'Talking to Lyle in his current state won't get us anywhere. Sorry, but I'm going to have to forcibly isolate you.'
As Lyle said that, I found myself in the Seventh Generation's memory room without realizing it. It felt like I'd been transported there in an instant—did he hold such powerful authority within the Jewel, just for that?
'Lyle!'
The Seventh Generation was sitting in a chair in the room, but he stood up and watched with surprise as I suddenly appeared.
"...Come to think of it, I haven't really entered the Seventh Generation's memory room much. Only when fighting, I suppose?"
I looked around my grandfather's room with a sense of nostalgia as I spoke. Was this how it was?
Most of the time it was the courtyard or the training grounds in the mansion when we fought, so I tilted my head. I felt like I used to play here with the Seventh Generation in the past.
'You, at a time like this... no, you're still in the Lyle-san state. But now that you mention it, you're right. I wasn't among the more concentrated of the Successive Heads.'
The Seventh Generation sat back down and gestured for me to do the same. We sat facing each other across a small round table, and cups appeared there.
The Seventh Generation spoke.
'You won't get full, but this is a matter of feeling. You should drink.'
"I'll take you up on that. It even has a fragrance."
I remembered this nostalgic taste. Even in the vague memories, I recalled drinking this tea.
'...I never had a chance to talk with you like this. It might happen more often from now on, but that's a lonely thought too. It's only because the Successive Heads are gone.'
The First Generation, the Second, the Sixth... and the Fourth had entrusted his Skills to me and vanished from within the Jewel. They had completed their roles.
The role of the Successive Heads within the Jewel was to entrust their Skills to me, the possessor of the Jewel. They were beings summoned to impart their usage by calling forth records from their time.
"It's not that I'm neglecting you, you know? I truly respect you. Besides, I still vaguely remember you doting on me."
The Seventh Generation smiled sadly.
'Is that so. Yes... but tell me, Lyle. Was I really that capable?'
"What's wrong? You're sounding rather down."
The Seventh Generation had his hands clasped together, gazing out the window. Outside, two birds could be seen flying away into the distance.
"...I tried to be strong. I worked hard so I wouldn't fall short of the Successive Heads. But those achievements were only possible because of the foundation laid by the Successive Heads before me. Lyle, do you understand why I was so fixated on guns?"
"Because they had promise for the future, didn't they? I think mass production would be the way to go once financial issues are sorted out, too. That said, it's true they lack a decisive edge."
The Seventh Generation nodded as well.
"...Feeling the Successive Heads so close like this, I've come to wonder. Perhaps the real reason I chose guns was that I didn't want to be compared to them."
I laugh as I sip my tea.
"Don't be ridiculous. You manifested the Box and even Warp — those are extraordinary Skills. You should have confidence in yourself. As for me, Ceres has wrung me dry in all sorts of ways, but I still believe I can absolutely win."
The Seventh Generation gave me a gentle smile, different from his usual one. There was no trace of mockery in it.
"Hearing you say that does boost my confidence. So then, this Lyle who claims to be your memory has appeared — what do you plan to do from here? It seems like you're locked in and can't even leave the room."
The door to my memories appears to be firmly shut. If that's the case, there's no point in rushing.
"I'll just take it easy for now. It seems like there's something Novem wants to talk about. Well, I'll hear her out later."
That's when the Seventh Generation spoke to me. The Seventh Generation wasn't all that concerned about Novem. After all, House Foxes was a house that served as retainers. And she was merely a daughter of that house — the second daughter, at that.
"Lyle... aren't you trusting Novem too much?"
I drained the contents of my cup as I listened to the Seventh Generation's words.
—That was Lyle's room.
Once Novem was brought to the room, she looked around and immediately seemed to realize that this place was different from Lyle's room in the past. It had been recreated inside the Jewel, but there were subtle differences.
Novem appeared to conclude that those differences were caused by the presence of Lyle.
"The bookshelf on the right. The order of the books on the third shelf from the top is different. Lord Lyle rarely touched that section. The arrangement of the books is subtly off. Besides, the room used to be much dustier — the servants had been slacking off on cleaning."
Lyle still hadn't offered the guest a chair, and instead sat himself down on the bed.
"...That's the sort of thing you say that makes people keep their distance. Not that there's any point saying anything to 'broken Novem' at this stage, I suppose."
