I pick up the fallen sword with trembling hands.
Since this doesn’t seem to be a real space, I don’t even know if there’s any need to pick it up.
It’s probably just the habit of a swordsman.
First, I sheathe the Main-gauche, and then the black sword –
“Which one is it…?”
It’s lying next to Sieg’s sword, making it extremely confusing.
I pick up both, and one of them feels slightly more familiar in my hand…
This one?
I sheathed the one that felt familiar.
Instantly, the other black sword burst into flames and burned away.
It seems I chose correctly.
As I looked at the fallen Sieg, I sensed a presence behind me.
I quickly turned around.
“Ah, I lost.”
“Huh, Sieg-san!?”
Another Sieg.
What’s going on!?
“This is that kind of space.”
The other Sieg snaps his fingers.
Then, the fallen Sieg burns away.
Anything really goes here…
“You’re not going to tell me to fight again..”
“No, no. But don’t you think it was a miscast? No matter how great I am, a king without anything to bear can’t possibly win against someone like you, right?”
“I see…”
Is that how it is?
But then again, this guy seems like he could really power up depending on the situation.
“What the spirits probably wanted to see was – Oops, looks like time’s up?”
Sieg’s body begins to slowly disappear from the feet up.
Is there still time to talk a little?
“Can I ask you one thing? The name of this black sword…”
I’ve been curious about it for a while.
Since he was its owner, I thought he might know something.
“My partner’s name? Sorry, but I don’t know. I always just called it ‘partner.’ But, if I were to name it… I’d probably call it ‘Landini’.”
“Landini?”
I think that was the name for a black lily.
I’m not very knowledgeable about flowers, though.
“Yeah. It’s not a name that suits me, but it’s perfect for you. Take good care of my partner, okay?”
To be entrusted with this by the First King, it’s an honor.
It’s a sobering thought.
I find the name of the sword a bit ostentatious, but I’ll gratefully accept it.
It would be a shame to keep calling it “black sword” forever.
“Thank you. Of course, I’ll treasure it. …But, naming a sword after a flower, you’re quite the romantic, aren’t you?”
“A hero is bound to have rumors of many beautiful women, right? I can say a sweet word or two. Among them, there was a beauty who resembled you –”
“Ah! Ah! I don’t want to hear it!”
Even if it’s not about me, I don’t like it.
“Heh, you’re so green. …Can I ask you one thing in return?”
“What is it?”
“My – no, the country we created… is it still… around?”
That’s, well, a very fitting question.
Even though it’s just a brief encounter, I’m already drawn to this person’s charm.
It’s a strange thing.
“Yes. All four races live together without any major internal conflicts, and it’s a vibrant country even now.”
The difficulty of people with different cultures and different appearances living together.
But this king made it a reality.
Embraced by the great king’s generosity, we have lived until today.
“I see, then…”
Sieg’s figure disappears.
He said something at the end, but I couldn’t hear it.
Leaving behind a satisfied smile, the light quietly scattered.
…
“Magnificent.”
The voice of the Great Fire Spirit rained down.
Here it comes.
“From now, we will pour our power into you. Using your soul as a vessel, we will spiritualize that soul.”
“My soul as a vessel? Why?”
“That soul is immature. If swallowed by the waves of our thoughts, your ego will collapse. You must receive it and sublimate it into pure power.”
“…In other words, you’ll use my soul as a filtration device?”
“Affirmative. You will die if you cannot endure, but are you prepared?”
“Anytime.”
I’m ready.
There’s no need to hesitate.
“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
The Great Spirit roared.
A torrent of power raged.
Flames separated from the Great Spirit and entered my body one after another.
“–I love you.”
!?
…Is this the spirit’s thoughts?
The first emotion I felt was warm affection.
I let my guard down, thinking it would be alright.
…I let my guard down.
“–Hate, hate, hate, hate!”
…I immediately regretted it.
