Theta, one of the representative personalities of Ryuzu that Subaru calls "Theta."
She had entered the memorial and touched upon the past of Ryuzu Meyer, the person they were all based on, but her memories were terribly fragmented, and even the timeline was sparse at best.
That was probably because her existence was created by cutting the soul of the original Ryuzu Meyer into many forms—and Theta believed this was how she had come to be.
If so, then could the other Ryuzus—Alpha, Beta, and Sigma, those three—or perhaps the replica bodies whose personalities had yet to fully develop, catch glimpses of different pasts?
Even if that assumption were true, Theta had no desire to let them into the memorial.
Because showing other Ryuzu replicas the shape of the past she had seen was something that would bring unbearable, insufferable pain to Theta.
"—What is it? Even if you stare at me like that, I'm not going to do anything."
The beginning of memory arrives with a girl with pale-colored hair glaring at her.
She was a girl with lovely features.
Hair the color of a faint hue that seemed to dissolve into light, and skin so clear it was almost transparent. Her large, round eyes had a faint bluish tint, adorning her appearance with a single word: charming.
Her hair was parted in two, each side curled into large ringlets. Even at a glance, you could tell that running your fingers through it would yield a silky touch and a bouncy softness.
Her dress was in subdued colors, which might seem a bit mature for a girl who appeared so young, but considering the boldness of the girl's own natural features, the color of the dress had been chosen with conscious harmony in mind.
"————"
Being pierced by that sharp gaze from such a lovely girl, Ryuzu shrank back.
Moreover, compared to the girl before her, Ryuzu was plain in both appearance and clothing—wretched through and through. They appeared to be about the same age, which only made her own inadequacy stand out all the more. She felt so ashamed just standing there that she could barely endure it.
"Hmph. Are you a coward?"
When Ryuzu said nothing back and merely clammed up, the girl snorted in disappointment.
Before that lovely face, even such a gesture seemed like a charming mannerism, but for Ryuzu, it brought a pain that squeezed her chest tighter than any insult could.
Before she could recognize that this was, more than anything, a fear of displeasing the girl before her— "
A gentle voice called out, and the girl before her stiffened.
The voice came from behind the girl—that is, from the direction beyond Ryuzu's line of sight.
Emerging from a small shack deeper in the settlement was a woman who was "pure white."
Long white hair. Skin so translucent and white that even light could not reach it. Only her eyes, lips, and the long-sleeved outfit and skirt she wore carried any color at all, subtly reminding those around her that she was indeed a real person.
The figure slowly approaching was a being of supreme importance to this village—the witch,
At Echidna's voice, the girl reacted dramatically. Called Beatrice, she turned around with a rigid expression— "A—umm... It's not like that, Mother! Betty didn't do anything... It's just that this girl—"
"I never taught you to make excuses in such an unsightly manner. Relay the facts accurately. If you're certain you've done nothing wrong, you should have no hesitation in doing so. Isn't that right?"
"Th-that's right..."
Though Echidna's voice carried no emotional surges, there was a quiet severity that pressed in relentlessly.
Beatrice dropped her shoulders, pressed her own hands together, and with a sulky expression— "Just as Mother instructed, Betty was waiting quietly outside. Then this girl showed up, didn't she? She was staring at me from a distance... I thought it was rude. So I called her over and questioned what she wanted."
"I see. Is that so? And you over there—can you confirm this?"
"Ah... y-yes, that's correct. I'm very sorry. I was the one who was rude..."
Beatrice's account was accurate.
Ryuzu had been leaning against a fence at the edge of the village, gazing vaguely at Beatrice standing there. She must have been waiting for Echidna to finish her business. Something about her figure, her eyes, seemed so lonely that it made Ryuzu's chest tighten.
But if she tried to explain any of that, she would only be scoffed at. Ryuzu made her small body shrink even further, and tried to weather the storm by lowering her head.
"You don't deny it, then? If so, then by Beatrice's account, it seems Ryuzu was the one being somewhat rude."
"That's right, Mother! So Betty did nothing wrong at—"
"However, being so intimidating that it frightens someone this much is Beatrice's failing. I've told you this often enough. You may indeed be special, but that is not meant for looking down on others."
"Mm—mu..."
Beatrice, who had been about to seize upon the acknowledgment, immediately shut her mouth at the swift rebuttal.
Watching this exchange, Ryuzu was struck by a visceral, trembling emotion at the realization that Echidna remembered her name.
