As Ide’s student, Rouge also chimed in to defend him. “Yeah, even though he was a dead man, I think he worked incredibly hard for the sake of those living now. For example, without this Sorcerification power, those kids running around out there would’ve been discarded much earlier. Everything we can do now, working in Viaysia, is all thanks to the professor.”
“Yeah, maybe Dr. Ide prolonged the war to create a place specifically for the Jewelculi? Even if the war had ended easily and we’d created a world without war, that wouldn’t have simply brought peace to the Jewelculi. That said, personally, I wonder if prolonging it really was the right choice.”
Unlike me, the two of them were genuinely praising Ide’s work.
I didn’t argue with them. “I see. It really is complicated. Politics and stuff like this just aren’t my thing. I have absolutely no idea how to bring peace to the Jewelculi.” For someone like me, who could only fight and save people, understanding the true nature of peace seemed like a distant prospect.
Kunelle muttered under her breath, “Liar. Saying you don’t understand with that magic and those skills? Liar. You could be chairman if you just put your mind to it. You always dump the troublesome stuff onto others...”
Please forgive me for just hanging out this past week! I have other things I have to do soon!
Ignoring Kunelle’s complaints, Rouge continued speaking. “Just like the hero said, peace is incredibly complex and difficult. But it’s okay. Over this past year, everyone in Viaysia has come to at least accept both Jewelculi and sorcerers. As for how slaves are treated, I think Viaysia will probably become the most progressive country in the world. I feel like we’re slowly moving toward peace.”
“I see...”
“From now on, we’ll build an ideal paradise where everyone in the country can call each other family! Together, of course!”
I silently watched Rouge trying to carry on Ide’s will. Honestly, seeing her like that stirred up many thoughts within me, and the countless anxieties that flashed through my mind robbed me of the words to respond.
Rouge immediately noticed my unease and teased me. “Oh, great hero! You think a paradise is impossible, don’t you? Really, great hero, you’re too rational and realistic, if I do say so myself!”
“Um, no, Well...maybe...” I was surprised that she was right on the mark. As a student, I’d studied the discipline of history. As far as I could recall from the timelines in my head, a paradise where everyone could be happy had never existed anywhere. Surely it didn’t exist in this world either.
Faced with that reality, Rouge said, “I know. But I don’t think aiming for it all together is a bad thing in itself. I believe the very will to strive for paradise has meaning.” She understood it was idealistic, yet she would keep pushing forward.
It wasn’t that she was blind to reality or that she’d forgotten her ideals or that she was self-righteous—she simply said we must all move forward together. Her unshakable conviction brought to mind Ide and Titee’s final moments.
No, to be precise, it was the teachings of that old man and old woman whose names I’d never learned that came to mind. Knowing that spirit, the heart of that family, truly dwelled within Rouge made my reply come without delay this time.
“Yeah, I think that’s good.”
Not long ago, Titee had seen a Viaysia a thousand years in the future and said the people here weren’t Northerners. But Rouge here was undoubtedly a descendant of that past Viaysia. This conversation had made me certain of it.
Relieved, I felt a touch of nostalgia as I looked around the garden, transformed by the power of the siblings’ spell. Within the beautifully manicured, vibrant garden, there were truly all sorts of people. I noticed a young semifer with a face resembling someone I knew talking earnestly with a Jewelculus. He reminded me of Reynand, the old general and legendary blacksmith. This young semifer’s bearing also gave off a vibe reminiscent of Beth. Perhaps he was a descendant carrying blood from the Vohlz family line.
Considering the connection to a thousand years ago, observing our surroundings through Dimension was quite interesting. The young semifer children running frantically through the garden seemed similar to the knights who’d claimed to serve me in the past, who I’d met on the reverse side of Floor Sixty-Six. From the children chatting amicably in the garden, I sensed remnants of the people who’d lived in the re-created Viaysia as well. Only I, a user of Dimension magic, could faintly perceive that thousand-year-old bloodline.
Of course, there were many Jewelculi whom Ide had saved. People who, in a slightly earlier era, would have been oppressed and even denied freedom, now lived according to their own will. People of diverse origins were joining forces for the sake of their beloved Viaysia. There wasn’t a trace left of the old days when people killed each other simply because of their race.
This is nice, isn’t it, Ide, Titee? This was surely the very place they had first aimed for. The citizens themselves probably don’t think of it as a paradise yet, but to me, someone who held a thousand years of memories, it looked like nothing but paradise. Of course, this paradise wasn’t eternal, nor was it sweet. Many hardships surely awaited everyone here. Rouge, who championed idealism, would undoubtedly stumble many times. If things went badly, the nation might even collapse.
But that was okay. No matter what happened, the spirit would be passed down again and again, continuing to live on in this world. That was enough. As long as the wishes of my friends were granted, I, just one Diver, had no business interfering in the affairs of the nation.
Thinking I had nothing left to do there, I stood up from the table. “Well then, I should be going now.”
“Okay. Thank you for everything, great hero. If you hadn’t been here, I’d have been in even deeper trouble. I’m truly grateful... Oh, if you happen to find Noir on your travels, could you tell her I’m worried about her? Tell her her place is here and that her home is definitely here.”
Noir hadn’t shown herself at all this past week. Apparently, after losing to me, she’d disappeared somewhere by herself.
“Got it. If I see her, I’ll tell her.”