The Great Mage who transcends by returning, Episode 326
“Huh…Whoa… ….”
At first it was just a single tear, like a drizzling rain.
But as I turned my head away in embarrassment, it turned into a shower.
what is so sad
What else is so sad?
Ariandel just cried.
I didn’t know why she was crying so much.
Being me doesn’t mean I know everything.
But something came to mind in her reaction.
old memories.
It is a memory before rewinding.
Ariandel at that time was a pretty old relationship for me.
Actually, it wasn’t just her.
Everyone on the expedition was special.
Each other was each other’s family, friends, and companions at the same time. All gathered in the first place were those who had experienced a terrible loss.
It is a relationship formed in that situation.
It was natural for them to cherish each other. Even everyone’s goals were identical and their motives were similar.
Even though there was Siegfried who caused many problems, the reason why the expedition was able to roll somehow must have been thanks to such a sense of kinship.
At that time, everyone was like that.
Everyone was familiar with tragedy and took misfortune for granted.
Of course, Ariandel did too.
Just what can I say… ….
In her case, she did not want to show her ‘pain’ to her colleagues.
She didn’t do anything when they shared their painful memories and comforted each other.
To put it bluntly, I would say that it was the side that did it rather than the side that was comforted.
but only once.
There were times when she showed her heart.
Shedding tears so sad that I couldn’t see the ‘Ariandel’ I knew… ….
– I’m sorry, I’m sorry… …for not knowing
He was a victim child.
Regardless of our efforts, the child was overtaken by demons and met a terrible end.
Ironically, the child’s appearance resembled her relationship.
Cassandra.
Her sister-in-law that Ariandel couldn’t protect in the end.
Maybe the only thing that was fortunate was that I was the only one there besides her.
“Ugh, black…!”
For some reason, seeing her crying now reminded me of that time. It’s not exactly a similar situation, but why?
I waited for her to stop crying. It doesn’t feel good to meddle in these circumstances.
– Thank you so much for being with us until now.
“….”
back.
For a moment, without realizing it, the hand holding the robe became stronger.
…It’s already past.
Sometimes it tingles and pops up in my head, but….
Okay.
So I calmed myself down and let out a small sigh. Isn’t it a word that has been repeated several times to the point of getting tired of it?
don’t come back
can’t even come back
With that thought locked beneath the surface, I looked at Ariandel again.
Her eyes were red, but she had stopped crying.
“…I looked embarrassed. I had no intention of doing this.”
“it’s okay.”
It wasn’t even embarrassing. People always shed tears.
This is especially true for someone like Ariandel who lives under the weight of a heavy burden.
then she told me
“Mikhail.”
“Yes Ariandel.”
When her name was called, Ariandel smiled softly.
It was a familiar smile.
“I saw a lot of things before coming here. I needed time to organize my thoughts.”
“If you think….”
“It’s just a lot of things.”
She smiled bitterly.
Then, as if counting, he began to spread his fingers one after another.
“First, I stopped by the church. You know what? The exiled Siegfried has returned. Besides, Lord Richard, who was wandering around, has returned and is serving as the commander of the Holy Knights.”
“I’m glad.”
Since that day, Sir Richard has recovered and seems to be doing well. It’s fortunate.
From the standpoint of mankind, he is an outstanding hero and a talent that must not be defeated.
“Although the bishops of the church were surprised when he announced that he would fully support Mikhail’s actions…Well, Mikhail is a warrior. It’s nothing unusual.”
“haha.”
“Then…It was jihad. They came out of the forest and were looking for the elven clan quite diligently. We will need to get together as soon as possible.”
Did you meet Jihad?
Certainly, as she said, it seemed that she was diligently wandering around.
But at her next words, I tilted my head for a moment.
“Then it was Moohyul. He was no different from before. Would you say there is consistency?”
“….”
It was a bit strange.
This is because the relationships she met before coming here were strangely similar to those before returning.
All are members of the expedition.
Unbeknownst to me, I looked straight into her face. The mysterious silver eyes trembled and fully reflected my figure.
She was looking at me too.
The reddish sunset behind her informed me that the day was slowly passing.
“And here we are.”
“….”
My head froze for a while.
It’s been a while since I’ve had this kind of experience, and I don’t know how to deal with it.
What should I say?
How should I respond to her words right now?
Possibilities popped into my mind.
I wasn’t thinking of the obvious ‘possibility’ that I couldn’t help but think of.
Even though I could remember, I didn’t.
no i couldn’t
It was too realistic to be called a possibility.
it’s the past
I had never thought that there would be someone other than me who inherited those future memories intact.
That’s why the cogs in my head, which normally would have been spinning diligently, stopped for a moment.
To the point where I felt like an idiot for being overly confident in myself for a very short time.
“Um, is that so….”
I asked myself once again.
What should I say?
Have you ever returned?
Do you have any ‘memories’ from before that?
I think it’s kind of stupid.
No, it looks like it, but it doesn’t.
You’re stupid.
But when I think about what else to say, nothing comes to mind.
