Shocking words.
Lucia quickly looked around. Whisk-whisk- As she turned her head to check, there was no one around who had heard the conversation, except for an angel who looked just like a miniaturized version of Yura.
She didn’t approach the people lying down to check if they were awake, but Lucia felt somewhat certain they weren’t. It might be because this moment felt unreal, but also because no one reacted when she heard the name Kyrie.
“Ah.”
However, after looking around, Lucia realized she had made a mistake. Checking to see if anyone was startled by her without saying anything… Wasn’t that just proving herself to be Kyrie?
“I… I’m not Kyrie…”
“No need to worry. The only person around here who is conscious is Ms. Kyrie.”
It was too late to deny it. Although she didn’t know what evidence they had to call her Kyrie, the angel who looked exactly like Yura seemed quite confident in her assertion.
“…”
Lucia felt a cold sweat break out over her dry skin.In the debris of the destroyed building, the angel, who just resembled Yura, stared intently at Lucia. Lucia also looked back with narrowed eyes.
“So, I am Kyrie.”
So, she frankly admitted it. Lucia knew that denying it any further would be foolish. There were many reasons she couldn’t reveal her identity, including not wanting to face the remnants of her past, but she thought it would be okay if the only person listening was Latera.
However, this unexpected situation was not okay at all. No matter if the other party was a being from mythology, it was hard to accept being flustered by a girl she had just met. Lucia glared at Latera with her golden eyes flashing.
“Then who are you? Who are you to suddenly appear and question someone else’s identity?”
“I’m a guardian angel.”
“…Guardian angel?”
“Yes!”
Latera responded with a bright smile, unfazed by Lucia’s glare or murderous intent, maintaining the cheerful atmosphere she had from their first meeting.
“A companion and reliable support for the hero, prepared from the past for the future. That’s me!”
“Hero…?”
“Yes! I’ve been waiting in your tomb for hundreds of years for the next hero. And just now, I emerged into this world like this!”
“Tomb?!”
Lucia, focused on Latera’s ongoing confession, asked with a hint of incredulity. It wasn’t the mention of a hero that surprised her, but rather the idea of waiting in a tomb that left her astounded.
Lucia stood up abruptly and looked towards where Kyrie’s tomb was situated. She found it unbelievable that this girl had approached without her noticing, given the distance.
“If it’s a tomb, where exactly was it? There were only a few antiques and a single tombstone on display there… Were you buried under the tombstone?”
Lucia, alternating her gaze between Latera and the tomb, appeared perplexed. Latera also tilted her head in confusion. Then, after a moment, realizing the misunderstanding, Latera seemed eager to clarify and waved her hands.
“I’ve just descended into this world. The tomb… I mean, it’s akin to another dimension, or realm… You can think of it as a door that connects to a separate space from reality.”
“……So you were buried alive for hundreds of years?”
“Ah, no, that’s not it. Even a guardian angel would decay and die in that case.”
“…Well, that’s a relief.”
Lucia crossed her arms and frowned. She wasn’t well-versed in magic, but she had heard of the concept of a separate space. It was a mysterious technique often utilized by Yura, a companion from her previous life.
“So, why appear now? If you were waiting for the hero, shouldn’t you have emerged when I visited the tomb yesterday?”
“I can’t just emerge whenever I wish. I can only enter the world with the permission of someone who qualifies as a hero.”
“…And who is the hero?”
Lucia slowly shifted her gaze to Shiron.
Seira lay quietly, showing no intention of getting up. Next to her, Shiron, who remained on the ground even after the situation had settled, was a concern. However, Lucia, realizing that Shiron and the others were still down and not part of the conversation, actually felt a sense of relief.
“It is Mr. Shiron Prient.”
Latera’s response came in a flat tone, as though stating an obvious fact. Her voice carried a strange power that almost made Lucia step back.
‘…It’s not me.’
With that thought,
Lucia felt relieved that she was not the hero. But her relief was not simple.
She was relieved she didn’t have to bear the hero’s duty in this life.
She was worried that the frail Shiron was the hero.
She was disappointed that she, not Shiron, was the hero.
She was resolving the question of whether Shiron really was the hero.
She felt embarrassment about being discovered and the consequences that might follow.
Lucia twitched her lips and then hung her head low. Latera, who had been peering into her soul, narrowed her eyes at Lucia’s twisted, disgraceful posture.
“This is… Kyrie?”
Expecting some level of simplicity, Latera felt a disappointing shock and clenched her fist, her lips tightly pursed. She recalled a conversation she had with Shiron before descending to the mortal world.
“You’ll truly be cursed, hero! Desecrating the resting place of the dead, even a hero cannot escape damnation to hell!”
“I’m certain Kyrie wouldn’t want to be used by these people, right?”
