"Is it really ...... really ...... fun to listen to the worries of these ghosts (us) who don't even stay anymore ...... in such a dark, bloody, unpleasant place?
It was a question from the heart.
Kanami's expression didn't change at all in front of me as I asked her to confirm it.
Like a statue, much the same. She has a very calm look in her eyes, as if she is watching over her blood brother. She's still the same as when I first met her that day, her mouth is relaxed and she seems to enjoy listening to me.
A thousand years ago in the heyday of the Research Institute, I can still understand.
Back then, Fania was wealthy on the continent and the city's technology was at the forefront.
But things are different now.
There was no one here anymore. Fania in its heyday doesn't exist.
There is no cultural value to the stories we can hear from the ghosts. It's all just bitterness.
And yet, I couldn't understand why Kanami still seemed to enjoy listening to it.
'It's not that you don't have to do it, it's all you have to do. --You've come to save us all? I can still see how it would save everyone in the Confederacy. But even everyone in The One Who Steals the Reason? Even everyone else from a thousand years ago? ...... You're crazy, Kanami.
I didn't understand it at all, so I assumed that, and I gave up on understanding.
Pretending to be insane in front of 'the one who steals the reason of the dimension' Kanami was the limit.
Hearing my weakness, Kanami nodded widely.
And to my repeated doubts, she added--
That's how 'the real you' really feels.
Huh, ......?
The conversation became even more unsuccessful.
I couldn't keep up with him completely anymore.
I turned to Kanami and said, "Why? I asked, "Why are you talking about this?" and then somehow you switched to me.
I don't think you are shifting the point.
Rather, it may be the 'further answer' waiting at the end of the logic.
However, unlike Kanami, who makes full use of 'future vision' and 'past vision', I can only understand 'now'. So I want you to talk to me with the sanity of a normal person a little bit more.
Otherwise, I'm already ...... and even you are .......
'It's not my true intentions that you want to find out. You want to look in the mirror of me (・・・・・・・・) and see (・・・・・・・・) what you really think (・・・・・・・). --and this is not just for you, but for all the 'stealers of reason'.
I assured her, a little jokingly.
Kanami then rolled up the book in her hand to the 'last page'.
It may be that the conclusion of this "Blood Land" battle is written there. Because Kanami is reading it ahead of time, my head hurts like this and I can't stand it.
The completed "The One Who Steals the Reason of Dimension" was, as per its attributes, misaligned not only with the magic but also with the conversation (・・・・・).
However, I do miss this shift in conversation a bit.
The more I talk about it, the more my head hurts, a situation I experienced many times in the past in the "Demonic Research Institute". Starting with the girl who worked as a cleaner, there were many people there who didn't understand the language.
But now I understand why.
It was a misalignment.
Maybe it was our sense of value, or our choice of words, or our sense of time, or whatever, but we were out of alignment. Because of our slight misalignment and miscommunication, I was unable to communicate with anyone. Even with Helmina-san, whom I had been longing for, until the end of my life--
Poof.
In front of her, Kanami closed the book once.
'It's time to get started. --for you, the 'ordeal'.
Then he quickly opens it and rereads the book.
--The One Who Steals the Reason of the Dimension, Kanami rolls up the pages.
Together, the space in the 'Goddess Storage Room' began to distort.
Originally, Kanami's surroundings were distorted by a thick magical power, but the scope of the distortion rapidly expanded.
The 《Default》 that had been deployed earlier was probably still being maintained.
It eroded the entire room, breaking the concept of distance bit by bit, then expanding and spreading.
Before I knew it, the walls of the room were far away.
The walls on all four sides were far away from the ends of the earth, and the suffocating feeling that only a basement could provide disappeared. There were no objects that looked like things, so it was as open as if we were in a square.
However, it's never a good feeling. The sudden freshness confused me, and I groaned, my head was confused.
'Ah, ah, ......'
Kanami's magic, which is more monstrous than bizarre, is as sickening and dizzying as the perceptual alteration of mental anxiety tense (Alice Syndrome).
At any rate, distance is not the only concept that has changed.
I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most out of your time with this particular one.
With the senses of the Blood, I can understand that this is not only inside the Goddess Storage Room, but also extends to the entire Seventh Magical Research Institute outside the room.
