A sense of something horrid swirling around was palpable.

A vortex, yes, a vortex.

Spinning vigorously, swirling around, devouring everything in its path—a vortex swirled.

It was swirling somewhere, no, it was swirling right at my center.

A storm-like force, wild and fierce, as intense as lightning and heated like magma, that malevolent black vortex was swirling.

Perhaps it was the abhorrent curse that had slept deep within me.

An unloosening bind of “death,” intertwined forever, tied together and refusing to be passed on or handed over.

Greedily holding onto this life, I would not sell it to anyone.

In principle, the curse gnawing at my life, intertwining and hating one another, refusing to hand over their burden, opposing and fighting over it—resulting in conflicting consequences.

The curse was attempting to keep this vessel from dying.

Spinning and swirling, fiercely rotating, the vortex swallowed everything around it.

Beasts, dragons, cursed vessels swirling around it, spinning and twirling away—

—

Under the red-flagged tents were treatment facilities. There were a total of five.

Under the black-flagged tents were storage facilities. There were a total of twenty-five.

Under the white-flagged tents were for the elite. There were three.

Under the gold-flagged tent was for the commander. There was only one.

Given the freedom to run around on miscellaneous errands, I could surprisingly take a brief glance at various places despite the short time I had.

This was Subaru’s second encounter with a real camp in the Empire.

The first was before and after the battle against the White Whale in the Lugnica Kingdom.

In preparation for the White Whale’s arrival, I set up a temporary camp around the Great Tree of Flugel, although it wasn’t quite on this scale.

Since then, I’ve had several opportunities for smaller scale camping experiences. Yet, those were merely makeshift setups and lacked the impressive structure found in the Empire.

So, with a sense of novelty, I think I observed various aspects quite carefully.

Of course, aside from one person, the Imperial soldiers didn’t seem to harbor good impressions of me. If I were to attempt entering any important place, my head would surely separate from my body, so I mostly relied on superficial knowledge.

However, even that degree of knowledge—

—

“—is quite useful. The difference between having information and not is like night and day… More than anything, knowing the setup allows us to roughly gauge the enemy’s strength. After that—”

“Our courage and strength will shine through, mi! You understand well, fellow soldier!”

“Ah, then let’s see it. Show the honor and valor of the proud warriors of Shudrak, who once stood alongside the Warlord Emperor and felled every enemy!”

A sense of languor washed over me, almost as if I were drifting in warm water.

In the midst of that haze, I could hear voices filled with vigor, of both a man and a woman.

—

Aside from the two dominant voices, many breaths could be heard.

A multitude of human presences surged around me.

The fiery hot passion of those many humans heightened as they gathered around me—

“—Now, let’s get started, Shudrak! We shall ignite the signal for counterattack from here!!”

“Whaaa—!!”

—A powerful roar resonated, shattering the world like a glass bulb.

—

“—Owa!?”

I was abruptly splashed with something cold and wet on my face, causing my entire body to jump in shock.

What had happened? My consciousness quickly surged back, and as I blinked, my view was covered in white. No, that must be the answer to the wet sensation.

What had been thrown over my face was a damp cloth that hadn’t been thoroughly wrung out.

I had read in some book before that there was a form of torture involving covering someone’s face with a towel and then dripping water over it—requiring only a towel and water, it was an easy method to give a sensation of drowning, a technique that resembled a hellish water torture.

“W-What can I say…!?”

“W-Wake up, Sū! You’re feeling better, and Uwuu is relieved!”

“A-ah…?”

Hearing a young voice for a torturer made me shake my head in surprise. The cloth slipped, and I was able to see normally.

It appeared that I wasn’t being tortured; I could see a clouded sky, barely visible through the leaves of enormous trees. And peeking out shyly from that sky was—

“You are…”

“Utakata! Uuu, Sū’s guard! Caretaker! Nurse! I’m so glad you woke up!”

“…I can’t quite wrap my head around this.”

Utakata chirped joyfully, laughing with a high-pitched voice. She was a girl with black hair, the tips dyed pink—indeed, Utakata.

One of the people from Shudrak, I had seen her in the village before. She was also the one who had killed me with a poisoned arrow once.

However, seeing her smile now, we seemed to have built a friendly relationship, so I wouldn’t have to worry about being silenced with a poisoned arrow.

