329 326. Once again.txt (1/2)

”'Now I lay down my flag'...

It was my second 'chanting' of the day.

My new power to 'replace' not only the mind but even the state of the body.

I acknowledge that this is the latest and greatest magic.

Even Rastiara, who was on the verge of death from [never to return] wounds, was completely restored. For the purpose of recovery, there is nothing better than this.

However, the response I had when I used it this second time - was empty (・・・・).

I didn't feel like I had recovered, nor did I feel like I owed anything 'instead' to it. I was surrounded by a lack of accomplishment, as if I had grabbed air and put it in my mouth.

'Success ...... No, it's a failure. After all (...), shouldering the disease doesn't change anything.

As I spoke my thoughts honestly, Dia, who was watching right next to me, raised her voice and grabbed me by the shoulders.

'Shh, fail ......!　It wasn't good enough!　You're not going to wake up again!

As my body shakes, I turn my attention once again to my patients.

There were two dark-haired girls in line.

--We are now in the underground city of the Great Holy City.

After escaping Ragne and Fafner's chase, we headed straight for the underground.

Then we found a mansion that was different from the one Ragne knew of, and we are now hiding and preparing ourselves.

When we reached the mansion, first and foremost I offered to treat the wounded. I was proud to be the most skilled of these men, but I simply felt that I was the only one who could heal them.

Perciona, Noir, and Sera, who had been defeated by your father, were slightly injured and easily made a full recovery. Rustyala, Dea and Snow, who were on the attacker's side, were nearly unharmed. The last two remaining were the unconscious Maria-san and Yotaki-sama--

I rented one of the larger bedrooms in the mansion. Then I spread a blanket on the floor, laid them both down, and treated them with the best magic I could.

However, the result was empty (from).

There was no debt to be 'replaced' at all.

Maria, who had been hit by Ragne's blow without me looking, just fainted.

Yotaki-sama, who was supposed to have had a serious illness for a thousand years and a 'curse' that never woke up, is also unchanged. The only thing that remains in her body is the cold air that makes her skin tense with a chill.

...... No, Dear. There is no disease that I can't cure with my current strength. With this, Yotaki-sama is now fully recovered. The illnesses in the original world, the first aid treatment of the founder a thousand years ago, and the magic he received from the apostles are all gone. However, there seems to be some effects from years of sleep and ...... it will take some time for him to awaken. I think I'll wake up as early as tomorrow or the day after tomorrow .......

My experience in the war a thousand years ago gives me an accurate picture of their condition. As I falsely stated the facts of the matter, Dear took her hand away from me with a sigh of relief.

'Oh, tomorrow or the next day ......?　Then it's okay ....... Ha, ha, now one of Kanami's wishes has been granted ....... Finally, Kanami's wish is ......, and yet Kanami is -- ugh, .......

Next, I held Yotaki-sama's hand as she slept, tears pooling in her eyes.

As I watched her, I spoke the rest of the story.

''Maria-san is fully recovered. This one will happen soon. However, her magic power is exhausted, so I wouldn't recommend forcing her to wake up now.

Is Maria fast: ......

Dia-san gets on her knees and buries her head in the chest of the sleeping Maria while holding Youtaki-sama's hand. She hides her tear-stained face and continues to call the name of her unconscious, dependable companion.

'Hey, Maria ....... Wake up quickly ....... I don't even know what to do anymore .......

As it was, Mr. Dear stopped moving.

Her body is intact, but her mind must be different. She looked terribly tired and was about to fall asleep with me.

His unsteady voice makes me feel uneasy.

If only Ms. Dear was a girl with no powers. But she has a magical power that rivals that of the Apostle and The One Who Steals Reason. I don't know when she will face the limits of her mind and go out of control.

Seeing the anxious expression on my face, Snow-san, who had been watching from the corner of the room, starts to move.

''I'll be watching you, Dia. I need to take it easy too ....... I'm resting here.

She is calmer than Dear, and she gently touches Dear's shoulder as she sits down and offers to nurse her.

It was just a word that felt like I was being told to leave without saying it.

I know that is her kindness. I think she is trying to keep me away because she doesn't want to cuss me out in any way.

I thank Ms. Snow for her calm judgment, say a quick 'yes' and walk out of the bedroom.

I hear Snow's voice behind me, ”Kanami ......,” she spills. A sobbing voice arrives with her.

I never look back and walk down the lonely corridor of the mansion alone.

''......!''

In the process, I almost fell down.

I put my hands on the wall as if to tap and manage to support myself. Then I check my condition, the last patient, to make sure I'm okay.

I can't stop bleeding from my abdomen.

I administered first aid with a cloth from the mansion, but it was of little use. If I wasn't the 'one who steals the reason for light', I would have died of blood loss long ago.

But that's still the warm side.

The more serious problem is the mind. Basic things like pain and nausea are fine because I'm used to them, but the magical symptoms are more painful than the other magic.