“–More, more! More, more conflict! Still, fight!”
“–Hot, hot, hot, hot! Aaaaaaaaaaa!”
“–Not enough aaaaaaaaaaa!”
“–Ahahaha! Hahahahahahahahahaha!”
“–Warm”
“–Youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!”
“–Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill”
It flows in.
Burning emotions, both positive and negative.
Love, hate, fighting spirit, pain, passion, disgust, warmth, anger, jealousy, laughter, madness…
Spinning, swirling.
Burning, life, heart.
My head feels like it’s going to split.
My soul feels like it’s going to shatter.
Hot, hot, HOT…
Fire, lots of fire…
–Tia…
What… a voice other than thoughts…?
–Katia!
Ka… Tia? …Whose… name…?
I… can’t… remember…
“–ia, Katia! Are you going to leave again? This time, us! Seeing those fireworks, you cried… you cried, didn’t you!”
Fireworks…?
Fireworks, what are those…?
“…Grandfather, her pulse… is getting weaker…!”
“Don’t end here, Katia! What am… What am I supposed to tell Tim!”
Tim…
Who is that, the person that comes to mind. Why do I feel so, at ease…?
“Katia… Katia! Don’t go! Open your eyes! I absolutely won’t allow you to go like this! Those three, they wouldn’t… want this kind of ending either!”
Three…?
Neil-san.
Fina-san.
Lyall-san…
“…Lu, mia…”
“! Katia! Katia! Please, wake up… Even if I brew it myself, the herbal tea doesn’t come out as well as yours…”
“…”
“Katia…”
“…Lumia-san… you’re such a crybaby… even though you’re already eighty…”
Just like she did that night, this time I gently wipe away Lumia-san’s tears.
My voice came out much hoarser than I thought it would.
My body feels heavy as lead.
My throat is parched and a little sore.
“…! …You fool, it’s because you’re doing things that make me cry…”
“Oh, Katia! You’ve returned!”
“…When you… shed tears of blood… I thought it was over…”
Huh?
Blood… ugh! What’s this!
The palm of my hand that touched my cheek was stained red.
Clots of blood were also falling off.
“Extraction complete.”
The Great Spirit, which had shrunk in size, spoke.
I finally got up from the floor where I had been lying.
“What happened?”
“The power is already within you.”
When I focus on the inside of my body, it’s definitely there.
Not aura, not magic power, but a crystal of power.
“With your current self, you can perceive the other soul.”
Deeper than the crystal of power.
There was a small, fragile, flickering flame that seemed like it could disappear at any moment.
It’s so, weak…!
“Bring the power closer. Sharpen your consciousness, and gradually assimilate.”
As instructed, I bring the crystal of power to her.
Slowly, slowly, carefully…
“Ah, huh?”
It felt like when you accidentally suck something up with a vacuum cleaner, a strange sensation.
Power is being lost.
“What’s wrong, Katia?”
“No, it’s like some power is being sucked away…”
Thump!
My heart beats loudly.
“Katia, your body is burning!?”
As Lumia-san says, my body is engulfed in flames!?
Like the Great Spirit, I don’t feel any heat…
“…A head is, coming out of my stomach…?”
Eek!
What, what!?
I see a familiar head of red hair.
But it’s much shorter than me, and it’s also translucent…?
“K, Ka, Katia, calm down! Hee hee hoo!”
“No, Lumia-san, you calm down too! It’s not childbirth!”
The flames on my body subside.
What appeared, completely separated, was a girl who was younger than this body, but looked exactly like it, and was translucent.
Ah, I see.
Finally, I’ve met…
The girl quietly opened her eyes.
When she saw me, she blinked once, twice, three times.
The way her expression changed from astonishment to joy, I want to believe it wasn’t my imagination.
“Big Brotherrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!”
“Gueh!”
I doubled over after receiving a fervent headbutt to the solar plexus.
Why, even though she’s transparent, she’s solid…?