Chapter 2: Reunion
Once Rio released his control, the Yamata no Orochi was unable to maintain its form and collapsed back into the water. The many evacuees on the deck of the Restoration’s airship fell silent. Everyone watching the lake was at a loss for words.
“Roanna! Is Roanna here?!” Christina eventually called out, raising her voice to summon the daughter of the Fontaine ducal family. She looked around the deck, but couldn’t spot her anywhere.
“Sir Hiroaki was carried into the cabin during departure. I shall call for her!” A young noblewoman ran through the door leading inside the cabin.
Shortly after, Roanna rushed out onto the deck. “Princess Christina!”
“How is Sir Hiroaki faring?” Christina asked, cutting straight to the chase. She wanted to know whether he had been the one controlling Yamata no Orochi.
“He hasn’t woken up yet...”
There was no conclusive evidence to be gained from that. Christina thought for a moment before responding. “I see... Inform me immediately when he does. You may return now.”
“Understood.” With a single bow, Roanna returned to the cabin.
Meanwhile, Sara, Orphia, and Alma were gathered in a corner of the deck. The three of them were staring at the clouds above the lake.
“It seems he’s left...” Orphia muttered.
“He was an incredible spirit arts caster... Stronger than anyone in the village.”
“Who was he?”
Sara and Alma both pondered the situation with her. A lake was the ideal environment for a water spirit art caster, but the move that had been used was on a far larger scale than normal. No one in the spirit folk village could cause a phenomenon of such a scale by themselves. Thus, the three of them were extremely interested in the person who had cast the Yamata no Orochi.
“...”
Celia and her father Roland Claire were staring at the lake in silence beside them.
However, they had rather contrasting expressions on their faces. Roland was still taken aback by the appearance of the Yamata no Orochi, while Celia was watching the sky where Rio had been with worry.
Where did you go, Rio?
She was terrified. Just moments ago, she had forgotten Rio’s entire existence. It was like a part of her had been painted over into a blank canvas, erasing all her memories about Rio. And she hadn’t even questioned it.
They had been such precious feelings of hers. He was so special to her, and they had shared so many memories together, yet...
There’s no way I could have forgotten him...
What if she was in danger of forgetting him again? The moment that thought crossed Celia’s mind, an indescribable sense of uneasiness surged within her.
“H-Hey, everyone!” Unable to bear the feeling any longer, Celia called out to Sara’s group.
“Yes, Celia?”
“Do you... Do you remember Rio...?”
“Rio...?” Sara and the others looked puzzled.
“Just a little while ago, we all lived together with him. We made meals together, baked snacks together, chatted together, and trained in the mornings together...” Celia’s voice cracked under the stress she felt.
“Uhm...” The spirit folk girls exchanged confused looks.
“Have you really forgotten him? Why...?”
It was almost like Rio had never existed to begin with.
When did this start happening?
How long had they been forgetting things? She had been too preoccupied with the evacuation to think about her missing memories earlier, so she thought about them now.
Saint Erica tried to occupy the capital of Duke Gregory’s territory...
That’s right—Rio had gone to Duke Gregory’s territory in the Galarc Kingdom in order to recapture the city. Celia and the others had accompanied him, but the Saint was a tough opponent. She possessed inhuman strength and could control a monster called the beast of the land. They had all struggled helplessly against her.
The last thing she could remember was Saint Erica summoning a monster far larger than the beast of the land. Then...
Aishia... Aishia! That’s right, Aishia went and—!
The forgotten memories came rushing back all at once. At the same time, she recalled the existence of the other girl she had forgotten. Her presence was so natural to her, it had taken a moment before she realized her memories of her were missing.
“W-Wait! What about Aishia? You know, Aishia!” Celia looked at the three girls in question.
“Aishia...” Their faces were blank.
“She’s a humanoid spirit who has a contract with Rio. She lived with us as well—we were friends! She’s a precious friend of ours!” Celia was so desperate in her pleads, Sara had trouble responding.
“I don’t know her... And there’s no way I would forget such a spirit if she existed,” she answered hesitantly.
“Right.”
“Yeah...”
Orphia and Alma both nodded with bewildered expressions as well.
“Do you remember the fight at Duke Gregory’s territory in the Galarc Kingdom?”
“I remember there being a fight, yes...”
“The fight was over before we all knew it, which was strange. Do you remember that?”
“Yes...”
