The information obtained by “Gazing” tells me that Hairi’s words are not lies.
— Name: Shira Legacy, HP 23/23, MP 17/17, Class: Explorer
Level 3
Strength 0.45, Stamina 0.88, Dexterity 0.23, Speed 0.34, Intelligence 1.02, Magic Power 0.92, Aptitude 0.46–
— Innate Skill: None
Acquired Skill: None–
Her name is Shira, and her surname is Legacy, the same as Palinkron.
My body stiffens just from the appearance of a relative of my current mortal enemy.
I could tell at a glance that the girl before me had no malice. However, just by having the surname “Legacy,” I could no longer trust her. Her innocent attitude could only be seen as a trap to deceive and ensnare me.
I believed I wasn’t the kind of person who discriminated based on race or bloodline. But reality is harsh. I couldn’t feel at ease with this sunflower-like girl by my side.
“I’m this shaken just because she’s a relative of Palinkron…!”
I finally understood a little of how rulers feel when they seek to exterminate their enemies and their entire kin.
And at the same time, I understood how much I feared the existence known as Palinkron Legacy.
Seeing me frozen, Hairi tried to calm me with a gentle voice.
“Don’t worry, she means no harm. As you can see, she has no talents at all.”
Hairi patted Shira Legacy on the head.
Indeed, just as Hairi said, the “Display” showed no talents. In fact, the Skill section was so blank it was hard to find anything.
However—that’s precisely why it scared me as well.
Hairi looked at Shira Legacy, who squinted her eyes as if tickled, with a loving gaze.
“I’m cooperating to take Shira to the deepest part of the Labyrinth. She’s a friend I get along with, and I owe her a great debt.”
After concisely introducing Shira Legacy, Hairi took the girl’s hand and headed towards the “Connection.”
“Well then, let’s go, Shira. Everyone’s waiting for me, right?”
“Eh, already? Wait, Hairi. Who are these people?”
However, Shira Legacy stopped and held Hairi back.
She was still looking around nervously. She didn’t seem to understand the situation at all.
“There are things Shira doesn’t need to know. Besides, knowing them would only cause unnecessary trouble.”
“That’s so mean!”
The girl lamented, and I was surprised.
Despite introducing herself as the Party “Leader,” her treatment of that leader was too casual.
Displeased with this treatment, the girl broke free from Hairi’s hand and faced us with her chest puffed out.
“Uhm, everyone I don’t know well. Nice to meet you, I’m Shira Legacy. I’m an Explorer, you know!”
It was a cheerful and refreshing greeting.
My wariness had not yet subsided. However, ignoring it would be a matter of basic courtesy as a person. I decided to introduce myself on behalf of the group.
“…We’re Explorers too. My name is Aikawa Uzunami. Nice to meet you, Shira Legacy-san.”
“Nice to meet you too! You’re fellow Explorers? Then, please call me Shira without any hesitation! You don’t need to use polite language either, older brother! I’ll call you Kanami’s older brother freely too!”
The girl tilted her head and gave a friendly smile.
“R-really? Then, I will, Shira.”
“But, Aikawa Kanami is a strange name. Aikawa, that’s a really rare name… Hmm? A, Aikawa…? Wait, Aikawa Kanami? Really?”
“Yeah, that’s right…”
As Shira repeated my name over and over, her expression stiffened.
Then, she tried to turn around as if she were an un-oiled robot.
“–R-right, alright, Hairi-san. Let’s go back. Let’s go back immediately. Fellow Explorers means rivals. We shouldn’t overstay our welcome!”
With a stiff expression, Shira quickly waved goodbye to us and tried to take Hairi’s hand to head towards the “Connection.”
Perhaps she had heard somewhere of my ill repute in the Allied Nations.
“Hmm…? Understood.”
This seemed unexpected even for Hairi.
Prompted by Shira, she opened the door to the “Connection.”
“W-well then, goo-dbye… Everyone…”
Waving her hand widely, Shira quickly disappeared through the door.
Hairi followed, about to step through the door as well.
However, she stopped just before that.
“Ah, one last thing.”
Hairi turned back, looked at me—and then glanced briefly at Dia. It was only for a moment, but my dynamic vision didn’t miss the movement of her eyeballs.
It would be understandable if Hairi were concerned about Rustiara here. However, she looked at Dia at the end. I couldn’t grasp her intention.
