Ouroboros (5)

As the dull sensation blooming from the back of my head spread throughout my body—

Thud.

The sound of something falling brought me back to reality.

When I checked, it was the fragment of records.

I was sure I was gripping it tightly even when the light burst out, so why did it fall over there?

“……”

I hurriedly moved to pick it up.

It was only then that I noticed something else lying on the ground.

“Clothes…?”

It was a robe made from high-quality fabric.

Well, the material isn’t important right now; what’s important is the owner.

It’s not just any luxury robe; it’s the robe that Auril Gavis was wearing. And it’s lying on the ground.

Right where that old man was standing just a moment ago.

As if his body was sucked away somewhere, leaving only this behind.

“No way…”

I looked down at the fragment of records in my hand.

“Did this thing activate on that old man…?”

The situation slowly started to make sense.

I was momentarily dazed by the unexpected outcome…

The fragment of records reacted not to me but to Auril Gavis.

‘Ugh, I can’t wrap my head around this.’

I tried to regain my composure and went over the situation again from the beginning.

There were two possibilities.

First, Auril Gavis, like me, was called by the “Call of the Era.”

And the second possibility…

[Have you used the fragment of records before?]

[I have used it.]

That Auril Gavis had already used the fragment of records.

In that case, it means the old man was living in this era after being called.

Then, after meeting me, he completed his task—what he needed to do—and returned to his original time.

‘If it’s the former, it means he went to the past, and if it’s the latter, it’s the opposite, right?’

Naturally, my thoughts started to organize themselves that way.

But…

‘No, it’s still too early to conclude.’

Realizing the lack of information, I changed my thinking.

I don’t know enough about the fragment of records.

So, keeping all possibilities open would be wise.

The “Call of the Era” might not only occur in the past.

It could also happen in the future.

Therefore…

‘I’ll think about this later…’

I put the fragment of records back into my subspace and picked up the robe from the ground.

Then, I eagerly searched through it.

‘Loot…!’

This is Auril Gavis’s drop item, after all.

There must be something interesting he was carrying around…

‘You’re kidding me.’

Despite my thorough search, there was nothing aside from the robe. Just some ordinary socks, shoes, and luxurious silk underwear.

“Argh, gross!”

Realizing that the piece of cloth I had been fiddling with was underwear, I threw it to the floor in disgust.

Frustration welled up.

‘How can this old man have nothing?’

I had high expectations because he gave off such a final boss aura.

But this is as disappointing…

“Oh.”

I suddenly remembered Auril Gavis drinking water from his subspace earlier.

At the time, I thought it was just a subspace ring…

“It must’ve been a bound subspace.”

A bound subspace, something only top-tier mages can use.

In this case, it connects directly to the soul through a tattoo or similar means, so the items don’t physically exist.

‘Wait a minute…’

Does that mean if I use a bound subspace, I can take the equipment I gathered here back to my original time?

The thought crossed my mind, but it wasn’t enough to make me shout “Eureka.”

After all, I’m not a mage.

Unlike magical tools, a bound subspace can only be opened using the mage’s own magic power.

‘Hah, so this is another dead end…’

I sighed and shook off my lingering disappointment.

No matter how much frustration and regret I vent, nothing will change, and there’s something I need to do right now.

‘First, I need to meet Amelia.’

I gathered Auril Gavis’s belongings again and stored them in the subspace, then headed back to the sewer.

Even though they seemed like ordinary clothes, I decided to check them one more time in case I missed something.

Squelch, squelch—

As I retraced my steps, I came across six or so corpses.

‘This must be where the infighting took place.’

I wasn’t foolish enough to leave unattended equipment behind, so I looted everything.

Perhaps because they were all planning to migrate to the surface, they had expandable bags and subspace rings, so inventory space wasn’t an issue.

‘Wow, how much will all this fetch?’

With bags slung over my shoulders, neck, and arms, I continued walking.

However, when I reached my destination, Amelia was nowhere to be found.

Judging by the traces of her fight with the Traitor, this was undoubtedly the place where she had been knocked out.

So where did she go during that time?

There was no need to ponder for long.

‘She must be there…’

I couldn’t hide my bitterness as I quickened my pace.

And how long did I walk?

“…”

Amelia was there, in a collapsed passage where more than half of the ceiling had caved in.

She was clearing away the debris with such intensity that she didn’t even notice me approaching.

“Ahhhhh!”

What’s with the sudden scream? It’s terrifying.

Her expression as she grabbed her head with both hands was so fierce that I quickly moved closer and grabbed her wrist.

Thud.

As soon as our skin touched, Amelia shuddered and turned her head.

“…Jandel?”

Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw my face, but she quickly tried to shake off my hand.

“Let go. I have something to find…”

What is she talking about?

“There’s nothing to be found.”

“What?”

I smiled slyly.

“Didn’t I tell you earlier? Everything will be over when you wake up.”

Despite my words, Amelia still looked dazed.

It seemed she didn’t understand what I was saying…

“Never mind, just follow me.”

Well, it’s quicker to show her directly with her own eyes.

***

When she came to her senses, all that remained was despair.

In this dark sewer, she was all alone, and the familiar silence meant everything was over.

‘So it’s all over…’

Amelia slowly stood up and began walking.

