Ah, it’s cloudy again today.
Under a sky without a single cloud, above a bright red shallow sea, I had such an everyday thought.
The castle that was on top of the hill has finally been taken over by Fafnir, becoming a disgusting object like an organ bound by veins. The towers and outer walls scattered around now look like scabs or tumors. The trees decorating the roads and gardens are, of course, red, and blood continues to gush from their surfaces like human wounds.
The river of Fuziaze Castle, said to be the clearest in the world, is covered in a film of blood and is bubbling. The great bridge that spanned this river is completely submerged due to the endless flow of blood from the holes in the castle. Every step I take makes a splashing sound, like playing in the water.
I recall that this great bridge was built by a great figure in history as a monument to peace. This Great Holy Capital is a place with a rich history, so there are many such anecdotes… but well, I suppose it’s over now.
Using the great bridge as a channel, the flowing blood was passing by my feet and attempting to flow into the town of the Great Holy Capital.
However, the valiant knights who are supposed to protect the town are acting as a wall, managing to hold it back.
The number of knights lined up in front of the bridge is roughly in the triple digits. If you include those attempting to invade from the river side, there would be more. If I strain my ears, I can also hear the sounds of magic from the back of the castle. It might be approaching four digits. I wish it would reach five digits soon, but that will likely take a few days.
While thinking such things, I found myself facing the knights who seemed to be the main force of the Fuziaze army on the great bridge, locked in battle, sending blood splatters flying.
The other routes into the castle are blocked by countless walls, fences, rivers, and moats. For hundreds of people to head towards the castle, the great bridge is undeniably the best way. Knowing this, I have positioned myself here to meet and repel the enemy. It has been about an hour now, without letting a single rat pass.
The enemies are elite knights from a knightly order, clad in expensive-looking armor.
From their attire, it’s easy to see their good backgrounds. Many of them seem to be noble young masters who have been raised with abundant money and abundant expectations. The thought of taking all those lives with my own hands makes me feel a little lighter.
Even in this overly dark visibility, the enemies’ shimmering lives serve as a beacon for me to fight.
In front of Fuziaze Castle, which has undergone its historical renovation, I swing my arms with gusto.
In my hands are the crystal sword and the red sword. I extend the tip of the sword using “Magic Power Solidification” to adopt a fighting style similar to that of a Sword Saint from a thousand years ago.
It’s an unfamiliar way of fighting, but thanks to “Swordsmanship” flowing into me from the sword in my hand, there’s no problem. With this unending influx of power, in just one hour, I have become a top-class “Swordsmanship” user among the knights.
I move and spin like a dancer, following the most optimal body movements and arm swings.
With that alone, the heads of several knights surrounding me flew off. It’s such a simple act of killing that it makes my roundabout fighting style up until today seem foolish.
With the power of “Thief of Principles,” it’s truly effortless. I can take lives so easily.
However, perhaps because I’m killing enemies too easily, even though I’ve taken these shimmering lives, I don’t feel any sense of cleansing. I thought that by taking valuable lives, this overly dark visibility would change, but there’s no sign of it brightening.
—It wouldn’t, but honestly, it’s not a problem to stay in this dark state.
When I let Nosfy and the others escape earlier, I was terrified of having my vision completely stolen. I was filled with anxiety, wondering if I could fight the strong enemies ahead in this condition.
But as time passes, just as my eyes adjust to the darkness, I’ve gradually become able to discern the outlines of objects.
It’s like having thin white lines drawn in pitch-blackness, but I’m already a pro at fighting in darkness. That much information is more than enough.
Therefore, even if an enemy knight attacks from my blind spot behind me, I can respond without any issues.
“—This monster!!”
Is it that they’re unaccustomed to surprise attacks, or is it that they have to shout loudly because they’re afraid of me? It’s probably both. I calmly turn around and insert the tip of my sword into the mouth of the shouting knight.
I sever the enemy’s brainstem and immediately withdraw. Next, I extend my twin swords towards the knights coming from either side. This seems to be the real attack, using the current knight as a decoy, but such a simple operation will never work on me.
The blades draw lines in the air, and the number of corpses increases to three.
