99 – The Saint and the Astrologer (3)
First of all, Beatrice.
I thought Jibril’s actions were not completely groundless.
Because I have heard a few stories about Eastern astrologers.
‘A prophet with the ability to see the future.’
I heard that with that power, the East has overcome many difficulties, and this is not just limited to the East.
I know that the eastern region of the empire also benefited from her advice on several occasions.
He is that kind of person. A girl named Jibril was such a person.
So, it is difficult for her to dismiss her words as mere nonsense.
I must have seen something. You must have seen something.
And that future will never be good.
So she tried to harm Dante. She tried to kill him, or if that didn’t work, to tie up his very freedom of action.
…… It was ridiculous to judge based on rumors, but she didn’t think Jibril, who had walked a path worthy of being called a hero, would try to harm someone without any basis.
That’s why she withheld judgment.
First, let’s listen to the story.
Even if you don’t trust her words in the end, it was worth hearing her story first.
Of course, I believe that even if she does, she will never sympathize with her.
‘That’s right, because that person is not a vessel that can turn into a villain.’
If you say it’s an insult, it’s an insult, but if you say it’s a compliment, it’s not wrong. Just the literal meaning.
Dante was not a person worthy of that.
They are always stupid and somewhat immature. He’s hiding something, but you can’t see any malicious intent just by looking at him with his eyes.
Still, it’s suspicious, but that’s why I can’t hate it.
Someone I just became attached to after spending so much time together.
‘I will judge after listening.’
He is that kind of person. Does he think that such an ambiguous person may actually be clearly evil?
‘I don’t believe it.’
If it was all just acting, it would be more appropriate to hear that it was amazing.
‘No matter what I hear, it’s not like I don’t have any guesses.’
Beatrice calmly, just calmly waited for Jibril’s words. And I remembered it at the same time.
The decisive reason why I decided to come here today.
About a certain moment that became that reason.
*****
Academy campus ward. The floor where Dante, who lost consciousness due to some kind of incident, is staying.
“Ha.”
Beatrice sighed softly and continued her steps.
“What a stupid person.”
The words spoken as if grumbling were a criticism directed at someone, and of course the target was Dante.
I never thought I would hear news of fainting so suddenly.
Where and what did you do that led to that?
No, I can guess the cause itself.
“…… Flügel must have been there too, so why did he use his supernatural ability? “Are you really stupid?”
Yes, once again it is a problem related to supernatural abilities. He tried so hard, but his body couldn’t hold on. So he fainted.
It’s a simple inference, but the truth is probably not much different from it.
Beatrice turned around the hallway, cursing Dante for his recklessness in her mind.
Just beyond this corner is Dante’s hospital room.
‘But is it possible for something worth fighting to happen within the Academy?’
Beatrice’s eyes were colored with doubt for a moment, but they soon dispersed.
Wouldn’t it be better to ask the person in question directly?
I don’t know for sure, but if you infuse it with some divine power and shake it to wake it up, it will wake up. So it would be okay to postpone the reprimand until later.
Since you are a patient, check the exact condition first…….
“What an amazing boy.”
“… ….”
Beatrice had no choice but to pause for a moment and raise her head.
A voice was heard from inside the hospital room.
…… It’s the first time I’ve heard that voice. Did you come to visit Dante?
‘Who?’
It was a bit awkward to go right in, so Beatrice was about to lean back behind the wall to check the other person’s face first.
“Don’t touch me carelessly. “If you do anything, you’ll die.”
This time, the voice of someone she knew rang quietly.
Beatrice unconsciously perked up her ears.
‘Tsumei?’
The owner of the voice was none other than the owner of this academy. At the same time, he was probably the one who admitted Dante to the top floor of this ward.
If the person was with her like that, she wouldn’t be a strange person, but…
That made me even more curious. Who could it be?
Beatrice was very careful, sticking her head out and looking inside the hospital room.
“hahahaha, please don’t be so scary. “It seems like he is a boy whom the slayer dragon greatly values, but I am not foolish enough to lay hands on a child like that.”
The person there was a man with slightly long white blonde hair.
A man who looks quite young, but is probably not really that young.
To put it bluntly, this was someone Beatrice also knew.
‘Magic Tower Lord… ….’
The owner of one of the three magic towers of the empire. One of the ten great wizards.
Rodrigo Ferzan of the White Magic Tower.
The man’s identity was none other than one of the elders of the magic world.
Naturally, Beatrice’s frown narrowed.
