Maydare Volume 6 Chapter 15 - Reminiscence (10) ~The Two Children~

Next chapter is the last one!

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It had been a year since I was welcomed into the Country of Demons.

I had children with Torc. A pair of adorable fraternal twins.

After having just given birth, I looked at my babies’ faces and used all my strength to give them the best fated names.

“The older sister is Saria.”

Saria, the older twin, had Torc’s black hair.

The color of her eyes were similar to her father’s, a violet color that seemed to contain a large amount of magical power.

“The younger brother is Keith.”

The younger twin Keith had red hair like me.

His eyes were a deep blue, like a mixture of violet and sea blue.

When I named my children, I suddenly saw the future.

Although I didn’t tell anyone about it, I vowed to love and raise these children like precious treasure until the day of decision came.

Because we would return to the future one day.

“You worked hard, Makirié. I can’t believe you gave birth to a pair of fraternal twins. Our family has grown bigger all at once.”

“Yes. I’m overjoyed, truly.”

After I had just given birth and named my babies, Torc held my hand and thanked me through tears.

“Thank you, thank you, Makirié.”

“...Why are you thanking me? I’m the one who should thank you.”

Despite feeling exhausted, I squeezed his hand back.

“Thank you for granting my wish.”

Our family had grown. Those words alone saved me somehow.

This was also what I asked for from Torc.

“Look. It looks like they both inherited our hair colors.”

“Yeah. It’s easy to tell that they’ve inherited our blood. Their faces would resemble ours more and more each day.”

Torc and I each held one twin and smiled at each other.

“But Keith looks like you and has bright red hair, and Saria looks like me and has deep black hair. They’re a reverse of us.”

“Fufu, isn’t that okay? I’m sure Keith will grow up to be a handsome boy with a cheeky face like mine, and Saria will become a beautiful girl who’s elegant and cool.”

We raised our children together.

Although I had raised Kanon until he became an adult, he was already around ten years old when I met him, so I had no experience in looking after a newborn baby. And on top of that, I had twins, so everyday was quite tough.

But those days were also filled with happiness.

I was truly grateful to Torc for giving me children. 

Ever since our children were born, I felt that our relationship had become a little softer and warmer, rather than the strained and tense one it used to be.

They say that children bound two people together, but there was a gentle atmosphere between us, like we had truly become a family.

Even though we may not be truly in love with each other, I believed that through our children, we have become partners who truly trusted each other.

This joyful time lasted for about half a year.

It had already been nearly two years since the White Sage was killed by Kanon the Savior.

I thought that was plenty of time.

One day, a loud sound like glass breaking echoed through the Country of Demons.

It sounded like someone was trying to break the barriers that surrounded this nation from all sides.

When I looked up, I saw the emblem of the Holy Land shining brightly.

What…was that?

“The Holy Land is finally taking action.”

Torc glared at the emblem and slowly clenched his fist.

“I can’t believe it…! They’re trying to destroy your barriers! It’s impossible! They don’t have the <White Sage> anymore!”

“...But they have him. The <Savior of Fraxinus>.”

“...”

“That man has the right to use…the hidden power of the World Tree in the Holy Land. It’s the power for killing us. Yunocis told me about it before.”

“Yunocis did…?”

“Also, humans have created many military magic weapons in the last ten years of magical wars. Because of our existence, humans are also advancing in magic.”

As though he had expected everything, Torc gave the commands for this occasion.

This was an attack by an allied force of western countries who had gathered in the name of the Holy Land. 

After overcoming several military conflicts, humans followed the <Savior of Fraxinus>, who had accomplished this, and now they were more united. They were telling the Country of Demons that today was the day they intended to overthrow us.

Ah, that man was coming.

As promised, he was coming to kill us.

The people of the Country of Demons were quickly gathered in the underground space of the castle.

It was a special space with layers of Torc’s spatial magic, and the salt stones I once created were also used. It also had teleportation equipment in case of an emergency.

In short, it was like the last stronghold of this country.

This battle was no longer one where soldiers were fighting against each other. Rather than defending the country, many must choose to survive, even if it meant abandoning it.

After saying that, Torc prepared to go to battle by himself.

Even if many people from the Country of Demons were to be moved using the teleportation device, it would take time. He was going to buy them that time.

But that wasn’t all. I knew what he was planning to do.

Torc was about to confront Kanon…the Savior of Fraxinus.

