Inquiry of the Future
Dec. 24th, 2021 10:29 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
runarunesSpecial thanks to Dela for helping with the raw!
Episode 1
Inquiry of the Future
Akira: All done...! Now that I've finished writing down everything in the Sage’s Manual, I should start preparing to go to be-…
Murr: BAAA!
Akira: Whoa!?
Murr: Master Sage, hello there!
Akira: You scared me... Hello, Murr. Why from the window, though...? Do you have any business with me?
Murr: You see, I want to give a gift to you. It's something pretty neat!
Akira: A present for me...?
Murr: Ta-daaa! A moving picture of the twins! You won’t be able to find this just anywhere, even if you have searched this whole world!
Snow & White in the Painting: Now, Murr! Don't treat us as if we’re some sort of collector’s item!
White in the Painting: But, well… Should our Master insist, though...
Snow in the Painting: ...We shall give some thought about this matter.
Akira: Uhm… Well…
Murr: Master Sage, you are not happy with this present?
Snow in the Painting: Master...
White in the Painting: You don’t want us...?
Akira: Oh, uh… No, not at all!
Akira: I'm just a bit surprised, but I'm very happy! Let's see, uhm... Then, thank you very much…!
Murr and Snow & White in the painting: Yaaay~!
As I hurriedly received the twins' painting from Murr, their faces bloomed into smiles.
Akira: By the way, what are you three doing together at this hour?
Murr: Haha, I almost forgot! That’s right, I want to ask a question to you, Master Sage!
Snow in the Painting: Hey, Murr Munchkin... Do you really need to snatch us up for that?
Murr: Who knows!
Akira: (I guess so… That’s just like him.)
Akira: So, what is it that you want to ask me?
Murr: Well, Master Sageー Why do you believe in us wizards?
Akira: Huh?
Murr: It has been quite a while since you came to our world, right?
Murr: I'm sure you've experienced and got to know about a lot of thingsー Be it about us wizards, and also this world.
Murr: Knowledge is the doorway to wisdom. And I'm just itching to know what's going on in your head, now that you've opened that door!
Then as if he wanted to peer through my eyes, Murr moved his face closer to mine.
Murr: Tell me, Master Sage.
Murr: Did it ever cross your mind? The thought that maybe, the Sage's wizardー Your wizard, might betray you one day?
White in the Painting: Hohoho. Goodness gracious, is there even any need to ask Master to say the reason for that?
Snow and White in the Painting: I mean, needless to say it's because our dearest Master just loves us so~!
Murr: Love? I love someone, so that means I'll believe in them?
Murr: How can you be so sure about that?
Murr: I mean, two people that loved each other still fought each other to the point of death anyway!
Episode 2
Inquiry of the Future
Snow and White in the Painting: ........
Murr: You two loved each otherー More than anyone else in this world. More than anything else in this world.
Murr: It seems like Master Sage is still thinking, so tell me your answer first.
Murr: Hey Snow, how can you believe in White, someone who tried to kill you?
Murr: Hey White, how can you believe in Snow, someone who already killed you?
Murr: Why won’t you promise each other thisー That you’d never kill each other again?
Hearing Murr keep shooting out such disrespectful questions so innouncously one after another, I could feel myself starting to break out in a cold sweat.
Snow in the Painting: Goodness gracious, you really are a child that’d ask some complex questions, huh? 'Tis both a factー that we did love each other dearly, and that we did kill each other.
White in the Painting: And indeed, 'tis true that we can make a promise to each other…
White in the Painting: Even so... The conclusion for the matter between us has already been made.
White in the Painting: We may indulge in your curiosity, and even answer a thousand make-believe questions you want to ask of us. Yet in the end, our conclusion would not change nor waver in the least.
White in the Painting: Even so, there’s still this one fact we can tell you for sureー 'Tis that we shall never kill each other again.
Snow and White then looked directly into each other’s eyes, and smiled.
Murr: I see! You two are just as interesting as ever.
Murr: Well then, now it's your turn Master Sage! What about you? Why do you believe in us?
Akira: … I…
Murr's emerald green eyes focused on me, waiting for my answer.
Akira: When I heard Snow and White’s answer, I remembered it... The weight of the promise that the wizards tied.
