A Swordsman and a Mage, Sworn Enemies, Accidentally Crossed a Line and Discovered Their Bodies Were Perfectly Compatible. - Chapter 22

“…Ah. Where am I?”

When I woke up, I saw a pristine white ceiling. For a moment, I wondered what it was, but then I realized it was the ceiling of my room in the Reinebell Family mansion.

“How nostalgic… I had such a vivid dream. But why… why had I forgotten all of this?”

The memories I had just relived—precious moments from ten years ago with Remietta—had been completely erased from my mind.
Why? Why had I forgotten them?

“…Wait, what happened after that?”

I remembered Lalael being kidnapped, Remietta and I rescuing her, and me shielding Remietta at the end. My consciousness had faded, and I thought I was going to die, but now I’m here.
How much time had passed since then? How long had I been dreaming so carefree about the past?
I sat up, trying to get my bearings.

“Remietta?”

I spotted Remietta sitting in a chair beside the bed, sleeping soundly.

“…Why is she here?”

This was my room in the Reinbell Family estate. Remietta, from the Magnolia Family, should never have been allowed to enter.
The two families were bitter enemies; even a slight trespass across the boundary could ignite a war.

“Ah, you’re awake, Elvin.”

“Big Brother?”

As I tilted my head in confusion, my brother suddenly opened the door and met my gaze.

“How long have I been asleep?”

“A week. …You owe Miss Remietta your life. Without her, you’d be dead.”

My eyes widened in shock at my brother’s unexpected words.

“…I see. What happened?”

“She gathered the most skilled mages from across the Royal Capital to treat you. We swordsmen have no healing abilities. If it weren’t for Miss Remietta, you would have been in grave danger.”

“I see…”

I shifted my gaze back to Remietta.
She was sleeping soundly and peacefully. The fact that she didn’t stir despite our conversation nearby was proof of how utterly exhausted she must be.
It seemed I had put Remietta through a great deal of hardship.

“Rest for now. You’re still not fully recovered.”

“Yeah… Hey, Big Brother.”

“Hmm?”

“It seems I used to know Remietta.”

“Ah… Miss Remietta told me. We’re currently clashing with Magnolia over this matter. Just wait for good news.”

With that, Big Brother left the room.
It seemed he really had just come to check on me. Though my brother rarely showed his emotions, I knew well how kind he truly was.

“Mmm… uhh…”

“Whoa there.”

Remietta, who had been sleeping soundly, stirred at the sound of our voices. She slowly opened her eyelids, her crimson eyes locking onto mine.

“Hey. Good morning.”

“…Good morning.”

Remietta stood up and suddenly hugged me tightly.

“Whoa! W-what’s with the sudden hug? You’re making my heart race!”

Caught off guard by her fluid movement, I awkwardly held her close, my heart pounding.

“I’m so glad you’re alive.”

“…I am alive. I’m right here.”

“I never want to go through that again.”

“…Yeah, me neither.”

The thought of someone I cared about hovering on the brink of death was unbearable.
Even I would be worried sick if Remietta collapsed.

“Remietta, you really pulled through, didn’t you? Big Brother told me.”

“It was nothing, really. I just gathered some people. Everyone was hesitant to use magic on the swordsmen, so it was a bit of a struggle.”

“I see. Thank you.”

I said this and hugged Remietta tightly in return, showing my gratitude.
She felt warm, soft as always, and smelled wonderful. Holding her made my heart feel at peace.

“It’s Remi… El.”

“…Right. Remi.”

Remi whispered this in my ear, and I chuckled wryly.
Now that I’ve regained my memories, I should aim for a closer relationship like we used to have.
But that brings up a question:

“Why did I forget?”

“…That was my family’s doing.”

“Huh?”

When I voiced my question, Remietta answered apologetically.

“I confronted my father about it the other day. Ten years ago, he used magic to erase our memories.”

“Seriously? Why would he do something like that?”

