Lenya brought her face close to mine as if she had been waiting for me to wake up.
—...Khaf.
I wanted to ask for some water, but my mouth and lips were so dry that I could only breathe with difficulty. The sharp Lenya noticed and gave me a glass of water. Only then did I feel alive again.
—Where are we?
—In the master's house. You were unconscious for two days.
Ah.
Well.
"I guess it's correct to call it unconscious."
I had just crossed the second wall of the mind-body unity. The similarity with the first barrier was that my life expectancy increased by about three more years. Now, the total life expectancy I was given was ten years.
Wow, from a three-year expiration date to a ten-year expiration date?
This could be considered a life-changing turn of events.
But it was strange. My body didn't feel as light as before.
"It's quite uncomfortable, like lying on a rock."
I had just crossed the second wall of the mind and body. Some of my limbs were throbbing and others were numb.
When I looked around, I saw a glass bottle with a clear liquid hanging over my head.
"I was taking fluids."
But why saline solution?
"Ah, right. I hurt both shoulders."
Nervous, I checked my shoulders. Fortunately there was no severed limb and both of my shoulders were intact.
But how was I injured?
"Gavroche pierced one of my shoulders and I pierced the other."
...Gavroche? Who was Gavroche?
At that moment, a flash of understanding passed through my head.
That's right, Andert! My brother!
I tried to get up abruptly to sit down, but the sudden dizziness overcame me and I fell back. Lenya, who was picking up the glass, rushed over.
—Oh, please lie down! You've lost an incredible amount of blood. It's amazing you're still alive. I thought Daisy was really gone because of my useless request...
—Who brought me here?
—Hm? C-Calepa brought you here.
I see.
I sighed. It was a relief. In the end, Rue managed to find me.
"Wait a minute. What about Andert?"
That Rue brought me meant he must have run into Andert. And then where did Andert go?
—How do you feel?
A quiet voice reached my ears. Rue, the owner of the voice, was sitting at a nearby table, quietly reading a newspaper. His face, which used to be radiant, didn't look as fresh as usual. The feeling of relief that washed over me was an emotion I had only felt before with Raphael...
—Oh, did you fall in love with me in the end? Tsk. I warned you to be careful.
At that moment, hearing such nonsense didn't even irritate me. I matched all my sincerity and nodded my head as I lay down.
—Thank you, Mr. Rue. I owe you one. You saved my life.
Rue looked at me again, smiling softly, as he returned to reading his newspaper.
—Our dear Miss Daisy keeps accumulating debts with me. I wonder when you'll be able to settle them all.
However, if it wasn't my illusion, his smile seemed somewhat cold, unlike usual. No, that was for sure. I couldn't perceive his usual mischief or joy at all. And yet, it wasn't that he openly mocked me as he used to do, but...
"Did I make a mistake?"
I felt uncomfortable, but at that moment there was something more important to attend to.
—Mr. Rue, what about Andert? No, Gavroche. No, I mean the man with the big scar on his face. Where did the man I was fighting with go?
He looked into my eyes and replied calmly.
—I killed him.
—...What?
Who did you kill?
In an instant, everything before my eyes turned black. Did Rue just say he killed my brother, Andert? Rue? My brother?
—It's a joke.
—Eh? —I got out of bed, ready to throw my fist.
—Oh!
Of course, I fell immediately.
—Ah, Miss Daisy! I told you to lie down! You'll open the wound again. If you keep doing this, I won't take care of you.
—I'm sorry.
Lenya, hesitating, reinserted into my hand the intravenous tube that had fallen out. Observing the scene, Rue, with a smile on his face, revealed the truth as if to calm me down.
—That man you call Andert and Gavroche left after seeing the entire process of crossing the threshold of the second wall of the unity between mind and body. He's a dog with an owner, of course.
Rue picked up an old notebook from the table and threw it gently at me.
—Although Dian's diary is here. Well done, Miss Daisy. You have obtained the artifact you desired so much, the diary of Dian Cecht.
The diary of Dian Cecht! I tried to catch the flying artifact with my hand... But I couldn't move because of my shoulder, so I had no choice but to catch it with my mouth.
—There you go! Well done, Daisy!
Ignoring Rue, who treated me like a pet dog, I rubbed my cheek against the musty paper book. Ah, the precious artifact that would save my soul…
—I almost died because of this bastard.