Fafnir has received new offerings. If I’m not mistaken, that makes a hundred deaths so far. The corpses of these commemorative knights are being swallowed by the blood-soaked great bridge.
“—W-Wait!”
And then, the fierce assault of the knightly order, which had been continuing here, temporarily halts.
The voice of a knight, who had been directing the battle on the street, not on the main battlefield of the great bridge where the blood couldn’t reach, reached me.
In the dark visibility, I strain my eyes and look at the outline of the shouting knight’s face.
This knight is probably the captain. He is in charge of unifying multiple knightly orders. The man narrows his eyes as he looks at me and grunts.
“Hmph, not even that works…!? Then…!”
“Captain Aranwek! If even close-quarters combat like this is impossible, not to mention magic battles…!”
A knight, who appears to be the副隊長 (vice captain), calls out the captain’s name with a trembling voice, interrupting him.
Perhaps due to being raised in a hothouse, he is already in a state of slight despair facing an enemy like me. After all, their initial coordinated Resonance magic attack of a hundred people was broken through head-on, resulting in about fifty immediate deaths. Following that, the magic battles deployed simultaneously from all four directions were also a complete failure, and now the elite knights specializing in “Swordsmanship” have been defeated by “Swordsmanship.”
For those with little experience, it’s understandable to think there’s no way forward.
However, Captain Aranwek, whose name was called, has not stopped thinking. Despite knowing the difference in strength, he is trying to carve out a path for his fallen comrades.
Although I’ve only just learned his name… as expected of Captain Aranwek, he’s a famous knight from the mainland that even I, who works in the frontier, know of.
When I was working, I often heard of his martial prowess. He’s a noble from a branch family of the Walker family, I believe, and unlike those raised in hothouses, he grew up on the battlefield. Due to his family status, he pursued strength over personality, and his abilities were recognized by many knights.
He’ll be perfect for publicizing my threat. I’ll let him go today without killing him.
I gaze down from above, truly enjoying myself, and grin at the captain and vice-captain in the distance.
Captain Aranwek, who must have seen me do so, has his magic surge. Even from afar, an oppressive aura like覇気 (ha ki) reached me. However, it quickly subsided like fire doused with water, and he calmly issued orders.
“All hands, retreat from the blood. Temporary withdrawal. Our priority is to rendezvous with the knight corps who are operating separately and share information.”
Many, including the副隊長 (fukutaichō – deputy captain), felt relieved by his calm judgment. However, there were those who would never yield their pride. A hot-blooded young man, who appeared to be a new recruit, voiced his dissatisfaction.
“Captain…!? You’re retreating from just one opponent…? We, the Holy Knights who protect this Great Holy Capital, are retreating from just one person…?”
“Even if it’s just one person, it’s already a battlefield. The more we fight, the more this ‘evil blood’ spreads. Since the enemy is using ancient magic, we will avoid unnecessary attacks until we finish analyzing it.”
The knights referred to the blood generated by Fafnir’s basic magic, “Blood,” as “evil blood,” treating it as an unknown ancient magic due to its extraordinary nature.
Indeed, it was understandable why they felt inclined to call it that. The moment one stepped into it, their footing was caught by its unusually high viscosity. Even if they tried to counter with magic, the power of magic other than blood attribute magic would weaken, and it would hardly activate. If it sensed hostile magic, a Blood Knight would be born and attack as a counter. Once defeated there, one’s body fluids would be sucked dry as if attacked by blood-sucking leeches. Of course, if one died, their entire corpse would be taken.
Frankly, attempting to break through this head-on would be an act of an idiot.
I thanked my captain for his calm judgment and stirred the pot a bit, based on my current feeling.
“Retreating, huh… As expected of the Holy Knights of the renowned Great Holy Capital! You’ve noticed the mechanism of the blood, haven’t you? …But, if left alone, this will spread little by little, you know? Look, it’s almost reaching the Great Bridge. Oh dear, oh dear, it’s going to reach the town.”
When I indirectly asked if they were abandoning their duty to protect the town, the captain calmly uttered a few words to restrain the surrounding knights.
“…Retreat.”
I had provoked them a little too much.
Instead, multiple knight corps united and formed a clean formation for a strategic withdrawal.
