Eugene had intended to accompany Sienna back to a city with a warp-gate before seeing her off, but Sienna had firmly refused him while shaking her head.
“It’s not like I’m a child, so what’s the point of you wasting a few days just to see me off at the city?” Sienna argued.
Eugene tried to persuade her, “Won’t it be depressing to cross the snowfield alone?”
“What’s so depressing about that? It’s not like I plan to slowly trudge across it, so don’t worry about me. If I fly by myself, I can even fly faster than when we flew over on dragonback, you know?” Sienna said with a snort as she flipped the hood of her robe over her head. “And it’s not like we have all that much time left to prepare. I’ll accept your good intentions, so you should just stay here and train hard with Molon. I’ll also be working hard over there in Aroth.”
“Do you really need to go to Aroth?” Eugene asked plaintively while worrying his lip.
Pleased to hear Eugene say something like this, Sienna grinned. She poked Eugene in the side with Frost, which she was holding in one hand.
“Why? Would you prefer it if I stayed here with you?” Sienna teased.
Eugene frowned, “If you don’t really need to go, then what’s the point in going? That way, I won’t need to worry about you.”
“I need to go,” Sienna insisted. “As long as I’m there, skilled wizards will surely flock to me, and apart from that, I can only see all the spells and research that has accumulated in Aroth during my absence by going to that country personally.”
Eugene protested, “Isn’t it dangerous for us to separate like this if there isn’t any dire need to do so? What if that bastard, the Demon King of Incarceration, targets you while you’re on your own?”
Although he said this, Eugene knew there was absolutely no chance of such a thing happening. Even when Eugene was weak and on his own, the Demon King of Incarceration had never once targeted Eugene, so there was no way that Incarceration would use such sinister tactics at this point.
He didn’t know what the Demon King of Incarceration’s true goals were, but… it didn’t seem like he actually wanted the demonfolk to rule the world or even desired the extermination of all of his enemies….
Sienna was also fully aware of this truth, so she just snorted and said, “Don’t spout such nonsense.”
Each time Frost poked Eugene in the side, actual white frost scattered off the staff.
Sienna paused, “Hm, but still… I don’t know about the Demon King, but there is a chance that one of the demonfolk might target me. It’s not like the Demon King of Incarceration keeps all that tight a hold on the demonfolk under his command.”
“Instead, he practically gives them free rein,” Eugene complained.
“However, there’s no way that bastard, Gavid Lindman, will come for me, right? Neither will that Queen of Sluts,” Sienna said.
Sienna calmly added her own twist on Noir’s title as the ‘Queen of the Night Demons,’ and Eugene accepted the change just as calmly.
“Apart from those two, well, it’s not like there aren’t any other high-ranking demonfolk, but… are they really enough for me to worry about? Are the demonfolk nowadays truly all that strong?” Sienna asked thoughtfully.
“I also haven’t met all that many of the high-ranking demonfolk from this era, so I don’t really know for sure,” Eugene admitted with a shrug.
Jagon, whom Eugene had slain in the Dragon-Demon Castle, had been quite strong. Even now, Eugene still felt it was fortunate that he had gotten the chance to kill Jagon back then.
“The black wizards are quite a bit more of a threat compared to the past,” Eugene noted.
“That being said, the only remaining black wizard that we really need to worry about is that bitch, Amelia Merwin. And if you take her into account, that gives me even more reason to go to Aroth instead of staying here,” Sienna argued back.
Amelia Merwin was hiding in Ravesta, the site of the Demon King of Destruction’s slumber. And currently, fulfilling Eugene’s request of her, Melkith was tormenting the black wizards in the Nahama Desert by uprooting all of their dungeons.
If things continued like that, the foundation that Amelia had built up in the desert would be completely destroyed. If it became open knowledge that Sienna was staying in Aroth, it might motivate Amelia to secretly move back to the desert to deal with her problems there.
“So stop with all your needless worrying and just look forward to it,” Sienna demanded.
“Look forward to what?” Eugene asked, only for Sienna to smile brightly and lift Frost into the air above her head.
Keeping it held aloft in the air, Sienna slowly shook Frost from side to side, sending a sprinkling of white frost falling down onto her own head.
“Just wait for this Wise Lady Sienna, who has already reached a level that no other wizard has ever been able to touch, to surpass even herself in the end!” Sienna declared proudly.
As he looked into the triumphant smile on Sienna’s face, Eugene unconsciously ended up smiling as well.
“You should at least take a few days to rest before you go. Aren’t you being too hasty, making such a decision and leaving the very next day?” Anise said as she emerged from the cave and walked over to Sienna.