Lyle understood Novem perfectly well. And it wasn't that he disliked her, either. He was simply dissatisfied with the way she treated him.
House Foxes — among the clan that inherited the memories of Novem, the goddess who became a dark god, it was Novem who had received the most vivid and staggering volume of information.
Lyle hadn't known about any of this at first, but he had learned the truth after awakening with his memories inside the Jewel.
Lyle began to speak.
"Memories have a tremendous influence on a person's character. If someone carries happy memories, they might want others to feel happy too — or, depending on the person, they might end up trampling over others in pursuit of even greater happiness. It depends on the individual, but the influence is real. So here's my question: Novem, do you think of yourself as the goddess, or as the dark god Novem? Or as Novem, the second daughter of House Foxes? Which is it?"
Inheriting memories. It sounded simple enough, but if a person felt as though they had truly lived through all of those experiences, how would they feel? Wouldn't it affect the establishment of their sense of self?
"Septem sealed away her ability to be liked by others — born from her own guilt — and devoted herself to serving people. She overdid it and failed, but now that lesson has become part of who she is. So, how about you, Novem?"
Novem didn't answer. She was smiling, but she made no move to respond. Something was greatly missing, and something extra had been tacked on — that was the girl called Novem.
Lyle knew this. And he also believed that Novem had deliberately looked the other way regarding Ceres's actions.
"You won't answer, then. That's fine too."
As Lyle sighed in exasperation, this time it was Novem who posed a question.
"You mentioned Lord Lyle's memories. Could it be that you intend to restore them? If so, then the current Lord Lyle would..."
Lyle was aware that this was a deeply important matter to Novem. And he knew that if he carelessly returned her memories as they were, Novem might fly into such a rage that she would shatter the Jewel itself.
What mattered to Novem was the present Lyle.
The Lyle of the past held little importance.
"...I hate to say it, but I agree with Novem on this. I won't hand my memories over to Lyle. I might goad him into a fight, though. There are things he needs to learn, after all. And there are important matters I need to pass on. The Jewel's will has nothing to do with it."
At that, Novem's face lit up with delight. There was no pretense in that expression.
All Lyle could do was look at that radiant expression on Novem's face with a sense of regret.
"A splendid decision. Rather than returning memories, you'll grant knowledge and skill, then disappear. A truly fitting decision for Lord Lyle. This Novem is overjoyed."
Then, Novem spoke with a terribly dark smile.
"If only people had been able to make that decision tens of thousands of years ago… no, even further back than that… it makes me sad to think about."
Lyle spoke.
"This isn't for your sake. It's for Lyle's sake. With his memories stolen, Lyle was nothing more than a child with a large body. All I could do was leave behind the memory of being loved by Lyle… to preserve the possibility that he could stand tall even after losing everything and being treated coldly. And besides, he's like a younger brother who has to clean up my mess."
Novem smiled, neatly tucked the hem of her skirt, and gave a slight bow.
"This Novem will gladly assist with that. Master Lyle, please do not worry yourself."
Then Lyle spoke. He stated the foremost reason for his dissatisfaction toward Novem.
"…Novem, the love you carry is not one you direct toward a lover. It is the love a mother bears for her child. That is not what Lyle is looking for."
Because she is his mother, she loves Lyle unconditionally. Because she is his mother, she can endure even if other women are present. Because she is his mother, she will never abandon Lyle until the very end.
"You understood this perfectly. Nobody around you noticed at all, but… that after having his memories stolen and at the age of ten—no, having the mental age of merely three to five years—Lyle was an even younger child than he appeared. I don't think you targeted that deliberately. But because of that, you—"
Novem straightened her posture and tilted her head.
"Love is love, Master Lyle."
And then—
—Miranda was on her knees on the ground, hands pressed against the floor.
She held her right shoulder with her left hand, and when she looked up, she saw a woman who looked like a fusion of herself and Shannon, bending a gun at the grip and loading a round into it.
She had been carrying multiple single-shot firearms, and the woman had toyed with her. When told to come at her, she had thought she could take her down easily, but the gap in their abilities was insurmountable.
Inside the Jewel's Round Table chamber.
The round table had expanded, transforming the room into an arena. Miranda glared at Mireia as she struggled to her feet in frustration.