All of them continued to glare at me. If I pushed a little more, I might be able to lure a few into the blood pond, but there was no need to go that far. Like Nosfy, in the end, I would kill them all anyway, so there was no rush… or so I thought. Or rather, I hoped.
“…Well, if you’re not coming, then don’t. I have no intention of chasing you. I have various things to do myself.”
With an air of composure, I turned and indicated that I would let the knight corps go.
It was a truce that benefited both sides.
They could take information about me back, and I could achieve my goal of self-promotion.
As I walked away leisurely, a voice reached my back.
“Don’t get cocky, traitor…! What do you mean by ‘true guardian,’ what do you mean by ‘Star Principle Thief’…! Just revel in your arrogance for now…! We will surely defeat you and avenge the heroes who perished today…!”
The proud-looking new recruit from before cursed me.
Honestly, it was foolish behavior for a knight. To provoke the enemy unnecessarily after the captain had ordered a retreat was the act of an idiot among idiots. However, as a human, it was an act of pride.
Delighting in the enemy’s brilliance, I prayed to the “Scripture” in my pocket for instructions to harvest it.
“—My knight Fafnir, I command you. You don’t need to hold back anymore.”
Instantly, Fafnir’s full magic was unleashed, and they appeared throughout the entire blood-soaked domain. From the spreading bloodpond at our feet, countless “Something” emerged—
I walked back across the Great Bridge alone through them.
Without losing my composure as an enemy might, I walked across the Great Bridge as if playing in the water, and when I reached the large hole in the castle that Dia had created, I looked back once.
I saw a swarm of “Something” that made me want to retch.
A hundred “Something” lined up before a hundred knights.
Most of the “Something” had shapes that my brain refused to comprehend. Not only had I never seen them before, but I had never even imagined such forms.
They were basically red. All of the “Something” were red and close to humanoid.
“Something” with elongated torsos that could only be described as entraIls, with numerous red eyeballs growing like fruits. “Something” whose limbs were formed by swirling spiral ribbons resembling intestines. “Something” made of over a thousand human arms stacked together, towering like giants—truly varied.
They were by no means monsters.
Monsters, even with their bizarre forms, possessed a certain regularity. This was either uniformity by species or signs of evolution to win in the struggle for survival—there were basic rules for life to exist as life.
However, these things disregarded all such rules.
There was no meaning in the process leading up to this; their sole reason for existence was to desecrate life—no, it was merely the revenge of desecrated life upon the still-undesecrated life. Only such malice could be felt from the “Something.” Indeed, it was impossible not to feel it.
The confronting knights had begun to scream.
The heroes who had not fled even in my presence were trembling and crying like children. Some even fainted helplessly before the approaching bloodpond. The word “unity” had shattered, and they were scattering one by one. It would be tough for Captain Aranweck, but he would probably survive… I think.
“Well then, good luck, guys.”
Without witnessing the battle before the Great Bridge, I returned to the castle.
And in the empty grand entrance, I let out a sigh of relief.
—It’s going smoothly.
Satisfied in my heart, I headed towards the castle stairs.
When I let Nosfy and the others go, my vision had been completely dark. The “Price” of becoming a “Star Principle Thief” had infected me too quickly, causing me to lose my mental composure, be assailed by abnormal darkness in my vision, and have my values shaken.
But I overcame it.
I, who was once just a knight, achieved an overwhelming victory against the army of Fuziaze.
Moreover, I deliberately engaged in unfamiliar magic battles and even introduced myself. The knights who survived this battle would surely spread my name throughout the world from now on.
—Smooth, very smooth.
I had regained my mental composure.
The problem of visual darkness had also been resolved.
My shaken values were gradually being rebuilt.
There were no problems at all.
In the end, for me, the “Price” of becoming a “Thief of Principles” was mild. After all, unlike other “Thieves of Principles,” I did not have such a weak spirit that I would lose myself in suffering of that magnitude.
Instead, I have gained confidence.
If that is the abyss of darkness into which the “Thief of Principles” falls, then I will surely be able to continue on from here. I will not be like the modern “Strongest Explorer” who is all form and no substance, nor a flawed specimen like past “Thieves of Principles,” but a true “First Place” in both name and reality.
