My Daughters Are Regressors

“Light. Butterfly. Time. Flight….”

Lunch time.Brigitte was mumbling.In her hand was a cup, and the cup, flipped upside down on the table, was holding a butterfly captive.

“It should have used more than four words at least. Path…? Guide…?”

Brigitte had been talking to herself like this since earlier.She didn’t even notice that I stole the one cherry tomato off her plate.She was completely focused.In this state, she wouldn’t even notice if someone pulled on her nose.

Swoosh—

“What are you doing? What about my nose?””

No, she does notice her nose being pulled.I released Brigitte’s nose and spoke.

“Well, I was wondering what you were doing, not even eating your food.”

“Food? That doesn’t matter. I’m trying to figure out the spell that formed this butterfly. It was five words at least. It’s more than a five-circle spell.”

Honestly, I knew nothing about magic.When doctors show patients scribbled words and explain with technical terms, patients tend to think, ‘I see, that’s how it is.’Whenever I heard explanations about magic, I always felt like a patient.In the end, the important thing was whether it was good or bad for your health.

“So, what’s the bottom line?”

I asked.To that, Brigitte tossed a huge chunk of meat into her mouth and chewed as she spoke.

“The bottom line is that this butterfly is magic. The spell used to form this magic is more elaborate than anyone else’s I’ve ever seen.”

Brigitte was a brilliant mage.And all brilliant mages were full of pride, having the mindset of “I’m the best.”

Arrogance.Self-righteousness.They say those were important for mages.But if Brigitte was commending the spell to such a degree, it was evident how skilled the caster of this magic butterfly was.

“So, what’s the purpose of the caster?” Did they release the butterflies to terrorize Freesia?”

According to Brigitte, these butterflies had the effect of bending something called the ‘time axis’.To explain in a way I could understand, they were able to draw ‘results’.

“This butterfly has the effect of drawing the future and results from objects. In my opinion, this is a finished state of spacetime magic. That’s all I know right now.”

Spacetime magic.It was a kind of magic that I knew as well.Naru, Cecily, and Hina had been able to come from 6 years in the future because of that spacetime magic.

Hadn’t the Demiurge of Magic, Epar, sent the kids back to the past?That basically meant that one had to at least be like the Demiurge Epar to manipulate spacetime.

“So Brigitte, you mean to say, that this butterfly is a lifeform created by a mage comparable to Epar, then? An enemy? Ally? Where did such a person come from?”

I could only wonder.And Brigitte seemed to feel the same.

“I don’t know. However, things will likely be changing rapidly. For what reason did they send these butterflies? What are they after?”

Brigitte was saying that all magic has a ‘purpose’.

If a light magic was casted, then its purpose was obviously to brighten the darkness. If someone shot a fireball, then the purpose was to burn something, they said.So, this mass of butterflies should also have a purpose.

“... And why a butterfly? If creating a spell anyway, there are more simple and effective forms. Like flower petals or spores.”

* * *

“Wow, holy shh…! There are lots of butterflies…!”

Naru gazed at the tree planted in the field.The tree had butterflies resting on it and their sparkly wings were very nice to look at.Cecily nodded as well.

“Butterflies are elegant and beautiful creatures. Going from caterpillar to cocoon, then finally spreading its beautiful wings is a symbol of patience, a noble virtue.”

“Ah, they’re going away!”

Naru shouted.The butterflies were extremely sensitive so whenever people approached nearby, they would spread their wings and fly away.To catch such butterflies, Cecily moved quietly.

─Cecily Style, Catwalk!

Cecily approached carefully and swung the net around.With three to four butterflies getting caught on every swing, the kids all marveled, saying, “That’s awesome!” or “Cecily, you’re totally a butterfly hunter!”

「Butterfly Hunter」.Cecily thought it a wonderful nickname befitting of a noble young lady.

Hina put the butterflies that were caught into a clear bag.

“All of you, come inside here….”

Flap— Flap—The butterflies in the bag went over ten into twenty.If they continue catching them, they should get over a hundred.

“We might need a bigger bag….”

And like that, the butterfly-catching continued.The bag filled with fluttering butterflies was very bright like it was a light bulb.Just then, Tywin approached Hina.

“Hina, that bag. Can you give it to me?”

“…….”

Hina looked at the butterflies in the bag.About a hundred of them.It would be okay to give away one or two, but the whole bag wasn’t possible.

“... I can’t.”

Hina refused, of course.Tywin had expected the refusal so she decided to say the statement she had prepared.

“It might help your parents.”

“... Parents…. Mom and Dad….”

“I don’t know about Naru or Cecily, but Hina, you know that these butterflies aren’t normal, right? It’s someone who can use this level of magic so they’ll be able to help for sure.”

That was right.Unlike Cecily and Naru who simply liked butterflies, Hina had somewhat sensed that this butterfly was something incredible.

‘The moment of deciding….’

The moment of deciding came to Hina.What should she do?

Of course, Hina’s choice, like always, took little time to make.

Swoosh—Hina, who liked Mom and Dad, held out the bag full of butterflies to Tywin.

Receiving it, Tywin didn’t even look back and headed for the science prep room, then sprayed a bunch of powder and chemicals on the floor to draw a magic circle.

Not just any normal magic circle, but a transmutation circle to communicate with Goddess Epar.However, progress was slow.

“There’s no mana powder.”

Mana powder of high purity.There wasn’t a single sack.Elizabeth, who had been watching, spoke.

