Chapter 203 - Damn Reincarnation

Sun Plaza

Two days had passed since Eugene left the Holy See. Pope Euryus and Cardinal Beshara had begged him to stay there, but naturally, Eugene had no desire to do so. Instead, he stayed at an upscale inn near Sun Plaza.

As Anise’s feast day approached, finding a vacant room was difficult no matter how wealthy, influential, or well-born one was. But if the Holy See personally requested a room, even the proprietor would gladly give up his own. Eugene spent those two days holed up in luxurious lodgings.

There was nothing he needed or wanted to go out and do anyway. Mer had quietly hoped to see the city, but she abandoned that hope when Eugene settled cross-legged in the middle of the sitting room as though it were the most natural thing to do immediately upon arriving.

The Lionheart White Flame Formula.

For two days, Eugene observed his stars, now increased to six. Whenever he circulated the White Flame Formula, those six stars slowly revolved around his heart.

At five stars, his cores had never rotated. Had adding another core changed the way the White Flame Formula operated? That was his initial thought, but after watching the cores rotate for two full days, he arrived at a theory of his own.

‘It looks like it’s simply changed to suit me.’

It seemed absurd, but he could think of no other answer. His six stars were currently revolving as though he were using the Ring Flame Formula, even though he hadn’t activated it. That didn’t mean he could no longer use the Ring Flame Formula separately.

The moment he willed it, the cores’ slow rotation became fast and violent. The Ring Flame Formula, activated instantaneously, generated mana at an output incomparable to what he had managed at five stars. Lightning flame blended perfectly into that torrent of mana. Whereas it had been difficult to handle at five stars, he could now control it as easily as ordinary mana.

‘Not having to switch from the White Flame Formula to the Ring Flame Formula means... there’s no warm-up anymore. And the cores’ output and upper limit have increased.’

Put simply, at six stars of the White Flame Formula, his cores kept revolving even when he wasn’t actively operating it, allowing him to unleash high-output mana the moment he wished. And because they kept rotating, his supply of mana kept increasing. What did more mana mean? His fundamental output would steadily rise.

No matter how much mana reinforced the body, high output inevitably placed a strain on it. That was why physical training could not be neglected: the body had to withstand that strain. Ignition’s backlash occurred when the body broke down under an output it could not endure. Even without reaching Ignition’s level, manipulating mana to its limits would damage the body.

But there was a threshold beyond which the body would no longer break under its own power. Once the body became completely unified with mana, that mana would reconstruct it without the use of magic. It was closer to a complete physical transformation than rejuvenation. A body reconstructed that way became strong enough to withstand its own mana output—except in cases like Ignition.

‘I never imagined I’d reach that threshold so soon.’

He considered it as he clenched and opened his fist. His body was twenty years old, so young and healthy that it hardly needed reconstruction. Still, being able to withstand his increased output was a wonderful, welcome development.

‘I still can’t withstand Ignition, but... well, I never expected to. If I use Ignition at six stars, and add the Empty Sword on top of that...’

Eugene imagined the limits of his current strength. When he had layered the Empty Sword twice at five stars of the White Flame Formula, his momentary output had barely approached Hamel’s strength at his peak in his previous life.

When he killed Sergio, he had used Ignition at six stars of the White Flame Formula and achieved three layers of the Empty Sword. That single strike had equaled what he could accomplish with Ignition at his former peak.

‘Ignition at six stars of the White Flame Formula is stronger than it was in my past life. Add the maximum layers of the Empty Sword, and it’s about equal to Ignition at my peak. ... The problem is still how long I can maintain it.’

Ignition placed too much strain on him. On top of that, even Eugene could only layer the Empty Sword three times, and sustaining it for long was nearly impossible.

‘I don’t necessarily need the Empty Sword. I have the Moonlight Sword, too. If I use Ignition entirely to support the Moonlight Sword...’

The Demon King of Incarceration?

Eugene wasn’t that arrogant. On matters like this, he was realistic and pessimistic to the point of being harsh on himself.

Even if he pushed everything currently at his disposal to its absolute limit, wouldn’t a twitch of the Demon King of Incarceration’s finger be enough to erase him...? Having never fought the Demon King himself, he found it difficult to imagine, but that seemed likely.