Even if I acquire all the “Thieves of Principles” in the future, I will still be me. As Ragune Kaikuola, I will swallow the entire world as I am.
“—Hahaha.”
Laughter escaped me on my way up the stairs.
There are still more reasons for my growing confidence. Soon, I will be able to obtain the power of “Dimension” as well. The enviable array of magic—《Dimension》, 《Connection》, 《Default》—I am confident I can use them all more effectively than anyone else.
Starting the endeavor of “Becoming the Last Person in the World” on a whim, it has ceased to be a dream. If I continue at this pace, I can realistically achieve it. Surely, I can reach the “Deepest Part.” Moreover, beyond that, and beyond that. I can go anywhere.
I will surely become the genuine “First Place.” “First Place,” “First Place,” “First Place,” “First Place”—
As I repeated those words in my mind, I suddenly turned my gaze to the outside from the castle window. I saw a dark world, discernible only by its outline, where the sun shone brilliantly.
As I ascended floor by floor, the land of the Great Holy Capital receded, and I could see the whole view from a higher vantage point. Below, Fuziaze soldiers were fighting against some kind of blood that wasn’t even a monster. And far in the distance, where the blood had not yet reached, I saw a group of citizens watching my castle with unease.
A group of women and children were gathered in the central park. I could tell from their outlines that their expressions were grim.
This is likely partly due to the barrier that Kanami’s older brother forcefully removed last night. Nosfy had implanted “National Revitalization” into the “Magic Stone Line.” With that broken, and the supposedly unsinkable castle having fallen, the fear caused by the sudden change is easily imagined. Without a doubt, not a single citizen is wearing a face filled with the same vibrancy as they had yesterday.
Gazing out the window, I recalled the beginning of Fuziaze in the “True History.” In the past, Fuziaze was on the verge of extinction, surrounded by plague and corpses in the mountains, with no trade routes. Miraculously, an “Apostle” descended, and the summoned “Foreigner” brought technology from another world. It developed thanks to sacrifices known as the “Banner of Light,” and prospered to become known as the Great Holy Capital simply because it was the birthplace of a “Saint”…
Now, a thousand years later, all the blessings of the “Apostle,” “Foreigner,” “Banner of Light,” and “Saints” have ceased, and the fate it was originally destined for is approaching—or so it felt. Fuziaze, which prospered for a thousand years, will soon perish. As I felt this reality, I reached the rooftop of the castle. I emerged at the pinnacle of a world that was bright yet devoid of light, returning to a bland, jewel-like sky.
Fafnir, my retainer, was waiting for me. Radiating magic power all over his body, he was drawing a magic circle in blood towards the sky. Nearby, ten blood constructs, presumably created by him, stood in a circle.
“You’re here, Ragune. …Good. It looks like you finished your self-introduction safely. …We’re just about done here. As you requested, ten dimensional mages from a thousand years ago. They’re all direct disciples of a late-stage “Shiso,” so they can use that thing.”
Fafnir finished drawing the magic circle and greeted me with a relieved expression. He might have been worried about my strange behavior when I left, as befits a provisional knight. Naturally, he had fulfilled my unreasonable request. At the same time, he had subdued and defended the castle, yet he worked so quickly. Truly a thousand-year-old “Thief of the Law of Blood.”
I gave a slight bow and immediately moved on to the next plan.
“My knight Fafnir, thank you. …Well then, let’s begin. Kanami’s older brother’s magic stone extraction ceremony, the worst taboo of dimensional magic, 《Distance Mute》.”
“Hey, Ragune. Are you really doing this outdoors? Wouldn’t it be fine in that “Senate” room?”
However, before I could proceed, Fafnir interjected. I shook my head with a smile.
“I want to do it here. If possible, I want to show it off and pressure them,” I replied.
“Pressure them… you mean Nosfy?”
“That too… but more than that, the world,” I said.
From this “summit,” my influence will reach far. For example, when the knights in the distance look up at the sky and see such a massive magic circle in motion, my threat level will undoubtedly increase. Liner, too, will probably come to check on the castle regularly. If he sees me manipulating Kanami’s corpse with magic at that time, he will surely erupt in fury. This ritual carries the wish I want to convey to all living beings in this world. There is no other option but to perform it on the rooftop.
