383 380. New Year 0003.txt (1/2)

”The third year of the new year.

I learned that Sister Youtaki had also grown up without my knowledge, and I immediately set out to investigate the inside of Hoozeyer's Castle.

I wanted to know where and what sister Yotaki had been doing while my master and I were on our journey.

If we can find traces, we can guess the details of that new 'ice power'. In some cases, there was also the possibility that they could imitate it.

First and foremost, the most important thing is to know. That's what I had learned from my ”adventure”, and I continued to run around the castle. However, in the middle of that investigation, an apostle stops me.

''-- Tiara!　We need to talk!　I have a very good story!

A woman I'd become friends with over the past two years stood in front of me.

'Sis sister?　What is the ...... story?

I don't use honorifics, I speak as a friend. By the way, I'm the only person allowed to use this nickname other than 'the one who steals reason'. So I am a bit proud of it.

''Hmph. It's the perfect plan to ensure that we get through the upcoming battle. The name of the plan is 'The Banner of Light', that's what we're calling it--

However, the apostle who took the place of his sister tried to force me, his sisterhood, to sacrifice.

When I heard all the stories that the Sith sister brought up, even my expression became muddled, even as a quintessential person.

''--Uh, you mean, I'm under the banner of the Hoosiers?

'Yes, I do!　Be thankful!　Tiara Hoosiers can be the foundation for continental unity!　Be proud to die for the accomplishment of our apostle's purpose!　You will remain in the history books forever as the 'saint' chosen by the Apostle Sith!

In the habit of being a friend, she mentions my death without any hesitation.

Thinking it's the same as usual Sis sister, I turn to the other Apostle Diprakra-sama who was standing behind her.

...... Now that's just what the Sith said. I've been told that you are already rumored to be a ”saint” following the Savior in many places. For this reason, I've decided that you are the right person for the job. Of course, I've already spoken with the kings who are part of your family.

Somewhat proudly, Master Diprakra goes on to tell me about my future.

'I don't mind that my fathers sold me out, but that new role was not something I could easily tolerate.

'Wait a minute ......!　I'm not ready to be told that all of a sudden. ......!

Right now, I have my hands full with just my sister Youtaki.

I don't have a second to do that.

''Hm?　The banner of the Hoosiers means that it's a trump card in the fight against the 'Northern League' ...... isn't that what you like?　You will be at the center of this great comeback from adversity, won't you?

Lord Diprakra is diligent about the human mind.

With his thoughtfulness and observational skills, he knows what I like. Indeed, it's a very attractive proposition to be able to trump the great war that's about to happen. Just imagining being able to strike from the side with an imposing presence while the ”Stealers of Reason” are fighting is exciting to me.

However, I feel that once we get into the path of the Hoosiers' banner now, we'll never get out of it again.

It's like, for example.

”The Tiara Foozeyers, the banner of the Foozeyers, as the 'Flag of Light,' became a symbol of hope for the 'Confederacy. However, to carry that flag was also to bear the entire fate of the Foozeyers. The Tiara Fuzzyaz, who was entrusted with the task of being a ”substitute” for all things, is forced to stand in front of her loved ones at the end of her horrific battle. --All of this is in order to become an ”alternative”. That was the role that the girl called 'The Flag of Light' was born to play.

The last page of the book called.

Just the other day, I could never see myself falling into it, only because I reaffirmed my naivety. I spun the words to escape from that path, poisoning my mind with the words, ”Can't stand to die?

'Where is Lady Legacy?　What did he say?　And Sister Yotaki, too: ......

I tried to get confirmation that someone was not opposed to the plan. To which the Sith sister would answer without a pause.

'Legacy and Yotaki?　Come to think of it, you two have been working on something together lately. I haven't asked the two of you if you're up for it yet.

'What?　Those two are doing something together: ......?

A slight deviation from my intentions brought me some surprising information.

My eyes widened at a combination that had never happened before.

Most of all, I felt uncomfortable that the quiet Legacey-sama was acting actively.

It seems that Diprakra-sama was the same way, and she shows the same reaction as me.

''What?　That Legacy?

