342 339. Ragnes third milestone.txt (1/2)

Ragne stops and reaches forward.

Immediately I turned around to see what was out of her line of sight. There, the 'blood doll' that helped me earlier was standing there, protecting my back.

Ragne's eyes are drawn to the 'blood doll'.

Her body trembles, her eyes shake, and as she clings to it, she says one word in a small voice, ”--Rielle? He said the words that seemed to be his name. And as Ragne took a step forward to get closer to the 'blood puppet,'

”Oh--

The 'blood puppet' shook its head wide and lost its shape.

It becomes just a large amount of blood and disappears, mixing with the shallow pool of blood on the rooftop floor.

Lagune was stunned when he saw the scene.

To put it bluntly, she's defenseless. But I don't attack her and call out to her.

'Is that person now an acquaintance of Ragne's?

Quickly, Ragnet comes to himself, closes his mouth, and turns his serious eyes to me.

''Nosfi-san ....... Could it be that the knight now brought Nosfi-san ...... to this point?

Ragne didn't answer my question, but asked the opposite.

As my purpose is to 'discuss' with her, I don't particularly care to answer honestly.

'Yes, I do. You have saved me from a dangerous situation.'

'Really? ....... He helped Mr. Nosfy, didn't he? ......

Ragne slightly furrowed her brows and smiled.

From her mysterious voice, she could tell that the 'blood puppet' that she had just seen was both core and unplanned for her at the same time.

Did Ragne have a stake in it, or was there another reason? Rarely does he continue the 'discussion' that I want to have.

'So, that figure ....... Let's see, is it a monster snake type ......?　It's been a while since I've seen it. The one that appears in the lower levels of the labyrinth, right?

And then he picked and chose his words and threw a very inappropriate topic at me.

The situation reminds me a little of your father.

I'm sure he has something he wants to ask me. But I can't get that main topic out of the way. If I ask, I feel like I'm going to break something important, so I can't help but take a detour. If I'm not mistaken, Lagune right now looks like that, too.

''Yes. This is my true form. A thousand years ago, I would have been a 'demon' of the type called a snake person (lamia).

I was not ashamed of my appearance.

There is no doubt that this body has helped me get to this point. I may be grateful, but I'm not in denial.

'...... Something's changed a lot, hasn't it? You look like a different person than you did this morning. I don't know if you understood what I said,” he said.　That 'immortality' is me or Mr. Nosfi. He said the stronger one should make better use of it.

'I'm sorry, Ragne. Since this morning, my answer is still the same. I - no, we want to 'save Aikawa Uzumi'. The real 'magic' of 'the one who steals the reason for light' is not for me or Ragne, but for your father. -- ”I'm sure.

It's no wonder I look like a different person compared to this morning.

I'm standing here now, 'instead' of all my friends. My soul, so to speak, is not made up of just one Nosfi, so to speak.

'Surely, ....... To be honest, I was skeptical for a long time, but will that magic really bring you back to life?

Ragne's response was not what I had expected.

I was prepared for an even more outraged response than this morning, but she was very calm. As I continue to assure her with confidence, she confirms one of her assumptions. What's different from this morning is the quietness that makes me feel more like Ragne than me.

'Yes, I will definitely come back to life. That's what my 'stolen logic' power was all about.

That resuscitation technique is a single step and doesn't use much magic power.

It wouldn't even take that long. You can 'chant' as usual, become a 'substitute' and that's all it takes to revive you.

Lagune must have read the simplicity of that magic.

He lets out a dry laugh.

''People really do come back to life - ....... It's also quite easily ....... Ha, ha ha. Hahahahaha.

From Ragnet's point of view, this is the resurrection of his grudge enemy (Kanami), who he had killed with almost everything he had on the line. He seems shocked by this ironic reality.

And then he lets his eyes wander, even more vacantly.

The corpse of 'Father' behind me and the remains of the 'blood doll' that disappeared behind me, I'm comparing these two for some reason.

''Haha. And (...) - at this point in time, are you still trying to confuse me?　Not me or Mr. Nosfi, but Lady Rielle too?　Like my mom earlier, and the interruption of 'affinity', really: ......!　Really, come on, ......!

Exasperated, Ragne scratched her head.

From the looks of it, she is now speaking from the bottom of her heart. My magic is working, for better or worse - or so I thought.

