“How much time has passed?”
“Eh? About 5 minutes…?”
It seemed that the flow of time was different.
I spent over a day inside the ‘Memory of True Self.’
But in reality, I was still waiting to meet the Pope.
“What? Did I fall asleep?”
“Yeah…”
“Must have been a nightmare, huh?”
“…”
Erica said with a smirk.
It sounded funny to suddenly wake up in a daze and ask how much time had passed.
I shouldn’t show agitation in front of my party.
I was worried it might give the impression that I could jeopardize the war effort.
“Yeah. It was a nightmare.”
Could it not be a nightmare?
I had to endure more than a day feeling crushed by an inexplicable sense of despair, losing both sight and hearing.
Even now, that slight feeling of melancholy was hard to articulate and really sucked.
“But do you usually sleep with your eyes open…?”
“Don’t worry. This will never happen during combat.”
“No, that’s not what I mean, I’m just concerned…”
“I said you don’t need to worry.”
“Geez, even if you do, it’s still annoying.”
Was she upset? Erica turned away.
Thanks to her, I managed to regain my composure.
Yet still, I couldn’t turn my head.
I couldn’t look at Iris.
I had no idea what to say.
But I had to say something.
Right now, I’m Schlus.
There should be something I ought to say to Iris.
Just as my lips began to twitch, the door burst open, and the Cardinal entered.
“I’m very sorry. The Pope has a sudden schedule…”
“We contacted you a day ago, didn’t we?”
“I’m sorry, Schlus. I couldn’t do anything about it…”
The Cardinal shook his head.
Seeing his troubled expression, I had a rough idea of what happened.
There couldn’t have been a sudden schedule for the Pope.
He must have refused to meet with me out of whim or perhaps for political reasons.
Or maybe he wasn’t smart enough to come up with a valid excuse and just felt moody.
To sum it up, it was likely, “Why didn’t you come find me sooner, you foolish commoner?”
“Ha… Alright. It’s good to see you again after so long.”
“Oh, yeah.”
I shook hands with the Cardinal.
Even if not as much as Iris, he was indeed a benefactor to Schlus.
He willingly lent his name to help me evade the pursuit of the kingdom’s army.
“Were there any issues caused by lending your surname?”
“Haha, I was already in the Cardinal position before you became famous. Even now, rumors about bastards occasionally circulate within the cathedral, but I deal with them severely every time, so they never spread too much. Hahaha.”
“…”
Aha.
It seemed that power resolved everything.
I figured he wouldn’t be adversely affected as long as he didn’t run for Pope.
Since I was borrowing someone else’s name, it didn’t seem like I’d have to worry too much.
“Schlus. This is a really, really difficult question to ask…”
“Go ahead. You have the right to.”
“Ugh. Have you really not found your mother yet?”
“…”
I had no way to respond.
I could only seal my lips again and remain silent.
“Don’t get me wrong. If, perhaps… if it’s what I’m thinking…”
“It’s not that.”
The Cardinal’s pitiful gaze was displeasing.
He sounded like he was treating me like the world’s most pitiful guy because I went silent about something he didn’t even understand.
I might not know Schlus’s situation well, but I couldn’t help but act knowledgeable about it.
“She’s alive. She must be somewhere out there. Don’t say such things.”
“I’m sorry. I overstepped…”
“It’s fine.”
I didn’t know much, but I believed that Schlus’s mother was alive.
I didn’t doubt it for a second.
Circumstantially, it seemed his father died in the war.
And he himself was wandering without a penny, with body issues.
If his last bloodline had also died, that would be an extreme injustice.
A reason to find someone besides Mary’s son had come into play.
Of course, I didn’t mean to act like a filial son and care for her with utmost sincerity.
I simply thought I should at least do my natural duty as a child.
That was the minimum responsibility I had to bear for having seized Schlus’s body without permission.
“Wow. The Pope, this guy, really. He makes plans first, then suddenly schedules something.”
“Aintz. Don’t talk like that in the cathedral…”
“I know. I know, Erica. Why are you making a fuss when even the Saintess is quiet?”
“If it’s not pious, can’t I point out the sacrilege?”
“Yeah, at least…”
“You three should go back to the inn first.”
“…?”
Just when Erica and Aintz were about to start a fight, someone cut in with a loud voice.
I was tired of watching it.
And I needed to be alone with Iris.
“Why? What’s up, buddy?”
“There’s something I need to report to Iris inside the cathedral.”
“If that’s the case, we could go together…”
“Ah, yes! Go on! We’ll be at the inn!”
“Erica! Why are you grabbing my hair! Aaaah!”
Erica, noticing my gaze, grabbed Aintz by the hair and dragged him out.
She was a considerate one, quick to act at just the right time.
That was much better than being like Aintz, who was always clueless.
Trie glanced at us but eventually turned away.
“I-I’ll be waiting outside.”
“Thanks, Trie.”
“Yes, Teacher.”
When I lightly tapped Trie on the shoulder, she smiled and stepped out.
She seemed to feel a considerable sense of responsibility in her role as my escort.
