Chapter 106 - Theory; Memoirs

Chapter 106: Chapter 106 - Theory; Memoirs

About two hours later, the room was silent, interrupted only by Nobunaga’s uneven breathing.

Alear was lying on his back on the bed, his body still slightly warm. Nobunaga rested against his chest, completely sweaty and visibly exhausted. Her black hair was disheveled, clinging to her forehead and neck from the moisture, while her pale skin glistened beneath the soft light of the room. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, clear evidence that her body was still trying to recover from the prolonged exertion. Despite the extreme exhaustion, however, there was a strange vitality coursing through her body. The "mana" contained in the semen that Alear had repeatedly released into her womb during those two continuous hours was still circulating through her system, nourishing her in an almost addictive manner. Her body was exhausted, but the residual energy prevented her from simply passing out, keeping her strangely energetic....

The young man, on the other hand, seemed surprisingly fine. His breathing remained calm and his gaze tranquil, as if those intense hours had been nothing more than light exercise. One of his hands rested absentmindedly on Nobunaga’s bare back, tracing slow, lazy circles across her skin, still damp with sweat. He remained silent for a few moments. Then, a small smile appeared on his lips...

"I have to admit that I’m somewhat happy that you’ve finally become mine, Nobu....."

Nobunaga, still resting against his chest, let out a dismissive snort.

"Hmph. I’m not some kind of object that can simply have an owner."

Alear rolled his eyes at her response.

"You know what I meant."

"I understood perfectly well, but even so, the way you put it was terrible. Is that the kind of wording you used to make all the women who came before me happy? Because if so, that’s rather disappointing..."

"I’m generally not one to use clichéd and strange words like ’you’re mine’ or ’you belong to me.’ I only do that in a few special cases, which means that, on this occasion, it can very well be considered something special. We were best friends in Chaldea, and that period was, for me, the happiest time of my life, the culmination of everything I had ever wanted. You were by my side throughout my entire journey, and when I died, you still followed me into this new world. I believe ’connection’ is far too simple a word to explain how absurd this entire situation is. In fact, it seems that fate decided to correct the fact that we had only been friends, because, deep down, we both always knew about the feelings we had for each other..." He replied without showing much concern.

"...Don’t ruin the moment. We just slept together; you don’t need to be so romantic..." Although she said that, her cheeks turned slightly red, while an indescribable glow of satisfaction appeared in her pupils.

Alear merely smiled at the comment, continuing to slowly run his hand along her back. Despite the conversation being far too sweet for her standards, Nobunaga did not pull away. On the contrary, she remained comfortably settled against his chest, as if, at that moment, she had no intention of leaving....

Nobunaga remained silent for a few moments, still comfortably resting against Alear’s chest. Her gaze seemed distant, as though she were organizing her thoughts before finally speaking.

"Come to think of it... I never got to see your life all the way to the end. Could you tell me what happened after the Sixth Singularity?"

Alear remained silent for a moment before answering.

"It would be somewhat unfair to tell you. You’d end up getting a spoiler for something you’re supposed to discover on your own."

Nobunaga raised an eyebrow slightly.

"So you’re not going to tell me?"

"No."

"Even if I ask?"

"Especially if you ask."

She let out a small snort.

"How stingy."

"You’re going to discover everything through the dream cycle anyway. I see no reason to ruin the experience."

Nobunaga remained silent for a few moments. Then, she slowly raised her head and stared at Alear, narrowing her eyes as if she had just reached a conclusion.

"...You probably did something stupid."

Alear raised an eyebrow slightly, visibly intrigued.

"What made you come to that conclusion?"

"Because I know you. Due to your foolishness, you probably ended up sacrificing yourself to save humanity in the end. But not out of altruism. You did it simply because you didn’t want to lose what you had desperately searched for over such a long time. Despite all being completely dysfunctional, the Servants and Chaldea itself eventually became a true home for you... And protecting all of us, even knowing that we had already lived and died, is exactly the kind of thing I can imagine you doing."

Nobunaga rested her head against his chest again, while her thoughts returned to the memories she had witnessed. She had seen Alear in his first life, when he was still merely a child trying to protect his own mother. Even back then, he had already demonstrated that irritating tendency to place himself between danger and the people he considered important. And that had not changed in his second life. Throughout his journey, Alear continued doing exactly the same thing. Whenever an attack appeared, he would advance first, putting his own body in front of one of his Servants. It did not matter how dangerous the situation was or how capable those Servants were of protecting him. To him, it simply seemed natural. Because he considered them important and because, for some reason, he never wanted to depend on them....

"You really do know me... Indeed, that’s how I ended up dying in the end, but it wasn’t anything so heroic. We had discovered where the Temple of Solomon was, and, one day before the final battle, I ended up going there alone. I fought the King of Magecraft himself, unable to use Magecraft, and yet I still managed to kill him. To this day, all I can think is that it was pure luck... and because I ended up sacrificing my own life in the process...." Alear admitted, seeing no more reason to hide that "ending."

