It's dark--
　I felt like I was walking on the dark bottom of the water.
　It was a realm that was so deep that there was no light coming in. It's a world where it takes seconds to move a single finger or take a single step.

　So I immediately relaxed my body and drifted into the water. It's too difficult to move forward on my own in this dark and heavy world.
　Little by little, my body was being lifted upward by the buoyancy of my body. Up and up and up and up, little by little the light shone into the water.

　In that light were many things reflected.
　A dark-haired girl standing on the surface of an icy lake - a dark-haired boy living in a dimly lit basement by candlelight alone - an elderly man sitting in a rocking chair surrounded by more than ten thousand books. The beastman of the - the blonde woman who painfully chants poetry at the top of the tower - and the princess of the little country who flutters her dazzling hair - the ......

　I realize that I am dreaming here.
　And I also realize that everything I see is an old memory.

　I had a similar dream a while ago. At that time, it was a consolidation of past memories.
　A similar phenomenon seems to be taking place today.

　The fragments of the memory of the founder Kanami who had failed to be inherited by Apostle Legacy are being revived.
　There is no doubt that the memories are being restored through the rise in my "magic power". Like bubbles floating up from the bottom of the water, the memories are returning one by one.

　I choose one memory from that group of memories.
　Instinctively, I choose the memory of the one that is most closely related to me now.
　The memory of my encounter with her.


　The reflection - a green-haired girl who is welcomed by countless people and makes a triumphant return.


　A young king riding on the back of a huge, fierce-looking beast, with thousands of soldiers in tow, thrusting through a storm of praise.
　All those countless people were beastmen. And then I realized that the city resembled Viaisia. A line of soldiers who must have won the war, led by the Green Girl, is advancing down the main street in Viaisia, which I also know.

　--this is how me and Lord meet.

　Four travelers are mixed in with the cheering people.
　For some reason they were magically disguised, but I recognize all of their names.
　The blonde woman is the Apostle Sith. The dark-haired girl is Yotaki. The youngest girl is Tiara. And the masked boy is the founder Kanami - that would be me.

　For some reason, they all wore cat ears and cat tails.
　Maybe the north could only let in beastmen at this time of year, but I could sense my dogmatic taste in that choice. I was dismayed by my past, wondering what a stupid thing I was doing.

　But my eyes, standing in the midst of the triumphal parade, are serious.
　Seriously, I'm looking at the girl in green - Lord - from a distance.

　Unlike the Lord I know now, that green girl is full of dignity and spirit.
　Instead of her usual humble clothes, she is dressed in fine silk, and wears thick armor that must have been struck with extraordinary skill. On top of her head is a crown adorned with an assortment of jewels, showing off to those around her that she is a king. Of course, her city girl-like tail-head is undone, leaving her long, graceful, green hair floating in the sky. And the wings on her back were spread out leisurely without hiding them.
　Looking at her figure, one would think she was a person worthy of being bequeathed to a painting.

　--Oh, what a fine king.

　So much so that there was not a minute's notice on Lord's face.
　The way he brought home the victory as a matter of course and received the people's loud cheers in a cool manner. A king among kings, indeed. Though she was supposed to be the queen, Lord's face was dignified, noble, lone, mortified, as if his gender didn't matter.

　The 'apostles' and 'saints' in the crowd describe the king.

...... Yes, that's the 'mad king'?　Sure, it sounds like you have the chutzpah to be called that. ...... What do you think of that, from a tiara's perspective?
It's really popular. In the south they call him the 'Mad King', but here he's the 'controlling king'. Well, I thought rumors are so unreliable!

　The Apostle Sith asked Tiara, who was placed on his shoulder, and she gave him a very clear answer. Hearing that, the Apostle Sith smiled bitterly, ''You're right.

''From now on, let's not believe rumors that cross the country, shall we? I didn't expect the King of the North to be so beautiful ......--

　Then his sister Yotaki follows the story.
　But in the middle of the story, the words get muddled. This is because the older brother next to him - that is, the Founder Kanami - was acting strangely.

