Thus, as I overcame the embrace and drove me away -

　Naturally.
　By bad luck.
　By accident.
　We kissed our mouths after a series of connecting words.

　It was another storybook situation, on the verge of drowning and in mortal danger.
　Even though it was cold water, my body temperature rose everywhere. Even when I was meditating, I could only hear Kanami's heartbeat clearly. Even at this time, I could definitely see the 'red thread of fate' stretching between me and Kanami.

　And once that kissing was over, we were supposed to be wreaking havoc again, just like two days ago, but after defeating ...... Gull Flood Jerry, when we broke away from the water, I realized that things were different from yesterday.

　Kanami shows a completely different expression than two days ago and yells out in anger.

'--Who's going to cut it down ......!　What's cheaper if it doesn't kill you, how can that be? ......!

　Kanami was angry with an expression I hadn't seen before.
　The cause was the skill '??' I immediately understood what he meant, as he himself had told me that it was

　It wasn't just Kanami who was watered down by that skill of regaining his composure, it was me as well.
　Thanks to that, my rising body temperature cooled down and I managed to reply with a single word, "...... I see... (...)" without running off in the labyrinth.

　And for the second time, I was able to have a different feeling than confusion.

　It was two 'doubts'.
　First, I felt a great deal of discomfort with the current Kanami itself.
　That unstable, Trump Tower-like mind swinging right and left reminded me of the person I once was. No matter what happens, being led along a single path, the phrase "someone is adjusting" fits well.

　If you are truly tuned in, who on earth would be the (・・・・) Kanami at ......?

　Next, I turned my attention to the 'red thread of fate' hanging from my fingers.
　This is the second time I can see it. Even if this isn't magic, it's likely to be the effect of some 'state' or 'skill'.

　Based on those factors, I'm going to check the 'display' for the two of us.
　The highest level of humanity. A number of special skills. An unusually high level of predisposition.
　Honestly, because we were special, there were too many suspicions.

　In the end, we would head to the next layer without being able to clarify our suspicions.
　Then, at the 35th layer of the labyrinth, we met Hailey Weisprope, a 'custom-made' 'magic stone human (Jewelcrus)' just like me.

　Due to the complexity of her birth, Heili was constantly trapped, unable to organize her multiple memories.
　But despite the worst of it, she laughs at him in a flirtatious way.

''--The Sea ....... I see, that boy and girl left the Confederation together .......

　The only time she looked at me and Kanami was when she was really happy to see me.
　She muttered as if we were the only salvation in her many nightmares.

'I'm sure ......, you've been dreaming about this scene--'

　As she said this, Hailey's narrowed eyes widened. At that time, her gaze was already turned from the ship to the sea.

　Until the end, 'Magic Stone Human (Jewelcrus)' Heili didn't recognize herself as 'Knight' Hine, but I thought I heard a message from her back, "It's okay now, I've taught you everything I can teach you".

　Caught in the act, I also looked beyond Hailey's gaze.
　On the 'mainland' on the horizon, there should be the treacherous 'Seven Celestial Knights' of Heaven, Palinclone Legacy - but I had a feeling that Heili was looking elsewhere.
　A far, far away place beyond Palinclone.
　Maybe she was looking ahead of everyone else, to the end of the 'world' that no one else could reach yet.

　-- Come to think of it, this was the moment when the second chapter began.

　I looked at Hailey's back and vowed that I would no longer show her my unworthiness.
　But that vow is not fulfilled.
　Because from here on out, the next two chapters will be a story full of defeats and regrets.

　The first defeat was the battle against the Ayd, the one who stole the logic of the tree, which he met on the mainland.
　The great wizard of a thousand years ago released the memory of my soul, which was carved in the bottom of my blood.

　I am in the middle of a battle with the guardian (Guardian) in the villa of the Legacy family in the port city.
　The enemy's recovery magic causes the memories of the saint Tiara Hoozeyers, who was originally supposed to use my body, to flood my mind.

　In a way that no one had intended, an old page hidden in my body was opened.
　It was entitled The Story of the Starry Sky.
　I read that book from the depths of my own blood.

