When I woke up, I was in the woods.

(.........Huh?)

　The surroundings are dim.

　Apparently, it's still night.

　There were no clouds in the starry night sky, and the beautiful red and white moons were shining. In that moonlight, my vision on the ground was open, albeit vaguely.

'Are you awake, Marl?'
!

　A voice whispered in my ear made me jump.

　My heart beat faster.

　Suddenly, I realized that my little body was being held by someone.

　Slowly, I turned my head around.

Mr. Illtimina.....

　That man was right there.

　He was sitting at the base of a large tree, hugging me as a child.

　I reach out a trembling hand.

　I touch her cheek.

(...warm.)

　I asked, frightened.

'....real, right?　You're the real Mr. Illtimina, aren't you?
"Yes, Merle.

　A gentle smile.

　That smile I loved was there.

　I couldn't help but feel like I was going to cry.

　She hugs me tightly like that.

　Her face was pressed against my soft chest, her big thighs held my body between them, and her white hands stroked my hair many times.

(.........ah...)

　The sweet smell.

　A hot body temperature.

　A comfortable, elastic body.

　A cool, streetwise voice that was pleasant to the ear.

　There was a definite presence of her, not a dream.

(.................)

　She couldn't help but burst into tears.

　They ran down her cheeks and soaked her clothes.

　But Ms. Illtimina didn't let go of me.

'Merle, merle.'

　We kept our bodies close together, calling my name over and over again, as if we were embracing some precious treasure.

　In the forest on a beautiful moonlit night, we confirmed each other's existence--.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇.


　After a while, when I was feeling calm, I suddenly realized.

(.........Huh?　(He's healed.)

　The left eye and left arm that he should have lost were back to normal, and even the injuries and burns all over his body were gone.

　--No way, a dream?

　Were all those days in that Ludo village and the events that led to the encounter with the young Illtimina, an illusion?

(No, no, no, that's ridiculous.)

　I've never had a dream with such pain.

　Even the meat from the demon bear was really good.

　It smelled and felt good, and I can still remember what it felt like.

　I remember when he noticed my condition.

It's not a dream.

　Ms. Illtimina said.

　I couldn't help but look at her face.

　The white beauty looked a little wordy, and then she told me

'No, I suppose you could say it was more like a dream, but more accurately, it was a 'spiritual world' inspired by my memories.

(...the spirit world?)

In short, it's my mind's world.
..........

　I'm sorry I'm not making more and more sense.

　She giggles at my expression.

　Then she takes something out of her dress pocket and shows it to me.

　--It was a 'rainbow colored sphere'.

(Huh?)

　That beautiful sphere was undoubtedly the very 'divine armor' that we had just obtained in the Great Maze,

　Iltimina-san said.

''It seems that the power of this 'Divine Armament' has affected it.

　So here's what was explained to me.

　Ms. Illtimina was suffering from the trauma of a past tragedy.

　And when she realized this, The Divine Armor tried to help her.

　The way to do that is to relive it.

　It's an attempt to overcome the trauma by redoing the tragedy in the spiritual world and perfecting it into the form she wanted to take.

(............)

　Speaking of which, I remember.

　At the lowest level of the Great Labyrinth, when I was enveloped in a rainbow-colored cocoon, I could see images of what was going on outside.

　It worked on my optic nerve.

(In other words, 'Divine Armor' has the ability to affect a person's five senses...?

　It can trigger a simulated experience that gives the illusion of reality.

　Essentially, I think it's for combat.

　Even if the owner is injured in battle, it controls the pain and complements the lost vision, hearing, etc. - I somehow understood from Arcuin's senses that it's such a function.

''.........''

　I stare at the rainbow-colored sphere.

(...maybe this time it's my fault.)

　I thought so.

　At the time, it was hard for me to see Illtimina in pain. I wanted to do something about it.

(And you ... responded to that?)

