My constantly active Dimension confirmed it. This Freeze was a spell constructed by the seated Hitaki. My heart leaped at the fact that my sister had attacked me with magic.
Seeing my agitation, Dia spoke up. “Kanami, are you okay? Sorry, I should’ve told you first.”
She approached Hitaki, drawing closer than the distance I’d been frozen at earlier and cradled Hitaki’s head.
“Sieg, these people aren’t enemies. Calm down,” She stroked my sister’s head like she was soothing a baby, calling her by the name of Sieg.
“S-Sieg? No...Dia, she’s my sister. Sieg was an alias I used; it’s not Hitaki’s name...”
“Kanami, what are you talking about? Kanami is Kanami, right? And Sieg is Sieg.”
I tried to correct the mistake from afar. But what I got from Dia was a look of utter bewilderment. Little by little, the true nature of this abnormal situation began to dawn on me.
“No. The girl standing there is my sister, Hitaki.”
“Hitaki?” Dia tilted her head as if hearing an unfamiliar name.
I was certain I’d explained about my sister to Dia during our voyage a year ago. Yet, this reaction meant there was no doubt about what was going on.
“Hey, Dia, could you leave me alone with Hitaki for a moment? There’s something I need to talk to her about.”
Before speaking, I wanted to gain what information I could, so I pointed at Hitaki and moved closer. This time, even if she cast another Ice magic spell on me, I intend to handle it calmly. But before I could get close, I was rebuffed.
“Sorry. You can’t do that.” Stepping between me and Hitaki, Dia began monologuing with a stern expression. “I’m the only one allowed near Sieg. The only one allowed to speak to her, to touch her, is me. Because there’s no one else left. I won’t let anyone take Sieg. I won’t let her go again.”
I felt Dia’s sanity, which I had already doubted, peel away in an instant. Simultaneously, the shape of her supple right arm began to distort. Like kneaded clay, the form of her hand shifted away from that of a human. As Dia’s emotions crumbled, it became clear that her limbs were fake.
First, the part of her right arm from the elbow down completely lost its shape, transforming into particles of magic that glowed pure white. Then, the light swelled, increasing in volume until it became mist. That mist of light slowly enveloped Hitaki, who sat nearby. It was as if a giant’s hand was gently clasping her. Dia seized all of Hitaki with her own magic, fulfilling her earlier declaration of never letting her go, as she continued speaking.
“But don’t misunderstand me, Kanami. Of course, I trust you. It’s just that I can’t afford even the slightest chance of something happening anymore. I don’t want to lose anything precious again. I just want to protect her. Yes, I just want to keep protecting her. From now on, forever, until I die, I will keep protecting Sieg! I won’t allow a single scratch! I won’t let you go anywhere! I won’t let you talk to anyone—that’s what I swore! That’s why!”
I listened patiently, clenching my fists, probing with my words. “Dia, does that mean I’d be hurting that black-haired girl standing there? It’s okay. That will never happen. So, can I just talk to her a little?” This time, I asked without mentioning her name.
But suddenly, Dia’s expression turned tearful, and she glared at me with a look of sheer madness. “Kanami too?! Are you taking Sieg away from me? Why? Why does everyone try to take important things away from me? Why? Hey, why? Why does everyone bully me? It’s weird... Weird, weird, weird. It’s weird!!!”
Little by little, the light faded from her eyes, and it became impossible to tell where she was looking. Simultaneously, her magical power swelled.
The brilliance of the light intensified, and now her left leg, too, began to lose its shape just like her right arm had. It was the part Maria had burned during the battle with the Apostle a year ago. From the knee down, that leg turned into particles of light, just like her right arm. Crumbling, crumbling, crumbling, it took on a new shape.
This time, it wasn’t mist but countless feathers of light. Light feathers scattered from her leg, increasing in volume like spreading wings. In an instant, the streets of Viaysia were filled with light and feathers.
Those streets, dyed in immaculate white, became a sight that could only be described as sacred. It was beautiful, yet anyone with even a shred of understanding of magic would be overcome by terror first and foremost. It was a sensation similar to facing Titee at full power. The girl murmuring before me now possessed the same force as the Demon Queen—the power to make all manner of beings bow down without question.
“Ah, this is wrong! I won’t allow it! I will protect us! I absolutely won’t allow it!”
