A gap in the orbit connecting island to island, an empty place where magic dust floated in vain.
“…”
Sylvia sat on a pile of stones in that dark, vacant lot and stared into space. Caught by the gravity of the Floating Island and revolving around it, the flow of the rocks and mana was captured in her eyes.
“Have you sorted out all your thoughts?”
Rustle-
Idnik called out the question, taking a step closer. Sylvia nodded silently. A hawk landed on her shoulder, her more agile and sharper familiar. The was dozing, lying on her thighs.
“Then what will you do?”
“…”
Sylvia looked at the countless fragments floating in the sky. The broken materials that did not form an island took someone’s shape. They were sculpting her memories.
…Deculein von Grahan Yukline. Was he just feeling guilt, pity, or sympathy for her? But how could he say that even after killing her mother, he was helping her? Sylvia recalled his blue eyes, as dazzling as crystal but infinitely cold.
…Blood ran down that beautiful face, a red that dyed him. Her mother’s blood.
“I will hate you to the death. To the end of this world. I’ll put my heart into it.”
“…”
Idnik didn’t answer. She watched the scenery Sylvia had caused, observing the torrent of her mana.
Whooooosh…
Rock fragments, sand shavings, and dying moss clung to this small area of the earth, gradually increasing in size. The things that failed to become an island and were dropped off constituted a new island.
─Idnik.
Then, a voice called out to Idnik, mysteriously as if descending from the sky. Idnik and Sylvia looked up.
“…It’s been a long time.”
There was a blue being. It was a form whose entire body was made of mana, vibrating like an illusion. The man’s perfectly sculpted body consisted of only an upper body and torso, but his height reached 2m.
“Rodran.”
Recruit Rodran; he was a transcendent existence in the magical world and the most wanted person on the Floating Island. His title, Soldier of the Gods, was derived from that bizarre appearance.
─The Voice is approaching.
“I know. What about the thing I asked for?”
Rodran looked toward Sylvia. She met his gaze.
─You are the one who killed him.
“…”
Sylvia’s face turned cold as pain like a knife stabbing her heart assailed her.
—The creature that your mana unconsciously manifested devoured a demon called the Nescĭus. The creature and the demon intertwined and became a mutation.
“So does that mean that, to some degree, it’s the demon’s fault?”
At Idnik’s words, Sylvia shook her head. No defense was needed.
“Then it also means that I’m a murderer. The person I killed must have had a family… I’m not that different from the Professor.”
Idnik let out a small sigh. She was Sierra’s daughter, born of Iliade’s blood. Either way, it wasn’t a good combination.
“However.”
Sylvia turned to Idnik.
“What is ‘the Voice’?”
“…It’s a demon.”
“Demon.”
“Yes. An ancient demon. Whether in the form of a human or a monster, real demons are easy to deal with. You can just kill them. However, those who are phenomena or concepts, like the Voice, are very tricky to deal with.”
Sylvia shot up, then walked over to look up at Rodran.
“Then will that demon be dealt with by the Yukline family? Will Deculein go to him?”
Rodran looked straight into her eyes without saying a word. A dry, parched gold jewel resided there, an ocean of mana churning inside.
─You are the quality of eternal immortality.
Eventually, Rodran said that and left. It was a tribute from a historical figure in the magic world. But Sylvia didn’t show the slightest excitement as she stared into the empty sky.
“On the Floating Island, there is an unwritten rule that the person who discovers an island is the owner.”
She stretched out her hand. Mana erupted from her slender body like a volcanic eruption.
Whooooooosh-!
The gushing mana gathered the fragments of the area and gave each material a new color. She would re-create the whole thing as an island.
“So this island is mine.”
“Hmm.”
Idnik crossed her arms. A tree had grown right next to her, so she leaned against it.
“Then, what will be the name of the island? You need a name to declare ownership.”
Sylvia turned to her.
“…Anonymous Island is enough.”
* * *
I arrived at the Imperial Palace, walking quickly down the hallway without meeting anyone. Keiron’s words were written on the paper I still held.
[The door to the basement opened.]
“Sir Keiron.”
I reached the wooden door leading to the basement of the Imperial Palace. Keiron stood next to it like a statue.
“How is Your Majesty?”
“She’s in bed.”
I was sure. The door to the basement opened only at the moment Sophien was engulfed by indolence.
“Are you going to head in?”
“And you?”
Keiron remained expressionless and placed his hand on his sword. He meant to serve as an escort.