"--That was in the old days, when there was not even a word for a new calendar yet.
　A stone tower stands quietly on the grounds of a castle in a country.
　In a room at the top of it, a girl was trapped.
　It was so tightly isolated that anyone who saw it would be tempted to call it a "bird in a cage". Unable to even stand and walk, the girl was always looking out the window from her bed.
　There was no light at all in the night sky, which was shrouded in dark clouds.
　But the girl always held her favorite book in her bosom and sang a song while dreaming of the light.
　Books and songs were a sign of life to her, which was the best she could do, as she had little to amuse herself.
　And, sadly, it is that book and song - that would change the fate of this 'world' in a big way.
　That night, the castle garden was buzzing.
　The girl wondered what was going on, but she kept on singing as if it was none of her business. But next to the commotion, she heard the sound of human footsteps from downstairs. When the girl thought, "No way," the door was already open.
　--The girl meets the light she had been dreaming of all along.
　It was a boy who looked as if he was from a story.
　At the sight of the boy, the girl is surprised, excited, and flushed, and squeezes the stuffed animal in her hands.
　First of all, the clothing is not normal. They were of a construction and color never seen before in this country. No, that wasn't too important to the girl. Rather, the boy's lustrous, jet-black hair that hung down from his eyes and heart was captivating at the same time. Those eyes were darker and darker than any of the many black gems. I felt like I was being swallowed up by the eternal darkness just by looking at them. Sweat slowly seeped from the skin called skin. It was not fear, but elation, and my blood seemed to boil and evaporate. At any rate, the boy's face was so beautiful that it didn't even resemble these poor times. The more he looked at that well-formed face, the more the girl's worst days were soundly shattered. Even though they hadn't even spoken to each other yet, the boy was so good looking and unbearable that he was dazzling.
　The boy's hair was jet-black, but in the girl's long, long-lasting darkness, it shone like a bright star (Myoujo). In this fateful meeting, the boy and girl tell each other their names.

I'm Uzumi (...)" ......, "Aikawa Uzumi". ''What's your name?'' ......?
'I'm Tiara (・・・・)' ....... 'I'm Tiara Hoosiers,' ......--

　When they heard each other's names, they bit deeply into each other's mouths to never forget them again.
　At that time, there was indeed a bond between the two of them, a bond that was like a red, thin thread--

　My bewilderment grew as I saw the story of
　Even though we were in the middle of a battle, I couldn't stop wondering.

　Tee, Tiara Hoosiers ......?
　This girl?　Then that was a memory from a thousand years ago: ......?

　As long as it was a 'Jewelcrus' that was made to be her vessel, she was prepared to have her memories mixed in with it.
　However, the problem was that Kanami's name was in that memory, which seemed to be a thousand years ago.

　Furthermore, there was a 'red thread of fate' between the two of them.
　A beautiful line of color, as if a faint love affair had turned into color, had been drawn between Tiara and Kanami a thousand years ago.

　Compared to the 'make-believe' that is me, it was a red thread that was many times more vivid.
　The 'real' one on the other side was much darker, thicker and heavier.
　The two of us from a thousand years ago are tied to the 'red thread of fate' and it's more than enough to think that this was the real 'beginning' of our relationship.

　I'm reminded of this by a bunch of pages that are hammered into my head one after the other.
　To be honest, I haven't been able to follow all of them exactly. However, I could barely grasp the rough outline of the story.

　What awaited after their meeting was "Kanami and Tiara's days of developing 'magic'.
　The two, who could not understand each other's language, were embarrassed by each other, but gradually grew closer. After the language barrier disappears, they begin their "adventure" journey called the "Fania Arc".
　What awaits them there is a "duel with a villainous lord".
　The battle is not a good one, but Kanami is victorious after Tiara's "Confession of Tiara" is fulfilled.

　It's a true comeback of love.
　A thousand years ago, the princess (Tiara) and the gentile (Kanami) spun an ideal love story. Once we understand this, the blood reminiscence comes to an end.

　As my consciousness slowly faded, I was able to read a bit of the epilogue to Fania's version.
　It was fragmentary, but only a little--.

　--On the way home from that battle, a girl who became a 'demon' due to Fania's experiments appeared - and when the girl stabbed her in the abdomen, Tiara Hoozeyers came to understand --The 'stealers of reason' have a 'curse' on them, without exception.

　However, the pages roll up too quickly.
　I can't read it all.
　I can't keep up.

　-- If the "price" of The One Who Steals the Reason of Dimension is the two people who love each other -- he was determined from the beginning to lose his beloved -- then... Like her, I, too, have no choice but to prepare a 'replacement' - the key to surpassing Yotaki's sister is to replicate the life of me (...).