Sara and the girls looked back on their memories of that time. Indeed, the fight had ended before they knew what had happened. They knew that for a fact. But there was a fog over their memories before and after that moment. Their minds blanked out at the mysterious incident.
“That was a fight with Saint Erica. She was a hero as well as a Saint, and this huge monster appeared as well. We were no match for either of them...” Celia informed them. She could recall the events before her memory was cut off clearly now.
“At the last moment before your memories end, Saint Erica summoned a monster even bigger than the beast of the land. It tore the land open, flipping heaven and earth.”
The land had lifted and surged towards them like a tsunami. It had been beyond the level of a natural disaster, and everyone had despaired. But they didn’t give up—Rio and Aishia had gone to stop Saint Erica.
“Rio and Aishia went to stop that disaster by themselves. The two of them headed for the tsunami of earth...”
The first to fly off was Aishia. She had said something to Rio and left for the tsunami all by herself. Rio had been injured, but he’d hurried after her in a panic.
“After a few moments, a bright light filled our vision. Once the light faded, the disaster had vanished completely.”
It was hard to believe there had been any disaster in the first place. Rio, Aishia, and Saint Erica had vanished from everyone’s memories—and she had no idea why.
However...
“I’m sure Aishia did something to save us,” Celia said with certainty. “But then we forgot about Rio and Aishia. We were standing there with no idea what had just happened. Even though it was thanks to them that we were saved...”
No one remembered the two of them, or Saint Erica, or the monster that Erica had controlled.
“I had forgotten about Rio and Aishia too, until I remembered just now... But if I can remember, then you can too...!”
Perhaps they could remember Rio and Aishia. Perhaps they actually had memories of them left. Celia clung to such hopes as she questioned the spirit folk girls, but...
“...” Sara and the others stared into space with dazed expressions. They had been listening to Celia with confused but serious looks to begin with, but it was clear they weren’t listening anymore.
“Hello...?” Celia blinked.
“Oh, umm...”
“Sorry, I suddenly had a dizzy spell.”
“What were you just saying?”
The girls snapped back to their senses.
“I was talking about Rio and Aishia. The two of them saved us, yet we’ve forgotten them,” Celia said, summarizing everything she had just said, but—
“Rio...”
“And Aishia?”
“Who are they?”
The three of them had evidently unnatural reactions.
“H-Huh? No way... Weren’t you listening to a word of what I said?”
It was as if the conversation just now hadn’t happened. Celia questioned them with extreme confusion.
“What were you saying...?”
“Err...”
Sara and the others tried to recall their conversation listlessly.
“...”
Then, they stared off into space again.
“What’s going on...?”
What’s happening here? Celia was even more bewildered. It was strange. There was definitely something wrong. Things were bordering on creepy.
Celia started feeling scared. But just then, someone tapped her on the shoulder from behind. She turned around.
“Huh...? Ri—!” Standing there was Rio, wearing a broken mask. Celia tried to call his name on reflex.
“Shh...” Rio silenced her with a finger to her lips.
“Mmgh...” Celia shut her mouth with a blush.
Rio glanced at the dazed spirit folk girls and leaned in to whisper in Celia’s ear. “I will explain the reason why Sara and the others are like this. Let’s talk somewhere quiet. Come with me.” He then took her hand and started walking without waiting for her reply.
“O-Okay...” Celia allowed herself to be led away.
“Huh...? Celia?”
Several seconds later, by the time the spirit folk girls returned to their senses, Rio and Celia were gone.
◇ ◇ ◇
Rio brought Celia into the cabin of the ship and walked down a passageway.
“Dragon King, this room is free.”
Sora must have been searching for an unoccupied room. She was waiting by the door and opened it for them as they approached. It appeared to be a cellar of the ship.
“Thanks. This way.”
“Okay...”
Rio pulled Celia through the door by her hand.
Who’s this girl...?
Celia’s interest was piqued by Sora.
Sora glared at Celia as though to say, “The hell are you staring at, huh? Who do you think you are holding the Dragon King’s hand like that?” It was an expression that Rio could see.
“U-Umm...” Celia gave her a friendly, twitching smile.
“Is something the matter?” Rio asked, turning back.
“Sh-She’s a cute girl.”
“Her name is Sora.”
Once the three of them entered the room, Rio closed the door and introduced Sora.
“Sora... Hi, I’m Celia. Celia Claire.”