“Of course, no sign of water torture… right? Uh…”

“Sū, the Ritual of Blood is over! We fought Elgyna and won! Everyone was so surprised, including me and Uu!”

“…I’m starting to remember. Right, we had to do the Ritual of Blood.”

To gain the recognition of the Shudrak people, I had challenged the Ritual of Blood.

It’s a coming-of-age ceremony from Shudrak, meant to acknowledge someone as an adult. It had been a two-man effort, alongside Abel, who had been captured as well.

The enemy within that ceremony had been the giant snake beast, Elgyna, living in the Badheim Forest.

With our lives on the line, Abel and I had somehow managed to take down that giant snake’s horn—

“…I can’t. I was too absorbed in the moment; I can’t recall much of the latter half. The fact that I survived means Abel must have done well…?”

“—? Sū, you don’t remember? I was laughing up a storm!”

“Laughing? At my clumsiness? Spare me…”

With Utakata’s tilted head drawing a grimace from me, I tried to sit up. Meanwhile, when I placed my right hand on the floor, a strange sensation hit me.

It wasn’t that the floor was wet or something hard was using it. It felt as though the cause was more deep-rooted.

Simply put, it felt like the cause lay more within my arm than on the floor.

“—Uh, Utakata? What’s up with my right hand?”

“Your right hand? A, it was amazing! It was squishy and went *bwah*!”

“Squishy and *bwah*!?”

Hearing those ominous sound effects made me widen my eyes in distress.

After taking deep breaths to prepare my mind, I positioned my gaze to the left. Three fingers were broken. It hurt, but I felt relieved.

Then slowly, I turned my gaze towards my right hand—

“…What the heck is this?”

For a moment, I thought what I saw was a mistake; that it was in such a bizarre state.

Originally, black splotches of hideous patterns ran across my right arm, remnants of the detrimental encounter with the Archbishop of Lust back in Watergate City Pristella.

In the fight against Capella, the Archbishop of Lust, having declared her blood to be dragon’s blood, she had splattered it all over Abel and me. As a result, Abel incurred an unhealable wound, while I bore her eerie blood which branded my right arm with dark, persistent patterns.

Yet, aside from its appearance, it hadn’t caused any harm, so I usually hid it under long sleeves, never showing any signs of dragging it along.

However, those black patterns—

“—”

It was not just densely patterned.

From the fingertips to the wrist, nearly half my forearm from the wrist to the elbow looked as if it had been completely dyed in black as if I wore a black glove.

Swallowing my saliva, I timidly reached out my left hand to touch that blackened right hand.

It felt soft and squishy on my left hand, whereas the touch on my right hand was minimal. My right hand felt like I was wearing a rubber glove, sluggish in movement—

“…No way, could it be…”

Having gathered that peculiar sensation, I used my left hand’s nails to dig into the black right hand. I pushed hard with my fingers, scratching and moving.

Suddenly, the black part of my right hand peeled away, just like pulling off dirt from a wall.

“Uah!?” In surprise, I twisted my fingers into the peeled area, getting possessed by the act of peeling it off until finally, the black patterns from my fingertips to my forearm peeled away, revealing a clean, brand-new, Natsuki Subaru’s right hand.

“What the—what’s happening!?”

“Ukyan!?”

Subaru let out a scream of shock at this shocking transformation. Taken aback, Utakata fell on her backside.

But Subaru, now in no position to assist the fallen girl, was caught in confusion.

“What—what happened to my hand? This is… my hand, right?”

Dumbfounded, Subaru closed and opened his newly revealed clean right hand and slowly started to touch his face and the floor with it.

Everything felt just right, with no issues at all, finely normal.

The black patterns that had previously marred that right hand had disappeared, leaving behind a pristine, quite literally from my year of fantasy living—my “little girl user” right arm.

“And who’s a ‘little girl user’!?”

“—I just heard a voice; why are you spouting nonsense?”

While confirming the state of my intact right hand, someone approached Subaru. No, it wasn’t just anyone—it was a man whose arrogance showed through their words, with only two possibilities to bear that name, a beautiful presence that could be male or female.

This was a man’s voice; thus—

“Abel, huh? So you’re alive after all.”

“Of course. I’m far calmer than you are.”

The voice sneered while the familiar masked figure of Abel came into view.

He was the one who had faced the Ritual of Blood beside me, and it seemed he had also survived the battle against Elgyna. In fact, it could be said that I had survived thanks to him.

