[Hey, no matter how you put it, is it really okay to come out like this?]
“…I don’t know.”
[But still, we haven’t seen each other in 5 years, shouldn’t we at least catch up? To Rubia, it’s only been a week, though.]
“I-I’m not in the mood for that.”
Sitting on a rock somewhere in the mountains, I fiddled with the bracelet Sirin had given me.
Five years.
A whole five years.
And the times I’ve died…
How many times was it…?
[Eight thousand times. I don’t even know the last digit.]
Right.
Eight thousand times.
I’ve died a whopping eight thousand times in five years.
Even the annoying Sirin praised me.
And even Kalt, who always irritated me, praised me too.
I endured those truly, really tough times thinking only of Rubia…
[But hey, at least Rubia was wearing underwear. The spirit mage was completely naked.]
“Ugh…”
[They said it was part of the healing… what can you do? It’s true that feeling the flow of power or energy is more comfortable when you’re naked. Can’t argue with that.]
Right.
According to Rubia…
It was said to be part of the healing.
Still… she said she was at least wearing underwear.
She apologized, though…
“…U-um, how was it?”
[What?]
“How was Ser’s… body?”
[It was stunning.]
“…Really?”
[Yeah. It was so good that comparing it to us would be a crime.]
“Ah, no…! D-don’t say weird things like that!”
[But don’t you think Rubia likes you because of your body? Or not…? Hm… I’m not sure. Your lower half looks pretty solid, though.]
As Kalt’s endless teasing continued, I buried my face deep into my hugging knees.
[Well, anyway. I don’t think Rubia will ever fall for a spirit mage. You know that. Rubia doesn’t like girls; she likes you.]
“D-don’t say embarrassing things…”
I know that too…
[So, what’s the problem? You’ve become strong enough to kick almost anyone’s ass, and they said they’ll make the Fragment of End into whatever accessory you want, and Rubia still likes you.]
And…
[Plus, you even got a super nice bracelet from Sirin.]
Kalt pointed at the bracelet I had been touching.
[What was it called again? A bracelet of the fresh?]
“It’s not fresh; it’s the bracelet of new leaves.”
The name Sirin had told me was the Bracelet of New Leaves.
The effects of the bracelet… um… had a ton of things.
First and foremost, the most important effect was…
It said it removes the disparity between reality and the space created by Sirin.
Specifically, my awareness of death.
After dying eight thousand times, my awareness of death had completely vanished.
They said to never let my guard down because of it…
But honestly, I’m not sure if it works.
Hmm… I’m sure it felt the same back then as it does now.
[No.]
“…Huh?”
[It was completely different. Don’t you remember how you used to commit suicide whenever something went wrong? You’d twist your own neck if your toe broke or you had a fracture in your leg.]
“Did I…?”
[Yeah. If we counted all the times you committed suicide, it would be over ten thousand.]
…The effect seems insane.
[Well, whatever. Like me and Sirin said, there aren’t many existences capable of killing you back then. Just remember to stay alert. Like when you first killed Sirin, you could pull out your true energy unconsciously.]
“…D-don’t keep praising me… heh heh…”
I forcibly pulled down the corners of my lips that were rising uncontrollably.
I’m in a depression mode right now.
[Of course, I’m talking about the you back then. Not the you that has all sorts of powers sealed away like now.]
Ah… right.
The second effect of the Bracelet of New Leaves is, as Kalt said, sealing.
It seals away the incredible magical power I’ve gained through relentless training…
Actually, I’ve been told it’s not magical power, though.
Anyway, it seals away the power that leaks out, which I can’t control.
Moreover, I could originally unleash a force of 100, but now it’s been restricted to about 40.
I asked why it had to be done so harshly.
They said ordinary people could die just by getting close to the power I leaked.
And that… the power not matching my body would slowly kill me too.
Something about the core… blabla… They shared a lot, but there were too many complicated terms, and I zoned out.