“Torc, wait! I’m going too!” I grabbed his arm and pleaded with him to take me.

“No, you stay here,” he turned around, grabbed me by the shoulders, and gave me that order. “You need to protect our children! Isn’t that right, Makirié?”

“...!”

Torc looked past me to Saria and Keith, who were being held by the O’Drielle sisters, and Skroot, who he had raised as his heir. His eyes were filled with love. 

And then, he tried to persuade me again.

“Besides, you can barely use your ‘command magic’ now. I can’t take you with me.”

He was right.

Even now, I could barely use the “command magic” that used parts of my body like I could before.

“But I can’t let you fight alone! The enemy is the Savior!”

Even the <White Sage>, whose power was at the same level as us, was killed.

Though Torc was known as the powerful <Black Demon King>, he was no match for the Savior.

The bad feeling I had was overwhelming.

I was sure Torc felt the same way.

“Don’t go, Torc. Let’s escape with everyone.”

“...”

“Let’s go as far as we can. For the sake of the demons, for the children…and for me, please escape with us…!”

Let’s run away from Kanon to the ends of the world.

However, Torc had a calmness about him, as if he had accepted everything without any grudges. He looked at me with a somewhat sad look in his eyes.

“Makirié. Were you…happy after marrying me?

“...”

Why…

“Why are you asking me that?”

I shook my head over and over again.

“Wait. Are you leaving me behind? You promised me that you’d always stay by my side…you said that you’d grant all my wishes!”

Torc pushed me away and created a strong magical wall between us.

It was a barrier created to protect the people gathered underground.

Even though Torc was right next to me, there was a transparent wall between us, and I couldn’t touch him anymore.

“Liar! You liar! Torc, wait!”

I continued to scream as I pounded on the magical wall with my fists.

Torc knitted his brows together and smiled at me once more, then turned around and walked away without looking back.

As I continued to pound on the magical wall, General Skroot tried to stop me by saying something, but I continued to reach for Torc.

“Wait…”

Everyone.

Everyone was always leaving me behind.

“Don’t leave me!”

Without fulfilling the promises we made.

I was crouching there on the spot for a while.

There was a loud explosion outside. It seemed that the battle between the vanguard and Torc’s magic had already begun.

It was only a matter of time before the Country of Demons was conquered, but the people gathered here were to be transferred away using the teleportation device under Torc’s command, starting with the women and children. We were now taking time to deploy that device.

Everyone was praying for the safety of our king and for his return. 

But even if we waited here, Torc probably wouldn’t come back.

That unpleasant feeling had been swirling around inside me for a long time.

“Lady Witch…it’s warmer here.”

Melissa called out to me in a gentle voice and told me to come near the magic crystal that was emitting heat in the center of the clearing.

However, she then noticed what I was doing—

“Lady Witch! Lady Witch, what are you…!”

Pretending to be drooping my head in anguish, I pricked the soft part of my arm with the tip of my wand.

If I couldn’t use magic here, then why was I even born as the <Scarlet Witch>, and what was the point of me surviving so persistently?

I wanted to be a normal girl.

I wanted to live, grow old, and die as a normal girl.

What a joke!

I don’t need useless magic that can’t be used when it mattered, even though it made my body like this!

“Listen to what I say at a time like this!”

I strongly commanded my magical power in my throbbing blood.

Then, I pointed my blood-soaked wand against the magic wall and chanted an incantation.

“Maki rie luci ah—Destroy!”

The blood magic caused a strong explosion that created a hole in the Black Demon King’s wall. 

The O’Drielle sisters’ magic wall blocked the after-shocks of this explosion, but everyone underground was driven to the wall.

My blood contained a hidden “firepower” that could destroy everything.

I had been unable to use magic for a long time, but being able to use it here made me realize…that some kind of limiter inside me had come off.

“I’m sorry. I ended up destroying Torc’s magic wall. I’m a failure as a queen. …Melissa, Jane, seal the hole from the inside with your magic walls. Skroot, once the teleporter is up and running, everyone will evacuate from here as planned.”

“Lady Scarlet Witch!”

“Lady Witch! Lady Witch!”

Without listening to the voices that tried to stop me, I escaped from the underground and rushed out of the castle.

A blizzard blocked my sight.

However, I could trace Torc’s footsteps by following the scent of his magical power.

The sounds of powerful magic cannons using the magical power of the Holy Land firing at the barrier of this nation resounded from everywhere. 

