Ch.354354. Two Years of Time (2)

“…Two years.”

It’s short. It was far too brief a time for a man and woman who had overcome trials with all their might to share their love.

But even this fleeting two-year period was something they had barely managed to create.

“If you think about it normally, assuming a human lifespan is 60 years, and you subtract their ages at the time, about 30 years were cut away… But it wasn’t just 30 years. It was several times that lifespan that vanished.”

Renias’s mother was… a half-elf, they say. The time of mixed races flows much longer than that of humans.

In other words, she had drawn upon such tremendous power that even after dividing a half-elf’s lifespan—several times longer than an ordinary human’s—and grinding away that much of her life, she could only live for a mere two years.

During that time, she gave birth to Renias and Ronelion. Though agonizing over the fact that she could no longer watch her own children grow, she must have given them everything she possibly could.

But tragically, the separation of parent and child couldn’t be prevented. The parents who saved the country and their children were torn apart like this. Cruelly, by the fate that Alcaide possessed.

‘I get it now.’

I understand why Professor Dalia brought up this story in a place where Renias wasn’t present.

The reason they conducted this unnecessary examination once more was because she and the other professors who wanted to maintain Academy affiliation needed reassurance.

“So that’s why you kept that last page hidden from Renias.”

“You’re too perceptive.”

“I’ve heard enough to make an educated guess. For instance, the myth of Alcaide? Even that.”

“…To think you knew even that. Almost no one would have told you.”

It’s not just what I heard from Renias. Everyone who was there says that Lord Alcaide manifested directly in this country, and that a constellation appearing on earth breathed some kind of power to revive the dead—but even with just that, the information is sufficient.

The professors’ actions were the same. There was no guarantee they wouldn’t lose Alcaide for the same reason twice. They must have needed to prepare meticulously to avoid being consumed by guilt over helplessly letting Alcaide go again, just like before.

Finally, Professor Dalia deliberately kept Renias away from this meeting.

If Renias had been listening… I don’t even want to imagine that.

Now all the cause-and-effect relationships connect. The complicated entanglements of their stories come together as one, explaining why they acted as they did in the past up to the present. The vague, unresolved questions were neatly cleared up in this place.

So now I could give a definitive answer.

“I’ll be going now. I have an appointment.”

“Aren’t you going to ask? You must be curious about the contents.”

“I already know what happened to my body. Unlike what you were worried about, my body is normal, right?”

Professor Dalia chuckled at those words and disposed of the final document.

“I thought the magic circuit would be affected first, possibly following the precedent. But the evidence that your lifespan hasn’t been shortened is too clear.”

That’s right. My body is perfectly normal.

Unlike Lord Alcaide who gradually lost his magic, or my past self, as if to prove that I’ve completely lost my divine status, Alcaide’s power has been consumed and cleanly disappeared, and my magic circuit is circulating just as well as before.

“I’ll tell the rest myself. Leave it to me.”

“Very well.”

The reason Professor Dalia was holding me back and making this request was for the sake of another person who knows this truth.

She clearly wanted me to alleviate the deep anxiety that had also fallen upon Renias.

***

‘Hmm. I said that, but how should I actually tell her?’

After finishing his conversation with Dalia, Junon fell into deep contemplation.

He should feel lighter now that all remaining questions had been resolved, but in reality, he felt overwhelmed.

Someone else might wonder why. They might think he could just tell her that his body is fine and that he won’t end up like Lord Alcaide, her father.

But this wasn’t simply about conveying facts.

Until she honestly showed her true face, Renias had been forcing herself to suppress her inner feelings from everyone. A mask so solid that neither nearby relatives, friends, nor even her blood-related twin could see through it had covered her honest face.

No one had been able to remove Renias’s mask. No one had been able to awaken the truth of the girl who had been suffering from obsession and burden. Renias had been submerged in a lonely, pitch-black abyss where not even those who could help her could reach.

Why had Renias, who had been like that, never brought up this story until now?

The answer comes quickly.

It meant that it still remained with Renias. The past that continuously tormented her.

He slowly considers what approach she might have taken to bury a truth she didn’t want to face.

‘…If it’s Renias, she would have tried to forget. By any means necessary.’

The memory was too intense, so forgetting would have been her only option.

What you hope for never comes true in reality. Uncovering the truth would only tear her already ripped heart even wider. Then there would be only one way.

She said she had always held her parents’ hands tightly. She walked holding the hands of her two parents, whom she could no longer see in reality.

