C776
Jin and Valeria strolled along the beach.
Outside the succession temple, the sea surrounding Honka Island shimmered with a reddish hue as the setting sun dipped into the waves, sparkling like jewels with each gentle crash.
[I've never been here before, but I’ve heard the nighttime scenery of the island is beautiful. The successors go out and enjoy the breeze. Here, it’s chaos.]The golem had said earlier.
There were some things to fix before Zen and Teben handed them the communication devices, so they decided to take an impromptu walk.
Neither of them minded the unexpected stroll for that reason.
Their footprints stretched across the wet sand. The pleasant scent of the sea tickled their noses, and the cool breeze tousled their hair.
"Shall we get our ankles wet?"
Surprisingly, Valeria spoke while taking off her shoes. Jin nodded and stepped barefoot into the softly crashing waves.
Walking together like this, Jin’s mind was flooded with memories of their past lives, filled with heartfelt moments.Sometimes as teacher and student, sometimes as friends, and sometimes even closer, they wandered the world together.
But looking back, even then, there was a hidden loneliness in each of their hearts, unspoken between them.
Jin was consumed with the desire for revenge against his family, and the ambition for success that stemmed from it, while Valeria acted as someone who could leave at any moment due to her mission as a Histor.
Neither wanted to get hurt.
Jin lost Gilly when he was exiled, and Valeria lost the Grey Owl when she was a child.
Because of the memories of losing their families, they tried not to give their hearts too deeply to anyone.
But not anymore.
They walked together with their hearts wide open.
"Lately, I’ve been feeling good. I’ve felt it often. I’d forgotten this feeling for a long time until I met you and the other comrades."
"Because revenge against Zipple and your mission as a Histor were everything to you."
"Of course, they’re still the most important parts of my life. But I’m starting to feel like I’m not alone in this world. If I had walked alone while admiring such a beautiful landscape, I wouldn’t have felt as good as I do now. Instead, I would’ve felt lonely."
Valeria had lived through many such moments.
As a fugitive wandering the world from a young age, she often explored various mysterious places untouched by human hands.
However, even in the face of impressive landscapes, she had never felt as moved as she did now.
No matter how beautiful the place, it was indistinguishable from a colorless landscape.
In his past life, Jin had never seen Valeria in such an honest state.
Jin felt a tingling inside him and momentarily diverted his gaze toward a distant place.
"You’ve grown a lot. Thinking back to the time between when we met in Mamit and when you settled in Tikan."
"Let’s just say I was a teenager. It’s a bit embarrassing to think about myself back then."
"So, are you going to open up to others more than before?"
"I’m going to make an effort. Even when I first arrived, everyone already appreciated me, even though I was being uncooperative."
"Really? How are you going to make an effort? Can you really do it?"
"Enough with the jokes."
"Alright."
Small crabs scurried beneath their feet. The two sat down for a moment, watching the crabs and occasionally gazing absentmindedly at the sun sinking into the sea.
"Jin."
"Yes."
"There are times when meeting you feels like fate."
At the unexpected comment, Jin almost coughed.
"...Fate?"
"In Mamit, when I saw you and immediately called out your name. Do you remember?"
"I remember."
"At that time, you were already a famous figure due to the Holy Kingdom incident, so even though I called your name like I knew you, you didn’t seem surprised. But, the truth is, I had seen you even before you became known to the world."
"...You were watching me?"
"I was dreaming about you. For quite some time, I dreamed about you almost every day."
Are you going to keep lying like this?
Leave me alone.
How pathetic. Jin, your arrogant brothers would love this.
What? How do you know my name?
You seem to still have some attachment to the world if you're curious. Follow me. I’ll forgive you for pointing a sword at the throat of the person who extended a hand to you.
When Valeria explained the content of the dream, Jin’s eyes widened.
"You had... dreams like that? Continuously?"
The dream was exactly the same as the moment when Jin had met Valeria in their past lives.
"Also, among the records I found in the succession temple, there was a prediction saying that the person who would seek me out in 1795 would come to Mamit in 1799. That person was you."
"A record predicting the future? Is that possible?"
"If it’s a full level of Record Magic, it’s limited but possible. However, unlike Az Mil’s foresight, peeking into future records doesn’t determine the future. If I had known about the records but didn’t wait for you in Mamit, we wouldn’t have met."
Jin couldn’t help but be even more surprised as time passed.
According to Valeria, that meant there were records beyond his regression. Valeria dreaming about Jin was a record of their past lives, and Jin coming to Mamit was a record of the present.
You seem very surprised.
I can’t help it.
"I had always believed that those dreams and future records were both the guidance and destiny left behind by my ancestors. Maybe in the records my ancestors saw, it was mentioned that I needed you to reach the end of my mission."
The roots of Histor, the clue about the Fairy Tribe, and the encounter with Luet would have been impossible without Jin.
"And since I met you, sometimes... it felt like you knew me well."
Steamed lamb with lots of peppers and onions, and beef stew. Add plenty of black pepper. And...Before they went to the Wantaramo Forest together, the meal Jin ordered at the restaurant was the Grey Owls' favorite.