Still, at that moment, I wanted to follow Torc no matter what and see him again.

Torc.

I still haven’t told you anything yet.

If you leave me behind all by myself, I’ll never forgive you.

“...”

A snowy field next to a cliff.

A corpse dressed in black was lying in the place where Torc and I first met.

A golden dagger was thrust into its chest.

“...The Black Demon King is dead. I killed him.”

Standing next to him was a man with blond hair and garnet eyes.

He was someone I knew very well.

“Kanon…”

I stared at the scene for a while. 

A landscape that was losing its color. Stilled emotions.

After a while, reality finally began to settle in.

I understood. Kanon killed Torc.

“...Torc…!”

I tried to run towards him, but my vision got distorted and my legs tangled up under me. I fell, unable to get back up. 

My body couldn’t stop shaking. I was cold. It wasn’t because of the coldness of the snow.

“Why?”

“...”

“Why, why, why did you do it, Kanon…!”

I asked Kanon many times over.

Why do we have to be killed by you?

Both Yunocis and Torc were killed by him, who I raised with love.

The Kanon that I raised…

“You’re going to kill me too, aren’t you?”

“...”

“I don’t care anymore. Kill me. I want to go to where Torc is.”

Still silent, Kanon pulled out the dagger in Torc’s chest, wiped the blood from it, and sheathed it.

Those who seemed to be his Guardians were silently about to carry Torc’s body away.

“Wait…!”

I forced my weak body to get up and stood with shaky legs.

“Stop, don’t touch Torc! Don’t take him away!”

I pointed my wand at the people carrying Torc’s body and tried to use any spell I could to stop them.

But Kanon stood in my way. 

The previous gentleness was gone from his eyes. He stared down at me coldly.

“Kanon! Step aside!”

Even so, I waved my wand, but it ended up being a misfire. I couldn’t use magic in this situation.

Why. Why. I was able to use it earlier…!

Kanon grabbed my arm as I waved my wand over and over again and spoke to me.

“Stop wasting your time, Makirié. The Black Demon King’s body will be transported to the Holy Land. That is also the desire of this man, Torc Twilight.”

“...What…”

“This man was prepared to be killed by me one day. Because of the White Sage’s last letter.”

The White Sage’s…last letter…?

“You probably don’t know anything about it, but about half a year ago, the Black Demon King and I had a duel here. To tell the truth, I actually was planning to kill him at that time.”

“...”

“However, the Black Demon King begged me to wait a little longer before killing him. He said that he didn’t care what happened to him after that. …The reason was that you were pregnant.”

I slowly widened my eyes. 

My wand slowly slipped out of my weakened grasp and fell onto the snow.

“But I can’t wait any longer. The remains of the Black Demon King will be placed in a ‘coffin’ at the base of the Holy Land’s Great Tree. Your body as well.”

“Why…”

“That is the law of the world, and it is my duty as the Collector. The remains of the magicians who bear a color title must be placed in the coffins of the Holy Land. For this purpose, you were born, and for this you die.”

I could only shake my head. 

“...What are you talking about, Kanon? I don’t understand any of it.”

“I’m not going to say anything more either. Even if I did, you still won’t understand.”

“...”

“This is not where I kill you either.”

Kanon let go of my arm and tossed something cube-shaped at my feet.

It was the “Black Box.”

It was a magic tool that supported Torc’s spatial magic, and a magical index that recorded all of the spatial magic spells he devised.

I picked it up and held it close to my chest before I picked up my wand.

“I won’t forgive you…!” I gritted out. My voice was filled with regret, anger, and hatred.

With tears streaming down my face, I glared at the child who was once the most precious thing to me in the world.

“I won’t forgive you, Kanon!”

Kanon’s eyes clouded over slightly for a moment.

“That’s fine with me,” he answered in a monotonous voice, as though he had accepted everything, and turned his back to me.

“Makirié. I’ll be waiting for you at the place we first met.”

I stumbled back to the castle, carrying the “Black Box” Torc left behind and dragging his favorite sword behind me.

Returning to the underground space of the castle, I had to tell the citizens of the Country of Demons about everything.

The fact that I was the only one who returned underground.

The fact that I had the Black Demon King’s sword.

Seeing those two facts, everyone was prepared to hear the report on what happened.

“Our king…the Black Demon King Torc was killed by the Savior of Fraxinus.”

Screams and wails rose from the citizens of the Country of Demons. 

That’s impossible! No one can defeat our Demon King!

