We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
Go, Ruiseine!
Ada-san walks ahead of me and Madrine-sama, leading us through the forest where the sunlight filters through the trees, creating a comfortable atmosphere.
It looks like we’re just out for a walk, yet it also feels like we’re being guided toward the Sacred Land.
Madrine-sama and I were invited by Ada-san for a walk.
Elnea-kun and the others went to search for a whetstone, but Madrine-sama and I remained in the forbidden territory to learn as much as possible from Ada-san.
However, Ada-san isn’t giving lectures or conducting physical training; she’s simply strolling leisurely.
Perhaps it’s because we, walking through the forbidden territory’s forest, are an unusual sight, but small birds gather from nowhere and seem to be happily conversing while looking down at us from the branches.
Simply listening to the voices of all living things makes for a very enjoyable time. However, I wonder, is this all we should be doing?
I don’t think Ada-san invited us for a walk without any purpose.
I believe there’s a reason for us to be walking through the forest like this…
“Hey, Ruiseine.”
“Yes. What is it, Madrine-sama?”
Madrine-sama, walking beside me, spoke in a quiet voice, careful not to disturb Ada-san’s silence as she walked ahead.
“I thought we were going to train in sorcery and practice rituals in a secluded place?”
“I believe that’s partly true. We’re certainly in a secluded place. However, I’m not sure about the kind of learning you mentioned.”
I believe I’ve diligently trained and performed my duties, having been rigorously taught the basics by my grandmother. Madrine-sama has also made considerable efforts befitting her position as Head Miko.
What exactly is the difference between us and Ada-san? Of course, our magical power, knowledge, and experience differ.
However, as fellow miko, I believe Madrine-sama and I are fundamentally the same as Ada-san.
I absolutely do not believe that the efforts we’ve made until now have been in vain.
Therefore, what new things can we learn from Ada-san, who shares the same foundation as us?
Madrine-sama might be expecting new sorcery and knowledge, but I feel differently.
However, I still have no idea what that might be.
Perhaps Ada-san herself is also contemplating what she should teach us as she strolls.
After all, she holds many mysteries.
After our sparring session the other day, Mistral told me that Ada-san is apparently a person of extraordinary ability.
Of course, I understood this even when I faced her directly.
Her footwork, weaving between speed and slowness like the flow of water, never faltering. Her multi-layered sorcery, which would make Madrine-sama pale in comparison. And above all, her magical power, which can only be described as abnormal.
And also, her defensive fighting style that made even Mistral think, “I can’t win.”
I believe Ada-san is someone involved in various matters, just like Elnea-kun and us.
Therefore, I wonder if she holds many secrets, things she wants to convey but cannot, or teach but is unable to. Just as we cannot speak of what we discovered beyond the secrets of the Dragon Forest and the taboos of the Mimicho race.
Ah, speaking of secrets.
The Dragon Eye in my pupils was easily seen through by Ada-san.
Even now, it is a secret from many of the dragon race, and yet she saw through it in just one spar…
I learned from Ada-san herself last night that she had read about it in a book she saw in the past and suspected it.
Ada-san, who already knew of Elnea-kun’s uniqueness, connected it to his wife being involved with dragons and realized it.
I must reflect. From now on, I may need to use my powers more skillfully to avoid being figured out through connections such as knowledge and experience.
My thoughts have drifted.
Ada-san walks a few steps ahead of Madrine-sama and me.
She is a woman who, if Elnea-kun were mistaken, could be mistaken for a saint.
As she walks normally, it feels as if the surrounding air is being purified.
Ada-san’s hand touches a leaf growing on a slender branch. The leaf then trembles as if happy. The fallen leaves underfoot, the wind on our skin. The world seems to delight in touching Ada-san.
I wish for Madrine-sama, who is also the Head Miko, to acquire a divine aura like Ada-san’s.
If she could adorn herself with such purity that it purifies the world, I feel she might be accepted by Elnea-kun’s side.
While engrossed in such serious thoughts and mundane musings, Ada-san stopped in front of a decaying old tree.
The dead tree seems to have rotted a short while ago, creating an open space in the forest. The canopy of branches and leaves that the old tree had formed was gone, and sunlight fell in concentrated beams.
It is spring. With the warm sunlight and the moisture from the melting snow, green grass and flowers are abundant on the ground.
Ada-san, standing amidst the grass, touched the dead tree and turned to face us. Then, with eyes full of compassion, she asked a question.
“Ruiseine and Madrine, do you have anything precious?”
It seemed like an ordinary question, yet I felt it was profound.
While I hesitated, unsure of how to answer, Madrine-sama immediately replied.
“Elnea-kun!”
“Madrine-sama!?”
“You!” I exclaimed to the woman beside me, but Ada-san simply smiled gently.
“…I have a younger sister. And a childhood friend who is a year younger, whom I consider another sister. Both are irreplaceable to me.”