I was shocked to see the 'Seventh Magic Research Institute' that I had recreated being easily overwritten and turned into another world by another magic.
''Aaaaah......''
I groaned and realized how the strategy that me and Glenn thought up was off the mark.
In that 'last battle', Tiara made effective use of the underground, where the 'thread' couldn't reach. That's why we followed suit and made a plan underground, and chose the deepest place in my life, the Shintai Vault, as our decisive battleground.
But that decision was a mistake.
Rather, it was the opposite.
In the first place, the Kanami of a thousand years ago--
"The heavens and the earth, shimmering with blood and water, and the sunny, tender days...
I had failed to notice that the Founder Kanami was the creator of a huge underground (...) labyrinth.
As Kanami 'chanted', the 'Goddess Storage Room' finally became a completely different room.
A room that was inorganic, orderly, and just plain big.
I had seen it before.
Three times, when he was just summoned to this era. Ten, twenty, and thirty layers of the labyrinth, and I had been in this same room. It was exactly the same hierarchy as the one after The One Who Stole Reason left.
'Ah, ah, ......'
He could only shake and moan continuously.
It was such an overwhelming amount of magic. It was a god-like, overwhelming magic construction.
This is the power of the 'Founder Kanami' who once built the 'Hundred Layers of the Surface Labyrinth' and the 'Sixty-six Layers of the Back Old Viasia Country'
-- 'Labyrinthization' of the underground space.
It would be a power that can't be used on the ground because it would paint over the original country and structures that were there.
In other words, if you are going to deal with the Kanami, the advantage was above ground.
I found that this underground, where I could play with space to my heart's content, was Kanami's forte, the one who steals the reason for the dimension - and by the way, everything was too late.
Kanami looked around happily at the hierarchy she had created and nodded with satisfaction.
'If it's as big as this one, I'll be good to go. ...... So let's reread it together, then. Don't worry, if it's a fun story, we (...) can read it again and again. -- Resonance Magic (・・・・), "Reading Shift
And then I chanted a spell that I had never heard before.
The purple magic curled up like smoke, filling and seeping into this large room.
-- "The One Who Steals the Reason of Dimension" Kanami rolled up the pages.
Eroded, the ceiling of the room, first of all, suddenly disappeared.
Instantly, a strong light that seems to burn up the ground shines in from the heavens.
I try to confirm the source of the light while being dazzled.
There is no such thing as light. The Seventh Magician's Research Institute is located above the Shintai Vault, and further up is the Blood Land, with a blood cloud blocking the sun.
And yet, there was an endlessly piercing 'blue sky'.
The sun, with its iridescent bulk, shone brilliantly.
There were just a few white clouds floating around, and most of the sky was a beautiful blue.
Under an unquestionably clear sky.
I was standing.
It was very high up and I was looking at those flowing clouds very closely.
'............?!'
I'm bathed in the wind that blows through my body.
There isn't even a wall at the end of the earth anymore.
What I could see was the mountains dyed in colorful green.
And the beautiful horizon line that separates the sky from the plains.
Astonished, I check my feet.
The ground was there. But it was slightly tilted. From its material and shape, I knew it was the roof of a building. It was also on the roof of a long, vertical tower. Underneath the tower, there seemed to be a stern and splendid giant structure attached to it.
Because of my habit of building longitudinally, I knew that there was a connection with Hoosiers.
This is ....... Don't tell me that this is ......, the Whoozuyshire Castle?
It's the Fooziers of the Confederacy. So this isn't a castle, it's a cathedral. I've moved the scene up to the highest point of it (・・・・・・・・).
Kanami is also standing right next to me, and he corrects me per my put on and says something lightly incomprehensible to me.
I'm not on a roof that large, so Kanami is really close by.
I can reach out to him.
If I wanted to resume the fight, I could do it right now.
But before I could make up my mind to do so, my eyes were taken away from me.
'Nah-- Aha! ......
The view from this special seat in the Allied country was so fascinating.
The city spreading out below us is the Allied country.
I'd heard about it, but it's a rather unique structure. Naturally, it's a very vibrant, beautifully plotted and very complete metropolis.
It's very different from the big city of a thousand years ago and the current great holy city of the 'mainland'.
