Maydare Volume 5 Chapter 5 - The Story of Our Youth, and Salvation

 Maydare volume 6 is coming out in May!!! I don't know if I'll translate it right away but I can't wait!!!

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Once upon a time.

There lived a certain red-haired witch, white-haired sage, and black-haired demon king.

The three powerful magicians were meant to meet, but they didn’t get along very well.

But there was a time when they thought it would be nice if they all acknowledged each other’s power.

“You want to build a fortress castle on a tiny island like this? Is it possible that you’re finally getting carried away with your lust for power and intend to become a king yourself, Sir Sage?”

The red-haired witch wearing a three-cornered hat tittered sarcastically, her long hair blowing in the wind.

“No, Makirié. I simply want to create a school where anyone can learn magic freely.”

“A magic school, huh~”

The red-haired witch didn’t seem to be very interested in what the white-haired sage was saying. She was kicking shells on the beach as she lifted up her red robe dress.

But the white-haired sage wasn’t discouraged.

This time, he invited the black-haired demon king who was staring at the horizon beyond the sea. 

“What do you think? Aren’t you interested?”

“Hmph. I can’t bear the heat of a southern country. I’m going home. Griminde seems to be having a hard time as well.”

“Eh, wait, wait! Hey, listen to my plan! I need you two’s help to make it work.”

The black-haired demon king was about to ride back home on the back of his spirit dragon, but the white-haired sage was desperately trying to pull him back.

“Ahahahahaha! Why are you so desperate, Sir Sage? Why don’t you just leave a man like that alone? He’s holed himself up in his castle for so long that he’s terrified of the outside world. He can’t even stay long in such a peaceful southern country.”

While cackling loudly, the red-haired witch pointed a finger at the black-haired demon king and insulted him then and there.

The black-haired demon king also couldn’t ignore the red-haired witch’s provocation. He turned around and glared at the witch. He even went to the trouble of stopping himself from leaving.

“What was that, Scarlet Witch? It seems that you want me to make you cry again.”

“Oh my, I was crying on purpose that time. Tears are a woman’s weapons. In my case, literally.”

The red-haired witch said smugly. The black-haired demon king got off the dragon and strode over to the witch, pinched her cheeks with both hands, and pulled as hard as he could.

“Eek! Ow, ow, oww~~! Hey you, a man who pulls on a lady’s cheeks so forcefully is disgusting! You’re the worst!”

“I’m fine with that. And you, you’re actually trying to be a lady…?”

“What’s with that face? It’s annoying me!”

The witch cried in pain. Her tears rolled down to the beach and became round salt stones.

Condolences to the people who picked them up, mistaking them for pearls.

“Now, now, stop fighting every time you see each other. I’ve been ordered by the Holy Land to stop it. If you two go on a rampage, this little island will be blown away in an instant.”

“Be quiet, you!”

“You, shut up!”

“...”

The white-haired sage let out a long sigh. He was having a very difficult time.

That was because it was always the sage’s job to stop the quarrels between the red-haired witch and the black-haired demon king.

“I told you guys…to stop!”

Ferocious lightning struck the beach.

There was an old saying in Maydare, “Even the patience of a sage has its limits,” and it was true that the white-haired sage was the most terrifying of them all.

Therefore, neither the red-haired witch nor the black-haired demon king could refuse his request.

“...Haa. You wanna build a fortified castle? On this tiny island? But it’d be hard to build the big castle you’re imagining on this land. The ground is too loose.”

“Huh? Is that so?”

“However, salt from the Salt Forest could help solidify the ground. You’ll be able to get it right away if you make that witch cry. My country too was able to build a sturdy wall with the salt stones made from her tears.”

“Y-Y-You, what do you think a maiden’s tears are!”

“There’s a maiden here…?”

The red-haired witch became furious, but the white-haired sage held her back and calmed her down. This happened all the time.

The black-haired demon king seemed to already have a plan to build the castle on this small island, and he strode onto the undeveloped island.

The three great magicians who would leave their names in history.

A story about their younger days that wasn’t known by anyone.

The castle on the island that the three built would later be used as a fortress in the great magic war, but it would later become a school of magic protected by many spirits, just as the sage had hoped.

That was the beginning, the beginning, of Lune Ruschia Magic School.

But they didn’t know.

They had no idea that the special power that resided in them was the power of the gods who created this world.

They had no idea that a blond reaper would come to kill them later because they were born with that power.

〇 

I was dreaming.

The three magicians were playing on the beach, quarrelling and chatting with each other as though they were children. That was the dream I had.

“...”

I woke up, but couldn’t move or speak easily.

My whole body was in an astonishing amount of pain.

Even the muscle pain after training with Bishop Eska wasn’t this bad.

“Oh, that’s right. I collapsed because of that intense developmental fever…”

No, rather than it being a developmental fever, it was more like the “backlash” that Professor Ulysses worried about.