Even though this was a small settlement, she was an insignificant child.
That the great witch Echidna remembered the name of someone so insignificant—as a resident of the
"We'll have Juice handle that kind of correction once we're back at the manor. He'll certainly be enthusiastic about it."
"Betty doesn't really like Juice very much..."
"Since he considers it his role to be disliked, I imagine that's just what he'd want."
Beatrice scrunched her face in displeasure, and Echidna offered her a thin smile before turning her gaze toward Ryuzu.
Her heart involuntarily jumped. For Ryuzu, who had missed her chance to enter the conversation and had been gauging when she should slip away, Echidna's attention still being on her was a surprise.
Without hesitation, Echidna walked toward Ryuzu, who remained frozen with her shoulders hunched— "I'm sorry for startling you, Ryuzu. This child is called Beatrice... she's something like my daughter, you see. As you can tell, she hasn't been properly disciplined yet, which is embarrassing."
"Not 'something like'—I am your daughter!"
"Well, that's how it seems. We'll likely be visiting the Sanctuary together from time to time. You'll have more opportunities to interact, so I'd like you to get along."
"Y-yes! Please leave it to me, Lady Echidna!"
With a hand placed on her shoulder, Ryuzu nodded, her heart trembling with joy.
Pleased with Ryuzu's acceptance, Echidna drew her chin back with satisfaction, and behind her, Beatrice muttered sulkily, "...Betty doesn't mind being alone, you know."
*** "You there, excuse me. Echidna should be here, but have you seen her?"
Ryuzu stopped and turned around at the voice calling to her. She had been carrying a laundry basket.
When she realized who had called out to her, she almost cried out. The laundry basket nearly slipped from her arms in surprise, but an arm shot out reflexively to catch it.
"Oh—I—"
"I'm so sorry!"
Sliding smoothly to close the distance, the boy who had caught the basket received a bow from Ryuzu.
Seeing this, the boy with long blue hair brushed it aside and said, "No, don't worry about it."
"I should be the one apologizing. I didn't notice you were carrying things. That was thoughtless of me."
"Not at all... It's an honor to be addressed by someone of Lord Mathers's standing."
"One should never forget to be considerate toward women, regardless of who they are. ...One small correction—I'm not particularly fond of being addressed by my family name. I'd prefer you call me Roswaal."
Saying this to the bowing Ryuzu, the boy—Roswaal—gave a wink.
He was four or five years older than Ryuzu, and a head taller. His limbs had not yet fully lengthened, and his clear voice had not yet completed its transformation into that of an adult.
He existed in that brief window between boy and young man, carrying a certain refined elegance—so naturally did he carry himself with poise that even young Ryuzu could sense it.
And for good reason. Despite his youth, Roswaal was the head of the Mathers family, which governed multiple territories, and an exceptional individual who cooperated with the witch Echidna to manage the Sanctuary.
He contributed to the maintenance of this settlement called the Sanctuary in a different way from Echidna, and Ryuzu had always been told that he must never be treated with discourtesy.
Blushing at Roswaal's wink, Ryuzu desperately recalled the content of his earlier call-out.
"So, about Lady Echidna... I haven't seen her yet today. Lady Beatrice wasn't in her usual place either."
"I see. Perhaps she's running late. Setting Echidna aside, it would be hard to imagine Beatrice arriving and not immediately coming to see you."
"W-well... I think my encounters with Lady Beatrice have just been coincidental..."
"'Coincidental' is just what Beatrice says, isn't it?"
At Roswaal's question, Ryuzu nodded silently.
Since being introduced to Beatrice, who was Echidna's daughter, they had already met face to face numerous times. Beatrice would tag along with Echidna when she visited the Sanctuary in between her busy schedule, and while Echidna took care of her business, Beatrice would often wander around inside the Sanctuary. During those times, contact with Ryuzu would frequently occur.
Quite often, when Ryuzu was bringing in laundry or going out to gather wild vegetables, their paths would cross.
Ryuzu's answer made Roswaal laugh as though he couldn't help himself.
"Beatrice isn't very straightforward. I hope you don't find her difficult."
"Not at all! She's been very kind to someone like me. If anything, I'm the one who always seems to put Lady Beatrice in a bad mood... I worry that she might dislike me."
"Then there's nothing to worry about. Beatrice's dislike isn't very reliable, you see. If she truly disliked someone, she wouldn't follow them around with every excuse she could think of."
