394 391. New calendar 1013.txt (2/2)

Anxiety, like sticky mud, enveloped my whole body, and my whole body went rigid.

Hypothetically ......, hypothetically.

Suppose Kanami believed all the memories I saw now, a thousand years ago.

On top of that, if Kanami, after giving it enough thought, said, ”Replace me with Tiara right now,” then I would--

Of course, I know that Kanami would never say that.

But I knew it existed as a possibility.

If Kanami's memory is gradually recovered by me telling her about the events of a thousand years ago, and she regains all of her feelings at that time - there is a great possibility that she will prioritize the 'lover' with whom she had a heart-to-heart meeting a thousand years ago over me, who only spent only a dozen days.

'If ......, if that happens ......'

I start to shake, not only in my voice, but also in my hands.

I know that I should run out as fast as I can right now to join my friends and share the information with them. Yet, my body won't open the door in front of me.

On the contrary, I felt tears coming out of the depths of my eyes.

Because I got over the ”Nativity” and was freed from the adjustments of the ”Senate”, I now have the strongest feeling that every human being has: ”I don't want to disappear” and ”I don't want to die”. The feeling of ”I want to be with Kanami all the time” also oozes out of me and doesn't stop.

'Still ......, I don't want to end ....... Because ......!

I like Kanami.

I like her a lot.

Seeing the meeting between Tiara and Kanami that I remembered from a thousand years ago makes me admit that 'love interest' head on.

I, too, want to stay with Kanami until I die. ......!

Even if my thoughts are lighter than anyone else in the world, I love Kanami: ......!

Really, I love Kanami. ......!

So I don't want to leave you just yet, but--

'............?　Huh?

Only, before he could utter that desire, a roaring sound rang out inside the inn.

Following that, a tremendous rush of magical power hit the skin.

''This, this feeling is 《Flame Arrow》?　Someone's fighting nearby: ......!

When I analyzed the magic that my friends often use, my body had opened a door.

There is still a lot of anxiety left that I can't dispel. But it doesn't reach the point where I have to abandon my friends.

Although my body is not in its true condition, I headed towards the source of magic at the highest speed I can now produce.

Perhaps infected with Tiara-sama's emotions from a thousand years ago, the thought of not wanting to do anything but 'regret' was so strong that I desperately ran to the battlefield.

However, by the time I reached the room where the battle began, the battle was already over.

''--I'm sorry, Maria!　I let my guard down!　...... I need to catch up with Deere soon!

Kanami was in the garden of the inn, staring at the sky and screaming. Like me, Dia, whose memories from a thousand years ago had been evoked, had just escaped when the apostle's consciousness took over.

--and thus begins my two chapters of defeat and regret in earnest.

After this, we would follow the Apostle Sith to the fort where Palinkron was, and all the while I was thinking.

If only I had replaced Lady Tiara in The Nativity, I thought.

Lord Tiara, who will be talked about in the world a thousand years from now, could have stopped the Apostle Sith from flying away earlier.

That regret would be repeated in the fight against Palinkulon.

If it was Tiara-sama who was fighting with Kanami, there wouldn't have been a 'Jewelculus' who would have been easily rendered incapable of fighting in the 'World Devotional Formation'.

If only they had taken his or her place, there is a high possibility that they would have been able to free Dia from the Apostle Sith at the time of the surprise attack at this fort.

Most importantly, I wouldn't have been the one to see Kanami's back off for lack of strength when we were talking about pursuing the Palinkron.

And I would not have had Hailey Weisprope die on a battlefield I couldn't go to, nor would Kanami have been swallowed up by the 'World Devotional Squad'.

Once I started rolling down the hill, the two chapters did not stop.

One after another, the defeats were repeated.

One after another, regret piled up.

By the time I got to this point, the answer was already faintly apparent to me.

Then, after Palinkulon's ”World Retribution Team,” the remaining members of the team conducted a mission to recover Dia's body.

I'm going to be the one who stole the logic of the tree, the Aide, the Sith, and the new King of the Dominion (the Lord), and I'm going to lose four straight battles against them. ...... The way Ayd and Sith fought, knowing a thousand years ago, told me that ”that tiara was strong, but this Las Tiaras or something like that is not a threat”.

Ah.

The answer is simple.

--this is what happens because there is no Tiara-sama who should be there.

After the defeat that proved the answer to that question, once we returned to our base, the 'Living Legend'.

Me, Maria, Snow, Reaper, and Sera gathered on the deck of the ship to discuss the future.

Fortunately, the aids were all about fighting away, so there wasn't a single injured person on our side. Even so, compared to when Kanami was there, that strategy meeting was very quiet.

Amidst the tense air that seems to be breaking now, Snow makes a suggestion.

I'm not going to be able to get to the bottom of it,” he said. At this stage, we can't defeat either the Guardians or the Apostles.

After Kanami was gone, Snow was practically the leader of the party.

Thanks to Kanami's assurances that she would carefully and calmly lead the party because she was more timid than anyone else, I didn't have to be the leader.

The strategy meeting went on, leaving me without a single word to say.

'Reaper, you've been telling me all along, haven't you?　He said there's something in that 'Great Hollow'.

...... Yeah, there's definitely something in there. I feel like there's something very important waiting for us.