Probably, he was also the one who dealt with Elgyna.

“—Hmm. What happened to your right arm? Have you discarded that horrid appearance?”

“Don’t say it like I can change the color of my own right hand at will; it’s not like I’m in some character creation screen in a Western game. There’s no such freedom… The black part just peeled off nicely when I scratched it. Right, Utakata?”

“That’s right! Sū’s right hand was falling apart! It was gross!”

“I get it, though!”

With Utakata’s direct comment, Subaru grimaced, extending his right hand out to Abel. As he squinted scrutinizing that unharmed right hand, Abel mumbled, “So it was.”

“In any case, if it’s back to normal, that’s good enough. I never thought to smash away even the magic sealing stone ring. I thought you wouldn’t survive without your wrist.”

“Hold on, hold on, hold on! Are you seriously telling a horror story right now? Whose wrist are we talking about?”

“Yours.”

“Sū!”

With arms crossed, Abel looked down at Subaru who had risen to his feet, the eerie girl (Utakata) enthusiastically lifting her right hand.

Hearing both their responses sent a chill down Subaru’s spine. He glanced at his own pristine right hand. What about it getting blown away? It appeared no different from a brand new arm.

“C’mon, that’s just absurd! If it’s gone, what is this right hand even doing here?”

“That’s the bizarre and twisted event. Your arm vanished—during moments of near-death, you issued those words. Afterwards, you’re still alive, yet… from your hand flowed a dark residue.”

“Dark residue…?”

“That quickly formed into an arm shape, materializing it as a black arm. If you seek to ask what took place, you should rather ask yourself what it was you intended to do.”

With his sharp gaze boring into Subaru, he had instinctively caught his breath.

He kept returning gaze down to his right hand, but whatever Abel said, Subaru couldn’t comprehend what had occurred. Yet, it was undeniable that the black patterns ingrained in his hand—those ones that disappeared, were in no way unrelated.

While it might truly be the result of dragon’s blood acting on him—

“Then if that’s the case, why didn’t it activate until now…”

This says nothing about what had been running through my head, it had been nearly three months since I was splattered with dragon’s blood.

After that, the count of my dangerous encounters since crossing over the Augria Sand Dunes, along with the death struggle at the Pleiades Watchtower—yet, countless brushes with death hadn’t prompted any miraculous recovery concerning my injuries.

Why, then, here and now—

“…It’s pointless to ponder things I can’t know. Additionally, aside from my right hand injury, everything else is still in shambles.”

Grumbling with the state of my left hand that was broken, I’d confirmed how deeply my other wounds remained. The cuts on my back near my shoulders, the unrecognized burn on my neck, and various bruises hadn’t healed.

Seriously, it appears only my right hand received treatment. Thus, it raises the suspicion that since the black patterns were linked to the hand, it may have only had its injuries healed.

“Then, since the right hand’s peculiar mark is gone, it might not heal anymore… it’s not like I can just blow my hand away to test things again.”

“In the end, it seems like a hidden matter. You certainly have much to hide.”

“I don’t want to hear that from a masked guy…”

Just as I tried responding while grimacing, I suddenly exhaled.

Having been absorbed in thoughts about my right hand’s abnormalities, checking on Abel’s well-being, I then recalled the main priority I had initially forgotten.

Having participated in the Ritual of Blood and survived, it meant that time had flowed while Subaru remained unconscious.

In other words, that number of hours had passed since—

“—Rem. That’s right, Rem! I cannot waste any more time; I must get back to her—”

I had originally aimed to bring back Rem, the one I had left behind.

Given that I had risked my life in the Ritual of Blood, if time passed and I could no longer save her, then the meaning of my life-and-death struggle would be lost.

“Ah! Sū! Don’t do anything reckless! You’ll die!”

“Shut up! If I don’t die, but Rem dies, then what’s the meaning of this—gah!”

Encouraged by panic, Subaru attempted to leave the bed but made the error of noticing he was laid on a strange bed—a box resembling a palanquin crafted from logs.

Shooting down from it in a hurry, Subaru winced from the scattered pain throughout his body.

“Gah…”

“Fool! Did you believe your near-dead body could recover from merely regrowing your right arm? I told you— I expected you to die. Do you believe my prognosis could be wrong?”

“That…”

With the cold voice of Abel looking down at him, Subaru had noticed a feeling emerging from deep within his body—with ominous feelings washing over him, he couldn’t help but realize it was a dangerous sign.

