A month after their journey began, Yuto and Sariel arrived in the Kingdom of Ristal.

As befitted the only kingdom unconquered by the Valistera Empire, Ristal's walls towered high, blue flags flying proudly above them. Yuto gazed blankly at the walls for a moment before Sariel took his hand and led him toward the gate.

A long line stretched before the gate, waiting to enter the country: merchants' wagons, tourists, adventurers, and more. Gate guards were inspecting the line reserved for foreigners.

Watching them check identification, search luggage, and pull suspicious people aside, Yuto could not help feeling nervous. As expected at a kingdom's gates, the inspections were thorough.

"Nothing to worry about. I'll handle it."

Sensing Yuto's tension, Sariel gave a little chuckle. Soon their turn came, and a spear-bearing guard approached and looked them both over.

"Present your identification. And the purpose of your visit is...?"

"Sightseeing," Sariel said, looking at the guard.

That was all. Unlike everyone else, Sariel produced no identification. She merely stared straight at him as she spoke. Yet when the guard met her single eye, his own eyes went hazy and unfocused.

"... Confirmed. You may pass."

Speaking as though half asleep, the guard stepped aside. The guard beside him and the clerk holding the ledger did the same. All of them blinked unfocused eyes and cleared the way as if nothing could be more natural.

Yuto passed through the gate in a daze. Glancing back, he saw the guards they had just passed inspecting the next arrivals with businesslike efficiency.

"What did you just do?"

"I did nothing," Sariel replied with brazen innocence. "Perhaps my beauty left them spellbound. Well, it happens often enough."

It was an obvious lie, but Yuto did not press her. He had been traveling with Sariel for a month now. He knew very well that she possessed all manner of secrets and abilities.

Their business in the border city proceeded just as smoothly afterward. Sariel took Yuto straight to the adventurers' guild. People crowded the interior, and a line stretched before the reception desk. But, still holding Yuto's wrist, Sariel went straight to the counter without even joining the queue.

"I've come to register this child as an adventurer."

One might have expected the rough-tempered adventurers to protest someone cutting in line, but for some reason, they all kept their mouths shut. Once again, Yuto could only wonder.

"Registration... I see. The name?"

The receptionist looked at Sariel and Yuto with hazy eyes.

"Yuto."

"And the surname...?"

"None."

"A guarantor, or proof of place of origin...?"

"I'll be his guarantor. As for his place of origin, hmm, make it the Kingdom of Ristal."

Answering offhandedly, Sariel took out a gold coin and placed it on the counter. The receptionist glanced between her and the coin, then slowly nodded.

"Con...firmed. Please wait a moment."

That was the end of it. There was no background check on the guarantor and no verification of his birthplace. The receptionist simply had Yuto place his hand on a crystal ball to check his aether response, then handed him an iron rank tag.

[Adventurer Registration Card.]

[Name: Yuto.]

[Rank: Bronze.]

"As of today, you are a Bronze-rank adventurer. This registration tag can serve as identification. Bronze rank permits entry into dungeons up to Class D..."

The receptionist spoke in a vacant voice. As Yuto accepted the tag, looking bewildered, Sariel rested a hand on his head. She ruffled his hair as she always did and chuckled.

"Congratulations, little one."

Leaving the guild with Sariel, Yuto looked down at the iron tag in his hand. For the first time, the boy who had returned to the past with nothing but the name Yuto had acquired an official identity.

"You had this ability as well?" he asked, glancing up at her.

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"Please don't play innocent. From the entry inspection to the adventurer registration, wasn't everything far too simple?"

"Had we followed procedure, you wouldn't even have made it into the country."

Sariel shrugged and smiled.

"The same goes for registering as an adventurer. You could claim to be a survivor of Belkain all you liked, little one, but you have nothing to prove it, do you? So I used a little trick. Being from Ristal rather than Belkain will spare you trouble in all sorts of ways, too."

Listening to her, Yuto recalled the hazy eyes of the guards and receptionist. Then something struck him. Now that he thought about it, there was more than one oddity.

'Why isn't anyone looking at Sariel?'