“Yes. If Nescĭus comes out of this door, then please follow instead of killing him.”
I slowly walked over and pushed on the door.
“Alright.”
Creaaaak—
Beyond the door, there was a notification announcing my resumption of the quest.
「The Darkness of the Imperial Palace · Devil’s Mirror: Episode 2」
* * *
…The gardens of the Imperial Palace.
Sophien was walking along the lakeshore, relieving her pain. She was revived, but the pain of being killed by an ax lingered.
Tweet- Tweet-
The sounds of the birds chirping were bothersome to her ears. Sophien turned to the servant next to her.
“What is the date today?”
“It’s June 3rd.”
“…”
Did she come back? Half a year after her death, she had no choice but to admit that fact.
‘Damn it.’
Of course, at first, she sighed in relief, but she later realized its wrongness. Only time had rewound, but her illness remained.
“Ha…”
As she sighed, Sophien, who had been staggering through the garden, suddenly sat down at the shore of the lake. She glanced over the shining surface.
“…!”
A look of astonishment alit in her gleaming eyes. She took one step, then two, back, falling on her butt.
“Ugh!”
“Your Highness! Are you okay?”
“Your Highness-!”
The servants rushed over. Sophien, standing with their support, pushed them away.
“Are you okay-”
“I’m fine. I’m fine, so go. Go. Stay over there.”
The servants stepped back, and Sophien swallowed.
Gulp-
The clear lake in the garden, she stared at the water’s surface that sparkled like a mirror.
“…You.”
There was a man there. It was the one who introduced himself as a professor in the past, an illusion caused by the disease before her regression.
—So, we meet again, Your Highness.
Sophien instinctively looked back. He wasn’t behind her. She plunged her face toward the lake.
“Professor?”
—Yes. That’s right.
“How did you…?”
As soon as Sophien realized she had regressed, she made a portrait of the professor and ordered a search. But nowhere on this continent was there a professor who looked like the man in her memory. She thought it was just a hallucination caused by her illness.
-Didn’t I tell you?
The professor who had now reappeared spoke, as before, with an arrogant and handsome expression.
─I will always be with you during your process.
“…”
Sophien stared blankly at him. She laid her hand on his face, fingers grazing across the shore of the lake. There was a thud, and the water sloshed.
“Oh! Your Highness! Stop it!”
“You can’t!”
“No matter how painful it is, taking your own life…”
The servants who misunderstood her behavior rushed in, and Sophien, who was dragged away, was soon confined to her room. Even then, her mind remained fuzzy.
—Are you okay?
“…”
A professor who never disappears, standing as an illusion in the mirror. When she didn’t even move, the professor sighed.
─I exist. If it’s that hard to believe, bring a tight-lipped, trustworthy person. I’ll let him see me too-
“No, this is enough.”
Sophien shook her head firmly.
“I believe you, Professor. You are the only one who is connected to my last life…”
* * *
…For the next two months, I spent time with Sophien in episode two. The quest goal was vague, so I had no choice but to stay. Simply put, it was an exploration. Of course, there weren’t many things to do with Sophien in the past. She couldn’t leave because she was sickly, and most of the time, she was confined to the garden or the Imperial Palace.
In this mirror, my only role was to act like someone she could talk to. In the meantime, Sophien revealed many things to me. Her life was a history of surgery and healing, in a series of vain wishes and hopes tortured. She was only nine years old, but the weight of those years was heavier than anything.
Sophien revealed it all calmly.
—It’s wild.
Time passed like that… and today.
—I am still dying.
Sophien said her death in bed was not far off.
─I even went through the miracle of regression… Professor.
“Yes.”
Sophien paused for a moment and gritted her teeth.
─If I… come back to life again… ugh.
The pain was assailing every inch of her body.
─Can I still see you then…?
“Of course.”
I answered immediately, causing Sophien to smile bitterly.
─I’m glad…
“What are you glad for?”
-You are handsome. If you looked like the many eunuchs here… I would’ve broken the mirror when we first met.
It was a very real reason, but no laughter came out.
…For two months, I witnessed this child’s slow and winding path to death. Of course, that kind of pity did not bother me, but not smiling was the politest dignity I’ve learned.
—Professor. I’m not afraid of death, but of pain…
It was at that was moment, next to her, the Nescĭus appeared. The one I saw was an ordinary skeleton with a scythe. The Reaper.
“No worries, your highness.”