It felt as if he was a balloon or bucket that shouldn’t have holes punctured in it, with air or water spilling out from within—it was that kind of sensation—

“But—what about Rem…”

“…Even in this condition, your focus lies not on yourself, but rather on the girl. Well, I do understand. It was as you wished. The crux of it is that it’s exactly as you desired.”

“…Huh?”

“This way.”

Only concerned with the fate of Rem, who was not there.

With a sigh at Subaru’s words, Abel tilted his chin, then advanced without a glance towards Subaru. Without doubt, it was an invitation to follow him.

“Sū, can you go? Need a shoulder?”

“Nah, I’m good… if I borrow Utakata’s shoulder, the height difference will be even harder.”

Seeing Utakata leaning in curiously over at him, Subaru awkwardly smiled.

Taking a deep breath, he finally managed to stand up. Dragging his legs, he caught up with the front walker—Abel.

—

Abel waited a little ahead for Subaru to catch up.

Standing on a rock covered in green grass, he peered over the cliff’s edge to gaze into the distance. Unevenly, Subaru climbed the large boulder, lining up beside him.

And then—

“—Look.”

Once again, barely lifting his chin, he directed Subaru to look up.

What greeted Subaru when he raised his sights was an expansive view that stretched from his high vantage point, causing his mouth to hang open.

Dumbfounded, utterly stunned, for there lay—

“—Wha?”

Black smoke billowed up, the encampment engulfed in flames—the Imperial soldiers’ base was consumed by fire.

—

The echoes reached me were war cries, almost like a symphonic victory anthem vibrating through the atmosphere.

“—!!”

Roars and melodic chants echoed from women warriors with brown skin, bearing bows and dashing across the battlefield.

The Shudrak people had launched a surprise attack, throwing the Imperial army’s camp into ruins, with those soldiers losing their resistance, fleeing chaotically, and falling one after another.

“What is…”

“Go on a rampage, strip them of their weapons, torch their medicinals, and pierce their commanders. With fingers and heads severed, they would have no choice but to turn and run. The Sword Wolves should find this quite pathetic.”

“—”

Below, I could witness the Imperial soldiers scrambling in disarray, pursued by arrows and black smoke.

However, they could not flee from the warriors of Shudrak, skilled in hunting beasts within the forest. Their keen sight meant that from far off, they accurately targeted the hearts of soldiers that turned to flee.

How many managed to escape? How many survived?

Truly, how many had died?

“This…”

“What’s the matter, Natsuki Subaru? This is the achievement of your kin, using the very information you wished for. If you can’t smile at this, you must ask—what do you find amusing?”

Looking down at the scene that had turned into a battlefield, Subaru felt his consciousness fading. On top of this, Abel forced reality upon him by saying that this calamity was exactly what Subaru had wished for.

It was unbearable, causing Subaru to stand up swiftly, gripping Abel by the collar.

With my recently healed right arm, I glared closely into his eyes.

“You think I wanted this? This kind of… this kind of scene!? Don’t be ridiculous…”

“—Then did you think your desires could be granted without bloodshed?”

“—”

But as Subaru attempted to snap back in anger, Abel bit back, and the sharpness of that tongue cut sharply, rendering Subaru speechless.

“—”

Did you really think your wishes could manifest without blood?

Caught off guard, Subaru couldn’t respond to Abel’s pointed accusation.

“Let me phrase it this way, Natsuki Subaru. Did you believe your desires could come true without a single drop of blood from yourself?”

“—”

“What foolish thoughts. Unfathomably naive assumptions. Did you truly think that if you bled, it would be enough to deter the inciting third parties? What you’re grasping at is a far worse hero’s fantasy than the pathetic desires you’ve displayed.”

“—”

“You are merely human Natsuki Subaru. You are neither a hero nor a sage. Therefore, your presence does nothing before others who will continue shedding blood, losing their lives, stealing and being stolen from.”

Abel’s violent proclamation fell like blows upon hearing the straightforward strokes of his words.

Subaru felt his resolve fall slack and tremble; he shook his head reluctantly.

That much is truth.

An undeniable fact. It was all too apparent to him. Yet Subaru couldn’t swallow it.

He had never lived in a world where these circumstances were accepted as mere normality.

Even after being transported to this other world, Natsuki Subaru’s ethics lived on as a high school student from Japan.

