Otherwise, you can find another savior.

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“It’s not about abandoning them, it’s about taking as many people as possible with us.” Shiomi frowned deeply, but said firmly, “There’s still some time before the Imaginary Tree completely disintegrates and this world is fixed in place. Even if it’s just one village…”

"Why do you say that?" Skadi was slightly surprised and quickly asked.

“Having lost their original world and not being residents of the alternate world, they become ‘wanderers.’” Shiomi looked at her clenched hand. “But if it’s me now, I should be able to become ‘proof’ that they won’t disappear. After all, I can take you and me with me, so I should be able to take some of the survivors with me too.”

Skadi lowered her eyes, her expression filled with sorrow: "Are you... thinking of yourself as a god? Even I, with these hands, can only save a maximum of ten thousand people. Even so, under my protection, they cannot live to become old men and women... My love, my snow, can only convey the omens of spring plants sprouting."

“Not to be treated as gods, but to become new gods.” Shiomi spoke quietly, detonating a silent bomb in the hearts of the group. “Next, we will face other unknown gods in the Lostbelts, as well as even more mysterious alien gods.”

“Tianxi…” Artoria said softly.

When she saw him finally master the power of Marduk's Axe, she knew that Shiomi had made a decision.

“Even though I’m still a half-baked amateur, at least I should try to salvage what I can.” Shiomi said this while looking at Skadi.

She suddenly realized that he actually prioritized saving her, and only secondarily considered the part of her that she cherished but was powerless to protect.

Having understood this, Skadi nodded silently.

Having already accepted him in her heart, and accepted the marriage that the great god Odin had promised them, Skadi would no longer refuse Shiomi.

He had completely understood the goddess Skadi, so she chose to trust him completely.

“Then the Valkyries, the dragon-slaying hero Sigurd, and the Valkyrie’s eldest daughter, Brunhilde—” Shiomi looked at them, “Although this is a somewhat excessive request, I entrust the village to you!”

They granted the request, and the three Valkyries, along with two Servants, quickly went to the 23rd village, which was closest to the battlefield but had suffered relatively little damage due to its proximity to the Storm Border, to transfer the survivors to the ark.

"By the way, what about Gerda? Is that girl still in the capital?" Morgan asked at this point.

"Is it still possible to get to the royal city from here?" Scáthach couldn't help but worry.

"Please do not worry, Gerda has already moved to your ship before the battle began," Otlind, who landed with two children, added. "She cannot die easily before she has accepted the judgment of our goddess."

The answer, though still somewhat mechanical, yielded a positive result, giving everyone a sense of reassurance.

Chapter Forty: The Return Journey

Before the Imaginary Tree, whose magic had been taken back by the alien apostles, completely disappeared, StormBorder completed the containment of the survivors of Village 23.

Most of them were children, with only a small number of adults taking care of them.

After the containment was completed, Skadi and the three Valkyries followed Chaldea and escaped the Lostbelt via Imaginary Number.

Before entering the Sea of ​​Wandering, Storm Border once again rose from the imaginary space and slowly flew over the blank skies of Northern Europe.

"This is... the outside world, it's like a planet that has lost all possibility of nurturing life, even the Great Source has dried up." Skadi looked at the white land below and said softly.

“But I can still sense the presence of Da Yuan,” tide Jian said.

“It’s just an analogy,” Skadi said. “With the planet turned to this, you are the last humans?”

“Hmm…” Shiomi looked in the direction of the Lostbelt.

The Storm Wall is disappearing, revealing a planet that was also previously blank.

Skadi was also looking in that direction, and then, thinking of those who had not been taken away, she couldn't help but hug her arms, a sharp pain rising in her heart.

"In the very end, I still couldn't save them all, nor could I face the end of the world with them. I..."

Even though a choice has been made, and within a very limited timeframe, they have taken as much as they could.

Skadi, however, still couldn't let go of everything that remained.

“Well then, let me tell you a little about myself.” Shiomi sighed silently and slowly began to speak. “In the British Lostbelt, I once called myself the God-King and reigned over Londinion for two thousand years. In my city, tens of thousands of people and a few fairies lived.”

“Eh…” Skadi paused for a moment.

"Britain and the Norse world are completely different, so they can't be compared. But for me, those people who have followed me and fought for me generation after generation are the ones I want to protect." Shiomi bent down and sat on the deck, her hair flying in the wind. "But in the end, Britain was destroyed, and Londinion was destroyed too. I originally wanted to take the surviving soldiers with me, but they fought against the insurmountable calamity for me and all sacrificed themselves in front of me."

“...Do you still regret it now?” Skadi gently sat down beside him.

“I regret it, but I understand that it was their choice.” tide Jian smiled silently. “For them, dying on the battlefield was their choice, and I had no right to stop them.”

Skadi slowly closed her eyes, tears sliding down her cheeks: "At least they know why they live, and can face life or death with equanimity."

