kscans

Chapter 72 - Epilogue

"...Has it been four years already?"

As autumn deepened and the winter winds began to bite at the mornings and evenings, Romel gazed melancholically at the low sky. Four years ago. The little girl who had swept through the world like a storm.

The little child who had charged ahead as she pleased, who never stopped even when she fell, who would kick down any wall she crashed into and keep flying. A tiny little person who got everyone around her involved, even putting the gods to work, and rewrote an era.

Looking back now, it might have all been a dream.

But Frontier and the surrounding countries had changed dramatically. More than anything, Romel himself remembered.

He remembered that it was real.

Four years ago, those days had been a whirlwind.

"Infantile regression?"

"Yes, that is what the physicians have stated."

In a room thick with a serious atmosphere, an innocently smiling child stood before the adults.

Chihiro had returned, but she had lost most of her memories. She remembered her father the King, Queen Habirush, and Theodore, but she didn't seem to remember Mirtishia or Wilfe. The physician's diagnosis was that she had likely regressed to the age of about two.

"No... how could this happen?"

The Queen covered her mouth, her eyes trembling.

"Does Chihiro not remember me either?"

Drago stared at the little girl with disbelief. His face was frozen, and his hands, clutching his knees, were trembling violently. Dolphen, standing behind him, was also speechless, his expression grim. As each of them struggled to hide their turmoil of shock and confusion, only Queen Habirush remained her usual self.

"Come here, Fatimah."

"Ai."

The small child, called over, was embraced.

"Fatimah?"

At the king's questioning tone, Queen Habirush smiled softly and looked gently at the child in her arms.

"This child's name is Fatimah. She is my daughter."

Instantly, all the related parties widened their eyes. The little person's name was one thing, but her birth and origins were kept top secret. The fact that the little girl was Queen Habirush's hidden daughter was supposed to be known only to those present. She had been there at the time, but she had not seemed to understand. In fact, at the banquet table, she hadn't seemed to think of Chihiro as Fatimah.

Did she know? Since when?.

"Do you know that this child was the one called Fatimah? Habirush."

At this, Queen Habirush tilted her head with a blank expression.

"Of course I do. This child has always been with me. In the silver bed. Right?"

"Ai."

A heartwarming mother and child, laughing happily.

Always been with her? The silver bed?

As always, she was an incomprehensible person.

As Romel pondered melancholically, the life drained from Drago's face. Drago had rushed to the great hall the moment he heard Chihiro had returned. And just as he was about to scoop her up with a beaming smile, Chihiro began to cry as if she had been set on fire. The little person wailed and wailed, shunning Drago.

Romel could never forget Drago's frozen face at that moment. It was heartbreaking even to watch. They had been such a close father and daughter.

His face remained frozen even now. Romel could more than sympathize with the feelings in his heart.

After days of discussion, it was decided that Chihiro would be renamed Fatimah and officially become the adopted daughter of the King and Queen Habirush. Until now, the Queen had been her adoptive mother as an extension of her role as temporary guardian, but since the little person herself was only attached to Queen Habirush, this was the form it took.

Her residence was moved to the Inner Palace, her adoption by Drago was dissolved, and she officially became a member of the royal family. Fatimah, who had only ever known Theodore and Queen Habirush, quickly adapted to the Inner Palace and no longer appeared outside.

The little person who was there, yet not there.

A tremendous loneliness swept through the palace, and deep sighs could be heard from everyone, everywhere. The knights' training grounds seemed as if a light had been extinguished.

Given the circumstances, Frontier informed its own country and the surrounding nations that the little person had lost her memories for some reason. Some people came to confirm out of suspicion, but seeing the little girl smiling with Queen Habirush, they were instead so shocked that they fell into a daze.

"That's not the Little Person."

The palace staff didn't even have the energy to question the disrespect in their unanimous muttering. They understood the feeling all too well.

And so, the little girl, who had become a two year old on the inside, quietly disappeared from the public stage.

Four years have passed since then.

The little girl in question is now seven years old, and after her baptism at the start of the new year, she will move her residence from the Inner Palace to the royal palace. Fortunately, the effects of her infantile regression have faded, and she has apparently shown growth appropriate for her age. The reason for the 'apparently' is that Romel rarely goes to the Inner Palace. Not only is the Inner Palace forbidden to men, but Romel himself found it painful to see the current Chihiro. He was afraid that his memories would be overwritten someday, and not wanting to forget the person she used to be, Romel unconsciously avoided meeting Fatimah.