　I remember just before Illtimina-san's disappearance, the 'divine armor' popped and fell on us as particles of light.

　I guess that was it.

　Originally, I guess we were supposed to be lured into the spirit world inside the Dragon Wheel.

(But then Illtimina jumped out of the car...)

　I guess that means we entered the forest, into the spiritual world, and then woke up in the forest.

I guess it was unexpected for "Divine Armor" as well.

　I receive the rainbow-colored sphere from Illtimina-san.

　''Korokoro.

　He's rolling around in the palm of my hand, kind of apologetically.

　It's kind of cute.

(..............Haha.

　It was troubling that it worked on its own, but I also kind of understood that there was no malice in it.

　Good.

Let's name you Kolo.

　I said.

　The sphere jerked and quivered.

　Korokoro Korokoro

　He seemed somewhat happy and started to roll out of his hand.

'You can't do that to yourself anymore, okay?'

　colon

　A nod and a roll of the dice.

　Yeah, that's it.

　Illtimina-san looked at us with a surprised face, and then smiled as if she was smiling bitterly.

''Marle is, after all, Marle.
?

　Huh, what does that mean?

　I scowled, and then I carefully tucked the rainbow-colored sphere - "Kolo" - into the pouch on my waistband.

(Be quiet for a while, Kolo.)

　bang-bang

　I tapped the porch lightly and ordered that in my mind.

　And so I somehow understand why the injury is gone, and that it wasn't just a dream.

　But there are things I don't understand.

''Come to think of it, if that world is based on Illtimina-san's memories... what was that dragon?''

　A woman with a tattoo.

　Probably a demonic family member created in The Devil's Piece 300 years ago.

　Why would something like that come out?

　Illtimina-san shook her head while holding me.

''I don't know.''

　silky smooth

　The soft hair tickles my skin too.

'I don't remember those days in any depth either. ........I have refused to remember or think about it. The only thing burned into my mind was the white masks and the group of black robes.
..........

　I see.
　I think that can't be helped.

But when I look back on the past like this, I think that wyvern was definitely there. Maybe that tattooed woman was there too.

　...........

(Hmmm?)

　Could it be that "Divine Armor (Koro)" accurately recreated even the memories that sank into the depths of Illtimina's mind?

　If so, that's a real past.

　That tattooed woman is also real.

(But the head of the "God-Blood Cult Nakes" who is trying to eradicate the "Demon Blood People" is a member of the Demon Family... what do you mean?

　No matter how much I think about it, I don't seem to know the answer right now.

　I have a feeling that I'm going to continue to fight with the God-Blooded Order of Nakes.

(Yeah, then I'll seek an answer then.)

　I thought so.

　Anyway, I'm back in the world now, safe and sound.

　When I got to that point, I suddenly remembered that I had to leave this forest and hurry up and meet up with Kirt-san and the others - and when I thought that much, I remembered.

(Come to think of it...)

　I look at her.

'What did Miss Illtimina see that time?'
What?

　Ms. Illtimina stares back at me in her arms.

　Just before she jumped out of the dragon car, she seemed to have spotted something outside the window. And it seemed like she followed it into this forest.

　I told her that.

..........

　She didn't answer, just smiled serenely.

　But it seemed to be a somewhat sad smile, and I couldn't ask her any more than that.

　Ms. Illtimina released the arm that was holding me.

　Then she stood up.

Can we get there from here in a few hours?

　I muttered, looking up at the night sky.

(We'll get there...?)

　She held out her white left hand to me as I scowled.　

"Would you like to go with me, Merle?
Where are you going?

　I ask, holding his hand.

　Mr. Illtimina pulls me up.

　Cuk.

　Her fingers, linked together, were a little stronger.

　Then she speaks out.

"--to the ruined village of Lud.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇.


　By moonlight, we walked through the forest at night, holding hands.

　About 3 hours.

　We come to a cave hidden in the bushes.

(...it's blocked.)

