A mix of fact and fiction①
◇ ◇ ◇
Our journey since departing from Dal Ane has been nothing but smooth.
Right now, we’re in the royal capital of the Kingdom of Tsahariib, each of us spending our time as we please.
After days of being jostled around in a carriage, we decided to take a break and let our bodies rest.
…Well, to be honest, the real reasons were that Fuuka absolutely insisted on visiting a restaurant famous for its exquisite gratin, and that Haruto-san had some personal errands to take care of while we were here.
As for me, I’m sitting on a bench bathed in the warm light of the western sun, reading a book I bought earlier at a bookstore.
"…………"
That said, the contents of the book aren’t really sinking in.
My mind is elsewhere—
Naturally, it's occupied with thoughts of my past.
I was born and raised in a remote village so small it didn’t even appear on maps.
I decided to become an explorer because I admired my grandfather, who had been one himself. I’ll never forget the sight of him defeating a magical beast that had appeared in our village.
Then, one day, while Oliver and I were away, bandits attacked. By the time we returned, every other villager had been killed.
As I buried my fallen friends and family, I made a vow—
No matter how cruel the world may be, I will never lose anything again. No matter the situation, I will become strong enough to protect what’s important to me.
After that, Oliver and I set off for Tutril.
There, we became explorers. That was where we met Luna, and the three of us formed an explorer party.
Later, Derrick and Aneri joined us. Together, we reached the 94th floor of the Great Southern Labyrinth, earning us the title of a “Hero Party.”
But despite that, I was mocked as a jack-of-all-trades, master of none and ultimately cast out of the Hero Party.
Through a twist of fate, I ended up joining Night Sky Silver Rabbit—and that brings me to where I am today.
That’s the general outline of the past I remember.
"Doubt what you take for granted... It is likely a distorted truth."
Lately, Gary’s final words have been echoing in my mind over and over again.
And every time they do, the pain in my head sharpens.
I know there’s no point in dwelling on my past when I have no answers.
Usually, when this happens, I force myself to shift my thoughts by talking to Fuuka or Haruto-san.
But unfortunately, right now, I’m alone.
My mind is caught in an endless loop of thoughts, spiraling in circles. I can feel myself slowly losing my grip on clarity.
It’s like I’ve wandered into a maze with no exit.
A nameless fear crawls up from beneath my feet.
I try to shake it off, but I can’t stop my thoughts from racing.
The headache pounds louder.
My heart thrashes violently in my chest.
Cold sweat beads on my skin.
My throat runs dry.
If I really did have contact with Philly Carpenter in the past, then my memories are almost meaningless.
After all, she possesses the anomalous ability of Cognitive Alteration.
—Then, who am I?
I am Orn Doula.
I am an explorer of Night Sky Silver Rabbit.
I became an explorer at the age of nine.
I’ve lived in Tutril ever since.
That much—I should be certain of.
The explorer guild in Tutril has records of it.
I remember writing crude reports back then, remember reviewing them a few times after submission.
Even if I had been subjected to Cognitive Alteration, she couldn’t have tampered with official documents.
—Could she?
I have no way to prove it here and now.
And if even my memory of seeing those records was altered…?
When did I really become an explorer?
For that matter, am I truly an explorer of Night Sky Silver Rabbit?
—No. This sensation in my right hand is real.
I clutch the embroidered insignia of Night Sky Silver Rabbit on the left side of my coat, gripping it tightly.
I am an explorer of Night Sky Silver Rabbit. I tell myself that, again and again.
The more I think, the deeper I sink.
Even so, the way I’ve lived up until now refuses to let me stop.
My mind keeps racing, almost unconsciously.
I can no longer tell what’s real and what’s not.
“…ey… …oi… …Hey! Orn!”
“—!?”
A firm tap on my shoulder jolts me back to reality.
“Hart…san?”
When I lift my head, I see Haruto-san standing there, his expression filled with concern.
“You alright— No, of course you’re not… Sorry for leaving you alone.”
“…No, you had things to take care of, right? I’ll be fine. …But if you’re done, let’s head for the Principality of Hittia as soon as possible.”
I try to put on a brave front, but the pounding headache and the relentless doubt gnawing at my memories are more than enough to wear me down.
I need to find out the truth about my past—I need to escape this uncertainty now.
“…Yeah, I get it. Do you remember what I told you when we left Dal Ane?”
“…Something about using a ‘special route’?”
When I answer, Haruto-san nods in satisfaction.
“That’s right. My little ‘errand’ was actually preparing for that route. I know you want to leave this place as soon as possible. But can you stay the night here and leave tomorrow instead? I promise—we’ll reach the Principality of Hittia faster this way than if we left today.”