We used vast magical power to protect the school, and then had the “truth of the world” dumped onto us.

After all the tension was relieved, the strain on my body wasn’t half as great.

“A story we had to know, huh…”

Was I happy to learn it? Or sad…?

“Miss Makia, have you noticed?”

A voice came from right next to me. It was a voice I knew well.

“...I feel like you’re always by my side when I wake up, Professor Ulysses.”

Since I couldn’t move my body, I could only move my gaze in that direction.

Professor Ulysses, sitting on a chair next to my bed, raised his eyebrows and smiled.

“You still call me Professor?”

“...Of course. To me, you are my professor.”

Even if he was the prince of this country.

Even if he was the reincarnation of the great magician called the White Sage.

“Professor, I just had a dream. …It was probably the Scarlet Witch’s memory. Until now, I’ve been dreaming of them in fragments. I just didn’t know what they were.”

But now I finally understood.

“I see. They were memories from two past lives ago.”

I already had memories of my previous life.

Therefore, it never occurred to me that the memories of the Scarlet Witch were the memories of my “second past life” further back in my life.

“Are you still not conscious of the fact that you are the Scarlet Witch?”

“...That’s right. It still feels like she’s someone else. But ever since I looked into the eye of the Scarlet Witch, I have strangely accepted the fact that she is my previous life. Just like when I remembered my past life on the night of the meteor shower.”

Yes. I could accept it.

But what should I say?

“I no longer know…just who exactly I am.”

A short silence followed.

“Um, what about Thor?”

That thought just occurred to me, and I looked around, but Thor was nowhere to be seen.

He didn’t seem to be in this room. I wondered if he was okay.

“After the effects of the fruit of the great tree wore off, Mr. Thor also collapsed, just like you, but he’s in a different treatment room because his magic power was severely depleted. But don’t worry. His life is not in danger, and he will wake up soon.”

“Thor’s eye…”

“Don’t worry. We will be able to implant a magical prosthetic eye, albeit temporarily. As long as we can get to the Frezier Empire, we will be able to implant the Black Demon King’s eye, as promised. That is, if Mr. Thor himself wants it.”

“...Is that so.”

To be honest, I didn’t know if I could honestly say that was good.

But it was a relief if there was no inconvenience for Thor, and he could continue to live his life as before.

“Thank you very much, Professor Ulysses.”

“No, I’m the one who wants to thank you.”

The professor lowered his gaze and told me, his soft bangs casting a shadow over his eyes.

“You believed in me and saved Lune Ruschia Magic School. Even though I made you do absurd and reckless things.”

The professor looked somewhat regretful.

“No, not at all,” I said as loudly as I could. “No, sir. It was because of you that we were able to defeat the threat. You…you were the〈White Sage〉who built this school.”

I finally confirmed it by saying it in my own words.

Professor Ulysses lifted his head, smiled softly, and nodded.

His smile was superimposed on the smile of the white-haired sage I saw in my dream.

“Sir, was the White Sage a friend of the Scarlet Witch?”

“Eh…?”

Professor Ulysses looked a little surprised, but he immediately chuckled.

“Yes, that’s right. I don’t know if I would call that relationship friendship, but I thought we were friends. In fact, we could be called best friends. …you might not remember that, though.”

“No.”

I, too, recalled the contents of my dream as I narrowed my eyes.

“I saw the White Sage in my dream. He had longer hair than you do now, but he looked a lot like you, sir.”

“...”

“The White Sage very innocently said that he wanted to build a magic school. For that, he said that he needed the power of the Scarlet Witch and the Black Demon King. He insisted that. With a sparkling look on his face that showed that he hadn’t forgotten his child’s heart. They seemed so childlike and joyful that it’s hard to believe that they were the brutal great magicians that we are told about today…”

“...Yes.”

“At first, the Scarlet Witch and the Black Demon King didn’t seem to be pleased with the White Sage’s proposal, but they gradually became more cooperative. The way they looked at each other, it was like they were bosom friends…yes. For example, they were like the members of Garnet Team 9. They were like comrades, helping each other improve their magic while competing against each other…”

The professor continued to listen to me talk in silence.

“What can I say? When I look at you, sir, I feel very nostalgic. I’m sure the Scarlet Witch thought of the White Sage as a dear friend as well.”

I was organizing the incoherent information and emotions within my mind while telling them to the professor.

Then, I suddenly arrived at the answer.

I was sure that the Scarlet Witch also considered the White Sage a dear friend.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t laugh together like that or try to cooperate in any way.

I didn’t have all my memories back yet, but I knew that much.

Besides, there were some things I could understand now.

Some of the words that Professor Ulysses sometimes said to me were the words he once said to the Scarlet Witch.

I guess the professor must have known at some point that I was the reincarnation of the Scarlet Witch.

“I wonder…if I will remember more and more from now on, like you, professor.”

A breeze softly blew in from the window.

