Ch.119Memories and Differences

1.

“Castler, you… look exactly like my type.”

“Hmm.”

This too was exactly as he remembered.

After Castler’s calm acknowledgment, Garendal, who was rubbing his neck, looked at Ran and muttered.

“What the hell… is this a Hero and a Lord?”

As if they couldn’t hear his muttering, the two continued their friendly conversation.

“I think blonde hair and blue eyes would look better… but your face is nice enough that silver hair and red eyes suit you quite well too.”

“Among other things, my face is considered handsome even among ancient species.”

“I knew it!”

Ran squealed and stomped her feet while Castler nodded with a faint smile.

“Ah. Ah, my head. I need to go back and rest quickly…”

Eventually, Garendal, who had been watching the two for a while, sighed and turned away.

2.

A few days after that incident, Ran proudly declared before all the blood kin.

“Humans and blood kin will sign a peace treaty!”

The medium for the treaty was a formal engagement between Lord Castler and Hero Ran.

“A treaty with humans? Why should we?”

“Why, you ask…! Didn’t you see…? If the Hero had dropped that, even a Lord couldn’t have…”

“It’s a good thing. Honestly, the runaways were harassing humans, weren’t they?”

“Right. I heard they’re legitimately trading blood from criminals. Isn’t that mutually beneficial?”

Most of the blood kin who had witnessed the power in the split sky expressed relief that they had survived.

And as the blood kin had discussed, the two began to change many things.

“We will handle the disposition of runaway blood kin, but if human lives are threatened, they may be dealt with on the spot.”

“Yes. In return, our empire will try to provide a stable supply of blood.”

“For what price?”

“We must charge, of course. But at a reasonable rate that both sides can accept.”

The blood kin opened their previously closed doors.

They learned they could coexist with humans, and humans discovered that not all other species were evil.

The blood kin gained stable lives, and humans gained development through their magical knowledge.

The peace treaty between the two species was recorded as a good precedent between different species and humans, and other species who observed their development also came to form agreements with humans.

Everyone unanimously called it a true era of peace, so Ran smiled brightly and asked Castler.

“How about it? Not bad, right?”

Castler nodded.

Both back then as recreated in his memories, and now after so much time had passed.

It was indeed the most reasonable and peaceful solution for everyone.

“Then… will you praise me, Castler?”

“Here? Or in our room?”

“…! R-room…!! No, here..!? Ah, just do it anywhere!!”

“Well… is that truly a reasonable proposal that both sides can accept?”

“Hey!! Are you going to keep being unfair like that?!”

“Pfft. I’m joking, just joking.”

The two also nurtured their love in step with the peace they had achieved, and were able to move from engagement toward marriage.

So Castler, not as someone imitating his past self, but as someone lost in fantasy reviewing the past, asked Ran.

“Ran. Do you have no regrets about any of your choices regarding me?”

“Of course not!”

Ran answered immediately with a bright smile and snuggled into his arms.

Castler embraced her, gently stroking her as he asked again.

“Even if these choices lead to your death… would you still have no regrets?”

Instead of answering, she reached out her hand.

Ran gently held Castler’s cheeks and asked with shining blue eyes.

“What about you? Are you alive?”

“…Unfortunately, if I am?”

“That’s not unfortunate!!”

Castler’s face scrunched up as she squeezed his cheeks.

Ran looked at him and chuckled, then nodded.

“I absolutely have no regrets.”

“…Even if you die?”

“Yes. If you’re alive.”

Their lips met softly.

One clumsy despite living for ages, and one clumsy due to having lived only briefly.

In the end, the warmth of these two awkward people was transmitted through each other’s lips.

A moment later, Ran’s face brightened slightly as she asked Castler in return.

“What about you? Do you have no regrets about any of your choices regarding me?”

“…Well.”

Castler pondered seriously.

“…Castler? What do you mean by ‘well’?”

Ran looked at him quizzically.

To be honest, he regretted everything.

If he had made her look even more terrible on the day she first came to him,

If he had spoken only of horrific plans instead of agreements with humans throughout her visits,

If he had chosen to kill her instead of talking with her on the last day of that year,

“You… wouldn’t have had to die.”

“Huh? Die?”

Seeing her anxious expression, Castler gave a slight smile and shook his head.

