I saw the backs of my former companions and my sister.
Many scenes were the same as the thousand years ago I had witnessed before.
However, with just a slight shift in perspective, my ‘story of saving Hidaki in another world’ had transformed into ‘Tiara’s story of saving the world from Hidaki’.
The fact that we ‘Foreigners’ were summoned to this other world was not a coincidence, but Hidaki’s doing.
Furthermore, it seemed my sister came to this other world to find someone to impose my ‘The One and Only Destined Person’ upon.
While I was worried about my sister’s illness, she had been continuously thinking about how to raise me as an ‘Equal’ older brother. She was plotting how to make me pay the ‘Price’ for the power I had forcibly acquired in this other world.
Suddenly, my life up to this point felt very light.
The most striking was the memory of Rustiara, who was now a corpse before my eyes.
If Tiara’s current memories were true, her and my union was a preordained harmony from a thousand years ago. The affection in my heart was all prepared by ‘Writing’; in the first place, both of us were ‘Fakes’.
There were many things that came to mind.
Each time we repeated dungeon exploration, we felt a strong connection.
And just like in a romance novel, we approached and then drifted apart, repeating this cycle until we were united.
Along the way, the skill ‘???’ reset itself several times, but that was likely Hidaki’s doing. The skill, which should have only avoided death, might have overreacted to my feelings of love because it was interfering with Tiara’s replacement.
The more I learned, the more my very life became nothing more than a ‘Game’ of capturing pieces on a board.
Everything was merely a sequence of moves between Hidaki and Tiara’s hands—and furthermore, that ‘Game’ was still continuing.
After finishing ‘Past Sight’, my entire body froze with shock.
However, Tiara, who had guided me to an underground space beyond Hidaki’s white ‘Threads’, was now trying to forcibly pull me to her written pages with her red ‘Threads’.
“—Hey, Master. You were the one who most wanted to know what happened to Rusti-chan, right?”
Before Tiara’s past, I saw Rustiara fighting with three people: the ‘Thief of the Principles of Water’, the ‘Thief of the Law of Blood’, and the ‘Thief of Nothingness’.
It was the continuation of that that I wanted to know more than anything, so I had escaped from Hidaki’s ‘Winter Other World’ and come to this deepest part of the Cathedral’s basement.
Therefore, if I don’t read it, nothing will begin—though I understood this, my body refused.
I could hear the warning bells of the skills that had saved me countless times until today. They advised me, “Do not look at ‘Rustiara’s Dream’ written in the manuscript,” but… as if to cancel out the power of those old skills, the pages flowed and appeared in my mind through the power of new skills.
“—Aiwa Uzunami learned the reverse side of a thousand years ago. However, it was merely a thousand years ago. For him, it was merely a prologue to the story. The true hero’s tale was the ‘Adventure’ of the boys and girls a thousand years later. Knowing that ‘Everything’ converges there, he reads the manuscript left by her. And then, albeit late, he comes to know the true feelings of Rustiara Fuziaze, who is his ‘The One and Only Destined Person’. At that time, before the girl, Aiwa Hidaki, whom he had once believed to be ‘the most important thing’, spoke her true feelings—”
The skill ‘Reading’ activated.
Even though I hadn’t wanted it to, it seemed I had mimicked it during the previous ‘Past Sight’.
According to the skill, if I read the manuscript, I would be able to know not only Rustiara’s true feelings but also Hidaki’s true feelings simultaneously. It was too convenient, and I almost let out a dry laugh again.
I felt the touch of ‘Threads’.
In this era, there were two kinds of what should be called ‘Magic Thread’: red and white.
They entwined around my entire body, binding me, constricting me, and continuously fighting for control of the piece that was me.
Currently, Tiara’s red ‘Threads’ seemed to have gained the upper hand in this struggle.
This ‘Thread’ would pull me into the future Tiara had prepared.
“—Master, you have no choice but to read now.”
I knew that.
Because I knew logically that reading would only bring benefits, I hesitated.
A little while ago, I had just declared Tiara a ‘Liar’.
I couldn’t be rash until I clearly understood at least the details of the ‘Magic’ she envisioned. At that moment, thinking something very leisurely, similar to someone else—that voice was heard.