I gripped the flag of light in my hand tightly and intensified the effect even more.

Within the effect of this magic 《Flag of Light (Nosfy Flag)》 is the true power of the light attribute. It is the foundation of light magic and the 'price' I have fallen into.

--The magic power of light makes people 'honest'.

It makes both you and your enemies 'honest' and triggers a resolution through 'discussion' rather than battle. It is truly an attribute only for the sake of world peace. It is the light.

As an expert (specialist) of that light, I am sacrificing my life to spread the greatest light ever to the entire Great Sacred City. Right now, the Great Sacred City is the kindest space ever in history.

The soldiers, my friends, Fafner and I - Ragne is no exception.

All are the objects of my light.

Therefore, in many ways, I believe that 'discussion' is now or never.

The only time I can deal with Lagune, who is likely to be less 'honest' than anyone else, is in this final moment of brilliance of the 'Stealer of the Light'.

After confirming that I have a good chance of winning, I repeat the two names Ragne mentioned earlier.

'Lagne ....... That 'mama' and 'Riel', are these two people important to you ......?

A name I had never heard of at all, 'Riel', and a name none of us had ever met before, 'Mama'.

I expected these two to be the core of Ragne Kaikwola and asked.

'............'

The well-spoken Ragne falls silent.

I listen more deeply, convinced that my prediction is not far off.

''The two who are not in the Great Holy City right now ....... Do you wish to reunite these two and Ragne?　If you want to reunite and go home together and live with the three of you ...... and you think so, then you're on the wrong track. That wish is much like Lord Titty, the 'one who steals the reason for the wind'. To clear that blockage in your heart, you need to go back to your hometown once, not to this 'summit' -

'No, Mr. Nosfi. ...... I don't care about my hometown. All that matters is to be the 'best'. The only thing that matters is to make sure that your loved ones are waiting for you there. That's all I need to do is to make sure. That's my dream since I was a child.

Rastiara and the others, who had known Ragne for a long time, had said that Ragne's true purpose was to 'revive his homeland' or 'reunite with his mother'. But that was denied without a pause. I had no choice but to look for a different way to cut it.

'But you're already 'best' enough. This is the 'summit' and you're standing above everyone else ....... In simple strength, you are the 'best'. Now you are stronger than anyone else in this castle.

...... Well, that's true. To be honest, this is usually the 'top' of the mountain, isn't it? Haha.

I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one who's been in this situation.

I truly believe that Lagune is the current world's strongest, and she is proud of it.

However, even though Lagune is the 'strongest' and the 'top' and the 'best', she shakes her head.

''But it's definitely not. Because my world is still dark. It's ...... dark. I never had a mum here, and my life didn't end. There was nothing on this 'summit'. No, it could have been, but it wasn't worth anything. It had no value. So, this place is not the 'best'. There is no way. -- definitely not.

It's a unique theory and comes back with an even stronger denial.

It's too emotional and the words are too abstract. It's almost impossible to convey to others.

But I can sense the wildness of it all.

I've had the experience of feeling dark in the face of a bright light. Days when the world is dark and I don't feel alive at all, no matter how hard I try.

A lot of things have happened and I've come out of it. But I wonder if Ragne has yet to go out into the bright lights even once. Otherwise, there is no way she could 'relate' to all of those 'reason-stealers' so brilliantly. I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this in the future.

That's all right, Mr. Nosphy. Still, I'm doing well, and the goal is right around the corner. I'm really close to being number one.

Seeing the worried look in my eyes, Ragne immediately strengthened that there was no need for that.

After all, she is different. I need to clarify the difference between her and 'the one who steals reason' who is always looking for someone to help her.

...... What exactly is that Lagune's goal?

I told you this morning, too. He said it would be the best if he kept killing and killing and killing and killing and killing and killing and killing and killing and killing and killing and killing and killing and killing and killing and killing and killing and killing and killing and killing and killing and killing and killing and killing and killing and killing and killing. If I work with Mr. Fafner now, it won't be so difficult.

If you kill them, you'll be the 'best', says Ragne lightly.

It seems that he killed your father, the 'Senate' and even the country of Huzzya's, and if that doesn't work, all of them.

I've strongly prepared myself to have a 'discussion', but for a moment I lose the words to reply.

I've always known that Lagune has a knack for thinking only in terms of killing people. He is so convinced that killing people, taking away their value, and growing as a person is the way to live. That's why their skills and power are so specialized in it.