　The progenitor Kanami was 'gazing' at Lord.

''What's wrong, brother?''

　Yotaki asks with concern, to which Kanami, the founder, replies.

'No, I was surprised because it wasn't what I imagined: ......
Was she more beautiful than you expected?

　Yotaki returns, sulking a bit.

''No, no!　That's not what I'm talking about!
So what was the difference?
'I feel like ......, that king, he looks like he's in pain. Even now, I feel like he's asking for someone to help him: ......

　The evaluation of the founder Kanami, who was seriously looking at Lord, was the same as mine now.
　I thought that the girl named Lord is still suffering the same as before, and that she's always looking for help - or so I thought.

　But the reaction of my friends to that serious story was terrible.

'Oh, here we go again. Isn't that what you always say when you see a beautiful woman?
Ah, the vices of our allies are so annoying.
Master, again?

　From the way he talks, I can tell that he's always tripping over beautiful women.
　Now that I am struggling in the depths of the labyrinth, I'm annoyed at what this progenitor Kanami is doing. No, I know that this progenitor Kanami is me too.

'No, so that's not what I'm talking about. He says it really looks like that: ....... But the other side is the king of the Northern Empire, so ......
''Absolutely not, master. We are travelers of the stream, and we can't reveal our identities. If you go near that handsome king, we won't be able to stay in the north.

　Kanami was the first to be eaten down, but the reaction of the others was cold. They didn't seem to think that Lord was asking for help in the first place.

'There is only one thing to do now. The only thing we need to do now is to gather 'magic power'. Don't make that mistake, my friend.

　The saint and the apostle appeased him, and Kanami, the founder, nodded reluctantly.

'Yeah, I know. I know. ......

　Among them, only one person - Yotaki - was peering into the face of the founder Kanami without speaking a word. He turned his black eyes to try to see through to the expression behind that mask.

　Then the king's triumphal return advanced, and the Primordial Kanami lost sight of the Lord.
　Even after the king passes, the people's fervor does not subside.
　The four of them walk away from the hustle and bustle. In the end, it was decided that the story of the Primordial Kanami hadn't happened and that they would stay away from the Lord as much as possible.

　--Yes.
　The first time they met, they just crossed paths.
　And I remember well how I deeply regretted it.

　As I recall, it wasn't until much later that the progenitor Kanami and Lord cooperated with each other.
　After Yotaki became a monster and separated from Apostle Sith and Tiara.

　So the dream of an encounter is cut off here once.

　I'm sent back into the dream like the bottom of the water.
　Little by little the water was filling with light. I had a feeling that my dream would end when this light filled the whole water.
　I looked around desperately trying to get as much of my memory back before the dream ended.


　The next thing I found was the memory of a young boy and girl walking inside a mansion surrounded by walls.


　The boy and girl's hair was black and very long.
　For a moment, I didn't know who they were. However, looking at their faces, there was no way to mistake their names.

　The original Kanami and Nosfi.
　This time, it seems to be the memory of how they met.

　However, both were slightly different from the figure I knew.

　Nosfi is still the same beautiful girl dressed in black with frills. The only difference would be the color of her hair. It seems to be a little less pigmented than it is now. However, it was originally a color that seemed to encompass all the colors, so I'm not too concerned about it.

　The original Kanami has changed to black hair that reaches to her chest. She looks more like her last body that emerged from the World Order of Mercy than the current me. It seems that her hair has grown out as the years have passed.

　From the length of its hair, I can tell that quite a bit of time has passed since the Lord's encounter earlier. Probably at a time when his sister had become a monster and was acting alone to take revenge on the Apostle Sith. As I recall, according to Nosfi's story, once I was defeated by the Apostle Sith, I was in a state of self-destruction. It may have been the scene of that time.

　The lifeless, empty eyes of the progenitor Kanami prove it.
　Like a sleepwalker, the defeated Kanami the First Ancestor wanders aimlessly. Nosfi is helping her with that, holding her from the side.
　I've heard the stories, but once again, it's a terrible thing to see. So much so that it's hard to believe that it's my appearance.