“...Hello.” Sora gave her a stiff bow.
“She’s a little shy, but she’s a good girl,” Rio explained with a troubled look.
“Right...” All of a sudden, Celia threw herself at Rio without any warning. She was so overcome with emotion at the sight of Rio before her, she couldn’t hold herself back any longer.
“Wha?!” Sora let out a horrified shriek.
“So you remember me after all?” Rio asked, allowing Celia to hug him.
“Yeah. When you tried to leave in the earlier battle, all these memories emerged in my head...and I remembered you and Aishia. And the fight with Saint Erica too.”
“I see...” Unable to understand why Celia was the only one to regain her memories, Rio had a look of discontent on his face.
“What happened? You and Aishia suddenly disappeared, then everyone lost their memories... Where’s Aishia?” Celia looked up at Rio’s face from his chest.
“Aishia is safe. She’s watching over everyone in the Galarc Castle in her spirit form.”
“You’re protecting us even though we’ve forgotten you... Thank you.”
“It’s nothing...” Rio smiled happily, shaking his head.
“Is your mask okay? It’s falling apart...”
Celia seemed to be worried whether he was injured. She gently touched Rio’s exposed cheek under the cracked mask.
“I’m fine. This didn’t break from an attack or anything.”
“And your eyes...”
Celia peered into Rio’s eyes from close up.
“H-Hey, you! Who do you think you’re clinging to?!”
Sora recovered from her frozen state.
“W-Wait...!”
“Get away from him! Now!” Sora tried to quickly pull Rio and Celia apart.
“C-Calm down, Sora...!”
“Hmph!” Sora puffed up her cheeks cutely as she squeezed herself between them. With that, Celia was separated from Rio against her will. But she missed Rio’s warmth and took another half step forward to cling to him again.
“No! Stop!” Sora spread her arms to stop her. Using her tiny body, that of a seven- or eight-year-old child, she obstructed Celia’s way with all her might.
“G-Goodness...” Celia seemed to realize how shameful it was to try and push aside a child in order to cling to Rio. She puffed up her cheeks cutely as though to compete with Sora.
“So, err, a lot happened. We learned quite a few things, which I’ll explain along with this girl’s identity. It might sound crazy, but will you hear me out?” Rio looked a little amused—and a little nostalgic—as he smiled and changed the topic.
“Of course. So many crazy things are happening, after all. I won’t be surprised by anything. Tell me.” Celia seemed to have pulled herself together, as she nodded with a serious expression. Thus, Rio explained what he knew about the situation at this moment in time.
This world was once home to multiple higher beings known as the transcendent ones. Rio had been a transcendent one called the Dragon King in the life before his past life. Aishia had been holding onto his power as the Dragon King. In the final moments of the battle with the Saint, Rio used those transcendent powers. Saint Erica also used the power of a transcendent one—the power of the upper high spirit of earth. This caused the world to recognize all three of them as transcendent ones and bind them to the rules of the higher beings.
Going into the details of everything would take over an hour, so Rio gave an outline of all the information he had.
Although she said she wouldn’t be surprised, Celia gaped in wonder. “Transcendent...ones...”
“It’s hard to believe, isn’t it?”
“I believe it. I believe you... In short, you’ve become something like a god, right?”
“Right. Although god exists separately... It’s definitely something close to being a god.” Rio nodded slowly, describing in more concrete terms how exactly he had changed.
“I see... Yup, okay. I understand.” Celia considered Rio’s words carefully, repeating them to herself to calm herself down. Then, in a voice too quiet for Rio to hear, she murmured, “You’re becoming more and more of a being unlike any of us, aren’t you...” and looked down subtly. Her eyes trembled with a mix of conflicted emotions that included sadness, and she was biting her lip. But she immediately returned to her resolute expression before Rio could notice, lifting her face up.
“Honestly, I don’t really feel like I’ve become a transcendent one. My mind still thinks of myself as an individual human. However, I’m still subject to the restrictions of the rules. That is why everyone’s forgotten me, and why I can’t recklessly interact with the people of this world. That is the current reality for me and Aishia.”
“And that’s why you disappeared.”
“Yes. Contact itself isn’t forbidden, but some of the rules result in the same thing.”
“Rules that make everyone forget you and forbid contact with anyone else... It’s almost like the person who made the rules wants to hide the transcendent ones from the world,” Celia said, guessing the intention of the rules in one go.
