Ch.32The Last Memory (1)

“Call a healer immediately!”

Melina ran while carrying Olivia. Her limp arms swung helplessly with each step.

“M-Master!?”

The mages’ gazes stopped abruptly on Olivia in Melina’s arms.

“What are you doing! I told you to call a healer immediately!”

“Y-yes, I’ll go right away!”

The mages’ figures disappeared somewhere. Melina bit her lip. She couldn’t lose her precious disciple obtained in her later years like this.

She might be overreacting. Melina knew well that people don’t die just because they collapse once.

But Olivia’s eyes weren’t normal. Beyond lacking vitality, they were empty.

That’s what made Melina so urgent.

Melina laid Olivia down on the office sofa.

“No. No…”

Melina firmly grasped both of Olivia’s hands, anxiously fearing she might disappear somewhere if she let go.

How much time passed like that?

Slowly, warmth returned to Olivia’s hands. Olivia regained consciousness and sat up.

“…Master? What’s wrong?”

Olivia couldn’t continue speaking. Melina pulled Olivia toward her and embraced her tightly.

“Th-thank goodness. Really, thank goodness.”

“…”

Olivia’s eyes weren’t smiling. But when her eyes met Melina’s, she smiled brightly as usual, as if nothing had happened.

“I’m fine, Master.”

“You might be injured somewhere. You need to rest properly for at least three days.”

“…”

Olivia fell into thought for a moment, then:

“Yes. I’ll do as you say, Master.”

She produced the answer her master wanted.

“Did I collapse?”

“…You don’t remember?”

Olivia nodded.

“No. Do you know what happened, Master?”

“…I don’t know exactly either.”

Melina tried to recall the situation. But the more she tried, the more she could only see the image of Olivia collapsing helplessly.

Melina growled.

“Kiel probably did something to harm you.”

“Duke Kiel?”

“Yes.”

Olivia’s eyebrows twitched.

“No. He wouldn’t have done that. The Duke is my ‘friend.'”

Melina’s face hardened.

Melina had assumed that Kiel had manipulated her innocent disciple. No matter how sharp the child was, in Melina’s eyes, she was still just a naive child who didn’t know the ways of the world.

“Olivia. You…”

“Master. I’m not a child.”

Melina flinched at having her thoughts exposed.

“If Duke Kiel wanted to harm me, he wouldn’t have done it in the magic tower where you are.”

Olivia smiled sweetly and whispered in a low voice.

“He would have done it somewhere private, secretly.”

“…”

“I know what you worry about whenever you look at me. But Duke Kiel isn’t that kind of person.”

Olivia pressed her palms together and tapped her fingers.

“Actually, today wasn’t the first time I met Duke Kiel.”

Melina’s brow furrowed.

‘They’ve met before?’

No matter how she thought about it, there couldn’t be any connection between them.

“I met the Duke during my recent mission. In the magical realm of Euran. Somehow I ended up saving his life, and after that, we traveled together for half a year.”

“H-half a year?”

“Yes. When else would I have the opportunity to work with the Empire’s strongest knight? We naturally became friends. If he wanted to harm me, wouldn’t he have done it then?”

It was logical.

But Melina couldn’t back down here. Even if Kiel wasn’t the culprit, he must have at least intimidated her.

Otherwise, there would be no reason to destroy the desk.

“Olivia. One can never know what’s in another person’s heart.”

“No. Duke Kiel absolutely cannot harm me. Absolutely not.”

“In this world, there’s no such thing as absolute…”

“There is.”

Olivia raised the corners of her mouth.

“You absolutely cannot hurt me, Master.”

Melina couldn’t bring herself to deny it.

‘I…’

There can be no such thing as absolute. That word is reserved only for truth.

But Olivia had come to occupy too large a portion of Melina’s life.

Perhaps even more than truth itself.

Olivia smiled brightly as if to say her words were correct.

“I’m right, aren’t I?”

“…”

Her face held absolute conviction.

The conviction that no matter what she did, Melina would not stop her.

“So my collapse probably wasn’t Duke Kiel’s fault.”

Olivia stroked her chin.

“Though I don’t know the reason yet.”

“I imagine you were planning to prevent me from meeting Duke Kiel again. But I’d prefer if you didn’t.”

“Olivia. That matter is already…”

“What you’re worried about won’t happen. I just want to become friends with him. I have no other feelings.”