“I know how to make mana powder. I’ve watched my dad make it sometimes. Mix sugar and salt one-to-one, and crush this mana crystal here and heat it….”

Elizabeth was Pharmacist Ilgast’s daughter.She had watched him since young so she was easily able to manufacture simple chemicals.

The mana powder was soon completed.Tywin took the powder and drew a pentagram on the prep room floor.Preparations to talk with Epar were finished.

Flare—At last, after lighting candles around the magic circles, Tywin spoke.

“This is the important part. To speak to the Goddess, I need to recite a special incantation so everyone be quiet. Huuu….”

Tywin silenced everyone.With many things immersed in the quiet, Tywin parted her lips.

“O twilight’s end, shining morning star. I, Tywin Cladeco, long to hear your voice. I beseech you, Epar, bestow strength upon your servant!”

Epar was the Goddess of Magic.Her followers were known to be granted knowledge and wisdom of magic, as well as the power to perform miracles, so most mages were believers of Goddess Epar.

Tywin who was of unusual birth had the ability to converse closely with Epar more than anyone else, and that ability was greatly effective even now.Crackle—The candle flames that had been burning around the magic circle turned purple.

A significant change.As Naru, Cecily, and Hina were watching this scene in awe, Tywin spoke with a calm voice.

“Please let us find the owner of this magic.”

Epar was the ruler of all magic.As such, she would surely be able to help with chasing down the ones who created these butterflies.However, nothing extraordinary happened.A quiet stillness. As that filled the prep room, Tywin softly spoke.

“... My master, Epar, I give you 1 year of my remaining time.”

Gods always demanded a price.To be exact, they liked choices being made.

To gain something, lose something of equal value.That was the law of Demiurges.

Tywin chose to offer a year of her life.The more precious the offering, the greater the power unleashed by the Demiurges.Because the gods were fair.

Fwsh— Fwsh— Fwsh—Soon, the round candle flames went out one by one, and the knot tied firmly around the opening of the bag loosened.Then the butterflies all flew in one direction.Seeing this, Naru spoke.

“Let’s all follow them!”

It was correct thinking.Cecily, Hina, and Naru chased after the butterflies and Tywin was going to follow them. But Tywin was unexpectedly out of breath and it was difficult to even walk.

“Haaah, huaah, haaaah….”

“Tywin, are you…. alright?”

Elizabeth, surprised, helped Tywin.Then Naru, Cecily, and Hina, who had been running ahead, stopped and turned back towards Tywin.Tywin’s hands were shaking.

Not only that but Tywin’s ash-colored hair, for which was called the ‘Ashen Princess’, had turned white.It was white like an old lady’s.

Tywin’s skin was also unrecognizably pale.To the point that blue veins were showing through.

Her fingers were thin like a withered branch, and her face which the adults complimented, “You’ll be the greatest beauty of Freesia in 10 years,” was gaunt.

“I’m okay so…. hurry up and go…. go… follow the butterflies…. and ask them…. for help….”

Tywin lifted her hand and pointed at the door through which the butterflies left.If they lost the butterflies like this, then the wish for which she offered her remaining time would become meaningless.

“Let’s go, Cecily…. Naru….”

Hina started to move again.Naru and Cecily also followed.But Naru kept looking back.

“Tywin, is she going to be okay…?”

Tywin was a friend.Naru especially had many memories with Tywin so she was worried for her.In comparison, Hina was unworried, not having as many memories with Tywin.

“In our future…. there was no Tywin…. Tywin never had much time in the first place….”

From what Hina knew, Tywin was a cloned human.However, even Elle Cladeco couldn’t clone a human perfectly.

Side effects.Short life span.… A life that was to fade anyway.

‘Perhaps that was the reason for Elle Cladeco never giving Tywin any affection…. Since she knew that her life was short, that was why she didn’t want to grow fond of her. Because it was a relationship that was meant to end….’

An encounter culminating in an inexorable separation.That was also the reason why Hina had tried to hide the best she could from her mom, Salome, or her dad, Judas.She didn’t want to get attached because they were fated to part.

‘Get it together. I am the cool-headed Hina Barjudas. My role is to always stay calm and assess the situation.’

Hina was level-headed.She had to be composed under any circumstances.Because no other sister could be as calm and rational as her.

“Naru… we have to hurry. You knew already…. that the moment of decision was going to come…. We need to choose…. what we’re going to lose…. and what to protect….”

Hina spoke calmly.And when she did, Cecily was a bit surprised.

“Did we have this conversation before? I think I remember!”

They seemed to have talked about this before.It was an old memory, feeling like it was a long time ago.

At the time, Hina had said—

“Naru, we can’t have everything! We need to choose!”

—those words.The conversations of that time and now were the same.

What had Naru said back then?Cecily busily searched her memories.Memories flooded like water through a broken dam.As she was arranging them, Naru spoke.

“Not everything! But… We’ve come back to the past. We came here so we could change the future! So, Hina, I’ll leave that part to you!”

Fwsh—Naru turned around on the spot and ran back towards Tywin.Hina and Cecily were left.Hina’s red eyes gazed at Cecily.

“Ceciy, what are you going to do…. Tywin made her choice…. Going after the butterflies is what’ll help her decision….”

Hina and Naru tended to be at odds with their respective opinions.Almost all the time.

A tense confrontation between the two.It was always left to Cecily to decide the winner.Cecily thought about it.

“I….”

Cecily gazed at Naru’s back.Then she looked at the butterflies flying away in the distance.

***

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