Night falls and the feast begins.

　The head of the Dravdragon is raised on a high platform in the village, and around it people with various instruments begin to play merry music.
　People sing and dance to that music. A large amount of food is placed on the tables lined up outside. Apparently, they are allowed to eat it freely, buffet style. Everyone was laughing merrily as they ate their drinks and meat.

　The banquet was prepared in less time than I had imagined, but it was more authentic than I had imagined.
　I'm not sure if there was originally a custom in the village to hold this kind of banquet on a regular basis.

　I was surrounded by many people at the banquet, smiling fondly.
　One of the villagers spoke to me with a twinkle in his eye.

''--Ka, Kanami-sama, please tell us how you defeated the dragon!

　At the same time, the others were eager to hear my saga. It was extremely embarrassing. If I'm not good at it, my stomach hurts even more than at the ball.

　I can't help but hate Snow, who, like a minstrel in the distance, is giving an exaggerated speech about slaying the dragon. The people who took him seriously were coming over here like a stream. It's an elaborate harassment.

''No, I just used my sword to titillate everyone where they weakened me, so ......

　I answer honestly, without any legwork at all.

'Humility, Lady Kanami. I've heard that in a one-on-one match, you slashed the head of a flying dragon.

　But the people under Snow's breath won't believe it. It's seriously troubling.
　I repeat the explanation over and over again, with an affectionate smile on my face, because I have no choice.

　But the more I insisted that it was a victory for all four of us, the more I would be seen as a humble and sincere 'hero'. It's clear that Snow is leading them in that way. In fact, I'm tempted to ruin it all by pretending to be an unassuming character, even now.

　But I can't.
　To do so would be to betray the expectations of the woman in front of him. There are kids around, too. They think I'm a 'hero' and their eyes are shining.
　My conscience won't allow me to darken their eyes.

　I look at my expression objectively with the Dimension.
　I had a tired look on my face.

　The same face I had at the ball. And it's the same tired face as Glenn-san's that day.
　Maybe Mr. Glenn is thinking the same thing.

　I try not to let him realize how tired he is, so I continue to talk.
　As I'm doing so, I spot Rowen in the distance. Just like me, she's surrounded by people from the village.

　However, compared to me, she looks much better.
　People don't think of her as a 'dragonslayer' - more importantly, Rowen is a person who has become strong through hard work. If you have a certain amount of pride, you may be able to accept undue praise.

　So, feeling sorry for myself, I bring up Rowen's story.

''--Lowen over there is my sword master. It's only because of his teachings that I can fight monsters. If it's about swords, it's more interesting to ask him, right?

　I push Rowen's presence with the biggest smile of the day.
　All the people around me are interested in Rowen.

　I take the opportunity to lie.

'Oh, excuse me. I'll have to excuse myself for a moment. I have to say hello to the village chief.

　I hurry to get out of the villagers' siege before the people around me notice the unnaturalness of the situation.

　But wherever I walk, people's eyes are constantly on me. If I don't, it's clearer than fire that I'll be surrounded again.

"--Dimension Decisive Operation (Gradient)

　Therefore, I'm going to cut off all eyes in this place with all the magic I can muster.

　I catch the movement of people's eyes and keep walking in the opposite direction. Then, the moment I have scratched the back of all the eyes around me, I leap without a sound.

　Without anyone noticing, I make it to the roof of the pavilion.
　To the people below, it would seem as if I had disappeared before I knew it. However, I need a little break too.

　And as I'm trying to cut off the Dimension - I find the Reaper on the roof as well.
　I'm curious about the Reaper, so I jump across the roof to get closer.

...... What's up, Reaper?　Does it still hurt?

　The Reaper was staring blankly at the starry sky.
　He was so quiet that I feared he was not feeling well.

...... No, no, no. I was just thinking about it.

　In response to my sudden appearance, the Reaper replied to me without moving. She might have caught me in the Dimension, too.

''It's a festival. Why don't you go downstairs and play?''

　If she was a regular reaper, she would be making a lot of noise, noisily. It wasn't like her to stare at the sky so quietly, I thought.

'Don't worry, it's just fun to watch. So, what, big brother?

　The Reaper smiles.
　I can tell by the way he looks at me that he really enjoys watching me.

　But I'm troubled.
　I just got somewhat worried and spoke to him, but I had no use for him. I was just worried about Reaper's health.

　I turned my head in a circle, searching for a topic.
　And the words that came out of my head were...

What do the Reapers think of 'heroes'?