'...... Uzumi-sama, this way, sir.'

　They continue to walk through the corridors of the mansion, which are lined with gleaming furnishings.
　Nosfi re-carries the original Kanami, who almost falls over and over again.

　Then they continue walking, just the two of them, into one of the large rooms in the mansion.
　There was a long table in the center that could accommodate twenty people at the same time, and a meal for two was prepared on it.

'Here's today's breakfast. Come on, let's eat together.

　Nosfi is worthy of taking care of the founder, Kanami.

　The room is too large for just the two of them to use.
　A finely patterned carpet on the floor that looks like it could hang in a museum. There is a gorgeous chandelier made of magical stone on the ceiling. The walls are lined with a number of paintings as tall as ten meters in width. Honestly, it's a room that is nothing short of overly expensive and in poor taste.
　It was odd that the room seemed to exist only to advertise that it was rich, and that there were only two people in the room.

'Will it be good?　I woke up early to make it. A lot of Uzumi-sama's favorite dishes at ......

　Even though she knew she wouldn't get an answer, Nosfi spoke to her, scooping up the soup with a spoon and bringing it to the progenitor Kanami's mouth.
　Despite wandering unfocused eyes, the progenitor Kanami managed to eat.

　It was a painful sight.
　No more than the miserable state of the progenitor Kanami, and Nosfi couldn't even look at it.

　Although a smile stuck to her face the whole time, she was dry and parched.
　Her cheeks are a little flushed, as if she's happy to spend time with the progenitor Kanami. However, it's clear that there is a sadness that surpasses the happiness.
　She is smiling, but her eyes are moistened to the point that tears are about to spill out at any moment.

　With a tearful smile on her face, she has been taking care of the food for a long time.
　It was in the middle of that.

'Oh, there's ...... on my mouth.'

　He lost his stance a bit and got a sticky soup on the side of the primordial Kanami's mouth.
　Seeing this, Nosfi reached out his hand. However, he immediately stops moving.

　The thinly clinging expression on her face deepens.
　The ratio of joy to sadness remains the same, but I can see that the emotions are swelling up.

　And then he retracts his hand, trying to touch the progenitor Kanami's cheek again and again.
　After a few minutes of hesitation and decision making, he finally wipes his mouth with a table napkin.

　Tears spill out at the same time.
　At last, even the little bit of joy that I had must have vanished. I'm not going to be able to get the best out of it.

''Father......''

　I look up at the sky and the word muttered to me is the word father.
　I don't know the meaning of that word, but I can tell from the tone of his voice that it was something very important.

　However, even with that, the founder Kanami doesn't say anything. She doesn't move. She doesn't even react.
　That fact makes the girl even more sad.

　It's a memory that makes you want to look away.
　But this is how Nosfi and I met. Without a doubt, this is a meeting.

　Even though I know it's just a dream, I want to reach out my arms to stop the girl's tears.
　But I can't reach it.

　This is the end. The past.
　So I can't stop the sound of the tears falling in a trickle, and finally ...... - that's when it happened.

　Something wet touches my cheek with a flop.

(----!)

　I'm ......, but that's not the progenitor Kanami in my dreams. It's my sense of being the one asleep in a dream. The stimulus interrupts the memory of my encounter with Nosfy.
　Like the surface of the water where a stone was thrown, the memory has dissipated.

　.............
　I felt like the rest of this was a very important memory (place).
　I would have liked to see more of my memories with Nosfi, but what was fogged up was not returned.

　The water of the dream was filled with light, along with a raw, warm feeling that trickled down to me. Gradually I feel myself waking up from the dream. The important memory conversion time is interrupted, and feelings similar to the frustration of waking up from sleep swell.
　And the bright light, so bright that it hurts my eyes, makes me lift my heavy eyelids - and

　--I was fully awakened to consciousness.


◆◆◆◆◆


　I wake up.
　As soon as I lifted my eyelids, I saw almost the same scene as yesterday.

　Nosfi's face was within touching distance of my nose, and his black agate eyes reflected me as I slept.

