◇
I followed Teruche-san deep into the building. Eventually, we reached a room where a massive magic circle was etched into the floor.
"Is this... a teleportation magic circle?"
I had seen my fair share of magic circles during my own research and development, but the one before me was so incredibly complex that I couldn't even begin to grasp its structure with a glance. It reminded me of the intricate spell formulas Grandpa used to carve into his magic tools.
"It is indeed. I shall now activate the teleportation magic. Everyone, please step onto the circle."
As we moved into position, the array began to glow. A moment later, my vision warped.
"We have arrived," Teruche-san announced.
"Wait, already...?"
The transition was so seamless—my vision had merely flickered, and the room looked nearly identical—that her words didn't quite register at first. Seeing my bewildered reaction, Teruche-san gave a wry smile.
"It is a bit anticlimactic, isn't it? However, I assure you that we are now in the Downing Trading Company's headquarters in Celest, the capital of the Hitia Duchy. I shall lead you to the President now. If you would please follow me just a little further."
As we left the room, I realized the surroundings had indeed changed from the hallway we had walked moments ago. As I followed behind Teruche-san, Fuuka spoke up—a rarity for her during a move.
"Teruche, will you be joining the meeting with Chris?"
"Yes. Since I intend to accompany you when you head to that place, I would very much like to be present, if you'll allow it."
"Orun, is that okay with you?" Fuuka asked, turning to me for permission.
I didn't think my approval was strictly necessary, but I nodded. "Yeah. If you and Haruto-san are fine with it, then I am too."
"You have my gratitude, Master Orun."
"No, don't mention it... More importantly, Teruche-san, you really don't have to be so formal with me. It’s a bit uncomfortable having someone older than me speak with such deference."
The fact that she could be so sharp and blunt with Haruto-san suggested that her attitude toward him was likely closer to her true self. However, Teruche-san shook her head firmly.
"I intend to honor your requests whenever possible, Master Orun, but I’m afraid I must decline that one."
"I see."
There was an unshakable resolve in her voice that made me hesitate to press further. If it only made me feel a little awkward, it wasn't a major problem. I decided to let her have her way.
Still, listening to her speak, a strange sense of nostalgia welled up within me. Had I actually met her before...?
Just as I was about to spiral back into a pit of unanswerable questions, Teruche-san stopped before a set of double doors and turned to us.
"The President is waiting inside."
"Thanks for the guide, Teruche," Fuuka said, reaching for the handle and pushing the door open without a hint of hesitation.
As I watched her walk in, Haruto-san nudged me from behind. "Come on, let’s get in there."
◇
The room was a spacious office. Sitting behind a desk was a man in his late twenties with a gentle air about him. He wore a monocle, and even from a distance, I could tell the lens was saturated with mana, much like the glasses worn by Haruto-san and Teruche-san.
His face brightened when he saw us. "It’s been a while—Fuuka, Haruto, and... Orun."
Fuuka and Haruto-san exchanged greetings with him. I, however, was still processing his words. I spoke up a beat later than the others.
"That phrasing... it confirms it. I have met you before, President Christopher Downing."
The man in the monocle—Christopher-san—widened his eyes slightly, but his expression quickly softened back into a warm smile.
"I suppose I should have expected that from you. I take it Fuuka and Haruto didn't tell you beforehand?"
Christopher-san murmured with a hint of admiration before glancing at Haruto-san.
"Nah, I didn't tell him anything specific," Haruto-san replied. "But I’ve had a feeling that Orun might already have more information than we realized."
Christopher-san nodded thoughtfully. "I see."
Finally, the moment had come. I was going to confront my true memories.
They had manufactured a pretext for me to visit the Hitia Duchy and disguised it as a secret mission for the Princess. They had then used the absurd method of long-distance teleportation. My guess was that the teleportation wasn't just to save time, but to ensure no one saw me entering the Hitia Duchy.
As Fuuka had said before, this encounter was far more significant than I had imagined. Would I still be the same person after learning the truth? The fear that my very foundation was about to be overturned was terrifying, but I had to correct the discrepancies in my past.