The situation was growing beyond control. But by the time she realized this fact, it was already far too late.

Melina resisted.

“No. Even if what you say is true, I cannot allow you to meet Kiel again.”

“Are you really not going to allow it?”

“…That’s right.”

“Then I will no longer call you Master.”

It was a petty threat. A childish threat that might work on five-year-olds.

But…

“I’ll call you Golden Tower Master instead.”

She simply couldn’t resist.

“If you prevent me from meeting Duke Kiel, I’ll be truly sad. I might cry every night. And I’ll deeply resent whoever made me that way.”

Olivia was certain of her victory.

“…”

Seeing her own reflection in those eyes, Melina realized one thing.

That she could never go against this child’s wishes.

The sunset was sinking distantly. The room gradually became engulfed in darkness.

In the darkness, only Olivia’s eyes glowed blue.

“You’ll allow it, won’t you?”

*****

[Forced termination of clue usage.]

Olivia collapsed to the floor. Kuhak! Blood flowed from her mouth. It felt like her insides had been turned upside down.

“Damn it.”

Olivia spat out the bloody fluid.

“You could have told me something this important beforehand, you bastards.”

She didn’t see properly because she lost consciousness in the middle, but the person who opened the door was probably Melina.

No matter how she thought about it, there was no one else who would open the door.

“Phew…”

Glance.

Olivia checked the message windows that appeared before her eyes.

[Warning!]

– Within a clue, you can only contact one regression person.

– If you contact more than one, the connection will be forcibly terminated, and you will bear all the aftermath.

Thanks for telling me so quickly, you jerks.

Olivia wiped the blood from her mouth.

“Damn, do I have to do this over a hundred times?”

It takes this long just to overlay Kiel’s memories, and fifteen people seems way too many no matter how she thinks about it.

If there’s one fortunate thing:

[Kiel Rothschild]

– Level: 83

– Job: Sword Master

– Likability: -100(+23)

At least the likability is rising impressively.

‘It rose this much even though we fought like that.’

Actually, it was more like Kiel got angry one-sidedly, but anyway.

Kiel definitely isn’t normal either. How is his mind wired that his likability increases even when blood is flowing freely?

‘…Should I beat him up?’

That would definitely make blood flow freely.

*****

She started her day as always. She taught her disciples until dawn. She beat the rebellious Glacia, and she came to find Kiel to enter his memories.

[Do you want to view the memories of December, Imperial Year 992?]

Kiel first asked about Olivia’s condition after she suddenly fainted 24 days ago.

“…Are you okay from before?”

“What happened before?”

“Didn’t you faint?”

“Did I?”

“…”

Olivia spoke as if it wasn’t a big deal.

Kiel looked at her with disapproval, but didn’t mention it further.

“You’re not angry anymore.”

“You told me last time. To just… leave it be.”

Kiel still couldn’t understand Olivia’s choice. But he decided to do his best to respect it. Because he knew that Olivia had agonized until the very end to make that choice.

“…Is there anything you like?”

“What do you mean by ‘like’?”

“Food you want to eat, places you want to go. Anything?”

Instead, Kiel decided to make Olivia’s final days meaningful, even if just a little.

[Time limit has expired.]

– Accumulated likability: (+32)

Another day passed.

[Do you want to view the memories of January, Imperial Year 993?]

“…Where is this place?”

“A famous restaurant. I found out about it while traveling around the continent for months.”

[Time limit has expired.]

– Accumulated likability: (+43)

Yet another day passed.

[Do you want to view the memories of June, Imperial Year 993?]

“I’ve been learning swordsmanship since I was three.”

“You remember when you were three?”

“…Don’t you?”

They also spent hours sitting on the beach, exchanging idle conversation.

[Time limit has expired.]

– Accumulated likability: (+56)

And again.

[Do you want to view the memories of June, Imperial Year 994?]

Now Olivia’s one day was Kiel’s one year.

“It’s been a year.”

“For me, it’s only been a day.”

“Really?”

“It’s as vivid as yesterday. That’s when you lied about learning swordsmanship since you were three.”

“Lied? That’s harsh. Call it embellishment.”

Kiel had become a bit more humorous.

[Time limit has expired.]

– Accumulated likability: (+68)

And then.

[Do you want to view the memories of June, Imperial Year 996?]

[Warning! This is the last memory you can view.]

Finally, the last time had come.