“So, you assumed there was some other way?”
“It’s not like I didn’t feel a bit of foreknowledge when we fought.”
Mia’s observational skills were surprisingly impressive.
If you think about it, it wasn’t that strange. It’s not like her physical abilities were exceptional, and since she preferred to hole up in her room rather than be active, it didn’t show much. Mia had been somewhat brainwashed by her mother since childhood.
She was the one whose life goal was to kill me until just recently.
“But isn’t it weird? The existence of foresight abilities in reality. Even in a situation where visibility is obscured, hitting the enemy with pinpoint accuracy, as if knowing what threats lay ahead, casually handing over expensive Marmaros to me… How could you pull off such achievements against multiple skilled opponents?”
Mia unraveled all the feats she had seen me perform nearby.
“Plus… I haven’t personally experienced the battlefield, but if Jennifer’s training is weaker than an actual war… Is it even possible to go into such places alone and come back alive? Isn’t it certain that my life would be at a severe deficit?”
“…….”
“And you seem to know everything about the underground labyrinth, even predicting what waits in the heart of it. To instantly change tactics as if you had a solution handy and then massacre trained knights single-handedly… I thought that could only be possible with more than just physical abilities. Anyone present had to notice something was off.”
As she talked more, Mia’s voice, which had initially seemed tense upon meeting me, gradually settled down.
As she articulated the thoughts she was pondering, she seemed to relax instead.
“So I could arrive at a conclusion. Do you remember? When Sylvia came into my room looking for the gun.”
“I remember.”
“Until recently, I thought that was the only chance I had to kill Sylvia. I had a loaded gun in hand, was close enough to hit with my skill, and it was a pretty hefty caliber. But thinking back now… If there was a future where I would shoot that gun, Sylvia wouldn’t have handed it to me in the first place.”
“…….”
That was undeniable.
In truth, even amidst rewinding time, I had never actually died. I hadn’t died instantly even while recklessly charging through the battlefield, so I couldn’t know if rewinding time would bring me back or not.
So, Mia’s words were half right and half wrong. If Mia hadn’t killed me with a single shot, I would have chosen to rewind time and not return the gun.
But if Mia had killed me in one go, I wouldn’t know what would happen afterward.
“And from that point onward, it’s needless to say. No matter how I think about it, I can’t see a way to defeat Sylvia. Even with my magic.”
“So, does this mean you want to see that future until the end?”
“Um, maybe.”
Mia answered ambiguously.
“After completely abandoning the idea of killing Sylvia, I’ve noticed so many things I hadn’t seen before.”
Mia slowly articulated her thoughts one by one, as if to organize her mind again.
“I was thinking only of killing, purely killing. While I had that thought, I didn’t even consider what I liked or what I should do after killing Sylvia.”
Well, she even secretly stalked me.
At that time, I had even spouted some nonsense to her about ‘learning emotions’ just to muddle through the situation.
Mia definitely remembered the recent incident related to Sophia.
…I wonder if she still remembers it?
“But after giving that up… It’s strange. I clearly ‘gave up’ the most important thing in my life, yet countless other things have filled the void left by that importance.”
“When you say ‘other things’…”
“Things I want to do entered the place that lacks what I have to do.”
Mia lowered her gaze slightly. Her expression looked bitter.
“My physical abilities have somewhat declined. This was in the realm of innate talent, something I couldn’t change. So, I chose magic as my ‘offensive means.’ It would be more useful to hide evidence after succeeding, and I thought it would be better to apply it in various ways. I never thought I liked that.”
Her gaze, which had lowered, sparkled again as it rose to meet mine.
“But… it’s odd. That ability I only thought of as a means to kill you, Sylvia, you helped me use it for ‘another purpose.’ Protecting allies on the battlefield, using it to guard myself.”
Hmm…
Truthfully, I did that out of consideration for myself rather than for Mia.
But even I, with no sense of the atmosphere, realized that bringing that up now would be a buzzkill.
So I just kept quiet and listened.
“If we can call the Marmaros Sylvia gave me a gift, then it’s the first gift I’ve received from someone other than my parents. After attaching that Marmaros to my staff, while pondering how to utilize it and why she gave it to me, I realized one thing.”
Mia paused for a moment before continuing.
“I found it quite enjoyable to think that way.”
A slight smile flitted across Mia’s lips.
“I also thought about how I could defeat Sylvia again. That came from pondering what I could do with magic. How to utilize and apply it, thinking of what magic I could create by using the new Marmaros. At first, I simply chose magic to fit my talents, but now thinking about how that magic moves is enjoyable.”
“…….”
“And the various foods I’ve eaten while tailing Sylvia were delicious… I’m gradually finding things I like that way. So, this time too, I want to follow along.”
“I don’t know what might be at the end of that.”
“But if I reach that end, I’ll be able to see what it is.”
Mia’s words felt, what should I say… very wizard-like.
“And I’m curious. Whether Sylvia’s abilities are truly magical or something else entirely. It seems you’re not planning to tell me right now, but to figure out the cause, I have to follow to the end and see for myself, right?”
In Mia’s voice, there was no trace of the tense air she had shown just moments earlier.
“There might be an existence stronger than me deeper inside.”
“Th-there’s that, and it’s a bit scary.”
At my slightly mischievous remark, Mia stammered, looking a little flustered, but she didn’t seem to change her mind.
“But still, I’m not preparing and executing this alone.”
“……That’s true.”
If I had to think and execute everything alone, I definitely wouldn’t have made such a straightforward decision to go there.
I would have spent much longer contemplating, stalling for time, and strategizing.
“Now that you’ve said that much, I can’t think of any justification to stop you.”
“……D-did you come here intending to stop me from the start?”
Well, I tried to persuade you to come along.
But before I could persuade her, she seemed to have already made the conclusion, so I had nothing more to say. I’d given all the warnings I could.
Instead of responding, I stood up.
“Then as soon as the specific schedule is set, I will let you know.”
“Alright.”
Mia said as she got up to follow me.
“I’ll be waiting.”
*
As soon as I stepped out of Mia’s room, I almost let out a breath, but seeing the maid still nearby made me quickly hold it in. Luckily, the maid seemed to be slightly bowing her head, not quite catching my exact actions. It was not like I moved in such a conspicuous way or anything.
So who should I meet first next…?
It wasn’t dark yet. But I might not have enough time to meet everyone in just one day.
The Lutetia palace was vast, and among those I wanted to meet, there might be some in the annex.
Could I manage to circle around in just one day?
If I rewound time, the conversation would reset, so I couldn’t do that either.
I suddenly found myself respecting Leo, who would casually talk to every extra.
Well, in the game, talking to a few people didn’t cause time to pass.
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