Is that so? Ryuzu tilted her head, listening to Roswaal's words.
When Beatrice interacted with Ryuzu, she was mostly always grumbling and complaining, finding fault with every little thing Ryuzu did. If that was all you saw, it was hard to believe she didn't truly dislike her.
Particularly because Ryuzu and many of the Sanctuary's residents had often been targets of malice and hostility from the outside world. Beatrice's behavior, compared to what Ryuzu knew, was overwhelmingly gentler and warmer, but harsh was still harsh.
"I hope that someday, you'll come to understand that too."
Watching Ryuzu fall silent, Roswaal murmured this quietly.
Seeing the lonely smile on his lips, Ryuzu shuddered, wondering what about herself could make him wear such an expression.
But before she could find words to smooth things over, Roswaal seemed to notice something, and his yellow eyes flickered— "Oh! Teacher! I heard you were here, so I came running!"
He raised his hand, completely throwing away his composed demeanor, and dashed off with the face of an excited child. Ryuzu's eyes followed Roswaal as he zoomed past her, and standing at the destination of his sprint was a woman—Echidna.
When Echidna noticed the overjoyed Roswaal racing toward her, she raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Roswaal. I don't recall giving you permission to call me 'Teacher.'"
"Not today, you won't get away with that. I've properly mastered the assignment you gave me before. Equalizing the concentration rates of the four-color mana to produce rainbow-colored mana—I managed to reach the point of adding the remaining two colors on my own. What do you think?"
"You reached the point of binding six colors together through self-study? Well, well... That's a fearsome level of mastery—and persistence, one might say. Good grief, what a handful."
It was rare for Echidna to show surprise.
At least, it was the first time Ryuzu had witnessed it. Roswaal puffed out his chest proudly, waiting for Echidna to say something. Even to the younger Ryuzu, the sight was endearing. From his attitude, his gaze, and every small detail of them, one could see the irrepressible admiration—and emotions beyond that—overflowing for Echidna.
"What are you standing there spacing out for?"
"Lady Beatrice..."
Watching the two from a distance, Ryuzu was suddenly aware that Beatrice had appeared beside her, peering at her face. She involuntarily took a step back, and Beatrice crossed her arms in her customary pose, snorting at Ryuzu.
"Staring rudely like that—as usual, you know."
"I-I'm very sorry. That was rude of me."
Reprimanded, Ryuzu felt ashamed of her own thoughtlessness. But her apology only deepened the furrow between Beatrice's brows.
A face that would soften dramatically with just a smile, without the need to purse her lips or frown. Yet Ryuzu always felt apologetic for perpetually making her scowl through her own carelessness.
"How long are you going to stand there looking down with that face? It's irritating. If you have time to carry a laundry basket around all day, you should move on to your next task already."
"Y-yes. I'll do that. Thank you for your guidance."
Ryuzu bowed one more time to the sharp-tongued Beatrice and hurried away. But as she quickened her pace, Beatrice came trailing behind, dragging the hem of her dress along the ground.
"Lady Beatrice...?"
"It's nothing. Just killing time."
To Ryuzu, who turned only her head, Beatrice replied with her chin held high in her usual manner. Ryuzu was about to turn back at that familiar attitude when she recalled what Roswaal had said earlier.
According to the boy, Beatrice never truly disliked having conversations with Ryuzu— "Lady Beatrice. If it's not too much trouble, could you help me fold the laundry?"
"...Hah?"
Taking the plunge, Ryuzu offered to help with chores, and Beatrice let out an unhappy grunt.
Her large eyes went wide, and her expression shifted to a mixture of surprise and a hint of anger. Seeing this, Ryuzu regretted letting Roswaal goad her into this.
"—If you can't manage it alone, I suppose I have no choice but to help."
"Eh?"
"I'm not going to say it twice. Come on, let's go already."
With that, Beatrice strode briskly past Ryuzu, who had stopped in her tracks. In the instant she passed by, Ryuzu caught a glimpse of Beatrice's mouth—curled in a mixture of exasperation and something else entirely.
A warmth surged from deep in her chest, and Ryuzu broke into a light jog to catch up with Beatrice. Then she peered at her profile— "If it's alright, could I have you carry some of the laundry?"
"Don't get carried away, you know. ...Fine, I suppose. Just a little."
With that, Beatrice extended her hand toward Ryuzu with a look that suggested this was entirely against her will.