That was the answer her father had left for her. Once upon a time, Mei had also believed it to be the correct answer.
But later, no matter how much Mei thought about it, she couldn't get a definite answer from that sentence.
It was like a metaphor, indicating that the value of a ship was in sailing. But it wasn't until this moment that the answer to this question became clear to Mei.
Her father had not told her what the purpose of building a ship was. And yet, the answer was precisely this [purpose].
"What on earth are you trying to say?" the Herrscher narrowed his eyes, looking somewhat unfriendly at Mei, who was pointing her sword at him.
The sword had Shu's power, but it was not a problem. The power attached to it was not even as strong as that on the scepter, nor did it have the [script] that was specifically aimed at him. As long as he was willing, that sword was no threat at all.
The only effect was that he couldn't completely control the other for the time being. And as long as Mei dared to fight him, that thin layer of protection would be torn apart by him in an instant.
As for threats... perhaps the threat of Shu fighting him to the death was greater.
And beside the Herrscher, Noah looked at Mei without a word, a trace of uncharacteristic confusion in his previously firm eyes.
A ship... why does it exist?
Mei's other hand was behind her back, a timer held tightly in her palm.
The time had come to the final moment. With each passing period, the timer would vibrate to remind her.
After a long wait, Mei finally felt a long-awaited vibration at this moment.
A subtle, imperceptible smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.
Time, though slow, was still passing.
---||---
[Memory Anchor Replacement Complete—Displacement Progress: 1%]
As the person before her dissipated into a white mist, the smile on Cocolia's face froze slightly.
A cold, emotionless voice began to echo in her ears, announcing the progress of the displacement.
No, it was more accurate to say that it was the countdown to her own death.
In the final moments of her life, Cocolia, for a moment, didn't even know what expression to make to welcome death.
Fortunately, there was no audience here. No one would see the once mighty [Devil] show such a helpless expression. So be it...
She had already said what she needed to say... Cocolia had thought she could be a little gentler at a time like this, but she still couldn't restrain her sharpness, still maintaining that tough posture.
[Displacement Progress: 16%]
Thinking back, she didn't seem to be a qualified mother at all... more like a father?
Toughly facing the pressure from the world, and then logically turning this tough face to the people she was protecting behind her.
She was somewhat glad that she was born with such a strong personality, that she didn't have to force herself to wear a mask to bear those pressures. It's just that the children had hardly received any of a mother's tenderness from her...
What a failure... Cocolia sat on the ground and smiled helplessly at herself.
I clearly said I would be their mother, but I failed to give them a single bit of a mother's love... If there's a next life, maybe I should change my title... be their father?
[Displacement Progress: 33%]
There was no turning back now... Perhaps now only Bronya's captain, that kid named Shu, had the ability to save her.
But Schrodinger and Seele had made it very clear. Shu would absolutely not enter here before the light curtain shattered. And the price of the light curtain disappearing was her own death. In any case, he wouldn't be in time to save her.
Cocolia sighed.
That guy... was completely different from her.
She could easily see his weak side, and also see him curl up like a hedgehog, pointing the spines on his back at the other to protect his soft belly, fierce on the outside but restrained within.
He was more afraid of those accidents than anyone... Bronya following him was some kind of fate?
After all, in a sense... the two of them were really alike.
[Displacement Progress: 51%]
The things Bronya had experienced, even if Cocolia had a general idea, she couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy after experiencing them firsthand.
She knew all too well what kind of aftereffects such a life would leave on Bronya.
Anything trivial that a person who had nothing obtained would be treasured by her. The poorer a person was, the more they cherished their own things.
And Bronya once didn't even have her own thoughts. So even though she understood that her "Mother" was no saint, she would still choose to obey her own commands, for fear of losing herself and the "love" she had given.
This was a psychological illness called "dependency syndrome."
The obvious manifestation was hoarding. The hidden manifestation...
...perhaps it was hysterical madness?
And now, she should be cured. Let her get used to it by losing herself... at least she already knew she wasn't a good person.
Losing herself was better than losing Seele.
[Displacement Progress: 87%]
Ah, it seems the time is almost up.
Cocolia stood up, stretched her body, and straightened her clothes to make herself more presentable.
The swirling mist around her was almost boiling. Even Cocolia could feel that something was about to erupt nearby.
How magical... besides Future City, there were actually people who could produce such a miraculous thing. Truly worthy of being called a Divine Key.
Thinking of the slogan she had once sneered at, it seemed her own vision was a bit short-sighted after all.
Perhaps they could really do it?
[Displacement Progress: 99%]
"Then... one last thing." Cocolia slowly closed her eyes in the white mist that enveloped her.
"I wish—that all children can grow up happily, that all birds can fly into the sky, that all ships can reach the places they want to go...
"May all the [love] in the world be discovered and treated with sincerity."
[Displacement Progress—100%]
Some say that a person's existence relies on the memories of others and their own memories. It is all the memories of this person that serve as anchors, constituting this person.
And at this moment, in everyone's memory, two figures quietly swapped places, and even the essence of the world was momentarily disordered by this.
Subjective—changing the objective.
[Annals of Time First Rated Power—]
[I am what I think I am!]
The swirling mist transformed into a blinding white light, like a series of sharp swords, completely engulfing the existence named [Cocolia].