If someone like that guy visited the academy during the sports festival, there would be a lot of talk.
Did they enter without informing the public?
I didn’t know, but it wasn’t a big deal either.
Beatrice was about to reveal her presence.
If I hide myself any longer, it will only look strange.
“But, O slaying dragon.”
…… If Rodrigo had not opened his mouth again just before that, he would have done so.
“I don’t know if you know, but I think I should tell you one thing, if not just in case.”
“What?”
And that voice, the word it spits out like that -.
If only it didn’t feel quite meaningful.
I probably made my presence known right away.
“This boy.”
Yes, really… ….
“The condition is not very normal.”
If only Rodrigo’s words hadn’t continued.
Beatrice reflexively pressed against the wall.
And listen with curiosity. It felt a bit strange to feel like I was eavesdropping, but it was still a worthy topic.
“…… “What does that mean?”
It wasn’t just Beatrice who showed interest and interest.
Tsumei also looked embarrassed, but winked at him.
“Slayer of dragons, humans are horses.”
Rodrigo Ferzan, the owner of the White Magic Tower.
To put it another way, the unrivaled authority on mental magic continued speaking in a rather heavy voice.
“Unlike you or your former compatriots who are now gone, we are not a very outstanding species. “Of course, hahahaha.”
His tone of voice was light, and his expression was filled with laughter. But as I said again, my voice was heavy.
That meant that what he was about to say was not a very light topic.
“…… “There are bound to be limitations both physically and mentally.”
Beatrice and Tsumei, at this moment, the two women focused on Rodrigo’s voice.
Rodrigo lowered his gaze and looked at the unconscious Dante as if it were very strange.
“This is especially true of the brain. There is also a saying that humans cannot use half of their original brain power. Therefore, elements such as knowledge, information, or memories accumulated over decades are bound to volatilize intermittently.”
At first glance, it sounded like a rumor.
Even though Rodrigo’s expression was extremely serious.
Tsumei frowned, albeit slightly.
And she says.
“Stop spinning around and get to the point. “What do you want to say?”
“…… Hmm.”
Rodrigo cleared his throat for a moment at the threat that was not a threat from the dragon, and then pointed at Dante with his eyes.
“But still, this boy is too much. “I must say that the memories contained in my head are not a normal amount.”
“… ….”
And hearing his words, Tsumei also briefly glanced at Dante.
A mysterious light began to appear in the two blue eyes looking at him.
“It’s called memory.”
“Yes, it is a memory.”
“…… I don’t think so, but whatever. “Are you trying to say that the amount of memories that can be contained at that age is far beyond that?”
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Tsumei suddenly asked that question. That was as far as she could expect.
‘I thought a few times that I wouldn’t be a normal 19 year old.’
Muttering this to herself, Tsumei nodded her head as if she was alone in understanding.
Even if that were the case, it’s a bonus to think that they won’t pry into it.
Because that was the promise from the beginning.
However.
“Oh, that’s not it. “In fact, it’s almost the opposite.”
“What?”
Rodrigo’s answer to her guess was a sharp denial.
For a moment, Tsumei was very embarrassed, but Rodrigo looked down at Dante as if he didn’t notice.
“I don’t have many memories. That’s not it, this boy is…….”
And then we talk.
“I just don’t remember it.”
“…… !”
He casually says something that makes the expressions of the two women who are listening to him stiffen.
Rodrigo rubbed his chin with a questioning look.
“Is it 3 months, or at most half a year?”
“…… What.”
“The total amount of memories this boy’s brain contains.”
Replying to Tsumei’s hardened voice, Rodrigo burst out laughing.
“I have seen patients who lost their memories a few times. This boy has a different feeling. It’s such a clean loss. Doesn’t it feel like your brain has been reset? hahahaha.”
“… ….”
Of course, despite his joking words, Tsumei could not say anything else.
He just kept his mouth shut and looked at Dante again with a complicated gaze.
Beatrice also turned around at that point, and it was some time later that Rodrigo noticed the subtle atmosphere.
“Uh, um. “Did I say something wrong?”
“… ….”
“…… Are you a slayer? “Are you a dragon slayer?”
*****
I lost my memory. Or disappeared. If not, reset it.
Any expression was good.
What is certain, however, is that the White Magic Tower lord confirmed Dante’s condition in that way.
Beatrice just remained silent.
‘If the story is true.’
And I think.
‘Some questions are definitely resolved. Okay, if Dante lost his memory…….’
