The next day.

First thing in the morning, we all headed to Shello-san's house together.

The purpose was to introduce Ion-san and Shamash-san to Shello-san.

It turned out that Ion-san and Shello-san were already acquainted. Apparently, they had spoken several times back when Ion was studying under Isaac.

However, being acquainted didn’t mean they could meet in a cheerful mood.

Their relationship was... complicated. To put it bluntly, Ion was partially responsible for the events that led to the collapse of the Scarlet Wedge, the mercenary group where Shello-san had served as vice-captain.

Bringing Ion-san and Shello-san together meant confronting that past. Whether Shello-san would accept Ion-san depended on whether he could forgive her.

"...Ion-san. Are you nervous?"

I asked as we swayed along on horseback.

Ion-san was riding double with Diana. Incidentally, Ion-san was in front. And—as one might expect—she possessed superb horsemanship.

Her being a former [General] wasn't just for show, it seemed. Just because her Blessing was gone didn't mean everything she had developed up to that point had vanished as well. I supposed the "Vocation" correction only affected the rate of growth.

Ion-san spoke up.

"...To be honest, I am nervous. He truly cherished the group... so the idea that he would forgive me... feels hard to believe. He was quite a fierce person, after all."

"Fierce...?"

What did "fierce" even mean again? Did it refer to someone like a rabid dog or something?

The current Shello-san seemed pretty easygoing, but maybe he had been different during his mercenary days. After all, he was the sort of man who had earned the nickname "Monster (Juggernaut)."

Hmm...

"Did you two interact much? You and Shello-san?"

"Yes. While I was receiving instruction from Zack, he was always standing by nearby."

"Heeh... Why was Shello-san there too?"

Ion-san was supposed to be studying under Isaac as part of the princess's "Vocation education". I couldn't imagine the royal side allowing unnecessary people to stay close by.

At my question, Ion-san's face softened, as if recalling a fond memory.

"Fufu. Having him serve as my personal guard was one of Zack's conditions for teaching me. Zack never trusted the royal palace to begin with. He used to laugh and say that as long as the two of them were together, they could get through anything."

"Huh. So Isaac-san and Shello-san were close?"

"Yes. Close enough that it made me a little jealous... The palace maids used to have all sorts of scandalous delusions about the two of them being in a 'forbidden relationship.'"

"Ah..."

I'd never met Isaac, but I imagined he had been a polite, handsome young man.

And then there was Shello-san—rough-looking and macho on the surface—who had been close friends with him.

Hmm...?

Come to think of it, if they were best friends, Isaac must have been around the same age as Shello-san. I didn't actually know Shello-san's exact age, but judging from Rebecca-san's age, he should be fairly old by now... though in this world of Spirit Stones, age was kind of a loose concept.

"...Also, Ayase-san."

"Yeah?"

"From now on, please address me simply as 'Ion', without honorifics. I am just Ion—your maid, after all."

"That's... uh..."

Without honorifics, huh.

"Ion" itself was a false name anyway, so it shouldn't have been a big deal, but still...

Somehow, Ion-san just felt like an Ion-san to me.

I might even have been older than her, but calling a princess of a nation by her bare name felt... instinctively wrong.

"I've asked these two to do the same. It would be strange if your slave used no honorifics while the master used 'san', wouldn't it?"

By "these two", she probably meant Diana and Marina.

"Really? Marina too?"

"I'm calling Ion 'Ion' now, de-arimasu! She asked me to, so I'm doing it, de-arimasu!"

"What about you, Diana?"

"I was already calling her Ion."

I see.

They had all slept in the same bed last night, so maybe they had bonded then.

Or perhaps there had been a battle to decide the hierarchy within the household... No, that was probably going too far.

Still, if even Marina was calling her casually, then I couldn't very well keep using honorifics. Besides, if she was going to live as a different person, those of us who knew the truth had to cooperate. Calling her by her name was part of that.

"Alright. I'll call you Ion, then. It's an alias anyway."