The most distinctive feature is that it is adjacent to a country with a completely different culture.
The white-tinted city that surrounds the cathedral I'm currently in is the Hoozeyer's Country. To the right of that is the city of the explorer's country, Valt, and to the left is the world's largest Eltralieu Institute.
How in the world could this happen?
The origins and history of the project intrigued me.
Look at ...... over there.
Kanami points at me.
I'm caught as if I'm 'mesmerized' and I move my gaze.
I strained my eyes and tried to see what was beyond them - as if I looked through binoculars, I suddenly began to see things in the distance.
''Reading Shift is a magic to read books in different dimensions, so there's no concept of distance. You can see what you want to see in the book. In a sense, I think it's a magic that surpasses even the magic of 'past vision'.
The power that surpasses the "past vision" that I had warned myself about.
Feeling desperate, I looked at what was at the tip of my fingers, thinking that anything was possible.
A construction project was underway.
Many citizens have gathered in a corner of the city and are using various materials and tools to repair the cracked ground. Sometimes the torn "magic stone lines" were joined together by specialized people skilled in magic.
From the information so far, I guessed that this was the scene of the confederacy two months ago.
This is the reconstruction of the lifeline and infrastructure destroyed in the 'Last Battle'.
Everyone has been really helped by Helmina's Magical Stone Line. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Helmina's 'Magical Line' has really helped us all. The results of Fania's Magical Dilemma Research Institute have given people a sense of security a thousand years later. And the affordability of that life is also linked to the kindness of others. ......
After explaining that, again.
-- "The One Who Steals the Reason of Dimension" Kanami rolled up the pages.
Then, in an instant, the construction was over.
It shifts to a scene of a large group of people celebrating in the city.
The 'magic stone humans (Jewelcrus)' and 'demons' who had sweated through their work were rubbing shoulders with ordinary people, happily clinking glasses together. They admired and recognized each other and shared their lives with each other.
It was dazzling. The light from The Blue Sky, but also the light of the people living in the confederacy made me squint and relax my mouth.
'Yeah. It's kind of nice to see ...... everyone smiling, isn't it? I guess that's what I enjoy about just reading about a country's history and technological development.
Kanami's gaze was then directed downward.
By magic that doesn't require you to look anywhere, you can see through the roof beneath your feet.
In the temple in the building directly below, an advanced sacred magic was being activated in the temple.
The surge of its mighty magic was familiar.
Downstairs, an Apostle Sith, who had become a magical body in the world a thousand years later, was giving a great deal of recovery magic.
His opponents were people who had once looked down on him as a natural sacrifice to save the world.
They are carefully treating each one of the people in the queue one by one. Serious illnesses that would have been dismissed a thousand years ago are being cured one after another very easily, thanks to the most advanced recovery magic.
At first, the Sith had a troublesome look on his face, but as the people around him kept thanking him, he was slowly getting better. To the people who left with their heads down, "Respect me properly! He called out to her. It wasn't just for the sake of his own power, but simply because Sith could also read from his noumenal face that he was doing it because it was fun.
'It made me happy to say thank you, and it made me want to help someone else again. I wanted to save as many people as I could. Something as simple as that was the reason I started out: ......
Kanami's gaze moved again.
As I followed the tip of her gaze, I saw Kanami living in the United Kingdom.
It's different from the Kanami next to me now. Perhaps it's the 'Kanami of the past'.
Just as she was about to finish her work and start a shopping date at the market with a former Apostle girl, Dia. However, the next time Kanami turns her attention, she also sees Kanami holding Snow in the arena of the Epic Seeker, a guild in the country of Lauravia. Furthermore, the scene of everyone holding a dinner party together at Maria's house on the outskirts of the Valt Country--!
The timeline was a mess, but you could see every Kanami holiday at a glance.
At the end, we even saw them going on a hot spring trip out of the confederacy.
Every Kanami looked peaceful and happy.
They seemed content and 'happy' as well.
"--This is the continuation of 'The Story of Rastiara' (...)
Saying that, Kanami stared at the empty space and smiled at it.
That gesture was too natural, and I felt that 'someone' was in the corner of my eye.