“Exactly. Most of the rules exist so that the transcendent ones cannot be identified. Each transcendent one possesses power on par with a god, so the god created rules to prevent them from influencing the state of the world,” Rio said, explaining the specifics behind the intent of the rules.
“Power...”
“Think of it as a special power the transcendent ones can use. In my case, my power is annihilation, so I can release a light that erases my designated target. I used that power to erase the natural disaster Saint Erica created during our fight.”
“So that’s why there was a light back then...”
The scene just before she lost her memories flashed through Celia’s mind. Possessed by an upper high rank spirit, Erica had directed a tsunami of earth towards them—until it had been swallowed up by light that filled the world.
“By using that light, the world recognized me as a transcendent one. The same goes for Aishia, who used the power with me. Saint Erica was also forgotten because the natural disaster was created through her own transcendent power.”
Like Aishia, who had been assimilated with Rio, the reincarnation of the Dragon King, Saint Erica, who had been assimilated with an upper high rank spirit, was also treated as a transcendent one. Thus, the rules of god applied to the three of them.
“And that’s how all three of you were forgotten...”
“Yes. Only very few exceptions can remember the transcendent ones...”
“And I’m one of them, right...?” Celia said hesitantly, tilting her head. She couldn’t think of a reason why she would be considered an exception.
“That’s exactly what I wanted to talk about next.”
Why was Celia able to remember Rio and Aishia? They had finally reached the main subject to be discussed.
“You don’t know either?”
“Yes. The others still have no memory of me, right?”
“Yeah, Sara and the others still don’t remember anything. The same goes for everyone back at the Galarc Castle. When I try to tell them about you, they start daydreaming instead of remembering anything... Is that because of the rules as well?”
Celia recalled the unnatural reaction the spirit folk girls had to the topic of Rio earlier.
“Apparently that happens when you try to trigger the recollection of those memories. If you force that recollection, the person will be subject to a terrible headache. That’s why I didn’t try to approach anyone, but...”
There was another reason as well: if Rio’s contact with Celia and the others was determined to be supporting an individual or group, he would lose his memories of them. However, bringing that up now would derail the conversation, so he chose not to say that.
Just then, Sora raised her hand. “Dragon King. Sora has a theory.”
“What is it?”
“This girl resembles Lina’s homunculus woman,” she said, eyeing Celia with disgust.
“Lina’s homunculus... As in, her disciple?”
Lina was Miharu’s past life, and one of the Seven Wise Gods. Sora had previously mentioned that she had a homunculus as a disciple. Rio’s eyes widened as he recalled that conversation.
“Yes.”
“But Celia’s...”
She was a regular human, born and raised in a noble family of Beltrum.
“It can’t be a coincidence! You remember how Sora said Lina’s power was to predict the future? And now a woman with her homunculus’s face is here with memories of you. She must have used her power to see the future and set this up! That means Lina’s involved with this woman as well!” Sora screeched in rage at the mere thought of Lina.
“What is she saying? I thought homunculi were artificial humans that only appeared in fairy tales... And who’s Lina?” Unable to keep up with their conversation, Celia looked between Rio and Sora in confusion.
“Lina is...one of the wise gods. There was a seventh one to the Six Wise Gods. Transcendent ones have disciples who serve them, and Sora is saying the homunculus that once served Lina looks exactly like you...”
Rio glanced at Sora. He didn’t bother mentioning that Miharu was the reincarnation of Lina for the moment. There was too much information to process already.
“Really...? Wait, huh? How do you know this? How long ago did all of this happen?”
Celia was confused. Everything Rio had mentioned until now sounded like it happened in ancient times.
“About that... I should have mentioned this earlier, but Sora’s actually the disciple of the former Dragon King.” Rio introduced Sora to Celia once again.
Sora puffed her chest up proudly. “Hmph!”
“H-Huh? But she’s...”
Celia failed to understand. In fact, she was even more confused now. From her attitude to her speech, everything about her seemed so childish.
“What’s that look for?!” Sora snapped.
“Despite appearances, she’s been alive since long before the Divine War happened. Her physical and mental development stopped when she became a disciple of the Dragon King.”
“S-So she doesn’t age? That’s amazing...”
“Sora’s a disciple of the great Dragon King, so being amazing is a given!” Sora said with a smug smile.