Having reconfirmed the meaning of this ritual, I approached Fafnir’s blood constructs. Then, on the blood altar in the center of the ten figures arranged in a circle, I touched a new corpse lying there.
“Kanami’s older brother…”
I called out his name before Kanami, who now had only a head and torso, with no limbs. I made my final farewell, something I couldn’t do when he was alive. Now that the formidable enemies are gone and I possess overwhelming power, I can finally voice my complaints.
“A year ago, your appearance made me realize many things… If only Kanami’s older brother hadn’t appeared, the world would have moved much more slowly…”
Even though I know hypotheticals are meaningless, I have thoughts. If Kanami hadn’t appeared, we would surely have taken a different path. None of the Allied Nations’ “Seven Knights of Heaven” would have been lost, and the young lady along with Palinkron would have joined forces and eventually overthrown the “Senate” through proper procedures.
I know it’s unreasonable to resent him. But Kanami meticulously destroyed everything that could have become my homeland. Kanami’s appearance, his voice, his way of life—they were too similar. Every time I spoke with Kanami, I felt as if a precious person within me was being overwritten by him. That’s why I…
“I hate you… Die…”
Despite everything, it all boils down to this. As those parting words were spoken, the surrounding blood constructs began to move. Each raised both hands, weaving the same magic. The excessively complex spell structure spilled out from the bodies of the blood constructs, creating about ten giant magic circles in the sky.
This scene shows how tremendous the magic I am about to activate is.
And the target of that perfectly synchronized Resonance magic is me.
Purple magic, like smoke, is released from the blood dolls’ hands and wraps around my right arm. My right arm gradually loses its solidity due to the dimensional attribute magic. It’s transforming into a magical arm that can touch things other than objects.
“—Dimensional Magic: Distance Mute.”
I whisper the name of the magic in place of the speechless blood dolls and thrust my right arm into the chest of the corpse in front of me.
My goal is singular.
It’s the Magic Stone of the Thief of the Principles of Dimensions within Kanami.
If I remove this, I can steal all of Kanami’s power and then make his body completely disappear.
I reach out my hand towards the Magic Stone, wishing for his death.
“—!”
However, legendary magic like Distance Mute isn’t so easily achieved. I suppress the moan that tries to escape my throat and wipe the sweat dripping from my forehead with my left arm.
The casting of Distance Mute is exceedingly difficult, and the path to success is simply too long. Right now, the blood dolls prepared by Fafnir are handling the most difficult parts of the magic. The Magic Stones in my chest are providing the magic power I’m consuming. All I’m doing is finding, grabbing, and pulling out Kanami’s soul. Yet, even that is far too difficult.
I knew this, but I have no talent.
However, if I have the nature of my magic power—
“Kanami’s Older Brother—!!”
I perform the same pseudo-Affinity towards Kanami.
Perhaps because there is a Connection between us now, it was achieved very smoothly.
I reflect his dimensional magic power onto my mirror magic. It’s a mimicry as if I have become him. I deceive the world into believing I am a dimensional mage.
My right arm, inserted into Kanami, goes even deeper.
I feel my understanding of Distance Mute deepen all at once.
—Alright, I can do this.
Just as I thought, I and Kanami’s older brother have good compatibility. The Affinity is better than with Rowen and the others. I suspected we were already Affinity-ed from the start, given how similar we were.
Now that we have a Connection, it wouldn’t be strange if we’ve even surpassed our original Affinity.
Now, his body and soul are entirely in my hands. There’s nothing I don’t understand. I am Kanami’s older brother, Kanami’s older brother is me.
With this, I can grasp Kanami’s soul.
Finally, I can pull out the Magic Stone.
—It was at that moment that the Display appeared.
It appeared in a dark world of only outlines, like text from a book entering my eyeballs.
[Skill ‘???’ has been activated.]
In exchange for some magic power, the target’s ideal ■ is ■■■ and ■■■—
“Wh—!?”
I instinctively swiped with my left arm.
However, the text does not disappear.
It remains there, as if carved onto paper of the sky.
Naturally, I am thrown into disarray by this unexpected development.