Most of Callisto's elves lived in the forests of the continent of Vermira. Sariel said she was only part elf, but in appearance, she hardly differed from a full-blooded one. Yet no one in this city seemed surprised by her or paid her any particular attention.

And it wasn't just here. The people in the villages they had stopped at on their way from Oltea's forest, and those they had met on the road, had not found Sariel unusual either. It wasn't that they failed to notice her at all. They simply treated her as an ordinary human.

'Just... what are you?'

A being who claimed to be stronger than Crimson Ringmistress without even having a constellation contract, and who could manipulate people's perceptions at will. Yuto swallowed involuntarily. Sariel had shown him so much kindness and given him so much help over the past month, yet he still knew very little about her.

And now, he could not even be certain whether the Sariel he saw before him was her real appearance. Perhaps sensing his gaze, she glanced back at him.

"Has my beauty bewitched you again? Or are questions about me running through your mind?"

"Is... the way I see you now your true appearance?"

Yuto asked her outright. Sariel chuckled at the question, slowed her steps, and moved to his side to ruffle his hair.

"The face I show you is real."

"Why don't you show me a different appearance?"

"Hmm, how should I answer...? Because I have no reason to deceive you?"

Still smiling, Sariel tipped her head.

"Anyway, little one, now that we've entered Ristal, has anything come back to you?"

Yuto was silent for a moment. Nothing had come back. But just as when he had first heard Ristal's name, something had been simmering deep in his chest ever since he set foot in this land.

It was anger. A different sort from what he had felt upon first seeing Crimson. Cold rather than hot. Deep rather than fierce.

'Betrayal.'

That was the closest word for it. But why? What had Ristal done to him? However hard he searched his memories, he still could not recall the reason. Despite the many dreams through which he had seen and remembered his past over the last month, there were still many gaps in his memory.

"... No."

Yuto answered quietly. He now knew how to control and suppress his emotions. Even as he thought of the word betrayal, he let none of its tremors show, nor did any uncontrolled aether escape him.

He had learned all of that from Sariel. At his answer, her single eye narrowed. Her gaze seemed to peer into his innermost thoughts.

"Hmm."

After watching him for a moment, she nodded.

"If nothing comes to mind, let's try the capital."

"The capital...?"

"Yes. If this backwater on the border stirs no memories, we should visit the heart of the country. Ristal's capital, Risgar. As it happens, I hear there are plenty of carriages heading there right now."

Grinning, Sariel pointed toward the main street.

"They're holding a festival in the capital, apparently."

Sure enough, a long line of carriages stood along the street.

* * *

Every carriage bound for the capital of Risgar was full, yet even here, no one paid Sariel any attention. Seated beside her as she gazed languidly out the window, Yuto heard the other passengers talking.

"To think Their Highnesses are already twelve. How time flies."

"The question is which constellations will choose them. They're royal twins, so surely high-ranking constellations will select them."

So that was the festival: apparently, the twins of Ristal's royal family would turn twelve in a few days. Yuto listened closely to the passengers' conversation, his eyes brightening.

On Callisto, nobles were chosen by constellations at the age of twelve. Priests of the religious order that revered the constellations presided over the selection ritual. The twins' ceremony, marking their birthday tomorrow, would be a lavish affair held in Risgar's central square.

'Twins...'

His heart thudded, beat after beat.

It began to race. Something felt strange in his mouth, as though something that did not belong was lodged there, though he could not say why.

"Still, isn't it a relief? Three years since what happened to Belkain... Honestly, I wondered what might become of our Ristal, too."

"Shh, man. Why bring up that name on our way to a festival? It's bad luck."

"Surely I'm allowed to worry. With what happened to our ally Belkain, what if the constellations' wrath spread to our Ristal as well—"

"Shh! Shh! Don't say it. Don't even think it. Say something like that in Risgar and the guards will haul you off on the spot!"

"Ahem. All I'm saying is that it's a relief... Their Highnesses have grown up safe and sound, and now they're to be chosen by the constellations. Ristal's future is bright. That's all I meant."