"Yes, please do. Ayase-san... thank you."

Because she was a true princess, she had this noble aura that made me hesitate to be casual... but I was sure I'd get used to it.

"Hey, Ayase-kun."

"What is it, Shamash-san?"

Shamash-san was riding double with Marina—with Marina in the front, of course. A tanned duo on a single horse. They looked more like they belonged on a camel.

"Well, you know. You're obviously going to call me by my name too, right? If Ion is just 'Ion,' it would be weird for your slave to be 'Shamash-san', wouldn't it? Yeah?"

"Ah... well..."

Shamash-san too, huh.

"Come on, no need to be shy. Call me Shamash casually. I'm your slave, after all! Feel free to call out my name and order me around!"

"Hm..."

The thing was, Shamash-san just felt like a Shamash-san. She was clearly older than me—probably older than Priestess-chan, even. It felt weird to drop the honorific.

"No, I think 'Shamash-san' is still better."

After a bit of thought, that was my answer.

"What!?"

"Because even if the 'paperwork' says otherwise, you're much older than me. It feels awkward to be that casual... Maybe I'll change my mind eventually, so just bear with it for now."

"M-Mmngh... Very well... I suppose it can't be helped..."

I somehow managed to convince her... or not—she looked pretty pouty about it.

"Hey, stop being selfish, Shamash—you're troubling him, you know."

Ion-san jumped in.

The way Ion-san talked to me was totally different from how she talked to Shamash-san. She seemed much more relaxed with her.

"Quiet, Ion! You're the one being sly!"

"That's because I'm younger than Ayase-san. I'm just a maid named Ion."

Ion-san laughed brightly.

Seeing that natural, relaxed smile, Shamash-san blinked in surprise for a second.

"True. Well... if Ion is happy, I guess that's all that matters..."

"Hey, Shamash! Stop getting all sentimental all of a sudden!"

The two of them really were close.

'The closer you are with someone, the more often you fight with them' might be a cliché, but to Ion, Shamash-san was clearly someone truly special.

The fact that Ion had decided to come with me was probably largely because of Shamash-san's presence. Back then, if it had just been me hearing her story and offering to hide only her, Ion definitely wouldn't have agreed.

While chatting like that, we arrived at Shello-san's house at a relaxed pace.

* * *

I had actually considered waiting a bit longer before having the two of them meet. Ion-san might have needed more time to prepare mentally, and it wouldn't have hurt to wait until she was settled into her new life.

I didn't know the full details of what the mercenary group meant to Shello-san. I'd never heard about his relationship with the captain, Isaac. I didn't even know how large the group had been. Because of that, I had no way of knowing how Shello-san felt about Ion-san—the catalyst for the group's destruction.

Rebecca-san was out front hanging laundry, so I called out to her.

"Good morning, Rebecca-san."

"Ara? Jirou. Good Morning."

"Is Shello-san home right now? How's his mood? I was thinking of having him meet Ion-san..."

"Ion...? Oh, Princess Lucreion, huh? Let's see... Mm... Well... it should be... fine... probably?"

"That doesn't sound very reassuring..."

Maybe it was unknown even to Rebecca-san.

Even if common sense said Ion-san wasn't at fault, emotions don't always follow logic. Since I wasn't part of that mercenary group, I couldn't really say anything.

But hey, they say "fear is often greater than the danger itself." Ion just had to brace herself. She couldn't live here and avoid this forever.

"Alright, Ion-san. Let's go."

"Ayase-san. It's 'I-on.' Just Ion, remember?"

"Oh, right. Ion, um..."

"No need for polite speech either. Use a casual tone."

"I'll try. Alright... let's go."

"Yes. Please."

I reached for the door handle. Almost at the same time, Shello-san walked out.

Standing nearly two meters tall and built like a brick wall, Shello-san loomed over us. Even though I knew he was a kind man, his presence triggered a bit of an instinctive "fight or flight" response.