“—Christ!!”
There was only one other person who would call me that.
With the appearance of a friend I could trust, I interrupted my thoughts, raised my bowed head, and turned around.
The blood ‘Threads’ that had bound my entire body had unraveled at some point.
Thanks to that, I was able to turn my body towards the door of the room behind me. And I called out the name of the friend standing there.
“Rainer…? Why are you here…?”
Rainer, who had flung open the door, was covered in frost and completely white.
His hair and eyelashes were frozen, and he was trembling continuously from the cold. Although he wore thick cold-weather clothing, it was immediately clear that it wasn’t enough to protect his body from the frigid air.
“Why…? I came to wake you up!! —No, more importantly, can you see me? If so, why aren’t you joining the ‘North-South Allied Nations’?”
Rainer was surprised that I was sane.
In contrast, I quietly repeated the unfamiliar terms he spoke.
“‘North-South Allied Nations’…”
I could read the meaning of those words with my newly acquired skill.
“—The official name of the ‘North-South Allied Nations’ is the ‘Allied Forces of Viaisia Country Against Foreigners’. In the year 1015 of the New Calendar, the mainland’s Great Holy Capital fell due to a single ‘Foreigner’, Hitaki, followed by the freezing of the labyrinth Allied Nations in the frontier. As many major countries’ capitals were rendered inoperable by the cold air, an Allied Army was formed based in Viaisia Country in the north, which had been spared from the damage. At this time, Viaisia Country stood at the forefront of the world due to the ideology of its representative, Rouge Viaisia, who accepted every ‘Person’, ‘Demon’, and ‘Magic Stone Human’, and the existence of Kunel Chronicle Shuls Regia Ingrid as an ideal neutral guardian—”
Amidst the information, the words “Magic Stone Human” caught my eye.
Viais Country has many “Magic Stone Humans” protected by Aid, the “Thief of the Laws of Wood.”
However, “Magic Stone Humans” are Tiara’s most well-preserved legacy from a thousand years ago. Perhaps that’s why it was so easy to create a narrative, I suspect.
As I harbored doubts about the “North-South Allied Nations” itself, Rainer furrowed his brow and worked to confirm the situation.
“Christ…? Did you not use ‘Past Sight’ on the ‘Celestial Sword Noah’ I gave you?”
While I was trapped in the illusion of the “Winter Another World,” I received a sword from a suspicious shadow at Maria’s house.
Confirming it was Rainer’s doing, I slowly shook my head.
“That… I haven’t done that yet either. Right now, more importantly—”
Mid-sentence, Rainer suddenly widened his eyes and shouted.
“—What!? Wh-Why is that book here…!? No, that’s fine! Christ, use ‘Past Sight’ on it quickly and know everything!!”
Rainer screamed, staring at my left hand, urging me to use my magic.
Before I knew it, I was holding the “Hero Rustiara Fuziaze’s Journal.”
“That day! What happened at Fuziaze Castle in the Great Holy Capital! Who fought whom at that ‘Summit’ and underground! Most importantly! That Hitaki, the ‘Thief of the Principles of Water,’ was your true enemy! Remember it right now!!”
That day must be the day Nosfy and Ragune disappeared, and “Aikawa Uzunami was resurrected.”
Perhaps it was because I had continuously viewed memories from a thousand years ago, but it felt like a very distant day.
However, I now understand that day was when everything Tiara had abandoned converged.
“This book… mentions Hidaki…?”
“Yes! It details everything your sister did! It contains all the reasons you fight! If you read it, you can finally escape your sister’s grasp!!”
Rainer was not lying.
However, a hard, heavy sound accompanied his words.
“—After reading the journal, Aikawa Uzunami, along with Knight Rainer Helvirshine, will confront the enemy. Betting on their severance from the being who manipulated their own lives, they will proceed to battle the Final Enemy—”
Like an earworm, I heard the sound of two pieces moving forward.
The image of a board game that had once surfaced would not easily leave my mind. Countless pieces of various shapes lay scattered around me and Rainer. Everything had been sacrificed to forge a path towards the piece named Hidaki, waiting at the very back of the board.
I felt that if I moved forward carelessly now, both Rainer and I would simply become part of the fallen pieces.