Will I be able to correct that soul-implanted value: .......

No. Is it really wrong to begin with?

I have yet to decide if they are even values that others can casually deny.

And while I'm at a loss for words, she continues to talk about her 'dream' as if she were letting everything out of her body.

'Kill everything in the world, kill everything in the world ...... and drag out the people who pull the strings behind this world and kill ...... kill, kill, kill!　I'll be the last one standing!　Then, no one can complain about it anymore, because it's the best!

Perhaps it was the light, but her words were not light. It's got substance.

So I understand.

I don't feel guilty about Ragne at all now.

She can't think about the feelings of those who are dying in the process. No, maybe she thinks it's more of an insult to spare those who are dying.

-- she has become that (・・・・・・・).

That's the kind of person she has become.

No, this distorted and too solidly built (...).

Like your father (・・・・・・・), she has been made to be unquestionably that creation (・・・・・・・).

Otherwise, there are many contradictions that cannot be explained.

'That's why I say 'immortality' is so important!　Me!　I'm not an apostle, not a 'stealer of reason', not a 'gentile' - I was born into this world, I'm the representative of this world!　Destroy everything in this world!　Deny the way the world works and everything else!　I'll kill everyone who was pulling strings in the background!　Of course, I'll make you apologize for your life then, Mr. Nosfi!　So--!

And Lagune seems to understand all of these contradictions, and yet he seems to live with them.

It's as if he knows he's on the wrong path, that destruction is waiting for him at the end, and that it's all a meaningless battle, but he still intends to be the 'best' -.

So help me out!　Mr. Nosfi!　Not to Kanami, but to this lagnet!　Please be the strength of this lagne!

Ragne let it all out and finally asked for help.

A sincere request.

I didn't feel that all of his words so far were false.

It was as much of a 'discussion' as it was with your father.

The only thing I found out after we clashed hearts and minds was that the way of life and beliefs of Ragne Kaikwola and Nosfi Hooziyaz were 'opposite'.

'I see what you mean Ragne: ....... Perhaps you are most likely right. It's not just the weakness and mistakes of our 'stealers of reason' but also the strength and righteousness of our 'people' that we see in you now. ...... It's just that I can't do it. I just can't do it.

I looked at my father, who was lying on a pedestal behind Ragne.

She caught me and looked at her too, giving her a warm expression similar to mine.

''Still, you're going to bring that ...... Kanami's brother back to life, aren't you?

I'm your father and my family. I finally have my family. I will not abandon them.

I assure you clearly.

Ragne received that with a smile.

It's similar to the expression she had when she saw the 'blood doll' earlier. She swears evasively with a gentle smile, as if she knew it was going to happen.

'...... family. Oh, family? No one, no one, family family ....... Family, family family family ....... Oh, that's really silly. --I know that you don't have to tell me that.

I just can't deny it.

There's a sense of hope in that and I continue to speak.

'Lagne ......!　I'm sure only family will pay for the darkness you feel: ......!　I, Titi and the Aide, all of us, from the same ”Stealers of Reason”!　I was walking in the same dark world as Ragne!　But my family saved me!

'Family ....... Family to the rescue? ......

'Ragne, tell us about your 'mum'. Maybe there is something I can do for you. Let's 'talk' about it until you're satisfied. Let's talk about it until there are no more ”unresolved issues”. Let's find a solution that will help everyone. Because I don't have enemies here. I'm not your enemy. Rather, it's the opposite. I am here to help you: ......!

To prove my words, I thrust my weapon, the flag, into the ground nearby and extended my bloody hand in front of me.

It was the greatest expression of goodwill I could muster - but for Ragne, it seemed to be the opposite. He laughed, looking as if he had been insulted.

''Haha. Are you saying the same thing as those scum (...), even Nosfi-san?　That kind of thing is stinky. It's really stinky from a while ago. Stinky, stinky, stinky, stinky--

Sure, I know it's tempting to say that. Still, please believe me. Please. Please, please believe me.

You can play sweet talk. You could say that I am an expert in brainwashing and incitement. However, I never use that kind of skill (skill) and continue to speak only unadorned words.

I've been shown the closest thing to what it takes to save Ragne - or rather, what it takes to save 'the one who steals reason'.

Following that, I approach her defenselessly and without any magic at all. I just extend my hand to her.