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month record rogue 3 5 1
The girl checks her terminal again.
Previously, she had jotted down the scattered scenes that played out in her mind as notes, and used them as clues to aid her investigation. She would store and organize her discoveries in the terminal so she could refer back to them again and again.
She found a chronicle of a Kazimierzian knight legend. In a dense forest, a bandit wielding a flaming greatsword terrorized the area, robbing and killing many locals. The knights organized a campaign, but were unable to defeat the powerful bandit. In a fit of rage, their flames flared up to exact vengeance, preparing to massacre all the knights at once. That's when a wise and brave knight and her sister used their radiant Arts to fell the bandit, eventually becoming the king of a certain country.
The story had been published in Kazimierz for a long time, and was a bestselling children's book. The protagonist in the accompanying illustrations somewhat resembles Miss Nearl, which seems to be a marketing ploy.
She found a dessert shop on a street corner in Leithanien. A few years ago, there had been a terrible explosion in the kitchen, and the chef at the time had died trying to save the dessert's recipe. Even more unfortunate is the fact that the current store owner failed unable to inherit his craftsmanship.
She found the ruins of an ancient city in the barrenlands. Decades ago, the sons of the city's lord fought amongst themselves for the right of inheritance, resorting to any and all means. The morally upright lord couldn't bear to see this anymore, and locked all his sons up in a cellar. In the end, a fire caused by a great Catastrophe swept through the ancient city, leaving no survivors.
This was the account found in the diary of the ancient city's lord, but according to the residents of nearby villages, the lord himself had actually gone mad. He grew more and more paranoid as he got older, and became cruel towards the sons he saw as hopeless.
The truth, however, may be unknowable. Just like the girl herself.
She cannot find any trace of herself in any of these stories.
Yet in her memory, all of these things did indeed happen. And in each case, she seems to been the one to start the fires.
The girl stares at the greatsword in her hands, lost in thought. She had long known that even 'Surtr,' the name she subconsciously recognized, was never hers to begin with.
She is reminded of that fact every time someone calls her by that name.
All of these memories originate from this ability, this curse. They are the memories of every 'Surtr.'
What exactly is 'Surtr'? Where exactly did the girl come from?
Why, after all this time, does she still not even know if she is really herself?
All this exploration, all this investigation, it serves no purpose whatsoever. Why continue?
The girl looks at the arrow she drew on the map. It points to her destination – Sami.
Though the environment at Rhodes Island is nothing special, she can at least enjoy peace there.
Here, she has a warm room and plenty of food. She has friends, and missions. And occasionally, these missions can be easily dealt with using her unknown powers.
Why cause all this trouble for herself, why spend so much effort, just for that slim possibility?
Why does it matter whether or not she's really 'Surtr'?
The girl's hesitation is real. Despite being seen by other operators as prideful and strong-willed, there were moments like this when she genuinely felt like giving up.
But she did not.
She's already had to suppress this unwillingness countless times, before eagerly embarking on a brand new journey once again.
This time, towards Sami's snowfields.
