Chapter 14

“Fortis, are you from Earth?”

… I was at a loss of words. I never told anyone else of my origin, of the world that I left long ago. If Emori knew about that place, that means…

“You’re also from Earth?”

“... Yes.”

“Oh… Wow… I wasn’t expecting to encounter someone else from my world here.”

I didn’t know what else to say. Should I ask how she died? How she got reincarnated here? What her past life was like? What should I say?

I never considered the possibility of someone else getting transported along with me because the Asytelar said that I was the one that was chosen to defeat the demon king. There would be no reason for me to believe I was the only one from Earth, but it got etched into my mind anyway.

I fell silent.

“Umm… Fortis?”

“Yeah?”

“Am I not supposed to say that?”

“Ah, no. It’s just… I don’t know what to say.”

I pulled myself up from bed and looked toward the windows. I opened the curtains, gazing at the beautiful night sky. A sky full of stars.

“... It’s a beautiful night.”

“... Yeah. Where I live, the city lights are too bright for the stars to show.”

“Same with me. Say, how did you die?”

“Drunkards.” I couldn’t help but giggle. “I hate them so much, but if they hadn’t killed me, I wouldn’t be here.”

And this life had everything my previous self desired. It gave me the second chance I wanted. A loving family, close friends, even powerful allies. I wouldn’t trade my current life for anything else.

“I see… I died the same way.”

The same way?

“By drunkards as well?”

“Yeah. I was working my shift when a fight broke outside. I tried stopping but, well…”

“Say, you didn’t happen to be working at a minimarket next to an apartment, did you?”

“... And you didn’t happen to be a guy getting into trouble with drunkards after you left, did you?”

We both fell silent for a moment.

“So you’re him!”

“You’re the girl that died!”

“So we’ve been living so close to each other for so long?”

“I can’t believe it… Wait, is Prilus also a person from Earth?”

“He never mentioned anything about it before…”

“I wonder what would happen if I was born in his body instead…”

We were born into two families of very different social status. Not that I mind, but it still made me curious nonetheless. I have to wonder if this was part of the Asytelar’s plans. I may be a powerful character, but without allies, I stood no chance of fighting the demon king.

“I… wouldn’t want that…”

“Huh, why?”

“I mean… We… We can’t… We can’t be more than…”

“Emori?”

“Never mind, good night!”

She closed the connection. I tried to Connect with her again, but my attempts were rejected.

What was she about to say, I wonder.

I had the faintest inkling of what she might mean, but I wasn’t sure if I was thinking of the right thing.

I didn’t end up answering her question.

I chuckled. Oh well, not like I knew what fear of losing someone felt like. I wouldn’t be much help. Still, to think both me and her were connected like that… I would never have expected such a thing. Just as I was thinking about that, I noticed the crow hanging by the window. I opened it, letting her in.

“You always appear at the right time.”

“I couldn’t do many things in the body of a crow. Might as well hang around the school. Besides, did you not do something interesting today, Fortisbel?”

“Well, I did.”

I told her about our return to Nanawak, and our plans on rescuing Nayala.

“What a risky move.”

“I know, right? Oh, by the way, is Emori being in this world a part of your plans?”

The crow tilted her head. “Emori? What are you talking about?”

“Don't you know about that? Emori is also from Earth.”

“This… this is the first time I hear of such a thing.”

The little crow flapped her wings. Looking at her, I have to wonder what she was like when she was still alive, normally, I mean. Not in this body.

“Say, you never told me why you pick a crow specifically?”

“It's easier to hide in the night, allowing me to tail my targets easily. Plus, people don't eat crows, so there's no reason to hunt me.”

“If your crow body is killed, would you die?”

“No, but that is a secret. For obvious reasons.”

“Right.”

While I have no intention of killing here, it was still something risky.

“By the way, does that mean that I'm the only one you chose?”

“Yes. I could not bring more than one people here, or at least that is what I thought. I must have messed up the magic somewhat. Still, that is unimportant. Would you prefer Emori to be someone of this world?”

“No, not really. I don't think it really matters who Emori is, to be honest.”

“You two are indeed quite close.”

The bird nodded her head. It wasn't clear to me what the link between Emori’s origins and our relationship is, though.

“I look forward to the progress of your relationship. It will be interesting to see how you two deal with your origins.”

“What are you implying?”

I could only shook my head as I watched she fly away