Ch.337337. Destiny (3)

It was an old name.

A name from my oldest memories, one I had forgotten at some point.

No. If I were to examine it more deeply. It was a name I had erased from my mind after falling to this place, not wanting to look back or recall those times.

A life where the hospital ceiling begins when I open my eyes. When sunlight stings my forehead, I’d rather close my eyes again and enter dreams, never wanting to return.

No one but me would know that name from when my limbs were bound.

But that name. That name I had forgotten at some point. It came out of the mouth of the being known as the Sagittarius Constellation.

How does he know my name?

There’s no need to ask that question now.

The person before me… seems to truly be a god. I slowly settled onto the cold chair and asked.

“What did you want to talk to me about?”

I had to change my question.

God. A being who knows everything. Not just about me, but one who watches over and governs truly everything in the world, so there’s no way he lacks information.

Yet there must be a reason he entered my dream to request a conversation.

-Click.

Whatever important matter he wanted to discuss. The teacup he had been sipping from was calmly placed back on its saucer.

I was so tense that beads of sweat formed naturally.

But then… a completely unexpected question emerged.

“Well, first, could you tell me why you mentioned Reni as soon as you woke up?”

“…Pardon?”

“Hmm? You said it yourself. ‘Renias’ right when you woke up. I was just so curious about that!”

My eyes widened involuntarily.

Where had that elegant tea-drinking dignity gone? Now he raised the corners of his mouth with expectant eyes. And then he suddenly brings up Renias out of nowhere.

The question was so abrupt that I cleared my throat once before asking.

“May I ask… why you’re curious about that…”

“Why am I curious?! Stories of young love are quite intriguing, aren’t they!”

I was dumbfounded.

‘Really? A god enters an ordinary human’s dream just to hear about that? And he’s even lighting fires in his eyes over something that should be taken so seriously?’

Good heavens. My tension completely dissolved. I had been so tense because of the heavy atmosphere until just now, but the direction of the question was so off that I felt deflated.

“Oh my! Just that, you say! I consider the process important too, you know!”

“Ah, yes…”

“So, so? Why did you call Renias’s name as soon as you woke up? Hmm? Hmm?”

“I mean, is that really a question you need to ask while puffing steam from your nose…”

“It’s extremely important to me?!”

His eyes sparkled even more than before, with an expression that said he wouldn’t let me off until I answered.

I sighed helplessly and replied.

“Well… when I first opened my eyes.”

“Yes, yes! When you first opened your eyes?”

“My vision was quite blurry, you know? It was bright here, and maybe because I’d slept for so long, I couldn’t focus properly.”

“And then?!”

“…I mistook your hair for Renias. The faint silvery sheen made me confused. That’s all it was.”

His expression somehow turned sulky. His eyes said, “Is that all?”

He wanted me to say more…

Ugh. I guess I have no choice.

“When I collapsed after defeating Ashpern, at my physical limit, I briefly saw silver hair. So I thought perhaps Renias had come to me.”

“Aha~ So when you saw me?”

“Yes. If you don’t look carefully, there are some similarities…”

“Hmm. I see. Then what were you about to say but didn’t?”

“Look. Even so, that’s going too far…”

“If you don’t tell me in detail, I won’t let you leave this dream?”

Is this a god or a human? With his dignity gone, enjoying listening to love stories, I’m starting to doubt whether he’s really a god or just a person pretending to be one.

Then he creates an exit about 15 meters away to show me.

Sigh. He really is a god.

I scratched my head vigorously while averting my gaze and said.

“I think I would have apologized first.”

“Hmm? Why?”

“Well… because Renias hates it when I come back injured like this.”

It’s not just that she hates it. She hates it so much that you can see her barely containing her anger.

“She puffs up her cheeks, puts her hands on her hips, with angled eyebrows and narrowed eyes, looking at me and saying, ‘Oppa, you’re hurt again?!’ But that’s actually mild.”

When Renias is truly angry, it’s quite different.

“When she’s really angry, she doesn’t puff her cheeks or put her hands on her hips. Her eyes don’t narrow, and her eyebrows don’t angle. Instead, she clenches her delicate hand into a fist and hits me once with a plea to stop getting hurt… and that hurts the most.”

Yes. At that moment, my body doesn’t hurt at all. Rather than my wound-covered body, it’s a corner of my heart that aches.

“When I see Renias with tears welling up after hitting me once… I think I should have tried not to get hurt. I should have used my head to worry her less. I shouldn’t have lied about not getting hurt or being fine. I just repeat apologies. Even if I try to hide my wounds, she quickly sees my condition and comes to apply medicine, and then she gets even angrier.”

When Renias whimpers like that, my chest naturally feels heavy. Too heavy to cover with a simple apology.

“Since I promised to return safely this time… if she saw me coming back injured like this, Renias would be furious. That’s why I was going to apologize first. Even though I warned her I might get badly hurt, I still thought she would be upset.”

Before I knew it, I was pouring out my innermost feelings, imagining her sadness at seeing my injured state.

