For now, we moved out of the confederacy to the shade of a tree in the plains. Here we could talk slowly and unobtrusively, but--

'I've moved out of sight, how about ......?　What do you think?

　The girl against the tree bends down and peers out from below.

''Well, I'm sorry ....... Saint Tiara-sama, please forgive my rudeness. I'm a former commoner, too .......

　I immediately prod my knees and lower my head than the girl before turning over. In response, she shook her head and helped me up.

''Don't be so hard! I am here, a fragment of the 'Saint Tiara'. It's like a residual thought, not the person himself.
Za, Zanryu Shinen, is it ......?
You can think that I'm talking now just to explain the situation to Aikawa Uzumi, who will appear in a thousand years. To tell the truth, I don't have much power and my memory is fragmented right now. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're going to do with it. You don't even need to call me 'honorific'.

　I continue to be baffled, but she responds to my confusion with kindness and politeness to no end. There's no guarantee that the girl in front of me right now isn't lying, but I can tell that she doesn't have any malicious intent.

　And she said she was magical.
　Does that mean that she is the same as one of Christ's companions, a girl named Reaper? I'm uneducated and I don't know, but I'm going to assume that she's not a straight shooter.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this as well.
　It's easy to see that when she makes a peace sign with her hands in front of my silent eyes.

"Yay, yay!

　It's quite an irritating sight.
　But I guess that's her way of communicating. At least, I no longer have any interest in using honorific language with me.

'Okay, Tiara-san. It's easier this way, thank you.
Hmm. You're making life easier for me.

　Seeing me calmly answer in a natural way, Tiara stopped the peace sign.
　It was a token, but it showed that we were equals.

...... I have a lot of questions for you," she said. I don't mean to be rude, but do you mind if I ask you a few things?
'After you. That's what I came out for.

　He turns his palm toward you and gives you the lead in the conversation with room to spare.
　From her behavior, I can sense the calmness of her age, even more so than her appearance, which is a change from earlier. No, if she's a Saint Tiara, that's only natural.

''First of all, I want to ask you for the sake of Lord Rath Tiara. If you're a 'magic that only transmutes and speaks to someone else', does that mean that no matter what happened to you in the end, 'Saint Tiara' couldn't be 'reincarnated'?
''I guess that depends on the definition of 're-birth'. To be honest, I think there are many people who believe this imperfect magic 'Tiara-san' is the legendary 'Saint Tiara'. The human ego and consciousness are very vague to begin with. But--

　Tiara said it was neither yes nor no.
　I furrow my brow at that unclear answer.
　It's a hassle, unlike my sister and Titi. It's strangely logical and distant, as if I'm talking to Christ or Palinclone.

'I would never, ever think of me as me now. ...... For example, did you really think of that beautiful sister Hailey as your brother?　Do you really think that the legendary founder Uzumi Aikawa Uzumi from a thousand years ago and the current Uzumi Aikawa are the same person?　Both of them used a woman's body, and the amnesia left a big hole in the continuum of consciousness, and they changed their values and everything, and yet they are the same person--can you say they are really back?

　He continues to talk about the small stuff.
　My head is starting to hurt, but I understand a little bit of what he's trying to say.

　The point is that the magic 'Mr. Tiara' who is talking here is probably trying to say that he doesn't consider himself to be the same person as 'Saint Tiara'.
　However, if I were to answer the examples I just gave, my answer would be--

But it's a personal decision. I'm with you in that it's up to you to decide.

　They would say the answer ahead of time.
　He answered what I was going to say, almost word for word, without changing.

...... Yeah, I think so too. It's just a matter of each of us deciding what we want to do.

　I'm trying to keep my composure, but inwardly I'm quite surprised.
　I don't know why, but now I've been completely read out of my thoughts. It's the kind of anticipation that I can only assume he has that kind of skill or precognitive magic.

　However, I won't lose my composure.
　I knew that he was someone who would come to that much with impunity, and I had long ago prepared myself for that kind of thing to be on the same stage as that Christ.

