Chapter 97 : Thoughts Within Time

Chapter 97: Thoughts Within Time

It was a dream.

That kid who had appeared in my previous dream showed up again.

‘This doesn’t happen often….’

In my dreams, it was rare for someone I’d never seen before to appear.

Usually, they were people I had met at least once, or combinations of people I knew, merged together into new figures.

But this one—I really had no idea.

From the start, hair like her—white with a drop of pink—was something I’d never even imagined, so where on earth had she come from….

At first, since she was wearing the same white long coat that Lorraine liked, I thought she might be a figure mixed with Lorraine. But now, she was dressed in a bizarre outfit I had never seen before.

It was a skintight suit that covered her entire body, stretching all the way up the back of her head. Thick lines of unknown material extended from her head and body, connecting him to a massive metallic chair on which she sat.

Blinking lights flashed all around….

How should I put it? Was it like being devoured by some metallic monster? No… more like she had fused into one with such a creature. A grotesque form.

* Hey, are you okay?

I asked without even realizing it.

Because she didn’t look okay.

The clothes she wore, the bizarre environment around him—setting those aside.

* Can you hear me?

Now that she seemed a bit older—around twelve, maybe—the kid sat on that massive chair without the slightest movement.

The only thing moving were her vivid pink eyes.

But could eyes really move that fast?

Even a hummingbird’s wings weren’t like that. Up and down, side to side, diagonal—her eyes darted ceaselessly.

As her eyes grew bloodshot, blood trickled down from her nose.

* Hey!

I tried to grab and shake him. At the very least, I thought if I could pull him off that chair, she might get better.

But my hand passed right through him. Come to think of it, so did my voice. It stirred not the slightest ripple in the surrounding air.

I was nothing but a ghost, forced to watch without doing anything.

That was what I had become.

Drip.

Drip….

The girl, who had been letting her nosebleed fall, spoke in a voice drained of all strength.

“...Calculation complete.”

Murmurs rose from all around.

Beings whose forms were invisible, seen only as black silhouettes, had gathered at some point, surrounding the place.

* Ooh, what must we do?

* Have you found a solution?

Honestly, nausea welled up.

Hey, you people.

Aren’t you adults? And yet you’re all clinging to one little kid like this?

* What the hell are you bastards doing?!

But no matter how much I shouted, my voice never reached them.

The child opened her mouth.

“Marsetiro is to be abandoned. Issue the self-destruction order.”

At that, the surrounding shadows erupted in chaos.

* What?! How could you say that!

* The people still living there...!

* Without Marsetiro, we…!

But the boy replied coldly, with chilling composure.

“Marsetiro is to be abandoned. There are no other possibilities.”

Silence fell.

A dreadful silence.

Then the scenery changed.

That dark, grotesque world vanished, and the girl, now dressed lightly, sat alone in her own room.

She was… crying. Again.

Drip—

Drop—

Her swollen eyes shed tears that soaked her clothes and her bed.

“There was no other way.... I hated it too.... Do you think I wanted to sacrifice all those people....”

The child sobbed bitterly, then suddenly lifted her gaze.

She stared straight at me.

“Mister. You’re there, aren’t you?”

* What? You could see me?

But she gave no response to my words. Her eyes did not fix sharply on me, only drifting vaguely around where I stood.

“I’ll speak as if you’re here. Wait. Never give up. Because I... won’t give up either.”

What the hell was she talking about?

More than that, was she okay after that nosebleed?

I tried to say something—anything—but the world darkened once more.

Tick-tock, tick-tock—

With the sound of the clock’s second hand, I was swept away by the river of time.

And then, I realized it for certain.

‘This… wasn’t just a dream.’

The *Book of Fate* had said: *‘Along the fragments of causality, the memories of distant times flow in.’*

That meant this child must have been someone connected to the secrets of the *Book of Fate.*

...Someone who had truly lived long, long ago.

Crying every day, bleeding every day,

while providing answers to incompetent adults.

Crack—

Somehow, anger flared hotter in me.

And slowly, my consciousness grew hazy.

*         *         *

A dream? Or somewhere between a dream and waking?

That was the thought that crossed my mind.

‘Children grow on their own.’

