Chapter 229: Memory of the Forest Oath
The battle had ended.
The defeat of Diablos served as the declaration of victory.
Yet the cost was naturally devastating.
For instance, Mahiro, despite having delivered the most dashing sword strike, suffered a backlash after the Demon King Killing Sacred Sword devoured too much of his magical power.
His entire arm had crystallized.
"Sorry, Mahiro... Did you end up like this because of my curse...?"
A huge question mark slowly formed in Est's small head.
She had clearly witnessed Mahiro's right arm turning into spirit ore due to the backlash from her curse,
yet now, it was visibly restoring to its original state at a rapid pace.
Mahiro even used that same arm to pat her head, comforting her:
"It's fine, this isn't your fault. See, I'm completely unharmed, right?"
Indeed, nothing was wrong—except that his skin seemed more delicate than before, as if it had just regenerated.
To be honest, the backlash from Est's curse had no real effect on him.
At worst, he could simply use regeneration to reverse it.
What he hadn't expected, however, was that his body would actively adapt to the curse, even turning it into his own power...
Indeed, the adaptability and evolution of the Tyrant were truly terrifying.
It also successfully pushed him further and further along the path of becoming something beyond human.
Still, what happened to him paled in comparison to the losses suffered by Midgar.
The royal capital of Midgar was now in ruins, nearly completely destroyed.
The royal family had been almost entirely wiped out, with Alexia being the sole survivor of that catastrophe.
The remaining nobles placed all the blame squarely on the Oriana Kingdom.
Rumors had spread—no one knew the source—that the disaster was caused by the Oriana Kingdom's use of ancient artifacts during the Bushin Festival, intending to kill everyone and unify the world...
Though the rumors were outrageous, every other kingdom believed them without exception.
After all, records of such terrifying disasters had indeed appeared in the history of the Oriana Kingdom.
This was also why neighboring countries had always feared this art-focused kingdom, which lacked any military strength.
Thus, the Oriana Kingdom instantly became the target of everyone's criticism.
Compounding the issue, the loss of its king and duke left the kingdom leaderless, and Rose was too grief-stricken by the events to step forward.
As a result, the vast kingdom was quickly carved up by other nations.
A deserved outcome, one might say.
However, the Midgar Kingdom was not faring well either. Since the incident occurred in its capital, it had to bear some responsibility as well.
And Alexia had no understanding of the intricacies of diplomacy or statecraft.
Not to mention the covert influence of the Cult lurking in the shadows.
The members of the Cult had already received news of Diablos being hunted.
They were desperately eager to obtain the corpse.
Even though Shadow Garden, the ones who had hunted it, were still entrenched within the royal capital.
It could only be said that the temptation of immortality was too strong, enough to drive anyone to madness.
Thus, Shadow Garden took action.
Following the clues.
They traced the remnants left by the Cult to their strongholds and eliminated them one by one.
With Mahiro's powerful support, both the Numbers and the Seven Shadows exerted their full strength, swiftly and thoroughly cleansing the Cult.
Meanwhile, Eta had thoroughly squeezed every last drop from Diablos' remains, handing over bottle after bottle of extracted blood to Mahiro.
They had initially assumed Mahiro would consume the Demon King's blood directly, but to their surprise, he instead integrated it into the evolution serum.
Following Dr. Stylish's original methodology.
The third-generation evolution serum was successfully developed.
Using the Gastrea Virus's compatibility and Tyrant's evolutionary factors as the foundation, they successfully incorporated the Blood of Diabolos.
However, just as the royal capital was undergoing repairs with support from the Arcadia Trading Company, Alexia suddenly came knocking.
After not seeing her for some time, the second princess had lost her former elegance, replaced instead by a face full of exhaustion and weariness.
Her smooth silver hair seemed to have lost its usual luster, appearing as unkempt as weeds.
Dragging two coffins wearily, she completely ignored the astonished gazes of people on the street, directly entered the depths of the trading company, and pushed past obstacles to find Mahiro.
She made her request—
"You want me to resurrect your sister and father?"
"Yes, Yotsuba-sensei, please... Whatever the cost may be, I beg you to save my elder sister and father, I implore you..."
Alexia deeply bowed her head toward him.
That day's miraculous scene remained vivid in her memory.
Even though those black-clad maidens of Shadow Garden had fallen, after being enveloped in light, they stood up again to fight those magical beasts.
Though in the end, Yotsuba-sensei didn't save those who had died untimely deaths.
But Alexia didn't harbor any resentment toward him for this.
She understood clearly that she had no right to demand anything from him—the fact that he had stayed to save the royal capital instead of leaving immediately was already an immense mercy.
However, after days of inner turmoil and exhausting state affairs that drained her mentally and physically.
She ultimately chose to seek him out.
Beseeching Yotsuba-sensei to save her elder sister and father.
