After finding him, Aesc and the others did not rush back to the Storm Border.
On one hand, the Storm Border had decided to make the best of the emergency landing and use the crash site as a base for exploring this underground world. Until they had a clearer understanding of the surroundings, the ship would not be departing anytime soon.
On the other hand, the ship's security forces were still sufficient, and at this moment other teams were already out exploring as well. There was no need to hurry. Returning at a normal pace was enough.
Of course, the most important reason was that they wanted to spend a little more time alone with Shiomi before returning to the ship.
After all, judging by their own reactions, once Skadi and the others saw him, things would probably turn chaotic in an entirely different way.
"Hm… so these are the jaguar-faced bandits you fought earlier?"
While walking back, Shiomi spotted the corpses scattered among the trees and asked.
"There were many of them, but overall they weren't much of a threat," Aesc said. "However, their fighting style was unusually fierce. Even after their throats were pierced or their heads cut off, they would still instinctively pull the trigger and keep firing until their bodies could no longer move."
"Probably a blessing from Tezcatlipoca," Shiomi said after thinking for a moment. "In Aztec mythology, that god presides over things like warfare. And when Tezcatlipoca briefly appeared during that siege earlier, his words and behavior clearly showed he had a taste for that sort of thing."
"Sounds a bit like a certain battle maniac," Aesc said with a pointed glance.
"Ahaha… I remember when I first met Master, she also called me a warrior," Shiomi said with an awkward laugh. "But there is a slight difference between a warrior and a fighter."
"Well said. Your reward is sleeping in my arms tonight." Scáthach smiled as she pinched Shiomi's small cheek and kissed him.
Aesc narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Don't start deciding tonight's arrangements on your own. With my husband in his current state, how could someone like you, who can barely manage daily life and only knows how to fight, possibly take proper care of him?"
"But… it's not like I'm completely incapable of taking care of myself," Shiomi muttered with a helpless grin.
"In any case, while Tenkei is not weak right now, his situation is still quite difficult," Artoria said seriously as she looked at him. "Please leave all daily matters to us for the time being. Once you have recovered all of your authority, then you can think about the rest, alright?"
"You all…" Shiomi looked at Scáthach's profile. "You're just curious about taking care of me because I've turned into a kid, aren't you?"
"Before, I never really noticed, but now that I'm smaller, Master, my wife, and even Artoria all look huge."
"Isn't it nice to change perspectives once in a while?" Scáthach said. "In the past, we were the ones lying on top of you. Now you can lie on top of us whenever you want."
Shiomi's face went completely blank.
"Let me say this first. My body really did shrink completely. It can't stand up anymore. Or rather… the 'standing up' function is gone. At least until I recover a teenage body."
"Hmm. My husband doesn't need to worry about that." Aesc leaned closer to Shiomi, a strange glimmer in her eyes. "With a little help from Magecraft, my husband can be just as heroic as before."
Shiomi's expression immediately changed.
"Hey, hey… there's really no need to go that far, right? Calm down. Even if my mind hasn't regressed, what you're suggesting would still be a crime."
"A crime?" Scáthach said. "What is a god over six thousand years old doing talking about something that has nothing to do with him?"
Artoria's face turned slightly red, apparently imagining what Shiomi might look like struggling in her arms.
"Y-yes… Tenkei really isn't suited to saying things like that."
"..." Shiomi was left speechless.
In the end, he could only put on an overly mature pose, leaning against his master's chest while pretending to sulk.
But the moment didn't last long. Soon it was Artoria's turn to carry him, and Shiomi couldn't keep that posture for even half a minute.
"Let's talk about something serious…" Shiomi hurriedly changed the subject. "Besides you who came out to search for me, there are other teams too, right?"
With her hands behind her back, Aesc lightly cleared away obstacles along the path.
"Two additional teams were sent out. Aside from the new Team A, there's another investigation group made up of Sakura, Caren, Gray, Baobhan Sith, and Barghest."
"This underground world is as hot and humid as a tropical rainforest. Won't they get heatstroke?" Shiomi asked, unable to hide his concern.
"Do you really think that?" Aesc glanced back at him.
"Hm?" Shiomi paused, then shook his head.
Scáthach kicked aside a fallen tree blocking the path.
"My beloved disciple knows perfectly well that they aren't that fragile."
"Knowing that is one thing. Worrying is another." Shiomi spread his hands. "For example, Aesc is already extremely strong now. There are very few people who could actually hurt her. But even so, I still can't help wanting to protect her and keep her away from unknown dangers."
Just like this time, when he sent Morgan back to the ship ahead of them.
Logically, he knew that if the two of them had stayed together, things might not necessarily have turned out worse.
But emotionally, his body had moved before his mind, instinctively choosing what felt like the safer option.
"Is my husband trying to quietly justify breaking his promise like this?" Aesc turned back with a bright smile as she looked at Shiomi. "Unfortunately, that won't work."
"No, no. I was just giving an example," Shiomi said frankly. "So how much farther is it? I want to get back to the ship, take a bath, and change clothes…"
Aesc looked at him with an expression that was both helpless and affectionate.
"You really are like a child. We're already here."
She pushed aside the wide leaves of a banana thicket ahead. Through the gaps in the dense foliage, the enormous silhouette of the Storm Border appeared.
"No, no, this has nothing to do with being a child," Shiomi said, shaking his head. "It's just that there hasn't been a proper river the entire way. Otherwise I would've jumped in and washed up already."
Scáthach spoke up at that moment.
"So when we get back to the ship, who does my beloved disciple want to accompany you in the bath?"
"Huh?" Shiomi froze again.
"With my husband in this state, it would be quite dangerous if he accidentally drowned in the bathtub," Aesc said thoughtfully. "So someone has to stay with you."
"Ah…" Shiomi let out a troubled sound.
Choosing one person to carry him earlier had already felt like a life-or-death dilemma.
Now having to choose two people to bathe with him felt almost as difficult as reclaiming his stolen authority.
"This shouldn't require that much thought, should it?" Aesc turned around and walked right up to him, practically pressing him for an answer.
Shiomi scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"Actually… I can bathe by myself… really…"
"Absolutely not."
His attempt to dodge the question was instantly rejected by all three of them.