“Boy, you said you had grown earlier.”
As if to hide the movement of her gaze, Hairi asked me strongly.
When I nodded, Hairi chose her words carefully and began to speak slowly.
“–However, I don’t think so. Seeing you as you are now, I don’t feel you’ve grown. If it were between ‘you in my memory’ and ‘you now,’ I would find the former more appealing.”
And then, she denied me as a person.
“Wh-!”
Those words deeply disturbed my heart.
Despite enduring so much hardship and overcoming so many ordeals, the girl before me had completely denied those results.
My level had risen, and I had gained many skills. I had overcome my timidity and stopped pretending to be someone I wasn’t.
Undoubtedly, I had become stronger than before. Because of that, I now had some leeway.
I believed this leeway was the reward for overcoming those ordeals.
However, from Hairi’s perspective, enjoying a beach outing and laughing with the Party might have looked like slacking off. She might have felt it was a step backward, not forward.
It was too much of a shock.
Analyzing my disturbed emotions, I realized that I respected the knight Hein Helvishein more than I thought. I didn’t want to be praised by this girl named Hairi. I just wanted the being who possessed Hein’s memories to acknowledge the results of my efforts.
My face contorted naturally. Seeing this, Hairi hastily shook her head.
“N-no, it’s just my personal opinion, so please don’t take it too seriously. Yes, it’s just a matter of preference. Growth isn’t just about leveling up. I just wanted to convey that. I’m sorry.”
Hairi desperately tried to smooth things over, but my heart wouldn’t settle. Hairi must have sensed the awkward atmosphere, as she immediately bowed deeply and initiated their farewell.
“…Well then, I’ll be taking my leave. However, since we are based in Valt on the mainland, we may have further encounters with your party, the young lady, as you pursue Palinkron. I ask for your continued favor then.”
And with that, Hairi disappeared beyond the door, her emerald green Connection dissolving into particles of light. Once the lingering presence of the white-haired girl, Hairi, had vanished, Rustiara broke the silence.
“…What do you think?”
For Rustiara, who was usually carefree, this was an unusually serious expression.
“Are you asking if she was Hein?”
“No, that’s already decided, isn’t it? She and Hein were completely different people. Both in appearance and atmosphere. Of course, her speech patterns might be similar due to being influenced by his memories. Besides, Palinkron couldn’t possibly replicate Saint Tiara’s ‘Rebirth’ magic.”
Rustiara stated it definitively. However, I felt a doubt about her assertion.
“No, but…”
I didn’t think they were as dissimilar as Rustiara claimed. She might be a different person, but there was a trace of Hein…
“That’s a Magic Stone Human girl struggling because she has Hein’s memories. She’s undeniably a different person.”
“But Hairi said she had almost all of Hein’s memories. If she has that many memories, doesn’t that prove that he’s essentially there?”
“But just having memories isn’t enough to call it ‘Rebirth’…?”
I thought I had presented my theory, but it seemed to be dismissed by Rustiara. Rustiara, being the ‘masterpiece’ Magic Stone Human and an expert in magic, considered my concern a trivial matter.
“Is… is that so…?”
In the values of my world, memories are incredibly precious. Some might even consider memories the very proof of one’s existence. Many science fiction novels propose the idea that acquiring complete memories and personality would grant immortality. However, such concepts seem absent in this world.
“Normally, that’s how it is, Kanami-san. What makes a person who they are is their ‘blood’ and ‘soul.'”
Maria, who had been listening nearby, seemed to share Rustiara’s opinion. She brought up the word ‘soul,’ which felt rather antiquated. Or rather, perhaps it was the modern way of thinking in this world. With magic existing, souls likely do too, and perhaps ‘soul’ is essential for proving one’s self in this world.
“Exactly. That’s why our Saint Tiara was so meticulous about transferring ‘blood’ and ‘soul’… but that girl Hairi’s ‘blood’ and ‘soul’ are too different.”
Unable to keep up with the unique sensibilities of this world, I couldn’t argue back. As a last resort, I decided to ask Dia for her opinion. She was also an expert in magic, no less than Rustiara.
“…You too, Dia?”
Dia, standing a bit further away, looked up as I called out to her.
“—Huh? Um… I wasn’t really listening. Sorry, I’m a little sleepy…”
Rubbing her eyes, Dia gave a wry smile.
