Leave a comment

When I woke up, I was met with a familiar ceiling. I was sure of it. This was my room in Lyell’s mansion.

“Why am I here…”

I was supposed to be on the 600th floor of the World Tree, helping the God of Destruction. The power inside the World Tree got released at the end and I fainted as the bright light burned my eyes.

It would take about a month to reach Lyell’s mansion from that place.

“Are you awake?”

I heard a tired voice from my side. I also remembered that voice. It belonged to Maxwell.

“Oh, Maxwell. Good morn—whaat?”

When I looked toward him, I saw Maxwell with swollen cheeks.

“What’s with your face? Did you get attacked?!”
“By Maria…”
“O-Oh… since she found out, huh?”

Maxwell was conspiring with me and deceived the rest of our comrades for eight years.

It wasn’t hard to imagine that since I fainted, he who was my long-time conspirator, would be the one to get questioned.

“Still, you look pretty terrible.”
“Well, that is natural. Had Letina not cried and stopped her, I may be dead now.”
“Letina is here too?”
“I teleported to Berith to take her back. But then that God of Destruction appeared before me. She left you three with me and disappeared.”
“Oh… Looks like we troubled you.”

After we fainted, she pushed us to Maxwell, huh? At any rate, since he went to Berith, he should’ve seen the disastrous scene there.

“So how is Berith now?”
“By the time I arrived, the situation was slowly improving. Lady Ashella took command so the chaos was reduced to a minimum.”
“I see, good. What about the God of Destruction and others? What about the World Tree?”
“God of Destruction Yuuri quickly disappeared. As for the World Tree, the Dragon God Bahamut assimilated into it while twisting around it, so he is supporting it.”
“Huh, would he be alright?!”
“According to Aste…Lord Hastur’s later explanation, once the World Tree becomes self-dependent, he will crawl out of it by his strength. He guaranteed that he’s tenacious.”
“Then he’ll be fine… I guess?”

At any rate, the World Tree seems to be safe. Our hard work wasn’t in vain.

“What about Cortina and Finia?”
“They woke up before you, and are now having lunch in the dining hall. Both are healthy.”
“Phew, thank god. I’m so glad.”

If they managed to remain fine in that light, the God of Destruction’s barrier seems to have fulfilled its job perfectly.

I have to thank her for that. If she wasn’t there back then, Berith would have been ruined. Or rather, this whole world would’ve been greatly damaged. She achieved all that while protecting us, so her title of god wasn’t for show, after all.

As I was thinking that, there was a knock on the door.

“Come in.”
“It seems you woke up.”

With those words as a greeting, Maria walked in.

Actually, why was it Maxwell but not Maria in my room? Was it because she found my real identity, after all? If that’s the case, do I have to decide to leave this mansion, in the end?

“Ah, Maria was out of magic power, so I who arrived at great timing took over in healing you.”

Maxwell seemed to have realized what I was thinking, and whispered into my ear as if mediating between us.

Now that he mentioned it, Maria was nearly out of magic power when we rushed to this village.

Though she took some rest afterward, Kufar attacked right after, then she teleported Lyell to us, and also provided aid to the villagers, so it was normal that she couldn’t attend to me.

“Uhm, mo—I mean, Maria?”
“I don’t mind either. Just call me whichever is easier.”
“Uhm, sorry for staying quiet. I couldn’t say it.”
“I understand that too. I can’t come to grips with it, but I understand your feelings.”

After saying that, she gave me a weak slap on my cheek. I could feel her perplexion and her gentle consideration in it.

“This settles it. You’re Reid but at the same time my daughter Nicole. I doubt we can come to grips with it immediately, though.”
“Aye, I… I don’t know how to talk now.”

I always used a female speech in front of her. But now that she knew I was Reid, I felt like I had to speak in a male tone.

“You’re a female right now, so you can just talk like one, no? You can even speak more cutely if you want.”
“Uh, no, I’m good.”

Maria spoke playfully, perhaps intentionally. I shook my head and rejected it while looking troubled. Then she turned back and pointed to the door.

There I saw Lyell who was acting restless like a caged animal.

“Come on in already.”
“Lyell.”
“Uhm, Reid… I mean, Nicole?”
“…let’s go with Nicole. I really am your daughter, after all.”
“Is that so? Then, Nicole. Uh, is your body alright?”
“Yeah, no problems. I just overdid it a little in Berith.”
“That’s not what we call being alright, is it?”

Lyell spoke to me awkwardly, yet he unmistakably looked like a worried father too. I couldn’t sense the rejection and restraint that I used to fear in it.

“Lyell, are you fine with me being your daughter?”
“Yeah, I accepted it. You too, right, Maria?”
“Yes.”
“So there, we are your parents, and this is your home. No need to feel reserved.”
“I…I see…”

I felt tears forming in the corners of my eyes when I heard Lyell say it was my home.

That was the residence of a family that I never had in my previous life. I realized that I was relieved from the bottom of my heart that I didn’t have to give up on it.

Yes, I was without a doubt Lyell and Maria’s daughter. For the first time, I have truly accepted that now.

“Come. Tina and Finia are waiting in the dining hall.”
“Also Letina. And I called Michelle and Cloud too.”
“You forgot Gadius.”

Maxwell supplemented their words.

Right, my old and new comrades were here in full force now. I had to explain everything to them with my own mouth.