Akira: ...Wizards won’t make any promises easily. This is because you guys treated your words very preciously.
Akira: That's why, I believe in youー You all, who live in such a faithful and honest way of living.
Snow and White in the Painting: Master...
Hearing that, Murr then grabbed his broom and jumped out of the window.
While riding on his broom, he reached his hand out for me. Seeing his sudden action, I blinked my eyes in confusion.
Akira: Murr...?
Murr: The moment you take my hand, I'll fly us up high into the sky.
Murr: And when we're still flying, there’s a chance that I might let go of your hand, Master Sage.
Murr: Even so, will you still take my hand?
There’s not an ounce of hesitation in me as I took his hand.
Akira: Of course!
Murr: That’s the spirit!
Immediately, he pulled me up by one of my hands. While dangling me by his hand, his broom then kept rising up high, and higher into the night sky.
Akira: Wah...!?
Flustered, I immediately held Snow and White’s painting in my other hand tighter.
The broom then kept rising higher and higher up into the sky. It was as if the world had been turned upside down, and we were falling rapidly into a sea of stars.
Murr: And we’ve arrived~!
After we were well away from the ground, Murr finally sat me down on the back of his broom.
Murr: I will show you something beautiful, Master Sage. This is my token of gratitude for you, who didn’t even hesitate to take my hand.
Akira: Something beautiful… Is it fireworks?
Murr: Why would you think so?
Akira: I mean, you like fireworks, right? ...Am I wrong?
Murr: Nah, you're absolutely right!
After he said that, Murr laughed and started to hang upside down in the air.
Episode 3
Inquiry of the Future
As if he was preparing himself to fire a bullet, Murr started to point his finger downwards.
Akira: ...Are you going to set off the fireworks in that posture?
Murr: ........
Akira: But if you do that, then the Magical Manor below us will be set on fire…
Murr: Just like that time?
Hearing Murr’s question, the memories of that day, when fire broke out in the courtyard flashed back into my mind. The night full of turmoil, when Magical Manor was encircled by blazing fire all around.
There was no way I could ever forget it. After all, that was the day of my arrival to this world.
As if he was reading my mind, Murr curled his lips up meaningfully.
Akira: (No way… Is he really going to do it?)
Unconsciously, I reached my hand out to stop him. But, I immediately halted my movement.
Akira: (No, Murr will never do that. But…)
What if he was really going to set off the fireworks there? But, he would never do that...
My mind kept going back and forth- a battle between the me that was anxious about that possibility happening, and also me who denied that possibility even existed.
My hand hung out in the air- unable to decide whether it should reach out to stop him or to pull back. But Murr then grabbed that hand.
Murr: 《Eanul Rambul》!
As he chanted out his incantation, a small bouquet of flowers appeared in my hand with a popping sound.
Akira: Huh…?
Akira: This is… A bouquet…?
Murr: Ahaha, what a funny face!
Murr: Do you really think that I was going to shoot fireworks into the Magical Manor?
Akira: To be honest, I was a bit worried that you’d really do that. I’m sorry…
With a whoop, Murr righted himself up from his upside down position. He then looked straight in my direction.
Murr: That's what we’d call as trust. Because you know what kind of wizard I am, what kind of things I like, and also what things I'm capable of doing.
Murr: That's why you took my hand, and in some cases, you would reach out your hand to stop me.
Murr: Master Sage, I want you to keep believing and doubting in me.
Akira: Uhm… Okay...?
White in the Painting: Hohoho. My, he played you right into his hand Master.
Snow in the Painting: Murr is right, you could say that doubt is also a form of trust. Yet, there is one thing we shall tell you.
White in the Painting: There's not even a case where us, the Sage's wizards, have betrayed our Sage. At the very least, you can trust us on that.
White in the Painting: 'Tis true that we have quite a history with Murr. Yet, we believe in each other, and we plan to get along peacefully.
White in the Painting: Right, Murr?
Murr: Yup!
Murr: What about you, Master Sage?
Akira: My feelings haven’t changed in the slightestー I believe in you guys!
Murr: Yup. You're the best, Master Sage!
Murr: To our dear Master Sage, who chose to believe in this world, and also the Sage’s wizardsー...
Murr:《Eanul Rambul》!
