By Zephyria 
“Shall we look for it?”
“No, it’s fine. It’s an endangered species, so it’ll be hard to find. It seems they’re breeding and living well on their own in places where people can’t find them.”
Endangered species? As I tilted my head, Kyle jumped onto my back. I put the bird in my pocket and supported Kyle’s bottom with my hands.
“I heard they only live in high mountainous areas, but I guess that’s wrong information. Mahir gave me one as a birthday present when I was young.”
“Ah, you mean a Fairy Pitta?”
I had seen the scene of him receiving the gift when he was young in my memories.
“I thought it would die if it stayed in Talim, so I secretly released it at night. I wonder if it’s doing well.”
I hadn’t seen it in other memories since then, so I didn’t know where it went, but it seemed he just let it fly away. Just like he sent Sakira and Abyss far away.
I carried Kyle on my back and slowly walked down the snowy path, asking,
“But wasn’t that Fairy Pitta really big? And I think its feathers were really colorful. And its eyelashes were really long.”
“Its colors change as it grows. There are three major growth periods…”
After that, Kyle explained about the Fairy Pitta for a long time. He didn’t even look for it or give it a name, but when did he find out so much information? If he liked it that much, he could have just raised it.
If I had been there with him then, I would have done whatever it took to catch the bird Kyle let go of. And I would have told him that I would take good care of it so it wouldn’t die, and he could just watch it sometimes.
Then wouldn’t Kyle have reluctantly agreed?
I suddenly felt sad, so I closed my mouth and just listened to Kyle’s words.
¸.•¨•¸.•¨•¸.•¨•¸
After arriving at the mansion, we slowly began to prepare to leave for Actan. Since we weren’t parting forever, there was no need for a grand farewell.
While Sakira prepared the ship so we could go to Actan comfortably, Kyle called Abyss. And he handed him a sword he had brought from the Primeval Forest.
“What is this?”
It was a sword made of metal that the elves of Ophelia’s clan had used in the past. If you looked for it, there would be a few more on the ground, but even the method of forging it had been lost, so it could be said to be a national treasure.
Abyss, who received the sword with a bewildered expression, tilted his head as if he found it strange that the sword was too light.
“It’s instead of scissors.”
“Yes?”
“Be careful, it’s sharp.”
Abyss’s bewildered face turned white, then red, then blue. All sorts of emotions swirled around, and tears began to well up in his eyes. Kyle, seeing him about to kneel, stepped back in disgust.
“Your Highness, I…”
“Stop. Stop it, it’s creepy.”
“But!”
“That’s an order. And…”
Kyle, who was about to say something, moved his lips and then closed them. Then he sighed and muttered.
“Okay. You’re all grown up now, so I can’t tell you what to do.”
“Yes? I’m much older than you? And I was already an adult before I met Your Highness.”
“Anyway, I’m warning you, if I hear that you’re mistreating Sakira, you’re dead.”
Despite the harsh words, Abyss hugged the sword Kyle gave him and smiled.
“Even if I am mistreated, it will be me, so don’t worry, that will never happen. But when are you coming again?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do you remember? When we first went to war…”
Abyss began to reminisce about the stories that had happened in the past, as if he was lost in memories. Kyle had a look that said, ‘What are you talking about all of a sudden?’ but he didn’t bother to stop him.
There were things I knew because I had seen them in Kyle’s memories, and there were things I was hearing for the first time.
“I also saved Your Highness when you almost fell off your horse while riding because you fell asleep.”
“The reason I fell asleep in the first place was because you kept crying all night the day before while camping, saying you wanted to go home. If Garam hadn’t kicked your butt for being noisy, I would have strangled you to death first.”
“Isn’t Garam too much? How could he kick the butt of someone who is crying because they are sad?”
It must have been a long time ago when Garam was around, but Kyle hated it as if he had experienced it yesterday. I carefully observed Kyle. It was an expression and tone he didn’t show me very often.
Abyss was already used to it, so he was calm no matter what harsh words Kyle spat out.
But their conversation didn’t last long. It was time to set sail, so Kyle and I boarded the huge sailing ship. Kyle was held back again and received farewells from many people.
“……”
At that time, I faintly heard a sound like water droplets splashing in my ear. I quietly moved my steps and went to the source of the sound. Hair that curled like seaweed floated on the calm sea. And my eyes met dark blue eyes.
“What are you doing there?”
Kyle, who had finished greeting, quietly approached me without a sound. I only turned my head for a moment, but when I looked at the sea again, the mermaid had already disappeared.
“They’re about to set sail soon. Let’s go.”
“Have you finished saying goodbye?”
“Yeah.”
Looking at the pier, there was quite a crowd gathered. Sakira, Abyss, and Rylai were also there. They were waving their arms enthusiastically, so I waved my hand along with them.
“Please buy me peanut snacks when you come next time!”
“Stop it! Enough with the peanut snacks!”
I heard a familiar voice on the wind.
“Come visit again!”
We left Calderia with the farewells of many people. Kyle didn’t move from that spot until the pier was too far away to be seen.
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The distance between the peninsula and the continent from which we departed was not that far, so we would probably arrive in Actan in three days at the latest.
“What were you looking at earlier?”
As soon as we entered the luxuriously decorated cabin, Kyle asked.
“I saw a mermaid.”
“A mermaid? With a scaly tail?”
“Yeah. It appears and follows me whenever I go near the sea.”
“Don’t you have something to say? It wouldn’t be bad to meet and talk to it once. As long as it’s not hostile.”
At those words, I frowned.
“I don’t think it’s hostile… It was the mermaid who told me the location of the pearl.”
“A pearl? Ah, from the last voyage?”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t say anything and doesn’t come closer than a certain distance.”
It just watched from afar as if observing. It was the same when I was at sea looking for Kyle.
“I wonder if it’s still there? Do you want to go out and see?”
“But it doesn’t come if there are people nearby.”
“Then let’s call it out at night.”
I nodded, but I didn’t expect the mermaid to appear. After all, from the mermaid’s point of view, Kyle was also a person.
“If you’re there, come out.”
In the dark night when everyone was asleep, Kyle, leaning against the railing of the deck, muttered softly. But contrary to my expectations, the mermaid appeared as if it were a lie at that half-hearted call.
The face that floated above the dark night sea like black darkness shone strangely in the moonlight.
“It really came out?”
Kyle was also surprised and looked at me in embarrassment.
―Beep beep beep.
I heard a high-pitched sound in my ear for the first time. It sounded like a clear musical instrument, but it was definitely the mermaid’s language. Of course, I couldn’t understand what it was saying.
―Beep beep beep.
Sometimes I remembered something, like when I fell in the Northern Continent, but I couldn’t remember the mermaid’s language. Is there a separate condition for recalling memories from my past life?
“It keeps asking if you’re not going to look for the needle?”
At that time, Kyle looked at me and said. I blankly looked at Kyle and asked.
“How do you know what it’s saying?”
“Don’t you know what it’s saying? Why do only I know? We both remembered it together when we were in Gallak.”
A part of my flesh existed inside Kyle’s body. It seemed that even a small part was considered to inherit blood and flesh. So, when you think about it, the seamstress of this generation was Kyle and me.
Of course, it could be a wrong assumption, but there was no way to know for now. In order to know everything, not just fragments of memories like now, I had to find the first needle and perform the final ritual to incorporate myself into the mission. But since I had already decided not to do that, I would never know all the secrets of the world.
“I’m not going to do it.”
―Beep beep beep.
“No, can’t you hear me?” – Beep beep beep.”
“I decided not to do that.”