The bright sunlight illuminated the dusky room, making the scenery inside clearer. The sound of birds and the noise of the bustling town gradually grew louder.
And the beautiful buildings of the town dazzled perfectly beneath the sun. However, my mind was too preoccupied to appreciate its stunning beauty.
I was concerned about a few things regarding my dream and the information I had received from the person who named himself "Void."
(If his information is true, then am I screwed? My goal was to acquire space magic and find a way home. Is that even possible anymore? Or rather, should that even be my main objective anymore? That "God of destruction" is going to hold a grudge, isn't he... if that's the case, then I should focus on getting as strong as possible)
Perhaps he is in the same condition as I, reborn without memories and stripped of his identity.
But even so, there is still the possibility that he will regain his memories in the future, just as I might also regain my own memories in the future.
If he does hold a resentment, then there is a high possibility that we might clash in the near future, doesn't he? In that case, I'll need power.
Yes, to prepare for that guy's arrival in the distant future, I should become strong, stronger than I was previously, as I can't remember anything.
I was hoping I could at least regain my memories. I guess I should have a little talk with Alya. If anyone could give me the answers I need, then it had to be her.
With that, I got to my feet and stretched my hands as I yawned faintly; the contents of my dream still lingered in my memories.
I looked at myself through a small glass window.
My silky black hair was messy, and my black eyes had a faint shadow beneath them.... that wasn't a good sign at all. I couldn't shake the feeling that something troublesome was on the horizon.
The feeling I had back then was that of the other me from my dream. What could have happened for him, or rather for me, to harbour such hatred? Hate, anger, sadness, regret.
Those feelings were so strong that it felt like my heart was going to break.
There weren't that many things or people that would ever trigger such intense emotions from me. When I lived back home, I wasn't a very emotional person to begin with.
If so, then what happened? What changed in me?
(Come to think of it, at the end he tried to tell me something, didn't he? I couldn't make out what he was trying to say, I know he wanted to tell me something important)
I looked at my trembling hands while remembering the familiar sensation that I felt at that time.
What is it I should do? I came to this kingdom thinking something good would happen, but in the end, everything turned out to be so troublesome.
Whatever happened to him, if that dream really was the future, then I'll find out when the time comes, though. A part of me couldn't help but become scared.
At that moment, wind gathered, and the beautiful figure of Alya materialised, her long, silky green hair swayed gently as it carried a pleasant fragrance, and a beautiful smile formed on her glossy pink lips.
Hmm? Was it just my imagination that she looked even more beautiful today? Yeah, I'm sure it's just my imagination.
"Good morning, Haruto. Did you sleep well?"
Alya asked while tilting her head cutely.
"Yeah.... well, actually, I had a weird dream last night."
"Hmm? A weird dream, you say? Doesn't that sound familiar?"
Alya mumbled in a nostalgic tone; she seemed to be remembering something from the past. Of course, I could easily guess what she was remembering, but I decided not to say anything out loud.
Instead, my expression became serious as I asked her in a serious tone that couldn't be ignored.
"Alya, please answer me sincerely. Am I the reincarnation of the creator of this world, the god of creation?"
"..."
When Alya heard my sudden question, her emerald pupils contracted to the size of dots in a rare show of surprise. Seeing that reaction, I was even more convinced.
She knew the truth and hid it from me for some reason. I couldn't help but clench my fist. Why didn't she tell me?
Is it because she thinks I'll cause an inconvenience if I know?
My cold black eyes gazed at Alya's emerald eyes as though to swallow her whole. I won't drop this matter until I get a satisfactory answer.
However, Alya said nothing... she simply looked at me with an expression that was hard to describe.
Her shoulders trembled faintly as she finally opened her mouth. The atmosphere became strange.
"Forget it, you are not ready."
She said in an icy, cold voice, her emerald eyes held no light; her usual playful demeanour was nowhere to be found. It's like I was looking at a completely different person from the usual easy-going Alya.
However, despite the twitches from my mouth corner my eyes didn't back down as I stared at Alya's eyes, that was currently as sharp as the edge of a blade.
"Tell me just how much you hid from me until now?! Was it really just a coincidence that I somehow stumbled into this world? Is it a coincidence that I managed to forge a contract with you, or did you predict this from the beginning?"
And if so, was I only dancing in the palm of your hands this entire time? I wanted to say, but no words came out. It was difficult to get them out.
My angry voice filled the room; no one outside could hear me as long as the soundproofed doors were closed. My goal is to return home, she knew I wouldn't be able to, and yet she...
Alya's expression became pained as she tried to find words to say; her voice trembled in a barely audible tone.
"I-I didn't deceive you nor have I ever tried to mislead you, though. I will agree that I have kept some important information hidden from you until now, but... I was planning on telling you once I deemed that you are ready to learn."
Alya explained her expression, laced with guilt. Her words could easily be interpreted as a mere excuse for dodging the topic; perhaps she noticed this as she clicked her tongue. Unable to find any meaningful words.
"I understand that you are curious and want to know the things I have purposefully hidden from you. Please just forget it, I have made an important promise to that person. A promise I must keep no matter what, even if it's an order from my current master."
