Ch.275275. Goden Mikhail Likhabart (7)

**”Come here. First friend who believed in Alkaid until the end, and wept bitterly at his death.”**

That voice echoed until the very end.

The telepathic message that came with a headache so severe it felt like her skull would split open enveloped Michelle’s mind until she lost consciousness.

No. Perhaps it continued to affect her even after she lost consciousness.

Even in that moment when she closed her eyes and was carried on Cain’s back with Senia’s help.

Even in that moment when she was hurriedly placed on a hospital bed, receiving the medical team’s care and Erica’s divine magic.

Because Michelle was recalling that place in her unconscious mind.

‘Why does that place seem so familiar? And why does the telepathic message sound like I’ve heard it before…’

It should certainly be a place she had never seen before.

The ruins that overlaid her vision instead of Senia and Cain who were nearby were indeed something she had never seen in her life.

Could it be the effect of an illusion spell or a curse-type magic?

No. That couldn’t be it.

“…”

“Senior!”

“Michelle! Are you okay?”

The telepathic message that seemed like it would continue even after she opened her eyes was now replaced by Cain and Senia’s worried voices, and the place that had shimmered like a mirage before her eyes was replaced by an unfamiliar ceiling.

But something felt strange.

Even though the throbbing headache that had caused her to lose consciousness had disappeared, even though the telepathic message that caused the headache could no longer be heard, Michelle felt anxious and restless rather than relieved.

“Seriously. If you were stressed about something, you should have told us. Do you know how shocked we were when you suddenly collapsed… Huh?”

Senia didn’t finish her nagging, ending with a question instead.

Cain, in turn, remained silent without making any other comment.

Why was everyone suddenly reacting as if they had seen something strange?

The reason was Michelle’s reddened eyes as soon as she woke up. A few tears were already flowing from her moist eyes.

“Why am… I crying?”

Michelle seemed confused, as if her body wasn’t her own despite it being hers.

Suddenly collapsing and then immediately shedding tears upon waking up—anyone watching would be filled with questions.

Perhaps she had a dream in the meantime?

Senia, sensing something, carefully ventured a question.

“…Michelle. Did something suddenly come to mind?”

“Something coming to mind…?”

“Yes. Even if it’s something small, could you tell me whatever comes to mind?”

Only one thing immediately came to Michelle’s mind.

“…Ruins. I recalled ruins inside some cave.”

The telepathic message that felt like it shouldn’t be forgotten and that strange place that had shimmered before her eyes.

Senia muttered the word “ruins” several times, but she couldn’t quite grasp it, so she tried to make her question more specific.

“Was there nothing else? Like, did you see any particular scene? Rather than just ruins standing alone, what about the time or weather?”

“Sorry. What I saw was… just the ruins, I think. I couldn’t focus on anything else.”

“Hmm… I see?”

“And… I feel like I absolutely need to go there.”

“Need to go…?”

Finding the response too disconnected, Senia blinked in confusion.

She had asked specific questions wondering if Michelle might have seen herself or if it was connected to Junon, but she hadn’t expected such a disjointed response.

The only clue was simply a place called ruins.

And even that was just the external appearance, with no information about where it was located, when, who, what, how, or why—just what she had seen with her eyes.

“Listen, Michelle. Don’t you think it’s a bit much to say you need to go to a place you don’t even know the location of?”

“No. I know. Those ruins… they’re in Sirah.”

“…What? Have you been there before?”

“Not exactly… Ah, how do I explain this…”

There was no certainty.

The only clues they had were ruins supposedly in Sirah and Michelle’s strange behavior.

Senia couldn’t easily determine whether this pointed to Michelle’s past or her connection to Junon.

Now, for the final verification.

-‘I… was afraid. Afraid of when the monster inside me would devour me and break free. I wondered what would happen if I went berserk like a demonic beast and hurt someone. I hated that, so I… I saw myself hurling abuse at Senior Junon.’

-‘…I was no different then than I am now. As you said, Senia, I only thought about what I wanted, moving emotionally without considering the consequences. So… far from cursing or condemning, I was creating lotus flowers with my own hands and detonating them at Junon.’

Charlotte and Erica had confessed to seeing their past selves.

And Senia, who had kept the secret about saving the Sirens until the end, disappeared alone, and made Junon take the blame, had also seen her past self.

But there was a commonality among the three before they faced their past selves.

“Did you hear someone’s voice? Something about turning the clock hands?”

A voice saying it would turn the clock hands for the nth time.

No one had failed to hear it.

“How did you… know?”

“Tell me more. More details, please.”

“It said it would turn the fifth and final clock hand… Senia, do you know something about this? Do you know what this means?”

While Cain looked completely lost, not understanding anything from the conversation between the two, Senia’s expression showed certainty.

“A little.”

If this sign was a fateful pull for Michelle’s memories to return.

Then she must go. It was a hundred times right for Michelle to head to those ruins.

“Cain. Tell all the Imperial Army troops that we’re going to Sirah.”

Surely Erica would throw a fit when she heard the news, asking why Sirah and not Levrant, and whether they were going to support Junon, but it didn’t matter.

The current vice-commander of the Imperial Army was Senia.

***

“Ugh…”

The Seven Colony Destruction Operation was over. Sirah would no longer face frequent invasions from demonic beasts.

With the report already submitted to Levrant, Goden felt somewhat relieved.

Yet he was still groaning, apparently because he had to process all these documents by himself.

“If only there was someone else besides Aris, it would have been manageable.”

Originally, as the commander in charge of the unified command of the Imperial Army, Goden had to document everything from the division of troops, the purpose of supporting Sirah, to the implementation of operations and the course of events before and after.

