IBHJ 1272

She gestured toward the pile of books stacked on the floor. "What should we do with all these books we've collected from across Wales?"

"Keep one or two samples to show His Majesty. Destroy everything else," Agravain said.

"We don't need to trouble His Majesty with something this minor," she said.

"This is required protocol for all decisions—even an Apostle can't bypass it," Agravain replied.

"Still so rigid, I see," she remarked. "But the Pan-Human side hasn't made any moves yet, and Sir Galahad is still missing. Do we really need to keep so many troops in Camelot?"

"We don't need to engage in direct conflict with those Heroic Spirits," he explained. "We just need to defend Camelot properly. Once His Majesty completes the synchronization, those Heroic Spirits will naturally disappear and transform into citizens of the empire."

"I see. But how much longer until His Majesty's synchronization is finished?"

"According to our estimates, it will be fully complete in twenty days. However, during this period, the Pan-Human forces will certainly try everything possible to disrupt it."

"As precise as ever with your numbers," she noted. "If that's the case, we just need to hold them off for these twenty days. With Vivian guarding Badon Fortress, they couldn't possibly overcome the Fortress quickly, even if they did try something."

"Precisely. However, about your sister..."

"Don't worry about that. She's merely a blood relative from my mortal days. I know perfectly well what matters more between her and the empire," she assured him.

"That's not what I meant. I'm asking—when did you ever have a sister?"

Agravain's eyes studied her carefully as he asked the question.

"A hundred million years ago. It's been so long that you've forgotten I had such a relative. Even that traitor Bedivere has forgotten about her. But she's not important—I'll handle her myself."

"That would be best," he nodded.

...

The villagers were quite fascinated by the books. They resembled people from the Renaissance era, showing genuine curiosity about any written material and cultural stories as they searched for something meaningful in their lives.

They even organized a special bonfire gathering in the village, inspired by the frequent bonfire celebrations described in the novels and books, and invited Kiara and the others who had distributed the literature to join them.

Despite the ongoing historical conflict between Pan-Human History and the Empire, such disputes meant little to these people who had already achieved eternal existence.

In their minds, concepts like historical conflicts or life and death held no real significance. Their spiritual world had been filled with an endless, monotonous grayness.

But after Kiara and the others brought the books, they discovered that vibrant colors had been introduced to their spiritual lives.

They realized that beyond their village, beyond the empire, there existed imperfect beings with short lifespans who nevertheless experienced such beautiful stories and connections.

This revelation awakened something in them—a sense of aspiration. And this was exactly the gift that Kiara and the others had brought to their community.

As the people who started all this, Kiara and the others couldn't very well turn down the invitation to such a gathering.

The villagers had recreated the bonfire party exactly as described in the books. For Laeticia and Ayaka, who were used to the vibrant, fast-paced modern world, it seemed rather simple. But Kiara watched everything with genuine interest.

The lively celebration reminded her of her past—specifically, the summer festival her mother had once taken her to.

Especially that crackling bonfire.

That night, years ago, the fireworks that lit up the sky had been just as dazzling as this fire before her now.

It was a precious memory that Kiara treasured, standing out as the only bright spot in the otherwise dreary landscape of her childhood.

But the details were getting harder to recall.

And something else puzzled her—why did her other self seem to particularly hate that fireworks festival? Kiara couldn't help wondering about this.

She clearly remembered how at the South American connection point, Demonic Bodhisattva had looked at that beautiful memory with complete disgust. Later, she had pushed her into the Beast's egg, wanting Manaka to kill her.

I wonder what the other me is doing now, Kiara thought. As this crossed her mind, something caught her eye and startled her.

In the thick forest not far away, Demonic Bodhisattva was watching her from a distance. But when Kiara blinked and looked again, the figure had disappeared.

Without thinking, she jumped to her feet and ran toward the forest.

"Kiara, where are you going?" Ayaka called after her.

"Just stepping away for a minute, Ayaka. I'll be right back!"

Kiara hurried into the forest. The night was completely dark, with leaves rustling in the evening breeze and no visible light to guide her way.

Kiara looked around in the darkness. "I know you're here, other me. Where are you hiding?"

No answer came, just the sound of leaves rustling in the wind.

"Didn't you want to devour me? Well, here I am!"

Still nothing.

Kiara started to wonder if she had imagined the whole thing.

Just then, something rustled in a patch of bushes nearby. Her heart skipped a beat as she pointed toward the sound. "There you are! I found you!"

A green top hat emerged from the bushes, followed by a young man in a green military coat who stepped out with a pleasant smile. "Indeed you did, Lady Kiara."

"What? Huh?" Her eyes widened in surprise. "Mr. Lev?"

"Pardon my intrusion." Lev removed his top hat and bowed gracefully. "It's been a while, Lady Kiara."

"Why are you here?" She asked, pointing at him in confusion.

"Does my presence make you uncomfortable, Lady Kiara?"

"No, that's not it..."

Despite her words, she couldn't help feeling a bit let down. She had been certain it was Demonic Bodhisattva.

Feeling that she was being rude, she warmly welcomed Lev, asked how he'd been, and invited him to join the bonfire party.

Lev smiled and accepted with a nod.

"P-Professor Lev?" Ayaka's eyes widened in shock as she stared at him. "How are you here? Didn't you disappear along with Chaldea?"

"Not at all. When that Counter Force was absorbing Pan-Human History, I happened to enter another connection point and escaped. I've just returned from there looking for allies so we can defeat the Counter Force of the Eternal Kingdom together and restore our history!" Lev explained with conviction.

"I see..."

Poor Professor Lev, Ayaka thought as she nodded. Then, without warning, she raised her hand toward him. Magic circuits lit up across her arm as she fired a beam of black light straight through Lev's heart.

The sudden attack left both Kiara and Laeticia completely stunned. "A-Ayaka...?"

Ayaka stared directly at Lev and demanded, "Who are you?"

"What do you mean? I'm Lev."

"Professor Lev was a Demon God," she said. "Goetia has already disappeared, so Professor Lev couldn't possibly still exist. And another thing—how could Professor Lev know that the Emperor is the Counter Force?"

Hearing this, Kiara froze in shock, suddenly realizing the truth. Goetia... had already been killed by Manaka!