Chapter 1: Lost Memories, Lingering Feelings
Two powers beyond human understanding collided with each other.
One was a tidal wave of earth that overturned the land. The other was a surge of light that swallowed the land. The former was released by the upper high class spirit of earth possessing Erica, while the latter was released by Rio and Aishia’s combined powers. Neither side should have had an advantage over the other. The two powers were meant to be equal.
Yet, there was something strange going on. Something abnormal. A phenomenon of an absurd scale had happened right there, yet all traces of it were gone. The scenery was completely normal, as though the cataclysm had never occurred at all. There were no signs of turbulence in the ode and mana in the air either.
However, none of that mattered to the group, currently standing around with an extreme sense of discomfort.
“Wait... Who was that fighting over there?” Latifa asked uneasily.
This was the source of the unsettling feeling everyone was experiencing. They couldn’t recall whose fight they had just been watching; they had no memories of it.
Who had been fighting, and why?
They couldn’t remember. In fact, they didn’t even know if someone had been fighting in the first place. They couldn’t even tell if they had forgotten, or if they just didn’t know.
One moment, they were watching two forces collide with each other in the distance. In the next moment, it was as though nothing had happened at all.
“...”
Celia, Miharu, Liselotte, Satsuki, Sara, Orphia, Alma, Charlotte, Gouki, Kayoko, and Aria were all unable to answer Latifa’s question. Even if they had wanted to, they were unable to give the name of the person who had been fighting.
They were unable to recall their memories from before the fight had started. When they tried to recall what had happened, they found their minds as blank as a canvas.
It was as though time had stopped—no, it was as though time had skipped forward.
The group stood on the bank of the lake, unable to comprehend what they had just witnessed.
Why...? they all wondered to themselves.
They had seen powers collide in the distance, so there should have been someone fighting, but all they could remember was a torrent of light swallowing the tsunami of earth before everything disappeared. And at that exact point in time, a portion of their memories had been cleanly erased...or so it seemed.
It was like they had been watching a dream, then woke up unable to remember the details.
“...”
Everyone had frustrated expressions on their faces.
Why?
They didn’t know who had been fighting, yet they couldn’t get that moment out of their mind. Something deep in their hearts was protesting. They wanted to know who it was.
That was why their feet moved of their own accord. Each person in the group started walking towards where their gazes had been locked earlier, as though they were being lured forward.
“Halt,” King Francois commanded, implicitly questioning their intentions.
“...” The group turned around, unsure of how to respond. Part of the reason was because he was the king, but everyone had been rushing to move without even looking at each other. For some reason, they all felt the impulse to go to where the fight had taken place. They weren’t moving rationally.
“We need to investigate what happened over there. It makes sense to send the skilled people that have gathered here,” Charlotte said, explaining their motives to her father cleverly.
“That may be true, but...” Francois recognized the need to investigate the situation. He too wished to know what had happened over there. The reason why he had stopped them was because he felt uneasy about sending them all into the unknown. There was no guarantee the fight was over. He couldn’t give the order to march forward so easily.
If they were to send an investigation team, it would be preferable to select a handful of experts. There was no need to send out people with no combat ability. The first people that came to Francois’s mind were Gouki and Kayoko, but—
“Please give us your permission to go.”
“Please!”
The first ones to step forward were Celia and Miharu. They had desperate looks on their faces, yearning to leave as soon as possible.
“Hmm...” Francois hesitated. He knew that Celia was an excellent sorcerer, but if he had to make a choice, he’d prefer to send Gouki and Kayoko as scouts. Of course, Miharu was completely out of the question.
“I’m going too!”
“Us too.”
Latifa also offered her company. Sara, Orphia, and Alma exchanged looks with each other before echoing her words.
“Please let us go, Your Majesty.” The hero, Satsuki, also asked to go.
“Hmm...” From his position as king, Francois definitely didn’t want to send the nation’s precious hero into the aftermath of a battle. There was no telling what dangers lay ahead. But if he truly believed that, then why was Satsuki here in the first place?
I must have brought Lady Satsuki here at her request... Wait, was that really why? Was that what happened? Wasn’t there another reason...?
Francois couldn’t recall the reason why he’d brought Satsuki to the battlefield anymore. Thus, he hesitated to make a rational decision.
However, he was just as confused as everyone else by the sudden situation. He couldn’t remember the things he should’ve had memories of. Nevertheless, he had a vague feeling that something important had happened—the same feeling that was spurring the others into action.
“It’s the personal request of the hero, Father,” Charlotte added, hoping to persuade Francois. An intelligent royal like Charlotte knew perfectly well that such words had no persuasive power. She also knew how little necessity there was to send everyone here to investigate. Yet despite that—
“For some reason, I feel the urge to head over there as well. I wish to know the reason why. Would you please give us your permission to go?”
Charlotte fully intended on going as well. The “we” she used in her earlier request had actually included everyone present.
“What are you...”
As a figure to be protected, Charlotte would be nothing more than a hindrance. Words to dismiss her absurdity were on the tip of Francois’s tongue—but his mouth wouldn’t move. Her request was clearly ridiculous, yet for some reason, he couldn’t brush her aside.
“Liselotte, you make an appeal too.”
“Huh?”
“Your beauty may lay in your ability to remain elegant at all times, but you wish to go too, don’t you? In which case, you must speak up as well,” Charlotte said, seeing through what Liselotte was thinking in her silence.
