Cars sped across the highway on the bridge behind him, while the biting winter wind swept along the river toward the estuary.
Ludwig leaned against the pedestrian railing of the bridge, holding his terminal aloft to capture the scenery—a sight that was, to him, incredibly novel.
Despite it being winter, this city called Fuyuki did not possess the kind of bone-chilling cold that withered all life, as described in his historical records. The grass on the embankments flanking the river still held a vibrant, lingering green. The river itself had not frozen; it flowed steadily and slowly toward Fuyuki's harbor.
"It's a huge help that the PDI (Personal Data Interface) isn't broken," he muttered to himself. Like a common tourist, he took photos of the empty river with genuine interest.
The terminal in his hand was a military-issue model—a customized device granted only to "Knights" who wielded Magic Swords. Beyond its standard suite of functions—database access, data analysis, communication, and photography—it also served as a mobile radar that continuously broadcasted life-sign signals.
However, he was currently lost and alone in a world before the planet's death. After venturing out from the Millennium Castle within the Inner Sea of the Planet, he had arrived in Fuyuki City, Japan, in the year 1994 AD. Back in his original era, he had likely already been marked as MIA, or perhaps even KIA.
Ludwig hoped his sudden disappearance hadn't thrown the military into a complete panic.
Shaking off those idle thoughts, Ludwig embraced the mindset of a sightseer. Like someone who had never seen the world before, he earnestly admired this planet while it was still alive. The sky was a deep, brilliant azure he had never seen, and the clouds floating within it were as white as new snow.
There was no "scent" of SIN in the atmosphere.
This planet, still very much alive, was a world so gentle it felt like a cradle for humanity.
Behind him, pedestrians passed by occasionally, commuting between the modern districts and the older neighborhoods on either side of the river. Now and then, women would point at Ludwig and whisper among themselves, likely discussing his appearance or speculating on where such a tourist had come from.
Possessing half-angel blood, Ludwig's features were striking enough to rival the pure-blooded Angels among the A-rays, a race renowned for their beauty. He ignored the whispers of the passersby and focused on slowly panning his PDI, the lens turning toward the new district on the left bank.
Adjacent to the river was a small, open riverside park. Being the height of winter, there were few people out for a stroll. However, Ludwig's lens managed to catch a white figure.
It was a woman with silvery-white hair, holding an ornate white parasol. Her face was exquisite, her skin so pale it was almost translucent, and her violet-red eyes were as beautiful as a pair of gemstones, brimming with a charm that could lead anyone astray. She was so breathtakingly beautiful that it was hard to imagine she was even human.
"Huh?"
The silver-haired woman caught in the frame suddenly turned her head, looking straight through the lens at Ludwig. He subconsciously let out a sound of surprise.
He was currently standing in the middle of the bridge. From there to the riverside park, the straight-line distance was over two hundred meters. Even if a human's vision could reach that far, they shouldn't have been able to see clearly what he was doing on the bridge.
Was it just a coincidence?
Ludwig looked away from the terminal screen toward the park, only to find that there was no one standing where the camera had been pointed. Feeling increasingly unsettled, he looked back down at the screen. The white-haired woman was gone from the lens as well.
Ludwig, who had a decent first impression of this peaceful coastal city, began to feel a slight chill of unease. Since he had nothing else to do anyway, he decided to head over to the park and investigate.
However, just as he pushed himself off the railing, an elegant voice inquired from behind him:
"Are you leaving already?"
Turning around slowly, Ludwig saw the white-haired woman his camera had captured. she was looking at him with a gentle, knowing smile.
She got here in an instant. Definitely not an ordinary human.
More importantly, she emitted a distinct and powerful energy signature. Ludwig guessed that this was what the records called a "magical energy reaction." In the world after the planet's death, the elements that composed magical energy had gradually vanished, replaced by the cosmic dust permeating the atmosphere known as SIN.
The Millennium Castle contained much denser magical energy, but compared to the mana found in the Inner Sea, the "scent" of the magical energy floating in the air of this outer world felt very different. To use a metaphor, the difference was as subtle as that between a Human and a Human-type.
"Not anymore," Ludwig replied, stowing his PDI and leaning back against the bridge railing. He looked at the woman, who seemed to harbor no hostility. "Who are you?"
"The person responsible for monitoring you," the woman said with a smile. "If I put it that way, would you believe me?"
"Monitoring me? On whose behalf? That Princess? Or... the Planet itself?" Ludwig wasn't surprised by the statement.
"The Planet itself... I see." The woman dwelled on his choice of words, her soft smile remaining unchanged, as if using it to dissolve any unnecessary tension. "You could say that. In truth, I am a representative dispatched by the Planet's Counter Force. My purpose is to observe your actions and prevent any potential threats to the world."
"I see." Ludwig began to understand.
In the old era, there were two types of Counter Forces: the one representing the Will of the Planet, and the one representing Humanity—or rather, the highest primate living on the planet. The Planet's Counter Force only cared about the survival of the globe itself, while the Human Counter Force prioritized the survival of mankind. There was overlap in their goals, but also areas where they were fundamentally at odds.
However, in Ludwig's time, neither of these Counter Forces functioned anymore. The surviving humans and A-rays had to rely on their own technology and power to seek survival in a world filled with despair.
"You don't seem to doubt me," the white-haired woman remarked.
"Does it matter if I do? I just find it a bit exaggerated." He turned his head to look at the shimmering river. "Is the Planet perhaps focusing a bit too much on me? First the Princess, and now you... By the way, who are you? Do you have a name?"
At the question, the woman lightly pinched her skirt and performed a slight, graceful curtsy.
"My name is Merlin. Merlin the Magician of Flowers. And as you can see, I am a beautiful older sister."
Ludwig knew that name. The court magus of King Arthur's legend, said to be a hybrid of a human and an incubus.
But—
"Merlin? Isn't Merlin a man?" He didn't quite buy the introduction.
"That is a bit complicated to explain. If you really want to see a male Merlin, it's not impossible. Regardless, why don't we find a better place to talk first?"
Merlin showed no sign of fluster at his doubt; she simply offered the suggestion with effortless poise.
Human-type [Liner] Humans living on the Land of Steel. They are a species evolved from original humans to adapt to the changing world while maintaining their basic form. Strictly speaking, they are also a subset of the A-rays. While they are adapted to the current environment, they do not possess abilities that transcend human functions. They have formed nations in an attempt to recreate the civilized societies of the past and maintain a state of non-aggression with the Hundred A-rays.
Knight [Ether Liner] A lifeform among the Human-types that has been strongly influenced by the drastically changed environment. They use special weapons known as Magic Swords. They are an offensive species capable of fighting the A-rays on equal terms without relying on the weapons of the old era. Currently, there are 78 registered individuals.
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