By the time the team that had gone out to investigate returned, evening had already fallen.
For the first time, Shiomi experienced what it felt like to be "thoroughly ravaged."
Though in a rather pleasant way.
Letting go of everything and allowing them to take the lead felt surprisingly fresh.
"Mother and Grandmaster both look exhausted. Did you run into a powerful enemy while searching for Father?"
Sakura held Shiomi in her arms as she asked seriously.
They were currently in the activity room of the Storm Border.
Morgan and the others all looked completely drained. Some were sprawled across the sofa, others slumped over the edge of the table, looking like office workers who had been forced into overtime for an entire month.
Sakura and the others, who had just returned to the ship, reacted with the expected shock. Shiomi was already used to this kind of reaction. Once things were explained, it usually settled down.
Sakura insisted on holding him, and Shiomi had no good way to refuse, so he simply let it happen.
"Well..."
Shiomi wasn't quite sure how to explain.
"We ran into a powerful enemy in the forest. Even after fighting with everything we had, we couldn't win. We barely managed to escape."
Touko lounged sideways on the sofa, lazily giving Sakura and the others the explanation.
Caren nodded.
"There really was a huge tremor in the underground world. But it was too far away for us to investigate. At first we thought it was just an earthquake."
"That was caused by me."
Shiomi carefully shifted the topic.
"I was worried it might collapse the entire underground world and bury everyone here, but the situation was urgent. There wasn't time to worry about that."
"'Earth Mother's Feast'..."
Baobhan Sith looked thoughtful.
"To force Father to fight like that and still take away such an important authority... The fact that Father came back safely is already a blessing."
"But losing power turns him into a child? Father really is mysterious."
Sakura looked at Shiomi from behind, her heart beating a little faster.
She had been about this age when she became Shiomi's daughter.
In the years after that, whenever Shiomi took her and Caren out to play, he often carried them just like this.
"But it's only his body that got smaller. His face looks cute, but his expression and eyes are exactly the same."
Caren poked Shiomi's cheek.
"Should I feel relieved... or even more uneasy?"
"More importantly, shouldn't you all go get some rest first?" Shiomi said. "The temperature here is extremely hot. Even with Mystic Code protection, it's hard not to get tired."
He meant it purely out of concern for Sakura and the others.
Unfortunately, it had the opposite effect.
"Oh no... Do I smell sweaty?"
Sakura's face flushed red as she hurriedly pushed Shiomi into Caren's arms.
"It really doesn't feel right for Dad to sit in my lap like that."
"No, no, I didn't smell any sweat."
Shiomi quickly added,
"Don't worry so much. It's just that after sweating your body feels sticky and uncomfortable. Take a bath and change clothes first, then we can talk about what you found during today's exploration."
At that moment, Gray spoke up.
"Speaking of discoveries, we found a cave in that horn-shaped rock mountain you can see from the Storm Border."
"Right, right! Someone actually lives there."
Baobhan Sith showed a playful smile.
"After talking with him, he said he's not very willing to leave his secluded home. But if anything comes up, we can go visit again."
"Just a typical hermit, right?"
Shiomi raised an eyebrow.
"Why are you making that face, Baobhan Sith?"
Caren had the same expression.
"Dad, don't be too surprised when you hear this. The 'humans' in this Lostbelt are actually..."
"Dinosaur people?"
Shiomi reacted immediately, piecing together a guess from the clues he had seen earlier.
"Or maybe Jaguar Warriors?"
His answer startled them again.
"Dad, can you see the future now?"
Sakura covered her mouth.
At that moment, Scáthach, who had been leaning over the table playing with chess pieces, turned her head.
"When he reunited with his beloved disciple, he happened to run into a dinosaur that had become a Dead Apostle. Thinking about it afterward, it was probably an intelligent species that had been turned into one."
"I see."
Caren looked surprised.
"But the dinosaur person we met wasn't a Dead Apostle. He seemed to live alone in that cave and has been continuously observing the starry sky."
"Sounds a bit similar to Chaldea in some ways," Shiomi said. "Though it's probably just observation for the sake of observation. Did you learn anything else?"
"The 'humans' living in this Lostbelt are beings who call themselves Deinos," Sakura said, recalling the information they had gathered during the exchange. "The Deinos named Tepeu already learned from someone that this place is a Lostbelt, and he also knows about the existence of Pan-Human History."
"Is that so?" Shiomi looked surprised.
"But Tepeu didn't tell us who that person was." Caren shook her head. "However, he said he doesn't plan to treat us as enemies. At most, he sees us as guests. From his perspective, we aren't invaders or conquerors threatening this world. Instead, we're friends from another world who came here to accomplish 'what we must do.'"
Shiomi fell into thought.
"For someone living in a Lostbelt, that reaction is almost too rational. It's true we're not invaders or conquerors, but we will still end up destroying this Lostbelt. Even so, he doesn't mind?"
"That's because the Deinos aren't interested in that matter," Baobhan Sith continued. "According to him, Pan-Human History might be different, but the underground world of the Deinos is destined to be destroyed anyway."
It was an incredibly open-minded attitude. Even just hearing Sakura and the others recount it, Shiomi could sense that the Deinos named Tepeu possessed wisdom no less profound than that of humans.
"I see. In that case, I really would like to meet him and have a conversation." Shiomi nodded. "If we could gain his support, it would also help us better understand what's going on here."
After all, the authority that had been taken from him was scattered across different regions. If they were going to travel through those unknown areas, having a guide who understood the situation would make things much easier.
"In that case, we should include contacting the Deinos as part of the process of searching for the enemy who stole your authority, right?" Caren understood Shiomi's intention. "But since Dad has already returned, we'll stay on the ship. Later I'll mark the route on the Storm Border scan results."
"Then I'll go along to prevent any misunderstandings."
Baobhan Sith volunteered to act as the guide.
At that moment, Shiomi did a quick flip, jumping down from Caren's lap and landing on the floor.
"Before that, you should all go take a bath and relax. Later we'll have dinner together... and please don't start clapping like you're watching a relative's kid perform a talent show, alright?"
They held back their laughter and nodded in response to Shiomi.