Voice (5)
Hiccup— “Now... could you maybe give me some space?”
“No way.”
Erin was clinging to me like a cicada latched onto a tree. More precisely, she didn't want to show me her face. Just feeling the dampness on my shoulder was enough to guess how much she'd been crying.
“I'll close my eyes.”
“...For real?”
“I swear.”
I squeezed my eyes shut right away. Erin peeled herself off me, and soon I heard the sound of running water.
Magic, huh.
It felt pretty handy, being able to conjure whatever you needed on the spot in a pinch. Maybe I could learn it too? In the last playthrough, I'd gone the knight route—maybe this time, switching to mage would be fun.
“Oppa, you can open your eyes now.”
When I did at Erin's words, her face was back to its glossy, pristine state, just like when we'd first met.
“Shall we give it a try?”
“Try what?”
Perfect timing—a regressed mage was standing right in front of me. What was there to lose?
“Erin, do you think I could learn magic?”
“...You're serious?”
She stared at me like she couldn't believe her ears.
“For real? You mean that?”
“What, you think I'd say it if it wasn't true...”
At my firm confirmation, Erin let out a shriek and started bounding across the field. Watching her scream with joy, I couldn't help but think:
Did she think I hated magic or something?
Her reaction was more than enough to make me wonder. She was bouncing around like a kid at an amusement park for the first time in her life.
“Should we head back now?”
“Okay...”
At my words, Erin pouted a little regretfully, then snapped her fingers with a crack.
Last time, books had surrounded us—now, blades of grass swirled around us instead.
I should come back here again sometime.
Vowing silently to return to this place with Erin one day, we left the Ormus Plains behind.
※
“Magic has to be built from the basics.”
“...Starting right now?”
The moment we returned to Erin's book-filled space, she shoved a tome into my hands. The cover read
Fundamentals of Mana Manipulation
“Come to think of it—do you even have a mana heart right now, oppa?”
“Nope, nothing like that.”
“Hmm... Come over here.”
Erin kicked aside the scattered books on the floor with practiced ease, clearing space for two people to sit.
“Sit facing this way.”
“Like this?”
“Yeah, perfect.”
I sat in a proper meditation pose, and Erin knelt behind me, her knees on the floor.
“Hyah!”
Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around me from behind in a tight hug. Her short arms barely managed it, and I stayed perfectly still, watching her struggle.
After a moment, she couldn't hold on anymore and plopped off my back with a thud.
“You're too big after all...”
“What was that all about?”
“Just... You've always hugged me from behind, so I wondered what it felt like. But it's kinda... nothing special.”
I glanced back at her. Despite her words, Erin's face and ears were flushed bright red.
Somehow, I figured pointing it out would just make her mad, so I turned forward again like nothing happened.
“Now... I'll make your mana heart.”
Was she calming down? Her voice still trembled faintly, but she was pretending it was no big deal. Like she'd forgotten the scar on her chest was pounding away, broadcasting her racing heart.
“Don't freak out.”
Then her small, cold hand slipped under my clothes. It pressed against my back, right near my heart.
“A mana heart isn't anything fancy. And it's not some stranger doing it—it's me, so relax.”
“Got it. What do I do first?”
“Breathe in deep and exhale, over and over. Feel the mana carried in your breath.”
I followed her instructions, breathing deeply in and out. At first, nothing. But as the chill from her hand intensified, I started sensing tiny grains.
More and more gathered with each breath, flowing into my lungs and converging where her hand rested.
“Guh!”
A sudden stab of pain made me curl up instinctively. I shot a startled look at Erin, but she just stared back like what's the problem?
“Why are you looking at me like that? Your mana heart formed just fine.”
“Huh? It's done?”
“So what did you think that pain was from?”
Focusing on my heart as she spoke, I felt the grains clustered there.
“Is this... mana?”
As I concentrated on it, Erin spoke up.
“One thing to note... Your mana heart was a little weird. Like it just... snapped back into place on its own?”
“Because of the regression?”
“No idea... But keep it in mind. Regression's a phenomenon even magic can't explain.”
With that, she crouched in the corner, fiddling with something. On closer look, they were all the artifacts I'd gotten from Alessia.
“So that's where they went—you were holding onto them.”
“Too good to throw away, right? And they could help you. But...”
Crackle! Sparks flew from the artifact in her hand.
“...Someone shady cast tracking spells on every single one, nice and thorough.”
“...Alessia?”
“Who else but that crazy bitch? Be careful with anything she gives you from now on. Especially food or drinks. Wouldn't put it past her to slip something in.”
Lucia's stories of calling Alessia a lunatic and dragging her to jail multiple times meshed with Erin's warning. In my mind, Alessia was already a relic of the past.
She used to be the heroine symbolizing purity...