Anise began to run both hands down from Sienna’s shoulders and along her arms, layering a blessing of her divine power onto Sienna’s body. Sienna proceeded to move around a bit, adjusting to her now feather-light body.
“Today is a good day for me to set off,” Sienna insisted.
In a rare sight, the snowstorms had ceased for the day. Though, in fact, with Sienna’s skill in magic, she could easily make her way through even the fiercest snowstorms, but since she had already decided to go, wasn't it better for her to take the opportunity to leave on a clear day rather than in inclement weather.
“Well then,” Sienna said as a gentle breeze lifted her body into the air.
While pressing down on her hat with one hand to keep it from flying off, Sienna looked down at her friends.
Exchanging glances with Molon, who was standing at the entrance of the cave, Sienna smiled and said, “See you later, Molon.”
Unlike Eugene and Anise, Molon hadn’t tried to hold on to Sienna, nor had he felt particularly upset about her leaving after only one day. This was because he knew that this wouldn’t be a permanent separation in any case, and he also felt that they shouldn’t try to cling to her once she had already made up her mind.
With a grin, Molon waved his hand at Sienna in farewell.
Sienna then turned to Anise and warned, “Don’t try to get a headstart.”
She had shown a smile to Molon, but the smile was absent from her face when she faced Anise. Sienna narrowed her eyes and glared at Anise as if to reinforce her warning.
However, Anise smiled back at her instead and proudly lifted her chin into the air, “I won’t make any promises.”
“Hey, I’m telling you not to do anything so cowardly,” Sienna yelled.
Anise nodded, “I don’t know what being cowardly has to do with this kind of matter, but I will surely take your warning into advisement.”
Even though it was annoying, this kind of answer really suited Anise.
Sienna blinked away the twin flames that had flared up in her eyes before facing the Saint once more, “Kristina, what about you?”
Kristina just shrugged, “I’m very sorry.”
Kristina’s smile was different from Anise’s. It was the smile of someone who was genuinely sorry, yet at the same time helpless to do anything…. However, Sienna felt even more afraid upon being faced with such an expression. Her shoulders shook in hesitation for a few moments before she vigorously shook her head.
In the end, Sienna just glared at Eugene and warned him in a forceful tone, “Be careful…!”
Just what on earth… was she warning him to be careful of? Although he had a rough guess as to the answer to that, Eugene didn’t ask her directly as he was afraid to hear the truth.
“Ah… yeah,” Eugene agreed with a slight nod instead of pursuing the matter further.
Although it wasn’t a very reassuring response, Sienna turned around without any further delay.
Booom!
With a loud burst of air, Sienna turned into a ray of light and flew across the sky.
And just like that, Sienna had left.
But would she really be able to fulfill the words she had left them with and surpass even herself? Eugene didn’t really have many doubts or worries regarding that.
This was because now wasn’t the time for Eugene to worry about others. At the very least, Sienna had the confidence that she could surpass herself, but on the other hand, let alone surpass himself, Eugene had yet to even properly awaken his full potential. Even after replaying his battle with Molon in his head over and over again, he just couldn’t recreate the feeling that he had felt at that last moment when he had sliced through Molon’s axe.
‘Still… I’m sure it has been absorbed into me somewhere,’ Eugene reassured himself.
His subconscious must still remember Agaroth’s movements.
What Eugene needed to do was reorganize the fragments of Agaroth that had melded with him so he could make use of them in a more systematic and reliable manner. Then, he needed to make those memories his so he could use their skills at any time. Instead of only being able to use it when he swung his sword in a trance, his goal was to be able to swing such a sword at will, even while his mind was clear.
He had to get a grasp on that feeling and, at the same time, absorb it and make it a part of him.
Eugene mused, ‘Agaroth….’
The God of War who had stood in the way of the Demon King of Destruction. The impression that Eugene got from Agaroth was that of a self-centered tyrant, but the strength that had allowed him to slay a Demon King while still a human and ascend to godhood was unquestionably real.
Eugene wanted that strength. He needed to make those sharp blade skills his own. He also wanted to possess the senses and intuition that Agaroth had developed by going through and finding victory in countless battles.
How long had it been since he had last looked at someone with such envy? Eugene chuckled at the hunger burning within his heart.
Eugene began digging into the floor of the cave.
He didn’t bend over and start pawing at the ground with both of his bare hands. Instead, he stood crookedly, as if he was trying to take the weight off of one foot, and simply began rubbing the cave floor with the other foot. With just that alone, he was able to hollow out the hard floor like it was mud, and hot spring water began to slowly flow along the path that his foot had carved.