Alya said softly while turning her face away. A promise from that "Person", huh? Should I know who that person is? Though I could take a wild guess, but...
"Don't you think that's a little selfish?"
No, that's definitely selfish. A soft sigh escaped my mouth as I stared at Alya, who had a troubled look on her face.
It was natural for me to feel anger as she purposefully kept useful information from me. I'm aware my anger is quite unreasonable and even unjustifiable when thinking about the current situation reasonably, isn't it?
After all, the person who most likely made that promise with her was none other than my past self.
So, it really was wrong to push my anger out on her. With that, I once again turned my eyes towards Alya and said seriously.
"The future doesn't look good, I'm sure you're already aware of that, right?"
After taking a glance into the future, assuming what I dreamt is the future, it's definitely not good.
"Indeed, I am."
Alya answered her expression, fully showing that she had comprehended the situation. As she nodded her head. Seeing that I smiled, satisfied with her response.
"In that case, great spirit of wind, Alya. Will you help me destroy the ones who made the foolish mistake of being my enemies?"
With that statement, I stretched my hands outwards towards her. She kept her silence as she gazed at my hands with deep emotion in her eyes.
"Can I absolutely trust you? Can I put my faith in you?"
Hearing my final words, a warm smile was neatly formed on her pink lip as she reached out her hands and grasped mine.
"Of course, if you can't trust me or depend on me, then who would you depend on?"
She replied. The two of us became lost in our own world until there was a soft knock on the door.
I promptly opened the door the silver-haired Nikita entered my field of vision.
"Good morning, master. I hope you slept well."
Nikita said as her lips were upturned into a smile. I was about to answer her and ask about the spies who had been secretly tailing us yesterday when... my eyes landed on her beautiful dress.
Or rather, her white miniskirt that reached a bit above her knees. She wore a jet green shoulderless jacket, exposing her smooth white skin that was like freshly made snowfall. Her already pink lips were painted red by a deep shaded red lipstick.
"U-Umm? Why?"
I questioned dumbfoundedly. Seeing my surprised reaction, she smiled cutely as she played with her long silver hair that hung behind her back.
Her silver fox tails wagged happily. 'Cute, I thought, just like a dog that was happy to receive its master's attention.
"Fufufu! Seeing your reaction made changing clothes worth it."
"Ufufufu! Didn't I tell you he would be mesmerised?!"
Alya replied to Nikita's words with a huff of pride as she placed both her hands at her hips. Nikita nodded her head happily as she spun around in a circle, as though to show off.
I must admit she is cute, what concerns me is...!
Her jacket was quite tight, and it easily emphasised her voluptuous breasts that would constantly jiggle with the movement of her body.
Is this something someone should be wearing out in the open? I wondered. But I decided against saying anything.
Seeing Nikita's smiling face, I figured staying quiet was for the best, definitely, don't want to step on a landmine, after all.
"Well, you guys, we'll be going to the guild in the next half an hour, so get ready."
Although I wanted to ask about her usual wear, I decided to ignore my curiosity for the time being. It was "Curiosity that killed the cat", or so they say.
Half an hour passed by in the blink of an eye.
We steadily made our way towards the adventure guild we visited the previous day. The town was bustling with noise as always; stalls, stores, and vendors could be seen here and there. We ignored all the noises and leisurely made our way towards our destination.
Once we had made our way back to the familiar place, we went inside and walked towards the same receptionist.
"Did you hear that one of Bai's hideouts was destroyed?"
"Yeah, I heard it's what everyone is talking about; they say his followers were completely frozen in ice by some powerful magic user. Not only did they find his bloodied corpse, whoever launched the attack brutally murdered him."
Two men sitting around a small table with wooden mugs in their hands said they both carried a heavy stench of alcohol.
Though I was more interested in the contents of what they were currently talking about. Bai? Were they referring to that bulky guy who picked a fight with us yesterday? I wondered.
-Yes, it seems his name was Bai. But he has already been taken care of, no need to worry.
Through the use of telepathy. Alya gave me a summary of what had happened.
Hearing this, I couldn't help but pity Bai and his loyal followers, especially when she told me how she had killed him. I didn't really have anything against you, but you picked a fight with the wrong people, that's all.
(But still they said they died at the hands of an ice user; they said moreover, a really powerful one. huh? Nikita, what the heck did you do)
There weren't a lot of people around who could manipulate the ice element. Though, it was possible through the use of "Water magic" it's still fairly difficult.
(Wouldn't everyone know it was her by sensing the lingering magical power in the air?)
I sighed tiredly. I didn't think she would do something as reckless as this. Do they even know the meaning of "Inconspicuous"? I didn't want any unnecessary attention to be shown to us.
-Please, do not worry, I made sure to erase every trace of our magical power left behind by our presence on the scene of the crime, even if an expert were to investigate, they wouldn't find anything that connected us to this incident.
Alya explained smugly with a reassured smile on her face. Well, if the always prideful wind spirit says so, then I have no reason to disagree. I shall comply, but still calling it "Scene of the crime" wouldn't be that far from the truth, considering you guys had brutally killed a group of people, but it still sounded kind of strange.
This isn't some cliched crime movie, you know. I turned my gaze towards Nikita, who was smiling happily while humming a beautiful tune.