Chapter 28: Time Spiral

Dragon Era, Year 57 and onward

「I've come to grace you with my presence! Now hand over the food!」
「You again.」

At her very first words—like something a mountain bandit would say—Nina let out a voice of exasperation at Ultramarine.

「You must have way too much time on your hands.」

Even as she said that, she started thawing the Behemoth meat we’d kept frozen. I took an oil jug down from the shelf and heated it with flame, careful not to let it catch. For all their bickering, those two get along just fine.

「Mmmf. Hearing that from a dropout leaves a mighty sour taste!」
「I told you to call me Nina. In human speech, ‘dropout’ means ‘someone inferior’—it’s insulting.」

When Nina dropped the Behemoth meat into the oil jug, it sizzled with a satisfying sound and a savory aroma filled the room. I’d love flour if possible, but we haven’t found so much as grain yet, let alone a millstone. Well, even plain deep‑fry turns out surprisingly tasty.

「Hmph, right… but are you fine with a name that plain?」
「It’s fine. As long as it’s an alias, whatever works.」

There were roughly two ways to avoid the magic that enslaves living beings by possessing their names.

One, give yourself a provisional name and conceal your true name. Even something as simple as slightly twisting your true name like Nina had is immensely effective. Even if someone guessed it by inference, it would mean nothing—the caster must know without doubt that it is the true name.

The other is the exact opposite: rename your true name yourself and hold it in your heart. Ai and Dalga apparently did that, and even I don’t know the names they deem their true ones.

Ai said she would tell me, but I declined. I would never try to control her—and besides, as the former Elder did, there’s always a chance of eavesdropping. I wanted to reduce any risk I could.

「Okay, they’re done. Careful, don’t burn yourself.」

One nice thing about a fire dragon is that even spattering, boiling oil doesn’t feel hot at all. I can even stick my fingers right into the oil jug without issue. Nina handed Ultramarine the well‑drained deep‑fried Behemoth, sandwiched between leaves she’d conjured from plants.

「Afu! H-hot! Hot!!」

Ignoring my warning, Ultramarine popped it straight into her mouth and, sure enough, writhed and huffed in agony.

「Will you ever listen when people talk to you…」
「Nah, it tastes best like this.」

As Nina poured water from the pitcher into a wooden cup, exasperation on her face, Ultramarine stuck to her guns. I can only sympathize if I were eating magma these days, but I get the feeling.

「As I thought, there’s way more good food outside the forest.」

Smacking her lips, Ultramarine reached for a second piece.
There’s plenty to eat in the forest too, but truly gigantic creatures like the Behemoth are far more common on the prairie. You’d expect the meat to be coarse because of the size, but not at all—if anything, the tightly packed savor and springy bite are irresistible. I can see why Ultramarine bothers to leave the woods just to eat some.

「Oh, that’s some fine eats. Mind if I have some too?」

Drawn by the smell, perhaps, a raspy voice came from outside the window.

「Hey, peeking in the window is rude.」
「Heh heh, sorry, nee-san.」

Paying Nina’s scolding no mind, a big man ducked down lightly, swung around to the entrance, and came inside.

…Hnn?

Seeing him, Ultramarine knit her well‑shaped brows and looked puzzled.

「Bear-ape, did you… shrink?」
「Who’s this high-and-mighty long-ears?」

Dalgo pointed at Ultramarine while stuffing an entire deep‑fried slice of Behemoth into his mouth.

「Don’t talk with your mouth full. And don’t point at people.」
「Whoops, sorry.」

Shrugging at Nina’s words, Dalgo really did look just like Dalga used to.

「Ultramarine, this is Dalgo. He’s Dalga—the one you call bear-ape—his son.」
「Ah. So you know my old man.」

Reaching for a second piece, Dalgo nodded as if convinced.

「So you’re his son… Humans really do grow fast. You’re not quite a bear-ape, but you look plenty strong. Evergreen said he wanted another go, but if it’s the two of you together, we might lose again.」

At those offhand words, spoken as she licked the oil from her fingertips, both Nina and I fell silent without thinking.

「Hm? What’s wrong?」
「Well, the old man can’t really do it anymore, y’know.」
「Can’t do what?」
「Fight.」

When Dalgo said that, Ultramarine froze mid‑bite and let out a flat, baffled “Hah?”

「What do you mean? Can’t fight? Did he lose an arm or something?」
「Nah. He’s up there in years, and after he messed up his back the year before last, he hardly goes out hunting. When I was a kid he was like a rock, but lately he’s gone all dried‑up, like deadwood.」

At Dalgo’s light tone, Ultramarine blurted out another incredulous “Hah?”

「Wait… what? Did I learn human speech wrong? I’m not following you here.」
「Ultramarine—」
「Bear-ape is the greatest warrior I know. He felled Evergreen, our largest, and even Violet, our strongest, couldn’t touch him. Him… deadwood?」
「Ultramarine. That’s enough…」

Whether Nina’s rebuke wasn’t reaching her or not, Ultramarine, looking rattled, went on.

「Oh my. Ultramarine-san, you’re here?」

It was right then—
—that Ai emerged from the back of the room.

「It’s been a while. You look just the same as ever.」

Ultramarine’s eyes flew wide.

「You… are… who?」

I clenched my molars hard.

「It’s Ai. The last time we met… was ten years ago, so I’ve turned into quite the old granny. No wonder you wouldn’t recognize me.」

On that unchanged, adorable face—now deeply etched with wrinkles—Ai wore a smile.

「Ultramarine. Just go home now.」
「Eh!? But I only just got here!」

Nina must have felt the same as I did. Half by force, she shooed Ultramarine out.
Having the reality of aging—we’d been gradually coming to terms with—thrust back into the light hurts.

In the end, I couldn’t halt Ai’s aging, nor could I extend her life. Nothing worked.

The Elder’s second method of longevity was to become a thrall of the desert‑dwelling shadowfolk—a monster that forever sucks blood and cannot live under the sun.

The third was to turn yourself to stone with the venom of a two‑headed lizard that lives on a continent across the sea.
The fourth was to eat the fruit at the world’s end, but no such fruit existed.

I could never make Ai immortal by any of those means, so I searched for others and flew all over the world. Literally, all over it.

I fought the lizardmen to the east and earned their recognition by might, but they’re a simple folk who rely solely on their own bodies and don’t even use magic.
I entreated the fishmen to the south, kept visiting for years to earn their trust, and even devised healing magic to trade for shares of their flesh and blood. But their meat had nothing like the immortality effects told of in Earth’s lore.
There were giants living high in the mountains. There were centaurs running the prairie. There were dragons in ranges all over the world.

Some welcomed me amicably; others opposed me, and I barely escaped with my life.

But what they all had in common was this: none knew any way to achieve immortality.

For years—decades—I searched, and searched, and searched—

—and then, one day, Ai murmured.
Rather than stay apart chasing a one‑in‑ten‑thousand chance, she wanted to spend her finite life with me.

Ai’s first—and likely last—selfish request.

I chose to grant it.

「…I’m sorry.」

—the way she curled herself up small and drooped, all dejected, was exactly the same as when she was ten—

「Don’t let it weigh on you.」

I gently stroked Ai’s hair, now turned white.

There are things even magic cannot do.
I learned that in the worst possible way.