“I can guarantee her strength as well. She’s on par with Aishia in combat.”
“S-Sora’s stronger than that woman! Sora wouldn’t lose in a serious match,” Sora objected, less smugly this time. She didn’t want to argue too strongly with Rio’s opinion, but it frustrated her to be considered equal to Aishia.
“You’ve got a reliable ally, then...”
“Yes. Apparently there’s a special connection between transcendent ones and their disciples. By regaining my powers as the Dragon King, the bond with Sora also returned. She’s been teaching me a lot while we travel together.”
“I see... A special connection...” Celia murmured, looking between Rio and Sora’s faces.
“It’s related to the memory loss rules—the only ones who can remember the transcendent ones are fellow transcendent ones and their disciples.”
That was why when Rio and Aishia were newly recognized as transcendent ones, Sora was able to retain her memories as the disciple of the former Dragon King.
“But I’m neither of those things, am I?”
“That’s right... Which is why what Sora said is intriguing.”
“That I look like the homunculus that was Lina’s disciple?”
“Yes.”
“So I’ve become Lina’s disciple...or something?”
“I guess...? What do you think, Sora?” Rio looked at her.
“Disciples have to follow the same rules of god as their transcendent masters. But this woman hasn’t been forgotten by the people around her. Isn’t that right?” Sora asked, turning to Celia.
“Yes... Sara and the others treat me the same as always.”
“Then that explanation doesn’t make sense. She’s not a transcendent one, nor a disciple, yet she regained her memories anyway.”
“Which means Lina predicted this future and set up some kind of plan around it, right?” Rio placed a hand under his chin in thought.
“Sora thinks so too.”
“When you regained your memories, the light of a spell appeared around your body, right? Do you remember anything from that moment?”
“I don’t know... Wait, now that you mention it...” Celia tilted her head. But she immediately looked like she recalled something.
“Hmm? What does that mean? Why am I...” She furrowed her brows in suspicion. Then, her eyes became unfocused as she stared into empty space. She remained in that dazed state until—
“Celia...? Is everything all right?” Rio asked worriedly.
Celia snapped back to her senses. “Oh! Yes!”
“What happened?”
“For some reason, I feel like I know how to use this spell I’ve never heard of before... And how should I describe this? It’s like my thoughts are really clear and organized. Almost like there’re multiples of myself thinking... It’s creepy.”
Celia lost her balance and stumbled on the spot. Rio quickly grabbed her by the shoulders to support her.
“Whoa there... Are you really okay?” he asked, emphasizing his words.
“Y-Yeah... I’m fine. I can align my thoughts if I focus on them.”
Celia took a deep breath and nodded, stepping away from Rio gently to prove she was fine. Seeing that, Rio let out a sigh of relief.
“Dragon King,” Sora murmured.
“What is it?”
“Parallel thoughts and thought acceleration are special abilities of the disciples of the Wise Gods. Just like how Sora can become a dragonkin by using her spirit body, the disciples of the Wise Gods all have extraordinary minds. They are capable of using those abilities to think multiple things at the same time. Lina’s disciple was even capable of simultaneously casting multiple different spells that way.”
“That’s...something else indeed.”
Rio’s eyes widened at the abilities of the Wise Gods’ disciples. It was possible to activate multiple magic circles of the same spell, but it was commonly believed to be impossible to cast different magic spells at the same time.
“S-Sora’s more amazing! As a disciple of the Dragon King, Sora can deflect both magic and spirit arts when in her dragon form!”
She must have been desperate to be praised by Rio. Sora’s natural competitiveness flared against her fellow disciples.
Rio laughed as though to comfort a young child, nodding along. “Aha ha. Yeah.”
It’s like I’m looking at siblings... Or rather, a father and child?
Celia watched the exchange between them curiously.
“Sorry, we went off topic.”
“Oh no, it’s okay.”
“The light of the spell that activated when you regained your memories wasn’t your own doing, right?” Rio brought the conversation back to the main topic.
“Yeah. The spell just started flowing out of my body by itself...”
“Lina could use sorcery that transferred memories. She used that to pass Aishia memories of one thousand years ago, then let my soul reincarnate with her.”
“Did she use that memory-transferring sorcery on me?”
“I don’t know. She could have created a different sorcery that restores memories instead.”
“But in that case... Why? Do the Wise Gods still exist in this world?”