Supporting Sirah was entirely his own decision, and even if other officers were present, the details of the operation might be described differently if they tried to document it in detail.

That’s why it was a problem that there was no one to share this pile of paperwork with…

Still, Goden wasn’t in a bad mood. Considering that he could proudly include Junon’s name in the operation documentation.

“Hehe. Junon, you bastard. I’ll make sure you never do something like that again.”

Isn’t it fine?

It’s reason enough to handle the paperwork alone just to let people know there was someone who tried to protect Sirah with such a reckless tactic, becoming bait to disperse the positioned demonic beasts.

Of course, the highlight would be seeing Junon squirming under Lenias’s barrage of nagging.

How satisfying would that be? Goden picked up his pen in anticipation of witnessing it.

It was then.

Just as pain and glee were alternating on Goden’s face.

“Lord Goden…”

“Hmm?”

The fastest messenger from Levrant, who only moved in emergencies, came looking for him.

The soldier’s contorted face made it unnecessary to ask what was wrong.

An incident had occurred. In Levrant.

The soldier painfully delivered the urgent news.

“…A named demonic beast has appeared in the Lilkran Mountains and annihilated Talon’s unit.”

“!!”

Talon was a talented individual who had received quite favorable reviews from Professor Muniher during the third semester of his second year.

‘By now, as a fourth-year, he should be capable of commanding not just one squad but three teams simultaneously, and even successfully hunting B-rank champion-grade demonic beasts.’

Yet they were annihilated?

Failure in subjugation and retreat, or delays in engagement and changes in battle lines due to various difficulties could happen, but annihilation meant they were overwhelmingly outmatched.

“I understand. I’ll depart immediately.”

It was no time to be comfortably writing operation reports.

***

All the way back to the village, Lenias held onto his arm tightly, not letting go.

Her grip was even stronger today, showing how much emotional distress she had been through. Junon stroked her head soothingly.

“It’s all over now. You don’t need to worry so much.”

But Lenias only burrowed deeper into his embrace, still clutching his sleeve tightly as if anxious.

“I don’t care. I want to stay like this for now. This is all your fault.”

“…You were really upset, weren’t you?”

Was that supposed to be a question?

Since he got involved in the Colony Destruction Operation, all she could do was pray for his safe return.

Of course, she didn’t forget to ask for someone reliable to protect the village.

There’s a house in this village where I live with someone I care about, so it mustn’t fall! So the village must be protected!

Though it felt empty, she could endure it. Even if a bit lonely, she believed without doubt that he would return with a smile.

Because her brother is amazing!

If he showed his true abilities, he wouldn’t even give demonic beasts a chance to touch him. And what about his brilliant mind? If an opportunity to modify the operation arose, he would seize it and come up with an ingenious plan.

Brother is strong, so it’s okay. Brother is smart, so it’s okay.

That’s how she comforted herself during the day she spent apart from Junon.

But the next day.

Her expectations, which had swelled at Goden’s invitation to visit, turned into anxiety.

She could vaguely guess why Goden had called him here.

From that day on, her worries never ceased.

He came back injured. And injured again.

Hearing from other Imperial Army soldiers that the operation was progressing very smoothly made her blood boil.

‘Brother. You ask if I’m upset?’

I’m absolutely furious.

What if you suddenly collapse like Ronelion? The thought drives me crazy. Do you understand?

“Lenias. You…”

“Ah…!”

Startled black pupils turn toward him.

Yes. The voice she had only meant to keep in her thoughts had accidentally slipped out.

“…I see. I didn’t realize how hard this was for you.”

“T-That’s…”

“How difficult must it have been for you to blurt it out like that? You don’t need to deny it. It’s my fault for not communicating properly.”

Junon acknowledges his mistake, fully realizing how much Lenias had been suffering.

And then.

With hands calloused from battle, he unfolds Lenias’s arms from around his own, and instead embraces her fully, letting the sniffling girl bury her face against him.

“Thank you. For worrying about me.”

“Brother…”

“I mean it. You’re the only one who worries about me now.”

Lenias’s face, which had been colored with surprise, now blooms with a lovely blush.

No. Perhaps it’s not just a blush.

‘He said I’m the only one…!’

-Thump!

It seems a very beautiful passion flower has bloomed.

***

After comforting Lenias well, I brought up the topic of whether she had met Ronelion.

“What if you suddenly collapse like Ronelion? The thought drives me crazy. Do you understand?”

That’s what I had heard her say.

But Lenias said she had been too scared to return to Ronelion’s hospital room, and hadn’t gone back to the Lantana mansion either, fearing she might hear bad news.

While it’s uncommon for someone not to regain consciousness, the last time I checked, he was definitely still breathing.

I tried to persuade Lenias, but she seemed to have developed a trauma and couldn’t bring herself to step through the hospital entrance, trembling as she held herself back.

“Alright. Then I’ll go check on him instead.”

I understand her anxiety, but I think he should be awake by now.

Because that guy is as strong as Goden.

So I entered the hospital, found Ronelion’s room, and as I grabbed the door handle in Lenias’s place, I felt a strange sense of dissonance.

‘…What is it?’

It felt like I was missing something, but I opened the door again.

Ronelion was lying on the bed, not much different from before.

Now the source of that dissonance began to dawn on me.

“…No way.”

I immediately checked Ronelion’s life signs.

Chillingly, there was no change from before. How could there be no change after so much time had passed?

But I know what this symptom is.

“Could it be… you met him?”

This is unmistakably that being’s power.

Just thinking about it makes my teeth chatter—evidence that Ronelion had encountered the one whose very memory I want to avoid.

“You met… Ashpern there already?”