It was also a dish that Jin and Valeria often ate together in their past lives.
It was a common combination, but it was certainly strange that Jin ordered the exact same dish, down to the last detail.
Valeria stopped walking and turned to look at Jin.
"Jin. You have some secrets too, don’t you?"
Jin looked at her intently, pondering what to say.
However, Valeria didn’t want to hear an answer.
She was recalling the record that said Jin had died once.
"Whatever that secret may be, I’m sure it won’t be something harmful to me or the world."
"Valeria."
"And I feel that someday, I’ll examine all the records about you. At that time, I hope you won’t reject my magic, even if it’s a little embarrassing."
The sunset was coming to an end.
Valeria stood bathed entirely in the reddish light of the setting sun, a wide smile on her face.
At that moment, Jin momentarily forgot everything he had just heard.
He even forgot to breathe, unable to take his eyes off Valeria.
The ocean’s scent clung to her hair, causing him to turn his head, and everything around him, except for Valeria’s figure, blurred.
Step by step, Jin moved closer to Valeria.
Unconsciously, two steps, three steps, coming so close that their noses were almost touching.
Valeria opened her arms and embraced Jin.
The touch of their cheeks felt like it was melting away.
When the sun finally set, a calm darkness descended upon the island.
"...I’m glad I met you, Jin."
"So am I."
For some reason, with a hoarse voice, Jin replied like that.
When the two returned to the succession temple, it was already dawn.
That’s when Teben and Zen finished repairing the communication device, and Honka and Shuri conveyed the news to them.
[You’ve waited long, successor. Did you enjoy yourselves?]Jin and Valeria looked embarrassed, stammering in front of the golem.
[It seems you enjoyed the walk. The master said there are many beautiful places on Honka Island.]
[Hmph, who takes a walk for nearly ten hours? That’s called a date, golem. The ancestors have work to do... Well, we’re losers, so no complaints.]
[Well, I don’t mind at all. If you tell me in detail how you spent your time, looking like a bunch of foolish youngsters.]
[Asking such a thing isn’t polite.]
[What? Polite? We’ve been stuck in the succession temple for three hundred and fifty years! Imagine how interesting that story would be!]
[I, too, have been trapped in the succession temple. For even longer. And other people’s love stories are usually interesting.]
[Teben, I hate that golem!]
[Me too!]
[If you hate me, come at me. I’ll face you anytime.]
Zen and Teben avoided the golem’s gaze and brought out the communication device.
The communication device looked like a rectangular panel, and there were a total of three of them.
[It’s a long-distance communication device. It allows lovers to communicate even if they’re at opposite ends of the world...]
[Hmph... just thinking about you two constantly pestering and bothering me with it makes my insides twist. But rejoice! Descendant, you must have traveled a lonely path until now.]
"Though I don’t intend to use it for that purpose, thank you, Ancestor."
[What!? You won’t use it for that purpose? Then I won’t give it to you. If you’re lovers, you should talk often!]
[You won’t give it to him? Teben, you’re showing a pathetic side again. Don’t you know when to surrender in a competition? Who are you?]
Jin and Valeria couldn’t help but smile at their harmless and foolish appearance.
[The instructions for use and production are written in this manual. Right now, there are only three, but with the right materials and skilled engineers, more can be made. Now go! We’ll focus on practicing rock-paper-scissors again.]
[We can relax more now that we’re free of that burden, hehe.]
Jin looked at the manual and handed one of the communication devices back to Zen and Teben.
"You two should communicate with us from time to time. Along with the golem."
"Whenever you’re bored, we’ll tell you stories from the outside world. It seems like the only way to repay you."
At those words, Zen and Teben’s faces became sorrowful, as if they were about to cry.
[Is that really true?]
[We’re just insignificant losers... and yet you want to grant us such recognition?]
"You’re not insignificant at all, Ancestor. We’ve gained so much thanks to you in this succession temple. Compared to the hardships you’ve endured over the past three hundred and fifty years... I’ve done nothing."
[My descendant is the best!]"Neither of you are my descendants, but you’re both the best!"
Teben and Zen hugged each other and danced together. Valeria turned to the golem.
"I’ll give you a name."
[Oh... at last, I have a name. Quickly, quickly, give it to me.]"Iello Histor."
The golem stood still for a moment without moving.
He was silent.
Valeria worried that perhaps naming him Iello to honor the memory of Maliet would upset him, but she needn’t have worried.
Mana tears flowed from both of Golem’s eyes.
[The name of the child who received the grace of the Master. And the name of the clan. It’s touching. Now I am Iello Histor. A member of Histor.]"I’m glad you like it. Take care, Iello."
Golem, or rather, Iello, nervously scratched his neck and shook Valeria’s hand.
Then he took something out of his chest and handed it to her.
[This is my blueprint. Please make my brothers. And... the tome of the Master’s secret spell magic.]In addition to the communication device, Iello also gave Valeria his blueprint and the secret spell magic tome.
The journey in the succession temple that Maliet left behind ended so abundantly.
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