“Sleepy? You do look a bit pale. You should rest.”
Perhaps she was tired from the unfamiliar experience of swimming. Her HP on the ‘Display’ was unchanged, but she seemed to have expended a significant amount of stamina.
“Ah, I’m just going to sleep. …Sorry, Kanami.”
“There’s no need to apologize. I was kind of forcing you to swim.”
“Right… ‘I’ have no reason to apologize…”
Dia gave a small laugh and went inside the ship. Her injured body looked small. Dia, who was already petite, appeared even smaller. White wings were growing from her back. They were small, cute wings, so small that one wouldn’t notice they were wings unless observing closely. When I spoke of my own circumstances, Dia had also briefly mentioned the ‘Apostles.’ Apparently, she was treated as a reincarnation of a Revannism ‘Apostle’ because she was born with those wings. She herself said she was no different from other humans, just having slightly higher magic power. I had decided to treat her as an equal, just as she wished. I considered the wings on her back to be a slightly unusual accessory. However, as Dia disappeared into the ship, the wings I had mistaken for decoration seemed to tremble slightly.
Seizing the opportunity while Dia went to rest, everyone else began to act on their own. I really wanted to discuss Hairi further, but Rustiara and Maria seemed to have already reached a conclusion. I could tell from their expressions that they were convinced Hein Helvishein was gone. Without any lingering regrets, they plunged into the sea and resumed their swimming practice.
I was left on the deck, pondering Hairi alone. Hairi called herself a failed work and denied being Hein. Yet, her last words to me felt as if Hein himself had spoken them. That’s what troubled me, gradually draining my composure.
“…No, enough.”
I shake my head, trying to clear my thoughts.
Lately, perhaps due to my increased Status gains and Parallel Thinking, I feel like I’m unintentionally thinking about unnecessary things. My sharpened senses are becoming troublesome.
It’s like a bare blade wounding myself.
There’s no point in dwelling on things I can’t change.
What I need to think about is the Labyrinth instead.
Now that Hairi, my rival in Labyrinth Exploration, has appeared, I must explore even more efficiently. Judging by Hairi’s condition today, it will be quite some time before she can resume Labyrinth Exploration. However, if I become too complacent and she reaches the Deepest Part of the Labyrinth before me, it won’t be a laughing matter.
I sit on a chair on the deck, contemplating the Labyrinth strategy.
It’s important to prevent Parallel Thinking from dwelling on unnecessary matters.
That’s right.
There’s no point in thinking about it.
Unnecessary things are not needed right now—
Then I practice swimming again, and the sun begins to set.
—And so, the day ends.
I think today was a day filled with hardship.
A moment’s carelessness brought Rustiara closer, then pushed her away instantly. Using the skill ‘???’ was a critical mistake.
As if to pile on, Hairi appeared. Her existence disrupts my mind. Her birth, her personality, her beliefs—everything about her feels like it’s accusing me.
I return to my own room and throw my tired body onto the bed.
The accumulated fatigue washes over me all at once. Simultaneously, an inescapable drowsiness fills my mind.
No matter how positively I try to view it, this ship journey is indeed taking a toll on my spirit. The drowsiness makes me acutely aware of this.
And then, my vision gradually darkens.
My consciousness fades.
I don’t resist it, accepting the sleep.
From tomorrow, I’ll have to work hard at Labyrinth Exploration again.
I need to rest, even a little, and regain my spirit.
So I let myself fall into a peaceful dream, just as I wished.
I wanted to rest.
So I fell, and fell, and fell.
I fell to the very bottom of my heart—
◆◆◆◆◆
I feel like I’m floating in black mud.
A stagnant, pitch-black world stretches as far as the eye can see.
There is nothing.
I drift in the black world.
Then, from somewhere, a muffled voice echoes.
—Ah, it has finally become too much.
It was a voice of regret.
The voice tremble as if spitting blood, hoarse.
—We have crossed the “boundary” that the two of us set—which means we have stepped into the “limit zone” of humans—Ah, if this continues, that will start again—It will overlap with the stories of the past—We will repeat that tragedy again—No—what a terrible ending—No, that’s wrong—I will never let it happen again—I will not permit that—absolutely—absolutely absolutely absolutely—absolutely—
—………….
…………
The voice is quickly absorbed into the darkness and disappears.