Not garnering acceptance for the nuances of combat’s ethics or the common sense that came with it.

“I don’t seek to be a hero. I won’t rely on them, trust them, or delegate to them. I’ll carry everything on my shoulders, moving toward a prosperous end—Heroes won’t do that.”

“W-What… what do you want…”

Losing strength, Subaru found himself kneeling once more, puzzled by Abel’s intentions.

He had stood with him during the Ritual of Blood, perhaps taking the hold of victory. Oddly enough, their conversation had aligned with each other, yet what went through Abel’s mind remained obscured.

Naturally—how could one understand a person who concealed their face.

“What do you mean by concealing your face and holding back…”

“Face, huh. Then allow me to show you.”

“Eh?” No time to question, the plight I felt was lost utterly.

Since my weak cry reached Abel, he lightly grasped the covering over his face.

With a quick motion, he untied the tattered knots of his mask, and a wind surged forth.

The gust rushed around, pulling the mask away forcefully as it flew—

Soaring high, it traversed over the battlefield transformed into a war zone, carried away far and farther into the winds—

“Perhaps it may reach the Imperial Capital… the city where I should take my throne.”

“—”

As the rag was swept away by the wind, Abel announced grandiose declarations.

Fixing my eyes on the revealed face of the man, I felt an unyielding shock, unable to avert my gaze.

That face was a black-haired beauty, characterized by strikingly slanted eyes.

He seemed to be several years older than Subaru, around his early twenties or so, possessing an incredibly handsome face. Though slightly disheveled and dirty from spending time in the forest and village, those imperfect traits only enhanced his striking visual presence.

On top of long limbs and a slender figure sat a face that could rival that of a handsome man.

However, what stuck out the most about him were those black eyes.

Imposing like a force demanding submission from all it gazes upon—the intensity adding an intimidating aura to his very being.

To face him from where I knelt, I felt an inability to move, for I felt compelled by a force beyond the weariness or pain in my body.

My soul was yielding before the man in front of me.

That overwhelming presence stemmed from—

“—Vincent Abelkus.”

“…Huh?”

“That is my name. At least until I reclaim my throne once more. However, I believe it is more prudent to continue referring to me as Abel further on.”

Abel smirked, noticing the shock plastered across Subaru’s face. I recognized that fierce, savage smile belied an underlying malice that sank in late.

Unbeknownst to the significance of that name—

“—Abel! Subaru!”

“—!”

The tension that had gripped Subaru released abruptly with a sharp, thrown voice.

Turning swiftly in the direction from where it came, a figure approached, waving their hands. An extraordinary warrior woman with dyed red hair, the head of Shudrak—Mizelda.

Mizelda softened her aggressive expression into something more approachable.

“The suppression of the camp is complete. The damage on our side is minimal—oh? Abel, this is the first time seeing your face, and you’re quite the looker…”

“Mizelda…”

“Cough… Subaru, it’s great that you’re awake. If you had died like that, it wouldn’t be fair for us comrades.”

Momentarily enraptured by Abel’s unveiled visage, Mizelda cleared her throat, glancing at Subaru with a kind gaze.

That warm smile sent shivers to him, aware she was regarding him like a living being in the grasp of impending death. Just like Abel, she had concluded Subaru wouldn’t last long.

Based on that, she could only offer rays of brightness amidst solemnity.

However, it was not only her perspectives and words labeling Subaru as a being not long for this world that made her smile; the subsequent actions she took wrought what was revealed afterward.

“Holly, bring her over here.”

“Yes, yes, I got it, no~!”

As Mizelda turned back, calling someone, a lively, easygoing response echoed back.

Strolling toward us was a girl with golden hair, who had once hefted boulders effortlessly—Holly, the little girl.

And in her kindly-smiling arms—

“Don’t thrash around~. Poor Kuna got blasted and still hasn’t woken-up.”

“Stop being so selfish…! Let go of me! What are you trying to do!?”

“I’m just working on listening to others! Can’t you be considerate!?”

Pouting, Holly was showed distress, clutching a squirming girl in her grasp.

The girl, with blue hair and a face rendered furious—was the one Subaru wished to see more than anyone at that moment; the one he longed to hear from and wanted to meet—

“—Rem!”

At that moment, Subaru ran—forgetting all about his own unstable condition, the awe of his fear of Abel, or the flames consuming the battlefield below.