As she pulled her left hand away from her right shoulder, she materialized multiple nets made from Skills in front of her—a vast spider's web. The weave was tight, the gaps narrow. They were sticky; bullets and projectiles should have been stopped upon contact.
However, the bullet Mireia fired passed precisely through the gaps in those multiple nets and struck Miranda's left thigh.
"Damn it!"
Shannon trembled as she watched Miranda drop to her knees once more. To Shannon, Mireia spoke.
"There, now. Stop shaking so much. In this space, you'll only feel pain—nothing more. Do you understand that yet, Shannon? Your eyes are capable of this much, you know. If you put your mind to it."
Mireia strode forward and effortlessly sliced through the sticky, web-like threads Miranda had created using the knife attached to her gun.
Miranda stared at the sight in shock. Those threads were made with her prized Skill—the same one she had used in actual combat to snare and immobilize a Land Dragon, one of the comparatively easier dragons to bring down.
And Mireia had cut through them like they were nothing.
"…Did you really think you could beat Novem with something like this? You're far too naive, Miranda."
At Mireia's casual shrug, Miranda drew three short swords from the small of her back. She hurled one at Mireia and lunged forward, attacking with a dual-wielding slash.
"If it's close combat—!"
Mireia grinned and shot the short sword out of the air with her gun. The one Miranda had been holding. Then, as Miranda—her stance broken—scrambled to plant her feet on the floor, Mireia snatched up the thrown blade and likewise charged in, attacking close-range with dual wield.
Strength, explosiveness—both exceeded even Miranda's. Despite Miranda's rapid growth, she was carved up over and over, sliced across her knees, hands, ribs, and shoulders in countless places.
And yet, Miranda's attacks didn't so much as graze Mireia.
"Think you can win in close combat? Don't be ridiculous, Miranda… I'm rooting for you on a personal level, but at least try to gauge your opponent's true strength accurately."
Mireia kicked Miranda sending her tumbling across the floor.
Shannon watched her sister being beaten single-handedly and tried to use her mystic eyes on Mireia, reaching out to touch her psyche—
"Eek!"
—And failed.
"So you reach into people's hearts, hm? Shannon, I hear you've been using that to play tricks on people? Naughty girls need to be punished."
Mireia took a step toward Shannon, then immediately leaped back from where she stood.
Miranda—her injuries healed—had thrown several knives at her.
Miranda contemplated how to win against this unreasonable opponent. Her Skills were easily neutralized. But she had no intention of admitting defeat.
Seeing the look in Miranda's eyes, Mireia smiled.
"Come now. You should fight someone stronger than yourself once in a while."
Miranda lunged forward with a wide step, feinted to close the distance to Mireia, and was precisely shot through by her gun——.
"Are you done talking?"
While I was enjoying my tea, I was suddenly summoned to Lyle's room.
I had been chatting with the Seventh Generation, and sure enough, Xenoa Granny's stories of past blunders were endlessly amusing. I couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Especially the part about Her Majesty... As I was thinking about that, Lyle turned on his side on the bed.
"What's wrong?"
"Hmph. Novem says she likes the current you and that I won't do. It's so irritating that I'm calling it a day. And I'm absolutely not giving your memories back."
Seeing Lyle sulk like a petulant child, I felt a swell of triumph.
"That's fine by me! Now then, let's head back... but I'd like you to return my memories before next time, if you please? No hijacking, I'm begging you."
Lyle snorted derisively while looking at me.
"Don't expect me to agree to something so convenient. I'm absolutely not handing them over. If you want them, try taking them by force? At your current level... even I might struggle a bit."
I grinned.
"Then I'll stack the odds in my favor. I'll mobilize all my future brides, surround you, and beat you to a pulp! As a mercy, I could ask them all to wear short skirts, you know?"
At that, Lyle's eyes went wide and he fell deep into thought. Then he looked down and crossed his arms...
"...W-Would garter belts count?"
"You're something else. But garter belts, huh... sure, they count."
"Really?! Yahoo!! I'm looking forward to that day!"
"Just look forward to it! Anyway, I've got some persuading to do, so I'll take my leave here."
"…Well, I don't think that's gonna work, but still."
Lyle laughed merrily as she watched me go.