★

“Where… am I?”

When I woke up, I found myself in an unfamiliar place.

Was this… the royal castle?

However, it felt somewhat different from the present-day Arceus Kingdom’s royal castle. The placement of the decorations was subtly different.

Moreover, Ray and Remia, who were supposed to be with me, were nowhere to be found.

Instead—he was there again. Someone I should never have been able to meet—Farlus Macba, the First Sword Saint.

“Oh, Goddess… What do you think? Is this truly an unavoidable fate?”

“Yes. A mere human child could never achieve such a feat.”

The one responding was a woman of astonishing beauty. A faint, ephemeral light surrounded her.

Wait… A goddess?

No way… Could she be the legendary Goddess Diees from folklore?

“Well, it can’t be helped,” the woman, called a goddess, murmured with a knowing expression.

“《Reincarnation Art》 has always been a forbidden technique. Rather than meddling with such a thing, it is wiser to entrust the future to later generations.”

“Later generations… So, it’s my descendant, then?”

“Yes. The blood of a mighty swordsman flows within you. Your descendants, too, will surely be blessed with talent.”

“《Cheat Code Manipulation》… was it? If one is to wield a power that transcends reason, they must be mentally mature.”

“Indeed. That is why this skill shall be granted only to the most mentally refined among the Macba family.”

“That is wise. There’s no guarantee that some fool won’t appear to misuse the title of ‘Sword Saint’.”

And then, to my surprise, the goddess turned to look directly at me.

Her expression was somewhat melancholic.

“Hehe… A thousand years from now, your descendant will witness this very scene. I don’t even know what your name is.”

I gathered my courage and asked,

“Excuse me… Can you see me?”

But there was no response.

It seemed I was only being shown a 《vision》. A mysterious exchange between the Goddess and the First Sword Saint from thousands of years ago—

And then… a few seconds later, the goddess gently reached out toward me.

“Child of Farlus. Right now, you must be facing great hardship. Even though you are Farlus’ descendant, the skill you received is unprecedented. Perhaps those around you have been disappointed.”

“…!”

She hit the sore spot exactly.

“But please remember this. You are more remarkable… and stronger than anyone else.”

“Heh, let me say something too,”

Farlus Macba, the First Sword Saint, locked eyes with me.

“My descendant… You have surely struggled and suffered until now. But never forget—you are not alone.”

Why did it feel this way?

Even though they shouldn’t be able to see me, their words resonated deeply—

A single tear traced down my cheek.

The wounds left by my banishment from my family felt just a little less painful.

“And one more thing,”

Farlus suddenly grinned mischievously.

“My descendant, if your family has treated you unjustly, you should utterly crush them! That will be for their own good.”

Hah.

Utterly crush them, huh?

I had already decided to sever ties with the Macba family… But knowing how notorious Dudley is, there’s no telling what he might try in the future.

“I have something to say as well,”

The goddess addressed me again.

“By now, you must be troubled about the mysterious gemstone. But you should keep it. As long as it remains in your possession, it should not explode under normal circumstances.”

…Is that so?

Now that I thought about it, when it went out of control earlier, it had been in Remia’s hands.

At least, nothing had happened last night while I had it.

…Still, this is incredible.

These two are giving me hints based on my current struggles. The Goddess and the First Sword Saint—truly, their names are not just for show.

But this moment wasn’t going to last forever.

The goddess gazed at me—the one she couldn’t even see—with a sorrowful look.

“…It seems our time is up. I pray for your fortune. May your path be blessed.”

“Bah, you’ll be fine. After all, you carry my blood!”

Farlus laughed heartily and extended his arm toward me, even though he shouldn’t have been able to see me.

“Until we meet again, my descendant. Never—yield to fools!”

And at that moment—

My consciousness faded once more.

★

“Haa…! Arios!!”

Ray’s tearful voice woke me up.

As I cracked open my eyes, I saw the princess sobbing uncontrollably over me.

She must have been extremely worried.

Her eyes were completely swollen.

“Ray…? Where… am I?”

It seemed we had returned to Remia’s laboratory. The surroundings looked familiar.

“Arios! You’re safe! You’re really safe?!”

“Yeah. I’m perfectly fine.”

“…! Thank goodness…!”

“Hey, wait! Huff…!”

Ray suddenly threw herself at me, squeezing me so tightly that I could barely breathe. Whoa, she was pressing against me with serious force.

“…But still, this phenomenon is peculiar.”

The one muttering was the master magic tool craftsman, Remia. She crossed her arms, deep in thought.

“Arios-dono, could it be that your consciousness was transported to another dimension?”

“Another dimension…?”

That was a fitting way to describe it.

That phenomenon had been practically the same as being sent to an entirely unknown realm.

“Hmm… The Divine Relic… This is truly intriguing…”

And at that very moment—

BZZZZZZ!

A sudden, loud mechanical sound rang out, making us flinch.

Was this… a communication device?

It was a magic tool Remia had developed back when she lived in the royal capital, allowing people to talk over long distances.

…Well, it wasn’t widely distributed, so only guilds and a few facilities had them.

“Yes, this is Remia…”

Remia picked up the receiver.

“What, Altro? If you’re looking for Arios-dono, he’s already here—what did you say?”

Remia’s expression darkened.

“I understand. I’ll tell him immediately.”

After ending the call, she turned to me, her face grave.

“Arios, we have an emergency. Dudley Claise has appeared in Rastal Village. Your servant—Mary—is in danger.”