His pace could hardly be considered swift. There was no way to leap from this boulder to the ground, so he instead shuffled along slower than a child.

He hurried toward Holly, reaching for Rem—

“Who are you…”

“Rem! I’m so glad to see you’re safe…”

“You made me do this, didn’t you!? You’re the worst!”

The very moment Subaru reached out his arms towards her, Rem’s hand swung up and struck him across the face.

The slap rang out sharply, and the astonished looks of Holly, Mizelda, and even Utakata widened their eyes in surprise. The force behind that strike was sizable enough that Subaru almost stumbled backwards.

Yet he didn’t fall. After being struck, he didn’t even voice any complaints.

He couldn’t voice discontent at all.

Not when Rem was alive, talking, and that alone was more than enough.

“Rem…”

“—You are the same as always.”

Having received a hefty hit to his cheek, Subaru moved forward undeterred to embrace Rem. Cradled into his heart from Holly’s grasp, she softened, became surprised, and then turned red with anger.

Then she tightly clenched her fists, ready to unleash another decisive strike—

“…You are.”

Before she could deliver what might have finished him off, it felt like she finally noticed just how battered Subaru truly was.

“—”

In relief, he couldn’t hold himself up any longer; he collapsed onto the ground as Rem observed his injuries—his shoulder, torso, and left leg scattered with numerous wounds left her speechless.

“…No, my left hand was broken by Rem, though?”

“I know that! But the rest of your injuries… this can’t possibly…”

“Pointless.”

Seeing Subaru’s weak smile, Rem hastily kept shouting. But her intention was dismissed by Mizelda with her concise answer.

Mizelda’s razor-sharp words forced Rem to raise her face.

As Mizelda shook her head loosely, her expression was positively grimmer.

“Subaru’s wounds are deep and cannot be healed by mere treatment. At present, only his spirit maintained it, but that will soon be undone.”

“It’s undone when…why, suddenly…?”

“—? Surely because you reclaimed your woman.”

With a perplexed expression, Mizelda answered in an obvious manner.

As she spoke those words, Rem inhaled sharply, leaving Subaru, unable to raise his head, registering a bitter smile.

“Mizelda, the way you phrased that…”

“Is there a flaw in my description? If it becomes a dying wish of a comrade, we must spare no effort. It saves a man worth fighting for, after all.”

“Ha ha, how delightful…”

Even as that sincere testament echoed in his ears, it brought warmth to his heart, but he wished to express his doubts.

Indeed, he came to realize just how true their assessment was. He understood that by placing excess burdens upon Rem at such time, he would weigh her down further.

His legs were already struggling to move as they were; any additional weight on them wasn’t desirable.

“Why… why do you have to go this far…?”

With his strength dwindling dry as the leaves fell, Rem’s tremulous voice filled the air.

Feeling the warmth in her voice and realizing that he had inadvertently used Rem’s arm to support himself rather than the other way around.

Rem gazed at Subaru with quivering azure eyes, filled with suspicion and sorrow.

“Why do you do this? Why for me…?”

“—”

“Why…?”

I had been asked before: Why must I go through such efforts?

I remembered such inquiries posed to me with sincerity by my treasured people.

Of course, I struggled to recall precisely what my response had been.

The fragments of memory blurred, seemingly slipping from my grasp as consciousness diminished.

Thus, answering this girl with watery eyes before me was acted purely by impulse.

“Why?”

Because she questioned.

“—I wish for you to be happy.”

“—”

“I just want you to smile. That’s enough for me.”

Surrounded by love and in the presence of those I cherished, I hoped to see Rem smile.

As if flowers blossomed in spring, under a teeming, cloudless blue sky, sparkling stars twinkled in the distant heavens, I simply wished for her smile.

Just that smile—I want it for her.

—

“—”

“—Eh? Wait, hold on…!”

Power slowly leaked from Subaru’s body.

His head drooped, his neck too weak to keep upright; he began to sag down hopelessly. Triggering a fast response, Rem pulled him snugly beside her.

Yet, no answer came.

“—To the fellow warriors and the souls of the fallen—”

Mizelda straightened her back, her lips parting softly with reverence, singing.

At Mizelda’s song, Holly and Utakata, along with the Shudrak people still singing the victory anthem from just moments earlier, joined in harmony.