'Of course, ...... answers are uncertain and each of us has different values. But my master and I both thought of it this way a thousand years ago. It's the strength of the thought that proves you are who you are. Also, it depends on the size of the 'unfinished business' that one clings to in this life.

　The mentor she is referring to is probably Christ.
　If I wanted to know more about the case of Christ, Tiara would anticipate it and tell me.

　The golden eyes that have been staring at me for some time now are unfathomable. I am reminded every second that the girl here is a great man of legend.

''Master has the 'regret' of 'not being able to save Aikawa Yotaki,' so he is still able to continue Aikawa Uzumi with conviction a thousand years later. On the other hand, I don't have any reluctance to save him. That's why I don't have the will to live as a 'Saint Tiara' again. That's why we're here with magic - magic (...) 'Tiara-san'!

　I finished defining myself as not being a 'Saint Tiara' first, ahead of everything else.
　I just can't believe it. That's how much presence the girl who calls herself a magician now in front of me has.

"Are you sure you don't have any 'unfinished business'?
True. A thousand years ago, 'Saint Tiara' died. She died without any 'regrets'. Unlike everyone else, I've done it.
But the ...... you're in love with the primordial Kanami, Rastiala told me. This time you want to be happy with the love of your life, don't you?
'Yes. ....... Oh no, I don't think that's all there is to it.

　I poked at her 'regrets' that I could think of, but she gave me an immediate answer.
　I was a little taken aback because I didn't think I would be able to get over this problem easily.

I'm sure you're mistaken, but I don't look at my teacher as the opposite s*x. If I say ...... like my brother, my sister Yotaki gets mad at me when I say ....... That's why I thought of my mentor as my father. I loved him as a reliable mentor ...... and as a family member (・・・・・).

　I saw him not as a heteros*xual or brother, but as a mentor and father.

　--Really?

　Tiara's words were a reversal of his previous assumptions.
　They were too far removed from the persona of 'Saint Tiara' that Rastiara had described.

　Seeing the expression on my face, as if she had read my thoughts again, Tiara-san responded by anticipating what I wanted to ask her.

''That girl (Ko) - Lascie-chan is mistaken. She's making her own thoughts into my thoughts without permission.''

　He says that it is Rastiara who is wrong and begins to speak quickly in front of me, his brow wrinkled.
　His gestures and appearance were very similar to the Rastiara I knew.

'I shouldn't have let my daughter, who is so fond of her master, experience a reminiscence of my life! It's like reading a novel that you can completely project, with your own protagonist: ...... Just listen to me, okay?　Eh, gosh, gosh, gosh.

　After clearing my throat, I dexterously bring my tone of voice closer to Rustiala's.
　Then, after lulling me into the illusion that Rustyala is there, I let out Rustyala's inner thoughts instead.

''--I find this book interesting. Huh, Saint Tiara-chan in this one definitely likes Kanami, right!　You definitely like it!　Because it's so cool, Kanami!　Oh, Kanami, he's so freaking cool!　Besides, if this is a story, then Tiara is a heroine!　The heroine and the hero should be together!　Tiara and Kanami have to have a happy kiss and a happy ending!　I won't accept anything else!' --What are you thinking? It's my daughter who thinks Aikawa Uranami is so cool, but they have taken the liberty of assuming that I think he's so cool. I was a bit pissed off. If anything, I think he's a no-good, uncool dad. I thought it was going to be a warm-hearted father-son story, not a love story.

　And they are confronted with the fact that they are very no good masters.
　I tried not to think about it, but that Rustyala is just as bad as Christ. It's a shameful story, but the interpretation of it made sense to me easily.

　I finished taking stock of the situation and nodded, feeling a strange sense of embarrassment for my people.