“Christ…?”
Seeing me completely unwilling to move, Rainer gave me a look of confusion. However, he immediately tried to fulfill his duty, repeating his earnest persuasion.
“You must be confused as you’ve only just awakened… but please listen carefully. Right now, everyone above is fighting with all their might. Facing that Hitaki, everyone on the continent is cooperating to stand against her.”
“…Yes. I roughly understand what’s happening on the ground.”
A little while ago, I had intently observed the state of the ground in this “Another World.” It wouldn’t take long for it to follow the same fate as the “Original World” I saw in Tiara’s memories.
“Your sister is trying to freeze this entire world. Furthermore, those who are frozen will become a source of her magic power. They say a vision of everyone being happy after being frozen awaits… but she’s mocking us! Who would accept such a vision, which is tantamount to death! That woman is mocking the very world we live in!!”
I agreed. Living within an illusion could not be called “Life.” A world dominated by a single person could not be called the “World.” From my experience, I knew this to be true, but… it struck a slightly painful chord with me at that moment.
“That’s why the ‘North-South Allied Nations’ on the mainland has decided to defeat Hitaki, the enemy of the world! You are the key to that operation! The ‘North-South Allied Nations’ believes that if we rescue you and restore your sanity, we will surely have a chance to win!”
“…You believe I can win? The ‘North-South Allied Nations’ people?”
“If we can bring you, whom Hitaki has so carefully nurtured, to our side, the tide of battle will turn! Look at your current Level!!”
As I was told, I checked my “Display” for the first time in a long while.
【Status】
Name: Aikawa Uzunami HP–/– MP2561/4947 Class:
Level 86
Strength 50.13 Stamina 61.19 Dexterity 72.89 Speed 96.11 Intelligence 90.39 Magic Power 370.01 Aptitude 10.21
It was a ludicrous level, fitting the words “the game is over.”
At first glance, it seemed I possessed tremendous power.
However, I knew better than anyone that this “Display” held no inherent meaning.
The numerical values on this status screen are nothing more than a playful creation from a thousand years ago, when I was feeling overly confident. They are merely indicators.
The trap aspect carries more weight.
“Everyone thinks it! Your companions and the knights of Fuziaze! Viais’s ‘Demon’ and ‘Magic Stone Humans’! The great heroes of the entire world! They’re all waiting for Christ’s return, just like they expect from the ‘Great Hero’!”
Even so, Rainer had expectations of me.
I couldn’t help but feel that Rainer was also entangled with the ‘Magic Thread’. I started to dimly see the next move on the board as I realized that even he, whom I thought was special, couldn’t escape from the palms of Tiara and Hitaki.
This was a future where both of us were defeated, as a path to checkmate Hidaki.
That was the only path I refused to accept. After all, what I’ve been aiming for since I woke up—no, even before I came to this other world, what I’ve been aiming for was a completely different path.
“Listen to me, Rainer. I know I have to stop Hidaki. Nevertheless—”
I conveyed this to the knight I trusted the most.
“I believe there’s a reason why Hidaki is the ‘Thief of the Principles of Water.’ She has ‘Lingering Desire.’ Surely, like everyone else… she’s asking for my help. I’ve been continuously searching for that ‘Lingering Desire’… Ever since before I came to this other world… Right from the very beginning, continuously…”
Seeing Tiara’s memories confirmed this for me.
Originally, that should have been the final page of the story. I heard from Hidaki herself that her greatest goal was to strengthen me. She even said she came to this other world to fulfill a ‘promise’ from my distant past.
Because Hidaki’s entire beginning was my older brother, Aikawa Uzunami, I had always wished to resolve this within our family alone.
“…If a ‘Lingering Desire’ can truly be found, then that’s fine. I know from seeing Rowen and the others that an enemy weakens when they have ‘Lingering Desire.’ …But please, let me say just one thing.”
However, Rainer’s face contorted with bitterness at the ‘Answer’ I presented. The ‘answer checking’ was carried out by Rainer, the knight I trusted most.
“Didn’t you spend your whole time searching for it back in your original world? Continuously, right from the very beginning, you’ve searched for only that… but, in the end, you couldn’t find it.”
