After taking two doses of Age of Gods–level potions in succession, Shiomi felt much more refreshed. The drowsiness brought on by repeatedly sleeping for long stretches had long since vanished. The price, however, was a trauma of equally divine proportions left behind on his taste buds.
Next time, he really ought to pay more attention to how hard he pushed himself on the battlefield and avoid driving himself to that state again.
And because he had been completely exhausted, he had no choice but to watch Afrodite retreat with Kirschtaria instead of keeping them both there. That part was admittedly a loss.
Still, judging by the outcome, shooting down Artemis and forcing Olympus to pull back its defensive line, ensuring that Chaldea no longer had to worry about navigation safety in the Atlantis sea, was already a major step forward.
On top of that, Baobhan Sith had mentioned that Orion wanted to see him. It was probably related to Artemis, so he should make time to go to the island and meet Orion.
"Oh, perfect timing. I was just worrying about not being able to find you."
Touko, an unlit cigarette hanging from her lips, ran into Shiomi in the corridor and immediately motioned for him to come over.
"What is it?" Shiomi asked cautiously. "You didn't make a potion for me too, did you?"
Touko froze for a moment, then burst out laughing. "What are you talking about? I do know a bit about potions, but that's not my specialty. Compared to Morgan and the others, I'm nowhere close."
"That's a relief…" Shiomi let out a breath.
Touko was a puppeteer, a Lord from the Department of Creation, not the Department of Botany that specialized in potions. Her involvement with potion-making really was quite limited.
"Besides, you've hated bitter things ever since I first knew you. After living for thousands of years, you still haven't changed at all." Touko's brows lowered slightly, her voice tinged with a hint of loneliness.
"It's not like I can't handle anything bitter. Tea and coffee are fine," Shiomi waved it off. "By the way, is it true you've used up all your automata?"
"Storm Border's capacity is limited," Touko said. "The automata I sent out were basically used to their fullest under the Olympus fleet's artillery fire. But we did collect some very good combat data."
"So it was worth it?" Shiomi smiled.
"Very much so." Touko grabbed Shiomi by the hand and almost dragged him toward the Da Vinci workshop. "That's not why I was looking for you, though."
"Not for that?" Shiomi blinked.
"The Valkyries were heavily damaged by Demeter. The two Da Vinci tried repairing them, but they're machines from the Age of Gods, special divine constructs," Touko explained calmly. "After reviewing the damage and the progress so far, I think your authority might be more effective."
"Even Skadi couldn't handle it?" Shiomi asked in surprise.
Earlier, Skadi hadn't brought this up specifically. Clearly, because Touko had taken over and Shiomi would be coming to help, she hadn't felt the need to stress it.
"These are Valkyries created by the great god Odin, divine lifeforms born of technology that can no longer be reproduced," Touko said as she opened the door. "The ones Skadi made in the Scandinavian Lostbelt are nothing more than degraded imitations of these three."
"That does sound troublesome."
Shiomi stepped into the Da Vinci workshop and saw the Valkyries seated neatly on three reclining chairs, undergoing inspections and slow repair work.
When they noticed him enter, the Valkyries tried to greet him, but Shiomi stopped them.
"How bad is it?" Shiomi asked.
"Eldest sister suffered the most severe damage, all to protect me…" Ortlinde said, her expression tinged with sadness.
Although the Valkyries always emphasized that they were mechanical beings and had not fallen into humanity like their eldest sister, bonds undeniably existed between them.
Whether or not those bonds were something Odin had built into them from the start, they were not false.
They truly would stake their lives for one another, even if it meant their own destruction.
"If only my performance were a little better, I could have supported Ortlinde together with my sister." Hildr grew even more downcast. Among the three sisters, her emotions and personality were always the most visible.
As for the eldest sister, Thrúd remained silent, or rather, she simply could not speak.
She was still in a dormant state, unable even to hear the conversation taking place.
"Don't dwell on it. Your opponent was the Earth Goddess who governs abundance," Shiomi shook his head.
"Exactly. The fact that you all survived is enough. There's no need to worry about the damage," Touko said. "With him here, you'll recover for sure."
As she spoke, Shiomi had already placed his hand directly above Thrúd's head.
They possessed flesh and divinity, yet their way of thinking followed the concepts originally bestowed by their creator. That was what the Valkyries were.
And so, divine authority was a far more effective means of repair than Chaldea's technology, or even Skadi's Magecraft.
A light filled with vitality illuminated the room. Thrúd, her eyes tightly shut, gradually relaxed her expression and slowly opened them.
"Just as I thought. The effect is immediate," Touko laughed softly.
"Our great deity…" Thrúd looked at Shiomi and spoke from the heart, her voice filled with the reverence she always showed him.
In that, she was no different from her sisters.
"How is it?" Shiomi asked.
Thrúd raised her hand, clenched it, then relaxed it. "All functions are normal. There are no obstacles to combat. Thank you for your grace, Shiomi-sama—"
"If you're fine, then focus on recovering," Shiomi gestured for her not to move. "In a moment, have Touko give you all a full check."
As he spoke, he did the same for Hildr and Ortlinde.
The other two had lighter injuries and required little time.
"As for Demeter…" Shiomi thought for a moment, then gave up on asking about the details of the battle. "Never mind. You did very well this time. Don't let it weigh on you."
"This is our duty," Thrúd replied quietly.
Shiomi exchanged a glance with Touko, and the two of them shared a helpless smile.
"Alright, alright, you three Valkyries. Let me finish a thorough examination of your condition. After that, I'll still need your help with a few things."
Touko called out cheerfully, then gave Shiomi a wink to signal she would come find him later.
With the matter settled, Shiomi did not stay to get in the way of Touko's work. If the Valkyries needed to remove their outer garments, his presence would be rather awkward.
Even though the Valkyries themselves were completely unaware of such things.
Leaving the workshop, Shiomi passed by a porthole and looked out at the sea of Atlantis, feeling refreshed.
But before he could enjoy the moment, his master grabbed him and dragged him straight into a room.
"Master… could you please stop making me drink potions already?" Shiomi begged.
"Who told you it was a potion," Scáthach said as she undid the buttons at her collar. "This is an aphrodisiac."
"Huh?!"
"Come. Accompany your master and test its potency." She placed the small bottle in front of Shiomi.
"Oh no…"
...
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