But when you did that.
“I’m fine now. You don’t have to carry it alone like that.”
ah.
At that moment, without realizing it, my mouth slowly opened.
My mind, which I tried to move somehow, became blank for a while, and it froze for a while.
Ariandel just silently waited for that unsightly figure.
just remembered
I don’t think that all the things I remembered were ‘false’.
I thought I shouldn’t get caught up in it, but I also thought I couldn’t forget it.
And the conclusion that came out of all the process was one in the end.
loneliness of being alone.
the moment you realize it.
“ha ha ha….”
Before I knew it, I was laughing.
no need to carry
The moment I heard those words, an inexplicable emotion soared.
“ha ha ha…flaw….”
with minor bites.
I laughed like that for a while.
That was enough.
* * *
“…hmm.”
After calming down a bit, shame came over me belatedly.
I couldn’t control my emotions at the moment because the unexpected situation suddenly unfolded.
[Are you feeling better?]
– It’s okay Contractor. Isn’t that what everything is originally?
After coming to my senses, the scenery I saw was these strange gazes.
No matter how much you deserve it… …Shame is shame.
“Nothing…No!”
[No, but don’t go that way.]
– That’s why it’s more ugly.
The two of them don’t miss the opportunity and just grind their teeth at it.
…At this time, the fact that these two were attached to me was truly deplorable.
damn it
I tried to ignore both gazes, then returned my gaze to Ariandel.
She sat across from me, quietly sipping her tea, waiting for my words.
“therefore…Did you say something was received from Hekau before I turned back time?”
“Yes, I was asked. The boundary between life and death… …It was very close. If you don’t care, there’s a chance that the Demon God will notice.”
“…hmm.”
To be honest, it’s a feeling I really can’t describe.
It didn’t seem like she was immediately aware of her memories before returning. Did you say that at first it remained vaguely like a dream?
It was the arrangement that Solomon had prepared.
Ariandel as a ‘saint’ was already close to completion.
An-bae must have judged that it would be more beneficial for her to revive latent ‘memories’ rather than training.
– Huhu is also my arrangement. Not sure about performance?
“…Whatever it is.”
First of all, it was true that this guy actually contributed a lot to this job, so I didn’t say anything else.
“In other words, with the help of Hekau, the succession of memories was successful….”
“Yes, but it is also the way to convey his message before rewinding to him.”
Hekau’s message before returning.
It would be a lie if you weren’t curious about what exactly the message was about, but what’s more important right now is the other side.
‘…Hekau’s authority as a god is definitely inferior to that of a demon.’
It was a fact I already knew.
However, the new fact learned here is the extent of the gap.
Of course, even that demon didn’t immediately recognize the ‘return’, but immediately after recognizing it, he was clearly aware of his memories before the return.
On the other hand, in the case of Hekau, he knew the possibility that he would not recognize the return in the first place and asked Ariandel to follow suit.
in other words.
‘I’ll have to hurry up a bit.’
Perhaps it was because there was a high possibility that she would be captured by the Demon God’s offensive sooner than expected.
“If that’s the case with succession, then you’ve remembered everything, right?”
“Yes, for now. It was vague before, but I can say that it became clear this time.”
She continued with a wry smile.
“The world before the return…I also learned how one-sidedly I was swayed by the Demon God. And my sister, Cassandra, her child… ….”
“….”
“Thank you, Mikhail.”
She said that and bowed her head to me.
“For not forgetting that child.”
“It was natural.”
“Even if it is a matter of course, it is important not to forget it and do it.”
Ariandel laughed.
“There must have been a lot of things you had to do right after you came back. In that complicated situation… …Because somehow I didn’t forget and did it.”
“….”
“ha ha ha….”
I never really thought we would have a conversation like this.
“Strangely, wanting to break Siegfried’s head wasn’t just my mistake.”
“It’s strange that when I recall that memory, I don’t have that urge.”
How many times did he shovel before returning… …It must be shocking that Ariandel was annoyed.
“Well, somehow it worked. In the first place, he… …The position of being a hero was the shackles.”
“Surely it is as you say.”
Ariandel smiled brightly and added a word.
“Of course, if it were me, I would have broken that bastard’s head first!”
“…hmm.”
this familiarity. it’s stable
The Ariandel I remembered was just like this.
Anyway, she and I talked about the pre-regression for a while.
It’s such a painful memory, but there was a point of contact that only those in the know could share.
after the story is over.
“So Mikhail’s next destination is now heading to the next grave, right? You said there were only two left? One of them is not in a good location.”
“Yes, it is.”
…ocean.
An area bordering on two small kingdoms even destroyed by demons.
It would be a lie again if I said I wasn’t a burden at all… ….
“I think I will be fine now.”
It is different if there is this Ariandel.
If the great saintess who never backed down even in front of the army of demons that I remember was together.
“Yes?”
Ariandel grinned.
Then he held out his hand.
“I wish you well in the future.”
The hand she held was somehow warm enough to bring tears to my eyes.