His words left Nobunaga strangely silent. For an instant, she felt as though a knife had pierced her heart. Then, white flashes of memories appeared in her mind. She remembered arriving at that place alongside the other Servants and the members of Chaldea, only to witness the final moments of the boy who had captured her heart. The regret of never having shared her feelings with him had been so intense that it ended up being deeply engraved into her Spirit Origin, accompanying her back to the Throne of Heroes after her death.... Perhaps that was precisely why those memories were returning now, as if the dream cycle were the trigger for accessing those memories that had been erased from her mind....

Nobunaga raised her head again, keeping her red eyes fixed on his.

"...And afterward? You explained to me that it’s a unique ability capable of bringing me to this world, but how exactly did you manage to do that? I never asked before because it wasn’t my business, and I have enough discernment not to interfere in other people’s lives. But... now I want to know."

Alear remained silent for a few seconds, as if organizing his own thoughts and carefully choosing the words he would use. In the end, he decided to be open with the woman in his arms. There was no need to go into deep detail or explain every aspect of that ability, but he considered it fair to at least give Nobunaga a superficial explanation of how everything had happened.

"Afterward... somehow, I reached the Root."

Nobunaga blinked, visibly surprised.

"The Root?"

"Yes." Alear nodded slightly. "I don’t know exactly how it happened. The moment I died, something happened. It was as if my consciousness had been pulled into a place that should not have been accessible to an ordinary magus. When I finally regained consciousness, I was already in this world... and I possessed a rather peculiar ability."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"That ability allowed me to summon you. In a sense, it can be considered my True Magic."

Nobunaga raised an eyebrow, still trying to process that information.

"True Magic...?"

"Although that’s not the only thing it does," Alear added, keeping his voice calm. "It’s simply the most... convenient part of it."

"Although that’s not the only thing it does," Alear added, keeping his voice calm. "It’s simply the most... convenient part of it."

Nobunaga remained silent for a few seconds, absorbing those words. Then, a slow and almost ironic smile appeared on her lips.

"...You really are impressive, Alear. The Root... the place that every scholarly scholar and every idiot obsessed with the impossible spends their entire life trying to reach. Most of them don’t even come close. And you... simply reached it." She let out a soft sigh, mixing admiration with a hint of disbelief, before adding: "Sometimes, I wonder if fate really does have some kind of favoritism..."

"What kind of favoritism would someone as unlucky as me have? Do you remember all the times my bad luck nearly got us killed? I think the world simply took pity on me and ended up giving me the chance that every magus would kill to have..." Alear said in response, an ironic smile on his lips.

"Thinking about it that way, kukukuku..." Nobunaga laughed at the end of her words. Indeed, considering just how absurdly unlucky Alear tended to be, perhaps that really could be true....

Alear let out a long sigh.

"It’s good to know that you still enjoy that." He remained silent for a few more seconds, enjoying the warmth of her body against his, before continuing in a more serious tone: "I hate to be a killjoy... but, although the conversation is nice and I’d love to stay here with you a little longer, we have to get ready. The high-society party will begin soon."

Nobunaga raised her head slightly, her expression twisting into a clear display of disappointment. Her red eyes narrowed, and a slight pout formed on her lips, as if the mere mention of having to leave that bed were a personal insult.

Still, after a few seconds of protesting silence, she eventually let out a long sigh and nodded.

"...Fine. But you owe me this."

Alear gave a small smile and nodded.

The two slowly got out of bed. The room still carried the residual warmth of what had happened, but the approaching party was beginning to impose a certain urgency, forcing them to leave that peaceful atmosphere behind and prepare for the occasion.

Nobunaga dressed efficiently, choosing a black button-up dress shirt that fit perfectly around her torso, paired with black dress pants of the same color, impeccably tailored. The contrast between the dark fabrics and her pale skin further accentuated her slender and elegant figure. Finally, she put on her characteristic hat and tilted it slightly to the side, preserving the same confident and arrogant air she always carried.

Alear, on the other hand, did not have the same freedom to choose something simple. As an Archduke about to officially present himself to the Underworld’s high society, he needed to dress in a manner befitting his position and meet the expectations of those who would be present. Therefore, he chose sumptuous clothes clearly tailored for someone of royal status: a long coat made of fine fabric, adorned with details embroidered in golden thread, a dark-colored silk shirt, impeccably tailored trousers, and discreet yet evidently valuable accessories. The result was extravagant without becoming excessive, conveying authority, elegance, and refined opulence.

When they finished getting ready, Nobunaga crossed her arms and looked him up and down for a few seconds. Her gaze traveled over every detail of Alear’s attire before finally settling on his face.

"Hmph. It’s not bad..."

Alear raised an eyebrow, an ironic smile appearing on his lips.

"It’s an honor to be praised like that by the Demon Queen."

Nobunaga rolled her eyes but did not respond. The two left the room together, walking through the palace corridors toward the final preparations for the party. The surroundings were already buzzing with the activity of the servants and the distant murmur of voices that indicated the arrival of the first guests.

A few steps later, however, Nobunaga’s presence began to dissipate. Her body became translucent for an instant before completely disappearing into her spirit form.

Her voice echoed through the air, carrying the same arrogant tone as always:

"I’ll show up when the party starts. I’m going to take a walk...."

And then the corridor fell silent, leaving only Alear continuing alone toward the main hall.

___________________

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