A flicker of confusion passed across Lucarion’s face.
"You’re asking if it’s [N O V E L I G H T] true that your Papa can’t rember you?"
"Uh-huh!"
Lucarion thought for a mont, then asked back:
"Why are you asking that?"
Tie hesitated and lowered her gaze.
"Well... Papa seems to have gotten a little nicer to Tie."
"Nicer?"
"Uh-huh! When Tie said she’s a child, he started treating better! He doesn’t say bad things and doesn’t look scary anymore!"
"......."
"That ans there’s hope, right......? Maybe one day Papa will rember that Tie is actually his daughter!"
Silence filled the room.
Tie waited for Lucarion to speak.
After a long ti, he said:
"To be honest, the probability is low."
Tie’s eyes widened in disappointnt.
Lucarion took her hand and led her to the soft sofa.
"But your Papa may unconsciously recall fragnts from Korea."
"Really?!"
"Yes."
Lucarion held out his hand.
Black specks began to gather above his palm and ford into several old sheets of paper.
"I took these from the Imperial Library."
Tie swallowed and lay down on the floor.
Lucarion spread the pages in a row.
The faded paper was densely covered in unfamiliar, winding symbols.
"They’re written in an ancient language... but the topic is spatial magic—more precisely, ti magic."
Pupu and Marbas ca closer and stared at the sheets as well.
Lucarion pointed to the lines one by one.
"The words ‘Orta’ and ‘Rundel’ appear here."
Where his finger passed, ink marks appeared on their own.
Tie didn’t even blink, listening intently.
"Orta is one who was born within the original flow. Rundel is one who changed while carrying a fracture of ti."
Lucarion looked at Tie.
"You, Tie, in this world—you are Rundel. We ca from the future."
Tie’s eyes spun.
But a mont later, she answered brightly:
"Tie knows that too! Here, Tie hasn’t even been born yet, right?"
"Correct."
Lucarion pointed to the next sheet.
"That’s why it’s natural that people here don’t know you. And that your Papa doesn’t rember you. But."
"......."
"It also describes anomalies that occur because the essence of Orta and Rundel is the sa."
Tie’s lips parted.
Lucarion raised his hand—the sheets rustled and unfolded in the air.
Complex diagrams and symbols flashed rapidly before Tie’s eyes.
"On the day of the duel, you absorbed Tesetan’s magic. Do you rember?"
Tie nodded quickly.
That day, she had felt a surging, explosive force around Papa.
And Papa had been in terrible pain because of it.
When she ran over to help—
Tie had instinctively drawn that power in.
"In truth, you didn’t just absorb your Papa’s power."
"Th-then......?"
"You also gave him a portion of your magic at the sa ti. Your Papa unconsciously took it to balance holy power and magic."
Tie’s lips fell open.
"Of course, your own reserves are so vast that you didn’t notice. But situations like that cause a ‘ti magic anomaly.’"
One of the floating sheets stopped before Tie’s eyes.
"‘At the mont when the aura of a future Rundel mixes with a sentient being of this world, there is an extrely small probability that the being will see events of the future. Because it is simultaneously the future and the mory of the Rundel.’"
Tie’s eyes widened.
Holding her breath, she asked:
"Then... Papa rembered too?"
She grabbed Lucarion’s hand.
"Aura ans magic, right? If Tie’s magic and Papa’s mixed, then he could rember that in Korea they were a family, right?"
Lucarion seated her on the sofa.
And answered calmly:
"It’s unknown. It says ‘extrely small probability.’"
Tie’s eyes dimd.
But soon she muttered:
"No. Papa will definitely rember! If Tie gives magic again and takes Papa’s......!"
"It doesn’t work like that."
"Then......?"
"The anomaly only occurs at the very first mont when the magic mixes. Your magic and your Papa’s already mixed on the day of the duel. Even if you exchange magic again, it won’t work the sa way."
Tie fell silent.
So magic was like paint.
In art class, Tie had learned about watercolors.
If you mix two colors, you can’t separate them again.
And Papa’s magic and Tie’s magic were the sa.
'It already mixed on the day of the duel.'
That ant the ti magic anomaly could only have happened then.
Lucarion gently patted Tie’s back.
"If an anomaly occurred that day, your Papa will gradually begin to rember sothing. Then we’ll know."
Tie nodded weakly.
"It’s okay, Tie. Even if it doesn’t work, I’ll find a way."
"Kyuu......."
Marbas and Pupu, distressed, rubbed against her legs.
A heavy silence settled over the room.
But suddenly—
"......No! Before that, Tie will do sothing herself."
Tie sprang to her feet.
Marbas was sent rolling across the floor.
Lucarion asked in surprise:
"What are you going to do?"
Tie smiled proudly.
"You’ll see tomorrow!"
And she ran out of the room.
"......."
Only Pupu, Marbas, and Lucarion remained.
After a short silence, the entire space was suddenly flooded with blinding white light.
Where Pupu had been, a red mist rose, and soon a man with long hair appeared.
Silver hair spilled over his shoulders—Pupu, or rather Krazar, removed the elephant mask.
"Lizard."
His dark blue eyes, like a galaxy, opened.
He raised his hand, and the sheets Lucarion had summoned flew toward him.
With long nails, he pulled out one sheet and spoke grimly:
"Mother... will disappear?"
Lucarion lifted his head.
Krazar continued:
"It is clearly written here in the ancient records. At the mont when Orta and Rundel coexist, Rundel disappears. What are you going to do?"
"......."
"You want to prevent the birth of future Mother—the Orta of this world? Even then, the outco will not change."
If Tie is not born in this tiline, then future Tie cannot exist.
And whether she is born in seven years or not—
the current Tie will disappear regardless.
Krazar’s voice trembled with pain.
"There is only one way for Mother not to disappear and remain in this world."
"......."
"Never et anyone. Live alone, forgotten by all."
A grinding sound escaped between his teeth.
"Then Mother will have to leave her family again. And this ti, with no hope of ever eting them again."
"......."
"Family. These companions—and anyone at all—if she ets even one person, she will scatter into dust."
Krazar’s darkened eyes flared.
"Lizard. Why did you bring Mother to this world? Why did you take her life away from that world? If she had stayed there, she would have lived at least seven more years—maybe longer!"
Lucarion’s face darkened.
After a long ti, he answered in a trembling voice:
"......Astie couldn’t live there alone. The old woman who took care of her fell ill."
Krazar’s brow twitched.
"And no one else could support her. Of course, there were orphanages for children without parents, but......"
Lucarion lifted his gaze.
"Astie didn’t want that."
"......What do you an?"
"Astie said that even one day spent beside her Papa was better than staying there alone."
Lucarion clenched his fist and turned away.
Black smoke imdiately swallowed him.
Transforming back into a small dragon, he looked at Krazar.
"I will find a way. So be quiet and just wait."
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