By Zephyria 
Kyle was busily communicating with the mermaid while I was lost in thought. He seemed to understand the mermaid’s words, but he couldn’t imitate its language.
Kyle raised both hands above his head, forming an X.
“I won’t. I won’t do it.”-Beep beep.”
“Okay, I won’t look for it.”
After that, the mermaid looked back and forth between Kyle and me before diving into the water. A large tail fin covered in shimmering blue scales flashed above the surface before sinking.
“What did it say?”
At my question, Kyle looked at me and said, “It kept telling me to go to the Dried Sea to find the needle? And it asked which one of us is the real one.”
Has it gotten to the point where other races can’t tell us apart either? Is that why Ophelia was confused and appeared in Kyle’s dream? Considering that we passed the biometric authentication when we were moved to the underground Ruins, there must have been signs since then.
Kyle took my hand and muttered as we entered the cabin, “But what’s the Dried Sea? How can a sea dry up?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s a metaphor? Like the seamstress.”
Just as repairing the torn wall of dimensions was called sewing or stitching, this might also be a kind of metaphor.
“I remember seeing a scene where someone said the needle was so hot that they were cooling it with seawater.”
At Kyle’s words, I vaguely recalled a scene I had seen sometime. It was the sight of a metal object, towering like a tall spire, stuck alone in the dry land. Could that huge thing have been the needle?
“What was it… something about it being forged with the flame of somewhere, and that’s also a problem. My memories are so fragmented that I don’t understand anything.”
As we slowly entered the cabin, the fledgling in the cage chirped for the first time. It seemed to have recovered quite a bit, perhaps because Pipi had held it for a while before we left.
Kyle approached the small cage, checking on the fledgling’s condition as he continued, “We might find other information if we search around the Ruins a bit. There were so many books in the Ruins in the Rollai Mountains.”
“Okay.”
If we tracked down the hidden side of the world and gathered information, wouldn’t we be able to find a way to prevent the destruction? Of course, Ophelia said it was too late now, but you never knew.
Honestly, I didn’t care if the world was destroyed or not, but I hoped that at least while Kyle was alive, it would be peaceful.
“I used to see Forbidden books often when I was young, and they said there were many bizarre phenomena in the Rocky Desert. Let’s go there first.”
“Okay.”
As I nodded in response, Kyle’s gaze, which had been fixed on the cage, turned to me. His expression was subtly strange.
“Why do you keep saying okay to everything?”
“Because it’s good, so I say it’s good. Why?”
“What do you want to do? Tell me your opinion.”
I just want to do that too… Magical creatures might appear, and it might be dangerous, but I think I would be so happy if we could go see new things together.
“I want to travel to every corner of the world with you.”
But it was too much to say in detail, so I just shortened it. It would be much more dangerous, but if I could, I would like to go beyond the world. Like the Primeval Forest, there would be many more Forgotten places around the edge of the boundary.
At my words, Kyle closed his mouth and just stared at me. He kept thinking about something and remained silent, then pulled me closer. Kyle, who had laid down on the soft bed, embraced me and whispered softly, “Ophelia said her friend had finished a long journey and returned, remember?”
It was recent, so I remembered it quickly. She had said that last before leaving.
“Weren’t the Forgotten Race that he met in the Ruins of the deep forest of Gaulaprum and Ophelia the same race?” They looked similar based on what he described. Like having long ears.”
Now that I heard it, it seemed that way. As I nodded, Kyle opened his mouth in an even smaller voice than before.
“Even if Gaulaprum has a natural fortress, it doesn’t make sense that the war hasn’t ended for almost 100 years. And there was also some strange, unusual magical power.”
“…….”
I frowned without realizing it. Just thinking about the terrible humiliation Kyle suffered there when he was young made me feel suffocated.
“Could that power have been passed down by the Forgotten Race that Mahir met? He told Mahir all sorts of things just by being a temporary companion. And it’s strange that there’s a lush forest only in that barren desert.”
Except for what I saw in Kyle’s memories, I had never been to that place myself. But listening to Kyle’s words, it seemed like there were quite a few unusual aspects.
“Why?”
“Let’s go there. Something feels suspicious.”
Kyle’s pronunciation was getting slurred and his voice kept getting smaller, as if he was sleepy. I put my hand inside Kyle’s clothes and gently stroked his back.
“Have you been there since then?”
“Gaulaprum? No.”
He was treated like that there, but he didn’t feel any aversion? He might be okay right now, but it might be difficult when we actually go there.
“The cliff fortress was mostly destroyed in the battle back then and is so dilapidated that it was rebuilt. Anyway, let’s go there too, and let’s go to the Rocky Desert.”
“Okay.”
“Mahir won’t stop us, will he?”
Is there any reason to stop us? Maybe if there’s a dangerous element, he might. I hugged the almost half-asleep Kyle tightly and whispered in his ear.
“If he does, I’ll secretly carry you away.”
At my words, Kyle chuckled.
¸.•¨•¸.•¨•¸.•¨•¸
The journey to Actan was smooth. The weather was nice, and nothing special happened, so the two of us lazed around leisurely. The only bad thing was that the temperature was slowly rising.
Kyle had already thrown off his clothes. He was almost shirtless, enjoying the sunshine on the deck. In the end, I had no choice but to wear the robe that Kyle had been wearing again.
The most useful of the Magic tools found in the Ruins was this robe. Regardless of the outside weather, it allowed the wearer to feel the most comfortable temperature. It didn’t get dirty easily, so it was very useful for Kyle, who was sensitive to the cold, and me, who was sensitive to the heat.
Anyway, Kyle and I, who had arrived in Actan, didn’t go straight to the Imperial Castle but wandered around the streets for a while.
“The roads around here have changed a lot.”
“Really? I don’t know.”
I hadn’t been out much, so I didn’t remember anything. It felt unfamiliar, as if I had come to a new country, but I felt a strange nostalgia, which was amazing.
“I used to sneak out through the secret passage when I was young and pass by this area often. There are many alleys here…”
Kyle, who was talking excitedly as if he was happy to be back in his hometown after a long time, stopped. Then he turned his head and looked at me.
“Aska.”
Kyle’s eyes sparkled like a child who had found a toy he wanted. It was very pretty and cute, but I suddenly started to feel uneasy.
“Do you want to go to the secret passage with me?”
“…….”
As expected, he was saying something ridiculous. I asked again, just in case.
“……The Imperial Castle? Are you saying we should go into the Imperial Castle through the secret passage now?”
“Yeah, if that secret passage is still there.”
“Wouldn’t it be very embarrassing if we got caught?”
“Then you can carry me and run away.”
No, still, he’s been missing and is returning after a long time… Can a Prince do this? No, he’s not a Prince now, but the Emperor’s only younger brother, the Prince.
Suddenly, I remembered the scene where Kyle nagged Mahir, whom he met at the Calderia Royal Castle, about the Emperor’s dignity and decorum. He was so hard on Mahir…
“Let’s go.”
But if we didn’t get caught, it would be fun, so I only pretended to dissuade him a little and followed him as if I couldn’t help it.
We arrived at a very secluded place where the outer wall of the Imperial Castle stretched out for a long time. It was difficult to approach because it was densely fenced with ornamental garden trees.
Even though so much time had passed, Kyle accurately remembered the location of the secret passage he had dug when he was young.
“These crazy bastards. How long ago did I make this, and it’s still the same?”
The hole, perfectly hidden by grass and dirt, was still there, just like Kyle said. But the problem was that we had already grown too big to pass through it.
“Should we break it a little more along the edge?”