Ariel Blante. He knew in his head that she wasn’t Faelin, but his heart couldn’t accept it.

Not only had she found herself in a similar situation to Faelin, but Lady Blante had broken down even more tragically than Faelin ever had. If he turned away from her now, he would be no different to the man who had failed to hold onto Faelin then.

Though Seoden might claim it was a completely different matter, Aster, trapped in that time, couldn’t help but feel the same way.

And so he could not send Lady Blante away like that.

He wanted to give her the chance for a new life, where she could forget everything and live again.

“…A new life…”

At that moment, light began to filter through the garden, which was bathed in green. Dawn was breaking.

Looking up at the sky as the sun rose, Aster finally made up his mind, ending his long internal struggle.

Now that he had come to a conclusion, it was time to act.

With that, Aster muttered the incantation to begin.

Warp

The destination was Aster’s bedroom, where Lady Blante and Seoden were waiting.

* * *

“Master of the Tower!”

Seeing Aster finally return, Seoden jumped up from his seat and rushed towards him.

“Why all the excitement? Anyone would think I’d been gone for years.”

“You said you’d be back soon, but there was no news until dawn! Of course I’d be worried! Where on earth have you been?”

Seoden fired off his questions quickly, but Aster didn’t answer. Instead, he walked past Seoden without acknowledging him.

At that moment, Seoden froze, for he realised something. Aster had not even looked at him as he spoke.

While his words were directed at him, his eyes were fixed solely on Lady Blante.

With an expression that seemed to carry a firm determination.

A sense of foreboding rose instinctively in Seoden.

Hurriedly, he ran after Aster and grabbed his arm.

“You can’t do this.”

“……”

This time, Aster didn’t respond with his usual dismissive tone, as if asking Seoden what he thought he could do. This time, Aster’s mind was made up.

Seoden, sensing the firm resolve in Aster’s silence, tightened his grip on his arm.

“Master of the Tower, keeping Lady Blante here is madness. You must send her back. Lady Blante is…”

“I know it’s not the same.”

Still not looking at Seoden, Aster finally turned his head.

Meeting Seoden’s gaze, Aster spoke in a heavy tone.

“I know, but if I give up now, I’ll feel like the person I was that day. I’ll end up living with regret again. No, this time I don’t think I’ll be able to bear that regret.”

“…… Master of the Tower…”

“Perhaps this is my selfishness. I’m probably trying to console myself by doing for Lady Blante what I couldn’t do for Faelin. But Seoden…”

“……”

“Lady Blante was betrayed by love even more cruelly than Faelin. I have heard that Duke Seoden made her father a traitor.”

“…… What?”

Seoden’s eyes widened in shock at the unimaginable revelation.

“What… does that mean…?”

“Lady Blante knew the truth and threw herself into the sea. And then she sealed her memories.”

“Sealed her memories… Could it be that amnesia is an old magic…?”

“Yes. Amnesia, forgetting everything. That was Lady Blante’s desperate wish.”

Seoden’s hand, which had gripped Aster’s arm, slowly slipped away.

Aster, with a bitter look in his eyes, removed Seoden’s hand completely and approached Lady Blante.

“She probably thought the only way to get this wish was to die. After all, if you die, you won’t remember anything. She never imagined that ancient magic would manifest itself.”

Aster stood in front of Lady Blante and looked at her in silence.

Still under the influence of the memory-altering magic, Lady Blante didn’t look at him.

With empty green eyes she stared out of the window and watched the night turn to morning.

“So even if the seal breaks one day, at least for a short time, I want to let her live a new life, forgetting everything, just as she wished.”

“But…”

“Besides, I promised her. That I would help her whenever she needed it.”

Aster took a step closer to Ariel and called to Seoden.

“Seoden, you promised me too. That you would follow my orders, no matter what.”

It was the vow Seoden had made the day he became a great magician, pledging his loyalty to Aster.

When Seoden fell silent, remembering that promise, Aster gently placed his hand on Ariel’s head.