The anxiety that tightens my mind, the muddy regret that fills my head, the fear of the enemy that binds my limbs.

His sense of equilibrium and perspective is broken, and his breathing becomes shallow and thin.

When the tension is broken, you recognize it all. I stop, lie down, and almost fall into an eternal sleep with no worries.

I tighten the bandages on my abdomen and warn my mind to intensify the pain in my body.

Don't be distracted by the fact that we're in a safe zone.

Keep acting. If you stop, you will fall asleep.

The next time you fall asleep, it will be because you are--

I wobble down the hallway.

Then I reach the front of the living room and find the Knights of the Hoosiers discussing with grim faces.

Serah and Perciona were providing information to their Lastiara counterparts. Noir, who doesn't have much of a connection, seems to be quiet at the edge of the room.

What they were talking about was - about a past companion who had become an enemy.

Perciona goes on to talk about Ragne Kaikwola.

''-- Ragne was a knight working for a village named Sidore. As I recall, most of that thing's income was contracted to be sent to its homeland.

Rustyala sits at the table in the center of the living room and examines the information.

'So you were born on the frontier. Hmm ....... How did you come to Hoozeyards, Ragne, who was in that region?'

'As I recall, it was Palinkron and Hine who pulled Ragne out of the ground. I've checked out that one's homeland, but I don't think there was anything funny about it. Ragne was loved by those around him, and that one was truly grateful for that. Hence, Ragne really wanted to give back to his hometown, and that's why he's working his way up as a knight ...... Yes, I thought that .......

As Perciona speaks, she admits her inadequacies and lowers her voice.

Seeing this, the junior Sera takes over the conversation.

''After Ragne became the 'Seven Knights of Heaven (Celestial Knights)', she basically moved as my subordinate in many cases. Also, due to the fact that she was close to my age, I was also often guarding the young lady's surroundings. ......

'Yes, I know that part. I've talked a lot with Ragne and played with her a lot since I was born ....... I just didn't realize what Lagne-chan was really like at all, but ......

I hear that the three of us here had a family relationship with that Ragne.

But still, she's like that. All three of them darken their faces at that reality.

''That's me too. I never realized that Ragne had that much ambition at all.'

However, Sera wasn't the only one who couldn't just regret it, so she quickly looked up and looked forward. She would try to tell Rustyala as much as she could about what she knew.

'...... I used to share my holidays with Ragne. So, as his boss, I heard his personal story as well. I asked him at the time. I asked him if it wouldn't be hard to just send home what he'd gotten in the Allied countries. He replied with a smile, saying that if I became the first, my mother would come to see me, so I wouldn't be worried. At the time, I lightly overheard him say that he had a lot of trust in his family, but ...... now I feel like they were important words.

'It's your mom again ....... Serah, do you know where this Ragne's mother is now?

'Is it now ......?　The wife of House Caiquira, I believe--

'No, not that one. A mama when she wasn't a knight, a nobleman's adopted child, or a dependent maid of honor. You don't know what it was like when little Ragne was spending time with her birth parents or something?

'That's a quandary: ....... But if you've been adopted out of the hands of your foster parents, isn't that mum or whatever the hell she is, already dead?

'Yes ....... Once you get to that Sidoa village, you'll have to go to that Sidoa village to find out more about it or .......

It seems that Rustyala's policy still hasn't changed.

From every word, one can see the effort to understand Ragne.

The two former squires of Rustiala watch it with a bitter face, and Perciona picks up the continuation of the current conversation.

''I'm sorry, Miss. Even if I wanted to go and check it out, that Sidoa village ...... or rather that whole region was the 'Great Disaster' of a year ago, and it's already .......

'Huh?　Could it be that it's gone because of the 'Great Disaster'?

'No, it hasn't disappeared. It was at the edge of the continent, so it wasn't within the scope of the continental collapse. However, because it was a small village on the edge, the effects of the 'Great Calamity' seemed to be fatal. I heard that the harvest of agricultural crops had been drastically reduced and trade with the center had stopped completely, and the village had been abandoned. However, I also heard that the villagers did not die of starvation and were able to evacuate cleanly. Thanks to Ragne's sending money, that village had a lot of room to spare, so ......

Someone didn't die ....... Still, was that a cut-off point for you, Ragne?　She wants her discarded home back?　No. You want to see your mom again?　No, hmmm ......, hmmm ......

Rastiara is trying to find out what Ragne's true wish is, somehow.

She doesn't seem to fully believe the motive of 'I want to be the best' that she heard earlier in the castle. No, to be precise, 'I want to be the best' is one of the means, and she probably thinks that her true goal is something else.

I agree with that.

If ”I want to be the best” is all she has to offer, she can't have become that much of a ”theft of reason” (...).

After all, she killed your father and became the most powerful enemy that everyone here recognizes.

Ragne had succeeded in her means. However, the real goal he had planned to achieve was not achieved. It has become a strong 'unfinished business'. This would be her current state.