That song—was a requiem sent off for the warriors who fought until their last breath, fulfilling their pride—

“Wait, please. No, I cannot let this person…”

As the song resonated, with Subaru gradually loosening his life force, Rem looked down at his peaceful face, shaking her head with resolve.

“—”

She didn’t understand. She had no reason to.

Those spoken words didn’t quite suffice as answers to the questions swirling within her.

But in this moment, she knew that if he were to slip away, he would forever be lost—

“Please, don’t die here, don’t die, don’t die…”

A scream rose up at the thought of losing the one who had bestowed endless warmth and grace upon her, leaving Rem grieving for but one reason.

So she bit her lip, yearning for salvation—

“Aawoo?”

In that fleeting instance, a weight settled on her shoulder, a child’s murmur.

“—Ah?”

Turning to see whose gentle touch weighed on her shoulder was a girl with golden hair. She stared dreamily at the unconscious Subaru.

With that, the girl murmured, “Uuhh,” and—

“…Is this…”

A warm sensation washed over Rem’s shoulders as it slipped into her being.

It spread pleasantly, flushing her chest with apercitions, until her breath came out haltingly, and soon enough, tears of relief escaped down her cheeks.

The touch radiating from the girl flowed warmly through her.

This burgeoning sensation began stirring something deep within Rem.

She couldn’t hold it in any longer; an urge beckoned from deep inside her.

The moment it surfaced, it overflowed beyond her control, surging outwards from her being.

And it traced paths outwards, wrapping around the limp figure that was Subaru whose life flickered like a candle about to go out,

“—So, the healing magic has activated. I did not foresee this.”

“Eh…?”

What was occurring? With no grasp of my own situation, a voice rang through my ear. As I raised my gaze, a man with his arms crossed held a narrowed eye upon me.

“Shut your mouth girl. Your unconsciousness has triggered a miracle thanks to the conditions being favorable for it to manifest. If you let your guard down, the activation will fade and you’ll lose its effectiveness.”

“—”

The man’s words bore an undeniable weight, forcing Rem to silence her protests.

And then, just as he instructed her to concentrate on sending warmth and life into the limp body of Subaru.

There were still wonders within that warmth that Rem couldn’t begin to understand. It was but enough to witness that breath, which was just going to disappear before—was returning, slightly.

That alone was sufficient for Rem at this moment.

“…For now, I still don’t know what you are. But—”

“If you don’t live, I won’t be able to see you smile again.”

She whispered softly to him.

—

As if the light of healing activated, the fatal wounds of Natsuki Subaru began to mend.

“—”

While arms crossed, the last person—Vincent Abelkus sighed as he looked down at the revived Subaru, whose life rekindled.

What a truly lucky guy. On the brink of life and death, he managed to grasp truly sympathetic hearts from the people of Shudrak meanwhile reclaiming what had once been taken from him, and even managing to save his own life.

Could it be he had strategically thought reclaiming that blue-haired girl—Rem—would allow him his own life back?

“Since you’re so crafty, start healing those broken fingers on your left hand as well.”

Having left his finger broken by Rem, stained in blood and mud, he had wished to see her safely recovered.

If such designs could be directed towards him, it would be nothing less than profound irony. As a result, however, the wisdom which would allow them to do so bore no hint of their character as heroic figures.

Truly he lacked the visage of what was commonly seen described as “the hero” in any rumor.

“Though I meant it as a gesture for a man facing death—if he survives, that would be a twist of fate.”

With the exposure of the feeling upon his face, he revealed himself to the wind for the first time in ages.

Natsuki Subaru had successfully survived, and the blood pact with the people of Shudrak had been forged anew. It appeared the current Imperial soldiers seemed completely unaware of the occurrences, yet that was merely within the rounding out of possibilities.

Yet here thrived those within—and just as important—most people in the Empire were none the wiser.

An historical and monumental upheaval had occurred within the Holy Volakia Empire.

However—

“Chancellor Balstetz, the traitorous Nine Divine Generals, and the foolish Imperial soldiers blinded by ignorance,”

Upon the hill where the warm winds blew, the man—Abel turned his attention westward, back toward the Imperial capital.

The heart of the Holy Volakia Empire, the land which housed the throne he must retake—

“—Prepare for my return and tremble in anticipation.”

And then—

“Having barely survived, you will accompany me, Natsuki Subaru. —To reclaim the Volakia Empire with my hand.”

“`

 

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