　I don't understand it.
　But I'm sure--

　-- the replication isn't so important (・・・・・・). What we really need -- the "girl" who laughed at her parents in "Between the Lines" in Fania's version of Fania's story, saying "it's okay" in the face of her unreasonable illness and death -- the "girl" who said "it's not okay" the next time she saw them. --what she wished for in her dying moments, beyond my expectations -- must not be forgotten. Never--only the words of that girl--don't forget them, until the end of time.

　I saw it.
　Then, with a snap and a sound like a book being forced shut, I finished my blood reminiscence and passed out from the battle with the Id, the One Who Steals the Reason of the Tree.

　And the next thing I woke up to was a bed in a strange inn.
　The moment I woke up, a stabbing pain in my head made me hold my head up.

'............!'

　I had an unusual fever of wisdom from a mixture of memories and information that I could not remember at all.

　I felt like I had been forced to read over a hundred books in just a few minutes' time.
　Quite frankly, I have no idea what happened. That was my honest opinion now ...... but there was one thing I knew for sure, and that was 'regret'.

　That is 'regret'.
　I've been desperately chasing after the memories of a thousand years ago, and that uncalled for emotion was dominating my entire body.
　However, that emotion was the proof that the current recollection was real.

　It was not an impossible story.
　The labyrinth calls the great men of a thousand years ago as guardians (guardians).
　No wonder Kanami emerged from the labyrinth and was there a thousand years ago.

　But if what I remember now is really from a thousand years ago, then it's not too different from what I've heard.
　The lore of Tiara Fuzzyards is completely different from the 'beginning'.

　The hero of a thousand years ago was not Tiara-sama, but Kanami: ......?
　It was also the real Lady Tiara, the girl who walked next to Kanami all the time ....... She is more devoted to her master than anyone else, and ....... At the risk of her life, she even confessed ......?

　I turned my gaze to my hands as I got off the bed.
　In this situation, I was hallucinating for the third time.
　Now the "Red Thread of Fate" is extending out of the room - but

　Does this really connect me to Kanami?

　The premise leads me to doubt.
　Originally, my body should have been handed over to Tiara-sama in the Nativity.
　Furthermore, when combined with my current memories from a thousand years ago, it's more fitting to be told that this 'red thread of fate' is connected to Tiara-sama.

'Because the weight of my love is ....... It's lighter than anyone else, and it's not enough .......

　Muttering that, I try to make my move.
　I was going to follow this 'red thread of fate' and meet up with Kanami to discuss what happened a thousand years ago - but as I put my hand on the door of the room, I envision one future.

'Ah, ......'

　A shaky voice leaked out.
　Anxiety, like sticky mud, enveloped my whole body, and my whole body went rigid.

　Hypothetically ......, hypothetically.
　Suppose Kanami believed all the memories I saw now, a thousand years ago.
　On top of that, if Kanami, after giving it enough thought, said, "Replace me with Tiara right now," then I would--

　Of course, I know that Kanami would never say that.
　But I knew it existed as a possibility.

　If Kanami's memory is gradually recovered by me telling her about the events of a thousand years ago, and she regains all of her feelings at that time - there is a great possibility that she will prioritize the 'lover' with whom she had a heart-to-heart meeting a thousand years ago over me, who only spent only a dozen days.

'If ......, if that happens ......'

　I start to shake, not only in my voice, but also in my hands.
　I know that I should run out as fast as I can right now to join my friends and share the information with them. Yet, my body won't open the door in front of me.

　On the contrary, I felt tears coming out of the depths of my eyes.
　Because I got over the "Nativity" and was freed from the adjustments of the "Senate", I now have the strongest feeling that every human being has: "I don't want to disappear" and "I don't want to die". The feeling of "I want to be with Kanami all the time" also oozes out of me and doesn't stop.

'Still ......, I don't want to end ....... Because ......!

　I like Kanami.
　I like her a lot.

　Seeing the meeting between Tiara and Kanami that I remembered from a thousand years ago makes me admit that 'love interest' head on.

　I, too, want to stay with Kanami until I die. ......!
　Even if my thoughts are lighter than anyone else in the world, I love Kanami: ......!
　Really, I love Kanami. ......!
　So I don't want to leave you just yet, but--

'............?　Huh?

　Only, before he could utter that desire, a roaring sound rang out inside the inn.
　Following that, a tremendous rush of magical power hit the skin.

''This, this feeling is 《Flame Arrow》?　Someone's fighting nearby: ......!