“Yes, I would like to go as well.”
Liselotte nodded firmly, expressing her strong determination. She was normally the most rational person of them all, yet here she was trying to act irrationally—just like everyone else present.
It was irrational. But why? Perhaps emotions lingered even after memories disappeared. However, the people in question didn’t know that.
Emotions were a transient state. They eventually faded with time. Perhaps the panic that everyone was feeling was because they instinctively knew that. They feared their most important emotions would leave them, so they were trying to rush towards where their emotions were directing them.
And it seemed that Francois was no exception to the group. As the king, he had to be the most rational person present, yet he was considering sending everyone off as scouts. He wanted to respect their wills, but he didn’t have any evidence that this was the best choice.
In the end...
“Very well... Make sure you take the utmost care.”
With a heavy sigh, Francois allowed everyone to go investigate the situation.
◇ ◇ ◇
A mere one, two minutes ago, on the outskirts of Greille, capital of Duke Gregory’s territory in the Galarc Kingdom, one kilometer from the lake where the enchanted ships of the Galarc army were stopped...
She’s dead. This time, for sure...
The sword Rio had stabbed through Erica’s heart had disappeared. It had turned into particles of light like a spirit returning to its spirit form.
“Whoa!”
With the disappearance of his sword, Erica’s corpse fell forward. He tried to catch her and stumbled off-balance, teetering on the verge of falling with her.
“Haruto.” Aishia materialized, supporting Rio’s body from behind.
“Sorry. I suddenly lost my strength.” Rio hurried to straighten his posture, holding Erica in his arms. But Aishia pulled his body back towards her, making him lean against her for support. She looped her arms around his waist with care.
“Don’t push yourself.”
“I’m fine, I’m just a little tired,” Rio replied gently, not wanting her to worry.
“It’s probably the recoil from activating the powers of a transcendent one. Your body is shouldering the burden,” Aishia said. Her elegant face was bordered with darkness.
“Transcendent one... I see. But I’m fine, really.” Rio was befuddled by the unfamiliar term for a brief moment, then gently repeated to Aishia that he was fine.
“I’m sorry. It’s my duty to lessen your burden, yet...”
“I don’t really get it, but the burden on my body has reduced thanks to you, right? Can you explain what exactly happened?” Rio called out to her in an even brighter tone after seeing her miserable expression.
“I will. But...”
“Is something wrong?”
“It’d be better not to meet the others. We have to leave this place. I will explain after,” Aishia suggested somewhat hesitantly.
“I see... Will the others be in any danger if we leave?”
“No. The danger is over for now. It’d be a bigger problem if we ran into everyone right now.”
Rio thought for a moment, then nodded with a smile. “Okay. Let’s go.”
He had the faint hunch there was an unavoidable reason for that.
“Can you move yet?” Aishia asked, worried about how Rio was on the verge of falling earlier.
“Yeah. I feel a lot better now. But before that...”
With Erica in his arms, Rio stepped forward, supporting his own weight. He then used spirit arts to freeze Erica’s corpse.
“Conditum,” he uttered to activate the Time-Space Cache. The solid block of ice containing Erica’s body was sucked into another space, vanishing before them.
“What are you going to do?”
“I can’t leave her as is... I’m pretty sure she’s dead this time, but I’ll keep an eye on her for a bit before I bury her in her home country. I promised her that much.”
He was sure Erica was dead, but he couldn’t say the same for the other mysterious presence within her. He figured it would be best to store her corpse and keep an eye out for any sign of Erica’s reviving once again.
“Everyone’s trying to come over here,” Aishia said, looking in the direction of the lake. Their view was obstructed by the clouds of dust in the air, but she could see the group trying to run over here in the distance. They had just begun to move. Orphia had summoned Ariel, so it would take them less than a minute to arrive.
“Let’s go.”
Sara and the spirit folk in the group would have noticed Aishia’s materialized presence. Rio activated his spirit arts and began to fly.
“I will disappear.”
Aishia turned into her spirit form and moved into Rio’s body. Rio then accelerated away, running from the approaching group.
Just then, magic essence started to swell out of a point a few meters away from them. The source of the essence was a dirt-colored crystal-like stone lying on the ground. Its color had hidden it from Rio’s notice until it released a blinding light—
“Wh...?!”
Rio and Aishia immediately distanced themselves from the source of magic essence. The light expanded farther and farther in that time, until eventually, the light pouring out of the stone formed a single pillar, stretching towards the sky.
◇ ◇ ◇
At the sight of the giant pillar of light shooting up into the air, the group that was heading for Rio and Aishia’s location couldn’t help but come to a stop shortly after their departure. Miharu, Celia, Charlotte, and Liselotte had been riding on Ariel’s back as it flew at a low altitude.
“W-Wait! What’s happening?!”
Shaken by the sudden turn of events, Satsuki covered her face with one hand and summoned her Divine Arms in the other. The others were also bracing themselves for combat warily.
However, in contrast to the scale of the phenomenon, there was practically no change to their physical surroundings. There was no strong wind, no heat wave, no destruction of the land. There was merely a giant pillar of light standing calmly.
“Is that...teleportation sorcery?”
Orphia, who had cast an essence barrier to protect everyone on the spur of the moment, detected a fluctuation of ode and mana unique to space sorcery.
“I-It’s fine! It’s not a destructive phenomenon!” Sara yelled at everyone.
“That being said, it’s a tremendous amount of power...”