This was what I wanted. I couldn't run away now.
Steeling my resolve, I spoke. "Just to be certain... you’re the person who knows about my past that Fuuka and Haruto-san wanted me to meet, right?"
Fuuka nodded. "Yes. Bringing you to Chris was our goal."
"I see. Then, Christopher-san... please. Tell me the truth about my past."
"Of course. But before that, allow me to properly introduce myself."
"An introduction? I already know you’re the head of this company."
"True. That is my official title. But to you, I must seem like a random merchant who appeared out of thin air. Don't you think that’s a bit inadequate for someone about to explain your life to you? You deserve to hear it from someone appropriate."
"I suppose I see your point, but..."
To me, it felt like our first meeting. I wasn't sure if I could trust his words implicitly yet.
"Which is why I’m telling you this. I won't drag it out—I’ll reveal my connection to you immediately. I was the head apprentice of your father, the magic artificer Lence Evans. I met you many times when you were a small child."
"Evans...?"
Questions flooded my mind. I remembered my father’s name as 'Rence,' but my surname was 'Doura.' And if he was an Evans...
"'Doura' was your mother's maiden name. Your father, Rence-san, married into her family. He was also the son of Cavadele Evans, the man hailed as a legendary magic artificer. In other words, Orun... you are Cavadele Evans's grandson."
"——"
My thoughts ground to a halt.
Grandpa is... my actual grandfather?
Grandpa had called me his 'grandson' many times, but I had always assumed it was a term of endearment. I truly believed I didn't have a single blood relative left in the world. To think he had been by my side, watching over me all this time...
"Well? Do you think I’m qualified to speak of your past now?" Christopher-san asked, his gaze steady.
"I... I never cared about qualifications. But I’ll ask you again. Please, tell me everything."
"Thank you."
"First," I began, "I’ve suspected that Philly Carpenter used Perception Alteration to falsify my memories. Is that correct?"
Christopher-san nodded. "Yes, without a doubt. After 'that day' you supposedly met her, your personality and behavior changed completely."
"When was that?"
As I asked about the timing, a shadow crossed Christopher-san's face. He looked as if he were peering into a deeply painful memory.
"I’ll never forget the date: October 20, Year 619 of the Four Holy Era."
I immediately cross-referenced that date with my own internal timeline. It was easy to match. That date was one of the most significant turning points of my life.
"That... was when I became an explorer."
"Yes. At the time, our information network didn't reach all the way to Tsutrail. It was quite a while before I discovered you had surfaced there as an explorer."
"No..."
I felt the ground crumbling beneath my feet. I had always believed I became an explorer of my own volition—driven by a vow to protect what was precious so that I'd never face such senseless loss again. Was even that vow a fabrication planted by Philly Carpenter?
"Orun, what do you remember about the time before you became an explorer?" Christopher-san asked gently.
"I remember being born and raised in a tiny village that wasn't even on the map. I remember bandits attacking, leaving only me and Oliver as survivors. We went to Tsutrail together to become explorers."
"A village not on the map, huh? Specifically, where was it? You have an incredible memory, Orun. You can recall almost everything you've ever seen or heard. Surely you can tell me the exact coordinates of your home?"
"That's..."
I desperately searched my mind, but I couldn't find a name or a location. Even the images of the village and the faces of the people were blurry and indistinct. Everything after I became an explorer was crystal clear—every place I’d visited, every person I’d met.
And yet, until this very second, I hadn't even noticed the discrepancy.
My heart began to race so violently I could hardly breathe. My limbs shook, and my breath came in shallow gasps as a dull, heavy throb started in my skull.
"We only heard the details of 'that day' later," Christopher-san continued. "But Orun, your memory of those events is a tangled mess of fiction and truth."
"What... do you mean?"
"The place where you grew up—the place we called the 'Village of Dawn'—really was attacked. That is a fact. It is also a fact that everyone in the village, including your parents, was slaughtered. Only you and Oliver were spared."
"Ugh... aah!"