‘I doubt I could even match Noir Giabella or Gavid Lindman. Still, couldn’t I put up a decent fight against Iris? If I use the Moonlight Sword right from the start... No, that won’t work. The Moonlight Sword is incomplete, too. Its light might go out in the middle of battle. Better to keep it hidden until the decisive moment...’

["Sir Eugene."]

‘What happened to the White Flame Formula? Does it normally change like this at six stars?’

He doubted rotating cores were a normal consequence of reaching six stars. What if, as he suspected, the White Flame Formula itself really had changed to suit him?

Eugene thought of the Lionhearts who had reached six stars of the White Flame Formula. Doynes Lionheart was dead... and only three people in Lionheart currently stood at six stars or higher: Gilead, the family head; Gion, now captain of the Black Lion Knights’ Fifth Division; and Carmen, captain of the Black Lion Knights’ Third Division.

Of those three, Carmen had reached seven stars of the White Flame Formula, surmounting the barrier notorious throughout Lionheart history. Since being adopted into the main family, Eugene had learned the White Flame Formula and heard all manner of things, but never that it changed upon reaching six stars.

‘I’ll have to ask when I get back to Lionheart—’

“Sir Eugene!”

His thoughts stopped. Mer lifted his cloak herself, sprang out, and seized him by the collar. Eugene blinked, stunned by her boldness.

“Do you know how many times I’ve called you?”

“... I thought you were Senya...”

Eugene shook his head as he pulled Mer’s hands off his collar.

He had been too deeply absorbed in thought. Then Mer, the spitting image of Senya, had shoved her face into his and grabbed his collar just as Senya would. For a moment, his mind had gone completely blank.

“... Heh-heh!”

Hearing his mutter, Mer smiled smugly and jabbed her elbow into his chest.

“I was going to get angry, but I’ll forgive you. You were thinking about Lady Senya so much that you mistook me for her, weren’t you?”

“No... well... sure.”

“Still, Sir Eugene, please remember this. I’m not Lady Senya. I’m only her daughter... No, no, her familiar.”

“Right...”

“But! Even if I’m not angry, I still have to point something out. Do you know why? I’m doing this not because you ignored me calling you, but because you got all dressed up to come out!”

That only confused Eugene further. He had gotten dressed up? What the hell was she talking about?

“Why did you wash your hair and take a bath before coming here?”

“Am I supposed to go out without washing?”

“You brushed your teeth, too.”

“My breath would stink if I didn’t.”

“Why does that matter? You just have to keep your face far enough away that no one can smell it. Sir Eugene, did you brush your teeth in case your lips got close to someone else’s?”

“What is this girl talking about...?”

“And you changed your clothes. Why? You could have worn yesterday’s clothes. Or the ones I picked out!”

“You seem confused about my gender.”

“How? You’re a man, Sir Eugene. What’s there to be confused about?”

Mer tilted her head as she answered. Eugene scowled and flicked her forehead.

“Then why the f*ck did you pick out a skirt for me? A bright red skirt, at that? Huh? And where did you get those tacky fishnet stockings?”

“Lady Melkith gave them to me. She said I’d want to wear them someday, when I became a splendid lady.”

“Should I kill her?”

["I think you should."]

Eugene muttered, and Tempest agreed.

“... That’s not important. What really matters to me is that you’ve dressed up for your date with that split-personality saint.”

“What does she keep going on about...? What damn date?”

“You’re not serious, are you?”

“... Fine, it’s a date. Yes. But I didn’t dress up especially for it. I was going out, so I washed, and changed clothes while I was at it. Did I put anything in my hair? Put on perfume? Am I wearing some fancy, expensive outfit?”

“You have such a handsome face and such good proportions that you look great in anything.”

“Uh... oh... Thanks for the compliment, but anyway, I didn’t make any special effort—”

“That makes it even worse. You didn’t dress up, but you look like you did. What if that scheming saint sees you now and gets the wrong idea? What about Lady Senya? What about her?”

“The wrong idea about what?”

Fortunately, Eugene didn’t have to answer Mer’s whining. The voice behind him felt like salvation. With a deep sigh, he turned around.