“It’s nothing.”

“What? I’m curious!!”

“If you’re curious, I’ll tell you. Though we’ll have to postpone talking about the wedding next week.”

“That won’t do!! I’m not curious anymore!!”

The conversation ended there.

Castler pulled Ran into his arms and looked down at her as she chattered happily.

“You know, when I was taken to the training center? I saw a wedding ceremony passing by. It was so brilliant that… ah, I thought I would never have one in my life……”

Only then did he recall the emotion.

‘…Love.’

And so Castler, looking at Ran who was still murmuring in his arms,

“I’ll really look pretty.”

“…You already are.”

“……That’s cheating.”

He cherished the emotion that had surfaced.

3.

It was literally a dreamlike week.

“My Lord!! Shouldn’t we lay out roses, the national flower of the blood kin?!”

“Argh, Garendal!! I said I don’t want roses!! I like blue flowers!!”

“Such ignorance…!!!”

Ran and Garendal bickered almost every day.

“What about a soundproofing spell?”

“Before magic, self-restraint should be thoroughly…”

“A child as beautiful as the Lord…”

The elders who looked back and forth between the two of them and himself with lecherous smiles.

“The Sun of the Empire has personally sent this for the happiness of the couple…”

“This is from the Dragon Lord…”

“Mother Yggdrasil said…”

Various non-human species and humans who came in turns to bless them.

It was truly a time filled with smiles, befitting an era of peace.

So Castler diligently acted out his past self.

【<Germination> is in progress.】

Knowing that the happiness he was feeling now would soon end like a dream, he worked harder to act out the past so as not to forget.

There were occasional days when the act broke.

No matter how hard he tried to act, it was merely an act after all.

Whenever his expression hardened or his eyes reddened without him realizing, Ran would invariably approach, embrace him, and look worried.

“…Are you okay, Castler?”

“Of course.”

On most days, he pretended to be fine, but as the wedding day approached, even that became increasingly impossible.

For good reason—on the wedding day.

Ran would lose her life to intruders who suddenly appeared, before she could even put on her dress.

Castler pondered.

‘Should I prevent it?’

This was just an illusion.

Even if he prevented what was about to happen and changed the outcome, reality would still remain the same.

Rather, it would only prove how deeply he had sunk into the fantasy, holding him back.

Castler knew everything.

That this was an illusion, that trying to change things would accomplish nothing, and that he would only harm himself.

But,

“Is this… is this our wedding ring?”

Seeing Ran with teary eyes and a trembling voice, he could no longer hold back.

So Castler decided.

‘Let’s stop here.’

Though it was just a moment in reality, in the fantasy, more than a year and several months had already passed.

If he sank any deeper, he would be playing into the hands of the enemies who killed Ran.

‘…I’ll release the final seal.’

After placing the wedding ring on Ran’s finger, Castler turned his back on her as she happily placed her hand on her chest.

“…Castler?”

An anxious voice immediately followed him.

‘No, it’s an illusion.’

It’s just a dirty trick by <Eclipse> to keep me in this world and extract information about <Black Wolf>.

Therefore, I will escape from here as soon as possible.

With his determination, his heart began to beat.

【Blood Clan Lord – <Castler(Ex-)> requests the relaxation of the <Cold Heart> restriction from caster – <Ran>.】

The first and last restriction that suppressed about 60% of his power.

The only connection that the dying Ran had established by pouring out her everything.

【Currently, caster – <Ran(Ex+)> does not exist in this world.】

【Changing the approver.】

【<Ran(Ex+)> → <Castler(Ex-)>】

At that moment, as the authority of the restriction she had placed began to shift toward Castler.

Ran, who had somehow approached from behind and embraced Castler, whispered to him.

“[…Thank you for the ring. It’s so beautiful.]”

Though it was clearly the same illusion as before, there seemed to be a slight sense of dissonance.

“[Now I just need to put on the dress and it’ll be perfect. Right?]”

“……”

“[But it’ll be hard to move around in a dress… so…]”

Before he could identify that dissonance, Ran pulled Castler closer, took his hand, and asked.

“[Shall we go for a little walk together?]”

“……?”

Castler was bewildered.

The current situation,

“[Hmm? Let’s go for a walk, Castler.]”

Was different from what he remembered.