Nine years after that decision, in the spring of 1644.
Echinacea walked inside the broken temple. It was a great temple in Azenka, the city that had been destroyed by her hands.
The holy land of knights, Azenka, has now become an ominous uninhabited land. There was little left. However, there was one thing left in the ruins of the temple because there was no way to move it by human hands.
The divine sword Kairos Giosa. A sword said to have been made by the gods by quenching time.
Unlike the other divine sword, the sword of space, which drifted through space and disappeared, the divine sword of time has been on this land since the past, even before the legend of Giosa was well known. So, the Celestial Knights took up this land, and Azenka, a city that did not belong to any country, was born.
Kairos Giosa was embedded in the middle of the ruins, A sleek and delicate sword shining in different colors from moment to moment.
The sculptures and altars that adorned it were shattered, but even without them, the divine sword was mysterious. It was proof that there is a God that cannot be seen, heard, or touched.
Humans cannot hold that sword. No matter how much they stretched out a hand, it didn’t touch the sword as if it was blocked by a wall.
However, Eki had to hold the divine sword.
She had her hair cut short, and she wore a worn-out leather robe. Traces of her long journey were all over her body. Her hand reaching out towards the divine sword was covered with scars. At first glance, she looked like a mercenary, but when you look at her in full a shabby figure like a vagrant was seen.
In her hand, the new sword allowed her touch
Nothing special happened. It was just a sword that no one could hold in their hands. At that moment, a voice was heard in her mind. It was a voice whose gender was unknown like the demon sword.
(Deserved human being, what do you want?)
“……Kairos Giosa.”
After licking dry lips a few times, Eki said in a hoarse voice.
“Take me back to the past where I killed no one.”
The new sword was silent for a moment and then asked slowly.
(Why do you want to go back to the past?]
“Because I want to save them.”
[Who?)
“……The people I killed.”
(Are you going to kill with your own hands and bring it back to life?)
“I didn’t kill them because I wanted……!”
Her hand holding the sword trembled. A few drops of blood dripped from her jaw. The divine sword read the times she had gone through, and understood her desperate wish.
[I understand. Then what next?]
“Next… …?”
Uf you turn back time, all the people you killed will be alive. In the world they live in, what are you trying to do? What will you use the time you got back for?)
I was speechless. Echinacea, a thirty-five-year-old who had been running with only one goal of saving everyone, thought about such a thing for the first
time.
What did I wish for? Why did I want to save them? Why did you want to change the past?
She muttered blankly.
“…… I will just live.”
(Just living? Is that all? You are still alive right now.)
“It’s like being dead now.”
(Why?)
“Now, I’m……because I can’t possibly be happy. I can’t even sleep comfortably……”
Words came first before thinking. It was only after she spoke her words that she realized.
I wanted to be happy. I don’t know exactly what happiness I want, but it is impossible to be happy now that I killed all the people I love with my own hands
So, I had to change it. She frantically gathered the Giosas just for that. She hadn’t slept properly in the past nine years. She can’t even remember the last time she laughed.
The divine sword was finally satisfied with her answer, and shone softly.
Good. I’ll lend you my strength, worthy human being.)
A distant and dizzy sensation dyed her whole body. Everything faded and the divine sword said one last time.
(This miracle won’t happen twice. So, do your best and be happy.)
The sword moved.
Echinacea Roaz succeeded in turning her time back. Fifteen years ago, back to the time when she was still the daughter of an ordinary Count.
Act 1. What has changed and what has not
It felt fresh and soft to the touch. Eki, who had unintentionally rubbed her cheeks against it, suddenly opened her eyes in fright. She raises her body like flowing water, while at the same time hanging her right hand and lowering her center of gravity to get into a position where she can respond to anything,
Shaa.
Her long hair, which had floated up with her swift movements, settled down belatedly. Eki looked at it blankly. Light pink hair with soft curls. Although it was disorganized after waking up from sleep, it was managed with sincerity and money.
“Ah…”
She grabbed the hair without realizing it. Maintaining her long hair was a hassle. After recovering her body from the demon sword, she went around with short hair.
Her hair was so long and yet, it was not black. Her hand, holding the light-colored hair, was white and soft without a single scar. Her nails were neatly trimmed too.
She looked down at herself. Wrapped in silk pajamas, her body was slender and soft. She lowered her feet out of the bed. There was not a single callus on her white bare feet.
Under the bed were pink slippers with lace. It was something that remained in her vague memory. She put on slippers and lifted her head. She looked at the flying canopy hanging on the bed, then she walked out of it and got out of bed.