Thus, Kanami, who has exposed all of her life in the United Kingdom, caresses the cover of the book in her hand and answers the question I wanted to confirm.
'After that 'last battle', I was entrusted with following Lastiara (...). I believe that as long as this story continues, I will be with Rustyala. While I'm walking through Blood Land, and while I'm talking to you right now, I'll always be with him. It's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to get your hands on a new one. --I believe that.
Every time I said "together", the magical power of the rainbow of examples leaked out of the book.
Just by thinking about it a little, some kind of 'compensation' was established. It was a reaction that convinced me that I was not simply entrusted with my thoughts, but also magically connected to my soul.
Furthermore, Kanami continues to speak.
After finishing the proof, Kanami's finger was pointed at me.
'Only, it's the same for you. The Story of Helmina continues in your mind, too.
He pointed to his gaping chest.
However, I disagree with that. Before I can argue that I no longer have the magic stone of The One Who Stole the Principle of Blood, Kanami continues to speak.
I can't stop my hand from rolling up the pages of The One Who Stole the Reason of Dimension.
'You were just a boy (child) like me, who just wanted to save the person you loved. But you couldn't save her. ...... because she had already been saved by her own power. Even if I wanted to save her, I couldn't save her again.
Kanami goes on to make a point as if she's reading my mind as a book.
Just by being within the range of this magic 《Reading Shift》, I could only assume that it had the same effect as 《Distance Mute》.
''-- Your real 'unresolved' is that you couldn't understand the 'happiness' of your loved ones.
And then they say it off.
Kanami assured me that it wasn't about me, but he assured me as if it was about him.
I'm my own person and I can't say it back at all.
All I could do was moan and gasp and be in awe the whole time.
'Kuh, ah, ......!
It was an 'unfinished business' that I had been dimly aware of after reviewing my life.
The beginning of my life was definitely my meeting with Helmina.
I admired her back, aimed at it, and continued to chase after it.
The driving force behind it wasn't a beautiful thing like "I want to save the world," but a pure, slightly evil, but childlike desire to "communicate with the person I love.
I wanted to understand her.
And I wanted to share in her joyfulness.
That's because I liked .......
I wanted to be with Helmina .......
I wanted to hear that voice all the time .......
So even if Helmina-san was a lump of flesh and her mind fell into madness, I continued to pretend to be the same 'stealer of reason' ...... to try to understand that feeling.
I believed that if only I could hear the voices and know how they felt ......, I could save Helmina-san, because I believed that I was the one who could save her.
--I wanted to know how the person I love felt.
But that's just the 'unfinished business'.
It's a good thing that you're able to get a good idea of what you're looking for. That's why I was no exception.
''Hah, hah, hah ......
I'm out of breath.
It's probably because my mind is being read out of control at a frightening rate (pace).
I'm not fighting, but I'm exhausted.
Neither physical nor magical power has been reduced. What I've been losing is my mental power (heart).
But my agitation is still minimal.
Unlike the other 'stealers of reason', I was prepared in advance. I was dimly aware of that 'regret' and was prepared for it. But.
-- "The one who steals the reason for the dimension" Kanami rolls up the pages.
Immediately the faint sound of paper scraping can be heard.
A moment later, the scene around them was painted over again.
From the summit, where he could see the Allies in full view, the next step was all the way down.
From underneath the bright sky, we move into a dark basement.
That basement is not the original 'God's Body Storage Room'.
It was even smaller, but clean. The structure seems new and sturdy, and there is a bed and table. The most notable difference is the bookcase that takes up most of the room. Probably a stack of books somewhere in the Confederacy.
"It's both the library and my room. There's, uh, ...... here. It's a history of Fania. Let's read it together.
Kanami looked like she was home and leisurely pulled a book from a nearby bookshelf.
She picked it up casually, but it was clearly not an ordinary book. On its own, it's clothed in quite a bit of magic.
It's the same kind of book that Kanami has.
I have the Scripture, so I understand.
This is also a book that was written by wetting the tip of the brush called a soul with blood.
If its title is 'The History of Fania' and the reader is Kanami, it would rightly be a 'true history book'.
A book changes its meaning depending on the reader. For example, from our point of view, Romis Neesha was a really hateful guy. But what about from Helmina's point of view? Now it's your turn: ......