Even the scent of the wind made me feel nostalgic somehow.

It pushed forward and receded like a wave, and the feeling of nostalgia made my chest tighten.

“I think going to the Holy Land would become a big impetus for you. It was how it was for me. I’m sure…Mr. Thor will recall everything as well.”

A small amount of anxiety smouldered within me.

Only Professor Ulysses seemed to understand my anxiety.

“Miss Makia, you think that by recalling your memories completely, your personality will be overridden with that of the Scarlet Witch, yes?”

“Sir…”

“But, I suspect that you and Mr. Thor will not be controlled by the personalities of your previous lives, but will remain as you are now while slowly recalling those memories. By nature, people change. We are the ones who are abnormal, who don’t change even after reincarnating,” the professor said.

If one “returned” at an early age, when one’s personality still hadn’t developed yet, then at that point, their personality would be dominated by that of their previous life, and their life would feel like a continuation of one’s previous life. This was all according to Professor Ulysses.

But Thor and I came upon this truth after growing up some more.

The professor seemed to think that those who recalled their memories of being great magicians at this age wouldn’t be dominated by the personalities of their past lives.

I would give it some thought as well.

Thor and I had a very complicated reincarnation, via our “life on Earth.”

I felt like we really wouldn’t be ruled by our personalities from two past lives ago.

“I’m sure his intentions also have something to do with that. Perhaps he desires a being who isn’t controlled by the personality of their past life, but also has the power of a great magician.”

“He…”

The “he” Professor Ulysses mentioned must be General Kanon.

I wonder if there was a reason my and Thor’s souls passed through Earth on purpose.

Will I know one day? Would he tell us…?

“Miss Makia, you seem to still be feeling tired. Please rest a little.”

Was it because I was making a puzzled face? Professor Ulysses recommended rest.

Finally, I asked another question that had been on my mind.

“Um, what will happen to Lune Ruschia from now on?”

“Lune Ruschia Magic School is expected to be closed for a while, partly due to the damage from the recent incident. Fortunately, we’re heading into the long winter break, so hopefully the restoration work will be finished by then. …Well, it will probably take a little longer. It seems that the damage caused by the dragon was unexpectedly large.”

“I left the will-o’-th’-wisp Bishop Eska entrusted to me in my room. Will I be able to enter the dorms?”

“Oh, no need to worry about that. Miss Lapis took charge of the will-o’-th’-wisp and returned it to Bishop Eska.”

“Oh, I see. That’s good…”

I was relieved.

I had hardly missed it until the end, but I would feel sorry if something had happened to it.

I was thinking that the worst that could happen was that it escaped, but I was relieved that it was back with Bishop Eska. Well, let’s leave aside the question of whether or not being by Bishop Eska’s side was safe and peaceful for the will-o’-th’-wisp…

“Um, sir.”

“What is it, Miss Makia?”

“Are you no longer going to be a teacher at Lune Ruschia?”

“...That’s right. I, too, must graduate from this school.”

Professor Ulysses’s expression as he said this was very lonely.

He cherished this school that he built with the Scarlet Witch and Black Demon King as if it were his own child.

Ever after reincarnating, he continued to wait for us in this place.

It was at this point that I finally understood. I somewhat felt like crying.

“But, if the war starts, we will have to send our graduates to the battlefield as magic soldiers and magic knights. In this world of Maydare, magic has developed significantly with each war. After all, magicians are out in force in great numbers on the battlefield. I didn’t set up a school for magic for that reason.”

“Sir…”

“In order to avoid the war of this era…and if that’s difficult, in order to minimize the damage by the war as much as possible, I am leaving the school. I won’t let my students die on the battlefield.”

Professor Ulysses gripped his own hands tightly, his eyes lit with a light of determination.

Oh, I see.

He wanted to protect the students of this school, not only because of the will of the〈White Sage〉, but also as the Lune Ruschia teacher, Professor Ulysses.

A few days later.

When I was able to sit up on my bed, I was visited by various people.

“Makia, how are you feeling?”

“Nero?”

When Nero visited me, he was in a Frezier military uniform.

Seeing him like that for the first time, I blinked my eyes for a minute and examined him carefully from head to toe.

Nero, ignoring my gaze, strode up to me.

And then, he told me that he was leaving the Kingdom of Ruschia tonight.

“I’m returning to the Frezier Empire. Lapis had already gone back. As someone with knowledge of Twilight’s magic, she was ordered to return early.”

“Lapis? Is that okay, since she was so badly injured?”

“That’s also one reason why. The damage done to her prosthetic limbs can only be repaired in the Frezier Empire.”

“Well, now that you mentioned it, it’s true…”

But I didn’t expect that after such an incident, I would be parted from Lapis without being able to talk to her about anything.

Nero held out an envelope to me, who was quite shocked.

The words “To Makia” were written on it.

This bold lettering was unmistakably Lapis’s handwriting.