“Anyway, that’s still me, and it’s me now…”
[That’s true. But don’t overestimate yourself. Thanks to the increased rank along with Frey, your weaknesses have decreased, but you’re still an ordinary human body. Those so-called masters you all talk about would be tough to beat.]
“…You didn’t say I couldn’t win though. Hehe…”
[I haven’t seen those guys, so I don’t know, but I think you’re going to win.]
“But… Sirin is also a master. I can only kill her once every 800 deaths…”
As soon as Kalt heard that Sirin was a master, he chuckled.
[Do you really think so? Sirin’s a master?]
Hearing Kalt’s mix of mockery, I shut my mouth for a while.
Master…
It’s kind of… a little strange to call her that.
“…I don’t know.”
I mumbled my response and slouched against the rock.
Even if I’ve sealed away that feeling from back then.
The power sealed doesn’t mean my memories are sealed too.
Well… I don’t have any memories while I was zoned out back then.
But I remember most of the important things.
Yeah… I still remember.
The techniques Sirin used.
The commands, the ancient magic, the breath.
[It’s a dragon. That thing.]
“…Yeah.”
[Not a normal dragon… Probably an original one.]
“Indeed…”
An original dragon.
The sealed old dragon.
Siriniaas.
It seemed like it was initially hidden thoroughly.
But I don’t know why it revealed itself so prominently in the end.
And, the dragon that should obviously be sealed…
Why it has been freed from the seal.
Why it’s adventuring in human form.
Why it’s wielding a sword that it isn’t used to.
Why it knows me.
Why it destroyed the mage tower.
Why.
Why.
Why.
Why, does it claim to be my master?
I don’t understand anything.
“Oww… my head hurts…”
[Just think about it easily. To you, it’s both a master and your best fighting force, right?]
“Right… but it’s a bit… a little burdensome… How about just a teacher…?”
[Teacher? What are you? A little kid?]
“W-well anyway, it’s true that it’s our best fighting force…”
It is…
But…
It makes me uneasy.
The final condition to reach the last chapter was to subjugate Siriniaas.
Unease, worry, fear.
Why are these feelings rising?
Am I afraid I can’t win if I have to fight Sirin?
Or…
Has our bond grown too deep?
[Why do you look so pathetic again?]
“K-Kalt.”
[Yeah.]
“If… if you were in your prime, could you have beaten Sirin?”
[If I use my unique ability, absolutely.]
The answer came back without the slightest hesitation and left me a little stunned.
“Uh… really? Then what was your unique ability?”
[Victory.]
“…Huh?”
[Absolute victory.]
Since Kalt wasn’t holding the Great Sword, I couldn’t see her expression.
Only her slightly subdued voice represented her feelings.
“Victory…?”
[Yeah. It was a power that granted me victory at the cost of one of my belongings.]
“Uh… isn’t that incredible?”
[Sure, it sounds good when you hear it, but… it had a lot of troublesome aspects.]
Kalt let out a deep sigh, and her voice became somewhat closer.
[What do you think victory means?]
“Winning?”
[Hehe… true. Winning. In the end, it’s about the result. Whether it’s a fight or a war; the outcome of any matter.]
“Oh, ohhh…”
[It wasn’t a problem for the simple things, like knocking out an enemy to claim victory. But… the ambiguous situations had many flaws.]
“Ambiguous situations…?”
[For example, if you and I bet on who lives longer.]
A self-deprecating laugh came through.
[If I lived longer, it doesn’t mean I would outlive you; you would just die earlier.]
“…Ah.”
[Once you make a wish, it can’t be altered.]
Kalt’s voice sank even lower.
[An absolute and twisted victory. That’s what my embodiment of the mind was. So, I could always achieve victory.]
“Ah, um… uh…”
I wonder if I regretted asking that…
Something… something bad must have happened…
W-what to do…?
[Anyway, that’s how it was. The cost of taking was bothersome and annoying, so I didn’t use it often, but in the end, I used it quite a few times. Because I didn’t want to die.]
I’m curious about the cost she took.
I’m really, really curious.
But…
Surely, it will only lead to bad story…
I don’t think I can withstand this atmosphere being heavier than it already is…!
