The Principle of a Philosopher by Eternal Fool “Asley”

“”They have the same eyes. The year of his wife’s death is the same as the year of Lala’s birth. And once, when he bragged about his wife, his description of her is quite similar to Lala — especially the hair color. Do you remember what We said about where We found Lala abandoned?””

“If I remember correctly, it was near the southern border of the Radeata region…”

Tzar nodded both his heads.

I see… so this is why Tzar wanted to keep the conversation just between me and him.

“”What do you suggest We do with this information?””

“Huh, you’re not going to tell her?”

“”What do you think would happen if We do tell? Lala does not know her father — in fact, she has no history of being with a family at all. We would like to avoid unnecessary conflict before the battle with the Devil King. As Lala’s guardian figure, that is the decision We are most likely to take.””

“But you just asked me what you should do.”

“”We simply think an opinion from you — a Holy Warrior, and more importantly, Sagan’s benefactor — would be worthy of consideration.””

Man, he’s really asking something so important so suddenly… Familiars’ sensibilities sure are quite unique.

From the looks of it, the relationship between Lala and the restaurant’s owner seems to be good, at least…

“Here! I harvested this cabbage myself!”

“And I’m the one who cooked it!”

“Well, leave all the eating to me, sir!”

“”HAHAHAHAHAHA!””

From seeing Lala’s smile, it’s clear there’s some subconscious connection between them that goes beyond just server-customer and business partners. 

And Pochi is… quick to blend in as usual.

It feels wrong for me to intervene… because all I want out of this is for their smiles to not go away. 

Just like the case between Betty and Belia, there’s nothing more delicate than human relationships.

“”…Sir Asley.””

“You might need more time…”

“”Hmm?””

“You might need more time… yes, that’s it. I feel it is too early for Lala to take all that in at her current age. Wait for the proper time, then talk to the father first. Lala”

Tzar listened carefully to my every word.

Then, after taking a few sips of his drink, he cleared his throats and responded,

“”Hmm… If that is what you say, then…””

“Then?”

“”…We would also say that time is important, yes. That rings especially true from one with eternal life such as you.””

“You think so?”

“”Yes. This discussion has been helpful — you have Our thanks.””

I’m not even sure if the answer I gave was a good one. It’s not so different from Tzar’s original idea — and is THAT really what he should do?

Isn’t this an issue too significant to be decided by my vote?

Then again, as usual, this is an issue with two sides… and third parties are the only ones who can see both sides.

With that in mind, maybe he didn’t see a way to NOT get help with his decision.

“”By the way, Sir Asley…””

“Yes?”

“”Sagan struggled to master a certain magic spell in his final years. An extremely difficult spell to create and maintain space. Could that be one of the spells that you taught him?””

“Huh? No, I don’t remember teaching anything like that. I might have altered the course of history if I did, you see. It’s more likely that it was one of his original creations.”

“”Is that so… You see, he voided Our contract shortly after showing it to me. We never got to see it be completed.””

“Master Vaas’ ascension happened relatively recently, didn’t it? Did Sagan keep the throne to himself until the last minute?”

“”The official date of Master Vaas’ ascension was first day, first month, year seventy-nine. Sagan breathed his last one month later.””

Man, he really tried his best until he physically could not anymore.

If I remember correctly, even Irene said Sagan has had a big influence on her.

It’s somewhat understandable that the Black and White Chain contract was adopted into the system as a means to prevent internal conflicts.

“Master, Master!”

“Hmm? What?”

Pochi’s grin seemed… suspicious, and piqued our curiosity quite a bit.

“The chef just told me something interesting!”

“Oh yeah?”

“He said he wants to take Lala in as an adopted child!”

“Bwuh–!?”

Taken by surprise, I spewed the drink in my mouth at Tzar.

“”…Is this going to happen more often going forward?””

Oh no. Tzar’s getting angry.

“Haha… ha…”

“And Lala seems to be on board with the idea, too — she even started calling him ‘da-da’!”

Pochi’s explanation caused my mouth to twist into a bitter smile.

Tzar, after slithering over a cloth to dry himself, looked at me quietly.

“”……Hmm.””

“Oh no, I can’t stay here! The onion pancakes are already done!”

And then Pochi returned to Lala and the chef before even noticing our reaction. 

After that, Tzar seemed to be lost in thought.

“”……To outsiders, this might feel like a complicated issue, but perhaps it is not so for those directly involved.””

“What do you mean?”

“”We meant that for normal humans, it may not be necessary to consider long-lasting consequences for all decisions. This is not about underestimating the culminations of the past, but rather putting more value into the present. Most humans live short lives, so they are ultimately simple beings… who want to enjoy the moment they are living through.””

“You make it sound like I’m not a normal human, you know…”

“”You are human, of course — but quite normal despite your eternal life. After living this long, you have not lost the sensibilities that make you human. That is what We would consider the difference between you and Master Tūs.””

True, Tūs is practically a monster at this point.

“”That is it — What is important is that emotional sensitivity you still possess, Sir Asley.””

“Did you just read my mind?”

“”And why do you look like you just touched a moldy block of cheese? That is because you are simple-minded — as simple-minded as a normal human.””

“T-this is a difficult thing you’re talking about…”

“”Hehehe… It is also human to overthink such a simple topic.””

Yeah, right now, I don’t really understand what Tzar is talking about.

He does sound… happy, though. Is it because of a Familiar’s unique sensibilities, or is he just happy about what just happened to Lala?

Humans are simple beings… is what Tzar just said, despite acknowledging that their emotions are complex. Why?

I thought about it the whole rest of the day, up until the moment my consciousness drifted away to dreamland. But then, when I woke up, that topic no longer weighed on my mind.

Maybe it’s just another fragment of Tzar’s wisdom that I still have to piece together.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

Early the next morning, everyone gathered at the west entrance of Radeata.

Some arrivals came alone, some arrivals came in pairs, and one certain arrival… came carrying a fat sleepy dog.

“Hmmmmm… Master… It’s more cost-effective to buy a 100,000 Gold’s worth of meat instead of a 100,000 Gold’s worth of soup…”

Neither of those is a good deal because she’d eat all the food up anyway, leaving me 100,000 Gold poorer.

“So, are we good to go?”

Blazer, leader of Team Silver, called out to everyone.

“Yeah! No problem here!”

“Yes, I am ready!”

Bruce and Haruhana, having regained consciousness and fully recovered from their injuries yesterday, had been sent to Radeata after us.

Both of them are tough — they hadn’t lost their fighting spirits even after the run-in with Gaspard.

And so, those involved in the previous investigation are back together — the original Team Silver members, Lala, Pochi, and me — and we will be the ones leading today’s mission.

“The Labyrinth of No Return is located to the south of Radeata. Now that the monsters have become aggressive, be sure to kill any that we encounter along the way!”

“”OOOHHH!!””

“Let’s go!”

By Blazer’s order, we departed from Radeata.

Years ago, when we first headed to the Labyrinth of No Return, we were just a group of five. Many encounters have expanded Team Silver’s ranks and deepened the bonds among us.

Gaspard — or rather, Lucifer — is sure to put their plan into full motion very soon.

So we have to keep on going.

We must not stop preparing for the battle against the Devil King.

We must obtain the Drynium ore and bring it back to T’oued.

The Devil King’s resurrection had proven to be stronger than everyone’s resolve, but they had not at all given up.

I’m their symbol of hope… so I must use that hope to fight back against our adversary.

…Our adversary, Devil King Lucifer…

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