At the same time, in the real world, the Akashic Chronicle, suspended in mid-air, also bloomed with its own brilliance.
Seele, who had withdrawn from the memory space, snapped back to her senses. A somewhat fierce embrace pulled her in.
"You're back!!" The voice that was identical to her own made Seele pause for a moment. The next moment, she was held by the shoulders and couldn't move.
The other Seele held Seele tightly, her gaze sweeping up and down Seele's body several times. After confirming that she hadn't lost any arms or legs, she hugged her again.
"You scared me to death, you know!!" It was a release after being suppressed.
After two seconds, the other Seele noticed that something was wrong. She quietly pulled away, only to see tears streaming down Seele's face.
"Eh eh eh?!" She was suddenly flustered.
Did she just squeeze Seele too hard and hurt her?
Or was her voice too loud and sudden and scared Seele?!
Her mind was in chaos for a moment before she realized the truth behind Seele's tears.
Since Seele was back, then the one who succeeded must have been Mother...
Her mood instantly plummeted. The excitement of Seele's return dissipated into nothing, leaving only a silence that mirrored the one in Seele's heart.
She didn't know how to comfort Seele now. After all, something like this...
Light enveloped the two of them. The Akashic Chronicle gently turned a page in the air.
And unlike before, this time, the next page of the Akashic Chronicle was no longer blank. It was filled with densely packed writing.
It was all the memories it had recorded.
Then, among the densely packed records, two names began to slowly fade and disappear.
Then they reappeared in the white light.
No one felt anything was wrong, and no one noticed that the two had actually swapped places.
Including the two in reality.
Thud—
With a soft sound, the Akashic Chronicle closed. It then fell from the air, landing on the ground.
Along with it fell a small figure, landing unconscious in front of Seele.
Seele's heart tightened. She quickly knelt beside the figure and, after a quick check of the other's condition, Seele bit her lip and pushed the other.
"[Cocolia]-oneechan! Wake up! Wake up!"
It was... Seele's voice...
[Cocolia] woke up with a start. The long-lost fresh air, carrying the smell of the sea breeze and gunpowder, entered her lungs, instantly clearing [Cocolia]'s muddled mind.
"Seele? I..." [Cocolia] looked at the anxious Seele supporting her, subconsciously wanting to ask something, but was hugged tightly by Seele, whose face was full of excitement and tears.
"Thank goodness, [Cocolia]-oneechan... you're finally awake..." Seele's voice was filled with a deep sorrow. [Cocolia] was a little confused.
Did she... just pass out? Had she been out for a long time? But why did she pass out...
[Cocolia]'s expression changed slightly. She quickly wanted to get up. "Seele, let's not talk about this now. There's not much time. We have to save Mama [Bronya]..."
But Seele's hands tightened slightly, making it difficult for [Cocolia] to get up.
"Seele?"
[Cocolia] asked with a puzzled tone. Seele's sobbing gave her a bad feeling.
"It's... not needed anymore..." Seele said softly. But [Cocolia] was as if struck by lightning.
"What are you talking about? Seele, we don't have time for jokes. The time really..."
A memory broke free from the chaos. [Cocolia]'s body froze in place.
The first rated power of the Akashic Chronicle...
[Cocolia] looked at the black-covered notebook lying quietly on the ground. The book that had been floating in the air, emitting a white light and turning pages automatically, now lay on the ground like an ordinary notebook.
Could it be...
There was no need for "could it be." The truth of the matter was already laid bare before her.
[Cocolia]'s pupils trembled. She stared blankly at the black notebook.
Mama [Bronya] was right behind her, but [Cocolia] didn't dare to turn and look. She didn't pray for anything, nor did she think that things might still turn around.
It was just... she couldn't accept it. So she just stood there in a daze.
And Seele, after a brief sob, took several deep breaths, then took out a timer from her pocket.
Time remaining until zero... five minutes and twelve seconds...
"[Cocolia]-oneechan, we still have things to do..." Seele wiped away the last tear, released her hold on [Cocolia], stood up, and pulled the [Cocolia] who was sitting on the ground up.
[Cocolia] looked up numbly at Seele, who had gained an unknown quality, without a word.
But her body had already stood up subconsciously with Seele's movement.
"We should go find Sin Mal and the others now... and then prepare to leave here," Seele said to [Cocolia]. "Only by leaving here can we open up a suitable battlefield for what's to come..."
[Cocolia]'s body trembled slightly. She looked up and stared at Seele.
The canopy was about to be broken. Shu was about to enter the field according to the plan. This was the meaning conveyed in Seele's words. The Herrscher might still have the ability to act against them before Shu defeated him.
Only by pulling away a sufficient distance and letting Shu and the Herrscher face each other could all the firepower be drawn.
But they no longer had any usable Divine Keys in their hands, which meant... the fate of the person behind them was already sealed...
Looking at [Cocolia]'s still dazed expression, Seele hesitated for a moment, then puffed out her chest and put her hands on her hips.
"Please... please..."
Seele deflated. She was a little annoyed that she couldn't take on this great responsibility. Perhaps Sin Mal would have done better here.
"This is the mission Mama left for us..." she said in a small voice.
[Cocolia] was silent, but had already gently clenched her fists.
That's right... the story isn't over... no matter how sad I am... at least at this moment, I still bear this name...
The name [Cocolia], the name that had sworn to protect everyone in the orphanage.