-- "The One Who Steals the Reason of Dimension" Kanami rolled up the pages.
Just as before, the scene changed again in an instant.
The scene changed one after another, and I couldn't stop feeling dizzy. However, I think I'm slowly getting used to the foulness of this magic "Reading Shift". I managed to keep my sanity and watch the next scene.
Unlike the previous scene, the sky was far away. And it was dark.
Plus, with my feet firmly planted on the ground, I was standing.
Beneath a sky of dark clouds, the familiar cityscape stretched out beneath a sky of dark clouds.
'High walls, all around ....... Is this the Fania of a thousand years ago ......?
From the features of the sky and the city, I knew right away that it was home.
Since he was used to the Dark Cloud Era, he could also tell that it was night from the trivial difference in darkness.
However, there was no 'Fire God's Stone' in the city, and the normal demonic stones were glowing.
So, then, this was not the Fania of the lunar calendar--
""--New Year Three. At the end of it, Fafner Helvirshine decided to 'return home'. After a long battle, he lost all of his friends, and there was no longer anything that bound him. There was nothing to hinder his 'happiness' anymore. It was supposed to be--
Kanami, who was next to me, told me the exact time by reading a book.
When I realized that we were now in Fania, in the third year of the new year, a man crossed the street next to me and Kanami. The man even muttered to himself, believing that there was no one around.
'-- Oh, finally ......, I'm back. Helmina, I hope you saw the letter. If you didn't see it, I'll have to steal a lot of stuff from somewhere, but .......
I - the 'Fafner of the Past' was walking through the streets of Fania.
Clad in a cloak dirty from a long journey, hiding its thin limbs like a ghost, it is advancing through the city as if to hide in the darkness.
They don't seem to be able to see us. Now Kanami and I are just foul magic, blending into the scenes (pages) of the time through history books, but we don't exist in this era.
So I can't interfere in what happens right in front of me from now on.
If I could, I would just follow the walking past me and read the story.
'--Aah! ......! Well ......, well done ......, you're back!
At the end of the darkened street, a woman in white appears, tearful, holding a letter.
I'm in the past when I see her, and I'm also in tears as I throw her a greeting.
Yes, I'm back. I'm back, Helmina-san ...... no, Lord Helmina Neisha.
The past me speaks in front of me as I almost sob.
Slowly, as I bow deeply to Helmina, who is now the lord of Fania.
'I don't need a token thank you between you and me. More importantly, are you the only one who has returned? What about the others?
I'm sorry, sir. I'm the only survivor of the experiment that escaped that day. ...... Everyone else died on the journey.
Past me, I look down and tell him that I'm alone.
It was also a report to his boss over three years.
However, Helmina must have been prepared for that outcome.
The look of sadness is a moment. She immediately walked up to me in the past and tried to hug me - and stopped in the middle. Instead of a hug, I reached out and touched my returning apprentice's head.
'I'm grown up. ...... back, you've been overtaken.
'It is, yes ....... It's been three years since then: .......
In the past, I've been patted on the head by Helmina, and I've been huffing and puffing.
She must have been happy.
It wasn't just the joy of 'returning home'. I was happy that I overcame many hardships and was able to share the same gaze as the person I admired.
And after biting down on nostalgia enough, the words I had been preparing for a long time were being spoken.
'Helmina-san. Please let me work for you again. I will definitely be useful. I want to save as many of the sacrificed 'demons' as possible ......!
I hope to find a job in Fania.
The lord, Helmina, responded to that with a strong nod.
''You are welcome. ...... but shouldn't we check your home first? Instead of coming in under the cover of darkness like we did today, I would prefer to go back through the house. ......
'Mr. Helmina, I have no intention of going back home. Returning in such a changed form will only cause trouble. ...... Our house was especially strong in discrimination against 'demons'.
My family is a powerful Fania nobleman.
Naturally, the side that had experimented with and sacrificed the 'demons'.
Even though the Fania territory has begun to change due to the power of Kanami and Helmina-san, the roots of the Fania territory have not changed.
It seems that Helmina-san, as a lord, understands the meaning of her heir apparent returning as a 'demon' after all this time, and she did not force him to return home. She just shows a sad face.
--I don't want to see that face.