He could immediately understand what method she used. More than understanding, he felt profound empathy.

Because.

‘I know that method all too well.’

It’s closing your eyes.

The method of turning your back completely on reality and entering a world where only you exist.

Where terrible memories become as if they never happened, and only the happy memories you want remain—the only place where that’s possible.

In other words, dream avoidance.

She must have wanted to forget the truth that her parents had died, even if only in dreams, and in her space, her deceased parents would always be waiting with outstretched hands and healthy bodies.

Renias would have always wanted to remain trapped in that world full of happiness, avoiding the truth.

But cruelly, intense human memories don’t disappear so easily.

‘I know that best.’

Based on experience, the reason is that the boundary between dreams and reality gradually collapses. Like dark, thick poison slowly spreading through clear, transparent water, the poison of reality begins to eat away at dreams.

From then on, even dreams are no longer dreams. No matter how much you dream, the desperate reality seeps in. Whether your eyes are open or closed, the same terrible nightmare visits you.

Once started, nightmares torment people over and over. And the fragile human mind begins to wear down doubly and triply between the collapsed boundaries of dreams and reality.

A human mind that finally breaks down here often makes extreme choices.

Like going up to a rooftop—that kind of worst decision.

“Ah, brother.”

As his time of contemplation continued and he moved his steps, the silver emotional signal began to appear.

But…

“What did you… talk about?”

Junon could vaguely guess.

That Renias’s current psychological state was unstable.

Then he couldn’t talk about it now. Just bringing up the topic might make Renias cover her ears.

‘Time. We need more time.’

The fortunate thing was that he had succeeded in breaking the nightmare before moving to the next stage.

What remained was the connection.

He needed to find a link that would restore her unstable psyche and allow them to have a proper conversation.

The time to find that connection… could be stretched out sufficiently.

“Brother?”

“You want to talk about that here and now? We’ll miss our playtime. Let’s go.”

“Hmm… Is it that long a story? Hehe, if you say so, I’ll listen later.”

After all, the time to keep the promise they had so longed for had arrived.

For now, it was time to play.

With the silver rabbit who would scream plenty.

***

“Kyaaaah!!!”

Unlike before, the silver rabbit who no longer feared heights was gradually adapting to unfamiliar rides.

As a result, instead of trembling in fear, joyful screams now filled the air.

It was a happy day.

An incomparably happy day when the promise to ride amusement park rides together after the war ended was finally being kept.

Before they knew it, evening had approached as they played without pause.

“Aww, they say it’s too dangerous at night. Why does time go by so fast?”

Despite having played so much, Renias puffed her cheeks in disappointment, still wanting more.

At her cute complaint, Junon gently stroked the silver rabbit’s head.

“We can come again next time. It’s not like we’re only playing for one day.”

“Hehe, that’s true! We’ll come back again in the future!”

Though disappointed, today was over. Since they had plenty of time, they could come as many times as they wanted, and her pouting face disappeared at those words.

Then suddenly, as if it was still too early to return, Junon firmly held Renias’s hand.

“Shall we walk for a bit?”

The nuance was to go for a stroll since they still had quite a bit of time left. Renias nodded happily and followed.

How long had they walked? By the time the street lamps along the Academy’s walking path began to light up in the growing dusk, there was no one else around.

It must have seemed like the right timing. Seeing a bench ahead, he suggested they sit and rest for a moment, and the two carefully began their conversation.

“When I collapsed in that pit after defeating Ashpern, during that time I was unconscious, I was dreaming. And in that dream, you appeared.”

At the sudden mention that she had appeared in his dream, Renias blushed. Wondering if he had wanted to see her even in his dreams.

But sadly, the smile on her lips quickly stiffened.

“I thought it was you because she had silver hair just like yours… but as my focus returned and the distance closed, I could see that woman’s hair color was light purple. Her eyes were also a deeper violet than yours.”

“…What did you say?”

A great tidal wave rose in Renias’s pupils.

Light purple hair is uncommon. Even with silver hair that looks similar, it would be easy for a person to confuse them. Violet eyes? Though rare, they’re more common than Junon’s completely black eyes.

Seen that way, Junon could have been mistaken. Dreams often show you what you want to see.

But he drove the final nail into the still confused Renias.

“The name of the woman I mistook for you was… Rainesia, I think.”

“Bro…ther?”

“…There can only be one person with the same appearance and name. Yes. In my dream, I had a conversation with your mother.”