Soliette sank into quiet contemplation, her gaze shifting from the starry night sky to somewhere else.
"...Are you still awake?”
She asked Jared, who was lying next to her.
"No, not yet.”
He replied.
Soliette’s expression turned peculiar.
“It feels like it might rain tomorrow.”
This was a statement meant for verification.
“Is that so?”
"Yes.”
She was trying to confirm what she was doing in this bottle of souls, why this journey seemed to be endlessly ongoing.
“...See you tomorrow, Mr. Jared."
"Yes. Sleep well.”
Soliette quietly closed her eyes.
...Drip-
Drip-
Droplets of water settled on her cheek. Soliette slowly opened her eyes.
"Ah, it's raining.”
Before she knew it, the party members were bustling about, folding up their sleeping bags.
Drip-
Drip-
Soliette watched the droplets falling on her face.
Once again, she closed her eyes quietly.
A hollow laugh spread across her lips.
Now she understood.
Everything she unconsciously wished for came true in this place.
The journey didn’t end because she didn't want it to end, and companions appeared because she wished for them.
In fact—
It had been like that from the beginning.
She thought she had stumbled upon this game by chance.
She found Bethune while searching for ‘Knightmare’ on the internet, thinking she had caught a lead on Knightmare.
What if that was a misconception?
What if it wasn’t by mere chance that she entered this place, but Knightmare had guided her here?
"Soliette. Time to get up. The rain is getting heavier.”
Soliette opened her eyes. Her companions were calling her with smiles.
"You said it looked like it would rain. And now it really is.”
She looked at Jared, who spoke those words.
“...Yes.”
Soliette replied quietly.
“It seems this journey will soon come to an end."
She felt she was beginning to understand.
What lay at the bottom of this bottle.
Who was waiting for her.
I returned to the Intelligence Agency. It was because of a debriefing on the Senator's Syrimus operation.
“...Let’s conclude the cross-verification regarding Senator Syrimus' matter.”
The meeting, which lasted a grueling three hours, came to an end.
"Lastly, let’s confirm. The three of you operated as a team, correct?"
Director Gedley asked.
"Yes.”
Bell Moore answered energetically.
“For identifying the whereabouts of Syrimus’s son Luke, and for investigating the monster clinic and making the discovery... Therefore, the person with the most significant role is team leader Bell Moore. Is that correct? I'd like to hear the opinions of the team members.”
"Yes. That’s correct”
This time, I was the one who answered. Riley nodded as well.
“It’s confirmed. The Syrimus matter will be treated as top-secret and sealed within the Intelligence Agency Database. I expect you all to forget about the operation now. You may go.”
"Yes, sir!"
Bell Moore stood up.
We all left together.
"Phew- That’s a relief."
Bell Moore stretched, and Riley glanced at him with evident dissatisfaction.
"What are you looking at- What now?"
"Happy about snatching the credit from your team members?”
Riley shot back coldly.
"Hey, he’s the one who gave it to me. Something about it being the duty of a junior.”
Bell Moore pointed in my direction.
I nodded.
"Congratulations on your team leader candidacy."
‘...Ah, that?”
Bell Moore had been nominated as a team leader candidate.
“It's just a candidacy. Becoming a team leader is my life goal.”
Of course, Bell Moore was still a couple of years short in terms of experience, and frankly, his career wasn’t quite there yet, but he was likely to be elected without much trouble.
Thanks to his track record of solving significant cases.
"You think you're something."
Riley crossed her arms.
"Oh- Come on. Oh right, hey Shion. You know about Johanna's thing, what was it... Anyway, you know where she's moving into, right?”
"Yes.”
"Do you want to take on her security?”
"Sure.”
“...What? Why don’t you ever say no?”
Bell Moore raised his eyebrows with a curious look.
"Aren’t you Zia’s?”
“I am also a direct Chaser."
"Uh. Well... then, from today, you’ll be working at the Aerial Garden. They say the security team needs to sync up.”
"Yes.”
As a Chaser, I would be building up the security team’s strength and undergoing separate training.
This meant that the move-in was quite a big event.
