I had been thinking about it.
Well, I had a lot of time after all. There was nothing to do here.
What exactly is regression?
I can assume it came as a gift of the Chosen One, but still.
They called it fate, then what is this? Am I supposed to save the world now?
Actually, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Who knows what gifts other Chosen Ones have? Maybe I'm not even that special.
But the fact remained that I cannot truly die.
I can set aside the implications of this in the future. Currently, this is useful. Without it, I'd have died already. That much I'm grateful for.
As I said before, regression is not even that great. From my perspective, I'm not changing anything by regressing, merely creating new memories to overlap old ones.
As much as I hate dying, regression is just too much.
That said, I will try to live my life to the fullest every single time. Who knows what the future has in store for me?
***
"Hey, Angela."
"What is it?"
"Let's assume that you can travel back in time every time you die. What will you do?"
"...What an odd question."
"Well?"
For a long while, we walked in silence. Angela really seemed to think about it.
Torches flickered. Her shadow fell shorter beside mine.
"...I'd do nothing."
"?"
"Do I really have to do something with it? I think I will just continue my life as normal, living in accordance with the Lord's teachings. Unless, of course, should fate dictate otherwise."
"I see. Thanks for answering, Angela."
Oh well, whatever, I can think about it later. I'll just pretend it doesn't exist. This is a problem for future me.
I was just tired of overthinking.
After walking for a while, we finally arrived.
Not the exit, obviously.
There is this one undead we need to take care of first.
The scrape of steel against stone echoed through the space. It's here.
It looked the same as I remembered. If anything, it felt less intimidating than before.
"...Cain. I need you to prepare."
"Yeah. I'll run past it, just make an opening."
"You're awfully calm."
"Well, I have you as the reliable escort. Why should I be scared?"
"..."
My confidence seemed to baffle Angela, yet she didn't correct me. She prayed for a miracle and took her stance.
Things then unfolded as I remember them. Sparks flew as blades exchanged. The undead got pushed back, then I ran past it.
Looking back, Angela seemed relieved. How selfless. I couldn't just let her behind, could I?
I'll try something bolder this time.
I rushed in while the undead was crashing swords with Angela. I slipped an arm around its neck from behind and cinched it tight. Choking an undead might sound pointless, but the point was never to take it down.
Angela was shocked. The undead struggled to wrestle free. It bit into my arm, clamping down with its arm as it thrashed to break free.
-Crack!
Ouch.
-Shrrt—
With a clean cutting motion, the undead head was sliced off. I felt foolish, realizing how simple it had been to take it down. The cost was quite minimal as well.
"...Your arm."
"Yeah, it broke. Well, the situation could have been way worse, so this is nothing."
Angela silently held my broken arm, then closed her eyes. A warm, radiant light enveloped my arm. This was not my first time treated by a miracle. But somehow, it was... quite hard to describe.
As if nothing had happened, the broken arm was completely healed. It felt even better than before, actually.
"Thanks."
"...It's nothing."
We ascended the staircase. For some reason, Angela was now the one trailing behind. How did it come to this?
Coming out of the ruin, I finally felt alive. No matter how many times, staying a whole day in that ruin was torturous. Outside, the air was so refreshing, and the scenery was strangely beautiful. Must be because I didn't have to carry a dead body this time.
Feigning ignorance, I asked Angela for directions, and we quietly continued to Eridu.
Nothing happened on our wayback. Literally, not even a conversation. I didn't know what to say, and Angela was painfully quiet. Now that I think about it, she always was like this.
I hoped we'd get along better from now on.
***
It felt like I was here just yesterday. The bustling markets, the old streets, and the empty alleyways. But Angela showed me more than just that.
Unique stores that I never knew existed. Restaurants hidden in narrow pathways. And, most importantly, the church's layout.
I knew the church was really big, but even that had been an understatement. The church had not just one, but three huge courtyards. But that was understandable considering the number of facilities the church had.
The church boasted a vast monastery, an orphanage, and a grand nave. To support so many people, it housed a dining hall, a library, a school, and much more. Despite visiting here so often, I only really went to the infirmary, so I was completely unaware of the church's grand scale.
One more thing I realize, Angela was very popular.
"Sister Angela! Look at this drawing I made! It's you with us on a picnic. Can you play with us today, too?"
"Ah, sister Angela, you are done with the examination? Great work, as always."
"Sister Angela, this old woman seems to have lost her way again. The church is so large—would you be kind enough to guide me to the sermon?"
Wherever we went, people of all ages greeted her and stopped to talk. Even more impressive was how Angela handled everything with grace. She must be used to this.
...I hate bringing back bad memories, but this reminded me how severe her death must have been. Once again, I felt guilty for no reason.
I stayed awfully silent, scared to draw attention to myself. However, no one seemed to question my identity. My plain look really came in clutch.
Only when we went to a rather empty corridor did I speak up.
"...You are really popular."
"Yes. I have a lot of responsibilities as a saintess in training. Helping people in need is one of them."
"I see. You must be busy. Do you really have time to spare for me?"
"I certainly do. In fact, should you need any assistance, I will come at once."
Is it just me, or is Angela being overly formal?
Thinking about it, I never had the chance to ask, but now I'm curious about miracles and stuff.
I would gladly accept her assistance then.
***
Angela is a saintess in training, but that doesn't mean she is the next saintess. Technically, she is just a candidate, and that implies there are other saintess candidates, too.
The next thing I realize is how strong miracles are. As long as you have enough divine power, you can do anything, literally. There's a catch, though.
You have to follow the Ten Commandments. Not just when using miracles, but all the time. Angela said if you are deemed to have violated the Ten Commandments, you will be "silenced" and cannot use miracles for the rest of your life.
For reference, here's the Ten Commandments:
１ 「I am the Lord thy God. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.」
２ 「Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.」
３ 「Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.」
４ 「Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.」
５ 「Honor thy father and thy mother.」
６ 「Thou shalt not kill.」
７ 「Thou shalt not commit adultery.」
８ 「Thou shalt not steal.」
９ 「Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.」
１０「Thou shalt not covet that which is thy neighbor's.」
Because of that, miracles have many limitations. Angela said they are the Lord's grace, and not abilities meant for our own use.
Afterward, seeing I wasn't interested in learning the Order's history, she stopped. The walk was long, but we explored the entire church.
This tour was quite fun.
It was getting late. The quietness of the setting sun. The stillness of the widening scenery. They tugged at my heartstrings as we headed toward the outer bounds of the church.
Our final stop was the church garden, filled with all kinds of flowers. I didn't know much about flowers, so it was hard for me to understand and appreciate them. However, what I do know is...
I could see a vast field of reeds in the distance.
We stood there for a while, admiring the view.
Angela looked a little wistful.
"...I had grown up here for all of my life."
Angela said softly, her voice almost lost to the breeze.
"The people here and this scenery are all I have ever known. They have given me so much, and expect so much from me. That's why I want to be as responsible as possible—so that I can repay their kindness."
"..?"
"Thank you so much, Cain. For that time. For not leaving me behind, despite everything."
Angela turned to me.
Golden hair fluttered in the wind, accompanied by a gentle drift of petals.
I widened my eyes. I could not look away.
"You saved me, Cain. I owe my life to you."
One word lingered in my mind.
'Live.'
Somehow, by some miracle, things had turned out like this.
Maybe I was wrong.
Making new memories is important.
All of the struggles were not meaningless.
Oh well, whatever, I took back my words.
Regression might be quite great after all.