“Lapis told me to give you this letter. In truth, I think she would have wanted to wait for you to wake up as well.”

“...”

I accepted the envelope.

Even after so much hardship, Lapis was moving without a break.

She was in such a dire situation that she had to return to Frezier before I woke up.

I thought about reading Lapis’s letter here and now, but decided not to.

If I sobbed, I would be putting Nero in a difficult situation. He was also leaving the country tonight, after all.

A feeling of loneliness slowly welled up within me.

Garnet Team 9 was scattering in this way, in this flurry of activity…

“But really, you look like a completely different person when you’re dressed like a soldier. You look so grown-up…no, you look cool in that outfit.”

In order to distract myself from these lonely feelings, I engrossed myself with Nero’s military uniform.

And thus, I was patting my hands all over him. He let himself be touched by me with an expressionless face.

“Did you hear anything about me?”

“Hmm? Oh, you mean how you’re a member of the Hermedes royal family?”

“...”

“I heard about that. I’m not at all surprised that you’re a prince.”

“Not at all?”

“I told you this before. I think it was when we were dancing at the ball. I said something like, are you from a commoner family?”

“...Now that I think about it, you might have said something like that.”

“Because you have a refinement and presence that you can’t hide even if you stay quiet. You can’t fool my eyes.”

“Really?” Nero knitted his brows together and tilted his head a little. Really.

But his expression was somewhat melancholic.

“Don’t you despise me for being the prince of the enemy country?”

“...Huh?”

“The country that launched this outrageous attack on Lune Ruschia Magic School and inflicted enormous damage is my homeland. Hermedes seems to be feigning ignorance and claiming that the Twilight clan acted on its own, but every country knows the truth. Hermedes is about to launch a major war of aggression.”

He was speaking without emotion, but I saw him clench his fist and secretly put strength into his eyes.

It was true that Nero was a prince of the Hermedes Heavenly Empire, the invading nation that was now considered an enemy of the world.

Now that his circumstances has been revealed, there would definitely be those who wouldn’t think kindly of Nero. Especially since the country had just suffered damage from an Hermedes attack.

But…

“Nero is Nero. The Nero I know is smart and can make anything, but he’s also a bit air-headed. He’s a reliable member of Garnet Team 9.”

“...Makia.”

“He’s a normal boy around the same age as me. Well, he’s not really normal, since he’s a genius. But to me, you’re an irreplaceable team member. You’re my comrade and friend. Not a single thing about you being the prince of an enemy nation can discredit that. You’ve been through a lot of things, I imagine, but…”

I could imagine it.

Nero’s upbringing, as I’ve been told, wasn’t so easy.

A coup d’etat robbed him of his family, status, and place to belong.

Even so, he still shouldered the fate of being the prince of Hermedes.

I had no way of knowing that Nero, who always had a cool and unbothered face, was carrying such a heavy burden until just a little while ago. 

“But, you know, I’m also the reincarnation of the <Scarlet Witch>. I was shocked when I learned that I wasn’t just the descendant of the world’s worst witch, but the very person herself. Has that changed the way you look at me?”

Nero’s attitude in front of me now was no different from how he treated me until now.

The way he spoke to me, his words, his gaze.

Even he must have heard that I was the reincarnation of the <Scarlet Witch>.

But that’s the way it is.

Even if each other’s “truths” were exposed, nothing would change. That was how we knew that we had built such a strong bond over the past year.

Nero’s expression softened a little and changed to a gentler one.

It was only then did I realize that he had been a little nervous.

“That’s right. Makia is Makia. I’m glad that you’re still you.”

“That’s right, that’s right.”

“But even if you’ve forgiven me, I can’t stay here anyways. It was only a one-year mission to begin with.”

Mission…

“What kind of mission was it?”

“Meeting you and Frey.”

“...”

“Lapis and I didn’t know each other very well, but we were acquaintances. Since we weren’t informed of each other’s assignments, I purposely brought up the subject of the Twilight clan being the descendants of the <Black Demon King> once in order to gauge her reaction.”

“Oh, I remember that now.”

I learned that the Twilight clan were the descendants of the <Black Demon King> from when Nero brought up the topic during an off-campus class where we were searching for medicinal herbs. 

If it wasn’t for that, Lapis might have continued to hide the fact that she was a descendant of the <Black Demon King> for a long time.

Now that I think about it, Lapis had been teaching that magic to Thor, the reincarnation of her ancestor…

“I’m sure Lapis also had a mission to serve as my watchdog in addition to teaching magic to Thor Bigreitz.”

“...I see.”

Lapis also said that she came to Lune Ruschia Magic School by order of the queen of Frezier.

I see. They both knew everything all along…

“But you know what, Makia? I just want to tell you this. Even though there may have been a lot of agendas at work behind the scenes, you are, without a doubt, the one who created Garnet Team 9.”

“Nero…?”