Alma covered her view with her hand. She could barely open her eyes. There was no way for her to confirm what was happening at the source of the light like this.
After some time, the pillar of light faded.
“Did it disappear?” Satsuki mumbled.
“Hmm...”
Deeming the danger to have passed for now, Gouki and Kayoko sheathed their weapons. But as they still didn’t know what was going on, they remained vigilant. They kept an eye on their surroundings carefully, ready to react to whatever might happen. Meanwhile...
“That pillar of light just now...”
Among the group were people who reacted as though the phenomenon was familiar: Celia, Liselotte, Charlotte, and Aria.
“Have you seen it before?” Miharu asked Celia, both on Ariel’s back.
“It’s similar to the hero summoning... No, it looked exactly the same. The color of the pillar was different from what I saw at the capital, but...”
What Celia had once witnessed was the pillar of light that went up when Rui Shigekura was summoned to the Beltrum Castle.
“Yes. I saw the same phenomenon when Lady Satsuki was summoned,” Liselotte pointed out.
“Then...a new hero was summoned?”
“Who knows?”
Satsuki and Latifa exchanged confused looks.
“Sara, Alma. The spirit presence detected earlier has disappeared,” Orphia reported, looking back at Ariel behind her.
The one who had detected the presence had been her contract spirit, Ariel. The presence it had detected was, of course, Aishia.
“Right... It seemed to disappear right before that pillar appeared.”
Sara placed her hand across her chest and closed her eyes before speaking. She must have been speaking to her contract spirit, Hel.
The contract spirits of the spirit folk girls—Hel, Ariel, and Ifritah—were mid class spirits that were unable to speak in the human language, but were capable of communicating their thoughts. They were connected to their contract partners on a spiritual level. Alma made a similar gesture as she communicated with her contract spirit, Ifritah.
“Let’s go and check what happened. We have to head there anyway,” Charlotte directed.
Thus, the group continued towards their destination. Gouki, Kayoko, and Aria took the lead, proceeding rapidly but cautiously.
“Oh! There’s someone over there—two people!” Latifa exclaimed, pointing. Everyone’s gazes followed her finger to see a boy and girl standing together.
“Those two are...”
Once the dust clouds settled and they drew nearer, they could see the two figures much better.
“Huh? Isn’t that...?!” As soon as she got a clear view of their faces, Satsuki’s eyes widened.
“Why...?” Miharu, still on Ariel’s back, was also clearly shocked. The two people standing before the group were very familiar.
The boy in particular had known Miharu and Satsuki for a very long time.
“Masato?!” Latifa exclaimed.
Indeed, standing in the place where the pillar of light had appeared was Sendo Masato, the twelve-year-old boy who had separated from Miharu after the banquet, moving to the great nation of Centostella to the south of Galarc.
Beside him was the first princess of that nation, Lilianna Centostella. Masato and Lilianna appeared shaken, unsure of how to process the situation at hand. They were glancing around at their surroundings with uncertainty.
However, they soon spotted Miharu and the others approaching them. At first, Masato drew the sword in his hand, standing before Lilianna to protect her. But then...
“Miharu...and all of you...?!”
He quickly realized it was Miharu he was looking at. His caution immediately disappeared as he lowered his sword, staring at the familiar faces in shock.
The distance between the two groups closed quickly. Gouki stopped running in the lead when he was about ten meters away from them.
“Are you acquainted with them...?” he asked Satsuki, who was right behind him.
Satsuki explained their background to him. “Yes. He’s the younger brother of my underclassman from the world we came from. The person next to him is the princess of a neighboring kingdom.”
“H-Hey, Masato! Was there someone else here just now?” Latifa asked, unable to suppress her restless emotions as she looked around.
“Huh...? No, I didn’t see anyone,” Masato answered in confusion, sensing her unusual panic.
“I see...”
Latifa’s shoulders fell, although not entirely from disappointment. The others in the group were similarly bothered by their surroundings.
“What’s wrong, everyone?” Masato seemed to sense something was wrong from their moods. He inquired after the reason for their expressions.
“There was a fight here just moments ago. One of a scale beyond imagination... Do you have any idea what happened, Masato?” Satsuki asked.
“No, we just appeared here out of the blue. You guys came running right away, so I have no idea what’s going on.”
“I see...” Everyone exchanged glances at Masato’s answer.
“Hey, Masato. Where’s Aki...and your brother?” Miharu asked hesitantly, alighting from Ariel’s back.
Recalling what had happened between Takahisa and Miharu, Masato’s reply came out somewhat awkwardly. “Oh... The two of them should be in the Centostella Castle.”
“We haven’t seen anyone else here since our arrival,” Lilianna said, adding to Masato’s answer. “May I ask a question as well?”
As a fellow royal, Charlotte responded. “Of course, please go ahead.”
“Where are we?” Lilianna’s question revealed how they were unaware of their current location.
“This is the Galarc Kingdom, on the outskirts of Duke Gregory’s territory. Sir Masato just said you appeared here out of the blue, does that mean you two didn’t come here of your own will?”
“Yes, we were both speaking in the Centostella Castle mere moments ago. Then we were standing here before I knew it.”
“I see.”
“Just to confirm, you weren’t the ones who summoned us here, right?”
“Yes. As Lady Satsuki just said, there was a fight happening here moments ago. We came over to investigate the aftermath, which was when you two were summoned.”