“W-well-”
[The cost of hoping for victory against three dragons was my womb.]
“Hyuk…!”
[The most cherished dream was taken away from me. For victory.]
“I-I’m sorry to hear that…”
Sorry?
Sorry?!
Is that really the only word I can come up with after hearing something like that?!
[But hey, seeing it that way, isn’t it cheap? Wearing cheap leather armor, holding a cheap great sword, being a cheap mercenary, and still winning against dragons.]
“…But still.”
[It’s fine. After all, it’s all in the past, and the emotions from a thousand years ago have all been forgotten.]
A heavy feeling settled on my head.
Rough, violent, and careless touches.
It’s Kalt’s hand.
Sometimes like this…
She creates a form by pulling out my magical power, but why now…?
[It’s about the embodiment… No, it’s not. The unique ability, you see, it’s a power that emerges for what one wishes for the most.]
“…That seems to be the case.”
[Even I, who’s connected to you, have no idea what you wish for and what you want. Thus, I can’t provide any advice or nagging.]
That’s… a bit of relief?
Thwack-
“Ow!”
[Kid… I wanted to try to say something cheesy after a long time. Anyway, prepare your mind well before you face the trial. You wouldn’t want to have a clumsy ability.]
Trial…
According to Rubia, it is based on the memories of the past.
Will it be the past of the person who was the owner of this body?
Or…
“Huh! Huh! Ha!”
I shook my head vigorously and stood up.
To shake off those unnecessary thoughts, I stretched my body vigorously.
[What’s with the sudden weirdness… Oh, hey. Grab the Great Sword.]
Kalt said in a hurried voice.
“Yes, y-yes? The Great Sword?”
At the same time.
Clang- clank clank-
The sound of the Great Sword leaning against my right side moving away was heard.
“Huh…?”
[This is bad… what’s visible is a knight with forty and a wizard with thirty.]
“W-why all of a sudden…”
[Noah. First, calm down and listen to me carefully.]
Just before Kalt’s words continued.
Step- step-
“Herald of the Evil God.”
As the sound of stepping on withered leaves filled the air.
“I am Mern, the eleventh master.”
[…That’s a master?]
“Eleventh…?”
A middle-aged man’s voice echoed.
“I have come to reclaim the Mage Tower Master and our shaman, whom you kidnapped.”
Who are they here to reclaim?
The shaman.
Rubia?
Us?
No, my…
[Master this and Master that. Hey, calm down. Listen to me. You need to control your power well. If you don’t, the mountain might collapse along with Sirin’s barrier.]
“You’re blind without the Great Sword, aren’t you? Moreover, I know two more masters are coming up behind me. So if you give me those two, I’ll kill you cleanly before you’re sold off as a breeding sow.”
A vicious laugh echoed throughout the mountains.
[What’s with that wordy line? Are you asking me to kill you before you start talking more?]
I stretched out my hand.
“Ha! To give up so quickly without a fight-”
Shut up-
The fluctuating wave of magic didn’t surge like when I first held Frey.
It wasn’t as loud as when Sirin drew the Great Sword.
It was just… quietly.
It appeared naturally in my outstretched hand.
[Right. Just let’s kill that bastard. We can keep one of the guys coming from behind alive for interrogation.]
“What’s with that ominous Great Sword…?”
The vibes late to my perception painted a man, Melon or Mern or whatever.
His weapons are dual swords.
Perhaps it’s due to recently becoming a master, but he seems weaker than Kalt in appearance.
His unique ability is still unknown.
And behind him…
Dozens of magic circles and knights were lined up.
[Twice.]
Kalt giggled with a mischievous smile.
I shook my head and responded.
“No, just once.”
Upwards.
I slowly raised Frey.
“Die!”
Simultaneously, the dual swords charged forward, and the magic circles began to move.
The knights also started charging after the dual swords.
Downwards.
I accurately struck.
Swish-
[Why do you have to mention Rubia? You idiots.]
Behind Kalt’s laughing voice…
Half the mountain vanished.
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