Chapter 698 – Sisters and Dragons

000

An unpleasant feeling that sticks to you like mud boiling from a deep swamp that is swallowing people up.

It was doubtful whether the swirling emotions were even her own, and in the torrent of her clouded memories, Kanan felt as if she would even lose her own existence.

Ah. If it just sinks like this, it might be comfortable.

When she couldn’t even breathe, the complacent thoughts created in the process of blaming herself were slowly taking away strength from her body.

It was as if her hand and her voice were calling to her as they dug into the uppermost part of the muddy swamp where no one wanted to touch her.

I don’t know who it is, but she slowly opened her eyes to the fact that there was still someone left in this world who could call her by her name.

Then her own body was not in her swamp, but in a place where it could breathe normally.

It didn’t take long to realize that it was the soft feel of the bed and blanket that I had long forgotten.

It was an unknown ceiling, but in the corner of her vision, she could see the image of something she had left behind in the distant past, which helped her get rid of the fogginess in her mind.

＂Sister…! Kanan, older sister…!”

Who is this girl who is half-crying and calling herself her older sister? Kanan, who was pondering for a moment, soon slowly moved her arms, holding her hand in hers, and took her remaining hand.
Covered it with her hand.

A foolish worry – no, it was a thought with a predetermined answer.

No matter how long we are away, no matter how slowly our existence is diluted in our memories.

I can never forget the color of her hair, her weak voice, the feel of her hands that were scratchy from not taking care of them, and – the sparkling eyes that were hidden by her bangs.

There was the image of her heavy-handed sister, the main culprit who had been following her since her childhood, stretching out her sleeves when she wore them.

＂… Canon…?＂

In the midst of her long time, Kanan finally managed to say her name once again.

She had kept her head down, hoping that she would come to her senses, but when she heard Kanan’s voice, she suddenly came to her senses and raised her head.

Why is she here? Perhaps it was an illusion that she saw at the place she arrived after she died?

“Hey, are you out of your mind? Do you know who I am? Kanan, how many of these do you see?”

However, as if to dispel Kanan’s worries, Kanon took her own hand out of Kanan’s hand and thrust it in front of Kanan’s face, showing only three of her fingers outstretched.

Then Kanan nodded his head at her answer and answered in a strained voice.

＂… Three… The strange things are still the same, Canon…”

If you talk to her with a bitter smile, tears will flow from her eyes, and you will hold her hand and say something like ‘Thank goodness…!’

Fortunately, it was the same for Kanan.

Did you think you would never see each other anymore? No, what was even worse than that.

Although she was always fiddling with her gears that she left in her pocket, as if to remember her.

It was the worst escape from reality, to justify her own actions as ‘for the sake of her sister’.

At some point, at some point, Kanan forgot even her name and became a machine whose only intention was to kill her dragon.

In the miracle of her meeting Kanon again, the reason she was calmer than she thought was because she blamed herself for not having the right to be so happy.

How could she, who had once given up on seeing her again, be so happy about being reunited with her?

Blaming herself for her disqualification as her older sister, she had to apologize to Kanan.

＂… Sorry, Canon…＂

So, she had to tell her that she was sorry for everything.

＂… Sister…＂

Seeing her like that reminded Kanon of the fact that she hadn’t even been there before they parted a thousand years ago, and Kanon was looking at her older sister’s hair that had turned completely white.

＂Ugh… I’m really sorry… I-I didn’t listen to what her older sister said and went away… Uh, she was having a hard time mentally…”

As Kanon said that, he moved his hands and continued his words slowly.

“Well, at that time… I wanted to get away from the village somehow… To be honest, even when I was expelled, at first I thought, ‘What should I do…’… But more than that…, Finally, in a situation where no one was catching me, I didn’t feel like I was able to leave the village…”

Did she have any feelings for her older sister?

Kanon thought, ‘If it’s my sister, she’s a proper person, not a poor elf like herself.’ She decided that there wouldn’t be any problem even if Kanan disappeared.

However, Kanan was not as strong as Kanon thought.

For Kanan, the sudden separation from her sister left her with a broken heart.