Heart-wrenching cries, screams, howls, moans…I heard all sorts of sounds.

However, Skroot, Torc’s son and the general, was the only one who seemed to accept his father’s death, even as he had an expression of pain on his face.

“Lady Witch. This is for you.”

Skroot walked up to me and handed me something.

“The king…my father entrusted this to me. He told me to give it to you in case something should happen to him.”

It was a letter. A letter from Torc to me, put in a white envelope and sealed with the wax seal of his coat of arms.

I took the letter from Skroot and opened it, not prepared for whatever was inside.

“To Makirié” was written at the beginning of the letter. And then…

You may not believe it, but I love you.

It started with that sentence, and I closed the letter without thinking.

I managed to control my shaky breathing, held back the tears that threatened to overflow, and opened the letter again with trembling hands.

This time, I prepared myself and started reading Torc’s letter.

To Makirié.

You may not believe it, but I love you.

I think this is the first time I truly fell in love with someone.

Until then, I never knew that unrequited love could be so heartbreakingly painful.

The more I learned that it will never be requited, the more I see you thinking about another man, the more I wished that someday you would love me again.

However, it is impossible to turn back the time that has passed.

I know very well that your heart will never return to me.

I could tell by your gaze and expression the moment you were thinking about that man, and I felt like going crazy with jealousy.

When you were in love with me, I wasn’t aware of your feelings at all, so I deserve every bit of this. I was so uncool that it’s funny.

When I met the Savior of Fraxinus before, I heard this from him.

It seems magicians like us who possess extraordinary magical power are reborn many times in this world.

When I heard that, I made a promise to myself.

Next time I’m reborn, I’ll find you before anyone else.

And I’ll love only you.

Even if it’s a love that cannot be, I’ll continue to love you and only you from beginning to end.

This is my one-sided promise to myself, so you don’t have to care about it.

I have no intention of imposing on you about our next life, so you just need to be free.

I want you to be free and happy in your next life with the man who you love most.

However, if we were to meet again somewhere in this world, I secretly hope that this time you will give me my name.

I often felt like I was cursed by my name, but Skroot, who was named by you, seems to be loved by the world.

But, if I’m given a name by you in the next life, there’s a high chance that I’ll be a baby when I meet you again, so that’s something to think about. As expected, if I was a baby, the chances of being chosen by you are slim. Even now, I still wish I had a small chance.

Makirié. I leave our two children to you.

As a naming witch, you probably know best how to guide them, so I want to leave everything up to you. I believe that it’s in the best interest of Saria and Keith to do what you think is right.

I’m entrusting everything regarding the Country of Demons to Skroot, so there’s no need to worry about that. Thank you for loving Skroot as well.

Makirié, I entrust with you the last letter that Yunocis sent me.

After that, your future is for you to decide.

If you’re going to go see that man, that’s fine.

I truly don’t want to hand you over to anyone, but you should do whatever you want and do the things you haven’t done in the end.

I hope that you will make a choice that you will not regret.

Makirié. Thank you for giving birth to my children and becoming a part of my family.

I am grateful to you from the bottom of my heart.

“...”

I confirmed that Yunocis’s last letter was behind this letter.

However, I was afraid that my tears would drip down onto the paper and blur the words, so I closed the letter slowly and looked up at the sky.

Over this long, long period of time, we developed an unrequited love for each other.

No matter how powerful we were, we couldn’t do anything about love. Whether it was our own or someone else’s. 

That was why I thought it was so precious and beautiful.

That was why the heart was the most frightening source of magic.

“Lady Witch. The teleportation device is ready. Because of my father’s death, the outer barrier has weakened and has already been breached from all sides. It’s only a matter of time before the allied soldiers breach the castle,” Skroot informed me with a pained expression.

Behind him, all the leaders of the Country of Demons were waiting for my orders.

I put Torc’s letter away in my pocket. 

“No. I won’t run away. The Savior of Fraxinus…Kanon would never let me go. I won’t let that child get away either,” I said to them in a calm voice.

Voices rose from everywhere, shouting, “We’ll fight too!” and “We’ll avenge the king!”

After losing their king, everyone was in the depths of despair and didn’t know where to find hope.

However, I looked at them and gave my command firmly.

“I must settle the score with the Savior who killed the king. This is my last task. No one must follow me.”

I have already decided to go and meet Kanon on my own.

I couldn’t let anyone get in my way.