The headache spiked into a searing agony. Normally, I would have stopped thinking to make the pain go away. But not this time. I wouldn't stop. I couldn't look away. I had resolved to face my past, no matter the cost.
—'I will never accept this! Mark my words! One day, I will find you, and I will crush you! I swear it!!'
Through the blinding pain, I remembered a voice. My own voice, screaming with raw, unfiltered fury at someone. That emotion—that vow—wasn't a fake. I knew it instinctively. It was real.
Christopher-san was right; my memories were a cocktail of lies and truth. But it seemed Philly hadn't been able to overwrite the memories that carried my strongest emotions.
—'Pardon the interruption.'
As I grappled with the pain and the past, a familiar voice echoed in my mind. I couldn't see the speaker, but an overwhelming presence and a strange, potent mana filled the room.
"That voice... Titania?"
'Correct. It’s been a while, Orun Doura.'
The last time I’d spoken with her was around July of last year. Nearly a year had passed for me, but for a fairy with a different perception of time, it was likely "the other day."
"Why... why are you appearing here?"
'I have a small business arrangement with the Downing Trading Company. But this is no time for small talk. Everyone, can you hear me?'
Every person in the room—Fuuka, Haruto-san, Christopher-san, and Teruche-san—nodded.
Normally, humans can't perceive mana, and they certainly can't perceive fairies, which are essentially sentient mana. To see or hear one, you need the Special Ability Seirei Command or Seirei Eyes.
Then I realized. That's why they're all wearing glasses.
The mana I had sensed in those lenses wasn't a coincidence. They were processed Seirei Eyes. But Fuuka and I weren't wearing any. How were we perceiving her?
That question was instantly obliterated by Titania’s next words.
'Tsutrail is under attack by the Cyclamen Cult. The city is already being devastated. The death toll is rising as we speak.'
The air in the room turned cold. I couldn't believe my ears. My mind went white.
Tsutrail was my home. Even if I had only ended up there because of altered memories, I had spent half my life there. My comrades, my friends—everyone I cared about lived there. And the Cyclamen Cult was tearing it apart?
I have to get back! Now! But how? This is the Hitia Duchy. It’s too far—no, wait, there is a way!
Just as I realized the fastest way back, Fuuka stepped forward. "Chris, we’re going back to Tsutrail immediately. Give me the activation key for the teleportation magic."
"Of course," Christopher-san replied instantly.
He pulled out a card similar to the one Fuuka had shown the clerk earlier. Fuuka pressed her own card against it, transferring the data.
"Can we actually teleport all the way back to Tsutrail?" I asked.
Fuuka gave a firm nod. I had been thinking of using teleportation to get as close as possible, just as we had to get here, but I hadn't realized a direct link existed. Was this why the Downing Trading Company had absorbed the Flockhart Trading Company after it collapsed?
"Then let’s go! Christopher-san, we’ll have to finish this conversation later."
"Understood. You need to get back to your home."
As we turned to leave, Teruche-san spoke up. "Master Orun, please allow me to accompany you."
"I can vouch for her," Haruto-san added. "Teruche is as strong as I am, if not stronger."
We were short on time, and we needed every bit of combat power we could get. "Alright. Teruche-san, we’d be grateful for your help!"
"You have my word."
With our team decided, we gave Christopher-san a final nod and sprinted back toward the room with the teleportation circle.
◇ ◇ ◇
Once the room fell silent, Christopher slumped in his chair, his hands clasped tightly in front of his face. His expression was grim.
"What is the status...?" he asked, his voice low and heavy.
'Everything is proceeding smoothly, for better or worse,' Titania replied.
"I see... Hahaha. We really haven't changed at all, have we? We’re a criminal organization through and through, just like the world says—factoring in this many deaths for our goals."
'It’s not like you’re the ones killing them. That’s the Cult's doing.'
"It doesn't matter. We allowed it to happen. To those who have died, and those who are about to... it’s an unforgivable sin. We might as well have pulled the triggers ourselves."
'...'
"But... I have to believe this defeat will have meaning. Even if I eventually have to face Orun's wrath for it, I will accept it."