The Sage

...Tch.

After all, she's just learned that the sage we've pursued for so long is right here.

Truthfully, I'd like nothing more than to storm the castle this very instant. However...

Rushing won't solve everything, Haydee.

If it were that simple, my bullet would've found its way into her heart long ago.

People are living and breathing inside ruins that have been abandoned for ages.

And they're citizens of an ancient kingdom that was destroyed long ago.

Traveling back through time into the ancient past outright contradicts everything we know to be possible.

Frankly, that's already more than enough to make my head spin.

...And what's with that cringy line?

Tch... You should be angry instead. You got dragged into this mess because of us.

What if something goes wrong and we get trapped here forever?

Captain, I think I'm beginning to understand why you're the Journey Captain.

Indeed. There's no need to even consider failure.

I, Cristelle de Montua, have always achieved whatever I set my heart on!

So, what's the plan?

If she died here, Haydee and I would've never met, meaning our very presence here would become impossible.

Ufufu! A very perceptive observation, Captain.

...But we don't actually need to kill her here and now.

What we truly need is to identify Morcerf.

Isn't that right, Haydee?

They're Voidborns that live on the Void Force instead of water, food, or air.

And Voidborns as powerful as Executors each have their own unique characteristics in that Void Force.

Think of it like a fingerprint. Something that distinguishes one from another.

But this time, it may actually prove useful.

She just had another nightmare.

Were you afraid? Even if you were, don't be ashamed. It's a natural reaction.

Most people tremble just from looking at this eye.

The fact that you can withstand it so calmly means you possess remarkable strength of will.

It's been completely consumed by the Void Force, so it's closer to the eye of a Voidborn.

It's a long story, so let's just say Morcerf did this to me.

According to her, she wanted to see if she could turn me into an Executor... or something along those lines.

But don't worry. I never became an Executor in the end.

Then Cristelle uses her ability to absorb and analyze her Void.

And that will let us figure out what Morcerf looks like now and where she's hiding. That's the plan, right?

How do we reach the sage?

And we're suspicious outsiders as far as anyone here is concerned.

There's no chance they'll simply let us into the palace.

And we can't exactly force our way past all those knights guarding it.

No matter how dire the situation, there is always a way through.

We'll simply find a way into the royal palace.

There is nothing to worry about! I, Cristelle de Montua, have always found the answer!

Merchants supplying the palace need at least a month's worth of prior approval...

And security is so strict because of the princess's plague that there are practically no routes inside...

Ngh... I have no excuse. Perhaps I took the matter too lightly.

B-but surely we simply haven't found the right method yet.

There must still be a good way in...!

...Probably.

Did your eyesight suddenly get worse?

If our theory is correct, this is the past just before Haydee fell asleep.

And if the sage is currently in the kingdom, that means we're also in the period when Haydee was here.

In that case, the Haydee from the past should be living somewhere in this kingdom as well...

Yet we've walked all over the capital and haven't seen anyone resembling her.

At the very least, wouldn't it be natural for someone here to recognize you?

I can't help wondering what's going on.

I'm the one we're talking about, and I'm not even that curious.

...I've lived perfectly well without those memories.

What matters to me now isn't any of that. It's revenge.

Do I really look like I'm interested in that right now?

Get a grip. Morcerf is right here.

If that's all you want to talk about, I'll go ahead. I'm going to keep looking for a way into the royal palace.

But haven't you occasionally longed for your past?

As someone who considers herself your guardian, there's no way I wouldn't notice.

A life spent pursuing nothing but revenge while neglecting yourself is a lonely one.

And a life lived after losing yourself is lonelier still.

Do you truly have no desire to glimpse your past?

At least, not now.

...If that's what you want, I won't force you.

Sometimes... there are memories whose loss is a mercy.

Well, on his way back, he ran into an envoy that had gotten lost.

You know how the kingdom's been sending knights everywhere to gather ingredients for the princess' cure?