The Magician of Clow

Chapter 1496 Interlude: Waiting for the answer to that question

Chapter 1496 Interlude: Waiting for the answer to that question

A soft, gentle voice rang out in the night, offering no questioning, only a sense of resignation and calm.

Upon hearing these words in the halo of light atop the tower, Fang Ran turned her dark eyes. She wasn't surprised that the concealed part had been pointed out so directly; she merely smiled helplessly amidst the fluttering of her hair.

"I feel like it would be showing off my gratitude to Ling if I said this to her now, so I'm a little embarrassed to bring it up."

Ling now

Hearing the address Fang Ran used, the tall, aloof woman looked at his expression in the night wind.

From Trinity's description and from 'Night Wanderer's' combat logs, she already knew what this young man had been hiding from her during the day.

The Arctic, the icy sea, the Palace of Eternal Night, the Zero Riders, and the Queen's light and shadow.

Having only awakened his powers a few months prior, he single-handedly ventured into the Arctic to openly confront the master of night combat, even recklessly challenging that man's projection.

Even if it meant falling into the icy sea and suffering severe injuries and near death, even though he had never even been abroad before,

And all of this is for 'himself'.

What does it feel like to suddenly discover that someone is willing to risk their life for your future self?

“The ‘me’ in the Arctic at that time would have been very surprised to see you appear.”

With her pale gold eyes lowered quietly, she imagined herself in that moment, and as an adult, Ling brushed a strand of hair, making a remarkably believable conjecture.

Even though both parties involved were present, it felt like they were talking about the mysterious nature of a 'third party.' Hearing her say that made it seem like it was true, recalling the mutual concealment they had on the icy sea.

Fang Ran chuckled nostalgically in the night lights, his dark eyes sparkling:

"After all, Ling, you're quite proud. Even when you encounter trouble, you refuse to tell me, so I have no choice but to go with you myself."

Despite his bolder statement than during the day, the adult Ling spoke up calmly in the night breeze.

"No one has ever dared to say that about me."

However, putting aside this unpleasant description, she also admitted that, whether out of dignity or personality, 'she' would not ask for help from a newly awakened newcomer.

"It seems you know me very well."

The night was still, and the lights atop the tower cast a sea of ​​light behind the exquisite beauty.

Hearing this, Fang Ran didn't answer immediately. He just stared blankly for a while, then turned his gaze back to the capital, his voice softening as if afraid of disturbing the tranquility of the moment:

"No, this is probably the period of Ling that I know the least about, since you've never told me about her before."

So, what does it feel like to discover that someone is willing to risk their life for your future self?

The night breeze stirred the hem of her evening gown, and her tall, aloof figure gazed at the person who was right before her.

Moved? Surprised? Or something else? She had no memory of that time in the Arctic, that desperate effort for her was like a flame seen through glass—you could see the light but couldn't feel the heat.

She found herself somewhat at a loss for words.

But compared to the Arctic incident, among the things the young man concealed during the day, another matter stirred her emotions like a boulder thrown into a still lake.

Scenes of time, memories that don't exist, recalling those photos found in the deepest recesses of my own archives.

That young girl with a radiant smile, traveling with young men in villages, manors, Milan, golden wheat fields, and carriages.

In the halo of lights atop the dark tower, Ling, with her mature and refined mixed-race features, stood serenely in the night breeze, gazing at the young man, her calm voice bathed in the cool moonlight:

"Then which period do you know best, the version of me you encountered a hundred years ago?"

As a crucial link in the fusion of bodies, it's natural that they would learn these things from the hibernation plan.

"Perhaps, after all, Ling, you didn't understand anything back then,"

Upon hearing her question, as if suddenly remembering something beautiful, Fang Ran smiled happily, her face warmed by the light from below:

"And the Queen was really cute when she was little."

But just as he finished speaking, a calm voice rang out, accompanied by the buzzing of some powerful weapon charging.

"What did you say?"

Fang Ran had initially thought the little queen was innocent, easily fooled, and had cheeks as soft as white pudding, but that impression changed when he turned and saw the calm, composed older queen behind him.

The muzzle of a cannon, which slowly materialized from the void and possessed a sophisticated, technological feel, glowed intensely before swallowing it all.

"Ahem, nothing."

After seeing his light cough and change of address, the figure who had calmly responded to being called arrogant just moments before withdrew from her pre-emptive stance.

During the day, she was relieved because the other person had seen her as a child, but thankfully it only lasted a day. However, by nightfall, she realized it was much more than just a day.

Through the transcendental setting, this young man not only witnessed his own childhood,

They even got involved.

Looking back at the photos I had been gazing at in a daze: the village sunlight, the Milan church, the horse-drawn carriages and wheat field paths, the forest streams and the town market.

Each moment is like a silent temptation, making the adult figures unable to resist wondering about the time they represent.

What happened during that time? What did they experience?

The tower top was silent under the night sky, as if immersed in the wheat fields and dappled sunlight in those photographs, its eyes slightly unfocused.

When the figure with light golden hair spoke again, her voice was bathed in a soft glow:

"What did you and I do in that scene?"

When asked, Fang Ran drifted into memories, as if recalling some precious and happy moment, and couldn't help but chuckle softly:

"I did a lot of things, the first of which was probably catching fish by the river."

No starlight was visible. A dark-skinned youth sat on the edge of the tower, his burning robes fluttering amidst the fading runes.

His voice drifted gently through the night, carrying the clarity and joy of a breeze from a hundred years ago, piercing the long curtain of time, and slowly recounting that journey by carriage.

