Arc 7: Exit from a fork in the road
I’ve only lived for about twenty years, but even so, there’s one thing I’ve come to understand.
That is: there’s no such thing as a life without regrets.
Even when you think you’ve made the best choice, failure is inevitable.
But at the same time, there’s always something to be gained from those choices.
That’s why, when in doubt, it’s more constructive to think about what you’ll gain from the path you choose.
And what’s most important is to give your all on the path you’ve chosen.
To continue making efforts so that you can be satisfied with what you’ve gained.
So much so that you won’t even need to imagine the future you didn’t choose.
...
Still, if I were to get the chance to start over, I would—.
I stood in a space that felt completely unreal—a vast, white land stretching on forever, with the faint glow of dawn lighting up the sky.
A silver-haired woman standing beside me turned her amber-colored eyes toward me and smiled.
"Well then, shall we go, Orn?"
The voice of the smiling silver-haired woman—Shion—was filled with a bright, lively tone.
"—Yeah. Let’s go destroy the world… Shion."
With those words, my consciousness began to fade…
◆ ◆ ◆
"---Heavy..."
The day after the commotion surrounding Sophia’s engagement, the battle with the "Doctor," a leader of the Cyclamen Church, and the sentencing of the former Count Cloudel, I woke up with a strange sensation, as though something heavy was pressing down on my abdomen.
"........Huh?"
I looked up to check and saw Fuuka lying there, face down, sleeping peacefully as if she were enjoying herself.
(Huh!? Why is Fuuka in my room!?)
Panicking, I quickly checked the time—it was just before 7 AM.
It wasn’t particularly late.
It seemed unlikely that Fuuka came to wake me up since I had gotten up late.
"Mmm... Mmm..."
While I was still confused, Fuuka stirred and slowly sat up.
"Good morning... Orn..."
She greeted me with sleepy eyes, rubbing them as she spoke.
"Ah, yeah. Good morning... But, that’s not what I mean! Why is Fuuka here?"
"...? Was that not okay?"
Still trying to process the situation, I asked Fuuka, but she tilted her head with a puzzled look on her face.
"...It's not that it's bad, but it’s not appropriate for a girl to be in a guy’s room alone."
"Uh-huh, I’ll be careful next time. More importantly, how are you feeling?"
"How am I feeling? ...It feels like I slept for quite a long time, but I’m perfectly fine."
I didn’t understand why she suddenly asked me that, but I answered honestly after checking my own condition.
"I see."
Fuuka nodded at my response.
Her expression was as usual—difficult to read, and I couldn’t tell what she was thinking.
After a brief pause, Fuuka spoke again.
"Orn, I want you to listen to something."
Her expression, no longer sleepy, was the most serious I had ever seen on her.
"...Okay."
In front of her serious demeanor, I naturally straightened my back.
"Orn, have you ever doubted your own memories?"
"...Huh?"
I had no idea what kind of story Fuuka was about to tell, so I braced myself. Even so, the words she spoke were more than enough to stop my thoughts completely.
The last traces of sleep disappeared in an instant.
At the same time, the words left by Gary O'Ryle, a former member of the Hero Party, flashed through my mind.
---“You made contact with Philly about ten years ago.”
---“Doubt your own sense of normal... That’s likely a distorted truth.”
Before his death, Gary had been a member of the Cyclamen Church.
And earlier this year, while I was escorting Princess Lucila from the royal capital to Tutril, he had been the one who tried to kill her.
"...Ugh...!"
As I recalled his words, a sharp headache struck me.
"So, you know you were subject to Cognitive Alteration? If so, then this will be quick. Don’t you want to know the true past?"
Fuuka asked me with unwavering eyes.
"Will you tell me?"
I asked, and Fuuka shook her head vigorously.
"I don’t know the details, so I can’t tell you. But I can introduce you to someone who does."
I knew I had a strong thirst for knowledge.
That’s why I would often read books if I had the time, and I deepened my understanding of magic to satisfy that desire.
Especially now, if I was being offered the chance to learn about my true past, there was no way I wouldn’t want to know.
"Fuuka, take me to that person."
I answered without hesitation.
"Okay, I’ll take you. But, before that, I’m hungry. I want to eat something."
In a complete shift from the serious atmosphere just moments before, Fuuka placed a hand on her stomach and said that.
"……Haha, you’re still the same, Fuuka. Alright. It’s probably about time everyone else is waking up, so let’s head to the dining hall first."
I was momentarily taken aback, but seeing Fuuka acting just like usual made me smile involuntarily.
Then, Fuuka and I headed to the dining hall, where we had breakfast with Selma, Haruto, Sophia, and the rest of Twilight Moonbow.