So, in the past I'm going to be a little stronger and report back on what I've acquired on this long journey. I'm proud to say that it's not all I've lost.
'I now call myself 'Fafner Helvirshine'. I've been traveling all over under this name.
He brought that name back home.
'Yeah, yeah? Fah, "Fafner, the Evil Dragon of the Apocalypse"? Was the black dragon that was temporarily (for a moment) rumored to be you?
When Helmina heard that, she was truly puzzled and surprised.
It seems that near this Fania, the 'Evil Dragon of the Apocalypse (Fafner)' was famous.
''No, there's a bit of a situation with that name: ....... When the enemy needed a title that would make them cower in fear, a certain person gave me a feeling that .......
'Oh, I see. ....... You cheated on your name. Not particularly unusual if you live in this era of wandering, but ......, then, the Helvirshine one too?
This is my pride. I have met many 'witches' and 'demons' and been entrusted with their thoughts and feelings during my three-year journey. I vowed to be the hope for those 'demons' who sacrificed their lives, and this is the new name of my family.
The hope of these 'demons' who were sacrificed?
She couldn't tell the whole story because of her righteousness to the 'dragon man' (Dragon Newt) that she was traveling with. However, her newfound faith seemed to have been conveyed, and after hearing everything, Helmina's body trembled with excitement and a deep smile appeared on her face.
“--Excellent (・・・・・)
And I praised him.
Looking very 'happy', he hugged his own shoulders so tightly with his hands that his white coat seemed to tear, and murmured.
'Another young man to whom I can entrust my knowledge ....... Oh, really, so many good things have come together lately. I've never been so fortunate in my life .......
She was thrilled, as if she was happy to be born.
Past me, I was relieved that my own new name was more acceptable than I had expected, and we began to chat.
'Have things been that good lately? Besides me coming back.
'Yes, there it is! Please, please listen to me. Did you know that I got into trouble with Lady Tiara at Hoosiers and got involved in a plan called "Banner of Light" with the Apostle: ......? Now, it's even possible to create an artificial 'stealing of reason' at Hoosiers?
'A man-made 'stealer of reason'? That's a really great story! ...... Please, please let me help you with that! Any chores you can do, let me study near you!
'Of course, you're welcome. It's a difficult subject, but you'll understand it soon enough. No, you may be the only one who can understand the essence of it: ......!
Only me? No, the only person to say that would be Helmina!
A moment of misunderstanding and miscommunication.
There was a misalignment, but there was no way I could have noticed it in the past, and the book continues.
'Oh ......, phew. It's a dream come true to study with you again. However, this time I'm sure I'll have a lot to learn from you. Can you tell me the story of your journey to date?
'Of course. I've documented the southern cities I've traveled to today in my memoir. I've also heard a lot about the North Country from my road companion, the dragon man (Dragon Newt), so enjoy it. It's really interesting over there. They have a completely different view of "Majin" than we do. The legend of "The King Who Rules (Lord)" is really fun and entertaining ......!
'Uh ......, if you can, I'd just like to hear about the technology in different parts of the country: ......'
I know. But we'll start with the history of each place. Then we'll talk about the traditions, and then we'll talk about the great men. I'm not going to compromise on that.
'So that part is still the same: ....... Well, that's fine. I've got time. I'll take my time telling you the story--
Yes, we'll talk slowly. From now on, we'll take it slow--
The two happy people walked down the street while talking.
The destination for their feet is probably the Seventh Magical Research Institute.
I'm going to start my new life there as a temporary lodging.
The 'Fafner of the past' thought.
The "Fafner from a thousand years later" chased after the two of them as they walked away.
Holding his chest and letting out a moan.
'Helmina ......, Mr. .......'
To this day, I've dredged up her voice many times, I've dredged up my memories and thought back.
But it was only 'the past'.
It was all worn out, cold and distant.
However, this magic 《Reading Shift》 was different.
There was the temperature of reality.
In the hierarchy of this 'The One Who Steals the Reason of the Dimension', there was blood and soul running through the memory.
There, 'now', Helmina-san was alive, and her voice could indeed be heard.
The irresistible fullness of life, savored.
-- "The One Who Steals the Reason of Dimension" Kanami rolled up the pages.