Aerial Garden Section 2.
I reported to the training ground for the security team. There were about a hundred Chasers.
Standing in front of them was the balancer, as expected, Beckman.
I lined up at the training ground, and he glared at my face.
Was I the only one he could see out of a hundred Chasers?
He’s quite the honest guy.
"This move-in is important”
A move-in, literally, is just that - moving in. However, it’s not into a house, but into newly opened or reclaimed land.
It’s a right over a 'magic space’ that is within Edsilla but not part of Edsilla.
What crops can be grown there and what items can be brought in are still unknown.
However, it’s practically lawless territory, akin to a newly discovered gold mine, and inevitably, there will be conflict.
"Security will be divided into three teams. The first team, as Chasers of Libra, will directly protect the direct lineage. The second team will patrol the lineage’s Section, detecting hostility and independently eliminating enemies. And finally...”
Beckman looked at me again.
"The third team will scout for enemies outside the lineage’s Section.”
He then took a step towards me.
"Guys like you. Rookies barely into their first year will be in charge of scouting."
Soft snickers from the other Chasers echoed around.
This attitude of Beckman’s seemed to give them some sort of satisfaction. After all, my popularity within the Intelligence Agency was already quite negative.
Because I'm the guy who killed a team leader.
"Yes.”
"Now, I will assign the team members. The first team will receive a message on their Libra phones now."
There was a beeping sound.
It was clear that Beckman’s underlings, those who dangled at his every word, would be in the most important first team.
"Now for the second team.”
Next, more than half were assigned to the second team.
"The third team.”
Beep—beep—beep—beep.
It rang out exactly four times.
One of them was obviously me, and the other three were faces I didn’t recognize.
"The training schedule will be announced later. The first team, follow me. The second team, take a short break."
There was no mention of the third team.
Or perhaps they don't realize how vital scouting is.
Beep-
Just then, an alarm went off on my Libra phone.
It was a call from Zia.
“...What should we do now?”
One of the remaining three looked around with uncertainance and asked.
"Let’s exchange numbers first, and I’ll contact you later. I have something to attend to right now."
We nodded and exchanged numbers for the time being.
Aerial Garden.
I entered Zia's office. She was sitting in an office chair that was larger than her own body.
"You don’t have to."
Her first words made me tilt my head in confusion.
"Rather than being treated like that...”
Ah.
She was worried about the disdain shown to the security team.
But whether this was an act or genuine, I couldn’t tell.
"It’s fine.”
Zia showed a slight sign of dissatisfaction.
I asked her.
"Miss. Is your ambition still valid?”
“...Yes.”
Zia nodded.
Her eyes, which were always droopy, filled with certainty when she spoke of her ambition.
I was curious.
What kind of personality, what kind of nature in her heart, had instilled such ambition in her? Born as the youngest of Libra, she could have lived a life of leisure and luxury.
"Yes. If that’s the case, then I intend to assist you, Miss."
"Assist...?”
"There’s a plan.”
In order for Zia to ascend the hierarchy, she must topple her siblings.
But there are many ways to go about this.
“I will make Johanna give up her claim to succession.”
Before my regression, Johanna was defeated by Zia. She fell completely and ended up imprisoned.
It’s not a good method.
Because of the sword dance she performed just before her defeat, tens of thousands died.
“...Give up? Will she do it herself?”
"Yes.”
Moreover, Johanna is currently wavering, swayed by some emotion she herself doesn’t understand.
If she weren't wavering, there would be no reason to keep Karlos alive. No reason to watch him day in and day out.
“...It’s impossible. She’s not someone who gives up what’s hers.”
“It’s possible. I will design it myself. I will weaken Johanna.”
A plan to draw out Johanna’s emotions, to make her believe that there's something more important than succession.
A way to turn Johanna from a murderous psychopath into an ordinary human being.
I will lead her to step down from her position on her own.
"No matter how many years it takes, I can do it step by step. For that, I need your help, Miss."
“...My help?”
"Yes. What does Johanna like?”
What Johanna likes.
“...What my sister likes?”
