I might be a little angry.
It would be safe in the imperial palace, yet here I am sneaking out to this place.
Miragen is… complicated.
If I were to explain the feelings I have when I look at Miragen, it would probably take a lot of time.
Maybe it’s not just because we’ve spent a long time together,
but because I witnessed her dying when she held the strongest emotions.
Well, to be honest, I wish Miragen would just stay in the imperial palace.
I regretted it a lot when she was in danger up North.
I mean, I felt like saying it was a mistake, and maybe I’d rather die in her place.
I thought she would be mindful of her position and act accordingly.
But now that I find myself in this situation, my chest feels tight.
If it were up to me, I wanted to confess that I would kill Kaitel.
If Kaitel disappears, Miragen becomes the Emperor, so I just want her to stay in the imperial palace, please.
I wanted to ask if she could hold on a little longer. But that wouldn’t be right.
It’s a future that only I should know, so I can’t act hastily.
I don’t know.
For now, I thought I could say something after seeing her face. Should I be angry?
Or should I just leave her be? I guess I’ll know when I see her… but I definitely can’t meet her with a smile like last time.
Even if I don’t think this area is particularly dangerous, it’s clear I need to be cautious.
Even if I had come with a magician, it’s true that encountering a lowlife non-human race is still risky.
I wish she would realize that she’s a little more precious.
Miragen sometimes had a tendency to throw herself into something.
Hasn’t she done that a few times before?
Of course, it’s all stuff I remember, but still, I doubt that her character has changed at all.
“Robert, we have to depart now.”
While I was staring blankly into space, Adrian approached me.
I responded with an understanding and sighed as I glanced in the direction where Miragen would be.
I know too well that nothing will change if I stand around here.
Even if I try to bring about some change, won’t it require meeting her first?
Having died several times, I thought about many things, but what I want in this life isn’t that great.
I just hope Adele, Adrian, and Miragen can live happily.
It would be even better if my purpose is fulfilled and I’m happy too. But the probability of that happening is probably low.
…I just hope everyone, except me, can be happy.
With no one getting hurt or sad, just smiling.
“Miragen is in the South?”
Adrian was very surprised at the mention of Miragen being in the South.
If she moved to that extent without saying a word to Adrian, just how secretly was she planning to act?
She might have left a clone in the imperial palace.
Back then, there were no restrictions on her, so she just came, but if she’s brought a magician this far, she must have prepared sufficiently for such a long shot.
“I contacted them earlier, and they’re in the South. We should be able to meet soon.”
If the elves opened the path, moving afterward was quite convenient. Their permission to traverse this forest they love grants a power that makes any rough terrain feel as smooth as a plain. The previously bumpy road became smooth, and the dense forest that obscured the horses’ view reached its branches straight up toward the sky.
The magic that is far too great for humans to handle, perhaps the reason there are so many magicians in the South is to mimic these spells. Adele gazed quietly at Adrian, who sat beside me. It seemed he sat down on his own rather than being forced like before, yet his expression wasn’t ordinary.
“So, Her Highness the Princess is in the South. I wonder if there’s really any reason for her to come all the way here.”
“It’s just a guess, but she might need something from here.”
“There are relics in the depths. I suppose that could be what’s necessary?”
Adrian, who knew Miragen well, answered. If it were her, she would understand Miragen’s circumstances to some extent, and she nodded slightly at the suggestion that relics might be needed. Although I didn’t know the exact reason this time, it seemed likely that this was the case.
If it were for another reason, there would be no need to come all the way here.
As far as I remember, the relics in the depths of the South were somewhat ambiguous in their uses. However, it is well known that the Moon Goddess ‘directly’ created them, so both the Order and the Imperial Family have a strong attachment to them. I thought if they weren’t in the depths of the South, the Order would have secured them long ago.
However, the depths are a place where numerous races and dangers lurk, and the Order, already short on personnel, named the depths of the South a ‘holy place’ instead of dispatching them.
Where the moon sleeps, a place in the middle of the continent where the Empire flourishes, and where a moon shines brighter than any night.
‘Sacrificial.’
It’s funny that it sounds like a word meaning sacrifice, but it hints that for the moon to shine, the light from those stars must be buried. Perhaps it’s the most fitting word.
“That means Her Highness the Princess is there.”
“We should be able to meet soon. If we take this path, we should arrive in a few minutes.”
As I spread my magic, Adele’s brow twitched slightly. She probably felt my magic, but that power was heading toward the depths of the forest.
And it reached there. When I sensed a faint magic that seemed to belong to Miragen, I frowned and opened my mouth.
“She’s definitely there. I hoped it was just my imagination.”
“You must have known it was dangerous, but is the situation that urgent?”
“Who knows what’s happening while we’re in the dark.”
Clunk.
The carriage stopped, and after sending Adrian down, I was about to head down immediately. But a hand grabbed me.
When I turned my head, I saw Adele quietly staring at me.
“You seem to be in a bad mood. Is it bothering you that Her Highness the Princess is here?”
“…That’s similar.”
“I wish you would just tell me honestly. Is it something about memories I don’t know?”
At that question, I briefly looked around, and after confirming no one was there, I smiled bitterly.
After confirming that no one was around, Rubin chuckled.
Was that answer sufficient? Adele released my arm and opened her mouth.
