Chapter 26

"Do you know what happened in there?" I asked, searching for answers.

"By the look on your face, it seems I know more than you do," she replied with a hint of surprise. "So ask what you wish. If I can answer, I will."

"Who are the Hrimvald?"

"You're more lost than I thought," she said, genuinely taken aback. "They're one of the most powerful houses in the entire world."

"Isn't the house Aithmuir powerful as well?"

"Among the eighteen great houses, the Aithmuir are ranked quite low. The Hrimvald, on the other hand, are in the top five in importance. So there's an immense difference between them."

Ah, so that's what it was, I thought, my mind turning to Hina's behavior. She had never acted that way before. She had always been kind, never shown such disdain toward others.

"This doesn't directly concern me," Elaine said, turning to face me, "but may I ask you something?"

"Yes," I replied, somewhat hesitantly.

"How did you come to know that girl? Knowing someone from the great houses is an extraordinarily rare occurrence, something only a select few could manage. I understand she seemed to be hiding her name, but even so, you don't simply approach someone like her in any normal way."

"Through various circumstances, I ended up becoming an apprentice of Aedric. She is also his apprentice."

"The other person too?"

"Do you know anything about him?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't help you with that. I've never seen a mage who could confront a house leader with such ease. But I do know something about the great faerie."

The great faerie that appeared with Cristal was different from the one that had manifested before me. At that time, Hina and Aedric told me they knew nothing of it. But Aedric began acting differently when it appeared. So at that moment, he had lied to me.

"Can you tell me about it? Please?"

"I don't know much either, only an old legend."

"Anything could be useful to me right now."

"There's an ancient legend that says the founders of the eighteen great houses made pacts with great faeries from their respective regions. Every so often, the souls of these founders are reborn, and they receive the protection of these beings."

"So Cristal is the reincarnation of one of the founders?"

"I couldn't say for certain. But I accepted this mission precisely to investigate that."

At that moment, it struck me. She had been searching for Cristal just like Kael had. Yet she didn't seem particularly grieved by his death. In truth, even I—the one he had saved—had forgotten to ask about his body.

"What is your objective?" I asked her earnestly.

"Do you still see me as an enemy?"

"No, not really. I want to get to know you."

"Oh? Have you fallen for me?" She asked with a teasing smile.

"No, that's not it," I said, my face burning with embarrassment. "Kael died protecting me—protecting all of us. But I didn't know him. I knew nothing about him. I only saw him as an enemy I had to defeat, and I thought that was enough. But now he's dead. I can't ask him anything. And the people—the only people I could trust in this world—I don't even know who they are anymore. It's true I've known them for only a short time, but I believed we could become something like a family. That's why I won't make the same mistake again. Before I decide whether someone is a friend or an enemy, I want to know them. Whenever I have the chance."

Elaine began to laugh.

"You're quite an unusual person."

"Don't laugh. It took me more effort than you might think to say that," I replied, my face still red with embarrassment.

"When I fought that girl, I told her my objective was revenge. But that's not quite it. I want to see the world. My brother loved this world, but he can no longer see it. So I want to see it for him, and understand if the world he loved is truly right."

"And if it's not?"

"Then I'll destroy it."

The conviction in those words impressed me deeply.

"That's why I accepted this mission. I wanted to get close to the nobles and observe them directly. I also wanted to confirm whether the girl was a reincarnate as the legend suggested. Things deviated greatly from my original objective, but it's given me a new direction to investigate."

"Which is?"

"Where that monster came from. While you were all fighting, I regained consciousness and saw it. Because I was bound and too weak to help, I could do nothing. But that monster was definitely not normal. I want to know where it came from."

With everything that had happened afterward, I hadn't thought about it. But that monster appeared from nowhere and tried to take Cristal. From the father's reaction during the trial, it didn't seem like he had sent it. So who had?

"It seems this interests you as well," Elaine said suddenly.

When I emerged from my thoughts, I realized Elaine had moved far ahead. A set of stairs separated us, leading upward. I ran up the steps and found Elaine at the far end of a grand overlook from which the entire city was visible.

"This is where I wanted to bring you."

From that vantage point, I could see the sunset illuminating the entire city in shades of gold and amber.

"It's very beautiful."

"Hey, would you like to become my partner?" Elaine asked.

"Partner? In what way?" I asked, confused.

"An alliance. We can share useful information, and if either of us ever needs help, we can ask for it."

It seemed like a good idea, but after what had happened with Hina and Aedric, I wasn't sure if I could trust her. Perhaps she only wanted to use me.

"I won't use you. Think about this walk—I've given you useful information, and you don't seem like you could offer me much help in return."

"That's true."

"I simply want a reliable ally, and you seem to be one. You're not like the people around here."

An ally. It would be better to know people and have companions if I wanted to survive in this world.

"If you're in agreement, I would be pleased to accept."

Elaine extended her hand with a smile.

"That owl will be witness to our pact," she said, pointing behind me.

"An owl?" I turned around, and there was indeed an owl staring at us. I was shocked that I hadn't noticed such a large bird so close to me. The owl flew away at the involuntary scream I let out upon seeing it.

"Take this," Elaine extended her hand, offering me a bracelet and two stones with symbols carved into them. "With the bracelet, we'll be able to communicate across any distance. And these stones are travel runes—we can invoke each other for ten minutes anywhere on the planet to help one another."

"These are remarkably useful artifacts. You must really want to spend them on me."

"Don't worry. Most ordinary people would be terrified to use such things because a bracelet like this is closer to science than to magic—an object that does something for a human frightens most people here."

It seemed they truly had an irrational panic about anything resembling science, something so broad and useful that could help them in any endeavor. I didn't understand why they would harbor such hatred for it.

"The mere fact that it doesn't frighten you already makes you special. So you are the perfect partner."

"If that's enough for you."

"Well then, I'll take my leave. I'm tired after all these events."

"It's getting late already," I said, watching the day fade into dusk.

"One last piece of advice: Most mages carry many secrets they don't want anyone to involve themselves in. With your friends, if you return and don't mention anything that happened today, they will likely respond by behaving the same way toward you. If you're content with that lie, you'll probably be happy. But if you truly want to see the truth, prepare yourself to have to confront them and endure many difficulties."

With those words, she departed from the overlook. Within minutes, I was left alone. I took the key from my chest. If I used that key, all my memories would return, and all of this would disappear.

Is it worth knowing the truth when I don't even know my own?

I put the key away and headed toward the exit of the overlook. I didn't know if it was worth knowing the truth or if it was better to live in ignorance. But I, who had fled from my own being, didn't want to hold onto a lie. If I could, I wanted to see the true form of the people around me.