The moment I received Miragen’s contact, I felt a sort of intuition.
Her voice wasn’t as bright as before, so I could definitely guess something was up.
There’s something going on. But since she can still reach out, it’s probably not that urgent.
As that thought crossed my mind, I recalled that Miragen’s memories were slowly returning.
…Just a guess, but if those memories came back completely, she might be blaming herself for killing me.
It seems things are going to get complicated in many ways.
The only people remembering the past, including myself, are Adele and Adrian.
If we add Miragen to the mix, it means one more person tangled in the reincarnation caused by the Dead Dragon.
‘Is this what completion means?’
There aren’t many people entwined in this reincarnation.
If we consider the starting point of the reincarnation as the story created by the Dead Dragon, there must be clear conditions to reach the ending.
The immediate thought is that it requires the memories of several people to return.
Yuria’s memories came back but she’s beyond saving. Teresa regained her memories but is dead.
Other than that, I can think of Adele, Adrian, and Miragen.
I excluded Kaitel. He tried to kill me for a long time, but unlike the others, we didn’t often face each other.
In fact, one could say we’ve seen each other more in this round.
This story created by the Dead Dragon has definitely twisted somewhere.
Was it from the moment the Moon God intervened, or when I overcame my crumbling mind and got back up?
I can’t really guess about that yet, but the fact that it’s twisted means I can disrupt the Dead Dragon’s intentions.
It’s worth a shot. Though it’s become harder than capturing Kaitel, I caught a glimpse of the ‘beyond’ in the last fight with the Minotaurus.
If thinking doesn’t work, it’s better to just break through with my body.
Just as I was momentarily silent, a voice broke my thoughts.
It was Miragen’s voice from earlier.
What she told me was that recently she’s been having strange illusions.
She seemed a bit embarrassed, but when she said it felt like a vision, I became convinced it was something about memories.
Didn’t we have a similar experience last time? I thought it was unlikely… but this time it seems to be real.
-Robert?
“Understood. Then let’s meet a little later.”
After responding to Miragen’s voice in my ear, I turned my head toward where Adele was.
The earlier atmosphere had already faded away, but it seemed she was somewhat upset.
This time, I should at least make sure to say something before I go.
“I guess I’ll have to go and see.”
If I were to vanish again without saying a word, it felt like they would really come to catch me then.
“…Let me explain what you have recalled.”
The reflection of myself in the mirror looked gloomy.
It wasn’t easy to approach what I didn’t want to face and what I couldn’t explain.
#
“Is it the Imperial Family this time?”
Adele’s reaction was surprisingly calm.
Of course, she didn’t like it, but it seemed she had expected it in her own way.
Since she heard from Miragen, maybe she secretly thought it was the princess’s turn this time.
That’s not entirely wrong.
I hadn’t intended it, but hasn’t it been the case that we’ve been meeting in order since some moment?
“It has come to this. I’ve already informed Adrian, so I plan to move to Moon Tower right away—”
“Name.”
Adele mumbled briefly, then frowned at me for a moment.
“It feels like you’re calling it too easily. You can call me Adele, but don’t call others by name in front of me. You didn’t call my name so easily…”
Isn’t it others who call too easily?
Adele, grumbling, glanced at me and then let out a deep sigh while pressing her forehead.
Suddenly, her lips caught my eye and reminded me of what had happened earlier.
I really don’t know what I was thinking back then.
I was indeed lost in the atmosphere, but… I can’t say my emotions weren’t mixed in at all.
Next time, I’ll be more careful, I thought as I looked at Adele.
Seemingly calmer now, Adele clicked her tongue once and continued.
“Well, you won’t just vanish without a word this time, right? Then how long will you be in the Center before returning?”
“Maybe I’ll stay there for a while.”
“What? Wait, oh… now that I think about it, were you always a person from the Center?”
I had temporarily forgotten, having been in the North for so long, but I was the one leading Taylor.
Now that I had understood what those masked individuals were seeking, there wasn’t much reason to stay here.
The reason I was moving with Adrian was that I was going back.
When Adrian and I leave, what remains in the North will be just Adele alone.
I didn’t want to leave her behind, but it was inevitable.
