"Given the current situation, it seems likely that things will proceed in this manner unless there's so special variable that changes things," Erina concludes her long explanation and bows politely in front of the princess.
"Thank you, Erina. So, you're saying that you need my power," Marika says, partly boasting but accurately summarizing the core of the discussion.
"Yes, and that's also why I haven't torn you apart yet. You still have so usefulness. If you were just so country bumpkin, I would have sent you to another world without giving you a chance," Lusia sharply remarks, still not over the fact that Marika had overpowered Harold.
"Well, that's sothing to be thankful for, isn't it?" Marika's reply seems to accept Lusia's comnt, but in reality, it's a veiled sarcasm, provoking her subtly.
"This wench..." Arshia can't help but frown at Marika's obvious provocation.
"Once this is all over, just you wait..." Lusia warns Marika with a vengeful look and turns away coldly.
"Let's stop fighting for now and get moving," Arshia interjects, sensing the tension between the two and reminding them of their pressing tasks.
With those words, Erina is the first to leave the room, followed by the others, who finally start to move after a long period of stagnation.
As Erina opens the door and steps into the corridor, she spots sothing at the end of her vision that makes her squint in suspicion.
A notably distinct figure, a small-statured person with unusual black hair, stands out among the others. And there's a dark aura around them, sothing only the powerful can detect.
Suddenly, the black-haired girl spots Erina and, with labored breaths, starts running towards her hurriedly. "Is that girl..." Erina is taken aback by the sudden encounter with the girl she vividly rembers from her past.
"Erina...! Do you rember ? I'm Miru!" Miru, in a rush, approaches Erina and starts explaining the events she's been through.
"Right now, Harold's mories..." Miru, realizing every second counts, quickly explains her involvent and actions.
Erina is visibly shocked, her expression unlike anything seen before. She's simultaneously baffled and sensing sothing important.
"Erina, what's happening? Why did you stop?" Aris follows her out, curious about the sudden change in plans.
"Go back in and tell everyone. There's been a variable... a change in plans," Erina says solemnly.
"The variable we ntioned... It's erged. We need to revise our strategy."
"Did you call for , Goddess?" I find myself at the Temple of Fate, summoned by the goddess I serve. The temple is as always, a beautiful white space reminiscent of paradise.
"Harold! Can you co to ?" The goddess descends the steps from her usual place on the dais as soon as I arrive, sothing urgent in her deanor.
"What's the matter? You summoned so suddenly..." I sense an unusual air about her, not typical of the Goddess of Fate I know.
"I've seen sothing troubling in the tapestry of fate... So, answer my questions first. We'll discuss the rest later." This isn't like her. Normally, she's adamant about not ddling in others' fates.
"Did you et a small child? About the size of a young kid, with unusual black hair like yours..."
Yes, I did et her... a child, wounded all over, in such a desperate state that she seed on the brink of death... "Yes, I definitely t her," I respond affirmatively to the goddess's question. Suddenly, her eyes widen and she shouts at with an excited voice that seems to lose its composure, "Really? Did she give you any item? If so, hand it over to quickly!"
Confused by the urgency in her tone, I can't hide my bewildernt. Noticing my reaction, the goddess quickly regains her composure, saying, "Ah... I got too excited... The thought of losing you montarily overwheld ..."
Losing ? Does that an my death? "Losing ... What do you an?" I ask.
Taking a deep breath, she begins to explain the situation more calmly. "I saw... your fate... I didn't intend to, but it was all for your sake. Please forgive ." She then reveals the shocking future she foresaw due to her divine powers.
"If you et the girl with black hair and receive an abstract, unidentifiable object from her, you will die for unknown reasons," she says, pulling into a gentle embrace and earnestly pleading, "And if... if it really happened, if you received an object from that mysterious child, a sphere emitting white light, please hand it over to now. It's not too late. I'll try to do sothing about it."
Her urgency indicates a critical situation where normal behavior won't suffice. Honestly, I did et the child with a mysterious aura and received exactly such a glowing sphere.
As I process this, a cold sweat breaks out. Could this object in my possession, which felt oddly familiar and even comforting despite its brightness, actually be a deadly bomb?
"If you've received it, hand it over quickly..." she urges, not leaving much ti for deliberation.
How can any knight, faced with such earnestness from their liege, fail to trust? Even though the sphere felt strangely comforting due to its bright light, was it in fact a dangerous bomb all along? "This... I must hand it over quickly," I resolve, gripping the shrunken jade orb I had carefully preserved in my possession.
"What?!" The atmosphere in Marika's hospital room becos turbulent once again.
"Was her na Miru? Is that really true? Did you obtain Harold's mories?" The mood is heavy overall, yet ironically tinged with hope.
"Yes... I inherited this ability from my mother. If I earnestly desire sothing, obsessively, to the point of losing my mind, I can take anything with this power..." I can't ascertain who her mother is, but this remarkable ability helped her reclaim what she claims to be Harold's mories.
Miru introduces herself as soone who had connections with Harold in the past, just like Erina. Erina, in turn, explains to the others, who are unaware of the situation, about the small dragon that resembles soone they know.
"I definitely got it! And... ah... I definitely gave it to my brother... but I can't see him... Before I lost consciousness, I handed it over and then fell asleep, but when I woke up, I was here... and I couldn't see my brother anywhere." Despite the ti constraint, she manages to provide a rough explanation of what happened from the past to the present.
"Did Harold find you when he stepped out tired from the long eting? Where is he now?" Miru had been searching frantically for Harold since her arrival, but even the others couldn't pinpoint his whereabouts.
"Then we must imdiately go to the Temple of the Goddess of Fate! My guess is she might have foreseen this situation and drawn my oblivious brother into it!" Miru's astute deduction seems plausible, prompting serious contemplation from the others.
"Regrettable, but our plan is off. We need to go to Morione's temple right now," declares Lus Lia, taking charge and preparing to leave imdiately.
"Just a mont, child... I have a question. What happens if the goddess restores Harold's mories?" Aricia raises a seemingly obvious question, causing Miru to bite her lip with an even more grave expression. "Probably... I won't be able to get it back again... No matter how omnipotent my power is, I won't be able to wrestle back my brother's mories from that goddess. She will guard it by every ans possible in the world, making it forever impossible to reclaim the original brother I knew," Miru declared with determination, clenching her fist as if to underscore the critical nature of the situation. "So... we must resolve this today, at all costs...!!"
"Harold? What's wrong? If you received sothing, hand it over quickly," Morione urged with a hint of frustration.
Until just monts ago, I had blindly trusted her, truly believing I was in danger and about to hand over the object. But now...
"Goddess, I'm sorry, but although I t the girl with black hair, I didn't receive anything from her." My trust in her had started to waver...
"What?! Didn't you say you t her?" The Goddess of Fate showed clear signs of agitation at my response.
"Of course, I t her, but it was just a passing glance, nothing more, nothing less."
"You didn't receive anything? Was she injured...?"
"She appeared completely unscathed, without any wounds." I denied her words outright, attempting to evade the situation.
Just as I was about to hand over the mysterious orb to Morione...
Ding! A clear sound resonated in my mind, triggering a flood of mories. It was a strange, yet sohow familiar sensation...
"I really don't have anything," I asserted, though the feeling was vague, it was undeniably real - an influx of long-forgotten mories.
Reviews
All reviews (0)