Sin
◇ ◇ ◇
My childhood, as Lain Hagwell, could be summed up in one phrase—absolute self-importance.
Born into the prestigious Hagwell family of the great magical nation, the Principality of Hittia, I was said to possess greater magical talent than my elder sister, Tershe.
Upon realizing this, our parents wasted no time enrolling me in the academy.
As for Tershe, around the same time I entered the academy, she was assigned as the personal attendant and bodyguard to a certain noble girl.
The stark difference in how our parents treated us, my status as a rare magic user gifted with Space Leap, the pinnacle of magic, and the constant praise from those around me—all of it fueled my arrogance.
Back then, I truly, and without a hint of doubt, believed that the world revolved around me.
My turning point came when the girl Tershe served—Zion Nasturtium—enrolled in the academy.
Her magical talent far surpassed even mine, despite my status as a rare magic user.
Naturally, the title of genius within the academy gradually shifted from me to Zion.
As seen in the fact that a member of the Hagwell family was serving the Nasturtium household, our family's status was undeniably lower than theirs.
My parents had warned me not to do anything that might incur Zion’s displeasure.
And yet, in my ignorance, I picked a fight with her.
The reason was simple.
I didn’t like it.
One day, at the academy, I called out to Zion.
"So, I hear you're a genius? Then why don’t you teach me some magic?"
On the surface, my words sounded like a request for instruction.
But in truth, I was provoking her.
I intended to prove my superiority—not just to Zion, but to everyone around us.
"Um… Are you Tershe’s younger sister?"
Zion looked puzzled by my sudden approach but maintained a gentle demeanor.
"Lady Zion, there is no need to heed the nonsense of my foolish sister. The next lecture will begin soon. We should head to the classroom."
Tershe, who had been walking behind Sion, stepped in between us.
Looking back, I now understand she was trying to protect both me and our family from my reckless actions.
But back then, I had no way of realizing that.
"Inferior students should stay quiet. I’m talking to Sion—the so-called genius—right now."
The moment I said those words, the atmosphere around Sion grew heavy.
"Did you just call Tershe inferior?"
"Who else? She’s my sister, yet she lacks my talent. That’s why she’s stuck being your attendant, isn’t it?"
"Take that back. Magic talent alone does not define a person’s worth. In fact, Tershe is incredibly skilled in many ways, and I learn from her all the time."
The air around Sion grew colder and colder.
If it were me now, I would have realized the danger and backed away immediately.
But at the time, I was just thrilled that she had taken the bait. I had no grasp of the gravity of the situation.
"Hmm, what should I do? Oh, I know! Let’s have a magic duel! If I lose, I’ll take it back."
"Lady Sion—"
"—Fine. Let’s do it."
Tershe tried once more to intervene, but it was in vain.
I got exactly what I wanted—a direct confrontation with Sion.
And the result?
Utter defeat.
A landslide victory for Sion, so clear that no one could argue otherwise.
That was my first mistake.
As I mentioned before, my parents had warned me not to provoke Sion.
Yet, I went ahead and did it anyway, causing a bit of an uproar.
I was too young to understand the full consequences, and now, there’s no one left who can tell me exactly what happened.
Even so, one thing was clear—my parents had been punished in some way.
Even as a child, I understood that much.
Some time had passed since that incident.
Then came October 20th, Year 619 of the Four Saints Calendar—a date I will never forget.
When I responded to a summons from my parents and went to see them, I found someone else there as well—a young man with an eyepatch over his right eye.
My parents had a request for me.
They wanted me to use my Space Leap to transport the young man and his group to a certain location.
"It’s not even that far. I don’t see why you need me to teleport you."
"The area is heavily guarded. That’s why we need your Space Leap to break through. That place… it’s a facility conducting human experiments. Every day that passes, more people suffer. We need to get in as soon as possible. Please—lend us your strength."
I still vividly remember the young man saying those words in response to my question.
At the time, I was struggling with my identity after my crushing defeat at Sion’s hands.
And above all, this mission would help people.
That was reason enough for me to accept.
And so, I teleported them to the designated location - the Village of Dawn.
This was my biggest... mistake.
I would soon learn the consequences of that.
A few days later, I returned home as usual—only to find the entire house stained red.
Not just the furniture or the walls—everything.
My parents. The servants. Everyone.
My mind went blank at the sheer horror of it all.
Then, I heard a voice.
"So, you’re back."
I turned toward the sound.
Standing there was Tershe, her body splattered with blood in places.
"What… is this? Did you… do this, Tershe?"
She said nothing.
"Answer me!"
"If you have enough strength to lash out at me, then good. Listen carefully, Lain—teleport us to the Village of Dawn. You did it just a few days ago, so you can do it again, right?"
Tershe’s cold gaze was far more terrifying than the blood-soaked scene before me.
Without thinking, I teleported us both to the place where I had sent the young man with the eyepatch and his people.
"What… is this…?"
The scenery changed.
From a house drenched in blood—to a landscape of ruin, where nearly every building had collapsed.
I had been told this was a village, yet now there was no one here but Tershe and me.
In the distance, I could see hastily built, misshapen graves.
The stench of death that had filled my home lingered here as well.
"Take a good look, Lain. This is what you’ve done."
Tershe’s voice was as cold as ice.
"…What I’ve done?"
"Up until a few days ago, many people lived here. The ones who did this—the ones who turned it into this wasteland—were the very people you teleported."