It was proof that I had no fear, but Sophien was going to die soon.
“Next time, I will be by your side again.”
─…Yes. I’m relieved…
I couldn’t kill those demons. Inside this mirror, I couldn’t offer any helping hand to Sophien on the other side.
─I hope… to see you again…
Sophien quietly closed her eyes. The Nescĭus stretched out its hand to her sleeping form and gathered the essence of her regression. It truly was like a bee.
“Episode 2”
After that, the system message floated before my eyes.
Chichiink—
The number ‘two’ shook, and the newly engraved number was…
「Episode 7 」
At that moment, I opened my eyes to hear Keiron’s voice.
“Deculein.”
“….”
I looked toward him, raising my eyes. I was once more surrounded by the scenery of the Imperial Palace. The two months spent with Sophien dispersed like a dream, and I returned to reality.
“Deculein?”
Now my mind was full of questions. Why did it jump straight from the second to the seventh? If the regression episode did not continue linearly, I wouldn’t be able to keep my promise.
“Deculein. Are you okay?”
Blood vessels swelled in my temples, perhaps due to his obsession. I was furious as I looked back at Keiron.
“…I’m fine. How many days have passed?”
“Not even a day has passed. Did you find out anything?”
I shook my head.
“I don’t even know the purpose of it yet.”
Knock, knock—
I knocked on the wooden door. There was, of course, no reply.
“You don’t even know the purpose?”
“…In this world, there are demons that exist, there are demons that are phenomena, and there are demons that are concepts. The Nescĭus is a third-class demon that exists. On the other hand-“
“Is this underground demon a phenomenon?”
“Yes. It is a phenomenon and a concept.”
…This underground past was Sophien’s world. The world left before the regression; that was when Sophien died. The Devil’s Mirror was not a reproduction of her past. Sophien regressed and stored the abandoned worlds. Therefore, this underworld was real.
It was still a hypothesis, but it would probably continue with the memory of the current Sophien.
“Deculein. I am following Nescĭus now.”
“I’m glad.”
The Keiron standing here and the Keiron following Nescĭus had the same soul but different bodies. That was Keiron’s magical talent.
“Let me know when he gets to his destination.”
I walked through the corridors of the Imperial Palace. But stopping at a point, I looked back to Keiron.
“Nescĭus must have kept Her Majesty’s Spirit somewhere… but Keiron.”
Keiron looked at me without a word.
“How much can you sacrifice for your Majesty?”
“Everything.”
His answer was immediate.
* * *
“…”
Sophien opened her eyes slowly, feeling pressed down by a feeling of sorrow she had rarely felt in this life. From somewhere, she could hear Keiron.
“Are you awake?”
Sophien glanced to her side. Like a metronome, the knight stood there as if announcing reality.
“Can’t you see it?”
“How are you feeling?”
“…What happened with Deculein’s class?”
She listened for a couple of hours and then fell asleep.
“The class was over, but the cat touched the barrier on the 80th floor, and their writing was blown away.”
“…Is the cat okay?”
“Yes. Some wizards lost their temper, but the chairman stopped them. And now-“
Meow~
The red-haired Munchkin, who sat atop Keiron’s head, cried.
“Right.”
Nodding, Sophien pushed her body up and leaned against the window. The gardens of the Imperial Palace could be seen in full bloom right outside.
“…Keiron.”
“Yes.”
“When I was young…”
Sophien carefully recounted the events and vague memories of days that had already disappeared.
“Yes.”
“…No, it’s nothing.”
A sadly sunken past. Her faint voice barely reached her ears.
─Next time, I will be there.
Then the next time, he did not come. He broke his promise. However…
Who was he?
“I had a bizarre dream.”
Sophien sat back against the bedframe. Her hair was fluttering in the gentle breeze coming in from the open window. The fragrant petals clung to her pure white face.
“I see.”
Sophien looked at him.
“…Keiron, was it you?”
“I need a more detailed explanation.”
“No. Forget it.”
Returning to reality, the Emperor yawned, those unfamiliar memories buried deep within her.
“Haaah… do I have anything else to do today?”
“There is a trial by the upper ranks who have been given mana stones from the Altar.”
“Ah, shall I cut those assholes throats myself?”
“It is forbidden. The trial is not over yet.”
“Anyway. Let me do something before I fall asleep again. Today I am physically fine…”
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… As she eagerly rolled up her sleeves, she stretched again.
“…”
Deculein watched her from afar.