“You chose us. And we chose you. The year we spent together wasn’t a setup. There was pure friendship and youth there. It was a dazzling thing that I could never have obtained originally.”

I widened my eyes slowly.

Nero’s brows drew together slightly, and he had a small smile on his face.

“I enjoyed every single day. I cared about all of you more than I expected. You were the first people I could call friends. Without you drawing us together, Makia, I don’t think we would have been able to enjoy our school life and develop the bonds that we did.”

“Nero…”

And then, he held out his hand to me.

“I have the utmost respect for you, Makia. Thank you for everything.”

Nero’s words made my chest tighten.

I remembered the day I invited Nero to join my team in the glass-bottle atelier.

I did indeed find him that day, and then I reached out to him, saying let’s be friends.

“I never thought I’d hear you say that. I had a wonderful time this past year. I love Garnet Team 9, and you too, Nero.”

And then, I squeezed Nero’s hand.

I tried hard not to cry, but I was a crybaby, so I still cried.

We certainly did develop a genuine friendship.

Even though each of us had a heavy past, circumstances, and destiny, we still enjoyed our school life like normal students, and before we knew it, Garnet Team 9 had become an important place for everyone.

From now on, no matter what happened, the days of our youth would never fade.

It would surely become a force that would support us in the future.

“We will meet again.”

“If you’re coming to Frezier, I’m sure I’ll see you soon. I’ll be waiting for you in that country.”

And then we let go of each other.

Nero spun around and left my room with an unhesitating stride.

His back was unlike how it usually looked. It looked like that of an adult with great resolve.

Maybe it was how he dressed, but Nero’s appearance was so different from when he was a student of Lune Ruschia.

Nero was already looking ahead to the next stage.

Dearest Makia,

By the time you read this letter, I won’t be in the Kingdom of Ruschia anymore. 

Please forgive me for leaving without saying anything.

I want to thank my kind friends who came to help me so desperately. 

I know that there are many things I need to say to everyone myself, but I cannot do that and must return to Frezier as a member of the sinful Twilight clan.

I’m sure that you’re also confused by the many truths that you’ve learned. Not being by your side during that time frustrates me the most of all.

I remember very well the first time I met you, Makia.

I was in that school, in that girls’ dorm room, with a great mission and determination in my heart.

I opened the window and looked up at the sky of a peaceful kingdom, remembering my home and people, whom I had left behind a long time ago.

Then, you appeared.

I’ve known about you from the beginning, and the fact that you and I were roommates was mostly likely planned.

The descendant of the Black Demon King.

And the descendant of the Scarlet Witch.

We were meant to meet each other, devised by those who anticipated that the magic of our ancestors would be the key to future wars.

But, Makia.

On that day, you, who knew nothing about me, wiped away my pain.

You remained honest and straightforward even when you saw my prosthetic limbs, and you reached out your hand to me and became my friend.

I was truly and sincerely happy.

Your smile that was as brilliant as the sun, your voice that brought me courage, and your positive actions that seemed to cut through fate itself, have made me unable to look away from you before I knew it.

It wasn’t because you are the descendant of the Scarlet Witch, in a similar situation as me.

Perhaps just as you don’t see me as the descendant of the Black Demon King, or any other title, I usually forget that you are the descendant of the Scarlet Witch.

That’s just how dazzling you are, just by being Makia.

Just by having you by my side, I was able to forget my revenge and hatred and be only Lapis, Makia’s best friend.

Please don’t forget.

Someday, when you’re in trouble and need help, I will surely come to help you.

I will be your ally, even if I have to all of the obligations that surround me.

Thank you for showing me that I’m not alone when I was about to be consumed by hatred.

Thank you for saving my heart.

Thank you for being my friend.

I love you, and I believe in you with all my heart.

Until the next time we meet, please take care of yourself.

Makia’s best friend, Lapis Twilight

“...”

I had a hunch that this would happen before I opened the envelope, but I still couldn’t stop crying.

I wondered how Lapis felt when she wrote this letter. 

That girl, who rarely voiced her feelings, wrote me a letter with so many feelings contained within it.

That made me very happy.

And I thanked her dearly.

Until recently, there were many things I took for granted would be by my side and didn’t notice.

Strangely, the incident that almost cost me my life led me to discover the friendship and affection between the members of Garnet Team 9. 

Because of all of you, I can simply be Makia O’Drielle.

Nero, Lapis…

And…

“Oi, Leader~” 

As I was reading Lapis’s letter, sniffling with tears streaming down my face, it was Frey who visited me in my room.

Frey, looking somewhat sulky, sat down on the sickroom sofa with a thump. It was then that I noticed the letter in his hand with my sharp eyes.

“Is that a letter from Miss Lapis?”

“Eh, ah…yeah. You got one too, Frey?”

“I guess you can say that.”

Then, he showed me a piece of paper. There, in Lapis’s robust handwriting, read,

Mr. Frey. You’ve helped me in some ways, perhaps. 