His expression is completely serious.
Logically speaking, since the physical distance remains the same, leaving earlier should mean arriving sooner.
But if he’s saying this with such certainty, then he must have a solid reason.
I already know that Fuuka and Haruto-san have been keeping things from me.
And yet… I want to trust them.
“…Alright. I’ll take your word for it, Haruto-san.”
“Thanks.”
◇
The morning after our stay in the royal capital of the Kingdom of Tsahariib.
When I head to the inn’s dining hall—the designated meeting spot—Fuuka and Haruto-san are already there, waiting.
“Good morning, you two. Sorry, did I keep you waiting?”
“Morning, Orn.”
“Morning. We just got here ourselves, so don’t worry about it. Alright, let’s get going.”
With that, Haruto-san starts walking.
But instead of heading out of the city, he moves toward its center.
I find it odd, but since Fuuka shows no signs of concern and follows him without hesitation, I decide to go along as well.
“…Hey, Orn, mind if I ask you something?”
As we walk through the city streets, Haruto-san suddenly speaks in a serious tone.
He usually carries himself with an easygoing air, so when he gets like this, it makes me instinctively tense up.
“Yeah, I don’t mind.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but… do you have any regrets about the path you’ve taken since leaving the Hero Party?”
His voice remains as serious as ever.
Even Fuuka, who usually keeps her distance from such matters, seems to be paying closer attention to me than usual.
I have no idea why Haruto-san is asking me this—especially now.
But it doesn’t feel like a question made in jest or idle curiosity.
Which means I should answer just as seriously.
“—No, I don’t regret it. At least, not right now.”
“So… that means there was a time when you did?”
“No, I mean that if I ever do regret it, it’ll be in the future. Probably.”
“…………”
“A year ago, when I was hesitating about joining Night Sky Silver Rabbit, someone I respect told me something: ‘Any decision made after hesitation is one you’ll eventually regret.’ And I really did hesitate before joining the clan. So, I figure there will come a day when I’ll face a situation that makes me regret it.”
That was something my grandfather told me back when I had grown wary of getting close to people after being cast out of my old party.
Even now, those words have stuck with me.
They’ve even shaped my way of thinking.
“—But even if that day comes, I believe I’ll be able to accept my choice. Because the days I’ve spent since then have been fulfilling.”
“…I see.”
Haruto-san lets out a quiet murmur.
His expression is a complicated mix—relief, yet also something like guilt.
As for Fuuka, she remains as unreadable as ever, her expression giving nothing away.
Haruto-san closes his eyes briefly, then exhales.
When he opens them again, his usual demeanor is back.
“Sorry for the weird question.”
“Nah, I don’t mind at all. But did my answer satisfy you?”
“Hm? It’s not about being satisfied or dissatisfied. What you feel is what matters—that’s all there is to it. …Oh, looks like we’re here.”
Haruto-san stops in front of a building.
It’s the branch office of Downing Trading Company.
Neither of them had told me who they intended to introduce me to, but based on my own guess, it had to be Christopher Downing, the head of Downing Trading Company.
That’s why I had assumed we were heading to the company's main office in the Hitia Principality. But could it be that he was actually here at this branch instead?
And yet, Haruto-san had said yesterday that we would be using a special route to reach Hitia faster.
As I was questioning why we had come to Downing Trading Company’s branch office in this country, the two of them entered the store without hesitation.
I hurried after them.
A man, presumably an employee, noticed our arrival and approached us.
“Fuuka of Crimson Twilight. Please take us to the designated location.”
For once, Fuuka took the lead, pulling out some sort of card and presenting it to the clerk as she made her request.
“We’ve been expecting you. The branch manager has already informed us. We’ll make the necessary preparations immediately, so please wait in this room for a moment.”
The polite and professional employee led us to a reception room.
Once inside, we took our seats.
After the clerk left, leaving only the three of us, Haruto-san suddenly pulled out a pair of glasses from his storage magic tool and put them on.
Judging by the lenses, they weren’t prescription glasses—just for show.
But something about them felt off.
The lenses themselves were infused with magical energy, far too much for mere fashion accessories.
Yet, I couldn’t see any magic stones embedded in them, meaning they weren’t typical magic tools either.
What were those lenses?
“How do they look? Think they suit me?”
Haruto-san must have noticed my staring because he grinned and threw me a question.
“Forget whether they suit you or not. It’s about time you tell me what’s going on. We are headed to the Hitia Principality, right? We don’t have time to be wasting here.”
At my inquiry, Haruto-san closed his eyes briefly.
He always did this when using his ability while feeling at ease.