"Yes. We need the nostalgia of the past”
However, what 'the current Johanna' likes won’t work.
She has probably already forgotten what she likes.
Therefore, we need memories from her childhood.
Unfortunately, even I, who am well-versed in Libra, don’t know much about Johanna from that time.
'...Ah.'
Zia suddenly furrowed her brows as if a thought had struck her.
“In the past... there was someone my sister admired."
"Really?"
I asked reflexively, surprised by the unexpected revelation.
"Yes. It was when my sister was in high school. I was still very young...”
...Bang!
The door to Zia’s room was flung open violently. Johanna, her face twisted like a goblin’s, strode in.
"Hey. Did you use my fountain pen again?”
This time, the fountain pen was the subject of her ire.
Zia replied quietly.
‘...No.’
"No is bullshit, you looking to die? Hey. Show me your palm.”
“...I didn't use it.”
"Show it!"
“...Yes.”
The daily routine of high school Johanna was tormenting Zia.
Every day after school, she would take out her anger out on Zia, and Zia, knowing she would be tormented regardless, sometimes deliberately used and stole Johanna's belongings.
"Sister... it hurts.”
“I hit you so it would hurt, you little shit. If you get caught again, I'll break it next time, understand?”
After a few hard slaps to the palm, Johanna would leave, satisfied, and not bother her for a while.
Those were the days.
But then...
It must have been an ordinary day.
Was it a Monday? A Tuesday?
Anyway, Zia wrote a letter with Johanna's cherished fountain pen and braced herself for the confrontation.
When she really did steal and use it, she would get beaten quite badly.
But Johanna didn’t come.
She didn’t come at the usual time she always did.
Johanna was surprisingly obsessive about her routines, so Zia wondered if something had happened.
But a day passed, then two, and no matter how long Zia waited, Johanna never came to her.
While it was a relief not to be hit, after about a week, young Zia grew curious.
She cautiously followed Johanna as she left school.
“...What could it be?"
Upon reaching the Aerial Garden, Johanna headed straight for the greenhouse.
Deep within the greenhouse, which their great-grandfather had personally renovated, was a small sand training ground with three scarecrows.
There stood a knight
He must have been in his mid-twenties.
Johanna watched him strike the scarecrows quietly before turning away.
That's when Zia realized.
Even her sister could have someone she liked.
—The first encounter was in the garden...
I had definitely received a hint from Zia.
To draw out someone's emotions, simple one-dimensional methods are insufficient.
Using old memories is more effective.
People unknowingly idealize their past and long for it
The magnitude of the romance held by the mirage called 'first love’ is evident.
—Sister still occasionally walks there these days.
I initially trained with the security team. Even being assigned to the lowest the third team, gave me a reason to go to the Aerial Garden every day.
—Maybe because that’s where she met the knight.
After security training, I headed to the place Zia had mentioned.
"This is the place.”
Beyond the beautifully blooming flowers and trees of the greenhouse, there was a strange area consisting solely of sand.
“...Scarecrows."
The three scarecrows were swaying in the wind, bearing deep scars and marks of time.
—Nothing special happened between them. Sister just watched the knight for three months, and for the next three, she learned swordsmanship from him.
I drew a wooden sword.
Thwack- Thwack-
I executed the Ascal Style swordsmanship, tapping the scarecrows lightly.
—Only until she went to college.
I trained in swordsmanship for about three hours.
Without the thought of being watched, just with the mindset of honing myself.
—After she entered college, that knight died.
Eventually, it got late at night.
I left the garden.
After all, it wasn’t something that could be done in a single day.
Johanna is a busy person, so the days she strolls through this garden must be limited.
I returned to the garden the next day.
There was no gain, but I came back the day after that as well.
And the day after that
For a week, every day at the same time, I just hit the scarecrows, training my swordsmanship.
.Ssh.
I felt a very faint sign of someone's presence.
I thought I knew who it was, but I didn't show it. They didn’t approach me first either.
Thud—! Thud—!
As I swung the wooden sword at the scarecrow, I was certain.
The place evokes emotions, and memories will slowly overlap.
Gradually, her heart will change.