Of course, that didn’t mean a baby would learn to use the toilet properly by itself, or go out to find food on its own, or things like that.

The meaning of “children grow on their own” was that adults could never completely control a child’s experiences or growth.

Even given the same circumstances, children reacted differently.

Just as Sheneril, in a time when everyone trembled in fear, burned her most precious things alone in prayer—every child interpreted their given experiences in their own way, and began their own adventure.

Daisy was the same.

In her childhood, Daisy had been a fighter, filled with immense pride and stubbornness, believing she must never lose even once.

For her, the back alleys of Kushan City and the Ilneon Dungeon where we lived were no different from a training ground for martial practice.

She fought, and fought again. And if she ever lost even once, she would grit her teeth, challenge again, and make sure to knock her opponent down.

Only after she had beaten every child her age in Kushan City, and even those a few years older, did she finally graduate from the back alleys.

The only one she never fought to a real conclusion was Seklan, perhaps?

Because Seklan had always yielded to Daisy first.

Asha, on the other hand, had no interest whatsoever in back alleys or the Ilneon Dungeon. She only buried herself alone in books and practiced magic.

That was how children grew.

Within the environments given to them, in their own way.

But the child I saw in my dream—that one with hair like a drop of pink spilled onto white—seemed to have had no such chance.

From the very beginning, they had been forced to be complete.

Shaped to meet the demands of adults, without a chance to interpret things for themselves or embark on their own adventure.

That was what truly irked me and gnawed at my mind.

Tick.

At last, when my hazy consciousness sharpened and I opened my eyes—

“...Daisy?”

Morning had already dawned on the deserted island.

Beside a small stream flowing gently through a valley, Daisy was waiting for me.

She was sweating profusely, practicing her sword alone.

*         *         *

“What are you doing here?”

I was caught off guard.

On this expedition, I had only brought Seah and Mika. Daisy had been left behind in Ilunael.

But Daisy answered casually, as if my question was the odd one.

“I followed along slowly. Tracking your footprints.”

“Hah?”

From the sound of it, she had dragged along soldiers at her own whim and tracked us by following our trail.

See? See? Kids were just like this—acting entirely on their own.

“Don’t worry. I got Unni Seah’s permission.”

Oh, come on.

Why did she always listen to Seah, but ignore me every single time?!

I thought about scolding her for that today.

But Daisy glanced over my body here and there, then carelessly tossed out a remark.

“Well… you look fine today.”

Oh-ho?

What was this?

“Why? Were you worried I’d come back hurt again? Did you worry so much that you followed me all the way out here?”

At my question, Daisy only glared at me with her red eyes, silent.

Uh, hm… somehow, it felt like teasing her any further wouldn’t be very fun.

“Ahem!”

I cleared my throat once and decided to change the subject.

I already had something on my mind.

Daisy, you—

“You’ve reached the Stage of Reading the Sword, haven’t you?”

By ancient standards, that was the realm of a Low-grade Expert. From the way she had swung her sword earlier, I was certain.

Daisy’s ears reddened slightly.

“Uh… y-yeah, hmm. You noticed? Well, it wasn’t much, really!”

Anyone could see she was overjoyed that I had recognized it, but I decided not to point it out.

‘Good. Then Seklan will soon reach the Stage of Reading the Sword as well.’

That was always how Seklan was. Whenever Daisy advanced first, he would follow right behind her….

Almost as if he did it on purpose, his growth always matched hers, step for step.

If that was the case, then soon both of them would be Low-grade Experts, whether by modern standards or ancient ones.

‘I wonder how these two will grow.’

Everyone else had learned ancient sword energy techniques only after reaching a certain level in modern Aura swordsmanship.

That had been the same for me as well.

But these kids, training Aura and Sword Energy in balance at the same time—what would become of them?

I couldn’t help but feel a surge of expectation, as if there was some incredible synergy I had yet to imagine.

“Daisy.”

“What, why?”

Still too embarrassed to meet my eyes, Daisy avoided my gaze.

To her, I spoke from the heart.

“Thank you.”

For growing up well.

For smiling brightly and crying little, despite the poor environment.

For becoming strong enough on your own to give me peace of mind.

“Wh-what. All of a sudden.”

“No reason. Congratulations. You worked hard.”

