Chapter 88 - 88: I'm Back

"This doesn't seem like you, Arcueid.

To say such things. These are what other True Ancestors wanted to impose on you. I'm different. Just like with Altrouge, I didn't see you as weapons."

[You speak gently.]

[Altrouge, standing beside you, speaks harshly.]

"Is that so? I think she's broken. Otherwise, how could such an unqualified princess be born?"

"Altrouge, do you want to fight?"

"If you want to fight, I'm ready anytime. I won't lose to a naive princess who stays at home all day."

[The two women's gazes clash again.]

[You are used to their bickering.]

[They only bicker.]

[In the end, they don't fight, but Arcueid's weak expression when she asked the question.]

[Seeing her like this,]

[You really feel troubled.]

[Both Altrouge and Arcueid are afraid and worried about your impending end.]

[You feel you can't just sit by.]

"Moran, have you been happy up until now?"

[Altrouge suddenly speaks up.]

[She is one of the people who have been with you the longest, and even she can't help but ask.]

[She struggles to suppress her emotions.]

[She doesn't know if she has satisfied you, as your first creation, she cares deeply.]

"Such questions are hard to answer. I didn't expect Altrouge to become as sentimental as Arcueid. Has she infected you?"

"No! I haven't been infected by this fool!"

[Altrouge blushes and turns her head away.]

[Arcueid beside her smiles happily.]

[Yes, this scene is something you always cherish, even as your end approaches, you can answer with confidence.]

[I have gained much, I have lost much.]

[I still miss the Crimson Moon who accompanied me, and in my dreams, I can recall her breath, her warmth.]

[And the sorrow of our parting.]

[Even now, he holds onto the sincere wish his lover conveyed to him before they parted.]

[Miraculously, they fell in love.]

[In the end, he watched her leave like this.]

[Even now, looking at the two women before him, he deeply understands the words the Crimson Moon spoke at their parting.]

"This planet still looks beautiful to me."

[You give your answer.]

[If Altrouge hadn't asked, you wouldn't have thought about whether you were happy.]

[Nor would you have come to this conclusion.]

[Although the final result is that you lost much, not everything gained in the process was lost.]

"I think I have been happy."

[The two women listen to your words.]

[Just like when they were young and listened to your stories.]

"Arcueid, Altrouge, if you ever feel sad, no matter when, I will be by your side, even if I'm not here. I will do my best to come to you."

[You speak sincerely to them.]

[And they remember this.]

"Yes—! That's a promise! Moran, you can't go back on it! Otherwise, even if you hide in the deepest corner of the Inner Sea of the Planet, I will find you!"

"Moran, since you've said it, I can't pretend I didn't hear it. This promise, I won't let you break it."

[In the flower field caressed by the gentle breeze,]

[The bright moonlight falls on your face as it always has, but this time it brings a long-lost warmth.]

[Their radiant smiles, their excited demeanor,]

[Exist in this Inner Sea of the Planet.]

[As if existing in colors outside of time, for you, nothing is more real than this.]

[It will remain in your memories forever.]

[You recall many things.]

[When you finally come back to your senses,]

[The battle between the priest and the vampire has ended.]

[The dark figure standing outside the deep chasm is the first thing that catches their eyes.]

[The barrier melts like snow.]

[Silently disappearing.]

"Moran..."

[The name escapes their lips.]

[A word that should be unfamiliar to both, yet somewhere in their memories, it feels incredibly familiar.]

[The vague outline in their memories,]

[Now finally becomes clear.]

"I was thinking of meeting you in a better place, but reuniting here... well, anyway, Altrouge, have you been fighting with Arcueid again?"

[You turn to face the two.]

[With a helpless expression, like a father returning home after a long absence.]

[These words,]

[Make both Altrouge and Arcueid tremble slightly.]

"Although I've been away for a while, I'm sorry, but if you're fighting. Things like this..."

[As you continue to speak,]

[In the next moment, you catch the familiar scent of flowers.]

[Distant memories are awakened again, there's no mistake, it's the scent from the sea of flowers under the moon.]

[You will never forget it.]

[Looking at Arcueid and Altrouge who have thrown themselves into your arms, you feel only the deepest longing.]

[If it weren't for the incomplete principle of this simulation...]

[Only Half-Baked Ancestor]

[You probably had already planned for this scene to happen, otherwise you wouldn't have waited countless days and nights, anticipating this day]

[No need to explain too much]

[They recalled the experiences they had forgotten like a dream]

[What was once hidden in the corner is now completely exposed in the moment of reunion]

[In the heart that had been frozen for so long]

[The long-lost blood in memory is surging]

[You stripped away the most superficial emotions, wanting to reveal the most essential feelings to them]

[Choked up in your throat, there's only one sentence]

[You don't know how long they've been waiting, and your own desire to meet them has swelled to an unpredictable extent]

[This world is indeed very beautiful]

[There are things that you can meet as long as you keep protecting them]

[And precious things that you can keep as long as you persist]

[You said the words you've said countless times before, as if everything was just a continuation of the distant past——]

"I'm back..... Arcueid, Altrouge."

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