Although their mother used her somewhat extreme methods to set Kanon free from the rules of her village and allow her to live the life she wanted.

As a result, the butterfly effect that she caused was something that even she could not have imagined.

Of course, that doesn’t mean her sister’s mother was the culprit.

＂How about now?＂

Kanan listened to her sister and asked.

＂Huh?＂

When Kanon raised her question as if asking what it was about, Kanan continued talking.

＂Now… With this memory one more time, when the elder spoke of expulsion. … Canon, would you have gone far away from the village, just like now?”

In some ways, it may have been a bit of a harsh question, but Kanon thought about it for a while after hearing her sister’s question.

Soon, he nodded.

“… Uh, yes. Boo, I’m sure you would have made the same choice. In the end, I didn’t fit in with the other elves… Well, I couldn’t give up on living alone and writing…”

It was a separate story from feeling sorry for her sister.

If Kanon had stayed with the elves or lived near the forest, he would not have had the opportunity to show his writing to anyone.

And then, slowly, it would have been a day of living while killing one’s own heart.

＂Yes… Kanon is strong.＂

Kanan truly thought so and smiled kindly at her sister.

Because Kanan had no intention of denying that it was the best path for her.

If she, like her, had been able to cut it off by thinking that it was something that could not be helped, perhaps she would not have allowed them to feel the void in her heart.

No, maybe if you follow Kanon as he leaves so that he doesn’t go alone-

They think that even that, their mother may have forgiven them.

If only she had been more courageous then, maybe ─

How many times have you imagined such assumptions or what-ifs?

After a moment of silence without any words being exchanged, Kanan came to her senses and tried to get up. Kanan, not knowing what to do, wondered if he should support her upper body by supporting her back, but Kanan let out a small sigh. I was able to sit up on the bed without my sister’s help.

As she looked around, she could see that it was a space she had never seen before.

A part of a warm residential space that can be found anywhere in Eastern countries.

The bedroom consists of a bed, a small desk, and a closet to store clothes.

For me, it was a room with no character to the point that I somehow missed it.

At the same time, feeling the magical power of the barrier surrounding her room, Kanan muttered as if asking her younger sister.

＂This place…?＂

She wonders why she is here and how she, her younger sister, can be here.

Immediately after being pointed out the inconsistencies in the last memory she had – her own memory (although to be exact, it was a fabricated memory) by a human named Drake the Dragon Knight.

He couldn’t remember the connection from when he heard someone’s voice and strangled him to now.

And at the same time, Kanan remembered everything about her and looked down at her blanket, clenching her hands into fists.

No, her eyes were reflecting her blanket, but what she saw was not her blanket, but her own image as she went about slaying her dragons, relying on her fabricated memories.

When she thinks about how great a sin it is, she is filled with regret that she cannot allow herself to be alive now.

＂I… What an irreversible thing…＂

The joy she felt at reuniting with her sister for the first time in a thousand years was short-lived. Seeing Kanan blaming himself for her guilt weighing heavily on her shoulders, Kanon tried to place a hand on her shoulder with a worried expression on his face.

“I guess I’ve come to my senses.”

At that time, when the door to the room opened and Cleon’s voice came in, her sisters turned around at the same time.

＂Oh, Cleon…!＂

＂Dark magician, magic swordsman…＂

The two people called Cleon in different ways, and if Kanon’s side was a mixture of tension and joy, Kanan’s side felt uncomfortable and intense guilt at the same time.

“This is an empty room in the mansion of the guy Kanon is indebted to. I told them about the situation and asked to borrow it.”

When Cleon says that, Kanon also nods his head.

“Hey, Pamela. If you want, you can stay here forever…”

＂… That is…＂

In other words, does it mean that she can live with her sister again?

Kanan cannot easily accept such a bad story.

And when Kanon looks at her older sister like that, she looks like she’s being like that.

Is it true that she is like this in the middle of the class after meeting her older sister?

“… Yes. You haven’t been able to properly conclude your own story yet. My emotions and memories were manipulated by Pitre, so I put an end to everything I’ve done so far.”

When Cleon says so, Kanan nods her head, and then she speaks to Cleon.