　Almost the same scene - but with a few differences ...... and that little bit was too critical.

　Unlike yesterday, Nosfi was straddling me as I slept, her pink tongue extending from her tiny mouth to lick my cheek.
　I could hear the sound of floppy saliva running down my face, and the tongue was crawling along.

''--?

　When he understands the situation, he tries to push Nosfi away as quickly as possible.
　But the body didn't move. There was only a rattling sound and pain in both arms and legs.

　The automatically activated 《Dimension》 and 'Sensation' grasp their own state.
　Right now I was lying in a large bed in a large figure. And both of my hands and feet were bound with a shimmering cord made of magic. If you look closely, you can see that the strings on my right hand go behind the bed and are connected to the strings on my left hand. The same is true for both legs.
　It is a restraint that cannot be broken free by simply moving with force.

"...... Good morning, Uzurinami-sama.

　Nosfi interrupts his licking and skips the wake-up call with a smile.

'No, Nosfi--?'

　I knew that the flattening sound and the tepid sensation I heard in the dream had been the work of Nosfi. But I don't understand. I don't know why I'm in this situation. Maybe it's because I was watching the worthy Nosphy right before, but I feel a terrible drop in the ocean.

''Oh, hey, Nosfi!　What were you thinking, doing this--!

　In the height of my confusion, I ask Nosfi strongly.

'Yes. I've thought it through (・・・・・・・・・) ......

　But she didn't move much and just stroked my cheek.

'No, think about it, how could this happen!　Just unpack this right away!

　I demand my release, moving my bound arms, but what comes back is a shake of the head with a reddened face on my cheeks.
　Then, tossing my request aside, Nosfi only verbalizes his own request.

'Or, you don't mind (・・・・・・・)?'

　I'm trying to get confirmation with my mouth, but it's entirely clear that he's not listening to my answer. He strokes my cheek, not knowing what's bothering me, traces his index finger down my neck, and rubs his five fingertips on my collarbone. With a hot, lascivious breath, Nosphy's face comes closer again.

　Little by little, I'm beginning to understand what Nosphy is doing now.
　If that guess was correct, it was too abrupt, too insane, and too filthy.

'Yes, we are a former couple ......!　There's nothing funny about being a married couple, is there ......?　Hey, Master Uzumi: ......!
You can't mean--!

　I understand what Nosfy is trying to do.
　It was so unexpected that even my sharpened senses - 'sensing' - didn't foreshadow it at all.

　Not good.
　Anyway, it's bad.
　It's not the same as the premonition of death you feel in battle, but a chill certainly runs down your back that rivals it.

'All along, you've been trapped ...... in another world, and that too in a labyrinth, right ......?　Then you must have been in a lot of trouble. All you have to do is to think about letting that s*xual desire dissipate in me, and that's all that matters.

　I was convinced by Nosfy's statement.
　I don't know why or how, but this chestnut-haired girl wants to do 'that kind of thing' with me. In an instant, I found my face twitching.
　And then my cheeks turn red - but not blue.

　The girl in front of me is beautiful. To be incomparable with Rustyala is the best beauty I can think of, I would say.
　There is not a single stain on her translucent skin, and each strand of her chestnut-colored hair shimmers in a mesmerizing way. The white porcelain flowers in bloom seem to absorb everything in their charm.
　And her black agate eyes remind me of a familiar, former world person. If she were in my world, she would reign as the pinnacle (top) of idols and models for a century.

　She is sought after by that overly beautiful girl (Nosfi).
　Normally, I would be puzzled but a little pleased. That should be a normal reaction for a boy. And yet, what I'm feeling right now is not excitement, but fear.
　It's a horrible thing to say, but I even feel physiological disgust.

　I don't know why, but I didn't want to mess with Nosfy.
　No matter what, no matter what--.

　Of course, as a matter of common sense, I know that this situation is also criminal.
　So I slowly try to persuade Nosphy in generalities.

'Oh, calm down, Nosfi ....... That is something that people who like each other do with each other's consent, not something we just met. You know that much, don't you ......?

