118 – Struggling, You’ve Lived Painfully, Haven’t You…?


    -[redacted] Witch of [redacted]-


    It had been a long, long time.


    At first, she wasn''t alone. There were two others with her. But as they wandered thend in search of their friends and family, it became clear that it would be difficult to continue as a group.


    Time was of the essence. Although Rudy was a genius, he was still just a child. Moreover, he was with a newborn. No matter how intelligent or capable he was, it would be hard for them to survive.


    So it was decided.


    One of them would stay with Aisha while the other would roam on her own. It was dangerous, but they were both capable. Not only that, but Aisha had shown herself to be a genius in her own right. Especially when Aisha happened to find Rudy''s old wand by chance and learned to use all the elements.


    So she left on her own. Diving into dungeons to gain the strength and equipment necessary to fight her way across the continent. Scouring every inch of the continent, talking to every person she met, chasing every minor lead.


    But she was tired.


    The world had changed. Swathes ofnd had been ripped apart. ins turned to mountains, seas to grasnds. Even time itself appeared to be distorted.


    And this was especially true in the new dungeons that sprang up.


    She could have avoided them. After all, it was unlikely that Rudy or Ste would be inside.


    But she also knew how cruel and terrifying that Being W was.


    So she entered. Even when countless others dissuaded her. Even alone.


    There were times she thought she had died. There were times she wished she *had* died. And there were times when she broke down crying with no one to see or hear her.


    But she continued.


    Even as she was trapped in dungeons that took years to clear. Even when she had to patch her own wounds with elementary healing magic and only a basic understanding of anatomy, leaving scars all across her body. Even as her body changed due to spending decades diving dungeons with distorted time while the people outside remained the same.


    Yes.


    She continued.


    Roaming the continent. Clearing dungeons. Making maps and resolving Distortions that appeared where she traveled.


    All so that she could see him again. Even if it was just a glimpse, a trace. That was the only thing she was hoping for.


    She knew that he would be fine. Rudy was a super genius who would be able to figure out a way to be safe no matter where he ended up.


    But he was with Ste. A baby.


    There was no way he coulde look for them.


    So they were the ones who had to search.


    She had to search as well.


    But...


    She was tired.


    She was *so* tired.


    And she was starting to worry as well.


    Even with her long lifespan, the decades she spent clearing the dungeons with contorted time had taken their toll. Even her body that she thought would never change had matured. It was to the point that she wondered if he would recognize her if they met.


    But she couldn''t doubt it. She couldn''t waver. Not after already going so far.


    The Strife Zone had been searched by the Boreas family after Philip unified it.


    Paul had gone to Milis to search there.


    Orsted and Princess Ariel were organizing the search on the Central Continent and throughout the Asura Kingdom.


    And she had already searched through the Begaritt Continent.


    So there were only two ces left.


    The Divine Content was more difficult to reach, but it was also smaller. Because of that, she ruled it out.


    That left the Magic Continent.


    A long journey across the seas, steadily searching there as well for any trace of him.


    But there weren''t any.


    Like always, she didn''t see any sign of him.


    She hadn''t been expecting any.


    But when she arrived on the Magic Continent and headed to the Migurd Vige, she found one.


    "Ah, you''re looking for a victim of the Spacetime Incident? In that case, you should go to Arcadia and seek an audience with Lord Rudras."


    Rudras.


    The name was different. The continent was different. Even the apparent race was different.


    The Demon Lord of Salvation that established the utopian kingdom of Arcadia was said to be a secret member of the Dragon race due to his white hair and golden eyes. More rumors spread that he might be the seconding of Lace, while rumors among humans were that he was the reincarnation of Saint Milis.


    But she didn''t care.


    "Rudy..." Adjusting her hood, she stared out at the tower looming over thend and muttered, "...Have I finally found you?"


    A heart that had turned to ice from losing hope started to melt. The feelings she had from back then returned as if no time had passed.


    Taking a deep breath, she set off to meet with the one she loved, hoping that they could start again where they left off.


    -SNG-


    Ste was not having a good day.


    Well, to be more precise, she was not having a good week.


    To begin with, she made a terrible mistake. One she should have realized after seeing how Onii-chan reacted to Mister Rnd and Miss Astolfo.


    Specifically...


    "Hey! Ste! Hey! how about we try fire magic today?"


    ...You never knew what kind of creature would pop out after a spirit inhabited a body and took it over.


    A crimson-haired angel... No. While her wings were feathery, she was only about the size of Ste''s face, so she was more like a fairy or a pixie.


    Fire... Or as she liked to call herself, ''Fai.''


    Stupid baby mouth not able to properly enunciate...


    Fai buzzed around Ste''s head and poked her cheek. "Hey! Come on! You can definitely do it today! And I can help too!"


    A soft sigh echoed before a floating white cat swatted Fai out of the air.


    "Ow!" Fai rubbed her head and looked at her attacker. "What was that for, Wata?"


