The Magus of Genesis

Episode 32: All Yesterdays and All Tomorrow/Other Than Current

The day after that we arrived on the shore was after noon.

Ask them to tier up their hidden magic just before landing, just in case.

Only Lynn, who transformed herself into a human figure with me, decided to keep going because we could lose sight of each other and fall off when we put it on everyone.

"Even so, it's been thirty years... if I meet someone who knows my face, I'm out."

Lynn, unable to speak, said, "Is that so?" I tilt my neck with a pronounced expression.

"If I were alone, they would tell me that I looked a lot like my late father when he was younger, or something, but I might delude him. I don't think you have an excuse for being with Lynn. What if the landmark is enough on its own, and Lynn hides in a hidden form?

To my words, Lynn shook her head with a boom. He said, "I don't like it."

"Yes, sir. Well, let's try not to find it..."

"That makes for a great conversation."

With a voice in my ear against the blur, I shook my body unexpectedly.

"Tia. Could it be on my shoulder?

"Yeah. You don't have to worry about getting ripped off."

Absolutely, you just want to have fun. Though I thought so, I kept walking.

"…… that's it."

Then, after about half a day's walk, just before sundown, we finally reach the cave.

"Ruffle, are you following me properly?

"Yeah, I'm fine, let it go."

Speaking behind his back, a ruffle appeared directly beside him. Tier's hidden form even erases footsteps, so I really have no idea where he is.

The cave isn't big enough for Ruffle's body to get in, but fortunately the mural is right at the entrance.

Try to peek in from the outside, and she casts a spell.

"Something immobile. Something unshakable. Something I'll never forget, something I can talk about. Thou, Spirit of the earth Gnome. Respond to my voice and answer the question."

Along with the spell, a dwarf of fine appearance appeared before.

"Norm. Long time no see. Do you remember me?

"Oboete, le"

In an unscrupulous tone, but Norm clearly answers that.

…… Success!

I asked him, holding on to my boiling emotions.

"So... what about the person who painted this picture?

"Oboetel."

"What was he like?

To my question, Norm looked in trouble.

The spirits, to be honest, are not very smart. It feels like we talked, like a three-year-old.

I can't answer very complicated questions.

"Sorry, let's change the question.... Was she a woman? Or was it a man's?

"On, na"

"Alone? Or were you drawing multiple people?

"Hitori."

"So... do you know the name of the person you were drawing?

I throw a question that touches certainty.

"……… Wakaranai"

Besides, Norm shook his head. Is that true? If I was just painting here by myself, I don't even think I had the chance to say my name.

I decided to change the question.

"Do you know what this painting is about?

"Ki"

Ki.... tree. If you do say so, even if it doesn't look like a tree…

Mm-hmm. No, I knew you were bad. Kind of doesn't look like a tree. Maybe if they told me that what I thought was the devil's hand was a branch...

"When was this picture painted?

"Taxan...... mae"

"Specifically? And then you know how many nights I've had?

"……… Wakaranai"

There are only earthy spirits, and the memory itself is not bad.

But intelligence, like counting things or guessing something, was absolutely not enough for Norm.

We tried to throw every question we could come up with afterwards, but in the end we didn't know what the big deal was, and we were going to go back to the ship with the hidden magic again.

"…… sorry. I asked you to come this far."

I'm sorry to hear that.

"Fair enough. The sailing was reasonably enjoyable."

Apologizing for not being able to accomplish anything after years of labor, on the contrary, I am comforted. What a pity.

"I came all the way here because of this, why don't you take some souvenirs? Maybe some rare nuts."

On the way home, Tia talks to me flourishing with care. Now me and Lynn are also wearing concealed hoods, so I guess there's some point in preventing them from falling off.

"That's true… although I don't remember seeing it. How about you, Lynn?

Talk to Lynn, who is supposed to be walking beside her, but she didn't get back to me.

"Oh well. Can't you talk because you look like a person? While you're hiding, why don't you just look like a mermaid?

That's what I said, but I can't hear Lynn.

"... Hey, I have a bad feeling about this."

"Me too..."

That's an odd encounter. Neither do I.

That's exactly what I thought. At that moment, fear became a reality.

"Seikei, can you hear me?

Phosphorus sent communications through the scales.

"Lynn. Where are you now!?

"At the cave just now. I've been a little distracted."

…… I knew it!

"I'll be right there. Until I'm on my way, hide."

"It's okay, there's still Tia's magic left."

Indeed, our figure is still disappearing. The magical effect of the attack shouldn't be different if Tia stays by her side.

"Hey, tell me, Norm"

The Spirit does not disappear even when its magical effects disappear.

Once called, its shape remains like a fold attached to a piece of paper.

It's easy to call Norm, which Ruffle just called too, just like Yuki called Jack Frost, who served as Eye.

"What did the man who painted this painting call it?

That was a question that had fallen completely out of my head.

No one introduces themselves by themselves. But if you're not alone... if that's not two people, if it's one with one, there was a chance you'd call it a name.

Magic comes from a wish, something that takes shape with a name.