　The entrance to Rudo Village was buried by a collapsed rock.

　As it was in the spirit world, even in the real world seven years ago, Ortima and the others must have blown up the cave to protect the village.

　And now, its rocky surface was covered with plant vines and moss.

　Seven years.

　It made me feel it.

'Let's go,'
Yes.

　We move through the mountains at night, aiming to find the rocky mountain that the flying dragon destroyed - the place where the Divine Blood Order Nakes invaded the village.

　Eventually, we find a large collapsed rocky area.

　Just like when I climbed The Cliffs of Toggle before, I was carried on my back by Illtimina-san and descended from that crumbling rocky mountain to the meadow where the village was located.

　I descended from that back.

''..........''
..........

　We were silent.

　In front of us, the remains of a ruined village spread out.

　The burnt remains of many houses.

　Burnt grasslands.

　Scorched earth.　

　And human bones illuminated in white by the moonlight.

(.........ah...)

　It reminds me of the smiles on the faces of the people in the village of Ludo that I saw in the spirit world.

　Geez.

　Illtimina's fingers, which were linked together, were painfully strong.

　The white beauty was a little strong.

　But it wasn't in such a terrible state as before, to the point of breaking even her mind and physical condition.

(............)

　In the real world, none of them were saved.

　Some of the bones looked like they had been eaten by forest animals in the last seven years.

　I bit my lip.

"We need to bury them all, right?
Yes.

　Iltimina nodded quietly.

　We walked through the ruined village, picking up the bones of the villagers.

　And then I suddenly realized something.

　The houses that had been destroyed in the battle between me and the flying dragon in the spirit world were still intact in the real world. It had burned, but it hadn't fallen apart.

(I knew it wasn't real.)

　It was an illusory world.

　I knew that, but once again, I thought so.



　Even though I know it's an illusion, I hope that at least those people are smiling........

　The bones I collected were soon no longer able to hold up.

　I put them in a good vantage point in the village and the two of us went to collect them again.

　We repeated the process several times.

　Along the way, Illtimina-san told me in a quiet voice.

''...In reality, we sisters were allowed to escape to the forest while the adults in Lud village were resisting.

　It wasn't just the sisters.

　Two other teenage girls who were there, two teenage girls, were allowed to escape into the woods together.
　But.

They both died from the arrows of their pursuers.
..........
I was still breathing, but I left the girls with Sol in my arms and ran away.

　Deep regret.

　But what else could I have done with a girl who was thirteen at the time?

　She also has a young sister.

''There's nothing wrong with Mr. Illtimina. It's the people of the Godblood Sect Nakes who are to blame.

　I clarified.

　But she just smiled sadly.

　After that, she said, a number of arrows pierced Ms. Illtimina herself.

　Still, she didn't relax her legs.

　The fear of death and the warmth of her sister in her arms did not allow her to stop.

　Tormented by intense pain, he ran frantically through the forest for a day and night.

　Eventually, when they reached the street, they ran out of strength and ran out of power, and when they collapsed, they were found by Quilt-san and others who were passing by and were able to protect them.

''At that time, the arrow was in a bad position, and it bled too much again.

　Putting her hand on her own lower abdomen, she spilled it out like an exhale.

(............)

　A body that cannot bear a child.

　Reliving the spiritual world may resolve Illtimina's trauma, but it can't change that reality.

　When she looked down, she couldn't help but look down.

But I have Merle now.

(...what?)

　I looked up.

　Illtimina-san was looking at me with a crystal-clear smile and deep trust in her crimson eyes.

(Ah.........)

　I felt the heat light up in my heart's core.

'Yes!'

　I nodded widely.

　Illtimina-san grinned happily.

　And so we collected all the bones of the people of Lud village that we could find.

　We used the remains of the houses to dig a hole.

　A hole big enough for an adult to lie down in.

　We place the collected bones there and carefully cover them with dirt.

...........
..........