Compared to the ‘answer checking’ from Tiara’s memories, it sounded pathetically—like outright failure.
“After a thousand years, to end up like this… That’s why I believe Aikawa Uzunami can no longer save Aikawa Hidaki.”
“—!”
Hearing that the ‘promise’ could no longer be fulfilled, I gasped. No, perhaps not remembering that ‘promise’ itself was my ‘Answer.’
“More importantly, we don’t have the luxury to talk about such things anymore…! This world could freeze over as soon as tomorrow! First, we have to prevent that; otherwise, there’s no helping anyone! As a person living in this world, I intend to fight! Hitaki, the ‘Foreigner’ who has become the world’s enemy, must be stopped here!!”
“The world’s enemy…?”
When I heard that word, a certain memory fleetingly crossed my mind. It wasn’t because I had lost my memory, but rather because it was simply too old, a page that had become faded and difficult to read.
“He was defeated by his sister’s talent in his childhood, fled from his father, and was treated as if he didn’t exist within the house. Giving up on his path as a performer, he locked himself in his own room and continued to play games. Sitting in front of a large, flickering LCD screen in the darkness of his room, he moved the controller. For some reason, his sister, with whom he was on bad terms back then, was also sitting next to him. There was no sibling chatter, but she also watched her brother play games on the flat screen. There was no conversation between the siblings. The only words heard were from the game characters. Only the colorful sounds from the speakers echoed in the dim, quiet room. The games my brother played were all major, classic, straightforward RPGs, and in every story, they were always protecting the world. Usually, the ‘Protagonist’ had companions or a ‘Heroine’ by their side. Usually, at the end of their ‘Adventure,’ a powerful being known as the world’s enemy would appear and stand in their way. Usually, the ‘Protagonist’ and their allies would join forces to defeat that enemy and reach a happy ending. Frankly, it was a story that could be seen through from the start. For the precocious siblings, this was a farce from the beginning. Yet, both siblings were captivated, deeply investing their emotions into those stories as they read them. As if that was their only salvation, they continued to stare at the LCD screen together in the dark room, their eyes following it continuously—”
“Hidaki Sister…”
Midway through, a small voice was heard from behind, and my ‘Reading’ skill stopped. It seemed Tiara had also read the current page with her skill. Only Rainer, who was the only one without the ‘Reading’ skill present, continued to speak.
“Your sister committed an unforgivable sin in the past. She is attempting to commit even greater sins in our world. Isn’t the only thing you can do now to stop her? To grab your own sister’s hand and scold her as an older brother!?”
It was not wrong. I was certain that Rainer Helvirshine’s suggestion to stop and scold was correct, but the page I had just glimpsed wouldn’t leave my mind.
“But, I still haven’t—”
“Still hasn’t!? You should have already! Christ, how long are you going to look away!? The stage where you can say ‘still’ is long gone! We’re already losing people—! Do you get it!? Right now, what we, your comrades, are most angry about—!!”
“Rainer, you don’t have to say it.”
“It’s because Rustiara, who was right there, was killed by that woman!! You had your ‘One and Only Destined Person’ killed! And you still say ‘still’!?”
I immediately tried to stop him, realizing that once it was said, there would be no taking it back.
But, faced with Rainer’s furious rage, it was meaningless.
“You and Rustiara were lovers, weren’t you!? You liked Rustiara the most, didn’t you!? Was that confession that day so trivial!? Was it all a lie!? Answer me, Christ—!!”
“Trivial…?”
I thought I had attained an unshakeable spirit after overcoming various battles.
However, there was still one thing that could shake that spirit greatly.
My core was precisely pierced, and the skill ‘Reading’ activated again.
“—The girl who confessed at the Eleventh Crossroads had hair like golden sand fluttering in the wind.
‘I love Kanami—!!
I love you, Kanami!! I really, really love you!!!!’
Hearing that, something hot welled up from the depths of the boy’s eyes.
It surged from the pit of his stomach, and the spasms in his throat wouldn’t stop.
The emotion of joy coursed through every nerve, and it felt like his whole body was about to explode. As tears threatened to spill, thinking ‘I’ve finally arrived,’ the boy responded with all his might.