'...... Now that was easy to understand. I understand your situation better now.
'Good, good. I saw Reiner's eyebrows crease up between his eyebrows earlier when he was talking about 'reanimation', so I tried to explain it to him in a bit of a small theatrical way.
'I'm sorry, but I'm not as quick-witted as you guys. I'm not well bred.
'But unlike your master, you have a proper understanding of the essence of things. Your judgment is very good. Much better than your uselessly clever master.

　For some reason, I'm praised for letting go.

　Somehow, I think I'm starting to understand Tiara's personality a little better.
　She's always been aloof, and it's hard to read her innermost thoughts. And yet, she can tell a person's innermost thoughts so quickly that she tries to play into their pocket.

So, are you really not interested in this world anymore?　That's surprising to me as a Levantine. When I was a kid, I was told that he was a being who would be 're-born' to save the world: ......
'Most of that lore is a lie, because all of it was tossed around by later followers. The only role I had as a magic "tiara-san" was to take care of my level 1 master for a day or so to prevent him from dying, but ...... my daughter did that already. So there really isn't much to do,
So why are you in front of me now?
Yeah. That's the whole point. There's what I'm talking about.

　I've been waiting for you, Tiara laughs.
　However, I feel like I didn't return to the main topic at my own will, but was successfully guided by her.
　This girl seems to be very good at manipulating others. To think that she became a 'saint' a thousand years ago with this speech and manipulation, I can't believe everything she says.

''My daughter seems to be trying to revive me by putting all the 'blood' in this vessel--''

　Tiara pointed to her chest and called the body a vessel.

'I don't want to. Honestly, I don't want you to do that to me. I don't have anything to do if I'm resurrected.'

　Then he shakes his head, saying he won't let that happen.
　Then he points to my chest this time.

''So, you see, I want to leave my power in the hands of Rainer Helvirshine. I want you to receive this 'blood'.

　She told me, a stranger, to inherit it.
　I was in no hurry to ask her a question, as I had a hint of her request.

'Why me?　That's Christ or Lastiara.
''Hmm, there are a lot of reasons, but ...... the best reason is because you're the only one (・・・・・・・) who can beat sister Yotaki (・・・・・)?''

　The answer was too unexpected for me.
　The unexpected name made me wonder from the bottom of my heart.
　For once, I had no choice but to ask the question in a state of turmoil.

'What?　Hitaki......?　You mean your sister in Christ?　No, it's crazy. Why would your sister and I fight?
I'll fight. If you're not, you'll have to fight both Aikawa brothers and sisters at the same time. Frankly speaking, the world will be in danger then. That's why I want to make you much stronger. I have no 'regrets' or anything else, so I came here to contribute to world peace in a random way, just like the legend that was handed down in a random way.

　I assured him that I would fight against Christ and the others - even though he was mocking me, he assured me so.
　I said earlier that I was a magician and not a saint, but those words sounded like a saint's prophecy.

　But that prophecy was too hard to accept, even for me, a Levantine.

'Fool. I'm not going to fight the Lord," he said, "no matter what. I'm his knight in shining armor.　I'm a knight in shining armor.
'That's why. Because you are your master's knight, ...... you are absolutely the only one who will fight with your master for him. It's not a 'curse' or a 'covenant', you choose to make that choice of your own accord.

　I didn't think the explanation was at all grounded, but Tiara is very confident.
　I could only assume that she was convinced, for reasons I couldn't understand.
　I had no choice but to take the conversation elsewhere.

'In the first place, you say you're going to transfer you to me, but isn't that something that can only be done by a 'magic stone human' (Jewelculus)?'

　Tiara would have noticed that the conversation was deliberately diverted. But she answered exactly.

"That's right, if you want to do a perfect copy, you'll have to use a 'Jewelcrus' (Jewish stone human). But you don't have to go that far if you only want to move by force. You know exactly how to do that, don't you?　When I move to that side, this magic "Tiara-san" consciousness will be crushed by your consciousness. And some of my power will remain in your 'blood'. At this level, you can do it too if you're present at the ceremony!

　That story was well understood because I'm the one who inherited some of Hailey-san's power.
　The bottom line is that I'm going to kill myself inside me, so you should take the remaining magic power as a parting gift.