Take care of yourself in moderation. If you lay a finger on Makia, I’ll kill you.

Lapis was as harsh on Frey as ever.

With a wry smile, I put my letter back in the envelope.

“So, what’s wrong, Frey? You look upset. Is it because you didn’t like Lapis’s letter. Or did you fight with Prince Gilbert again?”

“Neither. It’s just, you know, haa~”

Frey sighed repeatedly.

What was going on with him?

“Because everyone’s leaving.”

“...”

“I’m the only one left in the Kingdom of Ruschia. Miss Lapis and that asshole Nero both returned to Frezier. And you’re going there soon, so what am I supposed to do from now on?”

Frey was complaining as he rest his head on the back of the sofa and stared at the ceiling.

“Are you feeling lonely?”

“I am.”

Frey was honest.

He was too honest, and that’s why I knew that he really did feel lonely.

Like Nero, Frey also relied on Garnet Team 9 as a support.

I hesitated a little over what I should say to him.

But I was also certain of one thing.

“You’re also a prince of this country. One day you’ll be sent to Frezier, and if you take that path, our destinies will surely cross again. It’s not like we won’t ever see Nero and Lapis again.”

Frey was still looking up at the ceiling, silently listening to me.

“Nero told me about it earlier. He said he came to the Kingdom of Ruschia in order to meet me and you. You also know just what that means, don’t you?”

“...Yeah.” His reply was a mutter.

Frey seemed to be the only one who thought that nothing had changed, but he seemed to be self-aware in his own way.

What could he do from now on? What should he do?

“Hey, Frey. Both you and Nero are princes of great nations. I’m sure that bond will change the future. That’s my feeling. So, Frey, be prepared to walk that path. I won’t run away either…and face my destiny.”

“...Leader.”

“Let’s keep ringing the bell together. If I dare say so.”

Those were the words of High Consort Alicia, but I thought they were exactly what Frey needed right now. 

Frey stared at me fixedly, but fell silent again and remained in this spot.

He was freely feeling conflicted in a place where he could feel safe. 

That’s why I didn’t kick him out either. Since I had all this free time, I braided my hair. 

“Hey, Leader, you’re returning to this country right away, right?” Frey suddenly asked.

“Hmm? Well, Prince Gilbert did say that we would be there for half a year. I don’t know what will happen if a war breaks out while we’re in Frezier, though.”

The conflict had already started.

Hermedes’s surprise attack on the school had a great impact on the peaceful Kingdom of Ruschia and created a sense of crisis in the countries around the world.

Hermedes was claiming that the incident was an arbitrary act carried out by the Twilight clan, but everyone knew that wasn’t the case.

It wouldn’t be strange if a full-scale war broke out any day now.

“If that’s the case, if that’s the case, then…”

While I was thinking about this and that with a serious expression on my face, Frey was fidgeting for some reason.

“Leader, are you interested in becoming my consort?”

“What? Consort!?”

What’s with that abrupt question?

I put my hand to my ear, wondering if I heard him wrong.

Frey was still fidgety.

“Actually, to tell you the truth, it seems that the wariness of Hermedes has reached its maximum in the neighboring countries, and I’ve been receiving a ton of marriage proposals from the royal families of our allies. I got them before as well, but it’s nothing compared to this. And, my brothers are seriously trying to get me to choose a wife. What the hell is that about? I mean, I know that I have to marry for political reasons, but I just don’t wanna marry a woman I don’t know at all. So, I came up with an idea. Leader, you’re still a noble after all, so I’m pretty sure the king and my brothers will approve if I choose you as my wife.”

“...Y-You…”

“I feel like I’m no good unless I have a woman like you who understands me, accepts my no-good traits, is good at taking care of others, and is willing to give me a kick in the behind.”

“...”

“Please, please, please become my consort~~~~~~, Leader~~~~~!”

This guy was hopeless.

He was so lonely and anxious and disheartened that he started to panic and eventually declared that he wanted to marry me.

He’s a man who prefers older women, he always said that I wasn’t his type, and yet at this stage he was trying to choose a sense of security over love…

Should a prince really propose like this? No, that can’t be right.

I was completely put off.

“Frey, why are you here?”

The door opened with a bang, and a long-haired prince suddenly appeared.

“Geh.”

“You got to do something about your habit of running away whenever you don’t like something! And how spineless of you to cling to a convalescing Makia O’Drielle!”

Prince Gilbert was furious.

He must have been working for his country without sleep since that attack, since he had great dark circles under his eyes.

I understood his feelings of wanting to scold Frey.

“Frey, you have a lot of work to do from now on, as a prince of the Kingdom of Ruschia. We must hammer into that head of yours the kingdom governance education you’ve been lagging behind in…!”

“Gyaaah, stop it, stop it! I still wanna be a carefree student!”