Loss of memory. What if the future that Jibril saw had a deep connection with the past that Dante lost?
…… Then it makes sense. This means that all the questionable parts are also explained.
When she first encountered Djibril, her attitude was strange even to Beatrice.
A tone of voice, a look in one’s eyes, as if something is wrong, and therefore a wavering murderous intent.
Beatrice raised her head and made eye contact with Jibril.
She seems to hesitate and looks straight into the girl’s green eyes.
‘Dante has no old memories, and she says that her lost memories contain a deeper past than she thought.’
I don’t know, but I can’t be sure. Even so, just in case her hypothesis turns out to be correct.
Then, this problem may be more peaceful than you think.
At least her own friends won’t get hurt, and there will be no reason to be hostile to Jibril.
‘…… So you have to check.’
For such an ideal ending, there is something that must come first.
The first thing to do is to prove the truth of the hypothesis.
I had to listen to Jibril. If she can’t hear what’s being said, the conversation won’t go any further.
Beatrice hoped that the atmosphere would not get any worse.
“Miss Jibril.”
“… ….”
“Tell me clearly. “I have to hear it.”
She raised her voice.
“What on earth did you see? “What did you see?”
As much as she believes in Dante, she also wants to believe in the astrologer’s reputation at least once.
She didn’t want to just reject it without any plausible conversation.
“…… “What did you see that made you want to kill that person?”
Beatrice said.
“… ….”
Jibril was silent.
Rustling-
Her hands, carefully grasping the bushes, seemed complex somehow.
It was as if her feelings were being revealed.
The reason for her silence was not that simple. This was because more complex emotions and more complex issues were intertwined.
…… I thought she didn’t want anything to do with it anymore.
‘Should I bring this up now?’
Again, talking about the future? A shallow story about the future and past that even makes you doubt yourself?
‘…… I don’t know.’
Jibril bit his lip.
It’s so complicated. His head is pounding.
However, despite this, she refused outright and had no intention of maintaining the life she had been living.
Yes. In the end, it was because I knew very well that what I was doing now was just an escape.
It is something that cannot be avoided forever just because a variable has been created or something has changed.
It was an inevitable future, and it was a sight, wasn’t it?
…… If this was a problem that could be solved by covering it up sloppily and turning a blind eye, we wouldn’t have come here.
Jibril was silent for a very brief moment more.
“Saint.”
Soon, she let out her voice as if she had made a decision.
“…… If you wish, you can also check out what I saw. “I have that level of ability.”
And at her words, Beatrice’s expression hardened once again.
“That means.”
…… This is because the way Jibril could know the future he saw was more specific than she thought.
Beatrice swallowed her dry saliva.
If I could share the sight I saw with my foresight, if that was really possible…….
Certainly, that would be the surest path of all.
Able to understand Jibril’s thoughts and further refute her prediction of the future itself.
The most certain way to do that.
“But you must know this, saint. “This may not be as simple a problem as you think.”
However, Jibril’s expression as he spoke one after another was more serious than before.
As if she couldn’t think about it that easily, as if this was a more complicated problem than that.
Jibril held my wrist tightly as if he was saying that.
“Simple problem, D.”
Nevertheless, Beatrice continued to say what she had to say without erasing her initial attitude.
Calmly, but seriously. Above all, be confident.
“Not once.”
“… ….”
“I’ve never really thought of it that way.”
Beatrice and Jibril. A saint and an astrologer.
The two girls’ gazes intertwined in the air.
“I’m being serious too, Miss Djibril. Moreover, the reason I’m saying this isn’t because I really trust you.”
Beatrice’s eyes were calm throughout.
There was not a single tremor or disturbance.
“I came here for my friend.”
Therefore, Jibril also had no choice but to agree with her will expressed in those golden eyes.
“If you try to harm Dante, I will stand with him, and that will not change no matter what. I’m just trying to hear your story because I think you probably had your own good reasons. Therefore.”
I stopped talking and took a short breath.
Beatrice spoke to Jibril.
“I, too, should see what you saw.”
As expected, it was such an assertion that there was no tremor whatsoever.
*****
“… ….”
Beatrice felt uncomfortable.
The reason was nothing special.
“Do I really have to have this attitude?”
Beatrice shook his hand and tilted his head slightly.
The moment I looked up at her, her flowing white hair touched the corners of her eyes.
In her role, Jibril looked down at her with a bitter smile.
“Skin contact is essential.”
“…… No, I’m not talking about that. Ha.”