Kristina stood there in a pure white robe—Anise’s robe, retrieved from the Holy See’s highest-grade relic vault. With its hood pulled low over her face, she looked at Eugene and Mer.

“... Ugh...”

Mer couldn’t help feeling a little intimidated at the sight of Kristina.

["Lower your eyes."]

She could still vividly recall that voice and those blue eyes.

“Have you been waiting long?”

“No, not really.”

Noon, at Sun Plaza.

That was the arrangement they had made before parting. There was still a little time before noon, but the sun high overhead shone warm and bright. Beneath it, Anise’s holy statue flew with a pair of wings spread wide.

April 13.

Today was Anise’s feast day. Yuras had as many saints and commemorative days as its long history warranted, but Anise’s feast day was celebrated as grandly as the nation’s founding day or occasions associated with the Holy Emperor.

Festivities took place throughout Yuras, but the greatest crowds gathered in its capital, Euresia. For the weeklong festival beginning today, the Sunnyside Anise Train would run free of charge until late at night, while city carriage fares and purchases at restaurants and most other businesses would be exempt from taxes and tithes. There would also be parades in the streets and fireworks bursting overhead at night.

And the center of those festivities was right here, in Sun Plaza. Even now, the plaza was teeming with people, waving to the statue of Anise in the sky and offering prayers.

Despite the crowds, however, the space around Eugene was fairly quiet. Others did not dare approach him. That was thanks to the mana he deliberately released and a complex suggestion spell. Most people noticed him but felt no inclination to come closer.

“... Ahem.”

Kristina quietly cleared her throat and looked up. Anise’s holy statue was the symbol of Sun Plaza, hailed as the greatest of Yuras’s countless holy statues, relics of the past, and religious works of art. Once, Kristina had offered prayers whenever she saw it, deeply moved.

["The accuracy is atrocious. My wings aren’t that shabby. And they’ve made my face all loving and benevolent, like a mother who’s had a child. My features were a little sharper than that."]

She would never feel quite the same emotion again. Ignoring Anise’s grumbling in her head, Kristina slipped a hand inside her cloak. Her eyes remained fixed on Mer, who clung to Eugene’s chest like a cicada.

“Lady Mer.”

“Wh-what... is it?”

Her eyes dropped even as she answered. How humiliating...!

Mer thought of Senya, from whom she had been separated so long ago, and the corners of her mouth drooped. Never had she missed her master and creator more than she did now...

“Did you know? This plaza is very large.”

“... I suppose it is.”

“If you head out toward its edges, you’ll find other squares and streets. That area is known as the food district.”

Mer’s eyes twitched.

“The stalls are strictly regulated, and only those that survive fierce competition remain. Their food is so exquisite that you’d hardly believe it came from street vendors... During festivals like this, vendors from other regions and countries can also apply in advance for permission to set up stalls. Do you understand what that means?”

“N-no... I don’t.”

“It means this is an opportunity to enjoy flavors from across the continent.”

What Kristina drew from inside her clothing was a rosary bracelet.

“This rosary is issued only to high-ranking clergy of bishop rank or above. Yuras takes excellent care of its clergy. In Euresia especially, merely wearing this bracelet guarantees the finest treatment at any shop.”

“...”

“That applies to street stalls, too. No matter how long the queue, showing this bracelet lets you order next without waiting in line. And of course, the bracelet covers payment as well.”

Mer’s eyes wavered.

“It isn’t limited to street stalls. You can use it at any restaurant or shop. An ordinary person would struggle to visit even ten shops during the weeklong festival, but with this bracelet... assuming your stomach permits it, you could enjoy every stall and shop in half a day.”

Her stomach’s permission? Mer had no need to ask permission from a stomach she didn’t even have. Festival stalls—what thrilling words!

“... Unfortunately, though, while I’ll be here in the plaza today, I have no appetite, so I don’t intend to visit any stalls or restaurants.”

“Th-that’s...!”

“If you’d like, Lady Mer, I could lend you this rosary for the day...”

Those words forced Mer into a long, thoughtful silence. Time continued to pass while she kept her mouth shut. The nearby clock tower’s bell rang out, announcing noon.

