112. Traces
112. Traces
The reason I suddenly revealed my identity.
And the reason I revealed it to Pina, of all people, rather than Eurasia or Stella, is simple.
First. Pina is connected to spirits.
And right now, I need a spirit—Sparkle.
Second. Even if Pina learns my identity, she'll act the same as always.
No stiff formality, no extreme honorifics, no suddenly being terrified of me. Well... her being scared of and disliking Ronan was a variable, but anyway.
Third. There's no chance of her spilling it.
It's not because Pina can't speak.
As long as she's bound to a spirit, she won't be able to reveal my identity—that I am Ronan.
Fourth. Since she's here anyway, she has to know.
She would have found out no matter what.
There are plenty of other reasons too, but.
In the end, I had to tell her.
So I told her.
And Pina fainted, just like always.
For quite a while.
Blink-blink—
After a long time, Pina—who had actually passed out multiple times—finally opened her eyes, as if she'd come to her senses.
"You gonna faint again?"
Pina's eyes went wide. Her mouth fell open blankly, and tears welled up in her bright, round eyes.
"If you faint again this time, I'm leaving you here."
Strength returned to her brimming eyes. Her blankly parted lips pressed shut. Her trembling fists clenched tight as she looked at me.
"Good. Now get up. My legs are numb."
Chuckling, I helped Pina up.
Pina glanced at the spot where she'd been lying, then opened the mouth she'd barely managed to close.
I'd rested Pina's head on my thigh.
She already looked grimy and pitiful, and I couldn't just sit there watching her lie on the bare ground.
Of course, right now my own appearance is probably more wretched.
"So, you don't believe me? No, that's not it. If you didn't believe me, you wouldn't have fainted like that. Right?"
Still dazed, Pina wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth and nodded.
"Then this'll be quick. Sparkle... no, call the Light One you mentioned."
Pina shook her head side to side.
Not refusing—answering that she can't.
"No. You can do it. Just try."
Of course, there's no way she can't right now.
The demonic energy has vanished from this area. And this is a space Arisa personally created and hid.
Most decisively.
I can feel the spirits' gazes here, even with my senses. Enough to make me think that World Tree lady is nearby.
So if Pina just calls for Sparkle, she'll definitely come out.
She's probably hiding because of the ritual that took place just a bit ago, but if we wait...
[RONAAAAAAAN!!!]
"Eek...!"
"She came out faster than I thought."
See. She's already out. No, actually, it seems like she was waiting for me to call her.
Chuckling, I snatched Sparkle as she flew toward me at full speed.
[Ronan! Ronan!! I almost died! I almost died along with Pina!]
The flying squirrel clutched in both my hands shed tears in streams, beating at my hands with her tiny, adorable paws.
"I know. That's why I came to save you."
[Waaaaah! Waaaaaah!! Those damn Black Wizards! When the hell did they notice my existence?!]
They probably noticed when Sparkle came out to see me. The reason Sparkle couldn't detect them was likely the barrier covering this place.
Even 400 years ago, Demons and Black Wizards had done all sorts of things to deceive the eyes of spirits.
So I assume they did the same this time.
Anyway.
"Hey, Sparkle."
[Sniff... yeah, Ronan. I was so scared...]
The small, fluffy, soft flying squirrel rubbed her cheeks against my hand over and over.
To that small, cute Sparkle, I said:
"You adorable little shit. What the hell did you go blabbing to Pina?"
[...Uh, uhh? Wh-wh-wh-wh... what do you mean? Wh-what could I be talking about...? Ahahaha!]
I grabbed Sparkle's head between my index finger and thumb.
Then slowly, I lifted her up.
[Huh? Ro-Ronan? All of a sudden... wh-why are you...?]
Today, I resolved to rip Sparkle's neck off.
"What do you mean, why? Answer while I'm asking nicely. Why is Pina—Pina, who's never even seen me before—scared of me and hates me? Hmm?"
[Aaaaaah!! It wasn't me!! I didn't do it!!]
"If it wasn't you, then who? That World Tree lady? Has Pina already met that lady? Did she go all the way north in that little body? Huh? Huhuh, it's coming off. It's coming off? I'm pulling it off?"
