Chapter 5

"Raura, don't get lost!"

While my gaze was drawn here and there by my master's words, I nodded firmly.

-- It had been a few months since I became my master's disciple. Today, I followed my master to one of the largest cities in the country, second only to the capital. I was almost asked to stay behind as my master was going to meet a disciple, but I insisted on coming along.

This city, Sittenhelm, was familiar to me. It's the city where the protagonist of "Last Brave" sets off on his journey and visits in the early stages. Although it felt a bit smaller compared to the capital, which I had already visited, the cheerful BGM left a strong impression. One of my companions was from this city, and we visited it again in the later stages.

-- Putting aside my impressions from my previous life, I was now captivated by the sights around the city.

What a vibrant city! So different from Eme's village! The scenery I had seen in "Last Brave" was right before my eyes!

"Here, here."

Next to my master, who said this, I looked up at the building in front of me.

This building, with its white base and refreshing appearance, was familiar. I had entered this building while playing "Last Brave." It was larger than the surrounding buildings and its wall paint stood out, making it seem like it wasn't just a regular house. I had intruded, thinking it was something special.

-- In the end, it turned out to be just a regular house. Although the interior decoration seemed to have been put together with some effort, it didn't turn out to be part of any event.

I never imagined that the person living in this house would be my master's disciple -- the old lady at the edge of the village.

My master rang the doorbell and entered the house without waiting for a response, as if it were her own. I followed behind, trying to recall the appearance of the NPC who lived in this house in "Last Brave."

If my memory serves me right, it was a blonde woman. I remember her as one of the reused NPCs I had seen in multiple villages and towns.

"It's been a while, Mercedes."

I peeked next to my master, ready to confirm. The resident quiz was -- incorrect.

"It's been a while, Master. You seem as well as ever... I'm glad to see you."

"I'm not going to die anytime soon."

The disciple -- Mercedes -- standing next to my master, was a beautiful woman with light green hair. The first thing that caught my eye was the length of her hair. It was so long it almost touched the floor. While this might be unrealistic in the real world, it was fitting for a fantasy setting.

Next, my eyes were drawn to the shape of her ears. They were pointed. In "Last Brave," this shape indicated that she was an elf, a race known for their long lifespan and strong magic. One of the party members was also an elf.

Finally, what caught my attention was her red eyes, the same color as my master's. Despite the deep red, they seemed to be translucent, with a mysterious charm that drew me in.

Those red eyes turned towards me.

"Is this your new disciple?"

"Raura Ampere, nice to meet you!"

I bowed, and my ash-gold hair, which was loosely wavy at the ends, caught the corner of my eye. While my hair color gave me a bit of individuality, my blue eyes, which were common in this world, made me feel a bit out of place.

My face, as Raura, was made to be cute, perhaps because I was given the role of the protagonist's childhood friend. However, compared to Mercedes' divine beauty, I couldn't compete at all.

Still, I couldn't believe I had forgotten about Mercedes, who had such a beautiful and memorable character design. She didn't appear in the main story or any side events, so it was understandable. But I had even dug up the wrong memory, thinking she was one of the reused NPCs.

"She's a serious young lady. I'm Mercedes Bloom, nice to meet you. I've heard she's quite an excellent disciple."

With a smile as compassionate as the Virgin Mary, the tension in my body eased. What a wonderful person.

"By the way, let me introduce my disciple. Arnolt!"

In response to Mercedes' call, a boy with black hair came out from the back. The boy -- had an incredibly handsome face.

He seemed a few years older than me, but he was probably around 12 years old. Despite his age, his face had already lost its childishness. His hair color, straight nose, and tightly pursed lips were all perfectly shaped and perfectly placed. It was a flawless creation, almost as if it were the work of a god, with no flaws to be found.

The future hero -- or, in a meta sense, the future protagonist of this world -- Lucash, also had a beautiful face. However, he still retained some childishness. This was the first time I had seen such a beautiful face.

Surprised, I stared at him rudely. He glanced at me for a moment but quickly turned away. Then,

"..."

Silence. He made no attempt to communicate. It was clear that he was rejecting any communication.

As I struggled to react, Mercedes came to my rescue.

"I'm sorry, he's older than you, Raura, but... His name is Arnolt Roco. He's quite knowledgeable, though."

I smiled ambiguously in response to Mercedes' support. I tried to say "nice to meet you," but he didn't even look at me.

Still, the name Arnolt was cool, and Roco was a rather cute surname. It was a name that wouldn't sound out of place for a small animal -- I laughed at my own silly thoughts, and then, "I remembered." I had thought something similar before.

