“…Looks like things have come to an end.”
“Right.”
My eyes were drawn to the direction from which Xenia had been knocked flying away. Ahead of that path, a copse of trees, not to say a thicket, was lushly growing, and the depths of the trees were too dark for me to ascertain. The prospect of a human surviving a heavy strike from Matthias seemed inconceivable, though, especially in the case of Alice, who was a pure magician and unarguably had never made it a habit to build up her physique.
Well, whichever version it was, the energy in me to pursue her was already depleted.
“Teacher Kanaki!”
Perhaps judging that the crisis was settled, Arti rushed from the house and enveloped me in a tight embrace. No, it was more a tackle in nature. Being unable to respond fully, I was slammed against the ground on my back.
“Ah, are you all right!?”
“Arti… excuse me, but my physical strength is no longer enough to withstand your pressure…”
Arti apologized, “Ahaha, sorry,” but then shifted to glance at Matthias, who was standing next to me. His countenance, as usual, conveyed no emotion.
“…This time, I suppose it’s everyone’s share of the pain in the end. Fighting a battle in which no one reaps the benefits is nothing more than sterile.”
“…You’re right.”
Matthias murmured to himself as though in a soliloquy, but I spontaneously gave a response along similar lines.
Turning on his heel, Matthias began to stride, so I pushed aside Arti, who was half on top of me, and brushed off the dirt before catching up with him. Like a kitten, Arti likewise was accompanying me from behind.
The place Matthias headed for was his house, which was no more than a derelict structure by now. Even at a time like this, Matthias dutifully removed his shoes and stepped inside, so I followed suit, and Arti hastily took off her shoes too.
“Oh…”
Although it was self-evident what had befallen, Matthias headed for the living room where the devastating sight awaited him. Remnants of the bones that had fashioned the demons, as well as trampled intestines and flesh pieces, were spread out on the floor. It took me by surprise that a scream was not emitted from Arti behind me, yet the head of Eto on a chair miraculously remained intact.
“…Ugh.”
In the rear, the sound of Arti’s sobbing can be heard. I was about to say, “You do not have to look at this if it is painful,” but then again, it was Arti herself who committed the deed, even though she was under manipulation. Even if she moved away from this place, the remorse would remain unabated. This was something Arti would have to bear for the rest of her life.
“Was this Xenia’s handiwork?”
“Yes. Arti there, who used to be a close friend of Eto’s, killed her, despite I did not witness it directly, and she was subjected through a torturous ordeal.”
“…I see.”
The tone of his voice struck me as sunken.
Holding up Eto’s head delicately with one hand, Matthias peered silently into her face.
And then, a few words of mutterings were released from him.
“In spite of all this, Eto had a rather serene expression.”
I paused for a brief moment before replying to Matthias.
“…Since you said that, Mr. Matthias, it makes me feel a little better too.”
“Ha… It’s unbelievable that such an emotional encounter would move you.”
It was then that I thought I witnessed Matthias laugh for the first time.
Eto’s head was tenderly set back in place by Matthias. Right then, Matthias’ upper body swayed a little from side to side. He may be on the edge of his limits soon.
“…Is it possible to revive Eto with your magic?”
After a moment’s hesitation, the question was posed, and Arti behind me gulped.
“…It’s beyond anyone’s power. That would involve a miracle, not magic.”
The resurrection of the dead. This has been a recurring theme throughout the not-so-short history of magic, and even at present, the subject has remained a forbidden territory. Even the reason for the ban stemmed from the fact that the experiments conducted by magicians who have attempted to resurrect the dead have been so horrendous and inhumane that a well-known magician left behind the quote, “Before humanity can master the magic of resurrection and save a single human being, it will cost us more than three more human extinctions and we will have to sacrifice our research to do so.” That line was even introduced in the textbooks nowadays.
In that sense, uncountable magic has existed which was sealed for reasons similar to the aforementioned, such as forbidden designated magic which I can also utilize in some instances. To the best of my knowledge, nonetheless, no such magic that enabled the resurrection of the dead has been known to exist.
“…Well, I suppose that’s true.”
Revealing no particular disappointment, Matthias wobbled about the living room, and from the shelf that had always stored the wanted posters, now merely a piece of junk, he pulled out a palm-sized but magnificent lacquer-colored metal box.
“This is…”
In all the time since my entrance into this world, not once have I laid eyes on such a fine piece of processed metalwork as in my previous world. When Matthias rummaged through the inside pocket of his suit, a key with the same pattern as the box was retrieved.
With Matthias clinking the keys, my inquisitiveness overtook me at this point and I questioned Matthias.
“Um, Mr. Matthias… What in the world is in this…?”
“―A miracle.”
That was an abstract answer, uncharacteristic of Matthias. However, when I eventually checked what was inside, a voice mingled with amazement and wonderment shot up within me.
“It couldn’t be… this is the Philosopher’s Stone!?”
“E-Ehhhhh!?”
Arti was taken aback by my exclamation, and she too voiced her astonishment.
Inside the safe, there was an amber-colored stone contained as if it were a jewel.
But it was beyond any doubt that this was the Philosopher’s Stone, the magical tool known as the national treasure of the Kingdom of Ortesia. The color and shape of the stone were exactly the same as the replica of the Philosopher’s Stone that I viewed during my visit to the royal capital last year.
“Hmm, no… if I think about it in reverse…”
“Yes. This is the very same replica of the Philosopher’s Stone that you mentioned seeing before, which means that this is another replica.”
“I see… no, but this magical power is…”
I was initially convinced after hearing it, however, the sheer amount of magical power hidden within the stone persuaded me that the stone in front of me was not just a piece of junk.
Matthias took out the Philosopher’s Stone and unceremoniously flung the box.
“Ah. As you have also sensed, this stone is not simply a replica, either. The details of how it came to be are a mystery to me, but rumor has it that it was created by a first-class magician in the service of the royal court in imitation of the Philosopher’s Stone. While it may be a degraded product, even I, a non-magician, can easily imagine how challenging creating this stone would be.”
No way… then, if so…
In a voice that was practically wavering, I posed Matthias my question after hearing his account and reaching a certain hypothesis.
“Mr. Matthias… then this stone is…”
“Right. This stone can perform the same miracle as the original Philosopher’s Stone, but only once.”
“Why, Mr. Matthias… would you have such a stone…”
“In contrast to the majority of the folks around me, I have had more opportunity to be exposed to this kind of stuff while having lived for less than forty years. It was a thought of mine that it would be a substitute that I would never have the chance to utilize in this lifetime, but it turns out that is not the case.”
The wrinkles around Matthias’ eyes soon became more prominent.
It was the first emotional expression I had encountered since meeting Matthias―a face suffused with resolution.
“From now on, I am going to use this stone. The miracle that will be performed is―”