I don't care if you live or die, and if you give me your power for free, I'll feel free to take it. But if I do that, Rastiara will hate me for it. Is this because you're in on the deal with this Rastiara guy?
No, not at all.
Hey.

　He jokingly tells me that I'm missing a key point and I let out an angry voice.

''I'm forcing myself to appear in front of you now because I don't think I can talk to you. That girl has decided on her own that I have an 'unrequited desire' to be 'tied to Aikawa Uzumi this time'. I've stood up to the dream pillow a few times, but she never believed me. It's impossible to convince them that things have become so complicated in the time left to me.

　Ms. Tiara spat out a word that couldn't be dismissed.

'How much time do you have left ...... you're all right ......?　Maybe you're already ......
It's going to be a very short time before it's all gone. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for. Just like Reaper, magical life forms suffer tremendously when they do not do what they are supposed to do: ......

　Tiara-san's expression crumbled and distorted as I questioned her.
　If you look closely, you can see that she is in a thin, cold sweat. She was no longer hiding her condition, and I could tell that she was in such bad shape that she was on the verge of collapse.

　From the look on her face, I knew she wasn't lying about talking to me in the limited time she had.
　Maybe she doesn't have a single spare moment anymore and just wants to leave me with some strength. There was enough of a look on her face to believe it.

'If you have the power to give me ......, I'll take it.'　

　--I look at that pained face and compromise.

　I was just a little reluctant to do so because Tiara-san was suspicious, and it was a welcome way to get the power originally.
　Here I am, and that's what I thought. Undeniably (・・・・).

'Oh. Thanks. I knew Reiner would say that!
Just how do we move it?　I'm not that good at sacred magic.

　Not a single drop of Saint Tiara's 'blood' has flowed within me.
　If you're going to transfer it to me, you can't use the usual procedure.

I'm going to take advantage of the final blood transfer ritual in a few days. If it works, the ritual will look like an accidental failure ...... and the power of the 'blood' is actually being cut out by Reiner. Don't worry, I'll figure out a way to move it so it doesn't bother you.
'Well, then, won't Rastiara hate you for it: ......

　It doesn't sound like a problem.

　If I refuse to do so, Tiara-san will only disappear completely after a few days.
　Even if Las Tiara believes in the 're-birth' of 'Saint Tiara' until the end, the ritual will never succeed because she has no desire to do so.
　That is the safest way to end it, though.

　-But to be honest, the power of a saint is something I'm interested in.

　Of course, I want the power. I want all the power I can get. Assuming a battle with a guardian (Guardian), there is no harm in having it.

　More than anything else, Tiara-san wants to inherit the power.
　As I thought at the time of Titi, the short-lived ones tend to be happy to leave a testimony of their lives to someone else. I saw that in her story now.
　I decide to at least listen to the last wishes of this old lady, who is even more of an old lady than she appears to be, as a way of showing my respect to her.

　And I repeat the same words that I swore to Rustyala just recently.
　While calling myself trash for that knightly oath, I bow my head lightly.

''I understand. I swear that Knight Ryner Helvirshine will cooperate with your plan.

　Tiara-san seems to enjoy accompanying me as I come here and perform a knight's bow in awe.

''Thank you. ...... I acknowledge Rainer Helvillestein as my knight. Use your power to the fullest for my cause.

　I almost let out a wry smile at his imposing mastery.
　When I raised my face, Tiara-san had the same look on her face.

　This is how I easily switched from Rastiara to Tiara-san.

　It was at this point that I began to understand a little bit of what Tiara-san meant when she said, "Only Rainer Helvirshain can fight with Christ for Christ's sake.
　I, who has only lied to Christ and Rastiara, the Lord, and who is trying to take away his power by killing two important people without any hesitation, certainly has the makings of a traitor.

　Having found a new side of myself, I shake hands with Tiara and then begin to discuss a plan to hijack the ritual together.