I couldn’t understand what those words meant, or whose voice it was.
I try to repeat the words, to think about their meaning—then I realize the futility of it.
Right now, I am in darkness.
A darkness where I don’t know my location.
I knew this was a dream. The words spoken in a dream are like sleep-talking. There’s a high probability they are a random combination of words without deep meaning.
Realizing it’s a dream, I relax all the muscles in my body and let myself sink into the muddy world.
There’s no point in taking it seriously. Resting my body is more important.
However, the dream doesn’t leave me alone quietly.
After the voice disappears, the next thing that appears in the darkness is a certain scene.
It’s Rustiara’s room on the Living Legend. Hairi, a pale girl, is sleeping in the bed. Rustiara and I are beside her, talking. We are seriously checking Hairi’s condition.
I recognize that scene. It’s probably something I experienced today.
Suddenly, I recall knowledge from my previous world. I remember hearing someone say that dreams are a way of organizing memories.
If that’s the case, this might be my memory being organized.
As I’m convinced of this, another scene overlaps in the darkness.
Beside the sleeping Hairi, it’s the memory of meeting Mr. Hein. Beside Rustiara, who is talking on the ship, it’s the memory of meeting Rustiara. Beside me, who is listening to the story, it’s the memory of visiting this Another World for the first time.
Various memories are lined up, transcending time and place.
It is truly a scene that can be called memory organization.
I watch it calmly. If this helps to lighten my head even a little, I will be happy. In fact, I wish it would organize more.
At the end, the superimposed memories begin to blend.
Then, a comical movie, unrealistic and dreamlike, begins to play.
As memories from my previous world and this Another World mix, an incredible number of unbelievable sights are produced. I feel a little relieved that it’s finally becoming more like a normal dream.
For example, Mr. Hein and I are senior and junior in my previous world—Rustiara and I are childhood friends, walking to school together every morning—Dia and Maria are among my classmates.
Impossible situations unfold one after another in a nonsensical sequence.
I enjoyed the unrestrained scenarios of the dream, treating it as a change of pace.
Then, after the amusing movie runs its course, it returns to Rustiara’s room on the Living Legend.
It happens to be the point where Rustiara’s story about Magic Stone Humans concludes.
This time, I held a slight hope that people from my previous world might mix into this Another World.
Memories are connected by threads called “relevance.”
Similar situations naturally attract each other.
Memory overlaps with memory.
Beside Hairi, the girl with only six months left to live, I saw a girl with an equally desperate condition.
My heart ached with a sharp pain, even though this was a dream.
A girl with circumstances eerily similar to Hairi’s.
Likewise, her limbs were a sickly white. Her face was frail, and her build unhealthy. However, unlike Hairi, her long hair was as dark as the deepest night.
There was no mistaking her—it was my sister, Aikawa Hidaki.
Then, the two memories overlapped and began to play.
On the ship’s deck, Hairi and I were starting to argue. Beside us, Hidaki and I were arguing.
The scene severely disturbed my heart.
The issue wasn’t my conversation with Hairi. My sister’s memory was weakening my heart.
I said to Hairi:
“I know your span of life is short. But precisely because of that, I think you should strive harder to live… ‘…Excuse me, but to me, you just seem to be reveling in your own tragedy. You’ve found an easy way out, haven’t you? You’re just clinging to it without thinking.’ If so, you should decide important matters after gaining more experience. A life that lasts less than a month is far too short. Live desperately until the very end, struggle until the very end—and if you still wish to be killed by me, then I’ll face you then… So, won’t you live a little more seriously…?”
Indeed, I said that.
And I was saying something very similar to my sister beside me.
To both my sister and Hairi, I was repeating things that weren’t much different.
Seeing that sight, I truly felt, just as Hairi said, that I hadn’t grown at all.
My words echoed like a stereo.
They were so… sickening…
Then, the playback of memories became lopsided.
Perhaps it was because I had tilted my consciousness too much toward my sister.
Hairi’s memories faded, and memories with my sister filled the void of darkness.
These were memories from my original world.
Memories with my sister.
In other words, it was Aikawa Uzunami’s life—
Those memories were painful just to touch, yet the more I touched them, the more precious they became.
The memories began with my sister suffering from illness.
My sister was weakened because of me.
The responsibility for my sister contracting that illness lay with me.