“I see. So there’s no way of knowing who summoned us here?”
The two princesses took the lead in confirming the facts, making full use of their wit.
Things would get complex if they started discussing who was at fault in the current situation. Both sides needed to make it clear that this situation was just as unexpected for them as it was for the other.
“Indeed. However, there is one potential reason why the two of you were summoned here. I cannot say for sure if it’s the answer, but...” Charlotte alluded to the reason for their summoning.
Lilianna paused for a moment. “Could you please tell me?” she asked.
“Either Sir Masato or Princess Lilianna has become a hero,” Charlotte explained simply.
“Huh?!” Masato yelped in shock.
“Is that so...” In contrast, Lilianna’s reaction was closer to understanding than surprise. She seemed to have considered that possibility already, based on her own experience and knowledge.
“Wh-Wha... Wait, Princess Charlotte, was it? By hero, do you mean like Satsuki...?”
“Yes.”
“And either one of us is a hero?” Masato looked at Lilianna while questioning Charlotte skeptically.
“As I said earlier, I cannot say for sure whether that is the answer. The phenomenon that occurred before you were summoned was merely the same as what happened when Lady Satsuki was summoned to this world.”
Charlotte didn’t make any declarations, but her expression seemed rather certain.
“In that case...” Lilianna hummed in understanding, then looked at Masato’s face.
“I believe it is most likely that you are the hero, Sir Masato,” she said, looking between Charlotte and Masato.
“Huh...? Me?!” Masato pointed at himself in horror.
“Sir Masato comes from the same world as Lady Satsuki, after all,” Charlotte said, giving the basis of her suspicion why Masato was the hero.
It was the most natural conjecture to make. As someone who hailed from the world of the heroes, Masato made the most sense as a hero.
“That, and there’s that sword,” Lilianna said, pointing at the sword in Masato’s hand.
“R-Right...” Masato turned his attention to the sword.
“You didn’t have that sword in the castle,” Lilianna pointed out. “I wasn’t sure at first, but after hearing everyone’s accounts of the light pillar, it all seems to make sense. It’s clear from one glance that the sword is extremely well made... Perhaps that is your Divine Arms?”
“This is a Divine Arms? All I was thinking was how similar the situation was compared to the first time we came to this world...” Masato looked down at the sword in shock.
“How about we ask Lady Satsuki for her opinion as a hero?” Charlotte suggested, turning to Satsuki.
“Huh? Me? Umm... If it’s a Divine Arms, it’ll disappear when you think about it disappearing...”
Flustered by the sudden attention, Satsuki gave her answer in a confused manner. Then, the sword vanished.
“Hmm... Oh, it disappeared...”
Masato hummed as he focused on his thoughts.
“Looks like it’s decided,” Charlotte said with a somewhat troubled sigh. “I’d love to exchange more information in detail, but this is technically a battlefield. Would you like to accompany us to our base? My father is waiting there,” she continued, ignoring Masato’s bewildered look to gesture in the direction of the base by the lake.
“The king?” Lilianna’s eyes widened in surprise. If the king was personally present at the battlefield, there must have been a major war going on. But she hadn’t heard any rumors of such strife within the Galarc Kingdom. Her surprise and confusion were only natural.
“Yes. There was a minor—well, now that you two have been summoned here, I suppose it should be called a rather major incident.”
Charlotte sighed gloomily, as though to sympathize with her confusion. She then looked at Lilianna and awaited her reply.
“Is that so...”
Masato watched the contemplative look on Lilianna’s face curiously. “Is something the matter, Princess Lilianna?”
Lilianna smiled, shaking her head to dismiss his concern. “No, I’m just a little baffled by the sudden turn of events. I understand. Please lead us to your base.”
“Thank you for your cooperation. Like Sir Masato and Lady Satsuki’s friendship, our kingdoms are also friendly nations. In the name of the Second Princess of Galarc, I promise we will welcome you as state guests,” Charlotte declared with a royal demeanor.
“Char can act like a proper princess when she wants to, huh...” Satsuki murmured in admiration, seeing no sign of Charlotte’s usual mischievous charms.
“Of course. And so, I would like to bring these two to the base—would you be willing to cooperate, Lady Orphia?” Charlotte grinned at Satsuki good-naturedly before turning to make a request of Orphia. She wanted Ariel to carry them back the way they had come.
“Of course I am,” Orphia said, nodding readily.
“Thus, I would like someone to stay here and continue investigating the area a bit more. With Sir Masato here, I’d like Lady Satsuki and Lady Miharu to accompany me. Is that okay?”
Charlotte asked Miharu and Satsuki to come along, as the two came from the same world.
“Yeah, sure... Let’s go, Miharu.”
“Okay...” Miharu looked around the uninhabited wilderness as though something about the place was still bothering her. But she couldn’t leave Masato alone either, and hesitantly nodded.
“In that case, Kayoko and I will remain here to investigate further,” Gouki volunteered with a glance at Kayoko.
“I’m staying as well!” Latifa also offered herself as an investigator. Like Miharu, there was something about this place that bothered her, even though she didn’t know what. That was what her expression was saying.
“I will remain as well. Alma, go with Orphia and guard the others,” Sara ordered.
“Understood.”
Fox werebeasts and wolf werebeasts had far better noses than humans, so they were perfect investigators.
“I will remain too. I can use magic that detects essence.” Celia also offered herself as an investigator. She was just as curious as the others as to what had happened. Her expression said as much.