Frey, making a huge fuss, was about to be dragged out of the room by Prince Gilbert. Frey was clinging to the ground, wastefully using his power as an【Earth】Blessed Child. 

Prince Gilbert was pushing and pulling Frey, while also talking to me on the bed.

“Makia O’Drielle. I apologize for all the noisiness. Are you feeling better now?”

“Oh, yes, thanks to everyone’s help.”

“I see. …You’ve been through a lot of hardship recently. Take care of yourself.”

I never would have thought that Prince Gilbert would give me words of encouragement…

Our relationship had changed a lot since its initial coldness.

“Also. Airi is also very worried about you.”

“Huh?”

“If you don’t mind, I’d like you to talk to her.”

A gentle breeze blew in from the opened door.

From the edge, I caught a glimpse of familiar chestnut-colored hair and a school uniform.

After Frey was dragged out through Prince Gilbert’s efforts and the room became quiet, I called out to Airi, who had been standing outside the door for all this time.

“Airi, you’re there, aren’t you?”

“...”

“Would you like to come in?”

Airi silently appeared.

She was holding a basket.

She entered the room, closed the door, and stood next to my bed.

“Makia.”

“...Airi.”

We looked at each other and called each other’s names.

And then there was silence again.

Airi looked like she wanted to say something, but she couldn’t seem to get the words out.

So, I decided to speak first.

“I heard that your magic protected the students. Thank you, Airi. You protected my friends.”

“...Ah…”

Then, Airi shuddered and tears slowly welled up in her eyes.

“I’m sorry…I’m sorry…Makia.”

“Airi?”

“I’m sorry, Oda-san…”

“...”

I caught a glimpse of something that looked like onigiri in her basket.

I was surprised. But then I understood.

She was acknowledging me as Oda Kazuha.

Airi was still crying. She was crying this whole time.

It seemed that no further words were going to come out of her mouth, so I made a suggestion.

“Hey, Airi, do you want to go outside? Doesn’t the palace have a rooftop?”

“Rooftop…?” Airi sniffled. “There is. Mm, let’s go. But is it okay for you to move?”

“It’s not like I was seriously injured. I should be moving my body around more now, and the weather is so nice today. It’s warm.”

I got out of bed.

I staggered a little, probably because it had been a while since I walked, but Airi quickly rushed over to support me.

Airi seemed to be quite worried.

Her gaze didn’t convey the same hostility as before.

Standing next to Airi now, I felt a sense of nostalgia, like we were back to the days when we were “Tanaka-san” and “Oda-san.”

The roof of the palace was higher than the roof of the high school we used to go to.

But the blue sky was the only thing that was the same in both worlds. When I saw Airi standing there in her high school blazer, I had the illusion that I was once again the Japanese high school student Oda Kazuha, just as I was back then.

Of course, I was Makia O’Drielle, who lived in the Kingdom of Ruschia.

Sitting on chairs on the rooftop, we opened the basket that Airi brought.

“Are these tuna mayo onigiri?”

“...Yeah.”

“This is amazing! You even wrapped them up with nori seaweed! I couldn’t find nori no matter how hard I looked. Where did you get it?”

With sparkling eyes, I held up a tuna mayo onigiri wrapped in nori.

“I made Gil order it from an Eastern store. But when I served them to the people in the palace, they all got strange looks on their faces.”

“Ahaha, that’s not surprising. I think my team members would feel the same way. They can’t seem to stand umeboshi either.”

“Really? I guess they have to get used to eating them.”

“Oh, but, tuna mayo onigiri seems to be more easily accepted. My team members liked them too.”

Then, I opened my mouth wide and stuffed my mouth with the onigiri.

I even moved at tasting nori for the first time in ages.

“Aah, it’s so good~~. The nori really is the important part. Nori is the key to onigiri. I’m convinced of that today.”

“...Tuna mayo onigiri were the favorite onigiri of me and you, right, Oda-san?”

“Yep, that’s right. Only Saitou liked umeboshi onigiri…”

That was all I said before I suddenly remembered.

Airi liked Saitou as much as I did.

“Hey, Makia.”

But Airi asked me this in a calm tone. 

“Thor is Saitou-kun, right?”

“...”

I raised my head.

I looked at her with a face that was perhaps very, very, surprised, not even able to blink.

Because, that was…

Something no one knew except for me.

“I once snuck out of the palace and went to your atelier at magic school. You heard it from Nero, didn’t you? That time, I ate some umeboshi that you made, and that’s when I realized it,” Airi looked up at the blue sky as she spoke. “Oh, I see. Oda-san, you still like Saitou-kun even now.”

At that time, Airi’s expression looked somewhat dignified.

“Airi, you…”

“I’m sorry, Makia.”

For some reason, she apologized to me.

“I have a lot of things I need to apologize for. To Makia. To Oda-san.”

Was she talking about thinking that I was a wicked witch?

