"Ahhh… ahhhhhhh…"
I clung to the young man's body and let out a hoarse, broken cry.
I thought I had changed.
I thought I was no longer the immature, helpless person I used to be.
Back in the past, I wasn't strong.
After hearing about a miraculous attempt at resurrection, I set off too find the **Blessing of the World Tree – Yggdrasil Seibre**.
I enrolled in the Magic Academy and studied with desperate intensity, always staying at the top of my class, and graduated at the unusually early age of fourteen.
My mastery of healing magic and my achievements at the academy were recognized, and I was adopted into the Durkis family—the noble house that researched water spirits and saints.
To make absolutely sure I wouldn't fail in acquiring the Blessing of the World Tree, I pushed myself to increase my magical power even just a tiny bit more, even when I wanted to give up.
And at the spirit shrine, I formed a contract with the water spirit.
…In exchange, my gray hair and eyes turned a pale, ethereal blue, and I could no longer freely control my facial expressions unless a powerful emotion surged through me.
Still, those were trivial sacrifices. If it was for the sake of my goal, nothing else mattered.
I pored over the Durkis family's vast library, and even went to the White Mage Church to investigate…
But in the end, I found no real clues about the Blessing of the World Tree.
The information was buried too deeply, kept secret, and I couldn't reach it.
So I decided to join the party of Retinoa Innocent, the Hero of Attack.
I thought that by staying close to a true hero, I might uncover some hidden knowledge.
Day by day, frustration and anxiety gnawed at me more fiercely.
Four years had passed, and I still hadn't found even a single lead.
Depression settled over me like a heavy fog.
There wasn't a single day I forgot about Rei.
Not once.
…But I was terrified.
Terrified that maybe there really was no such magic.
That all of this effort, all these years, might be for nothing.
That's why I made sure no one became special to me again.
I rejected anyone who tried to approach me. I treated them coldly, kept my distance.
I was afraid—afraid that if someone new became precious to me, my feelings for Rei might fade away.
It was during that time that I met this young man.
A guy with black hair. He claimed and even shown us that he was D-rank. He was strong.
Ridiculously, overwhelmingly strong.
…Even stronger than Rei had ever been.
At first, I was jealous of that strength.
I envied the young man who could crush enemies without even taking a scratch.
…If Rei had possessed that kind of power, he surely wouldn't have died to those dragons.
I hated him.
For being stronger than Rei.
And above all—for resembling Rei so much.
When we met again, for just a moment I mistook him for Rei.
Because the young man had changed his black hair to red hair.
I thought he was mocking the national hero,
But oddly, even so, my heart fluttered again. Even if only briefly. But Rei was who I loved.
I tried not to get involved.
I tried not to speak to him.
But when I saw the magical tool he took out—the **Vint Boots**—I couldn't stop myself from talking.
It was exactly the same shape, the same type as the one Rei used to carry.
This young man looked so much like Rei.
So much so that calling them identical twins wouldn't be an exaggeration—almost as if Rei had been reincarnated.
Their personalities, their mannerisms, everything was the same.
Before I knew it… we were talking a lot.
I wanted to push him away, but every time I spoke with this young man who looked so much like Rei, it felt like I was talking to Rei brought back to life.
And it was… fun.
So, using the festival ticket as an excuse, I dragged him around town however I pleased, dressed him in the same armor Rei used to wear, and made him play along with my selfish delusions.
…I think I did the worst possible thing.
This person is definitely *not* Rei.
He's someone else entirely.
When I saw the students disappear and watched the young man prepare to enter the other world all alone, memories of that day flashed back—Rei lying to everyone and heading into battle by himself.
Terrified that this boy might die too, I forced myself to follow him.
I wasn't the same person I used to be.
I had learned almost every healing spell there was—except for **Resurrection**. I mean, I would learn it, if such a cheat spell existed.
I had worked so hard, so that I would never let anyone die in front of me again, so that I could heal any injury, no matter how grave.
"…It's my fault."
But… no matter how many times I cast healing magic, it wouldn't work on the young man.
He died without me being able to do anything.
In the first place, if he hadn't thrown his sword to protect me, none of this would have happened.
In other words—by forcing myself to follow him, I ended up causing his death.
Nothing has changed.
Nothing at all since that fateful day.
I thought I was no longer weak.
I thought I had worked hard enough to become strong.
But just like back then… I was still powerless.
All I could do was watch someone die in front of me.
"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"
Even though sorrow should have overwhelmed me, no tears fell—because of the spirit contract.
Just one tear.
A single teardrop—
It fell gently onto the young man's cheek.
"…Huh?"
In that instant, a mysterious light enveloped the young man's entire body.
A soft, dreamlike glow—like a rainbow-colored aurora.
Ignoring my stunned gaze, the light continued to shine, gathering and focusing on the gaping wound in his chest and the place where his left arm was missing.
And then…
For just a moment—
the young man's body twitched.