[I'm sorry! I'm soooorry!!!! Save me!! Pina!! PinaPina!! I'm dying!! Save meeeeee!!]
"Save you, my ass. Would I kill you? Huh? After I saved your life 400 years ago, you're framing me? You ungrateful little rat!"
[Aaaaaaaaaah— hck.]
With a crack, Sparkle's body went limp.
"What the... what kind of bones are this soft?"
She's breathing. Did she pass out? Then that's fine.
I tossed the limp Sparkle onto the ground and looked at Pina.
"Hee... hee..."
She couldn't even meet my eyes, looking like she was about to keel over.
And she was clutching her own head.
Does she think I'm going to rip her head off too?
Of course, I didn't actually rip Sparkle's neck off. Her bones might be a little misaligned, but anyway, I didn't rip it off.
I'm this kind of a good person.
Of course... I couldn't protect Pina's innocence, but well, that innocence was bound to shatter someday anyway.
"I'm not ripping yours off. You didn't do anything wrong. Right?"
Nod-nod—
"Pina. You heard some very strange stories. You just misunderstood because of slander. Ronan... I never did any of that. This Sparkle here. She's actually a spirit I saved. Did you hear that story?"
Shake-shake—
"This little rat didn't even tell you that? This ungrateful little shit. Should I really rip her head off? Tch. Anyway, Pina. You know that everything that happened today, and everything that will happen from now on, is all a secret, right?"
Nod-nod-nod-nod— I grabbed Pina's chin as she nodded hard enough to touch the ground, and lifted her head.
An earthquake measuring over 8.0 seemed to be happening in her eyes. Tears streamed down, and now even drool was dripping. Yeah. This is... somewhat expected.
And I know how to overcome this kind of situation.
"We're still friends, right?"
"Hic..."
To Pina, who flinched and swallowed her breath, I put on the saddest expression I could.
"...We're not friends?"
Pina's lips moved wordlessly as she fell into thought, and after letting out several labored breaths—hahh, hahh—
She finally nodded.
"Right. If we're friends, you can just act like you always do. My Past Life got famous as a Hero or whatever, but right now I'm ultimately Eliarnes."
Pina's lips moved soundlessly.
She seemed to be saying, I understand.
Only then did I stand up with a satisfied smile.
With my back to the gravestone, I looked out over my grave.
Countless weapons.
Elixirs, ores, gems, gold coins, books.
Cherry blossoms.
It's dark, damp, dirty, and bleak, but.
For me—for Ronan Luzarak—it's a perfectly fitting grave.
I really do like it.
That said... I don't want lots of people coming and going.
So what should I do?
I'd already decided from the moment I learned this place existed.
But before that.
"Get up. Let's work."
*****
I pulled out every weapon stuck in the ground and gathered all the miscellaneous junk into one place.
And then, the most important thing here—the subspace pouch.
The Elixir.
It's purple, as expected.
The color of a night sky that seems to hold stars.
This is an Elixir of which only six bottles existed in this world even back then.
I received it as thanks for saving that World Tree lady.
According to her, it was an incredible Elixir brought from another dimension, but whatever—not my problem.
"Hah..."
An Elixir with only six bottles in the entire world.
An Elixir that can no longer be made or obtained.
And its effects are just as absurd.
It works a different kind of miracle from Luna's miracles.
If I tried to list the results of that miracle one by one, I'd be up all night.
To name just a few representative ones...
I don't know. They're all so fucking insane I can't even say.
Even I, who has seen, heard, eaten, and experienced all sorts of things in this world, feel my heart pounding when I look at this.
Of course, even an Elixir like this couldn't extend Ronan's ten-year expiration date.
But it's still an incredible Elixir.
"I didn't expect this to still be around."
Back then, we each drank one bottle and left the rest with that World Tree lady.
We'd left them with her in case they broke while being carried around, but thinking about it now, it's a shame.
Because if I'd had this Elixir when I took Kaloso's attack, I would have survived.
Of course... that's too results-oriented a way of thinking.
If I'd kept carrying it around, it probably would have broken somewhere along the way and been thrown out. It definitely would have.
"Hey, Sparkle."
[...What.]
Hanging from Pina's shoulder with a venomous expression, Sparkle glared at me.