Celia’s question was most reasonable. Although Lina wasn’t included, the Six Wise Gods were worshipped as legends in the Strahl region. They disappeared from the world at the end of the Divine War one thousand years ago.
To Celia, they were figures from ancient legends. Being told they were still interfering with mankind from somewhere in the world wasn’t easy to believe.
“Lina was able to use the power of clairvoyance. Perhaps she was able to set up some kind of sorcery to only activate in a specific time period or under certain conditions—that then activated one thousand years later.”
Sora snorted in disgust, probably because she was unhappy about how Lina had dragged the Dragon King into the Divine War one thousand years ago.
“O-One-thousand-year-old sorcery...” Celia gulped in astonishment.
It was possible to build a sorcery spell formula that could only activate under certain conditions, but to aim for one that only activated at a certain time was much more difficult. Even selecting a month for a sorcery to activate was unheard of, so it was no wonder she was shocked to hear it might have been calculated to activate after a thousand years.
“It would be easy for that woman,” Sora stated simply, having known Lina personally.
“I see. The Wise Gods really are on another level...”
“More importantly, was there anything in your transferred memories about magic or sorcery that can restore or transfer lost memories?” Sora asked, pressing close to Celia.
“I’m not sure myself... I don’t know if the information in my head is everything, but there’s no magic of that kind... I think. As for sorcery, I don’t think there’s anything regarding that in the memories at all...”
Incidentally, sorcery referred to the act of creating mysterious phenomena through the use of spell formulas. On the other hand, magic referred to the act of planting the sorcery formulas within the body and activating them by chanting a verbal spell. That meant that, strictly speaking, magic was a type of sorcery.
“That phony unwise god...” Sora muttered resentfully at the thought of Lina. It was a statement that clearly showed zero faith and respect for someone normally worshipped as a god.
“Ph-Phony unwise god? That’s rather harsh...”
“It’s what she gets for being a phony unwise god! She lures people into doing things for her, but gives them no information! Just what is she thinking?!”
“I-I’m afraid I don’t have the answer to that...” Celia winced, recoiling at Sora’s indignation. But her point was also reasonable.
Sora’s right. She made me reincarnate for a specific purpose, yet she hasn’t left me with any information. Why is that? Rio wondered.
There were two possibilities that came to mind. The first was that she couldn’t leave him any information. And second was that she could have left him information, but chose not to.
Perhaps there’s some kind of restriction to the transfer sorcery? Or is the future liable to change if there’s too much information available? Rio theorized to himself.
“Is the information in your head only about magic? Was there nothing else that could provide any directions or clues?” Sora asked Celia.
“There’s a formula for a magic I don’t know... But come to think of it, I heard someone’s voice as well.”
Back then, she had definitely heard someone’s voice coming from somewhere. Perhaps it had been a message from Lina.
“What? What did the voice say?!”
“Umm. I think it said something like... ‘It worked. It’s not possible to give you all of it right now, but I’m entrusting everything I couldn’t give that person to you.’”
“What does that mean?!”
“I-I don’t know!” Celia winced at Sora’s hounding.
“All right, calm down now,” Rio said, soothing Sora gently.
“But...”
Rio held out his right hand before the unhappy Sora and questioned Celia. “Just to confirm, you’re sure Lina said ‘It worked’?”
“Yes. I don’t know if the owner of the voice was Lina, but that’s what I heard.”
“From the situation, it seems natural to assume the voice was saying you succeeded in regaining your memories of me—and acquiring that unknown magic... Right?”
“Yes, I think so.”
“Does that mean the owner of the voice is watching from somewhere to check whether it worked or not?”
“Perhaps. That’s a good point.” Celia nodded.
“Th-That’s right! As expected of the Dragon King!” Sora beamed, praising Rio endlessly.
“But that also means the owner of the voice is someone other than Lina.”
Sora gasped in realization. “Oh...”
“How come? If I’m similar to Lina’s disciple, then it seems natural to assume the voice is Lina’s...” Celia tilted her head in confusion.
“Because it’s impossible for it to be Lina’s.”
“Why is that?”
“Just like how the Dragon King reincarnated into me, Lina has also reincarnated into someone else.”
“Huh? Really?!” Celia gasped in shock.
“Yes. The truth is...”
Lina had been reborn as Miharu, according to Aishia. If Lina was still alive right now, that would contradict Aishia’s explanation.