Thus, the members of the investigation team were decided. The only ones remaining were the master and servant combination, Liselotte and Aria.
“What will you do, Liselotte?” Charlotte asked.
“Right, I...” Caught off guard by suddenly being addressed, Liselotte’s answer came out rather vague. Like the others, she had been driven here by the sense of unease. She had hoped to find an answer to that feeling here, but those hopes had been dashed. She was still interested in the surroundings, but...
“I will return to the base as well...”
She must have realized she wouldn’t be of much use remaining here. Instead of sticking around without a reason, Liselotte chose to accompany them back.
“Hey, Miharu, Satsuki,” Masato whispered, having gone up to Miharu and Satsuki. Lilianna stepped back tactfully so that she wouldn’t overhear them.
“Hmm? Something the matter, Masato?”
Miharu had still been looking around the area, seemingly reluctant to leave, but she replied to Masato with a smile. Satsuki noticed her behavior and frowned slightly.
“No, I was just wondering why Sara and the others are out and about in front of others. Even Ariel’s out and about,” Masato explained.
“Oh, a lot has happened since you left. We’ll explain it to you later,” Satsuki said, wiping away the shadow that was in her expression earlier.
“Hmm, I see. Huh? Come to think of it...”
Sensing there were certain circumstances to the situation, Masato chose not to question it any further. But at the same time, he seemed to remember something.
“Come to think of what?” Miharu asked, encouraging him to continue.
“Umm... Huh? What was I going to say?”
Masato twisted his neck.
Satsuki exchanged a look with Miharu and chuckled. “How would we know?”
“Right... That’s weird. I was about to recall something, but then it slipped my mind...”
Masato hummed, twisting his neck further. But in the end, he couldn’t remember what he was about to say.
“I’d like to depart soon. Would that be all right with you, Lady Satsuki?” Charlotte asked.
“Oh, right. Sorry, we’ll be right there!”
“Sir Masato, Lady Lilianna, and Lady Miharu... Please climb on Ariel’s back.”
“Got it. Let’s go.”
Satsuki walked in the lead, with Masato, Miharu, and Lilianna following her.
“Yo! It’s been a while, Ariel! Please take care of me.”
Masato approached Ariel giddily, patting its head. In response, Ariel rubbed its face against Masato’s cheerfully.
“Is this bird Ariel? It’s rather large...” Lilianna inched forward timidly, looking up at its giant body.
“It won’t hurt you, so don’t be afraid. Hup! Okay, give me your hand.” Masato climbed onto Ariel’s back, then offered his hand to Lilianna. Ariel was stooped forward and had materialized with a saddle for easy riding, but it was still a very gentlemanly gesture.
“Thank you very much, Sir Masato.”
With Masato’s support, Lilianna stepped up on the footholds of the saddle, then climbed onto Ariel’s back.
“Heh...” Satsuki hummed in approval.
“Wh-What are you staring at, Satsuki?”
“You’ve become quite the gentleman, Masato.”
“Hah? Wh-What are you talking about?”
“The way you’re escorting Princess Lilianna so naturally. You’ve grown a lot in such a short time. Isn’t that right, Miharu?”
Miharu agreed with a smile. “Hee hee. That’s right.”
“Sir Masato is very kind to me,” Lilianna added pleasantly.
“Jeez...”
Surrounded by older girls who were completely in sync with each other, Masato found himself outmatched and turned away in embarrassment.
“Did he have a good role model over there? Perhaps he took after a certain someone. Right, Miharu?” Satsuki asked, grinning smugly. But as soon as she turned to Miharu, a strange look came over her face.
Miharu looked at her curiously. “Is something wrong, Satsuki?”
“I don’t know if it’s the same as Masato, but I also found myself unable to say what I wanted to say. I wonder... What was it?”
The words on the tip of her tongue had vanished without a trace, leaving her with a restless feeling. But she was unable to recall what she wanted to say, and headed back to the lake with the rest of the returning group in that state.
◇ ◇ ◇
Meanwhile, in the skies far above, Rio and Aishia were watching what was happening on the ground.
Like the group on the ground, Rio was of the assumption that Masato was the new hero. He had seen the summoning of a hero with his own eyes before.
If the phenomenon of a hero summoning had occurred the moment after Erica was killed, then it was only natural to assume Masato had become the new hero. Since Rio actually remembered Erica, he was even more certain of this than those on the ground.
Aishia, Rio called to Aishia in her spirit form.
Yes? came the immediate reply.
Did that monster go into Masato?
...Yeah.
The second reply was delayed. This confirmed that Masato was the new hero.
I see...
Aishia’s downhearted feelings were conveyed to Rio, making him equally conflicted.
“...”
Rio felt the urge to descend to the ground, but he held back the impulse with his will of steel. He wanted to decide what to do after hearing what Aishia had to say.
I’d like to watch over everyone a little longer. I’m going to head back to the base with the returning group. Can you watch over the ones staying here?
Got it.
Then I’ll see you later.
On the ground, Ariel was just taking off for the lake. Once he confirmed Aishia’s reply, Rio started flying after Ariel from above.
◇ ◇ ◇
After Miharu and the others left for the base, Gouki and Kayoko used footholds of magic essence to search the skies while Celia, Latifa, and Sara investigated the ground through Zona Revelare and the sense of smell of a werebeast.
They conducted the investigation from various angles, checking for any traces of people, magic, or scents using their respective specialties.