I'm glad I was able to get it cleanly. But I felt even more relieved to know that Andert had returned safe and sound. If I had asked Rue for help… I didn't know how he would actually behave.
Andert was alive.
"As long as he's alive, we'll meet again someday."
Andert was dead. The warship he was traveling on was shot down by Mephisto's army and sank in the sea. Despite searching the area for several weeks, they couldn't find his body.
"But how is he alive?"
Would the day ever come when I could hear the story from Andert himself? No, I didn't need to remember such terrible memories. If only I could remember our childhood together… Was it okay for me to remember it?
I stayed here for a while after coming back from the dead. It was a short time, but I had lived many experiences. Many things changed and I realized many things. However, if I had to choose what had impacted me the most so far, I would undoubtedly say "The Magic War."
The war completely turned my life upside down. It led me to a desperately grim end, and the horror engraved in my bones was vivid enough to cause auditory and visual hallucinations even after the war ended.
"Recovering Andert's memories would mean recovering the horror he felt during the war."
I couldn't help but wonder if it really was necessary to make him remember such ghastly experiences...
"…But still, I'll make him remember."
Somehow I would. I spent ten years after going crazy, suffering thinking Andert was dead. I would make that scoundrel who even forgot his own family pay for those ten years of agony. I would definitely make him pay.
Because that's what a "sister" does.
At the moment I established a new goal and gathered my determination, a burdensome face suddenly appeared before me.
—So, how do you feel?
—How… do I feel?
—Your body. I think I asked you twice.
Was asking for the feeling the same as asking for the body? I pushed Rue's chest back with my head and checked my physical condition again. I thought there might be some problems I hadn't noticed, but I was still as broken as ever.
—It hurts, but it's not that serious.
—Ah, I see. Glad it's not that serious.
Rue replied sarcastically while opening a jar of red powder. Judging by the label on the powder jar that said "Emergency, Sleep, Pain Relief, Anti-inflammatory," it seemed Lenya had brought the medicine separately. It's the same as asking how you feel and how you feel. After folding the paper it originally came in and throwing it on the table, Rue stared at me for a long time.
After a while, he parted his lips to speak.
—Miss Daisy.
—Yes.
—Tell me you want to live.
So suddenly?
—Why?
—Proof.
—I, I want to live…?
Rue burned the medicine packet to ash and let out a dry laugh.
—Your desperation doesn't reach me at all.
—I'm not a stage actor. How can I suddenly convey desperation at your demands?
—A stage actor? If you think about it, shouldn't you be more desperate than them, Miss Daisy?
What did that mean? I stared at Rue in silence for a moment. He was definitely acting weirder than usual. With a voice tinged with boredom, Rue muttered casually:
—And maybe, I can satisfy that enthusiasm of yours.
—What happened? Why do you suddenly get like this?
—The old Calepas are all selfish and unpredictable.
—To me, Mr. Rue is not a Calepa. You are a gardener and a cook who makes delicious potato gratin.
Rue smiled, pulled his chair closer and sat by the bed. With his chin resting in his hand, Rue stared at me and asked once more.
—Miss Daisy, do you want to live?
Then I noticed it instinctively. The fact that this brief question and its answer would become a turning point in our relationship.
I thought of the long river and the waterfall. I thought of the people I met there. My melancholy sword that I rescued from the depths of the water.
—Yes, I want to live.
—Sincerely?
—Sincerely.
—Well... Your sense of urgency just now seemed quite convincing. That should be enough. But, Miss Daisy...
Rue grabbed my arm. My limp arm bent inward without any strength. Three scars were perfectly engraved in my pale skin. Footprints of oaths.
—Isn't that contrary to our promise?
—Promise? What promise?
I looked down and saw the traces of the oaths. The third was the one I shared with the head maid. The second was one I shared with the sword master. Both oaths appeared vividly before me as if I had made them yesterday.
But something felt strange. To whom did I make my first oath?
Eh? Why couldn't I remember it?
—Miss Daisy.
Rue's neat fingernail firmly pressed the first oath. I looked at it.
—If you're really desperate, remember.
Remember what? There were no more questions. As a heavy wave of sleepiness enveloped me, long-forgotten memories of the past resurfaced.