DONG, DONG, DONG...

“Ooooh!”

At noon on her feast day, the mechanism built into Anise’s statue activated. An intricate device powered by magical engineering moved, changing the statue’s pose.

Anise’s statue, which had merely flown while looking down at the ground, knelt high in the sky and assumed a posture of prayer. The wings spread wide behind it beat once, scattering feathers of light across the heavens.

Mer silently gazed up. Sunlight struck the statue’s wings at just the right moment, producing beautiful colors. At that sight, Mer clasped her hands in prayer.

‘... I’m sorry, Lady Senya.’

Surely one day would be all right? It was also the birthday of Senya’s companion from three hundred years ago, so she could commemorate that... She certainly hadn’t been blinded by the lure of the festival stalls.

Come to think of it, she had promised Anisilla, Gerhard, and the others that she would bring back souvenirs from Yuras. Having received so much affection from them, she absolutely had to buy gifts. That was what she told herself.

‘Sir Eugene will never go souvenir shopping. Today is my only chance.’

So she had no choice.

‘Lady Senya said kindness must always be repaid.’

In other words, she wasn’t giving in to the temptation of fine food. She was putting Lady Senya’s teachings into practice. She might eat something if she got hungry along the way, but her primary purpose was to buy souvenirs. Mer meekly detached herself from Eugene’s chest and stepped out of his cloak.

No further discussion was necessary. With a benevolent smile, Kristina slipped the rosary bracelet onto Mer’s wrist. Mer slowly turned away, glanced at Eugene, and started off with quick little steps. Then she stopped and looked back.

“... May I ask one thing?”

“Yes, of course.”

“... Right now... are you Lady Kristina? Or Lady Anise?”

Kristina beamed and tilted her head.

“Which do you think?”

... Mer didn’t want to think about it and arrive at an answer. Still, she hoped it was Anise. Then she truly would have no choice.

Mer bowed her head and turned away again.

“... Be careful. Don’t follow any strange people, and ignore them even if they offer you candy...”

Instead of answering, Mer triumphantly raised the fist bearing the rosary bracelet.

“Let’s go, too.”

Pulling her hood a little lower, Kristina approached. The plaza was more crowded today than on any other day of the year, and Anise’s statue hung directly overhead. She had no desire to expose a face that looked so much like Anise’s.

“Where are we going?”

“I haven’t decided on anywhere in particular... But since we’re already out, wouldn’t it be fun to look around the festival together?”

Kristina took a few steps ahead as she answered. Then something occurred to her, and she turned back to Eugene.

“... Hamel. Can you tell who I am?”

“Have you decided to call me Hamel, too?”

Kristina blinked for a moment at his question, then burst into a little laugh.

“I thought I was a good actress, but I’m not very good at playing Lady Anise.”

“Do you need to play anyone?”

Muttering that, Eugene raised a finger. He knew why Kristina was wearing her hood. He understood.

But he didn’t particularly like it.

A gentle breeze blew Kristina’s hood back. Startled, she tried to catch it, but the mischievous wind insisted on pushing it off and setting her hair fluttering.

“Kristina Rogeris.”

Eugene spoke her name clearly.

“You haven’t done anything wrong. Why hide your face?”

“... But... someone might recognize me...”

“So what? Will that cause trouble? It probably will. But don’t hide anyway. You’re you, and Anise is Anise. If someone sees your face and starts bothering you, I’ll make them piss off.”

Grumbling, Eugene walked past Kristina.

“It’s noon, and I’m hungry, so I was going to have lunch. Can we not even do that now? You gave Mer that bracelet.”

“... Pfft.”

After standing dazed for a moment, Kristina let out a short laugh and came over to him.

“I have another rosary, so don’t worry.”

For some reason, having her face exposed felt awkward. Kristina needlessly touched her cheek as she followed Eugene.

["Kristina."]

‘... Yes, Sister.’

["Do you understand how I feel?"]

Anise whispered.

["I was rather fond of that casual consideration of Hamel’s."]

What if those words slipped out of her mouth?

Frightened and embarrassed by the thought, Kristina slapped her own lips.