　But it doesn't stop. Nosfi's brow furrows, but he continues to move his crawling hand.

''...... So it's fine if we have each other's approval. Then, Uzumi-sama, please acknowledge it now. Let this not be a one-sided thing, but a loving nurturing one. Yes, right now.
Now ......, in this situation?
Yeah, right now. --The Light Knife.

　Smiling, Nosfi casts a spell. He generates a blade that resembles a very sharp-looking knife with light and gently places it around my neck.

'Don't stick the blade at me!　That's not called mutual consent!
Oh, I'm sorry. I couldn't help it, out of habit: ......
Habit?

　I shyly extinguished the blade of light as if a child biting his nails had been scolded. My confusion only accelerated with that familiar threat.

''Please. It's a hindering, so let me fulfill my undoing .......
'Wait. ....... You really need to calm down. This is what you're talking about as an unresolved problem ......?　Really?
Yes, I'm sure I want a "proof". A "friend" won't clear your mind at all. After all, there is no one but Uzumi-sama!　That's why I want a 'proof' with Master Trannya!　It's a 'proof' that Uzumi-sama and I are connected, a 'proof' that I've fulfilled my mission, if only I had that 'proof', I would surely--!

　Finally, Nosfi lets out an unsuitable scream.
　I scream back, afraid that the momentum will push me over the edge.

'But do you think this is the right thing to do, tying me up and attacking me so forcefully, Nosphy?　Are you sure this is the right thing to do!　It can't be!

　Exposed to my angry voice, Nosfi's momentum is cut down a bit.

'I don't think it's right ....... But wasn't it Uzurinami-sama who said that doing the right thing wasn't good enough ......?
'That's not what I meant!　At least I didn't say it because I wanted you to do this!

　He continues to scream to push through this, but Nosfi quickly reasserts his intentions.

'Then what did you mean by ......!　To me, Uzumi-sama was the 'absolute righteousness' and 'perfection' of his existence!　That Uzumi-sama makes his own words blur, and I'm baffled!　I would have loved to have been close to that wonderful Master Vortex!　I kept wanting to get closer and touch it in the past and still do: ......!　Yes, after all, that's the only thing I haven't been able to do: ......!　That's my regret: ......!

　With a cry, Nosfi's face comes closer to mine. Any moment now, her little lips touch my face with mine.
　This was no longer the time to be throwing words at each other.
　I felt that if I didn't do this, I would be raped, so I invoked my last resort: magic.

''-- Magic 《Distance Mute》!

　Distance Mute, a magic that slips through dimensional walls.
　Its power is not all about attacks. Just like it was used to open the locks not long ago, its uses are wide ranging. Instead of covering the entire arm, it was deployed on both limbs for a moment to slip through the rope.

　Its unaccustomed and forceful magic construction causes it to secretly lose its magic power. A pain runs through my head, as if I had made a hole in it with a cone. But this much is always the case.

　Keeping his composure, he uses his free hands to grab onto Nosfy.
　Nosfi must have been confident in his capture by the rope of light. Unable to respond to the counterattack, he swapped bodies and slammed me into the bed.

　As it is, I try to escape out of the room.

''Uzumi-sama!　--Magic [Light Stuff]!

　But every doorway, including the windows, is set up like a grid of bars of light. You can see that all that light is filled with ridiculous magic, and you are forced to stop in your tracks.

　He realizes that if he escapes properly, he will only be caught from behind, and he turns his body back to Nosfi.

'Nosfi!　You can't do that now, can you?　At least wait until I get my memory back!　Even you would prefer me to remember Nosfi's from a thousand years ago!

　As he wobbled up from the bed, Nosfi continued to smile.

''Yes, I was going to do that at first, too. If I were to say in order, my unresolved issues should be resolved last, so ....... So I would return to earth, save my sister, save the Lord, and then slowly regain Uzumi-sama's memory before I confronted her with my thoughts. Yes, I still think it's the right thing to do. Without a doubt, it would be the most correct way--
'Then why don't you do it: ......!