I felt incredibly supported.
Though it’s awkward to be called “Teacher” when I hardly taught her anything.
So in the vast corridor of the cathedral, only Iris and I remained.
As I started to step forward, Iris quickly followed closely behind.
“You said you have something to report inside? Hmm… I wonder what that could be. I’m excited.”
“It seems you couldn’t see it with Future Sight?”
“Unfortunately, I couldn’t.”
“You should get your hopes up. You’ll like it a lot.”
“Hehe… I really hope so.”
I realized once again how pretty her smile was.
Not the feigned smile Iris usually wore,
But the genuine one she couldn’t suppress now because she found it funny.
Was it because of rarity?
Trie seemed to smile a lot, but her smiles didn’t look as pretty, so it must be true.
“Iris. I remembered.”
“What did you remember?”
“The one who returned my sight and hearing. I just remembered who it was.”
“Hoohoo… That’s great! Who was it?”
“…”
Iris pushed her face closer with that feigned smile of hers.
Feeling pressured, I turned my head, not out of embarrassment, I swore.
“Oh, your ears are turning red.”
“What did you know to hold my hand like that?”
“Oh, that? It was just a joke.”
A joke.
What a funny thing to say.
Just as I was about to say that…
“It was when our clothes brushed against each other by the training room door, wasn’t it? Your gaze was strange, as if seeing something not of this world. Or maybe as if you were awakening memories… The next time was when you kissed the back of my hand, right? You might not have realized it, but you stood frozen for quite a while. That’s when I concluded that with every physical contact with me, you recalled some kind of memory. And the more similar that contact was to the past, the clearer your recall became. After that, well… you get it, right? It was merely replicating the pose. But I never expected you to fall into your memories like that.”
“Ah…”
“I’m sorry. I made you recall that memory. The most vivid one among all. You said it was a nightmare. I’m really sorry…”
“Iris. I should have said thank you sooner.”
“What…? Huh?”
“I’m a cunning guy who forgot the debt of gratitude. I just remembered, and I’m truly sorry. And thank you. Thank you for saving me. Thank you for not giving up on me. Thank you for returning my sight and hearing…”
“Puhuh… Ahahaha!”
We were having a serious conversation, but suddenly Iris burst into laughter.
Thanks to that, the spacious communal area was filled with her laughter.
It was Iris’s cheerful laughter, completely devoid of pretense—a sound I had never heard before.
I was a bit displeased at first, but soon that feeling vanished.
It was a sound that felt good to just listen to.
“Ah… I laughed too much. Ughuh… You haven’t remembered everything yet, have you? You’ve already thanked me well enough for that, you know. Kneeling and kissing the back of my hand.”
“…”
Only then did I recall.
When I kissed the back of Iris’s hand, ‘Memory of True Self’ activated and echoed:
-Thank you for returning my ears…
-I will never forget this debt.
-I’ll surely save you next time.
That was my gratitude toward Iris.
Now it felt like the puzzle pieces were finally fitting together.
“You can count the double thank you for being so grateful.”
“Hehehe… Then I can forget this and receive thank you again later? Infinitely. Forever.”
“I won’t forget again. I will never forget.”
“Yeah, right.”
“I can’t forget until I repay this debt.”
“Oh my, I never thought you’d have such a virtuous thought.”
“…”
Iris again smiled that feigned smile and tiptoed to pat the top of my head.
I felt like I was finally starting to realize how foolish I was.
I wasn’t just an ordinary fool.
I was a grotesque fool who didn’t even know the personality of the character I created.
Iris always acted kindly, even if she looked slightly gruff or unfriendly,
But I alone treated Iris as an imaginary enemy and was shadow-boxing away.
It was now absolutely certain.
Iris was on my side, Schlus’s side.
She always had been, and she always would be.
Then I didn’t need to be cautious of Iris from now on—
I could completely trust her.
“Ugh… Our friends must be waiting. Should we head out soon?”
“What do you mean you’re going? I haven’t shown you anything yet, Iris.”
“Huh? Wasn’t that just an excuse to make an opportunity for a talk alone?”
“When have you ever seen me brag? Just shut up and follow me.”
“…?”
I led Iris further inside.
It was my first time here, yet the structure felt oddly familiar.
Sofia Cathedral was a building I and that girl had designed, even going so far as to use computer graphics.
Memories of that time flooded back, and I could clearly see the maze-like structure of the cathedral.
We went down the stairs, and down some more until we reached a dead-end door.
“Sch-Schlus. Is it okay to be here?”
“No problem. This space is permitted for anyone serving Aigis.”
I pushed the door open with both hands.
It creaked—a high-pitched *creak*—and then a vast space revealed itself.
The ceiling rose into a dome shape, and at the top, sunlight warmly illuminated the altar.
There was a statue of the Sword-Wielding God, Aigis.
Before it, a small figure was bowing their head alone.
“No, no way…”
Did I recognize that back from just a glimpse? Iris’s voice trembled.
Just as she feared,
The monk known as the Great Sage appeared,
A Majin who received the title of Sage from the Pope.
Tilphit.
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