“How can you be so sure, hero! You’re not Kyrie, and you’ve never even spoken to them?!”
“Kyrie is alive.”
“…What? What do you mean Kyrie is alive?”
“Just listen. When we go outside, there will probably be a red-haired girl guarding me. She is the reincarnation of Kyrie.”
“…”
“If you understand, then respond. Go and peer into the soul as you always do. You’ll see I’m right.”
Indeed, it was as Shiron had said. When Latera descended to the mortal world, the soul she saw was exactly as she remembered Kyrie’s to be.
But that wasn’t all.
From this brief conversation alone, Latera was able to deduce several facts. The red-haired girl knew she had been properly reincarnated, yet she disliked revealing her identity as Kyrie to those around her. And for good reason, as Lucia’s soul was filled with shame and humiliation. The reasons for her reluctance gave Latera much to ponder.
Latera turned her head to look at Seira, lying beside Shiron.
‘Reincarnated… and yet, with the Forgotten Magician right beside her…’
Lucia, despite possibly having called out Seira’s name at some point, had never entered the hero’s house. The implications were clear.
“…So, Kyrie is no longer the hero.”
Latera sighed deeply, feeling a sense of betrayal as the heroic image she had been told about began to shatter.
“This isn’t the time!”
Shaking her head vigorously and widening her eyes, Latera prioritized what she needed to do next.
“Ms. Kyrie.”
“Uh, yes?”
“It seems pointless to continue this conversation. There appears to be something more urgent to attend to.”
“I know.”
Lucia nodded in agreement, but her determination did not wane and was fully directed towards resolving the situation. She effortlessly lifted the three people who were lying down.
The day was breaking, and people would soon gather here. If that happened, the issues regarding the unconscious, among other problems Lucia couldn’t solve, would quickly accumulate.
When he opened his eyes, it was to the expectedly unfamiliar ceiling above.
Shiron got up from the bed, looking around with sleepy eyes. The scenery was vastly different from the hotel he had previously stayed in. Seira, who had fallen alongside him, was nowhere to be seen. Instead, at the edge of his vision stood Latera, holding the holy sword, her halo hidden above her head.
“You’re awake.”
“It seems a lot has changed.”
“A lot happened while you were unconscious, hero. Are you curious?”
“…Let’s hear about that later.”
Shiron wet his lips, trying to clear his head.
“So, did you see Kyrie? Seeing you’re fine, it seems like everything was handled smoothly.”
“Of course. But…”
“Judging by your gloomy expression, something must have happened.”
“…Yes.”
Latera nodded weakly, recounting the events that occurred while Shiron was unconscious. She spoke of the invasion by a force of over a thousand soldiers and the destruction of the hotel as a result of the battle.
Shiron was surprised to hear that Siriel had intervened, expecting Lucia to step in as insurance if the enemy reacted violently to the cremation of Kyrie’s body.
After hearing about the events, Shiron began to speak about the future and what they would face next.
“So, what did Lucia say?”
“She asked to be contacted once you awoke, hero.”
“Besides that. There must have been more important things discussed.”
“She earnestly requested that her identity be kept a secret from everyone, not just you, hero.”
“I thought as much.”
Shiron sighed and got up from the bed. Whether it was because he had used a different method to reach the hero’s house or due to the passage of time, he was worried about not waking up immediately. However, seeing no issues with his physical condition, he was relieved that nothing serious had happened.
“Are you going to see Ms. Kyrie?”
“She’s not Kyrie anymore; she’s Lucia. Call her that from now on.”
“…Are you going to continue pretending not to know Lucia’s identity, hero?”
“She asked earnestly, didn’t she? Then we’ll honor her request. And I don’t want to bother with the fact that she’s Kyrie, either.”
Shiron recalled faded memories. The days he spent with Lucia after their first meeting. The Siblings of Winter. From those days, he knew Lucia couldn’t bear the hero’s burden, so he decided not to delve into it.
Shiron checked his appearance in the mirror in the room.
“Where are the others staying?”
“In the room across. Are you going to visit them?”
“I should be the one to visit, with my limbs intact.”
-Knock, knock.
Stepping out, Shiron knocked on the door of the opposite room. As it opened, the pungent smell of herbs was the first to greet him, and lowering his gaze, he saw Lucia looking up at him.
“Momo, mo, are you okay?”
“It’s not me who should be worried about. I heard you’ve been through a lot.”
“Eh?! No, no! It was Siriel who suffered a lot.”
-Brother! Look at me! What’s with that girl?!
-Hey! Are you just going to stand there?!
-What are you doing?!
-What if you end up healing wrong?!
As they were talking, a grumbling voice came from inside the room. Entering, Shiron saw Siriel, wrapped in bandages and struggling.
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