The Sagittarius Constellation smiled gently at me.

“So you really like her a lot. Enough to mistake me for Reni at first glance. Right?”

“Yes. To be honest, I thought what I saw right before collapsing was Renias too. Well, given my condition, it was probably just wishful thinking. I imagined the person I wanted to see most at that moment, so Renias appeared before me like a mirage.”

The Sagittarius Constellation chuckled.

“Hmm~ Good, you pass.”

I pass.

I stood up from my seat with a bow.

“Then I’ll be going.”

“Hmm? Going?”

“Didn’t you just say I passed? I thought that meant I could leave this dream…”

“Ah. I can see how you might interpret it that way.”

The Sagittarius Constellation nodded and smiled.

“I’m sorry, but not yet. That story was important, but I still have more to tell you, don’t I?”

“Ah…”

Fresh tea was poured with a gurgle.

I thought he wasn’t satisfied after hearing about me and Renias, but now a completely different topic emerged.

“Shanbereshu of Plague. Pimpert of Distortion. Ashpern of Oblivion. You’ve used that power three times now. Do you remember?”

“The magic spear I used… you mean?”

“Not exactly the magic spear. It’s the power of Alcaid.”

“Alcaid… you say?”

That word. Isn’t that what Defornice III used to refer to me?

Then the Sagittarius Constellation brought up the myth of the Seven Stars of the Artena Empire.

『Dubhe. Be a sturdy shield and spear to face the enemy.』

『Merak. Dull the enemy’s spearhead.』

『Phecda. Sharpen the spearheads of allies.』

『Megrez. With those warm hands, solidify the river of blood.』

『Alioth. Cut off the loosened breath of the enemy.』

『Mizar. Be the vanguard leading to victory.』

“Alcaid. Sacrifice yourself as God’s messenger to save the world.”

And as the myth concluded, the exit disappeared.

“You asked why I brought you here? I’m keeping you here now to advise you not to use Alcaid’s power again. Because one more time, and you will surely die.”

***

“Everything’s been cleared, Lady Michelle!”

“Ah, yes.”

“Oh? You don’t look well. Are you hurt somewhere?”

“No. It’s not that.”

Michelle, leading a small group of soldiers on reconnaissance, couldn’t shake an uneasy feeling.

‘Is it just… my imagination?’

Just earlier, they had cleanly eliminated some prowling magical beasts. There weren’t any particular casualties, and though the beasts were numerous, they weren’t overwhelmed thanks to recent supplies and reinforcements.

Moreover, the magical beasts didn’t all rush at once but appeared sporadically, so it wasn’t a concerning level.

However, the uneasy feeling wasn’t without reason.

“Hmm… let’s take some samples.”

“Samples?”

“Yes. It might just be my concern, but these magical beasts… I think we encountered them yesterday too.”

“Hmm… understood.”

Similar magical beast specimens are widespread. There are similar species with almost no external differences except for a horn, cases using camouflage or disguise magic to hide their true appearance. Even humans have twins, so it’s not uncommon for magical beasts to look similar.

So one might wonder if samples are really necessary… but Michelle’s uneasy feeling was distinctly unsettling.

In any case, considering extreme cases like the Devourer had existed, analyzing carefully wouldn’t be a bad idea. That’s what Michelle thought.

“Well, was it the lady from Granodia on reconnaissance this time? Still diligent as ever.”

When Michelle’s reconnaissance team returned to the forward base, Dusen came out to greet them. One of his arms still didn’t seem fully recovered.

“You haven’t fully recovered yet.”

“Well, that’s true. But I can’t just sit still in this situation, can I? With the war situation as it is, I need to check the front lines too.”

“I understand. But please don’t overdo it.”

“Haha, thank you. But what have you brought back today?”

“I think we need analysis. I’m not sure if it’s just a feeling, but it seems like the magical beasts we saw yesterday have appeared again…”

“Hmm, so you felt it too?”

“…I’m not the only one who felt that way?”

“For some reason, Baron Eshret said the same thing. I thought it was just a feeling and agreed to pretend I hadn’t heard it, but…”

“Lord Dusen.”

Baron Eshret. That means Charlotte. Michelle lowered her voice significantly so the surrounding soldiers wouldn’t hear. Understanding the sign, Dusen also lowered his voice while glancing around.

“What exactly did Charlotte say?”

“She said she had an eerie feeling. She claimed that although she had frozen parts of their bodies and physically destroyed them, she saw those forms again.”

“Saw them again… means.”

“If this is the second time, then it’s a different story altogether. Michelle, the reconnaissance team before yours was all led by that young lady.”

Since Charlotte, who had led the previous reconnaissance team, had said the same thing, Michelle became more certain.

With Junon still unconscious, this major change in the magical beasts is definitely not good news for the Duchy’s army.

“Let’s move. I’ll try to stop rumors from the reconnaissance team.”

“Thank you. I need to find Senia immediately and ask her to examine this with her magic eye.”