    "For bothering Ste. Can''t you see how annoyed she looks?"


    That was Wata, formerly known as Water. At least to Ste.


    She didn''t know why, but when she asked Wata to enter the doll she made, the water spirit turned into a fluffy talking male cat.


    Fai pouted and then pointed at something on top of Ste''s hat. "But Winnie gets to sit there! Howe she gets a pass?"


    Ste blinked and then looked up to see that there really was something sitting on her head. Or rather, someone.


    "Teehee. Sorry~" After saying that, Winnie, formerly known as Wind, floated down and waved at Ste.


    She was simr to Fai in that she was small and had feathery wings, but that was where the simrities ended.


    First of all, Winnie had an actual halo over her head, making her look like a real angel. Also, she had really pretty green hair that looked like it was made of light. But most importantly of all...


    "Ste was sofy that I fell asleep. Sorry..."


    ...She mostly just cuddled with Ste and didn''t say anything.


    Unlike a certain energetic red fairy- Angel.


    Fai pouted and said, "That''s not fair! I''m the oldest!"


    Wata rolled his blue eyes and said, "And also the least mature. Didn''t you remember? Master Rudeus said we need to keep an eye on Ste and keep her safe. Letting her y with fire magic is asking for trouble."


    "I can control it!"


    "Maybe. But do you want to tell that to Master Rudeus if something happens?"


    "A-Ah..." Fai poked her fingers together and said, "No..."


    "Exactly, so- Winnie! Stop sleeping on Ste''s head!"


    "But it''s so *fluffy*..."


    ...Yes. This had be her everyday life since she first gave Fire- ''Fai'' a physical body.


    Ste sighed and then took a look around.


    She was outside in her sandbox as usual. Onii-chan had called for Ena nee-chan, so the only person watching her today was Eos nee-chan... Who was sitting in her chair as usual and just reading a book, pointedly ignoring the bickering elementals.


    Smart.


    Ste wished she could do the same, but since she had babbled to the spirits so much before they could talk, now that they *could* it was like they wanted to dump all the words they couldn''t say beforehand.


    "Fire beats water anyway!"


    "Are you dumb? Water puts out fire!"


    "But a *big* fire turns water into steam!"


    "Steam is still water, idiot. And steam turns back into rain anyway."


    "W-What? That''s cheating!"


    "That''s how nature works. You should know this, you''re an elemental!"


    "...Oh. Right."


    Ste nced at Fai and Wata, considering whether to break it up. But then she thought better of it.


    Instead, she looked at Eos and held out her hands. "Nee-chan. Cawwy."


    Eos paused in the middle of turning a page and then let out a smile. Setting her book aside, she walked over to pick Ste up and said, "Got fed up with those chatterboxes, have you?"


    Ste sighed.


    Eos chuckled and walked back to her chair, setting Ste down on top of her belly. "I don''t have any pillows, but those should be soft enough for you. Just try not to fall off, alright, Little Miss?"


    Steid there for a bit, staring at the sky with a nk look.


    ...There was being nonchnt about your assets, and then there was not caring about them at all.


    Eos nee-chan... Aren''t you going to cause a bunch of misunderstandings by being this casual with your body...?


    "Hah." Eos held her book over her head and said, "Sis sure is lucky. I wanted to go help Master out. Instead, I''m stuck here babysitting you."


    Ste leaned her head back a bit and said, "Nee-cha. Do you na wike me?"


    Eos changed her grip to hold the book with one hand and then patted Ste''s head. "I like you, Little Miss. But it''s *boring.* I''m not a researcher like Sis. There''s a reason why Master put me in charge of the Survey Corps. Sitting here like this... I feel like I''m not needed."


    "I nee you."


    Eos smiled and patted Ste''s head. "Thanks, Little Miss. Ah, but remember. I''m not your Mom, okay? I know we''ve got the same hair and eye color, but I''m single and still a virgin. I also don''t n on having kids any time soon."


    Faced with a loaded statement and a conversation any infant really had no right knowing, all Ste could do was nod and hesitantly say, "...Kay."


    "That''s a good girl. Remember, I''m your big sis, not your Mom or your Aunt. Now... Make yourselffy. It''s about time for your afternoon nap anyway, so take a load off."


    The moment Eos said that, Ste yawned.


    She made a good point. Ste *had* been up for a while. And since she still wasn''t even a year old yet, she got tired easy. And since she had to deal with Wata, Fai, and Winnie''s shenanigans... Mostly Wata and Fai''s, Ste was exhausted.


    So she took Eos up on her offer.


    Plopping her head against the marshmallowy pillows, Ste closed her eyes and let herself drift off to sleep.


    Until she heard a voice call out.


    "Zenith? Is... that you?"


    A beautiful female voice. Delicate and elegant. But also fragile, like ss about to shatter.


    Ste opened her eyes and sat up.


    But Eos was faster and sat them both up, carefully holding Ste against her. "...Who are you? And how did you get past the White Knights?"


