Fia-sensei let out a long breath after she finished telling me everything, then looked my way.
"That's what I was hiding from you. Do you despise me now?"
"No... well, to be honest, my head is still spinning. I definitely don't despise you, but..."
"I see. Thank you."
The fact that Fia-sensei had once been the Demon King didn't make me want to condemn her. However, the sheer volume of information she’d shared made it impossible to organize my thoughts, leaving me with only vague responses.
Seeing my confusion, Fia-sensei gave a soft smile.
"And that's why I'm not going to the Six Kings Festival. I can't. I'm sorry, even though you were kind enough to invite me."
"Ah, no, please don't apologize..."
"Still, I was happy you asked, Miyama-kun. Now, it's late, so I'll let you go. You can get back safely with Teleportation Magic, I'm sure, but please be careful on the way home."
With that, Fia-sensei wore a profoundly lonely smile, turned her back to me, and assumed a posture of prayer. It was clear she had nothing left to say. Unable to find any more words, I gave her a small bow and left the church.
I could have used Teleportation Magic to go straight home, but I needed time to clear my head, so I chose to walk the dim streets for a while. In the cool, quiet night air, the only sound was the rhythm of my own footsteps.
"Hey, Alice."
"Yes?"
"Does Kuro... know about Fia-sensei?"
"She does. Although it seems they haven't actually met."
When I called her name, Alice appeared at my side, matching my slow pace as we walked through the night.
"Does Kuro... well... does she come to the Sinfonia Royal Capital often?"
"Yes. Kuro-san travels all over for her eating tours, but she visits this capital significantly more often than anywhere else."
"So it's as I thought."
"Undoubtedly, she's keeping an eye on her from a distance. That's why whenever she visited the capital, she often brought Hikari-san along."
"I see..."
As I listened to Alice, my jumbled thoughts continued to churn. Was this really something I, an outsider, should be sticking my nose into? If Fia-sensei had been the kind of arrogant Demon King I'd imagined, maybe I could have blamed her. But she spent every day regretting her past, suffering while she tried to make amends.
"Alice, what do you think I should do?"
The question slipped out before I could stop it. I felt powerless to help, yet I couldn't just forget about it. I couldn't accept leaving things the way they were.
"I don't know," Alice replied. "It's not my place to say."
"Right..."
"But Kaito-san? I will respect whatever you decide."
"Thank you."
Depending on how I interpreted it, her answer might have sounded cold. But to me, her words were incredibly kind. She was telling me that she would support whatever path I chose, and that she'd be there to help whenever I needed her.
After thanking Alice and walking a while longer, I used Teleportation Magic to return to my room.
Even the next morning, a hazy weight remained in my chest. Given the nature of the secret, I couldn't exactly discuss it with Lilia-san or the others. I agonized over it all day, uncharacteristically staying in my room to brood.
Yet no matter how long I sat there, I couldn't reach a conclusion. I was starting to lose track of what was actually bothering me. It would have been easiest to just decide it had nothing to do with me, but it seemed my nature wouldn't let me ignore a mess like this.
"Kaito-kun?"
"Eh? Ah, hey. Welcome."
I gave a forced smile to Kuro, who had appeared in the room while I wasn't looking. Given who she was, I assumed she probably knew I’d talked with Fia-sensei. That was likely why she looked a little downcast herself.
"You met Fia, didn't you?"
"Yeah. Well, it's more like we were already friends and I finally found out who she was."
"What did you think, Kaito-kun? After hearing her story?"
"Honestly? I'm not really sure yet."
Maybe I was being a bit biased toward Fia-sensei. I hadn't seen her as the Demon King with my own eyes. I only knew her as the person she was now—a kind, slightly clumsy woman who was always worried about others. That was the Fia-sensei I knew.
"Hey, Kuro? Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Do you want to see Fia-sensei?"
"Yeah," Kuro replied, her face full of longing. "I want to see her. She's my precious family. I want to meet her and just... talk."
'Family.'
Fia-sensei had referred to herself as Kuro's 'former' family, but Kuro spoke of her as family without a second thought. I suspected Fia felt the same way deep down. She'd gone as far as starting a war for Kuro's sake, after all. She must be dying to see Kuro again.
"But," Kuro continued, "I think if Fia sees me, she'll just get hurt again. So I can't."
"I see."
That was the crux of the problem. Fia-sensei felt crushed by the guilt of making Kuro cry, and Kuro felt guilty because her own silence had driven Fia to become the Demon King. Because they both felt responsible for the other's pain, they remained apart despite their mutual love.
Suddenly, I understood why I'd been so conflicted.
I wanted to fix this. I wanted to help Fia-sensei and Kuro see each other again. But since both of them insisted they couldn't meet, I hadn't been able to figure out the right move.
Maybe it was meddling. It probably was. I was an outsider sticking my nose into family business. It would be so much easier to just wash my hands of the whole thing. But I couldn't. I'm just not the kind of person who can walk away once I've gotten involved.
There was no point in sitting around moping. I would go see Fia-sensei again tomorrow. I didn't have much of a plan—or any plan at all, really—but I had to start by talking to her. I didn't know the right answer yet, but I knew what I wanted to do.
The following day, the 20th of the Month of Light, I used Teleportation Magic to go to Fia-sensei's clinic. However, someone was already there, waiting for me.
"I thought you might come."
"Noin-san?"
Standing a few meters in front of me was Noin-san. She was standing tall and composed, a blade resembling a Japanese sword held in her hand.
"I'm sorry, Kaito-san. I can't let you pass."
"..."
"I have no intention of harming you, but I won't let you through either. Please, go home."
Through my Sympathy Magic, I could feel a sharp, intense determination radiating from her. I understood, with painful clarity, that Noin-san had no intention of moving.
Dear Mother, Father—
After talking with Kuro, I finally realized what I wanted to do. I went back to talk to Fia-sensei one more time, but standing in my way was the woman who once defeated the Demon King.
The Legendary Hero.