　When it was all over, we clasped our hands together in front of our chests and said a silent prayer.

　A cool evening breeze caressed our skin.

　I suddenly opened my eyes.

　I looked next to her and saw that Illtimina's eyes were still closed. A single tear spills from the corner of her eyes.

(............)

　I felt like I saw something I shouldn't, and I looked up.

　In the night sky, just a beautiful red and white moon was shining, softly illuminating the two of us who were standing on the ground, forever and ever.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇.


　We decided to spend the night here in the village of Ludo, as it is not safe to roam the forest at night.

　We light a fire and sit down beside it.

　Both of us were still in our thin loungewear, so the night air was a bit chilly.

　Illtimina-san hugged me from my back side and held me close to her, making sure we didn't lose each other's body heat.

　Crackle.

　The fire popped and flames danced in the air.

　This was the front of Illtimina's former home. But now the house has burned down, leaving only the charred remains of wood.

　The two of us are in the space in front of it, working on a bonfire.

(...it's kind of nostalgic.)

　In the spirit world, a girl was here making a wood carving.

　Even though it was only a few days ago, it somehow feels like a long time ago in my senses.

''........Ah?''

　I huffed and realized.

　I panicked and searched the pouch on my waistband.

　It's not there.
　It's not there.

What is it, Merle?

　Illtimina noticed and called out to me.

　I slumped my shoulders and replied dejectedly.

''........the wooden hawk, it's gone.
What?
You see ... didn't you have a thirteen-year-old Illtimina digging for you on the riverbank once?

　That was in the spirit world.

　It's no wonder there are no wooden hawks in the real world.

　Of course there aren't, but...

(...Oh, that was going to be a treasure.)

　I am disappointed.

　As I was depressed, Illtimina-san was taken aback by my disappointment and then started giggling.

'Marle, can I borrow your sword?'
?

　I give it to her honestly.

　She takes it, cuts a piece of wood from the wreckage of the house into a suitable size, and returns.

　Then she sat down again, close together again.

'It's been so long since I've done this, though, I don't know if I'll be able to do it well.

　He laughed at that.

　Click, click.

While skillfully using the blade of the 'Fairy Sword', he chipped away at the pieces of wood.

''Ah........''

　Just like that time, the work was done in about five minutes.

　In front of me, the 'wood carving of a hawk' was finished, spreading its wings and about to take off.

'Wow,'

　Me, with a twinkle in my eye.

　Mr. Illtimina laughs.

"Yes, Merle.
Are you sure?
Of course.

　The details were a little different from the one I got before, but there was a common contour and vibrancy to it.

(Glad...)

　I'll take it very seriously.

Thank you, Miss Illtimina!
No.

　She smiled serenely.

(This time I'm going to treasure it!)

　I watch it from various angles, illuminated by the light of the campfire.

　Illtimina-san was watching me with her crimson eyes narrowed, watching me for a long time.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇.


　Then Mr. Illtimina carved all sorts of wood carvings to pass the time until morning.

　Deer, wolves, fish, birds, and more.

　It was like magic as she worked with me, holding me and working through my body, but the way she completed them one by one before my eyes.

(If Illtimina-san wasn't an adventurer, would she have been a wood carver?)

　That's what I thought.

　Other than that, you also dug up that red-fanged dragon.

I knew this was going to be difficult.

　She smiled so happily as she worked.

　While she was working on the woodcarving, Illtimina shared many memories of her time in Ludvik village.

　It was her mother, Forn, who taught her how to carve wood.

　She said that at first she was not able to do well and cried a lot.

　After her sister Solstice was born, she decided to give up crying and become a 'big sister'.　

　Her father, Ortima, had always looked up to her.

　He was the best hunter in the village and I was proud of him.

　But he missed going out of the village for a few days every month to peddle and gather information.

(Hmmm?)

　The look on her face as she spoke was like that little girl.

　In the midst of all this, there was this topic of conversation.

