovely, seductive face.
Then next, with this rare bit of free time, she ought to go have a talk with Altera.
After a moment's thought, Samael headed toward the scene of Nero's illegal concert.
But the door was half-open, and the room inside was completely silent.
The Ancient Serpent frowned slightly. After knocking a few times with no response, he stepped inside. He sniffed the air and followed the faint trace of familiar Ether left behind, until his gaze settled on the suspiciously bulging blanket on the bed.
Already asleep? Should I just talk to her tomorrow?
Just as Samael was muttering to himself, he suddenly realized that the shape under the blanket didn't match Altera's build at all, and that the small lump beneath it was trembling strangely.
Something's wrong!
The Ancient Serpent's pupils shrank. He immediately seized a corner of the blanket and yanked it back, only to find a pile of clothes that had once belonged to Altera scattered in every direction.
And in the middle of them, a brown-skinned little girl with white hair and red eyes, now shrunk down to only about one meter thirty, was curled up tightly with her teeth clenched, her brow knotted hard. Sweat was pouring down her body, and the sheets beneath her were already soaked through.
Hum!
The moment he uncovered her, Samael accidentally brushed against the brown-skinned child's skin. Instantly, the surging Ether inside her, like a volcanic furnace, found an outlet and erupted in a boiling torrent.
Caught off guard, the Ancient Serpent felt like a household circuit overloaded by a high-voltage current. The magic power flooding into his body rampaged wildly, tearing through flesh and channels alike wherever it went.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
In an instant, red mist burst from all over Samael's body, and he spat up a mouthful of blood.
Even so, he managed to force the raging power back out of his system. His torn flesh slowly began to knit back together, his bones reset themselves, and his injuries gradually healed.
Just as Samael braced one hand against the bed and struggled to rise, pale-faced, he heard rustling from within the bedding.
The white-haired, red-eyed, brown-skinned little girl sat up cross-legged on the bed, pushed aside one corner of the blanket, and peeked out. Raising a hand, she rubbed her sleepy eyes, stretched, and let out a vague little murmur like sleep talk.
Then, the naked little girl started trying to burrow into Samael's arms.
"Stop!"
Recalling how he had nearly lost half his life just moments earlier, the Ancient Serpent jumped back at once, putting some wary distance between them. He carefully looked the white-haired child over several times, then asked uncertainly,
"You're... Altera? Do you still remember me?"
Her features still clearly carried the familiar outline of the King of the Huns.
The little girl tilted her head as she studied Samael, unconsciously edging closer. Her serious little face pressed nearer and nearer to the Ancient Serpent's, until suddenly, as if remembering something, her brow relaxed and she spoke in a bright, clear voice.
"Mommy!"
The Ancient Serpent's breath caught, and he nearly keeled over.
No male moms, thanks!
As Samael painstakingly tried to teach the child the difference between men and women, while also recounting how the two of them had met in hopes of awakening some sense of recognition, the brown-skinned little girl, who had somehow already crawled into his arms, reached out a small hand and skillfully found a spatial node. She crushed the weak point in the structure and rummaged through the Ancient Serpent's little storage space, pulling out two shattered crystal fragments that glimmered with starlight.
Then she tossed them into her mouth like snacks and crunched down.
Immediately, a burst of motley light flickered. The white-haired little girl yawned, as if drowsiness were suddenly washing over her, then collapsed into Samael's arms and fell sound asleep.
At the same time, the slightly dim star patterns on her skin brightened once more, and the weight in Samael's arms became noticeably heavier.
Regression into childhood?
Could it be that something had gone wrong with Altera's body just now, throwing her functions into disorder? And those fragments of star core were likely the key.
That I'd run into something like this of all things. What rotten luck.
Samael fell into thought, then looked down at little Altera curled up in his arms like a hamster. Recalling her earlier behavior, he suddenly felt both amused and exasperated.
So that's why she called me "Mommy." Apparently I'm the one with milk, huh?
Forget it. Looks like that talk is off for today. Better wait until this childish regression eases a little, then find another chance to have a proper conversation with Altera.
At least for now, there was no need to worry about the threat posed by the King of the Huns. He could focus on the Greco-Persian War and, while he was at it, investigate what exactly had caused this change in her.
After making up his mind, Samael glanced at the disaster zone that was the bedroom, then at little Altera, who was clinging to him like a koala, and shook his head helplessly.
At this point, all he could do for safety's sake was have Brynhildr and the other Valkyries take her into custody first. Using "discussing Magecraft" as an excuse, he also dismissed the nearby divine-blood guards who had rushed over after hearing the commotion, then rose and headed toward the council hall.
But as the Ancient Serpent moved farther and farther away and the nearby divine-blood guards dispersed one after another, several figures emerged from the darkness, entered the bedroom, and carefully examined the scene. In the glances they exchanged, there was a trace of irritation and gloom.
It had failed!
Still, he was injured. That was an unexpected gain.
At the same time, in the council hall, the Holy King pushed open the door and found the fox spirit kneeling neatly before the desk, the documents already tidied, tea offered up in welcome as if everything were perfectly proper.
At once, Samael felt a surge of caution.
"Didn't I tell you to go find a room and settle in? Why are you still here?"
"I already chose one. Right here. As your close friend, this is naturally the perfect opportunity to stay close and understand you better. Of course I should remain by your side through this long, endless night and keep you company properly."
"Since when did we become close friends? Are we even that familiar?"
"Oh, you're awful. After doing that sort of thing to me, you're already trying not to take responsibility..."
Tamamo-no-Mae tilted her head and raised her hands in a dainty pose before her face, looking utterly sorrowful, as if she might burst into tears at any moment. But behind the gaps between her fingers, those golden eyes held not the slightest trace of moisture. Instead, they were full of the sly amusement of a fox teasing prey beneath its paw.
Yeah, if she let out a "mikon" right now, she'd be exactly the same as the trash fox from his mental image.
"All I did was rescue you from bandits. I didn't do anything else. Don't make it sound like we really had some illicit affair or something..."
Samael rolled his eyes inwardly, unmoved, and calmly restated the pure and innocent nature of their relationship.