She looked a bit troubled.
Perhaps it was because there were still memories she didn’t know about.
“Still, there’s no need to get angry.”
“Why would I be angry?”
“I thought you might get angry if you just left like that. I know you’re worried about Her Highness the Princess more than I am, but still… just.”
For a moment, Adele pressed her forehead and let out a deep sigh.
She looked like she didn’t understand why she was giving me advice.
“If you don’t have any memories, there’s no way you can know why you’re feeling that way. It gets more complicated than you think.”
“…Haha.”
If she was trying to lighten my mood, I think it worked.
I felt like I might say something as soon as I saw Miragen, but hearing Adele’s words made me smile slightly.
It would be strange to show too much worry for Miragen here.
From Miragen’s perspective, we weren’t that close.
If I had gotten angry, it would have made our relationship awkward.
As I laughed, Adele nudged my back, saying I should go.
That gesture looked a bit cute. Jealousy, perhaps?
Last time I admitted I was indeed jealous, so maybe I wouldn’t be too pleased with her worrying about someone else.
“Would you like to go together?”
“Why should I?”
“I don’t think you’d be too happy about me being alone with Her Highness the Princess.”
Adele flinched at my joking remark, then quietly shook her head and turned away.
Was she not going to answer? She just went the direction where Adrian had disappeared, so I shifted my steps toward where Miragen was.
Adrian and Adele seemed to have purposely gone in the opposite direction.
Since I was already concerned about Miragen since earlier in the carriage, maybe they were making some space.
What I saw upon reaching the deeper area was a tower rising towards the sky, resembling the Moon Tower.
But unlike the Moon Tower, it doesn’t rise upward.
I had heard that the depth extending downwards was actually deeper than the height it reached above.
It seemed Miragen was inside there.
As I carefully stepped into the tower, I caught sight of a woman coming up the staircase.
Unlike the attire I saw at the Imperial Palace, she was dressed quite ordinarily, and I recognized her only by her unusual eyes.
Golden irises, a color only royalty possesses.
Our eyes met and momentarily wavered, before quickly finding their place and shining softly.
From her lips, which had been twitching several times, a small voice slipped out.
I have no idea what my expression looks like right now.
Adele had given me advice, but the truth is I’m still angry.
“…Oh, you came.”
“Who would come to this dangerous place like this? You arrived rather hurriedly.”
“Well, if I were to make an excuse, you see, I always find myself in precarious situations, right?”
“I know.”
As I stepped forward, Miragen took a step back.
I could see stairs behind her. If she backed up like that, she’d fall.
Thinking that, I moved closer, and Miragen retreated further.
Miragen stepped back a little.
I really don’t know what’s going through her head. Avoiding this isn’t the best plan. I think it would be better to face it head-on.
“I came to find a relic. Once I find it? Well, I think I won’t be showing up like this anymore.”
“Adrian said so. He said you probably came to find a relic.”
Thud.
Miragen seemed a bit surprised by my answer and smiled slightly.
After awkwardly chuckling a few times, she stumbled back, trying to avoid me.
Then, she tripped on the stairs and reached out, trying to stabilize herself.
I barely contained myself from asking if she was a fool.
If she had any thought at all, she would have realized she just came up those stairs.
With a thud, her outstretched hand grabbed my waist, pulling me close.
Her tilted body halted in midair as I pulled her in front of me.
It was a close distance. Our eyes could meet at any moment, our breaths mingling in a way that the scent was almost palpable.
Miragen’s lips, which were slightly parted, closed tightly.
Staring at her unusually smooth lips, I heard a soft voice near my ear.
“…Are you perhaps angry? That I came here?”
“I don’t know.”
I was angry. Sure, Adele mentioned it earlier, but when I looked at Miragen, I wanted to question why she had come to such a dangerous place.
Sure, I pushed her to the Teranite mine, but she had no reason to come here at all.
I thought I would be angry after seeing her face.
Strangely enough, I wasn’t.
“I was angry earlier, but not now.”
“I’m sorry. Um, next time I’ll let you know beforehand.”
“I think it would be best if you just didn’t come at all.”
A slight blush appeared on Miragen’s cheeks. Of course it would.
With her back against the wall, she was almost leaning on me, so we were pretty close to each other.
Her waist, which I was holding, twitched several times.
Supporting her shaky legs, Miragen took a deep breath.
Perhaps it was too much for her to bear; I couldn’t help but chuckle at her reddened earlobes.
She had never been immune to things like this. It was time to let go.
I didn’t think she could even get angry, and no matter how many warnings I gave, I had a feeling this would happen again next time.
Releasing my hold on her waist, I lightly flicked her forehead with my finger.
Tap-
“Ouch.”
“Next time, please contact me first. Stop bothering His Excellency the Emperor.”
I couldn’t help but smile at Miragen, who was holding her forehead and giving me a side glance.
It probably didn’t hurt that much; I just controlled my strength to make it sting a little.
This was just another usual occurrence.
Since long ago, even before Miragen could remember, the one who always lost was me.
There were times I wanted to be angry, but I ultimately couldn’t.
Unlike other couples who fought often, we had never raised our voices at each other.
Others might think it foolish, but in the end, I chose to lose again this time.
Maybe I would do the same next time.
Because whenever I looked at Miragen, I couldn’t help but choose that option.
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