Chapter 276 276: Mio’s Memories

"Oh?"

Inside the office of DEM's Japanese branch, Westcott was sitting in a chair, looking at a huge book floating in midair.

Its ominous appearance gave anyone who saw it an indescribable sense of terror.

"I see. This really is interesting. All the information I wanted has flowed into my mind. So this is the power of a Demon King. It seems my guess was correct. Thanks to it, I learned something very interesting."

"Something very interesting?"

Standing beside Westcott was a girl in a suit. Ellen tilted her head and asked.

"Ah. Come here for a moment."

"Yes…"

Ellen showed a puzzled expression and approached Westcott.

Westcott stood up from his chair and placed his hand on her shoulder.

Then…

"This is…"

Ellen's eyes widened in shock.

The information Westcott had obtained from Beelzebul was passed to Ellen through his hand as a medium. A torrent of information surged into her mind like raging waves.

"History changed? This current world had been altered once?—is that what this means?"

Perhaps because she had learned about Twelfth Bullet: Yud Bet from Westcott, Ellen spoke in great surprise.

That was right. What was recorded inside Beelzebub was precisely that.

Changing history. Going to a forbidden place that even gods feared—that absurd, grand lie.

However, Westcott and Ellen had already learned that it was not something absolutely impossible.

"Ah. Itsuka Shido borrowed Nightmare's hand and changed Tobiichi Origami's past… Hehe, what a bold act."

"I never expected something like that to…"

As Ellen spoke, she suddenly stopped and pressed painfully against her chest.

"Ugh, ngh?"

A few seconds later, blood began seeping through the white shirt she was wearing. Ellen looked at the blood on her hand in pain.

"This is…"

"It seems that because you obtained the memories of the world before it was changed, the injury you suffered then has been recreated."

Westcott raised the corner of his mouth and said that.

If she were an ordinary person, something like this probably would not happen. However, Wizards used Realizers, which could turn the images in their minds into reality.

And Ellen held the title of strongest among Wizards. It seemed she had half automatically materialized that strong impression.

"I see. So the old me received such a blow from her. Although Ratatoskr interfered, this is still unpleasant."

Ellen furrowed her brows.

What the Demon King transmitted was what had happened in the first worldline. During the Tenou Festival, they had captured Princess. Itsuka Shido, Tobiichi Origami, and the others had rushed to DEM's base in Kagamiyama City. There, Ellen had been wounded by Tobiichi Origami.

"But I didn't expect it to be Princess, rather than Miko."

Ellen said with a frown. Somehow, she felt that something was off. That was right. If they wanted to capture any Spirit, Miko's Angel would be the most troublesome obstacle. However, in the past Westcott had investigated, there was no trace of Miko.

"What is going on? Strange. I cannot find any information about Miko at all."

Hearing Ellen's words, Westcott flipped through the Demon King. However, in the first worldline, there was absolutely no trace of Miko.

"How is that possible? Could it be… in the world before history was changed, the Spirit Miko did not exist?"

Beelzebub, like Rasiel, was an omniscient Demon King. There was no such thing as information the Demon King did not know. The only explanation was—

In the world before history was changed, Miko simply did not exist.

"I never expected something like this. Let me see, Miko, just who are you…"

Westcott flipped through the Demon King, wanting to investigate Yakumo Mikoto in the world after history was changed.

Then…

"Ugh!"

In the middle of searching for the girl named Yakumo Mikoto, the Demon King was "rejected" by some powerful force. (TL: Hmm~ Fanfic author really think a lot to make their MC unaffected by Beelzebub huh?)

At dawn, Mikoto and Shido came to the room where Nia was resting.

After emergency treatment, Nia had been sealed by Shido, and not long afterward, she woke up.

Perhaps because she had preserved part of her Spirit power, after treatment using medical Realizers, her current condition was still fairly good.

After waking up, Nia naturally joined the big family of the Itsuka house. Because today was the last day of the year, everyone came to Mikoto's shrine, preparing to spend New Year there.

While watching the sunrise, Nia suddenly dropped a bombshell in front of everyone—

"Aren't all so called Spirits originally human?"

Not only did this match Mikoto's guess, but considering Nia's Angel, those words became even more credible.

After realizing that many of the Spirits thought of themselves as "pure Spirits," Nia smoothly laughed it off and muddled through the topic.

And now, Shido and Mikoto had come to ask her about it properly. No matter what, the matter of Spirits being transformed from humans was no small thing.

When the two entered Nia's room, they found that not only Nia was there, but also Mana, Kotori, and Origami.

From Nia, they learned that when Nia first appeared in the world, she had also been in a state where she did not know who she was or why she was there. That scene was exactly the same as "pure Spirits" like Tohka and Yoshino.

The difference was that Nia had an omniscient Angel, Rasiel. Through her Angel's power, she learned that she had once been human, had fallen into despair because of something, and had finally been turned into a Spirit by Phantom.

The curious Nia had naturally investigated Phantom too, but she had found nothing. It was as if some force had forcibly blocked her.

"Ah, right. Something similar happened when I investigated the god who crossed over with Miko-chan."

It seemed Nia had investigated Tsukuyomi as well, but was rejected.

After that, because of something Kotori said, Nia learned that even sealed Spirits could manifest partial Astral Dresses and Angels. And so, by recalling the days before the manuscript deadline, she successfully entered an emotionally unstable state.

The current Rasiel had lost most of its power because of Westcott, such as omniscience and Future Entry.

However, by using the fact that Rasiel and Beelzebub were like the front and back of the same coin, Nia used a pen to damage Rasiel's search page. Precisely because of that, Beelzebub's omniscient ability was likely affected as well.

Hearing Nia's words, Mikoto quietly let out a breath of relief. When she thought about the enemy obtaining an omniscient Angel, and all of their future actions and plans being under the other side's control, she felt chills.

After that, everyone prepared to say goodbye to Nia and let her continue resting.

At that moment, Mana looked at Shido and said:

"There is one thing I am very concerned about."

"Something you're concerned about?"

"When I fell beside Nii-sama after fighting Ellen, Nii-sama said to me, 'I'm so glad you're safe, Mana,' and, 'What happened to Mio? Did she not come to help?'"

Mana was talking about what had happened during Shido's berserk state.

"Mio?"

Hearing a name he had never heard before, Shido furrowed his brows.

Not only that, but Kotori, Origami, Nia, and Mikoto all showed confused expressions. None of them knew who Mana was talking about.

"Yes. The instant I heard those words, I became strangely dizzy, and vague images appeared in my mind… so I thought this might be a name related to me, and Nii-sama's old memories."

"Is that so? But…"

Shido showed a troubled expression.

He did not remember ever hearing the name Mio anywhere. He did not even remember whether he had said those words himself.

"Sorry, I don't know any—"

Suddenly, Shido felt intense dizziness.

"Eh?"

Amid the spinning of heaven and earth, his body swayed on its own and began falling toward the floor.

"Shido?"

Mikoto, who was standing beside Shido, immediately supported him, but the dizziness did not stop.

In a field of white mist, a very, very small voice came from somewhere.

"Mio. That is… my name."

"Mm-hm… I'm so happy. I'm really so happy."

"I love you. Let's always… always be together…"

"Th-this is…"

Within his chaotic consciousness, Shido could clearly see the figure of a long haired girl.

And the next instant, he lost consciousness.

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