“Anything?” Celia asked the two with keen noses.
“I can smell blood. There’s the scent of a man and a woman...”
Sara described the scents she detected, but she looked rather troubled while doing so.
“Is something the matter?”
“No, it’s just this scent...”
“Is it a scent you know?”
“It’s the scent of the same soap that we use.”
“Isn’t that because we’re here?”
“No, there’s a body odor mixed with the soap.”
“You can tell that as well? Wow...” Celia mumbled in awe. Of course, she knew that these two had sharp senses of smell, but she rarely saw them use their senses in this way in their daily lives.
“That’s because the scent is fresh. Whoever it was didn’t leave too long ago.”
“I see... But the soap we’re using is...”
“Yes, it’s our own homemade soap. We were taught how to make the soap by someone else, but there shouldn’t be many others who know...”
“Celia, Sara! Over here!”
Just then, Latifa, who had been sniffing around intently, stopped at a certain place and called the two over. It was the spot where Rio had pierced Erica’s heart.
“There’s a bloodstain here.”
“It hasn’t been that long since the fight, then.”
Celia and Sara approached Latifa, examining the bloodstained ground.
“It’s the blood of whoever was fighting...right?” Latifa asked nervously.
“Most likely. I can smell someone else here too.”
Sara’s nose twitched. Latifa did the same, attempting to smell the traces of whoever had been here. Celia also sniffed the air curiously, but she couldn’t detect anything and ended up tilting her head in confusion.
This scent...
Why did it make her feel like this? Latifa looked like she was about to cry. It was her first time smelling this scent, yet there was something extremely familiar about it. She didn’t know why, but tears welled up in her eyes.
“I-I’m going to look around a bit more!”
Unable to stand still any longer, Latifa ran off to track down the scent.
Although werebeasts had exceptional noses, the most Latifa and Sara could smell were scents left behind in the immediate vicinity. They couldn’t detect distant senses unless the wind carried them directly to their noses.
However, as long as the scent continued, they could track them down forever. Latifa no longer had any memories of the moment, but that was how she once tracked Rio down from Beltrant to Amande to assassinate him. That’s why she circled the area of the bloodstain to sniff out the scent.
“Zona Revelare.”
Perhaps there was something that could provide a hint about the traces. Celia cast her spell and searched for any reactions to magic essence in the area. A geometric pattern appeared around her, lighting up a magic circle of around one hundred meters in radius.
No reaction, huh...
Celia sighed, straining her eyes to visualize the essence in her surroundings. While she normally wouldn’t need to use magic to visually detect essence, the pillar of light that appeared earlier had disrupted the ode and mana in the area.
When the essence is this chaotic, I can’t trust what I see.
Celia sighed again, this time heavier.
If she were to describe her current state, it was as though there were a thick fog before her eyes. She could see into the physical distance perfectly fine, but as soon as she tried to visualize the magic essence, it was as if her view was obstructed by glowing particles of essence. Spells that could search the area for essence reactions above a certain magic level were extremely useful in such conditions.
Sara came up to Celia after her lap around the area. “How did you go, Celia?”
“It’s no good. I’ll try expanding my search range next. What about you?”
“Same here. The scent cuts off abruptly.”
“No clues, huh?”
“There was the spirit presence that suddenly appeared before we got here, but it seems like they returned to their spirit form.”
Celia’s eyes widened in surprise. “Huh... Spirits are rare in the Strahl region, right?”
“I’m pretty sure they exist, they just rarely leave their spirit form and materialize.”
“I see.”
Spirit generally stayed in their spirit forms. This was because they didn’t have the magic essence to maintain a material form without a contract. Besides, spirits were extremely cautious beings. They didn’t appear before humans without a reason, and they didn’t form contracts with people they didn’t trust.
“But even then...”
“Even then...?”
“It was a rather powerful spirit. It’s definitely rare in that sense.”
“A powerful spirit... Like Lady Dryas?”
The highest-ranked spirit Celia knew of was Dryas.
“Indeed. I believe it may have been a humanoid spirit.”
“Wow...”
For a brief moment, Celia looked in the distance and gave an inarticulate reply. Was it just her imagination? The back view of a peach-haired girl had flashed through her mind for a brief moment, but that memory had now vanished without a trace.
“What’s wrong?” Sara asked, tilting her head in question.
“Nothing... It’s just...”
Celia was on the verge of remembering something when Latifa came running over. “Celia!”
“Did you find a clue?” Celia responded, pulling herself together.
“No, the scent really just disappears suddenly.”
Latifa’s ears drooped as she described how the scent didn’t lead anywhere.
“That’s too bad...”
“It’s possible that whoever it was left through the skies. Which would make them much more difficult to track...”
They could track someone who was moving along the ground, but they had no way of doing that in the air.
“What if they were affected by the summoning and sent somewhere else as a result?” Latifa suggested.
“If so, whoever disappeared would be in Centostella Kingdom right now?” Celia wondered, looking at Sara. The spirit folk had far more experience in successfully using teleportation sorcery.
“As far as I know, teleportation sorcery is a one-way passage, so it shouldn’t cause anyone to swap places with anyone else...”
The spell that had moved Masato and Lilianna here was still unknown to them, so Sara couldn’t give a definite answer.
“Let’s expand our investigation range a little more.”
“Good idea. Celia, I’d like you to come with me. Latifa, make sure you don’t wander too far away when searching.”