I knew now he was a kind person, but even if Ion had spoken with him before, they probably weren't that close. Would this be okay?

I glanced back at her. She wasn't intimidated at all; she stood tall and dignified, looking up at Shello-san.

"Oh, Jirou! Perfect timing. About that training menu I mentioned—"

Shello-san started talking as he noticed me, but as his eyes landed on the dignified figure of Ion standing behind me, he lost his words. It was like he'd been struck dumb.

He froze, looking like he'd just seen a ghost.

Ion was the first to speak.

"...It has been a long time. Shello-ojisama."

She looked Shello-san straight in the eye and bowed.

At those words, understanding finally washed over Shello-san's face.

"Pr... Prin... Princess...? Is it really you? Princess Lucreion...?"

"...Yes. I am Lucreion. I go by Ion now... I am well aware that I shouldn't be showing my face like this. However—"

"Oooohhhh!! Thank goodness! You're alive! After everything that happened, I thought for sure you had died long ago!"

Shello-san broke into a guileless smile, in stark contrast to Ion's dark expression.

Far from holding a grudge or refusing to forgive her, he didn't seem bothered at all.

"Um... about what happened to Zack... do you not hate me...?"

Ion asked hesitantly.

"Hah hah hah. Princess, were you worrying about that? To put it bluntly, all of us knew that a sheltered princess had been set up. Rebecca seemed to have some complicated feelings about it, but well—that's a special case."

Shello-san laughed heartily. He looked genuinely overjoyed to see an old acquaintance he thought was long gone. There wasn't a trace of resentment in him.

"It was a shame about Isaac, but it couldn't be helped. Our group was far stronger than the regular army, so we were being targeted from the start. You were just used as an excuse; you're a victim too. Don't worry about it."

"Ojisama..."

"You've gotten thin, Princess. You must have had a rough time."

"...Yes... I...."

Sniff.

As Shello-san spoke to her so gently, all the pent-up emotions finally overflowed, and tears began to stream down Ion's face.

To her, the fear that Shello-san—a former member of the Scarlet Wedge—might hate her must have been an immense source of stress. She probably never imagined that he would not only hold no grudge but be happy simply because she survived.

"...Uhhh... I'm so glad, Ion..."

When I looked to the side, even Shamash-san was crying.

* * *

Once Ion had finished a good cry, I explained the situation to Shello-san.

Since he already knew the background, I didn't have to go into much detail. She had escaped, been hidden by the demon race, and was now going to live with us. That was the gist of it.

After hearing the story, Shello-san gave a heavy nod.

"Princess. Meeting like this must be the will of Le Baraka. Jirou is a man I have high hopes for. He's more reliable than he looks. Jirou... I'm counting on you to look after the Princess—no, I mean Ion."

"You're overestimating me, but don't worry, I'll take care of her."

In truth, we still hadn't decided how Ion would be treated.

Being a maid was fine for now, but I couldn't keep her doing that forever. She probably had her own hopes for the future. Keeping her shut up in that mansion as a maid was basically the same as being a nun.

"Oh, and this is Shamash-san, the demonfolk who was sheltering Ion."

"Un. I'm Shamash, Ayase-kun's newest slave. Nice to meet you."

Shamash-san really pushed the "slave" angle even during introductions.

If too many beautiful slaves kept piling up, wouldn't it start sounding like I was going around advertising, 'My master is a total pervert'? To be honest, it was a bit embarrassing. I was a virgin, yet I was being treated like some legendary lecher.

"I'm Shello Roth. Princess... Ion, too—you were lucky to be sheltered by demonfolk. You have my thanks as well. Thank you for saving Princess Lucreion. I look forward to working with you."

"Fufufu, saving... helping Ion was a total coincidence. But it was fortunate for me as well."

"By the way... since you're demonfolk, you can use summoning magic, right? I've got a favor to ask... ah, not right this moment, but—"

Apparently, he wanted Shamash-san to summon magical beasts for serious combat training.

