TRHD 01

Chapter 1

War always leaves destruction behind.

A land that was once covered with green grass and thick forests had become a place where all life had died after being tainted by evil energy.

In the middle of those ruins, there was one tiny patch of fresh green land.

“Ah…”

That was where I was lying.

The soft touch of the grass beneath my hand, which was quickly losing all feeling, was the final farewell from the spirits mourning my fading life.

Cough—!

I couldn’t hold back the cough rising from my chest, and blood burst from my mouth.

I no longer had the strength to move, so the blood spilled directly onto Isid, who was holding me in his arms.

“Sorry… I know you hate getting dirty, but I can’t help it…”

I smiled awkwardly as I apologized. Through my fading vision, I could see Isid clenching his teeth.

“…Why does that matter right now?”

His trembling hand gently wiped the blood from my lips.

You shouldn’t do that.

I know how much you hate anything dirty.

I want to remain a good memory to you.

But I swallowed those words.

I only had a few minutes left.

Surely I could be a little selfish.

Just moments ago, we had won the war that decided humanity’s fate.

We had stopped the resurrection of the Evil God.

We had killed the leader of the dark mages.

And we had destroyed the so-called “Orb of Evil” that he had embedded inside his own heart.

But history had always proven that no war came without a price.

Victors and losers alike had to pay.

Countless lives had fallen.

The land had been ruined.

And I was one of those lives that would disappear.

“Hey, Isid.”

“Stop talking.”

Before I could continue, I felt Isid pouring all of his mana into me.

Normally, his mana always filled me with warmth.

But now…

It was as if there were a hole somewhere inside my body.

No matter how much mana he poured into me, I couldn’t accept it.

…Ah.

There really is a hole in me.

I slowly raised my arm and placed my hand over his.

Unfortunately, I had already lost even more feeling.

I could barely sense his warmth.

“Isid.”

“…Roel, please.”

I had only spoken his name, yet he already knew what I was going to say.

“Just listen, idiot.”

Even knowing that, I stubbornly continued.

Parting without saying anything…

That would be too sad.

“After I’m gone, stop cursing so much… And don’t be so mean to everyone else. Take good care of the others too… They all really like you.”

“…Roel.”

“And please say goodbye to Rani, Sally, Tero, and Khan for me. I wanted to call them here… but I can’t…”

“…This is only temporary. You’ll be fine soon. So please…”

Holding my hand tightly, Isid whispered like he was begging me.

His voice trembled so much that my heart ached.

…I wish the poison had been just a little weaker.

But the poison consuming my body couldn’t be removed, not even by the spirits.

That meant even holy power couldn’t cure it.

“You know, Isid… I’m really glad I met you. If I hadn’t, I’d probably still be living alone deep in those mountains.”

“…Roel.”

“You know… compared to when we first met, you’ve become so much softer.”

For a long time, Isid said nothing.

Finally, with a cracked voice, he answered,

“You… You’re the one who changed me.”

I couldn’t help but laugh despite the pain.

“Heh… It really wasn’t easy. You’re so stubborn… and your personality is awful…”

How many hundreds of times had I scolded him for speaking more kindly?

As he silently listened, Isid carefully adjusted me in his arms.

Then he whispered softly,

“…You have no idea how weak I am when it comes to you, Roel.”

Of course I know.

Even now, you still don’t truly consider Kyle, Dana, or Jin your friends.

You helped them without complaining…

But I know you never cared about dark mages or saving the world.

You joined the allied army only because I asked.

You even persuaded the dragons because I asked.

How could I not know how soft-hearted you are toward me?

“Yeah… You’re far too soft when it comes to me…”

Smiling weakly, I rested my cheek against his chest.

Little by little, my vision…

My hearing…

My senses…

Everything slowly faded away, as if sinking beneath deep water.

…What a shame.

There were still so many places I wanted to visit with you.

So many things I wanted us to do together.

Instinctively, I realized the end had finally come.

