266 264. Epilogue Part 2.txt (1/2)

After seeing off Aide and Titi, I used sacred magic to heal Dia, even though it was poorly done. However, although I was able to lift the same state defect 'Recognition Inhibition' that had once affected me, Dia's skill 'Over-Capture Protection', which was the biggest problem, could not be lifted.

I thought it would be easy to cancel it as long as the Sith weren't around, but the roots were deeper than I thought. The fact that it was a skill that was acquired rather than a state defect was tricky.

A skill is an expression of a person's talent - so to speak, it is their life and soul. If I wanted to do it, I was confident that I could extract it with 《Distance Mute》, but I gave it up because I didn't know what side effects it would have.

But I didn't mind.

It wasn't something that could be easily solved by magic in the first place.

More importantly, I've just seen a much better solution.

I'm sure you'll be able to follow that sister and brother's example, and we'll be exchanging words and confirming our mistakes one by one.

”-- So, is the 'I' that comes up from time to time the real Dear ......?

In the center of King's Landing, on a field of flowers on the site of a duel, we talk.

That's ...... me when I can't afford to be. When I'm under pressure, my true character comes out and I say 'I'. Haha, weird, right?

”If 'I' is the real thing, does that mean the tone you're using now is an act ......?　If you're in pain, you can stop right now--

'No, no. I'm not forcing myself to act this out. It's just that this 'I' who wants to be a swordsman and the real 'I' are both 'Diablo Sith'. ......

The trouble was similar to the story I had just had with Ayd.

Aide who kept running away from the 'self' that he wanted to pretend wasn't there. If I'm going to suffer the same fate as him, I must definitely stop it. But that fear is dismissed by Dia herself.

'Don't worry, Kanami. I saw the end of the Aids earlier, too. I'm not trying to pretend the old 'me' didn't happen.

Apparently, by the looks of it, he also has memories of when he was an Apostle Sith.

I learned from the guardian of the guardian who had just passed away and said I would not make the same mistake again.

However, I won't even pretend that I'm not now. I still long to be a 'swordsman' and I sincerely want to be 'me'. I'm sure this dream is not a mistake. It is ...... the responsibility of being an Apostle Sith that was wrong. I guess that wasn't the only thing I should have been carrying .......

Simply put, the 'gardener' for Titi is probably the 'swordsman' for Dia. And for Titi, the 'ruling king (Lord)' is the 'apostle' for Dia.

In the face of that answer, there was not a single place for me to make a correction.

''All right. Both of them are Dia, right? ....... Then let's keep it that way.

When I said 'I' and when I said 'I', it was still the same Dia - just if I'm about to take on the responsibility of being an unlikely apostle, then and only then will I speak up.

As I think about this, the Dear in front of me adds to my anxiety.

'Thanks for understanding, ....... Just do me a favor, ....... I think to myself that when ”I” am on, it's a weird time. But that's just because I'm a little weak ....... So, Kanami ....... If I say the word 'I' ......, well, if you can, can you just be a little kinder to me ......?

The request surprises me a bit.

Come to think of it, this is the first time Dia has ever asked me to do something head-on.

Until today, she has been trying desperately to restrain herself from bothering me. Not only did she not want anything, but she had been following the instructions of me and my friends all along. Now I could see that it had been released, and I felt like I was getting closer to them.

Can't you go to ......?

Perhaps because of its small stature, it would naturally look up at me. Furthermore, it moved its ship arm and held and opened its hand. Even without the use of magic or skills, I could feel the magnitude of its anxiety.

Now Dia is trying to be brave and grab something important. I could see that.

'Of course. ”Of course, we're in this together, Dear. And I will do whatever I can to help.

I take Dia's hand in mine as she continues to search for that grip.

Then, Dia's eyebrows furrowed, and then she smiled.

Finally, I was able to grab what I was looking for ...... but I'm a little pathetic for relying on it. That's how it looks.

I'm not going to be able to get the same thing for you. She talks about her inner feelings from a year ago in a whisper.

