Her first mistake had been when she’d spotted the Estoll soldiers in black. She had lumped them all together, but in retrospect, it was clear that the black figures were dolls while the woman in the red robes at the front of the unit was a human like Tina or Gyria. The woman’s dress had left little to the imagination, but the dolls’ black attire had hidden their bodies. They had been hiding their forms, concealing their unrefined appearances from sight so as not to disturb the human soldiers with them. Due to how many of them there were, Nacht had assumed that all of them were dolls, but now, she suspected that was not the case. Her thoughts were driving her toward a single conclusion—something that she suspected everyone living in this city already knew. The power that granted form, personality, and memory to the dolls only worked within the bounds of the city. It truly was the city of the gods.
“An AoE...” Nacht muttered, slipping back into game jargon. But there were hardly any skills or items in the game with an area of effect that could cover an entire city. The famous Ultimate-tier item Holy War, owned by the head of the Armpit Lovers Unite guild, fit the bill, but it was a combat item. It didn’t explain the unnatural events happening in Euto Fia. As for skills, Nacht could only think of one class of abilities that could affect that kind of area—illusion magic—but that seemed wrong as well. “Ars Phantasia: Dreamland, maybe? That spell might be able to lull the city into dreams of the past...”
One of Nacht’s old companions was a dream-eater who specialized in debuffs. He—no, she—could cast illusions over a truly vast area. One of her spells could have easily trapped people in a perfect dreamworld.
“No.” Nacht dismissed the thought. “If whoever’s doing this could use a spell like that, they wouldn’t need to make dolls. They wouldn’t need to implant a heart in someone to control them either.” In fact, they could have manipulated the people lost within a dream as they pleased, without their victims even being aware that they were following orders. Moreover, Nacht was confident that she, at least, could resist such a spell. So that possibility was ruled out. “Hmm... This is a tough one...”
“Ah ha ha,” Tina laughed. “You know, it’s a bit of a relief to see that even you can be at a loss sometimes, Nacht.”
“I told you, don’t underestimate my ingenuity. Especially when I have a reason to exert myself.” In truth, though, Nacht felt like she was being led around by the nose.
“I see,” Tina said. “Still, I must say, it really does seem like a pity.”
“What does?”
“If they really are able to draw on our memories of the past, I imagine it could be a wonderful power...if they weren’t using it for evil.”
Tina’s words struck a chord in Nacht’s mind. They were nothing more than the girl’s earnest sentiments, but to Nacht, they suggested yet another possibility. Thinking back, Nacht had assumed from the very start that whatever power was at work here was one of evil. After all, it had dragged Aisha back into her past, made light of Nacht’s memories, and held all of Estoll in its sway. But perhaps she had jumped to conclusions.
“I see...” Nacht mused. “A wonderful power. I hadn’t considered that. You might be onto something, Tina.”
Another item from the game came to mind. It wasn’t a particularly rare item compared to the others she had been thinking of. There were one or two thousand of them in existence at the very least. It wasn’t special like an Ultimate-tier item, and it wasn’t as powerful as a dream-eater’s signature spells. It was, however, an item Nacht didn’t happen to have on hand.
“So let me get this straight,” Nacht said. “This all started with the rumor that the dead queen had returned to life. Is that right?”
“U-Um...” Tina blinked. “Y-Yes, I believe so.”
Nacht grinned playfully for the first time in a while. “In that case, we have our next stop. And soon...” Nacht looked out across the city, toward one particularly lovely soul. “Soon, Aisha, I’ll be ready to hear your answer.”
~ ‡ ~
Aisha found herself lost in a memory of a time far, far in the past.
“Flo...ra?” The village of Flora. A small settlement composed of only fields, a river, forests, and their own wooden cottage.
“Yup! That’s the name of our village! But you know, Aisha, the village of Flora is named after your mother!” Aisha’s father smiled gently.
“Named after mama!” Aisha repeated happily. Back then, she had yet to see her third birthday.
“Your mama’s an amazing woman! She’s a beauty, a pro at housework, and just out of this world at magic. She’s saved my bacon tons of times. This farm wouldn’t be half as splendid without her!” What face had her father been making as he said that? Aisha couldn’t remember... “One day, your mama will come back here to us. We’ve just got to be patient.”
“Okay!” said Aisha. “I’ll be patient for mama too, daddy!”
“Good girl. You promise?”
“Yes, I promise!”
A promise they made one day long ago.
Aisha found herself lost in a memory of a time far, far in the past.
“What’s wrong, Aisha? Good luck itself’s gonna run away from you if you keep making faces like that!”
“Saria and Aluna were both making fun of me...” Aisha sobbed. “They called me a blockhead.”
She felt her father’s big hand touch the back of her head and begin to gently pat it. “It’s all right. Don’t let them get to you. You’ve got big things ahead of you, Aisha! You’re mine and your mother’s daughter, after all! So please, don’t rush yourself. Just keep on growing at your own pace. One day, you’re gonna be bigger and stronger and kinder than all those mean kids put together.”
“Will I really...?” Aisha said, doubt evident in her voice. Her father nodded emphatically.
“I know you will. You’ve got your father’s guarantee.”
“W-Well, when I’m all big and strong, I’m gonna pay you back lots and lots and lots!”
“Ah ha ha! I’ll look forward to the day you do!”
A promise Aisha could never fulfill.
The third commercial district within the special development zone was Estoll’s marketplace of the future, superior in both commercial and natural sciences. It was no surprise that they had several inns offering lodgings to travelers and merchants alike. Aisha had rented a fairly spacious room to spend the nights, and every evening, without fail, her father would be waiting for her in her room after sunset.
Tonight was no different. He smiled gently as he prepared dinner for the two of them. “Oh! Welcome home, Aisha!”
That must have been what Aisha had wished to see. She smiled back like Izuna had told her she should, but said nothing.
“Aisha?” her father said, worry in his voice. But Aisha wasn’t even listening. She just stared at the figure of her father, Roland—forty-two years old, as he had been when he died. Roland had been getting up there in years, but his youthful face and toned physique made him look five years younger than his actual age. He had kind eyes that Aisha loved; they showed his emotions so clearly. And his body language, now expressing worry over his daughter, was just as she remembered. It was a perfect recreation of her father.
“But still...” Aisha said. “If I really just stared at him silently like that, my real father would start panicking right away. He’d say, ‘What’s wrong, Aisha?! Are you hurt?! Do you need me to make you a poultice?!’” She giggled at the thought, then she laughed out loud. She had never realized how similar her father was to her beloved mistress in that way.