I activated Distance Mute with every possible precaution. I had driven all enemies out of the castle, and the target of the magic was breathless. I was able to begin the ceremony more smoothly than ever. There was no room for an error to occur.
Yet, the Display does not disappear.
As if mocking me, it continues to inform me of the skill activation.
First of all, what is this skill…?
When I previously interrogated “Ojou” about Kanami’s older brother’s skills, there was no skill with this name. The unique skill ‘???’ that had tormented Kanami for so long should no longer be there. I recall it had become some suspicious skill called ‘Covenant Holder of the Deepest Part.’ The only other suspicious one was the skill ‘Foreigner’; the rest were not worth such caution. But why is something like this appearing—!
I rack my brain to the limit, searching for the cause.
However, before I could find an answer, the effect of the displayed skill took effect.
—It was a phenomenon that could only be called dawn.
The world, so dark and repulsive, was inverted once more.
In an instant, it switched from night to day, from darkness to light, from dimness to brightness.
I became able to recognize everything clearly.
It wasn’t simply a matter of opening up my vision.
Of course. Originally, that wasn’t just mere darkness. The darkness covering my heart was the real problem. That darkness has all cleared, and things that were worthless moments ago now suddenly feel beautiful.
The pond of blood at my feet, the vast sky with its moving clouds, the very rooftop of Fuziaze Castle—everything is beautiful.
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, so beautiful. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, BEAUTIFUL—
It was the moment where all the Price I had been carrying simply ceased to matter.
And the most prominent of these is what lies before me.
The corpse I am currently inserting my right arm into—
“Huh…? M-Mama…?”
It wasn’t a corpse, but my real mother, whom I had parted with in childhood, was there.
Her long black hair, emitting a familiar scent. Even as my mother, her refined features made me catch my breath.
Her eyelids, adorned with long lashes, were closed, and she was breathing softly as if asleep.
“—Hey…—”
I thought I heard someone’s voice from behind, but I had no time for that.
After staring at Mama’s face intently, I examined her body.
Her simple, worn linen clothes enveloped her full figure. However, the graceful limbs that should have extended from the hem of those clothes were absent. They didn’t exist. As if they had been severed by a sword—
“M-My hands! My legs—!! Who did this to Mama!?”
“Ragune, that’s Kanami! It’s not your mother! Can’t you tell!?”
She’ll die if this continues.
My precious Mama will die.
It was then that Mama’s eyelids, having lost her limbs, opened.
And her obsidian eyes, which bewilder all who behold them, were revealed.
Her eyes met mine, my brown eyes.
Then, Mama’s lips curved upwards.
A smile, which only existed in my hazy memories, was now here—
“Ah, ahhhh… ahhh aaahhh…! Ahhh, ahhh aaaaAAAA…!!”
Soothing sobs of joy escaped me.
It was a miracle… A miracle I thought I had given up on from the depths of my heart had occurred…
At the moment when everything was rewarded, the world turned completely white. A light burst forth, so brilliant it blew away the darkness of my vision, the darkness in my heart, and the darkness of my magic power. My eyes were dazzled, blurred, my vision moistened and distorted.
With “Reversal” layered upon “Reversal”, the world ultimately became—not just a world of white lines on black, nor a world of black lines on white, but a world solely of white lines on white.
In other words, all I could see was Mama. It was just Mama and me, the two of us. Everything else was a blank expanse of white. Only white.
Next, extraneous information began to disappear from my ears as well. The sound of the wind vanished, and in its place, I felt as though I could hear the sound of applause celebrating our reunion. One, two, three—the applause gradually increased. They soon surpassed ten, then a hundred, then a thousand, becoming a thunderous roar. My nose now registered only Mama’s scent. My palms felt only Mama’s touch.
In a world meant for just Mama and me, the applause continued unabated.
Ah… It was as if the world itself was bestowing its blessing upon me…
Yet, it was too bright, as if I could no longer see anything— The applause was too loud, as if I could no longer hear anything—
“—Ragnella! Wake up!! No, close the ‘Connection’ at once! Damn it, whose magic power is this—”
A faint voice reached me. It was a magical voice that shook my soul, not just my ears.
But I could not find the figure of the voice’s owner. I could not witness a knight doing their utmost for their lord.