It was a connection that science could not prove, but I believed it was my fault. No, I had done such terrible things to my sister that I had no choice but to believe it.
So, I vowed to live as atonement.
After that, I ended up separating from my parents, and my sister and I resumed living together.
I did all the housework. I even took on part-time jobs I wasn’t used to. I tried everything I could think of, working hard to create an environment where my sister could live happily.
However, no matter how desperately I tried, it was, after all, the effort of a single child. Naturally, flaws began to appear.
My sister’s physical condition gradually worsened.
I didn’t understand the reason for it.
As I moved from hospital to hospital through introductions and intermediaries, I too grew weaker.
It was busy and difficult.
Yet, I hated that I felt a sense of satisfaction somewhere. The fact that I was suffering for my sister seemed to somehow ease my heart.
So, for my own sake as well, I never gave up.
Even as the adults I sought help from shook their heads, I continued to search for a way to save my sister.
Searching for someone who would nod and say they could save ‘Aikawa Hidaki’—
Searching, searching, searching—
Searching, searching, searching, searching, searching—
At the end of that, what did I arrive at?
A certain scene spread out before my eyes.
It was the grand hall of a castle.
Innumerable candle chandeliers hung from a ceiling too distant, and countless bay windows lined the sides. It resembled a Western historical building, but it was too pristine to be called historical, this grand hall. The intricately designed emblems drawn everywhere were unblemished, and all the furniture looked brand new.
In the grand hall were three men and women.
I could see them as if looking down from the sky.
One of the three nodded.
It was the moment when the adult I had finally sought help from nodded in agreement.
An adult with a androgynous face and flowing, deep golden hair spoke.
“—I can help. No, it’s more accurate to say I know the method?”
A woman dressed in rags, like a beggar, replied to a masked figure clad in a jet-black, oversized coat.
…Who is that?
No, more importantly, where is this place?
Why did I end up in a place like this ancient-looking castle when I came looking for a doctor?
Even for a dream, this is too strange…
Have I finally started fabricating memories within my dream? If so, this bizarre situation would make sense.
It was just like a hall in a medieval European castle.
A masked man is asking a woman of ethereal beauty to treat his sister.
It is indeed a scene that can only be called a dream.
Yet, I couldn’t tear my eyes away.
I couldn’t deny these mismatched memories.
Everything about this scene. The castle, the woman, the mask. I felt like I had seen each of them somewhere before.
The woman continued speaking.
“However, that method is far too difficult. First, it is minimally necessary to fully understand the ‘poison’ of this world.”
The woman spoke as if testing, and the masked figure replied.
“‘Poison’—? Ah, if it’s about this world’s ‘Magic Power,’ we can manipulate it better than anyone! Right, ‘Tiara’!”
He answered powerfully in a man’s voice and then called the girl he had brought with him ‘Tiara’.
The girl, called by the name of a ‘Saint’ of Revannism, placed her hands on her waist and puffed out her chest.
“That’s right! Who do you think saved this country! There’s no one who can manipulate ‘Magic Power’ better than me and Master!”
The girl called ‘Tiara’ closely resembled Rustiara.
And then, I realized.
It wasn’t just the girl who looked similar.
The beautiful adult woman was just like a grown-up Dia. And the masked man’s tone and gestures were exactly like my own.
The woman resembling Dia spoke.
“Ah, speaking of which, you named this ‘Magic Power,’ didn’t you? Ufufu, ‘Magic Power’… and ‘Magic Power Conversion.’ That’s a good sense. Shall I say it like that from now on too?”
A man who looked like me spoke.
“I’m confident I can make your plan succeed. So, please save my sister!”
His face was hidden by a mask, but his desperate plea for his sister convinced me that he was me.
“A swift reply. However, are you sure you can answer so lightly? This is a contract, and not just any contract. It’s a contract with an Apostle.”
“I’ll do anything for a contract or anything else… For Hidaki’s sake, I won’t hesitate anymore! I’ll never make a mistake again!”
The woman called herself an “Apostle,” and the man mentioned “Hidaki’s” name.
Does this mean that the people here are the Revannism’s “Saint,” “Apostle,” and “Aikawa Uzunami”?
Witnessing such an unprincipled cast of characters, I felt a sense of unreality.
This is definitely not a mere sorting of memories.