And gazing at his profile, the figure with light golden hair listened quietly.

Until this moment, until I saw this young man sitting atop the tower, his dark eyes gleaming with gold, speaking of the past with the brightest smile,

She finally understood—

Compared to his future life, which could last a century, why did he become such an important person to him in just six months?

If even the most fundamental and essential elements constituting her current personality, achievements, and everything else—that cold childhood filled with suffering and struggle—could be saved, then…

He rewrote everything in a dreamlike way, filling it with vibrant flowers and sunshine. So, the future version of myself will see him as irreplaceable.

That's only to be expected, isn't it?

As night fell, the boundless sky seemed to stretch out endlessly like an inky silk ribbon.

She listened quietly to all the descriptions of that journey, her exquisite face, with its flowing hair, lost in thought for a long time in the night, until all the related flashbacks vanished in the wind.

The Great Queen of the past looked at the young man before her once more, a cold question rising in her light golden eyes:

"So that's why you risked everything in the Arctic at the end? But even including that journey, you've only known 'me' for a few months,"

"Or is it like before, when they wanted to save those innocent people in North America?"

"You really enjoy risking your life for people who are nobody in your life?"

Upon hearing this, as if someone had pointed out a bad habit of his, the black-haired youth scratched his cheek somewhat embarrassedly.

"Actually, that time was different."

His hair fluttered as he gazed at the distant capital, his dark eyes seeming to travel back to the moment of his initial awakening. He spoke with a serene, light laugh in the night breeze, not out of any desire like he had back in North America.

"When I was most confused and lost after my awakening, it was Ling who appeared by my side and helped me open the door to everything that has happened so far."

"It was Ling who helped me maintain my daily life, it was Ling who gave me the strength to move forward."

"Ling, you mean something very special to me,"

In the dazzling night lights, Fang Ran's smile as she turned her head was illuminated by the light.

"I told you, you are my queen."

The words were exactly the same as in the restaurant during the day, but seeing him speak with a light laugh made me realize the weight of his unthinking reply back then.

There were no memories or experiences of the Arctic, but the aloof, adult figure clearly realized—

The future self will no longer be alone.

Then, at the same time, she finally understood that indescribable feeling she had just experienced—it was a feeling for her future self, who would have complete memories.

I'm a little envious

The night wind tousled her light golden hair, and in a fleeting moment of realization, the adult-looking figure suddenly understood why she had asked him that question at the end of the day.

Because of holding hands and feeling close to him, I sensed his importance to my future self; because of the envy and identity anxiety caused by memory loss...

Distinguish between your present self and your future self, and deliberately pose the worst possible question.

At that moment, the woman with the light blonde hair realized that she did care about his feelings.

So she spoke again:

"In that case, what about the questions I asked you during the day?"

The night wind suddenly intensified, lifting the aloof and dignified figure of the woman atop the tower; the voice of the night-wandering angel echoed with a noble and distant elegance in the darkness.

“I have no memory of the Arctic, nor do I remember the experiences of those journeys or anything about you. I am not the ‘Ling’ who helped you all the way from the beginning of your awakening.”

"So, what will you do if things continue like this?"

As she spoke, a faint yet bright smile appeared on her delicate face, and her originally calm voice became slightly raised.

"Are you cutting ties with me? Or are you treating me as an enemy? Then you'll try to defeat and control me, and then find a way to get back the Ling you know?"

Upon hearing her question, the dark-skinned youth paused for a moment, the night breeze ruffling his slightly disheveled hair, before he slowly and absentmindedly spoke.

The voice was like a whisper in the night wind, carrying a hint of reverie and a touch of relief.

"I've actually been thinking about this for a long time tonight; I've been thinking about this issue the whole time,"

"What if Ling, your memories truly don't return? What if this time continues indefinitely? What if someone else has the same memories as me?"

"If the Ling I know never comes back,"

Scenes from their first encounter in the cottage, the experiences with that young girl a hundred years ago, and the realization that the figure who remembered them was gone forever.

A feeling, like a void in my chest, spread inexplicably and eventually transformed into a powerful, surging tide.

Fang Ran then lowered his dark eyes and spoke in a very soft voice:

"Then I'll definitely be very sad."

At the top of the tower, high in the night sky, a solitary and aloof figure listened to the young man's remark.

For some reason, her light gold eyes drooped slightly.

But the next second, she saw the other person raise their eyes again, their golden gaze blazing. All hesitation and wavering seemed to have been washed away, leaving only a soft, firm smile as they looked at her.

The night breeze was like a song, as if the sky had cleared after the rain.

"But even so, you are still my queen."

　Oh my god, I finally finished writing this! This chapter was just as difficult as the last one. Anyway, let's talk about something else. A few days ago, I suddenly discovered that one of my favorite Japanese manga artists, Hiroyuki, has a new series. I was so surprised! I love all of his works. In his stories, there's often a character representing a free-spirited and emotional side, and another representing a mature, patient, and rational side. For example, the male protagonist in "The Manga Artist" has a crush on beautiful girls, the monkey king in "Aho-Girl" lives a carefree life, and the male protagonist in "Girlfriend" completely follows his desires and wants to have his cake and eat it too. I can feel the feeling that the artist wants to express—the feeling of breaking free from the constraints of society and life. As someone who lives a very constrained life, I really like it (as well as the artist's obsession with erotic themes). (PS: By the way, the new work is about winning a 700 million yen lottery, and the interesting development of rational consumption versus reckless spending. The artist has really captured a common person's desire once again.)

　　(End of this chapter)