　It's fuzzy and far-fetched ...... but I think it's a question that's at the heart of the current situation.

...... What, 'heroes'?　It's just out of the blue. Hmmm, yeah. I guess I don't think it's that good.

　My face lights up when I hear the Reaper's answer.

'You're right. 'Heroic' is never a good thing. Thank goodness the Reaper said that. I was a little nervous about keeping up with Snow and Rowen. ......

　Snow and Rowen have blind faith in The Hero. They keep insisting that it's right and good.
　I didn't have any sympathy for the two of them as they desperately tried to get that 'hero'.

'Yes, I do. Sister Snow and Rowen are a bit weird.
Right?

　I find someone I can relate to and feel my heart resting.
　It's exhausting to keep up with two people who keep chasing fame. But the Reaper doesn't have a blind faith in those things.

　His values are similar to mine.
　With that in mind, I'm about to continue talking further - when I'm interrupted by one of the Reaper's calm voices.

'But from my point of view, so does your brother, right?
The same ......?

　The Reaper said I was on Snow and Rowen's side.
　My heat that I thought we could understand each other cools.

　I keep my doubts intact and urge the Reaper to explain why.
　The Reaper ponders for a bit, then slowly spins the words out.

'...... Loewen is trapped in the 'mission given to the Alais family' and your sister Snow is trapped in the 'mission given to the Walker family'. And big brother is also trapped in the mission given to him by someone else. But you're not required to be a hero. That's the only difference, I guess. I think we're all doing the same thing at .......

　I didn't understand the words of the Reaper right away.
　By ruminating over the meaning of the words, I realize that they are thoughtful words that have seen the essence of what they are.

　And I'm amazed at his wisdom.
　Lately, the Reaper had been stepping back and thinking to himself. But I had no idea that he was thinking about that while watching us behind him.

　The Reapers may have understood the situation more accurately than anyone else.

A 'Mission Given' ......?

　The Reaper repeatedly used the term 'given mission'. I repeated the words, wanting to know their deeper meaning.
　But the Leeper did not get my meaning (・・・・・・・・・).

'I'm going to resist (・・・・) the 'mission given to someone else,' brother,'

　The Reaper didn't see anyone.
　He just stared at the sky and talked about himself.

　Somewhat painfully, he continues to speak only about himself.

'I'll never 'mistake my wishes' so--'

　There was no room there.
　From the looks of it, it was clear that the Reaper was full of himself alone. His earlier core words seemed to be nothing more than a byproduct of his continued search for his own answers.

　The Reaper was confronted with his own problems. Unlike someone somewhere else .......

'The Reaper ......'

　I felt ashamed of myself for trying to rely on the Reaper.
　I was looking to her for answers to my own problems, while the Reaper was battling them on her own.

　Leeper is struggling with her 'magic' self.
　She's decided on her own meaning of life and is trying to keep it intact.

　I reconsider and take a step closer to help the Reaper.

"Reaper, if that 'murderous impulse' is suffering--
"It's okay, brother. I'll take care of this one.

　Before he could finish, the Reaper refused.

　His expression was pregnant with a complex mix of emotions.
　I want help, but I can't want it. I want answers, but I can't ask for them. It's a look that contains so many conflicting things.

　From the Reaper's point of view, I guess I look like I'm 'making a mistake in my wishes'. I myself have admitted that thinly.
　I'm not going to be able to tell you what to do about it, but I'm going to tell you to do something about yourself first. And maybe it's also the fact that you can't trust 'me who makes mistakes'.

...... okay.

　I nod, biting my teeth.

　Then I shift my gaze slightly and turn my attention to the 'bangles'.
　It's a problem I've been running from for a long time.

　I've tried not to think about it, even though I'm convinced it's the cause of my mistake. I've been putting it off to the limit.

　The little girl in front of me was facing her own problems, but I wasn't.

　Then I remembered the words of the Reaper.
　'Don't mess with your destiny', 'Don't allow lies', 'Don't make a mistake in your wishes'.

　They seeped into my mind as if they were my own words.
　I thought they were more like me than any of my own words at the moment.

　It confirms a guess.

　The conjecture I've been thinking about in the corner of my head starts to come true, and I have to think about the cause and the root of it. Before I knew it, I was sitting next to the Reaper in contemplation.

　My gaze naturally turns to the party below.
　In the gaps between parallel thoughts, I catch Rowen at the edge of my vision. Seeing the situation, I spill the words.

'There ......, the kids Rowen was teaching the sword to when we got here .......

