After breakfast is over and we clean up the tent, we invite Edinburgh and Wil inside to hear her out.
“Eh…! Daddy’s not gonna play!?”
“Sorry, Edinburgh has something important to talk about, so can you play with grandma over there?”
“…!?”
Snow suddenly looks where I’m pointing.
There’s an unnatural mass of magic energy outside the window behind a tree, and I know the darkness great spirit, Miss Sheryl, is there.
I was intentionally ignoring her because, unlike the other two, she usually just watches and doesn’t really come out.
I think her usual cool demeanor means she’s too embarrassed to see us pampering Snow.
Snow first tilts her head, but after looking closer, she notices.
“Going!”
“Don’t bother her too much!”
I see Snow rush out the window, and I turn to the sofa where Edinburgh is sitting.
“Come on Reina, don’t glare at her like that. I’m sure Edinburgh has her reasons.”
“…I know… I just can’t accept it.”
Well, I get where she’s coming from.
Edinburgh hasn’t shown any intention of getting her memories back until now. She told me herself, and I don’t think she was lying.
Despite the ill feelings in her past, Reina decided to support her in her new life. And the fact that Edinburgh came out with this just as Reina reached that conclusion, means Reina doesn’t know what to make of this.
“…This is no good. I’ll go get Merlin.”
“I see. I can hear you out then.”
“Yes… Sorry.”
Reina gets up, and Tiltue looks up with concern.
“Darling… I’m going with Reina.”
“Yes, please do.”
Edinburgh and Will say nothing, showing no intention to stop them.
After they leave, we can finally start talking.
“So what brought this on? You always said you didn’t need your memories.”
“Yes, apparently I had quite the troublesome character in the past. When I asked Merlin and the others about them, they all looked sour, and Reina’s face darkened as well. So I thought I didn’t need those memories, but…”
Edinburgh looks like she’s struggling to put it into words, and turns to Wil, who looks exasperated.
“Don’t rely on me, speak for yourself.”
“Very well…”
Edinburgh stumbles a few times as she tries to speak, until she finally finds the words.
I want to see Reina off as myself, is what she says.
She looks nervous, but at the same time, a little proud.
When she heard Reina was getting married, she figured she should celebrate it not as she is now, but as her real self, the person who has taught Reina ever since she was little.
I think her feelings are respectable, but then again, I don’t know her past self.
“Reina is very important to me.”
I say.
“I know that very well.”
“And that is why I’m asking. Reina has broken free from her tough past, and decided to live a new life on this island. Her memories with you are part of that.”
“Yes…”
“If… You regain your memories and cause Reina pain, I will never forgive you.”
I say with a menacing glare.
This should carry considerable pressure, but Edinburgh doesn’t budge.
She doesn’t look away even a bit, and I feel in her the determination to face me head on.
“And you still want your memories back? Even if it might hurt Reina?”
“Yes, I want them back.”
She says without hesitating, and I feel all too well how serious she is.
“…I understand.”
“Are you sure what I’m saying… Is fine? If I get my memories back, I might cause everyone pain.”
“At the very least, the Edinburgh I know wouldn’t do that.”
She shouldn’t need to say that. Her memories are her own, so it’s natural to want them back. That’s why I respect that she came here to say this.
“…I’ll talk to Reina. And I’ll help you regain your memories.”
“Thank you. I don’t think I can have a proper conversation with Reina at this rate…”
“In return, please stop Wil from bothering us.”
I say while turning my eyes to Wil, who is drinking coffee like this doesn’t concern her.
“Hey, why are you turning to me all of a sudden?”
“Leave it to me, I will stop mother with my life.”
“Edi, don’t get onboard with that boring idea.”
She hops in on my joke, releasing the heavy mood in the air.
That said, it’s not going to be easy to convince Reina. After all, the person in front of me was the equivalent of my past boss.
It’s not like I still resent the people who put me through so much in that black company… But I wouldn’t want to meet them again either.
“What should we do…”
“I think it will work out.”
“Wil?”
“Reina is strong enough that I accept her after all.”
She really does see through everything. Yes, Reina has decided to move forward on this island, and break free from the past.
“But we still don’t know what to do about the memories…”
“Her memories are sealed, but not gone. If we make her remember, the lock will naturally loosen.”
“I see… Then if she speaks about the past with the others of the seven great mages, her memories will return.”
It looks like they had already decided what to do. I said I’d help, but it doesn’t look like there’s much I can do…
“Yes, that’s the idea… And…”
“Hn?”
Edinburgh looks embarrassed for some reason, which is rare for her.
“Can you listen with us?”
“I don’t mind…”
When she first came to this island, everyone except Zephir treated her with fear. That included Merlin and Xellos.
That’s indicative of how she was in the past, so she needs courage to listen to it.
But she was aware of that when she made her decision.
“What about you, Wil?”
“I don’t care about what she did outside of this island. Once you remember everything, come to me and I’ll listen over wine and snacks. And…
A parent accepts a child no matter what.”
Wil’s eyes look very gentle as she says that.
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Thanks for the treat.
After they leave, we can finally start stalking.
Talking*