Chapter 54 – Attack of the twelve sages

…The moon was shining brightly deep into the night, as the capital that was noisy even after the sunset was finally quiet.

A pale girl staggered in front of the gate of the Scarlet mansion.

With unsure footsteps that made her seem like a lost child, she walked directly towards the mansion.

“Stop right there. What is your business with this house?”

The gatekeepers said while looking at the girl with sharp eyes.

“…”

The pale girl said nothing, and didn’t stop walking.

Instead…

White papers silently fell around her like snow.

The maids immediately readied their halberds, sensing faint magic energy coming from the papers.

“I see. So you wish to fight this house?”

Said one of the maids with a threatening voice as she kneaded her magic energy. This magic energy was very polished, for someone who was just the gatekeeper of a mansion.

And when the maid’s technique was complete…

“…People are made of memories.”

The pale girl whispered with a voice so pale, it seemed her wishes and the meaning of the words themselves had been bleached.

It was a voice that would not leave a lasting memory if heard, but as if reacting to it…

The maids suddenly froze in place.

Their eyes were no longer on the pale girl.

“…People are nothing but dolls controlled by their memories.”

The pale girl opened a book she held in her arms, and all the pages flew out of it at the same time.

The girl walked through this blizzard of paper, and passed by the frozen maids.

Lost One (Memory Obstruction).

It was a special memory technique of Memoria Lostmemory of the twelve sages.

This girl did not remain in people’s memories. People who saw her would forget about it. They even forgot they were fighting her, and thus… Could not stand against her.

“…I’m sorry for frightening you, but it’s all right. Memoria lets everyone forget about her. Once you forget, there will be nothing to be afraid of.”

Once the paper blizzard cleared, all that remained were the maids with their mouths hung open.

“…Uh? What… Were we doing?”

The maids titled their heads.

There was no one in front of them.

But then…

“…Oh?”

The sound of the gate shaking open echoed behind them.

“Ah, I guess we forgot to lock it.”

“That’s right… I don’t remember doing it. Why today of all days?”

“I’m just glad we noticed it right away.”

“Yes, before anyone came.”

Pages of memories soared into the sky behind them.

One of these pages was caught by Memoria, who entered the mansion’s courtyard.

“…That is where Chrom Chronogate is.”

A map of the mansion’s grounds appeared in Memoria’s mind. She even knew the positions of the guards and magic surveillance items.

It was like she always knew them.

And then, she kept walking towards the mansion itself.

“…?”

She felt something was off.

“…It’s quiet.”

The mansion was too quiet.

Even places that should have guards were empty.

Only her small footsteps echoed in the dead of the night.

She walked through the courtyard while tilting her head, and entered the mansion through the front door.

But then…

“‘Time, turn back’.”

The door behind Memoria slammed shut on its own.

It was like a box trap, made to catch a wild animal.

(…A trap?)

That word was in the back of Memoria’s mind.

But she was watching out for traps. That was the point of reading the maid’s memories.

And yet…

“I was wondering when you’d get here.”

On the other side of the crimson rug embroidered with golden thread…

The moonlight beaming down from the crimson rose glass illuminated one boy.

His eyes were peaceful, as if he saw through everything, and were pointed towards Memoria.

Chrom Chronogate.

The name of Memoria’s target.

But why? For some reason, Memoria felt she was the one being hunted.

“So…You’re here to take my memories, right? But I don’t like fighting. War, violence, threats, killing, armies, weapons, pillaging, I hate it. So how about you let me not fight?”

“…”

Memoria stood silently in front of the boy.

“…Strange.”

She muttered.

“…Why do you have memories of Memoria? Strange. Very strange. It’s the first time.”

Memoria tilted her head like a doll.

“But… No matter. Chrom Chronogate is a bad guy. ‘Father’ said so, so Memoria will beat him.”

In the end, what she had to do didn’t change.

She was just a doll who followed ‘father’s’ orders.

That was why she was made, why she lived, and why she would die.

“All for ‘father’.”

Memoria opened the heavy book she held, and immense magic energy was released from her.

A white paper blizzard swirled and filled the hall.

Blank pages where memories hadn’t been written yet.

If one touched a single page, their memories would be sucked into it.

This was the greatest memory magic in the world, performed by one of the twelve sages, Memoria Lostmemory.

“…People are made of memories. Dreams, aspirations, hopes, love, bravery, friendship, hatred, knowledge, techniques… Memoria will let everything be forgotten.”

In the darkness illuminated by the cold moonlight, the emerald doll-like eyes shined brightly.

“…If that’s the future you’re after, there’s nothing I can do.”

The boy silently unsheathed his sword and held it up to the moonlight.

“Let’s begin, Memoria Lostmemory of the twelve sages. I will negate that future of yours.”