”Kanami ....... A year ago, ......, I was actually anxious all the time ....... I was afraid that the memory of the apostle guy would come back. It was as if I was going to be born another ....... It was as if I was going to be denied the person I was to this day ....... I was really scared .......

In the middle of muttering, Dia pressed her forehead to my chest.

She must be embarrassed to make eye contact and talk to me. But she doesn't want to leave, so she seems to have no choice but to do so.

I put my hand on top of Dia's head and listen to her story.

''But I can't even confide in anyone ....... I had to keep worrying alone all the time, and it was painful. It was really painful .......

Yes.

I know a little bit of that fear and bitterness, too.

I was in a similar situation because of the Palinkron one.

'I didn't know which one was the real me: ....... There were days when I couldn't sleep a wink of an eye, wondering if Sis was the real me: ....... I had a lot of sleepless nights and it was hard .......

'I'm sorry. I've been so focused on myself that I haven't noticed it.

The signs were definitely there.

There were signs that I needed help.

Probably Hailey and Maria had noticed. I'm sure they had noticed it, but I hadn't been able to notice it, even though they had known Dia for less time than I had. That fact is just regrettable.

When I found out that it might have been me from a thousand years ago that broke Kanami's sister, I couldn't be next to her anymore. There's no way I could make her see ...... but I thought I could somehow redeem myself by running away ....... I ran away because I was scared, even though I knew there was no point in running away. I'm ......--

I wasn't the only one who regretted it, Dia regretted it too.

Unlike a year ago, we would regret it together, not alone.

That alone made me feel strangely differently about the weight of my heart.

'Of course, I lost my place in that escape. I recognized the Sith guy in my head, and I wasn't 'me' anymore, not even 'I' anymore. I didn't know who I was anymore, I was a mess in my head and I didn't know what ...... was going on in my head, and I felt like I'd been dreaming about walking down a dark road for a long time... ...

When you're alone, your mind is weak.

And it's hard to realize that until you're alone.

That's where the Apostle Sith seems to have poked me.

As I'm feeling angry at the Sith guy, a slightly cheerful voice comes out.

'But I'm back. Thanks to Kanami, I finally made it back. Thanks to Kanami calling my name. Thanks so much. ......

Dia let go of her forehead that was resting against my chest and raised her face from its prone position.

Then she gave me a very nostalgic smile.

It's the same smile I remembered when we were exploring the labyrinth together, when we fought together and were happy.

I remember the name he called me then, and I answer with a smile.

You can call me 'Christ' now, Dia, not 'Kanami'. The Allies call me 'Aika Wakanami Christ Eurasian Waldhusiers von Walker',” she says. I don't care what you call me anymore.

I jokingly said either way.

'Haha. Come to think of it, that's a name that's been bandied about too. Then I'll feel free to call you whatever I want. ...... doesn't matter what your name or position is. What's important is that I'm me and I'm--

'I'm here as me. That's the most important thing, you know.

Thus, we both finish answering the question of regret.

The name wasn't important to us anymore. It was a bit of an embarrassing line, but the two of us could laugh and show each other.

'Yeah, that's all I needed to know. The two of you are here ...... and that's all I needed to do, already. ......

And tears begin to seep from both of Dia's smiling eyes.

Something she had been holding back for a long time must be pouring out.

As if she didn't want me to see her tears, Dia hugged me tightly around the waist. She also places her forehead against my chest and hugs me tighter and tighter.

'I've learned over the past year. Sis and I are not the same ....... No, no two guys are exactly the same in the first place. That's obvious. There's no such thing as the same soul ...... in this world.

I listen to Dia's monologue as she strokes the back of her head.

'Oh, I feel lighter and lighter in mind and body ....... I'm not afraid of anything anymore .......

I'm really glad.

Thanks to Dia's honesty with me, I feel like my heart is getting lighter too. With Dia's return along with Yotaki, most of the worries of this other world have disappeared.

I hug Dia - the one I gained after my long battle - tightly in my chest.

She strengthens her hug in time with it.