“Therefore, you will all use the teleportation device to escape to the new destination as planned. Take me and Torc’s child with you and survive at all costs. If you live on, you will be rewarded one day. This is my last command as the queen of this country and as the Scarlet Witch.”

First, I entrusted my daughter Saria, the older of the twins, to Skroot, the general of the country and Torc’s first child.

“Skroot. Take my daughter Saria and go with the demons. You’ll be the king at the destination. As the heir to the Twilight name, build a home and protect the people. We must not let this bloodline die out. The magic of the <Black Demon King> must be passed down into the future.”

I entrusted him with not only my beloved daughter Saria, but the Black Box and the sword the Black Demon King left behind.

I emphasized that the spatial magic left behind by the Black Demon King must continue to be inherited.

“Understood, Lady Scarlet Witch. Princess Saria inherited yours and my father’s blood, so she is surely a possessor of great power. I vow to cherish and protect her as my daughter. I don’t have much aptitude for spatial magic, but Princess Saria has the same violet eyes as my father. I’m sure she will inherit his magic…”

Skroot was a tough man, but his voice broke from emotion at the end.

He hung his father’s sword at his hip, put the Black Box in his pocket, and took Saria from me. Tears sparkled at the corners of his wolf-like eyes. Saria was calmly sucking on her pacifier and looking at me intently with her innocent eyes. I smiled at my beloved daughter and whispered to her that there was nothing to worry about.

Next, I entrusted my son Keith to the O’Drielle sisters. 

“Melissa, Jane. You’ll take my son Keith to the Salt Forest. Please raise him with love as an O’Drielle son. I’m sure he’ll be like me, willful and prone to loneliness.”

“...Yes. We’ll do as you ask, Lady Scarlet Witch.”

“We will protect Keith and the Salt Forest with our lives. We’ll make him the happiest boy in the world…!”

When Jane, the younger sister, lifted Keith from my arms, he started crying and pulling on my hair.

Seeing this, Jane also burst into tears.

Next to them, her sister Melissa was the only one who had a brave look on her face. “Lady Witch. You saved our lives. We will repay your kindness no matter what. We will pass on everything about you to this child. One day, he’ll be proud of the fact that he is the son of the legendary <Scarlet Witch>.”

I looked into Melissa’s eyes and nodded. I gave her the magic basket and put the pointy red hat I always wore on her head. 

Keith, who was prone to feeling lonely, wouldn’t feel lonely if he had the loving O’Drielle sisters.

“Saria…Keith…thank you for being born.”

Finally, I kissed the cheeks of both of my beloved children and recited the names I gave them.

Even if someday they would forget their father’s face and mother’s voice.

If that future was miraculously bright, not lonely, and happy, then that was fine.

I myself strongly wished and prayed for this.

And so, Skroot took Saria and the people of this country with him to teleport to the location prepared in advance.

It was a magical reservoir that was prepared for a migration from the start, an extremely cold place closed off by snow and ice where humans couldn’t easily step foot. There, they planned to rebuild the Country of Demons.

The O’Drielle sisters took my son Keith with them and returned to the Salt Forest in the Kingdom of Ruschia using the teleportation device. 

I was the only one who remained behind. After watching everyone teleport away, I flipped the self-destruct switch on the teleportation device.

It would soon be activated and explode, destroying the underground space and making it impossible for anyone to pursue them.

And, no one would ever be able to return to this country again.

Even so, I faced forward and left the Black Demon King’s castle. Just when I exited, the underground teleportation device exploded, causing the ground to shake and the castle to begin to collapse. 

I watched it vacantly from afar and cried, thinking that my only comfort was that my children were still alive.

“Saria, Keith…I’m sorry. Please live and be happy.”

As their mother, I was frustrated that I wasn’t able to be with them any longer.

I have no way of knowing how you will grow up.

However, the people I entrusted my children to were the people I trusted more than anyone else in this world.

With this, there was nothing left to regret in this country.

“I have to set out soon as well.”

After I settled the affairs of this country…

The only person I had to face was my other child.

***

The descendant of the Black Demon King, Twilight.

The descendant of the Scarlet Witch, O’Drielle.

The two families had a great secret.

Their ancestors were the fraternal twins born to the <Black Demon King> and the <Scarlet Witch>.

The children who descended from the blood of the two great magicians would continue to pass down their lives and magic from generation to generation, under the protection of names loved by the world.

Until someday in the distant future, when we will return to this story.

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