But when she said it, it made sense. Erasing memories was something only high-level magic could accomplish.
And since it was high-level magic, the Magnolia Family would naturally be involved.

“Father wanted to use the Tein Cassina incident as a weapon to corner all swordsmen. Swordsman Tein killed over twenty magicians and even tried to kill me. This incident could be used to condemn the very existence of swordsmen.”

“Yeah…”

My father had actually mentioned how much trouble he’d gone through. If the worst murderer in modern history turned out to be a swordsman, public condemnation would be inevitable.
If they manipulated public opinion skillfully, mages might even seize control of the kingdom.

“But you were an obstacle. With Swordsman Elvin, who risked his life to protect me and defeat Tein, it would be impossible to demonize all swordsmen. The incident would be attributed solely to Tein’s actions, not to swordsmen as a whole.”

“Yeah… sounds like something Dad would do.”

My old man might be a rough guy, but he’s not stupid. He probably made me out to be a national hero to deflect blame from all swordsmen.
Which meant House Magnolia’s plans fell apart.

“That’s why they erased everything. They erased all traces of us from both El and me. They only manipulated my memories of the Tein Cassina incident, making it seem like a mage had saved me from Tein at the last moment. That’s how it became.”

“…I see. So that’s how it was. …How utterly pointless.”

“It’s true.”

Remietta clung to me tightly.
It really is pointless. Because of some twisted sense of pride, we lost ten years of our memories.
And in the end, thanks to that lunatic mage Cassina, their plan failed anyway. Who exactly benefited from any of this?

“Well, I’ve finally come to terms with it. I’ve always wondered about these countless scars on my body.”

“You mentioned that the first time we met, too. ‘They just happened,’ you said. I thought you were joking, but it seems you were telling the truth.”

“Yeah. My memories from that time are incredibly hazy. I suddenly found myself covered in these scars, but I couldn’t tell anyone about them. So I convinced myself they were from training and just accepted it.”

“The truth is often quite mundane.”

That was certainly true.
Even these scars I used to hate now made sense, knowing they were from protecting Remi. Erasing those precious memories with her was simply unacceptable.

“But with Tein’s prison break and the whole dragonification experiment coming to light, things are getting really messy now.”

“Huh. That actually makes me feel a bit relieved.”

“Exactly. I even punched Father for good measure.”

“Nice one.”

I’d been seething with anger after being beaten so badly, but hearing that made me feel a little better.
The distortion would inevitably be exposed, leading to a massive backlash.

“Has Tein been captured?”

“Yes. He’s been thrown back into prison.”

“Let’s hope he doesn’t escape this time.”

“His previous escape was apparently facilitated by the dragon’s attack, so we should be safe now.”

If that’s the case, there shouldn’t be any problems. The Sword Knight Order has already slain the dragon. No one will be able to help Tein escape again.

“But… it’s really possible for a person to turn into a dragon?”

“Yes… But it’s a Forbidden Art. Even in the Dragon Transformation Experiment ten years ago, the subjects eventually lost their minds and became uncontrollable.”

“Hmm… but that dragon seemed to obey Tein’s commands.”

Recalling the incident, the dragon Cassina transformed into had clearly been under Tein’s control. Judging by its behavior, it didn’t seem to have lost its consciousness.

“I don’t know. The conclusion was that Dragon Transformation makes control impossible… But I think I understand something.”

“What do you mean?”

“If I were to transform into a dragon and lose my will… I might still listen to El.”

“Don’t say ominous things like that. …Well, I guess that’s love.”

“Yes.”

The love between a man and a woman caused the Tein Cassina incident, tearing us apart.
And now, that same love has triggered this incident, allowing us to recover our lost memories.
What a truly love-filled story.

“So… the Magnolia Family is going to face serious consequences.”

“Yeah, I figured. Everything’s been exposed, right?”

“Yes. But we can’t let the Mages’ status collapse. I want to end this conflict.”