‘Yeah, I love you too.
—I love Rustiara with all my heart.’
That was his answer.
It was the world’s happiest ‘answer matching.’ And at its end,
‘Kanami—!!’
‘—!’
The boy and girl kissed their ‘One and Only Destined Person’ and were united.
It was undoubtedly the happy ending of ‘reality’ that the two who had been lost in doubt had finally reached—”
I had reread the me from that day.
—It’s hot.
Instantly, heat surged through my entire body, which had been chilled to the bone.
The cold air that had been cooling me from the outside didn’t reach this underground space.
I also didn’t have the ‘Water’ magic stone in the depths of my body, and I had torn off all the ‘Threads’ to get here.
Because of that girl, who was like a ‘mirror,’ I had come to know my true self.
Therefore, I spat it out from the back of my throat.
“…It’s not a lie!! That much, at least, wasn’t a lie!! Even if it was a trivial, shallow ‘creation’!! That was the best we both could do!! Rustiara and I truly confessed with all our might!!”
We might have been pathetic ‘creations’ who couldn’t even be reassured by confessions with our whole beings unless someone confirmed them, but that confession was ‘real.’
It might be a ‘contradiction,’ but that’s what I believe.
“It’s not false! This path is not wrong! We chose it with our own will that day! —Ahhh, ‘Aikawa Uzunami’ chose ‘Rustiara’ as her ‘One and Only Destined Person’! She chose me too! At that moment, we were the happiest two people in the world!!”
I shouted that my most precious thing was not ‘Hidaki’ or ‘Tiara,’ but ‘Rustiara.’
Even though I could visually confirm that there was a ‘rift’ in this underground space right now.
Even though I had learned from Tiara’s memories that declaring it aloud was one of the rituals.
I had clearly shown my weakness to the collector who had been watching me from behind.
“Haa, haa, haa…”
Along with my panting, tinnitus returned.
It was louder than before.
This time, the sound wasn’t the heavy clank of a piece moving one step forward.
It was the light crack of the very piece that was ‘Aikawa Uzunami’ itself.
The cracks in my already fractured piece widened.
My field of vision narrowed.
The fragments of scenery that I had never been able to see before were now all I could see.
Whether my eyes were open or closed, I could see Rustiara’s form.
She was smiling.
Her long hair flowed like fine golden sand, beautiful.
Her facial features were perfectly sculpted, like a doll’s.
Her eyes were a fantastical golden color, embodying perfected beauty without any excess.
“I like Rustiara… I like Rustiara the most in the world…”
The ‘Dimensional Magic’ numerical value increased.
The ‘Self-Perception’ next to my name changed.
As I finished pouring out my burning feelings from the depths of my heart, Rainer replied quietly.
“…Understood.”
Rainer turned his back.
His voice contained his usual trustworthiness.
“If my master chooses ‘Rustiara Fuziaze’ over ‘Aikawa Hitaki,’ then I will say nothing more.”
He began to retrace our path.
He passed through the room’s door and started up the stairs filled with cold air.
“Rainer…?”
“I do not believe my master is holding back. Therefore, we will do what we can with all our might. If our master needs time to explore the ‘Lingering Desire,’ then a knight who has sworn loyalty will buy time until the limit.”
He left the room after saying that.
Because we trusted each other, I understood that his departing back was saying, “Catch up when you’re ready.”
However, a voice from behind immediately dampened that trust.
“Master. Hidaki Sister just entered the Cathedral now.”
Taking advantage of Rainer’s absence, they coldly stated the numbers without regard for our master-servant bond.
“It will take several minutes to descend this far. Rainer also only has a few minutes. There is no time.”
I wanted to live up to Rainer’s trust, but there was simply not enough time.
However, a convenient solution was prepared right behind me. The fruits of the labor of a girl who once lamented her “insufficiency” just like I did lay on a pedestal.
“…I prepared this for you to read. Right up until I die. And even after I die.”
I understand.
Tiara’s preparations, which spanned a thousand years, far surpassed that of the “Thief of Principles of Water.”
This morning, the reason the perfect Hidaki was mistaken was not due to my desperate resistance, but due to Tiara’s preparations from a thousand years ago.