Thinking of the Alessia who'd morphed into a symbol of madness and obsession, I silently mourned the old one.
“Isn't this better, like what I did? No need to carry them around, and the magic won't wear off.”
She showed me the scar on her chest as she spoke. I was reminded that just yesterday, the Erin in front of me had been even scarier than Alessia.
Then, having erased the tracking magic from the artifacts, she approached me with a small pouch in hand.
“Oppa, hold this pouch for a sec.”
It was fist-sized—not very big.
“Now open it.”
I untied the knot and peered inside. No bottom—just pitch-black darkness.
Erin shoved an artifact into it. Bigger than the opening, it got sucked right in.
Artifact of extradimensional storage
“It's a subspace pouch.”
“Isn't that valuable?”
“Very. But not too valuable to give to you.”
She wiggled her finger, and dozens of artifacts floated into the air. Another flick, and they lined up, vanishing into the pouch one by one—like a black hole devouring them.
“Too many to carry around, right? My gift to you.”
“...Thanks.”
“Too early to thank me.”
I looked up, puzzled, and saw dozens of books hovering in the air.
“You wanna learn magic, don't you? Can't do that without books.”
The magic tomes followed the artifacts into the pouch. No matter how many went in, it didn't seem fazed—the space inside must've been vast.
“Ahem... Um...”
A sudden cough drew my eyes to Erin, who was staring off at some distant mountain, kicking at the floor and swaying side to side while sneaking glances at me.
“Thank you, really, Erin.”
“Heehee.”
I hugged her from behind, and sure enough, she burst into a bright smile. She nestled into my arms until she had her fill of warmth.
Her heartbeat raced, slowed, then raced again. She started sharing stories—how we'd first met in the last playthrough, fighting back-to-back on the battlefield, even the time I'd forgotten her birthday and got chewed out.
She laughed happily through them all, like they were the fondest memories.
But every story has an end.
“Time to go... right?”
“Yeah.”
“One last thing. Wanna stay here with me?”
“...Sorry, Erin.”
“You're a real jerk, oppa—you know that?”
“Maybe I am.”
At last, her hand let go of my arm. I slowly pulled away, and she turned to face me.
Hummm—
I didn't look back. The breeze told me enough—a path out had opened behind us.
“Thanks, oppa.”
“I should be thanking you.”
“...Yeah. If you say so.”
She looked like she had a lot to say, but kept it in. How many words was she swallowing right now?
“We'll see each other again someday. Not soon, but... if you ever need my help, I'll come running.”
“...Yeah?”
“But don't call just anytime.”
“...”
“This scar will always connect us. So don't forget me just because we're apart for a bit, got it?”
She spoke like she was seeing me for the last time. I didn't know what was on her mind, but it felt like we wouldn't meet for a while.
I don't like that.
I stepped forward and grabbed her wrist. Her ears turned red at my sudden move, but I ignored it.
“You're just gonna send me off to learn magic alone?”
“Huh?”
“Telling a dummy who only knows how to swing a sword to figure it out by himself? Just tossing books at me is too much.”
“There's the academy...”
“The academy's better than you?”
“Well... no, but.”
She was still reeling from my impulse. Probably picturing me leaving after a farewell.
She'd always said I did things that defied her expectations. And this time was no different.
“Erin, you said we never went to the academy together.”
“We... didn't.”
She'd told me—we'd met on the battlefield, not at the academy. If we had, maybe she wouldn't have dropped out.
“Let's go to the academy together, Erin.”
“Wha...?”
“No point repeating that regretful past in our second lives, right?”
She hesitated. So I pulled her into a tight hug, determined not to let go.
“Kyaa!”
“You make that sound when you're surprised!”
Arms still around her, I threw myself backward.
“You're... impossible.”
“Hahaha!”
Her tone was exasperated, but I caught a glimpse of her face as she ducked her head. She was smiling—the brightest yet.
※
Thud—
“Sss...”
“Oppa, you okay?”
We'd landed in a dark space.
“Erin, where are we?”
“Uh... I didn't expect it to turn out like this...”
For some reason, she was dodging my question. Wondering just where the hell she'd sent us, I looked around.
My eyes adjusted to the dark, revealing our surroundings.
“...Huh?”
Everything looked familiar. The table, the furniture arrangement...
“Lucia's... room?”
Ignition
Erin's spell lit up the room clearly.
“G-Good... morning, Your Highness Lucia...?”
My eyes met Lucia's. She was naked under the covers, clutching her spear replica tight.
“Wha—huh...? Sir Rion?”
As Lucia and I stared in mutual shock, Erin sprang into action.
“Oppa! Don't look—close your eyes!”
She slapped her hands over my eyes.
“It's not something you shouldn't see!!”
Lucia's furious shout rang out. This was one hell of a midnight wake-up call.