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"It seems like subspace is about to collapse soon."
Jin, who felt the vibrations of the distorted subspace, said.
"That's right. I am glad we didn't have to break it, as you said."
Valeria stood up, lightly brushing her robe and continued speaking.
"It was quite an intriguing conversation, Jin Runcandel."
During the three hours spent within the subspace, the two of them shared a considerable amount of stories.
Mainly, Jin spoke while Valeria listened.
As a disciple of a past life and a companion of the current life, he recounted how he had lived. Of course, he didn't just talk about random things; Jin shared valuable information as comrades.
From becoming a contractor of shadows at a young age (technically right after regression, from the moment of birth), the secrets of the world he had discovered since his days as a cadet, the things he gained as a reserve flagbearer, the experiences he had as a flagbearer, and his future plans...
All the way to how he came to meet Valeria.
Valeria genuinely found herself deeply interested in Jin's story. She believed that the density of time accumulated by the human, Jin Runcandel, was incredibly profound.
'He is just a nineteen-year-old, but he has already been through so much.'
Of course, Jin also knew about the events that had unfolded in Valeria's life, who is only a seventeen-year-old girl barely stepping into adulthood. He was well aware that her childhood happiness was short-lived, and she had been enduring solitary times akin to a monk more than anyone else.
Therefore, just before the subspace was about to completely collapse, Valeria's shared one emotional story of her past.
"Did you remember I was commemorating earlier?"
"Yes."
"That was a tribute for the Gray Owl Mercenaries and my deceased family. After they were massacred by Zipfel, I resolved myself that I would never let others come close to me again."
Valeria made eye contact with Jin.
Then, she began to say something but closed her mouth.
"What?"
"It's nothing. Anyway, after hearing your stories, it became a little clearer what we are going to do together in future."
Jin was surprised that she had mentioned the Gray Owl Mercenaries first.
And he felt he knew what Valeria's swallowed words were.
Fssss...
The collapse of the subspace was accelerating. Particles of shadow force fluttered like black pollen, spreading in all directions and disappearing.
Though they had spent only about three hours within the subspace, the outside world was moving toward noon.
[They're here!]
[They've returned, Ms. Sheila!]
The Felinoid tribesmen Lulu and Miru were the first to approach the two. They were both wrapped in the cape of shadow force armor that Jin had provided, making them look like massive tufts of fur.
The pouring rain ceased, and the clouds parted, allowing the bright sun to shine upon them.
[Have you returned?]
Sheila flew towards them and spoke.
She looked tired. Despite the distinctive light of the fairies flowing from her body, she somehow seemed frail. Betrayed by her own kin and having killed her only sister with her own hands within a day—it was only natural.
"I didn't realize time would flow like this. In my absence, haven't more pursuers come?"
[Yes. Someone is blocking those who approach the forest.]
"Who...?"
[That person introduced themselves as Sir Green Rose.]
[Yeah, Sir Green Rose. They said you would know if we said that.]
[We've never encountered a human who can find us so easily.]
[And we didn't even notice Sir Green Rose until they were standing next to us.]
Lulu and Miru spent the whole night hiding because of the fear of pursuers, and watched the entrances to the forest.
Then, at one point, when they turned their heads, they saw Yona smiling at them. They freaked out of their wits and tried to run away. However, Yona found the Felinoid tribesmen incredibly adorable and gave them her new alias.
'Elder sister Yona helped me.'
Jin felt grateful but at the time he got goosebumps on the back of his neck.
'When did elder sister Yona start following me...?'
Jin had no way to guess. It meant Yona could have killed him at any time. Of course, Yona would never do that, but still.
[What's your relationship with Sir Green Rose? An ally? Or were they just pretending to be an ally?]
"I am glad we are on very friendly terms. We're allies."
Lulu and Miru sighed in relief. They had considered that if Yona turned out to be an enemy, Jin wouldn't be able to handle it.
'I don't know exactly when my elder sister started following me, but news of my trip to Wantaramo Forest and a record mage being with me won't reach Zipfel.'
There was no need to hastily leave the forest. While within the subspace, Jin had worried that he might not be able to converse with Sheila due to unfavorable external conditions.
Jin looked in Sheila's eyes.
"You being descendants of the fairy tribe was merely a name that people gave you, Ms. Sheila. You're not descendants..."
[Nothing more than fairies who lost their honor and were cursed by the witch.]
Sheila's answer was full of self-reflection.
[We are dreadful beings. We kill powerless humans who happen to come to us, trade the Drink of Regal Hymn with rulers for protection, and have withered away in our own small world.]
In that moment, Jin recalled one particular detail from the records of the Drink of Regal Hymn.
They had regained existence only through Helluram's power, not by their "original form".