Well, if she was moving to the royal palace, he couldn't keep saying that.

In these four years, the palace had also settled down, and its inhabitants had come to understand that the little girl was the little person, and yet not the little person.

The seasons turned, time flowed, the conflict with Castrato began to show signs of fading, and in people's hearts, the little person was becoming a memory.

Drago, too, had reached a state of resignation and continued to wield his skills for the sake of the royal family.

"Chihiro is inside me. And inside Fatimah-sama as well. I intend to love the vestiges of Chihiro within her."

Drago, who had muttered these words, had a mournful light in his eyes, a mixture of loneliness and resignation.

Romel was terribly worried about him, so fragile he seemed on the verge of collapsing, but someone appeared to support him. Or rather, not support, but slap him around, a fierce person.

"Stop moping around forever. For someone with such a big body."

It was Sakura.

She literally kicked down Drago, who had become despondent and spent his days in a daze like an empty shell. As he was spacing out, he took a powerful kick from behind and stumbled forward. Sakura glared at him sharply and spat at him with a look of disgust.

"If you're like this, Chihiro will worry, won't she? If Chihiro were here right now, what do you think she would say seeing you so down?"

If Chihiro were here?

She would surely cling to him, worried and anxious. With a sad face. Drago could be so sure of this that he could almost see the illusion for real.

"You're right... Even if her memories are gone, Chihiro is still Chihiro."

Drago looked up at the royal palace and forced a smile that was clearly just for show.

That's why Romel and Dolphen remained silent.

They knew that Chihiro was not inside Fatimah.

Afterward, Romel and the others visited the forest and spoke with the Queen. Through writing, of course. Dolphen, who had learned of the little person's origins and circumstances from Joker, and Romel, who had been informed of it, had a general idea of what had happened.

The Queen, who had received the same explanation, showed some confusion but was resigned.

Two souls in one body? Then where did Chihiro-sama go?

The forest, which had lost its golden magic, was gradually withering. But not all of it. The parts that had grown naturally over thousands of years were not lost. Although the green was paler, the forest was still there. From now on, they would increase the trees through reforestation and bring back the deep green of before. Romel swore in his heart to do it for Chihiro's sake.

"I don't know what happened to that child, but the gods did say something, didn't they?"

Yes. The Creator God who had manifested in Kilfan had said it. He had called Chihiro a guest. That meant she was a stranger from somewhere else. And the gods had said more. That the people of Kilfan were borrowed from Earth.

After that, Kilfan was lost.

A great roar as if the sea was splitting echoed throughout the world, and a short time later, news arrived from the small islands around Kilfan that Kilfan was gone. A flabbergasted Marquis Geshubellista dispatched a knightly order to confirm, and just as the report said, the continent of Kilfan was truly gone.

What on earth had happened?

This could not be unrelated to Chihiro's disappearance.

"Maybe Chihiro went home. To her original world. Kilfan too."

The Queen stared at Romel's dispassionate muttering, a golden pupil still shining in her left eye. Would this too disappear eventually?

"While Fatimah-sama's soul was trapped in the abyss, Chihiro-sama's soul awakened within the princess. If that's the case, now that Fatimah-sama has returned, Chihiro-sama must be..."

A three way silence fell at Dolphen's words. And a similar prediction crossed all three of their minds.

The little person was no longer here.

Though it had been very difficult at times, the hectic but dreamlike and fun times were over. They would never see that cheerful, mischievous smile again.

"Chihiro..."

Where is your soul now? Did you go back to that world called Earth?

Staring at the thick, gloomy clouds of the approaching winter, Romel could not close the great hole that had been bored into his chest.

Unaware of these people's painful thoughts, the little person was watching the lower world from the celestial realm.

"Whoa, that's harsh. The whole continent into the abyss, huh."

The lives we lent from Earth were a little over four thousand. We will purify them and return them to the cycle of reincarnation here.

Kilfan, which was scheduled to be returned anyway, was dropped into the abyss, continent and all. As long as the number of lives lent matched, it was fine, and the excess would be left to Arcadia. The Kilfan people who had moved to the Frontier side would be spared.

It's actually a little short, but we'll throw it in as a bonus. You've been a great help to us.