Sleep

As Seoden’s magic faded, Ariel’s body collapsed forward. Aster quickly caught her.

He carefully laid Ariel down on the bed, then turned his head to Seoden, who stood silently.

And he spoke.

“From this moment on, Ariel Blante no longer exists. This person’s name is Lariette.”

“…Lariette…? That is…”

“It is Faelin’s childhood name. The name Faelin loved most, but no one ever called her by it… it was a forgotten name.”

If this name is called by someone else… perhaps it will reach Faelin.

Hearing that name, she might rise again, like a miracle…

Aster swallowed the grief that was choking him and continued.

“She is the daughter of a baron from the kingdom of Magicos. She was close to Faelin when they were children, and a few months ago she was in a carriage accident and lost consciousness. Now she has awoken, with new memories built on the sealed ones.”

“…”

“Manipulate her memories.”

Aster stared directly into Seoden’s eyes, making his command clear.

“It’s an order.”

He made sure Seoden couldn’t refuse.

Is this the right thing to do?

Seoden felt conflicted, but there was only one answer he could give.

“I accept the order.”

As Seoden bowed his head, Aster continued.

“Summon all the search mages. I’ll personally inform the Duke of the change in orders.”

Aster then made his way to Cascade Beach, where the Duke would be waiting for Lady Blante.

He had to tell the Duke a cruel lie – for the sake of Lady Blante’s new life.

* * *

Cascade Beach, famous for its breathtaking sunrises and sunsets. As usual, the knights on quest paused for a moment to admire the majestic horizon as the sun began to rise.

But it seemed that only the knights of the Empire could appreciate the beauty of the sunrise, while the mages were busy packing their things.

The first to notice it was Lowell.

He was an early riser, but after the events of the previous night with Caroline and the commotion surrounding the Master of the Tower, his nerves were on edge and he had barely slept.

The Master of the Tower had left without a word and still hadn’t returned.

So he came to the mages’ camp, wondering if the Master had returned, but instead of finding the Master, he saw the mages packing up.

Lowell grabbed the arm of a nearby mage, his voice urgent.

“Why are you suddenly packing?”

“Well, an order came down from the Tower to withdraw immediately.”

“Withdraw?”

Lowell was surprised, and the mage seemed even more confused.

“Yes… I thought everyone knew… hasn’t the assistant heard?”

The idea of a retreat was completely new to Lowell. He looked around with a confused expression, then tried to stop the packing.

Without the mages, they wouldn’t be able to find Lady Blante in this vast sea.

“There must be some misunderstanding…”

Just as Lowell tried to speak as naturally as possible, a deep voice cut him off.

“There is no misunderstanding. Continue the retreat.”

The mage pushed Lowell’s hand from his arm and bowed his head.

It was the Master of the Tower who had appeared in the camp.

“Yes, Master of the Tower.”

“Master of the Tower, why the sudden retreat…?”

Lowell hurried to the Master of the Tower, but the Master walked past him, straight to a mage with blue hair.

“Hans.”

“Yes?”

“I’m terribly busy at the moment. I just dropped by for a moment. I wonder why.”

“That is…”

Hans’s face gradually turned as pale as a sheet, realizing that the Master of the Tower had heard about the trade involving the Tower’s robe the previous day.

“I think you know why.”

Aster spoke with a venomous edge in his voice as he opened a pocket dimension and gave Hans back the robe he had retrieved the day before.

In a rather forceful manner.

“Ugh.”

Hans let out a sharp breath as the robe tightened around his neck. Aster looked down at him with a cold, piercing stare.

“The punishment will be dealt with when you return to the tower.”

Without hesitation, Aster turned away.

He had taken care of the small matter before delivering the important message.

With a still troubled expression on his face, Aster approached the Duke’s assistant who had been waiting for him.

Before Lowell could speak, Aster did.

“I have something to tell His Grace the Duke. Is he in the tent?”

The Master of the Tower would not change his mind.

Lowell knew that instinctively.

“……Yes. I will accompany you.”

Lowell led the way with a stern expression on his face.