"Please, Yotsuba-sensei, I'll do anything you ask..."
"No problem."
"R-really?!"
Hearing his response, Alexia lifted her head excitedly, tears welling in her eyes as she looked at him.
"Of course, but I'm pondering one question—if I could only resurrect one person, would you choose to revive Iris, or your father?"
As he spoke, a playful smile gradually surfaced on Mahiro's face.
Though in reality, he was just making a rather cruel joke. 1.
But to Alexia, this wasn't a joke at all—she took it completely seriously!
"Why... can't you revive both my elder sister and father?"
Alexia desperately wanted to ask this, but she forcibly swallowed the words before they could leave her mouth.
As mentioned before, she had no means to compel Mahiro to do anything.
Even being able to meet him here was already tremendous luck for her.
Thus, Alexia actually began carefully weighing and considering who she should choose to resurrect...
"Alright, don't be so tense. I was just joking."
Mahiro waved his hand, leaving Alexia utterly stunned.
Her eyes now held a mixture of indignation and helplessness.
Why hadn't I noticed before that this Yotsuba-sensei was such a person with twisted tastes!
To actually joke about matters of life and death!
If Mahiro knew her inner thoughts, he would probably say, "Well, that's because you haven't interacted with me enough."
But for now—
"Saving them is naturally not a problem, but I have conditions too."
"...What conditions?"
"Simple. You and your elder sister Iris join Shadow Garden, abandon everything, and from now on have no further connection with the Midgar royal family."
When he said this, Alexia visibly caught her breath.
Her body stiffened, her fists clenched tightly, trembling slightly.
But gradually, she relaxed again.
Alexia understood clearly what joining Shadow Garden meant—it was evident from the fact that all members were female.
The problem was, given the circumstances, what other choice did she have?
Could she just stand by and watch her elder sister and father die?
She couldn't do that.
But she felt she could still struggle a bit more.
"No 'buts' about it. This is the non-negotiable price. Just you alone isn't worth the cost of two lives."
Mahiro saw right through Alexia's thoughts and spread his hands:
"Moreover, the sacrifice of you sisters can save the entire Midgar Kingdom. Isn't such a noble sacrifice a wonderful thing?"
"And frankly, I think you two sisters are actually getting the better end of the deal."
"You're simply a demon..."
"Thank you for the compliment. I often receive such praise."
Mahiro smiled faintly, accepting the girl's "praise" without reservation.
However, despite her cursing, Alexia ultimately agreed to his conditions.
And Mahiro, true to his word, resurrected the beheaded Iris and the old king whose remains were no longer intact.
The resurrected Iris was naturally bewildered. After Alexia explained what had happened, Iris naturally refused such an outrageous demand.
How could a princess of a nation join an underground organization akin to terrorists?
But what did that matter?
She was immediately forcibly taken away by Lambda, unable to resist in the slightest.
After all, Lambda's strength was not to be underestimated—she could easily take on ten Irises at minimum.
And so, several more days passed.
The Seven Shadows who had been on external missions returned to the royal capital one after another.
"Huh? Where's Mahiro-sama? Why can't I see him?"
The moment Beta returned to the merchant guild, she wanted to see Mahiro.
Since the teachers' dormitory had been destroyed in the monster attack and hadn't been rebuilt yet, Mahiro had been staying at the merchant guild.
But as it turned out, Beta searched the entire guild but couldn't find him.
"Beta-sama, as for Mahiro-sama, he went out with Alpha early yesterday morning. They won't be back for a few days."
Nu, who had just finished her tasks, responded thus.
"Eh?"
Hearing this, Beta exchanged glances with the other Seven Shadows.
Mahiro-sama went out with Alpha-sama???
...
The scent of forest trees drifted into the nasal passages.
Sunlight filtering through the branches shone into the room from the window.
Alpha leaned against the windowsill, the gentle breeze stirring her golden hair illuminated by the sunlight, her wide-brimmed white sunhat trembling slightly.
"Time flies so quickly."
Azure eyes gazed out the window, where towering trees grew and the grassy ground flourished with wildflowers exuding the fragrance of earth.
It was late autumn.
The leaves on the trees had already turned a brilliant crimson, creating a striking contrast with the green grass, while the air was filled with the scent of the forest.
This familiar, warm aroma felt truly long-awaited to her.
It was as if she had returned to those days, immersed in this very same fragrance...
"Hey, do you remember everything we experienced here?"
Lost in memories of the past, Alpha asked softly.
"Of course I remember."
Mahiro appeared beside Alpha, gently wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder as they both looked out at the scenery.
"I still remember when we first met—right after waking up, you called me 'Dad'."
A rare blush spread across her fair cheeks, and Alpha squirmed slightly in his embrace.
But it wasn't really her fault.
That warm feeling from back then remained vivid in her memory even now.
Just like this moment, enveloped in strong arms, feeling the warmth that was palpable even through their clothes.