Madrine-sama and I stopped our bickering and listened to Ada-san’s story.
“Besides those two, I have many other precious things.”
Ada-san seemed to be gazing toward a distant land. I suspect she wants to return quickly because her beloved ones are waiting there.
Do I also have “precious things” like Ada-san?
Of course, I do.
My beloved Elnea-kun!
And, fellow wives, Mistral, Laira, Yufilia, and Nina. Not only that, but Priscilla-chan, Nimia-chan, Ares-chan, Yun-san, Rin-san, and…
The list goes on, but I consider everyone close to me to be precious.
Madrine-sama, after her initial flippant remark, seemed to have reformed her thoughts and was counting her precious things on her fingers.
However, Ada-san then said something terrifying to us as we contemplated.
“I am not the pure and innocent woman you might imagine. I am selfish and greedy. Therefore, to protect what I cherish, and to keep from losing it, I would not hesitate to sell my soul to a demon.”
The words, dark and unexpected, spilled from the lips of a woman whose aura was so pure that Elnea-kun called her a saint. Madrine-sama and I were taken aback.
However, Ada-san’s eyes were earnest.
“What about you two? Would you say you would stop at nothing to protect what you now cherish?”
“…No, I cannot say that,” I replied, squeezing the words out.
A long time ago, when we returned from the turmoil in the Yorttenitos Kingdom. I told Elnea-kun and the others.
Even if there were a possibility, I would never want to become a saint.
Saints can perform miracles. However, as a backlash, their hearts are broken, and they are said to inevitably fall.
If the means to protect what I cherish were the miracles of a saint, I would refuse that choice.
I want to live with Elnea-kun and everyone else forever. Therefore, rather than fall and face separation, I do not want to become a saint.
Ada-san nodded in understanding without refuting my resolve.
“I believe your feelings are correct, Ruiseine. However, I am different. …For what I want to protect, I will do anything. As I said earlier, I would not hesitate to sell my soul to a demon, nor would I shy away from self-sacrifice.”
What is Ada-san trying to convey?
While affirming my thoughts, she also states that she will stop at nothing to achieve her objectives.
However, I understand that she is not trying to impose her views on us.
Therefore, Madrine-sama and I awaited Ada-san’s next words.
“You may think my way of thinking is foolish or reprehensible. However, this is my resolve. And this is the difference between myself and you. You two said you wanted to learn something from me. The only answer I can give in return is this.”
She is not telling us to possess the same resolve as she does.
Nor is she saying that our feelings are weak.
Ada-san is not talking about something superficial.
“In other words, you’re saying we should have a strong resolve that cannot be swayed by anything anyone says?”
Ada-san smiled at Madrine-sama’s words.
“I don’t want to become a saint. But I want to protect what is precious to me. If that is the case, then confront your feelings with resolve. What is necessary to see your current heart’s desire through? How should you be? I want you to think about that.”
Ada-san called herself selfish and greedy. Separately, she also said she would sell her soul to a demon or make self-sacrifices to achieve her goals.
Normally, one would not voice such thoughts, even if they held them. Especially since we are miko who have dedicated ourselves to the clergy.
Yet, Ada-san spoke without hesitation. This implies that she already possesses an unshakeable, absolute resolve that will not waver no matter what others think.
And one more thing.
If she calls herself selfish and greedy, she must have a strong attachment to her own life.
Therefore, even if she speaks of self-sacrifice, she will never actually carry it out.
And therein lies the secret to Ada-san’s strength.
To carry out one’s resolve, one must possess the ability to match it.
If one greedily desires to protect everything precious, then they must acquire the strength and knowledge to achieve that.
I wonder how long ago Ada-san made such a resolve.
Surely, from the moment she solidified her fundamental resolve, she has been accumulating efforts to realize it.
I have learned that Ada-san’s unique presence is not something that can be achieved overnight but is the result of many layers built upon each other.
We, when it comes to training and studying, tend to expect immediate results and achievements. However, it is also important to look beyond the immediate and set long-term goals.
Ada-san is teaching us to walk the path of realizing our strong resolve.
It will undoubtedly be a more arduous journey than anything before. However, for Elnea-kun. For everyone. And, above all, for myself. I must also strive.
Madrine-sama nods with deep emotion.
“Strong resolve is what elevates oneself. I, Madrine, am deeply impressed. …Well then, to start, could you teach me some advanced sorcery?”
“Madrine-sama…”
The desire for knowledge and the talk of resolve are separate matters, I wanted to exclaim to Madrine-sama, who seems to say that.
However, Ada-san’s aura suddenly changed, and Madrine-sama and I noticed it immediately.
“Ruiseine. Can you communicate with Yun and Rin? If you can, tell them to flee!”
Ada-san’s eyes, glaring to the west, shone blue. In response, her magical power surged explosively.
It was then that countless twinkling stardust appeared around us and began to rise into the blue sky.