Molon had left, saying he would be back after killing the Nur, and Mer and Raimira had left the cave, saying they wanted to build a snowman. Thanks to that, the only ones here now were Eugene, Kristina, and Anise.
After opening a hole in the cave wall, they had laid out the items they used while camping in the newly created room. They had even managed to set up a spacious hot spring within the room. Since he had the chance, Eugene had decided to create a few more rooms, and since they weren’t sure how long they would be staying here, Eugene also wanted to have a room for himself.
While Eugene was busy digging out the rooms, Kristina was on her knees, praying with her eyes closed.
For Kristina, offering up a prayer while stroking the Stigmata on the palm of her left hand had become part of her daily routine and an important ritual.
During the moments that she offered up a prayer like this, all distracting thoughts would leave Kristina’s head. All that existed in these moments were her faith in the Light and her worship of Eugene.
Or at least, that’s how things should have been.
‘...,’ Today, Kristina kept trying to clear her mind.
But her head refused to cooperate. As she sat there, not seeing anything, not talking to anyone, and offering up her prayers, thoughts that she kept trying to ignore just ended up rolling around inside her head.
—Hamel.
The words that Moon had said earlier that morning.
—About the Mythical Era that you recalled, weren’t there any traces of us?
Molon had seemed to be looking forward to hearing an affirmative.
And it wasn’t just Molon. Sienna had also reacted in a similar way. If something like fate had gone beyond their lifetimes and even time and space to bring the three together, then they must have a truly powerful destiny.
However, Kristina couldn’t feel any empathy for their excitement. She didn’t have any such hopes either.
This was because, in Kristina Rogeris’ case, there was no way that her soul could have existed in that Mythical Era.
Kristina was well aware of the reason for that fact.
Her body was an artificial clone of the Faithful Anise. And the soul that had been placed within that body was created by artificially processing the soul of a newborn baby who had been abandoned in front of a monastery twenty years ago.
In order to enhance the performance of their Holy Weapon, an artificially created Saint, Anise’s remains were incorporated into the body of the clone. Many things had been added, subtracted, and mixed in to increase the compatibility between the body and the soul.
There was no way for such a soul to have been around in the Mythical Era. How could the soul of an abandoned newborn baby — which had been twisted until almost nothing of the original remained — have ever existed in the Mythical Era? Could it even truly be called her soul?
[That’s quite the funny distress you’re feeling there,] Anise chuckled amid Kristina’s troubled thoughts. [Kristina, forgive my rudeness, but the thoughts that you are struggling with now are simply pointless.]
‘Sister…?’ Kristina questioned in shock.
[Why don’t you take me for example?] Anise whispered. [Kristina, at least your soul was born as an infant after the world had heard her cry. My soul didn’t even get that. My soul was taken from a fetus that didn’t even have any human features, let alone the ability to cry.]
The fetus had been transplanted into the womb of an artificial Incarnation of Light. All kinds of holy and ordinary magic had then been used to accelerate Anise’s growth in the womb, skipping the time that a human would usually take to be born.
[So I’m a similar case to you. Bluntly speaking, I’m even more of a mess than you are. But does all that really matter, Kristina? No matter how brilliant the previous era may have been, it has already fallen. And now this is our era,] Anise stated confidently.
‘...Does it really not matter to you at all, Sister?’ Kristina asked after some hesitation. ‘The fact our souls couldn’t have existed in the distant past as the souls currently residing within us are completely artificial? That means we’re the only ones who aren’t part of the fate that has been tied to Sir Eugene….’
[Fate?] Anise repeated skeptically.
‘Isn’t… that the case?’ Kristina responded hesitantly. ‘Sir Eugene is the Hero. Also, in the ancient past, he was worshiped as Agaroth, the God of War. Under those circumstances… the reason why Sir Vermouth chose to reincarnate Sir Eugene must be that he knew about Sir Eugene’s past life.’
[Of course, that would have to be the case,] Anise agreed.
‘I also listened to Sir Eugene’s story — his story about Agaroth, the God of War. In that story… when I heard him mention the Sage and the God of Giants, I couldn’t help but tremble and let out a gasp,’ Kristina admitted.
Anise sympathized with her, [I know how you felt at that moment, Kristina. Certainly, the Sage and the God of Giants really do remind me of Sienna and Molon.]
Kristina confessed, ‘That revelation has distressed, saddened, and frightened me. Along with the fact that our souls may not have even existed during that era. Also… um… perhaps….’
Anise saw right through her, [You’re thinking about the Saint of the God of War. Are you afraid that we might somehow be the reincarnation of the Twilight Witch?]
Unlike Kristina, Anise was able to confront this fear directly with a smile.