"I'll pay you!" he insisted—a rare request from him.

Shamash-san looked at me for approval, and of course, I said yes. I guess he hadn't changed; he was still a battle junkie.

Erishe was so peaceful that he'd probably been getting stressed from the lack of real fights.

* * *

"Say, Ayase-kun, if you're alright with it, I was thinking... maybe we should give Ion a new Blessing."

After we'd finished chatting and reminiscing over tea at Shello's place, Shamash-san brought this up out of the blue. Ion had been branded and lost her original Blessing. It was only recently that we used a Spirit Stone to purify the brand.

Wait—can Blessings be reacquired?

"Hmm? Oh, she can't receive the Blessing of the Great Spirit Le Baraka again. Once lost, that Blessing never returns. That's why this depends on whether Ion wants it."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you see, I happen to be a priestess of Vars, the Goddess of the Night Sky. So while Le Baraka's Blessing is out of the question, I can grant her the Blessing of the Night Sky Goddess. Of course, she'll get a Vocation and Guidance from Vars as well..."

O-Ohhhhh! I see! If one god casts you out, another picks you up. It's literally "out with the old, in with the new".

"I-Is it really okay? For me to receive a new Blessing...?"

Ion seemed hesitant.

She might be thinking about Isaac. She probably felt like she was the only one moving forward, toward happiness.

And honestly... that was the case.

Spending your whole life in mourning might be one way to live, but from a modern person's perspective, that felt way too extreme.

Ion deserved to be happy, too.

There were plenty of people who wished for happiness and never attained it. Even Ion didn't know if she would truly find happiness. But at the very least, trying to live for the sake of that future couldn't be wrong.

"Ion. Let's accept Shamash-san's Blessing... Besides, even if you're working at our place, it's better to have a Vocation. We won't know what kind of Vocation you'll get until we try."

"That's right. Princess... I mean, Princess Ion... no, just Ion. Damn it, I keep messing that up. Anyway, you should accept the Blessing. You don't need to feel guilty about Isaac. If you're starting over, you'll need a new Blessing."

"Exactly. It could be a way to truly be reborn from today and live as Ion. I, too, will treat you from now on as just Ion. That's why I think you should receive that Blessing. If you're going to make a fresh start here."

Shello-san and Rebecca-san both supported the idea.

Of course they did. There was no downside to receiving it.

I didn't know what kind of goddess Vars was, but I didn't really understand Le Baraka either, so it was fine... Actually, I knew a little about Le Baraka because his motif was all over the temples—he was a winged bull. Priestess-chan wore that horned hat because of him.

But anyway, this was about Ion's Blessing.

"...Is it truly alright?"

"Of course. You might even get some useful Guidance out of it."

"Can you really do it, Shamash?"

"But of course! I am a great mage, a great summoner, and a great priestess all at once!"

"You don't have to be that pompous about it."

"Uuugh... Ion is so strict with me..."

In all fairness, Shamash-san was incredibly capable. She was essentially on the same level as Priestess-chan.

"Alright, Shamash-san. Give it a go."

"Leave it to me! I'll give her the best Blessing possible!"

Shamash thumped her chest confidently and prepared to grant the Blessing. Even though it was for a different deity, the procedure was the same as the ones I'd seen before. The practitioner holds the recipient's hands and chants an incantation.

"Ion, are you ready?"

"Yes."

"I wonder what kind of Vocation she'll get. Will it be [General] again?"

"Hard to say..."

I wondered about that too.

She had originally been a General and had trained specifically for it. Logic said she'd get it again, but maybe different gods favored different Vocations? There wasn't much point in overthinking it, since we didn't have any other options.

"Then, let us begin. Ion, your hands."

"Yes. I'm in your care, Shamash."

"Right."

The two of them gripped hands and nodded to each other. With every word of the incantation Shamash-san spun, an aura began to overflow.

Then, after a flash of particularly brilliant light, the ritual of Blessing was successfully completed.