“… Sorry. A black magic swordsman. No, Cleon. I… Intend to kill you and your colleagues…”

“That’s okay. Because I know very well that that is not your truth. The same goes for Dio. Still… You have someone you need to talk to. Right? “

“… The person you have to talk to?”

When Kanan, who heard Cleon’s words, repeats the words, Cleon nods.

“… But first, I need to tell you about your physical condition.”

However, he says that before sharing her story about the other person, he needs to understand what situation she is in now.

Kanan looked down at her own hands and nodded when the story came up about something she was somewhat prepared for.

Because she knew best that her own body was not normal.

“Not long ago, my colleague checked your condition. To put it bluntly, your body has already reached its limit. The transformation of your body caused by negative magic will soon turn you into a ghost. Even if that obsession is gone, it is said that transformation caused by magical power does not return that easily.”

＂──.＂

To Cleon’s words, Kanan made no reply.

That was because, to some extent, she was prepared for that to happen.

＂Well, like that…＂

In fact, Kanan had no choice but to clench his fists as he saw Kanon being more shocked than he was.

＂Is the barrier currently unfolding in this room… Related to that?＂

“That’s right. Positive magic power – So, the barrier created using the magic power of light is neutralizing the negative magic power within you. Inside this, your ghost transformation will be able to significantly slow down.”

When Cleon answered like that, Kanon couldn’t hold back and raised his voice.

＂So, does that mean Kanan won’t be able to leave this room from now on…?＂

“… If it continues like this, it will happen.”

Kanan was caught off guard by Cleon’s words that there was another way, but Kanan just looked at Cleon, thinking that she couldn’t rush him.

＂… Gwae, it’s okay, sister! Because I will provide for you! It’s the complete opposite of what it used to be, and there may be some inconveniences, but… Uh, if it’s for my sister’s sake…”

“… I will be grateful, Kanon. But still… I want to take responsibility for what I’ve done so far. In any form.”

After giving a small smile to Kanon who was speaking for her, she looked back at Cleon.

Then Cleon nodded and spoke to her.

“… There is a way. However, even with this method, it is impossible to completely recover the body… In the end, the body will become incapable of intense activities such as combat using magical power. Even if that’s the case, doesn’t it matter?”

In response to Cleon’s somewhat meaningful words, Kanan appears to think for a moment, but then answers that she understands.

At her answer, Cleon lets out a small sigh and speaks to her.

“I’ll hear that answer again after my conversation with her is over. If what you’re trying to do is atonement – first, there’s someone else you need to talk to first.”

As Cleon said that, he moved slightly away from the entrance to the room where she was standing and showed the person standing behind him-

Kanon and Kanan’s eyes widen in surprise.

A nobleman’s outfit with long white hair, old-fashioned pants, a top, and a cape.

Red eyes that give an even colder feeling to a cool-headed look.

However, there was something about her that made her different from ordinary humans: the blunt horns that grew from both temples of her head.

It had a tail that protruded from just above the buttocks and came down to the ground.

＂No way… She- no, he… ＂

When Kanan’s voice trembled like that, her visitor spoke to her before she could say anything.

“I never thought the day would come when I would see you face to face again. Canon. Kanan. Children who were once under my protection.”

＂Letios, sir…＂

A contract between an elf and a dragon that exists at the beginning of the story.

The fact that Letios, who could be said to be the person involved, appeared in front of them.

And above all, the two couldn’t hide their surprise that she remembered them.

Soon, Cleon talks to them.

“What actually happened? First, I think you need to know that part. For that, Letios and Kanan. I needed to make you two meet.”

“I was a little surprised by the sudden call, but for something like this, it was necessary to respond to the call. First, Cleon. I would like to say thank you to you again. Luthios also wanted to come… But this matter is related to my mistake. Sorry, but I came alone.”

When Letius said that, Cleon shrugged her shoulders and then guided her to her chair as if telling her to sit down.

As a result, when Cleon and Letios sit across from Kanon, there is silence in the room for a moment, and then-

＂… I’m sorry.＂

The conversation between the two began with the words of Kanan, who first needed to apologize to Letios.