The people in those villages, however, never even knew the meaning of their existence, and vanished along with the predetermined events, leaving no trace.

“It’s not like nothing was left behind.” Shiomi sensed Skadi’s inner turmoil. “You are still here, the Valkyries are still here, and the surviving villagers who followed you are still here… even if there are only a dozen or so of you. You are proof that that world that has disappeared ever existed.”

"You really know how to say comforting things. Even a goddess would be persuaded by your words," Skadi sighed softly.

It's not that I can't get over this hurdle in my heart, but rather that I have to give up many lives that I have protected for three thousand years, and that pain will always linger in my heart.

"It's not exactly comforting. After all, before we could do anything to the Imaginary Tree, the Alien Apostle reclaimed its magic, completely disrupting everything," Shio said. "If we can't accept this outcome no matter what, then let's take revenge on the Alien Apostle and even the Alien God together."

“I am the goddess who controls ice and snow, yet you want me to seek revenge…” Skadi couldn’t help but chuckle.

"If you don't want to, then forget it. We Chaldea will have to face the culprit behind Earth's destruction sooner or later. It's just a matter of whether you want to hitch a ride or not." Shiomi smiled as well.

Skadi found it even more amusing: "Hitchhiking... huh..."

She raised her hand.

"I wouldn't mind doing a favor, but with the Nordic world just gone, I can feel my own existence becoming unstable..."

“It’s not just you, but the Valkyries and the survivors all need to continue to exist. And you, as their goddess, are the most crucial part,” Shiomi said. “As long as you can continue to exist after the world is lost, they can continue to exist by relying on their faith in you.”

"Specifically, how do we do it?" Skadi asked earnestly.

Shiomi's expression turned slightly awkward: "Simply put, it means acquiring a new, significant identity. For example... the bride of a newly born god, or something like that."

"So that's why Odin gave me those instructions, is that right?" Skadi gradually understood.

“However, given the current situation, you have to stay by my side.” Shiomi said, moving closer to Skadi’s face.

Realizing what was about to happen, Skadi couldn't help but blush and try to back away: "Don't, don't get too close, I'm not used to human body temperature... and the same goes for gods!"

“At least before that, we need to establish a continuing contract.” Shiomi took a deep breath and cupped Skadi’s face in her hands.

"But there are at least other ways—!"

The sound was instantly drowned out.

Shiomi's scent surrounded her more clearly than it had been in Valhalla, and the warmth transmitted through her lips and tongue made her feel dizzy.

Skadi was finally relieved when she couldn't catch her breath, and she became as drunk as if she were intoxicated.

“With the Kiss of the Contract as the foundation, your situation should have stabilized,” Shio said.

"...Ugh..."

Skadi had already realized this during the kiss.

But now she felt both shy and subtly resentful, wanting to rebuke Xijian but lacking the confidence to do so.

—After all, the experience was quite…wonderful?

"So that's what it was all about when you said you wanted to become a new god."

Morgan appeared beside them without warning, startling Shiomi so much that her heart stopped.

“In that case, just like the great god Odin, sacrificing yourself for nine days and nine nights might make you even stronger.” Scáthach kept shaking her head, putting on a seemingly disappointed expression.

"Come, let's go to the Throne of God together," Artoria gently invited.

But everyone knows that this "invitation" has a big problem.

“Let me use my ceremonial dress ‘Crystal Mayfly’ to replace the binding ropes; it’s even stronger than it looks.”

Orange lit the last cigarette he had on hand, took a drag, and said.

“…I have no objection…” Skadi seized the opportunity to agree.

Then, a bloodcurdling scream from Shiomi echoed from the deck.

Chapter 41 The Wandering Sea

The Wandering Sea is one of the three major organizations of the Mage's Association and the oldest part of the association, said to have existed before the Common Era.

Its headquarters are said to be based in Northern Europe, but in reality it is located in the North Atlantic Ocean and is constantly moving and changing its coordinates, making it a moving island.

According to the monarch of the entire basic department, Trumberio, the Wandering Sea basically does not interact with the outside world and rarely invites magicians to enter. It only opens on December 31st of each year to recruit disciples.

But in reality, the gates remain tightly shut, and there are very few new disciples, not to mention anyone who has even reached the Sea of ​​Wanderings.

On the contrary, this crisis of the Earth becoming a blank sheet of paper has brought an unusually large number of people to the Sea of ​​Wandering.

Moreover, as the oldest organization in the Magic Association, the Wandering Sea does not acknowledge the progress and changes that civilization has brought to magic, and only recognizes the magic of the Age of Gods as true magic.

In other words, "Magic after the Common Era is nothing but child's play; only magic in the Age of Gods is supreme."

"Is this the Wandering Sea...? It's a place that's... simpler and more ancient than I imagined."

After coming down from Storm Border, Orange looked around with great interest and remarked to Shiomi.