　Nosfi's response was more rational than I expected.
　The difference is obvious when compared to the enemies with whom we had never had a conversation before. However, this, in turn, accelerates the fear. In other words, this is because Nosfi chose this situation calmly.

''But I noticed it when I was looking at Lord and Uzuraha-sama. No, I thought that even a thousand years ago.

　I don't see any confusion in Nosfi, who speaks so matter-of-factly.
　As I said at the beginning, it is clear that all of this is a thoughtful action.
　Then Nosfi tells us the reason for this rational outburst.

'Because (...), the right one (・・・・・) always loses (・・・・・・・・)
What--?

　He looked like he was about to cry, smiled and told me briefly why.
　That extremely obvious reason left me speechless.
　It was too unexpected, as I was bracing myself for a more complicated and bizarre reason.

'A thousand years ago - while I was acting like an adult, I lost everything. Back then, I had the chance to get Uzuraha-sama, but I missed it. I had been taught to do the right thing, so if I had done the right thing, all that would have been left was death and regret. I am not satisfied with that result. We live in a world where good things are not returned to those who have done good things. The more good I did, the more unhappy I became. How could I ever be satisfied with such an ending?

　The complaint was too straightforward as an unfinished business.
　It was too common in the midst of human life.
　Then the weight of the dead man's words added to it, and it became an unmanageable cry.

　There is no easy way to say "no" back. There is no easy comfort to offer.
　There is no choice but to be lost for words, and all that lasts is the cry of Nosfi's heart.

'If you say that living as an adult will cost you. Like everyone else, I want to be a child. I don't want to live a sensible life. It's already hard to act like a good boy. It's really, really hard: ......

　The trembling Nosfi probably envied me and Lord.
　Perhaps because of her innate personality, she simply envied me without any black feelings of envy.
　So I'm simply trying to imitate her.

　And I understand.
　I understand that it was the accumulation of my own misunderstandings - that it was the girl in front of me, not Lord, who was most shaken by yesterday's series of disturbances, but the girl in front of me.
　Now, Nosfi is on the verge of crumbling.
　From the very roots of its heart, it is on the verge of breaking.

'Yes, Lord was right. The Lord was more mature than anyone else. He understands life very well. Just playing nice doesn't change anything ....... Just doing the right thing won't make you happy ......

　The snatched voice that resembles undiluted fluid leaking from his mind is so overwhelming that he can't move.
　I had tried to persuade Nosufi, but he tried to persuade me back.

I was taught to be righteous and righteous, to live righteous and righteous as I was taught, and to die righteous in the end!　I finally realized that!　Righteousness is just a word of convenience for the person who taught it!　Eh, I knew it was thin!　It's only that the more righteous people are unhappy!

　Honestly, it was a story that I knew exactly what Nosfi was talking about.
　It was a story about how the more desperate people who lived their lives, the less they were rewarded.
　It's a story about how no matter how hard you try, the world only prepares merciless endings.
　It's a story about how the bad guys live happily and unpunished and the good guys get punished by the fate of death.
　It's a story that has so much on your mind that you're swallowed up by the momentum of it all, undeniably.

　I can't even take a step, but Nosfi approaches me.
　I can't refuse it.
　This is because this girl (Nosphy) is just genuinely seeking happiness.
　There is no malice there. Of course, there's no hostility in it either. There is only affection.
　It's too beautiful to get rid of.

So I think. Yeah, now I'm going to be honest with you.
　All my life I've wanted to-- I've wanted to make a mistake (・・・・・・・・・・).

　Then, the unrequited love of The One Who Stole the Truth of Light is revealed.
　The answer to the girl's search for happiness is too distorted.
　She turns her entire life around, as if she were holding a grudge. She even turns her lifelong pride on its head. But if I didn't, I wouldn't be able to breathe anymore - I could see it in his face.

'I want to make mistakes, make mistakes, and keep making mistakes, but I want to be happy (・・・・・・・). And I want to stay happy and end up happy. That's what I haven't been able to do--

　Before I knew it, The One Who Steals the Reason of Light (Nosfy) was within reach.