“Well, it’s not really….”

Brat.

I walked on, bringing along Daisy, who was pretending not to be happy.

Step by step, we climbed the valley path.

The clear air of morning mixed with the forest’s dampness, making the mood even better.

And at the top of that hill, we once again faced the ruins of the temple.

“Ah….”

The grand pillars, rising like jagged towers here and there.

In front of them, Daisy chattered happily.

“It looks pretty again in the morning.”

Yes. It was pretty.

But…

I actually felt a little sad.

‘It’s the same. Still in ruins, even now.’

The memory of everyone fighting with their lives on the line to protect this temple was still vivid, as if it had just happened….

Yet even the temple we had fought to defend could not withstand ten thousand years.

Sheneril. Iodin. Urgulak.

Did you know?

That no matter how desperately you fought, in the end, everything would crumble and vanish before the passage of time….

A melancholy that only a time traveler like me could carry.

Daisy looked at me, gauging my mood.

“What’s wrong? Something bothering you, Oppa?”

I shook my head.

“No. It’s just that I had only just come back from fighting to the death to protect this place.”

“Ah….”

Daisy. Contrary to appearances, she was surprisingly sensitive.

With eyes slightly glazed, she looked around at the ruins, where the pillars were scattered everywhere.

“So people really lived here. And you were here too, Oppa….”

That’s right.

There had been Sheneril, only seven years old. There had been Holy Knights burning with duty, and even a big, magnificent orc. Even a senior I was glad to see again.

“It must’ve been really strange. Talking with the people here… maybe even finding someone you connected with.”

That’s right.

It truly was.

“You got that here too? It’s really pretty.”

Daisy’s gaze fixed on the transparent *Eternal Blossom* adorning my Magical Armor.

I nodded.

“Yeah. A seven-year-old kid gave it to me. Asked me to protect this place. Wished me good fortune.”

“Hee….”

Daisy’s eyes quivered slightly, her thoughts unreadable, as she once more gazed at the ruins.

As expected. Despite her looks, she was a sensitive one.

Well, anyway….

Feelings were feelings. There was work to be done.

Srrng—

I drew *Banroa.*

Daisy turned to me in surprise.

“Why the sword?”

“Step back for a bit.”

Hesitantly, Daisy backed away.

I slowly walked across the temple grounds, surveying the terrain.

‘Roughly around here…?’

Then—

Kwa-du-du-duk!

Drawing up Aura and Sword Energy with all my strength, I tore into the ground.

Temple pillars caught in the path were cleanly severed and hurled aside. The earth shattered, blasting apart into fragments that scattered in all directions.

The very foundation of the site collapsed, the pillars that had endured for ages breaking apart and crumbling into pieces.

Daisy gasped in shock.

“W-what are you doing!!!”

Hm?

“Why are you breaking everything?!”

I didn’t know why she was so startled, but I answered anyway.

“I’m searching for something.”

“N-no… then what was that just now?”

“What do you mean?”

“This ruin! You said it was a place filled with memories!”

“Yeah. It’s poignant. Holds deep meaning.”

“Then why are you smashing it apart like that…?”

“?”

What was the problem, exactly?

Kwa-ga-ga-ga-ga!

I pushed my Aura even harder, utterly overturning the entire site.

Soon, only heaps of dirt and broken fragments remained, to the point that it was hard to even tell a temple had once stood here.

For some reason, Daisy muttered in a daze, clearly shaken.

“Uncle… you’re cold-blooded. You really are cold-blooded….”

?

I decided to ignore her.

Raising younger siblings had taught me—trying to guess the hearts of moody kids was about the most pointless thing in the world.

Sometimes, at that age, it was just better for both sides not to try to understand.

Paka-ka-ka-kak!

As I tore through the earth with all my might, I felt it.

“Here it is!”

This time, I wielded *Banroa* with care. I couldn’t risk cutting it by mistake.

Kwaaaa—!

A final spray of earth shot up.

And beneath it emerged a sphere—cracked here and there, its color faded, yet still radiating its unique nobility.

“Found it. <Ea>.”

A Sacred Relic that conveyed the power of the gods.

It had endured ten thousand years, and now at last revealed itself again in the present age.