Roco. I had a memory of this surname. I had heard it before. A voice resurfaced in the depths of my eardrums.

-- My name is Elvira Roco. I'm a genius magician!

In my memory, a young face smiled, showing her teeth. Her large black eyes blinked, and her black hair swayed. Through the gaps in her black hair, I could see her pointed ears. Yes, she was an elf. A small body with immense magical power, a genius magician.

Roco. The person who bore this surname was -- Elvira Roco, one of the party members in "Last Brave"!

I remembered it well. Elvira was one of my favorite characters. In battles, she devastated enemies with overwhelming firepower, and in the story, she was proud even as a child.

When she introduced herself as Roco, it seemed to fit her small, cute Elvira perfectly. This memory was correct. I could say it with confidence.

In addition to sharing the same surname, the hair color and eye color of Elvira and the boy in front of me -- Arnolt -- were also the same. The only thing left was the shape of the ears. I had been so captivated by his beautiful face that I hadn't really looked at his ears properly.

I lowered my gaze to the floor for a moment, then quickly raised my head and eyes.

His ears were -- pointed.

(...I wonder if there was a setting that Elvira had an older brother or cousin.)

I tried to remember. There were mentions of her parents. In fact, in an event that delved into Elvira's character, her father, mother, and even grandparents actually appeared. But Elvira didn't have a brother. There was no mention of a brother.

If that was the case, perhaps a more distant relative -- but then, a certain sentence suddenly resurfaced in my mind.

-- Due to capacity constraints, Elvira's brother was cut.

This was probably a statement from the "Last Brave" development staff in an interview. I couldn't remember where I read it -- in a game magazine, strategy guide, official data book, or online. I didn't even remember if it was a real statement from the staff or just an online rumor. But the sentence was firmly etched in my memory.

Given the shared surname and physical characteristics, it was hard to imagine they were complete strangers. However, it wasn't impossible.

Considering this, I thought:

Could he, Arnolt, be a "cut character" from "Last Brave"?

"Raura, I'm sorry, but could you pick some herbs from the herb garden nearby right away?"

My thoughts were interrupted by my master's call. I reflexively raised my head to find a piece of paper in front of me.

"Ah, yes!"

I quickly glanced at it. The herbs listed were all familiar to me.

I tried to recall the location of the herb garden, which was said to be nearby, but there was no herb garden in my memory of Sittenhelm. Did such a place even exist in this city? I should have explored the city thoroughly when I first arrived, but I had no memory of it.

That's strange, I thought, tilting my head. But if my master said it was nearby, it must exist. I must have overlooked it.

Then I realized: the herb garden might be a good place to think. It seemed like a quiet place, and being alone would be a big plus.

"Um... Can I also take a look at the herb garden?"

This must have sounded like a diligent disciple's request. My master nodded with a satisfied smile, saying, "Take as much time as you need." Her smile made me feel a bit guilty, but I really did want to see the herb garden. -- I just wanted to gather my thoughts even more.

I sighed in relief and was about to leave Mercedes' house when a voice stopped me.

"If that's the case, Arnolt, could you show Raura around?"

I swallowed the surprised exclamation that was about to escape my throat. I turned around with unprecedented agility and waved my hands in front of my face with a strained smile.

"No, no, that's fine!"

It would be a bother for Arnolt.

My words were cut off by none other than Arnolt himself.

"Follow me."

His voice was still somewhat high, reminding me that he was still a child. His face and eyes, however, had lost much of their childishness -- but this wasn't the time to think about that.

I was about to say that I couldn't concentrate with him around, but he didn't give me the chance. Arnolt walked past me and left Mercedes' house.

My plans were disrupted, but I had no idea where the herb garden was, so I followed him.

***

In front of the herb garden I was led to, I was stunned.

It was much larger than I had imagined. This was not a place that could be easily overlooked. Moreover,

(This is the fountain square, isn't it?)

According to my memory, there was a large fountain here, surrounded by a square -- or so I thought. The fountain square had been used as a stage in several events.

Would this herb garden be transformed into the fountain square in the future? Lucash would come to this city in about 8 years. It didn't seem impossible.

No, wait. The fountain square had also appeared in a character's past flashback scene. It was a memorable scene, so I remembered it well. It was from the past -- before "now" -- of the older male party member, who was from this city. He had lost his parents to monsters as a child and had raised his younger sister and brother. The flashback scene depicted the 10 years from when he lost his parents to when he became a knight and went to the capital.

In other words, the absence of the fountain square "now