As if to say that she will never let go again, she is as strong ...... as she can be.

That unreserved strength is something that Dia has never had before.

Finally, we are able to communicate with each other from the heart. Not only the body, but also the magic power is intertwined, and it is even as if our minds are overlapping.

In the midst of this illusion, an irreplaceably peaceful time passed, and in the middle of it all, I noticed something strange.

Or rather, the skill ”sensitivity” suddenly began to sound a warning tone.

My survival instincts, which had never sounded today, are loudly screaming at me, ”Danger!

'What?　Wait, wait, wait, Dia--

Sensing danger, he gets impatient and tries to move away from Dia.

-- but she doesn't move at all.

It's as if she's trapped in the stone, her body doesn't move even the slightest bit.

On the contrary, it has become impossible to even breathe. In addition, the unidentified pressure compressed my lungs and caused my ribs to creak. I feel like I'm going to crack at any moment.

Wait, wait--can you breathe?

At last, even the vocalization is blocked.

I immediately deploy Dimension without chanting to analyze the cause of the situation.

The abnormality that is attacking me right now - its true identity is undoubtedly Dia's magical power.

It is wrapped up by the excited magic power of Deer, and it is catching me as a physical force (・・・・・・). The too-dense magic power has become a giant hand and is holding me in its grip.

I decide that there's a situation to activate my trump card, and I chant magic again without chanting, and deploy ”Distance Mute” all over my body.

''--Hah!　Phew!

By understanding the attributes and nature of Dia's magical power and shifting the dimensions away from it, I manage to graze through.

As I turned blue in the face, Dia's magic power finally eased as I moved away.

I realize that I was too excited and my magic power was hard and strong, so I apologize in a hurry.

''Ah, ah!　Sorry, Kanami!　You know, my body is going to be ...... on its own!

Perhaps it's the effect of the skill ”Overcatch Protection” that we haven't been able to deactivate yet. As a side effect, it unconsciously makes you want to catch me.

And without considering the strength of my level 59, I try to catch my opponent with all my might.

If it was someone else, it would be a problem, but if it was me, who can sense danger beforehand with my ”Sensitivity” skill, it wouldn't be much of a problem. Thanks to the 《Distance Mute》, you won't die unless you're caught by surprise. And with this level of injury, the recovery magic I developed in the AID battle can be managed.

''Haha. No, I'm used to this level of injury, so it's fine. I don't care about it at all.

I reply with a smile while applying recovery magic to my cracked ribs.

Right now I can handle the magic of other attributes, albeit poorly. When it comes to big magic, you'll have to stab the Distance Mute into your chest and play with your soul, but if it's just basic magic, it's no problem.

''Are you familiar with ......?''

I'm not lying. If I broke a bone or two, I can easily heal myself now. I could have a ...... puppy frolicking with me for this much.

He tries to reassure me by implicitly saying it's a pretty thing.

I'm not trying to be strong or anything, I mean it.

My tolerance for pain has grown to the point where I don't like it. Coming to another world has also increased my basic physical sturdiness. If it's an injury of this magnitude, it would be just fine for practicing magic.

'So, but the pain is still there, right ......?　Sorry, I'll get it under control in a minute.

It was something I was used to, but gentle Dia hurriedly returned the leaked magic power back into her body and let it condense within her body. He grasps it with 《Dimension》 and speaks of the difference from a year ago.

''Compared to the first, you've really gotten better at handling magic power. ......

'Thanks to Master Alty and ...... frustrated but the Sith ones. I don't think I'll ever get the output wrong again ...... unless I'm in a hurry.

He added, ”As long as I don't get impatient,” as he seems to be getting to know his personality better. But without a doubt, I'm getting much better at controlling my magic power.

It's like this past year, I've been getting an up-close example of magic from a legendary apostle. If I think about it, he even raised my level on top of that, so I'm going to thank that guy for a little bit. Really, just a little bit.

'Oh, of course, the reason I've become so strong is because of Kanami, too!　First, Kanami was there to make me stronger!　Thank you so much!