Edenia’s Disappearance

From beginning to end, Edenia had only ever shown the beautiful side of things.

Whether in her words, her expressions, or even her gestures, everything spoke of beauty.

But from beginning to end, Edenia never once spoke of what might be hidden beneath that beauty, the unknown truths she kept concealed.

From the very first meeting with everyone, Edenia had been emphasizing the importance of miracles.

She encouraged everyone never to give up, to hold fast to their resolve, and promised that no matter the difficulty, together they could overcome it.

And everyone was drawn in by Edenia’s charm.

Her gentle words and her smiling face left them too captivated to notice the details.

Lophiel was the first to realize something was wrong.

Ever since Edenia deployed that massive magic circle, Lophiel had felt uneasy.

Magic of such scale required an astronomical amount of mana—where had Edenia drawn all that power from?

And not only that—she was maintaining it continuously over a long duration.

Each second consumed a terrifying amount of energy.

Yet despite this, Edenia showed no sign of exhaustion, as though her mana were infinite.

But Lophiel knew that was impossible.

No being in the world had infinite mana.

Even gods would one day run dry.

So Edenia must have used some unknown means to sustain this magic.

At the time, Lophiel couldn’t figure out what it was.

But after being engulfed in that colossal pillar of light that soared skyward, after reappearing on the surface and hearing Edenia’s words to Alice—Lophiel began to understand.

A heavy premonition settled in her chest, and even her body tensed.

She hurried to the two of them, anxiety pushing her question out of her mouth.

Reborn once already, Lophiel no longer believed in “free” blessings.

Especially not power of this magnitude.

It was impossible to wave it away with the word “miracle.”

Alice’s words were cut off by Lophiel’s interruption.

But after hearing her, Alice froze, then turned her gaze toward Edenia as if she too had realized something.

“Don’t try to deceive me with childish talk about miracles being free, Little Eden.

This scale of power must come at the cost of your own energy, mustn’t it?

To keep such a vast magic going, and even share it with others—that kind of drain could only be borne by a god.

But you are not a god, Little Eden.

So tell me, what is the price you’re paying to make this possible?”

By the time she finished, Lophiel was already standing directly before Edenia, sapphire eyes boring into her.

Edenia’s lips parted slightly, surprise flashing across her face at how quickly Lophiel had pieced it together.

But then…

A smile bloomed on Edenia’s lips.

She looked at the two girls, then said with a laugh,

“Oh my sweet Phiel ♪ You really shouldn’t worry about such things.

It’s nothing serious at all, is it?”

“So… my guess was right then, wasn’t it?”

Lophiel clenched her fists, speaking with a “calm” voice.

In response, Edenia simply smiled and nodded.

And at that, Lophiel could no longer contain herself.

Anger twisted her face as she seized Edenia’s collar and shouted,

“Are you an idiot?! Do you have any idea what this means?!

You’ll die when your mana burns out completely!

You’ll die, do you understand?!

For a group of strangers you barely even know, you’ve pushed yourself this far—what kind of monumental fool are you?!”

Alice stared in disbelief at the sudden outburst, her voice trembling as she asked,

“Little Eden… why…?”

Though Lophiel had her tightly by the collar, Edenia’s warm smile did not falter.

She looked into Alice’s moist eyes and said,

“Didn’t I say before?

When everything was over, I’d hold you in my arms and let you have a good cry.

And since Little Phiel is here too, this is the perfect time for all three of us to share one big hug and celebrate our victory ♪”

Hearing Edenia so casually dismiss her own condition, Lophiel bit down hard, her beautiful features contorted by rage into something almost frightening.

“Even now, you don’t regret it?! You’re about to—”

But a finger pressed against her trembling lips.

Edenia, still smiling, asked gently,

“Why should I regret it?

Why would Little Lophiel think that?”

Lowering her finger, Edenia spread her arms and embraced both Lophiel and Alice tenderly.

“I love everyone.

I’m so happy to have become your friend.

And most of all, you’re all so radiant, so wonderful.

If I can do something for people like you, Edenia has no complaints at all ♪”

“But… but… Little Eden, you’ll…”

Alice could hold back no longer.

She buried herself in Edenia’s chest like a helpless child and wept.

Lophiel didn’t cry as openly, but tears still slipped from the corners of her eyes.

“It’s alright ♪ As I said before, miracles are infinite.

And the power of love is infinite as well.

A temporary parting isn’t forever.

As long as you believe you’ll meet again, miracles will grant you endless possibilities~”

As she spoke, Edenia’s body began to dissolve into particles of light.

Realizing this, Alice and Lophiel clung to her with all their strength.

“So, I’ll look forward to seeing you again ♪”

With those final words, Edenia’s body vanished completely.

And with nothing left to support them, the two girls fell to the ground.

When Alice and Lophiel managed to rise again, confusion colored both their faces.

“Miss Lophiel? Were you crying?”

“Princess Alice, were you crying?”

They spoke at the same time, then froze.

Their hands rose to their faces—wet with tears.

But why were they crying?

Neither of them could recall.

For the briefest instant, a pink silhouette flickered through their minds.

But it vanished as quickly as it came.

A dull pain struck their heads, their vision went black, and both collapsed unconscious.

…

“Do you… truly love them that much?”

“Yes ♪ They’re all such adorable children~ How could I not love them?”

“…If that is your wish… then please… lie low… do not draw… Their… gaze…”

“Don’t worry ♪ You take care of yourselves too~ After all, you’re also children I adore.”

“…We thank you for your salvation—for letting us know we are not sinners.

To aid you, we will use the last of our strength to hide you once more.

Please, be careful…”

The broken words grew clearer as the beings of Naraku used the last of their power.

They devoured Edenia’s memory and erased all traces of her from everyone’s minds.

…

One night.

“Eh? Someone’s unconscious here? No! I can’t just leave him lying in the snow.

I’ll take him back to the church first.”

A young girl out for a stroll had found a white-haired man collapsed in the snow.

She carried him back to the church.

…

First Record:

It is said she fell from the heavens.

Brilliant light tore through the sky, and thus, in the midst of chaos, the world gained its stars.

(End of Volume One)