However, Lina had created Aishia from her divinity and transferred her memories into her. It was hard to think she would lie about that.
“Aishia was the one who told me that Lina had reincarnated. But the circumstances surrounding that are a little complicated... Could we leave the details for another time? There’s something else I want to mention first.”
“Of course. What is it?”
“What to do from here on.”
“If there’s anything I can do to help, just say the word,” Celia offered immediately.
“For now, I’d like you to stay with everyone here.”
“Sure, okay... What will you do?” Saddened by the thought of being unable to be with Rio, Celia’s face fell.
“I want to be with everyone again.”
Instead of answering with what he would do, Rio answered with what he wanted. His expression was fleeting like a wilting flower, mirroring Celia’s.
“Rio...”
“But at this rate, the rules of god will get in the way of that. That’s why I have to do something about that first.”
“Is there anything you can do?”
“I have hope now that you remembered me. Whoever gave you your memories back knows how to recover lost memories.”
That meant there was a way to regain the memories.
“Right! The light of that formula that appeared earlier! That formula is the answer!” Sora shouted, pointing a finger at Celia.
“Apparently there’s something that can analyze spell formulas in the new magic spells I acquired. Maybe I can study the formula using that...”
“If you have such a useful spell, you should’ve said something earlier!”
The thought of the Dragon King regaining his memories had Sora jumping excitedly.
“But it can’t be used on living beings. Plus, it can only be used on someone when the formula is activated.”
“In that case, use that spell again!”
“Hmm... There’s a chance the formula is still sealed inside me, but it might have disappeared after it was activated, and it’s not like I was the one who activated it in the first place... I’ll try looking for it, but don’t hope for too much.”
If it was single-use sorcery, the formula would have disappeared with the spell’s activation. Celia chose her words carefully to avoid raising their hopes.
“Th-That’s fine! Just try!” Sora pleaded desperately.
“All right. I’ll look into it once we get back to the Galarc Kingdom.” Celia nodded firmly.
“May I ask the two of you for a favor?” Rio suddenly said. An idea had come to him as he watched the two talk.
“Sure!”
“Of course.”
Sora and Celia’s replies overlapped with each other.
“Can you two head to the Galarc Kingdom together like this? Then, Celia, can you arrange a way for Sora to stay at the mansion at the Galarc Castle?”
“Huh?!”
“I can try, but...”
Sora and Celia were wide-eyed with surprise. The request was beyond what they had been expecting.
“It’ll take too long to explain everything here. Sara and the other girls will be searching for Celia soon,” Rio said, explaining the reason for his request.
Celia looked at Rio sadly. “You won’t come to the Galarc Castle with us?”
“There shouldn’t be an issue if I visit for a short amount of time, but...”
“But...the rules of god?”
“Yes. After becoming a transcendent one, it’s become harder for me to remain in the memories of others.”
“Wait, really?”
“If someone takes their mind off me for some time, they’ll tend to forget about me. They’d have to stay awake beside me or continuously think about me when we’re apart, which isn’t realistic. Isn’t that right, Sora?” Rio said, turning to Sora, who knew the rules better than him.
“Yes! They’ll start to forget the Dragon King the moment they think about something else. If those people outside came in and saw the Dragon King, they wouldn’t recognize him as the person who helped them in the city. They’d only remember that someone saved them there.”
Any living human had to have moments of downtime, such as bathing or going to sleep. Such moments when the mind relaxed or wandered were enough to trigger that memory loss. If Rio stayed in the same mansion as the others, they’d end up waking the next morning wondering, “Who are you?”
“That’s...”
Celia struggled to find her words. The rules were a bigger hindrance to living together than she had imagined.
“That’s why I can’t go with you,” Rio said somewhat sadly, having accepted his reality. He then turned to Sora. “Which is why I’d like you to explain everything I couldn’t mention just now. Could you do that for me, Sora?”
“Of course! You can leave that role to Sora, loyal disciple of the Dragon King!”
Sora was delighted to be entrusted with a task by Rio, accepting his request proudly.
“Can Sora live with us without issue?”
“Yes. Apparently she’s harder to forget when she isn’t seen with me.”
Sora was just as easy to forget as Rio when she was together with him, but this wasn’t the case when they were apart.
“It’s the duty of disciples to appear before others on behalf of the transcendent ones. Most rules that apply to the transcendent one affect their disciples as well, but this one is the exception,” Sora said.
