...... is...


A short breath escaped my mouth.


'What? I've never seen your face before.


It laughed at the figure that should no longer be in this world, but is just as I remember it.
The black panther beastman who should no longer be in this world.
My childhood friend, who was second only to my sister, who was feted as a brave man, was the most important thing to me.


'...... litter, huh?'


I couldn't help but ask him how he missed that.
But he quickly shook his head and dismissed his thoughts.


'No, it can't be. You would have died without me taking care of you.'


A very important human being that I didn't even get to see in death.
As I recall, I learned of my childhood friend's death two weeks after Ritter's death, as I had refused to interfere in the mundane world for the entire time due to a massive order coming in at the time.
I'm a real bastard who deserved it and can only think of myself.

I don't always make it in time.
I couldn't even meet my sister's death, nor could I exchange last words with my childhood friend.
I always got stuck somewhere and couldn't go any further.


''Big brother, I think I've become somewhat despicable.''


The girl giggles elegantly with a hand over her mouth.
The gesture was acquired after being strictly disciplined by that mother for a long time.


'...... Aria.'


A girl with the same face as her sister in her memory, laughing with the same expression and the same gesture as her sister.
Her chest ached as if it were squeezing tightly at the old expression.


After her sister died, a baby was born in the village she happened to stop by.
My childhood friend died, my sister died, and I was wandering around looking for a place to die when I met her.
A woman who tried to keep the child alive, even if it meant changing her life to her own.
A beautiful woman who called herself Lilia, a woman of great weight and beauty.
A week before I came to the village, she was attacked by a dishcloth monster.
She died just as soon as she gave birth to the child, and I was out picking wildflowers when she died, and I was too late again.
And when the baby was born, I had a name in common with three other women I recognized: Alia, Lilia and Amelia. "I named her Leah.
No, to tell the truth, I might have wanted to raise "Leah" as "Aria" to take the place of my dead sister.
Well, even if that was the case, there's no way that a spindly horse like that could be the same as my sister.


I don't have a face to match ...... you.


I still don't know the principle of their being here, but there is no way I could mistake my own sister for one.
In front of my long-lost sister, I unintentionally reverted back to the first person I used to be all those years ago.
Aria just chuckles at my appearance.


''Hey, hey, girl, this guy was always sneaky, huh?


The thin, translucent Ritter put a hand on Aria's shoulder and said so in a mischievous manner.
If you look closely, you can see that Aria is also transparent.
Behind me, Tsuda said, "A ghost! He sounded surprised.
Perhaps something close to that?


'I see, a type of séance, a tool that attracts souls that are close to the human edge with magical powers: ......


How could you make such a complicated magic tool?
Even now, I would never be able to make or fix such a thing.
I dusted off that magic tool that Tsuda Tomoya had touched and sighed.

For a long time now, my childhood friend's skills in generating magic tools were outstanding.
And he was able to use them as his best tools.
That's why I've become a brave person.


''Your answer. He who has directly touched him probably has no deceased person he's ever met in his life since he can remember.''


Ritter looks at me with a satisfied smile.
I felt a twinge of pain in the back of my nose as I looked at his gentle face.


'Well said by the one who was originally prepared to be touched by me,'


I haven't been here for years, so I don't remember exactly the last time I was in this room, but I do know that this grimoire was not in this place.


'This is where I used to keep all sorts of tools. If I were to come here, I would have made it feel strange, wouldn't I? I'm guessing it was installed after you returned from the Demon King's Castle.


As usual, I'm not as prepared as I'd like to be.
In contrast to my sighing, Ritter lets his gaze wander to something other than me.
His gaze drops and stops at one point.


'By the way, is that that Black Cat there that was rumored to be there?'


Ritter's eyes sparkled as he looked at Yol.
Come to think of it, when we were heading to the Demon King's Castle, a rumor began to circulate about Yol's "Demon King's Right Hand", right?


Yes, that's right. I'm following the brave men of this generation now.


When he said that, Ritter laughed out loud.
Come to think of it, the boiling point of this guy's laughter was surprisingly low.


''Seriously, seriously! That Demon King's right hand!''


Ritter clapped his hands on his belly and laughed, and as expected, Aria was drawn to it.
I sighed and put my head in my hands.
Yes, this guy was surprisingly fast-paced.


''It doesn't matter. More importantly, why did you leave this magical tool with me?''


What on earth did I want to convey by putting it all the way down here?