    A woman wearing a tattered hooded robe and holding a gleaming white wand. Staring at Eos, she slowly shook her head and said, "No. You aren''t her. But you look simr. Did Rudy get homesick...? Or did he make you so that Ste didn''t get homesick?" After saying that, the woman turned to look at Ste.


    Ste stared back, tilting her head.


    She was pretty. The hood was hiding the woman''s face, but Ste could still see it.


    A mature and delicate face, just as pretty as Eos and Ena. Beautiful silver hair that looked tinged blue, like frost.


    ...And now that Ste looked closely, her body was just as ''mature'' as both Eos and Ena as well. Not quite as big, but definitely up there.


    It was probably unrted to Ste''s thoughts, but Eos was on edge. Tense.


    But the mystery woman wasn''t. Instead, she was looking at Ste with eyes that were about to tear up. An expression of pure relief.


    Seeing that... And realizing that this would probably cause a big misunderstanding soon if she didn''t do anything about it, Ste grabbed her ne.


    She wasn''t too sure if it would work, but-


    "Nii-cha! Help!"


    Eos''s eyes widened and she quickly set Ste down on the ground. "L-Little Miss, you''ve gotta be-"


    The sound of cracking ss. Countless crimson lights tracing out around the entire surrounding area while time seemed to slow down to a crawl.


    And then it shattered, leaving a familiar figure to walk out.


    Pure white hair, slicked back from the sheer force of stepping through time and space and crackling with red lightning. His high-cor coat billowing in the wind as he lowered a crimson sword held in his left hand. Casually stepping in front of Ste and Eos, he looked up at the mystery woman and spoke in a low and intimidating voice. "For thousands of years Iid dormant."


    It was an intimidating act.


    Ste knew that Onii-chan had to be chuuni to keep people in line, so that didn''t bother her too much. But she didn''t expect what happened next.


    Raising his sword at the woman, he said, "Who dares to disturb my- Huh?"


    A sudden shift in tone. One that sounded like disbelief.


    "Wait. That''s... not right?"


    The mystery woman blinked, causing tears to run down her cheeks. After that, she ran forward and pulled Rudy into a tight hug.


    "Rudy! You''re alive! You''re safe! After all these years... I''ve missed you so, so, *so* much."


    ...Eh?


    "W-Wait. Hold on." Rudy reached up to pull down the woman''s hood.


    Like Ste saw, she had silver hair tinged blue, like frost. She also had pointed ears, like an elf''s.


    Wait. Did elves exist in this world?


    ...No, that was a dumb question. Angels did, as well as demons, so obviously elves would too.


    But then, a mystery elf showing up at Onii-chan''s house. One who burst into tears and hugged him...


    Eos stood up and slowly looked between Rudy and the woman. "Master. Who''s that?"


    "Um. Well..." Rudy rubbed the back of his neck. "She''s-"


    Before Rudy could finish, the woman snatched Rudy''s arm and pulled him close.


    "I''m Rudy''s official lover! His wife approved me so you stay away, hussy! There''s only room for three women in his life!"


    "H-Hold on! Lover? Wife? What are you talking about?! I haven''t-"


    The woman burst into tears and faced Rudy. "D-Don''t tell me...? You don''t recognize me? Or... No, it''s been so long. Do you... not love me any more?" A pained and broken tone of voice.


    One quickly followed by a surge of chaotic mana.


    "...Fine. Then I guess I''ll just end... every..." The woman suddenly started staggering. As she did, she looked at Rudy and said, "Rudy... No... fair."


    After that, she fell over, unconscious.


    Rudy caught her before she fell and then lifted her in a princess carry with mixed emotions on his face. "Well. Mana drain is definitely convenient. And it also confirms who this person is."


    Eos looked at Rudy and raised an eyebrow. "And that is...?"


    "Um." Rudy let out an awkwardugh and said, "...My childhood sweetheart?"


    Silence.


    And then a pair of voices spoke up.


    "Wow! Ste''s big brother is amazing!"


    "Shut up, Fai! Read the mood!"


    Ste let out a deep sigh. "Nii-cha. Bakayaro."


    "Kuh! S-Ste, it''s not what you think..."


    "Ena nee-cha wiw be sad."


    "T-That''s... Um... You know what?" Rudy sighed and said, "...Let''s talk about thister. Right now I have to make sure Sylphy''s alright. And tell the others to take their time... Probably need to exin that it''s not an emergency too before-"


    "Kyahahaha! So a mere mortal dares to harm This One''s adopted little sister?"


    "...Rika shows up along with the crew. Hah..."


    ...Yeah. Definitely an isekai protagonist-


    Wait. That woman said that Onii-chan only had room for three women in his life.


    Then...


    Onii-chan had a harem when he was a kid? No, the woman said ''lover'' too, so...


    "Nii-cha."


    "Hm?" Rudy turned to look at Ste. "Yeah, Ste?"


    "hi."


    What kind of perverted shota was he to snag an innocent looking elf princess like that...?