At the name Belkain, Yuto silently clenched his fists.

The carriage traveled for three days. At night, all the carriages traveling together stopped in the same place, and the passengers shared their food. They gathered before a great fire, introducing themselves, laughing, and chatting.

Yuto and Sariel did not join the merriment. They sat apart and talked as usual, and not one of the other passengers approached them.

"Every dungeon on Callisto was made by the constellations."

Sariel began speaking as she tipped her liquor bottle.

"Dungeons are spaces isolated from the world, and monsters called 'beasts' live inside them. Kill the beasts, pass through the dungeon's rooms, and slay the boss in the final room, and the constellation bestows a gift."

She gave a little chuckle and looked at Yuto.

"That's why not only adventurers but nobles venture into dungeons quite often. To win the constellations' favor, you see. Now that you're an adventurer, you should try entering one someday."

"Would I go in with you, Lady Sariel?"

"If I'm still at your side by then, hmm, perhaps we could go together. But with your current skills, you shouldn't find a Class D dungeon particularly difficult."

Yuto had changed greatly over the past month. His swordsmanship, once guided by instinct alone, had gained thought and finesse, and he had become adept at using his Void Skills in actual combat.

It was all thanks to Sariel's teaching. How to fight, how to wield aether, how to control his emotions—he had learned countless things from her. Strictly speaking, she had drawn out what he already knew but could not remember. Even so, Yuto was sincerely grateful to her.

"Isn't it about time you told me?"

"Told you what?"

"What exactly you want from me in return."

"Heh. The more you keep wondering, the less I want to tell you."

Sariel tilted her head with a chuckle.

"Don't worry. I'm not asking for a price you cannot pay."

"I have nothing, so I can't give you money."

"Would someone of my stature go to all this trouble for mere money?"

"Do you find it troublesome?"

"Hmm. In truth, it hasn't been hard enough to call it trouble. It's rather entertaining, too. What about you, little one?"

"I'm grateful to you, Lady Sariel."

"What a good thing to say."

Once again, Sariel reached out and ruffled his hair.

"We'll reach Risgar tomorrow. I hope your memories return there."

"..."

Yuto remained silent. The nearer they drew to Risgar, the clearer his nightmares became, and the more often his heart began to pound.

'Betrayal.'

The feeling he had identified several days earlier. Yuto knew instinctively that once he reached Risgar, the blanks in his mind would be filled.

The prospect frightened him more than it excited him.

His earlier conversation with Sariel drifted through his mind. Her question about whether he really needed to recall painful memories.

What if he did not go to Risgar? If he turned away from his past—

'I can't do that.'

Refusing to face them now would not make the memories disappear. The past he could not recall and these clinging emotions would fester and rot inside his chest until they eventually destroyed him. Yuto gripped Flokiro's Evostone inside his clothes.

'I have to know everything.'

Sariel quietly watched his resolve.

* * *

The festival was in full swing in Risgar. The flags of Ristal's royal family and colorful banners hung along every street, and enticing aromas drifted from long rows of food stalls.

"Quite the fervor."

Sariel murmured as she surveyed the crowds. The royal twins' birthday and a public constellation ritual. The capital's streets teemed with people from every corner of the Kingdom of Ristal.

Such were the hopes placed upon the royal twins. The constellations in the heavens would examine a child, and one that took a liking to them would form a contract and grant its protection. Which constellation a noble contracted with determined the course of their life and the rise or fall of their house. For royalty, it was no exaggeration to say the kingdom's fate hung on the ceremony.

"Little one, you look about twelve yourself."

Chuckling, Sariel raised a finger. They were in Risgar's central square. The crowd already packed it so tightly that they could advance no farther, but the raised platform at its center was clearly visible even from the back.

"Wouldn't you like to stand on a platform like that and be chosen by a constellation?"

"No."

Yuto answered at once. He did not even need to think. He wanted nothing of a constellation's protection. The very thought of it made his stomach twist.

"Ahaha! I thought as much."

Sariel burst out laughing.

Time passed. The kingdom's knights guarding the platform raised Ristal's flags high.

