SWNOVELXO Chapter 4
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"Ka... Kai... Kaito!! Can you hear my voice?"
"...Huh? Lady Mary!? Is this really—"
"What's wrong? It seemed like your mind was elsewhere. I thought you might have forgotten the name I gave you."
"N-No, never!! I'm grateful for the wonderful name you gave me!"
Kaito's consciousness awakened at his master's voice. The simulated world created by the shinigami apparently didn't begin at the murder scene, but rather in the carriage journey there.
This was the same carriage Mary always used for travel–Kaito couldn't possibly mistake it. Back then, his master had used this carriage too, but he hadn't been able to accompany her.
The shinigami had altered that scene, creating a setting where Kaito was with Mary.
"W-What's wrong!? Are you still unwell after all? I can manage on my own. Kaito, you should stay at home—"
Mary looked at Kaito with a worried expression.
He realized tears were flowing naturally from his eyes. Perhaps it was only natural, seeing Mary again after so many years.
Though her coloring differed–blonde hair and blue eyes–she resembled the shinigami in appearance beyond just her magician's bearing... Had the shinigami modeled herself after Mary?
"I-I'm fine. I just remembered when you gave me my name... More importantly—"
"It's pointless to try convincing Mary to turn back. I told you the ending of this story. Returning now would accomplish nothing."
The shinigami's voice echoed in Kaito's head. She had cautioned him as if reading his thoughts. This made Kaito fully realize he was in a simulated world.
"Also, I have a question for you. While I understand this world somewhat through your memories, I'd like to confirm something."
When the shinigami said "your memories," she meant not just Kaito's but also those of Mary and the other magicians who were presumably killed.
"Your name is Kaito. It's correct that Mary gave you this name—it was written in the memory book. But did you have an original name?"
Kaito responded only in his thoughts, as the shinigami had instructed earlier.
There were two types of people in this world: those with magical power—magicians—and those without it—servants. However, servants weren't treated as people but as objects. In other words, slaves.
Magicians kept servants in slave quarters, identifying them only by displayed numbers.
Among all the magicians Kaito had encountered, Mary was the only one who gave names to her servants.
"I see... only magicians normally have names, while servants are called by numbers. So that's why your memory only contained the names of three magicians."
While Kaito had managed to learn the names of the three magicians who disappeared along with his master, he never discovered the name of the fourth magician who owned the mansion. But the shinigami wasn't asking about magicians—she meant servants.
Just as Kaito accompanied Mary, the other magicians must have brought their servants, too.
That's why the shinigami had asked for confirmation.
"More importantly... what is it? I know our destination might be dangerous. There might be battles with other magicians."
During Kaito's conversation with the shinigami, time must have been frozen in this simulated world. Mary continued speaking to him as if nothing had happened.
"But what can be inherited is recovery magic powerful enough to aim for resurrection. It might even be able to cure illnesses. I don't know why I was chosen as one of the candidates, but this is a chance to completely cure your illness."
Kaito's regret over Mary's death wasn't just because he couldn't accompany her—it was because her reason for going was to cure his illness. That's why she went despite the danger, even leaving him behind.
However, during the five years Kaito spent living with Mary's close friend until his death, no information about recovery magic ever surfaced. Rather than assuming no one inherited the magic, it seemed more likely that the information itself had been a lie.