Nine times out of ten, he was scanning the surroundings with his power.
“…Yeah, this should be safe enough.”
He opened his eyes again and directed his gaze toward me.
“You’re right, Orn. We are going to the Hitia Principality. But like I said yesterday, we’re taking a special route.”
“So… does that mean you’re finally going to tell me what that special route is?”
“Yeah. There’s no point in dragging it out any further, so I’ll just say it—teleportation.”
“…What? Teleportation?”
“Yep. We’re going to instantaneously transfer from here to Downing Trading Company’s main office in Hitia.”
“…………”
For the first time in a while, I was left completely speechless.
There was a teleportation magic called Spatial Leap.
But the maximum distance it allowed was barely a hundred meters at best.
Did he have any idea how far away Hitia was from here?
I had personally learned some techniques for optimizing teleportation formulas from Rain, a unique sorcerer specializing in Spatial Leap, which allowed me to extend the range significantly.
Even so, teleporting all the way to Hitia was impossible.
Besides, supportive magic, including Spatial Leap, was said to be impossible to replicate through magic tools.
As far as I knew, no one had managed to create a tool capable of teleportation yet.
If long-distance teleportation were truly possible, it would be nothing short of a revolution.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it could change the very fabric of society.
Yet, whether he fully understood the implications or not, Haruto-san was casually talking about teleportation as if it were nothing.
The sheer absurdity of it all made my head spin for an entirely different reason.
“Just to be sure, you’re not joking, right?”
“Nope, dead serious. That being said, it apparently requires an enormous amount of magical energy, so it’s not something that can be used casually. I’m no expert in magic, though, so I don’t know the finer details.”
“I knew Downing Trading Company was one of the world’s leading firms in the development and sale of magic tools, but to think they’ve made long-distance teleportation possible… That’s far too much power for a single company to hold…”
As I reeled from the sheer magnitude of their technological capabilities, a knock at the door echoed through the room, almost as if it had been perfectly timed.
A moment later, the door slowly swung open, revealing a woman clad in a maid’s uniform. She wore glasses and had long black hair tied back at the shoulders.
“…Tershe. It’s been a while.”
Fuuka greeted the woman as if they were acquainted.
The woman—Tershe—gave Fuuka a polite bow before replying.
“It has been some time, Lady Fuuka. …Haruto, those glasses don’t suit you at all.”
While her greeting to Fuuka was courteous, her words toward Haruto-san were sharp.
Haruto-san merely smiled wryly in response.
“You’re as merciless as ever, Tershe… Well, whatever. If you’re here, that means the young lady still hasn’t woken up, has she?”
It seemed Haruto-san was used to her attitude, as he didn’t seem particularly bothered and instead asked a question of his own.
“That question can wait.”
However, Tershe didn’t answer him.
Instead, she walked toward me with graceful steps, then gave an even more refined and respectful bow than the one she had given Fuuka.
“Uh…”
Her overly formal demeanor caught me completely off guard.
As I fumbled for a response, she finally spoke.
“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lord Orn… My name is Tershe Hagwell. I would be honored if you would remember me.”
“…Oh, uh, nice to meet you, Tershe-san. The pleasure is mine. …Wait, Hagwell?”
I returned her greeting as best I could despite my surprise, but then something about her last name caught my attention.
“Yes. Lain Hagwell of Night Sky Silver Rabbit is my foolish younger sister.”
…Lain-san’s sister?!
Lain-san was a rather petite woman.
By contrast, Tershe-san was tall and slender, so at first glance, it was difficult to see any resemblance.
But now that she mentioned it, I could see similarities in their sky-blue eyes, hair color, and facial features.
“I see. Lain-san has helped me out a lot.”
“I’m pleased to hear that my foolish sister has been of use to you, Lord Orn. Do feel free to discard her once she ceases to be useful. …Now then, shall we proceed?”
Her choice of words gave me pause, but I decided it wasn’t something I should address at the moment.
Just as I started to follow after her—
“Hey, hold on! Are you seriously just gonna ignore my question? It’s kind of important for what we’re doing next, you know!”
Haruto-san, sounding rather flustered, called out to Tershe-san.
“…Oh, right. Zi—ahem. The young lady is still asleep. Would you consider that good news?”
Tershe-san, seemingly recalling the question she had postponed, finally answered him.
I had no idea who this “young lady” was, nor what the question or answer meant.
“…Not like it’s good news or anything. But I see… It’s been a few months now, hasn’t it? I guess I’m a little worried.”
“…Yes. So am I.”
At Haruto-san’s words of concern, Tershe-san murmured softly, her expression tinged with sadness.
——.