He was a Hero who traveled with me in a past life, long ago. The surname Saeki he left behind continues to this day, and that baton was passed to Rion. After reincarnating, he became a confidant of Kuromel, the Apostle of God, and could even be called her right-hand man, a “Selector.” He staked his entire second life to indulge Kuromel’s whims. That is precisely why he has deep ties with me, Mel, and Rion in various ways—and even so, I thought we would never meet again.
“You, are you Maou…!?”
“Yes, that’s right. For some reason, I returned to this world, haha.”
This is the person before my eyes, Saeki Maou. To be honest, I was quite shaken. Maou should have been slain by Rion and the others in the “Chamber of Selection” during the battle with Kuromel. While I was happy to meet her again, I had wished to reunite with her in a living state. However, that ultimately became our farewell in this life.
…But this situation is impossible. No matter how high-level the magic used, the dead do not revive. Estoria was an exception during her time as a “Reviver,” but that ability is now lost. Did Sera come up with a new type of White Magic? No, just before Maou’s appearance, she was talking about Sister Ellen’s role or something… Meaning, Sister Ellen did something?
“Sister Ellen, are you perhaps using the Shrine Maiden’s Secret Art?”
“Tch! …As expected of a Shrine Maiden of modern Delamis, you saw through it to that extent in just this moment.”
It seems Colette also suspected Sister Ellen, or rather, she saw even deeper—Wait, what did you just say? Shrine Maiden’s Secret Art? But she can no longer use that power, can she?
“As someone who wields a similar art, I felt something akin to it by instinct. However, I have no knowledge of a secret art that resurrects the dead. Something akin to forbidden arts, not passed down to the present…? No, that’s not it. Are you perhaps not reviving them, but recreating the past?”
“Eh? Why can you figure all that out in this instant? Wow, this generation’s Shrine Maiden is also incredibly talented, Kelvin.”
“Ah, ah…”
I still don’t quite understand, but judging by Maou’s reaction, Colette’s guess seems to be correct. So, what does recreating the past mean? And why is Sister Ellen using a secret art?
“Haha, the “Proxy”— Ah, no, it’s Ellen now, isn’t it? Since Kelvin seems confused, wouldn’t it be better to explain the situation anew?”
“Yes. Before we start the “Wait a moment,” let’s clear that up. We have time, after all, don’t we?”
After a light cough, Sister Ellen turned back towards us.
“First, I shall answer your question about what kind of Shrine Maiden’s Secret Art I am using. The secret art I am currently using on Sera is named ‘Retrograde Divine Realm’— It is a one-time art that only Cecilia Delamirus, the Shrine Maiden of the era when Maou first transferred to this world, could wield.”
“Lady Cecilia… The name of the Shrine Maiden who was active long, long ago, even before my father was born.”
Well, that was before Mel became a god, back when Elearis ruled this world. And to be able to pinpoint that just by hearing the name, Colette’s memory is amazing.
“A one-time secret art? If something like that existed, it’s no wonder it’s not passed down to the present. But the crucial part is its content. Colette, you mentioned recreating the past earlier… What exactly does that mean?”
“I will explain that now as well. This secret art is a type of pseudo-necromancy, performed on a target with strong connections, based on people’s memories.”
Necromancy… Is it like an Itako channeling the souls of the deceased and then possessing them?
“There is a reason it is called pseudo-necromancy. What manifests is merely an illusion based on memories—the true souls of the deceased have not truly been resurrected.”
“Um, so Maou, who is standing before us now…?”
“Yes, she is not real, in fact. Well, I’ve been dealt a hand, haha.”
Maou, you’re laughing like it’s none of your business, but is that okay?
“In this case, I activated ‘Retrograde Divine Realm’ using the basis of “Selector” Sachiel Ouma Lizea from my memories, with the body of the same Hero, Sera, as the catalyst and target. Her personality and demeanor are exactly as they are in my memories, but please consider her combat abilities to be equivalent to Sera’s.”
“I, I see…”
“Next, regarding the question of why I, who lost my powers, could use a Shrine Maiden’s Secret Art, and one lost by Cecilia at that… I took advantage of her lingering regret that remained in this land.”
“Lingering regret?”
“Yes. However, it’s not a curse or anything, so please don’t worry about that.”
Should I be at ease about that?
“Actually, near this floor, there is Cecilia’s grave. Although the ‘Heroic Spirit’s Underground Mausoleum’ was built after Cecilia’s era, so it’s not her actual grave.”
“…In that grave, instead of Cecilia herself, her personal effects were buried. If Cecilia had strong regrets, it’s not strange for those feelings to remain here.”
“Um, I don’t really understand the details, but… Anyway, Sister Ellen borrowed power from around that grave? And that’s how your Shrine Maiden powers were revived?”
“It was not a revival. As I said earlier, I merely borrowed it— Would that be difficult to understand? Let me see… Although I lost my Shrine Maiden powers, I still remember how to handle them. In other words, it’s like knowing how to operate magic skills without having learned them.”
“Ah, that makes it easier to understand.”
It’s like having my “Green Magic” and “White Magic” skills removed. I know how to use the skills, but I don’t have the authority to use them.
“In essence. In place of me, who has no Shrine Maiden’s Secret Art, Cecilia’s residual thoughts are used as the source of power. Conversely, in place of her, who has lost her life and cannot use the art, I activated it. That is the situation.”
“I am me, reproduced through such complex circumstances. Well, I’ve been dealt a hand. I never thought I’d meet you again, Kelvin. Honestly, I’m quite shaken, you know?”
“Ah, ah, I’m also quite shaken by this unexpected development— No, but more than that, it’s wonderful. Even if it’s just a recreation of memories, being able to exchange words with Maou like this again, yes, it truly makes me happy.”
“K-Kelvin…! Yes, of course, I feel the same way! But, setting that aside for a moment… I “Wait a moment” to that marriage!”
“…”
Suddenly and cheerfully declared, “Wait a moment.” Well, Maou, you should be a little more aware of the atmosphere, you know?
“But then again… I will gladly accept that declaration!”