It truly resembled the few memories she had of her father.
Speaking of which, the slightly worn wooden cabin they were in now also held countless memories for them.
Aside from the inn, this was the earliest base of Shadow Garden.
It was also the nostalgic little cabin that Mahiro and she had built together.
Though simple and far from perfect, in Alpha's heart, this wooden-scented house was irreplaceable.
Because Mahiro had tutoring work during the day, he only came here in the evenings.
So she and Yukime would wait here obediently, eagerly anticipating nightfall.
In the evenings, the three of them would either gather around a bonfire outside, enjoying wild vegetable soup and roasted meat, or savor delicious cream stew inside the cabin.
For her, that period was the most precious and happiest memory.
As time passed, the cabin welcomed its first new family member besides her, Yukime, and Mahiro—
A silver-haired girl with a teardrop mole near her eye, who cried easily.
She was Beta, the exiled princess from the fallen elf capital.
Since Alpha and Beta were old acquaintances, even if they weren't particularly close, Beta clung to her and later grew attached to Mahiro.
Not long after, Gamma and Delta joined as well.
The cabin gradually grew livelier.
And more crowded.
To accommodate Mahiro, they expanded the cabin, making it more beautiful, and even designated a garden and training ground in the backyard.
In his free evenings, Mahiro would teach them how to fight there.
Though the training was always tough, Alpha loved it and never complained.
The same couldn't be said for Gamma.
With no talent for combat, she was often pinned down by a triumphant Delta, and even Beta sometimes fell victim to Delta's teasing.
Mahiro and Yukime had an especially incompatible relationship, often bristling at each other before escalating into full-blown physical confrontations.
Each time, it fell to Mahiro and Alpha to intervene and stop them.
Before bedtime, Mahiro would tell them stories, subtly emphasizing the importance of various kinds of knowledge through these tales.
Alpha didn't quite grasp the deeper meanings, while Beta adored the stories, listening with rapt attention every time.
Only Gamma became deeply fascinated by the ideas in these stories. Even her once-lifeless eyes gradually began to shine with a powerful light.
From then on, she greedily absorbed this knowledge and applied what she learned.
Later, Epsilon, Zeta, and Eta joined the group.
With them, the present Seven Shadows were complete.
Epsilon was a proud and haughty girl—confident and competitive, yet far from foolish.
Through various setbacks, she found her own path—
When it came to controlling magical power, she was the strongest among the seven.
Even so, she was well aware that she was no match for the War Goddess's niece, so she set her sights on the second-strongest, Beta.
She boldly declared that one day she would take Beta's position.
It was through this rivalry that their friendship formed, and they have been competing ever since.
As for Zeta, when she first arrived, she was quiet, perhaps still grieving the deaths of her parents and younger brother.
She kept her distance from the others.
But under Alpha's care and guidance, and with her help as a bridge to the group, Zeta gradually opened up and became part of the family.
Her personality was much like that of a cat.
She possessed remarkable natural talent, and her combat skills were in no way inferior to Delta, who, like a wild child, often hunted alone outdoors.
Unfortunately, cats are lazy.
Even though she could master many techniques with ease, she had no interest in delving deeper.
And, true to her cat-like nature, she was naturally incompatible with Delta and didn't get along with Yukime at all.
Then there was Eta—a truly peculiar girl.
She often caused trouble, but her mind was undeniably sharp, developing in a completely different direction from Gamma.
However, this came at a cost: her ability to take care of herself was extremely poor.
Epsilon, like an older sister, took on the responsibility of looking after her. Before long, Beta and Gamma had also become her test subjects.
Zeta and Delta chased each other around the yard every day.
Alpha and Yukime often sat in the pavilion, enjoying sweets or busily preparing dinner.
Before they knew it, they had become an irreplaceable family to one another.
That small cabin, filled with the scent of wood, became their eternal home, a place where they lived in happiness.
And from that time on, Alpha never stopped running forward, chasing after that elusive figure.
Holding the fragrance of memories and happiness close to her heart, she poured all her strength into pursuing her ideals.
Perhaps, by now, she had already achieved them.
"I truly am happy now…"
The bright moonlight filtering through the branches dispelled the darkness inside the room, bringing a glimmer of light.
"Although I don't know what's going on in that little head of yours, this isn't the end of the road. The journey isn't over yet."
"My goal is that sea of stars!"
Mahiro rarely made such bold declarations as he reached toward the distant starry sky, his hand slightly cupped as if grasping the constellations themselves.
It seemed as though he held the stars firmly in his palm.
Then, a pair of pale hands climbed up his forearm, gradually moving upward until they finally covered his own hand.
"I understand. But no matter what lies ahead, we will always remain by your side."
Under the moonlight, their mutual vows resembled eternal promises.
The chorus of insects echoed through the silent forest, gradually harmonizing with the elves' soft chants...