“M-My room…”
It was a familiar view of a room decorated in a cute, way. Eki walked towards the window with staggering steps. A breeze blew in from the slightly opened window, fluttering the white curtains. She pushed the curtain and looked out of the window.
It was spring. She could see a garden full of bright green shoots and flower buds. A gardener crouching in front of the bush was trimming the branches.
There was a training field a little further away from the garden. A boy with light brown hair ran through the gym under the guidance of a knight.
“Lancel……lid.” Note: Full name Lancellid Roaz
Eki muttered the boy’s name. It was the name of her younger brother, who was three years younger than her.
The last words of a boy who drowned in blood and died by her hands. It was one of her vivid nightmares. Her eyes fluttered like crazy.
Eki just opened the window and jumped out of her room on the second floor. Her hair was as white as a curtain blowing. Mana moved automatically without her being conscious of it. Her body had not yet been cored and had no mana accumulated, but that didn’t bother her much.
She landed like a cat. Her eyes were fixed on the side of the training field. As she started running, her slippers slid off her feet and rolled. She didn’t care. As if flying barefoot, she jumped into the gymnasium.
“Lady?”
Passing the terrified knight, she embraced Lancel as it was. His purple eyes that resembled her fluttered like that.
“Huh?”
The boy couldn’t stand her running and fell on his butt. Eki grabbed his brother’s neck and put his ear to his chest. Ba-dum. The boy’s heart was beating. She was out of her mind.
“Sister… … ?”
“Lancel, Lancellid Roaz, you are alive.”
“What are you talking about in the morning? No, you don’t get up at this hour, do you?”
Bewildered Lancel pushed her away and was startled. Her pajamas were a mess, her round curved bosom, her bare white legs, and her slender shoulders. Echinacea was dressed in a way with nowhere to look. Lancel took off his shirt while shouting back (Note: It’s not the totties, it’s the chest area above it)
“No, why are you dressed like this! Are you crazy?”
“I know, Sister hates sweat. Even if you don’t like it, hold on for a second. So why did you come all the way here at this hour?”
Lancel recklessly put his shirt over Eki. The knight, who was teaching Lancel, couldn’t look straight at her and coughed in vain while turning his eyes.
“Young Master, first of all, the Young lady…….”
“Yes, I have to take my sister to the mansion. Can we finish our morning training here?”
“We’ll make up for it next time. Thank you for your hard work.”
“You did a great job. Sister, let’s stand up…… why are you barefoot?”
Lancel, who was raising Eki, murmured as if he had frozen.
“Did you have a nightmare? It looks like you just woke
up.”
“Nightmare…”
The focus returned to Eki’s eyes, which had been holding Lancel with her dazed face. She suddenly pulled the boy. Originally, her strength was weak like any other well bred noble young lady. But for some reason, Lancel was dragged by her power and almost fell.
Before Lancel, who had barely stepped on his foot to support his body, could even say a word, she grabbed the boy’s shoulder and looked straight into his eyes,
Echinacea’s eyes were shining brightly like never before. It had a strange overpowering feeling. Lancel had forgotten what he was going to say.
“Lancel.”
“……Yes, Sister?”
“What date is it today?”
“What?”
“What year, month, date?”
“……March 17th, 1629. Seriously, why are you like this? What’s wrong?”
“In 1629…….”
Eki let Lancel go. Her expression was distorted, not knowing whether she was smiling or crying.
“Successful. I succeeded…….”
Her legs lost strength, and she floundered on the dirt floor of the gymnasium. She tried to rub her face with her trembling hands. Then, as soon as the palm of her right hand came into view, her movement stiffened.
There was something like a black pattern that didn’t match the white palm. She knew very well what the pattern was.
She clenched her teeth with a vigorous sound, Lancel’s face turned pale blue at the sound of crunching and the murderous spirit that rose,
“Sis-Sister? Sister, you are kind of weird right now. Are you sick?”
“It seems that you are not feeling well. Lady, excuse me for a moment……argh!”
The knight who approached to pick her up, was pushed away. Eki, who reflexively struck the knight, opened and closed her mouth a few times, then shook her head at random.
“Lancel, I’m sorry, I’m fine!”
“Sister!”
Eki, who had thrown out words at will, stood up abruptly and disappeared like the wind. The movement was so fast that both Lancel and the knights missed her appearance in an instant. They looked down at Lancel’s shirt she had dropped with a puzzled face.