“Me too.”

With the Magnolia Family’s downfall in this incident, the Mages’ status will also plummet, ushering in the era of the Swordsmen.
This is entirely unwelcome. If we consider the kingdom’s future, we need both forces.
What I aim for is a future where they can work together.

“Don’t worry. I’m doing various things to make that happen.”

“El too? …Me too. I intend to become the head of the Magnolia Family.”

“…Huh? Not Lalael?”

“That kid isn’t suited to be the head, and she has no desire to be.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Remietta is undoubtedly the more qualified candidate. Even as a student, she shows glimpses of her charisma and would likely manage the role better than anyone else.
If Lalael were to become the head, I can only foresee her abandoning the position within three days.

“I’ll seize power from Father. And then… I’ll take El as my husband.”

“…I see. I see… wait, what?”

“I’m going to marry El! Our marriage will have a significant impact on improving relations between Swordsmen and Mages!”

Remietta declared this boldly.

“Wh-what…?”

Hearing her words, I was speechless.
At the same time, an indescribable frustration welled up within me.
Marriage. Of course, it was something to be happy about. After all, this love that had been simmering for ten years was finally coming to fruition.
But as a man, I couldn’t help feeling deeply frustrated.

“You said it first…”

“Huh?”

“That was supposed to be my line! It doesn’t feel cool at all now.”

“…I-is that so?”

Remietta’s eyes widened, and her cheeks gradually flushed crimson.

“Th-then… El, why don’t you say it?”

“If you tell me to say it, it kind of loses its impact, doesn’t it?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

It felt lame to just say what I was told to say.
I wanted to say it with a manly flourish.
After a brief silence, I suddenly spoke up.

“…I’d forgotten all about it. But the feelings were still alive inside me. That’s why we met again, and we repeated the same pattern.”

“El…”

“I believe in fate. No matter how hard we struggle, we’re destined to find each other. So, I want you to stay with me forever.”

I said this while looking straight into Remi’s eyes.

“Hehe. That’s such a cheesy line.”

“Don’t tease me. Is that so bad?”

“No. Girls want to hear things like that. It makes me happy.”

Remietta smiled brightly, radiating composure.
She was the complete opposite of me, who had worked so hard to say those words.

“El seems to really like me.”

“Yeah. …How about you, Remi?”

“Do you really want to know?”

“Of course I do.”

I already knew, of course, but I wanted her to show me with her words and actions. That’s just how a man’s heart works.
Remietta, who had been smiling warmly, slowly leaned closer, her cheeks flushing slightly.
Then, her soft lips met mine.

“Mmm…”

Chu…

“Hehe. This is my answer.”

“You’re quite the romantic, aren’t you?”

Answering with a kiss—that’s quite the stylish move.
But for me, it was a doubly satisfying response.

“Still, the road ahead will be fraught with challenges.”

“We’ll be fine. I’m working on my own plans too—reaching out to neutral nobles and coordinating with the royal family.”

“You’ve been doing all that? Then let’s work together and see this through.”

“Yeah. With you by my side, there won’t be any problems.”

For years, the Swordsmen and Mages had been locked in a bitter feud. Remi and I resolved to put an end to it.
Even the royal family had failed to resolve this intractable problem, but with Remi by my side, I felt we could overcome any challenge.

“Still… before we get started, let’s indulge in a little more cuddling.”

“…You’re such a clingy person, aren’t you?”

Remietta sighed, but she gently embraced me, accepting my nature.

“After we’re fully prepared… I’ll let you do whatever you want with me.”

“Seriously?! That’s amazing!”

“Don’t get too excited. I’m already shuddering at the thought of what kind of perverted demands you’ll make, El.”

Despite her words, Remi’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.
There’s no way I’d ever let go of someone as adorable as her. I’ll never forget her again.
To secure a happy ending with Remietta, I resolved to solve this daunting problem—