"Saria, I hate you so much. Just thinking about how you twisted my neck, took a shovel, and buried me in the cold ground… suffering through that suffocating loneliness… the pain, it was unbearable."
"…Stop acting deranged out here."
"I'll act deranged right here… alright, alright, I'm joking. Now put your fist down."
"Based on the knowledge I have, and on all the years I've spent with you, I can say with confidence that I let your clone die without pain. I used calcification to sever the sensory nerves in your body so you couldn't feel anything, then swiftly broke your neck. I'm certain that by the time I buried you, you had already lost all vital signs. You shouldn't have had any awareness of the outside world."
"…Don't you think saying something like that sounds really strange?"
"No. I'm simply analyzing the situation rationally… If I analyzed incorrectly, then I apologize."
"You're getting more and more boring… though I honestly thought you'd stand me up. Saria, I didn't expect I'd be that important to you."
"This was our agreement. And… I'm sorry for damaging your clone. I will compensate you."
"…Saria, has anyone ever told you that speaking like that is really creepy?"
Thud!
'Ow… Saria's hits are getting worse and worse.'
'Even if it's a clone, you should still treat it with care!'
'…'
'But Ifrit's blood sample is fresh.'
'Fine, I'll forgive you this time.'
———
Within the territory of the Duke of Kashchey.
A pink-haired Zalak girl was flipping through a fashion magazine.
But after a moment, she tossed it aside.
Such things were useless for her current goal.
From a drawer in her vanity, she carefully took out a letter.
It had been sent from the Duke's manor.
She unfolded the page, worn soft from countless readings.
It was the great Duke Kashchey's message of care for his subordinate.
"Your leave request has been approved."
"Go. There is nothing shameful about searching for your birth parents. It is a natural part of being terran."
"'Snake Scale' has already provided you with their location."
"For now, you will set aside your identity as a member of the Happiness and Peace Committee."
"If you need any assistance, reveal your identity to the local 'Snake Scale' branch and request support."
"Do not worry. The Duke of Kashchey's lands will always be your home."
Gravel flipped the letter back and forth excitedly, but soon her smile gradually faded.
Yes, having her leave approved was something worth celebrating. But the one thing she most wanted to see… was not there.
'Senomi, what are you thinking?'
Gravel shook her head forcefully, trying to scatter the fantasies forming in her mind.
As the chairwoman of the Happiness and Peace Committee, someone who knew most of the information within Kashchey's domain, even being granted leave was already extremely difficult.
She must not ask for more.
After taking a breath to organize her thoughts, Gravel prepared to pick up her luggage and set out.
Of course, she would bring along her "Knight of Kazimierz: Serpent Rider" figure.
She had collected the entire "Ever-Changing Duke Kashchey" toy series, but the knight figure remained her favorite.
Right.
As for the "Liberi University Professor" figure, she had bought it days ago.
Yet the box remained unopened, left and practically "forgotten" in the far corner of her bedroom.
Gravel disl… did not like that chibi figure.
Gravel finished packing her luggage and looked around her room.
The rows of dolls, big and small, were lined up neatly.
At the very center stood the Knight of Kazimierz doll. There were many duplicates of that one.
The doll she chose to take with her was the very first one she bought with the little salary she had back then. It held a special meaning.
'Goodbye~'
She waved to her dolls.
She knew for certain she would return.
With that, she slowly opened the door to her home.
It was evening. The streetlights on both sides cast a hazy glow, and the shadows of the buildings crossed each other like layered webs.
But Gravel sensed something was off.
'Are those shadows… moving?'
Suddenly, the shadows on the street began to stretch, extending rapidly until they reached her feet.
One large mass of darkness detached itself from the tangle of shadows and stopped just two meters before her.
Even in such an eerie situation, Gravel did not reach for her weapon.
It wasn't only because she trusted the safety of the Duke of Kashchey's territory.
In a land where petty theft was considered a serious crime, violent incidents were extremely rare.
Only the investigators of the Happiness and Peace Committee carried both the authority and the capability to use force.
More importantly, Gravel sensed something familiar in the shifting darkness. Something that made her pulse quicken with excitement.
This type of Arts reminded her of someone.
Someone she had longed to see again.
Her savior, her knight in shining armor.
Well… perhaps the Black Snake version of a prince?
The shadow rippled like water, and from its surface emerged a golden-haired phidia man wearing white armor engraved with intricate patterns.
It looked much lighter and more fitted than the bulky knight armor commonly seen.
His face wore an exaggerated, silent smile, and he had nothing hanging at his waist.
"Surprise!"
Arthur bowed theatrically to the startled yet delighted Gravel.
"My lovely lady, would you mind if I accompany you on your journey? Kazimierz is calling to me… and I imagine my fans must 'miss' me very much. They must long for those days when everyone wore a smile and felt such 'joy'~"
There was no way the Black Snake would allow someone who possessed vast amounts of sensitive territorial data to casually leave for a vacation abroad.
But He also understood that if one lives assuming everyone will eventually betray them, they will someday choke on their own paranoia.
Even without reading minds, He could see the feelings this Zalak girl held for Him.
Yet the Black Snake had never believed emotions remained unchanged.
Still, He did not wish to erase all of her memories.
He had always viewed the manipulation of memories as not much different from overwriting another's will.
Both acts "kill" a person's inner self.
What remains afterwards is not the original individual, but a "new being" born from a corpse.
'So why not simply erase her longing for her parents?'
'The Happiness and Peace Committee holds vast amounts of daily-life data about my people. A leak would cause considerable trouble.'
'…Forget it.'
'It won't be too much trouble anyway.'
'And I might as well stop by Kazimierz to deal with some business.'