Editing Unlimited Fafnir:Volume 7 Chapter 2 (section)

===Part 6===

While we were returning to the shopping street's neighborhood from the observation platform, the sky's color was already turning from blue to red.

The bus was very infrequent, so the journey took longer than planned.

We were on the way back home, walking along a road on the shore of the river running through the center of town.

"—Yggdrasil, hath thy sharing of information with the Akashic Record not completed yet?"

I was looking out at the river's shimmering surface reflecting the setting sun's rays when Vritra's voice entered my ears. I looked back at the two girls walking at the back.

"Yes, it looks like it'll have to wait till tomorrow."

Tia answered apologetically and Vritra sighed deeply.

"Is waiting very boring?

I slowed down my pace to walk alongside those two, then asked Vritra.

"Yes, today's outing was also very uninteresting."

"...But I saw you enjoying the ice cream quite a lot."

Despite calling it worthless, Vritra still finished the ice cream.

"Well—That was not bad, but the town itself is very uninteresting. With nothing particularly striking, 'tis all too plain."

"Perhaps you're right. And it's not just you. Many humans probably share the same view as you."

I smiled wryly and agreed with her. Vritra looked up at me with a surprised expression.

"Thou admitest 'tis an uninteresting town too?"

"No, people are free to say what they think, but to Mitsuki and me, this is a special place."

I asserted clearly. Listening beside me, Tia nodded in agreement.

"That goes without saying, because there are many important memories!"

"Memories..."

Vritra repeated the word Tia had said. I gasped too, because that was precisely the root issue.

"—That's right. It's special precisely because of intangible memories and human relationships. After getting back a bit of my memories, I can now understand this."

I expressed agreement with Tia then looked at Vritra.

"Dark matter cannot create intangible things, right? In that case, you can't call them worthless from your perspective either, right?"

"Intangible things equate to nothingness, nonexistent things. I cannot see what value they have."

I originally thought Vritra would understand but she refuted me flatly.

"You're so stubborn. Then what about Kili?"

"What?"

"This was brought up before. You did not make copies of Kili. I think something tangible and irreplaceable can be considered special."

"......"

Vritra fell silent after hearing what I said. After a moment's thought, she replied:

"...I concede that she is very useful and replication is difficult, but to me, she is nothing more than something disposable."

Vritra was probably referring to tampering with Kili's dragon mark to turn her into Hraesvelgr's mate. However—

"But it was your failure. It wasn't Kili's fault that Hraesvelgr did not choose her as its mate—I think it was because the modification of the dragon mark was imperfect. This is evidence that you don't have perfect control over biogenic transmutation... Otherwise, there was hesitation in your heart... The reason has to be one of these two."

"Hmm..."

Vritra frowned. Regardless which one, neither was amusing to Vritra. One could hardly blame her for feeling displeased.

"Thou art infuriating. Were it not for Yggdrasil's special warning, I would have obliterated thee."

"Resorting to violence when you're beaten in an argument, that's no good."

Vritra glared at me unhappily but because of her face, she looked very cute. I could not help but smile wryly.

I stroked her head and tried to soothe her, but she pouted with more apparent displeasure.

When her expression and the view of the river at dusk entered my view, another new memory suddenly surfaced.

'—Please, stop following me.'

Troubled and agitated, a girl's voice sounded in my mind.

It was not Mitsuki's voice. In terms of timber, it resembled Vritra's voice closely.

In the past, at this river, I seemed to have met a girl very similar to her...

The memory of a girl jumping off the bridge flashed in my mind.

That was... Right, the bridge over there.

Ahead of us was a large bridge crossing to the opposite shore. It was where she and I had met.

"How now?"

Seeing me staring at her face, Vritra asked in surprise.

Vritra's face overlapped with the girl in my memory

Indeed, they were very alike.

But I could not possibly have seen Vritra with this appearance in the past.

Speaking of possibilities—

Kili's face came to mind. Although younger in age, Vritra had obviously used Kili's face as a reference.

"Here's a question... Kili was originally your relay for controlling and restoring Hekatonkheir, right?"

I carefully confirmed with her, only to find Vritra show a look of increased incomprehension.

"Indeed that is true... So what?"

"Then Kili and Hekatonkheir visited this town together, right?"

"Yes, that is correct..."

Hearing Vritra's answer, my hunch turned into certainty.

"—Girls, I'm going to make a slight detour."

I called to Mitsuki and the others, then walked to the riverside without waiting for their answer. I would surely remember more clearly if I visited the place where I had met her.

"Mononobe, where are you going!?"

Iris' frantic voice and chasing footsteps could be heard from behind.

I was heading to the spot under the bridge. Walking briskly, I went to the part shaded from the setting sun's bright rays.

—Three years ago, I definitely met Kili.

To obtain definitive proof, I stepped under the bridge. However, what I found there was tangible instead of being memories.

"Huh...?"

In the spot shaded from the setting sun, two people were collapsed.

One was a young man in military uniform with platinum blond hair—John Hortensia.

The other was the girl whom I was just thinking about, Kili Surtr Muspelheim.

John was unconscious while Kili's clothing was tattered and stained with fresh blood. Due to chest movements indicating breathing, I could tell they were not dead. But I could not understand why they were here and in such a state.

Iris and the rest of the girls caught up and exclaimed in surprise like me.

"Why is Kili-chan..."

Perhaps noticing our presence, Kili opened her eyes slightly.

"...Yuu? Ah... I didn't expect to run into you here, now it saves me the effort... of finding you."

Hearing Kili's hoarse voice, I came back to my senses, ran to her side and held her in my arms.

"Hey, are you okay!? What the hell happened—"

"...Don't worry about me. Despite the blood all over me, the wounds are all healed, I am just... a little exhausted."

Kili smiled feebly and tried to sit up but went limp halfway, losing consciousness.

"H-Hey, Kili!"

I called her name but she did not open her eyes this time.

It was troubling to see Kili so weakened for the first time. She said she was exhausted, which implied that she had performed transmutation to her limit. What kind of situation would have made Kili exhaust her powers to such an extent?

"Nii-san, look at Kili-san's right hand!"

Mitsuki cried out, almost screaming.

"Right hand?"

I followed where Mitsuki was pointing at and gasped.

Kili's dragon mark was on the back of her right hand.

The edges of the dragon mark were turning slightly into an ominous purple.