“I’ll definitely come back. Originally, I planned to come in the fall, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, you should. After all, that’s always when I died.”
“……That’s not the only reason, though.”
It felt like I had to keep reminding myself that she had regained her memory.
But to casually talk about dying like that…
Talking about dying so casually is quite something.
Adele, who burst into a chuckle as I looked at her with a bewildered expression, rested her chin in her hand while gazing at me.
“It doesn’t matter. Whatever the reason, if you come, that should be enough.”
The line that had been drawn was erased again, and a new one was made, maintaining a precarious distance.
Before, it required reaching out my arm to touch it. Now, it was a distance so short I could reach it just by leaning forward…
As Adele stepped closer and leaned in, I felt a sensation on my cheek this time.
Forehead, then cheek. Adele gently brushed her fingers against my cheek and smiled lightly before speaking.
“I haven’t forgotten our bet. If you don’t come in winter, I’ll drag you here by force to watch the bell being rung. So until then-”
With a soft tap, Adele passed her sword into my hand, her bittersweet smile continuing as she spoke.
It seemed like she knew what was to come, yet her expression still bore a shadow of joy.
“Stay alive.”
“…I’ll do that.”
If it were my past life, I would have worried more for her life, but somehow this time it felt as if I were the one in greater danger.
Adele did not stop me as I turned to leave.
We could see each other again next time. There was no need to hold on unnecessarily.
Right now, it’s spring. After this spring comes summer. I know that summer is fast approaching.
And after summer, there’s autumn, and before long winter will arrive too.
Time has always flowed quickly, yet this time it feels oddly prolonged.
Even if we were to meet again soon, I felt a pang of regret just stepping out of this room.
Next time…
Should I stay a little longer? It wouldn’t be bad to live here for a few years, like I used to.
A long time ago, when I lived in the North.
#
Adrian set off again for the Moon Tower.
After all, she had no reason to stay longer in the North since she had come to help me.
I might bump into Adele again, but I figured I could occasionally see Adrian. As I bid farewell, my destination wasn’t Taylor, but the Imperial Family.
While it was important to visit my family, Miragen came first.
If what she spoke of as ‘delusion’ is really a memory,
there was a high chance for some change in this story initiated by the Dead Dragon.
If I had to guess, it might be the slim possibility of capturing the resurrected Dead Dragon.
Once everyone regains their memories, something will definitely change.
The transformation occurs.
Whatever it may be, it was clear that change existed in the endlessly repeating time.
But how on earth do I explain this?
Adel, who had somewhat accepted it from the beginning, was in a different situation than Adrian, who had examined my memories first.
How do I explain her my dozens of deaths… the ones she believes to be mere delusions?
“You’ve come to meet Her Highness the Princess.”
As I appeared, a strange light shimmered in the eyes of the guards and maids watching me.
I knew the rumors about my relationship with the princess had spread to some extent.
It wasn’t just a casual relationship. There was something secretive between us—right?
Having experienced this a few times before, I brushed it off, but this felt too obvious to ignore.
The twitching smiles of the guards were so obvious that I couldn’t help but chuckle as I moved forward.
As the maids who were glancing at me disappeared, I realized, with the guards guiding me, that something about the path had suddenly changed.
It was heading in the exact same direction as Miragen. More precisely, it was almost identical. If I hadn’t been this way hundreds of times before, I wouldn’t have noticed the tiny difference.
I had lowered my guard thinking the guards were leading me safely, but where the heck were we going?
“Wait a minute.”
As I stopped, the guard who was leading me also came to a halt.
I sighed at the sight of him not looking back.
I thought there might be such a presence in the Imperial Family, but when did he start noticing?
A trap? Probably not.
If there was a reason to sneak me all the way here, it was likely to show or tell me something.
“Where did you come from? No, I can guess.”
He looked like the usual guards, but I quickly realized it was a fake body created by magic.
As I released my magic, a cracking sound echoed in front of me.
The body crumbled slowly in response to the Divine Power, revealing…
A familiar energy and body. Even without seeing his face, I already knew.
The figure standing there with a white mask was someone I had encountered once before.
“…Cain.”
“It’s been a while. I didn’t get to properly greet you last time, so I’m here to do so now.”
Cain bowed his head and then threw off his mask.
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