Eighth Floor, Terrace.
"So it flew over there, huh. In that case, no problem." Shiomi scratched his head. "Maybe I gave the familiars a bit too much freedom."
The ravens circling and landing around the inn were indeed familiars created by Shiomi.
Using Rune Magecraft as a foundation, he had granted them temporary life through the Authority of Creation, allowing them to exist as ravens indistinguishable from ordinary birds.
The choice of ravens was also a gesture of respect toward Odin.
Compared to the familiars Shiomi had used in the past, these were far more formidable. Even if attacked, they would not simply vanish. Instead, they possessed a self-destruct property, forcing anyone who tried to eliminate them to think twice.
"That kind of thing… doesn't really matter…" Skadi murmured, eyes closed, clearly distracted.
She leaned against Shiomi's chest, her body trembling faintly. Then, as if jolted by a current, she straightened for a moment before gradually relaxing again, to the point where she almost seemed unable to keep her footing.
Shiomi pulled his hand back and glanced at his warm, damp fingers. "That was fast."
Earlier, with Shiomi blocking her and the distance of two balconies between them, plus the height difference between the eighth and seventh floors, Aoko and Alice hadn't actually noticed what was happening on this terrace.
"Greeting someone unrelated at a time like that… you almost scared me to death." Skadi grabbed Shiomi's arm and shot him a resentful, dissatisfied look.
That afternoon, when Shiomi returned to his room to create the familiars, Skadi, who was also well-versed in Primordial Runes, had helped him.
It did allow Shiomi to finish releasing the ravens earlier than planned, but it also brought Skadi a bit of "trouble."
At first, she had only been leaning in his arms, enjoying the scenery from the terrace. Somewhere along the way, Shiomi's hands started to wander.
Combined with the thin yukata she was wearing, her defenses were easily breached, leaving her like a puppet at his mercy.
"I might have gone a little too far. Sorry," Shiomi said softly, stroking the hair at the back of Skadi's head as he apologized.
"I-it's not like it was too much…" Skadi said, blushing as she nestled closer to him. "I was just worried someone might notice. And besides, it was kind of…"
Kind of comfortable.
She didn't manage to say it out loud, but she was certain Shiomi understood.
"Looks like I've already gotten pretty familiar with your body," Shiomi whispered near her ear. "I won't let you get bored from now on."
"Just hearing you say you might be the culprit behind this morning's incident is already enough to keep me from getting bored," Skadi replied, her breathing gradually evening out as she teased him with a more composed smile.
Since it hadn't been anything formal, Skadi wasn't especially exhausted.
The feeling was simple, like eating an ice cream during a moment of idle leisure.
"I already told you the details," Shiomi said. He had been about to tease her further by licking his fingers, but Skadi stopped him with a firm look. He switched to wiping his hands with a banknote instead. "These ravens are preparations for the investigation ahead."
"For example?" Skadi asked.
"Aoko Aozaki, of course," Shiomi replied. "Unlike Chaldea's Rayshift, Aoko Aozaki's Fifth Magic can intervene in this Singularity in a completely different way. In other words, she alone can achieve things that would normally require Chaldea's massive infrastructure working together."
Perhaps it was precisely because it could be done so effortlessly that it truly deserved to be called True Magic.
Even time travel was merely a byproduct.
"You suspect that Aoko Aozaki didn't tell the whole truth," Skadi said, understanding dawning on her. "Because she possessed information we still don't know, she ended up dying without witnesses or any prior signs?"
"That's about right." Shiomi glanced toward the direction where Aoko and the others had already returned to their room. "And then there's that witch's descendant, Alice Kuonji. As Aoko Aozaki's close friend, she appears in this Singularity while living in this era. Why did she accept that exorcism request in the first place?"
The sudden murder that morning had diverted everyone's attention, dulling their concern over the mysteries surrounding Alice Kuonji.
"Could it be connected to what you mentioned before… about this land being rewritten?" Skadi linked the two threads together.
"It's hard to say." Shiomi shook his head. "That's why I wanted to ask you. As a Divine Spirit, to what extent could you actually influence this land?"
Skadi thought for a moment, then turned toward the railing and looked out over the mountains and fields.
"This isn't the Nordic world, but a distant Eastern island nation. More than that, it isn't even the world where I was born and exist. Influencing this land isn't easy for me. Even if I tried to rewrite its rules, it wouldn't happen as subtly as what you've observed."
"That does make sense. It was similar back in Uruk. According to Miss Siduri, the changes to the land in the southern plains were especially pronounced." Shiomi crossed his arms, resting his chin on his left hand as he pondered.
Seeing Shiomi looking troubled, Skadi let out a soft chuckle. "Hehe~ You had time to tease me earlier, so I thought you had everything here completely under control."
"It's because I can't see the real enemy," Shiomi said, spreading his hands. "So far, aside from minor things like Strange Mountain Spirits, there's been no true culprit. Otherwise, I'd already be doing what I did in the Lostbelt and going straight for the king."
"The king…" Skadi murmured thoughtfully.
"Isn't that how it usually goes?" Shiomi reached out, running his fingers through Skadi's hair. "It was precisely because we managed to take you down smoothly that the Scandinavian Lostbelt was able to end in a relatively peaceful way."
On that point, Skadi found herself agreeing.
If she had truly gone to war with Shiomi, setting aside interference from the Alien Apostles or Caenis, she wasn't confident it would have ended so cleanly.
"Let's drop that topic." Shiomi tugged lightly at the collar of Skadi's bathrobe. "There's still a Singularity to investigate and resolve, but have you been enjoying yourself these past couple of days?"
Caught a little off guard by the question, Skadi reflected for a moment. "Whether it was the lodging, the food, or the sightseeing, everything was unfamiliar. Yet none of it felt hard to get used to. Instead, it gave me a sense of ease."
"So you weren't unhappy?" Shiomi pressed again.
"I was very happy," Skadi replied with a small nod, a hint of shyness in her voice.
Whether it was sightseeing or the time they spent being close together, it had all been enjoyable.
Both her body and her heart had been treated with the greatest care.
"That's good." Shiomi wrapped his arms around Skadi. "Don't worry about things here. I'll find a way to handle them."
"So I don't have to do anything at all?" Skadi objected.
"Not necessarily. If it really comes down to a fight, I won't hesitate to rely on you," Shiomi said.
She looked slightly surprised, then quickly understood. That was only natural.
"Hehehe~ Then feel free to make full use of my power. I won't let you down."