After some investigating around the royal capital, I discovered that Sage Nyau was staying in a room at the military barracks. I tracked down the soldiers on duty and practically begged them for an audience.
At first, they treated me like a vagrant and refused to listen, but after I persisted with desperate pleas, one of them finally agreed to check with her.
And now, I found myself standing right outside her door.
Knowing that Sage Nyau was just on the other side made my stomach knot with nerves. I wasn't even sure what kind of attitude I should take with her. In certain timelines, we had been incredibly close, which only added to my confusion.
I thought back to the last day I had seen her. If I recalled correctly, I had returned to the present while we were still at odds, never having the chance to clear up the misunderstanding between us.
I pushed the door open. There, sitting on a sofa, was Sage Nyau.
She hadn't changed a bit.
Seeing her look exactly as she did a century ago moved me more than I expected. I knew Elves were ageless, but I hadn't realized that meant she would look identical down to the last detail.
"It has been a long time, Sage Nyau—sama. It is an honor to meet you."
I made a conscious effort to keep my tone formal. Since she was a Living Legend now, I figured it was best to avoid any unearned familiarity.
"Heeh, so this is the guy Master has her eye on? Wow, he's actually pretty handsome. Ah, but he’s an Alcusian... I mean, I don’t personally have any prejudice against them, but the rest of the world isn't so open-minded. Looks like Master’s future is going to be a rocky road."
"...Eh?" I stammered, completely bewildered.
The girl standing beside Sage Nyau had suddenly reached out and yanked back the hood I used to hide my silver hair, then began chattering away as she pleased.
She had striking red hair and wore loose, flowing robes that marked her as a mage. Her large eyes gave her a cute, small-animal-like charm. While she wasn't particularly tall, she was still a full head larger than the petite Nyau.
I stood there, frozen, unsure of how to handle the sudden intrusion.
"Ryune! That is quite enough—desu! Stop saying such ridiculous things and making trouble for him—desu!"
"Oh, is Master getting cranky? There, there. What's the matter, Nyau-chan? It's bad to be a selfish girl and cause problems—is that a 'no-no'—desu?"
"Aaah, enough!! I told you to stop treating Nyau like a child—desu!"
Nyau began throwing a tantrum, stomping her feet in frustration.
Somehow, even after a hundred years, she was exactly the same... and seeing that made me strangely happy. I could have stood there and watched their back-and-forth forever.
As I observed them in silence, Nyau seemed to suddenly remember I was there. She quickly looked away, her face flushing with embarrassment. The other girl, however, just kept right on grinning.
"Kiska-san, I am so sorry about my noisy apprentice—desu. This is Ryune. She is brilliant when it comes to magic, but her personality is... difficult—desu."
Eventually, Nyau and I sat down on opposite sofas. Ryune had busied herself with brewing black tea.
"Hello there! I'm Mage Ryune. Believe it or not, I'm Master Nyau's First Apprentice!"
After pouring tea for everyone, Ryune introduced herself while setting the cups down on the table.
"Uh, as for me..."
"Oh, I know who you are! You're Kiska-san, right? I heard you're an old friend of Master's. I'm dying to hear it—tell me all about how Master used to be!"
She cut me off before I could even start. Mage Ryune sat down next to Nyau with a look of pure glee, clearly intending to eavesdrop on our entire conversation.
"Even if you ask about the old days, I wasn't with Nyau for very long, so I don't have many stories to tell."
"He is exactly right—desu. We only traveled together briefly during the Demon King Subjugation. It isn't as if anything special happened between us—desu."
That was technically true for this timeline. Though, in others, quite a lot had happened.
"I should tell you now—desu, Nyau is still suspicious of whether you are the real Kiska-san. You understand why without an explanation, right—desu?"
It was a fair point. Since a human shouldn't be able to live for a century, I needed a way to explain how I had appeared in both the past and the present looking exactly the same.
"Of course, I understand. Just... give me a moment to figure out how to explain it."
Explaining that I had been sent back a hundred years into the past was unavoidable. But would she even believe a story like that?
"............"
I realized Nyau was glaring at me with a sharp, piercing gaze.
"Um... did I say something wrong?" I asked tentatively.
"I was just wondering why Kiska-san is being so stiff and formal with Nyau—desu."
Ah, I see. That was it. A hundred years ago, we had spoken much more casually.
"Well, Sage Nyau—sama is a Living Legend, so I was trying to be respectful."
"Aaahhhh!! Even you are making fun of Nyau—desu!! Nyau is not a Living Legend or anything of the sort—desu!!"
She practically shrieked. I hadn't meant it as an insult, but she seemed genuinely offended.
"M-Master... she absolutely hates being called a Living Legend," Ryune explained, barely holding back her laughter.
I see. I suppose being called a "legend" while you’re still around would be nothing but embarrassing.
"Kiska-san, stop using honorifics with Nyau—desu. Talk to me the way you used to."
"Alright, I get it."
To be honest, it was a relief. This was much easier for me.
"Now then, are you ready to explain—desu? Exactly what happened to you?"
"Right..."
I took a breath and began to piece together how I should tell her the truth.