It was supposed to be the beginning. As I thought back on the details of becoming an Essence Thief, I couldn’t help but laugh at myself.
“That is one thing I will never forget.” That day I followed in the footsteps of the Sovereign Queen Lorde, crushed my own heart, and became the Thief of Wood’s Essence. It was all for the sake of becoming the best chancellor for my queen.
“Professor?”
I could hear that voice again from far away. In response, something in my heart shook its head, telling me that was wrong.
If I was just a professor, I wouldn’t be able to protect my country. I was a chancellor, so I could stand beside my queen. Even now I thought so. I wanted to stand beside the Sovereign Queen Lorde as her chancellor.
I wanted to stand beside her forever! “My sworn enemy, Kanami the Founder, has appeared...”
But now there was another man standing at her side. He was an Outworlder, yet was called the Founder of this world.
“Sovereign Queen Lorde...why are you with that man once again?” I ground my teeth together as I cursed the present circumstances. No, I was jealous. I knew that. No matter how pretentiously I spoke about it, I knew that was what it really was. “If you just hadn’t shown up... It’s your fault I’m all alone...”
As I thought about Kanami the Founder, it brought to mind my final moments from a thousand years ago.
After all, I hadn’t been next to the Sovereign Queen Lorde when I died. Despite the fact that I’d sworn nothing else mattered during my lifetime, she hadn’t been there in the end. On the contrary, according to the price I paid, not a single person who understood me was there. I was alone to the very end for my country of Viaysia.
“Professor, we’re here! Get a hold of yourself!”
Someone vigorously shook me by the shoulders as their voice rang in my ears. How annoying. How thoughtless to call me “professor”! Especially when they didn’t know anything.
“It’s the professor! Please, everyone call for him! It’s happening again!”
“Got it! Everyone who can use Recovery magic, use all you’ve got! I don’t know the cause of it, but it’s bad!”
“Please wake up! Professor, everyone is waiting for you!”
Before I realized it, I was surrounded by Jewelculi whose names I didn’t even know. Everyone had gathered with the girl from earlier...whose name had already slipped my mind, the blue haired one. The other Jewelculi were all ones I had finished treating, who had then wanted to work in the castle. They were all, in general, too young to do so, but they were too strong to live in the castle town, so I had prepared a place for them. It wasn’t just in this castle either—I had put the entire continent to rights so that they could continue living.
Because of that, their numbers had increased and they’d grown attached to me without me realizing it. Aiding the Jewelculi had been my sole purpose, but I had never imagined it would come to this.
Why had I helped so many Jewelculi in the span of a year? Even I didn’t know the answer to that. Why? Was it because it was the Jewelculus Wyss who’d finally reached Floor Forty and called me to this time? She was a Jewelculus just like Miss Nosfy, so was I interested in her as a researcher? Was I merely sympathetic to her circumstances?
Unlike a thousand years ago, I could remember the events of a year ago. When I’d been summoned to this time period, I had applied myself to the medical treatment of that white Jewelculus. Then, as part of the treatment, as I listened to the stories that Wyss had to tell, I’d begun to understand this time period a little bit.
After that, I remembered discovering the location of the research facility dedicated to creating Jewelculi, revealing the truth of it, and then razing it to the ground. I recalled becoming furious upon learning that humans were being produced solely for the purpose of oppression.
That’s right. I wanted to save the Jewelculi because I was angry. Then the first Jewelculus I saved was named... That’s right, it was Rouge.
It was just a little, but I felt the fog in my brain clear slightly.
“Professor! We’re here, so please say something! Please don’t bear this whole burden alone!”
“Huh? Oh... Yes...”
From the mist that cleared extended a hand, and I came to my senses. I was able to look around me, and I remembered I was in the throne room of Viaysia Castle. A crowd of Jewelculi surrounded me. One among them was grasping my right hand tightly. I wondered if that was because she worried about me when I got lost in thought and didn’t respond. Her hands were quite warm.
“I’m sorry. I was in a bit of a...daze...”
However, when I looked at her lovely hands, I again felt that something was wrong. It wasn’t supposed to be these. Her hands looked like that girl’s, so I was...
“Please listen to us. You’ve been acting strangely recently, professor. You’re always in a daze. You have all of us here, so please tell us about your problems.”
“Yes, I am relying on all of you. I was not troubled by anything just now; I was merely reminiscing, so there’s nothing to worry about. I’d just been talking to someone from my past.”
“That’s fine...I suppose...”
It didn’t have anything to do with the girls. As I tried to brush it off with some flimsy excuse, one of the Jewelculi spoke up.
“Oh, um, professor, when’s the next study meeting? We haven’t done it in a while. We have lots of things we still want to learn from you!”
After carefully considering how to refuse, I quietly shook my head. “There’s still so much I wanted to teach you... I’m sorry, but I probably won’t hold another study session. My time is up.”
“Huh? But we were all looking forward to it...”
I kept shaking my head at the persistent Jewelculus. There was no time for childish games of pretend anymore.
“This is no time for that. I want to conduct the activation test for the castle immediately.” From here on, I would think only of defeating Kanami the Founder. I had to stake everything I’d built until now in order to defeat that man.
“You’re going to activate the castle? It is indeed ready, but why so suddenly?”
This castle was the Northern Alliance’s final trump card. Activating it meant that the blue-haired Jewelculus’s reaction was only natural.
“The enemies we created it for are drawing near. Tell the townspeople that the Southern Alliance’s main force is advancing, and urge them to evacuate.”
“Enemies? Are you referring to the ones we discussed earlier? Are those people at the level of an enemy nation’s main force?”
“No. They are incomparable to that toy army. They are two legends who threatened the entire continent a thousand years ago. Anyone will die instantly if caught in their battle.”
“Legends from a thousand years ago? Like the Sovereign Queen Lorde and the Apostles?”
“Yes. Therefore, you must evacuate too. The castle should be emptied.”
“No, wait! We’ll stay and fight alongside you professor!”
“Only the Essence Thieves and Apostles will remain here. Frankly, any other combatants would only be a hindrance.”
After the explanation, the blue-haired Jewelculus looked sad and gripped the hem of her robes tightly. Looking closely, the others around her were in the same state. They bit their lips and nodded one after another.
“Understood.”
I knew the meaning behind their expressions and emotions better than anyone. That was precisely why I found myself starting to wear a similar look. But there was no doubt they’d be a hindrance in the battle against Kanami the Founder.
Calmly turning my back, I issued instructions in a matter-of-fact tone. “As decided, please proceed accordingly. The situation is Crisis Pattern Twelve. Evacuate swiftly.”
“Understood. I’ll relay this to everyone immediately.” The reply was equally matter-of-fact. That made me feel a little relieved. The surrounding Jewelculi exchanged glances, released the hems of their robes, and dashed off toward various parts of the castle.
“Well, things are about to get busy. First, I need to explain the situation to the apostle.”
Finally alone, I immediately turned my gaze toward the throne. There sat the black-haired queen, Aikawa Hitaki, her eyes closed. Beside her, Diablo Sith, who housed the Apostle within her body, was talking one-sidedly to the queen. They both seemed completely oblivious to the argument the Jewelculi and I had just had nearby.