Paradise was to be a kingdom where even the Jewelculi could live happily and peacefully. Ide proposed they journey there together.
That was where Rouge’s memory ended. She must have felt she’d conveyed everything she wished to tell me.
I gradually returned from the Past Sight to reality.
I could understand why Rouge and the other Jewelculi would sacrifice their lives for Ide. I deeply respected their journey. I wouldn’t call it salvation, but I sensed something close to a tale about reforming the world by rewarding virtue and punishing evil. Ide’s presence, helping those gasping in agony and curing incurable diseases, was truly noble. At the same time, I knew he had changed greatly over this past year.
Seeing the shift in my expression, Rouge murmured, my hand still pressed against her chest, “Dr. Ide did as he said he would. He swiftly prepared a new Sovereign Queen Lorde and showed us how to build a kingdom. But ever since becoming that kingdom’s chancellor, I feel like he’s been changing little by little. Without rest, he’s worked and worked and worked, driven relentlessly by something... Before we knew it, he’d stopped smiling altogether.”
Guardians were undead, but that didn’t mean they were unchanging. They could change their minds or perhaps even break the vows they’d made in life. Ide might have found something more important than helping people. Or maybe he simply lost the capacity to help others, bit by bit.
“Even deliberately escalating the war between the Northern Alliance and Southern Alliance now—that’s something the old Dr. Ide never would have done.”
The Ide of today was far too unpredictable compared to a year ago. That was probably why Rouge, the Jewelculi who’d known him the longest, wanted to uncover the truth behind this odd behavior. Or perhaps she already knew the truth, and because of that, she was offering to cooperate with those who sought to eliminate him.
“Lately, even when I call him ‘Doctor,’ he doesn’t answer. He ignores me completely, like he was never a doctor at all... Only when I call him ‘Chancellor’ does he turn around with this incredibly tense expression. It’s painful for me to see.”
That desperate plea pierced deep into my heart thanks to the connection we still shared.
“So, please. Aikawa Kanami is the older brother of the current Sovereign Queen Lorde, right?”
From what I’d heard from Liner and Lastiara, there was no doubt that the Queen of the North was my younger sister, Hitaki. Without hiding anything, I nodded. “You’re well-informed. Yes, you’re correct.”
“Please, take your sister away. And drag the doctor down from being chancellor. That’s my wish.”
“Understood. We’ll definitely make Ide step down as chancellor. We’ll definitely get my sister out too,” I promised without hesitation. Rouge’s story made perfect sense thanks to the connection, and I understood the problems Ide was facing too.
Perhaps because Titee and Ide were siblings, their problems were strikingly similar. Only the word “queen” had been replaced with “chancellor.” The task at hand remained unchanged.
Titee, who had been listening from behind, seemed to agree, patting Rouge’s head in welcome.
“Ide saved you from a miserable fate, didn’t he?”
“Yes... That’s right. Um, thank you for your help, Your Majesty, the true Sovereign Queen Lorde.”
“Ah, my pleasure. But there’s no need to be so stiff. You may speak to me more casually.” Titee seemed to trust Rouge from the start. After my Distance Mute, she was able to interact with the Jewelculus very openly.
“Kanamin. Deep within Ide’s heart, I distinctly sensed the lingering image of the old man and old woman who once helped us as children. Just like for me, even after decades pass, that image alone never fades. But it seems he’s mistaken about what comes next.”
As we exchanged information, Ide’s problem became clear. The issue seemed troublesome, but I wasn’t too worried. After all, sitting right beside me now was Ide’s real sister.
“Things seem to have gotten a bit complicated. Still, I think it’ll be easier than with you,” I said.
“Ha! That’s reassuring.”
The task at hand was the same as always. It wasn’t to fight the Guardian but to draw out the true wish from someone who had mistaken their desire.
Making sure not to stray from that path, I began to move. “Well then, let’s get going. We made quite a scene, so people are gathering.”
Titee had fought intensely in front of the giant hole, leaking a significant amount of magic power and noise into the city. Several divers were watching us from a distance. If this continued, even the town guards would show up.
I filled the entire town of Dahrill with Dimension to find an escape route. Incidentally, Kunelle, who’d escaped earlier, was now outside the city. Beyond that point was truly dangerous, so I decided to watch her back as she left.
This was where I parted ways with Kunelle, but I had a feeling we’d meet again soon somewhere. It wasn’t fate, but I felt something close to it with her.
“Aikawa Kanami, I believe our teacher is definitely in the country called Viaysia at the southern tip of the Northern Alliance. That’s the country he founded for the Sovereign Queen Lorde,” Rouge said.
“I never thought Ide was lying. Without a doubt, he’s been waiting for us in Viaysia all along, both in the past, and in the present,” I replied. The only place for Titee and Ide to settle things would be that country.
However, Titee spoke up, her voice a little worried. “But is it really safe to head straight north? I heard they’re at war?”
“It’s fine even if we go straight, teacher’s sister. It’s not like they’re at war all year round.”
“What?! Not all year round?! Hmm... Things are different from my childhood.”
“As for the Northern checkpoints, I can get us through without a problem, so don’t worry. And even if the Southerners spot us, Snow’s here, so we’ll be fine, right?” Rouge asked.
Snow, who had been standing back, was startled by the sudden address and tilted her head. “Huh? But I’ve already stepped down as acting commander in chief...”
“Snow, that sort of thing isn’t something you can just quit easily. At the very least, people still see you the same way, so if anything happens, would it be okay to ask for your help?” I asked her.
“Yeah. You seem in a hurry, so I’ll try to make it work.”
“All right. Well then, about the road ahead...” Rouge unfolded the map she carried as she walked. Numerous memos were written on it, and just skimming them with Dimension gave me a basic grasp of the current war situation. Incorporating Snow’s perspective as the former Southern commander in chief, I precisely determined how to avoid the battlefields as we advanced.
Viaysia lay just beyond the border between North and South. It didn’t take long to decide our route.
“All right, let’s go. No more detours.” Having finalized our plans, we hurried back to the carriage. Once aboard, we’d simply ride straight ahead.
“Yeah, let’s go. To my childhood home, Viaysia.” Seated beside me on the driver’s seat, Titee turned her face in the direction where her brother awaited.
Most likely, once we completed this journey home, she would vanish from the world, because the story that had begun in the Underground/Past Viaysia had reached the Aboveground/Future Viaysia and would finally come to an end. Yet I couldn’t see an ounce of fear on her face as I looked at her profile, because she knew that ahead was her return home.
I vowed in my heart to deliver Titee, the Thief of Wind’s Essence, and Ide, the Thief of Wood’s Essence, to that home.
The carriage raced toward Viaysia and the closure of their long lives.