“—Is the source of this… in my blood? When? When did someone mix… with it… No, there’s no one more skilled in blood magic than me, a ‘Thief of the Law of Blood’! What in the world is the cause—”
That knight was no longer worth seeing or hearing. Because I had already obtained it. What was right before my eyes had been the purpose of my life, so everything else was irrelevant. I needed nothing else.
Therefore, at long last—my hidden true feelings were finally brought to the surface.
“Mama…! Ahh, Mama! I became the ‘First Place’, didn’t I!? I finally, finally reached it…!? This was my end, wasn’t it…! I was already finished…!!”
Spoken without any pretense, without imitating anyone, I addressed her as my true self. Embracing the precious thing in my arms, I uttered those words.
“I love you… Mama…!”
Having conveyed that, I looked at Mama’s face. Expecting a response, my face flushed red as I gazed at her intently.
Yes. All this time, I had wanted to hear Mama’s voice. To accept that this was a world that held no more value in living—I had wanted those words one last time. That was my ‘First Place’ that I had continuously searched for. The meaning of life I had continuously pursued. I had worked hard to obtain that answer—
“■■■… ■…!”
Now, Mama smiled and replied, “I love Ragune.”
The moment I heard that, I was finished. Having reunited with Mama, I would be with Mama forever and ever from now on. And that was the end of my story. To end together, never to be separated again.
Ah, what a beautiful story…
Just as I thought that,
“Ow—!!”
A searing pain struck the tips of my right hand. I opened my eyes wide and looked around with an expression of anger. Although it was a world that now held nothing of value besides Mama, if there were any intruders, they had to be eliminated.
But, of course, there was nothing. If anything remained in my world, it was only the tip of my right arm, which was creating the ‘Connection’. I focused on my right arm. There was hostility within the magic power there. An intense hostility that seemed to shout, “That’s wrong,” “I won’t allow it,” “I won’t let you do it.”
The color of that magic power was a deep purple. Likely belonging to the dimension attribute. The quality of the magic power was exceptionally special. It possessed flexible properties, as if it could do anything. To put it into words, it was magic power like an “Hero,” “Savior,” or “Protagonist”—like someone’s “Ideal.”
However, I could immediately tell that it was a pseudomorphic imitation. Only I, who was doing the same thing, could tell. The original nature of his magic power was “Mirror.” It was “Mirror.” In reality, it had no color, no attribute, and no other talents.
Having seen through this, further “Connection” and “Affinity” progressed. It went beyond overlapping body and soul, beyond grasping the soul, into far, far more advanced domains. The magic power filled with hostility and my magic power faced each other, mirroring one another. The mirror magic power reflected the mirror magic power. Each reflected the other, imitating it. In other words, him reflected in my mirror, reflected in the mirror of the mirror of the mirror of his. The mirror of him reflected in the mirror of me reflected in the mirror of him reflected in the mirror of me reflected in the mirror of him reflected in the mirror of me reflected in the mirror of him reflected in the mirror of me reflected in the mirror of him reflected in the mirror of me reflected in the mirror of him—
Reflected endlessly far and deep, it surpassed “Affinity.” And then, not at the edge of the world, nor beyond the world, but far, far away, I heard his raspy voice.
“—Ragnella, don’t fuck around with me…! I hate bullshit like this from the ‘Thieves of the Law of Blood’—”
It was an angry voice, yet it was also a very suspicious voice, as if it were still worried about me. Looking at Mama, whom I held tightly, I spoke her hated name.
“Kanami’s Older Brother…?”
At that moment, the world… shifted.
While the world remained pure white, Mama in my arms vanished in an instant. Mama’s smile, her familiar scent, her touch—everything disappeared—and I was left standing alone in a world of no value.
Of course, I immediately searched for the vanished Mama. Determined not to lose what was most important, I looked around the white world. I searched desperately, searched and searched and searched and searched and searched, continuing to search—
I’m sorry.
Counseling even in death.
This is the childhood arc of Ragnella and Kanami.
Ps. 21:30
Minor corrections to the main story.
Also, character designs have been added to the activity report.
Ragnella is included. Also, Arti, Rainer, Franryure, Hein, Palinkron, Snow, and Sera are there too.