Letting out a deep sigh at Jibril’s words, Beatrice pursed her lips.
She seemed to have decided that talking further would be meaningless.
With a look of resignation, she simply shifted her body to find the optimal posture.
“Saint, just lie down comfortably. Relax your body, yes. Yes. Like that.”
“… ….”
To put her posture a little more accurately, yes.
In the public, it was usually called her knee pillow.
‘…… It’s soft.’
Beatrice bit her lip, appreciating the feel of her bare skin.
This doesn’t seem like something is right.
‘Wouldn’t the picture be a bit strange if I did this?’
Beatrice was thinking of such thoughts, but what could she do? Her magician says this posture is the most effective.
It would be ridiculous for an outsider to add anything to that.
Beatrice closed her eyes while trying to think like that.
“Here we go. “Your body is stiff, so don’t be nervous.”
“…… “I guess I’ll do it quickly.”
Beatrice responded to Jibril’s words with a slight grumble, but Jibril did not actually pay attention to such grumbling.
I just keep my voice business-like, as if I just have to say something.
“You might feel a little dizzy. It’s not strange to feel motion sickness, and depending on the person, the feeling may take longer, so don’t panic. It may be an unfamiliar experience, but don’t get too excited about it. Dreams may be shattered. Oh, and… ….”
“Oh, kinda.”
With a shy laugh, Beatrice realized that her energy was slowly starting to move.
Jibril placed his hand on her forehead, and her astrology was revealed.
“…… “I have one thing to tell you.”
And Jibril opened her mouth once again.
Beatrice did not answer, but… ….
“Don’t panic too much.”
She just stroked her hair once, as if asking Jibril to listen.
“Because it could be a very shocking sight.”
“…… ?”
“This is just my guess.”
Turning to Beatrice, who had her eyes closed and only had a questioning look on her face, Jibril used her astrology and spoke her words one last time.
“The mighty ability of your friend, the power of lightning.”
Huung… ….
The wind blew.
No, it felt like it was blowing.
“…… “Maybe it has a very different origin than the special abilities I and others have.”
Jibril’s voice like that for the last time.
Beatrice fell into a deep sleep.
*****
It was a dark space. I can’t see my surroundings properly.
All you can see are young children who appear to be trapped in that space.
Five or seven years old…….
Is it probably around that age?
If you were to guess the age of the children in the scene that unfolded before your eyes, it was like that.
The cause that could not be determined was simply the size of the children.
They look thin, as if they haven’t been getting the right nutrients.
To put it bluntly, it was very skinny.
…… The number of such children easily exceeds dozens. I can’t count exactly, but maybe.
What is unusual is that all of the children are wearing one set of pure white clothes.
At the very first moment, in a slightly hazy state of consciousness, Beatrice just gazed aimlessly at the scene in front of her.
“… ….”
The moment he came to his senses, his expression hardened.
-It’s okay, it’ll be okay.
-Brother… ….
-It’ll be okay. I can endure it, I can overcome it… ….
There were many children from ‘there’, but the one who stood out the most was none other than the others.
In the space in front of you, you look older, and there are a lot of children staying around.
A young boy who is probably the focal point of this space.
-Everyone has done well so far.
– … ….
-We should all live together. All you have to do is hold on just a little longer. Because my brother will do something.
Nevertheless, the expression is almost colorless, and the eyes have long since lost their shine.
The only emotion left for the boy was terrible pessimism.
It looked like the childhood of someone Beatrice knew.
-Everyone, I mean… ….
Beatrice reached out her hand without thinking, but her hand did not reach the boy and merely cut through the air transparently.
At that point she recognized.
-Don’t give up, please… ….
The identity of this space, the identity of this scene.
It was only then that I was able to remember.
Hide your mouth and turn your complexion pure white. Beatrice just fluttered her eyelashes with a miserable expression.
‘…… What on earth is this?’
This was a dream.
This was a memory.
It was a shared fantasy, the future, and it could also be said to be the past.
The last memory came back to me.
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Yes. This was Jibril’s ability.
Kikik… ….
The sound of a door opening. And for the first time, light came into the dark space.
Beatrice turned her head as if possessed.
-You must have rested enough.
There were several people standing there with looks in their eyes that could not possibly be sent to young children.
-It’s time. Lab rats.
And Beatrice had a hunch.
I was able to realize it right away.
‘I see.’
This, this scene. This space that feels like looking at another world, far removed from reality—.
‘That’s it.’
Perhaps it is the ‘memory of her childhood’ that Dante lost.