And I have a feeling that we will never know its true purpose.

I am sure that Ragnet will not tell anyone what is in her heart until she dies. No, perhaps she will keep it hidden, even to herself, until she dies. She has the pretense that she is like your father, that she is living a life of deception.

If she could find out what is deep inside her, it would be only the same being.

That's why Ragne hated your father in particular. She wanted to kill him before anything else.

I feel like that.

I'm not sure if I should convey that impression of me to Rastiara.

Surely she would welcome any information about Ragne. And if it will add even a little bit to the upcoming battle--

Don't go in there.

But it was stopped by a voice from behind him.

When I turned around, I saw Ryner there with his hood deeply pulled up. He had taken the liberty of acting as a scout on his own while everyone else was resting in this mansion. It seems that he has returned now.

Rastiara is good. But those two serious knights over there are still suspecting you of being the enemy. Your presence will only lead to more complications.

And then he goes on to give me some very straightforward advice.

Despite the fact that the enemy side had been turned upside down, the fact that I was manipulating Perciona and Sera didn't change the fact that I was manipulating them.

I'm used to being resented, but I didn't want to complicate the conversation and cause trouble for Rustyala. I stop myself from entering the living room.

'Besides, what we're talking about right now doesn't really matter to us. What do you want to know about your enemy's past after all this time?　No matter how much I think about it, he's not going to make it. Better yet, you come over here.

Ryner is not interested in what Ragne has to say, and Ryner beckons him to join in.

From the way he looks at it, Ryner's unwaveringness is evident.

Even if Rastiara prepares to reconcile with Ragne, he'll only prepare to kill Ragne with the 'worst' in mind.

As I recall, Ryner also had a long history with your father. Honestly, it's safe to say that he was fascinated by him. Still, unlike Dia-san and the others, he didn't show any signs of stopping at all.

The strength of his heart overwhelms me, but I try to say it back so that he doesn't feel self-conscious about it.

'...... haha. Reiner, I'm still sick as ever. You speak as if you can see right through me.

You were so predictable before, but now you're so predictable. You can't do that either, now, can you? That's a bad idea. ...... really.

However, the vanity was easily detected.

I used to torment Ryner through tormenting him when he was in the labyrinth, but it seems that I will no longer be able to gain an advantage over him.

The repeated 'cost' of the light will no longer allow me to be strong.

I don't have the energy and strength to push myself anymore.

...... Right.

Deciding there's no point in putting up a false front, I obediently listen to Ryner.

Then, as I am taken away, I move to the garden outside the mansion. There, I first check out his achievements in the Great Holy City on earth as a scout.

''Ryner, what happened to the Great Holy City?''

...... The ground is in chaos. The blood of the castle has encroached on the city and the army is on the move in a big way. Naturally, the civilians have begun to evacuate and are fleeing to churches and government offices. Maybe this underground city will be used as a shelter in the near future. After all, the 'Senate' that gave us this place is no more.

'You've seen the castle, haven't you?　How was Ragne?

Now he's in front of the castle against the Fooziers' army.

It would be a fair point.

It's been a few hours since Hoozeyards Castle was engulfed in blood.

Back in the old days when I was fighting the war, the core of the army was all private mercenaries held by the great families, but today, there are many soldiers that are directly taken care of by the state. That meant that there were garrisons of soldiers in various parts of the Great Holy City. Even though the big guy in Huzzyaz Castle was dead, the chain of command wasn't completely dead. In this era, there was enough time to decide on emergency action plans (manuals) for various unusual situations. It's more than enough conditions for the Great Sacred City's military officers to end the siege when they see the abnormality in the castle.

''When I saw it from a distance, Lagune was in the middle of a great struggle against multiple Knights of the Hooziers - about a hundred knights. It looks like a rebel is here to stay, stationed on the bridge, releasing all the fancy magic you've just learned. If I wanted to, I could assassinate only the commander, but I don't do that ...... Maybe the goal isn't just to kill everyone.

'Yes, maybe she's showing the world. Because she was obsessed with being the 'best' at what she did.

The people who gathered to retake the castle would become victims of Ragne, who had lost control of her self-expression. --a numb ache in my chest at that fact.

''That Fafner guy looks like he's doing something on the roof of the castle. I could see a thin layer of magic floating in the sky. ...... To be honest, this one is more unsettling to me. I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this. That blood-soaked castle is also clearly beyond the scope of magic. The knights I know went around the back and bombarded the castle with magic, but they didn't budge. Or rather, the blood knights were boiling out in response to that attack and were destroyed in reverse.

'Even Aleith and the Lands a thousand years ago had a hard time with that blood castle, so ....... Modern wizards, far removed from actual warfare, would have a hard time even getting inside.

Of course, modern wizards would be better in the field of research, not actual combat. If we take advantage of their strengths rather than bumping into them head-on, it's possible that we can capture the Blood Castle.

I try to explain that method to Ryner, including my own experience from a thousand years ago.