When Kristina hesitated, unable to answer her immediately, Anise continued speaking to her in a soft tone, [Instead of worrying about it, wouldn’t it be quite impressive if we were part of the Twilight Witch? It would mean that, even after transcending time and space, we have still managed to stay at the same person’s side.]
Kristina protested, ‘But the Twilight Witch was evil—’
[What would the crimes of our past life have to do with us? It’s not like we have committed those same sins in the present. Also, Kristina, I can tell you this much for certain, but we are not the reincarnation of the Twilight Witch,] Anise revealed.
Kristina was surprised, ‘Huh…?’
[I’m saying that neither you nor I are anyone else’s reincarnation. Yes, just like you might have suspected, as artificial creations, our souls did not exist in the past. Therefore, we could not have ever been the Twilight Witch,] Anise stated firmly, still speaking in the same soft tone.
As she listened to these blunt words, Kristina’s lips parted unconsciously. She broke down in shock, unable to even maintain her kneeling position, let alone continue praying.
[Why are you so surprised?] Anise asked in amusement. [Didn’t you also suspect this to some extent?]
‘Um… ah…,’ Kristina was lost for words.
Anise ordered her, [Listen closely, Kristina. Don’t pay any attention to things that don't matter, like whether or not we had past lives. Here and now, we are the ones standing here. That is all that you need to know.]
Kristina understood the point Anise was trying to make, but she couldn’t get over her shock that easily.
Anise continued, [In our past lives, we didn’t have anything to do with Agaroth. Agaroth didn’t know of us. But why on earth should that matter? The one who we know and have followed for so long isn’t Agaroth. Kristina, turn your head and look to the side.]
She didn’t know why she was being asked to look to the side, but Kristina still did as she was told and turned her head.
[....]
But there was nothing there. The figure of Eugene, who just a few moments earlier had been busy leveling the floor and digging out a new room, was nowhere to be seen.
[Where the hell did that bastard go in this short amount of time…?] Anise hissed in frustration.
Anise had set things up so that Kristina’s gaze would rest on Eugene’s face at just the right moment, but where on earth had he gone?
Sensing the cold rage coming off of Anise, Kristina slowly stood up and called out, “Sir Eugene? Are you there?”
There was no response. Instead, the cracking sound of the air being split apart could be heard coming from outside the cave. With a guess as to what was going on, Kristina walked out of the cave.
Outside of the cave, Eugene was swinging a wooden sword.
It was just a wooden sword, a truly ordinary one at that. He wasn’t using even a drop of mana, either. The flames of the White Flame Formula were similarly absent. With just his bare body and his physical strength, Eugene was swinging a wooden sword.
However, Kristina and even Anise weren’t able to stay calm at the sight of his figure.
Even though Eugene was just swinging the sword, without even imagining someone as his opponent — and it was just a blunt wooden sword without a single sharpened edge — each swing would seemingly cause the world to shake. Eugene’s extremely concentrated will was creating an illusion that followed the path of his wooden sword.
“Hah,” Eugene stopped swinging the sword and raised his head.
Even though the day was this cold, and he had only been swinging the sword for a short amount of time… sweat was already beading on Eugene’s forehead.
With an awkward smile, Eugene wiped away the sweat on his brow and explained, “While I was in the middle of working, I had a thought about the sword and felt the urge to swing it a few times.”
“...,” Kristina was silent.
“And you? Why have you stopped praying and stepped out here? Isn’t this earlier than usual for you?” Eugene asked.
Kristina still couldn’t say a word.
Her eyes that had been following the trajectory of the wooden sword were now wandering around Eugene’s body. Due to his rising body heat, a thin layer of steam was wafting off of Eugene’s skin. As his slightly sweat-drenched face turned towards her with a smile, Kristina felt she couldn’t have imagined a more romantic sight.
At that moment, all of the worries that had been tormenting her until just now fell away.
In the end, it was just as Anise had said. So what if she didn’t have a past life? So what if she had nothing to do with Agaroth? So what if they weren’t tied together by fate?
Why on earth should any of that even matter? Kristina was right here, right now, with the man who had saved her and told her that he would always see her for herself, and currently, it was just the two of them facing each other.
“...,” Kristina silently folded her hands together and offered up a prayer.
Eugene couldn’t understand why Kristina had suddenly started praying towards him.
Anise wondered just what to do about Kristina, who hadn’t been able to shake off her worries despite her passionate persuasion, but had immediately lost all of her burdens the moment she saw Eugene soaked in sweat….
[...Ahem…,] Anise just thought that it was fortunate that she hadn’t made any promises with Sienna.