There was somewhere she needed to go.

That day, she hadn’t been able to do it.

[Forget all the painful memories that happened here.]

[Finally, a normal life… is beginning for you too.]

She had to leave behind her sister’s corpse.

When she came back later after some time had passed, her sister’s body was already gone. The workers who had been restoring the passage said they had removed all the bodies from the sewer.

It became an eternal regret for her.

That’s why…

“I have to find it.”

She had to find it.

Even if it was just a lifeless body.

She had to find it and take care of it.

She couldn’t leave her sister’s corpse in the filthy sewer.

Now that she had returned 20 years into the past, she could at least do that. No, perhaps that was the only thing ever allowed for her from the start.

“Ugh, huff…”

It wasn’t long before Amelia arrived at the scene of that tragic day and began frantically clearing away the stones.

Her actions were so desperate that she looked almost half-mad.

And that wasn’t entirely wrong.

“W-why…”

Her sister’s form was nowhere to be seen.

She should be around here.

Could it be that even this was not allowed for her?

“Ahhhhh!”

For the first time in a long while, she let out a loud scream.

She, who could endure the pain of having her flesh cut and bones shattered with just a short groan, couldn’t hold it in this time.

It felt like her heart was being torn apart.

Thud.

At that moment, someone’s warmth touched her wrist.

“…Jandel?”

It was someone she had seen almost every day for the past half-year, someone so familiar.

“Let go. I have something to find…”

She immediately tried to shake him off, but the barbarian, as always, didn’t let go. He forced her to stand up while saying incomprehensible things.

And then…

“This place is…”

After walking for a while, they arrived on the surface.

In the vast city of Raphdonia, where the royal family’s influence reached every corner.

“Ugh, my eyes…”

The midday city was blinding to her eyes, accustomed to the darkness of the sewers.

But before her eyes could adjust to the light, the barbarian dragged her along to somewhere else.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll understand when we get there.”

Despite being dragged along, Amelia scanned her surroundings with her eyes.

The passing pedestrians.

Smiling children and their parents.

Merchants hawking their wares and the sunlight reflecting off white marble.

It was the place she had once longed for so desperately.

A world filled with warm sunlight, a place where one could live an ordinary life, unlike Noark.

Of course, she knew now.

The surface wasn’t exactly a paradise.

There were beasts with more malice than those in Noark, and everyday tragedies occurred here too.

But even so…

“At least once…”

She wanted to see it, just once.

The sight of herself and her sister living an ordinary life in this city, sometimes crying, sometimes laughing.

“What? What did you just say…?”

“Jandel, you can go alone from here. I have something to find below—”

“I told you, there’s nothing to find.”

When Amelia stopped walking, the barbarian looked at her, frustrated.

And he said,

“Your sister is alive.”

“…What?”

Alive?

But how…?

“I’ll explain everything later, so just follow me for now, alright?”

The barbarian continued to lead the confused Amelia, and she didn’t resist.

She didn’t have the mental strength to.

After a while…

“Phew, it took a while to find it since I didn’t hear where he had moved her.”

Amelia arrived at a relief shelter on the surface.

She described her sister’s appearance to the staff and found the hospital room.

Creak.

When the door opened, the figure of a girl lying on the bed by the window came into Amelia’s view.

Warm sunlight was streaming in through the window.

“S-sister…”

The sight was so unreal that Amelia felt as though she was in a trance as she approached the bed.

She held her sister’s hand.

Through their touching skin, she could feel her heart beating.

“How did this happen?”

At Amelia’s question, the barbarian explained what had happened so far.

The deal with Auril Gavis.

To eliminate contradictions, he used the first version of the Blessing of Lethe to erase her memories and disguised it as a carriage accident.

“When she wakes up, your sister won’t remember anything. She’ll believe the name on her ID badge is her real name and live accordingly.”

“I-I see…”

So that’s how it is.

“But don’t be too sad. When you return 20 years from now, there won’t be any more problems. You can just reveal your identity and get close to her.”

Thump, her heart pounded.

It finally sank in.

“Besides, didn’t that dragonslayer bastard try to restore lost memories before? When we go back, let’s figure out a way to recover lost memories together.”

He really did it.

This man.

“Huh? So, say something. You’re making me nervous here…”

Even after achieving a miracle, his feet fidgeted as he anxiously awaited her response, making Amelia smile without realizing it.

“It’s fine.”

“Huh? What do you mean by ‘it’s fine’?”

“It means you don’t need to worry anymore. I won’t try to restore my sister’s memories…”

“What? Why not?”

In response to his question, Amelia smiled slightly.

Having rarely smiled throughout her life, the movement of her facial muscles felt very awkward.

But…

“Because it’s better if she doesn’t remember.”

From now on, her sister will be different.

The life she had longed for will begin.

And in that life, painful memories would only get in the way.

So, therefore…

“Goodbye, sister.”

I’ll be fine.

Even if I’m not with you.

Even if I live a life far from the ordinary one I once wanted.

Even if smiling is still awkward for me.

There will be nothing for you to worry about.

“Let’s go, barbarian.”

“It’s Jandel, not barbarian.”

“Alright, Jandel.”

Because I’m no longer alone.