　For a while after the young people left the village, I regretted not leaving the Lud village with them.

'I wonder how everyone who has left the village is doing now?'

　He said with somewhat distant eyes.

(.........hmm?)

　When I heard that story, I got a kick out of it.

　Huh?

　Those people, Mr. Forn said, 'are all dead,' he heard, 'and they're all dead.

　When I tell them that.

Is that so?

　Ms. Illtimina looked terribly surprised.

　I was surprised too.

'You didn't know?'
Yes, sir.

　...........

　Then I suddenly realized.

''Illtimina-san, where did you get the story about our ancestors living in the Shumurian forest?
I'm not sure where you're going with this but that's a new one to me.

　As she replied, she realized that too.

　The mental world was a world created based on Illtimina's memories.

　And yet, it contained information that she herself did not know.

(What do you mean?)

　Like a dream, just a fantasy?

　--No, no.

　I don't know, but something inside me is telling me that it's not a fantasy story.

　Mr. Illtimina is thinking about it, too.

　And then.

(...hmm?)

　A light shone in the distant eastern sky.

　The sunrise.

　The sun at dawn appeared over the distant mountains and began to send a dazzling light to this Lud village.

(Dazzling...)

　I couldn't help but turn my head away.

　Then I saw Illtimina's beautiful face right there.

　Her crimson eyes widened and she looked surprised by something.

(?)

　Followed by the sunrise, I looked again at the sunrise.

　There, the people of the Lud village were standing there.

(............)

　Huh?

　I was dumbfounded.

　Ms. Ortima was there.
　Mr. Forn was there.

　There was the village chief, the four hunters, the people who had eaten the meat of the demon bear with me, and the people I only knew by face.

　They were all laughing.

　They were staring at the two of us from a distance.

　The view on the other side was transparent from their bodies. The light of the sun was penetrating their bodies.

　Guh!

　I felt strength in Iltimina-san's arms holding me.

''..........''
..........

　That girl's parents bowed deeply to me.

　And they gave their grown-up daughter a happy, reassuring smile.

　Everyone's smiles burned into my mind.

　Foooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

　Then a gust of wind blew in.

　We reflexively closed our eyes.

　We opened them immediately.

　There was no one there.

　There was only a beautiful view of the rising sun.

　Only the morning mist remained in the meadow.

(...Oh, really?)

　I finally realized.

　I've been worried.

　I knew that our precious daughter, the only girl in our village who had survived, was suffering because she was stuck in the past and I wanted to do something about it.

　So.

..........

　I touch the pouch.

　Inside it is that rainbow-colored sphere.

　It was once a holy being that created the figures of 300 deceased Arun knights in the lowest level of the Great Labyrinth.

　It may surely have the ability to sense the souls of the dead as well.

(......I was meeting the real Lud Village people.

　I thought so.

　I looked at Iltimina-san's profile again.

　She had narrowed her eyes.

　She had a tearful and warm smile on her face.

　Just before she jumped out of that dragon car, I thought I understood what (...) she had found in the forest outside the window.

''..........''
..........

　I put my own hands on the white hands that held me.

　My heart was trembling.

　But I was happy.

(...Good for you, Illtimina.)

　From the bottom of my heart, I thought.

　And so the two of us stared forever in the direction where the people of Lud village had disappeared.

Merle, Irna!
Sister Irna!

　We heard a voice calling us from the other side.

　We turned around.

　There was a beautiful silver-haired girl and a beautiful purple-haired girl standing atop a collapsed rock pile.

　They have found us and are trying to get down there.

　Apparently, they had come here in search of us who had disappeared.

　I couldn't help but look at Illtimina-san and I looked at each other.

　We laughed at the same time.

'Let's go, Merle.
Yes.

　We stand hand in hand.

　The time to look back on the past is over, and we run to our friends who will walk with us into the future.

　--The shimmering sun shines brightly on the world where a new day begins.