“Okay!”
Latifa ran off as Sara and Celia continued their investigation together. Thus, the search resumed across an even wider area.
◇ ◇ ◇
A dozen or so meters above the three girls on the ground, Gouki and Kayoko were running around in the air. They were investigating the area while watching for any suspicious figures on the ground.
Several minutes had passed since they commenced the search. Their results were the same as the group on the ground. There was no one other than Celia, Sara, and Latifa around, and once they had confirmed that—
“Don’t you find it strange, Kayoko?”
Gouki approached Kayoko and started running beside her.
“There are many strange things going on right now. Which are you referring to?”
“Why did we leave the Karasuki Kingdom? How did we find out that the late Lady Ayame and Zen had migrated to this land?”
There was a fundamental problem with this situation.
Gouki and Kayoko had always regretted how they couldn’t devote themselves to Ayame until the very end. That was why they left behind everything in Karasuki and departed for the far land of Strahl. That part still made sense.
However, Gouki couldn’t imagine himself leaving behind his home country for some uncertain information. As a senior warrior, King Homura had bestowed him with a vital position in the kingdom. There was no way he would have discarded such a post for a superficial motive.
And yet, he couldn’t recall the trigger that had prompted them to leave the Karasuki Kingdom. Because of that...
“Why are you asking that at this late stage? That’s what I’d like to say, but I feel the same way. I cannot remember myself. Why did we think of leaving the kingdom?”
Gouki and Kayoko were both experiencing an indescribable feeling of discomfort.
“Although our circumstances were kept secret, King Homura gave us his blessing to leave the kingdom. I’m sure we departed with an unshakeable resolution...”
Gouki was sure of that—he certainly didn’t feel any regret about being here right now. He could proudly say that he was standing here because he wanted to.
“Hmm... Yes, that must be it.”
Gouki answered his own question, confirming his beliefs.
“You seem to have convinced yourself of something, yet your expression isn’t clear.”
As expected of his wife. Kayoko saw through the subtleties in Gouki’s expression.
“I am here because I wanted it myself. That I am sure of. The same applies to you, no?”
Gouki implicitly asked his wife if she wanted to return to Karasuki.
“Of course,” Kayoko responded immediately.
“There’s something we must accomplish in this land. For the sake of the late Lady Ayame.”
“Indeed.”
“That is why I’m troubled. I cannot remember what we have to accomplish, or why we came here in the first place.”
That was the reason for his unsettled expression.
“I have no proof of this, but...”
“What is it?”
“I have a feeling that what we’ve forgotten was in this place not long ago.” Kayoko voiced her thoughts out loud fluently.
“Indeed... I think so too.”
That was why they had volunteered to investigate the area. They couldn’t help but wonder what had happened here, and who had been fighting here.
But contrary to those feelings, there was no one to be seen in the area apart from Latifa and the others. There were no traces of anything that could provide a hint either.
“There’s nothing here... Let’s go down and join up with Lady Latifa and the others.”
Gouki had been looking down at the ground while talking to Kayoko, but he decided to call off their search in the skies at this point.
“Hmm...?”
Something seemed strange to him.
“Is something the matter?” Kayoko asked, a similar expression on her face.
“No, it’s just that I mentioned Lady Latifa just now.”
“That you did.”
“Latifa... Celia, Sara, Orphia, Alma, Miharu, Satsuki, Princess Charlotte... Latifa... Hmm. Latifa. Suzune.”
Gouki tried saying everyone’s names.
“Hmm...”
Why was Latifa the only one he felt particularly protective over when speaking her name? Gouki looked down at the group on the ground, frustrated that he didn’t know the answer.
“It seems we need to have a discussion with everyone.”
The others had to be experiencing the same sense of discomfort.
“Indeed.” Gouki nodded, then headed down to the ground with Kayoko.
◇ ◇ ◇
Miharu’s group had returned to the Galarc Kingdom’s military base by the lake.
“Father.”
Walking in the lead, Charlotte called out to Francois, who was just giving commands to the army.
“Oh? That was fast.”
“Yes. We left the investigation to Gouki and the others and returned first. We ran into some unexpected guests, you see,” Charlotte said, looking at Masato and Lilianna behind her.
Lilianna greeted Francois with a curtsy. “Long time no see, King Francois.”
“Princess Lilianna and Lord Masato?”
Even Francois hadn’t been expecting that, and his eyes widened. He barely had any acquaintance with Masato, but it seemed he remembered him clearly.
“You witnessed that pillar of light just now, no? That light was what summoned these two here.”
“I see...”
Guessing the circumstances from that explanation just now, Francois paused for a second before glancing at Masato.
“Princess Lilianna was hoping to speak to you. She’ll require some assistance getting back to her home kingdom.”
“I understand. I will make some time for that immediately,” Francois agreed. The fact he didn’t postpone the talk showed how high of a priority he believed it was.
“Are you sure? You can settle the business you have at hand first,” Lilianna replied, looking around the base. The base was currently in a rather flurried state. Soldiers were clearly running about busily.
“I’ve finished giving all the commands required. Even if I needed to give further orders, I must first find out what happened at the pillar of light. I may not be able to spare much time, but if that is all right with you...”
“In that case, I would be most grateful for whatever time you can spare.”
“Princess Lilianna and Charlotte will come with me, then. Lady Satsuki, may I entrust Lord Masato to you?”
“Yes, of course,” Satsuki replied with a nod.