　Rowen was surrounded by many people.
　Further away, the children looked troubled.

'Yes, you're there,'

　Reaper replied with a blank look on her face.
　She seemed to be pondering something as much as I was.
　I kept spilling the words.

'Rowen's surrounded by so many different people that she can't get to: ......
Yes.

　Surrounded by adults, the children have been unable to talk to Rowen even if they wanted to.

'I don't know if Rowen can see the kids: ......
Maybe I'm in the wrong place.

　The sight seemed to be the answer to everything.

　And then I realized.
　No, I didn't notice. The Reaper told me. No, maybe it wasn't even that. If I'm guessing right, then it was me who told me.

　I steal a look at the Reaper's face next to me.
　He looks distressed.

　But it's also my expression.
　The Reaper is telling me what I'm really feeling.

　So I'll follow the Reaper's example.

"The Leaper ....... I'll try to 'make no mistake about my wishes' too .......

　The Reaper nodded slowly when he heard that.
　He looked a little happy.

　I'll face my problem.
　I couldn't put it off anymore. I shouldn't have done it. And I already knew the solution to the problem, the action I should take, and my answer. I probably knew it all along.

　Every cell in my body had been screaming from the moment I woke up that morning at the Epic Seeker headquarters.
　But I ignored it. I pretended not to notice it.

　--I pretended not to notice it - because I was comfortable there. I was so happy.

　The fact that the "sister named Maria" was there was what kept me together.
　That impeccable time had made me give up any doubt.

　--because it was the easiest (...) to do so. Because there was even the promise of 'glory' beyond that.

　But it was a sham.
　I looked at Snow, and then I looked at Rowen and realized that wasn't what was important.
　And then I looked at the Reapers and realized what really mattered, too.

　Everything was a chain that would take away my freedom. Chains that I would compromise in such a situation, and that's how I saw it, and the chains that were prepared for me.

　And it was probably Palinclone Legacy that prepared it: .......
　I'm not sure, but I'm sure that guy is my enemy.

　--I was afraid of breaking it.

　Perhaps it's not so much my sister's name that's different.
　According to Reil-san's story, my past memories are 'unhappy'. I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this in the future.

　I'm sure it is.
　I knew what that 'misery' was from the moment I heard it.

　-- and admitting it would be the end of it.

　I just didn't want to believe it.
　My priority is 'sister' above my own life. If you include that, there's only one answer to 'misfortune'.
　I'm not going to be the only one.

　--I'm not going to be able to get the best out of it.

　That's the answer. There is no other answer.
　The girl named Maria is not my sister.

　I face the answer I've been turning away from, and I feel a terrible nausea.
　My stomach turns over and my heart tries to crawl out of my throat.

　If it's true, then I can't be doing this.
　I have to go and save my sister right now.
　If the wish that I thought had come true is not really coming true, then I have to make it come true, even if I have to pay with my life.
　I have to make my sister happy, even if it means using my life (・・・・・・・).

　Fortunately, due to my lack of memory, I have little sense of urgency and danger. I can afford to be calm and choose my means.
　However, my determination to get the truth back has become a certainty.

　I must break the 'bracelet' and confirm its authenticity. Absolutely.

　I get a dizzy feeling as if my upper and lower parts are being swapped out, and I feel an intense chill.
　The fact that something more important than life is just out of reach is painful.

　--The only thing that hurts is the pain.

　However, there is no way to escape that pain.
　It's the same for the Reaper sitting next to her. I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most of it.

　I can't run away from the Reaper, who is younger than me, when she hasn't run away.

　The Reaper next to me notices something wrong with me and turns his attention to me.
　But I laugh, trying to be skinny and laugh. I try to smile as much as the Reaper does.

　Now we are finally equals. I'm sorry, but I don't have time to think about the Reaper anymore. I can't afford to be bothered with anything else.
　I can only think desperately of ways to solve my problems.

　And I'm sure the same is true for the Reaper.
　That's why she didn't take me at my word earlier. There was no way she could afford it.

　I regret my shallowness, thinking so desperately that my brain melts from the heat.
　I had to fix this for the sake of the Reaper, and I had to do it quickly. That way I can help the Reapers. And maybe I can really help Snow, and maybe Rowen, too.

　I continue to watch the party and the night sky with the Reaper.

　The guest of honor had disappeared and the banquet below was in a hurry, but I left it all behind and continued to think on the roof.　
　I continued to think about what I really needed to do, along with the Reaper.

　--At the end of the banquet, Snow and Rowen complained, but it didn't enter my mind.