And what is most frightening is that this is not all of it.
—Tiara is still hiding things.
This includes, for example, the story after the 13th year of the New Calendar, “right up until I die.”
Furthermore, the story of approximately 900 years from “even after I die.”
However, if I were to try to explore this now with “Past Sight,” due to Tiara’s red “Threads,” I would inevitably see it through Rustiara.
The options for me, a mere piece, are far too few.
And no matter which path I take, my magical “Future Sight” and skill “Sensation” continuously tell me that I will be used as a disposable piece to reach Hidaki.
I cannot even find the “Lingering Desire” of the “Thief of Principles of Water.”
Unwilling to admit this, I desperately continued to search for new options—
“…If you want to fulfill Hidaki Sister’s ‘Lingering Desire,’ Master should also go all out.”
Perhaps having lost patience, Tiara’s tone changed from her usual soft and cute voice to that of a stern adult.
“If you’re serious, you should abandon Rustiara Fuziaze right now. You should abandon Rainer Helvirshine, Diablo Sis, Maria Distras, Snow Walker, and Grim Rim Reaper who are outside. Since they trust you conveniently, use that bond, betray them, take their lives, and use them as disposable ‘Price.’ Don’t cling to that Guardian’s Magic Stone either; there are ways to utilize it more effectively. Just approach the ‘weak point’ and offer a deal. ‘I will offer all of these beautiful stones in exchange for your power,’ just one sentence. —It will be over in mere seconds.”
It felt like only then could I be considered “Equal footing” with Hidaki.
And I was also told that if I wanted to know her “Lingering Desire,” I would need to progress much further.
“If you are truly serious, you should sacrifice ‘Everything’ and talk to Hidaki Sister. —Right now.”
It was a threat.
But I couldn’t simply abandon them that easily.
The battles of the Guardians, and the bonds with the companions I’ve cherished, are all as important to me as Rustiara.
“…………!”
As I turned around to retort, I saw it.
On Rustiara’s abdomen, a mass of blood, rising like a tree, writhed.
It continued to emit a horrific whistling sound, shedding countless drops of blood like tears.
Unlike me, I saw the figure of a girl who, at the time of a thousand years ago, had decided to fight with all her might, having abandoned ‘Everything.’
She abandoned her “The One and Only Destined Person,” abandoned her companions, her family, and herself, abandoned ‘Everything,’ and is fighting alone. —And she still is.
“That’s right, Master. Continue on, as you are, picking me up and moving forward. There’s no need to look back. Without a doubt, Master is the ‘Protagonist’ who will save Rustiara Fuziaze. …But, in return, the ‘Protagonist’ who will save Hidaki Sister is this Tiara Fuziaze.”
Even if the “Thief of Principles of Water” had a “Lingering Desire,” it was not one that I could fulfill, and strength drained from my body.
I felt defeated.
It was a sense that Tiara was sufficient, and I was not.
It was a sense of defeat so profound that I felt Tiara was more fitting as Hidaki’s family than I was.
“You don’t have to believe in Hidaki Sister or me anymore… Instead, Master, please believe only the words of this ‘new me.’ …Please.”
Tempted by those words, I looked at Rustiara’s corpse.
In the end, pulled by the red “Threads,” I walked to her side and knelt.
There was no other way.
I could not see her as a sister, nor my old friend as a companion; I could only continue to gaze at the face of my “The One and Only Destined Person.”
—No longer leisurely, I used magic to know everything.
I felt I had entered an irreversible path.
Once I learned of “Rustiara’s Dream” written in the diary, I would surely try to make it come true. I would certainly fight to fulfill it, prioritizing it over the “Lingering Desire” of the “Thief of Principles of Water.”
Through magical “Past Sight,” the year 1011 of the New Calendar gradually came into view.
It was the story of the first year after Rustiara was born within a cage.
The setting was the Cathedral.
The largest fortress of the Allied Nations, surrounded by a clear river and iron fences.
There, Rustiara was raised with great care.
The first generation “Seven Knights of Heaven” were always by her side.
The Commander Perciona, Vice Commander, Hopes, Sera. Including the now-departed Hein, Ragune, and Palinkron, there were seven of them.
Rustiara’s life began.