What had been forgotten wasn't just memories from when they were true fairies.
Except for Shil, no, Sheila, most of the fairies were slowly forgetting even the actions and words that Helluram had bestowed upon them.
Because it was boring.
Life that continued without purpose, meaning, or hope was a series of boredom. So, they found pleasure in killing the humans who happened to venture into the forest and that was enough for them.
Only Sheila pondered their future as their queen.
"...Still, you kept the promise of Solderet."
[I didn't keep it, it was upheld because you came. You are the promised thousand-year contractor, so I didn't make any efforts to uphold Solderet's promise.]
"Among humans, there's a saying that the best way to substitute guilt is self-loathing. But Ms. Sheila, you are not a human."
Jin paused briefly before continuing.
"So, please face it. Ms. Sheila, you made mistakes a long time ago. You endured cruel consequences, and that wasn't enough—you were cursed. Yet, while other fairies are losing themselves entirely, you haven't forgotten Solderet's message."
That should be enough.
As Jin concluded his words, Sheila's wings trembled slightly.
[...Thank you.]
"I might have sounded presumptuous. Thank you for listening kindly."
Sheila's gaze landed on Valeria.
[Come closer.]
Valeria stood before Sheila. She had an expression as if she had an intuition about something.
[What did you feel from the records seen through the Drink of Regal Hymn?]
Valeria closed her eyes slowly, then opened them.
"Strangely, as I entered the Primordial Forest, a sensation of yearning arose within me that was almost agonizing."
[It's because your soul originated from there.]
"My clan has existed since the 1400s. And now it's the year 1799. There's a significant time difference between the records in the Drink of Regal Hymn and the current era."
[Yes, the records I left are from a thousand years ago. Nevertheless, your soul has its roots in the Primordial Forest.]
"Why are you so sure of that?"
[For the first time, a human using the name Hister came to me.]
Valeria's pupils widened.
[The human's name was Minka Hister. Like you and my kin whom I betrayed, she had distinctive red hair that you never forget once seen.]
Minka Hister.
Valeria knew that name as well. She was the ancestor of the Histers, the first person to leave a 'Succession Temple' and also the first human to use record magic. Hister's unique record magic had all originated from Minka.
"...Why did my ancestor come to see you, Ms. Sheila?"
[To inform me.]
"About what?"
[About the fairies who fought against Zipfel until the bitter end... they were all forgotten. And my old brethren left behind a single spark before they were completely forgotten and vanished forever…]
Sheila's body turned red. Remorse, sadness, resentment, passionate waves of emotions were tearing her heart.
[That spark eventually ignited and came to be as yourself.]
A thousand years ago, the fairies had been entirely forgotten because of Zipfel's manipulation of history.
But they left behind one final record.
A record in the form of 'souls.'
The fairies that lived in the Primordial Forest understood the natural order more profoundly than any other existence.
The one order the fairies comprehended: the cycle.
Be it humans, animals, plants, or even ancient everlasting steel, everything would eventually decompose through time, becoming part of the earth, flowing rivers, carried by the wind, and eventually absorbed by the world.
They would become nourishment, blending with seeds, giving birth to life again.
The fairies had thus gathered all their souls and sent them into nature. Someday, earnestly hoping for these souls to bloom again somewhere...
Four hundred years later.
Finally, the souls of the fairies took the form of a single name.
The name was Hister.
As Sheila explained these facts, tears streamed continuously down Valeria's cheeks. She was breathing heavily, not even realizing she was crying.
Valeria seemed like a precious niece in the eyes of Sheila but she couldn't console Valeria thoughtlessly because she had committed unforgivable sins against her niece.
"What kind of person was my ancestor?"
It was a statement brimming with countless questions.
[She was so beautiful and graceful that it is embarrassing for me to comment. She was incredibly strong yet seemed lonely. Seeing you makes me think what kind of person she was…]
Minka Hister was the human who disappeared alongside Hister from history when Zipfel erased Hister from it.
That's why Sheila couldn't recall the fact that Minka had come four hundred years ago. She could only barely summon a faint image, but she had felt a strong sense of foreboding ever since Valeria arrived in the forest.
And now, she had just glimpsed the image of Minka from Valeria. Only now did the vivid face of Minka come into her mind. Alongside Minka, she also remembered her elder sister's, Luet Damiro Yul, face.
Sheila's memories of the ancient fairies that had been erased were being ignited.
[Can you tell me your name?]
"Valeria. Valeria Hister."
[You are a descendant of the fairy tribe, not the ghosts of the Wantaramo Forest. And you are the sole person who inherits the existence of the fairies.]
It was the moment when one heavy and long-standing task for Valeria was finally completed.