◇ ◇ ◇
Several minutes later, Francois, Charlotte, and Lilianna had moved to the tent set up for the king in the lake base. Francois and Lilianna sat down facing each other, while Charlotte remained standing behind Francois.
“First, let’s start with the most pressing matters. I will arrange a means of contact with the Centostella Kingdom immediately,” Francois began.
“Thank you very much,” Lilianna said.
“As allied nations, it’s only natural.”
They had yet to get to the true business at hand. Francois looked back at Charlotte standing behind him, ordering her to give her report.
Charlotte spoke fluently. “I shall explain what happened from the beginning. We were on our way to the location of the earlier battle when a pillar of light appeared. There, we found Princess Lilianna and Sir Masato. They described how they had been in the Centostella Castle mere moments ago, so the assumption is that they were teleported here. Judging from the situation...”
She paused, preparing to wrap up her report. “It seems that Sir Masato has been summoned as a hero. He is currently in possession of a sword like the Divine Arms.”
“What is your opinion of these events, Princess Lilianna?”
“As Princess Charlotte just said, Sir Masato and I were in the Centostella Castle just before arriving here. We didn’t witness the pillar of light ourselves, but Sir Masato indeed had a sword resembling the Divine Arms. I agree that it seems like he has become a hero.”
“I see.”
Once both sides gave their accounts, Lilianna and Francois both sighed heavily.
“If a new hero has truly been summoned, then a sacred stone must have been involved. If there was a sacred stone that summoned a hero within the Galarc Kingdom, then the kingdom claims possession of that sacred stone,” Francois said frankly. The fact Masato had been summoned as a hero on Galarc land was a rather delicate issue.
“However, I have no intention of restraining Lord Masato against his will. I’d prefer to reach a compromise we can all agree with,” he added somberly. Taking in Masato would be the move to make if Francois were to prioritize the interests of the kingdom, but he knew that doing so would ruin the kingdom’s relationship with Satsuki.
“I feel the same way. However, in regard to that compromise, I’m afraid I cannot be the one to provide an official answer.”
Lilianna was the First Princess of the Centostella Kingdom, but she was only a princess. She wasn’t the king. She was unable to make international negotiations without the king’s direct permission. She knew that the current situation was beyond her power.
“Of course, I understand that. That is why I will contact the Centostella Kingdom with haste. You should discuss things with your father.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
Lilianna had just been summoned to a foreign kingdom with nothing more than the clothes on her back. It was impossible for her and Masato to return to Centostella just by themselves. Realistically speaking, they had no choice but to seek the Galarc Kingdom’s assistance.
“I also wish to hear Lord Masato’s opinion before making a decision.”
The situation was hectic, but it wouldn’t be too late to decide things after Masato saw the dream that the heroes were meant to see. Although such details weren’t mentioned out loud...
“However, there’s one condition I would like to request of this situation. In exchange for our cooperation in arranging contact with your kingdom, I would like to ask that you and Lord Masato remain in our kingdom for the near future in order to hold the negotiations on equal footing,” Francois said, explaining what he sought in recompense. His goal was to stop Lilianna from taking Masato straight home after contacting the Centostella Kingdom—if that happened, the Galarc Kingdom would lose any claim they had over Masato, aggravating the relationship between the two kingdoms.
“Of course, if Lord Masato insists on returning to Centostella no matter what, we won’t stop you. Thus, you may discuss with Lord Masato regarding when you wish to return to your kingdom. I will also explain the details of this meeting to Lady Satsuki.”
The discussions would only proceed with respect for Masato’s wishes. That was why this was a gentleman’s agreement. It was basically an offer to help resolve their problem out of sincerity, hoping they would show the same sincerity back by facing them in negotiations. Someone of Lilianna’s position could easily convince Masato to return at once and feign ignorance afterwards, so it was a risky gamble.
With Satsuki and Masato to be looped in on this conversation, neither Galarc nor Centostella could act deviously towards each other in the future, as the wrong move could potentially turn the two heroes against the kingdoms. Francois’s proposal was extremely wise in this regard, as it took both of their personalities into consideration.
“I understand. I will discuss things with Sir Masato and make arrangements with my father to remain in this country for the present.”
It seemed that Lilianna didn’t want to leave a bad impression on Masato either. She readily accepted Francois’s suggestion.
“Thank you for cooperating. In that case—Charlotte?”
“Yes, Father.”
“I will leave the explanation to Lady Satsuki to you. You can speak to her and Lord Masato together with Princess Lilianna. I’m also placing you in charge of contacting the Centostella Kingdom once we return to the capital.”
“As you wish,” Charlotte replied, bowing her head respectfully.
It sounds like Masato will be okay here for the time being, Rio thought to himself, having heard the entire conversation. He had sneaked into the base after Miharu and was eavesdropping from the back of the tent. He trusted Francois and Charlotte, but he had wanted to see for himself how Masato would be treated as a new hero.
I’d also like to check on the others, but...
Rio directed his attention outside the tent. With superior spirit arts users like Orphia and Alma around, not even he could approach them easily. They would be able to detect the barrier he was using to remain invisible.
If he was being honest to himself, he wanted to hear what they were saying, but...
I guess it’d be better to avoid them, huh?
He recalled Aishia’s words from before and suppressed that urge.
Please look after Masato and the others, Rio thought, bowing quietly at Francois and Charlotte. He then exited the tent and departed from the base.
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