A noble wizard approached Luciel.
"Are you okay, kid? Wait, I'll treat your wounds".
Luciel's fatal wounds from the orc and bandit leader's attack that destroyed his internal organs instantly healed completely as if they had never existed.
"What is this? Healing magic?"
The noble wizard who saw Luciel's confused face sneered a little in amazement.
"Wow, for a 5 year old kid, you know quite a lot about it huh"
"By the way, I saw your battle from start to finish. And you're also great at your age, you can keep up with a lot of orc herds, even by yourself. That's an amazing achievement"
With a slightly confused face, Luciel sneered a little in annoyance.
"AAaaa??? Huh? If you saw this battle from the start, why didn't you help us from the start? If you helped earlier, maybe Shiromiko wouldn't have been injured and abused. It could have traumatized her".
Answering Luciel's slightly irritated question, the noble wizard calmly replied
"No no, you're misunderstanding a little, kid"
"I really just happened to be passing by when I saw you about to be killed by the bandit leader".
Luciel asked again
"Then what do you mean by watching this match from start to finish?"
The noble wizard calmly replied again. "Ah that? Actually, after I defeated the bandit and orc friends, I used magic to see the chain of causality of the events that happened".
Luciel asked in surprise.
"Magic to see the chain of causality? What's that?"
The wizard replied
"In short, it's magic that involves manipulating cause and effect to see the chain of events that happened in the past. Through that, I will erase and cut the causality that has already happened. Although what I use is still limited to memories only"
Luciel, who was still confused, asked again
"What do you mean?"
The witch replied back
"As you said before, at her young age and the same age as you, maybe the girl will have a lifelong trauma from experiencing an event that she should never have gone through, even at the age of 5. I intend to change the causality embedded in her memory to something else. Maybe even erase all her memories of this incident. So I will leave the rest to you."
"Speaking of which, at only five years old, your knowledge is quite extensive and your thinking is quite mature too, huh. How did that happen?"
Luciel answered honestly,
"Actually, I'm 37 years old. I died from drowning and ended up reincarnating into this world."
The noble mage was surprised.
"What? You're from another world?!"
"Hmmh… no wonder you're a bit talented and have extensive knowledge."
Luciel, who suddenly remembered Shiromiko, immediately sneered.
"Aaa, we forgot about Shiromiko. She's still tied up tightly and her mouth is stuffed with cloth."
"Right. Let's save her."
The two of them finally rushed to where Shiromiko was.
Shiromiko was still sleeping unconscious, with her clothes slightly torn by the actions of the depraved bandits. Fortunately, she didn't suffer any fatal injuries. Even so, this incident might have left her traumatized.
Luciel was about to untie her, but the noble mage told him to stop for a moment.
"Wait a minute. Don't let go yet. I'll erase the sequence of events in her memory first."
"Oh yeah, I forgot."
After finishing, Luciel untied her. He continued to try to wake Shiromiko up.
On the other hand, Shiromiko who was slowly starting to regain consciousness began to mutter,
"What happened? Where did the thieves go?"
Luciel sneered in surprise as he said,
"Ah, don't worry. It's probably just your imagination. Hurry up and get on the train."
Hearing Luciel's words, Shiromiko just kept quiet and believed it.
Luciel let out a sigh of relief. "Phew..."
"What are you doing there, Luciel? Hurry up and get on!" Shiromiko shouted from the top of the train.
"You go first. I'll catch up later. I still have a little business to attend to."
Luciel ran after the noble wizard who was about to leave.
"Hey, wait a minute! Can you tell me your name?"
The noble mage smiled and replied,
"Kurosaka Aoi. A noble mage, and also a magic teacher at Elzila Academy."
Luciel asked in surprise,
"Elzila Academy's magic teacher? Isn't that the magic academy in the capital?"
"That's right," he replied.
Luciel asked again,
"So, you'll be our magic teacher there?"
The mage chuckled as he asked back,
"Ahaha… so you're a new student at the academy, huh? What's your name, kid?"
"I'm Luciel. Hoshizura Luciel."
The mage prepared teleportation magic while leaving a statement,
"Alright, Luciel. See you at the academy."
"W—wait!"
But in an instant, the mage disappeared before him.
—
Luciel stood frozen in place, staring at the empty sky where Kurosaka Aoi had stood. The ripples of magic from the teleportation still vibrated in the air, like the echo of a meeting that ended too soon.
He took a deep breath, then turned around, his eyes now calmer. His steps returned to the carriage left in the middle of the forest, where Shiromiko Lurie had sat back inside, staring out blankly.
"You've finally come," the girl murmured without turning around.
Luciel climbed into the horse-drawn carriage that had been slightly repaired by their coachman. Although covered in wounds and charcoal, the carriage was still able to take them to the capital. He sat down beside Shiromiko, not answering immediately.
A few minutes of silence enveloped them, accompanied only by the sound of the carriage wheels crushing the ground and wet leaves.
Shiromiko glanced at him briefly. "Are you… okay?"
Luciel nodded slowly. "I'm fine. And you?"
The girl was silent for a moment. "I don't know. It feels like a dream. I… don't really remember what happened. But my body hurts a little."
Luciel lowered his head. His eyes stared at his own hands. "Maybe it's better that way."
"Luciel."
"Hm?"
"Thank you," he said softly. "I don't know why, but… I feel like you've done something for me."
Luciel turned his head. His smile was faint. "I just did what I was supposed to do."
The journey was silent again. The forest gave way to fields and hills. The gray clouds began to thin, and sunlight filtered through them, illuminating their faces with a gentle warmth.
A few birds flew overhead, and a gentle breeze carried the scent of wet, living earth.
Shiromiko hugged her knees, staring ahead. "I wonder… what the capital will be like."
Luciel also stared out at the expansive road. "Me too. But… I'm sure that whatever happens there, we'll get through it."
Shiromiko nodded. "Yes. Together."
The carriage continued on, treading the cobblestone path toward the capital's great gates. In the distance, tall towers began to appear, and the golden light of the royal crest shone out to greet them.
Unbeknownst to them, the first step towards a new destiny... had begun.