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!

Drums began to sound in the distance, and the murmuring of the crowd in the square began to subside.

DONG!

A mighty bell rang out across the capital. Yuto heard people swallowing nervously around him.

The king and queen, dressed in splendid ceremonial robes, ascended the stairs to the platform. The king reached the top first and waved to the citizens filling the square.

"Woooo!"

The citizens roared their cheers. The king listened with a pleased expression, then began to speak.

"People of Ristal! In the name of the royal family, I offer my thanks to all of you who have gathered here today!"

The king's voice resounded through the square. Amplified by magic, it reached even the very back of the crowd with perfect clarity.

"As you know, today the two stars of our royal family, born on the same day and at the same hour, shall receive the heavens' choice! Today shall foretell this country's future and prove that the constellations watch over the days to come for Ristal!"

The citizens cheered loudly at the king's speech. In response, he raised a clenched fist high into the air.

"The great constellations ever watch over our Ristal! Through today's ceremony, their grace shall deepen, and the kingdom's prosperity shall endure forever!"

They were ceremonial words. Praise for the constellations, prosperity for the kingdom, the grace of heaven. The citizens greeted every word with fervor, and the square seethed with cheers.

Amid that enthusiasm, Yuto looked up at the platform with cold, still eyes. The middle-aged king's face was ruddy and healthy, yet Yuto saw another face superimposed upon it. A pale face with sunken cheeks, dying of disease.

'I know that man.'

Of course he did. Before returning to the past, Yuto had been Belkain's king. Then naturally—naturally, he would also know the faces of the royal twins who would soon take the stage.

"And now, allow me to introduce the stars of today's ceremony!"

DONG!

The bell rang once more. The cheers faded, and countless eyes turned toward the platform. A breathless silence fell, so deep that one might have heard someone swallow.

Accompanied by the high priest who would preside over the ritual, the twins appeared in pure white ceremonial robes. The boy led the way. His golden hair, like melted sunlight, swayed with each step. He had handsome, regular features, a straight back, and a composed gait unusual for a twelve-year-old. Once on the platform, he surveyed the square, then raised his hand in a gesture of proper etiquette.

"Woooo!"

Amid the cheers, the girl ascended the platform. Unlike her older brother, she had long, pale silver hair. She climbed the steps with a faint smile, seemingly embarrassed by the cheers raining down upon her. When her feet tangled slightly at the top of the stairs, the boy already above her reached out naturally and took her hand.

The girl beamed at her older brother, and the cheers in the square swelled even louder.

"Ristal's first star, His Highness Prince Shiro Ristal."

The high priest spoke, his magically amplified voice ringing throughout the square.

"Ristal's second star, Her Highness Princess Shirin Ristal."

Shiro Ristal.

Shirin Ristal.

The two names pierced Yuto's ears.

In that instant, the world before his eyes stopped.

The cheers in the square, the fluttering flags, even Sariel's presence beside him—everything receded impossibly far away. All Yuto could see were the twins on the platform.

The golden-haired boy and the silver-haired girl.

'Ah.'

Shiro Ristal.

The golden-haired man standing with a bloodstained sword.

'Ahh.'

Shirin Ristal.

The woman lying on the floor, drenched in blood.

CRACK.

Something split inside Yuto's head. The voices that had remained muddled in his dreams all month. The faces he had been unable to see. The names he had never managed to call. All of them poured through the fissure at once.

The boy he had first met in Ristal's royal castle. They had first crossed swords during a swordsmanship lesson and become friends that very day. A friend with whom he shared not a drop of blood, yet whom he had regarded as a brother, each entrusting the other with his back.

They had shared the same ideals, raced across battlefields together, and overcome countless hardships side by side.

'It was you.'

The boy smiling brightly at the square overlapped with the friend who had smiled at Yuto, joked with him, and spoken of ideals and the future.

And with the enemy who, on a night of dim stars, had pierced Yuto's chest and murdered even his own younger sister with that bloodstained sword.

'You.'

Yuto clenched his trembling hands into fists.

'You betrayed me.'

All his memories returned.