　When I analyzed the magic that my friends often use, my body had opened a door.

　There is still a lot of anxiety left that I can't dispel. But it doesn't reach the point where I have to abandon my friends.
　Although my body is not in its true condition, I headed towards the source of magic at the highest speed I can now produce.

　Perhaps infected with Tiara-sama's emotions from a thousand years ago, the thought of not wanting to do anything but 'regret' was so strong that I desperately ran to the battlefield.
　However, by the time I reached the room where the battle began, the battle was already over.

''--I'm sorry, Maria!　I let my guard down!　...... I need to catch up with Deere soon!

　Kanami was in the garden of the inn, staring at the sky and screaming. Like me, Dia, whose memories from a thousand years ago had been evoked, had just escaped when the apostle's consciousness took over.

　--and thus begins my two chapters of defeat and regret in earnest.

　After this, we would follow the Apostle Sith to the fort where Palinkron was, and all the while I was thinking.

　If only I had replaced Lady Tiara in The Nativity, I thought.

　Lord Tiara, who will be talked about in the world a thousand years from now, could have stopped the Apostle Sith from flying away earlier.

　That regret would be repeated in the fight against Palinkulon.
　If it was Tiara-sama who was fighting with Kanami, there wouldn't have been a 'Jewelculus' who would have been easily rendered incapable of fighting in the 'World Devotional Formation'.
　If only they had taken his or her place, there is a high possibility that they would have been able to free Dia from the Apostle Sith at the time of the surprise attack at this fort.

　Most importantly, I wouldn't have been the one to see Kanami's back off for lack of strength when we were talking about pursuing the Palinkron.
　And I would not have had Hailey Weisprope die on a battlefield I couldn't go to, nor would Kanami have been swallowed up by the 'World Devotional Squad'.

　Once I started rolling down the hill, the two chapters did not stop.
　One after another, the defeats were repeated.
　One after another, regret piled up.
　By the time I got to this point, the answer was already faintly apparent to me.

　Then, after Palinkulon's "World Retribution Team," the remaining members of the team conducted a mission to recover Dia's body.
　I'm going to be the one who stole the logic of the tree, the Aide, the Sith, and the new King of the Dominion (the Lord), and I'm going to lose four straight battles against them. ...... The way Ayd and Sith fought, knowing a thousand years ago, told me that "that tiara was strong, but this Las Tiaras or something like that is not a threat".

　Ah.
　The answer is simple.

　--this is what happens because there is no Tiara-sama who should be there.

　After the defeat that proved the answer to that question, once we returned to our base, the 'Living Legend'.
　Me, Maria, Snow, Reaper, and Sera gathered on the deck of the ship to discuss the future.
　Fortunately, the aids were all about fighting away, so there wasn't a single injured person on our side. Even so, compared to when Kanami was there, that strategy meeting was very quiet.

　Amidst the tense air that seems to be breaking now, Snow makes a suggestion.

I'm not going to be able to get to the bottom of it," he said. At this stage, we can't defeat either the Guardians or the Apostles.

　After Kanami was gone, Snow was practically the leader of the party.
　Thanks to Kanami's assurances that she would carefully and calmly lead the party because she was more timid than anyone else, I didn't have to be the leader.

　The strategy meeting went on, leaving me without a single word to say.

'Reaper, you've been telling me all along, haven't you?　He said there's something in that 'Great Hollow'.
...... Yeah, there's definitely something in there. I feel like there's something very important waiting for us.
'I think the Reaper's instincts mean something. Do you guys?

　There is now a large hole in the center of the 'mainland' in the 'World Vengeance Formation'. And although the standards are different, the same labyrinth of the Allied nations has been created there.
　So, first of all, let's reorganize our forces, Snow suggested, and Maria nodded.

''I agree with you. That's the place where Kanami-san disappeared, so I wanted to explore it to its limits for once.''

　She's been rougher than anyone else since Kanami disappeared, but she's very calm now.
　It seems that she doesn't want to argue with me since this proposal has led to the discovery of Kanami.

　Seeing how many votes were gathered in favor of it, I nodded lightly towards Snow to agree with her. Behind me, Sera-chan replies in a small way, ''I'll follow the young lady.

''Alright, it's decided. Well then, the order of travel is--

　Not only did I not take a leadership role, I didn't even join the conversation much anymore.
　This is because even if I just watched from the back, the conversation would come together properly.
　But that also means that my power is no longer needed by everyone. Without worrying, I didn't miss the opportunity for this ship to go south and confide the answer I've been holding onto for a long time to everyone.

