“This past year made me realize... Sith and I are different. No—fundamentally, no two people are exactly the same. Of course not. There’s no such thing as identical souls in this world.”
I listened to her monologue, stroking the back of her head.
“Ah, I feel my heart and body growing lighter. I’m not afraid of anything anymore,” she said.
I was truly glad. Thanks to Dia being honest with herself, I felt lighter too. With her returning alongside Hitaki, most of my otherworldly worries vanished. I clasped what I had gained after a long battle tightly to my chest. In response, Dia tightened her embrace, as if to say she’d never let go again. She held tighter and tighter. This unrestrained strength was something the Dia I’d known before had never possessed.
We finally understood each other heart-to-heart. It wasn’t just our bodies that intertwined but our magic too, creating the illusion that our very souls were merging. Within that illusion, irreplaceably peaceful time passed...until midway through when I noticed something felt off. Or rather, my Responsiveness skill suddenly began sounding its warning alarm. My survival instincts, silent all day, were now shrieking at me.
“Huh? W-Wait a second, Dia—”
Feeling the danger, panicking, I tried to pull away from her. But I couldn’t move at all. My body wouldn’t budge an inch, as though trapped inside stone. Worse still, I couldn’t even breathe. An unknown pressure squeezed my lungs, making my ribs creak. They felt like they’d crack at any second.
“W-Wait, I can’t breathe!” Even my voice was finally silenced. Immediately, I cast Dimension without incanting to analyze the cause of this situation. The source of the anomaly assaulting me was undoubtedly Dia’s magic.
I was enveloped by her excited magic. It had transformed into a physical force holding me captive. The excessively dense magic had become a giant hand, gripping me. Judging this to be a situation that warranted my trump card, I cast another spell without an incantation, deploying Distance Mute over my entire body.
Understanding the attributes and nature of Dia’s magic, I shifted dimensions to slip through them. As I pulled away, my face went pale, and Dia’s magic finally eased.
Realizing her magic had grown rigid and tense from overexcitement, she frantically apologized. “Ah! I’m so sorry Kanami! It’s just my body acting on its own!”
It was likely the lingering effect of the still-active Overprotective skill. As a side effect, it made her unconsciously want to grab me. And without considering her Level 59 strength, it had tried to capture me at full force. It would’ve been a problem for anyone else, but against me—someone who could sense danger beforehand with my skill—it wasn’t much of an issue. Thanks to Distance Mute, I wouldn’t die unless caught completely off guard. And injuries this minor? The Restoration magic honed during my battle with Ide could handle it.
“Nah, I’m used to this kind of thing. It’s fine. I’m not bothered at all,” I said with a smile as I cast Restoration magic on my cracked ribs. Right now, I could handle other types of magic, albeit clumsily. For major spells, I had to stab my chest with Distance Mute and fiddle with my soul, but basic magic posed no problem.
“You’re used to this?”
“I’m not lying. Even if a bone or two breaks, I can easily heal myself now. This kind of thing is like a dog playfully nipping at me.” I implied it was cute, trying to reassure her. It wasn’t bravado or anything, it was genuinely how I felt. My tolerance for pain had become ingrained whether I liked it or not. Coming to this world had even increased my basic physical toughness. Injuries like this were just right for magic practice.
“B-But the pain is still there, right? Sorry, I’ll suppress it right away.”
Though I was used to it, the gentle Dia hurriedly pulled the leaking magic back into herself, condensing it within her body. I could tell what she was doing with Dimension and remarked on it.
“Compared to the beginning, you’ve really gotten much better at handling magic...”
“It was all thanks to Alty and, frustratingly enough, Sith. I don’t think I’ll misjudge the output anymore as long as I don’t panic.” She seemed to understand her own temperament well, but there was no doubt her control over her magic had improved dramatically.
This past year had basically been the equivalent of having a legendary Apostle demonstrate magic techniques right before her eyes. Come to think of it, on top of that, the Apostle had helped her level up too. I guessed I should have been a little grateful to the Apostle. Just a little, though.
“Oh, of course, getting this strong is also thanks to you! It’s because you were there from the start that I got stronger. Thank you so much!” She took my right hand, which had been resting at my side, and gave me a smile so radiant it could have been mistaken for light itself. Honestly, it was a rare kind of smile for me to see. I almost melted at that carefree, pure expression.
“I’m gonna keep getting stronger from here on out! Count on me! I’ll do my absolute best to become a comrade worthy of you! So let’s go on even more adventures together!”
She squeezed my hand tightly and wouldn’t let go. Maybe because her strength stat had skyrocketed after hitting Level 59, it felt like my bones might crack again, but seeing that dazzling smile made me want to forgive her for it.
Dia and I kept holding hands, until Snow, sensing the conversation was ending, approached from behind us.
“All right, done? That was a really, really good story, huh? Do me next, okay? I want a big hug too!”
“Huh? Why...?” I tilted my head in confusion.
“Huh? Your reaction is a bit off!”
“Well, it’s different with you and Dia...”
“That’s so mean! But I tried really hard this time! I tried really hard!” Snow emphatically waved her arms around in desperation.
“You tried hard?” Dia cut her off. “You were doing fine when you were fighting me, but the moment you started fighting Hitaki, you were hopeless.”
“Gah! You remember?! Uh, that was... Well, I just couldn’t help being scared when facing a Guardian.”
“So, an Apostle is okay but not a Guardian? But a year ago, you were fine facing Ide, weren’t you?”
“No, back then I had a sense of responsibility. And Ide wasn’t that scary. This time, with Kanami and Titee there, I guess I let my guard down a bit. Or...how should I put it...?”
“Hmm, you do have that tendency, Snow.”
It seemed Dia had finally noticed Snow’s troublesome core nature. Not wanting to miss this chance for improvement, I chimed in too. “Yeah, that’s Snow’s worst flaw. The moment she thinks someone else will handle it without her giving her all, she starts slacking off.”
“Snow, this might not be something I should say since I was a total mess this time, but you have to give it your all no matter what, okay?”
Dia and I, still holding hands, scolded her. Faced with this combined attack, Snow covered her mouth and started trembling.
“Huh? Wait, is this a lecture starting? This is dangerous! I thought I could get away with it, since Lastiara and Mar-Mar aren’t here, but apparently not?!”
“That’s exactly why you’re no good—always looking for someone to coddle you...” Dia let out a sigh mixed with a wry smile. She knew it was Snow’s weakness, but she also knew it was part of who Snow was, so she wouldn’t truly push her too far. They understood each other’s flaws and complemented each other.
Now our group was finally approaching becoming a real party. I pulled myself together and started moving.
“All right, Snow’s reflection session is over. Time to go pick up Rouge. I think she’s inside the castle, so I’ll run ahead and get her.”
With that lighthearted banter after the serious battle had concluded, I let go of Dia’s hand and started walking toward the castle, which had transformed into a giant tree. After that, I learned from Rouge that Ide had entrusted Viaysia to her, and because of that, I ended up welcoming Kunelle to Viaysia.