"Lord Transberio also hopes that I can enter the Wandering Sea as a magician of the Age of Gods, representing the Clock Tower, to break the long-standing cold war between the two organizations." Shiomi spread her hands, calmly stating what was so extraordinary.

That monarch once conducted a magic battle exercise with Shiomi under the guise of communication, and deduced from the clues that Shiomi's rune magic was not the kind that anyone could learn like the Clock Tower, but rather the true primordial rune.

Realizing this, Transberio knew it was better to maintain the status quo than to reveal this fact, which would make Shiomi even more "rebellious" than Aozaki Touko. Therefore, the monarch did not reveal it to anyone, only privately inquiring about Shiomi's wishes.

Unfortunately, Shiomi was not far from heading to Chaldea in Antarctica at that time, so the matter was put on hold.

"It's a great pity that this isn't actually the real Wandering Sea, but rather a place like the outer region of the Wandering Sea. Even though the Atlas Academy spent a contract, they were only allowed to use it to this extent."

A purple-haired girl dressed in the Atlas Academy uniform introduced herself while bypassing the people getting on and off the ship, and came to Shiomi's side to introduce herself.

"Sion Eltnam Socaris, with his father's permission, entered the Sea of ​​Wanderings in the name of the Atlas Academy to provide support to Chaldea in this crisis of human bleaching."

"You're Dean Tsbia's daughter, aren't you?" Shiomi looked at her with considerable surprise. "You are too—"

He could tell that she was very similar to Tsbia and also had similar characteristics to the Dead Apostles, that is, vampires.

"Shh..." Xiweng raised a finger and asked Shiomi, "As expected, some things cannot be hidden from Mr. Shiomi's eyes. Please keep this a secret."

tide Jian was already used to it: "It's nothing. My daughter, Bawan Xi, has a similar constitution. You two should get along very well."

“I’ve already received the report.” Sion nodded with a smile. “I didn’t expect that just going out to investigate your whereabouts would lead to the resolution of three Lostbelts in one go. It really surprised me.”

tide Jian shrugged: "Let Romani and Mary Lu explain the details to you."

“That’s exactly what I was planning,” Sion said. “However, judging from the reports sent back beforehand, Mr. Shiomi is no longer an ordinary human being. If possible—”

“Whether it’s my skin, hair, or blood, it doesn’t matter. I just want to use the instruments at the Atlas Institute and the Wandering Sea to see what state I’ve become.” Xi Jian nodded, rationally expressing her agreement. “To live for 6000 years and still feel like I’m in my prime seems even more strange than the Second Magician.”

"It's wonderful that you're so easy to talk to." Sion was delighted; as a researcher, she was already eager to try.

However, the immediate tasks include containing and maintaining StormBorder, as well as taking in the dozen or so survivors rescued from the Lostbelt and conducting a comprehensive check and condition assessment of them.

Sion didn't have time to chat here, after all, the Chaldea staff were also inviting her over.

"By the way, how is your father?" tide Jian asked as a last question.

"...My father doesn't approve of what I'm doing now, but he hasn't objected either." hope Weng shook his head helplessly and turned to leave.

Orange, who had been listening nearby, spoke up: "I heard that the Atlas Institute has technology that can observe parallel worlds, although it can't interfere like the Second Mage..."

"You mean to say that Tsbia believes the destruction of a world is not important, as long as the whole continues to exist, it can be ignored?" tide Jian understood and nodded helplessly, "That's really typical magician thinking."

Just then, he felt a gentle tap on his back; it was Olga Marie.

“Teacher, is this your first time here? You probably don’t know where your room is. Shall I show you there?” she said.

"Are you able to manage?" Shio asked, glancing at Skadi who had followed her.

He, Orange, and Skadi were all entering the Wandering Sea's workshop for the first time and needed to familiarize themselves with the environment.

“The three of you are all important fighting forces for saving the world in the future, so of course I, as the director, should take care of you personally,” Olga Marie said matter-of-factly.

Actually, this was also her personal reason.

Paying special attention to Shiomi alone would be too obvious, so giving some attention to the Grand Puppeteer and the Norse goddess would also help the teacher maintain a good impression of her.

Then they followed Olga Marie as they moved toward the residential area.

"Save the world..." tide Jian glanced at Orange.

"I never thought this word would be used on me one day," Orange couldn't help but chuckle. "It feels a bit strange no matter how I look at it."

"At least we can use this as something to talk about when we see your sister again? Even the Fifth Mage couldn't do it, but you did," tide Jian teased.

Orange pushed up her glasses: "Compared to this aspect, I've already surpassed her in other areas."

"Hmm? Other aspects?" Shio was surprised. "Like, being more charming than her?"

“No, I meant you.” Orange smiled smirked. “After all, when we met two years ago, she didn’t even have a lover.”

“…So that’s how it is. You’ve certainly won a lot.” tide Jian nodded in agreement without any modesty.