It’s likely a jumbled playback of heard stories. And it seems familiar companions are cast as great figures in this dream. That’s the most natural explanation. In a dream, such things are common.
The dream characters continued their conversation with gusto.
“—Very well. Then, I hereby acknowledge the contract between Apostle Sis and Primordial Kanami! From this day forward, we are allies. Our bond is not just in words, but a connection of ‘souls’ bound by the threads of fate. No matter how far apart we are, we will meet again through the ‘Curse.’ And from this moment on, glory is promised to you. To contract with an ‘Apostle’ is to become a ‘Saint.’ Not just saving a country, but to be remembered as a hero who saves the world—nay, as a being who surpasses heroes! And by gaining a ‘Saint,’ I can take one step further than the other two Apostles. Oh, wonderful! This is a glorious historical moment!!”
The “Apostle” was bathed in light. Or rather, that wasn’t quite accurate.
She spread the luminous wings on her back, illuminating the man like a halo. The light was abnormal. Its density was so high, it was like a white wall. It was immediately clear that this light was accompanied by magic power—something akin to magic.
Yet, faced with this abnormal light, the man did not flinch.
“I don’t care about that! More importantly, swear that you will definitely save Hidaki!”
“Yes, I will cure your sister’s illness with the full might of an Apostle of God. Yes, proper treatment… I swear that I will absolutely save your sister…”
The man and woman’s gazes locked, and their distance gradually closed.
However, behind them.
Tiara, terrified of the Apostle, clutched the hem of the masked man’s clothes tightly.
As if not to be swallowed by that light. No, as if to ensure the masked man wouldn’t be taken by anyone, she held him back with all her might.
The masked man, however, remained oblivious to this until the very end.
Without noticing the malice visible to the girl’s eyes toward Apostle Sis, he was consumed by the light.
The man took the Apostle’s shining hand.
Their hands clasped, and the contract was sealed.
Sealed, and then, the three of them.
Those three—
Then, abruptly—the vision turned black.
The dream ended, and I returned to the empty world.
In the dark abyss, I floated in a daze. I could only drift with my mouth agape.
I was too stunned by the bizarre and unreal dream to say anything.
I have no such scene, no such memory.
In other words, this is a fabricated memory, pieced together for convenience.
It’s a dream, no doubt about it.
Because I remember.
After searching, searching, and searching—in the end, I found nothing.
So, my sister and I vowed to live our lives to the fullest until we die.
We decided in our original world to find happiness together.
And I was summoned to this Other World alone, while my sister was left behind in our original world.
Therefore, this memory is a fake.
A dream.
It could only be a dream.
It would be problematic if it weren’t.
Saint Tiara from a thousand years ago, a disciple of Aikawa Uzunami?
She contracted with an Apostle as the Shiso?
The three of them were trying to cure Hidaki’s illness?
Impossible.
But, what if…
What if. If that were true…
What happened to Aikawa Uzunami and Aikawa Hidaki a thousand years ago?
And who would I, who am here alone now, be?
What am I, who exists a thousand years later?
Normally, I should have died of old age by now.
My beloved sister, Aikawa Hidaki, died a thousand years ago?
Or, or—!
—No.
This is a dream.
It’s foolish to speculate based on a dream.
Besides, no matter which it is, what I need to do remains the same.
No matter which me—no, whatever me I might be, Aikawa Uzunami will save Aikawa Hidaki. I will do everything in my power to save her.
As long as I know that, it’s enough.
That wish alone is something I will never mistake. It is a fate not to be trifled with, an undeniable truth.
“I will save my sister,” I repeated in my mind.
That unwavering answer brought me peace.
A sense of relief, as if I had returned home, drew a strong drowsiness upon me. My consciousness grew hazy, melting into the black world. In a deep sleep, I was lulled into an even deeper slumber.
Finally, I reconfirmed only what I needed to do.
I will advance through the Labyrinth. I will reach the deepest part of the Labyrinth and meet Hidaki. I can do it now. I have been blessed with companions, and my level has risen. My skills have increased, and my Status has soared. If I continue like this, I will meet Hidaki. It is promised.
It is supposed to be promised.
It would be a problem if it were not promised.
Because it would be a problem, I—
I broke away from the Allied Nations and reclaimed my wish.
Whether I can withstand “fate not to be trifled with” and “undeniable truth” is another matter.
—In my dream, I moaned alone.