"B-but… they said this place was conducting human experiments… that they were here to save people…"
"Maybe you were just following orders. Maybe you didn’t know the truth. But there are some things in this world that ‘I didn’t know’ won’t excuse."
Tershe handed me a storage magic tool.
"Inside, there’s some money, a few days’ worth of food, and a change of clothes. Take it—and leave this country immediately."
"What… do you mean?"
"Exactly what I said. Under normal circumstances, you might be shown leniency. But not this time. If you stay in this country, you’ll be killed—sooner or later. That’s why you need to leave. Now."
◇
"…It’s been a long time since I last saw that."
As soon as I woke up, those words slipped from my lips.
What I had just seen was a dream—but not a lie.
It was a memory, a piece of my childhood exactly as it happened.
Now, as an explorer of the Night Sky Silver Rabbit, I live a peaceful life—one that I have no complaints about.
My days are fulfilling, and lately, I’ve found myself reminiscing about the past less and less.
Maybe that’s why.
Maybe this dream was a way to remind myself—to ensure that I never forget my sins.
"…Wait, what!? It’s already this late!?"
Checking the time after sitting up, I realized I was way past my usual wake-up hour.
I shot to my feet, hurriedly changing out of my nightclothes and into my squad uniform.
After quickly tidying myself up, I rushed out of my room.
"Sorry for being late!"
As soon as I entered the Strategy Room of the First Unit at the Night Sky Silver Rabbit headquarters, I immediately apologized.
"Good morning, Lain!"
"Mornin’. You stop somewhere on the way?"
Lucrez and Will, who were already in the room, greeted me with their usual expressions—unchanged, warm, and familiar.
Maybe it was because of the dream I had, but their casual attitude felt especially comforting to me today.
"S-Sorry… I was, um… still asleep until just a moment ago…"
I trailed off, embarrassed.
No matter the reason, oversleeping at my age was humiliating.
"Ha! I knew it! Called it!"
Lucrez beamed with excitement.
"For real? I thought you got caught up with some errand or something…"
As their conversation continued, my face grew hotter and hotter.
(Ugh… Sleeping in at my age… This is so embarrassing!)
"Well then! That means I win the bet! Will, you’re buying lunch today!"
"Tch. Fine, fair’s fair."
"Wait! It’s my fault for oversleeping, so I should pay for lunch!"
Feeling guilty, I immediately offered—but the two just stared at me in confusion.
"Why? You were barely five minutes late. It’s not like we were inconvenienced or anything."
"Yeah. Besides, you’ve been covering for Selma and Orn with all the paperwork every single day. You must be exhausted. If you need to take the day off, we wouldn’t mind. We can handle some of the office work too, you know."
"Exactly! I’ll help too!"
Their kindness warmed my heart.
Lucrez and Will were more than I deserved—they were irreplaceable companions.
"…Thank you, both of you. But I’m fine, really. I’ve been leaving all the labyrinth scouting to you two, after all."
"Oh? Someone’s sounding energized all of a sudden!"
"Glad to hear it! When you’re down, Lain, it throws off our whole rhythm!"
"…………Heh. Alright, then! As your senior, I’ll continue to lead the way! Now, let’s give it our all today!"
"Yeah!!"
◇ ◇ ◇
Deep within the Explorer’s Guild in Tutril—
In a small chamber where only the Guildmaster was permitted entry, two men stood facing each other.
One was Leon Conti, an aging man entrusted by the Explorer’s Guild with overseeing the southern continent, including the vast southern labyrinth.
The other was Kavader Evans, the elderly man whom Orn affectionately called "Grandpa."
"—That should do it."
Kavader lifted his hand from the intricate magic circle inscribed on the floor.
"Is that all? The ritual modification seemed rather simple."
"I only adjusted what was absolutely necessary. Nothing more, nothing less. More importantly, I appreciate your cooperation, Leon."
"Given your true identity, the Empire’s first invasion, the assassination of the king—everything you foretold has come to pass. I have no choice but to comply. I may not wish to die, but I am prepared for it."
The first invasion referred to the attack on the Regurif Territory by the "Hero" while Orn and his companions were stationed there.
Back in July of the previous year, Kavader had approached Leon, revealing his true nature along with a series of predictions about the future.
Each one had come true—without exception.
At first, Leon had been skeptical. But after witnessing such unerring accuracy, disbelief was no longer an option.
Especially since one final prophecy remained—one he could not afford to ignore.
"But is there truly no other way? No way to prevent… Tutril from being overrun… by the Cyclamen Cult?"*
"If we only sought to protect Tutril from attack, there might be alternatives. But that would be nothing more than a temporary fix. Sooner or later, everything would be crushed underfoot."
"So you’ve placed a wager? Gambling with the lives of this city’s people?"
"Everything comes at a price. This time, the cost happens to be the lives of Tutril’s inhabitants. But fear not. As I told you before, that price is nothing more than a façade. The true payment lies elsewhere."
"………"
Hearing these words, Leon’s face darkened with sorrow. He understood what Kavader truly meant.
"Take this."
Kavader extended a bracelet-shaped magic tool toward him.
"What is this?"
"A device that allows you to send a telepathic message to a single recipient. It can only be used once, and only for a few seconds, but I managed to craft it nonetheless. Using it… will be your final task."
"…Are you truly satisfied with this ending?"
"Ho ho ho… Of course I am."
Kavader chuckled, his gaze turning distant.
"…I was never able to do anything for my son. In truth, I only ever took from him. This is my atonement. I robbed my son of his future—so at the very least, I wish to grant my grandson a future without limits."
——.