“And I trust you’ll be able to look after Sora, Celia. She’s more knowledgeable than me about the rules, so ask her whatever you wish.”
Rio asked Celia to look after Sora once more.
“All right, I got it.” Celia accepted with a nod.
Rio bowed his head. “Thank you.”
“Say... Can you take off your mask and show me your face properly?” Celia asked, suddenly stepping up close to Rio.
“I forgot I still had it on,” Rio said, taking off the broken mask with his right hand. Celia stared up at his face in silence.
“Did you make your hair lighter? Your eye color too. It’s red now,” she said, pointing out all the differences in his outer appearance after becoming a transcendent one. She gazed into his red eyes.
“It’s because—the color changed on its own...” Rio mumbled, struggling to explain.
“Changed on its own? Why...” Celia frowned in concern.
Just then, the door to the cabin they were in opened with a click. Christina, Sara, Orphia, Alma, Vanessa, and Celia’s father Roland came inside.
“This is the only room we haven’t checked...” Vanessa said. She was the first to walk into the room. When the group spotted Rio and the others in the dim storage room, their eyes widened.
“Professor Celia... What are you doing here?” Christina asked, shooting Rio and Sora a searching glance.
“Erm, I found a girl walking around on her own... So I was asking her some questions. She seems to be lost.” Celia made something up on the spot, avoiding eye contact with everyone.
“Sora isn’t some lost child!” Sora argued on reflex, not wanting to be treated like a child.
“...is what she insists, but she seems to have been separated from her master,” Celia explained in a shrill voice.
You’re coming with me, remember? Go along with the story! she protested with a look at Sora.
“Hmph...” Sora pouted. She was discontent, but she seemed to understand.
“Is that so...? If you tell me her family’s name, I can help search for them...”
“Err... About that. It seems she was serving an important foreign figure who was visiting Rodania. Something like a noble, or a wealthy merchant?” Giving the name of a noble from the Restoration was too risky of a lie. Celia quickly came up with something clever on the spot.
“A foreign figure... No wonder I haven’t seen those clothes before.”
“R-Right,” Celia agreed awkwardly.
“And the other person over there is...?” Christina asked.
The group’s gazes shifted to Rio.
“My name is Rio,” Rio said simply, bowing his head.
“You don’t have a family name?”
“I was born a commoner, so I do not. I serve Marquess Rodan’s house.”
“Why are you here...?”
“I was carrying items to this storage room to free up more rooms when this girl came running in. Followed by the lady,” Rio answered, looking from Sora to Celia.
“I see... Have we met somewhere before?” Christina asked all of a sudden. She seemed to be experiencing a strange sense of déjà vu.
“No, it is my first time being in Your Highness’s presence...” Rio feigned ignorance, tilting his head.
“I see...” Christina stared intently at Rio’s face.
“Come to think of it, were you looking for me for something, Princess Christina?” Celia asked, changing the topic. She wanted to avoid drawing attention to Rio—and her attempt succeeded.
“Yes, I have something to discuss with you.”
“Then shall we change locations?”
“Indeed.”
“Oh, is it okay if I bring this child along? I’ve promised to look after her until her master is found,” Celia asked, looking at Sora.
“Of course. Let’s go.”
Christina looked around at everyone’s faces. “Okay.”
The group turned on their heels and left the room in order of their proximity to the door. Having been in the room from the start, Celia and Sora were naturally the last ones to leave. But before they did, something fell to the floor with a clatter. The source of the sound was the broken mask Rio was wearing mere moments ago. Everyone turned around at the sound.
“Oh, excuse me. You dropped this,” Rio said, picking up the fallen mask. He then walked over to Celia and handed it to her.
“Ah, right. Thanks...”
She wasn’t sure why Rio was handing her the mask. But she figured he had to have a reason, so she accepted it with a look of surprise and thanked him.
“Take a close look at it later,” Rio said shortly. His explanation ended with that.
“Hmm...” Celia examined the mask.
“Professor...?” Christina, who had already left the room, called out to her.
“Oh, right. Coming!” Celia snapped back to her senses and headed for the door.
Rio, meanwhile, saw them off with a bow. Everyone left without a second thought for Rio—other than Sora, who returned his bow with a low bow of her own.
Once Rio was left alone, he quietly exited the room. He made his way through the ship and out onto the deck, where he jumped off the airship without anyone seeing.
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