Dia erupted with magic power as she looked at me and started screaming. From the color of her eyes, I felt she no longer even knew who I was. Right now, there was only one thing in her mind. To never let go of the being she must protect—Sieg.
With those same empty eyes, Dia stepped forward. The immense, sacred magic filling our surroundings began to move, following its master. Hostility swelled, intent on eliminating me, the intruder. Further conversation was impossible. Before we could speak more, I had to restrain her.
Dia opened her mouth wide and, as if switching off a power source, dispersed all her shining magic like mist. She bowed her head, and the swelling hostility vanished. I had seen this sequence before, so I calmly watched the transformation.
Dia suddenly lifted her face, grinning broadly, revealing an expression entirely different from before. That look, far from innocent, confirmed to me that a different person stood there.
Apostle Sith spoke casually. “Well, I’m at my limit. Anyway, that’s how it is. Oh, and by the way, if Diablo and Sieg get too far apart, they both go berserk, so be careful, friend.”
“Long time no see, Sith...” I’d known she would show up from the start. Calmly confirming the switch, I quieted the excitement I felt at Dia’s and Hitaki’s appearance.
“Long time no see, dear friend and Snow. Oh, Rouge is here too. And, it’s a pleasure to meet the real Sovereign Queen Lorde for the first time.”
To us, it felt like greeting old friends, but to Titee alone, Sith bowed respectfully. Greetings wrapped up quickly, and we moved on to the main topic.
“Well then. Shall we try peace negotiations before the duel? After all, peace is best for everything. Surely you aren’t the kind of cruel people who would lay a hand on a military envoy, are you?” Sith asked. She turned her back to us as if testing us, then moved to the large white table where Hitaki sat and took a seat. She beckoned us over, inviting us to join her at the white table.
Without hesitation, I took my place at the table. My three companions followed silently. We had decided beforehand that if there was to be a conversation with Apostle Sith, I alone would conduct it. Now, Sith and Hitaki sat facing the four of us, creating the appearance of a debate about to begin between two teams. With everyone at the same table, I was the first to ask a question.
“Sith, what was that about Dia earlier? Explain yourself.”
“Don’t get so angry. I’ll explain properly. We are friends, after all.” Sith picked up a cup from the table and took a sip of tea with an elegant gesture. “Just as you feared, Dia thinks my dear friend Hitaki is ‘Sieg.’ Interesting, isn’t it? It was easy to make her think that. Since the body truly is Sieg, you could even say it’s more accurate now. Thanks to the skill Overprotection targeting Sieg, it was surprisingly simple. It’s not quite at the level of the Essence Thieves of Darkness and Light, but for me, it’s a masterpiece.”
To me, manipulating someone’s heart was the most unforgivable act. But I suppressed my raging emotions and focused on gathering information. For Dia’s safety, I had to stay as calm as possible when talking to Apostle Sith.
“Why did you do that?”
“Because I had no other choice. For the past year, Diablo kept chipping away at her own heart, chipping and chipping until her personality was on the verge of collapse. Before that collapse happened, I prepared something precious to her to stabilize her mind. Actually, I’d rather you praise me for stopping her collapse...” Sith glanced at my expression. She genuinely seemed to want praise, just as she said.
From her demeanor, her true nature gradually became clear. This woman was a champion of justice. A champion of her own slightly skewed sense of justice, but she undoubtedly loved justice above all else and was trying to protect this world with foolishly sincere dedication.
“So, while treating her, I also tried embedding some new spell formulas. I worked hard to create them to forge an alliance with Ide. It’s a rule-based spell formula: ‘If anyone tries to harm Hitaki, Dia’s light will pierce the enemy. Conversely, if anyone tries to harm Dia, Hitaki will freeze the enemy. They protect each other completely.’ That’s why Dia overreacted earlier. With the status boost from the skill Overprotective too, it’s really something else!” Sith explained the situation in a joking tone. All the while, she kept poking Hitaki’s cheek playfully, emphasizing that she herself was perfectly fine.
Unlike when I approached, Hitaki merely squirmed as if tickled. But even then, her eyes remained half-open. She didn’t look awake, nor did she look asleep.
“Hmm, worried about Hitaki? Right now, she’s sleepwalking. To be blunt, she’s totally asleep.” As I speculated about Hitaki’s condition, Sith, sensing my thoughts, resumed her explanation. Her consideration made it clear that she genuinely intended to explain things for my sake.