Ch.200Chapter 200: Overlay

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The heavy body and the contradictory lightness of heart created a strange syncopation as my footsteps finally reached their end.

As I approached the end of the return path, naturally formed light gradually filled my vision, which had grown dim with fatigue.

Just a little further and I would be officially recognized as having passed the Sword-Gun Trial as a member of Ranos.

Before my regression, around this time, I was going through a dark period of wandering, having abandoned everything given to me due to an inferiority complex that flared up like wildfire and wouldn’t subside no matter how hard I tried.

After the miraculous regression, I even managed to pass the Sword-Gun Trial, something I hadn’t even vaguely imagined before, making this moment all the more meaningful.

Even if I had gone through an ordinary trial, it would have been significant in many ways.

Whether I should call it fortunate or define it as something else, I’m not sure.

But I experienced a trial that was far from ordinary.

Not long after it began, I met the ancestor, Lord Lumen Ranos.

I received the Dragon Heart from him with a request to deliver it to its original owner, only to have it implanted in my body through that original owner’s touch.

I trembled at the power the Dragon Heart bestowed upon me, but before I could even revel in the joy of gaining new strength to face an uncertain future…

I fought and defeated another twisted, grotesquely deformed version of myself that suddenly appeared before me.

Then I faced Lux, the goddess born from the ancestor’s divinity and the administrator of the Sword-Gun, who appeared to bless me.

Under the goddess’s guidance, I could see different versions of myself that had branched into countless possibilities.

Except for the extremely rare successful futures, they all had rather unfortunate endings.

But knowing that these outcomes resulted from sacrificing everything for the precious people I wanted to protect, regardless of what happened to me, I could affirm all those lives.

After a trial that ended with the goddess’s words to prepare for a new future that I hadn’t experienced despite living through so many paths…

Worries about how to face an uncertain future where nothing was determined began to bloom in my mind.

“Hup!!”

With a light shout, I shook off the worries trying to settle in my mind.

“I’ll just do my best each day.”

Rather than worrying about a future that hadn’t yet arrived, I resolved to live today diligently to welcome that future.

Thump-!!

Even as I dragged my tired body along, I could feel the output of the Dragon Heart, which pulsed separately from my heart, granting me power I couldn’t have imagined before.

By the way, now that I’ve reached the entrance, I wonder if anyone will come to greet me?

Judging by the intensity of the natural light entering my vision, it seems to be approaching sunset.

Father would certainly have been unable to be here, pushed by the waves of his work as usual.

But I was curious about how the others might be.

I’d like to think that Shizu, my sister, and Excel would be waiting for me somehow.

The princess, who came on vacation to rest her body exhausted from state affairs, probably wouldn’t be here, leisurely touring the duke’s territory…

Well, I don’t need many people—I’d be satisfied if just one person welcomed me.

And as if to put a period on these thoughts swirling in my head…

Tap-tap-tap-!!

Unlike the sound of my footsteps as I slowly walked toward the exit, footsteps that revealed we were still inside a cave echoed throughout the Sword-Gun.

At first, it was difficult to distinguish whose footsteps they were, as the sound seemed somewhat muffled.

But after stopping for a moment and closing my eyes to focus on the texture of the sound…

I could easily tell whose footsteps they were.

Though much louder than usual…

With each step, these footsteps, brimming with undisguised joy and affection, belonged to…

“Cal!!”

The owner of the warm voice now reaching my ears…

The footsteps of the most precious person to me, always given when she sees me.

When I opened my eyes again and turned toward the direction of the footsteps…

“Cal!!”

I could see Shizu, calling my name with all the affection she could muster in her voice.

The moment I saw her expression, filled with undisguised longing for me as if something had made her incredibly happy…

Energy miraculously returned to my body, exhausted from battle after battle.

Thump-!!

My heart, supplying blood throughout my body, and…

Thump-!!

The Dragon Heart, refining the mana floating in the air and delivering it throughout my body, formed a perfect harmony of beats.

I don’t know if it’s because I now have two hearts…

But when I faced this precious person who brought me great warmth just by thinking of her…

This warmth was heating my heart as if testing how much it could grow.

Now she’s approaching me, making me feel the warmth is almost excessive…

Will I be able to maintain this warmth forever as I face a new future I’ve never experienced before?

The worry I had shaken off with a shout was once again casting its shadow in my heart, but…

“I’ve been waiting!!”

The moment I saw her approaching with arms wide open…

To show that my worry about maintaining the warmth had transformed into a vow to protect it forever…

I too spread my arms wide to support her as she ran with all her might to embrace me.

And I firmly planted my feet.

While steadfastly protecting her, who had become my reason for living…

“Forever…”

I whispered the answer to my earlier concern in a voice so small that no one could hear.

The golden warmth of love entered my embrace right after I quietly uttered my vow.

Outside the Sword-Gun, the sky was turning to dusk and the ground was gradually darkening as the sun began to set…

But the sun that would shine eternally in my heart didn’t set—instead, it slipped right into my arms.

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Perhaps because she ran to me with all her might as soon as she saw me, without thinking…

Despite my preparation…

The impact Shizu gave me as she threw her full weight into my arms was comparable to a boulder launched from a catapult.

If I hadn’t been so tired, I would have been confident in receiving her without any problem…

But the fact that I struggled to support her body in my arms showed that my body was more exhausted than I had thought.

Naturally, I didn’t want to hurt her delicate heart…

So when the golden bullet entered my embrace, I didn’t make the mistake of expressing the physical impact out loud.

“Are you hurt anywhere? I’m so glad you seem okay… huh?”

As Shizu’s affectionate words, her face buried in my chest, suddenly trailed off…

“…”

My composure nearly crumbled when she completely buried her face in my embrace, which was already intimate enough.