"Open this for me."
[Hmm... you're gonna drink it now?]
The lid of this Elixir is sealed.
A seal placed by that World Tree lady herself. To open it, the power of a light spirit like Sparkle is needed.
However.
"No. I'm not drinking it now. I just need the seal on the lid released."
I won't drink it now.
Just in case, I plan to release the seal on the lid and put it in the subspace pouch.
If I drink this now, I'll get stronger.
That's certain. But it'll be too much.
Forget Tier 6—my Upper Dantian might burst wide open and push me past Tier 7.
That's too excessive a result to simply call it a fortunate encounter.
If that happens, I'll draw needless suspicion from those around me. No, not just those around me—the bastards who already think of me as a pain in the ass will raise their guard against me even more.
And that'll be exhausting.
Of course, it might help me swat away the annoying flies buzzing around me right now, but it's nowhere near enough to deal with the real ones lurking behind them.
So it's better to put off drinking this until later.
There's nothing to be disappointed about.
This place is littered with Elixirs that couldn't even be found in the imperial Treasury—things that can no longer be obtained.
"You're not telling me that breaking the seal will make the potency evaporate or something, are you?"
[No. I heard it doesn't do that.]
"Then that's fine. Just release the seal."
[Got it. But... I need some time. About... 20 minutes?]
"That works."
I nodded readily and looked over the weapons sprawled on the ground one by one.
Seventeen in total.
Each one has someone's name engraved on it.
Arisa Eustetia.
Neat and clean. A few had been worn away and faded, but they were still perfectly legible.
"...They haven't faded even after 400 years."
Chuckling, I began carefully placing those weapons into the subspace pouch one by one.
I've already decided what to do with all of them.
I obviously can't use them.
Just in case, I swung the most manageable one—one I wouldn't mind breaking. It broke in just three swings.
So these are weapons for someone other than me.
After putting away all the weapons, next were the gems and ores.
I put in the rare minerals, gold coins, and miscellaneous junk.
There were too many small items to check individually.
There's no time right now.
I can check them after returning to the dormitory.
Next, the Elixirs.
At a glance, there are more than twenty kinds.
Conveniently, they're all Elixirs I know.
I could take all of them myself, but I won't.
There's no need to.
"Pina."
Tilt?
"You take this."
I handed her one of them—an Elixir that would be helpful to Pina.
A pill wrapped tightly in luxurious paper.
Pina took it with both hands and looked at me with a bewildered expression.
"Ask Sparkle about the effects and she'll tell you. But don't take it now—later... hmm, I don't know what day it is today, but take it next time you're with me. I'll help you absorb it."
[Huh? What is it? What? You had something to give Pina? What?! Heavenly Tree Pill?! No way... no way no way! That's insane! Ro-Ro-Ro... Ronan! You're really giving that to Pina?!]
Heavenly Tree Pill.
Literally extracted from the tree of heaven.
The tree of heaven is the World Tree. That's a pill made by finely simmering the leaves and branches of the World Tree.
Its effects... well, there are many. It's definitely helpful for Pina, who deals with spirits.
Hearing Sparkle's words, Pina let out a sharp gasp.
Seeing Pina clutching it with both hands, her eyes sparkling, made me laugh.
Does she know what the Heavenly Tree Pill is and that's why she's surprised?
Still, well...
I feel proud... and a bit smug.
"What would I even do with a Heavenly Tree Pill?"
I hid my expression as much as possible and looked over the other Elixirs. There really are a lot of good ones.
I opened a Gate of Purgatory. Because of that, I'm going to suffer terrible side effects for the rest of my life starting at just 17 years old.
But with results like this... I'm very satisfied.
Grinning, I stuffed all the Elixirs in.
Now, one last thing remains.
The cherry blossoms.
Even after 400 years, they're still as vivid as if they'd just bloomed.
I... don't particularly like flowers, but.
I'm not going to throw them away.
I could buy a decent vase and decorate my room with them—that wouldn't be half bad.
Since they haven't wilted in 400 years, they'll probably keep blooming in my room too.
With that thought, I carefully picked up the cherry blossoms.
That moment.
"...Yeah. I was wondering when you'd show up."
The scenery changed.