'--I'm all for going to the 'Great Hollow'. But I hope you'll let me get out of the way.

　When I suggested that, I think the air in the strategy meeting stopped for a moment.
　Among them, only Maria turns to me with a face that is truly surprised.

''Eh ......?''
'Little by little, ......, I know I'm a liability myself. Even in the last battle in The Lord Who Rules (Lord), I was the only one who didn't do anything to help .......

　The only person who was upset was Maria.
　Perhaps both Snow and the Reaper understand that I can no longer join the fight.
　While even Sera-chan, who is fascinated by me, doesn't speak up, Maria is the only one who refuses to acknowledge that reality.

''Hey, what are you talking about?　No, it's not!　Mr. Rastiara is a Levantine saint!　He's that saint!
...... That's not true, Maria. That's not me. ...... I'm not the 'real' thing.

　Unlike Maria and the other 'real' people, I am a 'fictional' person who cannot stay in the story unless I play my original role.

　That's right.
　I have to fulfill my original role.
　If the 're-birth' of the 'real' saint, Tiara-sama, doesn't end, I will forever be accumulating regrets.

'Not Mr. Las Tiara ......?　So what are you talking about!　There's no one more genuine than you!　I don't know anyone as strong, good-looking and beautiful as you are!
'Thank you, Maria. ...... but I can't change the fact that I'm the only one who can't get up on the stage. If I'm going to fight or level up, you don't need me anymore. I hope the baggage Rustyala Hoosiers are cool with the fact that they should be doing something other than fighting: ......　

　Anyway, there are too many things I'm missing.
　So I turned to Snow, the leader, to ask her to please agree to this departure. But when Maria saw that, she shouted before Snow did.

''Su, please say something from Snow-san!　Are you sure?!
'It's ...... Maria, I'm sorry. I know exactly how Lady Rustyala feels.
'So you don't want it anymore!　You're telling me you're leaving me because I can't follow you!　It's not that--!

　Without the consent of anyone around her, Maria gradually oozes fire from her body.

　Her emotions, which cannot be put into words, must have been transformed into flames. And it was also an expression of her will not to let me escape, even if it burned.
　On the deck of the ship, watching her will to fight and the flames swell, I make a voice to persuade her to let me go, but--

Maria...
Because I like you, of course!

　I said, "Why would you stop there? I didn't pause to ask him if he liked me, but he returned the word very embarrassingly.

　That "like" would not mean just simple friendship.
　To Maria, who leads a special life, I am already a member of her family.

　Of course, I am the same way.
　To me, Maria is my sister and sister-in-law.
　Sometimes we were love enemies, other times we were like mother and daughter.
　So I was really glad to see that "I like you" with all its implications.

'Yes, I like you too, Maria.
'Then stay with me: ......!　Mr. Rastiara: ......!

　Maria, clad in flames, takes a step forward, saying it back without pause again.
　I drew my sword from my waist and held it up.

　It was clear that it was going to be a fight, but Snow and Reaper both said nothing, just keeping their distance. My knight, Sera, also chose to watch without saying anything.
　We had no choice but to fight and make them understand the overwhelming difference in power.

　Thus, a quarrel-like duel on the ship began - and, as expected, I easily lost.
　Maria was the overwhelming winner.

　The result of that too one-sided duel finally made Maria understand.
　I've already surpassed the existence I once feared.
　Win or lose this duel, in the end, she had no choice but to listen to my request.
　Understanding the two, the kind girl, after being sincerely angry at me, acknowledges the difference in power and allows me to leave the Rustyara Hooziers.

　And the party is--.
　Maria and the Reapers exploring The Great Void.
　Myself and Serah returning to the Confederacy in The Frontier.
　Snow, who will participate in both of them, depending on the situation.
　We split up into three groups.

　In fact, I wanted to leave Sera-chan behind and go home alone, but that was not possible.
　From the way she stubbornly replied, "I'll follow you," no matter how many times I, the Lord, convinced her to do so, there is a good chance that she realizes my true purpose.

　I'm going back to my hometown with my knight.
　This time, in order to 're-birth' Tiara-sama of my own volition, I will re-enter the cage that is the Cathedral of Fuzzy Yards.

　The dream-like 'adventure' is over now.
　From now on, I'm going to start the real battle to clear my 'doubts' and 'regrets'.