Despite being properly dressed on my upper body, I was startled by the feeling of Shizu’s breath touching my body in my embrace.

Now that she had completely buried her face in my chest, each of her breaths was distinctly felt through my skin—how could I not be flustered?

There had been times when I’d seen her sleeping face up close…

And times when, caught up in the moment, our lips had lightly touched…

But undoubtedly, the sensation of Shizu’s breath as she buried her face in my chest now gave me a stimulation unlike any before.

…But something seems off.

Despite making such an aggressive approach(?) toward me…

“…”

It’s very strange that no words are coming from her lips, which hadn’t hesitated to convey an affectionate voice when seeing me return from the trial.

Normally, when she buries her face in my chest like this, she would at least make a light laughing sound.

Why is she not saying anything?

And it wasn’t just silence.

It was like the brief calm in the eye of a typhoon, suggesting a storm to follow.

As I looked at Shizu, who remained silent in my arms, with an anxious and puzzled gaze…

The uneasy silence that had persisted was finally about to break.

Our eyes met as Shizu slowly raised her head from my chest.

Her expression was serene—devoid of any emotion, beautiful enough to remind me of a doll.

But the beauty of Shizu that I cherished didn’t come from her doll-like appearance, but from her vitality that never lost its brightness even in the most difficult situations.

“…Shizu?”

I called her name with palpable concern that anyone could hear, worried about her sudden loss of expression.

Her doll-like face, wiped clean of emotion, changed to an expression filled with indescribable unease.

“Unfamiliar… woman’s scent…”

Not only before my regression…

But even among the countless possibilities I had observed under the goddess’s guidance, I had never heard such a dark voice from Shizu—one that evoked the depths of the ocean—and it was then that I finally realized something was wrong.

…Ah.

Come to think of it, among the beings I encountered during the trial in the Sword-Gun…

There was the ancestor, Lord Lumen Ranos, who had clung to me excessively after mistaking me for Fafnir…

Could what Shizu sensed in my embrace be…

“…Explain.”

Hearing Shizu’s heavy voice just as my deduction was about to continue…

I immediately thought I should speak to prevent her from misunderstanding, but…

‘…How?’

As I pondered how to accurately explain what had happened during the trial to clear up Shizu’s misunderstanding…

I felt as if the darkness that had greeted me when I first stepped into the Sword-Gun—without even a single ray of light—was welcoming me again.

‘…I’m doomed.’

I realized that this long day still had one more trial to face before its complete conclusion.

I had finished all the trials in the Sword-Gun…

Why was a trial more terrifying than those in the Sword-Gun waiting for me?

I pondered repeatedly, trying to find a wise way to handle the situation before me, but…

Perhaps misinterpreting my silence due to my contemplation…

“Hiiing…”

Shizu’s voice became tearful, and her expression changed to match that gloominess.

I’m not sure if this comparison is appropriate in the current serious situation, but…

Shizu’s appearance, with her head slightly bowed and showing dejection, reminded me of a puppy soaked in rain.

That dejected look was very cute in its own way, but…

It should only be seen occasionally—I didn’t want to see her looking so dejected because of me, so…

Now I focused on comforting Shizu, who was trembling with anxiety before me, pushing aside the fleeting inappropriate thoughts in my head.

Although the situation was unavoidable, comforting her wasn’t difficult.

It was something I had always done.

First, I completely closed the distance that had formed between Shizu and me by using my arms to embrace her as our eyes met, and then…

While gently patting her back with one hand…

“I have a lot to explain, but let’s talk about it slowly when we get to the mansion.”

I began the process of alleviating Shizu’s worries by using the warmest voice I could muster.

Needless to say, as I continued speaking, my expression conveyed a profound gaze without any sign of confusion.

Perhaps she recognized the warmth in my expression and voice.

Her breathing, which had been slightly unstable when she entered my embrace with her head bowed and completely dejected, gradually stabilized as I spoke while patting her back.

“Okay…”

I could feel her voice returning to its inherent warmth, though with much less energy than when she first met me at the entrance.

I need to be careful about everything—to ensure Shizu doesn’t feel anxious.

With that thought, I continued patting her back before heading back.

This would clearly consume time in front of the entrance, but…

Comforting the precious person trembling with anxiety before me was far more important than saving time getting home.

“…Hehe.”

She’s finally smiling.

I could feel relieved at the sound of Shizu’s laughter as she regained her composure in my embrace.

Hmm, come to think of it, because of the incident before me, I feel like I’ve forgotten something important…

[Argh! Let go! You claim to oversee the Sword’s Tomb, yet you dare touch me with hands that don’t have a single callus!!]

…Ah.

I wondered why it was so quiet, but Fafnir’s scream, clearly resonating in my mind regardless of distance, made me realize what I had forgotten.

Well, the goddess and Fafnir will handle things well on their side, right?

[Let go! I said let go!!]

…They will certainly handle it well.

With that thought settled…

“Let’s go back.”

I suggested to Shizu, who had nestled into my embrace.

“…Okay.”

Shizu, who expressed her agreement with a shy voice from within my embrace, came out and took my right hand.

I didn’t hide the smile that involuntarily bloomed as I watched Shizu, who didn’t want to leave my side even for the short journey home.

And so, as I took a step, Shizu matched her steps with mine…

The two of us began the journey home together, crossing the entrance of the Sword-Gun.

As we walked, I made a wish. Even though a future with many variables and unpredictable paths was approaching…

At least let the future where I’m together with you—who brings warmth to me just by being by my side—remain unchanged.

And so, I was able to overlay the beginning of my 18th year—once filled with the most miserable and base moments of my life—with a time full of the red color blooming in my heart and the golden light of the one who taught me love by my side.