'I think the Reaper's instincts mean something. Do you guys?

There is now a large hole in the center of the 'mainland' in the 'World Vengeance Formation'. And although the standards are different, the same labyrinth of the Allied nations has been created there.

So, first of all, let's reorganize our forces, Snow suggested, and Maria nodded.

''I agree with you. That's the place where Kanami-san disappeared, so I wanted to explore it to its limits for once.''

She's been rougher than anyone else since Kanami disappeared, but she's very calm now.

It seems that she doesn't want to argue with me since this proposal has led to the discovery of Kanami.

Seeing how many votes were gathered in favor of it, I nodded lightly towards Snow to agree with her. Behind me, Sera-chan replies in a small way, ''I'll follow the young lady.

''Alright, it's decided. Well then, the order of travel is--

Not only did I not take a leadership role, I didn't even join the conversation much anymore.

This is because even if I just watched from the back, the conversation would come together properly.

But that also means that my power is no longer needed by everyone. Without worrying, I didn't miss the opportunity for this ship to go south and confide the answer I've been holding onto for a long time to everyone.

'--I'm all for going to the 'Great Hollow'. But I hope you'll let me get out of the way.

When I suggested that, I think the air in the strategy meeting stopped for a moment.

Among them, only Maria turns to me with a face that is truly surprised.

''Eh ......?''

'Little by little, ......, I know I'm a liability myself. Even in the last battle in The Lord Who Rules (Lord), I was the only one who didn't do anything to help .......

The only person who was upset was Maria.

Perhaps both Snow and the Reaper understand that I can no longer join the fight.

While even Sera-chan, who is fascinated by me, doesn't speak up, Maria is the only one who refuses to acknowledge that reality.

''Hey, what are you talking about?　No, it's not!　Mr. Rastiara is a Levantine saint!　He's that saint!

...... That's not true, Maria. That's not me. ...... I'm not the 'real' thing.

Unlike Maria and the other 'real' people, I am a 'fictional' person who cannot stay in the story unless I play my original role.

That's right.

I have to fulfill my original role.

If the 're-birth' of the 'real' saint, Tiara-sama, doesn't end, I will forever be accumulating regrets.

'Not Mr. Las Tiara ......?　So what are you talking about!　There's no one more genuine than you!　I don't know anyone as strong, good-looking and beautiful as you are!

'Thank you, Maria. ...... but I can't change the fact that I'm the only one who can't get up on the stage. If I'm going to fight or level up, you don't need me anymore. I hope the baggage Rustyala Hoosiers are cool with the fact that they should be doing something other than fighting: ......

Anyway, there are too many things I'm missing.

So I turned to Snow, the leader, to ask her to please agree to this departure. But when Maria saw that, she shouted before Snow did.

''Su, please say something from Snow-san!　Are you sure?!

'It's ...... Maria, I'm sorry. I know exactly how Lady Rustyala feels.

'So you don't want it anymore!　You're telling me you're leaving me because I can't follow you!　It's not that--!

Without the consent of anyone around her, Maria gradually oozes fire from her body.

Her emotions, which cannot be put into words, must have been transformed into flames. And it was also an expression of her will not to let me escape, even if it burned.

On the deck of the ship, watching her will to fight and the flames swell, I make a voice to persuade her to let me go, but--

Maria...

Because I like you, of course!

I said, ”Why would you stop there? I didn't pause to ask him if he liked me, but he returned the word very embarrassingly.

That ”like” would not mean just simple friendship.

To Maria, who leads a special life, I am already a member of her family.

Of course, I am the same way.

To me, Maria is my sister and sister-in-law.

Sometimes we were love enemies, other times we were like mother and daughter.

So I was really glad to see that ”I like you” with all its implications.

'Yes, I like you too, Maria.

'Then stay with me: ......!　Mr. Rastiara: ......!

Maria, clad in flames, takes a step forward, saying it back without pause again.

I drew my sword from my waist and held it up.

It was clear that it was going to be a fight, but Snow and Reaper both said nothing, just keeping their distance. My knight, Sera, also chose to watch without saying anything.

We had no choice but to fight and make them understand the overwhelming difference in power.

Thus, a quarrel-like duel on the ship began - and, as expected, I easily lost.

Maria was the overwhelming winner.

The result of that too one-sided duel finally made Maria understand.

I've already surpassed the existence I once feared.

Win or lose this duel, in the end, she had no choice but to listen to my request.

Understanding the two, the kind girl, after being sincerely angry at me, acknowledges the difference in power and allows me to leave the Rustyara Hooziers.

And the party is--.

Maria and the Reapers exploring The Great Void.

Myself and Serah returning to the Confederacy in The Frontier.

Snow, who will participate in both of them, depending on the situation.

We split up into three groups.

In fact, I wanted to leave Sera-chan behind and go home alone, but that was not possible.

From the way she stubbornly replied, ”I'll follow you,” no matter how many times I, the Lord, convinced her to do so, there is a good chance that she realizes my true purpose.

I'm going back to my hometown with my knight.

This time, in order to 're-birth' Tiara-sama of my own volition, I will re-enter the cage that is the Cathedral of Fuzzy Yards.

The dream-like 'adventure' is over now.

From now on, I'm going to start the real battle to clear my 'doubts' and 'regrets'.