- If that painting is the wish of the person who drew it.

Always have a name for it.

"Yakusokunochi. Frog Bekibasho"

Norm told it in a traceable tone.

"Sensei Neue"

"- Ahhh!

I didn't think so, I raised my voice.

That is…… well.

tree. That, as Norm said, is certainly made of wood.

Not with wood, but with the tree itself.

The line extending from left to right is a branch. And the square above it is a cabin with windows, not a demon's face. What you see in your mouth with random pile teeth is an entrance fence.

I made it first, log house backwards. First school.

Instead of the village of Hiiro yet, before we could even settle its predecessor.

Me, Nina and I, Eye. The three of us lived in a small house.

Eye was here. Live here... don't forget about me, you're here.

"There he is! A monster! '

It was then that such a voice reached my ear.

'What, lie, why...?

Lynn's confused voice.

Because we're still transparent, her appearance should be transparent again.

Away from Tia herself, the effect time remains the same.

But there was no doubt that she had been found. Tier's concealed form, by the way, loses its effect if it is pointed out to be there. And... her appearance is no more human than she was speaking out. He looks like a mermaid, of his nature.

'Hey do it...... stop it!

Lynn's sad scream sounds. It was not fear, but a voice caused by pain and suffering.

"Lynn!"

Not if you care about your physical appearance.

I returned to the figure of a dragon and flew through the sky folding vacillations and trees.

The distance, which takes half a day to walk, passes in an instant and shows the villagers flaming in my eyes. In the center of the flaming encirclement, there was a magical light blinking.

'I have one caveat. This hidden form is what makes you a shadow. So if I can't make a sound, I won't smell it, and I won't tell you how I felt when I touched it. But only that shadow can be seen if it is illuminated by light. Be careful.'

Yes, Tia should have advised you yesterday, but Lynn turned on the lights.

I descend there at full speed, with almost falling momentum. No one was to be crushed because the villagers quickly distanced themselves from the dragon they were not willing to hide, but that was just a coincidence.

My eyes caught it for a while.

Lying on the earth, a body with beautiful waist fins and blue tail fins and supple arms.

But on both of those shoulders, there's nothing to be had.

It rolled a little further away.

It has blue hair - people's, neck.

"Killed... of...?

I asked. There is nothing to answer that question. The humans just stare at me.

"You guys! You killed Lynn!

The scream pops up as a mass of flames, piercing the ground and causing an explosion.

As soon as they did, the humans ran away screaming and scattering spider children.

Let it live, something to turn back.

If I blow the flames with all my might, it's easy to turn everything in the village into a sea of fire, saying it's from this distance. Try to do it without hesitation...

But just before, I stopped doing it.

Not because I was terrified of killing people. Not because of the face of the couple who welcomed me in the back of their brain.

I just don't want to hurt Lynn's body in case. That was the only reason.

"Lynn......"

When I take a person's appearance, I proceed accordingly and poke my knee in front of her body.

"Ha, I thought you'd die."

Hiya.

He turned his body up as if he were getting out of the futon, from which Lynn represented himself.

"Nah...... huh? Li, Lynn?

"Eh heh. Sorry, you made me worry."

Lynn got out of her own body, losing her neck, as if she were even peeling. Though it is smaller at a time, there is no scratch on it.... No, just one, there was a difference. Long hair cut to the waist around the shoulder.

"Bye. Actually, this was my hair."

Lynn picks up her rolling neck on the ground and shakes it gently to show it. Then it turned into a long, blue-haired mass and fell to the ground with a rust.

"Lynn!"

I couldn't stop, hugging her.

"Hey, hey, let it go! Ouch! And embarrassing! I'm not wearing anything right now!?

Sure, if you ask me. The garment covered a fake body that had become like a shell, and now Lynn was genuine, unwrapped. But now, I don't care.

"You... when you overcome old age, you paid for your memory, didn't you?

No matter how many times I've heard about the price, I've been teased.

But now it's finally clear. She wasn't young and childish, she wasn't forgetful. Instead, he kept hiding it from the old man.

No matter how much she is, she can't possibly forget the serious precautions she just heard yesterday. If so, it's not just oblivion.

"Tell me. How far did you sacrifice?

"……… something new."

Pompous, Lynn whines.

"When you cross the day, you forget. Most of what happened that day."

You mean... The next time she loses her old age, she doesn't come. She was so curious and liked new things.

"Please. Promise me you won't do this again."

"... sorry. It's the mountains that I want to promise... but I might not be able to."

"Even if I promise, because I forget?

Lynn shook her head. And I look down at my own body, which is getting smaller.

... That's right. There's no reason why you shouldn't have to make such a rapid change at any cost.

I'm not just talking about saying you're getting smaller.

What she has overcome now is death. Lynn was not only immortal, she became immortal.

What the hell do I put on it, and the balance matches?

"I'm probably going to… why shouldn't I do something dangerous… on the contrary. I forget what's at stake."

What Lynn put on the balance.

It was all tomorrow and - and all yesterday.