Gathering the last of my strength, I squeezed Isid’s hand.

“I know… you probably won’t… but don’t think about doing anything foolish… Live happily… and live a long life.”

“Roel, wait… Roel!”

“…Thank you, Isid.”

Roel!

His desperate cry echoed farther and farther away as my consciousness drifted.

Ah…

I just want you to be happy.

A single tear slipped from my closed eyes.

I’m sorry… and…

The final words I never managed to say disappeared into the darkness along with my fading consciousness.

The moment Roel’s breathing completely stopped—

Rumble!

Whoooosh!

The earth shook.

The sky cried out.

Every force of nature in the world trembled violently.

As if mourning Roel’s sorrow.

June 30, Year 481 of the Continental Calendar.

Roel, the Great Spirit Master who was loved by nature, returned once more to nature’s embrace.

I was certain I had returned to nature.

So…

…Am I not dead?

I blinked blankly.

My vision was blurry, as though a thin film covered my eyes.

No matter how many times I blinked, everything remained hazy.

Did my eyesight get worse after somehow coming back to life?

…No.

I was certain I had died.

I remembered everything clearly.

The war that ended in victory.

The attack we failed to stop.

The unbearable pain.

My conversation with Isid.

Even the moment I squeezed his hand one last time before dying.

I finally realized something was terribly wrong when I tried to raise my arm to rub my eyes.

My body wasn’t moving the way I expected.

Then I saw something shocking.

…What’s wrong with my hand?

Although my vision wasn’t clear, it wasn’t so blurry that I couldn’t notice how strange my hand looked.

Especially when an adult’s hand had somehow become a newborn baby’s.

The thing waving before my eyes looked less like a hand and more like a lump of pale bread dough with tiny fingers.

Taking a deep breath, I slowly moved it.

The tiny chubby hand obediently followed my thoughts.

Left.

Right.

Left again.

Not long after, I stopped.

My little arm had already grown sore.

Still half in disbelief, I carefully opened my mouth.

No way…

Surely not…

“Bweh…”

The tiny hope I had instantly shattered.

What came out of my mouth wasn’t even something I could recognize as language.

Just strange baby sounds.

At that point…

I had no choice but to accept reality.

I had no idea what had happened.

But somehow…

I had become a newborn baby.

While I was still overwhelmed with confusion, I suddenly heard rustling above me.

An enemy?

Having fought in a war until the very moment of my death, I instinctively gathered my spirit power.

At once, four familiar lights appeared before me.

Then my oldest companions revealed themselves.

Khan! Rani! Sally! Tero!

Now much smaller than before—only about the size of my fist—the four spirits fluttered over and each kissed my cheek.

Spirits had no spoken language.

But as their contractor, I could understand their feelings.

I knew how deeply they had missed me.

And how happy they were to see me again.

I’m sorry I left without saying goodbye…

Hm? You missed me? Then… I didn’t become younger?

The four spirits each tried to answer in their own way.

Just then—

“Oh my, our little daughter is already awake?”

A woman suddenly entered my blurry field of vision.

Although I was a Spirit Master, Isid had taught me enough self-defense that I was confident in my physical skills.

So it came as quite a shock that a woman who looked completely untrained had approached so close without me noticing.

…It must be because I’m in a baby’s body.

My dulled senses were like a blunt sword that couldn’t cut anything.

…At least she isn’t an enemy.

I relaxed almost immediately.

If she had meant me harm, my spirits would never have stayed quiet.

Besides…

Judging from the way she looked at me…

There was no way this woman intended to hurt me.

“Oh my goodness, who’s the prettiest little girl? Come here, let Mommy hold you.”

…Wait.

“Our daughter”…?

“Mommy”…?

I had never heard those words directed at me before.

While I was frozen in confusion, the woman gently picked me up.

“Oh, you’re so adorable. Our little princess. Daddy will be home soon. Shall we go welcome him together with Mommy?”

W-What is happening…?!