Or was she talking about failing to realize that I was the reincarnation of Oda Kazuha.

“I, I didn’t like Saitou-kun at all.”

“Eh…?”

“The one I liked, the one I fell in love with, was Oda-san. I’m sorry. I thought that if Saitou-kun took you, I would be alone. So…I thought that if I were the one to bring you two together, I could stay by your side forever.”

“...”

“And yet, things turned out like that. It was all because of my meddling. It’s like I’m the one who killed you two…”

Airi spoke frankly with her voice trembling and tears in her eyes.

These were probably the feelings and guilt that she had been hiding all this time.

“Airi…”

It wasn’t her fault that me and Saitou died.

It was most likely already decided that we would both die, even if it wasn’t at that moment.

That was what I believed now that I knew the truth about Maydare.

Airi should have heard about it as well.

But that wasn’t the case. Perhaps Airi’s feelings of self-reproach were in her guilt over her feelings of love.

I was the one who didn’t know anything.

Without knowing anything about her true feelings, I…

“Thank you, Airi.”

“Huh…?”

I didn’t negate Airi’s apology, but simply thanked her, first and foremost.

“You were the only one who noticed Saitou in Thor.”

“...”

Even the person himself didn’t know yet. I didn’t plan on telling him either.

The way he was in his previous life.

Yes. No one was supposed to know about Thor’s previous life, but Airi was the only one who noticed it. She found Saitou.

“Airi. There are times when I…don’t know if that world really existed. After all this time, Japan on Earth is as far away as a dream or illusion to me. But that world definitely did exist, and Oda Kazuha was there. Saitou was there. My feelings of love from that time, my life, was most definitely there… I can believe that because you came to Maydare.”

I could believe that my days on Earth were real because Tanaka-san–Airi–was here.

That was because she undoubtedly affirmed the existence of Oda Kazuha and Saitou Tooru.

Otherwise, the events of that time would fade more and more in the future.

Because my life on Earth felt like a stopover point.

What was important to this world was my memories as the “Scarlet Witch,” and it felt like my memories of Earth were being pushed further and further into the corner by the dizzying days of the current era.

But with Airi, I wouldn’t be able to forget that time.

Now and always.

“Say, why did you come to this world, Airi?” I asked her now.

“...It’s embarrassing, but I ran away. From reality.”

Airi gripped her skirt tightly and looked down.

And then, she started to speak slowly about what happened after Saitou and I were killed.

The incident shocked people and caused a huge stir in society.

No wonder. It was a mysterious murder that happened at a school.

Airi, the only survivor, was inundated with interview requests, and because the case couldn’t be solved, groundless rumors were spread about her.

I had no idea that Airi had been through so much.

I had hardly thought about what happened after all that.

“I couldn’t even bear living in a world without you. I was so weak that I didn’t feel like surviving in that world by myself. That’s why I kept screaming for help.”

Help me, help me, help me.

After she shouted that, a blond-haired man was standing next to her.

And thus, she was chosen to be the Savior of Maydare.

She was asked, do you want to go to a different world…

“But, even after I came to this world, I was still me in the end. I was still weak. I was called the Savior, and I convinced myself that I was the chosen one, and I acted like I knew everything and pretended to be brave. I thought that this was the world of the story I had imagined, and that anything and anyone would do exactly as I wished. There was no one I hated, only people who were convenient to me…By believing that this was a made-up world, I still shut myself up in my own shell.”

Airi’s tone gradually became more and more heated.

“I also decided that you were a wicked witch and saw you as an enemy. Because a hero of justice can’t exist without a villain to defeat. I deliberately tried to create such an existence. Even though Makia is the girl I loved the most in that world. My dearest friend…!”

“...Airi.”

“I’m an idiot. A terrible person. Even though I came to another world, I’m beyond saving like this.”

But before I could say anything, Airi suddenly looked up.

“But, I’m done fretting. Even though I made a lot of mistakes at first, I’m glad I came to this world. Because I got to see Oda-san and Saitou-kun again. Because I was able to meet Makia and Thor. I feel like I finally know what I’m supposed to do now.”

Her eyes were moist but clear.

In front of the azure sky, she was stubbornly facing forward.

“I will protect this world where Makia and Thor lives.”

This moment was the true beginning of the Savior Airi.

We would later realize that this decision by Airi would have a profound impact on the fate of Maydare.

But at this point on time, I was simply so happy to hear Airi’s words and feelings that my heart was terribly shaken.

Airi acknowledged Makia and Thor, even though she overlapped the images of Oda Kazuha and Saitou Tooru over us. She saw us as we were now.

So I wished as well.

I wished that Airi, who was the only survivor in that other world and who surely went through a lot of hardships, would find a place and people precious to her in this world.

“Airi. Thank you for coming to see me again.”

I’m sure that this is the story where you’ll make everyone happy.

Let’s begin the story of your “salvation” and mine once again from here.

---

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