'You didn't know that?　...... Heh, you didn't know about the diplakra. Heh.

Mmm, what's the rush: ......?

Sister Sis seemed to feel the advantage of being the only one who knew, and with a smirk and a nasty look on her face, she encouraged Diprakra.

At that moment, she also felt uncomfortable with her strangely competitive nature.

But now, she prioritized her own safety and asked for details about the two of them.

''Sis sister. Where are sister Yotaki and Legacy-sama right now?

That's the tower where you were first treated two years ago. You've been doing some strange research in there for years.

Apparently they had been in the place where I had been imprisoned in the name of recuperation all along.

It was a blind spot that that empty tower had been repurposed. That's why I can be sure that that was the hiding place of sister Yotaki for two years.

''Excuse me, Di Prakra-sama!　I'm going to go talk to the two of you for a minute!　I'll tell you the story later--!

Sith-sama and Diprakra-sama stopped me from behind, but I didn't care and ran towards the tower.

I had never been back to that place in the past two years, but I had never taken a wrong turn.

I walked straight to my nostalgic home in the corner of the grounds - until I reached the entrance with a line of guards.

However, the soldiers who spotted me looked flustered and tried to stop my steps.

''Princess Tiara ......!　In a place like this, the princess is not--

'Something like this?　This tower was the place that supported me through my illness!　Best of all, it's the place where I first met Master Gentile!　Get out of my way!

I blackmailed the soldiers, who had been the gatekeepers, into retreating.

Then, like a landlord, I returned to the tower in a stately manner.

The tower, which once had only an old staircase and the top floor, had changed drastically.

The ceiling had become unusually low, and a large number of bookshelves had been brought in and filled with researchers he had never seen before. I pushed past them and climbed the familiar stairs. What awaited me at the end of it was the first time I had ever seen the second floor. I walk through that spacious, conference room-like room and walk up the next staircase at a quick pace as well. When I reached the third floor, I saw a scene similar to the basement of the research institute I had seen in Fania.

Around the large dissecting table, countless corpses of 'demons' were piled up around it.

Some of the corpses had already been dissected and their organs were scattered around. In that hellish space, there was a row of faces that I recognized.

The first was Helmina Neisha, the lord of Fania. She noticed me entering the room and stopped her work, rolling her eyes.

''What, Tiara-chan ......!　This is ......, its ......

She swims her eyes, looking very uncomfortable, and then tries to excuse herself. I smile at her and reassure her, even though my nose hurts from the unique iron smell of blood.

'You can keep doing it! Don't worry about me!

...... Um, aren't you angry?

'I wouldn't be angry. I'm still one of the fans of Helmina's ”Blood Power --but let me have a look around.

Yes, sir.

Intensifying my speech, I let Ms. Helmina quieten down and turned my attention to the second familiar face.

A child apostle in the center of the room was giving instructions to Helmina-san and the other researchers.

I had never seen Lady Legacy speak so briskly before. On top of that, he was surprisingly good at leadership. Everyone in the research team listened to what he said and moved with ease.

I tried to talk to this Mr. Legacy, but--

A tiara. I've been waiting for you to come back. I'm in the process of creating a human being from scratch in order to understand how it works. With the help of Helmina Neysha, an excellent human being there, I aim to be the one who can safely purify the demon poison.

He turned to me before I could ask him, and he was able to answer briefly about the current situation.

Two years ago, I had heard about the idea of creating a being that could safely purify the 'demon poison'. This was Helmina Neysha's plan to create a ”Magus Stone Human”. It seems that this apostle didn't hesitate to get involved in that ridiculous plan.

Moreover, as far as I can see now, the plan that was supposed to take a hundred years to complete was about to take shape.

Two years ago, I noticed the quality of the experimental work on the dissecting table in this room because I had imitated The Power of Blood and trained it as a mainstay all along.

While I can't speak in amazement, Legacy-sama continues to give me the information I want.

'This will no longer be the original creation of a 'magician' ....... It would be more accurate to say the creation of an artificial 'reason-stealing thing'. As an 'Apostle', I was better suited to create a 'reason-stealing thing' than a 'Fiend'.