Is it really okay to be that vague, oh gods? Well, it's a help to us, though.

With an unintentionally fixed gaze, Chihiro stared intently at the gods.

While all this was happening, souls were piling up on Joker's web. Sorting through them, the gods of Earth praised Chihiro.

You really did well. Using Arcadia was the only way to stop the rampaging Legion.

Arcadia, a newly born world.

Legion, facing imminent destruction, would not have overlooked the only world where gods could manifest in the lower realm. As expected, he approached the gods of Arcadia with a bet to trap them. The gods of Earth, while anticipating this, silently watched the turn of events, waiting for Legion to go on a rampage.

You see, a god is one with their world. When the world perishes, the god also vanishes. The fear of that drove him mad.

Normally, one should calmly face destruction and disappear with dignity. But he was young. His world too. He could not accept his own mistakes.

He could not accept the disappearance of his own existence. That's why he tried to deceive the young gods of Arcadia. He was already out at that point.

He had incurred the wrath of the higher beings, existences more powerful than the gods. Furthermore, his great interference in another world. And his summoning and attempt to kill Chihiro was the final straw.

As a result, Legion's world was destroyed, and Arcadia's victory was confirmed.

As long as they could recover the golden magic, other minor details would be overlooked. Including the matter of the Forest Masters.

We'll take care of the cleanup. What will you do?

"Huh?"

You have a younger sister, right? On Earth. She's pregnant with a girl. The soul hasn't entered yet, so we can put you in. It's a different form, but we can return you to your original family.

"Ooh, that might be nice. But I'll be their grandchild, huh. I wonder if Mom and Dad will be surprised."

As Chihiro smiled wryly, half happy, the gods hesitated slightly.

You see. You won't be able to inherit your memories. That was a special privilege we gave you to survive in another world. You know, just like the translation rubi.

At these words, Chihiro remembered.

The mysterious translation rubi. What was that all about?

When she asked directly, the gods fell silent as if they had bitten into a bitter bug.

That was. A failsafe in case you killed the Forest Master.

In other words, without the Forest Master, there was no way to tell Chihiro the detailed circumstances of the Golden King or the hidden history. But there was a high possibility that the demon's right hand would kill the Forest Master without question before she could learn it. In that case, Chihiro would have to find and read old documents written in ancient language to understand the world's origins. In the current Arcadia, no one could read the characters of the age of the gods, so they had given her the translation rubi as an aid.

As you can see, the result was that the gods' arrangements were all wasted due to the little person's rampage.

Ahehehe, my bad.

Chihiro's pact with the Forest Master, her completion of the golden ring, her attempt to destroy the master's forest, all of it was outside the gods' expectations. They had departed so grandly from the gods' premise of disposing of the Forest Masters that they had no idea what the outcome would be, and the gods watching from the heavens were on the edge of their seats the whole time.

But, all's well that ends well.

Fatimah has also returned to normal, and now all distortions have been corrected. All that's left is to thank you.

The gods of Earth smiled softly and asked Chihiro her wish again.

Humans who get involved in the affairs of gods generally meet a painful end. You too. That's why, in your next life, we promise you overflowing happiness. If you wish, we can have you reincarnate into any kind of family. Even your former family's house.

A painful end.

Indeed. Chihiro was suddenly torn away from everything she had grown accustomed to. When Legion was collected by the messengers of the higher beings, the gods had made complex faces when Chihiro had wished to return to Frontier.

They couldn't send her back. Now that the victor was decided, all accounts had to be settled here and now. The return of the loaned soul. That included Chihiro.

Come to think of it, they had said it in Kilfan.

The next time we meet will be the last.

The words left by the gods of Arcadia. Now, those two were right in front of her.

So, this is that final time.

Chihiro's face tensed, and she was stunned by her own life, which had ended once again. In her previous life, she had suddenly failed her parents in a traffic accident, and in this life, would she fail her parents again?

I promised I would definitely come back. I'm sorry, Papa.

A gentle bear-san floated in Chihiro's mind.

Unbidden, tears spilled over, tracing the curves of her cheeks, dripping from her chin, and drawing a small polka dot pattern at the little person's feet.

Here, the overture to Arcadia's destruction ended before it could ring out loudly. The little person, who had danced with all her might, had danced until the very end. Together with the people of Arcadia.

A legend no one knew quietly came to a close, unseen by any.